Regional Hydrogeology of the Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations, Arizona New Mexico, and Utah GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 521-A Prepqred in cooperation with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Navajo Tribe REGIONAL HYDROGEOLOGY OF THE NAVAJO AND HOPI INDIAN RESERVATIONS, ARIZONA NEW MEXICO, AND UTAH / -· / ~~~;'~ ~.:::....__---~ -- Arch, White M esa. Sketch by M · E · C ooley. Regional Hydrogeology of the Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations, Arizona New Mexico, and Utah By M. E. COOLEY, J. W. HARSHBARGER, J.P. AKERS, and W. F. HARDT With a section on Vegetation By 0. N. HICKS HYDROGEOLOGY OF THE NAVAJO AND HOPI INDIAN RESERVATIONS ARIZONA, NEW MEXICO, AND UTAH · G E 0 L 0 G I CAL SURVEY P R 0 FE S S I 0 N A L PAPER 52 1-A Prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Navajo Tribe UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1969 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR CECIL D. ANDRUS, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY V. E. McKelvey, Director First printing 196 9 Second printing 1977 For sale by the Branch of Distribution, U.S. Geological Survey, 1200 South Eads Street, Arlington, VA 22202 CONTENTS Page Page Abstract __________________________________________ _ A1 Regional hydrogeology __ ----------_________________ _ A27 Introduction ______________________________________ _ Climate ______________________________________ _ 2 27 Purpose and scope _____________________________ _ 2 Precipitation ______________________________ _ 27 Temperature ______________________________ _ Location--------------------------------------- 2 29 Land-net system_. _____________________________ _ 2 Present and past wind directions _____________ _ 29 Topographic relief _____________________________ _ 3 Vegetation, by 0. N. Hicks _____________________ _ 31 Organization of the report_ _____________________ _ 3 General description ________________________ _ 31 Fieldwork and compilation of data. ______________ _ 4 Relation of vegetation to the outcropping sedi- Previous investigations _________________________ _ 4 mentary rocks ___________________________ _ 32 History of the project, including personneL _______ _ 5 Kaibab Limestone _____________________ _ 32 Acknowledgments ______________________________ _ 5 Moenkopi Formation___________________ _ 32 Sedimentary features _______________________________ _ 6 Chinle Formation _____________________ -~ 32 Geology and occurrence of ground water ______________ _ 7 Wingate Sandstone ____________________ _ 33 Basement rocks ________________________________ _ 10 Post-Wingate Sandstone units of Triassic Sedimentary rocks _____________________________ _ 11 and Jurassic age _____________________ _ 33 Regional controls of sedimentation ___________ _ 11 Shaly rocks of Cretaceous age ___________ _ 33 Paleozoic rocks ____________________________ _ 12 Sandstone units of Cretaceous age _______ _ 33 Moenkopi and Chinle Formations _____________ _ 12 Cinders _______________________________ _ 33 Glen Canyon Group of Triassic and Jurassic Surficial deposi~- ______________________ _ 33 age ____________________________________ _ 14 Drainage patterns _____________________________ _ 34 Upper Jurassic rocks _______________________ _ 14 Entrenchment of the Colorado River system __ _ 34 Cretaceous rocks ___________________________ _ 14 Structural adjustment of the Colorado River Tertiary rocks ____________________ ---------- 17 system _________________________________ _ 36 Quaternary deposits ________________________ _ 17 Interior drainage __________________________ _ 36 Volcanic rocks _________________________________ _ 17 Streamflow records and runoff characteristics __ _ 36 Structure _____________________________________ _ 17 Perennial flow _________________________ _ 37 Larger folds _______________________________ _ 18 Recent fluctuations of the stream regimen __ 38 Smaller folds ______________________________ _ 19 Ground-water hydrology- __ -- _____________ ------_ 40 Recharge _________________________________ _ Faul~------------------------------------- 20 40 Physiography _________________________________ _ 20 Regional ground~ water movement ___________ _ 41 Relation of the landforms to the sedimentary Black Mesa basin ______________________ _ 41 rocks ___________________________________ _ 21 San Juan basin ________________________ _ 43 Relation of the landforms to geologic structure_ 21 Blanding basin ________________________ _ 43 Hydrogeologic subdivisions of the Navajo Ilenry basin ___________________________ _ 43 country _________________________________ _ 21 Kaiparowi~ basin______________________ _ 44 Discharge _________________________________ _ Eastern Grand Canyon_________________ _ 22 44 Painted Desert ________________________ _ 23 Hydraulic properties of the aquifers ______________ - ___ _ 45 Navajo Uplands _______________________ _ 24 Pumping, bailing, and pressure-test data __________ _ 48 Black Mesa ___________________________ _ 25 Drill-core test data _____ ---______ ---_---- __ ------ 48 Sedimentary laboratory-test data ________________ _ 49 Monument Valley _____________________ _ 25 Chinle Valley _________________________ _ Conclusions------------------------------------ 51 25 Chemical quality of the ground water ________________ _ 51 Defiance Plateau ______________________ _ 26 Range and distribution of the chemical constituen~- 53 Chuska Mountains _____________________ _ 26 Ilardness of water ____ -------------------------- 54- Carrizo Mountains _____________________ _ 26 Principal controls of the quality of water _________ _ 54 Western San Juan basin ________________ _ 26 Selected references ________ - ----------- -- __ -- -------- 55 Zuni Mountains _______________________ _ 27 IndeX--------------------------------------------- 59 V VI CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates are in plate volume] Frontispiece. Sketch of arch, White Mesa. PLATE 1. Geologic map. 2. Map showing surficial deposits, volcanic provinces, internally drained areas, streamflow data, and occurrence of water in the alluvium. 3. Physiographic map. 4. Maps showing climatological data and vegetation._ 5. Map showing water-table contours, direction of water movement, and areas of recharge and discharge of aquifers.. Page FIGURE 1. LocationmaP-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A3 2. Map of regional structural features___________________________________________________________________ 11 3. Generalized thickness map and sections of the C multiple-aquifer system__________________________________ 13 4. Stratigraphic section showing occurrence of ground water in the Cretaceous and Jurassic rocks_______________ 15 5. Generalized section of Upper Cretaceous rocks in the western San Juan basin______________________________ 16 6. Map showing hydrologic basins and chief structural features_____________________________________________ 18 7. Map showing large-scale folds ___________________________________________________________________ -____ 19 8. Diagrams showing occurrence of ground water along monoclines__________________________________________ 20 9. Map showing generalized artesian and water-table areas of the consolidated aquifers________________________ 22 10. Map showing generalized depth of water levels in wells·in the consolidated aquifers_________________________ 23 11. Map showing generalized range of well depths as of 1956------------------------------------------------ 24 12. Scatter diagram of altitude and mean annual precipitation----------------------------------------------- 29 13. Scatter diagram of altitude and mean annual temperature_______________________________________________ 30 14. Map showing past and present prevailing wind directions------------------------------------------------ 31 15. Map showing alluvial terraces of Recent age _____________________________________________ ---- __ --------_ 39 16. Map showing perennial streams, 1909-13 and 195o-60_____ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ ___ ___ __ __ __ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ __ 40 17. Map showing distribution of dissolved solids in ground water--------------------------------------------- 42 18. Chart showing relation of the coefficient of permeability, determined from core samples, to the amount of time that the rocks have been exposed to weathering------------------------------------------------------ 50 19. Map showing distribution of fluoride in ground water--------------------------------------------------- 53 20. Map showing distribution of hardness as calcium carbonate of ground water_______________________________ 54 TABLES Page TABLE 1. Particle-size classification for detrital rocks __________________________________ ----- _____ ---- __ -------- __ A6 2. Classification of bedding and splitting properties of layered rocks ______________________ -_-_--_---- __ --- 6 3. Water-bearing characteristics of sedimentary rocks in the Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah ___________ ---------------__________________________________________ ------- ____ _ 7 4. Climatic data for stations in the Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations and adjoining regions ___________ _ 28 5. Late Cenozoic erosional and depositional events in the Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations_______________ _ 35 6. Relation of streamflow to geomorphology in the Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations--------------------- 36 7. Range of the hydraulic properties of aquifers in the Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations __________________ _ 46 8. Range of the chemical constituents of ground water in the