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Hydrogeology of Lower Amargosa Valley and Groundwater Discharge

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Hydrogeology of Lower Amargosa Valley and Groundwater Discharge Prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management Hydrogeology of Lower Amargosa Valley and Groundwater Discharge to the Amargosa Wild and Scenic River, Inyo and San Bernardino Counties, California, and Adjacent Areas in Nye and Clark Counties, Nevada Scientific Investigations Report 2018–5151 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Cover photograph: Oblique aerial view looking toward the north from Sperry Wash to the Amargosa Canyon and the southern part of the Tecopa basin. Photograph by Birgitta Jansen and Neal Nurmi, National Park Service, Death Valley National Park, April 6, 2017. Hydrogeology of Lower Amargosa Valley and Groundwater Discharge to the Amargosa Wild and Scenic River, Inyo and San Bernardino Counties, California, and Adjacent Areas in Nye and Clark Counties, Nevada By Wayne R. Belcher, Donald S. Sweetkind, Candice B. Hopkins, and Megan E. Poff Prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management Scientific Investigations Report 2018–5151 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior DAVID BERNHARDT, Acting Secretary U.S. Geological Survey James F. Reilly II, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2019 For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment—visit https://www.usgs.gov or call 1–888–ASK–USGS. For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit https://store.usgs.gov. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner. Suggested citation: Belcher, W.R., Sweetkind, D.S., Hopkins, C.B., and Poff, M.E., 2019, Hydrogeology of Lower Amargosa Valley and groundwater discharge to the Amargosa Wild and Scenic River, Inyo and San Bernardino Counties, California, and adjacent areas in Nye and Clark Counties, Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2018–5151, 131 p., 1 pl., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20185151. ISSN 2328-0328 (online) iii Acknowledgments Funding for this study was provided by the Bureau of Land Management under Interagency Agreement L11PG00359. The authors thank The Nature Conservancy and the Amargosa Conservancy for their support of this work by emphasizing its importance to the Bureau of Land Management and providing access to their consultant’s work on the hydrology of the Lower Amargosa Valley. The authors thank Susan Sorrells of Shoshone, California, for providing access to the springs at Shoshone and for providing information on the municipal water-supply system. The authors thank Brian Brown of China Ranch, California, for allowing access to China Ranch to gage Willow Creek and for information related to water use at China Ranch. The overall enthusiastic support for this work by local land owners was much appreciated. The authors thank Andy Zdon (consultant to the Amargosa Conservancy) for sharing his data and interpretations, which greatly benefitted this work. Chris Fridrich (retired U.S. Geological Survey) and Jeremy Workman (U.S. Geological Survey) provided draft versions of geologic cross sections of the study area and subsurface interpretations that benefitted this work. Leigh Justet (formerly of the U.S. Geological Survey) provided significant assistance in the conceptual design of the hydrogeochemistry work and the collection of water and rock samples. iv Contents Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1 Objectives and Scope ..........................................................................................................................2 Description of Study Area ...................................................................................................................4 Regional Geologic Setting ...................................................................................................................4 Hydrogeologic Setting .........................................................................................................................6 Southern Death Valley Subregion .............................................................................................6 Tecopa Basin ................................................................................................................................8 Hydrology .............................................................................................................................................12 Groundwater ...............................................................................................................................12 Surface Water ............................................................................................................................14 Methods.........................................................................................................................................................15 Surface Water .....................................................................................................................................15 Water Chemistry .................................................................................................................................15 Conceptualization ...............................................................................................................................16 Surface-Water Measurements .................................................................................................................16 Discharge Measurements and Observations at Surface-Water and Discharge Sites ..........18 Shoshone Spring ........................................................................................................................18 Borax Spring ...............................................................................................................................20 Borehole Spring .........................................................................................................................22 Tecopa Hot Springs ...................................................................................................................25 Willow Creek...............................................................................................................................26 Resting Spring ............................................................................................................................28 Thom Spring ................................................................................................................................28 Amargosa Canyon Springs .......................................................................................................28 Persistent Pools .........................................................................................................................28 Salt-Encrusted Areas ................................................................................................................29 Amargosa River ..........................................................................................................................29 Synoptic Seepage Run on the Amargosa Wild and Scenic River ..............................................31 Discharge Measurements ........................................................................................................31 Physical Properties and Alkalinity ..........................................................................................31 Gains and Losses Along the Amargosa Wild and Scenic River ........................................37 Water Chemistry ..........................................................................................................................................38 Data Quality, Sources, and Compilation ..........................................................................................39 Geochemistry of Groundwater and Springs ...................................................................................39 Stable and Radiogenic Isotopes .............................................................................................39 Saturation Indices .....................................................................................................................42 Chemistry of Groundwater Groups .........................................................................................42 Temperature and Specific Conductance ......................................................................42 Major Ions and Hydrochemical Facies .........................................................................44 Ratios of Elements as a Tracer .......................................................................................45 Trace Element Trends Among Groups ...........................................................................49 Amargosa River Chemistry ................................................................................................................54 Geochemical Modeling ......................................................................................................................54
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