Hydrologic Basin Death Valley California GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 494-B Hydrologic Basin Death Valley California By CHARLES B. HUNT, T. W. ROBINSON, WALTER A. BOWLES, and A. L. WASHBURN GENERAL GEOLOGY OF DEATH VALLEY, CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 494-B A! description of the hydrology, geochemistry, and patternedground of the saltpan UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON: 1966 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY William T. Pecora, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 CONTENTS Page Page Abstract BI Hydrology-Continued Hydrology, by Charles B. Hunt and T. W. Robinson_ - 3 Descriptions and discharges of springs and of Introduction- 3 marshes-Continued Fieldwork- 3 Discharge of springs in the Furnace Creek fault Climate- 5 zone B35 Rainfall 5 Evapotranspiration discharge from the valley floor Evaporation 7 above the saltpan 37 Temperature- 8 Divisions of the valley according to sources of Humidity- 10 ground water 37 Wind- 11 Possible sources of water at Cottonball Marsh- 37 Rock types in the Death Valley hydrologic basin --- 11 Possible source of water at springs along Fur- Hard-rock formations 12 nace Creek fault zone 38 Unconsolidated Quaternary deposits 13 Geochemistry of the saltpan by Charles B. Hunt 40 Gravel deposits 13 General features 40 Fine-grained alluvial and playa deposits - 15 Fieldwork and acknowledgments 41 Salt deposits and saliferous playa deposits- 15 Geologic setting 42 Dune sand 16 Sedimentary deposits underlying the pan 42 Spring deposits of travertine 16 Structural geology 44 Structural geology 17 Hydrology 44 Vegetation- 17 Vegetation 45 Physiography and drainage 18 Development of the salt crust 46 The saltpan 19 Salt deposits ------------------------- 48 Salt Creek drainage basin 19 Carbonate zone 52 Amargosa River 19 Sand facies 52 Mountains draining directly to the saltpan -- 22 Silt facies with salt crust 54 Panamint Range 22 Marsh facies ---------------- 56 Black Mountains 23 Saline facies of the carbonate and sulfate Funeral Mountains 25 zones- 57 Basins that probably discharge some ground water Sulfate zone- 57 to Death Valley 25 Marsh facies 58 Mojave River basin 27 Gypsum facies 59 Pahrump Valley 28 Chloride zone- 61 Sarcobatus Flat 28 Massive rock salt facies 61 Occurrence of ground water in Death Valley 29 Silty rock salt, rough facies 62 Slope and movement 30 Silty rock salt, smooth facies 63 I)ischarge onto the valley floor 31 Eroded rock salt facies- 65 l)escriptions and discharges of springs and of Saline deposits on seasonally flooded areas 65 marshes 32 Composition of the brines- 68 Salt Creek 32 Sources of the salt ------.--- 82 Marsh area at northeast side of Cottonball Fractional crystallization of Death Valley brines, by Basin -------------------- 32 Charles B. Hunt and Walter A. Bowles- 82 Soda carbonate marsh, east side of Cottonball Fractional crystallization illustrated by some other Basin ------------------- 32 brines and some other salt deposits- 86 Marsh near Harmony Borax Mill 32 Semiquantitative chemical analyses of salts and Badwater - ----------------- 32 brines in Death Valley -- 90 Cove 1.6 miles south of Badwater 33 Patterned ground by Charles B. Hunt and A. L. Wash- Alluvial fan 4.3 miles south of Badwater 33 burn- 104 Mormon Point ----------------- 33 General features ----------- 104 Marsh midway between Mormon Point and Patterned ground in Death Valley- 104 Coyote Hole -------------- 34 Occurrences on the saltpan 104 Coyote Hole ----------------- 34 Patterned ground in mud and salt on the Springs between Salt Well and Gravel Well--- 34 Marshes east of Gravel Well and Bennetts Well - 34 flood plain- 105 Eagle Borax Spring --- ----------------- 34 Polygonal patterns . 105 Tule Spring -- ----------------------- 35 Net and circle patterns- 112 Cottonball Marsh --------------- 35 Polygonal patterns in the chloride zone --- 112 Ill r(r11>r'I. N'IQ IV tv m *Ls Patterned ground-Continued Patterned ground-Continued Patterned ground in Death Valley-Continued Page Patterned ground in Death Valley-Continued Occurrences on the saltpan-Continued Occurrences on the gravel fans-Continued Page Net patterns and polygons in the sulfate Patterns on old spring deposits -B125 zone - B116 Polygonal cracks in the silt layer under Net patterns in the carbonate zone -117 desert pavement -125 Sorted polygons at edge of the saltpan - 118 Desiccation cracks on mudflows -125 Occurrences on the gravel fans -118 Circle patterns over collapse structures -- 127 Sorted steps and terracettes in gravel - 120 Factors controlling patterned ground in Death Stripes -122 Valley -129 Polygons and nets on the salt-crusted Ter- References cited -130 tiary formations -122 Index -135 ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates are in pocket] PLATE 1. Geologic map of the Death Valley saltpan, California. 2. Block diagram of Death Valley saltpan. 3. Map of Death Valley saltpan showing location of samples for which chemical analyses have been made. Page FIGURE 1. Relation of Death Valley to the southern Great Basin, northern Mojave Desert, and Sierra Nevada -B4 2. Annual and average precipitation at Furnace Creek Ranch- 5 3. Relation of precipitation to altitude in and around Death Valley- 7 4. Sketch map showing probable distribution of rainfall in the Death Valley hydrologic basin- 7 5. Sketch map of the Death Valley hydrologic basin showing general location and extent of principal kinds of rock formations --------------- 12 6. View west across Death Valley to Telescope Peak ------ 14 7. View across Cottonball Basin -------------- 16 8. Sections of the west side of Badwater Basin -24 9. Profile of surface and water table from Soda Lake to Silver Lake -27 10. Orifices in fine sediments at Salt Springs ------------------------ 30 11. View of Badwater ------------------- 33 12. View of Cottonball Marsh - 36 13. Bar graphs illustrating quality of water at Mesquite Flat, West Side Borax Camp, Furnace Creek, and Amargosa Desert -------------- 39 14. Graphic logs and map showing locations of U.S. Geological Survey borings on floor of Death Valley - ---------------------------------------- 42 15. Wood post shattered by salt, an example of evaporation effects on the saltpan -45 16. Diagrammatic sections across Death Valley showing the distribution of different kinds of plants in Badwater Basin (A) and Cottonball Basin (B) -46 17. Diagrams illustrating history of the saltpan in Death Valley -------- 47 18. Solubility curves for some Death Valley salts ----------- 50 19. Microrelief of ground surface in the carbonate zone ----------- 53 20. Microrellef of ground surface in the silt facies of the carbonate zone --- 5 21. Diagrammatic section illustrating layering of salts at the top of the silt facies of the carbonate zone- ------------------------------------- - 55 22. Micrographs of gypsum crystals from the sulfate layer in the silt facies of the carbonate zone-3-6 23. Micrograph of powdered salts showing acutely terminated calcite in silt of the carbonate zone -56 24. Micrograph of powdered salts from efflorescence in marshes in the carbonate zone ---- 57 25. Diagrammatic section illustrating slabby surface and layering of salts in the saline facies of the sulfate zone ------------- 57 26. View of lumpy growths of sulfate salts in a marsh ------------- 58 27. Micrographs of powdered salts illustrating intergrowths of halite and thenardite and of sodium-calcium sulfates ---------------- 58 28. Diagrammatic section of a massive gypsum deposit ---------- 60 29. Micrograph showing alteration of gypsum crystals to bassanite ----------- 61 CONTENTS v Page FiGuRE 30. Massive rock salt - ------------------------------- B61 31. Tracks of the original road across Death Valley, in rough silty rock salt -63 32. Surface of the smooth facies of the silty rock salt where the salt layer has disrupted and roughened the overlying silt layer -- 64 33. Flood plain of a distributary of the Amargosa River with crust of very silty salt in rectangular pattern -- 66 34. View east across flood plain of Salt Creek in Cottonball Basin -- -66 35. Micrograph of borax crystal contained in thenardite -- 67 36. Micrograph of salt efflorescence on flood plain -- 67 37. Salt pool and collapse structure in flood plain of Salt Creek, 5 miles northwest of Badwater -- 68 38-49. Graphs illustrating: 38. Some changes in major constituents along 5 miles of Salt Creek where it enters the saltpan -69 39. Some variations in major constituents in water in the Salt Springs area -70 40. Some changes in major constituents in ground water in half a mile along Cow Creek where it enters the saltpan -71 41. Increases in major constituents in surface water in half a mile along the wash draining northwest from Harmony Borax Works -72 42. Some changes in major constituents in ground water in 5-mile traverse eastward from West Side Borax Camp -74 43. Some differences in major constituents in surface water along a channel in the sulfate zone and in ground water panward across an adjoiring sulfate marsh, about 2 miles north of West Side Borax Camp -75 44. Increases in major constituents of ground water, within a distance of 700 feet, west from the toe of the gravel fan in second cove south of Badwater 76 45 Some changes in major constituents in ground water and surface water across 750 feet of marsh and drainage channel northward from Mormon Point- 77 46. Some changes in major constituents in ground water and surface water pan- ward from the marsh at Coyote Hole -78 47. Some changes in major constituents in ground water and surface water from Salt Well northward for 3 miles into the saltpan -79 48. Some changes in major constituents in ground water and surface water at the marsh half a mile east of Gravel Well, and eastward 4,000 feet into the saltpan -80 49. Some changes in major constituents in ground water and surface water at Eagle Borax Spring and eastward into the saltpan -81 50. Graph showing total dissolved solids at 5 localities along Amargosa River between Shoshone and the saltpan in Depth Valley, a distance of about 80 miles -- 82 51.