characterization of cored sediments from the high plains aquifer in

CHARACTERIZATION OF CORED SEDIMENTS FROM
THE HIGH PLAINS AQUIFER IN KANSAS
Greg A. Ludvigson, Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Jon J. Smith, Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
John Doveton, Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Rolfe Mandel, Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Laura Murphy, Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Anthony Layzell, Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Randy L. Stotler, Department of Geology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Richard Sleezer, Earth Sciences Department, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS
Supported by NSF EAR-1023285 and the STATEMAP
Program administered by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Special thanks to Susan Stover of the Kansas Water Office
for advice and help in launching the High Plains coring
program.
Study areas for scientific coring in Cenozoic deposits of the Great Plains
•
•
As of August 2014, KGS cores totalled 3,010 feet.
September 2014 drilling at the Calvert volcanic ash mine, Landon Draw, and
Borchers Badlands has added another 200 feet and counting.
Project Personnel:
Stratigraphic & Paleoclimatic
Analysis (KGS/KU)
Paleomagnetics & Magnetostratigraphy
(New Mexico Highlands University)
Dr. Mike Petronis—NSF PI/PD
Dr. Kate Zeigler—NSF Postdoc
Dr. Jon J Smith—NSF PI/PD
Dr. Greg Ludvigson—NSF co-PI (stable isotopes)
Dr. John Doveton—NSF co-PI (gamma ray data)
Dr. Rolfe Mandel—KGS (Q. soil stratigraphy)
Dr. Brian Platt—former KGS Postdoc (now at U. Miss.) Isotopic Hydrogeochemistry &
Groundwater Recharge Mechanisms
Dr. Andreas Möller—KU U/Pb Geochronologist
(KU Department of Geology)
Laura Murphy—KGS GRA (supervisor G&P lab)
Tony Layzell—KGS GRA & NSF IGERT Fellow
Dr. Randy Stotler—hydrogeologist
Hunter Harlow—former KGS GRA (now at Baylor U.)
Britney Katz—GRA
Bridget Sanderson—KGS lab asst.
Joe Anderson—KGS Chief Driller
Tony Wedel—former KGS Apprentice Driller
Jeremy Scobee—KGS Apprentice Driller
Brian Sitek—KU graduate fellow (U/Pb geochronology)
Adrienne Duarte—former KGS lab tech (organic δ13C data)
Stable Isotope Chemostratigraphy
•
Fox & Koch (2003) compiled δ13C values from outcrops throughout High Plains
Aquifer with published biostratigraphic or tephrochronologic dates
•
δ13C values shift from dominantly C3 to heat and arid adapted C4 paleofloras
Data from Fox and Koch (2003)
Modified from Koch (1998)
Stable Isotope
Chemostratigraphy
Stable Isotope chemostratigraphic
trends on the High Plains shift over
time
Kansas High Plains Aquifer Atlas - http://www.kgs.ku.edu/HighPlains/HPA_Atlas/index.html
Research Goals
• Coring operations complete
in McPherson and Harvey
Counties.
•Lithologic descriptions and
isotopic analyses on-going in
McPherson and nearly
complete in Harvey Co.
•Optically Stimulated
Luminescence results
suggest depositional age
below loess deposits are
beyond the limit of this dating
technique (~400 ka)
•Tephrochronology?
Sedimentologic and Stable Isotopic Analyses
Quaternary Loess
Neogene (?)
“McPherson
Formation”
Permian Wellington Formation
•
We need dates!
Study areas for scientific coring in Cenozoic deposits of the Great Plains
•
•
As of August 2014, KGS cores totalled 3,010 feet.
September 2014 drilling at the Calvert volcanic ash mine, Landon Draw, and
Borchers Badlands has added another 200 feet and counting.
Scientific Coring of the High Plains Aquifer by the Kansas Geological Survey
Spudding of the HP1A borehole in April 2011
GMD3
Index Well
Supported by:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
STATEMAP Program (USGS)
U.S. National Science Foundation
Kansas Water Office
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Southwest Kansas GMD
From: http://harvestpublicmedia.org/article/573/getting-core-ogallala/5 7/11/2011
Rack for standing 1-meter length plastic core tubes from Rotosonic Drill; peristaltic pump is pulling
groundwater samples into Nalgene sample bottles for stable isotopic hydrogeochemical studies by
Randy Stotler & Britney Katz.
Thomas County Core
Slide courtesy of Britney Katz
From:
Smith et al., 2014, Ogallala-High Plains
Aquifer Special Study Phase III: Lithologic
Calibration of Practical Saturated Thickness
In the Ogallala-High Plains Aquifer: Kansas
Geological Survey Open File Report 2014-2,
9 p.
Study areas for scientific coring in Cenozoic deposits of the Great Plains
•
•
As of August 2014, KGS cores totalled 3,010 feet.
September 2014 drilling at the Calvert volcanic ash mine, Landon Draw, and
Borchers Badlands has added another 200 feet and counting.
Cimarron River Valley transect; Dissertation Research of KGS GRA Tony Layzell
Isotropic glass bubble-wall
shard; 0.62 mm FOV; xpol.
Dr. Jon J. Smith (l) and R. Hunter Harlow (r) at exposure of volcanic ash lentil in the
Ogallala Formation, Landon Draw in Scott County, Kansas; summer 2012.
Landon Draw Ash
11.352 +/0.43551 Ma
Tera-Wasserburg Concordia Plot showing
concordant age of zircon.
Correlating zircon grain. (Second
from left)
Miocene (11.3 Ma) volcanogenic zircon from the Landon Draw volcanic
ash lentil, data courtesy of Brian Sitek.
Volcanic ash (= 11.3 Ma?) from
The Calvert Mine in Norton Co.
Kansas. April 2011.
Tony Layzell (l) & Dr. Jon J. Smith (r) at exposure of Huckleberry Ridge volcanic ash
(2.1 Ma) at Borchers Badlands in Meade Basin; May 2014.
Thanks for your attention!

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