UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Ray Lyman Wilbur, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY George Otis Smith, Director Water-Supply Paper 620 GEOLOGY AND GKOUND-WATEK EESOUECES OF WESTERN SANPOVAL COUNTY NEW MEXICO BY B. COLEMAN RENICK '" & ni6r of New Mexico % * -o UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1931 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. - - - - Price 35 cents CONTENTS Page Introduction___________________________________________________ 1 History and scope of the investigation_________-__----_-_-------- 1 Acknowledgments._______--__-____-_____---_____._------------ 3 Geography. __-_ __ __-__________-________---_-----_-- 3 Location and general configuration._____________________________ 3 Drainage..___________________________________________________ 5 Climate.._________________________-________ 6 Vegetation._________-__________-_-__-_-________-__-_-_-_--___ 9 Railroads and roads_______-_________________________-_---__. 10 Agriculture-______---_____________-_-__--__-_____---_------__- 11 Inhabitants and villages._____________.:___--_______-___-_--__-- 11 Rock formations and their water-bearing properties___________________ 12 General section.______________________________________________ 12 Pre-Cambrian rocks.._________________________________________ 12 Carboniferous system________________________________________ 13 Pennsylvanian series-_______________-__-_--______--------__ 13 Magdalena group____________---______________________ 13 Permian series--_-_____-_-_______-____________-___---_-___ 17 General relations___---_________-______________________ 17 Abo sandstone___-__--____--_-___-___-____-_------_-__ 18 Chupadera formation._________________________________ 20 Triassic system _______________________________________________ 24 Poleo sandstone________--___________________________--____ 24 Chinle (?) formation...____________________________ 26 Jurassic (?) system________________._______________________ 29 Wingate sandstone__-_____________________________________ 29 Todilto formation_________________________________________ 31 Cretaceous (?) system.________________________________________ 32 Lower Cretaceous (?) series________________________________ 32 Morrison f ormation_ __________________________________ 32 Cretaceous system.___________________________________________ 35 Upper Cretaceous series.__________________________________ 35 Dakota (?) sandstone..________________________________ 35 Mancos shale_--___-_-________________________________ 39 Mesaverde formation._________________________________ 43 Lewis shale_________________________________________ 49 Tertiary system___ ____________________________ 51 Eocene series___-___--____________________________________ 51 Puerco and Torrejon formations________________________ 51 Wasatch formation.._________________ _________________ 53 Miocene and Pliocene series_______-_-______________________ 56 Santa Fe formation____________________________________ 56 High-level gravel__________________________________ 58 Quaternary system.___________________________________________ 59 Pleistocene series___-__-_-_________________________________ 59 Pediments___ _______________________________________ 59 Terraces _____________________________________________ 61 Water in pediment and terrace deposits_________________ 62 m IV CONTENTS Rock formations and their water-bearing properties Continued. Quaternary system Continued. Page Pleistocene and Recent series. ------____________________---- 63 Thermal spring deposits______________________________ 63 Recent alluvium___.___________________________________ 63 Igneous rocks.---------_-----__------_________________________ 64 Basalt ---------------_:_----_----________________________ 65 Santa Ana Mesa and environs__________________________ 65 Mesa Chivato. _______________________________ 65 Mesa Prieta--____________________________ 66 Peaks in the lower Rio Puerco Valley_____----___ 66 Cabezon Peak____________________________________ 67 Cerro Chato._____________________________ 68 La Abra de los Cerros_____________________________ 68 Cerro de los Cuates _____________________________ 69 Cerro de las Chanisalas.___________________________ 69 Cerro Cochino._--------_________________________- 69 Cerro Lopez______________________________________ 69 El Salado__---_-____-_-________________________ 69 Rhyolite and rhyolite tuff_-----_-____________________ 69 Water in the basalt and rhyolite_-_________________________- 70 Structure.-__--_--------__-__-_-__-__________________________ 70 General features__ __---_-___----_______________________-__ 70 -_----_____-_-________-__;_______________________ 71 Sierra Nacimiento overthrust___________________________ 71 Sierrita fault__________________________________________ 74 Jemez fault.._______________________________________ 74 Canada de las Milpas fault.-___________________________ 75 Faults east of Canones-___-_-_______________________-__ 75 Faults at the north end of La Sierrita__________________ 75 _-_-_-.________________________________________ 75 La Ventana anticline._------_______-_-________-_-----_ 75 Olguin anticline--_-____-----__________________-___---_ 75 Cabezon anticline_----------_______-________--___---_- 76 Guadalupe anticlme_----_---___-___-_-______----_---_- 76 Rio Salado anticline____-_---______-__.________________ 76 Tierra Amarilla anticline.-__-_________-______-_--_--_-_ 76 Canada de las Milpas anticline._______________________ 77 Age of deformation_______________________________________- 77 Quality of ground water.__________________________________________ 77 Source of information______________.___________________________ 77 Quantity and character of dissolved solids______________________ 77 Relation of quality to use__--__--___---_-----------__---------- 80 Changes in chemical character of water withdepth-__-_----_------ 80 Artesian conditions._______________________________________________ 81 General principles.-__ _________________________________-______- 81 Areas of artesian flow---__-_________________---___---__-_------ 82 Proved areas_____________________________________________ 82 Arroyo Cachana Valley__-_--------_------------------- 82 Prospective areas._______________________-_____--___-----_ 84 San Jose-Puerco Valley._-__-___-__-----_-------_------ 84 Rio Puerco south of Guadalupe__-__----------_--------- 85 Lower Rio Salado_-_______-_-____-----.---_-_---_------ ^ 85 Upper Rio Salado.___--__-________-__-_-_-__---___---_ 85 CONTENTS V Artesian conditions Continued. Areas of artesian flow Continued. Prospective areas Continued. Page Chachulie Arroyo------------------------------------- 85 Arroyo Piedra Lumbre_____--__--_-_--_----_-_------- 85 Arroyo Piedra Parada._____-___-_____--_-------------- 85 Canada de las Milpas.--__-_-_----.-------------------- 86 Other prospective areas.________-_-__---_-_--_---..----- 86 Mineralized springs and spring deposits-____________-_-__--__--_--__- 86 Indian Springs.____--___-_____--__--_----------.--------_----- 86 San Ysidro Springs._-___-------_-----_------------------------ 86 Phillips Springs._______-___---_-___---_--_------_------------- 87 Source and origin of the spring waters____--____-_---_------_--_- 88 Plants as indicators of ground water__________-____--___-------__---- 89 Surface water______-___-_____-________--______-___-_--__--_------- 90 Streams __ ______________________-__-_-____--__-_-___-------_ 90 Tanks.__-_----_----_-----------------------------_________ 90- Descriptions of townships and land grants..-..--------.--------------- 9O T. 23 N., R. 1 W__.-__----_------_-._---.----------------_-- 91 T. 22 N., R. 1 W_---_----_---------_---_ -------------_-- 92 T. 21 N., R. 2 W___._. 93 T. 21 N., R. 1 W., including Cuba_---_----___- ___ 93 T. 20 N., R. 2 W.. 95 T. 20 N., R. 1 W__- 96 T. 19 N., R. 2 W -. 97 T. 19 N., R. 1 W.... 99 T. 18 N., R. 2 W .. 100 T. 17 N., R. 3 W___ ------- 101 T. 17 N., R. 2 W_.-_ _-_ 101 T. 16 N., R. 3 W., including Cabezon.._____________________ 102 T. 15 N., R. 3 W., including Casa Salazar.._-_-----___._______.-_ 102 T. 15 N., R. 2 W ___ 103 T. 15 N., R. 1 W___-_. 103 T. 15 N., R. 1 E__-_._.--___---__._--_.___-_--_.__._.____.____ 104 T. 14 N., R. 1 W___ _ _ _ 105 T. 14 N, R. 1 E_ 106 T. 14 N., R. 2 E _ --_-__-___---_-__-_____-______________ 106 T. 13 N., R. 3 E___-__.-___-____-__-.-______.____.._.____.___. 106 Indian pueblo grants and reservations.__________________________ 107 Jemez Pueblo and T. 16 N., R. 2 E___________-_ ________ 107 Jemez Indian Reservation and T. 16 N., R. 1 E.______________ 108 Sia Pueblo and T. 15 N., R. 2 E_________._.______________ 109 Santa Ana Pueblo and T. 14 N., R. 3 E._________________ 109 Santa Ana ranchitos_-_____________________________________ 110 Land grants other than those made to the Indians ________________ 110 Ojo del Espiritu Santo grant______________________________ 110 San Ysidro grant..._______________________________________ 112 Ignacio Chaves grant, including Guadalupe....._____________ 113 Bernalillo grant-_______________-___________.______________ 114 Index__--------------_--_-----_-_______________________________ 115 ILLUSTKATIONS Page PLATE 1. Geologic map and sections of the western part of Sandoval County, N. Mex______________-_____--___--___-____ In pocket. 2. Map and sections showing geologic structure along the Sierra Nacimiento overthrust in T. 23 N., R. 1 W...____.____ 26 3. A, Cabezon Peak; B, Rhyolite tuff on Chupadera formation at the junction of San Diego and Guadalupe Canyons___--____ 26 4. A, Panorama