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USGS1998

Preliminary lithostratigraphy, interpreted geophysical logs and hydrogeologic characteristics of the 98th Street core hole, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Core samples, cuttings, and numerous geophysical logs obtained from the 1560 ft (475.5 m) core hole drilled at 98th Street on the west side of Albuquerque provide key stratigraphic and hydraulicproperty information for the upper clastic sediments of the Santa Fe Group, which form the principal aquifer in the region. The core hole and an adjacent water-level monitoring well were drilled cooperatively by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the City of Albuquerque and investigated in collaboration with the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources and the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer to improve understanding of aquifer characteristics and controls on ground-water availability and quality. The 751.5 ft (229 m) of core samples recovered from the core hole are the only undisturbed samples of nonlithified sediments of the upper part of the Santa Fe Group that have been collected in this area. These samples have allowed us, for the first time, to directly observe and characterize the lithic and sedimentologic features of this part of the section, and to correlate the detailed geologic features with geophysical-log characteristics, magnetic susceptibility measurements, hydraulic variables, and trace-element geochemistry. The adjacent well was designed to be an areally representative ground-water level and water-quality monitoring well for the Santa Fe Group aquifer. This report chiefly addresses the lithologic, stratigraphic, and hydrogeologic features determined from the 98th Street core hole; other reports address related characteristics. Previous geologic studies predicted the stratigraphy at the site to be, from the land surface downward: 1) Quaternary alluvial and eolian valley-border sediments; 2) fluvial sand and gravel of the upper unit of the Santa Fe Group (Ceja Member of the Santa Fe Formation of Kelly, 1978; equivalent to the Sierra Ledrones Formation of Machette (1978a); 3) downward-fining basin-floor silty clay deposits and 4) fluvial sandy and silty facies of the middle unit of the Santa Fe Group (the Middle Red Member of Bryan and McCann, 1937, and Lambert, 1968). New geologic interpretations indicate that the drill site is in a fault block bounded by east-dipping normal faults and the oblique Atrisco-Rincon fault zone. Core-hole sampling recovered 760.6 ft (231.8 m) of core, in core segments 2.1-2.375 in. (5.3-6 cm) in diameter, and 0.2-10 ft (6.1 cm-3 m) long. The core hole was cased with centered 3-in. PVC casing, and is available for geophysical logging. The monitoring-well hole contains four piezometers at depths of 1544 ft (470.6 m), 1112 ft (338.9 m), 749 ft (228.3 m), and 458 ft (139.6 m). Sediments in the core are loose to weakly cemented gravel, sand, silt, and clay, and lithified sandstone. Laboratory analyses of particle-size distributions of 28 channel samples show that most silty sand samples are uniformly graded and poorly sorted; medium sand samples are moderately sorted. Six principal sediment types are used to describe the core; these sediment types are repeated in various combinations throughout the core and are used to define 22 lithologic units in the cored interval. The six principal sediment types contain sequences of beds having similar modal grain size and sedimentary structure, and are listed in decreasing abundance: 1) Silty fine sand, poorly sorted, containing a coarse silt matrix. Geophysical logs show highly variable baselines with deflections that are related to clay beds and sequences of silt, clay, and sorted fine sand. Density values of 2.12-2.25 g/cc and porosity values of 30-35 percent are typical. 2) Medium sand, moderately to poorly sorted. Geophysical logs show baselines of low variability with deflections that are related to clay beds and sequences of silt, clay, and sorted fine sand. Density values of 2.05-2.20 g/cc and porosity values of 30-35 percent are typical. 3) Clayey sandy silt, poorly sorted, locally microlaminated clay and silt, generally nonplastic. Geophysical logs show highly variable baselines with deflections that are related to sequences of clay and fine sand. Density values of 2.1-2.2 g/cc and porosity values of 30-40 percent are typical. 4) Silt and clay, characteristically red to reddish brown and medium to high plasticity, massive to indistinctly microlaminated. Geophysical logs show variable baselines with broad, high-amplitude compound spikes that are related to sequences of silt and fine sand. Density values of 2.12-2.25 g/cc and porosity values of >45 percent are typical. 5) Sand and gravel, poorly sorted. Geophysical logs show variable baselines with deflections that are related to sequences of silty and sorted fine sand. 6) Sandstone, fine-to-medium grained, poorly sorted, cemented chiefly by calcite, which fills the original pore space. Geophysical logs show density values >2.25 g/cc and porosity values <30 percent. The 22 lithologic units are correlated with recognized basin-floor fluvial lithofacies (Hawley, 1996), which include sand and gravel (lithofacies I), sand with lenses of pebbly sand, silt, and silty clay (lithofacies II), and interbedded sand, silt, and silty clay (modified lithofacies III, IV, IX). The sediments in the core hole are correlated with three informal lithostratigraphic units. The top unit, 0-19 ft (0-5.8 m) depth, consists of Quaternary eolian sand and valley-border alluvium. Coarsegrained deposits in the 19-97 ft (5.8-29.6 m) interval are correlated with the upper unit of the Santa Fe Group. The fine-grained section in the 97-787 ft (29.6-239.9 m) interval is correlated tentatively with the middle unit of the Santa Fe Group. This section contains thick sequences of laminated red and olivebrown clay and silt overbank deposits (441-787 ft) in the distinctive Atrisco member of Connell and others (1998). The Atrisco is correlated with fine-grained zones in numerous wells throughout the central Albuquerque metropolitan area, and is recognized as a zone that separates the upper Santa Fe aquifer from underlying middle Santa Fe deposits. The lower section of the middle unit of the Santa Fe, 787-1500 ft (239.9-457.2 m) depth, includes an upper sequence of moderately sorted channel-fill medium sand, and a lower sequence of sand, silt, and clay overbank deposits. The age of the cored interval is not known precisely. The upper Santa Fe gravel is related regionally to a through-flowing river system that was established in the Rio Grande rift valleys in Early Pliocene time, >4.5 MA. The middle Santa Fe unit is dated tentatively by correlation with a fossiliferous section, in which sandy beds that directly underlie the upper Santa Fe are Late Miocene (Hemphellian), 4.6- 8.9 MA. Further, the middle Santa Fe unit, with dominantly normal magnetic polarity, may have been deposited during closely spaced normal magnetic chrons 5.9-8.3 Ma. Four hydrostratigraphic units summarize the hydrogeologic framework for the 98th Street site: 1) Quaternary valley-border deposits, 2) upper Santa Fe sand and gravel deposits, 3) middle Santa Fe overbank deposits, and 4) middle Santa Fe channel-sand deposits. Empirical values of horizontal hydraulic conductivity estimated from core samples reveal a previously unknown contrast in hydraulic conductivity in the lowest two hydrostratigraphic units. Correlations among numerous wells show that the distinctively fine-grained Atrisco member, with estimated hydraulic conductivities (K) of <0.02-17 ft/day, is a laterally extensive barrier to vertical ground-water flow. The underlying unit that contains moderately sorted medium sand is a potential aquifer production zone that should be investigated further. Laboratory determination of vertical hydraulic conductivity values for fine-grained core samples range from 10 -2 to 10 -7 ft/day; recompacted sandy samples have K values of 1 to 10 -2 ft/day. Results of tests conducted with increasing effective stress show that K values of all samples decrease with decreasing porosity. Comparison of K values from laboratory, empirical, and calculated geophysical values shows discrepancies of 1-3 orders of magnitude (ft/day), indicating that additional analyses of core samples and geophysical data are necessary for future characterization of the Santa Fe Group aquifer.

New Mexico↗

USGS2014

Water chemistry, seepage investigation, streamflow, reservoir storage, and annual availability of water for the San Juan-Chama Project, northern New Mexico, 1942-2010

The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority supplements the municipal water supply for the Albuquerque metropolitan area, in central New Mexico, with surface water diverted from the Rio Grande. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, undertook this study in which water-chemistry data and historical streamflow were compiled and new water-chemistry data were collected to characterize the water chemistry and streamflow of the San Juan-Chama Project (SJCP). Characterization of streamflow included analysis of the variability of annual streamflow and comparison of the theoretical amount of water that could have been diverted into the SJCP to the actual amount of water that was diverted for the SJCP. Additionally, a seepage investigation was conducted along the channel between Azotea Tunnel Outlet and the streamflow-gaging station at Willow Creek above Heron Reservoir to estimate the magnitude of the gain or loss in streamflow resulting from groundwater interaction over the approximately 10-mile reach. Generally, surface-water chemistry varied with streamflow throughout the year. Streamflow ranged from high flow to low flow on the basis of the quantity of water diverted from the Rio Blanco, Little Navajo River, and Navajo River for the SJCP. Vertical profiles of the water temperature over the depth of the water column at Heron Reservoir indicated that the reservoir is seasonally stratified. The results from the seepage investigations indicated a small amount of loss of streamflow along the channel. Annual variability in streamflow for the SJCP was an indication of the variation in the climate parameters that interact to contribute to streamflow in the Rio Blanco, Little Navajo River, Navajo River, and Willow Creek watersheds. For most years, streamflow at Azotea Tunnel Outlet started in March and continued for approximately 3 months until the middle of July. The majority of annual streamflow at Azotea Tunnel Outlet occurred from May through June, with a median duration of slightly longer than a month. Years with higher maximum daily streamflow generally are associated with higher annual streamflow than years with lower maximum daily streamflow. The amount of water that can be diverted for the SJCP is controlled by the availability of streamflow and is limited by several factors including legal limits for diversion, limits from the SJCP infrastructure including the size of the diversion dams and tunnels, the capacity of Heron Reservoir, and operational constraints that limit when water can be diverted. The average annual streamflow at Azotea Tunnel Outlet was 94,710 acre-feet, and the annual streamflow at Azotea Tunnel Outlet was approximately 75 percent of the annual streamflow available for the SJCP. The average annual percentage of available streamflow not diverted for the SJCP was 14 percent because of structural limitations of the capacity of infrastructure, 1 percent because of limitations of the reservoir storage capacity, and 29 percent because of the limitations from operations. For most years, the annual available streamflow not diverted for unknown reasons exceeded the sum of the water not diverted because of structural, capacity, and operational limitations.

Colorado, New Mexico↗

USGS1998

Water Resources Data, New Mexico, Water Year 1997

Water resources data for the 1997 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 171 gaging stations; stage and contents for 27 lakes and reservoirs; water quality for 46 gaging stations and 19 wells; and water levels in 124 observation wells. Also included are 35 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. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating Federal, State, and local agencies in New Mexico.

New Mexico↗

USGS1999

Water Resources Data, New Mexico, Water Year 1998. Volume 1. The Rio Grande Basin; the Mimbres River Basin; and the Tularosa Valley Basin

Water-resources data for the 1998 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 containsdischarge records for 158 gaging stations; stage and contents for 26 lakes and reservoirs; water quality for 34 gaging stations, 23 wells, and 41 partial-record stations and miscellaneous sites;and water levels at 122 observation wells. Also included are 36 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. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating Federal, State, and local agencies in New Mexico.

New Mexico↗

USGS1999

Water Resources Data, New Mexico, Water Year 1998. Volume 2. The Arkansas River Basin; the San Juan River Basin; the Gila River Basin; and Ground-Water Wells

Water-resources data for the 1998 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 158 gaging stations; stage and contents for 26 lakes and reservoirs; water quality for 34 gaging stations, 23 wells, and 41 partial-record stations and miscellaneous sites; and water levels at 122 observation wells. Also included are 36 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. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating Federal, State, and local agencies in New Mexico.

New Mexico↗

USGS2000

Water Resources Data, New Mexico, Water Year 1999. Volume 1. The Rio Grande Basin; the Mimbres River Basin; and the Tularosa Valley Basin

Water-resources data for the 1999 water year for New Mexico consist of discharge and 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 168 gaging stations; stage and contents for 26 lakes and reservoirs; water quality for 34 gaging stations, 26 wells, and 85 partial-record stations and miscellaneous sites; and water levels at 130 observation wells. Also included are 80 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. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating Federal, State, and local agencies in New Mexico.

New Mexico↗

USGS2000

Water Resources Data, New Mexico, Water Year 1999. Volume 2. The Arkansas River Basin; the San Juan River Basin; the Gila River Basin; and Ground-Water Wells

New Mexico↗

USGS2002

Water Resources Data, New Mexico, Water Year 2001

Water-resources data for the 2001 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 173 gaging stations; stage and contents for 24 lakes and reservoirs; water quality for 37 gaging stations, 43 wells, and II partial-record stations and miscellaneous sites; and water levels at 136 observation well s. Also included are 84 creststage, 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. One seepage investigation was made during the year. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating Federal, State, and local agencies in New Mexico.

New Mexico↗

USGS2004

Water resources data, New Mexico, water year 2003

Water-resources data for the 2003 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 182 gaging stations; stage and contents for 24 lakes and reservoirs; water quality for 34 gaging stations, 83 wells, and 7 partial-record stations and miscellaneous sites; and water levels at 141 observation wells. Also included are 80 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. Two seepage investigations were made during the year. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating Federal, State, and local agencies in New Mexico.

Water Data Report↗

USGS2005

Water resources data, New Mexico, water year 2004

Water-resources data for the 2004 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 185 gaging stations; stage and contents for 22 lakes and reservoirs; water quality for 39 gaging stations, 108 wells, and 9 partial-record stations and miscellaneous sites; and water levels at 128 observation wells. Also included are 80 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. Two seepage investigations were made during the year. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating Federal, State, and local agencies in New Mexico.

Water Data Report↗

USGS2019

Pecos River Basin salinity assessment, Santa Rosa Lake, New Mexico, to the confluence of the Pecos River and the Rio Grande, Texas, 2015

The elevated salinity of the Pecos River throughout much of its length is of paramount concern to water users and water managers. Dissolved-solids concentrations in the Pecos River exceed 3,000 milligrams per liter in many of its reaches in the study area, from Santa Rosa Lake, New Mexico, to the confluence of the Pecos River with the Rio Grande, Texas. The salinity of the Pecos River increases downstream and affects the availability of useable water in the Pecos River Basin. In this report, “salinity” and “dissolved-solids concentration” are considered synonymous; both terms are used to refer to the total ionic concentration of dissolved minerals in water. The sources of salinity in the Pecos River Basin are natural (geologic) and anthropogenic, including but not limited to groundwater discharge, springs, and irrigation return flows. Previous studies in the Pecos River Basin were project specific and designed to address salinity issues in specific parts of the basin; therefore, in 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and Texas Water Development Board assessed the major sources of salinity throughout the extent of the basin where elevated salinity in the Pecos River is well documented (that is, in the drainage area of the Pecos River from Santa Rosa Lake to the confluence of the Pecos River and the Rio Grande). The goal was to gain a better understanding of how specific areas might be contributing to the elevated salinity in the Pecos River and how salinity of the Pecos River has changed over time. This assessment includes a literature review and compilation of previously published salinity-related data, which guided the collection of additional water-quality samples and streamflow gain-loss measurements. Differences in water quality of surface-water and groundwater samples, streamflow measurements, and geophysical data were assessed to gain new insights regarding sources of salinity in the Pecos River Basin and a more detailed assessment of potential areas of elevated salinity in the basin. The datasets compiled for this assessment are available in a companion data release. The literature review identified several potential sources of salinity inputs to the Pecos River in New Mexico and Texas. In New Mexico, sources of salinity inputs included sinkhole springs discharging into El Rito Creek, the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge inflow to the Pecos River, inflow from the Rio Hondo, including the main channel and a restored channel at the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge referred to as the “Rio Hondo spring channel,” the outflow from Lea Lake at Bottomless Lakes State Park, and the Malaga Bend region of the Pecos River. In Texas, sources of salinity inputs included Salt Creek downstream from Red Bluff Reservoir and the area near the Horsehead Crossing ford on the Pecos River. The compilation of historical water-quality data revealed a lack of consistent sampling of the same constituents at the same sites along the main stem of the Pecos River, which results in data gaps that hinder the ability to effectively analyze long-term changes in water quality that may help with the understanding of how salinity in the Pecos River has changed over time and identifying the sources of salinity in the Pecos River Basin. To help fill these data gaps, water-quality and streamflow data were collected in the study area in February 2015 by the U.S. Geological Survey. Historical water-quality data and newly collected data from February 2015 were evaluated for selected major-ion concentrations, dissolved-solids concentrations, and deuterium, oxygen, and strontium isotopes. Analysis of the data indicated several areas of increasing salinity in the Pecos River. Most notable increases were in two subreaches of the river, between Acme, N. Mex., and Artesia, N. Mex., and between Orla, Tex., and Grandfalls, Tex. Increasing sodium and chloride concentrations from Acme to Artesia coincided with changes in isotopic ratios within the Pecos River Basin. Changes in isotopic ratios in this reach indicate a likely inflow from an isotopically different source of water compared to the water in the main stem of the Pecos River, such as groundwater inflow, inflow from surface-water features distinct from the main stem of the Pecos River, or both. In the subreach between Orla and Grandfalls, an increase in dissolved-solids concentrations was observed along with a shift in isotope values, indicating that neither evaporative processes in Red Bluff Reservoir nor inflow from Salt Creek likely solely influences the salinity of the Pecos River in this subreach. The highest dissolved-solids concentrations in the Pecos River Basin were measured downstream from Grandfalls, where dissolved-solids concentrations are greater than 16,000 milligrams per liter near Iraan, Tex. Changes in isotopic values (deuterium, oxygen, and strontium) indicate mixing of different waters at several areas along the main stem of the Pecos River. The spatial distribution of the areas of interest from the literature review and the water-quality data are available in the companion data release.

Texas, New Mexico↗

USGS2013

Five-year interim report of the United States-Mexico Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program: 2007--2012

Transboundary aquifers are an essential, and in many cases, singular source of water for United States – Mexico border communities, particularly in arid regions. Declining water levels, deteriorating water quality, and increasing use of groundwater resources by municipal, industrial, and agricultural water users on both sides of the international border have raised concerns about the long-term availability of this supply. Water quantity and quality are determining and limiting factors that ultimately control agriculture, future economic development, population growth, human health, and ecological conditions along the border. Knowledge about the extent, depletion rates, and quality of transboundary aquifers, however, is limited and, in some areas, completely absent. The U.S. – Mexico Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Act (Public Law 109-448), referred to in this report as “the Act,” was signed into law by the President of the United States on December 22, 2006, to conduct binational scientific research to systematically assess priority transboundary aquifers and to address water information needs of border communities. The Act authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), to collaborate with the States of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas through their Water Resources Research Institutes (WRRIs) and with the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), stakeholders, and Mexican counterparts to provide new information and a scientific foundation for State and local officials to address pressing water-resource challenges along the U.S. – Mexico border.

Open-File Report↗

USGS1982

Geologic map of the lower San Francisco Wilderness study area and contiguous roadless area, Greenlee County, Arizona and Catron and Grant counties, New Mexico

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Miscellaneous Field Studies Map↗

USGS1978

Preliminary geologic map of the Kimbeto EMRIA study site area, Kimbeto, Sargent Ranch, Pueblo Bonito, and Pueblo Bonito NW quadrangles, San Juan County, New Mexico

No abstract available.

New Mexico↗

USGS2022

Update and recalibration of the Rio Grande Transboundary Integrated Hydrologic Model, New Mexico and Texas, United States, and northern Chihuahua, Mexico

The Rio Grande Transboundary Integrated Hydrologic Model (RGTIHM) was developed through an interagency effort between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Bureau of Reclamation to provide a tool for analyzing the hydrologic system response to the historical evolution of water use and potential changes in water supplies and demands in the Hatch Valley (also known as Rincon Valley in the study area) and Mesilla Basin, New Mexico and Texas, United States, and northern Chihuahua, Mexico. Reclamation operates the Rio Grande Project (RGP) to store and deliver surface water for irrigation and municipal use within the study area and in the El Paso Valley south of the El Paso Narrows. Biases in the RGTIHM’s simulation of streamflow and aquifer storage depletion and the availability of new estimates of historical agricultural consumptive use in the study area initiated an update and recalibration of the RGTIHM. In addition to the new estimates of historical agricultural consumptive use, updates were made to more accurately represent the natural system and included adjustments to the initial groundwater levels; streamflow rating tables; Rio Grande, canal, and drain streambed elevations; tributary streambed elevations; surface-water inflows and diversions; RGP surface-water deliveries and canal waste; on-farm efficiency; the routing of surface-water runoff within the MODFLOW Farm Process; and general head boundaries used to simulate interbasin groundwater flow. Model settings, including the assignment of hydraulic conductivity and storage properties to model layers and the MODFLOW solver package, were adjusted to improve numerical stability, and the model was recalibrated to better simulate the natural system. The updated and recalibrated RGTIHM demonstrates a robust ability to simulate the spatially and temporally variable measurements, estimates, or reports of hydraulic head, surface-water flows, agricultural pumping, RGP surface-water deliveries and canal waste, and decadal aquifer storage changes, with improvements over the previous version of the model.

Chihuahua, New Mexico, Texas↗

USGS2009

Web application to access U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works and Restoration Projects information for the Rio Grande Basin, southern Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas

The Rio Grande Civil Works and Restoration Projects Web Application, developed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Albuquerque District, is designed to provide publicly available information through the Internet about civil works and restoration projects in the Rio Grande Basin. Since 1942, USACE Albuquerque District responsibilities have included building facilities for the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force, providing flood protection, supplying water for power and public recreation, participating in fire remediation, protecting and restoring wetlands and other natural resources, and supporting other government agencies with engineering, contracting, and project management services. In the process of conducting this vast array of engineering work, the need arose for easily tracking the locations of and providing information about projects to stakeholders and the public. This fact sheet introduces a Web application developed to enable users to visualize locations and search for information about USACE (and some other Federal, State, and local) projects in the Rio Grande Basin in southern Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.

Fact Sheet↗

USGS2012

Scientific basis for safely shutting in the Macondo Well after the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout

As part of the government response to the Deepwater Horizon blowout, a Well Integrity Team evaluated the geologic hazards of shutting in the Macondo Well at the seafloor and determined the conditions under which it could safely be undertaken. Of particular concern was the possibility that, under the anticipated high shut-in pressures, oil could leak out of the well casing below the seafloor. Such a leak could lead to new geologic pathways for hydrocarbon release to the Gulf of Mexico. Evaluating this hazard required analyses of 2D and 3D seismic surveys, seafloor bathymetry, sediment properties, geophysical well logs, and drilling data to assess the geological, hydrological, and geomechanical conditions around the Macondo Well. After the well was successfully capped and shut in on July 15, 2010, a variety of monitoring activities were used to assess subsurface well integrity. These activities included acquisition of wellhead pressure data, marine multichannel seismic profiles, seafloor and water-column sonar surveys, and wellhead visual/acoustic monitoring. These data showed that the Macondo Well was not leaking after shut in, and therefore, it could remain safely shut until reservoir pressures were suppressed (killed) with heavy drilling mud and the well was sealed with cement.

Gulf of Mexico↗

USGS1987

Playa-lake basins on the Southern High Plains of Texas and New Mexico: Part II. A hydrologic model and mass-balance arguments for their development.

Hydrologic, geologic, geomorphic, and mass-balance data suggest that most of the ∼30,000 playa lake basins on the Southern High Plains have developed by a combination of dissolution of caliche and piping of surface material into the unsaturated zone rather than by eolian processes as has generally been stated. A conceptual model suggests that particulate organic material, much of which is sorbed on smectite clays, is carried downward from the surface into the unsaturated zone by recharging water. The organic material is oxidized to CO 2 , which dissolves in the water, forms carbonic acid, and dissolves lithologic carbonates. Because organic material is transported and oxidized deep in the unsaturated zone, CO 2 concentrations are much higher at depth than in the soil zone, and recharging water remains thermodynamically subsaturated with respect to carbonates and thus able to dissolve them throughout the unsaturated zone. Dissolution promotes lithologic instability, leading to piping and eluviation of material within the unsaturated zone. Playa basins expand laterally as recharge is concentrated at the edge of the playa floor because of lowered permeability in the center that results from accumulation of clays and other fine sediment. Mass-balance calculations of gas, liquid, and solid fluxes beneath a playa basin suggest that sufficient mass is transported to account for the volume of the depression. Particulate flux is estimated by relating it to the CO 2 flux out of the unsaturated zone. Solute flux is estimated from the difference between input values from the playa lake water and that observed in ground water. Gas flux is measured directly from gas samples at specific depths below the: surface.

Geological Society of America Bulletin↗