Four Corners Mapping

Hey hey, my Black Mesa Map made it into an Arizona Geological Survey at the University of Arizona post! Thanks for the opportunity to make this map, Tó Nizhóní Ání! See this map and more at fourcornersmapping.com.

A beautiful shaded relief map of Arizona’s Black Mesa (Dziłíjiin, Navajo Nation) by Anna Riling of ‘Four Corners Mapping’. The map shows the boundary of the extensive N (Navajo) Aquifer underlying Black Mesa and environs. From the US Geological Survey’s report on groundwater of the Black Mesa area (Mason, 2022) , “The geologic units associated with the N aquifer are members of the Glen Canyon Group and include the Moenave Formation, Wingate Sandstone, Kayenta Formation, and Navajo Sandstone.”.

For a larger portrayal of the Black Mesa map - https://www.maps.com/a-water-map-for-the-desert/

For Mason’s (2022) report on groundwater and surface-water of Black Mesa, see https://www.usgs.gov/publications/groundwater-surface-water-and-water-chemistry-data-black-mesa-area-northeastern-8

A water map for the desert. A visual story of resilience, scarcity, and sacred ground.

My map of Black Mesa is now featured on Esri's Maps.com!

🔗Article: https://www.maps.com/a-water-map-for-the-desert

Made for Tó Nizhóní Ání (“Sacred Water Speaks”), this piece blends terrain shading, satellite imagery, and stylized hydrology to highlight both the beauty of the high desert and the urgent need to protect its water.

The Navajo Aquifer—the primary potable water source in the region—lies beneath the surface. The map helps residents visualize this hidden system, navigate dirt roads, and fight for their water rights.

A Water Map for the Desert The map relies on a combination of Indigenous knowledge and government data to map water resources and Indigenous communities in a region known as Black Mesa, or Dził Yíjiin in Navajo.