Geology Reports⌕ Search

Geology topics

L. J. Slack

Publications and source records attributed to L. J. Slack.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1994

Quality of ground water in Harrison County, Mississippi, June - July 1993

During June and July 1993, the U.S. Geological Survey analyzed water from 145 wells in Harrison County, southeastern Mississippi. The wells are completed in five major geologic units: the Citronelle, Graham Ferry, Pascagoula, and Hattiesburg Formations and the Catahoula Sandstone. The wells ranged from 74 to 2,410 feet in depth. Specific conductance (lab) ranged from 15 to 2,020 microsiemens per centimeter; pH (lab), from 5.9 to 9.0; color, from less than 5 to 120 platinum-cobalt units; dissolved-solids concentrations (residue on evaporation), from 20 to 1,120 milligrams per liter; chloride concentrations, from 1.9 to 470 milligrams per liter; and nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen concentrations, from less than 0.02 to 0.85 milligram per liter. Most of the larger values of specific conductance, pH, dissolved-solids concen- trations, and chloride concentrations were from wells in the southern one-half of the county.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1988

Sedimentation in Lake Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 1982-86

Lake Tuscaloosa, created in 1969 by the impoundment of North River, provides the primary water supply for Tuscaloosa, Alabama , and surrounding areas. This report describes the rate of sedimentation in the lake from its principal tributaries. The rate of sediment deposition in the lake is low. The maximum sediment deposition from 1982 to 1986 at 17 lake cross sections was about 3.5 feet (or 0.9 foot per year) at a cross section that received drainage from Brush Creek basin. Brush Creek is an unmined basin with steep overland and channel slopes. At 15 of the 17 cross sections, the maximum sediment deposition was less than 2 feet (or 0.5 foot per year). Scour and fill processes (redistribution of the sediment) appear to be taking place at many of the cross sections. (Author 's abstract)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1986

Current water resources activities in Alabama, fiscal year 1986

The purpose of this report is to describe the current (as of 1986) water resources activities of the U.S. Geological Survey in Alabama. The responsibilities and objectives of the Survey; organization of the Alabama District; sources of funding; current projects; hydrologic data program; and a selected bibliography of hydrologic reports are presented. Water resources projects are undertaken usually at the request of and with partial funding from another agency, provided: they are high priority problems and generally identified to fall within the mission of the Water Resources Division and they are consistent with the Program Management Plan developed by the Water Resources Division in Alabama to meet the long range plan for hydrologic data in the State. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1986

Physical and chemical characteristics of water in coal-mine ponds of eastern Oklahoma.

Coal-mine ponds cover 4000 acres and have a storage capacity of about 100 000 acre-feet. They are important wild-life habitats and contribute locally to agricultural and municipal water supply. The physical and chemical properties of the water are very variable. By and large, the pond waters showed a lack of mixing and thermal stratification with bottom to surface temperatures differing by up to 30oC over 20 ft depth in July. The medium pH was 7.7, except for ponds associated with the Secor coal bed (pH 3.3). Sulphate was the principal ion in the mine pond water. Other chemicals varied with the associated coal-bed. Chloride concentrations were 11 mg/L or less, except for ponds associated with the Dowson coal (140 mg/L). Dissolved concentration was low 40 mu g/L, except in ponds associated with the Secor (3000 mu g/L and Dowson (2100) coals. Dissolved manganese was less than 1500 micrograms/L except for Secor (35 000), Dowson (4300) and Weir-Pittsburg (3700 micrograms/L). -M.J.Haigh

Oklahoma Geology Notes↗
USGS1984

Physical and chemical characteristics of water in coal-mine ponds, eastern Oklahoma, June to November 1977-81

Water at 102 sites in 59 coal-mine ponds in eastern Oklahoma was sampled at lease twice during June to November 1977-81 to determine temperature, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, pH, and dissolved sulfate, chloride, iron, and manganese--as part of a study of the hydrology of the Oklahoma coalfield. These determinations show that during June to October water in ponds deeper than ~10 ft was stratified; ponds which had little or not change of temperature with depth generally were shallow or were sampled in early November. Temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH usually decreased with depth, whereas specific conductance usually increased with depth. Concentrations of dissolved sulfate, chloride, iron, and manganese varied from site to site. Specific conductance, which is a measure of dissolved solids in the water, ranged from 93 to 4,800 mmho/cm at 25oC. Some physical and chemical characteristics of the mine-pond water are related to the coal bed adjacent to the pond. Mean specific-conductance values and dissolved-sulfate concentrations were greatest in ponds associated with mining of Dawson, Weir-Pittsburg, and Secor coals. Mean dissolved-iron concentrations were greatest in ponds associated with mining of the Dawson, Secor, and Hartshorne coals. Mean dissolved-manganese concentrations were greatest in ponds associated with mining of the Dawson, Weir-Pittsburg, and Secor coals, but greatly exceeded secondary drinking-water limits regardless of coal bed mined.

Oklahoma↗
USGS1983

Water resources of the Santa Fe River basin, Florida

The Santa Fe River basin is a 1,384 square-mile area in north-central Florida. The principal source of water is the Floridan aquifer, a sequence of limestone beds, the upper 300 to 800 feet of which contain potable water. The western part of the basin has the greatest potential yields for individual wells, as much as 5,000 gallons per minute, and contains the largest surface-water supplies. Spring discharge and diffuse seepage from the Floridan aquifer augment the Santa Fe River. The Floridan aquifer is overlain by a confining bed that in the western part of the basin is ineffectual. In the eastern part the Floridan aquifer is confined and the confining bed is overlain by a surficial aquifer. The confining bed contains water-yielding zones, which in addition to the surficial aquifer , may supply water for domestic use. Numerous tributary streams supply small amounts of water to the Santa Fe River and its principal tributary, New River. The base flow of most of these streams is supplied by the surficial aquifer. Estimated water use is about 17 million gallons per day, and runoff from the basin is estimated to be 1,400 million gallons per day. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1983

Hydrology of an abandoned coal-mining area near McCurtain, Haskell County, Oklahoma

Water quality was investigated from October 1980 to May 1983 in an area of abandoned coal mines in Haskell county, Oklahoma. Bedrock in the area is shale, siltstone, sandstone, and the McAlester (Stigler) and Hartshorne coals of the McAlester Formation and Hartshorne Sandstone of Pennsylvanian age. The two coal beds, upper and lower Hartshorne, associated with the Hartshorne Sandstone converge or are separated by a few feet or less of bony coal or shale in the McCurtain area. Many small faults cut the Hartshorne coal in all the McCurtain-area mines. The main avenues of water entry to and movement through the bedrock are the exposed bedding-plane openings between layers of sandstone, partings between laminae of shale, fractures and joints developed during folding and faulting laminae of shale, fractures and joints developed during folding and faulting of the brittle rocks, and openings caused by surface mining--the overburden being shattered and broken to form spoil. Water-table conditions exist in bedrock and spoil in the area. Mine pond water is in direct hydraulic connections with water in the spoil piles and the underlying Hartshorne Sandstone. Sulfate is the best indicator of the presence of coal-mine drainage in both surface and ground water in the Oklahoma coal field. Median sulfate concentrations for four sites on Mule Creek ranged from 26 to 260 milligrams per liter. Median sulfate concentrations increased with increased drainage from unreclaimed mined areas. The median sulfate concentration in Mule Creek where it drains the reclaimed area is less than one-third of that at the next site downstream where the stream begins to drain abandoned (unreclaimed) mine lands. Water from Mule Creek predominantly is a sodium sulfate type. Maximum and median values for specific conductance and concentrations of calcium, magnesium, sodium, sulfate, chloride, dissolved solids, and alkalinity increase as Mule Creek flows downstream and drains increasing areas of abandoned (unreclaimed) mining lands. Constituent concentrations in Mule Creek, except those for dissolved solids, iron, manganese, and sulfate, generally do not exceed drinking-water limits. Reclamation likely would result in decreased concentrations of dissolved solids, calcium, magnesium, sodium, sulfate, and alkalinity in Mule Creek in the vicinity of the reclaimed area. Ground water in the area is moderately hard to very hard alkaline water with a median pH of 7.2 to 7.6. It predominately is a sodium sulfate type and, except for dissolved solids, iron manganese, and sulfate, constituent concentrations generally do not exceed drinking-water limits. Ground-water quality would likely be unchanged by reclamation. The quality of water in the two mine ponds is quite similar to that of the shallow ground water in the area. Constituents in water from both ponds generally do not exceed drinking-water limits and the water quality is unlikely to be changed by reclamation in the area.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗