Eddy County Research Articles

Science abhors a surveillance vacuum: Detection of ticks and tick-borne pathogens in southern New Mexico through passive surveillance.

Robust tick surveillance enhances diagnosis and prevention of tick-borne pathogens, yet surveillance efforts in the United States are highly uneven, resulting in large surveillance vacuums, one of which spans the state of New Mexico. As part of a larger effort to fill this vacuum, we conducted both active and passive tick sampling in New Mexico, focusing on the southern portion of the state. We conducted active tick sampling using dragging and CO₂ trapping at 45 sites across Hidalgo, Doña Ana, Otero, and Eddy counties between June 2021 to May 2022. Sampling occurred intermittently, with at least one sampling event each month from June to October 2021, pausing in winter and resuming in March through May 2022. We also conducted opportunistic, passive tick sampling in 2021 and 2022 from animals harvested by hunters or captured or collected by researchers and animals housed in animal hospitals, shelters, and farms. All pools of ticks were screened for Rickettsia rickettsii, Rickettsia parkeri, Rickettsia amblyommatis, Ehrlichia ewingii, and Ehrlichia chaffeensis. Active sampling yielded no ticks. Passive sampling yielded 497 ticks comprising Carios kelleyi from pallid bats, Rhipicephalus sanguineus from dogs, mule deer, and Rocky Mountain elk, Otobius megnini from dogs, cats, horses, and Coues deer, Dermacentor parumapertus from dogs and black-tailed jackrabbits, Dermacentor albipictus from domesticated cats, mule deer and Rocky Mountain elk, and Dermacentor spp. from American black bear, Rocky Mountain elk, and mule deer. One pool of D. parumapterus from a black-tailed jackrabbit in Luna County tested positive for R. parkeri, an agent of spotted fever rickettsiosis. Additionally, a spotted fever group Rickettsia was detected in 6 of 7 C. kelleyi pools. Two ticks showed morphological abnormalities; however, these samples did not test positive for any of the target pathogens, and the cause of the abnormalities is unknown. Passive surveillance yielded five identified species of ticks from three domestic and six wild mammal species. Our findings update tick distributions and inform the public, medical, and veterinary communities of the potential tick-borne pathogens present in southern New Mexico.

Implications of brecciation in Pennsylvanian Atoka Bank complex carbonates, Eddy County, New Mexico

Implications of brecciation in Pennsylvanian Atoka Bank complex carbonates, Eddy County, New Mexico

Marine hardground in the Pennsylvanian Atoka Bank Carbonates, Eddy County, New Mexico

Marine hardground in the Pennsylvanian Atoka Bank Carbonates, Eddy County, New Mexico

Dietary Habits of Rio Grande Cooters (Pseudemys gorzugi) from Two Sites within the Black River, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA

Abstract Rio Grande Cooters (Pseudemys gorzugi) are one of the least studied species of freshwater turtles in North America. Rio Grande Cooters are listed as a state threatened species in New Mexic...

Alcohol-impaired driving in US counties, 2002\u20132012

BackgroundExcessive alcohol consumption and alcohol-impaired driving remain significant public health problems, leading to considerable morbidity and mortality, particularly among younger populations.MethodsUsing data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), we employed a small areas modeling strategy to estimate the county-level annual prevalence of alcohol-impaired driving in every United States county for the years 2002 through 2012, the latest year in which county identifiers were publicly available.ResultsAlcohol-impaired driving episodes declined from 157.0 million in 2002 (prevalence 3.8%: 95% uncertainty interval [UI], 3.7%–4.0%) to 129.7 million in 2012 (prevalence 3.7%: 95% UI, 3.5%–3.8%), a 17.4% decline. There is considerable variation in the prevalence of alcohol-impaired driving at the county level, ranging from 2.0% in the Sitka City Borough of Alaska to 9.3% in Nance County, Nebraska. Clusters of increased alcohol-impaired driving were observed in Northern Wisconsin (Marinette, Florence, Forest, Vilas, Oneida, Iron counties), North Dakota (Cavalier, Pembina, Walsh, Ramsey, Nelson, Benson, Eddy counties) and Montana (Sheridan, Daniels, Roosevelt, Valley, Phillips, Petroleum, Garfield counties).ConclusionsThis study showed guarded progress with respect to the occurrence of alcohol-impaired driving episodes in the US from 2002 to 2012. Because these data rely on self-report, this likely represents an underestimate of the true prevalence of alcohol-impaired driving in the US. As the US continues to have several million episodes of alcohol-impaired driving each month, renewed efforts are needed to mitigate this high-risk health behavior.

An Economic Impact Analysis of Oil and Natural Gas Development in the Permian Basin

This study analyzes the economic impact of oil and natural gas development in the Permian Basin with a focus on the NM part of the Basin. The analysis looks at the impacts on state revenue, local employment and income levels. Several existing economic impact reports from other states have been criticized by the peer-review literature that the impact estimates are very likely overstated due to questionable methodologies. In this analysis, a panel data regression model with county fixed effects and year effects is deployed to identify the impact of oil and natural gas production on employment and per job annual income at the county level. The analysis covers 62 counties (12 counties in NM and 50 counties in TX) for the time period of 1998 – 2016. The main findings of the analysis can be summarized as: 1. Over the last decade, according to different estimates the state revenue generated by the oil and natural gas industries in NM has been consistently exceeding one billion dollars per year. In the meantime, a large amount of intensive direct investment has been capitalized into the southeast NM. 2. In aggregate, per job annual income (in the real term) and the number of jobs have both experienced significant growth in the last two decades of active oil and natural gas development in the region. It is reasonable to speculate that much of the growth can be attributed to the ongoing energy development. 3. It is estimated that on average additional one million BBLs of oil equivalent production brings 54 jobs and about $170 (2015 dollar) extra annual income per job (or a 0.5% increase) in the county of production. 4. The intensive oil and natural gas production around the center of the basin (Lea County and Eddy County in NM) have had significant spatial spillover effects to the surrounding counties. Depending on the distance from the given county to the center of the Basin and for additional one million BBLs of oil equivalent production, the employment effect ranges from 35 to 10 jobs and the income effect ranges from $170 to $90 (2015 dollar) extra annual income per job. The paper also provides details on methodology and guidelines on how to interpret estimation results. The estimated economic impact coefficients can be used for prediction purpose with available future production scenarios. The paper includes instructions and suggestions on how the prediction may proceed.

Hydraulic evolution of high-density turbidity currents from the Brushy Canyon Formation, Eddy County, New Mexico inferred by comparison to settling and sorting experiments

Hydraulic transformations in turbidity currents are commonly driven by or reflected in changes in suspended sediment concentrations, but changes preceding transformations can be difficult to diagnose because they do not produce qualitative changes in resultant deposits. This study integrates particle settling experiments and in situ detection of hydraulically contrasting particles in turbidites in order to infer changes in suspended sediment concentration during deposition of massive (Bouma Ta) sandstone divisions. Because grains of contrasting density are differentially sorted during hindered settling from dense suspensions, relative grading patterns can be used to estimate suspended sediment concentrations and interpret hydraulic evolution of the depositing turbidity currents.Differential settling of dense particles (aluminum ballotini) through suspensions of hydraulically coarser light particles (silica ballotini) with volumetric concentration, Cv, were studied in a thin vessel by using particle-image-velocimetry. At high Cv, aluminum particles were less retarded than co-sedimenting silica particles, and effectively settled as hydraulically coarser grains. This was because particles were entrained into clusters dominated by the settling behavior of the silica particles. Terminal settling velocities of both particles converged at Cv≥25%, and particle sorting was diminished.The results of settling experiments were applied to understand settling of analogous feldspar and zircon grains in natural turbidity flows. Distributions of light and heavy mineral grains in massive sandstones, Bouma Ta divisions, of turbidites from the Middle Permian Brushy Canyon Formation were observed in situ by X-ray fluorescence microscopy (μXRF). Hydraulic sorting of these grains resulted in characteristic patterns of zirconium abundance that decreased from base to top within Ta divisions. These profiles resulted from upward fining of zircon grains with respect to co-occurring feldspar grains. Although calculated settling velocity distributions for zircon grains in structureless sandstones were slower than those for feldspar grains at infinite dilution, calculated settling velocity distributions for zircon and feldspar grains in overlying black siltstone layers were identical. This evidence suggests that these sandstone divisions were deposited from hyperconcentrated suspensions where particle segregation was diminished and hydraulically fine grains were entrained with hydraulically coarse particles. Hydraulic fining of zircon grains during deposition implies that the suspended sediment concentration at the bases of turbidity currents increased even as the overall current evolved toward lower density as reflected by cessation of Ta deposition and by hydraulic equivalence of zircon and feldspar grains in overlying low-density turbiditic siltstones. This evolution likely resulted from volumetric collapse of the turbidity currents.

Community rabies knowledge and pet vaccination practices after a skunk rabies outbreak in Eddy County, New Mexico.

To determine percentages of domestic cats and dogs vaccinated against rabies, identify barriers to vaccination, and assess knowledge about rabies in a semirural New Mexico community after a skunk rabies outbreak. Cross-sectional, door-to-door, bilingual, community-based participatory survey. 366 residential properties in Eddy County, NM. The New Mexico Department of Health and CDC administered surveys and analyzed data. Individuals at 247 of the 366 residential properties participated in the survey. One hundred eighty of the 247 (73%) households owned a dog (n = 292) or cat (163). Cats were more likely than dogs to not have an up-to-date rabies vaccination status (prevalence ratio, 3.2; 95% confidence interval, 2.3 to 4.4). Cost and time or scheduling were the most frequently identified barriers to vaccination. One hundred sixty (65%) respondents did not know livestock can transmit rabies, 78 (32%) did not know rabies is fatal, and 89 (36%) did not know a bat scratching a person can be an exposure. Only 187 (76%) respondents indicated they would contact animal control if they saw a sick skunk, and only 166 (67%) indicated they would contact animal control if bitten by a dog they did not own. Findings indicated that rabies vaccination prevalence among pet dogs and cats was low, despite the fact that the region had experienced a skunk rabies outbreak during the previous 2 years. In addition, substantial percentages of respondents did not have correct knowledge of rabies or rabies exposure.

Una fuente de agua profunda, no potable, para el proyecto de la mina de sulfato de potasio (SOP) Ochoa, New Mexico, USA

Competing with communities, agriculture, and industry for potable-water resources can pose great challenges for mining companies seeking public and regulatory support for proposed projects. In semi-arid and arid regions of the world where freshwater resources are limited, using potable resources to supply water to mining operations often faces opposition from existing water users or is subject to lengthy regulatory reviews. Here we describe how Intercontinental Potash Corp. (USA) developed a deep, non-potable water supply from the Capitan aquifer for its Ochoa SOP Mine Project (Ochoa Project) in southeastern New Mexico (USA) that safeguards the limited freshwater resources. Through a program of exploratory well drilling, aquifer testing, and groundwater flow modeling, we find that the Capitan aquifer can sustain the proposed pumping rate of 252 L/s for a 50 year period, and that drawdown is predicted to be up to 200 m in the area of the proposed well field. We also find that depletions from the Pecos River, a connected stream subject to interstate compact agreements for water deliveries, are predicted to be at a rate of up to 1.10 L/s. We attribute the minimal impacts of the proposed pumping on the Pecos River largely to a zone of low hydraulic conductivity (1.5 × 10−3 m/day) near the county line that separates the aquifer where pumping is proposed in Lea County, New Mexico, from the area where the aquifer is connected to the Pecos River in Eddy County, New Mexico.

Revision of the extant Nearctic species of Dryinus Latreille 1804 group 1 (Hymenoptera: Dryinidae), with description of a new species from the U.S.A.

The extant Nearctic species of Dryinus Latreille, 1804 group 1 are revised. A new species is described from the USA, New Mexico, Eddy County: D. splendidus Guglielmino & Olmi, sp. nov. A new combination is proposed for D. wetmorei (Olmi, 1984), comb. nov. (from Richardsidryinus Moczar). A new key to the females of the extant Nearctic species of Dryinus group 1 is presented.

The Lepidoptera of White Sands National Monument 5: Two new species of Cochylini (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae, Tortricinae)

In 2006, 10-year studies of the moths in two park units of the U.S. National Park Service in southern New Mexico were initiated: White Sands National Monument in Otero County, New Mexico, USA; and Carlsbad Caverns National Park, in Eddy County, New Mexico, USA. Two new species of Cochylini, Eugnosta brownana Metzler & Forbes and Cochylis yinyangana Metzler, are described. Adults and male and female genitalia of both species are illustrated.

Revision of Nearctic species of Lonchodryinus Kieffer 1905, with description of a new species from New Mexico (Hymenoptera: Dryinidae)

Lonchodryinus politus new species, is described from New Mexico, Eddy County (USA). A revision of the three Nearctic species of Lonchodryinus Kieffer 1905 is presented. New data on geographic distribution of L. bakeri (Kieffer 1906) and L. flavus Olmi 1984 are given. A key to the Nearctic species of Lonchodryinus is presented.

Macro- and Micro-Habitat Characteristics Of Kuenzler'S Hedgehog Cactus, Echinocereus fendleri VAR Kuenzleri

Kuenzler's hedgehog cactus (Echinocereus fendleri var kuenzleri) is an endangered species thought to be endemic to south central New Mexico on the eastern slopes of the Sacramento, Capitan, and Guadalupe Mountains. We studied macro- and micro-habitat characteristics of Kuenzler's cactus in four study areas in Lincoln and Eddy Counties, New Mexico. Plants were found mostly on southern and eastern aspects at elevations from 1600 to 2100 m and on slopes ranging from 7 to 41°. Herbaceous biomass and foliar cover were similar at three spatial scales (concentric circles with diameters of 30, 56, and 110 cm) surrounding plants. These results suggest that Kuenzler's cacti are randomly distributed with respect to these habitat features, and do not support the hypothesis that Kuenzler's cacti grow in local habitats where associated vegetation provides thermal protection.

Archaeological Geology of the Mescalero Sands, Southeastern New Mexico

The Mescalero Sands accumulated in two episodes, first during the late Pleistocene (90,000 to 75,000 years B.P) and second during the early Holocene (9000 to 5000 years B.P) based on OSL dates. Archaeological sites of all ages occur on the surface of the older eolian sand Sites later than 3000 B.C. occur on the surface of the younger eolian sand, and sites older than 3000 B.C. are buried within the younger sand unit. Historic coppice and parabolic dunes partly cover all prehistoric sites. Paleoindian sites may be associated with late Pleistocene spring and cienega deposits and buried by the younger eolian sand. Sediments at sites within the younger eolian sand unit are bioturbated by cicada insects. Burned caliche at archaeological sites is dominated by dense pisolitic Caprock calcrete from the top of the Ogallala Formation. Cobble-size clasts of Caprock calcrete and other lithologies are prehistoric resources that occur in terrace and lag gravel colluvial deposits west of the escarpment. An archaeological geologic map of about 1,295 square kilometers of Eddy and Lea counties shows the distribution of areas where sites are visible at the surface as well as areas where sites are potentially buried in young deposits.

Epigene and hypogene gypsum karst manifestations of the Castile Formation: Eddy County, New Mexico and Culberson County, Texas, USA

Permian evaporites of the Castile Formation crop out over ~1,800 km2 in the western Delaware Basin (Eddy County, New Mexico and Culberson County, Texas, USA) with abundant and diverse karst manifestations. Epigene karst occurs as well-developed karren on exposed bedrock, while sinkholes dominate the erosional landscape, including both solutional and collapse forms. Sinkhole analyses suggest that more than half of all sinks are the result of upward stoping of subsurface voids, while many solutional sinks are commonly the result of overprinting of collapsed forms. Epigene caves are laterally limited with rapid aperture decreases away from insurgence, with passages developed along fractures and anticline fold axes. Hypogene karst occurs as diverse manifestations, forming the deepest and longest caves within the region as well as abundant zones of brecciation. Hypogene caves exhibit a wide range of morphologies from complex maze and anastomotic patterns to simple, steeply dipping patterns, but all hypogene caves exhibit morphologic features (i.e. risers, outlet cupolas and half-tubes) that provide a definitive suite of evidence of dissolution within a mixed convection (forced and free convection) hydrologic system. Extensive blanket breccias, abundant breccia pipes and numerous occurrences of calcitized evaporites indicate widespread hypogene speleogenesis throughout the entire Castile Formation. Although most cave and karst development within the Castile outcrop region appears to have hypogene origins, epigene processes are actively overprinting features, creating a complex speleogenetic evolution within the Castile Formation.

HOLOCENE FAUNA OF BIG MANHOLE CAVE, EDDY COUNTY, NEW MEXICO

Faunal remains of 40 vertebrate taxa were recovered from 15, 10-cm levels of Holocene deposits in Big Manhole Cave, New Mexico. Radiocarbon dates were determined for the 8 uppermost levels and ranged from 550 to 4,170 radiocarbon years before the present. Rapid deposition was indicated for levels 6, 7, and 8. Most identified taxa occurred in the immediate area at the time of our study, but the yellow-nosed cotton rat (Sigmodon ochrognathus), eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus cf., S. floridanus), and Mexican packrat (Neotoma mexicana) currently occur only at higher elevations in the region. The Mexican packrat was present in only the upper 4 levels, consistent with indications from other sites that it arrived east of the Rio Grande relatively recently. The extralimital taxa suggest greater effective precipitation, but the suggestion is confounded by our ignorance of pre-European ecological conditions in the area.

VARIATION IN DIET OF THE MEXICAN FREE-TAILED BAT (TADARIDA BRASILIENSIS MEXICANA)

This study documents the diet of Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana) at Carlsbad Cavern, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Eddy County, New Mexico, and provides information on seasonal variation in food habits of this species throughout its summer residence. Diet was determined from 1,303 fecal samples. Eleven orders and 38 families of insects, unidentified insects, 2 orders of Arachnida (Araneae and Acari), bat hair, and mist net were consumed, with Lepidoptera (moths) and Coleoptera (beetles) occurring at greatest percentage volumes and percentage frequencies in the diet. Diet varied significantly throughout the season. Twenty-two food categories exhibited statistically significant variation among sampling sessions. Amounts of Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Formicidae, Psyllidae, Hymenoptera, and Diptera consumed showed the greatest differences among sampling sessions.

Origin of stylolite related fractures in Atoka Bank Carbonates, Eddy County, New Mexico, U.S.A.

Stylolite-related fractures are rare diagenetic features (1% in volume) in Atoka (Carboniferous) bank carbonates in Eddy County, New Mexico, U.S.A. The fractures are often wedge- to curvilinear-shaped, vertical to subvertical, and their wider ends terminate at the seams of major stylolites. The associated stylolites are centimeters in size, low to medium amplitude (up to 1.5cm) and some of them are fabric selective forming at matrix-grain and matrix-cement boundaries. Fractures are filled with predominantly saddle dolomite and late calcite cements. Fracture size ranges from microscopic to 1cm, and they have a width less than 1 mm. A close coexistence of fractures with stylolites suggests that fractures have formed synchronously with the stylolites. In Atoka carbonates, stylolites were formed by progressive burial that is evidence by bedding-parallel or subparallel orientation and different mineral associations along stylolites and also at near areas. These minerals are commonly late calcite and saddle dolomite. Soon after initial stylolitization, dissolved material and/or formation water and surface morphology of stylolites caused localized stress differentiation around stylolite. Compaction differences of less soluble parts at the both sides of stylolitic-highs or lows such as column/peak or waveform result in breakage of less soluble parts above or below column/peak or wave-form. Later wedge-shaped fractures are occluded by late cements provided by stylolitization or stylolitic-channels carring cement-generating fluids from an external source such as dewatering of adjacent shales. Stable isotope values of saddle dolomite (δ18O=−3.5 to −4.0‰ PDB; δ13C=+0.04 to +0.67‰ PDB) and late calcite (δ18O=−5.4‰ PDB; δ13C=+0.7‰ PDB) suggest precipitation at paleotemperatures of 52–55°C for dolomite and 42°C for late calcite based on oxygen values. The temperatures correspond to burial depths of approximately 1450–1600m for dolomite and 1000 m for calcite under present-day conditions, assuming a geothermal gradient of 22°C/km and a surface temperature of 20°C (well data).

ABSTRACT: Morrow incised valley fill, Eddy County, New Mexico

ABSTRACT: Morrow incised valley fill, Eddy County, New Mexico

3-D seismic imaging and interpretation of Brushy Canyon slope and basin thin‐bed reservoirs, northwest Delaware Basin

A study was done at Nash Draw field, Eddy County, New Mexico, to demonstrate how engineering, drilling, geologic, geophysical, and petrophysical technologies should be integrated to improve oil recovery from Brushy Canyon reservoirs at depths of approximately 6600 ft (2000 m) on the northwest slope of the Delaware basin. These thin‐bed reservoirs were deposited in a slope‐basin environment by a mechanism debated by researchers, a common model being turbidite deposition. In this paper, we describe how state‐of‐the‐art 3-D seismic data were acquired, interpreted, integrated with other reservoir data, and then used to improve the sitting of in‐field wells and to provide facies parameters for reservoir simulation across this complex depositional system. The 3-D seismic field program was an onshore subsalt imaging effort because the Ochoan Rustler/Salado, a high‐velocity salt/anhydrite section, extended from the surface to a depth of approximately 3000 ft (900 m) across the entire study area. The primary imaging targets were heterogenous siltstone and fine‐grained sandstone successions approximately 100 ft (30 m) thick and comprised of complex assemblages of thin lobe‐like deposits having individual thickness of 3 to 6 ft (1 to 2 m). The seismic acquisition was complicated further by (1) the presence of active potash mines around and beneath the 3-D grid that were being worked at depths of 500 to 600 ft (150 to 180 m), (2) shallow salt lakes, and (3) numerous archeological sites. We show that by careful presurvey wave testing and attention to detail during data processing, thin‐bed reservoirs in this portion of the Delaware basin can be imaged with a signal bandwidth of 10 to 100 Hz and that siltstone/sandstone successions 100 ft (30 m) thick in the basal Brushy Canyon interval can be individually detected and interpreted. Further, we show that amplitude attributes extracted from these 3-D data are valuable indicators of the amount of net pay and porosity‐feet in the major reservoir successions and of the variations in the fluid transmissivity observed in production wells across the field. Relationships between seismic reflection amplitude and reservoir properties determined at the initial calibration wells have been used to site and drill two production wells. The first well found excellent reservoir conditions; the second well was slightly mispositioned relative to the targeted reflection‐amplitude trend and penetrated reservoir facies typical of that at other producing wells. Relationships between seismic reflection amplitude and critical petrophysical properties of the thin‐bed reservoirs have also allowed a seismic‐driven simulation of reservoir performance to be initiated.