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Hydrogeology of Southern Part of Amargosa Desert in Nevada

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Hydrogeology of Southern Part of Amargosa Desert in Nevada - Q C/,-týt a174V _<///y, University of Nevada Reno I€ I Hydrogeology of the Southern Part of L Amargosa Desert in Nevada i A thesis submitted in partial fuifilimeni of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Geological Engineering by Richard Louis Naff August 1973 t /V-11 ý- ( 9304280120 930420 PDR WASTE WM-11 - PDR J- ) The thesis of Richard Lduis Naff is approved: " . • J'7 x Thesis advisor Department- cna2.riman ' I , ) Deamn, Graduate- School I University of Nevada Reno August 1973 Jr. - -- -*-**---*-----.----- - i ACKNOWLEDGE: ZENTS The author acknowledges the aid of many individuals within the-Deser-. Research Institute in preparing this thesis. Particularly helpful were I!r. J. A. Westphal, with technical discussion; Mr. E. N. Cooper, with report preparation; and ,r. R. L. Bateman, with data collection. The-continuous financial support of the Institute was also a recognizable factor"in the Ccmpletion of this thesis. Dr.. P. J. mehringer, 1.7ashingtun State University, provided the author with many provocative field questions, ) and radiocarbon dates whi4ch he has collected through National Science foundation grant nu:rber GB-8646. Dr. E.-R. Larson, University of Nevadi at Reno, visited the thesis area with the -author and sugceste'd -a number of working hypotheses for the Cenozoic geologcy. Mr. C. E. McLaren; •United States&Bureau' of Reclamation, provided the author with chemical analys-es' of ground %,aterfrom the Amargosa Desert. -, -Finally., the author is indebted to his thesis com mitteefland particularly' his' thesis advisor, Dr. G. B. Maxey; for their p~atience'andguidance through this thesis. ii ABSTRACT The Southern Amargosa Desert is the sink of three ground-water flow systems which discharge approximately 23,500 acre-ft./year within the basin and another 5,500 acre-ft./year as underflow from the desert. Areal dis tribution of hydrostratigraphy, hydrochemistry, ground water potentials, and sources and sinks are used to delin eate flow syst'ems within the desert. Paleozoic carbonate rocks are known tb be aquifers where sufficiently fractured. Intense fracturing of Paleo zoic carbonate rocks east of Ash Meadows is related to gravity sliding along incompetent shale units of the Car rara Formation. High secondary permeability in carbonate rocks east of Ash Meadows are believed to be the result of gravity sliding. Tertiary sediments within the Amargosa Desert are commonly aquitards. Structural deformation and subsequent burial of Tertiary sediments by Pleistocene sedimentation has resulted in a ground-water barrier, to flow in the alluvial aquifer of the Southern -Amargosa Desert. Surficial exposures of late Pleistocene sediments indicate a complex depositional history of clays and marls - --.- ,-- ----- iii relatedz to ground-water discharge. Normal faulting along the east side of Ash Meadows has resulted in the juxta position of the carbonate aquifer with Tertiary and Pleisto cene sediments. Ground-water discharge at Ash °Meadows is the result of this permeability contrast. Potentiometric, hydrochemical, and hydrostratigraphic data indicate that large springs at Ash Meadows are re charged from the higher carbonate ranges to the northeast. A body of ground water containing ,low dissolved solids and possessing a sodium. bicarbonate character occupies the Central Pxargo~a Desert. •This water is related to a 'low system which is recharged in the Fortymile'Canyon drainage area and which discharges on the west'side of Carson Slough ) north of the state line. Ground waters in the East Cen tral and West Central Amargosa Desert are chemically dis tinct from either the discharge at Ash Meadows or the .Central Amargosa Desert. Ground water in the West Central Aniargosa Desert is believed to originate in'. the Pahute" Mesa flow system and discharge in Death Valley and in the Southern :-AmargosaDesert. Minor flow systems exist (1) in the Northeast'Cdrntral 4 margosa Desert, (2) asýunderflow through the 'alluvial aquifeif rom Steward Valley, and (3) as perched'svstems. The final evapotranspirazion'sink of all f1ow systems" within' the ?Anargosa Desert' is• found in the arca as,- of Death Valley Juncticn and north of Eagle :.ountain. iv ) CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .. * ................ I GEOLOGY AND HYDROSTIXTIGPH ......................*y 5 Precambrian and Paleozoic Geoloay .............. 5 Precambjrian and Paleozoic HGeoogy........... "Y G Early Tertiary Vallev Fil - . "'''--..... .... .i.. 131 Late Tertiary Valley Fill .................... Tertiary Hvdrostratigraphy 15 ....... 24 Tertiarv and Quaternary Sediments ............. 28 Early Pleistocene Valley Fill ................. Late Pleistocene 29 Vallev rill .................. 45 Environment of Deposition of Pleistocene Valley Fill ....... ............ 53 Age and Correlation of Pleistocene Hydrostratigraphy Valley Fill . -55 of Pleistocene Valley Fill ... Pleistocene and 59 Recent Sediments ............... 61 STRUCT UPR.T GEOLOGY .............. .............. 68 Low A;rngle Reverse Faults ....... ....... Transcurrent Faults ... 6 ................... " ....... 718 Normal Faults ............................... .Structural 74 Ge--ogy of the Ash Meadows Th'ust Fault Structural ...... 75 Trends'n th• Southern 'argosa . Desert ... .... .... ...... .... .. ..... be 81 H YDROCHEMISTRY .............. ......... * ....... 86 Analytical 1!ethods ..................... 86 Ash MIeadows Discharge Area ..................... Central•,Amargosa Desert...'[[[[•-[[[Ii 93 West Central Amarcosa Deserz ..... Hydrochemical 120 Evidence of Underflcw to Death Valley ......................... Northeast Central 124 Amargosa Desert- .............. 126 Southern Amareosa Desert ......... Water Quality of 128 Perched Systems ............... 131 Hydrochemical Evidence of Pahrump Underflow from Valley ................. 132 2).. .. 3 V HYDROGEOLOGY ....... ..................... ...... 139 Ash Meadows Regional Ground-Water System ....... 139 Fortymile Canyon System ........................ 147 West Central Ax.argosa-Desert ................... 151 Northeast Central Amargosa Desert .............. 154 Southern Amargosa Desert ....................... 156 Hydrologic Budcet .... .............. .......... 157 Perched Syst :s .......... ..................... 159 CONCL SIONS .6............................... ... .. 161 REFE-ENCES ............ ................. ..... 164 APPENDIX I Precambrian and Paleozoic Strati graphy -Irnniediately'East of Ash Meadows Precarbrian and C&,brian ... 171 APPENDIX Ii Geomorphological Notes A-out Special Features at Ash Meadows ............. 176 Devils Hole .................................... 176 Erosional Surface Near Lonastreet Spring ....... 179 Spring Mounds . 179 .) APPENDIX IIl -Selected-.Well Logs from Ash Meadows Area .... ... ...... 181 APPENDIX IV Water Analyses 'from the Soutihern Amargosa Desert and Vicinity ........ 200 ) vi ILLUSTRATIONS FIGURES Figure 1. Index Map Showing Regionial Structural Controls in the Vicinity of the Amargosa Desert .. ...... ............. 2 2. Figure Tertiary Limestone and Conglomerate .... 22 Figure 3. Older Pleistocene Valley Fill .......... 30 Figure 4. Early Pleistocene Marl and Clay ........ 35 Figure 5. Pleistocene Rootlet Casts and Cop rolites ................ 36 Figure 6. Pleistocene 1*:olds of Tule and Algal Stems . ...... .... ...... 46 Figure 7.* Late Pleistocene Gravels and Marls ..... 48 Figure Pleistocenc Tule Molds and Mcdcrn Algal Incrustation ) .. ........ 9.... ......... ... 51 Figure 9. Sub-Areas of Southern Amargosa Desert .. 87 Figure 10. Classification of Ground Water, P-miargosa Desert and ViCirity 91 Figure 11. Mixing North of Specter Range .......... 101 Figure 12. West Central Amargosa-Death Valley Underflow .......... * ..* .. *.. 123 Figure 13. Pahrump Valley-Steward Valley-Ash Meadows Underflow . ...................... 134 Figure 14. Pahruxp Valley-Chicago Valley-Tecopa .Underflow . ................ ...... 136 Figure 15. Hydrologic Sub-Basins and Major Flow Systems ................................ 142 Figure 16. Tuffa "Bath Tub" Rings in Devils Hole .. 178 I. Vii TABLES 1. Table Mineral Identifications ....... 37 Table 2. X-Ray Diffraction Results ............... 41 Table 3. Salt Analyses ............ 42 Calcium to -Magnesium Table 4. Percentage from Selected Sources ...... 95 Table 5. Saturation with Respect to Calcite 105 Table 6. Comparison of Water Qualities ............ 108-3.J0 PLATES Plate 1. Cenozoic Geology of Ash- Meadows. Plate 2. Geolocy of the Ash Meadows Thrust Fault. Plate 3. Bouguer Grait , y ý-Man Plate 4. Ground-Water Table nap of Ash :Meadow-s._ Plate 5. Selected Water Quality of-the A.argosa -and Vicinity. Desert Plate 6. Isopleth nap '0of Summed Ionic Constituents. Plate 7. Isopleth Map of Sodium Plus PotassiLum. Plate so. Isopleth -Mar of Silica Concentration. Plate 9. Isopleth I~ap of Calc.iumn to Magnesium Percentage. 1) ---- SON 9-.... .. - --- - - - -.. .. 1 INTRODUCTION The Southern Amargosa Desert is in Nye County, Nevada, and Inyo County, California, between 1160 15' and 1160 45' west longitude. The area is bounded by the Funeral Mountains to the west, the Resting Springs Range to the south, the unnamed range between Ash Meadows and Pahrumo Valley to the east, and Jackass Flats to the north (Figure 1). The Amnargosa River transects the desert from northwest to southeast and is the major surface water drainage within the region. Major tributaries to the Amargosa Ri.ver are Fortymile Wash, Rock Valley Wash, and Carson Slough. All drainages are ephemeral except where ground-water
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