Fig. 1. An excavated face following a ponded infiltration test (50 h) that was conducted in fluvial channel deposits near Albuquerque, NM. Flagged nails in the outcrop are spaced 40 cm apart. Dyes introduced with the infiltrating water illustrate some of the complex processes affecting flow and transport in the vadose zone. Lateral spreading occurs above a capillary barrier (gravel deposits). Dye is transported preferentially along a fracture, while the inclined stratification focuses flow and influences dye transport.