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Research about New Mexico

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including New Mexico.

At least 559 records · Page 31Linked to original sources
USGS1987

Remanent magnetization of rocks of latest Cretaceous and earliest Tertiary age from drill core at York Canyon, New Mexico

At the end of 1980, seven complete cores were recovered from a 30-m (100-ft) interval in the Raton Formation at York Canyon, New Mexico. The interval cored spans the palynologically defined Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary, which is marked by a distinctive noble metal–bearing claystone in the Raton basin. Azimuthal orientation of the cores can be recovered both from the average directions of the most stable components of the remanent magnetization, with a root mean square error of 28°, and from the average direction of secondary components of magnetization removed by thermal and alternating field demagnetization, with a root mean square error of 33°. The natural remanent magnetization of about 95 percent of the core is dominated by a secondary normal polarity component. Polarity of the characteristic magnetization of each core, interpreted from 12 to 14 samples per core run, is reversed. No evidence of normal polarity characteristic magnetization was found in the 30-m (100-ft) interval sampled. The characteristic magnetization probably is a depositional remanent magnetization acquired during chron 29r. The noble metal–bearing boundary claystone in the Raton basin is interpreted to be part of a synchronous global deposit laid down at the end of the Cretaceous period.

New Mexico↗
USGS1987

Surface to subsurface cross sections showing correlation of the Dakota Sandstone, Burro Canyon (?) Formation, and upper part of the Morrison Formation in the Chama-El Vado area, Chama Basin, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico

This report shows the correlation of the Dakota Sandstone, Burro Canyon(?) Formation, and the upper part of the Morrison Formation in the Chama basin from E1 Cerro dome, just west of Chama, to El Vado Reservoir. Criteria needed to recognize these formations both at the outcrop and in the subsurface is also included.

New Mexico↗
USGS1987

Water resources data, New Mexico, water year 1986

Water resources data for the 1986 water year for New Mexico consist of records of discharge and water quality of streams; stage, contents and water quality of lakes and reservoirs; and water levels and water quality in wells and springs. This report contains discharge records for 166 gaging stations; stage and contents for 24 lakes and reservoirs; water quality for 64 gaging stations and 168 wells; and water levels at 111 observation wells. Also included are 135 crest-stage partial-record stations. Additional water data were collected at various sites, not involved in the systematic data collection program, and are published as miscellaneous measurements. Also, one seepage investigation is published this year. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State and Federal agencies in New Mexico.

New Mexico↗
USGS1987

Hydrogeology of the Socorro and La Jencia basins, Socorro County, New Mexico

The Socorro and La Jencia Basins are located in central Socorro County, New Mexico. The principal aquifer system in the Socorro and La Jencia Basins consists of, in descending order, the shallow aquifer, the Popotosa confining bed, and the Popotosa aquifer. The minor aquifer systems, which are dominant along the basin margins, are the Socorro volcanics aquifer system and the Mesozoic-Paleozoic aquifer system. On the east side of the Socorro Basin, water enters the principal aquifer system from the Mesozoic-Paleozoic aquifer system. On the west side of the Socorro Basin, groundwater flows from the principal aquifer system in La Jencia Basin eastward to the principal aquifer system in the Socorro Basin. The volume of this flow is limited by the permeability of the minor aquifer systems and the Popotosa confining bed. A water budget indicates that if no change in groundwater storage occurs in the Socorro Basin, groundwater inflow to the basin is about 53,000 acre-feet per year greater than groundwater outflow. Dissolution of gypsum, calcite, and dolomite seems to control water quality in the Mesozoic-Paleozoic aquifer. Water with a chloride concentration of as much as 1,000 milligrams per liter and a specific conductance of as much as 6,700 microsiemens per centimeter at 25 C is present in the northern and southern parts of the Socorro Basin. These large chloride concentrations may indicate upward movement of water from deeper in the basin in these areas. The water with the large chloride concentration in the southern part of the basin also may be caused by leakage of geothermal waters along the Capitan Lineament. In the central part of the Socorro Basin, infiltration of excess irrigation water and inflow of groundwater from the basin margins control water quality. In this area, specific conductance generally is less than 1,000 microsiemens per centimeter. Water in La Jencia Basin generally is of the calcium sodium bicarbonate type with specific conductance less than 500 microsiemens per centimeter. (USGS)

New Mexico↗
USGS1987

Reconnaissance of hydrology, land use, ground-water chemistry, and effects of land use on ground-water chemistry in the Albuquerque-Belen basin, New Mexico

In 1984, the U.S. Geological Survey began regional assessments of groundwater contamination in 14 areas, one of which was the Albuquerque-Belen basin. Groundwater recharge occurs along the basin margins. Groundwater discharge occurs as evapotranspiration in the Rio Grande valley, pumpage, and groundwater flow to the Socorro basin. Open-space land use, which primarily is used for grazing livestock, occupies the majority of the basin. In the Rio Grande valley, agricultural and residential land uses are predominant; in the area near Albuquerque, the land also is used for commercial, institutional , and industrial purposes. The Albuquerque-Belen basin was divided into seven zones on the basis of water chemistry. These water-chemistry zones indicate that large variations in water chemistry exist in the basin as the result of natural processes. Groundwater in the majority of the Albuquerque-Belen basin has a relatively low susceptibility to contamination because the depth to water is > 100 ft and there is virtually no natural mechanism for recharge to the groundwater system. Groundwater in the Rio Grande valley has a relatively high susceptibility to contamination because the depth to water is generally < 30 ft and there are many types of recharge to the groundwater system. Changes in land use may cause changes in the chemical composition of recharge to the groundwater system. The relatively large concentrations of dissolved iron in the Rio Grande valley near Albuquerque may result from the change from agricultural land use to residential land use. Recharge associated with agricultural land use is relatively oxidized because the water is in equilibrium with the atmosphere, whereas recharge associated with residential land use (onsite waste-disposal effluent) is relatively reduced and has larger concentrations of organic carbon, biological oxygen demand, and chemical oxygen demand. The constituents in the onsite waste-disposal effluent could cause reducing conditions in the aquifer and the subsequent dissolution of iron and manganese oxides. Trace metals adsorbed to these iron and manganese oxides could be remobilized in groundwater after dissolution of the oxides.

New Mexico↗
USGS1987

Characteristics and properties of the basin-fill aquifer determined from three test wells west of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico

Three test wells were drilled west of Albuquerque; two are on the mesa west of the city, the third well is near the Rio Grande flood plain, west of the river. Test well 1, was drilled to a depth of 1,204 ft. Transmissivity of perforated intervals in the alluvial zone (980-1121 ft) ranged from 3.1 to 3.9 ft sq/day, and horizontal hydraulic conductivity from .02 to .03 ft/day. Vertical hydraulic conductivity of the semiconfining layer between the alluvial and volcanic zones is estimated to range from .00031 to .0031 ft/day. Transmissivity of the volcanic zone (1139-1179 ft) is about 81 ft sq/day, and horizontal hydraulic conductivity is about 2.0 ft/day. Dissolved-iron and manganese concentrations exceed recommended constituent limits for a public water supply. Vertical flow is upward; the potentiometric surface in the volcanic zone is about 2 ft higher than in the alluvial zone. Water levels are about 883 ft below land surface. Test well 2 was drilled to a depth of 1,828 ft below land surface with seven intervals open to the aquifer. During development, fine sand and silt entered the casing, filling it to a depth of 1,500 ft. The dissolved-cadmium concentration exceeds the maximum contaminant level and the dissolved-manganese concentration exceeds the recommended constituent limit for a public water supply. The vertical flow gradient is downward; the potentiometric surface in the middle and lower zones is about 17 ft lower than in the upper zones. Depth to water in the upper zone is about 767 below land surface and in the lower two zones the depth to water is about 784 ft below land surface. Test well 3 was drilled to a depth of 1,050 ft. Only the interval from 490 to 590 ft below land surface could be used to calculate transmissivity which was about 1,300 ft sq/day; horizontal hydraulic conductivity is about 13 ft/day. Quality of water is acceptable for a public water supply. Vertical flow is downward; the potentiometric surface in the deepest interval is about 7 ft lower than that in the uppermost zone. In the shallow interval from 350 to 590 ft below land surface, depth to water is about 24 ft below land surface. In the interval from 710 to 790 ft below land surface, depth to water is about 29 ft below land surface and in the interval from 870 to 1,050 ft below land surface, depth to water is 31 ft below land surface. (Author's abstract)

New Mexico↗
USGS1987

Ground-water flow and shallow-aquifer properties in the Rio Grande inner valley south of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico

The purpose of this investigation was to describe the water table configuration and its temporal variations, estimate aquifer properties, and evaluate the interaction of groundwater and surface water in the inner valley of the Rio Grande in southern Albuquerque, New Mexico, where groundwater contamination is a continuing concern. The upper 150 ft of sedimentary deposits in the inner valley, mostly alluvium that consists of cobbles, gravel, sand, silt, and clay, was emphasized because of its susceptibility to contamination. A map of the water table on February 28, 1986 shows that flow generally is parallel to the river and the gradient is approximately 5 ft/mi or 0.0001. In areas affected by municipal and industrial groundwater withdrawals, declines may exceed 10 ft, and the water table gradient is as much as 20 ft/mi or 0.004. The gradient also is steeper near drains, particularly during the irrigation season. In the area east of the community of Mountainview the direction of water movement may have reversed between 1936 and 1986; flow near appears to be toward the east or southeast. Groups of four piezometers, each screened at a different depth, were monitored to describe seasonal changes of the water table. Vertical gradients between piezometers ranged from 0.014 upward to 0.047 downward from July 1985 to June 1986, but were downward most of the year, particulary during the irrigation season. The horizontal hydraulic conductivity of a 15-ft-thick clay and silt bed beneath Rio Bravo Boulevard is estimated to be 0.0001 ft/day. The average interstitial velocity down through this bed is estimated to range from about 0.0002 to 0.0005 ft/day. The fluctuations of the water table at the piezometers nearest the Rio Grande do not appear to be affected by the riverside drain.

New Mexico↗
USGS1986

Origin of the Mariano Lake uranium deposit, McKinley County, New Mexico

The Mariano Lake uranium deposit, hosted by the Brushy Basin Member of the Jurassic Morrison Formation, occurs in the Smith Lake district of the Grants uranium region, New Mexico. The orebody, contains abundant amorphous organic material, which suggests that it represents a primary-type deposit; however, the orebody is close to a regional reduction-oxidation interface, which suggests that uranium was secondarily redistributed by oxidative processes. Uranium contents correlate positively with organic carbon contents. Petrographic evidence points to uranium residence in amorphous organic material that was post- depositionally introduced in the diagenetic history of the host sandstone. Uranium mineralization was preceded by precipitation of pyrite (δ 34 S values of — 11.0 to — 38.2 per mil), mixed-layer smectite-illite clays, and quartz and potassium feldspar overgrowths; and also partial dissolution of some detrital feldspars. Alterations associated with uranium mineralization include precipitation of the organic material, microcrys- talline quartz, and pyrite and marcasite (δ 34 S values of -29.4 to -41.6 per mil), and the destruction of detrital Fe-Ti oxide grains. Following mineralization, calcite, dolomite, barite, and kaolinite were precipitated, and some iron disulfides were replaced by ferric oxides. Geochemical data and petrographic observations both indicate that the Mariano Lake orebody is a primary-type deposit. Oxidative processes have not noticeably redistributed uranium in the immediate vicinity of the deposit, nor have they greatly modified geochemical characteristics in the ore. Impedance of ground-water flow by local folds and the lower porosity characteristics of ore zones may have helped to preserve the deposit.

New Mexico↗
USGS1986

Iron-titanium oxide minerals and magnetic susceptibility anomalies in the Mariano Lake-Lake Valley cores-Constraints on conditions of uranium mineralization in the Morrison Formation, San Juan Basin, New Mexico

Petrographic study of the Mariano Lake-Lake Valley cores reveals three distinct zones of postdepositional alteration of detrital Fe-Ti (iron-titanium) oxide minerals in the Westwater Canyon Member of the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation. In the uranium-bearing and adjacent portions of the Westwater Canyon, these detrital Fe-Ti oxide minerals have been thoroughly altered by leaching of iron. Stratigraphically lower parts of the Westwater Canyon and the underlying Recapture Member are characterized by preservation of Fe-Ti oxide grains, primarily magnetite and ilmenite, and of hematite, and by an absence of uranium concentrations. Partly destroyed Fe-Ti oxide minerals occupy an interval between the zones of destruction and preservation. Alteration patterns of the Fe-Ti oxide minerals are reflected in bore-hole magnetic susceptibility logs. Magnetic susceptibility response in the upper parts of the Westwater Canyon Member is flat and uniformly < 500 /xSI units, but at greater depths it fluctuates sharply, from <1,000 to nearly 8,000 μSI units. The boundary between uniformly low and high magnetic susceptibility response corresponds closely to the interval that divides the zone of completely altered from the zone of preserved detrital Fe-Ti oxide minerals. The alteration pattern suggests that solutions responsible for destruction of the Fe-Ti oxide minerals originated in the overlying Brushy Basin Member of the Morrison Formation. Previous studies indicate that these solutions were rich in soluble organic matter and perhaps in uranium. Uranium precipitation may have been controlled by a vertically fluctuating interface between organic-rich solutions and geochemically different fluids in which the detrital Fe-Ti oxide minerals were preserved.

New Mexico↗
USGS1986

Mine and prospect map of the Manzano Wilderness, Torrance and Valencia counties, New Mexico

The U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Bureau of Mines conducted field investigations to evaluate the mineral resources of the Manzano Wilderness, Torrance and Valencia Counties, N. Mex., during 1980 and 1982. This map complements the mineral resource appraisal of the Manzano Wilderness (Maxwell and others, 1983). Field studies by the Bureau of Mines included a reconnaissance of mines, prospects, and mineralized areas. From workings within and near the wilderness, 107 samples were taken and analyzed.

New Mexico↗
USGS1986

Geochemical map of the Chama River Canyon Wilderness and contiguous roadless area, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico

The Chama River Canyon Wilderness, in Rio Arriba County, north-central New Mexico, covers 50,300 acres (20,364 hectares) within the Coyote and Cuba Ranger Districts of the Santa Fe National Forest and the Canjilon Ranger District of the Carson National Forest. In 1979 the U.S. Forest Service, under the Forest Service Roadless Area Review and Evaluation (RARE II) program, designated three additional areas, contiguous to the wilderness, for further planning to assess wilderness characteristics. These areas, totaling 4,800 acres (1,945 hectares), were collectively designated Roadless area 03098; they have since been dropped from consideration.

New Mexico↗
USGS1986

Correlation of coal beds in the Fruitland Formation as interpreted from geophysical logs, east-central San Juan County, New Mexico

Correlation of coal beds in the Fruitland Formation (Upper Cretaceous) in the subsurface, from interpretation of geophysical logs, is an outgrowth of unpublished studies of deep coal on the Navajo Reservation by the author in the Toadlena 30 x 60 minute quadrangle, New Mexico, and by W. J. Mapel in the Farmington 30 x 60 minute quadrangle, New Mexico. The lines of sections of this report extend eastward from the reservation into east-central San Juan County, which is in the western part of the San Juan Basin. In this area, the rocks dip gently northeast toward the central part of the basin. The thick coal is less than 1,500 feet beneath the surface. Of the 53 logs in the sections, 48 are from oil- and gas-test holes, and 5 are from coal-test holes (see table 1). Stratigraphic relations of the Upper Cretaceous Lewis Shale, Pictured Cliffs Sandstone, and Fruitland Formation, shown on the cross sections and briefly reviewed below, have been previously described for this or other parts of the San Juan Basin by Hayes and Zapp (1955), Beaumont (1971), Fassett and hinds (1971), O;Sullivan and other (1972), and Molenaar (1983), among others.

New Mexico↗
USGS1986

Metallogenic map of volcanogenic massive-sulfide occurrences in New Mexico

New Mexico volcanogenic massive-sulfide occurrences, which typically contain pyrite and pyrrhotite accompanied by variable amounts of base-metal sulfides and precious metals, are found within mainly subaqueous, compositionally bimodal metavolcanic successions of Early to Middle Proterozoic age that are exposed primarily in the north-central part of the state. Host rocks include both mafic and felsic volcanic rocks or their volcaniclastic equivalents, silica-rich chemical sediments, and locally developed carbonate horizons. Some host rocks display variably preserved relict volcanic and (or) sedimentary textures, but the majority are metamorphic rocks having original textures and mineralogies substantially changed. In addition, many host rocks experienced significant premetamorphic chemical alteration that further obscures their origins. For these reasons, the "Host rock lithology" column in table 1 first lists a metamorphic rock description and them, in parentheses, suggests a possible volcanic or chemical-sediment protolith. With the exception of the Pecos mine and a subsurface deposit partially outlined by recent drilling at Jones Hill, New Mexico occurrences shown on this map do not exhibit enough of the classic features of volcanogenic massive-sulfide deposits to make their classification (or origins) unequivocal. Nonetheless, these occurrences are included because they might be genetically, spatially, chronologically, or in some combination of ways related to volcamogenic massive-sulfide-forming systems and are therefore deserving of further study. The following two sections 1) outline the general geologic setting and character of New Mexico&rsquo;s Proterozoic volcanic terranes, which host volcamogemic massive-sulfide occurrences, and 2) describe the general features of two occurrences--the Pecos mine and Jones Hill--which display the most complete and convincing collection of "classic" volcanogenic massive-sulfide features of any of the New Mexico examples.

New Mexico↗