Remote Sensing and Geophysical Investigations of Glacial Buried Valleys in Northeastern Kansas

Denne, Jane E.; Yarger, H. L.; Macfarlane, Pamela A.; Knapp, Ralph W.; Sophocleous, Marios; Lucas, James; Steeples, Don W.

doi:10.1111/j.1745-6584.1984.tb01476.x

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 5 publications

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“…Boyce & Eyles, ) or, in some cases, ground‐based, two‐dimensional geophysical profiles supplemented by boreholes (e.g. Denne et al ., ; Jørgensen et al ., ; Abraham et al ., ). Resolving the intricate geometries and internal heterogeneities of buried valley deposits requires spatially dense data suitable for three‐dimensional reconstruction of sedimentary bodies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Three‐dimensional architecture and hydrostratigraphy of cross‐cutting buried valleys using airborne electromagnetics, glaciated Central Lowlands, Nebraska, USA

et al. 2016

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Buried valleys are characteristic features of glaciated landscapes, and their deposits host important aquifers worldwide. Understanding the stratigraphic architecture of these deposits is essential for protecting groundwater and interpreting sedimentary processes in subglacial and ice-marginal environments. The relationships between depositional architecture, topography and hydrostratigraphy in dissected, pre-Illinoian till sheets is poorly understood. Boreholes alone are inadequate to characterize the complex geology of buried valleys, but airborne electromagnetic surveys have proven useful for this purpose. A key question is whether the sedimentary architecture of buried valleys can be interpreted from airborne electromagnetic profiles. This study employs airborne electromagnetic resistivity profiles to interpret the threedimensional sedimentary architecture of cross-cutting buried valleys in a ca 400 km 2 area along the western margin of Laurentide glaciation in North America. A progenitor bedrock valley is succeeded by at least five generations of tunnel valleys that become progressively younger northward. Tunnel-valley infills are highly variable, reflecting under-filled and over-filled conditions. Under-filled tunnel valleys are expressed on the modern landscape and contain fine sediments that act as hydraulic barriers. Over-filled tunnel valleys are not recognized in the modern landscape, but where they are present they form hydraulic windows between deep aquifer units and the land surface. The interpretation of tunnel-valley genesis herein provides evidence of the relationships between depositional processes and glacial landforms in a dissected, pre-Illinoian till sheet, and contributes to the understanding of the complex physical hydrology of glacial aquifers in general.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Three‐dimensional architecture and hydrostratigraphy of cross‐cutting buried valleys using airborne electromagnetics, glaciated Central Lowlands, Nebraska, USA

et al. 2016

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Ammonium Ion, Humic Materials, and Trihalomethane Potential in Northeastern Kansas Ground Waters

1984

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Glacial buried‐valley aquifers serve as primary sources of potable ground water in northeastern Kansas. A long known problem, however, is that a large percentage of well waters in this region exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limits for nitrate (NO−3). A detailed study of the hydrogeology and water quality of the buried valleys has confirmed the nitrate problem and led to a recognition that some well waters with low ( 5 mg/l) NO−3 concentrations have anomalous ( 0.5 mg/l) ammonium ion (NH+4) levels, with an NH+4 range from <0.1 to 4.8 mg/l. The extractable NH+4 concentrations in related glacial sediments range up to approximately 75 mg/kg, and the amounts generally increase from an average of 2 mg/kg in the topsoil downward to bedrock. Migration of brines from subjacent Permian or Pennsylvanian bedrock into the unconsolidated sediments locally may cause desorption of NH+4 and an increase in its levels in the associated ground waters. Numerous test holes drilled in the study area showed a black scum on the fluid and cuttings, which may be from buried humic materials. Recently measured total organic carbon (TOC) contents of the ground waters confirm a significant level in some areas, with a range from 0.1 to 2.4 mg/l as C. Chlorination of water with dissolved organics may lead to production of halogenated compounds. Two public‐water‐supply well waters contained total trihalomethane (TTHM) levels close to the maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 100 /μg/l in chlorinated samples quenched after one week. The presence of NH+4 inhibits the formation of THMs, but it also can give rise to odor and taste problems in the finished water. The inhibition of THM formation by NH+4 is achieved by reactions which compete with the organics for combination with chlorine. These reactions make maintaining appropriate chlorine residuals difficult and also may lead to production of undesirable side products. Present efforts to evaluate the regional water‐quality problems are focused in Nemaha County, Kansas.

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The Successful Use of Microgravity Profiling to Delineate Faults in Buried Bedrock Valleys

Allen

Michel

1996

Groundwater

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Site selection for ground‐water production wells was made easier using a microgravity survey technique. The ground‐water regime beneath the Carleton University campus is dominated by fracture flow associated with major faults. These faults are located within buried bedrock valleys where preferential erosion of the bedrock has occurred. A series of faults is inferred from bedrock topography and hydrogeological testing; however, the precise orientation of the faults is to a large extent uncertain. The bedrock surface is masked by fluvial, glacial, and glaciomarine overburden of variable thickness. High precision, small‐scale microgravity profiling was carried out to identify the bedrock valleys. Gravity anomalies of up to 0.05 mgal correspond to valley depths ranging from 5 to 15 meters. The density contrast between overburden and limestone bedrock is estimated as 0.3 g/cm3. Forward modeling using a polygon technique suggests that the observed, corrected gravity profile is a smoothed reflection of the bedrock surface at depth. Based on the locations of the bedrock valleys, several faults were identified and four test wells were drilled as part of the development of Phase 2 of the Carleton Groundwater Energy Project. Three of these wells produced high yields, exceeding 60 I/sec, when converted to 12 inch diameter production wells. The fourth well also encountered a bedrock valley but with a slightly lower yield of water. The favorable drilling results have shown that small‐scale microgravity profiling, in an area that is largely unsuitable for the detection of subsurface features using other geophysical techniques, is an effective method for imaging the bedrock surface. The positions of the faults, which are known to exist on the basis of stratigraphy, geophysical well log correlations, bedrock topography, and calcite‐filled fractures exposed in outcrop or core, have been more accurately defined.

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Remote Sensing and Geophysical Investigations of Glacial Buried Valleys in Northeastern Kansas

Cited by 3 publications

References 5 publications

Three‐dimensional architecture and hydrostratigraphy of cross‐cutting buried valleys using airborne electromagnetics, glaciated Central Lowlands, Nebraska, USA

Three‐dimensional architecture and hydrostratigraphy of cross‐cutting buried valleys using airborne electromagnetics, glaciated Central Lowlands, Nebraska, USA

Ammonium Ion, Humic Materials, and Trihalomethane Potential in Northeastern Kansas Ground Waters

The Successful Use of Microgravity Profiling to Delineate Faults in Buried Bedrock Valleys

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