Natural springs are produced by rainwater penetrating through the porous sandstone, until it reached an impenetrable layer of shale. The water then flowed along this layer, until it remerged out of the canyon wall. The Anasazi understood this process and dammed the rainwater above the springs course, forcing it to penetrate the rock and therefore, increase the flow of the spring.
When the Anasazi settled on the Mesa Tops, they were close to their crops, but a distance from the water source. This however, reversed when they moved into the cliff dwellings. Therefore, the established irrigation systems in the fields using check dams and reservoirs to catch the rainwater in order to water the crops.
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