Landforms of the Central Jornada Del Muerto: Influencing the Path of El Camino Real De Tierra Adentro
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NEW MEXICO BUREAU OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES Landforms of the central Jornada del Muerto: Influencing the Path of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro Trevor Kludt, Dave Love, Bruce Allen, and Talon Newton Open-file Report 575 October 2015 New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources A division of New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Socorro, NM 87801 (575) 835 5490 Fax (575) 835 6333 geoinfo.nmt.edu Landforms of the central Jornada del Muerto: Influencing the Path of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro Trevor Kludt, Dave Love, Bruce Allen, and Talon Newton Open-file Report 575 October 2015 New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources PROJECT FUNDING Funding for this work came from the New Mexico Spaceport Authority as a measure of The Mitigation Plan for El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro Sapceport America and the Aquifer Mapping Program of the Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources. The views and conclusions are those of the authors, and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the State of New Mexico. NEW MEXICO BUREAU OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES CENTRAL Jornada DEL MUERTO CONTENTS I. Introduction ........................................................................ 1 Plate Project background ............................................................. 1 1. Landform map Study area ................................................................................. 2 Landforms ................................................................................. 3 Figures Methods ..................................................................................... 4 1. Route of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro ........ 1 2. Study area boundaries for landform map .............. 2 II. Landscape Map Units: Description and 3. Well developed alluvial fans ........................................... 3 4. Path of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro ............................................. 3 Discussion of Features across landforms of the Jornada del Muerto Young piedmont alluvium and tributary near Spaceport America .............................................. 4 valley inset alluvial deposits ...................................10 5. Alluvial apron ......................................................................... 5 Playas and lunettes .............................................................10 6. Compiled generalized geologic map ................6 & 7 Axial stream floodplain and 7. Landforms of the central floodplain playas ...........................................................12 Jornada del Muerto .............................................8 & 9 Valley margin alluvium and valley fill of 8. Young piedmont alluvium .............................................10 Cañon del Muerto and McRae Canyon ..........11 9. Jornada Lakes playa .........................................................11 Intermediate-level piedmont deposits 10. Time-series images of playas ........................................11 and surfaces .....................................................................13 11. Floodplain playa near Prisor Hill ..............................12 La Mesa, Jornada, or Cuchillo surfaces, and underlying deposits ............................................14 12. View to northeast of present location of Ojo del Muerto spring, McRae Canyon .........13 Bedrock and volcanic group .........................................14 13. Qp2 surface with gravelly desert pavement northwest of Alivio ......................................................13 III. Summary and Discussion ...................................16 14. View west of La Mesa surface in southern portion of the study area ..........................................14 15. Love Ranch conglomerate ............................................14 IV. Suggestions for Future Research ....................20 16. Cretaceous bedrock exposed along Hydrogeology, geomorphology, Ash Canyon, near Ash Spring ...............................15 and landforms ................................................................20 17. Large-wheeled carts similar to those used Historical/Archaeological ...............................................20 on El Camino Real ......................................................16 Route of El Camino Real and durability 18. Coal wagon stalled on muddy road .........................17 of landform surfaces ...................................................20 19. Borrow pit near Engle ......................................................18 20. Palomas piedmont surface near Yost Draw ........19 Project Staff & Acknowledgments ........................21 Tables References .....................................................................................22 1. Landform designations ...................................................... 9 NEW MEXICO BUREAU OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES CENTRAL JORNADA DEL MUERTO LANDFORM MAP I. INTRODUCTION l Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (El Camino Real) February of 2012, ten segments of El Camino Real Eis a 1600 mile long trail linking Mexico City and in New Mexico (including several loci in/near the San Juan Pueblo/Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico, project area) were listed on the National Register which was in use from 1598 to the 1880s (Figure 1). of Historic Places. The portion of the route recog- The Jornada Del Muerto, located in southern nized and administered as El Camino Real de Tierra New Mexico, was reportedly one of the most feared Adentro NHT extends 404 miles from El Paso, Texas, sections along El Camino Real due, primarily, to the to San Juan Pueblo (Ohkay Owingeh), New Mexico, scarcity of water. It is thought that water availability and is jointly administered by the Bureau of Land largely influenced the travel route and locations of Management (BLM) and the National Park Service parajes (campsites) in the Jornada Del Muerto. (NPS), regardless of land status. The Spaceport This report describes the second part of a America project area encompasses approximately 26 two-part paleohydrologic study of the central Jornada square miles in the Jornada del Muerto, including Del Muerto conducted by the New Mexico Bureau segments of El Camino Real NHT and associated cul- of Geology and Mineral Resources (NMBGMR) tural resources. Per the consultations conducted prior for the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA). to the initiation of the Spaceport America project, the This portion of the study focuses on the classification NMSA agreed to mitigate adverse effects associated and mapping of landforms in proximity to the route with the construction and long-term operation of of El Camino Real that potentially have implications the Spaceport America on a suite of cultural proper- for paleohydrologic conditions in the past. The land- ties in a 5-mile radius around the Spaceport America forms and relative stability of their surfaces also have campus, including viewshed and noise impacts on implications regarding the ultimate location of the the setting as well as “direct” or physical impacts on main route as it crosses the Jornada del Muerto. In specific sites. The Mitigation Plan for El Camino Real addition to presenting a map de Tierra Adentro Spaceport of landforms within the study America (FAA and NMSA, Ohkay area, this document details the 2010) identifies a series of mea- Owingeh methods used to delineate these Santa Fe sures specifically intended to Albuquerque landforms as well as descrip- mitigate adverse effects to the New Mexico tion and photos of the various UNITED STATES Trail, including measures that landform components. “will result in compilation of Las Cruces El Paso additional information about Juarez the properties and function Project Background of the trail and associated resources,” and “that will Chihuaha l Camino Real de Tierra result in increased public Adentro has long been awareness and appreciation of E Corralitos recognized as the primary route the trail.” between the Spanish colonial MEXICO Gulf of Mexico The study which is the capital of Mexico City and the Durango focus of this report repre- northernmost Spanish provin- Zacatecas sents the fulfillment of one of cial capitals in what would the measures specified in the become New Mexico. In the Pacic mitigation plan, and has been United States, this trail was Ocean funded by the NMSA. The added to the National Trails Mexico City principal objective of the miti- System as a National Historic Figure 1. Route of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro gation measure is to assess the Trail (NHT) in 2000. In (modified from BLM, 2010). relationship between apparent 1 NEW MEXICO BUREAU OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES water availability and the location of the Trail and Study Area associated parajes. The data gathered from hydrogeo- logic investigations will provide a greater understand- he study area for the landform mapping portion ing of cultural properties along El Camino Real as Tof the project is located in the central portion of well as important information for long-term man- the Jornada Del Muerto Basin (Figure 2), extend- agement of resources, and may be useful for future ing from just north of Engle to just south of Point of predictive modeling of resource locations. Rocks. In general, the landform mapping corridor is Hydrogeologic study area, Open-File Report-573 Figure 2. Study area boundaries for landform map. 2 CENTRAL JORNADA DEL MUERTO LANDFORM MAP 4 miles wide and centers on the route of El Camino types of landforms such as volcanic edifices