Geology topics
Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Oklahoma.
In connection with a search for geologically quiet areas for sitting large engineering ventures such as dams and nuclear power plants, geologists have recently started looking at the Meers fault in southwestern Oklahoma with an intense interest.
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American coots ( Fulica americana ) were studied on large reservoirs in north-central Oklahoma in 1979-1982 to determine chronologies of migrations by age- and sex class. Coots began migrating into Oklahoma in mid-September, numbers peaked in early to mid-October, and few birds were seen after 1 November. Some late migrants appeared in mid-December. In spring, coots began migrating in late February, numbers peaked in mid-April, and the last birds were seen in mid-May. Generally, adult and juvenile males and juvenile female coots migrated simultaneously in autumn, but adult females completed migration by 1 November. A few juveniles and adult males migrated in December. Adult coots preceded yearlings in spring. Despite annual and between-lake differences in chronology of autumn migration, most coots migrated before waterfowl hunting season in Oklahoma. Coot hunting seasons in mid-latitude states should commence before the general waterfowl season where management goals are to increase hunter interest and the harvest of birds.
Based on samples collected bimonthly for major inorganic and trace elements and monthly for biota and bacteria, water from the Blue Creek arm of Lake Eufaula and Blue Creek is suitable for most uses when compared to water-quality standards or criteria. Concentrations of most chemical constituents gradually increased from spring to fall. The concentrations generally were within established drinking-water standards, with the exception of iron and manganese. Using water-quality determinations and biologic indicators, the water from Blue Creek arm of Lake Eufaula and Blue Creek is: (1) Soft and acidic with little mineral content and conductivity; (2) calm or very slowly moving; and (3) warm and enriched with organic matter.
A study of water-quality degradation due to brine contamination was made in an area of about 1,700 square miles in east-central Oklahoma. The study area coincides, in part, with the outcrop of the Vamoosa-Ada aquifer of Pennsylvanian age. Water samples collected from 180 wells completed in the Vamoosa-Ada aquifer, and at 168 sites from streams draining the Vamoosa-Ada aquifer show scattered occurrences of water-quality degradation by brine. Degradation of water quality by brine is indicated where: (1) Chloride concentration is equal to or greater than 400 milligrams per liter (2) bromide concentration is equal to or greater than 2 milligrams per liter (3) the ratio of lithium to sodium is equal to or less than 0.01, and the chloride concentration is equal to or greater than 400 milligrams per liter, or (4) the ratio of sodium plus chloride to dissolved solids is equal to or greater than 0.64. Other ratios of secondary importance that also indicate water-quality degradation by brine in the area are (1) a sodium/chloride ratio of about 0.46; (2) a sodium/bromide ratio of about 92; and (3) a bromide/chloride ratio of about 0.0048.
Water at 102 sites in 59 coal-mine ponds in eastern Oklahoma was sampled at lease twice during June to November 1977-81 to determine temperature, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, pH, and dissolved sulfate, chloride, iron, and manganese--as part of a study of the hydrology of the Oklahoma coalfield. These determinations show that during June to October water in ponds deeper than ~10 ft was stratified; ponds which had little or not change of temperature with depth generally were shallow or were sampled in early November. Temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH usually decreased with depth, whereas specific conductance usually increased with depth. Concentrations of dissolved sulfate, chloride, iron, and manganese varied from site to site. Specific conductance, which is a measure of dissolved solids in the water, ranged from 93 to 4,800 mmho/cm at 25oC. Some physical and chemical characteristics of the mine-pond water are related to the coal bed adjacent to the pond. Mean specific-conductance values and dissolved-sulfate concentrations were greatest in ponds associated with mining of Dawson, Weir-Pittsburg, and Secor coals. Mean dissolved-iron concentrations were greatest in ponds associated with mining of the Dawson, Secor, and Hartshorne coals. Mean dissolved-manganese concentrations were greatest in ponds associated with mining of the Dawson, Weir-Pittsburg, and Secor coals, but greatly exceeded secondary drinking-water limits regardless of coal bed mined.
Hydrologic and climatologic data were collected in the Lehigh area in southeastern Oklahoma during an investigation of the hydrologic effects of coal strip-mining. The purpose of the study was to assess the probable effects of surface mining for coal and subsequent reclamation on the hydrologic characteristics of the basin. This report presents all the data collected between 1977 and 1982. The data include: (1) greater than four years of daily and selected unit streamflow, daily suspended-sediment discharge, analyses of periodic samples for chemical quality, and daily temperature, pH, specific conductance, and dissolved oxygen at the Coal Creek near Lehigh gaging stations; (2) partial record discharge data and analyses of periodic samples for chemical quality and sediment for two tributaries of Coal Creek; (3) climatologic data for four sites; (4) soil moisture at 13 measurements sites; (5) continuous record of the water level in one well; (6) periodic record of water level in a second well; (7) water-level records for 43 wells and springs including on-site measurement of physical parameters; and (8) complete chemical analyses of water samples from eleven wells and one spring.