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R. C. Baker

Publications and source records attributed to R. C. Baker.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2014

An occurrence of saline ground water on Guadalcanal

G uadalcanal Island is largely mountainous, but on the north side there is a coastal plain about 40 mi long which averages eight miles in width and stands a about 15 ft above sea level. This plain is composed of the coalesced deltas of several large rivers. Most of the military installations of World War II were located on this plain near its western end. Wells drilled for water supply disclosed a body of saline ground water between the Lunga and Nalimbu Rivers. The saline water probably is ocean water that was incorporated into the sediments as the coastal plain was built. The location and shape of the body of salt water appears to be controlled largely by the permeability of the material.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS1964

Ground-water resources of the lower Rio Grande Valley area, Texas

The report contains information about the occurrence, quality, and use of ground water in the Lower Rio Grande Valley area which consists of Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, and Willacy Counties in southern Texas. The principal use of water in the area is for irrigation. The principal irrigated crops are cotton, winter vegetables, and citrus fruits. In southeastern Starr County, southern Hidalgo County, and western Cameron County, the main source of water is the Rio Grande. The greatest development of ground water in this area was after 1948 when ground water was needed to supplement water from the river. The Lower Rio Grande Valley area has four major ground-water reservoirs. Because of the uncertainty in mapping the stratigraphic units and because some of the ground-water reservoirs are composed of parts of two or more formations, three of the ground-water reservoirs have been given names in this report. The major ground-water reservoirs are: the Oakville sandstone, an important source of water for industrial use in northeastern Stair County; the Linn-Faysville ground-water reservoir, which supplies irrigation water in the Linn-Faysville area in central Hidalgo County; and the Rio Grande ground-water reservoir and the Mercedes-Sebastian shallow ground-water reservoir, both of which supply considerable irrigation water in southeastern Starr, southern Hidalgo, western Cameron, and southwestern Willacy Counties. The quality of water differs considerably from place to place in the Lower Rio Grande Valley area. In most of the area, water is available that can be used for domestic or public supply, but it generally is slightly saline. In most of the area, the ground water is unsuitable for irrigation .particularly if used exclusively. Water of the best quality in the area is from the Rio Grande groundwater reservoir near the Rio Grande at depths of less than 75 feet in southeastern Stair County, between 50 and 250 feet in southern Hidalgo County, and between 100 and 300 feet in western Cameron County. At progressively greater distances from the Rio Grande, the ground water at these depths tends to be more mineralized. Also at some places at depths greater than those indicated, the water tends to be more mineralized. In the Linn-Faysville area the ground water from the Linn-Faysville ground-water reservoir is moderately mineralized and ranges from fair to unsuitable for irrigation. In western Cameron County, water levels in some wells tapping the Rio Grande ground-water reservoir declined about 10 feet from 1954 to 1957. In 1959 the water levels stood higher than in 1954. The water levels in most wells tapping the Linn-Faysville ground-water reservoir declined 10 feet or more from 1948 to 1958. In some wells the decline was more than 15 feet. The available information indicates that in some localities the Rio Grande ground-water reservoir may be nearly filled to capacity, and waterlogging will occur during periods of above-normal precipitation. During protracted periods of below-normal precipitation, the available water in the ground-water reservoir may be depleted. Further studies should be made in the area to correct important deficiencies in available information. A continuing program is recommended because information such as fluctuations in water levels and the amount and distribution of pumping can be obtained only on a current basis.

Water Supply Paper↗
USGS1964

Natural sources of salinity in the Brazos River, Texas with particular reference to the Croton and salt Croton Creek basins

The average daily load of the Brazos River at Possum Kingdom Reservoir is about 2,800 tons of dissolved solids, of which 1,000 tons is chloride. More than 85 percent of the chloride load is contributed by the Salt Fork Brazos River, and more than 50 percent of the chloride load of the Brazos River originates from salt springs and seeps in Croton and Salt Crotdn Creeks, which are tributaries of Salt Fork Brazos River. The rest of the chloride is contributed from many small sources. The average daily chloride load of Croton Creek is 70 tons, much of which is carried during periods of flood runoff. The average daily chloride load of Salt Croton Creek is about 480 tons. Of this total, 330 tons is contributed by the base flow, which ranges from 0.5 to 2 cubic feet per second. The principal areas of salt springs and seeps in the Croton Creek basin are Hot Springs and Short Croton Salt Flats in northeastern Kent County. In the Salt Croton Creek basin, saline water is discharged in Dove Creek Salt Flat, Dove Creek near Dove Creek Salt Flat, and three small salt flats on Haystack Creek, all in southwestern King County and northwestern Stonewall County. Salt springs and seeps discharge from the rocks of the Whitehorse Group undifferentiated in the Croton Creek basin, and from the upper part of the Dog Creek Shale of the Pease River Group in the Salt Croton Creek basin. Both groups are of Permian age. The water that is discharged by springs and seeps in the Croton Creek basin is derived from the infiltration of precipitation and seepage from streams in the Duck Creek basin. The source of the water that discharges in the Salt Croton basin is not known. The salt load contributed to the Brazos River by the springs and seeps can be reduced, although the volume of salt water for disposal probably cannot be reduced or eliminated. Collecting and disposing of the base flow of Salt Croton Creek would reduce the salt load of the Brazos River by 30 percent; disposal of the total flow of Salt Croton Creek would reduce the salt load by 45 percent. The salt water may be disposed of by impounding it in reservoirs for evaporation or by injecting it underground through oil wells, oil tests, or wells drilled for saltwater disposal. Sediments in which the salt water possibly could be injected underlie the. Dove Creek Salt Flats at depths of less than 7,000 feet.

Texas↗
USGS1954

Uranium occurrences in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and Hunterdon County, New Jersey

Eleven occurrences of uraniferous argillite in the Lockatong lithofacies and five occurrences of uraniferous sandstone in the Stockton lithofacies, both of Triassic age, are known in Buck County, Pa. and Hunterdon County, N.J. Most of the occurrences were discovered by the Geological Survey, though prospectors found several. The Delaware quarry, Bucks County, Pa., was mapped and sampled in detail because the best exposed and most uraniferous argillite known crops out there. Sketches of two sandstone occurrences were made. Two stratigraphic sections of part of the Stockton formation were made in an unsuccessful effort to find key beds to which the uranium occurrences might be referred. The argillite occurrences contain as much as 0.034 percent uranium but commonly contain only about 0.010 percent uranium. They are known to extend for several hundred feet along the strike and may possibly extend several thousand feet, but less than a mile. They range from about 1 to 6 feet in thickness. The sandstone occurrences are characterized by the presence of pyrite or limonite and the alteration of feldspar to clay. The most uraniferous parts of the sandstone contain mud pebbles or lenses. The sandstone with mud pellets generally contain from 0.01 to 0.03 percent uranium, but selected parts of the pellets contain as much as 0.29 percent uranium. The known occurrences are small, about 1 to 2 feet thick and 20 to 30 feet long. None of the argillite or sandstone occurrences are now of economic importance.

New Jersey;Pennsylvania↗
USGS1951

Ground water for industrial use in the vicinity of Little Rock, Arkansas

Several inquiries about the availability of ground water and its quality for industrial use in the vicinity of Little Rock, Ark. have led to the assembling of the following information from the files of the United States Geological Survey in Little Rock and Fayetteville. There are large undeveloped reserves of ground water in the vicinity of Little Rock that can be made available through large-capacity wells. However, the water probably would require treatment for most industrial uses. Ground water is used in Little Rock and vicinity at an estimated rate of about 10 million gallons per day. The most productive water-bearing material consists of alluvial deposits along the Arkansas River and in a large area extending northeast, east, and southeast of the city. Records of 41 selected wells and chemical analyses of water from 28 wells tapping these deposits are given below. The areas in which the productive deposits occur and the location of the wells are shown on the map.

Arkansas↗