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Borehole geophysical measurements for hole UE25-3, Nevada Test Site, Nuclear Waste Isolation Program

Borehole geophysical measurements made in drill hole UE25a-3 with a U.S. Geological Survey research well-logging truck are presented in this paper. The purpose of these logging measurements is to provide in-situ physical properties information that is not commercially available on drill hole UE25a-3. Well logs are presented in this paper for dual-detector density, normal resistivity, gamma-ray, neutron-neutron, induced polarization, and magnetic susceptibility measurements. These data are analyzed for correlations with the core lithology. Hole-to-surface measurements made from drill hole UE25a-3 indicate the presence of two resistive bodies at depth. The deeper resistive anomaly may be related to a granitic intrusion.

Nevada

Instrument specifications and geophysical records for airborne electromagnetic survey of parts of Iron, Baraga, and Dickson Counties, Michigan

The data presented herein is from an airborne electromagnetic INPUT* survey conducted by Geoterrex Limited of Canada for the U.S. Geological Survey. The survey area is located in the central part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, within parts of Iron, Baraga, and Dickinson Counties. The general area covered is between 46°00' and 46°30' latitude and 88°00' and 88°30' longitude (fig. 1). The INPUT survey was flown as part of a U.S. Geological Survey CUSMAP (Conterminous United States Mineral Appraisal Program) project focusing on the Iron River 2° quadrangle. The survey was flown in order to provide geophysical information which will aid in an integrated geological assessment of mineral potentials of this part of the Iron River 2° quadrangle. The flight line spacing was chosen to maximize the areal coverage without a loss of resolution of major lithologic and structural features. East-west flight lines were flown 400 feet above ground at 1/2 mile intervals. Aerial photos were used for navigation, and the flight path was recorded on continuous-strip film. A continuously recording total field ground magnetic station was used to monitor variations in the Earth's magnetic field. One north-south line was flown to provide a tie for the magnetic data, which was recorded simultaneously with the electromagnetic data by a sensor mounted in the tail of the aircraft. This report is one of two open-file reports. The map in the other report Heran and Smith (1980) shows locations of the fiducial points, the flight lines, preliminary locations of anomalies and conductive zones; all plotted on an air photomosaic. The latitude and longitude ticks marked on this map are only approximate due to distortion in air photos used to recover the flight line position. This map is preliminary and is not to be considered a final interpretation. The present report contains a description of the instrument specifications, a copy of the ground station magnetic data, and a record of the electromagnetic and magnetic data, with reference to the digital data of the flight records. The purpose of two reports is to make the analog and magnetic records available separate from the anomaly map. The following sections on the general description of the INPUT system are abridged from a typical interpretation report prepared by Geoterrex Limited of Ottawa, Canada for the U.S. Geological Survey.

Michigan

Preliminary field geotechnical and geophysical logs from a drill hole in the Capps coal field, Cook Inlet region, Alaska

The drilling and logging activity described in this report was undertaken in August 1979, as part of the Energy Lands program of the U.S. Geological Survey. The general objectives of the project, of which this work is a part, are to provide an understanding of the nature, location, and extent of the engineering and environmental concerns in potential coal-development areas of the Cook Inlet region, Alaska. The geotechnical and geophysical logs presented in this report provide some of the basic physical-property and engineering data needed to evaluate geologic hazards, and to predict the response of geologic materials to large-scale coal mining and related development in the Capps coal field of the Beluga coal area. Specifically, the information may be used to help determine such things as natural- and cut-slope stability, spoil-pile stability, ground response to seismic activity, blasting effects, excavatability, bulking characteristics, ground-water conditions, and erosion potential.

Alaska

Preliminary geotechnical and geophysical logs from drill hole 2C-80 in the Capps coal field, Cook Inlet region, Alaska

The drilling and logging information provided in this report was collected during September 1980 as part of the Energy Lands program of the U.S. Geological Survey. Drill hole 2C-80 is located in the Capps Coal Field, approximately 100 km (62 mi) west of Anchorage, Alaska (fig. 1). The drilling was undertaken to obtain information on the geotechnical characteristics of a part of the coal-bearing Tyonek Formation and overlying surficial deposits. The preliminary results of a previous drill hole (1C-79), located 1.3 km (0.8 mi) northeast of drill hole 2C-80, were reported by Chleborad and others (1980). The Tyonek Formation is early Oligocene to middle Miocene in age (Wolfe and Tanai, 1980). At the drill site it is overlain by a thin colluvial deposit of Quaternary age. The drilling and continuous core sampling penetrated 19.5 m (63.9 ft) of overburden, a major coal bed (Waterfall bed), and approximately 29 m (95.1 ft) of underlying material, to a total depth of 61 m (200 ft). Drill hole 2C-80 stratigraphically overlaps drill hole 1C-79 and continues down section approximately 33 m (108 ft). A proposed open pit coal-mining plan (Placer Amex, Inc., 1977, status report of December 1977) outlines a sequential mining and reclamation scheme for five areas in the Capps Coal Field. Figure 2 shows the location of drill holes 2C-80 and 1C-79 with respect to the proposed mining areas as well as selected surface features. A general description of the geology and natural hazards of the region are given by Schmoll and others (1981). The generalized lithology interpreted from core obtained from drilling and supplemented by outcrop mapping accomplished during the 1979 and 1980 field seasons is presented in figure 3. A more detailed lithologic log is presented as part of the geotechnical log. The geotechnical and geophysical logs presented herein (pls. 1 and 2) provide basic physical-property and engineering data useful in predicting the response of geologic materials to proposed large-scale coal mining and related development, and in identifying and assessing potential geologic hazards.

Alaska

Geophysical well logs for eleven drill holes at the Colorado School of Mines Experimental Mine Site, Idaho Springs, Colorado

The following geophysical well log measurements were made in eleven drill holes above the Colorado School of Mines Experimental Mine at Idaho Springs, Colorado: (1) acoustic velocity (2) resistivity, (3) caliper, (4) gamma-gamma density, (5) neutron-thermal neutron, (6) gamma ray, (7) induced polarization (IP), (8) self potential (SP), and magnetic susceptibility. The density and acoustic velocity logs indicate extensive fracturing in each of the drill holes. Variations in the relative amount of felsic or mafic mineral components in the rocks can be inferred from the magnetic susceptibility and gamma ray well log responses. Zones containing metallic sulfide mineralization are interpreted from the IP well log response.

Open-File Report

FFTFIL; a filtering program based on two-dimensional Fourier analysis of geophysical data

The filtering program 'fftfil' performs a variety of operations commonly required in geophysical studies of gravity, magnetic, and terrain data. Filtering operations are carried out in the wave number domain where the Fourier coefficients of the input data are multiplied by the response of the selected filter. Input grids can be large (2=number of rows or columns=1024) and are not required to have numbers of rows and columns equal to powers of two.

Open-File Report

Commercial geophysical well logs from the USW G-1 drill hole, Nevada Test Site, Nevada

Drill hole USW G-1 was drilled at Yucca Mountain, Nevada Test Site, Nevada, as part of the ongoing exploration program for the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations. Contract geophysical well logs run at USW G-1 show only limited stratigraphic correlations, but correlate reasonably well with the welding of the ash-flow and ash-fall tuffs. Rocks in the upper part of the section have highly variable physical properties, but are more uniform and predictably lower in the section.

Open-File Report

Geophysical methods for locating abandoned wells

A preliminary study of the feasibility of using geophysical exploration methods to locate abandoned wells containing steel casing indicated that magnetic methods promise to be effective and that some electrical techniques might be useful as auxiliary methods. Ground magnetic measurements made in the vicinity of several known cased wells yielded total field anomalies with peak values ranging from about 1,500 to 6,000 gammas. The anomalies measured on the ground are very narrow and, considering noise due to other cultural and geologic sources, a line spacing on the order of 50 feet (15.2 m) would be necessary to locate all casings in the test area. The mathematical model used to represent a casing was a set of magnetic pole pairs. By use of a non-linear least squares curve fitting (inversion) program, model parameters which characterize each test casing were determined. The position and strength of the uppermost pole was usually well resolved. The parameters of lower poles were not as well resolved but it appears that the results are adequate for predicting the anomalies which would be observed at aircraft altitudes. Modeling based on the parameters determined from the ground data indicates that all of the test casings could be detected by airborne measurements made at heights of 150 to 200 feet (45.7-61.0 m) above the ground, provided lines spaced as closely as 330 feet (100 m) were used and provided noise due to other cultural and geologic sources is not very large. Given the noise levels of currently available equipment and assuming very low magnetic gradients due to geologic sources, the detection range for total field measurements is greater than that for measurements of the horizontal or vertical gradient of the total intensity. Electrical self-potential anomalies were found to be associated with most of the casings where measurements were made. However, the anomalies tend to be very narrow and, in several cases, they are comparable in magnitude to other small anomalies which are not directly associated with casings. Measurements made with a terrain conductivity meter and slingram system were negative. However, from other work it is known that electrical resistivity and induced polarization measurements can be influenced significantly by the presence of a casing. It is concluded that detailed ground magnetic surveys would be effective in locating casings within relatively small areas. It would be very costly to cover large areas with ground surveys but it appears that airborne surveys may be a cost-effective means of locating wells when the search area is on the order of a few square miles or more. Also, airborne methods could be used in some areas where access to the area on the ground is difficult or impossible.

Open-File Report

Preliminary lithologic, geotechnical, and geophysical data from drill hole CW-81-2, Chuitna West coal field, Cook Inlet region, Alaska

The drilling and logging activity described in this report was undertaken in July 1981, as part of the Energy Lands program of the U.S. Geological Survey. The general objectives of the project of which this work is a part are to provide an understanding of the nature, location, and extent of the engineering geology and environmental geology concerns in areas of potential coal development in the Cook Inlet region, Alaska. The lithologic, geotechnical, and geophysical data presented in this report include some of the data needed to evaluate geologic hazards, and to predict the response of geologic materials to large-scale coal mining and related development in the Chuitna West coal field of the Beluga coal resource area. Specifically, the information may be used in evaluation of natural- and cut-slope stability, spoil-pile stability, ground response to seismic activity, blasting effects, excavatability, ground-water conditions, and erosion potential. The drill site (fig. 1, point C), located on the edge of a small, gently sloping basin draining northwestward into the Chuitna River, is approximately 90 km, (55 mi) west of Anchorage, Alaska, and 29 km (18 mi) northwest of Tyonek, a native village on the northwest side of Cook Inlet.

Alaska

Geophysical and geologic studies in southern Mecklenburg County and vicinity, North Carolina and South Carolina

Geophysical methods consisting of gravity, aeromagnetics and aeroradioactivity have been applied to part of the Charlotte and Carolina slate belts in southern Mecklenburg County and vicinity to help interpret geology, lithology and structure. High aeroradioactivity is associated with potassium-rich granitic plutons, muscovite-rich gneisses, schists, and metavolcanic rocks; positive gravity and magnetic anomalies are associated with gabbro plutons; and negative gravity anomalies are associated with granitic plutons. At the west side of the slate belt, the Tillery phyllite is interpreted as having undergone progressive metamorphism. The underlying Uwharrie Formation extends into the Charlotte belt where it is mapped as metavolcanic rocks. Gravity models of the Carolina slate belt indicate that it is a synform containing a wedge of metasedimentary and volcanoclastic rock on plutonic basement. The basement is exposed in the adjacent Charlotte belt antiform. The northern Charlotte belt contains mainly plutonic rocks which have been divided into 3 supergroups of plutons based upon chemistry, mineralogy, texture, and age. They are: 1. Old Plutonic supergroup - plutons 545-490 m.y. that are medium to coarse-grained tonalite, quartz diorite, and granodiorites. 2. Concord-Salisbury supergroup -- plutons 426-350 m.y. which form sheet-like intrusions of differentiated gabbro; local volcanic centers with ring complexes 13 km in diameter that suggest magma chambers 0 - 8 km deep; smaller bodies of diorite, monzonite, and syenite; and small Salisbury type granodiorites. 3. Landis supergroup -- plutons 350-280 m.y. that are usually very coarse-grained, porphyritic, 'big feldspar,' potassium-rich granites. The Mecklenburg-Weddington gabbro complex of the Concord-Salisbury supergroup, the largest feature in the study area, contains three large gabbro plutons. The gabbro intruded old Plutonic complex rocks and could-have produced the metamorphic reaction K-feldspar + sillimanite quartz + muscovite reflected in the mineral assemblage of adjacent felsic metavolcanic rocks. Gravity models indicate a lopolith 3.5- to 4.5-km thick with a 2 km sill extending to the northeast. Positive magnetic and gravity anomalies suggest the lopolith is. connected with the Concord gabbro complex to the northeast. The sheet-like intrusions of Concord-Salisbury group gabbros, forming the core of the composite 5atholith, have medium-grained Salisbury type granodiorite above, and coarser-grained Landis granite below. The position of the supergroups as presently exposed may be a function of level of erosion versus level of emplacement. The plutons in the composite batholith span 200 m.y. according to current age data and are arranged with the oldest at the top and the youngest at the bottom. However, Rb-Sr and K-At ages in the Piedmont are more likely to reflect age of crustal uplift than the age of metamorphism or intrusion. The Charlotte belt composite batholith, therefore, may very well be the result of a shorter single tectonic event or process.

North Carolina, South Carolina

Geophysical well log data for study of water flow in fractures near Mirror Lake, West Thornton, New Hampshire

Four closely spaced boreholes were drilled through approximately 20 meters of till into schist bedrock near Mirror Lake, West Thornton, New Hampshire. The site was selected for borehole geophysical research because it is included in a detailed groundwater study where the effects of flow in fractures on flow in overlying drift deposits is being studied. Three of the boreholes are approximately 100 meters in depth, and the fourth is approximately 230 meters in depth. All four boreholes were logged with caliper, acoustic, gamma, single-point-resistivity, and acoustic televiewer logs. Fracture sets dipping approximately 45 degrees to the east were detected in all four boreholes. Two sets of deeper fractures were detected near the bottom of the deepest borehole. Acoustic waveform logs were obtained in all boreholes using three different source frequencies, 34, 15, and 5 kilohertz, for future comparison with surface to borehole seismic data.

New Hampshire

Well-construction, water-level, geophysical, and water-quality data for ground-water monitoring wells for Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee

Sixty-five wells were installed at 39 sites in the Arnold Air Force Base area in Coffee and Franklin Counties, Tennessee. The wells were installed to provide information on subsurface lithology, aquifer characteristics, ground-water levels, and ground-water quality. Well depths ranged from 11 to 384 feet. Water-quality samples were collected from 60 wells and analyzed for common inorganic ions, trace metals, and volatile organic compounds. The median dissolved-solids concentrations were 60 milligrams per liter in the shallow aquifer, 48 million gallons per liter in the Manchester aquifer, 1,235 milligrams per liter in the Fort Payne aquifer, and 1,712 milligrams per liter in the upper Central Basin aquifer. Caliper, temperature, natural gamma, electric, neutron porosity, gamma-gamma density, and acoustic velocity borehole-geophysical logs were obtained for the six deep wells completed below the Chattanooga Shale. Petrographic and modal analysis were performed on rock samples from each deep well. These six deep wells provide the first information in the study area on hydraulic head and water quality from below the Chattanooga Shale.

Tennessee

Data from core analyses, aquifer testing, and geophysical logging of Denver Basin bedrock aquifers at Castle Pines, Colorado

This report contains data pertaining to the geologic and hydrologic characteristics of the bedrock aquifers of the Denver basin at a site near Castle Pines, Colorado. Data consist of a lithologic- description of about 2,400 ft of drill core and laboratory determinations of mineralogy, grain size, bulk and grain density, porosity, specific yield, and specific retention for selected core samples. Water-level data, atmospheric-pressure measurements, aquifer-compression measurements, and borehole geophysical logs also are included.

Open-File Report

Remote sensing and airborne geophysics in the assessment of natural aggregate resources

Natural aggregate made from crushed stone and deposits of sand and gravel is a vital element of the construction industry in the United States. Although natural aggregate is a high volume/low value commodity that is relatively abundant, new sources of aggregate are becoming increasingly difficult to find and develop because of rigid industry specifications, political considerations, development and transporation costs, and environmental concerns, especially in urban growth centers where much of the aggregate is used. As the demand for natural aggregate increases in response to urban growth and the repair and expansion of the national infrastructure, new sources of natural aggregate will be required. The USGS has recognized the necessity of developing the capability to assess the potential for natural aggregate sources on Federal lands; at present, no methodology exists for systematically describing and evaluating potential sources of natural aggregate. Because remote sensing and airborne geophysics can detect surface and nearsurface phenomena, these tools may useful for detecting and mapping potential sources of natural aggregate; however, before a methodology for applying these tools can be developed, it is necessary to understand the type, distribution, physical properties, and characteristics of natural aggregate deposits, as well as the problems that will be encountered in assessing their potential value. There are two primary sources of natural aggregate: (1) exposed or near-surface igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary bedrock that can be crushed, and (2) deposits of sand and gravel that may be used directly or crushed and sized to meet specifications. In any particular area, the availability of bedrock suitable for crushing is a function of the geologic history of the area - the processes that formed, deformed, eroded and exposed the bedrock. Deposits of sand and gravel are primarily surficial deposits formed by the erosion, transportation by water and ice, and deposition of bedrock fragments. Consequently, most sand and gravel deposits are Tertiary or Quaternary in age and are most common in glaciated areas, alluvial basins, and along rivers and streams. The distribution of potential sources of natural aggregate in the United States is closely tied to physiography and the type of bedrock that occurs in an area. Using these criteria, the United States can be divided into 12 regions: western mountain ranges, alluvial basins, Columbia Plateau, Colorado Plateau and Wyoming basin, High Plains, nonglaciated central region, glaciated central region, Piedmont Blue Ridge region, glaciated northeastern and Superior uplands, Atlantic and Gulf coastal plain, Hawaiian Islands, and Alaska. Each region has similar types of natural aggregate sources within its boundary, although there may be wide variations in specific physical and chemical characteristics of the aggregates within a region. Conventional exploration for natural aggregate deposits has been largely a ground-based operation (field mapping, sampling, trenching and augering, resistivity), although aerial photos and topographic maps have been extensively used to target possible deposits for sampling and testing. Today, the exploration process also considers other factors such as the availability of the land, space and water supply for processing purposes, political and environmental factors, and distance from the market; exploration and planning cannot be separated. There are many physical properties and characteristics by which aggregate material is judged to be acceptable or unacceptable for specific applications; most of these properties and characteristics pertain only to individual aggregate particles and not to the bulk deposit. For example, properties of crushed stone aggregate particles such as thermal volume change, solubility, oxidation and hydration reactivity, and particle strength, among many others, are important consi

Open-File Report

Results of geophysical surveys of glacial deposits near a former waste-disposal site, Nashua, New Hampshire

Geophysical investigations were done near a former waste-disposal site in Nashua, New Hampshire to determine the thickness and infer hydraulic characteristics of the glacial sediments that underlie the area. Approximately 5 miles of ground- penetrating radar (GPR) data were collected in the study area by use of dual-80 Megahertz antennas. Three distinct radar-reflection signatures were evident from the data and are interpreted to represent (1) glacial lake-bottom sediments, (2) coarse sand and gravel and (or) sandy glacial till, and (3) bedrock. The GPR signal penetrated as much as 70 feet of sediment in coarse-grained areas, but penetration depth was generally less than 40 feet in extensive areas of fine-grained deposits. Geologic features were evident in many of the profiles. Glacial-lake-bottom sediments were the most common features identified. Other features include deltas deposited in glacial Lake Nashua and lobate fans of sediment deposited subaqueously at the distal end of deltaic sediments. Cross-bedded sands were often identifiable in the deltaic sediments. Seismic-refraction data were also collected at five of the GPR data sites. In most cases, depths to the water table and to the till and (or) bedrock surface indicated by the seismic-refraction data compared favorably with depths calculated from the GPR data. Test holes were drilled at three locations to determine the true depths to radar reflectors and to determine the types of geologic material represented by the various reflectors.

Open-File Report

Stratigraphy and geophysical logs from a corehole drilled to bedrock at Robins Point, J-Field, Edgewood area, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

A continuous core was recovered from a 961-foot- deep stratigraphic corehole at Robins Point, located at the southeastern tip of the Gunpowder Neck Peninsula, Harford County, Maryland. A 2-inch- diameter ground-water-quality observation well was installed with the screen set at a depth of 392 to 402 feet (ft). Geophysical logs obtained from thecorehole include: natural gamma, multipoint normal resistivity (16-inch and 64-inch), 4-ft-guard focused resistivity, acoustic (sonic) velocity, and caliper. Pollen analysis of 34 samples provided relativestratigraphic ages. Lithologies encountered in ascending order (surface elevation 4 ft above mean sea level), include: 72.4 ft of weatheredmetamorphic rock and saprolie, 711.4 ft of lower and upper Cretaceous fluvio-deltaic deposits, and 145.9 ft of Pleistocene and 31.3 ft of Holocene(?) fluvial and estuarine deposits. Aquifers and confining units identified include, in descending order: 41.8 ft of surficial aquifer, 90.9 ft of upper paleochannel confining unit, 28.8 ft of paleochannel confined aquifer, 15.7 ft of lower paleochannel confining unit, 123.7 ft of Upper Patapsco aquifer, 44.6 ft of Upper Patapsco confining unit, 92.8 ft of Middle Patapsco aquifer, 57.3 ft of Lower Patapsco confining unit, 151.7 ft of Lower Patapsco aquifer, 115.4 ft of Potomac confining unit, 126.4 ft of Patuxent aquifer, an aquifer of 23.4 ft of saprolite, and 48.7 ft of weathered-rock/saprolite confining unit.

Open-File Report

Geological and geophysical setting of the gold-silver vein systems of Unga Island, southwestern Alaska

The topic of this CD-ROM is the geologic framework of gold-silver vein deposits on Unga Island, in the Shumagin Islands, southwestern Alaska. The core of the publication is a new geologic map at a scale of 1:63,360 and aeromagnetic and electromagnetic survey data acquired by industry over the area of mineralization. Both the geologic map as well as a preliminary interpretation of the geophysical data - which are included by permission of the owner - are aimed towards deciphering the relations among volcanism, tectonism, and mineralization. Data and discussions are organized in seven chapters, titles of which are outlined in the table of contents. The chapters consist of viewable text and figure images; postscript versions of the frontispiece figures and all chapter figures are included on the CD-ROM as well. The geologic map is a large viewable figure (Plate 1) that accompanies chapter 2. The map was constructed in ARC and its component coverages are provided in the folder 'Geology' for users who may wish to modify the geologic data or add their own data.

Alaska