Principal Drv-Farming Re;gions 523 



detrital and sacramento valleys 



Directly west of Hualpai and Big Sandy Valleys, extending 

 north and south from Williams Canyon to the Colorado River, are 

 the Detrital and Sacramento Valleys. Because of similarity of geo- 

 graphical and agricultural conditions these Valleys are considered 

 together. They are approximately 130 miles long and from five to 

 fifteen miles wide. About midway occurs a divide which diverts 

 drainage northward through Detrital Wash into the Colorado River 

 near Stone Ferry, and southward through Sacramento Wash to 

 Yucca, thence westward around the end of the Black Mesa into the 

 Colorado River near Mellon. North of the Grand Canyon the de- 

 pression continues in the valley of the Virgin River. The center 

 of Detrital and Sacramento Valleys is probably about 3400 feet 

 above sea level. The southern half slopes more abruptly than the 

 northern, and the altitude at Yucca is approximately 1800 feet. 



Precipitation probably averages six to eight inches annually. 

 The underground water is very deep, and wells must be sunk ap- 

 proximately 1000 feet to obtain small amounts for domestic use. 

 The diversion of floods or their storage for supplemental irrigation 

 is feasible in some places. Climatic features of the southern end 

 of Sacramento Valley adapt the region to the growth of sub-tropical 

 crops wherever the water problem can be satisfactorily solved. 



VALLEYS NORTH OF THE GRAND CANYON 



PIPE SPRINGS VALLEY 



Pipe Springs Valley extends north and south for approximately 

 thirty miles, has a width of approximately twelve miles, and lies 

 between Vermillion Cliffs on the east and a local fault line of 

 Antelope Valley on the west. The northern and southern bounda- 

 ries are indefinitely determined, the former being a short, abrupt 

 rise in Short Creek Valley, and the latter a gradual slope to Kanab 

 Creek. The soil of the eastern half of the Valley is mostly de- 

 composed sandstone, while in the center and in the western half 

 there is a considerable mixture of disintegrated limestone. Through- 

 out the Valley the soil is deep, uniform, fairly fertile, and easy to till, 

 but is shifted somewhat by winds. The Valley derives its name 

 from water piped from springs in the Vermillion Cliffs. There are 

 no data concerning the groundwater supply, but from appearances 



