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2 areas are the Culebra Range, the Sangre (Ie Cristo Mountains, the Wet Mountains, the Canyon and Mesa area, the Shale Plains, the Coal Basin, and Huerfano Park. An understanding of these physiographic areas is important to the understanding of the soils m the survey area (9). The southwestern boundar/ of the area is marked by the Culebra Range. The San>lre de Cristo Mountains and the San Isabel National Forest form the no .thwestern boundary. The northern boundary is marked by the Wet Mountains and the San Isabel National Forest. The Canyon and Mesa physiographic area IS in the eastern part of the county. Tt-lis area is mainly underlain by limestone, sandstone, and shale that have been slightly tilted, faulted, and subsequently eroded to form canyons, fault scarps, and buttes. The Cucllaras and Huerfano Canyons, Rattlesnake Buttes, and Turkey Ridge are in this area. Immediately to the west of the Canyon and Mesa area is the Shale Plains physiographic area. Thi~, area is characterized by low relief and long, gentle slopes. The low relief, however, is interrupted by dikes, sills, and plugs, such as Huerfano Butte, and by moderately sloping pediments that extend eastward from the Wet Mountains. The area is underlain mainly by shale. Directly west of the Shale Plains area is a steep, east- facing sandstone escarpment. This escarpment marks the beginning of the Coal Basin physiographic area. This area is bordered on the west by the Culebra Flange and on the south by Spanish Peaks and the San Isabel National Forest. The area is underlain by a sequence of sandstone, coal. and shale. It is characterized by numerous igneous dikes, plugs, sills, and stocks. The Goemmer Butte, Mount Mestas, Rough Mountain, Dike Mountain, Little Sheep and Sheep Mountains, Black Hills, and Spanish Peaks are in this area. Mary dikes extend from Dike Mountain and Spanish Peaks. Huerfano Park is the physiographic area that lies immediately to the north of thl3 Coal Basin arE'a. It is between the Sangre de Cristo and Wet Mountains. This area has a badland topography of rolling hills that have an angular. jagged profile as a result of ero,;ion. The Huerfano River and its tributaries drain most of Huerfano County. A small area along the northern boundary of the county and east of the Wet Mountains is drained by Graneros Creek, which is a tributary of the St. Charles River. Another small area at the eastmn tip of the county is drained by Mustang Creek, whicll empties into the Apishapa River. The Huerfano, St. Charles, and Apishapa Rivers are tributaries of the Arkansas River. The Cucharas River, the principal tributar} of the Huerfano River, drains the southern part of thl, county, including Spanish Peaks, Culebra Range, and most of Coal Basin. It flows from southwest to northea.st. Some of the major tributaries of the Cucharas Riv"r are Santa Clara, Bear, and Wahatoya Creeks. The main part of the Huerfano River drains the northern part of the area, which includes Huerfano Park, the Sangre de Cristo Soil survey Mountains, and the WElt Mountains. The Huerfano River flows from southwest to northeast. The Williams, Turkey, Manzanares, Pass, Oak, and Apache Creeks are some of its smaller tributaries. natural resources Soil and water are the most important resources in the survey area. Livestock, native grasses, irrigated hay, non irrigated winter wheat, and timber are the principal products derived from the soil. Approximately 85 percent of the area is used for grazing, 7 percent for commercial timber, and 4 percent for dryland crops and irrigated hay. Bituminous coal (noncoking) is the most important mineral in the area. Coal deposits, which contain an estimated 670 million tons of coal, cover 263 square miles of the survey area (7). Extensive coal deposits are in the Vermejo and Raton Formations. These deposits are the northern extension of the Raton coalfields. Other natural resources in the survey area are gold, silver, uranium, copper, iron, lead, fire clay, granite, alum, gypsum, limestone, marble, potters clay, sand, and gravel (6). Most of these are present in insufficient quantities to make economic development feasible. In 1970, two underground coal mines, one granite quarry, four sand and gravel pitS, and one clay mine were operating in the survey area. Several areas have potential as a source of sand, gravel, and clay. water supply The Huerfano and the Cucharas Rivers and their major tributaries are the principal sources of surface water in the survey area. The more important streams that supply irrigation water include Apache, Bear, Muddy, Pass, Santa Clara, Turkey, Wahatoya, Williams, and Yellowstone Creeks. Snowmelt from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the Wet Mountains, and the Culebra Range and some water from springs and seeps in the highlands flow into these streams. A number of reservOirs have been developed to store water from the Cucharas River and some of its tributaries. Martin and Horseshoe Lakes supply some municipal and irrigation water and are important for recreation in the Lathrop State Park. Cucharas Reservoir, the largest reservoir in the survey area, supplies water for irrigation. The principal sources of ground water are several sandstone and limestone aquifers of Cretaceous age and unconsolidated alluvium aquifers under the flood plains and terraces of the major streams. Water diverted from streams and distributed by surface ditches is the dominant source of irrigation water. Few wells for irrigation have been drilled. Most wells are for domestic use or for stock water. In some areas well water, or water collected from springs and seeps or in ponds, is distributed by pipeline to help distribute livestock grazing.