Effects of Valley Incision on the Subsurface State of Stress--Theory and Application to the Rio Grande Valley Near Albuquerque, New Mexico

Abstract

Research Article| January 01, 1999 Effects of Valley Incision on the Subsurface State of Stress—Theory and Application to the Rio Grande Valley Near Albuquerque, New Mexico WILLIAM C. HANEBERG WILLIAM C. HANEBERG New Mexico Bureau of Mines & Mineral Resources, New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology, 2808 Central Avenue SE, Albuquerque NM 87106 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Environmental and Engineering Geoscience (1999) V (1): 117–131. https://doi.org/10.2113/gseegeosci.V.1.117 Article history first online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation WILLIAM C. HANEBERG; Effects of Valley Incision on the Subsurface State of Stress—Theory and Application to the Rio Grande Valley Near Albuquerque, New Mexico. Environmental and Engineering Geoscience 1999;; V (1): 117–131. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/gseegeosci.V.1.117 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentBy SocietyEnvironmental and Engineering Geoscience Search Advanced Search Abstract Basin-fill aquifer systems of the Cenozoic Santa Fe Group along the Rio Grande valley, including the Albuquerque Basin, appear to be over-consolidated partly as a consequence of Pleistocene down-cutting by the Rio Grande, which carved a valley about 150 m deep within the broader Rio Grande rift, and partly as a consequence of tectonic exhumation. A first-order analytical solution for displacements and stresses in a compressible elastic half space bounded by periodic topography is used to illustrate the effects of topography on the subsurface state of stress under conditions of active (extensional), neutral, and passive (contractional) regional stress states. The model takes the regional state of stress into account by using a coefficient of lateral earth pressure, and a coefficient of k = 1/3 was used to simulate the state of stress in a rift basin. The solutions are then used to estimate the magnitude of overconsolidation due to Pleistocene incision of the Rio Grande valley in the Albuquerque area. Young's modulus for the sediments was inferred from sonic logs and published elastic specific storage estimates. Preliminary calculations based on this simple model suggest that the Santa Fe Group aquifer system beneath Albuquerque should be overconsolidated by about 1 to 1.5 MPa directly beneath the river, suggesting that irrecoverable virgin compaction should not begin until water level drawdowns exceed 100 to 150 m. The predicted degree of overconsolidation decreases with depth and laterally with distance from the valley center. In reality, the flanks of the basin are probably overconsolidated by tectonic uplift and subsequent erosion of an unknown thickness of sediment, which is not incorporated into the model, so the 1 MPa estimate is likely to be conservative. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this article.