Geology topics

John T. Turk

Publications and source records attributed to John T. Turk.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

USGS1978

Potential effects of deep-well waste disposal in western New York

Mathematical and laboratory models were used to observe, respectively, the hydraulic and chemical reactions that may take place during proposed injection of a highly acidic, iron-rich waste pickle liquor into a deep waste-disposal well in western New York. Field temperature and pressure conditions were simulated in the tests. Hydraulic pressure in the middle stages of the initial (1968) injection test had probably hydraulically fractured the Cambrian sandstone-dolomite formation adjacent to the borehole. Transmissivity of the formation is 13 feet squared per day. The proposed rate of injection (72,000 gallons per day) of waste pickle liquor would approach a wellhead pressure of 600 pounds per square inch in about a year. Hydraulic fracturing would reoccur at about 580 pounds per square inch. The measurable cone of influence would extend about 22 miles after injection for 1 year. Chemical reactions between acidic wastes and brine-saturated dolomite would create precipitates that would drastically reduce the permeability of the unfractured part of the dolomite. Nondolomitic sandstone permeability would not be affected by chemical reactions, but the pores might be plugged by the iron-bearing waste. The digital model can be used for qualitative predictions on a regional scale. (Woodard-USGS)

Professional Paper↗

USGS1977

Acid-rain weathering of a metasedimentary rock basin, Herkimer County, New York

A geochemical balance of major chemical constituents of precipitation inflow with those of surface-water outflow was used to evaluate the effect of acid rainfall (average pH = 4.3) on weathering rates of metasedimentary rocks underlying a surface-water basin in New York State. Precipitation samples and surface-water samples show that approximately 45 percent of the net cation outflow is due to weathering by precipitation acidity. The remaining 55 percent of the cation load in the outflow is attributed to interactions between atmosphere, rock, and soil water in the unsaturated zone. Comparison of the acidity of acid precipitation and air-equilibrated distilled water suggests that since preindustrial time, precipitation acidity has probably increased weathering rates for this basin approximately 75 percent. The increased acidity of the precipitation may also increase the rate of dissolution of heavy metals from water-piping systems.

New York↗

USGS1977

Discharge and water-quality data for selected streams at low flow including some bottom-material analyses, and limnological study of six lakes, Westchester County, New York

Water-quality data collected at sites on 33 Westchester County, N.Y., streams August 4 to 6, 1976 during low flow (80-percent or more duration) indicate that although the chemical characteristics of most streams met State standards for water-supply source waters, none met the coliform standard, and several failed to meet standards for organic nitrogen, pH, and dissolved oxygen. Chemical analyses of bottom materials indicated detectable concentrations of the insecticides chlordane, dieldrin, and DDT at most of the 17 stream sites sampled. Polychlorinated biphenyls(PCB's) were found in more than half the samples, and the lead concentration on one stream was significantly higher than at the other sites. The six lakes studied are similar in bedrock geology, climate, and algal types and numbers. Minor differences in the chemistry of the lakes is attributable to the presence or absence of marble (calcium carbonate) in the gneissic basins, septic loadings of soluble constituents, or runoff containing salt from winter road deicing. The lakes probably receive most of their water by direct runoff and groundwater seepage rather than from major streams. All six lakes can be classed as eutrophic on the basis of algal type and density, dissolved-oxygen distribution, and nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations. (Woodard-USGS)

Open-File Report↗