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Geology and Hydrogeology of the Estancia Basin and East Mountains

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The New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources has a long history of conducting and supporting hydrogeologic investigations in the Estancia Basin of central New Mexico (selected references below). A compilation by R.E. Smith of the U.S. Geological Survey was published by the Bureau of Geology (then the NM Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources) as part of its Groundwater Report series in the 1950s, and remains an important reference. The report by F.B. Titus, which encompasses the greater East Mountain area (including the northwestern side of Estancia Basin), was published as a Bureau of Geology Hydrologic Report and is another important source of information concerning groundwater availability and quality. During the 1980s, Bureau of Geology geologists conducted a variety of field studies that led to New Mexico’s proposal to have the federally funded superconducting super collider (SSC) constructed in this state. Although the SSC project was focused primarily on engineering geology, it resulted in the acquisition of data from shallow borings, trench studies, and geophysical investigations, and pulled together information from a variety of sources.

Beginning in the late 1990s geologic mapping at a scale of 1:24,000 began under the auspices of the STATEMAP program. Specific studies by Bureau of Geology geologists, including investigation of subsurface stratigraphy and structural geology, and latest Quaternary geology, have resulted in an increased understanding of the basin’s hydrogeologic framework and paleohydrology. See our story map for an overview of this work: Estancia Basin: Geology and Groundwater.

Included in the reference list below is a sampling of some of the results of those studies.

Selected References

  1. Newton, B. Talon; Cikoski, C; Allen, B., 2020. Hydrogeologic Framework of the Estancia Basin, New Mexico, New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Open-File Report, v. 609.
  2. Allen, B. D., 2000, Geology of the Edgewood 7.5’ quadrangle, Bernalillo, Santa Fe, and Torrance Counties, New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Open-file Map 35, scale 1:24,000.
  3. Allen, B. D., 2002, Geology of the Escabosa 7.5’ quadrangle, Bernalillo County, New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Open-file Map 49, scale 1:24,000.
  4. Allen, B. D., 2003, Geology of the Chilili 7.5’ quadrangle, Bernalillo and Torrance Counties, New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Open-file Map 81, scale 1:24,000.
  5. Allen, B.D., 2005, Ice Age lakes in New Mexico: New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Bulletin 18, p. 107-114.
  6. Allen, B. D., 2006, Preliminary geologic map of the King Draw quadrangle, Santa Fe County, New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Open-file Map 117, scale 1:24,000.
  7. Allen, B. D., 2007, Preliminary geologic map of the Stanley quadrangle, Santa Fe County, New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Open-file Map 143, scale 1:24,000.
  8. Allen, B.D., and Anderson, R.Y., 2000, A continuous, high-resolution record of late Pleistocene climate variability from the Estancia basin, New Mexico: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 112, p. 1444-1458.
  9. Allen, B.D., and Shafike, N.G., 2003, Groundwater loss from playa lakes in the Estancia basin, New Mexico: New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute, Symposium on Hydrologic Modeling, Socorro, 12 August.
  10. Anderson, R.Y., Allen, B.D., and Menking, K.M., 2002, Geomorphic expression of abrupt climate change in southwestern North America at the glacial termination: Quaternary Research, v. 57, p. 371-381.
  11. Broadhead, R.F., 1997, Subsurface geology and oil and gas potential of Estancia Basin, New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Mines & Mineral Resources, Bulletin 157, 54 p.
  12. Furguson, C. A., Osburn, G.R., and Allen, B. D., 1999, Geology of the San Pedro 7.5’ quadrangle, Bernalillo, Sandoval, and Santa Fe Counties, New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Open-file Map 29, scale 1:24,000.
  13. Johnpeer, G.D., Robinson-Cook, S., Bobrow, D.J., Barrie, D., Kelliher, J., and McNiell, R., 1987, Geology and tunneling (v. 3), Estancia Basin, New Mexico Superconducting Super Collider: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, Open-file Report 258, 224 p.
  14. Kelley, V.C., 1972, Geology of the Fort Sumner sheet, New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources Bulletin 98, 55 p.
  15. Read, A., Allen, B.D., Osborn, R., Fergusson, C., and Chamberlin, R., 1998, Geology of the Sedillo 7.5-minute quadrangle: New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Open-file Map 20, scale 1:24,000.
  16. Shafike, N.G., and Flanigan, K.G., Hydrologic modeling of the Estancia Basin, New Mexico: New Mexico Geological Society, Guidebook 50, p. 409-418.
  17. Smith, R.E., 1957, Geology and ground-water resources of Torrance County, New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, Ground-water Report 5, 186 p.
  18. Titus, F. B., 1973, Hydrogeologic evolution of Estancia Valley, a closed basin in central New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, Open-file Report 69, 184 p.
  19. Titus, F.B., 1980, Ground water in the Sandia and northern Manzano Mountains, New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, Hydrologic Report 5, 66 p.

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