2023-2025 new mexico statemap project period: 09 01 2023- 08 31 2025GEOLOGIC mapping in new mexico provides fundamental data for decision-makers to address important socioeconomical issues for the…

The New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (New Mexico Tech) has been awarded a $1,281,424 Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of the Interior's U.S. Geological Survey under the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (CFDA 15.810). This 2-year award will support the "2023-2025 New Mexico STATEMAP Project" to conduct geologic mapping and 3D modeling in three priority areas of New Mexico - the Rio Grande Watershed, Pecos River Watershed, and the San Juan Basin. The mapping and modeling data will provide critical information to support state and local decision-making on natural resource management, land use planning, and geologic hazard mitigation, particularly in relation to water resources. The funding will also support the conversion of legacy geologic maps into modern digital formats and the continued contribution of high-quality geochronology data to the USGS database.

2023-2025 new mexico statemap project period: 09 01 2023- 08 31 2025GEOLOGIC mapping in new mexico provides fundamental data for decision-makers to address important socioeconomical issues for the region, largely those related to the states natural resources, land use, and geologic hazards. This statemap award to the new mexico bureau of geology will be used to map in three areas of long-term focusthe RIO grande watershed, the pecos river watershed, and the SAN juan basin. As drought and demand stress supplies in the southwestern US, the states ground and surface waters, as well as their intimate relationship to both regional and local geologic features, remain our top priority. The agriculture, resource extraction (oil, gas, and mineral), and tourism-based economies of these areas are directly tied to their geologic and hydrologic systems. Much of the proposed work will focus on producing 1:100,000 scale 2D maps and 3D models, which supports the goals of the U.S. Geoframework initiative to develop a seamless geologic map and 3D model of the entire country. The RIO grande supports local agriculture and tourism and groundwater provides municipal waters for numerous communities. This region also hosts numerous features of international geologic significance. Mapping in the RIO grande watershed will focus on two areas. The first location is along the RIO chama near the colorado plateau-RIO grande rift transition. Upon completion of two 7.5-minute quadrangles the NM bureau of geology and mineral resources will be well-positioned to compile the abiquiu 30X60-minute quadrangle at 1:100,000 scale in a future effort. The second focus includes two 7.5-minute quadrangles located along the middle RIO grande near the elephant butte reservoir. Both project areas will provide valuable data for water managers, as well as for other federal and state agencies.mapping in the pecos river watershed of southeastern NM has been a major focus of the bureau for more than two decades. The area is home to significant agriculture, major oil and gas production, potash mining, the countrys only permanent nuclear waste repository, carlsbad caverns national park, and growing wind energy development. Developing a robust geologic framework of this area is crucial to the states economic security. To that end, the recipient is focused on compiling a geologic map the carlsbad 30X60-minute quadrangle as well as a 3D geologic model of the high plains region. This 3D model builds on our previous work to provide 3D coverage across the middle and lower pecos river watershed that will undoubtedly aid in understanding the water and energy resources of this vital region. The third area of interest is the northern SAN juan basin along the animas and SAN juan rivers, areas of natural gas production where geology impacts the water resources of numerous rural and tribal communities. Geologic maps will also provide new insights into sites considered for carbon capture, storage, and usage projects. A second component of the proposed work in this region is compiling downhole stratigraphic data that will be used for constructing a 3D model of the SAN juan basin as part of future statemap proposals.two addition projects will be completed with this award. The first is converting legacy maps into modern digital maps with geodatabases. This effort will be largely completed by new mexico tech students, providing training to the next generation of geologists. Lastly, staff from the bureaus state-of-the-art 40AR 39AR laboratory will continue to populate the USGS geochronology database, ensuring that our high-quality data are publicly available to support a wide-array of research throughout the western united states.