"Water-Supply and Irrigation Paper No. 191 f B, Descriptive Geology, 114 

\ 0, Underground Waters, 68

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

CHARLES D. WALCOTT, DIRECTOR

THE

GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES

WESTERN PORTION OF THE PANHANDLE

OF TEXAS

CHARLES 1ST.

WASHINGTON

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1907

CONTENTS.

Page.

Introduction................................................................ 7

Area covered........................................................... 7

Sources of data. ......................................................... 7

Topography.................................................................. 7

General features....................................................... 7

High Plains.......................................................... 8

Valleys and canyons................................................... 9

Canadian River valley............................................. 9

Palo Duro Canyon.'................................................ 10

Minor stream valleys.............................................. 11

Beaver Creek valley............................................ 11

Coldwater Creek valley......................................... 11

Palo Duro Creek valley.......................................... 12

Carriso and Perico Creek valleys................................. 12

Big Blue Creek valley.......................................... 12

Tierra Blanca Creek valley...................................... 12

Geology.................................................................. 12

General statements..................................................... 12

Permian.............................................................. 14

Greer formation................................................... 14

Quartermaster formation............................................ 15

General description............................................. 15

Saddlehorse gypsum lentil..................................... 16

Alibates dolomite lentil........................................ 17

Triassic................................................................. 21

General relations................................................... 21

Tecovas formation.................................................. 23

Trujillo formation................................................. 26

Cretaceous rocks....................................................... 29

Tertiary and Quaternary rocks.......................................... 31

General relations......................:............................ 31

Character of the Tertiary rocks..................................... 32

Origin of the Tertiary rocks........................................ 34

Sand dunes...................................-,.................... 35

Alluvium.......................................................... 35

Water resources............................................................ 36

Underground waters................................................... 36

General conditions................................................ 36

Water from the Permian red beds.................................... 36

Water from the Triassic red beds.................................... 37

Water from Cretaceous rocks....................................... 37

3
4 CONTENTS.

Water resources Continued. Page. 

Underground waters Continued.

Water from Tertiary rocks........................................... 37

Occurrence.................................................... 37

Sources........................................................ 40

Windmills........................................................ 41

Deep-seated waters. ........................f...................... 42

Springs............................................................... 43

General character................................................. 43

Red-beds springs.................................................. 44

Cretaceous springs.................................................. 45

Tertiary springs....................................................... 45

Streams............................................................... '47

North Fork of Canadian River....................................... 48

Canadian River................................................... 48

Red River........................................................ 49

Drainage of the High Plains............................................ 50

Irrigation............................................................. 51

Necessity for irrigation.............................................. 51

Sources of water supply............................................ 52

Streams....................................................... 52

Springs....................................................... 53

Storm waters. .................................\............... 54

- Wells......................................................... 54

Future........................................................... 55

Water conditions by counties............................................ 55

General statement.................................................. 55

Sherman County.................................................. 56

Topography................................................... 56

Geology........................................................ 56

Water supply.................................................. 56

Dallam County..................................................... 57

Topography................................................... 57

Geology...................................................... 57

Water supply.................................................. 57

Hartley County............... . ................................... 58

Topography................................................... 58

Geology...................................................... 58

Water supply.................................................. 58

Moore County...................................................... 59

Topography...................\ ............................... 59

Geology...................................................... 59

Water supply.................................................. 60

Potter County..............'........................................ 61

Topography................................................... 61

Geology...................................................... 61

Water supply.".................................'................ 61

Oldham County................................................... 62

Topography................................................... 62

Geology....................................................... 62

Water supply.................................................. 63

Deaf Smith County................................................ 64

Topography................................................... 64

Geology...................................................... 64
CONTENTS. 5

Water resources Continued. Page. 

Water conditions by counties Continued. 

Deaf Smith County Continued.

Water supply.................................................. 64

Randall County................................................... 65

Topography................................................... 65

Geology ..................................................... 65

Water supply.................................................. 66

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Page. 

PLATE I. Map showing location of area..................................... 7

II. A, Triassic sandstone above red clay, showing characteristic erosion; 

B, Falls in Palo Duro Canyon, due to a hard ledge of Triassic sandstone. ......................................................... 10

III. Geologic map of the western part of the Panhandle of Texas........ 12

IV. Geologic sections................................................. 14

V. A, Erosion of Quartermaster- formation in Palo Duro Canyon; B,

Typical occurrence of Greer gypsum in Palo Duro Canyon........ 16

VI. A, Hill capped by Dakota sandstone; B, Bluffs on Canadian River, 

Potter County, showing gypsum lentil at base and dolomite lentil 

at top........................................................ 20

VII. High Plains windmills............................................ 42

FIG. 1. Ideal Tertiary structure............................................. 32

2. Ideal Tertiary structure, showing water-bearing beds at different levels. 40

3. Ideal section of Tertiary springs..................................... 46


U S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

\AREA TREATED IH THIS REPORT Scale

2.5 50 

LOCATION OF AREA DESCRIBED IN THIS REPO
GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF THE WESTERN 

PORTION OF THE PANHANDLE OF TEXAS.

By CHARLES NEWTON GOULD.

INTRODUCTION.

Area covered. The area described in this report lies in the western 

part of the Panhandle of Texas and includes Sherman, Moore, 

Potter, Randall, Dallam, Hartley, Oldham, and Deaf Smith counties. 

The region is 120 miles long and 78 miles wide and contains approximately 9,360 square miles. It extends from 101° 35' to 103° west 

longitude and from 34° 45' to 36° 30' north latitude, and is bounded 

on the north by Oklahoma and on the west by New Mexico. Its 

location is shown in PL I.

Sources of data. During the summer of 1903 the writer, accompanied by several students from the University of Oklahoma, made 

a reconnaissance across the Panhandle of Texas, noting the general 

geologic and hydrographic features of the region. The greater part 

of the field work which forms the basis of this report was done, however, during the field season of 1905, with the assistance of Messrs. 

T. B. Matthews and E. F. Schramm. A detailed study was made of 

each of the above-mentioned counties, special attention being given 

to the valley of Canadian River and to Palo Duro Canyon. The 

work was done under the direction of Mr. N. H. Darton.

The well records, from which much of the information regarding 

the underground-water conditions was derived, were obtained partly 

in the field and partly by correspondence.

This report is a continuation of Water-Supply and Irrigation Paper 

No. 154, United States Geological Survey, which relates to the eastern 

part of the Panhandle.

TOPOGRAPHY.

GENERAL FEATURES.

The region described in this report is situated in the southern part 

of the Great Plains. It has a slope to the east of approximately 10 

to 12 feet to the mile and a slight gradient to the south. The highest 

portion is in the extreme northwestern part of the State, where an

7
8 GEOLOGY AND WATEB BESOUBCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

elevation of nearly 4,800 feet is attained. The lowest points are in 

Palo Duro Canyon in eastern -Randall County and in the valley of 

Canadian River in southern Moore County, both of which are approximately 2,800 feet above sea level. The greater part of the area lies 

at an altitude between 3,500 and 4,500 feet.

The topography of the region is essentially of two types the High 

Plains province, which is nearly level, and the canyon district, the 

surface of which has been deeply eroded.

HIGH PLAINS.

With the exception of Canadian River and Palo Duro Canyon the 

region here discussed is typical of the High Plains province. To the 

portion of the plains south of Canadian River the term Llano Estacado, or "Staked Plains," is applied. It is bounded for the most 

part by a steep escarpment 100 to 400 feet high, separating it from 

the lower eroded plains which surround it on all sides. In the western part of the Panhandle, however, this steep escarpment is in many 

places much reduced or entirely absent, and the descent from the 

High Plains to the river valley is gradual. That portion of the High 

Plains lying north of Canadian River has no distinctive name. It 

does not differ materially, however, from the Llano Estacado, except 

that it is in but few places bounded by steep escarpments, but slopes 

gradually to the river valleys and the lower eroded plains to the east.

The deposits comprising the Great Plains are probably of river 

origin. According to the generally accepted theory, this area was 

formerly occupied by a network of meandering rivers which had their 

sources in the Rocky Mountains. These streams, being overloaded, 

were constantly depositing sediment, which filled the stream beds 

and forced the rivers into new channels. By this continued shifting 

irregular layers of sand were deposited upon the red beds, which constitute the basal formation of this region. This process was continued until a deposit several hundred feet thick was laid down over 

much of the region east of the Rocky Mountains.

The present streams are now eroding this level plain, but their 

work is generally not far advanced. In a few instances, however, 

they have cut their valleys through the superficial deposits into the 

underlying red beds, a feature well illustrated by Palo Duro Canyon 

and Canadian River. Along the edges of the High Plains small 

streams are^cutting their way headward, but their progress is slow, 

owing to the meager precipitation of the region incident to the general 

aridity of the climate.

The surface of the High Plains is generally flat, with nothing to 

break the severe monotony., The drainage is for the most part wholly 

undeveloped. There is no run-off, and the rainfall either evaporates 

directly, sinks into the soil, or collects in buffalo wallows and broad,
TOPOGRAPHY. 9

shallow depressions locally known as "playa lakes/' from which it 

can escape only by seepage or evaporation. Here and there on 

this flat upland is a draw or incipient stream, channel, in which 

after a heavy rain the water collects and runs off. If traced for any 

considerable distance these immature drainage ways will usually be 

found to end in a playa lake. Not uncommonly several of these lakes 

are connected by a shallow stream channel which wanders over the 

prairie, with a gradient so slight in many places that it is impossible to 

ascertain the downstream direction. In a number of cases, however, 

the shallow draws form the beginning of a creek which flows across 

the escarpment and eventually becomes a stream of some magnitude. 

On the High Plains north of Canadian River, Coldwater, Carriso, 

Perico, Big Blue, and Palo Duro creeks are all streams of this type, 

having their origin in conspicuous draws on the level plains. South 

of Canadian River Tierra Blanca and Palo Duroa creeks are also of 

this character.

Except for portions of Hartley, Moore, Oldham, Potter, and Randall counties, in which stream erosion has cut relatively deep valleys 

and canyons in the level surface, practically the entire region included 

in this report consists of high plains.

The area shown as Tertiary on the geologic map (PL III) comprises 

the greater part of the High Plains area.

VALLEYS AND CANYONS. 

CANADIAN RIVER VALLEY.

The Panhandle of Texas is traversed through its central portion by 

the valley of Canadian River, which enters the State from New 

Mexico after draining a considerable area in the northeastern part of 

that Territory. It flows a little north of east across the Panhandle, 

entering Oklahoma near the middle of the east line of Hemphill 

County. It leaves the area described in this report near the southeast corner of Moore County. The distance traveled by the river 

within this area is 85 miles, in which it descends from an altitude of 

3,400 to 2,800 feet, a gradient of about 7 feet per mile.

Throughout its course across the Panhandle the Canadian Valley 

has been excavated in the level plain which formerly extended uninterruptedly across the entire western Texas region. The depth of the 

valley averages about 600 feet, and its width varies from 20 to 35 

miles. The slopes are deeply dissected by numerous tributaries, presenting many irregularities. The stream bed is in most places sand

oThere are in the Panhandle of Texas two creeks named Palo Duro. One, in the northern part of the 

area, rises near the Sherma-i-Moore county line and flows northeastward, emptying into Beaver Creek, 

a tributary of North Canadian River. The other creek of the same name, which is in the southern part 

of the Panhandle, flows eastward into South Fork of Red River. Itis the latter stream that has carved 

out the deep canyon described on p. 11.
10 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

choked and varies in width from 200 to 600 yards, while the flood 

plain ranges from a few rods to 3 miles.

The topography immediately adjacent to the stream is of two general types, depending on the character of the rocks. The valley has 

been cut through the upper Tertiary deposits into the red beds. The 

Tertiary formations consist generally of soft sands and clays, homogeneous in character, while the red beds are composed of alternating 

strata of hard and soft rocks. One member of the red beds, a hard, 

massive dolomite, resists erosion in a marked degree. This ledge of 

dolomite is in places exposed on the tops of bluffs 200 feet above the 

river, while in other places it is carried beneath the stream bed by 

 a series of folds. Wherever exposed the dolomite caps conspicuous 

bluffs bordering the river for miles, and between these bluffs the stream 

flows in a narrow channel with an inconspicuous flood plain. Where 

this dolomite ledge is absent the flood plain may reach a width of 2 

to 3 miles and is in many places covered with sand hills.

Numerous tributaries, few of which exceed 20 miles in length, enter 

Canadian River on each side. Each of these streams has carved a 

valley of greater or less width and depth in the sides of the main 

valley, the average gradient of these minor valleys being about 35 

fee.t per mile. In the localities where dolomite is present these tributary streams have carved narrow canyons through this and the underlying formations, as in the case of Trujillo, Las Achias, Tecovas, West 

Amarillo, Big Canyon, Plum, Alibates, and Big Blue creeks. Where 

the dolomite is absent the side slopes of the minor valleys are more 

gentle.

PALO DURO CANYON.

Palo Duro Canyon is located in eastern Randall County, near the 

southeast corner of the region under discussion. Palo Duro Creek 

has its source in eastern New Mexico, near the western part of the 

Llano Estacado, as a dry, shallow draw, and continues thus eastward 

for 40 miles. In the western part of Randall County it has cut a 

valley averaging 50 feet in depth and a quarter of a mile in width. 

From this locality springs appear in increasing numbers as far as 

Canyon, where Palo Duro is joined by Tierra Blanca Creek. The 

junction of these two creeks, each of which carries approximately 15 

second-feet of water, forms a stream of sufficient size to cause considerable erosion, particularly in soft rocks, such as the Tertiary and 

red-beds formations, and from Canyon eastward the valley deepens 

.rapidly. In its upper course it is typically V-shaped and so continues 

for a number of miles until in its downward cutting the stream 

encounters a ledge of relatively hard sandstone in the upper part of 

the red beds, when corrosion is checked and the valley widens, becoming U-shaped. At the falls, 15 miles northeast of Canyon, the stream
U. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 101 PL. II

A. TRIASSIC SANDSTONE ABOVE RED CLAY, SHOWING CHARACTERISTIC EROSION.

B. FALLS IN PALO DURO CANYON, CAUSED BY HARD LEDGE OF TRIASSIC SANDSTONE.

VALLEYS AND CANYONS. 11

cuts through the sandstone, as shown in PI. II, B, and from that point 

to the eastern side of Randall County it flows through a deep, narrow, 

V-shaped valley in relatively soft red beds.

In the eastern part of Randall County, Palo Duro Canyon is a picturesque gorge, 700 to 800 feet deep, eroded in the flat surface of the 

plains. From the rim of the canyon the slope is everywhere abrupt 

and in many places precipitous for a distance of several hundred feet. 

At the point where the canyon passes from Randall County the width 

of the valley at the bottom averages about a quarter of a mile, while 

the distance from rim rock to rim rock is not more than 1J miles. 

Tributary to Palo Duro Canyon are a number of small creeks, the 

largest being Canyon Cita, Sunday, and Timber creeks, all of which 

have cut short but deep canyons into the High Plains. The sides of 

the main canyon, like those of the smaller streams, are cut into innumerable deep V-shaped gullies with sharp intervening ridges. The 

action of erosion on rocks composed of alternating layers of hard and 

soft strata has produced an infinite number of the conspicuous and 

in many cases unique forms characteristic of badlands topography. 

Some of these forms are shown in PI. II, A. The alternation of varicolored shales, brown sandstone, and green vegetation, mingled with 

the unique erosional forms, gives to the canyon a degree of picturesqueness not often found on the plains.

MINOR STREAM VALLEYS.

With the exception of the Canadian River valley and Palo Duro 

Canyon there are no large valleys in the region. In certain places, 

however, the monotonous level of the High Plains is interrupted by 

shallow valleys, which extend across it, as a rule, in an easterly direction. These valleys are for the most part nothing but dry, meandering channels a few feet deep, which have been eroded in the level 

upland. They are known locally as "draws" or "arroyos." Brief 

descriptions are here given of the more important, in order, from north 

to south.

Beaver Greek valley. Beaver Creek, which flows eastward across 

Beaver County, Okla., for nearly its entire course, bends to the south 

near the Dallam-Sherman county line and flows for 15 miles or more 

across the northern part of Sherman County. It is here a dry stream 

with a sandy bottom in a valley averaging 50 feet in depth and a 

quarter of a mile in width.

Coldwater Greek valley. Coldwater Creek is one of the southern 

tributaries of Beaver Creek, in Beaver County, Okla. In its upper 

course the stream is sometimes called Rabbit Ear Creek, from the 

fact that it rises near the Rabbit Ear Mountains, two volcanic peaks 

in northeastern New Mexico. It flows southeastward across Dallam and Sherman counties in a valley averaging a quarter of a mile
12 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

in width and 50 feet in depth, becoming wider and deeper to the east. 

Except in the vicinity of Buffalo and Agua Fria springs, in Dallam 

County, Coldwater Creek carries only flood water.

Polo Duro Creek valley. This stream (which must not be confused 

with Palo Duro Creek, farther south) is also a tributary of Beaver 

Creek. It rises on the High Plains north of Canadian River and 

flows for a short distance through southern Sherman and northern 

Moore counties. The channel is shallow, not averaging more than 25 

feet in depth, and is dry for the greater part of the year.

Carriso and Perico Creek valleys. These are shallow channels, each 

of which enters Texas from New Mexico and follows a tortuous course 

among sand dunes southeastward across the western part of Dallam 

County. The two streams unite just west of Dalhart, forming Rita 

Blanca Creek, which flows southward entirely across Hartley County 

and into Oldham County before joining Canadian River. Normally 

both Carriso and Perico creeks are dry sand beds, 20 to 50 feet deep 

and 100 to 500 yards wide.

Big Blue Creek valley. Big Blue Creek rises in Moore County and 

flows southeastward into the Canadian. In its upper course it is 

merely a dry sand bed, but it gradually deepens its valley until in the 

southeastern part of the county it flows in a canyon 400 feet deep, 

which it has cut through the superficial Tertiary deposits and into the 

red beds. In its middle and lower portions it carries a considerable 

amount of water, derived from springs in Tertiary and red-beds rocks.

Tierra Blanca Creek valley. Tierra Blanca Creek rises on the Llano 

Estacado south of Canadian River in eastern New Mexico, flows eastward across Deaf Smith County, Tex., and unites with Palo Duro 

Creek at Canyon. In its upper course it is only a "draw" in the flat 

prairie. Near Hereford, the county seat of Deaf Smith County, 

springs begin to appear, and from that point to Canyon the valley 

averages 75 feet in depth and half a mile in width. Along the sides 

of the valley are white cliffs of Tertiary clay.

GEOLOGY.

GENERAL STATEMENTS.

The rocks of the region are all of sedimentary origin and belong to 

the following geologic systems: Carboniferous (Permian), Triassic, 

Cretaceous, Tertiary, and Quaternary. The areal distribution of 

these formations is shown by the geologic map (PL III) and their 

structural relations by cross sections (PL IV). All the rocks lie comparatively level or have slight but regular dips to the east.
NEW MEXICO BOUNDARY

O 

m O5

g o

TJ

o 

 n

H Xmm

z 

TJ o n

-\ 

I m

GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS. 13

The order and age of the formations are shown in the following 

table:

Geologic formations of the Texas Panhandle.

System.

Carboniferous (Permian) ....

Formation.

[Al 

{Sa 

EC 

Ui 

Ds

d

3 

O

Mi

a3

Q

r

lo

fTrujillo..............

reer. ............. ....

Characteristics.

Sand, clay, and loam. 

Wind-blown sand. 

Sand and clay. 

Sand, clay, and gravel, loosely consolidated. 

Brown to yellow .soft sandstone and clay. 

Red shales. 

Red to gray sandstone and conglomerate (upper sandstone). 

Red shales. 

Red to gray cross-bedded sandstone and conglomerate (middle sandstone). 

Red shales. 

Massive to cross-bedded sandstone (lower 

sandstone). 

Dark-red or magenta shales and soft sandstones. 

Variegated shales and soft sandstones. 

Red clay. 

Massive white dolomite (Alibates lentil) . Red clays. 

Massive white gypsum (Saddlehorse lentil) . 

Red shales. 

Massive white gypsum in ledges interst ratified 

with red shales.

By far the greater part of these rocks are of Permian, Triassic, or 

Tertiary age. The Permian and Triassic rocks are generally spoken 

of as red beds, owing to the predominating color of the clay which 

forms a large proportion of these deposits.

Farther east in Texas and particularly in Oklahoma the Permian 

red beds are well exposed and have been divided into five formations/ 

the Enid, Blaine, Woodward, Greer, and Quartermaster. In the 

region here described only the two upper formations of the Permian 

red beds occur, and these are found in the deep canyons, where erosion 

has cut through the overlying Triassic and Tertiary formations. The 

Triassic red beds are exposed along the edge of the Llano Estacado in 

Texas and New Mexico, as well as in the canyons cut by the various 

streams that rise in the southern part of the High Plains. Cretaceous 

rocks are found in but a few small areas in the extreme northwestern 

part of the region. Tertiary deposits, which make up the greater 

part of the rocks of the High Plains, are exposed along the escarpments at the edge of the plains, in the shallow .valleys, and near the 

tops of the deep canyons which traverse them. Quaternary rocks, 

consisting mainly of dune sand and alluvium, form the superficial 

deposits in parts of the region and are now being shaped by wind, 

water, and other agents of erosion.

a For a discussion of the correlation of the Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas Permian see Water-Sup, 

and Irr. Paper No. 148, U. S. Geol. Survey, 1905, pp. 34-39; and No. 154,1906, pp. 15-23.
14 GEOLOGY AND WATEK EESOURCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

PERMIAN. 

GREEK FORMATION.

The Greer formation, as exposed in the western part of the Panhandle of Texas, consists of red-clay shale interstratified with one or 

more ledges of hard massive gypsum, which is white, as a rule, but 

here and there exhibits pinkish or bluish tints. The greatest thickness of the gypsum observed in the district is 20 feet. It is exposed 

in the lower portion of Canadian and Palo Duro valleys.

Along Palo Duro Canyon, in the extreme eastern part of Randall 

County, the Greer gypsum is exposed in the bottom and along the 

sides of a few small gullies which empty into Canyon Cita Creek 

half a mile above its junction with Palo Duro Creek. A short distance east of the Randall-Armstrong county line, however, the gypsum becomes more conspicuous along the bottom of the canyon and 

forms heavy ledges, one of. which, 3 miles from the county line, is 

shown in PI. V, B. About 12 miles farther east the gypsum outcrops as a persistent ledge 20 to 50 feet thick 100 feet or more above 

the bed of the river, forming the cap of an intercanyon escarpment 

which extends for more than 50 miles along the stream.

In the valley of Canadian River, in northeastern Potter and southeastern Moore counties, the gypsum beds of the Greer formation 

outcrop on both sides of the river, as well as along several tributary streams, particularly in the lower valleys of Alibates, Turkey, 

Plum, Saddlehorse, and Big Canyon creeks. It is most commonly 

seen capping rounded mounds or small flat-topped buttes standing 

out in the level valley or as extensive flat areas of soft gray or white 

gypsite or earth gypsum. The gypsum also occurs locally in this 

region as a heavy white, pinkish, or bluish ledge 10 to 15 feet thick, 

exposed along the small ravines which empty into the larger creeks 

or on the slopes of some of the higher hills. The thickness of the 

ledges is not constant, for here, as elsewhere, the lenticular nature 

of the various members of the red beds is well illustrated. If traced 

for a few hundred yards a 15-foot ledge of gypsum which outcrops 

along the side of a hill may be found to thin out noticeably or even 

to disappear entirely, its place being taken by sandstone or shale.

The beds are in many places tilted at various angles, which gives 

them the appearance of having been folded or thrown into a series 

of waves. This phenomenon, which is much more pronounced farther east than it is in this region, has usually been explained on the 

hypothesis of subterranean erosion of the soft shales and gypsum 

rather than that of regular folding.0 As is shown later, however 

(see pp. 18-21), there is in the red beds of this part of the Panhandle

a See Water-Sup, and Irr. Paper No. 154, U. S. Geol. Survey, 1906, p. 20.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

A8Level of hiqh plains 

CD Bed of Canadian River 

£F Do/onite lentil

SECTION ALONG CANADIAN RIVER IN NORTHWESTERN TEXAS SHOWING 

LEGE1N D

TERTIARY TRIASSIC PERMIAN

c"

J

/

p <"'

"---- " ""'IgP!^

SECTION ALONG THECAST LINE OF SHERMAN, MOORE. POTTER. A

LEGEND

GEOLOGIC SECTIONS ACROSS AREA TREATED IN TH

PERMIAN ROCKS. 15

a well-marked series of anticlinal and synclinal folds, though it is not 

known that these had any influence on the relatively small and 

erratic folds and dips of the Greer formation.

QUARTERMASTER FORMATION.

General description. The Quartermaster formation, wnich rests 

conformably upon the Greer, consists for the most part of soft red 

sandstones and red sandy clays and shales. In Oklahoma, where it 

is typically exposed, sandstone predominates to such a degree that 

the formation was originally designated the Quartermaster sandstone, 

but in the western part of the Panhandle red shales and clay make 

up the major portion of the beds, although soft red sandstones are 

by no means rare. In western Oklahoma and along the eastern 

escarpment of the Llano Estacado, in the eastern part of the Panhandle, the thickness of the Quartermaster formation varies from 

200 to 300 feet, but farther west it is not so thick, averaging perhaps 150 feet, with a known maximum of 240 feet.

The red shales of the lower part of the Quartermaster formation, 

just above the top of the Greer gypsum, contain a considerable 

amount of gypsum, most of which is in the form of bands of white 

or pinkish satin spar. Locally these bands lie parallel to the bedding, but in many places they are arranged in an irregular crisscross 

manner throughout the shale. At higher horizons there are certain 

lentils, composed of massive gypsum and dolomite, which are 

restricted to definite localities. These are described later. (See 

pp. 16-18.)

The greater part of the Quartermaster formation in the western 

Panhandle region consists of alternating beds of brick-red, more or 

less sandy clay and scattered ledges of soft red clayey sandstone. 

So similar in appearance are the shales and sandstones, however, 

that it is frequently difficult in the field to separate one sharply 

from the other. Being soft, both the shales and sandstones are susceptible to weathering and where exposed form typical badlands 

topography. Owing to the homogeneity of the material of which 

they are composed, the erosion figures produced are usually more or 

less conical or pyramidal in form. Many of them are large, reaching 

100 feet in height, as shown in PI. V, A.

The Quartermaster formation has many local and erratic dips and 

folds, which give to the rocks a peculiar wavelike structure, very 

noticeable along the sides of cliffs in certain localities. As a rule 

the dipping does not seem to be caused by ordinary folding, but, as 

in the case of the rocks of the Greer formation, by subterranean 

erosion, which has carried away the soft shales and soluble gypsums 

beneath and permitted the upper members to sink to lower levels.
16 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

In Palo Duro Canyon, in eastern Randall County, the Quartermaster 

formation is well exposed both along the main canyon and on various 

tributary streams, particularly Canyon Cita, Sunday, and Timber 

creeks. With the exception of a few inconspicuous outcrops of the 

Greer gypsum it is the lowest formation exposed in the canyon and 

may be traced for 10 miles or more above the point where Palo Duro 

Creek leaves the county. Along the edge of the canyon the vivid 

brick-red shales which constitute the Quartermaster are easily distinguished from the somewhat less brilliant maroon, yellow, magenta, 

and light-colored shales of the Triassic red beds and Tertiary deposits 

higher in the canyon wall.

The Quartermaster formation is also well exposed in the valley of 

Canadian River, where it is characterized by two marked peculiarities 

not noticeable in Palo Duro Canyon. First, the Quartermaster formation and also the overlying Triassic rocks have been folded into 

broad, shallow anticlines and synclines (see PI. IV, p. 14), which are 

recognized only when the structure is studied in a broad way;®- and, 

second, the formation here contains two members (classed as lentils), 

one of gypsum and one of dolomite, which so far as known do not 

appear elsewhere in Texas or Oklahoma.

Saddlehorse gypsum lentil. In the valley of Canadian River, at 60 

to 80 feet above the base of the Quartermaster formation, there occurs 

a ledge or ledges of massive white gypsum interstratified with the 

red shales. In some places the gypsum is a single, ledge 4 feet or 

more thick; in others there are two ledges respectively 2 and 3 feet 

thick, separated by red clay; and here and there even three separate 

ledges are observed. The total thickness of the gypsiferous beds, 

however, rarely exceeds 10 feet.

This gypsum, known as the Saddlehorse len-til, from one of the 

creeks on which it typically occurs, is exposed along the bluffs of 

various creeks tributary to the Canadian, particularly on Big Canyon, 

Plum, Alibates, Saddlehorse, and Turkey creeks in eastern Potter 

County, and on Dixon and Antelope creeks in Carson County. Farther 

west, on West Amarillo, Horse, and Tecovas creeks and along the 

bluffs of Canadian River, the gypsum appears in the lower part of the 

bluffs, as shown in PI. VI, B. In the extreme western part of the 

State, near the mouth of Trujillo Creek and along the bluffs bordering 

the Canadian both above and below this point, the gypsum also occurs 

in two ledges, each 3 feet thick. The Saddlehorse lentil is not exposed 

between Las Achias and Tecovas creeks, a distance of 35 miles, but, 

as will be explained later, there is in this region a synclinal fold in the 

red beds which carries all the Permian rocks beneath the surface. 

The gypsum lentil is not known to occur in Palo Duro Canyon nor 

at points in western Oklahoma and in the eastern part of the Panes See pp. 18-21 for a further discussion of this subject.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 191 PL. V

A. EROSION OF THE QUARTERMASTER FORMATION IN PALO DURO CANYON.

B. TYPICAL VIEW OF GREER GYPSUM IN PALO DURO CANYON.

PERMIAN BOCKS. 17

handle of Texas, where the Quartermaster formation is typically 

exposed.

Alibates dolomite lentil. In the upper part of the Quartermaster 

formation, wherever it is exposed along Canadian River, there occurs 

a very persistent ledge of dolomite. It is white, massive, and more 

or less flinty, and exhibits definite lines of lamination which have a 

wavy, plicated structure. This dolomite, which is designated the 

Alibates lentil, from Alibates Creek, where it is well exposed, is the 

hardest rock exposed in the region, and for that reason resists erosion 

and forms the cap rock of conspicuous bluffs and cliffs along Canadian 

River and many of its tributaries. The rock is cut by a regular series 

of master joints and on weathering breaks into rectangular blocks 

which lodge on the slopes below. Usually there are two distinct 

dolomite ledges, the lower being 8 feet and the upper 2 feet thick. 

They are separated by 4 feet or more of red clay, so that the combined thickness of the dolomite and interbedded clay is approximately 

15 feet.

This dolomite is considered a lentil from the fact that so far as 

known it does not occur elsewhere in the Quartermaster formation. 

There is a ledge of white dolomite in the Quartermaster on Salt Fork 

of Red River 3 miles north of Clarendon, Tex., and another on South 

Fork of Red River about 10 miles southwest of Clarendon, but neither 

of these is known to occur at the same horizon as the Alibates.

In its general structure the Alibates dolomite resembles very closely 

the Day Creek dolomite, which constitutes the upper member of the 

Woodward formation of the Permian red beds in Kansas and Oklahoma. Like the Day Creek it is white, hard, massive, and laminated, 

consisting usually of two ledges separated by red clay and forming 

the cap of conspicuous bluffs and numerous small canyon walls in the 

region where it outcrops.

In some places the appearance of the dolomite, differs slightly from 

the normal. A noteworthy example is near the mouth of Trujillo 

Creek east of the New Mexico line, where it is a light-brown or yellowish-gray rock. In structure it exhibits peculiar wavy laminations and 

characteristic block fracture, but as seen in the ledge or in fresh fracture it resembles a hard, fine-grained quartzite. Chemical analysis, 

however, shows that calcium and magnesium carbonate are present 

with only a small percentage of silica. In the Trujillo locality^ the 

dolomite contains a larger amount of flint, occurring in the form of 

elongated concretions, than is common in most places. Flint is also 

present in considerable quantities in the upper ledge of the Alibates 

along Big Canyon Creek in northern Potter County, where fragmsnts 

stre.w the ground along the divides between various branches of the 

creek. Here and there in this vicinity the dolomite outcrops on the 

IRR 191 07 2
18 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

surface, revealing the fact that the entire ledge has here become agatized. It exhibits a most beautiful combination of colors, chiefly 

red, blue, and white. Rejects and chipped flakes scattered on the 

surface indicate that the Indians have used the flint in the manufacture of arrow points and other implements.

The fact has been mentioned that an anticline-syncline structure 

is exhibited along the valley of Canadian River. As the Alibates dolomite is the hardest rock found anywhere along this valley it serves as 

a convenient horizon of reference, and by means of it the system of 

folds may be traced in most places with comparative accuracy. For 

this reason mainly the structure and exposures of the dolomite will 

be discussed at the same time. Along Canadian River the dip of 

most of the formations is about the same as the slope of the plains or 

of the stream bed, being approximately 10 feet to the mile toward the 

east. This is shown by the fact that the Alibates dolomite is found at 

nearly the same height above the river in eastern Moore and Hutchinson counties as it is near the New Mexico line 80 to 100 miles farther 

west. PI. IV (p. 14) illustrates the structure of the beds.

The easternmost exposure observed of the Alibates dolomite lentil 

is on the bluffs north of Canadian River east of Plemons, the county 

seat of Hutchinson County. It forms the cap of conspicuous bluffs 

along the river and several of its tributaries, notably Kit Carson, 

Dixon, and Antelope creeks, in Hutchinson and Carson counties. In 

southeastern Moore and northeastern Potter counties it is on the bluffs 

along a number of creeks, the chief of which are Big Blue, Plum, Big 

Canyon, Saddlehorse, Turkey, and Alibates. In this region the height 

of the ledge above the river varies from 180 to 250 feet. In this region 

also the Greer gypsum' is exposed along the Canadian and the various 

minor streams as mounds in the valleys or as ledges near the stream 

level. The vertical distance between the Greer gypsum and the 

Alibates dolomite varies locally from 180 to 200 feet, the maximum 

observed interval being on the Leaverton ranch, near the MoorePotter county line. The following sections illustrate the structure of 

the Quartermaster formation in this region:
PERMIAN" ROCKS. 19

Section of Quartermaster and Greer formations on Big Canyon Greek, northern Potter

County, Tex.

System.

Carboniferous . 

(Permian.)

Formation.

Quartermaster... .

Member.

til.

Saddlehorse 

lentil.

Character.

of soft sandstone. 

White gypsum, locally exposed as one 

ledge 4 feet thick or as two ledges 2 and 

3 feet thick separated by shale.

bands in the lower part. 

[Massive gypsum, exposed in ledges, in

1 creek bottom.

Thickness.

Feet. 

3

4

8

60

4-10 

80

15

40

Section of the Tertiary and of the Quartermaster and Greer formations on the bluffs north of 

Canadian River at Leaverton ranch, southeastern Moore County, Tex.

System.

Tertiary.......

Unconformity.

Carboniferous .

(Permian.)

Formation.

Greer. ...........

Member.

Alibates lentil.

lentil.

Character.

White massive dolomite forming cap of 

bluff.

satin spar in lower part. 

(Massive white gypsum in ledges. .........

Thickness.

Feet. 

150

60

10 

50

4

8

6

140

10-20

zo

Near the mouth of Bonita Creek the dolomite ledge is carried downward under the bed of the river along a synclinal fold, and the upper 

sandstone and- clay members of the Triassic red beds are brought to a 

lower level, where they form more or less conspicuous bluffs on both 

sides of the river for several miles. In the vicinity of Ranch and 

Pedrosa creeks the bluffs are formed by a heavy ledge of sandstone, 

the lowermost of three heavy sandstone members of the upper formation of the Triassic. The ledge is here approximately 75 feet higher, 

geologically, than the Alibates dolomite. Near the mouths of Pitcher 

and East Amarillo creeks 'the dolomite again appears on the surface 

along the western limb of the syncline and is exposed along an anticline which extends westward for a distance of about 10 miles up the 

river. In this locality both the river and its tributary creeks, West 

Amarillo, Horse, and Tecovas, have cut steep-sided canyons through 

the dolomite and into the underlying red clays. The height of the 

Alibates above the river here reaches a maximum of 125 feet on Horse 

and Tecovas creeks, but is usually considerably less. PL VI, B shows
20 GEOLOGY AND WATEE RESOURCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

the dolomite capping a bluff. The stratigraphy of the formations on 

Tecovas Creek is illustrated in the following section:

Section of Tecovas and Quartermaster formations, 3 miles above mouth of Tecovas Creek,

northern Potter county, Tex.

System.

Triassic.......

Unconformity.

Carboniferous

(Permian.)

Eormation. Member.

Saddlehorse 

lentil.

Character.

layers of white and gray sandstone.

stone. 

[White dolomite..........................

Massive gypsum, usually in three ledges, 

3, 2, and 2 feet thick, separated by red 

shales.

of creek.

Thickness.

Feet. 

20

30

2

5

8

55

12 

60

A short distance east of the mouth of Sierra de la Cruz Creek the 

dolomite ledge is again carried down along a synclinal fold, and for 

35 miles only the higher members of the Permian and Triassic red 

beds are exposed along the Canadian and its tributaries. The Alibates 

dolomite appears at the surface only at one locality on Sierra de la 

Cruz Creek, 3J miles from its mouth. In this instance it is exposed 

in the bed of the creek in the form of a truncated dome or uplift, as 

described in the following section:

Section 3\ miles above mouth of Sierra de la Cruz Creek, northern Potter County, Tex.

System.

Unconformity.

Unconformity.

Carboniferous 

^Permian).

Formation.

Dockum <Og group.

Trujillo...... 

Tecovas.....

rtermaster . . .

Character.

Massive sandstone forming buttes and tops of mesas 

(middle sandstone) .

Massive sandstone and conglomerate forming a conspicuous ledge (lower sandstone) . 

[Dark-red shales with white bands in the upper part ..... 

 {Variegated shales, maroon, yellow, and red, grading down 

t into soft gray and yellow cross-bedded sandstone.

< White massive dolomite appearing at one- place only, 

I along the top of a truncated dome (Alibates lentil).

Thickness.

Feet. 

100

20

30

25

65 

60

50 

6

With this exception, the Alibates dolomite lentil is not exposed in 

this stretch of 35 miles, so far as known, either along Canadian River 

or on any of its largest tributaries, such as Parker, Lahay, Corral, 

John Ray, Tascosa, Cheyenne, Alamosa, Rita Blanca, and Alamositas 

creeks. Near the mouth of Las Achias Creek, however, the dolomite 

again makes its appearance along the western limb of a syncline and 

forms conspicuous bluffs for a distance of 20 miles or more, nearly to 

the New Mexico line. At the mouth of Trujillo Creek, where the bluffs
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY NO. 191 PL. VI

A. DAKOTA SANDSTONE hli_L.

B. BLUFFS ON CANADIAN RIVER, POTTER COUNTY, TEX. 

Showing gypsum lentil at base and dolomite lentil at top of bluffs.

TKIASSIC BOCKS. 21

reach their maximum development, the top of the dolomite is 120 feet 

above the bed of Canadian River.

It will be understood from the preceding statements that the various formations along the Canadian are exposed in a series of anticlines 

and synclines, the axes of which are approximately at right angles .to 

the course of the river, and that there are in all three anticlines with 

two intermediate synclines. These conditions are illustrated in PL 

IV (p. 14), which represents a profile of the Canadian in the region to 

which this report relates and shows the location of the various anticlines and synclines with reference to the mouths of the larger tributaries of that river.

That the rocks of the Quartermaster formation are of Permian age 

has been demonstrated by the presence of fossils identified by Doctor 

Beede as Permian species. They were obtained near Dozier, farther 

east in the Panhandle, from a sandstone which occurs at approximately the same horizon as the Saddlehorse gypsum.a

TRIASSIC. 

GENERAL RELATIONS.

The group of rocks of Triassic age which outcrops along the eastern 

edge of the Llano Estacado was first described in 1889 by Cummins,6 

under the name Dockum beds. The most comprehensive paper, 

however, which has been published on the Texas Triassic is by Drake,c 

who describes three more or less definite beds as follows: "A lower 

bed of sandy clay which is from 0 to 150 feet thick, a central bed or 

beds of sandstone conglomerate and some sandy clay which is from 

0 to 235 feet thick, and an upper bed of sandy clay and some sandstone which is from 0 to 300 feet thick."

Vertebrate d fossils from these beds are of Triassic types, while the 

invertebrates 6 belong to a genus known elsewhere only from more 

recent rocks, so that the age determination rests chiefly on the vertebrates.

There is a continuous unconformity at the top of the Quartermaster 

formation which everywhere separates it from the overlying Dockum 

beds. The upper limit of the Quartermaster, however, is in most 

places rather regular, and there is but little evidence that any considerable erosion took place previous to the deposition of the Triassic 

sediments. The red shales which form the upper part of the Quartermaster formation above the Alibates dolomite lentil are relatively

a See Water-Sup, and Irr. Paper No. 154, U S. Geol. Survey, 1906, p. 23.

6 Cummins, F. W., First Ann Kept. Texas Geol. Survey, 1889, pp 189-190.

o Drake, N. F., Third Ann. Kept. Texas Geol. Survey, 1891, pp. 225-235

d Cope, E. D , Report on the paleontology of the Vertebrata Triassic or Dockum beds: Third Ann. 

Kept. Texas Geol. Survey, 1892, pp 257-259.

« Simpson, C. T., Description of four new Triassic unios from the Staked Plains of Texas: Proc. U. SNat. Mus., vol. 18, No. 1072, 1896, pp. 381-385.
22 GEOLOGY AND WATEE BESOTJRCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

uniform in thickness throughout the region, and in only one locality, 

so far as observed, have they been entirely removed, so that the 

Triassic beds rest directly upon the dolomite. This locality is in the 

western part of the Panhandle, at the mouth of Trujillo Creek, and 

even here 10 feet or more of the red shales of the upper Quartermaster 

are locally present.

The Triassic red beds as exposed in the western part of the Panhandle of Texas consist of 150 to 300 feet of shales with interbedded 

ledges of sandstone and conglomerate. The beds as a whole may be 

referred to two well-differentiated formations.

At the base of the group are shales known as the Tecovas formation, while at the top are beds composed usually of three ledges of 

massive, more or less cross-bedded sandstone and conglomerate -eparated by red shales to which the name Trujillo has been applied. In 

the following discussion these sandstone ledges will be referred to as 

the lower, middle, and upper sandstones. The following sections, one 

on North Branch of North Canyon Cita Creek, a tributary of Palo Duro 

Creek, and the other on West Amarillo Creek, show the stratigraphy 

of the Triassic and associated formations.

Geologic section on North Branch of North Canyon Cita Creek, eastern Randall County,

Tex.

System.

Tertiary.......

Unconformity.

Unconformity. 

Carboniferous 

(Permian).

Formation.

Dockum group. JQ 

uartennaster . . .

Character.

Gray sandstone and conglomerate, cross-bedded, with 

fossil bones and plates (upper sandstone).

Gray cross-bedded sandstone and conglomerate, with 

fossil bones and plates (middle sandstone).

Massive, cross-bedded sandstone, gray to brown, with 

shaly members, and conglomerate, locally three wellmarked ledges with shale lentils between (lower sandstone.)

Red shales with white bands and ledges of soft sandstone.

Thickness.

feet. 

70

30

35 

10

60 

75

140 

20 

20 

10

150
TRIASSIC BOCKS. 23

Generalized section on West Amarillo Creek, Potter County, Tex.

System.

Unconformity.

Unconformity.

Carboniferous . 

(Permian).

Formation.

| Dockum group. JQ 

uartermaster . . .

Member.

Xiibates dol- 

 ! omite lentil.

Character.

Massive sandstone (middle sandstone) . . . 

Red shale with thin sandstone ledges. ... 

Red or gray massive sandstone and conglomerate, with shale bands (lower 

sandstone). 

Dark-red shales with bands of white 

and green, near the base some sand- 

. stone bands.

Brick-red shales with sandstone ledges.. .

Brick-red shales with white and green 

bands..

Thickness.

Feet. 

150

30 

15

20 

15

50

15 

15

40 

2 

6

+40

TECOVAS FORMATION.

The Tecovas, the basal formation of the Triassic red beds, as exposed 

in this part of the State, consists largely of shales. It is divided lithologically into two parts, distinguished by the texture and color of the 

rocks. Of these the lower is composed of more or less sandy shale 

of various colors, with maroon, lavender, yellow, and white predominating, and the upper of dark-red or magenta shale. In the following 

pages these will be referred to as the variegated and magenta shales.

The Tecovas formation, so designated from a creek in Potter County 

where the rocks are well exposed, rests unconformably upon the Quartermaster beds of the Permian. Its thickness varies in different localities, being 220 feet in Palo Duro Canyon and only 90 feet along Canadian River. It is well exposed in both localities. The following 

section, on West Amarillo Creek, shows the characteristic stratigraphy 

of the Tecovas formation in that vicinity:

Geologic section on West Amarillo Creek, 10 miles northwest of Amarillo, Tex.

System.

Triassic ........

Unconformity.

(Permian).

Formation.

g Trujillo.......

 3 3. o o

Character.

Yellow to gray, cross-bedded sandstone (lower sandstone).

Thickness.

Feet.

15 

30

15

12

10

25

The variegated shales lie immediately above the upper eroded surface of the Quartermaster formation, with which they form a vivid 

color contrast. The shales of the Quartermaster are everywhere a
24 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

brilliant brick-red, while the lower Triassic shales are variegated, with 

white, lavender, maroon, wine color, and yellow predominating. The 

rocks consist usually of sandy shales, more or less cross-bedded and 

lenticular, but contain in many localities beds of variously colored 

soft sandstone. The color of the shale is due largely to the presence 

of iron, and many dark-colored clay-ironstone concretions weather out 

at the surface and lodge on the slopes below. The shales are generally 

hard and firm, weathering into steep slopes with deep V-shaped 

gullies and sharp intervening ridges.

In general, the variegated shales are composed of three more or 

less sharply marked zones a lower zone of white, gray, or lavender; 

a middle zone of maroon or wine color, and an upper zone of light 

yellow or sulphur yellow. Usually the colors grade into each other, 

so that it is difficult to divide the various zones sharply. The thickness of the zones varies considerably even within short distances, 

and it is not uncommon for shales of a certain color to disappear 

altogether. For instance, the white or lavender shales at the base 

of the formation are usually present, but in some localities this zone 

is wanting and the maroon and wine-colored shales rest unconformably upon the eroded upper surface of the Quartermaster formation. 

Even where all the zones are present the thickness is subject to considerable variation, as is illustrated in the following table, which 

includes typical sections showing the thickness not only of the variegated shales, but also of the overlying and underlying locks at two 

localities in this region:

Geologic sections illustrating the varying thickness of the variegated shales.

PALO DURO CANYON.

Formation.

Unconformity.

Character.

Variegated shales:

~

Thickness.

Timber 

Creek.

Feet. 

150

12 

20 

5

150

Canyon 

Cita 

Creek.

Feet. 

150

20 

20 

10

150
TRIASSIC EOCKS. 

WEST AMARILLO CREEK.

Formation.

Tecovas. .....................

Unconformity.

Quartermaster. .............

Character.

Variegated shales:

Yellow...............................

1 mile

north of 

Fort 

^Vorth 

and Denver City

R.R.

Feet.

75

10

10

20

Thickness

2 miles

south of 

Fort 

Worth 

and Denver City

R. R.

Feet.

45

15

15

10

20

1 mile 

south of 

Fuqua's 

ranch.

Feet.

10

15

5

10

15

In certain localities the variegated shales lose their clayey character and become largely or entirely sandstone. This sandstone, however, differs so widely in both structure and general appearance from 

all other sandstone found in either the Permian or Triassic formations of the region that it is always easily recognized. In general 

it is white, yellow, or light brown in color, soft and friable, and 

rather massive, and much of it contains only a small amount of 

cementing material, so that on exposure it weathers easily, forming 

peculiar rounded or dome-shaped masses, which at a distance bear 

a fancied resemblance to small buildings. A cluster of these peculiar erosion forms in the valley of Canadian River on the L. S. ranch, 

2 miles south of Tascosa, is known locally as "Rock City." At the 

mouth of Trujillo Creek, near the New Mexico line, the variegated 

shales are represented by a light-colored soft sandstone with here 

and there a red member, and near the mouth of Bonita Creek, in 

northeastern Potter County, by a very similar sandstone. At both 

localities the sandstone contains a large amount of fossil wood, 

which, being exposed by weathering, lies scattered on the surface.

Variegated shales lying unconformably upon the Quartermaster 

formation are exposed all along Palo Duro Canyon in Armstrong 

and eastern Randall counties, where they are easily recognized bj 

the vivid contrast of their maroon and yellow colors with the duller 

hues of the associated formations. On Canadian River and its 

tributaries the variegated shales are in some places exposed and in 

others covered by Tertiary wash from the hills. In some localities 

they are carried beneath the surface by the synclines. In the eastern part of the area the variegated shales are exposed at various 

places along Bonita Creek. Near Lee's ranch, north of Canadian 

Riv^r, the beds are covered, but they appear along both East Amarillo and West Amarillo creeks and on Tecovas, John Ray, and 

Lahay creeks farther west. In the vicinity of Tascosa the variegated shales appear at intervals on the surface, being here repre-
26 GEOLOGY AND WATER EESOUECE8 OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

sented by the sandstone phase. This phase is also found along Trujillo Creek and several other creeks near the New Mexico line.

The upper part of the Tecovas formation is composed chiefly of 

shales having a magenta color, which differs materially from the typical brick red of the Quartermaster shale and other Permian red-beds 

formations and from the lavender, maroon, and yellow of the variegated shales. The thickness of the magenta shale varies in different 

localities, being 120 to 150 feet in Palo Duro Canyon and 50 to 75 

feet on Canadian River.

The magenta shales outcrop along Palo Duro Canyon and Canadian 

River and their tributaries, appearing between the variegated shales 

and the heavy basal sandstone of the Trujillo formation. From the 

rim of Palo Duro Canyon the color contrasts between the magenta 

shales, the underlying variegated shales, and the Quartermaster beds 

are very striking. No fossils except the petrified wood are known to 

occur in the Tecovas formation.

TKUJILLO FORMATION.

The upper part of the Triassic red b^ds, as exposed in the Panhandle 

of Texas, consists of several ledges of massive more or less cross-bedded 

sandstone and conglomerate, with interbedded red and gray shales. 

These constitute the Trujillo formation, so named from a creek in Oldham County. In most sections there are three well-defined ledges, 

but here and there the number is increased to five or more by local 

cross-bedding or by the appearance of lentils. This formation is 

exposed in Palo Duro Canyon and on Canadian River, as well as on the 

creeks tributary to both streams. As it is the highest formation of the 

red beds in the region, it outcrops in many cases at a considerable distance back from the larger streams and near the heads of the creeks. 

Its upper part shows evidence of extensive erosion, and in a number of 

localities the highest sandstone member and a considerable part of the 

underlying shale were removed previous to the deposition of the Tertiary rocks, which lie unconformably upon the Triassic. It is noticeable that in many localities where the Tertiary is thinnest the underlying Trujillo formation reaches its maximum thickness. This is well 

illustrated in Palo Duro Canyon, where 40 feet of Tertiary rocks overlie 250 feet of the Trujillo, while along Canadian River, where the Tertiary deposits are thick, the Trujillo is correspondingly thin.

Along Palo Duro Canyon and in the valley of Canadian River there 

occurs near the middle of the Triassic red beds a persistent ledge of 

massive sandstone which constitutes the lower member of the Trujillo 

formation. This sandstone is in most places fine grained and massive, 

but here and there it becomes cross-bedded and conglomeratic. In 

certain localities as, for instance, in Palo Duro Canyon and its tributaries the ledge is divided into two or more subordinate beds by the
TRIASSIC ROCKS. 27

interposition of shale lentils. In color it is gray or brown, rarely 

white or red, its subdued tint forming a marked contrast to the more 

vivid red and variegated shales both above and below. The thickness 

varies in different localities, having an observed maximum, of 60 to 75 

feet in Palo Duro Canyon and on Canyon Cita Creek, while on Canadian River it does not average more than 25 feet.

In Palo Duro Canyon and its tributaries the lower sandstone is well 

exposed as a precipitous cliff, which outcrops about halfway up the 

canyon wall. So steep is this cliff that it forms an impassable barrier 

for many miles along the canyon, and in only a few localities are there 

trails where a horse can be led from the High Plains down into the 

canyon. In this region the sandstone weathers into peculiar erosion 

forms, some of the most striking of which are shown in PI. II, A (p. 10). 

Along Canadian River the sandstone is as a rule well exposed. Owing 

to its hardness it resists erosion, forms conspicuous ledges, and thus 

becomes a convenient horizon of reference. Particularly is this true 

in localities where synclines have carried the underlying beds, notably 

the Alibates dolomite, beneath the surface, in which case the lower 

sandstone forms the cap of the bluffs along the river. This condition 

is well exemplified in northern Potter County on both sides of the 

river, between the mouths of Bonita and East Amarillo creeks. The 

best examples, however, are farther west in northwestern Potter and 

northeastern Oldham counties, where the lower sandstone forms conspicuous bluffs on both sides of the river and on such tributary creeks 

as Sierra de la Cruz, Parker, Cheyenne, and Alamosa. In localities 

where the Alibates dolomite forms the river bluff the sandstone above 

described is found near the head of creeks at some distance from the 

river.

Separated from the lower sandstone by a bed of red or gray shales 

15 to 60 feet thick is a very persistent ledge of sandstone and conglomerate, here designated the middle sandstone. It consists in most 

places either of coarse, heavy, cross-bedded sandstone, red or gray in 

color, or of cross-bedded lenticular conglomerate with pockets and 

lenses of clay. The pebbles which make up the conglomerate comprise various rocks, both igneous and sedimentary, with granite, 

quartz, sandstone, clay, and limestone predominating. In size they 

vary from sand grains to fragments 3 to 4 inches in diameter. A few 

of the pebbles are angular, but the majority are smooth and waterworn. In certain localities almost the entire thickness of the ledge 

consists of a peculiar conglomeratic clay composed of small fragments 

of clay or limestone, many of them no larger than a pea, contained in a 

matrix of sandy clay^ the whole having, a mottled appearance. As in 

the case of the lower sandstone, this middle sandstone consists locally 

of two ledges of conglomerate or sandstone separated by shales.
28 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

The thickness of the ledge is variable, attaining a known maximum 

of 40 feet on South Canyon Cita Creek, while in the valley of the 

Canadian it averages 10 feet with a maximum of 20 feet. In certain 

localities along the Canadian and its tributaries the middle sandstone 

has been removed by pre-Tertiary erosion and does not appear. -Its 

best exposures are found along Palo Duro Canyon and its tributaries, 

where it forms a persistent ledge 40 to 60 feet above the lower sandstone and along Sierra de la Cruz, Alamosa, and Trujillo creeks, 

southern tributaries of the Canadian, where it is exposed as a prominent ledge, as a rule near the tops of the hills.

The middle sandstone is the lowest horizon of the Triassic ^ which 

fossils have been observed. Remnants of bones and plates were 

secured from the conglomerate beds or as weathered fragments on 

the slope below. These specimens were referred to Dr. T. W. Stanton, 

who reports as follows: ' 'The fossils have' been examined by Mr. J. W. 

Gidley, of the National Museum, who reports that they are fragments 

of jaw, femur, and skin plates of a belodont, probably PJiytosaurus 

superciliosus Cope. The fossils are considered characteristic of the 

Triassic period."

This leaves little doubt as to the age of the middle sandstone, and 

as the entire group between the base of the Tertiary and the top of the 

Quartermaster formation is apparently conformable there is good 

reason for considering both the Tecovas and Trujillo formations 

Triassic in age.

Still higher in the Trujillo formation as exposed in this region 

appears another ledge, here called the upper sandstone. It does not 

differ lithologically from the middle sandstone. It is a brown to gray, 

coarse, cross-bedded sandstone or conglomerate with pockets and 

lenses of clay, which divide the member locally into two or more welldefined beds. The pebbles which make up the conglomerate are 

composed of clay, sandstone, limestone, ironstone, granite, fragments 

of bone, etc., closely resembling those of the middle sandstone.

The best exposures of the upper sandstone are in Palo Duro Canyon 

and its tributaries, particularly along Canyon Cita Creek, where it is 

30 feet thick. It is noticeable that in this locality the Tertiary 

deposits, which in most places on the High Plains attain a thickness 

of several hundred feet, are relatively thin, being here in places not 

more than 40 to 50 feet thick. So far as observed the upper sandstone is not exposed on the Canadian or its tributaries, having been 

carried away by pre-Tertiary erosion.

Fossils similar to those from the middle sandstone are found in the 

upper sandstone. As in the lower beds, fragments of bones, teeth, 

plates, etc., occur as parts of the conglomerate, or if weathered out 

are found on the shale slopes below.

The following sections illustrate the stratigraphy of the Permian,
TRIASSIC AND CRETACEOUS ROCKS. 29

Triassic, and Tertiary rocks of this region. The first section was 

measured on Timber Creek, one of the tributaries of Palo Duro Creek 

in the southeastern part of the area, while the second is from Trujillo 

Creek, a branch of the Canadian in the extreme western part of the 

Panhandle.

Geologic section near the mouth of Timber Creek, eastern Randall County, Tex.

System.

Unconformity.

Unconformity. 

Carboniferous 

(Permian).

Formation.

3 a

M g. 821 oH

Quartermaster . . .

Character.

Gray to red sandstone and conglomerate, cross-bedded 

(middle sandstone).

Brown, gray, and red massive sandstone and conglomerate, cross-bedded, with shaly members (lower sandB rick-red shale, with ledges of soft red or gray sandstone.

Thickness.

Feet. 

200

4n

20

QC

60

140

15

25

5

150

Geologic section near the mouth of Trujillo Creek, western Oldham County, Tex.

System.

Unconformity.

Unconformity.

Carboniferous 

(Permian).

Formation.

Dockum <p g group. Trujillo...... 

Tecovas .....

rtermaster. . .

Character.

Gray to brown sandstone and conglomerate (middle 

sandstone). 

Red shales, with bands of white and blue shale and thinbedded sandstone. 

Heavy brown massive sandstone and conglomerate 

(lower sandstone). 

Clays and soft sandstone; dark-red, yellow, and blue 

variegated shale; and gray and yellow sandstone, with 

- fossil wood.

Red shale and shaly sandstone, unevenly eroded at the 

top, locally absent. 

Hard, massive brown to gray, flinty dolomite (Alibates 

lentil).

White gypsum, locally in two ledges separated by red 

shale (Saddlehorse lentil).

Thickness.

Feet. 

100

10 

15 

20 

90

0-10 

15

60 

15

20

CRETACEOUS ROCKS.

Exposures of Cretaceous rocks occur in northern and western Dallam County, the northwestern county of Texas, along the valleys of 

two prairie creeks, Coldwater and Perico. These creeks are, in most 

places, only shallow draws on the flat Tertiary plains, where erosion 

has removed the superficial deposits, thus exposing the underlying 

Cretaceous beds. So far as known, there are only five localities in 

the county where Cretaceous rocks outcrop.

Near Agua Fria, or Coldwater Springs, in northeastern Dallam 

County, bluffs composed of brown sandstone and varicolored clays
30 GEOLOGY AND WATEE RESOURCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

are exposed for a mile and a half along Coldwater Creek. The 

following sections illustrate the thickness and varying character of the 

rocks at this place:

Section 200 yards southeast of Agua Fria Springs, Dallam County, Tex.

Feet. 

Yellowish, white, and brown sandstone........................... 3

Yellow to brown sandstone, cross-bedded, locally becoming shaly .. 30 

Shale, bluish to pink and brown................................... 2

35

Section three-fourths mile ivest of Agua Fria Springs, Dallam County, Tex.

Feet. 

Yellowish to brown sandstone..................................... 5

White shale...................................................... 4

Shaly white sandstone........................................... 3

Blue clay........................................................ 1

Brown to chocolate-colored shale.................................. 3

16

At Buffalo Springs, 18 miles northeast of Texline, Tex., half a mile 

south of the Oklahoma line, there is an exposure of yellow and 

brown sandstone and clay extending a mile or more along two 

branches of Coldwater Creek. The following section was made near 

the junction of the creeks:

Section near junction of forks of Coldwater Creek, Dallam County, Tex.

Feet. 

Tertiary deposits covering slope to top of hill..................... +50

Sandstone, cross-bedded, yellow, brown, and black; as a rule in 

beds 8 inches to 1 foot thick ................................. 12

White, yellow, drab, and red shales, with thin bands of soft sandstone ...................................................... 20

+82

Other sections taken near this locality show that the Cretaceous 

rocks here are composed largely of clay. At the base of the sandstone 

occur the Buffalo Springs. (See p. 45.) A mile and a half to the 

north, just across the State line in Oklahoma, there is an outcrop of 

Cretaceous sandstone approaching quartzite, gray, yellow, or brown 

in color, which stands out as a prominent rounded knoll 20 feet high 

and 100 yards in diameter.

Near Texline, on the west line of Dallam County, Cretaceous rocks 

occur in three localities. On Coldwater Creek, approximately 3 

miles south and 2 miles east of the northwest corner of the State, 

Cretaceous shales and sandstone outcrop for 300 yards or more along 

the bottom of the creek. On North Perico Creek, 2 miles north of 

Texline, there is a small exposure of thin-bedded, brown to yellow, 

more or less cross-bedded sandstone and clay. These deposits, which
TERTIAKY AND QOATERNAKY KOCK8. 31

extend about half a mile along the bottom of the creek valley, lie 

unconformably beneath the Tertiary, the base of which here consists 

of clay and conglomerate, the conglomerate being composed of sandstone pebbles derived largely from Cretaceous rocks. On South 

Perico Creek, 1 ^ miles south of Texline, Cretaceous rocks composed of 

alternating shales and thin-bedded, brown to yellow, shaly sandstone 

about 20 feet thick are exposed for about a quarter of a mile.

So far as known, no fossils have been found in either the shale or the 

sandstone of this part of Texas, nor can continuous outcrop be traced 

to other Cretaceous beds the age of which has been definitely determined. For these reasons exact correlation is not possible. It is 

probable, however, that the Cretaceous rocks of Dallam County, Tex., 

are of the same age as beds which outcrop farther north, west, and 

southwest on Cimarron and Canadian rivers and their tributaries in 

western Oklahoma and northeastern New Mexico, where these rocks 

include part of the Comanche as well as the Dakota.

TERTIARY AND QUATERNARY ROCKS. 

GENERAL RELATIONS. I

Resting unconformably upon the eroded surfaces of the older formations throughout the western part of the Panhandle of Texas is a 

series of deposits composed largely of partly consolidated clay, sand, 

and pebbles of Tertiary age. In former times these Tertiary rocks 

probably covered all the older formations, and even now the older 

rocks are exposed only in limited areas, chiefly along valleys where 

long-continued erosion has removed the Tertiary cover.

Deposits of Tertiary age cover the western part of the Great Plains 

from Canada to Mexico. To the greater part of these rocks the general term Loup Fork beds has been applied, and they have been 

classed as late Miocene or Pliocene. In Nebraska Darton separates 

the so-called Loup Fork into the Arikaree and Ogalalla formations, 

assigning the former to the Miocene and the latter doubtfully to the 

Pliocene." Hay and others in Kansas have divided the Loup Fork, 

on the basis of lithologic character, into "Tertiary grit" and "Tertiary marl,-" or "mortar beds." In Texas Cummins and Cope have 

distinguished the Loup Fork, Goodnight, and Blanco beds, the Loup 

Fork being Miocene, the Goodnight transitional, and the Blanco 

Pliocene in age.6 i

Lying upon the Tertiary rocks in many parts or tjhe plains are certain Pleistocene deposits, sometimes called the "Equus beds," which 

in most places do not differ lithologically and can not be distino Darton, N. H., Preliminary report of the geology and water resources of Nebraska west of the one 

hundred and third meridian: Nineteenth Ann. Kept. U. S. Geol. Survey, pt. 4, 1899, pp. 932 et seq. 

» See discussion by the writer in Water-Sup, and Irr. Paper No. 154, U. S. Geol. Survey, 1906, pp. 25-28.
32 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOUKCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

guished stratigraphically from the underlying Tertiary deposits. In 

the Panhandle it has been found impossible to distinguish stratigraphic units in the Tertiary, owing mainly to the fact that the clay, 

sand, and gravel which make up these deposits are arranged heterogeneously and without similarity of position. The only possible 

evidence on which these rocks could be divided into formations is 

paleontologic, and it was on such evidence that Cummins and Cope 

proposed the formation name mentioned above. Fossils, however, 

are rare, and up to the present time no systematic effort has been 

made to collect them from various parts of the Great Plains. For 

these reasons the term Tertiary will be used in the following discussion to include all the deposits of Cenozoic age which overlie the red 

beds and the Cretaceous rocks. These deposits include the greater 

part of the rocks of the Panhandle.

CHARACTER OF THE TERTIARY ROCKS.

The greater part of the Tertiary rocks of the High Plains consist of 

claj^s, sandstones, and conglomerates, with clays largely predominatFIG. 1. Ideal Tertiary structure.

ing. These materials are usually arranged in a heterogeneous manner 

(see fig. 1), the sand, clay, and other rocks occurring indiscriminately 

and without similarity of position from place to place. As a rule the 

coarser materials, such as sand and pebbles, lie near the base of the 

Tertiary deposits, immediately above the red beds or Cretaceous 

rocks, while the finer clays and silts occupy a position higher up in 

the system. Not uncommonly this order is reversed and clays lie 

directly upon the eroded Permian or Triassic red beds and below strata 

composed of Tertiary gravel.

The clays are white for the most part, but here and there pink or 

buff. The various tints are uniformly subdued, however, so that from 

a distance the Tertiary cliffs appear to be white and are locally known 

as "chalk" cliffs or "gyp" cliffs, although they contain neither chalk 

nor gypsum. The clay is generally a soft, homogeneous mass, but it 

contains indurated beds, which are in places sufficiently calcareous to 

make good limestone. Not uncommonly these harder layers appear 

at regular intervals in the softer clays, and the slope on weathering 

assumes a peculiar "stair-step" appearance, having locally the form
TERTIARY ROCKS. 33

of river terraces. All the clays contain lime in greater or less quantities and in many beds there are white calcareous concretions, which 

give to the rock a mottled appearance, a fact particularly noticeable 

where the clay is pinkish or buff in color. In many places the lime 

cements the clay together in the form of elongated "pipy" concretions, or in irregular and grotesque forms which, being harder than the 

clay, may be left standing when the latter is eroded.

The sand which makes up a considerable proportion of the Tertiary 

deposits is composed largely of smooth, rounded white or yellow 

quartz grains. Locally it is cemented by lime into coarse, rough sandstone, but it is more commonly unconsolidated and in many places 

where erosion has removed the soil it is blown by the wind into dunes. 

In many instances the sand occurs in beds mingled with small pebbles 

and clay cemented with lime, forming the so-called " mortar beds" 

of the Kansas geologists.

The conglomerate of the Tertiary is made up mainly of smooth, 

rounded, waterworn pebbles of granite and other igneous rocks, 

although sandstone, limestone, and clay pebbles are present in numerous places, the latter being particularly abundant near the base of the 

deposits. These pebbles vary greatly in size, shape, and color. In 

size they range from small sand grains to bowlders 6 inches in diameter; in shape they are, as a rule, more or less rounded, though some 

are flattened, oval, elongated, or subangular; in color they are most 

commonly gray, pink, black, yellow, red, or brown, depending on the 

character of the rock from which they were derived. These pebbles 

occur generally in more or less lenticular, cross-bedded layers, some 

of which are 50 feet thick or more, but in many places they are intermingled with fine sand, and locally are scattered through the clay members. The conglomerate is more abundant at the base of the Tertiary, 

where it forms many conspicuous ledges, as, for instance, near the 

mouth of Ranch Creek, north of Canadian River, in northern Potter 

County, where bluffs 100 feet high are composed entirely of coarse, 

cross-bedded conglomerate.

As the Tertiary rocks are removed by erosion the pebbles weather 

out and cover the slopes. They are rarely found on the level surface 

of the High Plains, but appear on their eroded eastern slope, and are 

thick on the low, rounded hills and bluffs near the larger streams. 

Near the base of the Tertiary, waterworn Gryphsea shells of Lower 

Cretaceous age are sometimes found scattered among the pebbles. 

These shells were evidently derived from the Cretaceous beds known 

to occur farther west and were deposited in their present positions at 

the same time as the Tertiary material.

It is impossible to do more than roughly estimate the proportions 

of the various rocks composing the Tertiary deposits, for, as has been 

stated, there is constant local variation. It appears probable, how-, 

IRK 191 07 3
34 GEOLOGY AND WATEE KE8OUECE8 OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

ever, that throughout the region as a whole from two-thirds to threefourths of the Tertiary material is composed of some form of clay or 

silt, the remainder being sand or pebbles. In Nebraska and Kansas, 

to the north, and in Oklahoma, to the east, the proportion of the 

coarse material is relatively larger.

ORIGIN OF THE TERTIARY ROCKS.

The question of the origin of the Tertiary deposits on the Great 

Plains has occupied the attention of American geologists for more 

than fifty years. The thickness of the deposits, their wide areal distribution, and the paucity of fossils in the beds have combined to 

present unusual difficulties in the solution of the problem.

Two general theories have been held regarding the method of their 

deposition. It was believed by the earlier geologists that they were 

laid down in the bottom of a vast inland lake. Marsh described a 

great Pliocene lake covering practically the entire Great Plains area, 

in which deposits 1,500 feet thick were laid down. Both Cope and 

Cummins refer to the Texas Tertiary beds as '' lacustrine terranes'' or 

"lake deposits." Hay and others accepted the lake theory to account 

for the deposition of the Kansas beds. At the present time, however, 

the consensus of opinion among those geologists who have studied the 

formations in the field is that the Miocene and Pliocene deposits on 

the Great Plains are due to fluviatile rather than to lacustrine agencies. 

To quote but two of several authorities on the subject:

The relative positions of the sand, gravel, and clay of the Tertiary over the whole 

of Kansas * * * correspond much better to river deposits than to lake deposits. 

The irregularity of formation succession, the limited lateral extent of the beds of 

gravel, sand, and clay, and the frequent steepness of the cross-bedding planes all correspond to river deposits. * * * The materials themselves have many indications 

of river deposits and very few of lake deposits.a

The structure an uneven network of gravel courses and elongated beds of sand 

penetrating a mass of silt and sand-streaked clay is the normal product of desertstream work under constant desert conditions. The coarse material is not regarded 

as the product necessarily of strong-running streams and the fine material of sluggish 

streams in alternating epochs either of humid and dry climate or of high and low 

inclination of slope, but as the simultaneous product of branching streams of the 

desert habit, here running in a channel and there spreading thinly.&

So far as the writer has been able to ascertain, few, if any, of the 

more recent investigators accept the theorjr of lacustrine origin for 

the Tertiary deposits of the Great Plains. Practically the only point 

at issue is whether the source of the indiscriminate, uneven, or lenticular deposition of the material by the streams should be sought in 

climatic changes which produced alternate periods of aridity and 

humidity or in extended deformation of the earth's crust by which

a Ha worth, E., Physical properties of the Tertiary Second Ann. Kept. Kans. Univ. Geol. Survey, 

1897, p. 283.

6 Johnson, W. D., The High Plains and their utilization: Twenty-first Ann. Kept. U. S. Geol. Survey, 

pt. 4, 1901, p. 655.
SAND DUNES AND ALLUVIUM. 85

the eastern part of the Great Plains was at times elevated and again 

depressed, giving rise to alternating steepening and lessening of the 

gradient of the streams. It seems possible that each of these causes 

may furnish a partial solution of the problem.

SAND DUNES.

Sand dunes occur in many parts of the Great Plains. Almost invariably the material which makes up these dunes is derived from either 

the Tertiary deposits or the " Equus beds." As the Cenozoic deposits, 

which, as above stated, are composed of rather loose, unconsolidated 

clay, sand, and conglomerate, are eroded, the finer clay and silt are 

carried away, either in suspension or in solution, and the sand which 

remains behind is blown by the strong prevailing winds into dunes, 

many of which cover considerable areas. In central and western 

Nebraska, for instance, thousands of square miles are occupied almost 

exclusively by them. Dunes are also common, in western Kansas and 

eastern Colorado and cover considerable areas in the eastern part of 

the Panhandle of Texas and of western Oklahoma.

In the area described sand dunes are relatively rare, being found 

chiefly along the breaks of Canadian River. In northeastern Potter 

County along Chicken and Bonita creeks there is an area of 20 square 

miles or more containing dunes, some being of considerable size, many 

of which are barren of vegetation. North of Canadian River a strip 

of sandy country, in which numerous dunes occur, extends from the 

head of Big Canyon and Big Blue creeks westward for 20 miles. 

Dunes are also present over parts of western Oldham, Hartley, and 

Dallam counties near the New Mexico line and in a relatively small 

area near the Oklahoma line along Beaver Creek in northern Sherman 

County.

ALLUVIUM.

Along Canadian River and its tributaries and to a less degree along 

the waters of Palo Duro Canyon there is a considerable amount of 

alluvium or valley wash. This material, which is composed largely 

of more or less modified Tertiary and red-beds deposits naturally 

partakes of the character of the rocks from which it has been derived. 

Where it comes mainly from the red beds it consists, as a rule, of a 

reddish clay loam, and where derived from Tertiary deposits it is 

normally a light to dark sandy loam, the color depending largely on 

the amount of organic matter present. In many places the alluvium 

grades imperceptibly into beds of sand, which if blown by the wind 

may form dunes. In the valley of the Canadian the alluvium occupies the flat flood plain between the bluffs, which averages from 1 

mile to 2 miles in width. In Palo Duro Canyon and other smaller 

creeks the alluvial valley is narrower, varying in width from a few 

rods to half a mile or more.
36 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

WATER RESOURCES.

UNDERGROUND WATERS.

GENERAL CONDITIONS.

Most of the underground water in the western part of the Panhandle of Texas is derived from the Tertiary deposits, which, as has 

been stated, constitute the greater part of the surface rocks of the 

region. Along the valley of Canadian River and in Palo Duro Canyon water is found in the red beds, and in the extreme northwestern 

part of the State there is a small area where the water in both wells 

and springs is derived from Cretaceous rocks. With these minor 

exceptions, however, the Tertiary beds are the source of all the water 

in the region.

Water which has its source in Tertiary rocks is almost uniformly 

soft and relatively pure and is suitable for all domestic uses. Analyses 

of a large number of samples taken both from springs and wells in various 

parts of the Great Plains reveal little or no harmful salts. Relatively 

small quantities of lime, gypsum, soda, and a few other salts are 

locally present, but the average amount rarely exceeds 10 grains per 

gallon, so that for all practical purposes Tertiary water may be considered pure. Water from the red beds is in some cases pure and in 

others not, according to the character of the rocks from which it is 

derived.

WATER FROM THE PERMIAN RED BEDS.

Most of the water which has its origin in the Permian red beds 

contains a large amount of the various mineral salts which enter into 

the composition of these rocks. The most common of these are calcium sulphate (gypsum), calcium carbonate (limestone), magnesium 

sulphate (Epsom salts), sodium sulphate (Glauber's salts), sodium 

chloride (common salt), sodium bicarbonate (soda), sodium borate 

(borax), magnesium chloride, magnesium carbonate, and calcium 

chloride. In the valley of Canadian River and its tributaries the 

water from many of the springs which issue from beneath the Alibates 

dolomite "or the Greer or Saddlehorse gypsum ledges is so highly 

mineralized that it is unfit for use. Many wells which obtain their 

supply in these formations (as, for example, the two deep wells on 

the L. S. ranch, near Tascosa) contain hard water. There are, however, many springs in the Quartermaster formation, both on Palo 

Duro Canyon and along the Canadian, which yield soft water. In 

general, the water from the Permian red beds is slight in amount.
UNDERGROUND WATERS. 37 

WATER FROM THE TRIASSIC RED BEDS.

Springs in the Triassic red beds occur both in Palo Duro Canyon 

and along Canadian River. Those in Palo Duro Canyon and along 

Timber, Sunday, Canyon Cita, and other tributary creeks usually 

issue from under the various sandstone ledges which occur in the 

Trujillo formation. Springs are also found in the Triassic beds on 

Canadian River and its affluents, particularly on Tecovas, Sierra de 

la Cruz, and Alamosa creeks, where in many places the water issues 

from joints and fissures in the red clay and also from beneath sandstone ledges. As a rule water from springs in the Triassic is fresh and 

pure, owing largely to the fact that Triassic rocks contain very few 

harmful salts.

Few wells have been sunk in the Triassic formations in this part of 

the State. In several instances, however, wells which were started in 

the Tertiary penetrated the upper beds and obtained water in the 

Triassic. Wells of this character occur on the High Plains near the 

edge of Canyon Cita Creek. A few wells on the divides between 

creeks which empty into Canadian River obtain water from the Triassic beds, the water in almost every case being soft and relatively 

pure.

WATER FROM CRETACEOUS ROCKS.

The Dakota sandstone, which is one of the great water-bearing formations of the Great Plains, outcrops along a line extending from 

Minnesota to New Mexico, as well as along the Rocky Mountain front 

range. In most regions where the Dakota is exposed springs are 

numerous, and wells sunk into the formation furnish an abundance of 

water. Almost without exception the water from the Dakota is good. 

In the northwestern part of the Panhandle there are two large springs 

in the Dakota sandstone, Agua Fria and Buffalo, both of which are 

located on Coldwater Creek in northern Dallam County. Buffalo 

Springs flow approximately 5 second-feet. Wells in this part of the 

State which are begun on the Tertiary-covered plain pass through the 

upper beds and find an abundant supply of water in the Dakota sandstone. The wells are comparatively shallow, so that the region is 

known locally as the ' 'shallow-water district."

WATER FROM TERTIARY ROCKS.

Occurrence. In order to understand underground-water conditions, 

it is necessary to know the geologic structure of the rocks from which 

the water is obtained. In the Panhandle of Texas, as has been stated, 

by far the greater part of the water comes from Tertiary rocks, and for 

that reason a brief discussion of the origin and structure of these rocks 

will be given here.
38 GEOLOGY AND WATER EESOtlBCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

The Tertiary rocks found in the Panhandle consist of deposits in 

most places several hundred feet thick, made up chiefly of alternating, 

more or less lenticular, or cross-bedded layers of clay, sand, and gravel, 

the latter being composed mainly of smooth, rounded, waterworn 

pebbles. There seems little doubt that the original material of these 

deposits was derived largely from the Rocky Mountains. Streams 

which flowed away from the mountains carried material out on the 

plain and left deposits in some places of sand, in others of clay, and in 

still others of gravel or pebbles, which in turn were covered by other 

deposits, here and there the same, but more commonly of other material. This process, which continued for a long period, resulted in the 

accumulation of several hundred feet of alternating beds of irregularly 

stratified rock. Being laid down under such conditions the Tertiary 

series as a whole is necessarily composed largely of beds irregularly 

lens-shaped in cross section and in most cases not continuous over 

large areas. In some localities the greater part of the thickness may 

consist of fine materials, while in others sandstone and gravels may 

predominate; but in general the beds of fine and coarse material are 

mixed in a heterogeneous manner.

The terms "sheet water" or "underflow" are often used in the 

States of the Great Plains to indicate any fairly constant supply of 

water at a more or less uniform depth. The general impression seems 

to be that at some depth beneath the surface there is a continuous 

" sheet" or '' lake " of water which if tapped by a well will yield a fairly 

constant supply. In some places two or even three such ' 'sheets" are 

supposed to exist, and the expressions "first sheet" and "second 

sheet" or "first water" and "second water" are common. Another 

prevalent notion is that the water in these ''sheets" is constantly 

flowing streamlike beneath the surface, an idea disclosed by the common expression that the "underflow is to the east."

While it is true that these popular ideas are widespread and in general are based on common observation, there is, however, in them 

much that is erroneous and not based on a correct conception of the conditions found in the nature and relations of the water-bearing strata. 

Rounded grains of sand and gravel such as make up the lenticular 

beds which constitute the majority of the Tertiary rocks do not lie 

closely enough together to fill all the space, but have very small interstices between them. These pores or spaces are minute reservoirs for 

the water, which in its passage through such materials either vertically 

or laterally seeps from one of these minute reservoirs to the next, and 

thus very slowly flows along underground. This movement is popularly called ' 'underflow," but it is not nearly so rapid as is commonly 

supposed. A number of experiments have been made on the rate of 

flow of underground waters, and it has been found that even along 

stream valleys, where the material is coarse, the pores large, the gradi-
TINDEEUEOUND WATERS. 39

ent relatively steep, and all conditions favorable for a rapid flow (as, 

for instance, along Arkansas River in western Kansas), the rate of 

underflow does not average more, than 10 feet a day.a On the High 

Plains, such as constitute the region under discussion, where the gradient is low, much of the material fine, and the pores relatively small, 

and where the lenticular beds dip in many places at different angles in 

different directions, it is doubtful if on an average the water moves 

more than 10 feet in a year.

According to the theory just advanced dry ground is ground in 

which the pores between the rock particles contain no water, while 

wet or saturated ground is that in which the pores are filled. Since 

water always tends to sink to the lowest levels, there is in most regions 

a certain but variable thickness of beds filled with water in what is 

technically known as the ' 'zone of saturation." The upper surface of 

this zone of saturation is called the "water table" or "water plane," 

and this is in many places identical with what is meant by the popular 

phrase "sheet water," so common on the Great Plains. Since water 

moves slowly underground, this water table becomes approximately 

similar in contour to the surface of the ground, being high on the 

divides and low near the streams, where the water may escape in 

springs.

As originally deposited the lenticular beds which constitute the 

greater part of the Tertiary deposits must have had an irregular outline and surface, especially where they were laid down in swamps or 

lakelets. Where the material is clay or very fine sand the interstices 

between the particles are very minute and practically impervious to 

water. Fine deposits such as those just described are in numerous 

instances overlain by sand and gravel which was originally laid down 

in basins or channels, and these in turn by other fine-grained deposits 

in varying succession, so that the alternation of water-bearing and 

impervious beds is, in many places, very irregular. If deposits of 

this nature are penetrated by a well, the first sand encountered will 

furnish water, the quantity depending on the size of the water-bearing 

deposit, the coarseness of its grains, the height of its edges, etc.; 

in the next coarse sand bed a second water stratum will be found, 

and so on, until finally the main water table is penetrated. This 

may be considered a probable explanation of the " first and second 

water" or "first and second sheet" so often spoken of on the Great 

Plains. It also possibly accounts for conditions found in many parts 

of the region where reqprds obtained from a relatively small area 

show well depths varying up to a hundred feet. These conditions are 

set forth in fig. 2.

a Slichter, C S., The motions of underground waters: Water Sup. and Irr. Paper No. 67, U. S. Geol. 

Survey, 1902, pp. 41-43.
40 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

In general the average depth of the wells in any particular locality 

may be considered the approximate depth of the water table at that 

place. As will be understood from what has been stated, the watertable, or the level at which the top of the ground water stands, varies 

constantly from place to place, from year to year, and even from day 

to day. It is supplied chiefly from rainfall and is lowered whenever 

the water is removed as, for instance, by springs, artesian wells, or 

heavy pumping. Ordinarily the water table is at a considerable 

distance below the surface, but here and there it reaches the surface 

level, as in springs, swamps, or marshes.

On the High Plains the water table is located at the upper point of 

saturation of the pervious beds. Well records from widely separated 

localities show that this water level for the High Plains as a whole 

averages from 200 to 250 feet beneath the surface. So far as known, 

this level in each locality is fairly constant, the amount of water taken 

away by springs and wells being approximately equaled by the 

amount added each year by precipitation.

Impervious beds Tertiary marls,sandstones 

and conglomerates

Water tables 

FIG. 2. Ideal Tertiary structure showins; water-bearing beds at different levels.

In the area described the depth of the wells in the Tertiary deposits 

of the High Plains varies from 50 feet to more than 400 feet. On the 

High Plains north of Canadian Kiver the deepest wells (which are in 

eastern Dallam County) are between 400 and 450 feet deep,-while in 

Moore and Sherman counties they do not average more than 250 feet. 

South of this river, on the Llano Estacado, the deepest wells are in 

the eastern part of Potter County, where water is occasionally found 

at depths exceeding 400 feet. In Deaf Smith and Randall counties, 

in the southern part of the Panhandle, the wells are shallower, in 

many localities not averaging more than 75 feet; in the vicinity of 

Hereford, the county seat of Deaf Smith County, many of the wells 

are not more than 60 feet deep.

Sources. There is a prevalent but erroneous idea in most parts of 

the High Plains that the water which supplies the wells on the plains 

comes from the Rocky Mountains. That this can not be true is very 

evident to any one who has studied the geologic structure of the plains
UNDERGROUND WATERS. 41

as a whole. All available data point to the fact that local precipita5 only source of the underground water of the High Plains, 

set is discussed more fully under the head of artesian water

tion is t

This sub

(pp. 42-

Rainf

run-off, 

of water 

relative 

tions; f o 

greater 

rates, w 

Throu 

face is 1 

off and i 

the grea 

der, wh 

shallow 

in which 

face. J 

annual! 

more th* 

of water 

probabi 

water e; 

springs 

remains 

ence tha

In a c 

tically 

depths \ 

finding a 

face, 

used, 

breaks i 

use, but 

handle

ad percolation. It is estimated that in general the amount

windmil

3). . . . 

1 on the surface of the earth is disposed of by evaporation,

I

lisposed of in each of the three ways is about equal, but the 

mounts in different regions depend on several local condiinstance, on a steep slope or in a region of. stiff clay soil the 

irt runs off; in a warm, arid climate the greater part evapole in loose soil the greater part is absorbed, 

hout a considerable part of the Great Plains, where the surel and the drainage'systems undeveloped, there is no run1 the rainfall is either absorbed or evaporates. After a rain 

part of the water soaks into the ground, and the remainh does not evaporate immediately, accumulates in broad 

ipressioiis on the surface, known as buffalo wallows or lakes, 

t remains until it evaporates or disappears beneath the surinson estimates that not more than 3 or 4 inches of rain 

inks into the ground,0 an amount which would not saturate 

. about 1 foot of sandy strata. This estimate of the amount 

absorbed seems to the writer to be rather small, but in all 

y the rainfall does not add more than 18 inches to the ground 

h year. An amount approximately equal is lost through 

nd wells, so that in general the level of the water table 

onstant. There are no data which would lead to the inferthe amount of water is either increasing or decreasing

WINDMILLS.

untry such as the Panhandle of Texas, where water is pracerywhere abundant in wells, but occurs at considerable 

neath the surface, one of the most vital problems is that of 

relatively cheap and efficient means of bringing it to the surr this purpose the ordinary force pump is almost universally

a few shallow wells along stream valleys or among the 

rope and bucket are employed to supply water for household

is safe to estimate that 99 per cent of the wells in the Panprovided with a pump. Power is usually furnished by 

, of which several forms are employed, by far the greatest

number being of the ordinary turbine type. On the larger ranches, 

particularly where water is deep and it is necessary to raise considerable amounts for cattle, a wooden wheel from 16 to 20 feet in diameter, mounted on a relatively low tower, and a 3-inch pump are usually

a Johnson, W. D., The High Plains and tneir utilization: Twenty-second Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. 

Survey, pt. 4, 1901, p. 648.
42 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

employed, while on smaller ranches and farms and in the towns an 

iron wheel is generally used.

On the larger ranches, where thousands of cattle graze, it is necessary to provide a constant and convenient supply of water, and for 

this purpose wells have been put down at intervals of 2 to 3 miles in 

all directions. In many parts of the prairie the only evidence that 

the country is inhabited is furnished by a lone windmill, surrounded 

at certain times of the day by herds of cattle. The water is pumped 

from the well into large circular tanks of wood or iron, to which the 

cattle have access. In many instances there is an - arrangement 

whereby when the tank is full the overflow passes into an earthen 

reservoir which has been excavated near by, the object being to provide an emergency supply in case the wind does not blow for several 

days. Rarely do extended periods of calm occur, however, and the 

windmill once set going is never stopped until it wears out. On the 

larger ranches men known as "windmill greasers" are employed, who 

do nothing but oil and repair windmills. Two men usually travel 

together, camping out wherever night overtakes them, visiting each 

mill on an average of twice a week.

In the Panhandle of Texas it is usually estimated that the cost of 

sinking a well and installing a mill, pump, and tanks averages about 

$2 a foot for deep wells and a relatively larger sum for shallower ones. 

In localities where the wells are 400 to 500 feet deep the cost of the 

well, mill, pump, and tanks complete is $800 to $1,000, while if the 

well is but 100 feet deep the cost is $250 to $300. PI. VII shows 

characteristic windmills on the plains.

DEEP-SEATED WATERS.

In the various parts of the Panhandle of Texas the project of 

obtaining artesian water is often considered. There is perhaps not a 

county in which the subject has not been agitated, and as the country 

is now being rapidly occupied by settlers it is altogether probable 

that a number of attempts will be made in various localities to secure 

an artesian supply. In most cases, as above stated, it is assumed 

that the water found in the wells of the High Plains comes from the 

Rocky Mountains. But this is not so. The Llano Estacado, or that 

part of the plains south of the Canadian, is cut off from the mountains 

by the valley of this stream and by Pecos River in eastern New 

Mexico, so that it is impossible for water to pass from the mountains 

into the Tertiary beds which carry the water on the High Plains. 

North of the Canadian.the Tertiary deposits thin out to the west and 

disappear before the Rocky Mountains are reached, so that the probability of any extensive artesian flow, having its origin in the Tertiary 

beds in this part of the country, is very small.

There are a few artesian wells in the region, as for instance, one on
U. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 191 PL. VII

HIGH PLAINS WINDMILLS.

DEEP-SEATED WATEES. 43

Big Blue Creek in eastern Moore County. This well, which is 123 feet 

deep, flows about 1 gallon per minute. From the record obtained it 

appears that the well passed through 25 feet of Tertiary clay and then 

entered the red beds. The water was found in a sandstone, possibly one 

of the members of Trujillp formation, in the upper part of the Triassic 

red beds. It is probable that the supply of water in this well is governed by local conditions, and that while other similar wells may be 

developed here and there their number will never be sufficiently large 

to be of economic importance. There are a number of other wells 

along Big Blue Creek that find water at about the same depth, but 

none of them flow. An artesian well is reported on Rita Blanca Creek, 

west of Channing. The supply is limited and the well is not imp<jptant.

At the L. S. ranch, 2 miles west of Tascosa, at an elevation of 3,160 

feet, there are two artesian wells a quarter of a mile apart which draw 

their supply of water from the red beds. The wells are of equal 

depth, approximately 340 feet, and the water from each fills a 5-inch 

pipe. The water, however, contains so high a percentage of mineral 

salts that it is unfit for domestic use. These wells are located in one 

of the synclinal troughs described on page 20, and the source from 

which this water derives its head is probably located along the anticline 

to the west, possibly in the vicinity of Trujillo Creek. As this syncline 

extends 30 miles or more up and down the river there is a possibility 

that more extensive drilling might result in a number of such wells 

in the red beds along the Canadian in this region. The source of the 

water is probably in the Permian red beds, somewhere about the 

horizon of the Greer gypsum, and it is very likely that the water from 

any wells in this locality would be so highly mineralized as to be undesirable for either domestic use or for irrigation. Fortunately this district is traversed by a number of flowing streams, so that there is no 

particular need of resorting to wells for stock water.

In the northwestern part of Dallam County, where the Dakota 

sandstone approaches the surface, it is possible that artesian water 

might be obtained. It is reported that a well, drilled in 1888 on the 

high divide near Coldwater Creek, 6 miles north of Texline and 3 miles 

from the northwest corner of the State, reached a depth of 1,250 feet 

and that the water stands within 100 feet of the surface. The record 

can not be had, but it is probable that this well penetrated both the 

Tertiary and the Dakota and stopped in the red beds. The water 

may come from the Dakota sandstone.

SPRINGS. 

GENERAL CHARACTER.

The springs in the western part of the Panhandle of Texas may be 

classed under three general heads, according to the geologic formation * 

from which they are derived red-beds springs, Cretaceous springs, and
'44 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

Tertiary springs. The red-beds springs are usually found in the valleys of the larger streams, such as Canadian Kiver and Palo Duro 

Creek. The water is in some places pure and in others not, depending 

on the amount of mineral salts contained in the rocks from which the 

spring issues. The water from Cretaceous springs, which are foundin Dallam County only, is always good. Tertiary springs are by far 

the most important, with regard to both number and amount of water, 

and the water is almost uniformly fresh.

RED-BEDS SPRINGS.

Springs from the Permian red beds are found chiefly in the valley 

of Cdfcadian River, although a few are known to occur in the deeper 

parts of Palo Duro Canyon and its tributaries. In the latter locality 

the water usually issues as seeps from the argillaceous sandstone of the 

Quartermaster formation along some small canyon or gully. Farther 

east, in Oklahoma, the Quartermaster formation is more sandy and 

is noted for its large number of small springs. In Palo Duro Canyon, 

however, there is a larger amount of shale in the formation and the 

number of springs is not so great.

In the valley of the Canadian and its tributary creeks Permian redbeds springs are often found. In the eastern part of the region, particularly on Big Blue, Plum, Big Canyon, Turkey, and Alibates 

creeks, many springs issue from beneath the massive ledges of the 

Greer gypsum, the water of which is strongly impregnated with calcium sulphate and other salts. The majority of the springs, however, 

come from the Quartermaster formation and many of them issue at 

the base of the Alibates dolomite lentil. Springs of this character are 

found on all the creeks named above and also on West Amarillo, 

Horse, Tecovas, Las Achias, Trujillo, and others. These springs usually 

issue as bold, gushing streams at the point of contact between the 

dolomite and the underlying clay. Seep springs issuing from the sandy 

beds of the Quartermaster are also common in this region. Many of 

the springs from below the dolomite ledge contain appreciable amounts 

of mineral salts, so that the water is undesirable for ordinary domestic 

use, while the water of seep springs from the sandstone is usually soft 

and pure.

Springs from the Triassic red beds are found both in Palo Duro 

Canyon and in the valley of Canadian River. Along Palo Duro Creek 

and its tributaries they issue as a rule from beneath the various sandstone members of the upper or Trujillo formation, although springs in 

the Tecovas shale formation are not uncommon. On Canyon Cita 

Creek springs issue from beneath all three of the sandstone members 

of the Trujillo formation, while in the main canyon, a few miles east 

of the falls, there are strong springs which issue from joints in the 

magenta shales. The water from the Triassic sandstone in Palo Duro
SPKUSTGS. 45

Canyon is generally soft and pure, but because of the inaccessibility 

of the springs it is not utilized. In the valley of Canadian River 

springs occur in the Triassic, not only near the river where it has cut 

through the rocks of this series, but also on the tributary creeks 

East Amarillo, West Amarillo, Tecovas, Sierra de la Cruz, Parker, 

Alamosa, Alamositas, Las Achias, and Trujillo. In some places the 

water issues from beneath the lower or middle sandstone of the Trujillo, in others from joints in the clay, and in still others from the sandstone which in this region locally takes the place of the variegated 

shales of the Tecovas. Some of the springs are strong and some mere 

seeps. The water is almost invariably soft and suitable for household use.

. CRETACEOUS SPRINGS.

In the Cretaceous rocks of the Panhandle, which, as has been stated, 

occur only in limited areas in the extreme northwestern part of the 

State, there are two springs worthy of note. Both are situated in the 

valley of Coldwater Creek near the northern part of Dallam County. 

v Agua Fria Springs are located about 10 miles west of the Sherman 

County line. At this place Coldwater Creek has cut through the 

Tertiary deposits, here comparatively thin, and for 35 feet into the 

brownish-yellow Cretaceous sandstones and clays, which are exposed 

for 1-J miles along the creek. At several points in this distance the 

water issues from the bottom of the creek and collects in pools, 

finally forming a running stream.

Much more important from an economic standpoint are Buffalo 

Springs, which are located 17 miles east of the northwest corner of the 

State, at the point where two branches of Coldwater Creek unite. 

The stream has cut through the Tertiary deposits, exposing the Cretaceous sandstone and clay along both branches. Here a number of 

strong springs issue near the bottom of the valley. Their waters unite 

to form a stream which flows approximately 5 second-feet and which 

is utilized to irrigate 150 acres of alfalfa, garden, and trees. When 

not used for irrigation the water from the springs is allowed to run 

down the creek, and is sufficient to flow for 5 to 8 miles along the sandy 

channel before finally disappearing.

TERTIARY SPRINGS.

By far the most numerous and also the most important of all the 

springs in the Panhandle are those in which the supply of water comes 

from Tertiary rocks. These springs occur at numerous points along 

the edge of the High Plains where the water-bearing beds are exposed 

and in practically every ravine and canyon that has cut its way 

through the Tertiary deposits and into the underlying formations. 

The greater part of the springs are contact springs, issuing at the
46 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

point of unconformity at the base of the Tertiary. If a well on the 

level plain penetrates a saturated zone, water is obtained, and if a 

stream in its downward cutting encounters the same zone a spring 

will result, as shown in fig. 3. So it happens that many of the small 

streams which are cutting their way headward into the High Plains 

in all directions encounter these water-filled gravel and sand beds in 

the Tertiary and permit the water to escape to the Surface as springs. 

These springs are found in all parts of the Great Plains from Canada to 

Mexico and have played an important part in the economic development of the region. Numerous farm houses, ranches, factories, forts, 

and towns throughout this part of the United States have been 

located with reference to some Tertiary spring.

Tertiary springs are found in all parts of the Panhandle except on 

the level surface of the High Plains and in the bottoms of the larger 

stream valleys. In the southern part of the area both Palo Duro and 

Tierra Blanca creeks are fed by springs which issue from sand beds 

along the low bluffs near the bottoms of the valleys. Near the point 

where these creeks unite at Canyon each has a flow of approximately

FIG. 3. Ideal section of Tertiary springs. A, D, Tertiary springs; C, F, wells in red beds; E, well

in Tertiary.

15 second-feet. As the canyon deepens numerous small branches, 

which rise on the level plain and cut their way downward through the 

Tertiary rocks, reach the zone of saturation and springs result. This 

condition is well illustrated on the head branches of Timber and Sunday creeks and on both North and South Canyon Cita creeks.

Practically every stream which enters Canadian River in this region 

is fed by Tertiary springs, but only the principal spring-fed creeks and 

a few of the most important springs can be mentioned.

North of Canadian River, Tertiary springs occur in considerable 

numbers along Big Blue Creek in eastern Moore County. They a:e 

also present on Plum and Big Canyon creeks, although not in large 

numbers, because these streams flow for the greater part of their course 

through the red beds. Ranch Creek is a perennial stream fed by Tertiary springs. Near Lee's ranch, 20 miles north of Amarillo, several 

strong springs issue from Tertiary sand wash in the valley of the Canadian. Pitcher Creek, though a relatively short stream, carries sufficient 

water to irrigate 50 acres of alfalfa, the entire amount being supplied 

by Tertiary springs. John Ray, Lahay, India, Corral, Sand, Casino,
SPRINGS AND STREAMS. 47

and Tascosa creeks are all fed by springs which issue near their heads 

at the base of the Tertiary. The amount of water, however, is rarely 

sufficient to keep the streams flowing continuously, and most of 

these creeks are dry sand beds for the greater part of the year. The 

town of Tascosa is supplied with water from a spring which issues 

from the Tertiary sand a short distance away. On Cheyenne Creek a 

lake has been formed by the construction of a dam across the stream, 

and the water is conveyed by gravity to the railroad station at Magenta, where it is used by locomotives. On Rita Blanca, Moneto, 

Minneosa, and several other smaller streams which enter the Canadian from the north, in the western part of the Panhandle, a number 

of strong Tertiary springs issue from the top of the red beds.

The creeks which empty into the Canadian from the south are 

also fed by springs which issue from the red beds and Tertiary contact along the northern edge of the Llano Estacado. In the eastern 

part of the region Turkey and Alibates creeks are supplied near 

their heads by Tertiary springs, but the water sinks into the sand 

before reaching the river. Chicken Creek is fed by springs which 

issue from sand dunes. Bonita Creek, which is supplied by Tertiary 

springs, flows a steady stream throughout the year, while Pedrosa 

Creek, a few miles farther west, receives water from a much smaller 

number of springs and is in consequence a dry sand bed. Both 

East and West Amarfllo creeks receive water from Tertiary springs, 

as do Tecovas, Sierra de la Cruz, and Parker creeks, although in 

none of these streams is the amount of water sufficient to form a 

running stream all the year. Along the heads of the various 

branches of Alamosa Creek there are many Tertiary springs, near 

one of which is located the old L. S. ranch. On Skunk Arroyo and 

Alamositas Creek there are also numerous springs, some of which 

have a flow of nearly 1 second-foot. The spring at the old X I T 

headquarters, on Alamositas Creek, has been used for irrigation for 

a number of years. Springs occur at the foot of the plains on Las 

Achias Creek and on the various tributaries of Trujillo Creek, particularly Agua Piedra and Mujeres.

STREAMS.

The drainage of the Panhandle of Texas flows into Mississippi 

River. The extreme northern part is drained into Beaver Creek, 

one of the head tributaries of North Fork of Canadian River, and 

the central part is crossed by Canadian River. These two streams 

flow eastward across Oklahoma and unite before entering Arkansas 

River. The water from the southern part of the region flows into 

Palo Duro Creek, one of the head tributaries of Red River.
48 GEOLOGY AND WATEE EESOUECES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS. 

NORTH FOEK OF CANADIAN EIVEE.

Beaver Creek flows for 15 miles in a broad bend to the south in 

the northern part of Sherman County. It is here a dry sand bed 

for the greater part of the year.

Coldwater Creek flows from New Mexico into Texas and passes 

eastward across the northern part of Dallam and Sherman counties 

before turning to the north to enter Beaver Creek in Oklahoma. 

For the greater part of its course in the counties named Coldwater 

Creek is merely a dry sand bed. In two places, however, the 

stream has cut through the Tertiary deposits into the Cretaceous 

rocks below, and at these points springs issue, known as Buffalo and 

Agua Fria springs. (See p. 45.)

Palo Duro Creek (not to be confused with the stream of the same 

name farther south, in Palo Duro Canyon) rises in southern Sherman County and flows northeastward in a shallow valley, on the level 

prairie. In this region the stream rarely contains water.

CANADIAN RIVEE.

Canadian River flows eastward across the Panhandle just south 

of the center. It is the largest stream in this part of the Great 

Plains and has the largest drainage area of any stream in the district. It rises among the high peaks of the. Rocky Mountains in 

northern New Mexico and flows southeastward as far as the vicinity 

of Tucumcari Mountain, New Mexico, where it turns to the northeast and continues in that general direction across Texas and into 

Oklahoma. In New Mexico it drains a large area and receives several tributaries of considerable size, but near the Texas line the 

drainage area decreases in width, and in its course across the Panhandle the stream has a relatively narrow valley, the distance 

between the heads of the short tributary creeks on opposite sides of 

the stream averaging not more than 35 miles.

For practically its entire course from northern New Mexico across 

Texas and Oklahoma into Indian Territory the Canadian is a wide 

sand-choked stream. The channel is filled with shifting quicksand 

and is noted for being the most treacherous stream of the plains. 

Part of the year the channel is dry or contains only a small amount 

of water in an otherwise dry sand bed, but frequently it is a raging 

torrent. Sudden and rapid rises are common but irregular. The 

channel may have been dry for weeks when, without warning, a wall 

of water several feet high may rush down the stream bed, carrying 

everything before it. The river may continue high, sometimes for 

days, sometimes for weeks, and then it will gradually subside and 

the channel again become dry. In this region the bed of the stream 

averages perhaps half a mile in width, although there are localities
STEEAM8. 49

where the distance from bank to bank is more than a mile, and in 

a few places, where the river flows between high bluffs, the stream 

bed is constricted until it is not more than 200 yards wide. The 

banks are in most places low and sandy, except where the stream 

flows through a canyon bordered* by bluffs, as, for instance, near the 

mouth of Trujillo Creek, not far from the New Mexico line, where 

the river flows for 10 miles or more between high bluffs of red shale 

capped with Alibates dolomite. Near the mouth of Amarillo Creek 

the same condition occurs, and in the eastern part of the region the 

Alibates dolomite is again carried up along an anticline and forms 

conspicuous bluffs averaging 200 feet high for 20 miles or more. In 

these localities the valley of the river is comparatively narrow.

The water of the Canadian is usually turbid, and, particularly in 

times of freshet, red. The color is derived from the red-beds clays 

over which it passes, and is so marked that in its upper course the 

stream is known as Red River.

In the western part of the Panhandle the Canadian receives about 

50 tributary creeks, the greater part of which are relatively short, 

only four being more than 20 miles in length. Of those which enter 

from the north the most important are Big Blue, Plum, Big Canyon, 

Saddlehorse, Fort, Ranch, Pitcher, John Ray, Lahay, Corral, Sand, 

India, Casino, Piscodo, Tascosa, Rica, Cheyenne, Rita Blanca, Moneto, 

Pedroza, Antelope, Minneosa, and Caballo. From the south the larger 

tributaries are Turkey, Alibates, Short, Molyneux, Coietas, Chicken, 

Bonita, Pedrosa, East Amarillo, West Amarillo, Horse, Tecovas, Sierra 

de la Cruz, Cottonwood, Parker, Alamosa, Skunk, Alamositas, Las 

Achias, and Trujillo creeks. Perhaps half of these streams flow all the 

year; some are always dry except after heavy rains, and others are 

intermittent. The water in the majority of them is derived from 

Tertiary springs near the heads of the creeks, and is consequently fresh. 

In a few creeks, however, particularly Big Canyon, Saddlehorse, and 

Alibates, in the eastern part of the region, the water, which comes 

largely from springs in the Permian red beds, contains gypsum and 

other salts in greater or less proportions, so that it is not suitable for 

irrigation or domestic uses.

RED RIVER.

A considerable part of Deaf Smith and Randall counties, in the 

southern part of the region, drains into Red River through Tierra 

Blanca and Palo Duro creeks. These streams, which rise as shallow 

prairie draws oi} the highest portion of the Llano Estacado in eastern 

New Mexico, pass into Texas, and for a distance of 25 miles in Deaf 

Smith County carry no water except after heavy rains. Near the 

center of this county the streams cut into Tertiary deposits and springs 

appear low down in the valleys. These springs increase in number 

IRE 191 07 4
50 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

and size as far as the junction of the two creeks at Canyon, where each 

creek carries about 15 second-feet of water. From this point to the 

east line of Randall County Palo Duro Creek flows in a deep canyon. 

In this part of its course it receives the water from a number of 

short creeks fed largely by Tertiary springs. The largest of these 

are Timber, Sunday, and Canyon Cita creeks, which empty from the 

south and drain the southeast corner of Randall County.

DRAINAGE OF THE HIGH PLAINS.

A considerable portion of the High Plains region does not drain into 

any stream. This part constitutes the original level of the High 

Plains, "unscored by drainage, yet standing in relief," from which 

there is practically no run-off. The headwaters of the small creeks 

tributary to Canadian River and Palo Duro Canyon are working their 

way headward into this level plain and a few meandering shallow 

draws, such as those which form the upper courses of Coldwater, 

Perico, and Tierra Blanca creeks, traverse the plain in various directions ; but by far the greater part has not yet been encroached on by 

stream channels.

The supply of rainfall on the greater part of the High Plains is collected in shallow saucer-shaped depressions known as "lakes" or as 

"playa lakes," which are scattered at irregular intervals on the plains. 

These depressions vary in size from the ordinary "buffalo wallow," a 

few feet across and a foot or two deep, to lakes several hundred rods 

in diameter, sunk 20 to 40 feet below the general surface level. In 

Deaf Smith County, for instance, there are a number of these depressions, each of which occupies an area of more than a square mile. In 

several instances, particularly in localities near the edge of the plains, 

the depressions are deep and bowl-shaped. Many of the lakes are 

perennial and afford an abundant supply of stock water throughout 

the year; others are ephemeral, being filled by rains and soon becoming 

dry; while still others contain water only rarely. These lakes occur 

on the plains with no regularity; in some localities there are none for 

miles, while in others there are scores in a single township.

Many of the larger depressions have drainage basins, some of which 

are several square miles in area. The traveler crossing the High 

Plains not infrequently encounters a shallow draw on the level surface 

along which after a heavy rain the water is carried to a near-by lake. 

Few of these small stream beds, however, exceed a mile or two in 

length and 10 feet in depth.

The influence of these lakes on the settlement of the country has 

been important, for on the High Plains the matter of water supply is 

vital. In the early history of the Panhandle, before wells had been 

sunk, these lakes constituted practically the only supply. Wagon 

trains in crossing the Llano Estacado came to camp beside lakes which
IRRIGATION. 51

always contained water, and many of the first "cow camps" were 

located in similar positions. In a number of instances a town grew 

up at the site of the cow camp, and to-day some of the largest of the 

county seats in the Panhandle, such as Amarillo, Hereford, Panhandle, Clarendon, and Claude, owe their location to the presence of lakes 

on the High Plains.

IRRIGATION. 

NECESSITY FOR IRRIGATION.

The part of Texas to which this report relates is located in the 

semiarid belt of the Great Plains. At Amarillo the* annual rainfall 

for twenty years has averaged 21.94 inches. At Albert, N. Mex., 

west of this region, the average annual precipitation for fourteen 

years was 16.32 inches. This amount, however, is very irregularly 

distributed, the greater part of it falling in a few violent rains. During certain seasons there is little or no rainfall, and occasional years 

of drought occur, during which the precipitation does not exceed 15 

inches. The soil is extremely fertile and wherever water can be 

obtained is capable of producing abundant crops.

Farming has often been attempted on the High Plains. In former 

years the field crops like those raised farther east, such as wheat, 

cotton, corn, oats, and the ordinary garden vegetables, were planted 

in many parts of the Panhandle. Occasionally such a crop matured, 

but more often sufficient rainfall at critical periods was lacking and 

the result was failure. At present very few attempts are being made 

to raise ordinary farm crops, cultivation being restricted to such 

forage plants as milo maize, kaffir corn, and sorghum, which mature 

with a minimum of moisture. In seasons of average rainfall these 

forage plants produce practically as many bushels of grain per acre 

as do ordinary farm crops in more humid regions, and each year the 

acreage of such crops is increasing. There is a Government experiment station at Channing, in the western part of the Panhandle, 

where experiments have been conducted during the last few years 

with grains such as macaroni wheat and spelt, brought from semiarid regions in other parts of the world, notably from southern 

Russia, in the endeavor to obtain plants that would mature and 

produce staple crops in this part of the High Plains.. It is very 

probable that within the next few years, as suitable crops are found 

and more intelligent methods of farming are introduced, the Panhandle will produce without irrigation many times the amount of 

grain raised at the present time. It is doubtful, however, if the 

ordinary field crops raised in the Eastern States will ever be successfully produced here.

It is obvious, however, that in a region with climatic conditions 

such as those just described irrigation would be a great aid to sue-
52 GEOLOGY AND WATER EESOUEOES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

cessful farming and the ultimate .development of the region. This 

fact has not escaped the attention of the inhabitants and in a number of localities in the Panhandle irrigation on a small scale has been 

attempted, the source of supply in most cases being a creek fed by 

Tertiary springs. Up to the present time, however, no large system 

of irrigation has been planned.

SOURCES OF WATER SUPPLY.

There are at present four sources of water supply for irrigation in 

the Panhandle of Texas, viz, streams, springs, storm waters, and 

wells. None of these, however, except the streams, has been used 

extensively. . s

Irrigation from streams. In this region very few streams carry 

sufficient water for irrigation on a large scale. The Canadian is the 

only river which has its source in the Rocky Mountains, and, as has 

been stated, its flow is very irregular, being sometimes a rushing 

torrent and again for long periods almost or quite dry. There is no 

gaging station on the Canadian in Texas, but the following records, 

taken at Logan, N. Mex., a few miles west of the State line, indicate 

the extreme variability of the river.

Discharge measurements of Canadian River near Logan, N. Mex.

Date.

1904. 

June 29. .......

August 10.....

October 2 «...

October 22.. ..

1905. 

October 10. .

November 20 .

Hydrographer.

W. G.Russell............. . ....

.....do.............................

.....do............. .. ..

.....do.............................

.....do.............................

Width.

Feet.

245

388

119

30

43

Area of 

section.

Sq. feet. 

64

1,400

13, 520

174

22

43

Mean 

velocity.

Ft. per 

second. 

0.87

5.32

11.05

3.72

.61

1.70

Gage 

height.

Feet. 

0.55

4.50

31.30

3.00

Discharge.

Sec.-feet. 

56

7,446

149, 400

647

14

73

a October 2, 1904, one of the most disastrous floods in the history of the river occurred, destroying 

most of the wagon and railroad bridges along the entire course of the stream. The normal discharge 

except in time of floods is probably less than 100 second-feet.

It appears that the water in the Canadian is sufficient, if all is 

utilized, to irrigate many thousands of acres, but unfortunately under 

present conditions it does not seem possible to make it available. 

In most cases the difficulties of storage would be great. Dam sites 

are rare on most of the streams of the Great Plains and so far as 

known none are available on the Canadian in the Panhandle of 

Texas. The channel is broad and shallow and filled with sand, in 

places, to considerable depths. For instance, at the point where 

the Fort Worth and Denver City Railroad crosses the river between 

Tascosa and Channing, in northeastern Oldham County, the sand 

was found to be 160 feet deep.ffl The scarcity of suitable building

a On the authority of the bridge foreman.
IRRIGATION. 53

materials is a serious problem over a great part of the High Plains, 

but in this region this difficulty does not exist, for there is at various 

localities an abundance of dolomite and sandstone, of which masonry 

dams might be constructed. But even if it were possible to build 

reservoirs the river valleys contain few areas of any considerable size 

capable of being irrigated. The flood plains are in most places narrow, or, if wide, are generally composed of sandy soil across which 

it would be difficult to carry water in ditches. All of these conditions 

lead to the conclusion that irrigation on a large scale can not be successfully practiced along the Canadian in the western part of the 

Panhandle.

Irrigation along Palo Duro Canyon in eastern Randall County is 

not feasible because the canyon is so narrow that there are no sufficiently large areas suitable for irrigation. The supply of water in this 

canyon approximates 20 second-feet, an amount sufficient to irrigate 

a considerable area if land were available.

For a number of years irrigation on a limited scale has been successfully practiced along some of the smaller streams in the region. In 

almost every instance the stream so utilized is fed by Tertiary springs. 

Along various tributaries of the Canadian in northern Potter County 

several projects have been in successful operation for some time. At 

the headquarters of the L. X. ranch, 25 miles northeast of Amarillo, 

the water from Bonita Creek is utilized to irrigate 150 acres of alfalfa, 

and on the same ranch, a few miles farther west, the water from 

Pitcher Creek is utilized in the same way. On Palo Duro and Tierra 

Blanca creeks in western Randall and eastern Deaf Smith counties 

there are several small irrigation plants. A number of other creeks 

in the region carry sufficient water to irrigate considerable areas, and 

as the country becomes more densely populated there is little doubt 

that year by year a greater percentage of this surplus water will be so 

utilized.

Irrigation from springs. A considerable number of springs in this 

region can be utilized for irrigation purposes. In several instances 

this has been done, but in most of such cases there are several springs 

close together, the combined flow of which is taken. At best, however, irrigation from springs in the Panhandle must be confined to 

limited areas, for the amount of water flowing from a single spring is 

in no case large.

At Buffalo Springs, near the Oklahoma line, in northwestern Dallam 

County, irrigation has been in successful operation for more than ten 

years. The water, which has its origin in the Dakota sandstone, issues 

at a number of vents along two branches of Coldwater Creek, and half 

a mile below the junction of the two branches a ditch has been led off 

to irrigate 150 acres of alfalfa and garden. The amount of water at 

this place is approximately 5 second-feet.
54 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

At Tascosa, the county seat of Oldham County, strong Tertiary 

springs furnish the water supply for the town, and at various times 

irrigation has been practiced. At the farm of J. M. Morris, half a 

mile east of Tascosa, where the water from a Tertiary spring is utilized 

to irrigate an orchard and garden, good results have been obtained. 

At the old X I T headquarters on Alamositas Creek several acres have 

been irrigated from a Tertiary spring, and on Rita Blanca and Minneosa creeks small irrigation plants have been established at various 

times.

There are in the region hundreds of Tertiary springs with flows of 

1 second-foot or less which at present are not utilized. On many of 

the numerous tributaries of Canadian River there are scores of such 

springs. As settlement increases it may be confidently expected that 

those who come into the country will, take advantage of these natural 

irrigation sites and that within the next decade irrigation from springs 

will be greatly developed.

Irrigation from storm waters. As has been stated, much of the rainfall of the Panhandle occurs as dashing showers at irregular intervals, 

chiefly during the spring and summer months. After a shower the 

water on the High Plains accumulates in shallow sags, and the 

greater part eventually finds its way into the broad, shallow lakes 

which are scattered over the plains. Among the breaks it passes into 

the smaller streams which empty into Canadian River or Palo Duro 

Creek. In numerous places the sags on the plains or the dry channels 

among the breaks have been dammed, forming reservoirs known 

locally as ' 'tanks," to hold stock water. In several instances a ditch 

has been led out of one of these artificial ponds to irrigate a few 

square rods of garden or orchard. During the last few years the 

number of such plants has increased, and while it is obvious that 

irrigation of this character can never be practiced on a large scale it 

is nevertheless possible for hundreds of families in the region to be 

provided by this means with home-grown vegetables and fruit.

Irrigation from wells. In the discussion of artesian water in 

another part of this report the conclusion was reached that the prospects for an artesian supply over the greater part of the Panhandle 

of Texas were not good. On the other hand, ordinary wells, which 

are common in all parts of the region, furnish as a rule more water 

than is needed for stock and domestic use. In most of the wells on 

the plains the supply is practically inexhaustible with ordinary windmill pumping, and the surplus above what is used for the purposes 

named might well be utilized for irrigation. In many places the 

chief difficulty in the way of such utilization is the expense of lifting 

the water to the surface. In this region wind power is almost universally used for this purpose, and in localities where wells are shallow 

(as, for instance, along stream valleys or in the vicinity of Hereford,
IRRIGATION. 55

in Deaf Smith County, where the water is not on an average more 

than 60 feet below the surface) it has been found profitable to use 

well water for irrigating small areas.

In the greater part of the Panhandle, however, the water is too deep 

to be available. As has been stated, the average depth of the wells 

on the High Plains is over 200 feet and in some localities- the water is 

400 to 500 feet below1:he surface. It is obvious that under such conditions little more can be done than to irrigate a garden or an orchard, 

and so far as observed this is all that has ever been attempted. 

Examples of this method of irrigation are not uncommon in many 

parts of the region, many ranchmen having a small garden irrigated 

from a deep well.

FUTURE OF IRRIGATION.

The local conditions being taken into account, there is little reason 

to. suppose that there will ever be any extensive irrigation works constructed along the streams in this region. The supply of water is 

insufficient except in Canadian River and Palo Duro Creek, and on 

neither of these streams are the conditions such that large irrigation 

projects could be successfully carried out. Small streams, springs, 

artificial ponds, and wells supply water for limited irrigation sufficient in many cases to raise vegetables and fruit for a family and even 

to irrigate several acres of field crops. But there is little to warrant 

the hope that change of climatic conditions will cause the water supply 

of the Panhandle to increase, and unless some means more efficient 

than the ordinary windmill be obtained to lift the water from deep 

wells, it is extremely improbable that extensive works can ever be 

installed. On the other hand, it is obvious that only a small part of 

the available water is now being utilized and it is possible that the 

future will witness in this region thousands of small pumping plants, 

each capable of supplying sufficient water to irrigate a small tract. 

By the utilization of spring waters now allowed to go to waste and of 

surplus water from wells it will be possible to secure home comforts 

otherwise unattainable.

WATER CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 

GENERAL STATEMENT.

Of the eight counties under discussion the four lying farthest 

east Sherman, Moore, Potter, and Randall are each 30 miles 

square, while the four lying to the west, touching the New Mexico 

line, are 30 miles north and south and approximately 48 miles east 

and west. The usual system of public-land surveys, so common in 

thf c*entral and western parts of the United States, is not employed in 

Texas for the reason that when this State came into the Union by 

annexation it retained its own public lands. There are no regular
56 GEOLOGY AND WATEE KESOUBCES OF PANHANDLE, T-EXAS.

section, township, or range lines, but the land has been laid off into 

irregular blocks and subdivided into tracts containing either a square 

mile or a league. Some of the earlier surveys employed the Spanish 

vara, which equals 33.385 + inches; 1,897.7 + varas equal 1 mile. 

No accurate base maps of the region are available; that which forms 

the basis of PL III was compiled from a number of county maps.

SHERMAN COUNTY.

Topography. Sherman County is situated in the- northeastern part 

of the region and is bounded on the north by Oklahoma. Its surface 

is generally a level plain with a mean elevation of 4,000 feet, sloping 

gradually to the east. Beaver Creek has eroded a valley averaging 

half a mile wide and 100 feet deep for 5 miles through the northern 

part. Coldwater Creek flows eastward across the county north of the 

center in a meandering valley 50 feet deep and a quarter of a mile 

wide. In the southeast corner is the head of Palo Duro Creek, here 

only a shallow draw.

Geology. The rocks of Sherman County are all of Tertiary and 

Quaternary age, this being the only county in the region in which 

pre-Tertiary rocks are not exposed on the surface. White cliffs of 

Tertiary clay outcrop here and there along the creeks, but throughout 

the greater part of the county few rocks are exposed, the surface 

being eveiywhere covered with a thick sod carpet of buffalo grass.

Water supply. Beaver, Coldwater, and Palo Duro creeks are tributary to North Fork of Canadian River, but, except after local rains, 

rarely contain any water. Numbers of shallow "lakes" are scattered 

over the surface in nearly all parts of the county, into1 which is gathered the greater part of the rainfall, to remain until it evaporates or 

soaks into the ground. The surface is level, with few canyons where 

erosion has exposed the water table; consequently there are few 

springs. Well water is abundant in all parts of the county, and 

because of the absence of springs and running streams is depended on 

entirely for water supply. The depth of the wells varies considerably. At Stratford, the county seat, the court-house well found 

water at a depth of 230 feet, while from 15 to 18 miles south of the 

town a number of wells vary from 300 to 400 feet in depth. North 

of Stratford the wells average 250 feet and a few miles farther east 

from 175 to 225 feet in depth. A few wells located in the valley of 

some creek, such as Beaver or Coldwater, are not more than 60 feet 

deep, but on the High Plains most wells are more than 150 feet in 

depth. The average depth of 28 wells in different parts of the county 

is 197 feet.
WATER CONDITIONS. 57 

DALLAM COUNTY.

Topography. Dallam County is located in the northwest corner of 

Texas, and is bounded on the north by Oklahoma and on the west by 

New Mexico. The surface is a level plain sloping eastward from an 

elevation of 4,800 feet near the northwest corner, the highest elevation in the Panhandle, to approximately 4,100 feet in the northeast 

corner, an average slope of 12 feet to the mile." Coldwater Creek in 

the north and Perico and Carriso creeks in the southwest have cut" 

shallow valleys into the level upland plain.

Geology. The greater part of the surface rocks of Dallam County 

are of Tertiary origin, and where exposed along the bluffs of shallow 

stream valleys exhibit the ordinary white clay cliffs, with a few ledges 

of sand, gravel, and pebbles. In the southwest part of the county 

there is a sandy region with low irregular dunes. Along some of the 

creek beds in the northern and western parts, where erosion has 

removed the Tertiary deposits, Cretaceous rocks, consisting of beds of 

soft yellow to brown sandstone interbedded with shales, are exposed 

here and there. These exposures occur on Coldwater Creek at Buffalo 

and Agua Fria springs, at a point near the New Mexico line in the 

extreme northwest, and near Texline on both the north and south 

branches of Perico Creek.

Water supply. Across the county from northwest to southeast flow 

three shallow creeks Coldwater, Perico, and Carriso. Coldwater 

Creek, which is locally known as Rabbit Ear Creek from the fact that 

it rises in the Rabbit Ear Mountains, flows in a meandering valley 

across the "northern part of the county. It carries water only below 

the points where Cretaceous springs occur. Perico and Carriso creeks, 

which rise among volcanic peaks on the High Plains of northeastern 

New Mexico, flow southeastward across Dallam County and unite 

near Dalhart, forming Rita Blanca Creek, a tributary of the Canadian. 

Both Perico and Carriso creeks are shallow sand draws and rarely 

contain water. The greater part of the rainfall soaks into the ground 

or flows into prairie lakes, where it evaporates.

The only springs of importance in Dallam County are Buffalo and 

Agua Fria (see p. 45), both of which are located on Coldwater Creek. 

They issue from Cretaceous rocks exposed near the creek bed, and 

after flowing for a few miles disappear beneath the sands. The flow 

from Buffalo Springs approximates 5 second-feet; that from Agua 

Fria Springs is not nearly so great, perhaps less than 1 second-foot.

Wells are common in all parts of Dallam County. By far the 

greater part of them have been drilled for stock water by the Capitol 

Land and Cattle Company, the owners of the noted X I T ranch, 

which formerly contained 3,000,000 acres of land located in ten of the 

counties of northwestern Texas. In the northwestern part of Dallam
58 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

County, where Cretaceous rocks approach the surface and the superficial Tertiary deposits are thin, water is found at comparatively shallow depths. Some wells here encounter a supply ample for stock and 

domestic use at 10 to 25 feet, but the greater number go down for 75 

to 100 feet. Farther southeast, where the Tertiary deposits are 

thicker, the depth to water increases, and in the region north of 

Dalhart in the south-central part of the county much of the water is 

found at depths ranging from 250 to 400 feet. In one area 15 miles 

square in this vicinity the average depth of the wells is 400 feet. 

The average depth of 27 wells in Dallam County is 212 feet.

HARTLEY COUNTY.

Topography. Hartley County lies south of Dallam, being the second from the north in the western tier of counties in the Panhandle. 

The surface for the greater part slopes gradually to the south and 

east. All of the county is typical of the High Plains, except certain 

areas in the southern part, which lie in the breaks along the heads of 

various creeks flowing southward into Canadian River. In this 

region the heads of these streams have cut into the flat upland, 

forming numerous shallow valleys. The valley of Rita Blanca Creek, 

which averages 75 feet in depth and a mile in width, extends from 

north to south across the eastern part of the county.

Geology. The greater part of the surface rocks in Hartley County 

are of Tertiary age. Along the upper courses of some of the creeks 

which rise in the High Plains in the southern part and flow southward 

into the Canadian are white cliffs composed of Tertiary clay. A 

considerable part of the western half of the county contains low sand 

dunes derived from Tertiary sand. Triassic reel beds are exposed 

along the streams in the southern part of the county where Tertiary 

deposits have been eroded.

Water supply. Rita Blanca Creek is the largest stream in Hartley 

County. It is a typical High Plains stream and is formed by the 

junction of Perico and Carriso creeks, which unite near Dalhart at 

the north line of the county. Neither of these creeks carries water 

except after heavy rains, and Rita Blanca throughout the greater 

part of its course southward across Hartley County is merely a dry 

sand bed. At a point about 15 miles above the mouth of the creek 

the stream cuts through the Tertiary rocks and exposes the underlying red beds, which outcrop along the creek from this point to the 

river. Springs, which issue at the line of unconformity, furnish sufficient water to produce a running stream below this point for the 

greater part of the year. Punta de Agua Creek, which flows eastward 

and empties into Rita Blanca Creek in the southein part of the 

county, is ordinarily a dry sand bed. Its chief tributary, Middlewater Creek, carries little or no water except after heavy rains,
WATER .CONDITIONS. 59

Besides Rita Blanca and its tributaries some of the streams which 

rise in Hartley County and fl<j>w southward into Oldham County 

before reaching the Canadian! are the following: Tascosa, Rica, 

Cheyenne, Moneto, Pedroza, Antelope, Minneosa, and Caballo. On 

the High Plains in the northern and central parts of the county there 

is no run-off, and the water derived from rainfall either soaks immediately into the ground or passes into shallow lakes, whence it is 

slowly evaporated.

Springs, mostly of Tertiary origin, are found along certain creeks in 

the southern part of Hartley County. Some of these springs issue 

at the red beds Tertiary contact, and some from a sandy stratum in 

the Tertiary. Much of the water that supplies Tascosa, Cheyenne, 

Rita Blanca, Antelope, and Minneosa creeks comes from Tertiary 

springs in southern Hartley County. In general these springs are not 

particularly strong, averaging perhaps not more than one-tenth to 

one-fourth second-foot, but the water derived from them is sufficient 

for stock, so that in this vicinity wells are not as common as on the 

High Plains farther north.

In the northern and northeastern parts of Hartley County the depth 

to water varies from 250 to 400 feet. Near Hartley, east of the center 

of the county, the wells are 350 to 375 feet deep, and at Channing, the 

county seat, their average depth is 300 feet. In the western part of 

the county, in what is known as the Middlewater district, water is 

found at depths varying from 160 to 200 feet. Among the breaks 

in the southern part of the county the wells vary from 10 to 150 

feet in depth. At Willow Springs ranch, 12 miles west of Channing, 

an artesian well is reported. The records of 76 wells in all parts of 

Hartley County show an average depth of 240 feet, a greater average 

depth than in any other county in this part of the Panhandle.

MOORE COUNTY.

Topography. Moore County is situated south of Sherman and east 

of Hartley. It is the second county south of Oklahoma and the 

second east of New Mexico. Its greater part lies on the High Plains, 

at an elevation varying from about 4,000 feet in the northwest corner 

to a little less than 3,000 feet along Canadian River in the southeastern part. The latter elevation is the lowest in the region to 

which this report relates. In the southern and southeastern parts 

of the county the topography is rough, the High Plains being dissected 

by several short creeks tributary to the Canadian, which crosses the 

extreme southeast corner of the county. Several of these creeks, 

particularly Big Blue and its tributaries, have carved narrow, steepsided canyons in places as much as 200 feet deep.

Geology. Throughout the greater part of Moore County only Tertiary rocks are exposed on the surface. White Tertiary cliffs occur
60 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

in the breaks near-the heads of various creeks, and in certain localities 

low sand dunes are found. Permian red beds outcrop along the 

Canadian and on the lower course of Big Blue Creek, both the Greer 

and Quartermaster formations being exposed. A prominent member 

of the Quartermaster formation is the Alibates dolomite lentil, which 

forms the escarpment of the canyon of Big Blue Creek. The Alibates 

is also conspicuously exposed on the bluffs along the river.

Water supply. The drainage of Moore County flows southeastward 

into the Canadian. This river, which flows for 3 miles across the southeastern part of the county, is here contained between high bluffs of 

red clay capped by the Alibates dolomite. Big Blue Creek, which 

drains a considerable area in the central and southeastern parts of 

the county, is formed by two branches, both of which begin as flat 

draws on the High Plains. In the course of their development they 

have cut through the Tertiary deposits, exposing the water table, 

whence springs issue. From this point to its mouth, just across the 

line in Hutchinson County, Big Blue Creek is a running stream. 

Farther west are Corral, Sand, India, and Casino creeks, which rise 

in Moore County and pass into Potter County before emptying into 

the Canadian. All these streams are fed by Tertiary springs and contain water for parts of their courses only. A considerable portion of 

central and northern Moore County has no drainage except into" lakes 

on the High Plains.

Most of the springs in Moore County occur in the southern and 

southeastern parts near the heads of the creeks just mentioned, particularly Big Blue Creek. As a rule, they issue at the Tertiary and 

red beds contact, but a few start at a higher horizon. Their water 

is almost uniformly fresh and pure. The flow from any one spring is 

in few cases large, but the aggregate from the hundreds that occur 

in the region is considerable, so that not many wells are necessary 

to furnish stock water. Springs in the red beds occur along the Canadian and the creek valleys. The water from some of these springs is 

fresh, but in most cases it contains a sufficient amount of mineral 

salts, chiefly gypsum, to make it unpalatable and even to render it 

unfit for domestic use.

Few of the wells which have been bored on the High Plains in the 

central, northern, and western parts of Moore County fail to obtain 

an abundant supply of water. At Dumas, the county seat, wells are 

260 feet deep. East of Dumas they are from 160 to 200 feet deep, 

while in the western part of the county the average is 240 to 300 feet. 

Near the northern line the depths vary from 150 to 225 feet, and along 

Blue Creek and in the breaks in the southern part of the county they 

average from 10 to 100 feet. There is an artesian well on Big Blue 

Creek in the eastern part of the county, the water of which probably 

comes from the Triassic formations below the Tertiary. In the red-
WATER CONDITIONS. 61

beds area in the valley of the Canadian, where but few wells have 

been sunk, the water is generally poor. The average depth of 36 

wells in Moore County is 161 feet,

POTTER COUNTY.

Topography. Potter County is situated west of the center of the 

Panhandle, in the third tier of counties from the Oklahoma line, and 

the second tier east of New Mexico. Its extreme southern part only 

is on the High Plains; the Canadian flows eastward across the northern part. The greater part of the county lies in the breaks of the 

Canadian, and the topography is consequently rough, being characterized by rounded hills and knolls and in places by rather narrow, 

steep-sided canyons and intervening slopes. Sand dunes occur on 

Chicken Creek and neighboring streams in the northern part of the 

county and on the slope north of Canadian River.

Geology. Both Tertiary rocks and red beds are well exposed in 

Potter County. On the High Plains near Amarillo, in the southern 

part of the county, the rocks are the ordinary High Plains Tertiary. Near the edge of the Llano Estacado there are conspicuous 

cliffs of white clay, while farther north in the breaks, particularly 

along the divides between the small creeks, are rounded knolls and 

small ridges, many of them covered with smooth waterworn pebbles, 

weathered out from the lower members of the Tertiary. Along the 

river and most of the tributary creeks both Permian and Triassic red 

beds occur, all the members of both series from the Greer gypsum to 

the middle sandstone of the Trujillo formation being well exposed. 

Prominent cliffs of red shale occur in various localities, capped here 

by the Alibates dolomite and there by the lower sandstone of the 

Trujillo.

Water supply. The channel of Canadian River, the largest stream 

in Potter County, averages half a mile in width. The banks, are for 

the most part low and sandy, although in certain localities as for 

instance, near the mouths of Bonita and Amarillo creeks steep 

bluffs occur, capped usually with Alibates dolomite. As has been 

stated, the channel is usually dry, but the river is subject to sudden 

and rapid rises, in which great quantities of water pass down the 

stream in a few hours. The chief tributary creeks which enter the 

Canadian from the north in Potter County are Plum, Big Canyon, 

Saddlehorse, Fort, Ranch, Pitcher, John Ray, Lahay, Corral, Sand, 

India, and Casino, while those from the south are Turkey, Alibates, 

Short, Molyneux, Coietas, Chicken, Bonita, Pedrosa, East Amarillo, 

West Amarillo, Horse, Tecovas, and Sierra de la Cruz. Practically 

all of these creeks rise as shallow sand draws on the High Plains and 

 flow toward the river, finally cutting through the Tertiary deposits 

and into the red beds before reaching the main stream. Most of
62 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

them have water in their lower courses only; a few are dry except 

after heavy rains; while others, notably Bonita, Ranch, and Pitcher 

creeks, have sufficient water all the year for a small amount of irrigation. On the High Plains in the southern part of the county there 

are a number of lakes into which the surplus water from rainfall collects and remains until it evaporates.

Springs occur in Potter County chiefly at the usual horizon, viz, the 

line of unconformity at the top of the red beds. Water from the Tertiary deposits of the High Plains both north and'south of the river 

comes to the surface at this level and issues as springs which supply the 

creeks mentioned above. Few individual springs afford more than 

one-fourth or one-half second-foot of water, but the aggregate from 

the great number of springs is considerable, as illustrated by such 

streams as Bonita, Chicken, Ranch, and Pitcher creeks, each of which 

flows several second-feet. Springs also occur in the red beds in this 

county. As a rule the water from those in the Triassic formations is 

good, but much of that from the Permian beds contains appreciable 

amounts of mineral salts and is unfit for domestic use.

Very few wells have been put down in Potter County except on the 

High Plains in the southern part. In the breaks along the river an 

ample supply of water for both stock and domestic uses and in many 

places a surplus for irrigation is furnished by springs. At Amarillo, 

the county seat, the wells average 240 feet in depth. Farther 

east, in the direction of Panhandle, their depth increases in some 

cases to 300 or 350 feet. An average of 23 records obtained in 

this county is 260 feet, but this average is misleading, for in the breaks 

near the river, where wells are not common, those that have been 

put down are relatively shallow, not averaging more than 50 feet, so 

that for the entire county the average depth is perhaps not more than 

150 feet.

OLDHAM COUNTY.

Topography. Oldham County is located on the west line of the 

State, being the third county south of Oklahoma. Its topography is 

very similar to that of Potter County. The southern part lies on 

the High Plains, and Canadian River flows eastward near the northern line. Thus the greater part of Oldham County lies on the slope 

south of the river, and into this slope a number of short creeks, 

flowing northward, have cut minor valleys, producing a rugged topography. North of the Canadian also the country is broken. In 

the western part of the county the Canadian flows between cliffs 

of red shale 150 feet high, capped by the Alibates dolomite, and in 

the same region a number of creeks have cut canyons through this 

formation.

Geology. The rocks of Oldham County are all red beds or Tertiary 

deposits. Along the river near the mouth of Trujillo Creek the
WATER CONDITIONS. 63

Quartermaster formation is exposed and with it the Saddlehorse gypsum and Alibates dolomite lentils, the latter forming the cap of conspicuous bluffs for miles along the various streams. Most of the' 

red beds, however, are of Triassic age, both the Tecovas and the 

Trujillo formations being well exposed along the river and in the 

valleys of the various creeks, extending in places as far back as the 

edge of the High Plains. Along the creeks red clays and gray and 

yellow sandstones are conspicuous. Near the mouth of Trujillo 

Creek the variegated shales of the Tecovas formation are represented 

by a ledge of soft yellow to red sandstone containing fossil wood. 

The High Plains in the southern part of the county are composed of 

Tertiary rocks, as are also the divides between many of the creeks. 

The northern edge of the Llano Estacado in this county is in most 

places a> cliff 50 to 200 feet high, composed of white clay. Along the 

slopes and on the smaller divides smooth waterworn pebbles cover the 

ground and gravel points are common.

Water supply. Oldham is the best watered county in the western 

part of the Panhandle. Canadian River, which flows eastward across 

its northern part, is in most places a broad, shallow, sand-choked 

stream, often dry, but subject to rapid rises. Along a part of its 

course in Oldham County the river is narrow and is contained between 

bluffs 100 to 140 feet high. In general, however, its valley is from 

1 mile to 2 miles wide. Numerous tributary creeks which rise near the 

edge of the High Plains enter from both north and south.' Those from 

the north are Piscodo, Tascosa, Rica, Cheyenne, Rita Blanca, Moneto, 

Pedroza, Antelope, Minneosa, and Caballo. Of these Rita Blanca, the 

most important stream, is formed by the junction of Carriso and 

Perico creeks in southern Dallam County and flows entirely across 

Hartley County before entering Oldham. Practically all the creeks 

mentioned rise in Hartley County and are fed by Tertiary springs, so 

that in their course in Oldham County they are running streams for at 

least part of the year. Cottonwood, Parker, Alamosa, Skunk, Alamositas, Las Achias, and Trujillo creeks enter Canadian River on thesouth. Trujillo Creek, which is the largest, rises at the base of the 

High Plains in New Mexico and flows northeastward, receiving as 

tributaries Mujeres and Agua Piedra creeks before joining the river. 

Alamosa Creek is also a large stream and drains a considerable area. 

All of these streams are spring fed, but in most of them the water sinks 

into the sand before reaching the river.

Springs occur along all the streams in Oldham County, and particularly in the region south of the river hundreds issue at the Tertiary 

and red beds contact or from sandy beds in the Tertiary deposits. 

A notable example of a Tertiary spring is the one near Alamositas 

Creek at the old X I T ranch headquarters, which flows half a secondfoot. Another valuable spring on Skunk Arroyo, a few miles east of
64 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF PANHANDLE, TEXAS.

the one on Alamositas Creek, flows more than 1 second-foot. S >trong 

Tertiary springs occur on Las Achias, Trujillo, Caballo, Minneos i, and 

Alamosa creeks.

Springs from the red beds are common. On Sierra de la

Parker, and Alamosa creeks the water issues in" places from beneath

the various sandstone ledges of the Trujillo formation and in 

from joints in the red clay. On Las Achias Creek a number of s

Cruz,

places 

trong

springs issue near the Alibates dolomite. All the Tertiary springs 

and the majority of those from the red beds in Oldham County supply 

fresh water. The water from a few springs which issue in the Permian red beds, however, contains gypsum and other mineral salts.

Wells are not common in Oldham County, except on the High Plains 

near the southern line, for the reason that springs are abundant in 

most localities and furnish an ample supply of stock water. North of 

the river there are a few wells which average 100 to 150 feet in depth. 

On the Llano Estacado in the southern part the average depth is 200 

feet, varying from 160 to 245 feet. The average depth of 12 wells in 

Oldham County is 160 feet.

DEAF SMITH COUNTY.

Topography. Deaf Smith County, the southwesternmost county in 

the region, is bounded on the west by New Mexico and is the fourth 

county south of Oklahoma. All of it is situated on the Llano 

Estacado except the extreme northwest corner, which lies in the valley of Trujillo Creek at the foot of the plains. The shallow channels 

of Palo Duro and Tierra Blanca creeks each follow a meandering 

course eastward across the county. At the eastern line these streams 

have cut canyons averaging 50'feet in depth and a quarter of a mile in 

width.

Geology. The rocks of Deaf Smith County are chiefly of Tertiary 

age, but, as is usual on the High Plains, very few outcrops occur. In 

the northwestern part of the county, at the edge of the Llano Estacado, there are cliffs 100 to 150 feet high composed of white Tertiary 

clay, and at the foot of the plains in the same locality ordinary pebbles are found. Red beds of Triassic age occur at the foot qf the plains 

along the various small tributaries of Trujillo Creek.

Water supply. Streams are rare in most parts of Deaf Smith 

County. A few small creeks, all of which flow northward into Trujillo Creek, rise at the foot of the High Plains in the northwestern 

part. On the Llano Estacado Palo Duro and Tierra Blanca creeks 

flow entirely across the county from west to east. Both of these 

streams have their origin in New Mexico as shallow draws on the level 

plains and extend for more than 30 miles before carrying any water in 

their channels. About 15 miles from the eastern line of the county 

both streams have cut down to the water table and springs begin to
WATER CONDITIONS. 65

appear along the creek beds, increasing in both number and volume 

until at the point where they leave the county each creek carriesapproximately 5 second-feet of water. Most of the rainfall flows into 

the numerous lakes, which include some of the largest in the Panhandle.

A few springs issue from the red beds and Tertiary contact at the 

foot of the plains in the northwestern part of the county, but none of 

them are of any great importance. Hundreds of springs issue along 

the beds of Palo Duro and Tierra Blanca creeks in the eastern part. 

The water of these evidently does not issue as usual from the unconformity at the base of the Tertiary deposits, but from sand and gravel 

strata in the Tertiary. Few of the springs are strong, but the aggregate flow from the great number that occur is considerable. (

Wells are abundant in Deaf Smith County. At the foot of the 

plains in the northwestern part there are a few wells averaging 80 

feet in depth, which obtain water in the red beds; this water is usually 

not good. On the plains the depth varies considerably in different 

localities. In the western part 13 wells average 254 feet, varying 

from 155 to 375 feet. In the northeastern part wells vary from 100 

to 150 feet in depth. Near Hereford, the county seat, in the southeastern part, water is shallower than on any part of the High Plains 

south of the Canadian in this region, the average depth being 60 feet. 

In the town of Hereford there are nearly 200 windmills. The average depth of 21 wells in the eastern part of the county is 71 feet, while 

southwest of Hereford the depth to water is in places 300 feet or more. 

The average depth of 120 wells in all parts of Deaf Smith County is 

94 feet, being the lowest of all the counties in this part of the Panhandle.

RANDALL COUNTY.

Topography, Randall is the southeasternmost county in the region 

to which this report relates. The surface is a level plain trenched in 

its eastern part by the deep gorge of Palo Duro Canyon. The canyon 

proper, which begins near Canyon, not far from the center of the 

county, is formed by Palo Duro and Tierra Blanca creeks, both of 

which, in the western part of the county, flow in valleys averaging 

100 feet in depth and half a mile in width. From the junction of 

these two streams the canyon deepens steadily until at the eastern 

line of the county it is 800 feet deep. Throughout a considerable 

part of its course this canyon is not more than a mile wide, with steep, 

in many places, precipitous sides. Several smaller streams which 

enter from the south, notably Sunday, Timber, and Canyon Cita 

creeks, have cut short canyons which at their mouths are as deep as 

the main canyon.

Geology. On the High Plains and along the upper part of Palo 

IRR 191 07 5
66 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF MANHANDLE, TEXAS.

Duro Canyon only Tertiary rocks are exposed. White cliffs, 50 to 

200 feet high, occur at the brink of the canyon and along Palo Duro 

and Tierra Blanca creeks in the western part of the county. Red 

beds are conspicuously exposed in the lower part of Palo Duro Canyon. 

The brick-red clays of the Quartermaster formation outcrop near the 

base of the canyon wall. Unconformably above these lie the variegated 

lavender, maroon, yellow, and red clays of the Tecovas formation, 

and still higher are the various sandstone members interbedded with 

shales which comprise the Trujillo formation.

Water supply. All the streams of Randall County are affluents of 

Palo Duro Creek. On the High Plains above the head of the canyons 

of Palo Duro and Tierra Blanca creeks are spring-fed streams which 

enter from Deaf Smith County. At the point of junction near Canyon 

each stream flows approximately 15 second-feet, and they -continue 

fairly constant from this point to the eastern line of the county. A 

number of short creeks, the chief of which are Timber, Sunday, and 

Canyon Cita, enter from the south and carry water only a part of the 

year. Lakes, which are common on this part of the High Plains, 

receive the drainage of most of the county.

Springs occur in Randall County chiefly along Palo Duro and 

Tierra Blanca creeks and their tributaries. As was stated under the 

discussion of Deaf Smith County (p. 64), springs begin to' appear 

along these creeks about 15 miles west of the Randall County line. 

As these streams cut deeper into the Tertiary rocks the springs increase 

in both number and volume as far as the junction near Canyon. 

Along the edges of Palo Duro Canyon and of the small side canyons 

numerous springs occur at the Tertiary and red beds contact. Canyon Cita, Sunday, and Timber creeks are supplied from springs which 

issue at the point where the small head canyons have cut back into 

the plains. The water from these springs is rarely of sufficient volume 

to form running streams for any considerable distance, and the creeks 

are dry for the greater part of the year. Springs are found locally in 

the red beds on the slopes and near the bottom of the canyon, but 

the flow in few of them is strong.

Wells are common in all parts of Randall County. West of Canyon 

they vary from 60 to 120 feet in depth; 6 to 8 miles farther north 

they have a fairly constant depth of 125 feet, and thence increase 

gradually to 250 feet near Amarillo, which lies just across the north 

line in Potter County. South and east of Canyon the wells vary from 

150 to 200 feet, and in the northeastern part of the county from 160 

to 240 feet in depth. The average depth of 24 wells in Randall County 

is 181 feet.
INDEX.

A.

Page.

Agua Fria, springs, flow of__-____ 57 

location of _________ 29,37,45,57 

rocks near _________ 29-30, 45, 57 

section near ____________ 30

Agua Piedra Creek, springs on___ 47

Alamosa Creek, rocks on_______ 27, 28 

springs on _________ 37, 45, 47, 64

Alamositas Creek, irrigation on__ 53 

springs on ______________ 45, 47, 63

Albert, N. Mex., rainfall at_____ 51

Alibates Creek, rocks on__ 14, 16, 17, 18 

springs on ____________ 44, 47

Alibates dolomite lentil, correlation

of______________ 17 

occurrence and character of___ 17 21 

occurrence of, view of_______ 20

Alluvium, occurrence and character

of______________ 13

Amarillo, rainfall at___________ 51

wells at _______________ 62

Amarillo Creek. Xee East Amarillo ; West Amarillo.

Antelope Creek, rocks on_______ 16, 18

Area of region____________ 7

Artesian water, occurrence of____ 42-43

B.

Beaver Creek, description of__ 11, 47, 56 

drainage of ____________ 47-48 

sands on ________________ 35

Beede, J. W., fcssils determined by_ 21

Big Blue Creek, artesian well on__ 43, 60 

description of ___________ 12, 60 

rocks on_______________ 18 

springs on ___________ 44,46,60

Big Canyon Creek, rocks on__ 14, 16, 17, 18 

section on_____________ 19,40 

springs on______________ 44

Blaine formation, occurrence of__ 13

Bonita Creek, irrigation on_____ 53

rocks on _____________ 19, 25

sands on_______________ 35

springs on _______________ 47

Buffalo Springs, flow of_____ 37,45,57 

irrigation at__ ___ _____ 53 

location of _________ 30, 37, 45, 57 

rocks near __ _ _ _ 30, 45, 57

C.

Caballo Creek, springs on______ 64

Canadian River, alluvium on_____ 35 

bluffs of, view of__________ 20 

course of ____________ 9, 47-49 

description of ______ 48-49, 61, 63 

elevation of _____________ 8. 9 

flow of_____________________ 52

irrigation on ____________ 52-53 

rocks on and near______ 14, 16, 17,

18, 21, 25, 26, 27, 33 

sand on____________ 52

section near_________ _ 19

springs on_________ 37, 44, 45, 46

underground water on______ 36 

valley of, description of_____ 9-10

Canadian River, North Fork of,

drainage of _ _______ 48

Canyon Cita Creek, rocks on_. 14, 16, 27, 28 

springs on___________ 37, 44, 66

Canyons and valleys, description of_ 9-12

Capitol Land and Cattle Company,

wells of_________ 57

Carboniferous rocks, occurrence and

character of ______ 13

Carriso Creek, description of______ 12, 57

Casino Creek, springs on________ 46

Channing, experiment station at__ 51 

wells near__-______.___ 59

Cheyenno Creek, lake on_________ 47

rocks on _________________ 27

Chicken Creek, sand on_________ 35

springs on ______________ 47

Clay, occurrence and character of___ 32-33

Coldwater Creek, description of____ 11-12,

48, 56, 57 

rocks on ______________ 29-30

section on _____________ 30

springs on ___________- 29-30, 45

Conglomerate, occurrence and character of_____________ 33

Corral Creek, springs on_ __ 46

Counties, water conditions byj description of _._____ 55-66

Cretaceous rocks, occurrence and

character of 13, 29-31, 57 

sections of ______.______ 30 

water from____.______ 36, 37, 45

Cummins, F. W., on Dockum beds__ 21

67
68 INDEX.

D.

Dakota sandstone, artesian water

occurrence and character of____

occurrence of, view of________

water from ______________

Dallam County, area of_________

geology of_________ 29-31, 

topography of ___________

water resources of ___________

37, 43, 45, 48, 53 

wells in___ __________ 40,

Darton, N. II., work under direction 

of _____'___________

Day Creek dolomite, correlation of__ 

Deaf Smith County, area of_______

geology of _ _________

lakes in _______________

springs in ________________

topography of __________

water resources of _________ 12

wells in _______________ 40

Dixon Creek, rocks on____________

Dockum group, divisions of_______

divisions of, descriptions of___

occurrence and character of___

20

Dozier, fossils found near__________

Drainage, account of_____________

Drake, N. P., on Texas Triassic___ 

Dumas, wells at _________________

Page.

43

13,37 

20 

37 

55

35,57 

57

10-11, 

57-58 

57-58

7

17 

55 

64 

50 

65 

64

, 64-65

, 55, 65

16, 28

''2

23-29 

13,

-22, 29 

21

47-51 

21 

60

East Anrarillo Creek, rocks on____ 19, 25 

springs on ____ ________ 45,47

Elevations in region__________ 8

Enid formation, occurrence of_-__ 13 

Equus beds, occurrence and character of __-______ 13, 31-32 

Erosion, progress of ________ 8

views of _______________ 10, 16

Geology, description of________ 12-35

map showing ______ _____ 12

sections of. figure showing___ 14

Gidley, ,T. W., fossils determined by_ 28

Great Plains, area located in____ 7

deposits of __________ 8

rainfall and run-off on_______ 41

Greer formation, gypsum in_____ 14-15 

occurrence and character of, 13, 14-10 

occurrence of, view of______ 16

sections of_____________ 19

Gryphsea shells, occurrence of____ 33 

G.vpsuni, occurrence of________ 14

occurrence of, view of______ 16

See also Greer formation; 

Quartermaster formation.

II.

Hartley, wells at____________ 59

Hartley County, area of__._____ 55

geology of _ _ _ 35, 58

Page.

Hartley County, springs in________ ' 59

topography of_____ ______ 58

water resources of______ 11, 58-59

wells in___________________ 59

Hereford, springs at_________ 12 

wells at___________ 40,54-55,65

High Plains, description of_____ 8-9

drainage of___ _____________ 50

farming on_______________ 51

lakes on_________ _ _ ___ 50-51

windmills on__________ 41-42,54 

view of____________ 42

Horse Creek, rocks on___ _. __ 16, 19 

springs on __________________ 44

I.

India Creek, springs on_______ 46

Irrigation, future of______________ 55

necessity of______________ 51-52

water supply for_ _ 52-55

J.

John Ray Creek, rocks on_. 

springs on___________

Johnson, NY. D., on rainfall25

46-47 

41

K. 

Kit Carson Creek, rocks on_______ 18

L.

Lahay Creek, rocks on_______ 25

springs on_______ __ 46-47

Lake deposits, theory of___ . 34

Las Achias Creek, rocks on_____ 20 

springs on_________ 44,45,47,64

Llano Estacado, description of____ 8 

wells on ____ _____ 64

Location of region, map showing-_ 7

Logan, N. Mex., Canadian River at,

flow of ________ 52

Loup Pork beds, correlation of_- 31

M.

Map showing location of area , _ 7

Map, geologic, of western Panhandle- 12

Matthews, T. B., work of ___ 7

Middlewater Creek, character of 59

Minneosa Creek, irrigation on______ 53

springs on___ __________ 47, 64

Moneto Creek, springs on_ __ 47

Moose County, area of-__- _ 55

geology of_____ 14, 18-19, 55, 59-60

springs in ________ _____ 60

topography of _ __ 59

water resources of __ 12, 43, 46, 60-61

wells in ________________ 60-61

Mujeres Creek, springs on_ __ 47

N.

North Canyon Cita Creek, north

branch of, section on_ 22 

springs on ___ _ 46

North Pork of Canadian River, drainage of_____._____ 48

North Perico Creek, rocks on_____ 30-31
INDEX. 69

o.

Page. 

Oldham County, area of________ 55

geology of__ 26, 29, 35, 52, 54, 62-63 

springs in _____________ 63-64 

topography of ___________ 62

water resources of_______ 12, 63-64

wells in ________________ 64

P.

Palo Duro Canyon (of Red River),

alluvium in _________ 35

course of ________________ 9,10

description of____._______ 10-11,

47, 49-50, 64, 65, 66

elevation of _______._____ 8

erosion in, view of-___________ 16

falls in, view of___________ 10 

flow in ________________ 53 

gypsum in, view of________ 16

irrigation in _____________ 53 

rocks in_________ 14, 16, 23, 25-28 

section in _______________ 24

springs in _____________ 37,44,46

underground water in_______ 36

Palo Duro Creek (of Beaver Creek),

course of__._____ 9, 12, 48

Parker Creek, rocks on___^______ 27 

springs on_______________ 45, 47

Peflrosa Creek, rocks on__________ 10

springs on _______.____ 47

I'erico Creek, description of______ 12, 57 

rocks on ________________ 29

1'ermian rocks, occurrence and character of________ 13, 14-21 

sections of___________ 19-25, 29 

water from___________ 36, 44-45

Phytosaurus superciliosus Cope, occurrence of-______ 28

Pitcher Creek, irrigation on_____ 53 

rocks on______________ 19 

springs on _____ _____-__ 46

Playas, description of__________ 8-9

1'lum Creek, rocks on______ 14, 16, 18 

springs on________________ 44, 46

1'otter County, area of________ 55

geology of_____ 14, 17-20, 27, 33, 61 

lakes in ______ ____ 62

topography of___________ 61

water resources of_________ 61-62

wells in________________ 40, 62

Punta de Agua Creek, description of_ 58

Q.

 Quartermaster formation, erosion

of, view of_______ 16 

gypsum in____________ 15

lentils in, description of____ 16-21

occurrence and character of_ 13,

15-21, 66

sections of______________ 19, 20

springs from____________ 44 

Quaternary deposits, occurrence and

character of ____ 13, 35, 56

R.

Rabbit Ear Creek. See Coldwater

Creek. 

Rainfall, disposal of-________

Ranch Creek, rocks on__________

springs on_______________

Randall County, area of___________

geology of__ 14, 16, 22, 25, 29, 

springs in______________

topography of ____________

water resources of_______ 50,

wells in_____________________

Red beds, divisions of___1_______

occurrence and character of__ 

13,

water from_________ 36-37, 

See also Permian. 

Red River, drainage of________

Rita Blanca Creek, artesian well on_ 

description of __________

irrigation on____________

spring on________________

River deposits, theory of_____..___

Rock City, location and character of_

S.

41

19, 33

46

55

65-66 

66 

65

53, 66

40, 66

13

10,

61, 62 

44-45

49-50 

43

58, 63 

53 

47 

34 

25

Saddlehorse Creek, rocks on__ 14, 16. 18

Saddlehorse gypsum lentil, occurrence and character 

of ___________ 16-17, 19

occurrence of, view of______ 20

Salt Fork, rocks on__________ 17

Sand, occurrence and character of_ 33 

Sand Creek, springs on________ 46-47

Sand dunes, occurrence and character of___.___-__ 13,35 

Schramm, E. F.. work of-__---_-__ 7 

Sheet water, definition of_______ 38

Sherman County, area of________ , f>,~

geology of____________ 3."), 56

lakes in________________ 5(1

topography of______ _ __ 56

water resources of__________ 12, 4s. 56

wells in___ _________ _ __ 56

Sierra de la Cruz Creek, rocks on_ 27, 28 

section on_____________ 20

springs on_________ 37, 45, 47, 64

Skunk Arroyo, springs on____ 47, 63-64

South Canyoncita Creek, rocks on__ 28

springs on__ __ ___ ____ 46

South Fork, rocks on________ _ 17

South Perico Creek, rocks on______ 31

Springs, description of__ _ __ 44-47 

irrigation from__________ 53

occurrence of________ ____ 11-12,

37, 43-47, 55, 59. 60, 62-66 

structure of, figure showing 46 

water of, derivation of______ 43-44

Staked Plains, description of____ 8

Stanton, T. W., fossils determined by_ 2,8 

Storm waters, storage of _____ 54

Stratford, wells at and near_____ 56 

Stratigraphy, table of ____ _ 13
I[ SERIES LIST.

B 119. A geological reconnaissance in northwest Wyoming, b'y G. H. Eldridge. 1894. 72 pp., 4 pis. 

B 137. The geology of the Fort Riley Military Reservation and vicinity, Kansas, by Robert Hay. 1896.

35 pp., 8 pis. 

B 144. The moraines of the Missouri Coteau and their attendant deposits, by J. E. Todd. 1896. 71

pp., 21 pis. 

B 158. The moraines of southeastern South Dakota and their attendant deposits, by J. E. Todd. 1899.

171 pp., 27 pis. 

B 159. The geology of eastern Berkshire County, Massachusetts, by B. K. Emerson. 1899. 139pp..

9 pis. 

B 165. Contributions to the geology of Maine, by H. S. Williams and H. E. Gregory. 1900. 212 pp.,

14 pis. 

WS 70. Geology and water resources of the Patrick and Goshen Hole quadrangles in eastern Wyoming

and western Nebraska, by G. I. Adams. 1902. 50 pp., 11 pis. 

B-199. Geology and water resources of the Snake River Plains of Idaho, by I. C. Russell. 1902. 192pp.,

25 pis. 

PP 1. Preliminary report on the Ketchikan mining district, Alaska, with an introductory sketch of

the geology of southeastern Alaska, by A. H. Brooks. 1902. 120 pp., 2 pis. 

PP 2. Reconnaissance of the northwestern portion of Seward Peninsula, Alaska, by A. J. Collier. 1902.

70pp., 11 pis. 

PP 3. Geology and petrography of Crater Lake National Park, by J. S. Diller and H. B. Patton. 1902.

167pp., 19 pis. 

PP 10. Reconnaissance from Fort Hamlin to Kotzebue Sound, Alaska, by way of Ball, Kanuti, Alien,

and Kowak rivers, by W. C. Mendenhall. 1902. 68 pp., 10 pis.

PP 11. Clays of the United States east of the Mississippi River, by Heinrich Ries. 1903. 298 pp., 9 pis. 

PP 12. Geology of the Globe copper district, Arizona, by F. L. Ransome. 1903. 168 pp., 27 pis. 

PP 13. Drainage modifications in southeastern Ohio and adjacent parts ef West Virginia and Kentucky, by W. G. Tight. 1903. Ill pp., 17 pis. (Out of stock.) 

B 208. Descriptive geology of Nevada south of the fortieth parallel and adjacent portions of California,

by J. E. Spurr. 1903. 229 pp., 8 pis.

B 209. Geology of Ascutney Mountain, Vermont, by R. A. Daly. 1903. 122 pp., 7 pis. 

WS 78. Preliminary report on artesian basins in southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon, by

I. C. Russell. 1903. 51 pp., 2 pis. 

PP 15. Mineral resources of the Mount Wraugell district, Alaska, by W. C. Mendenhall and rF. C.

Schrader. 1903. 71 pp., 10 pis. 

PP 17. Preliminary report on the geology and water resources of Nebraska west of the one hundred

and third meridian, by N. H. Darton. 1903. 69 pp., 43 pis. 

B 217. Notes on the geology of southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon, by I. C. Russell. 1903.

83 pp., 18 pis.

B 219. The ore deposits of Tonopah, Nevada (preliminary report), by J. E. Spurr, 1903. 31 pp., 1 pi. 

PP 20. A reconnaissance in northern Alaska in 1901, by F. C. Schrader. 1904. 139 pp., 16 pis. 

PP 21. The geology and ore deposits of the Bisbee quadrangle, Arizona, by F. L. Ransome. 1904. 168

pp., 29 pis. 

W# 90. Geology and water resources of part of the lower James River Valley, South Dakota, by J. E.

Todd and C. M. Hall. 1904. 47 pp., 23 pis. 

PP 25. The copper deposits of the Encampment district, Wyoming, by A. C. Spencer. 1904. 107 pp ,

2 pis. (Out of stock.) 

PP 26. Economic resources of the northern Black Hills, by J. D. Irving, with contributions byS. F.

Emmons and T. A. Jaggar, jr. 1904. 222 pp., 20 pis.

PP 27. A geological reconnaissance across the Bitterroot Range and Clearwater Mountains in Montana and Idaho, by Waldemar Lindgren. 1904. 122 pp., 15 pis. 

PP 31. Preliminary report on the geology of the Arbuckle and Wichita mountains in Indian Territory

and Oklahoma, by J. A. Taff, with an appendix on reported ore deposits in the Wichita

Mountains, by H. F. Bain. 1904. 97 pp., 8 pis. 

B 235. A geological reconnaissance across the Cascade Range near the forty-ninth parallel, by G. O.

Smith and F. C. Calkins. 1904. 103 pp., 4 pis.

B 236. The Porcupine placer district, Alaska, by C. W. Wright. 1904. 35 pp., 10 plf-. 

B 237. Igneous rocks of the Highwood Mountains, Montana, by L. V. Pirssoii. 1904. 208 pp., 7 pis. 

B 238. Economic geology of the lola quadrangle, Kansas, by G. I. Adams, Erasmus Haworth, and

W. R. Crane. 1904. 83 pp., 1 pi. 

PP 32. Geology and underground water resources of the central Great Plains, by N. H. Darton. 1905.

433 pp., 72 pis. 

WS 110. Contributions to hydrology of eastern United States, 1904; M. L. Fuller, geologist in charge.

1905. 211 pp., 5 pis. 

B 242. Geology of the Hudson Valley between the Hoosic and the Kinderhook, by T. Nelson Dale.

1904. 63 pp., 3 pis. 

PP 34. The Delavan lobe of the Lake Michigan glacier of the Wisconsin stage of glaciation and

associated phenomena, by W. C. Alden. 1904. 106 pp., 15-pis.
SERIES LIST. Ill

PP 35. Geology of the Perry Basin in southeastern Maine, by G. O. Smith and David White. 1905.

107 pp., 6 pis. s 

B 243. Cement materials and industry of the United States, by E. C. Eckel. 1905. 395 pp., 15 pis. 

B 246. Zinc and lead deposits of northeastern Illinois, by H. P. Bain. 1904. 56 pp., 5 pis. 

B 247. The Pairhaven gold placers of Seward Peninsula, Alaska, by F. H. Moffit. 1905. 85 pp., 14 pis. 

B 249. Limestones of southwestern Pennsylvania, by P. G. Clapp. 1905. 52 pp., 7 pis. 

B 250. The petroleum fields of the Pacific coast of Alaska, with an account of the Bering River coal

deposit, by G. C. Martin. 1905. 65 pp., 7 pis. 

B 251. The gold placers of the Portymile, Birch Creek, and Fairbanks regions, Alaska, by L. M.

Prindle. 1905. 16 pp., 16 pis. 

WS 118. Geology and water resources of a portion of east-central Washington, by P. C. Calkins. 1905.

96 pp., 4 pis. 

B 252. Preliminary report on the geology and water resources of central Oregon, by I. C. Russell.

1905. 138 pp., 24 pis. 

PP 36. The lead, zinc, and fluorspar deposits of western Kentucky, by E. O. Ulrich and W. S. Tangier

Smith. 1905. 218 pp., 15 pis. 

PP 38. Economic geology of the Bingham mining district of Utah, by J. M. Boutwell, with a chapter

on areal geology, by Arthur Keith, and an introduction on general geology, by S. F. Emmons.

1905. 413 pp., 49 pis. 

PP 41. The geology of the central Copper River region, Alaska, by W. C. Mendenhall. 1905. 133 pp.,

20 pis. 

B 254. Report of progress in the geological resurvey of the Cripple Creek district, Colorado, by

Waldemar Lindgren and F. L. Ransome. 1904. 36 pp.

B 255. The fluorspar deposits of southern Illinois, by H. Poster Bain. 1905. 75 pp., 6 pis. 

B 256. Mineral resources of the Elders Ridge quadrangle, Pennsylvania, by R. W. Stone. 1905.

85 pp., 12 pis. 

B 257. Geology and paleontology of the Judith River beds, by T. W. Stanton and J. B. Hatcher, with,

a chapter on the fossil plants, by F. H. Knowlton. 1905. 174 pp., 19 pis.

PP 42. Geology of the Tonopah mining district, Nevada, by J. E. Spurr. 1905. 295 pp., 24 pis. 

WS 123. Geology and underground water conditions of the Jornada del Muerto, New Mexico, by

C. R. Keyes. 1905. 42 pp., 9 pis. . 

WS 136. Underground waters of Salt River Valley, Arizona, by W. T. Lee. 1905. 194 pp., 24 pis. 

PP43. The copper deposits of Clifton-Morenci, Arizona, by Waldemar Lindgren. 1905. 375 pp., 25 pis. 

B265. Geology of the Boulder district, Colorado, by N. M. Fenneman. 1905. 101 pp., 5 pis. 

B 267. The copper deposits of Missouri, by H. F. Bain and E. O. Ulrich. 1905. 52 pp., 1 pi. 

PP 44. Underground water resources of Long Island, New York, by A. C. Veatch, and others. 1905.

394 pp., 34 pis.

WS 148. Geology and water resources of Oklahoma, by C. N. Gould. 1905. 178 pp., 22 pis. 

B 270. The configuration of the rock floor of Greater New York, by W. H. Hobbs. 1905. 96 pp., 5 pis. 

B 272. Taconic physiography, by T. M. Dale. 1905.. 52 pp., 14 pis. 

PP 45. The geography and geology of Alaska, a summary of existing knowledge, by A. H. Brooks,

with a section on climate, by Cleveland Abbe, jr., and a topographic map and description

thereof, by R. M. Goode. 1905. 327 pp., 34 pis. 

B 273. The drumlins of southeastern Wisconsin (preliminary paper), by W. C. Alden. 1905. 46 pp.,

9 pis. 

PP 46. Geology and underground water resources of northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas, by

A. C. Veatch. 1906. 422 pp., 51 pis. 

PP 49. Geology and mineral resources of part of the Cumberland Gap coal field, Kentucky, by G. H.

Ashley and L. C. Glenn, in cooperation with the State Geological Department of Kentucky,

C. J. Norwood, curator. 1906. 239 pp., 40 pis.

PP 50. The Montana lobe of the Keewatin ice sheet, by F. H. H. Calhoun. 1906. 62 pp., 7 pis. 

B 277. Mineral resources of Kenai Peninsula, Alaska: Gold fields of the Turnagain Arm region, by

F. H. Moffit; and the coal fields of the Kachemak Bay region, by R. W. Stone. 1906. 80 pp.,

18 pis. (Out of stock.) 

WS 154. The geology and water resources of the eastern portion of the Panhandle of Texas, by C. N.

Gould. 1906. 64 pp., 15 pis. 

B 278. Geology and coal resources of the Cape Lisburne region, Alaska, by A. J. Collier. 1906. 54

pp., 9 pis. (Out of stock.) 

B 279. Mineral resources of the Kittanning and Rural Valley quadrangles, Pennsylvania, by Charles

Bntts. 1906. 198 pp., 11 pis. 

B 280. The Rampart gold placer region, Alaska, by L. M. Prindle and F. L. Hess. 1906. 54 pp., 7 pis.

(Out of stock.)

B 282. Oil fields of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coastal Plain, by N. M. Fenneman. 1906. 146 pp. 11 pis. 

WS 157. Underground water in the valleys of Utah Lake and Jordan River, Utah, by G. B. Richardson.

1906. 81 pp.,9 pis.

PP fti. Geology of the Bighorn Mountains, by N. H. Darton. 1906. 129 pp., 47 pis. 

WS 158. Preliminary report on the geology and underground waters of the Roswell artesian area.

New Mexico, by C. A. Fi?her. 1906. 29 pp., 9 pis.
IV SEKIES LIST.

PP 52. Geology and underground waters of the Arkansas Valley in eastern Colorado, by N. H. Barton

1906. 90 pp., 28 pis. 

WS 159. Summary of underground-water resources of Mississippi, by A. F. Crider and L. C. Johnson.

1906. 86 pp., 6 pis. 

PP 53. Geology, and water resources of the Bighorn basin, Wyoming, by Cassius A. Fisher. 1906.

72 pp., 16 pis.

B 283. Geology and mineral resources of Mississippi, by A. F. Crider. 1906. 99 pp., 4 pis. 

B 2?6. Economic geology of the Beaver quadrangle, Pennsylvania (southern Beaver and northwestern

Allegheny counties), by L. H. Woolsey. 1906. 132 pp., 8 pis. 

B 287. The Juneau Gold belt, Alaska, by A. C. Spencer, and a reconnaissance of Admiralty Island,

Alaska, by C. W. Wright. 1906. 161 pp., 37 pis. 

PP 64. The geology and gold deposits of the Cripple Creek district, Colorado, by W. Lindgren and

F. L. Ransome. 1906. 516 pp., 29 pis.

PP 55. Ore deposits of the Silver Peak quadrangle, Nevada, by J. E. Spurr. 1906. 174 pp., 24 pis. 

B 2S9. A reconnaissance of the Matanuska coal field, Alaska, in 1905, by G. C. Martin. 1906. 36 pp.,

5 pis. 

WS 164. Underground waters of Tennessee and Kentucky west of Tennessee River and of an adjacent

area in Illinois, by L. C. Glenn. 1906. 173 pp., 7 pis. 

B 293. A reconnaissance of some gold and tin deposits of the southern Appalachians, by L. C. Groton,

with notes on the Dahlonega mines, by W. Lindgren. 1906. 134 pp., 9 pis.

B 291. Zinc and lead deposits of the upper Mississippi Valley, by H. Foster Bain. 1906. 155pp., 16 pis. 

B 295. The Yukon-Tanana region, Alaska, description of Circle quadrangle, by L. M. Prindle. 1906.

27pp., 1 pi. 

B 296. Economic geology of the Independence quadrangle, Kansas, by Frank C. Schrader and

Erasmus Haworth. 1906. 74 pp., 6 pis. 

WS 181. Geology and water resources of Owens Valley, California, by Willis T. Lee. 1906. 28 pp.,

6 pis.

B 297. The Yampa coal field, Routt County, Colo., by N.'M. Feimeman, Hoyt S. Gale, and M. R. Campbell.-1906. 96pp., 9 pis.

B 300. Economic geology of the Amity quadrangle in eastern Washington County, Pa., by F. G. 

. Clapp. 1906. 145 pp., 8 pis. 

B 303. Preliminary account of Goldfleld, Bullfrog, and other mining districts in southern Nevada, by

F. L. Ransome; with notes on Manhattan district, by G. H. Garrey and \V. H. Emmons,

1907. 98 pp., 6 pis.

B 304. Oil and gas fields of Greene County, Pa., by R. W. Stone and F. G. Clapp. 1907. 110 pp., 3 pis. 

WS 188. Water resources of the Rio Grande Valley in New Mexico and their development, by W. T.

Lee. 1906. 59pp., 10 pis, 

B 306. Rate of recession of Niagara Falls, accompanied by a report on the survey of the crest, by

W. Carvel Hall. 1906. 31 pp., 11 pis. 

PP 56. Geography and Geology of a portion of southwestern Wyoming, with special reference to coal

and oil, by A. C. Veatch. pp., 26 pis. 

B 308. A geologic reconnaissance in southwestern Nevada and eastern California, by S. H. Ball. 1907.

218 pp., 3 pis. 

B 309. The Santa Clara Valley, Puente Hills, and Los Angeles oil districts, southern California, by

G. H. Eldridge and Ralph Arnold. pp., 41 pis. 

PP 57. Geology of the Marysville mining district, Montana, a study of igneous intrusion and contact

metamorphism, by Joseph Barrell. 1907. 178 pp., 16 pis. 

WS. 191. The geology and water resources of the western portion of the Panhandle of Texas, by C. N.

Gould. 1907. 70 pp., 7 pis.

SERIES O, UNDERGROUND WATERS.

WS 4. A reconnaissance in southeastern Washington, by I. C. Russell. 1897. 96 pp., 7 pis. (Out of

stock.) 

WS 6. Underground waters of southwestern Kansas, by Erasmus Haworth. 1897. 65 pp., 12 pis.

(Out of stock.)

WS 7. Seepage waters of northern Utah, by Samuel Fortier. 1897. 50 pp., 3 pis. (Out of stock.) 

WS 12. Underground waters of southeastern Nebraska, by N. H. Darton. 1898. 56 pp., 21 pis. (Out

of stock.)

WS 21. Wells of northern Indiana, by Frank Leverett. 1899. 82 pp., 2 pis. (Out of stock.) 

WS 26. Wells of southern Indiana (continuation of No. 21), by Frank Leverett. 1899. 64 pp. (Out

of stock.) 

WS 30. Water resources of the lower peninsula of Michigan, by A. C. Lane. 1899. 97 pp., 7 pis. (Out

oi stock.)

WS 31. Lower Michigan mineral waters, by A. C. Lane. 1899. 97pp., 4 pis. ( Out of stock.) 

WS 34. Geology and water resources of a portion of southeastern South Dakota, by J. E. Todd. 1900.

34 pp., 19 pis.
SEEIES LIST. V

\VS 53. Geology and water resources of Nez Perces County, Idaho, Pt. I, by I. C. Russell. 1901.

86 pp., 10 pis. (Out of stock.) 

\VS 54. Geology and water resources of Nez Perces County, Idaho, Pt. II, by I. C. Russell. 1901.

87-141 pp. (Out o f stock.) 

VVS 55. Geology and water resources of a portion of Yakima County, Wash., by G. O. Smith. 1901.

68 pp., 7 pis. (Out of stock.) 

WS 57. Preliminary list of deep borings in the United States, Pt. I, by N. H. Barton. 1902. 60 pp.

(Out of stock.) 

VVS 59. Development and application of water in southern California, Pt. I, by J. B. Lippincott. 1902.

95 pp., 11 pis. (Out of stock.) 

WS 60. Development and application of water in southern California, Pt. II, by J. B. Lippincott.

1902. 96-140 pp. (Out of stock.) 

WS 61. Preliminary list of deep borings in the United States, Pt. II, by N. H. Darton. 1902. 67 pp.

(Out of stock.)

WS 67. The motions of underground waters, by C. S. Slichter. 1902. 106 pp., 8 pis. (Out of stock.) 

B 199. Geology and water resources of the Snake River Plains of Idaho, by I. C. Russell. 1902. 192

pp-., 25 pis.

WS 77. Water resources of Molokai, Hawaiian Islands, by Waldemar Lindgren. 1903. 62 pp., 4 pis. 

WS 78. Preliminary report on artesian basin in southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon, by I. C.

Russell. 1903. 53 pp., 2 pis. 

PP 17. Preliminary report on the geology and water resources of Nebraska west of the one hundred

and third meridian, by N. H. Darton. 1903. 69 pp., 43 pis. 

WS 90. Geology and water resources of a part of the lower James River Valley, South Dakota, by

J. E. Todd and C. M. Hall. 1904. 47 pp., 23 pis. 

WS 101. Underground waters of southern Louisiana, by G. D. Harris, with discussions of their uses for

water supplies and for rice irrigation, by M. L. Puller. 1904. 98 pp., 11 pis.

WS 102. Contributions to the hydrology of eastern United States, 1903, by M. L. Fuller. 1904. 522 pp. 

WS 104. Underground waters of Gila Valley, Arizona, by W. T. Lee. 1904. 71 pp., 5 pis. 

WS 106. Water resources of the Philadelphia district, by Florence Bascom. 1904. 75 pp., 4 pis. 

WS 110. Contributions to the hydrology of eastern United States, 1904; M. L. Puller, geologist in

charge. 1904. 211 pp., 5 pis. 

PP 32. Geology and underground water resources of the central Great Plains, by N. H. Darton. 1904.

433 pp., 72 pis. (Out of stock.) 

WS 111. Preliminary report on underground waters of Washington, by Henry Landes. 1904. 85pp.,

Ipl. 

WS 112. Underflow tests in the drainage basin of Los Angeles River, by Homer Hamlin. 1904.

55 pp., 7 pis. 

WS 114. Underground waters of eastern United States; M. L. Fuller, geologist in charge. 1904.

285 pp., 18 pis. 

WS 118. Geology and water resources of east-central Washington, by F. C. Calkins. 1905. 96 pp.,

4 pis. 

B 252. Preliminary report on the geology a nd water resources of central Oregon, by I. C. Russell.

1905. 138pp., 24 pis. 

WS 120. Bibliographic review and index of papers relating to underground waters, published by the

United States Geological Survey, 1879-1904, by M. L. Fuller. 1905. 128 pp. 

WS 122. Relation of the law to underground waters, by D. W. Johnson. 1905. 55pp. 

WS 123. Geology and underground water conditions of the Jornada del Muerto, New Mexico, by

C. R. Keyes. 1905. 42 pp., 9 pis.

WS 136. Underground waters of the Salt River Valley, by W. T. Lee. 1905. 194 pp., 24 pis. 

B 264. Record of deep-well drilling for 1904, by M. L. Fuller, E. F. Lines, and A. C. Veatch. 1905.

106 pp. 

PP44. Underground water resources of Long Island, New York, by A. C. Veatch and others. 1905.

394 pp., 34 pis. 

WS 137. Development of underground waters in the eastern coastal plain region of southern California.

by W. C. Mendenhall. 1905. 140 pp., 7 pis. 

WS 138. Developmentof underground watersin the central coastal plain region of southern California,

by W. C. Mendenhall. 1905. 162 pp., 5 pis. 

WS 139. Development of underground waters in the western coastal plain region of southern California,

by W. C. Mendenhall. 1905. 105 pp., 7 pis. 

WS 140. Field measurements of the rate of movement of underground waters, by C. S. Slichter. 1906

122 pp., 15 pis. 

WS 141. Observations on the ground waters of Rio Grande Valley, by C. S. Slichter. 1905. 83 pp.,

5 pis.

WS 142. Hydrology of San Bernardino Valley, California, by W. C. Mendenhall. 1905. 124 pp., 13 pis. 

WS 145. Contributions to the hydrology of eastern United States; M. L. Fuller, geologist in charge.

1905. 220 pp., 6 pis. 

WS 148, Geology and water resources of Oklahoma, by C. N. Gould. 1905. 178 pp., 22 pis.
VI SERIES LIST.

WS 149. Preliminary list of deep borings in the United States, second edition, with additions, by

N. H. Darton. 1905. 175 pp. 

PP 46. Geology and underground water resources of northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas, by

A. C. Veatch. 1906. 422 pp., 51 pis.

WS 153. The underflow in Arkansas Valley in western Kansas, by C. S. Slichter. 19C6. 90 pp., 3 pis. 

WS 154. The geology and water resources of the eastern portion of the Panhandle of Texas, by C. N.

Gould. 1906. 64pp., 15 pis. 

WS 155. Fluctuations of the water level in wells, with special reference to Long Island, New York,

by A. C. Veatch. 180G. 83 pp., 9 pis. 

WS 157. Underground water in the valleys of Utah Lake and Jordan River, Utah, by G. B. Richardson.

1906. '81 pp., 9 pis. 

WS 158. Preliminary report on the geology and underground waters of the Roswell artesian area,

New Mexico, by C. A. Fisher. 1906. 29 pp., 9 pis. 

PP52. Geology and underground waters of the Arkansas Valley in eastern Colorado, by N. H.

Darton. 1906. 90 pp., 28 pis. 

WS 159. Summary of underground-water resources of Mississippi, by A. F. Crider and L. C. Johnson.

1906. 86 pp., 6 pis. 

PP 53. Geology and water resources of the Bighorn basin, Wyoming, by C. A. Fisher. 1906. 72 pp.,

16 pis.

WS 160. Underground-water papers, 1906, by M. L. Fuller. 1906. 104pp., 1 pi. (Out of stock.) 

WS 163. Bibliographic review and index of underground-water literature published in the United

States in 1905, by M. L. Fuller, F. G. Clapp, and B. L. Johnson. 1906. 130 pp.

WS 164. Underground waters of Tennessee and Kentucky west of Tennessee River and of an adjacent area in Illinois, by L. C. Glenn. 1906. 173 pp.,7 pis. 

WS 181. Geology and water resources of Owens Valley, California, by W. T. Lee. 1906. 28 pp., 6 pis.

(Out of stock.)

WS 182. Flowing wells and municipal water supplies in the southern portion of the Southern Peninsula of Michigan, by Frank Leverett and others. 1906. 292 pp., 5 pis. 

WS 183. Flowing wells and municipal water supplies in the middle and northern portions of the

Southern Peninsula of Michigan, by Frank Leverett and others. 1906. 393 pp., 5 pis. 

B 298. Record of deep-well drilling for 1905, by M. L. Fuller and Samuel Sanford. 1906. 299 pp. 

WS 184. The underflow of the South Platte Valley, by C. S. Slichter and H. C. Wolff. 1906. 42 pp. 

WS 188. Water resources of the Rio Grande Valley in New Mexico and their development, by

W. T. Lee. 1906. 59 pp., 10 pis.

WS 190. Underground waters of Coastal Plain of Texas, by T. U. Taylor. 1907. 73 pp., 3 pis. 

WS 191. Geology and water resources of the western portion of the Panhandle of Texas, by C. N.

Gould. 1907. 70 pp., 7 pis.

The following papers also relate to this subject: Underground waters of Arkansas Valley in eastern 

Colorado, by G. K. Gilbert, in Seventeenth Annual, Pt. II; Preliminary report on artesian waters of a 

portion of the Dakotas, by N. H. Darton, in Seventeenth Annual, Pt. II; Water resources of Illinois, 

by Frank Leverett, in Seventeenth Annual, Pt. II; Water resources of Indiana and Ohio, by Frank 

Leverett, in Eighteenth Annual, Pt. IV; New developments in well boring and irrigation in eastern 

South Dakota, by N. H. Darton, in Eighteenth Annual, Pt. IV; Rock waters of Ohio, by Edward 

Orton, in Nineteenth Annual, Pt. IV; Artesian-well prospects in the Atlantic coastal plain region, by 

N. H. Darton, Bulletin No. 138.

Correspondence sluuld be addressed to **

THE DIRECTOR,

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY,

WASHINGTON, D. C. 

APRIL, 1907.

o