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Ground-Water Geochemistry of the Albuquerque-Belen Basin, Central New Mexico

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GROUND-WA TER GEOCHEMISTRY OF THE ALBVQVERQVE-BELEN BASIN, CENTRAL NEW MEXICO By Scott K. Anderholm U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations Report 86-4094 Albuquerque, New Mexico 1988 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR DONALD PAUL MODEL, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director For additional information Copies of this report can write to: be purchased from: District Chief U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Division Books and Open-File Reports Pinetree Office Park Federal Center, Building 810 4501 Indian School Rd. NE, Suite 200 Box 25425 Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110 Denver, Colorado 80225 CONTENTS Page Abstract ............................................................. 1 Introduction ......................................................... 2 Acknowledgments ................................................. 4 Purpose and scope ............................................... 4 Location ........................................................ 4 Climate ......................................................... 6 Previous investigations ......................................... 6 Geology .................................................... 6 Hydrology .................................................. 6 Well-numbering system ........................................... 9 Geology .............................................................. 10 Precambrian rocks ............................................... 10 Paleozoic rocks ................................................. 10 Mesozoic rocks .................................................. 11 Cenozoic rocks including the Santa Fe Group (Formation) ......... 12 Structural geology .............................................. 20 Ground-water flow system ............................................. 24 Recharge ........................................................ 24 Ground-water flow in the aquifer ................................ 29 Discharge ....................................................... 31 Surface-water quality ................................................ 32 Ground-water geochemistry ............................................ 39 Southeastern area ............................................... 49 Recharge ................................................... 49 Ground water downgradient from recharge areas .............. 50 Mixture of upward-moving ground water and local ground water .................................................... 50 Conclusions ................................................ 51 Eastern area .................................................... 56 Ground water on the Hubbell Bench .......................... 56 Ground water east of the Rio Grande valley and west of the Hubbell Bench ..................................... 57 Ground water in the Rio Grande valley ...................... 58 Ground water west of the Rio Grande valley ................. 59 Conclusions ................................................ 59 iii CONTENTS - Concluded Page Ground-water geochemistry - Concluded Southwestern area ............................................... 66 Comanche fault flow system ................................. 66 Mesozoic rocks flow system ................................. 67 Mixed waters ............................................... 67 Rio Salado area ............................................ 76 Conclusions ................................................ 77 Northern area ................................................... 78 Water derived from Paleozoic rocks ......................... 78 Recharge from the east ..................................... 79 Water derived from Cretaceous rocks ........................ 79 Inflow from the San Juan Basin ............................. 88 Local recharge water in the Jemez area ..................... 88 Water associated with the Jemez area ....................... 89 Water with anomalous chloride concentrations northeast of Albuquerque ................................. 90 Water from the area west of Albuquerque where ion exchange is dominant ..................................... 94 Water from the Rio Grande valley ........................... 98 Water from the Rio Grande valley with large silica concentrations ........................................... 100 Conclusions ................................................ 101 Summary .............................................................. 102 References ........................................................... 104 PLATES [In pocket] Plate 1. Geologic map of the Albuquerque-Belen Basin, central New Mexico 2. Map showing concentrations of dissolved constituents for selected sites in the Albuquerque-Belen Basin, central New Mexico IV FIGURES Page Figure 1. Map showing location of the Southwest Alluvial Basins East study area ......................................... 3 2. Map showing location of the Albuquerque-Belen Basin ....... 5 3. Diagram showing the well-numbering system in New Mexico ... 9 4. Map showing location of studies concerning Tertiary sediments ............................................... 14 5. Selected references on the nomenclature of the Santa Fe Group (Formation) and equivalent units .................. 15 6. Map showing the thickness of the fine-grained sediments west of Albuquerque ..................................... 19 7. Schematic geologic section indicating relations between the upper part of the Santa Fe Group and overlying Holocene deposits ....................................... 21 8. Map showing the thickness of the Santa Fe Group (2,2-gram-per-cubic-centimeter layer) ................... 23 9. Potentiometric-contour map of the alluvial-basin aquifer ................................................. 25 10. Schematic geohydrologic section illustrating the hydrologic system ....................................... 26 11. Map showing calculated recharge to the aquifer along the basin margins and major drainages ....................... 28 12. Generalized hydrologic section of the irrigated part of the Rio Grande valley ........................... 30 13. Map showing location of major rivers and water-quality sampling stations ....................................... 34 14. Flow chart showing the method used to sort the water- quality data set for areas with a high density of data ................................................. 40 15. Sample Piper diagram and example of calculations used to plot a data point on the diagram ................ 42 16. Flow chart of material-balance model and results of sample calculation ...................................... 45 FIGURES - Concluded Page Figure 17. Map showing silica concentrations in ground water ........ 47 18. Piper diagram of selected water analyses in the southeastern area ...................................... 52 19. Map showing location of wells in the southeastern area that have water with large chloride concentrations ..... 53 20. Piper diagram of selected ground-water analyses in the eastern area ........................................... 60 21. Piper diagram of selected ground-water analyses in the southwestern area ...................................... 68 22. Map showing possible ground-water flow paths from the San Juan Basin to the Albuquerque-Belen Basin .......... 69 23. Map showing specific conductance, sulfate to chloride ratio, and sodium plus potassium to calcium ratio of water from selected wells in the southwestern area ..... 70 24. Piper diagram of selected water analyses in the northern area .......................................... 87 25. Map showing concentrations of chloride and silica in water from selected wells in the Bernalillo and Albuquerque areas ...................................... 92 26. Piper diagram of selected water analyses in the area west of Albuquerque where ion exchange is dominant ............................................... 95 27. Map showing extent of the fine-grained sediments and ion-exchange area west of Albuquerque .................. 96 TABLES Table 1. Climatic data from four stations ........................... 7 2. Surface-water-quality data for selected sites, September 1969 to August 1982 ............................ 35 3. Ground-water-quality data for selected sites in the southeastern area ........................................ 54 4. Material-balance-model results for selected ground-water analyses in the southeastern area ........................ 55 vi TABLES - Concluded Page Table 5. Ground-water-quality data for selected sites in the eastern area ............................................. 61 6. Saturation index of selected ground-water analyses in the eastern area ......................................... 63 7. Material-balance-model results for selected ground-water analyses in the eastern area ............................. 64 8. Ground-water-quality data for selected sites in the southwestern area ........................................ 72 9. Sulfate to chloride ratio, sodium plus potassium to calcium ratio, and mixing ratio for selected ground- water analyses ........................................... 74 10. Ground-water-quality data for selected sites in the northern area ............................................ 80 11. Material-balance-model results for selected ground-water analyses in the northern area ............................ 84 12. Calculation of the composition of upward-moving ground water in the area northeast of Albuquerque ............... 91 13. Water-quality data for adjacent wells of different depths near the east side of the
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