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Research about New Mexico

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including New Mexico.

At least 415 records · Page 23Linked to original sources
USGS2001

High-resolution aeromagnetic data, a new tool for mapping intrabasinal faults: Example from the Albuquerque basin, New Mexico

High-resolution aeromagnetic surveys flown over the Albuquerque basin, New Mexico, demonstrate that aeromagnetic methods can successfully map concealed and poorly exposed faults in sediment-filled basins. This is the first known use of aeromagnetic data as an aid to surficial mapping and hydrogeologic studies in a basin. Aeromagnetic maps show detailed fault patterns within the basin fill that revise the structural view of the basin. Concealed faults are more numerous and more closely spaced than expected. The Hubbell Springs fault is the central splay of three generally north-striking fault splays that can be traced for nearly 50 km. The splays converge on the north and may represent the southern extension of the Tijeras fault, contradicting the proposed southwest extension of the Tijeras fault across the basin. In profile view, the linear aeromagnetic anomalies associated with faults show a variety of signatures. One signature has potential for mapping fault-controlled sedimentation in the subsurface because it identifies increases in magnetic, likely coarse-grained, material in the hanging walls of faults.

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USGS2001

Aeromagnetic expression of faults that offset basin fill, Albuquerque basin, New Mexico

High-resolution aeromagnetic data acquired over the Albuquerque basin show widespread expression of faults that offset basin fill and demonstrate that the aeromagnetic method can be an important hydrogeologic and surficial mapping tool in sediment-filled basins. Aeromagnetic expression of faults is recognized by the common correspondence of linear anomalies to surficial evidence of faulting across the area. In map view, linear anomalies show patterns typical of extensional faulting, such as anastomosing and en echelon segments. Depths to the tops of faulted magnetic layers showing the most prominent aeromagnetic expression range from 0 to 100 m. Sources related to subtler fault expressions range in depths from 200 to 500 m. We estimate that sources of the magnetic expressions of the near-surface faults likely reside within the upper 500-600 m of the subsurface. The linear anomalies in profile form show a range of shapes, but all of them can be explained by the juxta-position of layers having different magnetic properties. One typical anomaly differs from the expected symmetric fault anomaly by exhibiting an apparent low over the fault zone and more than one inflection point. Although the apparent low could easily be misinterpreted as representing multiple faults or an anomalous fault zone, geophysical analysis, magnetic-property measurements, and geologic considerations lead instead to a "thin-thick model" in which magnetic layers of different thickness are juxtaposed. The general geometry of this model is a thin magnetic layer on the upthrown block and a thick magnetic layer on the downthrown block. The thin-thick model can be represented geologically by growth faulting and syntectonic sedimentation, where relatively coarse-grained sediment (which is more magnetic than fine-grained material) has accumulated in the hanging wall. This implies that the aeromagnetic data have potential for mapping growth faults and locating concentrations of coarse-grained material that may have high hydraulic transmissivity. Although cementation along fault zones is common in portions of the area, we found no evidence that this secondary process results in measurable aeromagnetic anomalies. This observation differs from the findings in other sedimentary basins suggesting that magnetic anomalies arise from secondary magnetization along fault planes.

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USGS2001

Water Resources Data, New Mexico, Water Year 2000

Water-resources data for the 2000 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 26 lakes and reservoirs; water quality for 34 gaging stations, 56 wells, and 41 partial-record stations and miscellaneous sites; and water levels at 136 observation wells. Also included are 79 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.

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USGS2001

Analytical results of a long-term aquifer test conducted near the Rio Grande, Albuquerque, New Mexico, with a section on piezometric-extensometric test results

The City of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is interested in gaining a better understanding, both quantitative and qualitative, of the aquifer system in and around Albuquerque. Currently (2000), the City of Albuquerque and surrounding municipalities are completely dependent on ground-water reserves for their municipal water supply. This report presents the results of a long-term aquifer test conducted near the Rio Grande in Albuquerque. The long-term aquifer test was conducted during the winter of 1994-95. The City of Albuquerque Griegos 1 water production well was pumped continuously for 54 days at an average pumping rate of 2,331 gallons per minute. During the 54-day pumping and a 30-day recovery period, water levels were recorded in a monitoring network that consisted of 3 production wells and 19 piezometers located at nine sites. These wells and piezometers were screened in river alluvium and (or) the upper and middle parts of the Santa Fe Group aquifer system. In addition to the measurement of water levels, aquifer-system compaction was monitored during the aquifer test by an extensometer. Well-bore video and flowmeter surveys were conducted in the Griegos 1 water production well at the end of the recovery period to identify the location of primary water- producing zones along the screened interval. Analytical results from the aquifer test presented in this report are based on the methods used to analyze a leaky confined aquifer system and were performed using the computer software package AQTESOLV. Estimated transmissivities for the Griegos 1 and 4 water production wells ranged from 10,570 to 24,810 feet squared per day; the storage coefficient for the Griegos 4 well was 0.0025. A transmissivity of 13,540 feet squared per day and a storage coefficient of 0.0011 were estimated from the data collected from a piezometer completed in the production interval of the Griegos 1 well.

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USGS2001

Runoff, erosion, and restoration studies in piñon-juniper woodlands of the Pajarito Plateau

Piñon-juniper woodlands are one of the most extensive vegetation types in New Mexico, including large portions of the Pajarito Plateau. The woodland soils on local mesas largely formed under different vegetation during cooler, moister conditions of the late Pleistocene; in other words, they are over 10,000 years old, and many are over 100,000 years old (McFadden et al., 1996). Changes in climate and vegetation in the early Holocene (8,500– 6,000 years ago) led to at least localized episodes of soil erosion on adjoining uplands (Reneau and McDonald, 1996; Reneau et al., 1996). During this time, the dominant climatic and associated vegetation patterns of the modern southwestern United States developed, including grasslands, piñon-juniper woodlands, and ponderosa pine savannas (Allen et al., 1998). On the basis of local fire history, the young ages of most piñon-juniper trees here, and soils data, we believe that many upland mesa areas now occupied by dense piñon-juniper woodlands were formerly more open, with fewer trees and well-developed herbaceous understories that: (1) protected the soil from excessive erosion during intense summer thunderstorm events, and (2) provided a largely continuous fuel matrix, which allowed surface fires to spread and maintain these vegetation types (Fig. 1). In contrast, rocky canyon walls have probably changed relatively little through the centuries, as grazing and fire suppression had fewer effects on such sites.

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USGS2001

Fire and vegetation history of the Jemez Mountains

Historic patterns of fire occurrence and vegetation change in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico have been described in detail by using multiple lines of evidence. Data sources include old aerial and ground-based photographs, historic records, charcoal deposits from bogs, fire-scarred trees (Figure 1), tree-ring reconstructions of precipitation, and field sampling of vegetation and soils. The forests and woodlands that cloak the Southwestern uplands provide the most extensive and detailed regional-scale network of fire history data available in the world (Swetnam and Baisan 1996, Swetnam et al. 1999, Allen 2002).

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USGS2000

Observations of health indices used to monitor a tailwater trout fishery

Health of the population of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss in the San Juan River tailwater was monitored to determine the effects of potential crowding from a reduced winter flow test at Navajo Dam, northwestern New Mexico. A systematic necropsy-based health profile provided a rapid method to detect gross changes in the health of the fish population. The health assessment index (HAI) was calculated to quantify the necropsy system and allow statistical comparisons of data sets. Other suborganismic indices were selected to encompass a range of responses specific to the stress of environmental alterations: physiology assessment using total protein and percent muscle lipids, an immune assessment using serum lysozyme, and a cellular-based evaluation using histology. The HAI values showed no clear trend in fish health, although significant differences occurred among fish samples during the test. Significant declines in condition factors and percent muscle lipids throughout the study suggested a seasonal effect. Total protein and lysozyme levels were variable, showing no discernible patterns. Most histological observations appeared to be incidental during the study. Although there was no clear demonstrable effect of altered flow on fish health, this study revealed the sensitivities of various health indicators, which may help in designing future studies and supporting or interpreting results using these approaches.

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USGS2000

Lower Mississippian trilobites from southern New Mexico

Twenty-three species of trilobites are recognized in the lower Mississippian Caballero and Lake Valley Formations of southern New Mexico. Species exhibit a segregation into shelf and off-shelf faunas, and can be subdivided into three distinct stratigraphic faunas. Species found in the Caballero Formation are similar to those found in the Chouteau Formation of Missouri. A second fauna, comprising species found in the Alamogordo, Nunn, and Tierra Blanca Members of the Lake Valley Formation, is correlated with the Fern Glen and Burlington Formations of Missouri. The third fauna found in the Arcente and Dona Ana Members of the Lake Valley Formation is correlated with the Warsaw and Salem Formations of the United States midcontinent region. Named species from the Kinderhookian Caballero Formation include: Dixiphopyge armata (Vogdes, 1891), Comptonaspis swallowi (Shumard, 1855), Brachymetopus indianwellsensis new species, Ameropiltonia perplexa new species, Griffithidella caballeroensis new species, and Kollarcephalus granatai new genus and new species. Named species from the Lake Valley Formation include: Pudoproetus fernglenensis (Weller, 1909), Breviphillipsia semiteretis Hessler, 1963, Griffithidella doris (Hall 1860), Phillibole planucauda (Brezinski, 1998), Piltonia carlakertisae new species, Australosutura llanoensis Brezinski, 1998, Thigriffides triangulatus new species, Thigriffides ? alamogordoensis new species, Namuropyge newmexicoensis new species, Nunnaspis stitti new genus and new species, Hesslerides arcentensis new genus and new species, as well as an unnamed species of Proetides Hessler, 1962, Namuropyge Brezinski, 1988, and Thigriffides Hessler, 1965.

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USGS2000

Log and data from a trench across the Hubbell Spring Fault Zone, Bernalillo County, New Mexico

This report contains field and laboratory data resulting from a trench study of the Hubbell Spring fault zone near Albuquerque, New Mexico. This trench was excavated in September, 1997, as part of earthquake hazards investigations of Quaternary faults in the Albuquerque metropolitan area. The trench was excavated across the youngest of several fault strands near the northern end of the Hubbell Spring fault zone. The site is located on Pueblo of Isleta tribal lands, approximately 1 km south of the southern boundary of Kirtland Air Force Base. Thus the paleoearthquake data derived from investigations at the Hubbell Spring site will be useful in assessing potential earthquake hazards in Isleta Pueblo, Kirtland Air Force Base/Sandia National Laboratories, and the Albuquerque metropolitan area. The purpose of this report is to present a detailed trench log, a scarp profile, soils data (table 1), magnetic susceptibility data (table 2), luminescence and uranium-series ages (tables 3 and 4), and detailed unit descriptions (table 5) obtained in this investigation. S.F. Personius had primary responsibility for siting, excavating, describing, and interpreting the trench; S.A. Mahan did the luminescence dating, and James B. Paces did the uranium-series dating. M.C. Eppes and D.W. Love assisted with trench logging and mapping; and M.C. Eppes, D.K. Mitchell, and A. Murphy did the soils analyses.

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USGS2000

New Mexico aggregate production sites, 1997-1999

This report presents data, including latitude and longitude, for aggregate sites in New Mexico that were believed to be active in the period 1997-1999. The data are presented in paper form in Part A of this report and as Microsoft Excel 97 and Data Interchange Format (DIF) files in Part B. The work was undertaken as part of the effort to update information for the National Atlas. This compilation includes data from: the files of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); company contacts; the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, New Mexico Bureau of Mine Inspection, and the Mining and Minerals Division of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (Hatton and others, 1998); the Bureau of Land Management Information; and direct communications with some of the aggregate operators. Additional information on most of the sites is available in Hatton and others (1998).

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USGS2000

Dataset of aggregate producers in New Mexico

This report presents data, including latitude and longitude, for aggregate sites in New Mexico that were believed to be active in the period 1997-1999. The data are presented in paper form in Part A of this report and as Microsoft Excel 97 and Data Interchange Format (DIF) files in Part B. The work was undertaken as part of the effort to update information for the National Atlas. This compilation includes data from: the files of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); company contacts; the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, New Mexico Bureau of Mine Inspection, and the Mining and Minerals Division of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (Hatton and others, 1998); the Bureau of Land Management Information; and direct communications with some of the aggregate operators. Additional information on most of the sites is available in Hatton and others (1998).

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USGS2000

Digital airborne time domain electromagnetic data from surveys over Cochiti Pueblo, Rio Puerco, and Rio Rancho, New Mexico

The Albuquerque-Santa Fe region is rapidly growing. The Santa Fe Group aquifer in the Middle Rio Grande Basin (MRGB) is the main source of municipal water for the greater Albuquerque metropolitan area and is more limited than previously thought (Thorn et al., 1993). The MRGB, as defined hydrologically and used here, is the area within the Rio Grande Valley extending from Cochiti Dam downstream to the community of San Acacia (Figure 1). Because approximately 600,000 people (40 percent of the population of New Mexico) live in the study area (Bartolino, 1999), water shortfalls could have serious consequences for the state. Future growth and land management in the region depends on accurate assessment and protection of the region’s groundwater resources. An important issue in understanding the ground water resources is a better understanding of the hydrogeology of the Santa Fe Group, the sedimentary deposits that fill the Rio Grande rift and contain the principal groundwater aquifers.

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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.

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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

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.

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