Prepared in cooperation with Elko County, Nevada Hydrogeologic Framework and Occurrence and Movement of Ground Water in the Upper Humboldt River Basin, Northeastern Nevada Scientific Investigations Report 2009–5014 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey SERIES/ SYSTEM/ EPOCH PERIOD Age estimates of estimates Age boundaries in mega-annum (Ma) Age estimates of estimates Age boundaries in mega-annum (Ma) EONOTHEM/ EONOTHEM/ EON ERATHEM/ ERA ERATHEM/ ERATHEM/ ERA EONOTHEM/ EONOTHEM/ EON SYSTEM, SUBSYSTEM/ SUBSYSTEM/ SYSTEM, SUBPERIOD PERIOD, HOLOCENE EDIACARAN 0.012 630 PLEISTOCENE QUATERNARY 1.81 CRYOGENIAN PLIOCENE 850 5.33 NEOPROTEROZOIC TONIAN NEOGENE MIOCENE 1000 STENIAN CENOZOIC 23.03 1200 OLIGOCENE ECTASIAN TERTIARY 33.9 1400 CALYMMIAN EOCENE MESOPROTEROZOIC 1600 PALEOGENE 55.8 PROTEROZOIC STATHERIAN PALEOCENE 1800 65.5 OROSIRIAN 2050 UPPER / LATE Photograph of Marys River looking south at the East Humboldt Range. RHYACIAN (Photograph taken by Russell Plume, U.S. Geological Survey, Carson City, Nevada, 99.6 2300 April 1994.) PALEOPROTEROZOIC PALEOPROTEROZOIC SIDERIAN CRETACEOUS LOWER / EARLY 2500 145.5 UPPER / LATE 161.2 NEOARCHEAN MESOZOIC 2800 MIDDLE JURASSIC 175.6 LOWER / EARLY MESOARCHEAN 199.6 3200 UPPER / LATE ARCHEAN PHANEROZOIC 228.0 MIDDLE TRIASSIC 245.0 PALEOARCHEAN PALEOARCHEAN LOWER / EARLY 3600 251.0 LOPINGIAN 260.4 GUADALUPIAN 270.6 PERMIAN CISURALIAN EOARCHEAN 299.0 ~4000 UPPER / LATE 306.5 MIDDLE Photograph of late Eocene basin-fill deposits exposed at a gravel pit along State 311.7 Route 226 about 1.3 miles west of State Route 225 (Mountain City Highway). The LOWER / EARLY PENNSYLVANIAN 318.1 sediments exposed here are fairly typical of Tertiary age sediments that underlie UPPER / LATE HADIAN basins of the study area (Alan Wallace, U.S. Geological Survey, written and oral 326.4 CARBONIFEROUS commun., 2008). (Photograph taken by Russell Plume, U.S. Geological Survey, MIDDLE 345.3 Carson City, Nevada, June 2007.) LOWER / EARLY MISSISSIPPIAN 359.2 UPPER / LATE PALEOZOIC 385.3 MIDDLE 397.5 LOWER / EARLY Divisions of geologic time - major chronostratigraphic and 416.0 PRIDOLI 418.7 geochronologic units (U.S. Geological Survey Geologic LUDLOW 422.9 WENLOCK Names Committee, 2007). Reflects accepted and ratified 428.2 SILURIAN DEVONIAN unit names and age estimates from the International LLANDOVERY 443.7 Commission on Stratigraphy. UPPER / LATE 460.9 MIDDLE 471.8 LOWER / EARLY 488.3 FURONGIAN 501.0 MIDDLE 513.0 CAMBRIAN ORDOVICIAN LOWER / EARLY 542.0 Cover: Photograph of Right Fork Lamoille Canyon looking south. (Photograph taken by Russell Plume, U.S. Geological Survey, Carson City, Nevada, June 1981.) Hydrogeologic Framework and Occurrence and Movement of Ground Water in the Upper Humboldt River Basin, Northeastern Nevada By Russell W. Plume Prepared in cooperation with Elko County, Nevada Scientific Investigations Report 2009–5014 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior KEN SALAZAR, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Suzette M. Kimball, Acting Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2009 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 http://www.usgs.gov or call 1-888-ASK-USGS For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod To order this and other USGS information products, visit http://store.usgs.gov Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. 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Suggested citation: Plume, R.W., 2009, Hydrogeologic framework and occurrence and movement of ground water in the upper Humboldt River basin, northeastern Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2009–5014, 22 p. iii Contents Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1 Background............................................................................................................................................1 Purpose and Scope ..............................................................................................................................3 Description of Study Area ...................................................................................................................3 Geologic Setting .............................................................................................................................................5 Hydrogeologic Units .............................................................................................................................5 Carbonate and Clastic Sedimentary Rocks .............................................................................5 Clastic Sedimentary Rocks ........................................................................................................7 Crystalline Rocks..........................................................................................................................8 Volcanic Rocks and Sedimentary Basin-Fill Deposits ...........................................................8 Structural Features .............................................................................................................................12 Ground Water in the Upper Humboldt River Basin ................................................................................12 Occurrence and Movement ..............................................................................................................12 Water-Level Change ...........................................................................................................................13 Summary........................................................................................................................................................19 Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................................20 References Cited..........................................................................................................................................20 Plate Plate 1. Map showing hydrogeologic framework and ground-water levels in basin-fill deposits of the Upper Humboldt River basin, northeastern Nevada. Figures Figure 1. Map showing selected features of the upper Humboldt River basin and location of streamflow-gaging stations, northeastern Nevada ………………… 2 Figure 2. Graph showing flow-duration curves for water years 1992–2007 at the Humboldt River near Elko and Carlin, Marys River below Twin Buttes, Lamoille Creek near Lamoille, and South Fork Humboldt River above Tenmile Creek gaging stations, northeastern Nevada ……………………………………………………………… 4 Figure 3. Map showing combined thickness of younger and older basin-fill deposits and volcanic rocks, and location of oil exploration wells, upper Humboldt River basin, northeastern Nevada ……………………………………………………………… 11 Figure 4. Map showing selected wells where water levels have fluctuated, upper Humboldt River basin, northeastern Nevada ……………………………… 14 Figure 5. Graphs showing water-level fluctuations at wells near Deeth and Lamoille ……… 16 Figure 6. Graphs showing water-level fluctuation at well 3, 1965–2005 and annual precipitation as percent departure from average at Elko, Nevada, 1965–2005 …… 17 Figure 7. Graphs showing water-level fluctuations at wells 4, 5, and 6 near South Fork Reservoir, Elko, Nevada …………………………………………………………… 17 Figure 8. Graphs showing water-level fluctuations at wells 7, 8, and 9 near Elko, Nevada … 18 iv Tables Table 1. Hydrographic areas of the upper Humboldt River basin, northeastern Nevada … 3 Table 2. Streamflow-gaging stations in the upper Humboldt River basin, northeastern Nevada …………………………………………………………………………… 4 Table 3. Lithology, thickness, extent, and water-bearing characteristics of hydrogeologic units in the upper Humboldt River basin, northeastern Nevada. … 6 Table 4. Hydrogeologic units penetrated by oil exploration wells in the upper Humboldt River basin, northeastern Nevada ……………………………………… 9 Table 5. Lithologies penetrated by wells 1–9, upper Humboldt River basin, northeastern Nevada ……………………………………………………………… 15 Conversion Factors and Datums Conversion Factors Multiply By To obtain Length inch (in.) 2.54 centimeter (cm) foot (ft) 0.3048 meter (m) foot per mile (ft/mi) 0.1894 meter per kilometer (m/km) mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km) Area acre 4,047 square meter (m2) square foot per day (ft2/d) 0.09290 square meter per day (m2/d) square foot (ft2) 0.09290 square meter (m2) square mile (mi2) 2.590 square kilometer (km2) Volume acre-foot (acre-ft) 1,233 cubic meter (m3) Flow rate cubic foot per second (ft3/s) 0.02832 cubic meter per second (m3/s) Transmissivity: The standard unit for transmissivity is cubic foot per day per square foot times foot of aquifer thickness [(ft3/d)/ft2]ft. In this report, the mathematically reduced form, foot squared per day (ft2/d), is used for convenience. Datums Vertical coordinate information