Geology topics

J.B. Foster

Publications and source records attributed to J.B. Foster.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS1984

Geologic and hydrologic data collected during 1976-1983 at the Sheffield low-level radioactive waste disposal site and adjacent areas, Sheffield, Illinois

Hydrogeologic studies were conducted at the low-level radioactive-waste disposal site near Sheffield, Illinois, from 1976-84. Data in this report include water levels in wells, lake stages, inorganic, organic, and radiometric chemical analyses of ground and surface water, hydraulic conductivities of glacial materials, grain-size distribution, clay and carbonate mineralogy, and cation exchange capacities of the glacial materials. Also included are results of petrographic analyses, physical measurements of wells, stratigraphy and lithology of cores collected from test wells, and horizontal coordinates of wells.

Open-File Report↗

USGS1984

Hydrogeology of a low-level radioactive-waste disposal site near Sheffield, Illinois

The Sheffield low-level radioactive-waste facility is located on 20 acres of rolling terrain 3 miles southwest of Sheffield, Illinois. The shallow hydrogeologic system is composed of glacial sediments. Pennsylvania shale and mudstone bedrock isolate the regional aquifers below from the hydrogeologic system in the overlying glacial deposits. Pebbly sand underlies 67 percent of the site. Two ground-water flow paths were identified. The primary path conveys ground water from the site to the east through the pebbly-sand unit; a secondary path conveys ground water to the south and east through less permeable material. The pebbly-sand unit provides an underdrain that eliminates the risk of water rising into the trenches. Digital computer model results indicate that the pebbly-sand unit controls ground-water movement. Tritium found migrating in ground water in the southeast corner of the site travels approximately 25 feet per year. A group of water samples from wells which contained the highest tritium concentrations had specific conductivities, alkalinities, hardness, and chloride, sulfate, calcium, and magnesium contents higher than normal for local shallow ground water. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

USGS1984

Hydrogeologic setting east of a low-level radioactive-waste disposal site near Sheffield, Illinois

Core samples from 45 test wells and 4 borings were used to describe the glacial geology of the area east of the low-level radioactive-waste disposal site near Sheffield, Bureau County, Illinois. Previous work has shown that shallow ground water beneath the disposal site flows east through a pebbly-sand unit of the Toulon Member of the Glasford Formation. The pebbly sand was found in core samples from wells in an area extending northeast from the waste-disposal site to a strip-mine lake and east along the south side of the lake. Other stratigraphic units identified in the study area are correlated with units found on the disposal site. The pebbly-sand unit of the Toulon Member grades from a pebbly sand on site into a coarse gravel with sand and pebbles towards the lake. The Hulick Till Member, a key bed, underlies the Toulon Member throughout most of the study area. A narrow channel-like depression in the Hulick Till is filled with coarse gravelly sand of the Toulon Member. The filled depression extends eastward from near the northeast corner of the waste-disposal site to the strip-mine lake. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

USGS1980

Preliminary report on the hydrogeology of a low-level radioactive waste disposal site near Sheffield, Illinois

The Sheffield low-level radioactive-waste disposal site is located on 20 acres of rolling terrain about 3 miles southwest of Sheffield, Illinois. Twenty-one trenches were constructed and filled with radioactive waste from August 1967 through April 1978. Forty-three test wells were installed by the U.S. Geological Survey on and adjacent to the site. Continuous cores were collected from 36 wells to help in defining the subsurface geology. The wells have been used for water sample collection and to monitor water-level changes. A tunnel. 6.5 feet in diameter by 290 feet in length, was constructed beneath four burial trenches to provide access for collection of hydrologic and geologic data. Pennsylvanian shale and mudstone deposits are overlain by Pleistocene glacial deposits consisting of the Teneriffe Silt, Glasford Formation, Roxana Silt, Peoria Loess, Parkland Sand, Cahokia Alluvium, and Henry Formation. Three till units of the Glasford Formation, the Hulick Till Member, the Radnor Till Member, and Till A have been identified on the site. Stratigraphic position indicates that the Hulick Till Member and Till A are probably variations of the same till. A continuous pebbly sand deposit, classified as part of the Toulon Member, extends across the middle of the site and continues off site on the northeast and southwest corners. Because of its relatively high hydraulic conductivity, this deposit will be a controlling factor in shallow groundwater movement and in any radionuclide migration. Ground water at the site is derived through infiltration of precipitation and as underflow from adjacent highlands. Precipitation averages 35 inches per year, 1 or 2 inches of which probably recharge the ground water. Runoff is estimated to be 12 to 15 inches per year and evapotranspiration about 20 inches. The fluctuation of water levels has been about 2.5 feet in hilltop wells, 3.6 feet in sidehill wells, and 5.9 feet in valley wells. Hydraulic conductivity of the materials comprising the hydrogeologic system vary widely from about 2.8 to 2.8 x 10 -6 feet/day. Tritium in ground water near the southeast corner of the site has moved about 25 feet per year since June 1975.

Illinois↗

USGS1977

Water resources of Okaloosa County and adjacent areas, Florida

Okaloosa County, in the northwest Florida panhandle, uses the Floridan aquifer for water supply, although it also has abundant surface water and ground water in the surficial sand-and-gravel aquifer. Water levels have declined locally more than 90 feet in the upper limestone of the Floridan aquifer. The Floridan aquifer is overlain by the Pensacola clay confining bed, and the Bucatunna Clay subdivides it into two limestone units. Water in the upper limestone is generally of good quality. The lower limestone probably contains saline water. Average daily stream discharge is about 2,500 million gallons. Stream discharge does not diminish excessively during droughts, owing to high base runoff. Water levels in the Floridan aquifer will decline as long as pumping increases in the present areas of withdrawal. The decline could be alleviated by redistribution of pumping, artificial recharge, and the use of the sand-and-gravel aquifer or streams. (Woodard-USGS)

Florida↗