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At least 523 records · Page 29Linked to original sources
USGS1972

Test-observation well near Davenport, Washington: description and preliminary results

The 750-foot test-observation well drilled near Davenport, Wash., is one of several drilled to date (1972) to provide information on ground-water conditions in selected areas of the State. The well provides information on aquifer characteristics in this area which are not available from existing deep irrigation wells. The well was drilled by air-rotary methods and penetrates eight aquifer zones (A through H); the upper 75 feet of the well is cased, and the remainder of the hole is open in basalt. Test pumping during drilling showed that the well had specific capacities of (1) 4-8 gpm (gallons per minute) per foot of drawdown when at the 255-foot depth and open to aquifers A through D, (2) 5.6 gpm per foot of drawdown when at the 640-foot depth and open to aquifers A through G, and (3) 76 5 gpm per foot of drawdown when at the full 750-foot depth and open to all eight aquifers. The tests indicate that most of the water available to the well is from the deepest aquifer (zone H). Borehole geophysical logging supplemented the drillers log of the well and provided information on natural gamma radiation, water temperature and resistivity, and borehole diameter. In the completed well each aquifer zone is isolated by cement seals, and piezometer pipes installed to zones B through H allow a basis for defining the vertical hydraulic gradient and ground-water movement in the area. The pipes also permit chemical quality monitoring of water in the various aquifer zones. An additional pipe, installed for providing thermistor access, allows recording of the geothermal gradient in the well which provides a basis for estimating vertical ground-water movement in the area.

Washington↗
USGS1975

Test drilling at Soldier Creek, Rosebud Indian Reservation, Todd County, South Dakota

Thirty-six test holes were augered by the U.S. Geological Survey in the vicinity of Sol,,r Creek, Rosebud Indian Reservation, Todd County, South Dakota. Wells prcducing more than S gallons per minute (0.32 litre per second) from the Tertiary deposits are rare. However, as much as 20 feet (6.1 metres) of permeable alluvial deposits were penetrated in several test holes. One test ell was pumped for hours at a rate of 10 gallons per minute (0.63 litre per second).

South Dakota↗
USGS1976

Geologic data from test drilling in Palm Beach County, Florida since 1970

Test hole data, in Palm Beach County, Florida, include lithologic logs from 66 test wells and geophysical logs from 54 test wells. The purpose of the study is to provide the geohydrologic information needed for water management and land use decisions, with emphasis on the urbanized eastern part of the county and the readily developable area in the central part. (Woodard-USGS)

Florida↗
USGS1977

Test-well drilling in the upper Satus Creek basin, Yakima Indian Reservation, Washington

Two test wells were drilled in the upper Satus Creek basin of the Yakima Indian Reservation, Washington, using the air-rotary method. At site 1 the well penetrated a young basalt and 175 feet of the Yakima Basalt, and at site 2 the well penetrated the young basalt. The well at site 1 was drilled to a depth of 350 feet. Tests for drawdown and yield indicated a specific capacity of about 11 gallons per minute per foot of drawdown. The potential yield of this well may be about 1,000 gallons per minute. The well at site 2 was drilled to a depth of 500 feet. Only a small quantity of water was encountered and no test for yield was made. Data from these wells, including chemical analysis of the water from the well at site 1, will provide information useful in the development and management of the ground-water resources in this part of the Yakima Indian Reservation. (Woodard-USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1977

Seepage tests on No Name Creek, Colville Indian Reservation, Washington, May 12-13, 1977

To gain information for a water-management situation, a seepage test was performed on May 12-13, 1977, on a reach of No Name Creek on the Colville Indian Reservation in north-central Washington. On May 13, injection of a concentrated brine at the head of the test reach permitted chloride-concentration data to be combined with the discharge measurements made to define the pattern of gain and loss along the reach. Equations describing discharge and chloride mass balance were used to determine this pattern of gain and loss. The seepage tests showed that the streamflow gain of at least 0.58 cfs from springflow contributions was offset by losses of at least 0.59 cfs over the same reach. (Woodard-USGS)

Washington↗
USGS1979

Major-element geochemistry of the Silent Canyon-Black Mountain peralkaline volcanic centers, northwestern Nevada Test Site: applications to an assessment of renewed volcanism

The Silent Canyon and Black Mountain volcanic centers are located in the northern part of the Nevada Test Site. The Silent Canyon volcanic center is a buried cauldron complex of Miocene age (13-15 m.y.). Black Mountain volcanic center is an elliptical-shaped cauldron complex of late Miocene age. The lavas and tuffs of the two centers comprise a subalkaline-peralkaline association. Rock types range from quartz normative subalkaline trachyte and rhyolite to peralkaline comendite. The Gold Flat Member of the Thirsty Canyon Tuff (Black Mountain) is a pantellerite. The major-element geochemistry of the Black Mountain-Silent Canyon volcanic centers differs in the total range and distribution of Si02, contents, the degree of peralkalinity (molecular Na2O+K2O>Al2O3) and in the values of total iron and alumina through the range of rock types. These differences indicate that the suites were unrelated and evolved from differing magma bodies. The Black Mountain volcanic cycle represents a renewed phase of volcanism following cessation of the Timber Mountain-Silent Canyon volcanic cycles. Consequently, there is a small but numerically incalculable probability of recurrence of Black Mountain-type volcanism within the Nevada Test Site region. This represents a potential risk with respect to deep geologic storage of high-level radioactive waste at the Nevada Test Site.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1981

Luminescence images of the Patrick Draw geosat petroleum test site, Wyoming

In collaboration with the Geosat committee remote sensing test site program, luminescence images were acquired of parts of the Patrick Draw-Brady oil and gas test site in Wyoming. The Fraunhofer line discriminator was operated at 486.1 nanometer, 589.0 nanometer, and 656.3 nanometer Fraunhofer lines. Most of the luminescence highs occur in the transition zone between the Wasatch and Fort Union Formations and are probably caused by outcrops of coal and gypsum. Geochemical and mineral data, which were available for a limited number of the image areas, and luminescence data of the test site were correlated. The elements at Patrick Draw-Brady showing the highest correlation with luminescence were phosphorus, boron, beryllium, barium, vanadium and nickel.

Wyoming↗
USGS1982

Test well DO-CE 88 at Cambridge, Dorchester County, Maryland

Test well DO-CE 88 at Cambridge, Maryland, penetrated 3,299 feet of unconsolidated Quaternary, Tertiary and Cretaceous sediments and bottomed in quartz-monzonite gneiss. The well was drilled to provide data for a study of the aquifer system of the northern Atlantic Coastal Plain. Twenty-one core samples were collected. Six sand zones were tested for aquifer properties and sampled for ground-water chemistry. Point-water heads were measured at seven depths. Environmental heads (which ranged from -18.33 to +44.16 feet relative to sea level) indicate an upward component of flow. A temperature log showed a maximum temperature of 41.9 degrees Celsius and a mean temperature gradient of 0.00838 degrees Celsius per foot. The water analyses delineated the freshwater-saltwater transition zone between 2,650 and 3,100 feet. The ground water changes progressively downward from a sodium bicarbonate to a sodium chloride character. Clays in the analyzed core samples belong to the montmorillonite and kaolinite groups, and mean cation exchange capacity ranged from 8.3 to 38.9 milliequivalents per 100 grams. Vertical and horizontal hydraulic conductivities measured in cores ranged from 1.5 x 10-s to 1.3 feet per day and from 7.3 x 10-6 to 1.3 feet per day, respectively, but the most permeable sands were not cored. Porosity was 1.5 percent in the quartz monzonite bedrock and ranged from 22.4 to 41 percent in the overlying sediments. Transmissivities from aquifer tests ranged from 25 to 850 feet squared per day, horizontal hydraulic conductivities ranged from 2.5 to 85 feet squared per day, and intrinsic permeabilities ranged from 0.8 to 23 micrometers squared. Fossils identified in core samples include palynomorphs, dinoflagellates, and foraminifers.

Maryland↗
USGS1982

Results of hydraulic tests in U.S. Department of Energy's wells DOE-4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, Salt Valley, Grand County, Utah

Six exploratory wells were drilled into the cap rock underlying Salt Valley, Utah, for geologic, geophysical, and hydrologic data to augment information obtained from three previous test wells. Drilling of three other test holes was abandoned due to caving and loss of drilling tools, Before reaching the zone of saturation; the upper 100 meters of cap rock is unsaturated. Within the saturated part of the cap rock, hydraulic heads generally decrease with depth and to the northwest in this part of the valley. Hydraulic conductivity of the cap rock, as determined from pumping tests, ranged from 9.3 X 10 -5 to 2.06 X 10 -1 meters per day; as a result, groundwater flow rates in the cap rock are low. Water ranges from a calcium bicarbonate sulfate type on the western edge of the valley to a calcium magnesium sodium bicarbonate, sulfate, chloride type near the center of the valley. Carbon-14 specific activity for cap-rock water yielded an uncorrected age of about 17,000 to 26,000 years before present near the western edge of the valley and about 41,000 years before present near the center of the valley.

Utah↗
USGS1982

Data for ground-water test hole near Zamora, Central Valley Aquifer Project, California

Preliminary data are presented for the first of seven test holes drilled as a part of the Central Valley Aquifer Project which is part of the National Regional Aquifer Systems Analysis Program. The test hole was drilled in the SW 1/4 SE 1/4 sec. 34, T. 12 N. , R. 1 E., Yolo County, California, about 3 miles northeast of the town of Zamora. Drilled to a depth of 2,500 feet below land surface, the hole is cased to a depth of 190 feet and equipped with three piezometer tubes to depths of 947, 1,401, and 2,125 feet. A 5-foot well screen is at the bottom of each piezometer. Eighteen cores and 68 sidewall cores were recovered. Laboratory tests were made for mineralogy, hydraulic conductivity, porosity , consolidation, grain-size distribution, Atterberg limits, X-ray diffraction, diatom identification, thermal conductivity, and chemical analysis of water. Geophysical and thermal gradient logs were made. The hole is sampled periodically for chemical analysis and measured for water level in the three tapped zones. This report presents methods used to obtain field samples, laboratory procedures, and the data obtained. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1983

Data for ground-water test hole near Nicolaus, Central Valley aquifer project, California

Preliminary data are provided for the third of seven test holes drilled as a part of the Central Valley Aquifer Project which is part of the National Regional Aquifer Systems Analysis Program. The test hole was drilled in the SW 1/4 NE 1/4 sec. 2, T.12N., R.3E., Sutter County, California, about 1 1/2 miles northwest of the town of Nicolaus. Drilled to a depth of 1,150 feet below land surface, the hole is cased to a depth of 100 feet and equipped with three piezometer tubes to depths of 311, 711, and 1,071 feet. A 5-foot well screen is set in sand at the bottom of each piezometer. Each screened interval has a cement plug above and below it to isolate it from other parts of the aquifer, and the well bore is filled between the plugs with sediment. Thirty-one cores and 34 sidewall cores were recovered. Laboratory tests were made for minerology, consolidation, grain-size distribution, Atterberg limits, X-ray diffraction, thermal conductivity, and chemical analysis of water. Geophysical and thermal gradient logs were made. The hole is sampled periodically for chemical analysis of the three tapped zones and measured for water level. This report presents methods used to obtain field samples, laboratory procedures, and the data obtained. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1983

Time-domain electromagnetic tests in the Wadi Bidah District, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

A time-domain electromagnetic (TDEM) method was tested in two areas of mineralization in Precambrian rocks in the Wadi Bidah district, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Transient-decay voltages in profile mode were measured across the Sha'ab at Tare and Rabathan prospects by use of three transmitterreceiver loop configurations. At the Sha'ab at Tare prospect all of the loop configurations indicated the mineralized zone. Analysis of the coincident loop data at Sha'ab at Tare reveals that gossanous and altered rock of i0 ohm-m resistivity extends to a depth of 35 m, where there is an unweathered, dry mineralized zone of about 1 ohm-m resistivity. The model further suggests that the rocks at a depth of 55 m and below the water table are even less resistive (0. 1 ohm-m). The TDEM method successfully discriminated conductors within from those below the weathered zone at the Rabathan prospect. Conductors below the weathered zone are identified by a lack of transient response in the early part of the transient decay curve, followed by an increasing response in the middle to late parts of the transient decay curve. Results of these limited tests suggest the potential value of integrating TDEM with other geophysical tools in the Kingdom. Recommendations are made to expand these tests into a more comprehensive program that will evaluate the TDEM potential in various geologic environments that are host to mineral deposits of diverse origin.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1985

Compilation and analyses of aquifer performance tests in eastern Kansas

Selected aquifer-test data from 36 counties in eastern Kansas were collected from numerous sources and publications in order to produce a documented compilation of aquifer tests in one report. Data were obtained chiefly from private consulting firms and from government agencies. Hydraulic properties determined included transmissivity, storage coefficient (where observation well was available), and in some cases hydraulic properties of a confining layer. The aquifers tested comprised three main types of rocks--consolidated rock deposits, glacial deposits, and alluvial deposits that include the ' Equus beds, ' an extensive alluvial deposit in south-central Kansas. The Theis recovery equation and the Cooper-Jacob modified nonequilibrium equation were the two principal solution methods used. Other methods used included the Theis nonequilibrium equation, the Hantush-Jacob equation for a leaky confined aquifer, Hantush 's modified leaky equation in which storage from a confining layer was considered, the Boulton 's delayed-yield equation. Additionally, a specific-capacity method of estimating transmissivity was used when only a single drawdown value was available. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1996

Analysis of tests of subsurface injection, storage, and recovery of freshwater in the lower Floridan aquifer, Okeechobee County, Florida

A series of freshwater subsurface injection, storage, and recovery tests were conducted at an injection-well site near Lake Okeechobee in Okeechobee County, Florida, to assess the recoverability of injected canal water from the Lower Floridan aquifer. At the study site, the Lower Floridan aquifer is characterized as having four local, relatively independent, high-permeability flow zones (389 to 398 meters, 419 to 424 meters, 456 to 462 meters, and 472 to 476 meters below sea level). Four subsurface injection, storage, and recovery cycles were performed at the Lake Okeechobee injection-well site in which volumes of water injected ranged from about 387,275 to 1,343,675 cubic meters for all the cycles, and volumes of water recovered ranged from about 106,200 to 484,400 cubic meters for cycles 1, 2, and 3. The recovery efficiency for successive cycles 2 and 3 increased from 22 to 36 percent and is expected to continue increasing with additional cycles. A comparison of chloride concentration breakthrough curves at the deep monitor well (located about 171 meters from the injection well) for cycles 1, 4, and test no. 4 (from a previous study) revealed unexpected finings. One significant result was that the concentration asymptote, expected to be reached at concentration levels equivalent or close to the injected water concentration, was instead reached at higher concentration levels. The injection to recovery rate ratio might affect the chloride concentration breakthrough curve at the deep monitor well, which could explain this unexpected behavior. Because there are four high-permeability zones, if the rate of injection is smaller than the rate of recovery (natural artesian flow), the head differential might not be transmitted through the entire open wellbore, and injected water would probably flow only through the upper high- permeability zones. Therefore, observed chloride concentration values at the deep monitor well would be higher than the concentration of the injected water and would represent a mix of water from the different high-permeability zones. A generalized digital model was constructed to simulate the subsurface injection, storage, and recovery of freshwater in the Lower Floridan aquifer at the Lake Okeechobee injection-well site. The model was constructed using a modified version of the Saturated-Unsaturated TRAnsport code (SUTRA), which simulates variable-density advective-dispersive solute transport and variable-density ground-water flow. Satisfactory comparisons of simulated to observed dimensionless chloride concentrations for the deep monitor well were obtained when using the model during the injection and recovery phases of cycle 1, but not for the injection well during the recovery phase of cycle 1 even after several attempts. This precluded the determination of the recovery efficiency values by using the model. The unsatisfactory comparisons of simulated to observed dimensionless chloride concentrations for the injection well and failure of the model to represent the field data at this well could be due to the characteristics of the Lower Floridan aquifer (at the local scale), which is cavernous or conduit in nature. To test this possibility, Reynolds numbers were estimated at varying distances from the injection well, taking into consideration two aquifer types or conceptual systems, porous media and cavernous. For the porous media conceptual system, the Reynolds numbers were greater than 10 at distances less than 1.42 meters from the injection well. Thus, application of Darcy's law to ground-water flow might not be valid at this distance. However, at the deep monitor well (171 meters from the injection well), the Reynolds number was 0.08 which is indicative of laminar porous media flow. For the cavernous conceptual system, the Reynolds numbers were greater than 2,000 at distances less than 1,000 meters from the well. This number represents the upper limit of laminar flow, which is the fundamental assumption

Florida↗
USGS1998

Compilation of 29 sonic and density logs from 23 oil test wells in western Washington State

Three-dimensional velocity models for Puget Sound provide a means for better understanding the lateral variations in strong ground motions recorded during local earthquakes in Puget Lowland. We have compiled 29 sonic and density logs from 23 oil test wells to help us determine the geometry and physical properties of the Cenozoic basins in western Washington. The maximum depths sampled by the test wells are between 0.47 and 4.04 km. These well logs sample Quaternary to Eocene sedimentary and volcanic rocks. This report presents the locations, elevations, depths, stratigraphic and other information about the test wells, and provides plots showing the density and sonic velocities as a function of depth for each well log. We also present two-way travel times calculated from the sonic velocities.

Washington↗
USGS2007

Interpretation of borehole geophysical logs, aquifer-isolation tests, and water-quality data for Sites 1, 3, and 5 at Willow Grove Naval Air Station/Joint Reserve Base, Horsham Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania: 2005

Borehole geophysical logging, heatpulse-flowmeter measurements, borehole television surveys, and aquifer-isolation tests were conducted in 2005 at the Willow Grove Naval Air Station/Joint Reserve Base (NAS/JRB) in Horsham Township, Montgomery County, Pa. This study was done by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the U.S. Navy in support of hydrogeological investigations to address ground-water contamination. Data collected for this study are valuable for understanding ground-water flow in the Stockton Formation at the local and regional scale. The Willow Grove NAS/JRB is underlain by the Stockton Formation, which consists of sedimentary rocks of Triassic age. The rocks of the Stockton Formation form a complex, heterogeneous aquifer with partially connected zones of high permeability. Borehole geophysical logs, heatpulse-flowmeter measurements, and borehole television surveys made in seven boreholes ranging from 70 to 350 ft deep were used to identify potential water-producing fractures and fracture zones and to select intervals for aquifer-isolation tests. An upward vertical hydraulic gradient was measured in one borehole, a downward vertical hydraulic gradient was measured in four boreholes, both an upward and a downward vertical hydraulic gradient were measured in one borehole, and no flow was measurable in one borehole. The aquifer-isolation tests isolated 30 discrete fractures in the seven boreholes for collection of depth-discrete hydraulic and water-quality data. Of the 30 fractures identified as potentially water producing, 26 fractures (87 percent) produced more than 1 gallon per minute of water. The specific capacity of the isolated intervals producing more than 1 gallon per minute ranged from 0.02 to 5.2 gallons per minute per foot. There was no relation between specific capacity and depth of the fracture. Samples for analysis for volatile organic compounds were collected from each isolated zone. Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) was the most prevalent compound at Site 1; concentrations were as great as 62 µg/L (micrograms per liter). 1,1-dichloroethane was the most prevalent compound at Site 3; concentrations were as great as 9.3 µg/L. Toluene was the most prevalent compound at Site 5; concentrations were as great as 77 µg/L. For five out of the six wells (83 percent) sampled for field determinations of water-quality constituents, the interval with the lowest dissolved oxygen concentration had the highest total VOC concentration.

Pennsylvania↗
USGS2008

Geochemical trends and natural attenuation of RDX, nitrate, and perchlorate in the hazardous test area Fractured-Granite aquifer, White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, 1996-2006

A fractured-granite aquifer at White Sands Missile Range is contaminated with the explosive compound RDX, nitrate, and perchlorate (oxidizer associated with rocket propellant) from the previous use of the Open Burn/Open Detonation site at the Hazardous Test Area. RDX, nitrate, and perchlorate ground-water concentrations were analyzed to examine source characteristics, spatial and temporal variability, and the influence of the natural attenuation processes of dilution and degradation in the Hazardous Test Area fractured-granite aquifer. Two transects of ground-water wells from the existing monitoring-site network - one perpendicular to ground-water flow (transect A-A') and another parallel to ground-water flow (transect B-B') - were selected to examine source characteristics and the spatial and temporal variability of the contaminant concentrations. Ground-water samples collected in 2005 from a larger sampling of monitoring sites than the two transects were analyzed for various tracers including major ions, trace elements, RDX degradates, dissolved gases, water isotopes, nitrate isotopes, and sulfate isotopes to examine the natural attenuation processes of dilution and degradation. Recharge entrains contaminants at the site and transports them downgradient towards the Tularosa Basin floor through a poorly connected fracture system(s). From 1996 to 2006, RDX, nitrate, and perchlorate concentrations in ground water downgradient from the Open Burn/Open Detonation site have been relatively stable. RDX, nitrate, and perchlorate in ground water from wells near the site indicate dispersed contaminant sources in and near the Open Burn/Open Detonation pits. The sources of RDX and nitrate in the pit area have shifted with time, and the shift correlates with the regrading of the south and east berms of each pit in 2002 and 2003 following closure of the site. The largest RDX concentrations were in ground water about 0.1 mile downgradient from the pits, the largest perchlorate concentrations were in ground water about 0.15 mile downgradient from the pits, and the largest nitrate concentrations were in ground water about 0.25 mile down-gradient from the pits. Strong and moderate correlation of water level and the contaminant concentrations near the source areas and low correlation outside and downgradient from the source areas indicates a diminishing of the water level/contaminant relation with downgradient flow. Ground water was not progressively older at all locations downgradient from the Open Burn/Open Detonation site indicating multiple recharge areas. Major ion and strontium concentrations and d2H and d18O values identified similar sources of recharge waters comprising the aquifer except along the basin periphery where recharge water may be influenced by dissolution of mineral assemblages associated with ore deposits that are present along the basin margins. Ground-water ages, dissolved-solids concentrations, and calcium-strontium concentrations indicate limited or partial connectivity between fractures and contributions of uncontaminated recharge water downgradient from the site that dilutes contaminant concentrations. Changes in RDX and nitrate concentration patterns, the presence of methane, changes in carbon dioxide concentrations and d15N and d34S values, and variable reduction-oxidation conditions suggest degradation of contaminants in the downgradient direction. Estimated values of electron potential were assigned to ground water collected in October 2005 from all monitoring sites at the Hazardous Test Area. Moderate to strong reducing conditions were present upgradient from the Open Burn/Open Detonation site, at the site, and at various locations downgradient from the site, but the aquifer contained well-oxygenated water between many of the reducing areas. The spatial variability of reduction-oxidation conditions in the aquifer exemplifies the partial connectivity of the fracture system(s). Dilution of the contaminants i

New Mexico↗