Award Date

5-1985

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Geoscience

First Committee Member

G. William Fiero, Chair

Second Committee Member

John Hess

Third Committee Member

Frederick Sachhuber

Graduate Faculty Representative

Charles Douglas

Number of Pages

64

Abstract

Hermit, Monument, Salt, and Horn Creeks flow through four side canyons of the Colorado River within the Grand Canyon. They lie just west of Grand Canyon Village on the south side of the canyon. Each of these creeks is fed by at least one spring.

Comparisons of flow at each of these springs for a 14 month period, and precipitation on the south rim show a close correlation. The lag period between recharge at the rim and discharge at the springs is less than one month for Hermit Creek and between one and two months for the other three creeks.

The relative lag times and water chemistry of the springs indicate the length of the flow path to each spring. These suggest a dual source within the area of study.

Two large faults lie in or near the area of study. These are the Hermit Fault, which lies near Hermit Creek, and the Bright Angel Fault, which likes just east of Horn Creek. Both faults trend in a general northeast direction and are accompanied by a wide fracture zone. Ground water flow in the area of study is largely controlled by these faults which seem to act as hydrologic collector structures and allow the water to move downward from the rim through the impermeable strata below.

The flow at each spring is a combination of water from two ground water systems. These ground water systems are controlled by the major faults. The water flows through fractures to each spring. The result is a structurally-controlled, interconnected flow system dominating the entire area of study.

Keywords

Arizona – Grand Canyon Region; Groundwater flow; Springs; Streamflow

Disciplines

Geology | Hydrology

File Format

pdf

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Comments

Signatures have been redacted for privacy and security measures.

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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