Geology topics

Edward Bradley

Publications and source records attributed to Edward Bradley.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS1982

Trichloroethylene in the ground-water supply of Pease Air Force Base, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

TCE (trichloroethylene) in concentrations that may be hazardous to health occurs in the water of an ice-contact largely sand and gravel aquifer (called the main aquifer) underlying much of the PAFB (Pease Air Force Base). In 1977 and 1978, the highest TCE concentration was found surrounding the most productive well, Haven well. Large quantities of TCE were used for degreasing between 1955 and 1965 and, so far as is known, TCE was used extensively up until 1973. Data on how, where, and when TCE got into the aquifer are lacking, but geochemical evidence and TCE analyses show a strong relation between the high TCE concentrations near Haven well and the extensive storm-drain system that underlies the parking apron and runway. The drains help recycle some of the TCE-contaminated ground water from the Haven well area. Sources of TCE-free ground water on PAFB may exist in the northern parts and do exist in the southern parts of the main aquifer; however, in the southern part, either the ground water is probably already being used nearly to capacity (Smith and Harrison production wells) or further development might adversely affect off-base ground-water use. In the northern part, available subsurface data indicate that only relatively small yields are likely at any one site; thus, to get sustained yields comparable to that of the Haven well would probably require an unreasonable number of wells. This study locates TCE contamination in the main PAFB aquifer and discusses three possible water-use alternatives: (I) Abandonment of Haven well, (2) treatment of Haven well water to remove TCE, and (3) treatment of a portion of Haven well water for domestic consumption and use of the remainder for nondomestic uses. Continued use of the Haven well, with treatment of all or part of its yield for TCE removal, is advantageous, both because the Haven well is a high-yield source of water and because cessation of pumping from it might allow TCE-contaminated ground water to move downgradient (southward), endangering the Smith and Harrison production wells. Continued study and monitoring of the TCE contamination would help in predicting when the contamination problem will no longer be threatening.

New Hampshire↗

USGS1964

Geohydrologic analogies between the Jordan Valleys of Utah and the holy land

The biblical Jordan River Valley , which extends from Lake Tiberias (the Sea of Galilee) to the Dead Sea, is decidedly similar to the Jordan River Valley of Utah , which joins Lake Utah and Great Salt Lake. Both Jordan Rivers drain relatively large fresh-water lakes and also are major sources of discharge into large salty lakes that have no outlets to the ocean.The two Jordan River valleys and the highlands and mountains that surround them, have many physiographic, geologic, and hydrologic similarities as well as some noteworthy differences. For example, an hypothesis for the formation of the Dead Sea- Jordan Valley rift is that the east Jordan block slid northward with respect to the west Jordan block. The amount of displacement is estimated to be about 65 miles and took place partly in Miocene and possible Pliocène and partly in Pleistocene time. Tectonc activity has also been a major factor in the formation of the Jordan valley of Utah , but the movement here probably was along large normal faults in late Tertiary and Quaternary time. The sediments underlying both Jordan River valleys were deposited in ancestral lacustrine and fluvial environments. Abundant supplies of ground water are found under both valleys , but probably larger supplies of better quality water can be obtained in Utah . Both valleys contain numerous small nonthermal and a few large thermal springs.

Utah↗

USGS1964

Geology and ground-water resources of southeastern New Hampshire

The continued growth and development of southeastern New Hampshire, an area of about 390 square miles adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, will depend partly on effectively satisfying the demand for water, which has increased rapidly since World War II. The report identifies and describes the principal geologic units with respect to the occurrence of ground water. These units include bedrock and the various unconsolidated deposits that mantle the bedrock surface discontinuously throughout the area. The bedrock formations, consisting of igneous and metamorphic rocks, chiefly of Paleozoic age, form a single water-bearing unit. Ground water is in joints and fractures. The fractures are small and scattered and therefore impart only a low permeability to the rocks. Wells in the bedrock commonly produce small but reliable supplies of ground water at depths of less than 150 feet. The yields of about 80 wells inventoried for this report ranged from 1? to 100 gpm (gallons per minute) and the median was 912 gpm. Depths ranged from 45 to 600 feet. The unconsolidated deposits consist of glacial drift of Pleistocene age; swamp deposits, alluvium, and beach deposits of Recent age; and eolian deposits of Pleistocene -and Recent age. For this report the glacial drift is divided into till, ice-contact deposits, marine deposits, and outwash and shore deposits. Glacial till forms a discontinuous blanket, commonly less than 15 but in some hills (drumlins) as much as about 200 feet thick. It has a low permeability but, because of its widespread outcrop area, it has been utilized as a source of water for numerous domestic supplies. Because most wells in till are shallow, many fail to meet modern demands during dry summers. Ice-contact deposits locally form kames, kame terraces, kame plains, and ice-channel fillings throughout the area. They overlie bedrock and till and range in thickness from less than 1 foot to as much as 190 feet. In general, the ice-contact deposits are coarse textured and permeable, but variations in- the physical and hydrologic properties of a single deposit and from deposit to deposit are common. Ice-contact deposits are the source of the larger ground-water supplies in southeastern New Hampshire. Marine deposits underlie lowlands and valleys to a distance of about 20 miles inland from the present coastline. They commonly overlie bedrock and till and at places overlie or are interbedded with ice-contact deposits. Marine deposits range in thickness from less than 1 foot to possibly 75 feet. They are fine textured and impermeable; they do not yield water to wells in southeastern New Hampshire but generally act as a barrier to ground-water movement. Outwash and shore deposits form broad sand plains or gently sloping terraces of small extent. At most places the outwash and shore deposits, which range in thickness from less than 1 foot to about 50 feet, overlie marine deposits, but at some places they overlie bedrock, till, or ice-contact deposits. The outwash and shore deposits are fine textured and moderately permeable. They commonly yield enough ground water to meet the needs of farms, homes, and small industries. Alluvium underlies the flood plains and channels of the principal streams and overlies bedrock and older unconsolidated deposits wherever streams cross the older units. The alluvium generally is not tapped by wells. Beach deposits occupy areas along the Atlantic Ocean between promontories of bedrock or till. In general beach deposits are permeable and are a source of water supplies for domestic use. Yields of wells are limited, however, by the danger of drawing in salty water. Recharge in southeastern New Hampshire is derived principally from precipitation on outcrop areas of ice-contact deposits and outwash and shore deposits during the nongrowing season. Ground water is discharged naturally by springs, by effluent seepage to streams and other bodies of surface water, and by evapotranspiration. It

Water Supply Paper↗

USGS1963

Geology and ground water resources of Kidder County, North Dakota

Kidder County was covered with glacial ice at least three times during the Wisconsin Stage of the Pleistocene, but the entire sequence of drifts has not been observed in one exposure. The drift which covers the area was deposited during three ice advances termed the Long Lake, Burnstad and Streeter advances. The position of the drift border of the Long Lake advance is marked by the prominent Long Lake end moraine on the western border of the county.

North Dakota↗

USGS1962

Records and logs of selected wells and test holes, chemical analyses of water, and water levels in observation wells in southeastern New Hampshire

The area covered by this report (fig. 1) includes about 390 square miles of southeastern New Hampshire adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean. It lies between Massachusetts on the south and Maine on the north and east, and it is bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the west by a line drawn approximately northward from Atkinson at the Massachusetts border to Farmington near the Maine border. The area includes parts of Rockingham and Strafford Counties. The report presents basic data collected as part of an investigation of the geology and ground-water resources of southeastern New Hampshire by the U. S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the New Hampshire Water Resources Board. These data have been prepared for release in order to make available to the public basic ground-water data that will be useful in the planning of water-resources development. Most of the data contained in this report were collected by Edward Bradley during the period September 1953 to January 1958.

New Hampshire↗

USGS1962