Hydrogeologic Framework and Occurrence and Movement of Ground Water in the Upper Humboldt River Basin, Northeastern Nevada

Scientific Investigations Report 2009–5014

Table 3. Lithology, thickness, extent, and water-bearing characteristics of hydrogeologic units in the upper Humboldt River basin, northeastern Nevada.

Hydrogeologic unit	Geologic age	Rock or stratigraphic unit	Lithology	Thickness and extent	Water-bearing characteristics
Younger basin-fill deposits	Quaternary	Alluvium and glacial moraines	Sorted and interbedded clay, sand, and gravel along stream flood plains. Poorly sorted to unsorted clay, silt, sand, gravel, and boulders of alluvial fans and moraines.	Deposits of flood plains probably do not exceed a few tens of feet in thickness. Moraines and deposits of alluvial fans probably range from hundreds to more than 1,000 ft thick.	Together with older basin-fill deposits, comprise shallow water-table aquifers and deeper confined aquifers. Permeability highly variable depending on lithology.
Older basin-fill deposits	Quaternary and Tertiary	Older alluvium of stream terraces (Coats, 1987, p. 70), sedimentary deposits of the Miocene and Pliocene Elko Basin (Wallace and others, 2008, p. 59–62), and limestone, conglomerate, sandstone, shale, and tuff of Oligocene to Paleocene age (Coats, 1987, p. 51–62).	Poorly consolidated deposits of fluvial and lacustrine origin. Includes deposits of alluvial fans, stream flood plains, and shallow lakes. Deposits commonly are tuffaceous and are extensively interbedded with volcanic rocks.	Total thickness including interbedded volcanic rocks ranges from less than 500 ft mostly along basin margins to more than 5,000 ft in a deep and narrow structural basin that extends from southern Huntington Valley to northern Marys River Area (fig. 3).	Together with younger basin-fill deposits, comprise shallow water-table aquifers and deeper confined aquifers. Permeability highly variable depending on lithology.
Volcanic rocks	Tertiary	Volcanic rocks	Ash-flow and air-fall tuffs, lava flows, and domes. Compositions include basalt, andesite, dacite, latite, and rhyolite (Coats, 1987, pl. 1 and p. 51–67).	Extensively interbedded with older basin-fill deposits. See above for composite thickness.	Mostly impede ground-water flow because tuffs weather to clay and because of interbedded fine-grained lake deposits. Presence of perennial streams in watersheds underlain by these rocks also indicates low permeability.
Crystalline rocks	Cambrian and Jurassic	Metamorphic rocks	Metamorphic rocks include marble, schist, and gneiss. They are metamorphosed carbonate and clastic sedimentary rocks of Paleozoic age in the central and northern Ruby Mountains and Elko Hills.	Thickness of metamorphic rocks probably similar to nearby unmetamorphosed carbonate and clastic sedimentary rocks of Paleozoic age. Granitic rocks extend to great depths and can be much more extensive than indicated by outcrop area.	Impedes the movement of ground water.
Tertiary and Jurassic	Granitic intrusive rocks	Granite and granodiorite in the central Ruby Mountains and alaskite in the southern Independence Mountains.
Clastic sedimentary rocks	Devonian to Ordovician	Woodruff Fm Valmy Fm Vinini Fm	Shale, siltstone, sandstone, quartzite, chert, and marine volcanic rocks. Structurally overlie along the Roberts Mountains thrust various units of carbonate rocks.	Thickness about 2,000 ft in the Snake Mountains, 9,000 ft in northern Independence Mountains, 4,700 ft in the Pinyon Range, and 4,000–10,000 ft in the Ruby Mountains (Coats, 1987, p. 10–13 and 29–34).	Generally impedes movement of ground water. Presence of perennial streams in watersheds underlain by these rocks also indicates low permeability.
Carbonate and clastic sedimentary rocks	Permian, Pennsylvanian and Mississippian	Edna Mountain Fm Schoonover Fm Diamond Peak Fm Chainman Shale Webb Fm	Shale, sandstone, sandy limestone, conglomerate, and chert. Depositionally overlie various units of carbonate rocks	Thickness at least 20,000 ft in the Ruby Mountains, 10,000 ft in the Pinyon Range and Snake Mountains, and about 4,000 ft in the Independence Mountains. An oil well penetrated 4,500 ft of carbonate rocks from the Devils Gate Limestone to the Hanson Creek Formation at the north end of the Pinon Range (Coats, 1987, p. 13–47).	Comprise carbonate-rock aquifers generally beneath basin-fill aquifers. High permeability due to solution widening of fracture zones. Absence of perennial streams in watersheds even partly underlain by these rocks indicates high permeability.
Permian to Cambrian	Phosphoria Fm Strathearn Fm Moleen Fm Tomera Fm Ely Limestone Joana Limestone Pilot Shale Devils Gate Limestone Nevada Formation Lone Mountain Dolomite Roberts Mountains Fm Hanson Creek Fm Eureka Quartzite Pogonip Group Windfall Fm Dunderberg Shale Hamburg Dolomite Secret Canyon Shale Geddes Limestone Eldorado Dolomite Pioche Shale Prospect Mountain Quartzite	Intervals of limestone and dolomite interrupted by thinner intervals of shale, quartzite, and conglomerate. All units rarely present in a single mountain range. Underlie entire study area, but are concealed over large parts of mountain ranges by various units of clastic sedimentary rocks.

Hydrogeologic
unit

Geologic
age

Rock or
stratigraphic unit

Lithology

Thickness and
extent

Water-bearing
characteristics

Younger basin-fill deposits

Quaternary

Alluvium and glacial moraines

Sorted and interbedded clay, sand, and gravel along stream flood plains. Poorly sorted to unsorted clay, silt, sand, gravel, and boulders of alluvial fans and moraines.

Deposits of flood plains probably do not exceed a few tens of feet in thickness. Moraines and deposits of alluvial fans probably range from hundreds to more than 1,000 ft thick.

Together with older basin-fill deposits, comprise shallow water-table aquifers and deeper confined aquifers. Permeability highly variable depending on lithology.

Older basin-fill deposits

Quaternary and Tertiary

Older alluvium of stream terraces (Coats, 1987, p. 70), sedimentary deposits of the Miocene and Pliocene Elko Basin (Wallace and others, 2008, p. 59–62), and limestone, conglomerate, sandstone, shale, and tuff of Oligocene to Paleocene age (Coats, 1987, p. 51–62).

Poorly consolidated deposits of fluvial and lacustrine origin. Includes deposits of alluvial fans, stream flood plains, and shallow lakes. Deposits commonly are tuffaceous and are extensively interbedded with volcanic rocks.

Total thickness including interbedded volcanic rocks ranges from less than 500 ft mostly along basin margins to more than 5,000 ft in a deep and narrow structural basin that extends from southern Huntington Valley to northern Marys River Area (fig. 3).

Together with younger basin-fill deposits, comprise shallow water-table aquifers and deeper confined aquifers. Permeability highly variable depending on lithology.

Volcanic rocks

Tertiary

Volcanic rocks

Ash-flow and air-fall tuffs, lava flows, and domes. Compositions include basalt, andesite, dacite, latite, and rhyolite (Coats, 1987, pl. 1 and p. 51–67).

Extensively interbedded with older basin-fill deposits. See above for composite thickness.

Mostly impede ground-water flow because tuffs weather to clay and because of interbedded fine-grained lake deposits. Presence of perennial streams in watersheds underlain by these rocks also indicates low permeability.

Crystalline rocks

Cambrian and Jurassic

Metamorphic rocks

Metamorphic rocks include marble, schist, and gneiss. They are metamorphosed carbonate and clastic sedimentary rocks of Paleozoic age in the central and northern Ruby Mountains and Elko Hills.

Thickness of metamorphic rocks probably similar to nearby unmetamorphosed carbonate and clastic sedimentary rocks of Paleozoic age. Granitic rocks extend to great depths and can be much more extensive than indicated by outcrop area.

Impedes the movement of ground water.

Tertiary and Jurassic

Granitic intrusive rocks

Granite and granodiorite in the central Ruby Mountains and alaskite in the southern Independence Mountains.

Clastic sedimentary rocks

Devonian to Ordovician

Woodruff Fm
Valmy Fm
Vinini Fm

Shale, siltstone, sandstone, quartzite, chert, and marine volcanic rocks. Structurally overlie along the Roberts Mountains thrust various units of carbonate rocks.

Thickness about 2,000 ft in the Snake Mountains, 9,000 ft in northern Independence Mountains, 4,700 ft in the Pinyon Range, and 4,000–10,000 ft in the Ruby Mountains (Coats, 1987, p. 10–13 and 29–34).

Generally impedes movement of ground water. Presence of perennial streams in watersheds underlain by these rocks also indicates low permeability.

Carbonate and clastic sedimentary rocks

Permian, Pennsylvanian and Mississippian

Edna Mountain Fm
Schoonover Fm
Diamond Peak Fm
Chainman Shale
Webb Fm

Shale, sandstone, sandy limestone, conglomerate, and chert. Depositionally overlie various units of carbonate rocks

Thickness at least 20,000 ft in the Ruby Mountains, 10,000 ft in the Pinyon Range and Snake Mountains, and about 4,000 ft in the Independence Mountains. An oil well penetrated 4,500 ft of carbonate rocks from the Devils Gate Limestone to the Hanson Creek Formation at the north end of the Pinon Range (Coats, 1987, p. 13–47).

Comprise carbonate-rock aquifers generally beneath basin-fill aquifers. High permeability due to solution widening of fracture zones. Absence of perennial streams in watersheds even partly underlain by these rocks indicates high permeability.

Permian to Cambrian

Phosphoria Fm
Strathearn Fm
Moleen Fm
Tomera Fm
Ely Limestone
Joana Limestone
Pilot Shale
Devils Gate Limestone
Nevada Formation
Lone Mountain Dolomite
Roberts Mountains Fm
Hanson Creek Fm
Eureka Quartzite
Pogonip Group
Windfall Fm
Dunderberg Shale
Hamburg Dolomite
Secret Canyon Shale
Geddes Limestone
Eldorado Dolomite
Pioche Shale
Prospect Mountain Quartzite

Intervals of limestone and dolomite interrupted by thinner intervals of shale, quartzite, and conglomerate. All units rarely present in a single mountain range. Underlie entire study area, but are concealed over large parts of mountain ranges by various units of clastic sedimentary rocks.

Accessibility FOIA Privacy Policies and Notices

U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2008/5169
Page Contact Information: Publications Team
Page Last Modified: Thursday, 10-Jan-2013 19:25:37 EST