Geology Reports⌕ Search

Geology topics

Research about Black Hills

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Black Hills.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
USGS2008

Water-quality effects and characterization of indicators of onsite wastewater disposal systems in the east-central Black Hills area, South Dakota, 2006-08

Onsite wastewater disposal systems (OWDS) are used extensively in the Black Hills of South Dakota where many of the watersheds and aquifers are characterized by fractured or solution-enhanced bedrock with thin soil cover. A study was conducted during 2006-08 to characterize water-quality effects and indicators of OWDS. Water samples were collected and analyzed for potential indicators of OWDS, including chloride, bromide, boron, nitrite plus nitrate (NO2+NO3), ammonia, major ions, nutrients, selected trace elements, isotopes of nitrate, microbiological indicators, and organic wastewater compounds (OWCs). The microbiological indicators were fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli (E. coli), enterococci, Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens), and coliphages. Sixty ground-water sampling sites were located either downgradient from areas of dense OWDS or in background areas and included 25 monitoring wells, 34 private wells, and 1 spring. Nine surface-water sampling sites were located on selected streams and tributaries either downstream or upstream from residential development within the Precambrian setting. Sampling results were grouped by their hydrogeologic setting: alluvial, Spearfish, Minnekahta, and Precambrian. Mean downgradient dissolved NO2+NO3 concentrations in ground water for the alluvial, Spearfish, Minnekahta, and Precambrian settings were 0.734, 7.90, 8.62, and 2.25 milligrams per liter (mg/L), respectively. Mean downgradient dissolved chloride concentrations in ground water for these settings were 324, 89.6, 498, and 33.2 mg/L, respectively. Mean downgradient dissolved boron concentrations in ground water for these settings were 736, 53, 64, and 43 micrograms per liter (ug/L), respectively. Mean dissolved surface-water concentrations for NO2+NO3, chloride, and boron for downstream sites were 0.222 mg/L, 32.1 mg/L, and 28 ug/L, respectively. Mean values of delta-15N and delta-18O (isotope ratios of 14N to 15N and 18O to 16O relative to standard ratios) for nitrate in ground-water samples were 10.4 and -2.0 per mil (0/100), respectively, indicating a relatively small contribution from synthetic fertilizer and probably a substantial contribution from OWDS. The surface-water sample with the highest dissolved NO2+NO3 concentration of 1.6 mg/L had a delta-15N value of 12.36 0/100, which indicates warm-blooded animals (including humans) as the nitrate source. Fecal coliforms were detected in downgradient ground water most frequently in the Spearfish (19 percent) and Minnekahta (9.7 percent) settings. E. coli was detected most frequently in the Minnekahta (29 percent) and Spearfish (13 percent) settings. Enterococci were detected more frequently than other microbiological indicators in all four settings. Fecal coliforms and E. coli were detected in 73 percent and 95 percent of all surface-water samples, respectively. Enterococci, coliphages (somatic), and C. perfringens were detected in 50, 70, and 50 percent of surface-water samples, respectively. Of the 62 OWC analytes, 12 were detected only in environmental samples, 10 were detected in at least one environmental and one blank sample (not necessarily companion pairs), 2 were detected only in blank samples, and 38 were not detected in any blank, environmental, or replicate sample from either ground or surface water. Eleven different organic compounds were detected in ground-water samples at eight different sites. The most frequently occurring compound was DEET, which was found in 32 percent of the environmental samples, followed by tetrachloroethene, which was detected in 20 percent of the samples. For surface-water samples, 16 organic compounds were detected in 9 of the 10 total samples. The compound with the highest occurrence in surface-water samples was camphor, which was detected in 50 percent of samples. The alluvial setting was characterized by relatively low dissolved NO2+NO3 concentrations, detection of ammonia nitrogen, and relatively high concentr

South Dakota↗
USGS2001

Use of the USDA Forest Service Geographic Information System for determining cover type use by white-tailed deer

Cover type use by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus dacotensis) in the central Black Hills of South Dakota was compared to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service digital data using a Geographic Information System (GIS). Cover types were determined from observations of radiocollared deer and random locations and from corresponding point locations in the Forest Service digital data. Cover type information was collected at 3,145 white-tailed deer locations and 1,044 random locations. On winter range, cover types determined from observations of radiocollared deer included pine (Pinus ponderosa), pine-deciduous, aspen (Populus tremuloides), aspen-coniferous, burned pine, and meadows; cover types determined from Forest Service data included pine, aspen, grasslands, and private land. On summer range, cover types determined from observations of radiocollared deer included pine, pine-deciduous, aspen, aspen-coniferous, white spruce (Picea glauca), white spruce-deciduous, and meadows; cover types determined from Forest Service digital map data included pine, aspen, grasslands, and private land. Cover types used by white-tailed deer compared to the Forest Service data resulted in 42% agreement on summer range and 62% agreement on winter range. On winter and summer range, Forest Service data tended to overestimate ponderosa pine and aspen habitats used by white-tailed deer, while failing to account for mixed (secondary) cover types. To improve the accuracy of habitat management decisions relative to white-tailed deer, the Forest Service GIS would be strengthened if mixed (secondary) cover type classifications were included in the database.

South Dakota, Wyoming↗
USGS2000

Selected hydrologic data, through water year 1998, Black Hills Hydrology Study, South Dakota

This report presents water-level and water-quality data that have been collected or compiled, through water year 1998, for the Black Hills Hydrology Study. This study is a long-term cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey, the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the West Dakota Water Development District (which represents various local and county cooperators). This report is the third in a series of project data reports produced for the study. Daily water-level data are presented for 71 observation wells and 2 cave sites in the Black Hills area of western South Dakota. The wells include a network of observation wells that are maintained in cooperation with the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources and are completed in various bedrock formations that are utilized as aquifers in the Black Hills area of western South Dakota. Both cave sites are located within outcrops of the Madison Limestone. Data presented include site descriptions, hydrographs, and tables of daily water levels. Annual measurements of water levels collected during water years 1995-98 from a net-work of 18 additional, miscellaneous wells are presented. These wells are part of a statewide network of wells completed in bedrock aquifers that was operated from 1959 through 1989 in cooperation with the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Site descriptions and hydrographs for the entire period of record for each site also are presented. Water-quality data are presented for 9 surface-water sites, 19 ground-water sites, and 30 sites that have been classified as areas of surface- and ground-water interaction in the Black Hills area. The surface- and ground-water interaction sites are further divided into three categories that include 11 loss zone sites, 8 headwater spring sites, and 11 downgradient spring sites.

South Dakota↗
USGS1999

Selected data for wells and test holes used in structure-contour maps of the Inyan Kara Group, Minnekahta Limestone, Minnelusa Formation, Madison Limestone, and Deadwood Formation in the Black Hills area, South Dakota

This report presents selected data on wells and test holes that were used in the construction of structure-contour maps of selected formations that contain major aquifers in the Black Hills area of western South Dakota. Altitudes of the top of the Inyan Kara Group, Minnekahta Limestone, Minnelusa Formation, Madison Limestone, and Deadwood Formation are presented for the wells and test holes presented in this report.

South Dakota↗
USGS1999

Water professionals and water policy in the Black Hills region

A case study approach based on examples from the Black Hills region is used to evaluate the role of water professionals in developing feasible and fair public policy involving water resources. Examples presented include a long-term hydrologic investigation in the Black Hills, a local wellhead protection program, issues being addressed by a local flood management commission, coordination of definitions of beneficial stream uses by two state agencies, water-quality problems related to rapid population increase in a rural area, and impacts of potential climate change on water resources. In some of these examples, the hydrologic work was separated from policy making to ensure neutrality. In other examples, involvement of the hydrologists and water resource engineers directly benefited policy development. Opportunities for increased effectiveness were observed in most of the examples.

South Dakota, Wyoming↗
USGS1998

Streamflow characteristics for the Black Hills of South Dakota, through water year 1993

This report summarizes streamflow records and describes streamflow characteristics for streams draining the Black Hills of western South Dakota. Monthly and annual streamflow records are tabulated for all available years of record, through water year 1993, for 129 continuous-record gaging stations, including 111 stations for which records of daily flow are available and 18 stations for which only monthly records are available. Various summary statistics and graphics are presented for stations with sufficient periods of record. In addition to streamflow summaries, records of monthend contents are presented for five reservoirs operated by the Bureau of Reclamation in the Black Hills area. Streamflow characteristics are described for four categories of hydrogeologic settings, including interior sedimentary basins, interior crystalline basins, interior basins downstream of loss zones (loss-zone basins), and exterior basins. All of the interior basins are located predominantly within the outermost extent of the outcrop of the Inyan Kara Group and the exterior basins are located predominantly beyond this outcrop. Distinct differences in variability of annual and monthly streamflow are described for the four categories of hydrogeologic settings. The interior sedimentary basins, which are dominated by springflow from headwater areas, have the smallest variability in both annual and monthly flow, as a group. The exterior basins, as a group, have the largest variability in both annual and monthly flow. Streamflow variability for the interior crystalline basins, which are composed primarily of Precambrian and Tertiary igneous and metamorphic rocks, generally falls midway between the interior sedimentary and exterior basins. Loss-zone stations, which are located downstream of loss zones that occur where streams cross outcrops of the Madison Limestone and other overlying sedimentary units, exhibit the widest range in streamflow variability of any of the categories. Most of the loss-zone basins have springs located upstream of the gaging stations, but downstream of the loss zones. Flow at several of the loss-zone stations is dominated by large and consistent springflow; however, flow at other loss-zone stations is dominated by streamflow losses or by tributary inflows between the loss zones and the gaging stations, which results in extremely variable streamflow characteristics. It is demonstrated that springflow in Battle, Spring, Elk, and Bear Butte Creeks is much more variable than in Cascade Springs, Fall River, Beaver Creek, and Redwater River. Interior crystalline basins and exterior basins are shown to be much more responsive to climatic conditions than the springflow-dominated basins. Zero-flow months have been recorded for all of the exterior basins and most of the interior crystalline basins; however, zero-flow months have not been recorded for any of the interior sedimentary basins. Zero-flow months have not been recorded for the loss-zone stations with large, consistent springflow; however, zero-flow months are common for loss-zone stations with smaller, less consistent springs. Direct surface runoff is demonstrated to be uncommon for outcrops of the Madison Limestone and Minnelusa Formation. Examination of streamflow records for two basins with large outcrops of these formations indicates that direct surface runoff seldom occurs. Annual streamflow is shown to increase from south to north, which is consistent with climatic patterns for the area. Annual yield generally is larger for all of the interior categories than for the exterior basins; however, this is consistent with larger precipitation and smaller evapotranspiration rates at higher elevations. Annual yields generally are largest for the interior sedimentary basins; however, all of these basins are located in the northern Black Hills. Interior crystalline basins located in the northern Black Hills have annual yields that are comparable with interior sedimentary basins.

South Dakota↗
USGS1994

Structure and bulk composition of the Tin Mountain pegmatite, Black Hills, South Dakota

Construction of structure contour and isopach maps has yielded a rather simple and orderly interpretation of the structure and has led to calculations of the tonnage of each of the internal units and of the bulk composition of the pegmatite. The outcropping part of the pegmatite trends S 75° E for 90 m and then connects with an arm of the pegmatite that plunges gently N-NW for approximately another 90 m. An albite-quartz-muscovite wall zone completely surrounds four inner units. Though these four inner units are termed zones, in accordance with standard practice, differentiation is more in a vertical direction than in a concentric arrangement. The upper two of these units are perthite rich.

North Dakota↗
USGS1975

The Black Hills-Rapid City flood of June 9-10, 1972: A description of the storm and flood

On June 9, 1972, an almost stationary group of thunderstorms formed over the eastern Black Hills of South Dakota near Rapid City and produced record amounts of rainfall and flood discharges. Nearly 15 inches of rain fell in about 6 hours near Nemo, S. Dak., and more than 10 inches of rain fell over a 60-square-mile area. The resulting floods were the highest ever recorded in South Dakota. At least 18 of the 27 streams where peak flows were computed experienced flows that exceeded the 50-year flood. At least 237 people died in the Black Hills flood and 8 people were still listed as missing 6 months after the flood. Another 3,057 people were injured, and total damage is estimated to have exceeded $160 million. As documented by radar and' satellite images and by radiosonde observations, as well as by much other weather data, the unusual and excessive rainfall was partly the result of a strong, low-level, easterly airflow that forced moist air upslope over the Black Hills. This sustained orographic effect helped the air to rise, cool, become very unstable, and release its moisture in repeating -thunderstorms. Another important contributing factor was the unusually light winds at higher levels. Those light winds did not disperse the moist air or move the thunderstorms along to prevent the extreme concentration of rainfall. Instead, these conditions allowed heavy rainfall to remain almost stationary along the eastern slopes of the Black Hills. Rainfall data from 24 observing stations and from over 200 miscellaneous sites show that all reported rains greater than 4 inches fell on the eastern slopes of the Black Hills. At least 6 inches of rain fell over a 300-square-mile area that lies primarily between 4,000 and 5,000 feet elevation. Almost all the flood peaks occurred between 2230 MDT on June 9 and 0100 MDT on June 10, 1972, in a flood belt about 40 miles long and 20 miles wide along the eastern slopes of the Black Hills. This belt extended from Sturgis, S. Dak., on the north to Hermosa, S. Dak., on the south, with Rapid City near the center. To document the flood, peak discharge determinations were made at 49 sites. Records show that about 13,000 acre-feet of water flowed through Rapid City during the 2 days of flooding. At one point during the night of June 9, the floodwaters rose about 3.5 feet in 15 minutes. Coming off the slopes of the Black Hills, the flood peak traveled the 22 miles between Deer Creek and Rapid City in about 3.5 hours.

South Dakota↗