The hydrogeologic framework of the Roswell groundwater basin, Chaves, Eddy, Lincoln, and Otero Counties, New Mexico Item Type Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic); text Authors Havenor, Kay Charles, 1931- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 23/09/2021 15:36:08 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/191196 THE HYDROGEOLOGIC FRAMEWORK OF THE ROSWELL GROUNDWATER BASIN, CHAVES, EDDY, LINCOLN, AND 01 BRO COUNTIES, NEW MEXICO by Kay Charles Havenor A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF GEOSCEENCES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1996 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Final Examination Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Kay Charles Havenor entitled The hydrogeological framework of the Roswell groundwater basin, Chaves, Eddy, Lincoln, and Otero Counties, New Mexico and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy April 1, 1996 Date aittX4/1" April 1, 1996 Date April 1, 1996 Date April 1, 1996 Date April 1, 1996 Charles Glass Date Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate's submission of the final copy of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requir t. April 1, 1996 Dissertation Director Date Spencer FL Titley 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgement of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgement the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED: 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My wife, Deborah, was primarily responsible for motivating and implementing my return to the University of Arizona to pursue this research. Without her encourage- ment and support it would not have been feasible. The Department of Geoscience provided a Teaching Fellowship and arranged for a BP Graduate Scholarship to make it possible. Kevin Horstman, a fellow graduate student, was of immeasurable help with both data acquisition and advise on image processing. This project would have been exceed- ingly difficult without his generous assistance. The Bureau of Land Management, Roswell, New Mexico, assisted in obtaining publications and map data. The United States Geological Survey, Tucson, Arizona, obtained the digital TM image data, and Dr. Douglas McAda of the United States Geological Survey, Albuquerque, New Mexico office provided the hydrochemical data. The New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, Director Dr. Charles Chapin, and Dr. John Hawley, my mentor, provided publications and encouragement. Eastern New Mexico University, Roswell Campus, and the Southeastern New Mexico Economic Development Council provided office space and a telephone during the research for and preparation of this dissertation. Mr. Jack Ahlen, Roswell, New Mexico, a fellow geoscientist, provided field and subsurface information, encouragement, and friendship as he always has for many years. My professors and advisors and the Geoscience staff at the University of Arizona, particularly Dr. Spencer R. Titley and Dr. Jay Quade, provided insight and solutions to both scientific and procedural problems. Each extended their kindnesses well beyond the requirements of their positions. Special thanks are due to Dr. Judith Totman Parrish for her assistance in editing this manuscript. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS LIST OF TABLES 17 ABSTRACT 21 INTRODUCTION 23 Purposes and scope 25 Methodology 30 Previous Investigations 32 Topography 33 Physiography 34 Drainage 37 STRATIGRAPHY 40 Introduction 40 Late Pennsylvanian and Wolfcampian Stage 40 Leonardian—Guadalupian Stages 44 Yeso Formation 46 Glorieta Sandstone 48 San Andres Formation 50 Artesia Group 55 Grayburg Formation 58 Queen Formation 64 Seven Rivers Formation 65 Yates Formation 66 Tansill Formation 67 Ochoan Stage 68 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS—Continued Tertiary Formations 69 Quaternary Alluvial Deposits 71 Aquifer Stratigraphy 75 Permian Aquifers 75 Quaternary Aquifer 81 REGIONAL TECTONICS 84 Introduction 84 Early and Middle Paleozoic Tectonics 89 Late Paleozoic Tectonics 90 Marathon Uplift 92 Summary of Late Paleozoic Tectonics 95 Mesozoic Tectonics 97 Cenozoic Tectonics 97 Wrench Tectonics 103 Capitan Lineament 107 Cenozoic Tectonics Summary 109 HYDROCHEMISTRY AND HYDROGEOCHEMISTRY 112 Introduction 112 Methodology 115 Stage One: Data Accumulation 115 Stage Two: Data Analysis Using Wateq 116 Stage Three: Hydrochemical Plots 117 Ternary diagrams 118 Piper diagrams 119 Fingerprint diagrams 119 Stability diagrams 120 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS—Continued Hydrochemical Plots 121 San Andres Formation Hydrochetnical Signatures 123 Artesia Group Undifferentiated Hydrochemical Signatures 132 Quaternary Alluvium Hydrochemical Signatures 144 Santa Rosa Sandstone Fingerprint Signature 147 Stage Four: Interpretation of the Data 149 Hydrogeo chemistry 155 Introduction 155 Reconstruction of minerals contributing ions 158 General methodology of mineral reconstruction 158 San Andres Formation Signature 162 Artesia Group Signature 169 Quaternary Alluvial Aquifer Signature 178 Summary of Normative Mineral Reconstructions 181 Mineral Stability Diagrams 188 Ca02-Si02 Diagrams 196 CONCLUSIONS 199 The Hydrogeologic Framework 199 Recommendations for Future Work 203 REFERENCES CITED 205 APPENDIX A 218 Well and Spring Analysis Data 218 Analysis Quantities 218 Geologic Formation Codes 218 Well Numbering System 219 8 TABLE OF CONTENTS—Continued Map Scale 220 Wells List 221 Springs List 225 APPENDIX B 228 Hydrochemical Plots 228 APPENDIX C 260 Normative Mineral Tables 260 9 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1.1. Location and general features from satellite imagery 26 Figure 1.2. Location map and outline of the groundwater basin 27 Figure 1.3. Highly generalized topography of study area 34 Figure 1.4. Diagrammatic section across Roswell groundwater basin 36 Figure 2.1. Regional paleogeographic setting of the Guadalupian Permian 41 Figure 2.2. Chronostratigraphic diagram Late Leonardian-Middle Guadalupian 45 Figure 2.3. Diagrammatic lower San Andres depositional environment 51 Figure 2.4. Surface and sub-Quaternary distribution of Artesia Group 54 Figure 2.5. Distribution of Artesia Group formations along the Pecos River 57 Figure 2.6. Location of major dextral strike-slip faults and respective structural blocks 62 Figure 2.7. Landsat TM image of City of Roswell, New Mexico 63 Figure 2.8. Generalized distribution of Quaternary deposits and western boundary of the shallow Quaternary unconfined aquifer 73 Figure 2.9. Generalized western margin of the confined artesian carbonate aquifer 74 Figure 3.1. Location of Capitan and Sierra Blanca Mountains 85 Figure 3.2. Regional paleogeographic setting of the Guadalupian Permian 86 Figure 3.3. Geologic map of Pajarito Mountain area 86 Figure 3.4. Bouguer gravity map of the Sacramento Mountains 87 Figure 3.5. Map of the Rio Grande Rift 91 Figure 3.6. Map legend for Figure 3.5 91 Figure 3.7. Salt Basin graben and structures of Roswell groundwater basin 93 Figure 3.8. Paleogeographic reconstructions 94 Figure 3.9. Location of major dextral strike-slip faults and respective structural blocks 98 Figure 3.10. The Tinnie-Dunken fold trend 100 Figure 3.11. K-M fault shown on Landsat TM image 102 1 0 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS—Continued Figure 3.12. Thickness change of erosion-beveled San Andres Formation due to juxtaposition across strike-slip fault 104 Figure 3.13. Trend of the Capitan Lineament in New Mexico 107 Figure 4.1. Location of T12S-R24E samples 123 Figure 4.2. Ternary plot of 5 samples T12S-R24E 124 Figure 4.3. Piper diagram of 5 samples from T12S-R24E 127 Figure 4.4. Fingerprint diagram of 5 samples from T12S-R24E 128 Figure 4.5. Fingerprint diagram of 2 samples from T11S-R23E 129 Figure 4.6. Fingerprint overlay of Fig. 4.4 and 4.5 129 Figure 4.7. Location of T11S -R23E samples 129 Figure 4.8. Fingerprint diagram of 1 spring sample from Section 28, T11S-R14E 130 Figure 4.9. Fingerprint diagram of 1 spring sample from Section 27, T10S-R16E 130 Figure 4.10. Fingerprint diagram of 1 spring sample from Section 18, T14S-R14E 130 Figure 4.11. Fingerprint diagram overlay of spring waters 132 Figure 4.12. Location of T10S-R25E samples 133 Figure 4.13. Ternary plot of 6 samples, T10S-R25E 135 Figure 4.14. Piper diagram of 6 samples from T10S-R25E 135 Figure 4.15. Fingerprint diagram of 6 samples from T10S-R25E 137 Figure 4.16. Location of TIOS-R24E samples 137 Figure 4.17. Fingerprint diagram of 6 samples from T10S-R24E 138 Figure 4.18. Location of T9S-R24E samples 139 Figure 4.19. Fingerprint diagram of 9 samples from T9S-R24E 139 Figure 4.20. Location of S/2 T8S-R24E samples 140 Figure 4.21. Fingerprint diagram of 8 samples from S/2 T8S-R24E 140 Figure 4.22. Location of N/2 T8S-R24E samples 141 Figure 4.23. Fingerprint diagram of 7 samples from N/2 T8S-R24E 142 Figure 4.24. Ternary plot of 7 samples, N/2 T8S-R24E 143 Figure 4.25.