Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Phase I Activities Of The Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth Mri) In The Western Kentucky Fluorspar District, Georgina Lukoczki, Craig Dietsch, John B. Hickman, Emily Morris, Douglas C. Curl, Carrie Pulliam, Stephanie Vicroy, William M. Andrews Jr.

Report of Investigations--KGS

The Western Kentucky Fluorspar District (WKFD), which comprises the Kentucky portion of the Illinois–Kentucky Fluorspar District, is well known for the occurrence of strategically important critical mineral resources, such as fluorite (fluorspar) and rare earth elements (REEs). Due to technological advances, demand has increased for critical minerals used in cell phones, magnets in wind turbines, batteries for electric vehicles, smart weapons, and other devices and systems. The overall objective of the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI) program, directed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), is to gather information that will help better understand the distribution of critical minerals in …

Rocks To Roads To Ruin: A Brief History Of Western Kentucky’S Rock-Asphalt Industry, 1888–1957, J. Richard Bowersox

Information Circular--KGS

The history of western Kentucky’s rock-asphalt industry required substantial research of primary sources to correct the disjointed and often conflicting record published to date. Its history is checkered with characters from visionary entrepreneurs and ambitious businessmen to financial scoundrels. The earliest evidence of exploitation of bitumen resources at the surface in western Kentucky is in Native American artifacts recovered from several sites. Early settlers in the region used heavy oil and bitumen found in seeps as lubricants and wood preservatives, among other uses. The commercial value of the widespread western Kentucky rock-asphalt deposits was first recognized in the 1880’s, leading …

Heavy-Oil And Bitumen Resources Of The Western Kentucky Tar Sands, J. Richard Bowersox

Report of Investigations--KGS

Heavy-oil and bitumen resources in western Kentucky are present in the Upper Mississippian Big Clifty and Hardinsburg Sandstones and Lower Pennsylvanian Kyrock and Bee Spring Sandstone Members of the Caseyville Formation in a belt extending from Logan County on the south to Breckinridge and Hardin Counties on the north.

Net oil-saturated intervals in the tar sands range from 2.5 to 4.7 m thick, largely in downthrown fault blocks in and bounding the Rough Creek Graben. Records from 1,500 wells, analysis of reservoir properties from 3,769 plugs from 135 coreholes, and bulk volume of hydrocarbon calculated in 139 surface samples were …

Seismic Velocity Database For The New Madrid Seismic Zone And Its Vicinity, Qian Li, Edward W. Woolery, Matthew M. Crawford, David M. Vance

Information Circular--KGS

Over the last 20 years, researchers at the University of Kentucky have collected seismic-reflection and refraction data to characterize seismic velocity models of the soil-sediment overburden throughout the central United States. The data are in different forms, such as published reports, theses, and journal articles, and in digital form. In order to construct a unified database for easier management, access, and use, Microsoft Access was used to design the data structure and field properties. The database consists of four tables with unified field names, data type, and units. An ArcGIS geodatabase with the same data structure as the Access database …

Spatio-Temporal Variability In Groundwater Discharge And Contaminant Fluxes Along A Channelized Stream In Western Kentucky, Ganesh N. Tripathi

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Spatio-temporal variability in groundwater discharge and contaminant fluxes along a channelized stream in western Kentucky

Surface and groundwater discharges and contaminant fluxes can vary with time and space depending upon the hydrogeological processes and geological setting of the area of interest. This study examined a ~300-m-long, channelized reach of a first-order perennial stream, Little Bayou Creek, in the Coastal Plain of far western Kentucky during the period October 2010–February 2012. Along the study reach, springs discharge groundwater contaminated by the chlorinated organic compound trichloroethene (TCE) and radionuclide technetium-99 (⁹⁹Tc) released as a result of past activities at the …

Mines And Minerals Of The Western Kentucky Fluorspar District, Warren H. Anderson, Thomas N. Sparks

Map and Chart--KGS

This map shows all the known and identified mines, mineral prospects, and igneous intrusions (dikes or sills) in the Western Kentucky Fluorspar District, compiled from thousands of maps and files, creating an up-to-date, comprehensive catalog for the district. The district has been extensively mined for more than 120 years and was once the largest producer of fluorspar (fluorite) in the United States.

Millions of tons of vein ore minerals (fluorite, zinc, lead, and barite) has been produced from these mines, and substantial reserves still remain. New mining and exploration activity has renewed interest in the district, and the industry will …

Geology And Structure Of The Rough Creek Area, Western Kentucky, William D. Johnson Jr., Howard R. Schwalb

Bulletin--KGS

The Rough Creek area is a rectangular area about 113 mi east to west and 35 mi north to south encompassing about 3,900 mi² in west-central and western Kentucky. The Ohio River delineates most of the western border with Illinois and locally also part of the northern border with Indiana. The northeast corner of the area is about 27 mi southwest of Louisville. The principal cities are Owensboro and Henderson.

The Precambrian basement has been penetrated in only two wells in western Kentucky at depths somewhat greater than 14,000 ft. Basement is projected to underlie much of the area …

Kentucky Terrain, Daniel I. Carey, Terry D. Hounshell

Map and Chart--KGS

The terrain of Kentucky has been shaped by geologic forces and the underlying rocks.Tectonic forces lifted, bent, and buckled the rocks–originally formed from sediments on shallow sea floors or swampy lowlands. Weathering and erosion shaved the hills and dissected the plains, exposing at the surface a cross section of rocks 250 to 500 million years old. The sands, gravels, silts, and clays of the Jackson Purchase Region are younger, remnants of a time when the sea lapped at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.

The landforms in Kentucky are the result of the differential weathering of interbedded sandstones, …

Coal Availability In Western Kentucky, Gerald A. Weisenfluh, William M. Andrews Jr., Robert E. Andrews, John K. Hiett

Report of Investigations--KGS

Fourteen quadrangles in five separate areas of the Western Kentucky Coal Field were studied to determine what factors affect the availability of coal for mining. Each study area consisted of at least two adjacent 7.5-minute quadrangles in order to account for the geologic variability across broad distances in western Kentucky, and determine how this variability affects availability. Areas both north and south of the Rough Creek Fault System were selected to measure the effect of different geologic, structural, and overburden settings on coal availability. The study emphasized the coals occurring stratigraphically between the Springfield and the Baker.

About 90 percent …

Investigation Of Subsurface Tar-Sand Deposits In Western Kentucky, David A. Williams, Martin C. Noger, Patrick J. Gooding

Information Circular--KGS

Tar sands (also referred to as asphaltic sandstones, heavy-oil deposits, or bitumen-impregnated sandstones) in western Kentucky have been recognized as a potential mineral resource for over l 00 years. Past commercial development has been restricted largely to use as paving material. However, because of the ever-expanding demands for energy, these deposits have become the subject of increasing interest as a potential petroleum resource.

Previous studies have provided estimates of the potential resources of shallow mineable tar-sand deposits; these investigations have concentrated on the outcrop areas where tar sands are present at or near the surface. Data on subsurface deposits have …