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The Effect Of Oil-And-Gas Well Drilling Fluids On Shallow Groundwater In Western North Dakota, Edward C. Murphy

Theses and Dissertations

Upon completion of an oil-and-gas well in North Dakota the drilling fluid is buried in the reserve pit at the site. Reclamation of the drill site is expedited by digging a series of trenches which radiate out from the reserve pit, The majority of buried drilling fluid is ultimately contained within these 5-7 metre deep trenches. These fluids are commonly salt-based, i.e. they contain a con centration of 300,000±20,000 ppm NaCl. In addition, these drilling fluids also contain additives including toxic trace-metal compounds.

Four reclaimed oil~and-gas well sites were chosen for study in western North Dakota. The ages of these …

Quaternary Geology Of The Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, John Reiten

Theses and Dissertations

The archeology of the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site is being studied by the University of North Dakota Anthropology Department. The age of the near surface sediment and depositional history of Quaternary sediments are useful to archeologists involved in locating and interpreting the cultural resources of this area.

There are eight river terraces within a 300 square kilometre area surrounding the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, near Stanton, North Dakota. , The terraces are former river floodplains that have been preserved above the present floodplain. The elevation above river level of the Pleistocene terraces are listed: …

A Survey Of 24 Elements In North Dakota Lignite (Fort Union Group, Paleocene) And Possible Geologic Implications, Susan A. Zimmer-Dauphinee

Theses and Dissertations

Calystone, carbonaceous shale, lignitic shale, and lignite samples were collected from western North Dakota for element analysis during May 1978, April 1979, and August 1979. Lignite was collected from the Sentinel Butte Formatlon--Hagel Bed (Oliver and McClean Counties), Beulah-Zap Bed (Mercer County), Lehigh Bed (Stark County)-- and from the Bullion Creek Formation--Harmon Bed (Bowman County). Claystone samples were also collected from clay partings present in the Hagel Bed and Harmon Bed. Control samples were collected from an outcrop of the marine lower middle Cannonball Formation (carbonaceous shale) south of Mandan, North Dakota and from an outcrop of the brackish oyster …

Stratigraphy Of The Inyan Kara Formation (Lower Cretaceous) In The Vicinity Of The Nesson Anticline, Northwestern North Dakota, Brad L. Wartman

Theses and Dissertations

The Lower Cretaceous Inyan Kara Formation, at the base of the Dakota Group, consists of sandstone, siltstone, shale, and coal. The stratigraphy of the Inyan Kara and facies relationships within the formation and with the underlying Swift and overlying Skull Creek Formations in the vicinity of the Nesson Anticline, northwestern North Dakota, were evaluated using 11 cross-sections, 163 borehole geophysical logs, and 1 well core.

The Inyan Kara can be differentiated on well logs into three members. The basal member, "A", consists of sandstone, siltstone, shale, and coal. It is about 200 feet (60 m) to 400 feet (122 m) …

Depositional Environments And Diagenesis, Interlake Formation (Silurian), Williston Basin, North Dakota, Charles L. Lobue

Theses and Dissertations

The Interlake Formation is a succession of Silurian carbonates of large areal extent found in the Williston Basin. The Interlake attains a maximum thickness of about 1,100 feet in western North Dakota and thins to an erosional edge in eastern North Dakota,

The main purpose of this study was to interpret the depositional and diagenetic history of the Interlake Formation. Approximately 2,400 feet of Interlake core and 300 thin sections were studied, The Interlake was then divided into twelve lithotypes representing deposition in low-energy sublittoral, high-energy sublittoral, littoral, and supralittoral epeiric sea environments. In addition, paleosols are present,

Rocks that …

The Effect Of Waste Stabilization Pond Seepage On Groundwater Quality Of Shallow Aquifers In Eastern North Dakota, David J. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The use of stabilization ponds to dispose of municipal wastes has become popular with many North Dakota cities. When managed properly they are an efficient and economical method of waste disposal and may not adversely affect groundwater quality. In order to achieve efficient treatment, the ponds must be built in sediment that has permeability low enough to inhibit excessive percolation of wastewater into the subsurface. Some North Dakota cities have not met this basic requirement in the construction of their ponds. As a result, insufficiently treated pond liquids are allowed to reach the water table, potentially contaminating groundwater supplies. Three …

Glacial Stratigraphy Of Northwestern Cass County, North Dakota, Sharon K. Falcone

Theses and Dissertations

Field mapping, construction of cross-sections, and laboratory analyses of field samples were used to map, describe, and correlate the Late Wisconsinan glacial sediments of northwestern Cass County, North Dakota and to interpret the glacial history of the area.

The surficial geology of the area was interpreted as: 1) collapsed glacial sediment, 2) glacial sediment draped over pre-existing glaciolacustrine topography, 3) proglacia1 lake sediment, 4) wave-eroded glacial and lake sediments and 5) recent river sediment. Landforms within each of these areas include eskers, abandoned or overfit river channels, transverse ridges, ice thrust masses, kettles and beach deposits.

Seven lithostratigraphic units were …