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H.W. Young

Publications and source records attributed to H.W. Young.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
USGS1982

Thermal springs in the Salmon River basin, central Idaho

The Salmon River basin drains approximately 13,000 square miles in central Idaho underlain by the Idaho batholith. Geologic units in the basin include igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks and granitic rocks predominate. Water from thermal springs ranges in temperature from 20.5 degrees to 94.0 degrees Celsius. The waters are slightly alkaline and are generally a sodium carbonate or bicarbonate type. Dissolved-solids concentrations are variable and range from 103 to 839 milligrams per liter. Estimated reservoir temperatures determined from the silicic acid-corrected silica, sodium-potassium-calcium, and sulfate-water isotope geothermometers range from 30 degrees to 184 degrees Celsius. Tritium concentrations in sampled thermal waters are near zero and indicate the waters are at least 100 years old and may be considerably older. Stable-isotope data indicate it is unlikely that a single area of recharge or a single hot-water reservoir supplies all hot springs in the basin. Thermal springs discharged at least 15,800 acre-feet of water in 1980. Associated convective heat flux is 27 million calories per second. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1982

Water resources of Rockland Basin, southeastern Idaho

Rockland basin comprises about 320 sq mi of the Snake River drainage in southeastern Idaho. Mountain ranges bordering the basin are composed predominantly of limestone and are complexly faulted. Major aquifers include Holocene alluvium, Quaternary-Tertiary volcanic rocks, and Tertiary sedimentary rocks. Groundwater occurs under water table conditions except where it is locally confined. Groundwater discharges to springs in the Deep Creek Mountains and maintains perennial streamflow. Near the mouth of Rock Creek, groundwater movement is northward toward the Snake River. Underflow is estimated to be 51,000 acre-ft/yr. Total water yield available to Rockland basin is estimated to be 5.0 in. (85,000 acre-ft) of the estimated 17.3 in. of annual precipitation. Evapotranspiration ranges from 9.9 to 17 in./yr, depending, in part, on altitude of the land surface. An estimated 12,000 acre-ft of surface water and 3,500 acre-ft of groundwater are used annually for irrigation. Less than 100 acre-ft of water is used for public supply, domestic, and stock supplies. East Fork Rock Creek supplies the most surface water for irrigation of agricultural lands. At the present (1980) state of groundwater development in Rockland basin, streams and aquifers are hydraulically connected. Pumping of groundwater in increased quantities from wells near streams will affect groundwater movement and may diminish streamflow. There are no long-term regional water table declines at present. Continued water level monitoring of selected wells may aid in documenting effects of future management practices on the groundwater system.

idaho↗
USGS1982

Thermal springs in the Boise River basin, south-central Idaho

The Boise River Basin, characterized by steep, rugged mountains and narrow river valleys, drains an area of about 2,680 square miles in south-central Idaho. Granitic rocks of the Idaho batholith predominate in the basin. Temperature of waters from thermal springs in the basin range from 33 degrees to 87 degrees Celsius, are sodium carbonate type and are slightly alkaline. Dissolved-solids concentrations are less than 280 milligrams per liter. Estimated reservoir temperatures determined by the silica and sodium-potassium-calcium geothermometers range from 50 degrees to 98 degrees Celsius. Tritium concentrations in sampled thermal springs are near zero and indicate these waters were recharged prior to 1954. Stable-isotope data are not conclusive insofar as indicating a source area of recharge for the thermal springs in the basin. Thermal springs discharged at least 4,900 acre-feet of water in 1981, and the associated convective heat flux is 11,000,000 calories per second. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1980

Hydrology and geochemistry of thermal ground water in southwestern Idaho and north-central Nevada

In southwestern Idaho and north-central Nevada, thermal groundwater occurs under artesian conditions in igneous or sedimentary rocks of Tertiary age. Temperatures of the groundwater range from 30 degrees to more than 80 degrees Celsius. Thermal waters are a sodium carbonate or bicarbonate type; nonthermal waters are a calcium bicarbonate. Chemical geothermometers indicate maximum reservoir temperatures near 100 degrees Celsius. Stable-isotope data indicate recharge to the system occurred when climate averaged 3 degrees to 5 degrees Celsius colder than at present; such conditions existed during Holocene glacial advances 3,000 and more than 8,000 years ago. Residence time calculated on the basis of reservoir volume and thermal-water discharge is 3,400 to 6,800 years. Considering estimates of heat flux in and heat discharged by conduction and convection, about 25.0 cubic feet per second, or about 18,000 acre-feet per year, of 50 degrees Celsius water is required to transport excess heat from the system advectively in groundwater. The conceptual model is one where water has circulated thousands, even tens of thousands, of years. Within model constraints, reservoir thermal energy for this geothermal system is 130x10 to the 18th power calories. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1979

Thermal ground-water discharge and associated convective heat flux, Bruneau-Grand View area, southwest Idaho

The Bruneau-Grand View area occupies about 1,100 square miles in southwest Idaho. The area has a rural population dependent on ground-water irrigation. Temperature of the ground water ranges from 15 C to more than 80 C. Ground water for irrigation is obtained from flowing and pumped wells. Discharge of thermal ground water from 104 irrigation wells and from 5 hot springs in 1978 was about 50,500 acre-feet. Convective heat flux from the geothermal system associated with this discharge was 4.97 x 10 to the 7th power calories per second. (Woodard-USGS)

Idaho↗
USGS1978

Selected hydrologic data, Camas Prairie, south-central Idaho

This report presents data collected during a 1-year study of the water resources of Camas Prairie, Idaho. Included are records of wells, discharge measurements of streams, hydrographs of water levels in wells, water-quality data, and drillers' logs of wells. The data are conveniently made available to supplement an interpretive report, which will be published separately.

Idaho↗
USGS1978

Water resources of Camas Prairie, south-central Idaho

Ground-water pumpage in Camas Prairie, Idaho, for irrigation and municipal supplies totaled nearly 9,500 acre-feet in 1977. Declines of pressure head in the artesian aquifer have ranged from 3 to 12 feet since 1974 when increased ground-water pumping began. A comparison of water-level measurements made in September 1957 and September 1977 shows declines of more than 30 feet in places in the artesian aquifer. Camas Prairie aquifers are recharged by percolation from streams and by precipitation on the valley floor. Estimated mean annual recharge to the artesian aquifer is 37,000 acre-feet. Vertical recharge from the artesian aquifer to the overlying water-table aquifer is estimated to be 20,000 acre-feet annually. Declines in artesian pressure caused by increased irrigation pumping will result in a reduction of recharge from the artesian aquifer to the water-table aquifer. Yields from irrigation wells in the prairie ranged from 400 to slightly more than 2,000 gallons per minute. Flows in Camas Creek in the 1977 drought year averaged 9,400 acre-feet, compared with 138,000 acre-feet in a normal year. Surface and ground waters sampled in the basin were either a sodium or calcium bicarbonate type water. Dissolved-solids concentrations ranged from 61 to 284 milligrams per liter. (Woodard-USGS)

Idaho↗
USGS1977

Reconnaissance of ground-water resources in the Mountain Home plateau area, southwest Idaho

The Mountain Home plateau area occupies approximately 1,220 square miles of the western Snake River Plain in southwestern Idaho. About 40,000 acres are presently (1977) irrigated with ground water, about 30,000 acres with surface water. An estimated 450,000 acres are potentially irrigable, if water is available. Development of ground-water re- sources has caused water-level declines in several places. Largest declines are south of Mountain Home, where water levels dropped more than 20 feet in the last 9 years. Ground water in the area occurs primarily under water-table conditions. Perched-water zones are present in several locations. The most productive aquifer in the eastern part of the plateau is basalt of the Bureau Formation of the Idaho Group. In the western part, the most productive aquifers are sand and gravel of the older terrace gravel lithologic unit and the Idaho Group. Recharge to the ground-water system is water from the Boise River drainage basin, precipitation on the plateau and adjacent mountains, and leakage from irrigation structures. Ground-water movement is generally south or southwest. Natural ground-water discharge from the plateau is about 18,000 acre-feet annually. The chemical composition of the ground water generally reflects water characteristics in the area of the source of recharge and, for the most part, is good. Deuterium and oxygen-18 isotope analyses suggest that the water at the lower end of the ground-water flow system underlying the plateau was recharged a long time ago, although climatic conditions then were similar to current conditions in the Boise River basin. Additional large-scale ground-water development will probably result in economically prohibitive pumping lifts, which also would consume excessive amounts of energy. Therefore, large-scale new agricultural development would depend heavily on the availability of surface water. However, one or several deep test holes, in selected places, could help answer some questions about the occurrence of ground water and perhaps encourage further exploration for untapped deep artesian aquifers. The occurrence of perched-water zones beneath lands irrigated by surface water suggests that more zones of this type could develop if water is imported into the area to irrigate additional lands, and if the efficiency of the present distribution systems remains unchanged.

Idaho↗
USGS1977

Water resources of the Weiser River basin, west-central Idaho

The study area comprises about 1,600 square miles (4,100 square kilometers) in west-central Idaho and includes the entire Weiser River basin and small areas both west and south of Weiser outside the basin. The basin is sparsely populated and the economy is chiefly agricultural.

Idaho↗
USGS1976

Geothermal investigations in Idaho, Part IV, Isotopic and geochemical analyses of water from the Bruneau-Grand View and Weiser areas, Southwest Idaho

Variations of deuterium and oxygen-18 concentrations in thermal ground waters and local nonthermal springs have been used to aid in describing the source of recharge in the Bruneau-Grand View and Weiser areas, southwest Idaho. Isotope and geochemical data for the Bruneau-Grand View area suggest that recharge to the area may not be entirely from sources within the local surface-drainage area, but possibly from the areas of higher altitude of the Bruneau River drainage to the southeast; or that the hot water that wells and springs are discharging is water that was recharged at a time when the regional climate was much colder than the present climate. Recharge to the Weiser area is probably from areas of higher altitude to the north and northeast of the local drainage area However, local precipitation does influence both the chemical and isotopic compositions of the waters in each area.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1974

Geothermal investigations in Idaho, Part 2, An evaluation of thermal water in the Bruneau-Grand View area, southwest Idaho, with a section on a reconnaissance audio-magnetotelluric survey

The Bruneau-Grand View area occupies about 1,100 square miles in southwest Idaho and is on the southern flank of the large depression (possibly a graben) in which lies the western Snake River Plain. The igneous and sedimentary rocks in the area range in age from Late Cretaceous to Holocene. They are transected by a prominent system of northwest-trending faults. For discussion purposes, the aquifers in the area have been separated into two broad units: (1) the volcanic-rock aquifers, and (2) the overlying sedimentary-rock aquifers. The Idavada Volcanics or underlying rock units probably constitute the reservoir that contains thermal water. An audio-magnetotelluric survey indicates that a large conductive zone having apparent resistivities approaching 2 ohm-metres underlies a part of the area at a relatively shallow depth. Chemical analysis of 94 water samples collected in 1973 show that the thermal waters in the area are of a sodium bicarbonate type. Although dissolved-solids concentrations of water ranged from 181 to 1,100 milligrams per litre (mg/l) in the volcanic-rock aquifers, they were generally less than 500 mg/l. Measured chloride concentrations of water in the volcanic-rock aquifers were less than 20 mg/l. Temperatures of water from wells and springs ranged from 9.5 to 83.0 degrees C. Temperatures of water from the volcanic-rock aquifers ranged from 40.0 to 83.0 degrees C, whereas temperatures of water from the sedimentary-rock aquifers seldom exceeded 35 degrees C. Aquifer temperatures at depth, as estimated by silica and sodium-potassium-calcium geochemical thermometers, probably do not exceed 150 degrees C. However, a mixed-water geochemical thermometer indicates that temperatures at depth may exceed 180 degrees C. The gas in water from the volcanic-rock aquifers is composed chiefly of atmospheric oxygen and nitrogen. Methane gas (probably derived from organic material) was also found in some water from the sedimentary-rock aquifers. The thermal waters in the area are believed to be heated by deep circulation in a zone of high geothermal gradient resulting from thinning of the earth?s crust.

Idaho↗