Sources of Water and Salts for the Zuni Salt Lake in West-Central New Mexico
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- Document: Report (10.3 MB pdf) , HTML , XML
- Data Releases:
- USGS Data Release - Aerial imagery, digital elevation model, orthomosaic image, ground control points, and bathymetry surveys to identify sources of water and salts for the Zuni Salt Lake in west-central New Mexico, United States
- Bureau of Relamation Dataset - Zuni Salt Lake weather monitoring data
- USGS Dataset - USGS water data for the Nation
- NGMDB Index Page: National Geologic Map Database Index Page (html)
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
The Zuni Salt Lake is located in a maar in west-central New Mexico and contains hypersaline water that has long been used by Native Americans for religious purposes and the collection of salt. There have been several investigations suggesting different sources for the water and salt to the lake. Springs, seeps, and ephemeral streamflow have all been observed to contribute freshwater to the lake, and brackish to hypersaline seeps have been documented along the banks of the lake. This report summarizes the findings of a study that characterizes the lake’s hydrology, its water and salinity sources, and the hydrogeologic conceptual model. Regional groundwater levels indicate that each of the aquifers in the area have the potential to discharge groundwater to the lake. There is also evidence of vertical groundwater flow pathways at the maar that were likely created by the igneous intrusion that fractured the intersecting aquifers. A detailed water budget was constructed from continuous lake stage, precipitation, and evaporation data to estimate the groundwater inflow to the Zuni Salt Lake. It was determined that groundwater inflow to the lake is 441 ±94 acre-feet per year, which composes as much as 77 percent of the total inflows. The high sodium and chloride concentrations measured in two hypersaline samples collected near the lake indicate that the majority of the dissolved solids entering the lake are from a hypersaline groundwater source. The geochemical and isotopic compositions measured in the lake and surrounding features support the interpretation that hypersaline groundwater is the primary source of salts to the lake, which is likely sourced from the older (and deeper) Permian units. The hypersaline groundwater samples collected during this investigation have a unique aqueous chemistry relative to each of the mapped aquifers, and variability in groundwater compositions is interpreted to result from differences in minerology and residence time.
Suggested Citation
Robertson, A.J., Pepin, J.D., Gray, E.L., Collison, J.W., Brown, J., Ritchie, A., and Ball, G., 2025, Sources of water and salts for the Zuni Salt Lake in west-central New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2025–5057, 40 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20255057.
ISSN: 2328-0328 (online)
Study Area
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Methods
- Results
- Discussion
- Summary
- References Cited
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Title | Sources of water and salts for the Zuni Salt Lake in west-central New Mexico |
| Series title | Scientific Investigations Report |
| Series number | 2025-5057 |
| DOI | 10.3133/sir20255057 |
| Publication Date | September 17, 2025 |
| Year Published | 2025 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey |
| Publisher location | Reston, VA |
| Contributing office(s) | New Mexico Water Science Center |
| Description | Report: viii, 40 p.; Data Release; 2 Datasets |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Mexico |
| Other Geospatial | Zuni Salt Lake |
| Online Only (Y/N) | Y |