Geologic Map and Borehole Stratigraphy of Hinkley Valley and Vicinity, San Bernardino County, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | December 17th, 2020

Hinkley Valley, in the central to western Mojave Desert of southeastern California, has a long historical record owing to its position as a crossroads for rail and road t

Hinkley Valley, in the central to western Mojave Desert of southeastern California, has a long historical record owing to its position as a crossroads for rail and road traffic and its position adjacent to the Mojave River. Subflow in the Mojave River provided groundwater recharge that maintained water consumption and demand by way of shallow wells for local agriculture (Thompson, 1929) in the valley. Its crossroads position led to construction of several power-transmission lines, pipeline, and communications cable routes that transect Hinkley Valley. One of these, a natural gas pipeline and its associated compressor station, was the locus of hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), releases into, and consequent contamination of, groundwater (Izbicki and Groover, 2018). Understanding the movement and fate of the contaminants is a complex hydrologic and geo-chemical problem. Geologic mapping of the Hinkley Valley area provides framework elements for use in resolving this problem.

Geologic Setting, Geohydrology, and Ground-Water Quality near the Helendale Fault in the Mojave River Basin, San Bernardino County, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 15th, 2003

The proximity of the Moja ve River groundwater basin to the highly urbanized Los Angeles region has resulted in rapid population growth and, consequently, an increase in

The proximity of the Moja ve River groundwater basin to the highly urbanized Los Angeles region has resulted in rapid population growth and, consequently, an increase in the demand for water. The Mojave River, the primary source of surface water for the region, normally is dry—except for periods of flow after intense storms; therefore, the region relies almost entirely on ground water to meet its agricultural and municipal needs. The area where the Helendale Fault intersects the Mojave River is of particular hydrogeologic interest because of its importance as a boundary between two water-management subareas of the Mojave Water Agency. The fault is the boundary between the upper Mojave River Basin (Oeste, Alto, and Este subareas) and the lower Mojave River Basin (Centro and Baja subareas); specifically, the fault is the boundary between the Alto and the Centro subareas. To obtain the information necessary to help better understand the hydrogeology of the area near the fault, multiple-well monitoring sites were installed, the surface geology was mapped in detail, and water-level and water-quality data were collected from wells in the study area.

Geologic, Hydrologic, and Water-Quality Data From Multiple-Well Monitoring Sites in the Bunker Hill and Yucaipa Groundwater Subbasins, San Bernardino County, California, 1974–2016

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | October 31st, 2018

In 1974, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, initiated a study to assess the regional groun

In 1974, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, initiated a study to assess the regional groundwater resources in the Bunker Hill Subbasin of the Upper Santa Ana Valley Groundwater Basin in San Bernardino County, California. The study area expanded east into the Yucaipa Subbasin in 1996. This report compiles the geologic (borehole lithology and geophysical logs) and hydrologic (water- quality and water-level) data collected from 1974–2016 for 11 multiple-well monitoring sites (48 individual wells) constructed by the USGS in the Bunker Hill (7 sites) and Yucaipa (4 sites) Groundwater Subbasins. Approximately 240 water-quality samples from the 11 sites were analyzed for constituents including major and minor ions, nutrients, selected trace elements, organic wastewater compounds (OWCs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pesticides and pesticide degradates, the stable isotopes of hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, and the radiogenic isotopes of tritium and carbon-14. All environmental data associated with these sites are available on the project web page for the San Bernardino Optimal Basin Management study and the Yucaipa Valley Hydrogeology study. Quality-assurance blank samples were processed periodically throughout the study and show that approximately 2.4 percent of the analytical results for major and minor ions, trace elements, and nutrients, and 1.5 percent of the results for VOCs fall below the acceptable study reporting limits and therefore are censored.

Geology and Ground Water Features of the Butte Valley Region Siskiyou County California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | January 14th, 1960

The Butte Valley region includes an area of about 600 square miles, between long 121°37' and 122°10' W. and lat 41°38' and 42° N., in northern Siskiyou County, Cali

The Butte Valley region includes an area of about 600 square miles, between long 121°37' and 122°10' W. and lat 41°38' and 42° N., in northern Siskiyou County, Calif. U.S. Highway 97, connecting Weed with Klamath Falls, traverses the region in a northeasterly direction, and the Southern Pacific railroad serves several small farming communities in Butte Valley. The region is near the west edge of the Modoc plateau. It includes along its western border a part of the Cascade Range, Butte and Red Rock Valleys, the Oklahoma district, and a prominent northwestward-trending fault block (the Mahogany Mountain ridge) which separates Butte Valley fro-n the Oklahoma district and the Lower Klamath Lake marshland. Geologic units have been divided into two groups: Volcanic rocks which range in age from Eocene to Recent; and sedimentary rocks which range in age from Pliocene to Recent. From oldest to youngest the volcanic rocks include: (a) Predominantly andesitic lavas and pyroclastic rocks comprising the volcanic rocks of the "Western Cascades"; (b) older volcanic rocks of the "High Cascades"; (c) basaltic flows and pyroclastic rocks east of the Cascade Rang; and (d) younger volcanic rocks of the "High Cascades." Volcanic rocks of the "Western Cascades" are the oldest rocks in the region. They range in age from late Eocene to late Miocene. These rocks are chiefly pyroxene andesite, and andesitic tuff-breccia, but include lesser amounts of basalt, rhyolite, and associated pyroclastic rocks. In most places they are badly decomposed and less permeable than the younger volcanic rocks. They are best exposed in the Klamath River canyon, where the prevailing dips are to the east and northeast. The angle of dip diminishes in these directions from about 15° near the base of the series to nearly zero where the rocks disappear beneath a younger series of volcanic rocks designated on plate 1 as the older volcanic rocks of the "High Cascades." The volcanic rocks of the "Western Cascades" are at least 12,000 feet thick. The older volcanic rocks of the "High Cascades," which UE conformably overlie the volcanic rocks of the "Western Cascades," are Pliocene and Pleistocene (?) in age. They consist chiefly of basalt and basaltic andesite that spread out in successive sheets from a chain of northward-trendinr shield volcanoes built along the crest of the Cascade Range. Here the topography is almost wholly constructional, and even the oldest cones retain much of their original shape. East of the Cascade Range several large dome-shaped lava cones and most of the northwestward-trending fault block called Mahogany. Mountain ridge are composed of volcanic rocks of similar lithology. In most places the older volcanic rocks of the "High Cascades" are highly fractured and moderately permeable; they serve as a large intake area and groundwater reservoir. East of the Cascade Range, basalt of Pleistocene and Recent age issued from vents and fissures and spread out over alluvial deposits and lava sediments in the southern parts of Butte and Red Rock Valleys and the Lover Klamath Lake marshland. One of these flows the Butte Valley basalt forms the most productive water-bearing formation in the region. In the southwestern part of Butte Valley, where it is overlain by about 20 to 60 feet; of alluvial materials and lake deposits, this basaltic flow is an excellent aquifer. Yields of more than 100 gpm (gallons per minute) for each foot of drawdown are common and yields of 1,000 gpm for each foot of drawdown have been recorded. Late Pleistocene and Recent lava flows and cinder cones in the Cascade Range and extensive basaltic extrusions near Sharp Mountain are important chiefly as recharge (intake) areas for ground water. Sedimentary deposits range in age from Pliocene to Recent. The oldest of these deposits is a massive fresh-water diatomite which underlies a large part of the Oklahoma district. The diatomite is impermeable, but wells penetrating interbedded sand or cindery lapilli lenses in the diatomite may yield moderate quantities of water. Glacial moraines and fluvioglacial outwash deposits of late Pleistocene age occur near the mouth of Butte Creek canyon. These deposits are unstratified or poorly sorted and commonly are only slightly permeable. Semi-consolidated lake deposits, ranging in age from Pleistocene to Recent, underlie most of the Butte Valley plain. West of U.S. Highway 97 these deposits are composed principally of impermeable layers of clay, diatomaceous clay, and volcanic ash. However, east of U.S. Highway 97, and especially near the eastern border of the valley, the lake deposits contain a larger percentage of sand, and permeabilities range from about 50 to 230 gpd per square foot as determined from tests made in 3 pumped wells. Alluvial-fan deposits on the west side of Butte Valley range from Pleistocene to Recent in age. They are composed of poorly sorted rock debris derived from the Cascade Range and are only slightly permeable. Areas mapped as alluvium include thin beds of gravel, sand, dry, and peat covering older lake deposits in Butte Valley and the area around Lower Klamath Lake. They include also small playa deposits, poorly sorted alluvium collected in broad, shallow basins and depressions, and alluvluir in present intermittent stream channels. In most places alluvium forms a thin cover resting on lava flows or lake deposits. In general the alluviuir is slightly permeable and of little hydrologic importance except in the southwestern part of Butte Valley, where it consists of sand and gravel, ranging in thickness from 20 to 60 feet and rests on the Butte Valley basalt. In this area the alluvium probably yields moderate quantities of water to wells. Elsewhere the alluvium is largely above the saturated zone and is important chiefly because of its ability to absorb precipitation and surface runoff which percolate through it into underlying rocks. Linear wedge-shaped talus strips, formed at the foot of precipitous fault scarps, are partly concealed beneath and probably interfinger with alluvium and lake deposits. The blocky talus debris is very permeable and, where saturated, yields water readily to wells. East of the Cascade Range, block faulting is the dominant structural feature. The faults are normal and displacement is almost wholly vertical. Vertical displacements range from a few feet along minor faults to perhaps several thousand feet along major faults; there are no appreciable horizontal displacements. Butte Valley is a complexly downfaulted basin nearly surrounded by well-preserved fault scarps of late Pleistocene and Recent age. Groundwater moves eastward and northeastward across the valley into the buried talus and volcanic rocks that compose the Mahogany Mountain ridge, and may flow through that ridge to supply recharge to the area to the east. Th« direction of water movement in Red Rock Valley and in the Oklahoma district was not determined. Records of water-level fluctuations in observation wells show that water levels recover each winter, and during the period 1951-54 there was little overall change in the height of yearly recovery. Ground-water recharge in the southern part of the region occurs mainly by seepage loss from perennial spring-fed streams and unlined canals along the western margin of Butte Valley, by seepage loss from small spring-fed streams that discharge onto alluvial fans, and along the north, west, and south sides of the valley by lateral movement from the volcanic rocks. In irrigated tracts throughout the area some recharge probably occurs by deep percolation of irrigation water. Ground water is discharged by natural means and by pumping. In Butte Valley about 21,000 acre-feet of ground water was used for irrigation in 1953. In Red Rock Valley pumping of ground water for irrigation purposes was negligible. In the Oklahoma district ground water for irrigation and domestic requirements is supplied by springs and flowing and pumped wells. The quality of most of the ground water in the region is satisfactory for most uses, but in the east-central part of Butte Valley some wells yield water containing high percentages of sodium, probably derived from buried playa deposits. The chemical quality of the surface water is such that it can be used for most purposes. However, analyses of water from Meiss Lake show high concentrations of dissolved solids, ranging from 473 to 1,380 ppm, and high percentages of sodium, ranging from 75 to 91. Here the salts have been concentrated by evaporation of the lake water.

Geology and Ground Water in Russian River Valley Areas and in Round, Laytonville and Little Lake Valleys, Sonoma and Mendocino Counties, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | December 31st, 1965

Geology and Ground Water in the Santa Rosa and Petaluma Valley Areas, Sonoma County, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | January 31st, 1958

Geology and ground water of Amargosa Desert, Nevada-California: Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Water Resources—Reconnaissance Series Report 14

State of Nevada | March 1st, 1963

Geology and Ground-Water Features of Shasta Valley, Siskiyou County California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | January 15th, 1959

Shasta Valley is in the central part of Siskiyou County, Calif., and about 12 miles south of the Oregon border. It lies between the Klamath Mountains on the west and th

Shasta Valley is in the central part of Siskiyou County, Calif., and about 12 miles south of the Oregon border. It lies between the Klamath Mountains on the west and the Cascade Range 011 the east. The valley has an area of about 250 square miles; the north-south length is about 30 miles and the maximum width is about 15 miles. The average precipitation from July 1 to June 30 at Yreka and Montague is about 17 and 12 inches, respectively, and the average annual temperature at Yreka is 51.5°F. The area has a population of about 12,000, most of whom are employed in farming, cattle raising, and lumbering. The farm income is derived chiefly from livestock, principally beef cattle, hogs, and sheep. Alfalfa, wheat, barley, oats, and rye are the main crops grown in the valley. The Klamath Mountains are underlain by metamorphic and sedimentary rocks of Paleozoic age and by intrusive rocks of Mesozoic age that form the basement complex. Near Yreka the Chico formation of Late Cretaceous age, which is composed of shale, sandstone, and some conglomerate, overlies the older rocks with profound unconformity. The Chico formation in turn is overlain disconformably by the Umpqua formation of Eocene age, which consists mainly of black shale. These rocks are covered by a thin veneer of older alluvium which floors much of the northern part of the valley. Volcanic rocks make up much of the valley floor from Montague southward to Edgewood. The southeastern, flatter part of the valley is occupied by the Plutos Cave basalt, which is a relatively large single flow erupted from the northeast flank of Mount Shasta within the last few thousand years. The western half of the valley floor is occupied largely by the older volcanic rocks of the western Cascades, which range in age from Eocene to Miocene and which have been eroded into hillocks that range in height from a few feet to as much as 300 feet. Between these hillocks lie many small ponds and marshes and the alluvial flats formed by slow, winding streams. The valley is drained principally by the Shasta River and Parks Creek, which rise in the Klamath Mountains, and the Little Shasta River, which rises in the high Cascades. The volcanic rocks of the high Cascades were built by eruptions that commenced at the close of the Miocene epoch and continued intermittently to Recent time. Mount Shasta was built mainly during the Pleistocene epoch. Morainal and fluvioglacial deposits, which are concentrated at the south end of the valley, were formed mainly during Pleistocene time by glaciers that descended the northwest flanks of Mount Shasta. Glaciers still remain on Mount Shasta and have supplied fluvioglacial debris to the valley during Recent time. The Plutos Cave basalt constitutes the principal aquifer in the valley, yielding abundant water for irrigation, stock, and domestic wells in the vicinity of Big Springs. Yields of irrigation wells in the basalt average about 1,300 gpm (gallons per minute). The andesitic lavas of the western Cascades supply sufficient water for domestic and stock uses. Yields of wells tapping the andesites vary greatly because of rapid changes in lateral and vertical permeability. Abundant water for irrigation is yielded from fractures in the volcanic rocks of the western Cascades in the Gazelle-Grenada area. The basement complex and the Chico and Umpqua formations are tapped by relatively few wells in the area, although locally these wells seem to yield sufficient water for domestic and stock uses. The basement complex yields water from joints, faults, shear zones, and openings along foliation planes. The morainal and fluvioglacial deposits generally yield sufficient water for domestic and stock uses. Several irrigation wells tapping glacial materials east of Edgewood yield 600 to 1,500 gpm. The younger and older alluviums of Recent and Pleistocene age yield water sufficient for domestic and stock uses. Along the west side of the valley the younger alluvium yields sufficient water for irrigation and supplies Yreka with abundant water for municipal uses. Ground water moves generally northward in the southern part of Shasta Valley and troughward from the east and west, converging toward the Shasta River along the valley axis. At the north end of the valley an eastward-trending divide separates the ground water that moves north to Willow Creek from ground water that moves south to the Shasta River. Recharge to ground water is effected by deep infiltration of precipitation that falls on the tributary drainage area, principally the western slopes of Mount Shasta, and by seepage from streams. The mean annual precipitation on the valley floor of 12-15 inches probably is not sufficient to contribute much recharge to ground water, but during years of above-average precipitation some deep penetration probably occurs. Recharge from irrigation water in 1953 was about 15,000 acre-feet from a total surface-water diversion of 58,000 acre-feet, and recharge from ground water pumped for irrigation was about 2,000 acre-feet. Ground-water discharge in Shasta Valley occurs principally by seepage into streams, which is estimated crudely to have been 70,000 acre-feet in 1953. Big Springs has an annual discharge of about 30,000 acre-feet. Evapotranspiration from subirrigated crops is estimated to have been 28,000 acre-feet in 1953. Pumpage for all uses in 1953 was approximately 6,000 acre-feet, and net draft was about 4,000 acre-feet. Ground-water discharge in 1953 by all these principal means was about 130,000 acre-feet. In addition, there was minor discharge from flowing wells, unestimated discharge from small springs on the valley floor, and evapotranspiration losses from relatively small areas of phreatophytes. Because of the relatively small pumpage in the valley, water levels in wells show declines of only 5-10 feet during the summer and autumn. So far as is known, the levels each winter and spring recover nearly completely, and as of 1953 there had been no indication of a long-term decline of water levels in the valley. Surface water and ground water are generally low in dissolved mineral content and with few exceptions meet minimum standards for irrigation and domestic use. A close correlation exists between the composition of the various rock types in the area and the mineralization of surface and ground waters in areas adjacent to each rock type.

Geology and Hydrogeology of the Yucaipa Groundwater Subbasin, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | January 19th, 2022

The Yucaipa groundwater subbasin (referred to in this report as the Yucaipa subbasin) is located about 75 miles (mi) east of of Los Angeles and about 12 mi southeast of t

The Yucaipa groundwater subbasin (referred to in this report as the Yucaipa subbasin) is located about 75 miles (mi) east of of Los Angeles and about 12 mi southeast of the City of San Bernardino. In the Yucaipa subbasin, as in much of southern California, limited annual rainfall and large water demands can strain existing water supplies; therefore, understanding local surface water and groundwater conditions is essential for managing these resources. To better understand the hydrogeology and water resources in the Yucaipa subbasin, especially groundwater, the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District and the U.S. Geological Survey initiated a cooperative study to evaluate the hydrogeologic system of the Yucaipa subbasin and the encompassing Yucaipa Valley watershed. Previous studies of the area provided information on general geologic and hydrologic conditions, but this study provides the first comprehensive definition of the hydrogeology of the subsurface throughout the entire subbasin. The Yucaipa subbasin is located between the northwest trending San Andreas fault zone and San Jacinto fault. Several northeast-trending dip-slip faults dissect the Yucaipa subbasin, providing the mechanism for structural relief within the sediment-filled subbasin and between the subbasin and surrounding mountains and highlands. Several of these dip-slip faults have been previously identified as potential barriers to groundwater flow. This report provides a synthesis of previous studies and a discussion of the geologic interpretations that were used as the foundation for hydrogeologic classification of the Yucaipa subbasin. Notably, this report (1) adopts the recently named and classified sedimentary deposits of Live Oak Canyon geologic formation and extends the mapped distribution of the formation into the Yucaipa subbasin, and (2) adopts the interpretation that activity along the Banning fault predates the deposition of most basin-fill sedimentary materials in the Yucaipa subbasin. Four hydrogeologic units were classified in the Yucaipa subbasin: (1) crystalline basement, (2) consolidated sedimentary materials, (3) unconsolidated sediment, and (4) surficial materials. The crystalline basement unit forms the bottom boundary of the aquifer system, and the three other units comprise the basin-fill aquifer system. The four hydrogeologic units vary in extent, thickness, and structural relief across the subbasin, with the unconsolidated sediment unit serving as the primary aquifer unit. A three-dimensional hydrogeologic framework model was developed for the Yucaipa subbasin and surrounding area to characterize the thickness, extent, and hydrogeologic variability of the aquifer system. Geologic maps, borehole geophysical logs, drillers’ lithology logs, and depth-to-basement gravity data were used to map and interpolate the subsurface extent and structure of the hydrogeologic units within the subbasin. Faults and structures of geologic and (or) hydrogeologic importance were included in the model for future evaluation of their potential effects on groundwater flow. The resulting hydrogeologic framework is consistent with existing geologic concepts and the tectonic and structural history of the Yucaipa subbasin and surrounding area. The framework is also suitable for use in basin-scale hydrogeologic investigations.

Geology and Water Resources of Las Vegas, Pahrump, and Indian Spring Valleys, Clark and Nye Counties, Nevada

State of Nevada | July 1st, 1948