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Tularosa Basin, New Mexico

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Tularosa Basin, New Mexico DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR WATER- SUPPLY PAPER 343 GEOLOGT AND WATER RESOURCES OF TULAROSA BASIN, NEW MEXICO BY O. E. MEINZER AND R. F. HARE Prepared in cooperation with the New Mexico Agricultural Experiment Station WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1915 CONTENTS. Page. Introduction.............................................................. 11 Location and main features.................. 7......................... 11 Name................................................................ 13 Climate.............................................................. 14 History.............................................................. 15 Industrial development-............................................... 18 Purpose and history of the investigation ................................ 20 Previous investigations and literature.................................. 21 Physiography and drainage. I.............................................. 25 General features....................................................... 25 Mountains and plateaus................................................ 26 Sacramento Mountains............................................. 26 Sierra Blanca..................................................... 27 Tucson, Carrizo, Baxter, and Lone mountains....................... 27 Jicarilla Mountains................................................. 28 Gallinas Mountains................................................ 28 Chupadera Plateau................................................. 28 Oscuro Mountains..............:.................................. 29 Little Burro Mountains............................................ 29 San Andreas Mountains........................................... 29 Organ Mountains.................................................. 30- Jarilla Mountains.................................................. 31 Northern part of interior area.......................................... 31 General features................................................... 31 Benches and rock escarpments...................................... 32 Other hills and ridges............................................. 33 Sink holes........................................................ 34 Volcanoes and lava beds............................................ 34 Younger lava bed.............................................. 34 Older lava bed................................................ 37 Younger volcanic cone........................................ 38 Older volcanic cones........................................... 39 Southern part of interior area.......................................... 40 General features................................................... 40 Buttes............................................................ 41 Fault scarps and shore features..................................... 41 Alkali flats.....".................................................. 44 Dunes............................................................ 45 Sink holes........................................................ 47 Arroyos......:.................................................... 48 Meadow south of the white sands................................... 51 Features produced by springs....................................... 52 Geology.................................................................. 53 General features....................................................... 53 Pre-Carboniferous granite.............................................. 55 3 4 CONTENTS. Geology Continued. Page. Carboniferous sedimentary rocks....................................... 56 Distribution...................................................... 56 Relation to older rocks............................................ 56 Mississippian series................................................ 57 Pennsylvania^ series............................................... 57 Outcrops...................................................... 57 Subdivisions.................................................. 57 Sacramento section............................................ 57 Oscuro section................................................ 58 San Andreas section............................................ 60 Cretaceous sedimentary rocks.......................................... 60 Tertiary intrusive rocks and igneous rocks of uncertain age................. 62 Tertiary (?) sedimentary rocks......................................... 64 Valley fill (Quaternary and Tertiary (?))................................. 64 Distribution, thickness, and age.................................... 64 Water-deposited clay, sand, and gravel.............................. 66 Gypsum deposits................................................... 69 Wind-deposited quartz sand....................................... 71 Saline deposits.................................................... 72 Caliche........................................................... 72 Quaternary basalt..................................................... 72 Character and distribution......................................... 72 Weathering and other changes...................................... 73 Age.............................................. L ................ 74 Structure.............................................................. 74 Faults............................................................ 74 Distribution.................................................. 74 San Andreas-Sacramento section............................... 74 Oscuro-Sierra Blanca section................................... 75 Northern section............................................... 76 Age........................................................... 77 Unconformities................................................... 77 Volcanic structures................................................ 77 Geologic history........................................................ 77 Pre-Carboniferous erosion.......................................... 77 Carboniferous sedimentation....................................... 78 Post-Carboniferous erosion......................................... 78 Cretaceous sedimentation.......................................... 79 Post-Cretaceous volcanism, deformation, erosion, and nonmarine sedi­ mentation. ..................................................... 79 Precipitation............................................................. 80 Records.............................................................. 80 Average precipitation................................................. 85 Distribution from year to year........................................... 86 Seasonal distribution................................................... 88 Geographic distribution................................................ 89 Relation to agriculture and water supplies............................... 92 Water in valley fill......................................................... 95 Area and problems..................................................... 95 Sources of water....................................................... 95 General circulation. ...............--............-.-... .-.-.---.-- 95 Zones of precipitation, run-off, and percolation..................... 96 Mountain areas................. ................................... 97 CONTENTS. 5 Water in valley fill Continued. Sources of water Continued. Page. Zone of gravelly sediments.......................................... 98 Zone of dense adobe............................................... 99 The gypseous plain and the mid-slope arroyos........................ 99 Areas of gypsum sands and quartz sands.............................. 100- Lava beds..........i.............................................. 100 Alkali flats......................................................... " 101 Summary.......................................................... 101 Occurrence of water................................................... 101 Water table........................................................... 102 Significance........................................................ 102 Form.............................................................. 103 Relation to land surface............................................ 104 Fluctuations. ................................. ^.................... 106 Disposal of water...................................................... 107 Yield of wells......................................................... 110 Wells north of Jarilla Mountains.................................... 110 Otis wells..................................................... 110 Hill wells..................................................... Ill Votaw well................................................... Ill Purday well.................................................. Ill Larsen wells................................................... 112 Morgan well................................................... 112 Carl wells..................................................... 112 Wertane well.................................................. 112 Bowden well.................................................. 113 Aple well...................................................... 113 Loomas well................................................... 113 Pierce weH..................................................... 113 Patty well..................................................... 113 Camp well.................................................... 114 Summary.....................................................
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