Geology and Ground-Water Resources of Duval County, Texas
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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Harold L. Ickes, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. C. Mendenhall, Director Water-Supply Paper 776 GEOLOGY AND GROUND-WATER RESOURCES OF DUVAL COUNTY, TEXAS BY ALB^VfgNELSON SAYRE *r^r Qo, 3,-^ \\ o0bpetation with the TEXAS STATE-JBO^IVOF\WATER ENGINEERS UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1937 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. ..- -« Price 25 cents CONTENTS Page Abstract _________________________________________________________ 1 Introduction_ ___________________________________________________ 3 Location and general features of the area_______________________ 3 Scope and purpose of the investigation_________________________ 4 Previous investigations.________________________________________ 6 Acknowledgments.-.--__--____________________________________ & Climate.- _ _--_-_-_-____-____-____________________.--_-_____-_-____ T Geomorphology_ _ _________________________________________________ 8: General features of the Coastal Plain_-__-__---___---------__--_- 8"- Coastal terraces_____________________________________________ 9' Reynosa Plateau._____________________________________________ 1O Cuesta near Benavides_______________________________________ 11 Bordas escarpment-_-----------___--_--_-_----_-_-----__------ 11 Gueydan Plain, Gueydan Hills belt, and Frio Plain- -.----------- 11 Drainage_ _-_-_--____-_--______-___-_-_--____________-__-_____-_ 12 Economic developments______.______--____--_______-___---_____-_ 13 General geology_________________________________________________ 14 Structure._______________________________________________________ 16 Doming and folding_____-____________________________________. 16 Faulting.__________________________________________________ 18 General principles of the occurrence of ground water_________________ 20 Porosity of rocks_____________________________________________ 20 Permeability of rocks________________________________________ 21 Zone of saturation and zone of aeration__-___-_-__---_----__----_ 21 Artesian conditions.___________________________________________ 22 Chemical character of ground water__________-___-____--_-___-__-___ 23 Geologic formations and their water-bearing properties.______________ 28 Tertiary system.______________________________________________ 28 Eocene series.____________________________________________ 28 Jackson formation.._________________________________ 28 Name.______________________________________ 28 Character._______________________________________ 28 Distribution._____________________________________ 28 Occurrence of ground water._______________________ 29 Oligocene (?) series______________-_-_____________-_________ 29 Frio clay___________________________________________ 29 Name.__-_----_-___.-___-__________-__-____.__ 29 Character and distribution.____--___---__-----____- 29 Age_ ____________________________-_.-_--__ 30 Occurrence of ground water._______________________ 31 Miocene (?) series_-___-_____________________________-__.__ 31 Catahoula tuff________________________________________ 31 Name and correlation____________________________ 31 Character and distribution____-_______-__--________ 33; Fant tuff member_-_--_-_-_----_--_--_-_____ 33 Soledad volcanic conglomerate member._________ 35 Chusa tuff member..__________________________ 37 in IV CONTENTS Geologic formations and their water-bearing properties Continued. Tertiary system Continued. Miocene (?) series Continued. Catahoula tuff Continued. Page Thickness and dip_-_-_----__.:----_--------__------ 39 Origin.__________________________________________ 39 Occurrence of ground water._______________________ 40 Qu'ality of water__________________________________ 41 Miocene series----____-__-_____--__-_-----__-_-_--_----__- 42 Oakville sandstone_________-_-_--__----i-___-____-_-_- 42 Name and distribution.--._________________________ 42 Character. _______________________________________ 43 Thickness and dip_______________________________ 44 Occurrence of ground water._______________________ 44 Quality of water._________________________________ 45 Miocene (?) series._______________-____--_-_--___-__-_____- 45 Lagarto clay (restricted)_______________________________ 45 Name.____---___------_---------__---_--_---_--- 45 Character _ _______________________________________ 46 Distribution. _____________________________________ 46 Occurrence of ground water._______________________ 47 Pliocene series____________-______-___---_-_--___-__-----_- 47 Goliad sand___________________-__--_-_--__--_-------- 47 Name and correlation___________-_-_---__-_-------_ 47 Fossils. ___________________-_____-__---_-__----__- 50 Character and distribution.________________________ 50 Occurrence of ground water._______________________ 54 Quality of water__--_---_----_-------_------------ 55 Water levels in relation to recharge and chloride content. 60 Quaternary system_____________________-_____-__-_---_--_-__-- 64 Pleistocene series---_--__------_-__--___-_-----_----------- 64 Lissie formation_______________-___-_________-_---_-- 64 Name. _-----_----_----_-__.-__--_-__________ 64 Character and general relations_---____-____-----_-- 64 Occurrence of ground water____,___________________ 64 Terrace deposits______-____---__----_--__---____------ 64 Recent series___-____-_________________-___-_-__-__------- 65 Wind-blown sand_________________--__-____--___-_---- 65 Caliche,_---_----___-_-______-----_--_----------_---_---- 65 Name and general character___-__--_-_______-____-_--_- 65 Origin. ____________________-_____.___________ 67 Distribution.____________________-_---______-_---_--.- 70 Age__----------__-_- ------ --- - ~ 71 Chalcedony knobs______-________-_-__---_____--__-___-_- 72 Los Picachos Hills__________________________________ 72 Sarnosa Hills_____________-_---_-_--_---_-_--_--_----- 73 Cedro HiU_____ _____ _____ _-__._ ______ _ 74 Las ParUlas HiUs___________._________-- 74 Present development of water supplies from wells-_____-___-___--__-__ 75 Extreme northwestern part of Duval County_____--______--_____- 75 Area adjacent to the Bordas escarpment----------------------- 75 Xa Gloria ranch and vicinity_______-___-____--_--___-___--__- 76 Bess and vicinity____________________________________________ 76 JRosita ranch and vicinity. __________________------_--__---_-_-- 77 CONTENTS V Present development of water supplies from wells Continued. Page San Diego and vicinity._______________________________________ 77 Benavides and vicinity_______________________________________ 77 Realitos and vicinity______--__-_____-__-____-_-_____--___-___. 78 Crestonio and vicinity.________________________________________ 78 Extreme southwestern part of Duval County.____________________ 78 Sejita and vicinity.___________________________________________ 79 Concepcion, Santa Cruz, La Copita, and vicinity________________ 79 Possibilities of developing water supplies from wells for irrigation.______ 80 Welllogs-____-___-_-_-___-_-__-__-___-__.__________-___________-_ 82 Well tables_____________________________________.... 94 Index__ ________________________________________________________ 115 ILLUSTRATIONS Page PLATE 1. Map of Duval County, Tex., showing geologic boundaries and location of wells___________-______-_--_-_---___-___-_In pocket 2. Sketch map of part of southwestern Texas showing present course of the Nueces River and its relation to other streams __ 18 3. Generalized geologic sections of Duval County _______________ 18 4. A, Irregular masses of silicified Chusa tuff; B, Close view of massive clayey Goliad sand in San Diego Creek near San Diego_____________________________________________ 42 5. A, B, Goliad sand exposed in Palo Creek____________________ 58 6. A, Goliad-Catahoula contact on the hill half a mile east of Atravesada Hill; B, Ledge of Goliad conglomerate overlying Chusa tuff a quarter of a mile southeast of Sutherland ranch house. ________________________-____-______----___----_ 59 7. A, View along the San Diego-Hebbronville road about 4 miles southwest of Realitos; B, Caliche and Goliad sand in Finskey's quarry, near Realitos-______________---__--------__--_-- 74 8. A,. Northern knob of Los Picachos Hills, showing resistant chalcedony; B, View looking south across part of the supposed ancient valley of the Nueces River.______________________ 75 FiGtrKE 1. Map of Texas showing location of Duval County, areas on which water-supply papers have been published, and areas on which ground-water reports are in preparation ____________ 4 2. Profile from Mustang Island to Aguilares.__________________ 9 3. Sketch map of Cedro Hill showing relation of veins-_________ 74 VI GEOLOGY AND GROUND-WATER RESOURCES OF DUVAL COUNTY, TEXAS By ALBERT NELSON SAYRE ABSTRACT Duval County is situated in southern Texas, 100 to 150 miles south of San Antonio and about midway between Corpus Christi, on the Gulf of Mexico, and Laredo, on the Rio Grande. The county lies on the Coastal Plain, which for the most part is low and relatively featureless. Between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande in this part of Texas the plain is interrupted by an erosion remnant, the Reynosa Plateau, which reaches a maximum altitude of nearly 1,000 feet above sea level and stands well above the areas to the east and west. The Reynosa Plateau includes most of Duval County and parts of Webb, Zapata, Starr, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, McMullen, and Live Oak Counties. In Duval County the plateau is bounded on the west by the westward-facing Bordas escarpment, 75 to 150 feet high, which crosses