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Research about Tennessee

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Tennessee.

At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources
USGS1988

Water resources data for Tennessee, water year 1987

Water resources data for the 1987 water year for Tennessee consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams and springs; stage, contents, and water quality of lakes and reservoirs; water levels and water quality of wells; and quantity and quality of precipitation. This report contains discharge records for 100 gaging stations; stage only records for 6 gaging stations; elevation and contents for 27 lakes and reservoirs; water quality for 37 stations and 149 wells; water levels for 32 observation wells; and 1 precipitation station. Also included are 89 crest-stage partial-record stations and 82 low-flow partial-record stations. Additional water data were collected at various stream and spring sites not involved in the systematic data collection program and are published as miscellaneous measurements and analyses. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System operated by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State and Federal agencies in Tennessee.

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USGS1988

Preliminary evaluation of ground-water flow in Bear Creek Valley, the Oak Ridge Reservation, Tennessee

Bear Creek Valley, Tennessee contains hazardous waste disposal sites where contaminants leach into ground and surface water. Groundwater flow and the potential migration of contaminants is poorly understood. The Valley is underlain by calcareous shale that contains limestone units. Ridges to the north and south are underlain by interbedded sandstones, siltstone and shale, and by massive, siliceous dolomite, respectively. The bedrock, which dips about 45 degrees southeast, is overlain by regolith to a maximum thickness of 80 ft. Observed hydraulic conductivities for the regolith range from 0.01 to 13 ft/day, and for the bedrock, from 0.001 to 11 ft/day. Groundwater flow is probably toward streams and is preferential along strike because of an areal anisotropy in hydraulic conductivity. A cross sectional groundwater flow model was used to test the conceptualized flow system and to help identify areas where additional data are needed. The preliminary model shows a pattern of recharge at both ridges, flow toward the valley, and upward flow that discharges into Bear Creek. Final model values of hydraulic conductivity in the bedrock range from 0.01 to 0.1 ft/day and reflect an areal anisotropy ratio of 1:5. Simulated recharge was 10 inches/year. (USGS)

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USGS1988

Well construction, lithology, and geophysical logs for boreholes in Bear Creek Valley near Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Twenty-four wells were constructed at nine sites at Bear Creek Valley to provide geologic and hydrologic information. Lithologic samples and suits of geophysical logs were obtained from the deepest boreholes at six of the sites. Two of these boreholes at the base of Chestnut Ridge were completed in the Maynardville Limestone and two were completed in the Nolichucky Shale. Two boreholes along Pine Ridge were completed in the Rome Formation. Zones of similar lithology within a borehole were delineated from rock cutting refined by examination of geophysical logs. The contact between the Maynardville Limestone and Nolichucky Shale was identified in two of the boreholes. Fractures and cavities were readily identifiable on the acoustic-televiewer and caliper logs. Distinct water-bearing intervals were also identified from the temperature, fluid resistance, and resistivity logs. Depths at which the drilling encounterd a thrust were identified in two boreholes in the Rome Formation from both rock cutting and geophysical logs.

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USGS1988

Geology of an area near Brentwood, Williamson County, Tennessee

The lithology and geologic structure of an area near Brentwood, Williamson County, Tennessee, were studied to define the potential aquifers and confining units of the ground-water flow system. Four formations were identified. They are, in descending order, the Bigby-Cannon Limestone, the Hermitage Formation, the Carters Limestone, and the Lebanon Limestone. The Bigby-Cannon Limestone and the Carters Limestone are potential aquifers. The Hermitage Formation and the Lebanon Limestone are confining units. The Bigby-Cannon Limestone and the Hermitage Formation have been affected by recent erosion. Any variation of the Carters Limestone is controlled by pre-Carters erosion of the top of the Lebanon Limestone. The thickness of the Carters Limestone ranges from 65 to 79 feet. Structurally, the area reflects the regional northwest dip. A small scale anti-cline-syncline pair also is evident. This feature is not a result of erosion and also occurs in the T-3 bentonite bed in the Carters Limestone.

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USGS1987

Seismicity map of the state of Tennessee

This map is one of a series of seismicity maps produced by the U.S. Geological Survey that show earthquake data of individual states or groups of states at the scale of 1:1,000,000. This map shows only those earthquakes with epicenters located within the boundaries of Tennessee, even though earthquakes in nearby states or countries may have been felt or may have caused damage in Tennessee.

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USGS1987

Geochemical map of the Pond Mountain and Pond Mountain Addition Roadless Areas, Carter County, Tennessee

In the spring of 1980, K. A. Duttweiler, J. W. Whitlow, and W. R. Griffitts of the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a reconnaissance geochemical survey of the Pond Mountain and Pond Mountain Addition Roadless Areas. The purpose of the study was to determine the geochemical nature of the study area as part of the mineral resource assessment. This report presents a brief summary of the geochemistry of the study area. The evaluation of the mineral resource potential is covered in a separate report (Griffitts, Bitar, and Chatman, in press). The Pond Mountain and Pond Mountain Addition Road less Areas encompass 6,668 acres in the Cherokee National Forest in northeastern Tennessee. They are approximately 7 mi southeast of Elizabethton, and 1 mi east of Hampton, Tenn. (fig. 1). The study area is fairly accessible by U.S Highway 321 north of the area and Forest Service Route 50 along the southern boundary. Relief is moderate, but the vegetation is very thick in most places.

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USGS1987

Geomorphological interpretations of late Quaternary terraces in western Tennessee and their regional tectonic implications

By use of large-scale topographic maps and traditional techniques of geomorphology. a series of stream terraces was identified and delineated on the Obion, Forked Deer, Hatchie, Loosahatchie, and Wolf Rivers in western Tennessee. From lowest and youngest to highest and oldest, they are designated the Finley, Hatchie, Humboldt, and Henderson terraces. The areal extent and continuity of the relict flood plains are ample to permit reconstruction of former elevations and valley slopes. Downvalley gradients of the terraces and morphology are strongly indicative of the processes and events that influenced terrace formation. Nil gradients for several tens of kilometers upstream from the Mississippi alluvial valley on the Finley and Hatchie terraces and shoreline features on the Finley terrace are interpreted as evidence that backwater flooding from the Mississippi Valley produced extensive seasonal or permanent lakes in the tributary valleys. Therefore, in part. these terraces are relict lacustrine plains. The Humboldt and Henderson terraces do not have any of these characteristics and are interpreted as being entirely of fluvial origin. All terraces are capped by a veneer of loess representing one or more episodes of deposition. Interstream terrace correlations made by using only geomorphic evidence are not definitive, and two interpretations are nearly equally viable. One of these has potentially significant regional tectonic implications because it suggests Quaternary uplift in the vicinity of a known pluton along the flank of the major rift in the New Madrid seismic zone. However, the preferred interpretation suggests that no appreciable regional structural deformation has taken place. Neither interpretation indicates Quaternary deformation in the upland area relative to the Mississippi alluvial valley. Topographic relationships of the terraces to features resulting from the sequence of Pleistocene aggradation and degradation in the Mississippi Valley indicate correlation of the Finley terrace with the early Wisconsinan episode of outwash deposition. Several lines of evidence suggest correlation of the Hatchie terrace with the Prairie terrace of the lower Mississippi Valley, which is Sangamonian in age. By inference, the Humboldt terrace could be of Yarmouthian age.

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USGS1987

Quality of water from freshwater aquifers and principal well fields in the Memphis Area, Tennessee

Water from the freshwater aquifers in the Memphis area is suitable for most uses. Freshwater aquifers are the alluvium and fluvial (terrace) deposits of Quaternary age, the Memphis Sand and Fort Pillow Sand of Tertiary age, and the Ripley Formation and McNairy Sand of Cretaceous age. About 180 million gallons/day (mgd) of freshwater are withdrawn from the Memphis Sand, primarily for municipal and industrial use; the Memphis Sand is the principal aquifer supplying the City of Memphis. The alluvium provides water for irrigation and some industrial uses, and the fluvial deposits provide water for domestic use in rural areas. The Fort Pillow Sand supplies water for some municipal and industrial uses. The Ripley-McNairy aquifer is not used as a source of water. Water from the alluvium, fluvial deposits, and Memphis Sand is a calcium bicarbonate type, and water from the Fort Pillow Sand and Ripley-McNairy aquifer is a sodium bicarbonate type. Dissolved solids concentrations are low in the Memphis Sand, with a median value of 83 mg/L, and are high in the Ripley-McNairy aquifer with a value of about 1,000 mg/L. Water is very soft in the Fort Pillow Sand with a median hardness value of 9 mg/L as CaCO3 and is very hard in the alluvium with a median value of 285 mg/L. Iron concentrations are low in the fluvial deposits with a median value of 50 micrograms/L and are high in the alluvium with a median value of 5,200 micrograms/L. Temperature of the water generally increases with depth, ranging from 16.0 C in the alluvium and fluvial deposits to about 32.0 C in the Ripley-McNairy aquifer. Water from the Memphis Sand at Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division well fields has very low mineralization. Median values are 79 mg/L dissolved solids concentrations, 56 mg/L alkalinity as CaCO3, 46 mg/L hardness as CaCO3, 4 mg/L chloride, 3.5 mg/L sulfate, and 600 micrograms/L iron.

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USGS1987

Surface-geophysical investigations in Melton Valley, Oak Ridge Reservation, Tennessee

Surface geophysical methods were found to be valuable for refining knowledge of the geohydrology of Melton Valley, an area used for burial of low-level radioactive waste at the Oak Ridge Reservation in Tennessee. The valley is characterized by locally complex geologic structures in lithologies of interbedded shale and limestone. Radionuclides have been transported away from the burial areas by groundwater along paths that are, in part, controlled by geologic structures and rock type. Direct current resistivity soundings were used to determine the depth to bedrock and to aid in the delineation of subsurface stratigraphy. Depth to bedrock, as indicated by an increase in resistivity in the interpreted geoelectric layering, was compared to auger-hole data at five sites, where bedrock depths ranged from 1 to 14 ft and were within 3 ft at four sites. The subsurface contact between shale and limestone was indicated by an increase in model calculated resistivity from < 100 to > 150 ohm-meters at four different sites. Terrain conductivity profiles were used to aid in mapping surficial geologic contacts between shale and limestone units. Terrain conductivity for shale at 33-ft coil separation was generally greater than 15 millimhos/m and ranged from about 10 to 40 millimhos/m. Conductivity for limestone was generally < 15 millimhos/m and ranged from 5 to 25 millimhos/m. Azimuthal conductivity surveys indicated that conductivity was generally greatest when the transmitter and receiver coils were oriented parallel to strike. This anisotropy in terrain conductivity shows the need to keep the coil orientation consistent throughout the length of a profile. (Author 's abstract)

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USGS1986

Geochemical survey of the Little Frog Roadless Area, Polk County, Tennessee

The Wilderness Act (Public Law 88-577, September 3, 1964) and related acts require the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Bureau of Mines to survey certain areas on Federal lands to determine the mineral values, if any, that may be present. Results must be made available to the public and be submitted to the President and the Congress. This report presents the results of a geochemical survey of the Little Frog Roadless Area (08-277) in the Cherokee National Forest, Polk County, Tenn. The area was classified as a further planning area during the Second Roadless Area Review and Evaluation (RARE II) by the U.S. Forest Service, January 1979.

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USGS1986

Streamflow and specific-conductance data for Bear Creek, August 13, 1985, the Oak Ridge Reservation, Tennessee

Discharge and specific conductance were measured August 13, 1985 , during low base flow of Bear Creek in the vicinity of the Y-12 Plant on the Oak Ridge Reservation, Tennessee. Discharge of Bear Creek and its tributaries measured at specific sites ranged from 0 to 1.0 cubic foot per second. Specific conductance ranged from 225 to 7600 microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius. During the time of instantaneous discharge measurements, flow of Bear Creek at the continuous-record station at Highway 95 near Oak Ridge ranged from 0.59 to 0.63 cubic foot per second.

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USGS1986

Preliminary delineation and description of the regional aquifers of Tennessee: Cumberland Plateau aquifer system

The Cumberland Plateau aquifer system consists of Pennsylvanian sandstones, conglomerates, shales, and coals which underlie the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee. Major water-bearing zones occur within the sandstones and conglomerates in interconnected fractures. The water-bearing formations are separated by shale and siltstone that retard the vertical circulation of ground water. The Pennington Formation serves as the base of this aquifer system and is an effective confining unit. The Cumberland Plateau aquifer system is an important water source for the Cumberland Plateau. Wells and springs from the aquifer system supply most of the rural domestic and public drinking-water supplies. Water from wells drilled into the Cumberland Plateau aquifer system is generally of good to excellent quality. Of the 32 water-quality analyses on file from this aquifer, only 2 had dissolved-solids concentrations greater than 500 milligrams per liter, and about three-fourths had less than 200 milligrams per liter dissolved solids. However, no samples from depths greater than 300 feet below land surface have been recorded. Ground water from locations where the sandstones are buried deeply, such as the Wartburg basin, may contain dissolved-solids concentrations greater than 1,000 milligrams per liter.

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USGS1986

Preliminary delineation and description of the regional aquifers of Tennessee – The central basin aquifer system

The Central Basin aquifer system is composed of Devonian and Ordovician carbonate and shale rocks. This aquifer occurs west of the Valley and Ridge province and crops out in the Central Basin and the Sequatchie Valley of Tennessee. Ground water in the Central Basin aquifer occurs primarily in solution openings and fractures, and the flow system is generally limited to 300 feet or less below land surface. However, some fracture and minor faults may allow vertical recharge to the underlying Knox Group, which marks the lower boundary of the Central Basin aquifer system. Away from the Central Basin, the upper limit of the Central Basin aquifer system is the Chattanooga Shale, an effective confining unit. The Central Basin aquifer system, an important source of drinking water, supplies most of the rural domestic and many public supplies of drinking water in the Central Basin and the Sequatchie Valley. Dissolved-solids concentrations often are less than 500 milligrams per liter where the aquifer is part of a dynamic flow system. Dissolved-solids concentrations may reach thousands or tens of thousands of milligrams per liter below the zone of dynamic flow.

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USGS1986

Preliminary delineation and description of the regional aquifers of Tennessee -- Highland Rim aquifer system

The Highland Rim aquifer system is primarily composed of Mississippian carbonates. This aquifer system occurs west of the Valley and Ridge province. It crops out in the Highland Rim and the Sequatchie Valley. It has been removed by erosion from the Central Basin. Ground water in the Highland Rim aquifer system occurs primarily in secondary openings. These openings include solution openings, joints, and faults. The Chattanooga Shale is the lower confining layer for the Highland Rim aquifer system. Under the Cumberland Plateau, this aquifer system is separated from the overlying Pennsylvanian formations by the Pennington Shale. The Highland Rim aquifer system is an important source of drinking water. It supplies most of the rural, domestic and many public supplies of drinking water in the Highland Rim. Where there is a dynamic flow system, dissolved-solids concentrations are less than 500 milligrams per liter. However, isolated cells may exist where the ground water has dissolved-solids concentrations of more than 1,000 milligrams per liter.

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USGS1986

Preliminary delineation and description of the regional aquifers of Tennessee: The east Tennessee aquifer system

The east Tennessee aquifer system occurs in the Valley and Ridge and the Blue Ridge provinces of Tennessee. These areas are underlain by rocks of Precambrian to Pennsylvanian age which have been structurally deformed and faulted during the Appalachian orogeny. Groundwater in the Valley and Ridge occurs primarily in solution openings in carbonate rocks and in fractures in sandstone and shale. Fractures in the crystalline rocks store and transmit most of the groundwater in the Blue Ridge province. The east Tennessee aquifer system is important as a source of rural and municipal drinking water. Within 300 ft of land surface, groundwater generally contains less than 500 milligrams/L dissolved solids. At greater depths, fractures and solution openings are smaller and fewer in number. There are very little data to define groundwater occurrence at depths greater than about 300 ft. Groundwater flow may be restricted and the dissolved solids concentrations in the groundwater may reach thousands or even ten thousands of milligrams/L.

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