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Hydrogeologic setting, conceptual groundwater flow system, and hydrologic conditions 1995–2010 in Florida and parts of Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina

The hydrogeologic setting and groundwater flow system in Florida and parts of Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina is dominated by the highly transmissive Floridan aquifer system. This principal aquifer is a vital source of freshwater for public and domestic supply, as well as for industrial and agricultural uses throughout the southeastern United States. Population growth, increased tourism, and increased agricultural production have led to increased demand on groundwater from the Floridan aquifer system, particularly since 1950. The response of the Floridan aquifer system to these stresses often poses regional challenges for water-resource management that commonly transcend political or jurisdictional boundaries. To help water-resource managers address these regional challenges, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Availability and Use Science Program began assessing groundwater availability of the Floridan aquifer system in 2009. The current conceptual groundwater flow system was developed for the Floridan aquifer system and adjacent systems partly on the basis of previously published USGS Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA) studies, specifically many of the potentiometric maps and the modeling efforts in these studies. The Floridan aquifer system extent was divided into eight hydrogeologically distinct subregional groundwater basins delineated on the basis of the estimated predevelopment (circa 1880s) potentiometric surface: (1) Panhandle, (2) Dougherty Plain-Apalachicola, (3) Thomasville-Tallahassee, (4) Southeast Georgia-Northeast Florida-South South Carolina, (5) Suwannee, (6) West-central Florida, (7) East-central Florida, and (8) South Florida. The use of these subregions allows for a more detailed analysis of the individual basins and the groundwater flow system as a whole. The hydrologic conditions and associated groundwater budget were updated relative to previous RASA studies to include additional data collected since the 1980s and to reflect the entire groundwater flow system, including the surficial, intermediate, and Floridan aquifer systems for a contemporary period (1995–2010). Inflow to the groundwater flow system of 33,700 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) was assumed to be exclusively from net recharge (precipitation minus evapotranspiration and surface runoff). Outflow from the groundwater flow system included spring discharge (7,700 Mgal/d) and groundwater withdrawals (5,200 Mgal/d). Estimates for all components of the groundwater system were not possible because of large uncertainties associated with internal leakage, coastal discharge, and discharge to streams and lakes. A numerical modeling analysis is required to improve this hydrologic budget calculation and to forecast future changes in groundwater levels and aquifer storage caused by groundwater withdrawals, land-use change, and the effects of climate variability and change.

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina↗

Stratigraphic sections of the Phosphoria Formation in Idaho, 1949: part II

The U.S. Geological Survey has recently measured and sampled the Phosphoria formation at many localities in Idaho and other western states. These data will not be fully synthesized and analyzed for several years, but segments of the data, accompanied by little or no interpretation, are published as preliminary reports as they are assembled. This is the fifth report of data containing abstracts of sections measured in southeastern Idaho; it includes about half of the data gathered in Idaho in 1949. The field and laboratory procedures adopted in these investigations are described rather fully in a previous report (McKelvey and others, 1953a). Many people have taken part in this investigation, which was organized and supervised by V. E. McKelvey. F. J. Anderson, A. L. Bush, R. S. Jones, K. B. Krauskopf, K. Lutz, M. E. Thompson, R. G. Waring, and M. A. Warner participated in the description of strata and the collection of samples referred to in this report. T. K. Rigby assisted in the preparation of trenches and the collection, crushing, and splitting of samples in the field. The laboratory preparation of samples for chemical analysis was done in Denver, Colo., under the direction of W. P. Huleatt.

Idaho↗

Shoals and valley plugs in the Hatchie River watershed

Agricultural land use and gully erosion have historically contributed more sediment to the streams of the Hatchie River watershed than those streams can carry. In 1970, the main sedimentation problem in the watershed occurred in the tributary flood plains. This problem motivated channelization projects (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1970). By the mid-1980's, concern had shifted to sedimentation in the Hatchie River itself where channelized tributaries were understood to contribute much of the sediment. The Soil Conservation Service [Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) since 1996] estimated that 640,000 tons of bedload (sand) accumulates in the Hatchie River each year and identified roughly the eastern two-thirds of the watershed, where loess is thin or absent, as the main source of sand (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1986a). The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the West Tennessee River Basin Authority (WTRBA), conducted a study of sediment accumulation in the Hatchie River and its tributaries. This report identifies the types of tributaries and evaluates sediment, shoal formation, and valley-plug problems. The results presented here may contribute to a better understanding of similar problems in West Tennessee and the rest of the southeastern coastal plain. This information also will help the WTRBA manage sedimentation and erosion problems in the Hatchie River watershed. The source of the Mississippi section of the Hatchie River is in the sand hills southwest of Corinth, Mississippi (fig. 1). This section of the Hatchie River flows northward in an artificial drainage canal, gathering water from tributary streams that also are channelized. The drainage canal ends 2 miles south of the Tennessee State line. The Tennessee section of the Hatchie River winds north and west in a meandering natural channel to the Mississippi River. Although most of the Hatchie River tributaries are also drainage canals, the river's main stem has kept most of its natural character. The Hatchie River flows through a wide valley bottom occupied mostly by riverine wetland. Historically, the valley bottom has supported hardwood forests. Since publication of the first Hatchie River report (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1970), the channel of the river has become shallower, and flooding has increased (U.S. Department of Agriculture 1986b). These wetter conditions inhibit growth of hardwoods and lead to premature hardwood mortality. The NRCS has predicted that despite efforts to control erosion in the uplands, most of the valley-bottom forest will die. '...swamping may be so prevalent as to change most of the Hatchie River Basin flood plain into a marsh condition, with the only remnants of the present bottomland hardwood timber remaining. (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1986b). Loss of channel depth has been concentrated in short reaches near tributary mouths. At the mouths of Richland, Porters, Clover, and Muddy Creeks, navigation has become difficult for recreational users (Johnny Carlin, West Tennessee River Basin Authority, oral commun., 1998). As the low-gradient alluvial system of the Hatchie River accumulates sediment, another common outcome has been the formation of valley plugs, areas where 'channels are filled with sediment, and all the additional bedload brought downstream is then spread out over the flood plain until a new channel has been formed' (Happ, 1975). Valley plugs typically form where the slope of a sand-laden tributary decreases downstream, or where the tributary joins its parent stream (Happ and others, 1940; Diehl, 1994, 1997; Smith and Diehl, 2000).

Mississippi, Tennessee↗

Potentiometric surface, ground-water withdrawals, and recharge area for the Nanafalia-Clayton aquifer in Alabama, fall 1982

The U.S. Geological Survey began a nationwide program in 1978, termed Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA), to study a number of the major aquifer systems that provide a significant part of the country 's water supply. One of the aquifer systems chosen for study was the thick and extensive sequence of sands for Cretaceous and early Tertiary age that underlies the Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States. This system, which extends from Mississippi eastward to South Carolina, is called the Southeastern Coastal Plain aquifer system. It can be divided geohydrologically into several separate aquifers. This map, one of a series that portray the potentiometric surface, groundwater withdrawal, and recharge areas for the aquifers in Alabama that are included in the regional system, deals with the Nanafalia-Clayton aquifer. (Lantz-PTT)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

Potentiometric surface, ground-water withdrawals, and recharge area for the Lisbon aquifer in Alabama, fall 1982

The U.S. Geological Survey began a nationwide program in 1978, termed Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA), to study a number of the major aquifer systems that provide a significant part of the country 's water supply. One of the aquifer systems chosen for study was the thick and extensive sequence of sands of Cretaceous and early Tertiary age that underlies the Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States. This system, which extends from Mississippi eastward to South Carolina, is called the Southeastern Coastal Plain aquifer system. It can be divided geohydrologically into several separate aquifers. The map presented, one of a series that portray the potentiometric surface, groundwater withdrawals, and recharge areas for aquifers in Alabama that are included in the regional system, deals with the Lisbon aquifer. (Lantz-PTT)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

Channel change on the Santa Cruz River, Pima County, Arizona, 1936-86

The Santa Cruz River in southeastern Arizona has a long history of channel instability. Since the late 19th century, lateral channel erosion has caused extensive property damage, particularly in Pima County. The dominant mechanism of channel change in a reach depends on channel morphology and flood magnitude. The timing and magnitude of channel change are controlled primarily by hydroclimatic factors. The location of change is controlled largely by topographic, geologic, hydraulic, and artificial factors.

Water Supply Paper↗

Geohistory and thermal maturation in the Cherokee Basin (Mid-Continent, U.S.A.): results from modeling

The Cherokee basin in southeastern Kansas contains a stratigraphic section consisting mostly of Permian-Pennsylvanian alternating clastics and thin carbonates overlying carbonates of Mississippian and Cambrian-Ordovician age on a Precambrian crytalline basement. Based on a conceptual model of events of deposition, nondeposition, and erosion, a burial history model for (1) noncompaction, and a series of models for (2) compaction are computed for a borehole location in the south-central part of the basin. The models are copled with the calculation of nonsteady-state geothermal conditions. Maximum temperatures during basin evolution of about 70??C at the base of the organic-rich Pennsylvanian are predicted by our models, assuming pure heat conduction and a heat flow from the basement of 60 m W/m2. The maturation of organic matter as indicated by three different vitrinite reflectance (Ro) models is on the order og 0.3-0.5% Ro for Pennsylvanian rocks and 0.6% Ro for the Devonian-Mississippian Cattanooga Shale. Vitrinite reflectance was measured on subsurface smaples from three wells. The measured values correlate in the upper part of the sequence with modeled data, but diverge slightly in the Lower Pennsylvanian and Cattanooga Shale. The differences in maturation may be a result of differing local geological conditions within the basin. The relatively high Ro-depth gradients observed in one borehole may be explained by conditions in the Teeter oil field, which is a typical plains-type anticline that has been affected by fluid flow through vertical faults. Higher Ro values correlate positively with the grade of sulfidfe mineralization in the sediment, which may be a hint of fluid impact. The high Ro values relative to the shallow depth of the Mississippian and the Chattanooga Shale in the Brown well are on the order of Ro values modeled for the same stratigraphic units at present-day greater depths and may reflect uplift of the Ozark dome, located further east, affecting the eastern side of the Cherokee Basin.Based on a concept model of deposition, nondeposition and erosion, a burial history model for noncompaction, and a series of models for compaction are developed for a borehole location in a south-central part of the Cherokee basin in southeastern Kansas. Coupled with the calculation of nonsteady state-state geothermal conditions, the models predict maximum temperatures during evolution of about 70 ??C at the base of the organic-rich Pennsylvanian. A difference in organic matter maturation in the Pennsylvanian and the Chattanooga shale exhibited by vitrinite reflectance models indicate probably differing local geological conditions within the basin.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulle↗

Surface-Water and Ground-Water Resources of Kendall County, Illinois

Water-supply needs in Kendall County, in northern Illinois, are met exclusively from ground water derived from glacial drift aquifers and bedrock aquifers open to Silurian, Ordovician, and Cambrian System units. As a result of population growth in Kendall County and the surrounding area, water use has increased from about 1.2 million gallons per day in 1957 to more than 5 million gallons per day in 2000. The purpose of this report is to characterize the surface-water and ground-water resources of Kendall County. The report presents a compilation of available information on geology, surface-water and ground-water hydrology, water quality, and water use. The Fox River is the primary surface-water body in Kendall County and is used for both wastewater disposal and as a drinking-water supply upstream of the county. Water from the Fox River requires pretreatment for use as drinking water, but the river is a potentially viable additional source of water for the county. Glacial drift aquifers capable of yielding sufficient water for municipal supply are expected to be present in northern Kendall County, along the Fox River, and in the Newark Valley and its tributaries. Glacial drift aquifers capable of yielding sufficient water for residential supply are present in most of the county, with the exception of the southeastern portion. Volatile organic compounds and select trace metals and pesticides have been detected at low concentrations in glacial drift aquifers near waste-disposal sites. Agricultural-related constituents have been detected infrequently in glacial drift aquifers near agricultural areas. However, on the basis of the available data, widespread, consistent problems with water quality are not apparent in these aquifers. These aquifers are a viable source for additional water supply, but would require further characterization prior to full development. The shallow bedrock aquifer is composed of the sandstone units of the Ancell Group, the Prairie du Chien Group, the Galena-Platteville dolomite, the Maquoketa Group, and the Silurian dolomite where these units are at the bedrock surface. The availability of water from the shallow bedrock aquifer depends primarily on the geologic unit utilized. The Silurian dolomite, Galena-Platteville dolomite, and Ancell Group can yield sufficient water for residential and municipal supply in at least some parts of the county. The Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system is composed of the most widespread, productive aquifers in northern Illinois and is used for water supply by a number of municipalities and industrial facilities. Water levels in the aquifer system have declined by as much as 600 feet in Kendall County and the aquifer frequently contains concentrations of radium above established health guidelines.

Scientific Investigations Report↗

Late Cenozoic sea-level changes and the onset of glaciation: impact on continental slope progradation off eastern Canada

Late Cenozoic sedimentation from four varied sites on the continental slopes off southeastern Canada has been analysed using high-resolution airgun multichannel seismic profiles, supplemented with some single channel data. Biostratigraphic ties are available to exploratory wells at three of the sites. Uniform, slow accumulation of hemipelagic sediments was locally terminated by the late Miocene sea-level lowering, which is also reflected in changes in foraminiferan faunas on the continental shelf. Data are very limited for the early Pliocene but suggest a return to slow hemipelagic sedimentation. At the beginning of the late Pliocene, there was a change in sedimentation style marked by a several-fold increase in accumulation rates and cutting of slope valleys. This late Pliocene cutting of slope valleys corresponds to the onset of late Cenozoic growth of the Laurentian Fan and the initiation of turbidite sedimentation on the Sohm Abyssal Plain. Although it corresponds to a time of sea-level lowering, the contrast with the late Miocene lowstand indicates that there must also have been a change in sediment delivery to the coastline, perhaps as a result of increased rainfall or development of valley glaciers. High sedimentation rates continued into the early Pleistocene, but the extent of slope dissection by gullies increased. Gully-cutting episodes alternated with sediment-draping episodes. Throughout the southeastern Canadian continental margin, there was a change in sedimentation style in the middle Pleistocene that resulted from extensive ice sheets crossing the continental shelf and delivering coarse sediment directly to the continental slope. ?? 1989.

Marine and Petroleum Geology↗

Soda Creek springs - metamorphic waters in the eastern Alaska Range

The Soda Creek springs are a group of small, cold mineral springs on the southern flank of the eastern Alaska Range. The spring waters contain anomalous concentrations of carbon dioxide, sodium, chlorine, sulfate, boron, and ammonia and are actively precipitating deposits of calcite and aragonite. Sparingly present in these deposits are mixed-layer illite-montmorillonite clays and zeolite minerals. Low-temperature metamorphic reactions in subjacent marine sedimentary rocks of Jurassic and Cretaceous age may have produced the fluids and silicate minerals. With only a few exceptions, cool bicarbonate-rich springs in Alaska are concentrated south of the Denali fault system in south-central Alaska, southeastern Alaska, and along the Kaltag-Tintina fault system. These areas are characterized by active or recently active tectonism, major faults and folds, and an abundance of marine sedimentary rocks.

Alaska↗

Water resources of the Southern Hills regional aquifer system, southeastern Louisiana

Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of groundwater in the 10 parishes overlying the Southern Hills regional aquifer system of Louisiana (fig. 1) is critical for water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. Information on the availability, past and current use, use trends, and water quality from groundwater sources in these parishes is presented. Previously published reports (see References Cited section) and data stored in the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water Information System (U.S. Geological Survey, 2017) are the primary sources of the information presented here.

Louisiana↗

Chronology, sedimentology, and microfauna of groundwater discharge deposits in the central Mojave Desert, Valley Wells, California

During the late Pleistocene, emergent groundwater supported persistent and long-lived desert wetlands in many broad valleys and basins in the American Southwest. When active, these systems provided important food and water sources for local fauna, supported hydrophilic and phreatophytic vegetation, and acted as catchments for eolian and alluvial sediments. Desert wetlands are represented in the geologic record by groundwater discharge deposits, which are also called spring or wetland deposits. Groundwater discharge deposits contain information on the timing and magnitude of past changes in water-table levels and, thus, are a source of paleohydrologic and paleoclimatic information. Here, we present the results of an investigation of extensive groundwater discharge deposits in the central Mojave Desert at Valley Wells, California. We used geologic mapping and stratigraphic relations to identify two distinct wetland sequences at Valley Wells, which we dated using radiocarbon, luminescence, and uranium-series techniques. We also analyzed the sediments and microfauna (ostracodes and gastropods) to reconstruct the specific environments in which they formed. Our results suggest that the earliest episode of high water-table conditions at Valley Wells began ca. 60 ka (thousands of calendar yr B.P.), and culminated in peak discharge between ca. 40 and 35 ka. During this time, cold (4–12 °C) emergent groundwater supported extensive wetlands that likely were composed of a wet, sedge-rush-tussock meadow mixed with mesic riparian forest. After ca. 35 ka, the water table dropped below the ground surface but was still shallow enough to support dense stands of phreatophytes through the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The water table dropped further after the LGM, and xeric conditions prevailed until modest wetlands returned briefly during the Younger Dryas cold event (13.0–11.6 ka). We did not observe any evidence of wet conditions during the Holocene at Valley Wells. The timing of these fluctuations is consistent with changes in other paleowetland systems in the Mojave Desert, the nearby Great Basin Desert, and in southeastern Arizona, near the border of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts. The similarities in hydrologic conditions between these disparate locations suggest that changes in groundwater levels during the late Pleistocene in desert wetlands scattered throughout the American Southwest were likely driven by synoptic-scale climate processes.

California↗

Tishomingo folio, Indian Territory

The Tishomingo quadrangle is bounded by meridians 96° 30' and 97° and parallels 34° and 34° 30', and occupies one-quarter of a square degree of the earth's surface. It is 34.5 miles long north and south and 28.58 miles wide, and contains about 986 square miles. It lies in the southeastern part of the Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, the eastern edge being nearly 3 miles west of the Choctaw-Chickasaw boudary line, and the southern side about 3 miles north of the nearest approach of Red River.

Tishomingo Quadrangle↗

Water resources of part of Canyonlands National Park, southeastern Utah

Canyonlands National Park is in about the center of the Canyon Lands section of the Colorado Plateaus physiographic province in southeastern Utah. The part of the park discussed embraces an area of about 400 square miles comprising isolated mesas, precipitous canyons, and dissected broad benches near the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers, the only perennial streams in the area. The climate is arid to semiarid; normal annual precipitation ranges from less than 8 to about 10 inches. Potential evapotranspiration is about 41 inches annually. Geology of the park is characterized by nearly horizontal strata that dip gently northward. Exposed rock formations and deposits range in age from Middle Pennsylvanian to Holocene. Owing to the elevated and deeply dissected topography, only parts of the Cedar Mesa and White Rim Sandstone Members of the Cutler Formation of Permian age have potential for development of wells. Strata above and below them support only small springs, are dry, or contain brine. In the northwest part of the park, the Green River at Taylor Canyon is a potential source of surface water for public supplies for the Island In The Sky area and a small part of the northwest White Rim area. It will require filtration and treatment before use. In the same area, two unused wells in Taylor Canyon will supply enough water for present requirements from the White Rim Sandstone Member of the Cutler Formation, about 140 gallons per minute combined, but yield mineralized water that will require treatment before use. Springs yielding good water at the Island In The Sky and White Rim are mostly intermittent and too small for public-water supply. Most of the White Rim area is dry, having no usable ground water. In The Needles area, wells provide water of good quality from the Cedar Mesa Sandstone Member of the Cutler Formation. Springs yielding good water in the same area are available for supplementary supplies. West of The Needles, The Grabens area is without springs or potential aquifers bearing usable water. During 1970 about 510,000 gallons of water was used in Canyonlands National Park. Of this amount, 110,000 gallons was supplied to Island In The Sky by tank truck from a source outside the park, and about 400,000 gallons was withdrawn from the well in use at The Needles. Estimated total annual requirements in 10 years (1980) may be as much as 6 million gallons. Sources of water supplies within the park now in use and potential sources of surface water or ground water outlined by this investigation will meet the estimated requirements. Development of rainfall-collection and cistern-storage systems could furnish small emergency sources of water for waterless areas on the White Rim and in The Grabens.

Utah↗

Physical characteristics of stream subbasins in the Cannon River Basin, southeastern Minnesota

Data that describe the physical characteristics of stream subbasins upstream from selected sites on streams in the Cannon River Basin, located in southeastern Minnesota, are presented in this report. The physical characteristics are the drainage area of the subbasin, the percentage area of the subbasin covered only by lakes, the percentage area of the subbasin covered by both lakes and marsh, the main-channel length, and the main-channel slope. Stream sites include outlets of subbasins of at least 5 square miles, and locations of U.S. Geological Survey high-flow, and continuous-record gaging stations.

Minnesota↗

Water Budget and the Effects of Land-Use Changes on Ground-Water Recharge, Oahu, Hawaii

Detailed water budgets calculated for southern and southeastern Oahu are used with a geographic information system to develop simplified methods for estimating areal water budgets for predevelopment and mid-1980's land use. The methods were applied to estimate water budgets for the Waianae area of western Oahu, and for north-central, southern, and southeastern Oahu. A water budget was calculated for windward Oahu by developing a separate geographic information system model of the area. The water budgets for these areas were combined into a single water budget for the entire island. The geographic information system model was used to calculate mid-1980's ground-water recharge to small areas of specific interest and the distribution of recharge by geologic formation. The most significant changes in the water budget and ground-water recharge have occurred in north-central and southern Oahu as a result of large-scale agricultural development and urbanization by the mid-1980's. Runoff increased by 23 million gallons per day in southern Oahu where extensive urban areas have been developed. Evapotranspiration increased by 8 million gallons per day in southern Oahu and 28 million gallons per day in north-central Oahu as result of the 146 million gallons per day of agricultural irrigation. Ground-water recharge increased in both areas: by about 56 million gallons per day in southern Oahu and by about 32 million gallons per day in north-central Oahu. Predevelopment ground-water recharge to Oahu was an estimated 792 million gallons per day. Changes in land-use practices in the mid-1980's resulted in an estimated island-wide recharge of 880 million gallons per day.

Professional Paper↗

Hard rock uranium potential in Alaska

Discussing the potential of "hardrock" (i.e., non-sedimentary type) uranium deposits in a 586,000 mi 2 portion of the North America Cordillera is a difficult task compounded by the fact that the remoteness of much of the region and the logistical difficulties have resulted in only reconnaissance geologic information being available for large parts of the state. Cobb (1970) has listed known occurrences of uranium and thorium minerals in the state and a somewhat modified version of his compilation showing chiefly hardrock occurrences is given in figure 1; it should be emphasized that these are occurrences only and not necessarily deposits of possible economic significance. The distribution pattern shows a concentration of occurrences in southeastern Alaska and particularly in the interior. The only production of uranium in Alaska from any type of deposit has been from a hardrock deposit, that being the roughly 120,000 tons of ore averaging about one percent U 3 0 8 from the Ross-Adams mine near Bokan Mountain on Prince of Wales Island close to the southern tip of southeastern Alaska. The Bokan Mountain uranium-thorium area includes about 71 mi 2 and is largely underlain by plutonic rocks (MacKevett, 1963). The plutonic rocks range from pyroxenite to peralkaline granite and syenite, but they consist chiefly of diorite, quartz diorite, granodiorite, and quartz monzonite. The peralkaline granite, a small pluton about 3 mi2 in area, is Late Triassic or Early Jurassic in age while the other plutonic rocks are early Paleozoic.

Alaska↗

Geologic names of Ordovician rock-stratigraphic units exposed in Kentucky

This report summarizes and indexes the current usage of geologic names of exposed rock-stratigraphic units of Ordovician age in Kentucky. The Ordovician rocks crop out mainly in two separate areas in Kentucky (fig. 1). The larger area of outcrop, covering much of the middle part of the state, forms the major part of the Blue Grass region of Kentucky. Outcrops of this region are contiguous with outcrops of Ordovician rocks in southwestern Ohio and southeastern Indiana. The smaller area of fairly continuous outcrops of Ordovician rocks lies south of the Blue Grass region along the Cumberland River and its tributaries. These outcrops are contiguous with outcrops of Ordovician rocks in Tennessee. A few isolated exposures of Ordovician rocks lie outside the areas of continuous outcrop.

Kentucky↗