Rio Salado (New Mexico)

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Rio Salado
Name origin:Spanish, "salty river" [1]
Country United States
State New Mexico
County Socorro, Catron
Source Northeast Catron County
 - elevation 7,990 ft (2,435 m) [2]
 - coordinates 34°29′44″N107°53′30″W / 34.49556°N 107.89167°W / 34.49556; -107.89167   [3]
Mouth Rio Grande
 - location North of Socorro
 - elevation 4,678 ft (1,426 m) [3]
 - coordinates 34°16′23″N106°51′31″W / 34.27306°N 106.85861°W / 34.27306; -106.85861 Coordinates: 34°16′23″N106°51′31″W / 34.27306°N 106.85861°W / 34.27306; -106.85861   [3]
Length 86 mi (138 km) [4]
USA New Mexico location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of the mouth of the Rio Salado in New Mexico

The Rio Salado is a tributary of the Rio Grande in the U.S. state of New Mexico. From its source in northeast Catron County it flows about 86 miles (138 km) [4] generally east to join the Rio Grande just north of Polvadera and about 15 miles (24 km) north of Socorro. [3] The name Río Salado is Spanish for "salty river". [1]

Rio Grande river forming part of the US-Mexico border

The Rio Grande is one of the principal rivers in the southwest United States and northern Mexico. The Rio Grande begins in south-central Colorado in the United States and flows to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way, it forms part of the Mexico–United States border. According to the International Boundary and Water Commission, its total length was 1,896 miles (3,051 km) in the late 1980s, though course shifts occasionally result in length changes. Depending on how it is measured, the Rio Grande is either the fourth- or fifth-longest river system in North America.

U.S. state constituent political entity sharing sovereignty as the United States of America

In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are currently 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory and shares its sovereignty with the federal government. Due to this shared sovereignty, Americans are citizens both of the federal republic and of the state in which they reside. State citizenship and residency are flexible, and no government approval is required to move between states, except for persons restricted by certain types of court orders. Four states use the term commonwealth rather than state in their full official names.

New Mexico State of the United States of America

New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern region of the United States of America; its capital and cultural center is Santa Fe which was founded in 1610 as capital of Nuevo México, while its largest city is Albuquerque with its accompanying metropolitan area. It is one of the Mountain States and shares the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona; its other neighboring states are Oklahoma to the northeast, Texas to the east-southeast, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua to the south and Sonora to the southwest. With a population around two million, New Mexico is the 36th state by population. With a total area of 121,590 sq mi (314,900 km2), it is the fifth-largest and sixth-least densely populated of the 50 states. Due to their geographic locations, northern and eastern New Mexico exhibit a colder, alpine climate, while western and southern New Mexico exhibit a warmer, arid climate.

Contents

Course

The Rio Salado originates in northeastern Catron County. It flows east, then north, then southeast through Cow Spring Canyon. It is joined by Miguel Chavez Canyon from the north, which it then flows through, turning eastward. Kicking Bear Wash joins from the north, after which the Rio Salado enters Socorro County. It continues to flow east through Miguel Chavez Canyon, collecting minor tributaries. A longer tributary, Alamocita Creek, joins from the southwest. Then Gallegos Creek joins from the north. Rio Salado passes between Table Mountain and Tres Hermanos Mesa. Alamo Creek and Jaralosa Creek join from the south, then Cottonwood Draw from the north. Rio Salado then passes by Puertecito, after which it is joined by Cañada Bonita from the north. It continues to flow east, joined by a number of minor tributaries flowing from the Bear Mountains and Ladron Peak. As Rio Salado passes through the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge it is joined by La Jenica Creek, Silver Creek, and Arroyo Rendija, from the south, and Cañada Popotosa and Arroyo Tio Lino from the north. Rio Salado empties into the Rio Grande just north of Polvadera, about 15 miles (24 km) north of Socorro. [2]

Ladrón Peak is an isolated, highly visible peak in central New Mexico, lying about 50 mi (80 km) southwest of Albuquerque. Ladron Peak is the only major peak in the compact range known as the Sierra Ladrones, which lies between the Rio Puerco to the east and the Rio Salado to the southwest.

Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge

The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge is a protected area of New Mexico managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System. It is located in the Chihuahuan desert 20 miles north of Socorro, New Mexico. The Rio Salado flows through the refuge.

Along its course the Rio Salado passes along the northern edge of the Cibola National Forest. [2]

Cibola National Forest protected forest in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas

The Cibola National Forest is a 1,633,783 acre United States National Forest in New Mexico, USA. The name Cibola is thought to be the original Zuni Indian name for their pueblos or tribal lands. The name was later interpreted by the Spanish to mean, "buffalo." The forest is disjointed with lands spread across central and northern New Mexico, west Texas and Oklahoma. The Cibola National Forest is divided into four Ranger Districts: the Sandia, Mountainair, Mt. Taylor, and Magdalena. The Forest includes the San Mateo, Magdalena, Datil, Bear, Gallina, Manzano, Sandia, Mt. Taylor, and Zuni Mountains of west-central New Mexico. The Forest also manages four National Grasslands that stretch from northeastern New Mexico eastward into the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma. The Cibola National Forest and Grassland is administered by Region 3 of the United States Forest Service from offices in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Elevation ranges from 5,000 ft to 11,301 ft. The descending order of Cibola National Forest acres by county are: Socorro, Cibola, McKinley, Catron, Torrance, Bernalillo, Sandoval County, New Mexico, Lincoln, Sierra, and Valencia counties in New Mexico. The Cibola National Forest currently has 137,701 acres designated as Wilderness. In addition to these acres, it has 246,000 acres classified as Inventoried Roadless Areas pursuant to the Roadless Area Conservation Rule.

See also

Related Research Articles

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