ItI *1. I.4 GROUND-WTATER REPORT 6 an4 A.; Geology and Ground-Water 54 Conditions in Southern I Lea County, New Mexico by ALEXANDER NICHOLSON, Jr. C,'I and ALFRLD CLEBSCH, JR. UN!TED STATES GEOLOGICAL SUR'VEY i I I i i I i I' ;it it. STATE BUREAU OF MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES .t64 NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF MINING & TECHNOLOGY CAMPUS STATION SOCORRO, NEW MEXICO Contents Page NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF MINING & TECHNOLOGY ABSTRACT ............................................. 1 E. J. Workman, President INTRODUCTION ....................................... 2 Location and area ....................................... 2 History and scope of investigation ......................... 2 STATE BUREAU OF MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES Previous investigations and acknowledgments ............... 4 Well-numbering system ................................. 5 Alvin J. Thompson, Direclor GEOGRAPHY ............... 7 Topography and drainage ................................ 7 Mescalero Ridge and High Plains ....................... 7 THE REGENTS Querecho Plains and Laguna Valley ..................... 9 Grama Ridge area ..................................... 11 MEEMBERS Ex OFFICIO Eunice Plain ......................................... 12 Monument Draw ................................... 12 TheHonorable Edwin L. Mechern ...... Governor of New Mexico Rattlesnake Ridge area ................................ 13 Tom Wiley ............. Superintendent of Public Instruction San Simon Swale ...................................... 13 Antelope Ridge area .................................. 17 APPO1NTED MENMBERS James Dunes area .................................... 18 South Plain .......................................... 18 William G. Abbott .............. Hobbs Climate ................................................ 18 Holm 0. Bursurn, Jr .............. Socorro Population ............................................. 23 Economy .............................................. 24 Thomas M. Cramer . ........................ Carlsbad Frank C. DiLuzio .. ........................ Albuquerque GEOLOGY .............................................. 28 Stratigraphy ............................................ 28 Eva M. Larrazolo (Mrs. Paul F.) .................. Albuquerque Precambrian rocks .................................... 29 Paleozoic rocks ....................................... 29 Permian or Triassic rocks .............................. 33 Mesozoic rocks ........................................ 33 Triassic ............................................ 35 Jurassic ............................................. 36 Cretaceous ......................................... 37 Cenozoic rocks ........................................ 37 Tertiary ........................................... 37 For sale by the New Mexico Bureau of Mines &8Mineral Resources Quaternary ........................................ 39 Campus Station, Socorro, N. Mlex.-Price $3.00 iii , usc Structure .............................................. 42 Brine contamination of shallow ground water ............... 102 Permian and Triassic unconformity ..................... 43 Movement of brine underground ........................ 103 Red-bed erosion surface ................................ 43 Reported instances of brine contamination ............... 104 Collapse structures .................................... 46 Chemical criteria for recognition of brine contamination . 106 Origin of undrained depressions on the Llano Estacado. 47 Disposal of brine into deep wells ........................ 114 Geologic history ........................................ 48 SUMMARY . GROUND WATER ...................................... 51 REFERENCES . Principles of occurrence ................................. 52 INDEX . Effects of pumping ............. ; 53 121 Ground-water maps ................................... 54 Principal aquifers ....................................... 56 Illustrations Aquifers in rocks of Triassic age ........................ 56 Ogallala formation and Quaternary alluvium ............. 58 TABLES Use of ground water in southern Lea County ................ 61 1. Average annual temperature at stations in southern Lea Irrigation ............................................ 62 County, N. Mex., 1952-55 .......... ..................... 23 Gasoline plants ....................................... 63 2. Summary of industrial production in southern Lea Other industrial uses .................................. 65 County, N. Mex., 1952-55 .......... ..................... 25 Gas stripping plants ................................. 65 3. Stratigraphic units in southern Lea County, N. Mex ....... 30-31 Oil-well and shothole drilling ........................ 65 Carbon-black plants ................................. 67 4. Log of the Triassic section, Continental Oil Co. No. 2 Bell Lake unit SE¼4SWV4 sec. 30, T. 23 S., R. 34 E ............. Oil-pool repressuring .................................. 67 34 Public supplies ....................................... 68 5. Ground-water use, southern Lea County, N. Mex., 1954 .... 62 Eunice ............................................ 68 6. Records of wells in southern Lea County, N. Alex .......... 73-86 Jal ................................................ 69 Oil Center ......................................... 69 7. Records of selected wells in Texas adjacent to southern Monument ......................................... 69 Lea County, N. Mex-. ................................ 87 Maljamar .......................................... 70 8. Chemical analyses of water from wells in southern Stock ................................................ 70 Lea County, N. Mex-. .................................. 92-98 Rural domestic uses ................................... 70 9. Chemical analyses of oil-field waters in southern Lea County, Brine production ....................................... 71 N. Mex.- A. Samples collected from disposal pits or treater discharge Quantity and sources .................................. 71 pipes ............................................. 96 Areal distribution of brine production ................... 89 B. Analyses reported in Roswell Geol. Soc. (1956) ..... ..... 97-98 QUALITY OF WATER ................................... 90 FIGURES Chemical 91 standards for water use ......................... 1. Areas in New Mexico described in ground-water reports of Chemical characteristics of ground water in southern New Mexico Institute of Mlining and Technology, State Lea County .......................................... 99 Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources Division ....... : iv V Structure .............................................. 42 Brine contamination of shallow ground water ............... 102 Permian and Triassic unconformity ..................... 43 Movement of brine underground ........................ 103 Red-bed erosion surface ................................ 43 Reported instances of brine contamination ............... 104 .................................... Collapse structures 46 Chemical criteria for recognition of brine contamination ... 106 Origin of undrained depressions on the Llano Estacado. 47 Disposal of brine into deep wells ........................ 114 Geologic history ........................................ 48 SUMMARY .............................................. 117 GROUND WATER ...................................... 51 REFERENCES ........................................... 119 Principles of occurrence ................................. 52 .................................................. Effects of pumping .................................... 53 INDEX 121 Ground-water maps ................................... 54 Principal aquifers ....................................... 56 Illustrations Aquifers in rocks of Triassic age ........................ 56 Ogallala formation and Quaternary alluvium ............. 58 TABLES Use of ground water in southern Lea County ................ 61 I. Average annual temperature at stations in southern Lea Irrigation ............................................ 62 County, N. Mex., 1952-55 ................. ; 23 Gasoline plants ....................................... 63 2. Summary of industrial production in southern Lea Other industrial uses .................................. 65 County, N. Mex., 1952-55 .......... ..................... 25 Gas stripping plants ................................. 65 3. Stratigraphic units in southern Lea County, N. Alex ....... 30-31 Oil-well and shothole drilling ........................ 65 Carbon-black plants ................................. 67 4. Log of the Triassic section, Continental Oil Co. No. 2 Bell Lake unit SE¼4SW!/4 see. 30, T. 23 S., Oil-pool repressuring .................................. 67 R. 34 E ............. 34 Public supplies ....................................... 68 5. Ground-water use, southern Lea County, N. Mlex., 1954 .... 62 Eunice ............................................ 68 6. Records of wells in southern Lea County, N. Alex .......... 73-86 Jal ................................................ 69 Oil Center ......................................... 69 7. Records of selected wells in Texas adjacent to southern Monument ......................................... 69 Lea County, N. Alex .................................. 87 Malijamar .......................................... 70 8. Chemical analyses of water from wells in southern Stock ................................................ 70 Lea County, N. Alex ................................... 92-98 Rural domestic uses.