Geology and Ground-Water Resources of the Snake River Plain in Southeastern Idaho
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f yon do not need this publication after it has served your purpose, please return it to the Geological Surrey, using the official mailing label at the end UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGY AND GROUND-WATER RESOURCES OF THE SNAKE RIVER PLAIN IN SOUTHEASTERN IDAHO Prepared in cooperation with the IDAHO BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY and the IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF RECLAMATION GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 774 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Harold L. Ickes, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. C. Mendenhall, Director Water-Supply Paper 774 GEOLOGY AND GROUND-WATER RESOURCES OF THE SNAKE RIVER PLAIN IN SOUTHEASTERN IDAHO BY HAROLD T. STEARNS, LYNN CRANDALL AND WILLARD G. STEWARD Prepared in cooperation with the IDAHO BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY and the IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF RECLAMATION UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1938 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. ------- Price $1.25 CONTENTS Page Abstract-____-___-___-_-__-____________--_-_---_ ___-_____.___. 1 Introduction. _____________________________________________________ 2 Location and area_____________________-_--__-___-_-_---___-___ 2 Purpose and history of the investigation________________.________ 3 _____---__________--___-_---__-_____________ 5 _____--_-_______--_-_-______-____--________.. 5 Surface features_______________________________________________ 5 Snake River Plain_________________________________________ 5 Buttes.---_-_--_-_-_--_--____-------._-_--_---_---------- 6 Falls of Snake River_...____.-.-.__________________ 7 Tributary streams____--____---___-________--______-_--__-_ 7 Climate _______________________________________________________ 8 Temperature____________________________________________ 8 Precipitation. _ ____________________________________________ 10 Evaporation and transpiration._____________________________ 13 Jerome_______________________________________________ 13 Pioneer irrigation district--.------.--------- ________ 15 Milner._____________----_-.-_ ..- ______ 16 Sterling. ______._______________________ 17 American Falls and Michaud___-_---___-_-_---------_-_ 18 Mud Lake region______________________-____--_-______- 18 Summary of evaporation losses________-_____________-_-_ 18 Possible effect of evaporation and transpiration on precipi tation and stream flow.______________________________ 19 Tree rings in relation to climate.__---____-_-_______-__-_---- 19 Soil._---_-__------______.____-____________----.-_--._.. 23 Crops and vegetation__________________._______________________ 24 Geology and water-bearing properties of the rocks.____________________ 25 Summary. ___________________________________________________ 25 Rock formations and their water-bearing properties.__________-_-._ 32 Pre-Miocene rocks___-____________________-___-_________-_- 32 Miocene (?) rocks_____________----______-________---__--_- 33 General character____________________________________ 33 Rhyolitic rocks in and near the Mud Lake region..________ 35 Rhyolite of Big Southern Butte__________.-___-.____-_-_ 35 Trachyte of East Twin Butte._._.___________._ 36 Basalt of West Twin Butte...______________________._ 37 Shoshone Falls andesite_____----__-__-____-_------_-_-_ 37 Pillar Falls mud flow_________-______---_-_--_----_--__ 38 Rhyolitic rocks south of Snake River________-______.__-- 39 Sources of rhyolitic and related rocks.____________________ 41 Pliocene rocks_____________-_____-_-__-___----__------___- 42 Occurrence and character_____________________________ 42 Lower Pliocene (?) rocks.______________-_--_-----_----_ 43 Tertiary sediments in Clark County_________________ 43 Neeley lake beds.____._________________---_--__--- 43 Eagle Rock tuff___________.____-______-___--__-___ 44 Massacre volcanics._____________________-_----__-- 46 in IV CONTENTS Geology and water-bearing properties of the rocks Continued. Rock formations and their water-bearing properties Continued. Pliocene rocks Continued. Page Middle (?) Pliocene rocks______________________________ 47 Rockland Valley basalt___________________________ 47 Raft lake beds__._________________________________ 48 Upper Pliocene rocks______-_--__-_-_-_-___-_-_________ 50 Banbury volcanics______________________ ____ 50 Flows______________________________________ 50 Riverside Ferry cone_____-____--_____-_-_______ 51 Hagerman lake beds___-___---_-----_-----______-__ 52 Pleistocene rocks______________-_---_-_-___-____-__________ 56 Occurrence and character___-_--_-----__-_____-_-____-__ 56 Sources of the eruptions_--_--__-_--__---___---_________ 56 Water in the Pleistocene basalt_________________________ 58 Undifferentiated basalt___------------------__------____ 63 Sedimentary beds in the lava___________________________ 64 Pleistocene formations along the canyon of Snake River..__ 65 Lava fills_____________-_________-_-_-_-____-____ 65 Cedar Butte basalt_--_---------_--------__------_- 69 American Falls lake beds_____-____--___---_________ 69 Sedimentary beds_______________-_________-___ 69 Basalt member__---____-_--___--____--__-_-___ 71 Madson basalt__-____--_--____---___--_--------___ 72 Malad basalt__________----___-__-_-_--------.__ 74 Thousand Springs basalt_____-__-______-_-____--.__ 75 McKinney basalt______________________________ 76 Bliss volcanics______--_-_-_----__--___---_-_-_-__- 78 Bliss cone._______-__--____-________-__-_---_. 78 Associated dikes-____-_----__-_-___--____--____ 78 The basalt flow___._________-___.__.__ 80 Sand Springs basalt and Burley lake beds ________ 80 Minidoka basalt_________________________________ 83 Wendell Grade basalt__--____-_--__--_----__----___ 84 Pleistocene basalt in tributary valleys.___________________ 85 Salmon Falls Creek..-.____________________ 85 Goose Creek__--____--___-__--____--_---__-_----__ 85 Raft River______________________._ 86 Portneuf River_______-___ -______-__ 86 Blackfoot River._....________-__--____----_.__ 87 Upper Snake River__--------_--------_----------__ 88 Lake beds near Terreton and Market Lake_______________ 88 Glacial deposits____--___----_------_--_------_-------- 89 Older alluvium____________.___________________________ 89 Recent deposits_________-__---_-_------_--_---__----__--__ 93 Occurrence.__________________________________________ 93 Black basalt and associated cones______________--____-___ 94 Water in the Recent basalt--_-__-_--___-__-----_------- 100 Wind-blown deposits____--___--____---_--_--__-_----_ 102 Younger alluvium___-.____--_--____-_-_-__----_-_------ 102 Landslides and talus_-__-__--__--___------_----------_- 104 Structure_______-_________________-----____--__----__------- 105 CONTENTS V Page Ground-water levels._________________________ _________ 109 Method of investigation__________________ _______ ._ 109 Form of the water table-__-______---_______-_-_--_____- 109 Relation of water table to land surface_-__--_____--____---_______ 114 Relation of water table to irrigation___________________________ 116 Alluvial fan of Snake River_________________________________ 116 Aberdeen-Springfield tract-_----_____--___----___---_-__- 117 Fort Hall and Blackfoot tracts____________________ 120 Minidoka project___-_______________________-__ __._ 124 Twin Falls South Side project____________________ 128 Twin Falls North Side tract. ______._____________ 135 Springs________________________________ __ 136 Occurrence and character _________________________ 136 Springs in the Fort Hall bottoms__--.___________--__-_---_____-_ 137 General features and discharge..-_______________________ _ 137 Sources____________________________________ ___ _ 139 Possible supply from Portneuf River Basin ___________________ 139 Possible supply from precipitation north of Snake River........ 140 Possible supply from underflow of Snake River.__________ 140 Springs between American Falls and King Hill_____ ________ _ 142 Sources________________________________________________ 142 Spring coves________-_______________-____---______________ 144 Origin______________________________________________ 144 Cove piracy________________________________________ 147 Springs between American Falls and Milner________________ _ 151 Rueger Spring_______________________________________ 151 Davis Springs___________________________________________ 151 Mary Franklin Mine Springs______________________________ 152 Mower Springs__________________________________________ 152 Springs near Lake Walcott____________________________ 152 Springs between Milner and Blue Lakes________-_-__-__________ 154 Minor springs______________________________________ 154 Blue Lakes______________________.___________ 156 Springs between Blue Lakes and Crystal Springs __________________ 157 Springs between Crystal Springs and Thousand Springs ____________ 158 Crystal Springs____________________________________. 158 Niagara Springs_________________________________________ 159 Clear Lake.._______________________________ 159 Briggs Spring___________________________________ _______ 160 Banbury Springs___________________________-______________ 160 Box Canyon and Blind Canyon Springs ______________________ 160 Blue Springs__-___________________________._____.______ 161 Sand Springs______________________________________ 161 Thousand Springs___-_______-_____---__-______-___-_______ 162 Springs between Thousand Springs and Bliss________________ 164 Springs in Hagerman Valley__________--__----_-_-_-________ 164 Malad Sprmgs________________________________ 164 Miscellaneous small springs..___________________________ 166 Thermal springs and wells______________________-_______________