Earth Sciences Commons^™

Response Of Saturated Sands To Cyclic Shear At Earthquake Amplitudes, Vincent P. Drnevich, John P. Jent

KWRRI Research Reports

Both quasi-static and resonant cyclic shear tests were performed on hollow cylindrical specimens of saturated sands at various densities and confining stresses. Shear moduli measured at nondestructive amplitudes were shown to be independent of frequency for the range of 0.1Hz to 50Hz. Application of cyclic shear at larger amplitudes caused effective stresses to decrease and failure. The number of cycles to failure was related to ratio of cyclic shear stress to maximum drained shear stress. Effective confining stress reduces approximately linearly with number of cycles. Shear modulus and shear damping.can be described by the Hardin-Drnevich equations if change in effective …

Hydraulic And Flow Studies Related To Sediment Transport, Kentucky River, Kentucky, Bruce R. Moore, Michael R. Short, Thomas Wachs

KWRRI Research Reports

This study related the conditions of flow and channel shape to distribution of sediment types in the Kentucky River. Seven distinct types of sediment association were delineated and these have a regular pattern of distribution influenced by the presence of navigation locks and dams. The most suitable locations for commercial extraction of bed material were clearly indicated and the variations of sand size delineated by the study. The irregular discharge pattern of the stream indicates potential problems in the disposal of solid waste pollutants.

A remeasurement of the dredge hole in the Ohio River indicated a continuation of the same …

A Study Of Naturally Occurring Algicides Produced By Freshwater Algae, Denny O. Harris, Harry D. Caldwell

KWRRI Research Reports

The mode of action of the algicide produced by Pandorina morum was examined by exposing Volvox globator and isolates spinach chloroplasts to a partially purified algicide preparation. Oxygen evolution of Volvox, whole chloroplasts and broken chloroplasts (minus the Calvin cycle),was reduced indicating that the algicide inhibits the light reactions of photosynthesis. Oxygen evolution studies of other Volvocaceae confirmed the observation that Pandorina morum is not significantly influenced by its own inhibitor. Molecular weight approximation by gel filtration established that the inhibitor has a low molecular weight (probably below 100 mw). Field studies indicate that this algicide has tremendous potential as …

Analysis Of Unsteady Flow Toward Artesian Wells By Three-Dimensional Finite Elements, Yang H. Huang, Shen-Jyh Wu

KWRRI Research Reports

A three-dimensional finite element computer program was developed for analyzing unsteady flow toward artesian wells. The program is designed especially for determining the drawdown around an artesian well penetrating fully or partially a nonhomogeneous and anisotropic aquifer of irregular shape and cross section. It can also be used as a general program for aquifer simulation and evaluation. A major advantage of the program lies in the minimum amount of input data required. By assuming the top and bottom boundaries of the aquifer as two arbitrary planes, the aquifer will be divided into six- or eight-node elements, and their nodal coordinates …

Spatially Varied Subcritical And Supercritical Flow In Gullies, T. Y. Kao

KWRRI Research Reports

The objective of this study was to investigate the phenomena of subcritical and supercritical spatially varied flow in rectangular expansions such as that in an erosion gully. Based on momentum and continuity principles, equations were developed to predict such flow phenomena. Computations of the water surface profiles for subcritical spatially varied flow were carried out by applying direct step numerical calculations. Because of the presence of standing waves, the method of characteristics was employed in the analytical analysis of the supercritical flow phenomena. Of primary importance in this study is the effect of varying amounts of lateral inflow rates. Other …

Laboratory Simulation Of Rainfall Erosivity For Gully Formation Study, T. Y. Kao

KWRRI Research Reports

The objective of this study was to develop a rainfall simulator, which imparts to the laboratory rainfall the more important characteristics of natural rainfall such as intensity, drop spectrum, kinetic energy, and momentum at impact, for using in soil erosion research with better results. In developing this simulator the better features of the basic types of earlier simulators, drip and nozzle, have been incorporated into this single design. The simulator developed in this study consists of a number of individual box modules placed in a rectangular pattern to form a single unit. Each module has a grid of capillary holes …

Preliminary Report Of The Oil And Gas Possibilities Between Pine And Cumberland Mountains, Southeastern Kentucky, A J. Froelich

Report of Investigations--KGS

Elongate, low-amplitude flexures in strata of Pennsylvanian age have been delineated in recent mapping by the U. S. Geological Survey in co­operation with the Kentucky Geological Survey in a 600-square-mile (l ,536- square-kilometer) area between Pine and Cumberland Mountains in south­eastern Kentucky. Cresta! culminations on gentle anticlinal folds may indicate loci of subsurface closures for entrapment of oil and gas. The area studied is underlain by more than 15,000 feet (4,500 meters) of Paleozoic strata containing potential source-beds, reservoirs, and cap rocks. Faults, unconformities, abrupt facies changes, and regional thickness variations en­hance the geologic setting for possible oil and gas …

Characterization Of Water Movement Into And Through Soils During And Immediately After Rainstorms, C. T. Haan

KWRRI Research Reports

The movement of water into and through soils in the unsaturated state is basic to many water resources problems including rainfall-runoff models, ground water recharge, irrigation, drainage, evapotranspiration and the movement of pollutants in soils. This study was conducted in an effort to determine if the flow equation based on Darcy's Law and the continuity equation could be used to describe watershed infiltration and thus be incorporated into hydrologic models.

The results of the study indicate that even on apparently uniform soils there is a great deal of variability in soil water properties. Handling this variability plus the difficulty of …

The Relation Between Soil Characteristics, Water Movement And Nitrate Contamination Of Ground Water, Grant W. Thomas, Matthew Mcmahon

KWRRI Research Reports

Soils from several areas in Kentucky were placed in columns and leached with Ca(NO₃)₂. Subsoils high in iron oxide were found to retard the leaching of nitrate very significantly. In other soils, the nitrate moved through as fast as or slightly faster than the water.

Field application of nitrogen to corn was most efficient when done in the spring or summer near the time that the corn takes it up. The one exception to this was a red soil, where fall application of nitrogen resulted in little loss due to the retarding effect mentioned in the …

Location Of Solution Channels And Sinkholes At Dam Sites And Backwater Areas By Seismic Methods: Part Ii, Vincent P. Drnevich, D. Raghu

KWRRI Research Reports

Four seismic field methods and a laboratory method are used to determine shear wave propagation velocities and shear moduli for two sites. The four seismic methods are: standard seismic refraction survey, down hole shooting refraction survey, transient Rayleigh wave survey, and crosshole shooting survey. A torsional resonant column apparatus was used for the laboratory tests. The cross hole shooting method gave the best results because direct measurements were made. Criteria for using this method are given. Methods which measure compression wave velocity give inconsistent results because the conversion to shear wave velocity is very sensitive to Poisson's ratio. Laboratory tests …

Location Of Solution Channels And Sinkholes At Dam Sites And Backwater Areas By Seismic Methods: Part I, Vincent P. Drnevich, S. R. Smith, E. P. Cleveland

KWRRI Research Reports

The basic concepts associated with the sledge hammer seismic refraction survey are reviewed and a modified version called down hole shooting is discussed. The latter method has distinct advantages for rock surface profiling. These include: calibration at the end points of the survey, measurement of vertical wave propagation velocities directly, and having a refracted wave ray path for almost the entire survey length.

The down hole shooting seismic refraction survey has been simulated with the digital computer. The method can handle any shaped rock surface profile and generates corresponding travel time curves for the forward and reverse profile surveys. This …

Hydraulic And Sediment Transport Studies In Relation To River Sediment Control And Solid Waste Pollution And Economic Use Of The By-Products, Bruce R. Moore, Michael R. Short

KWRRI Research Reports

The distribution of sediments and conditions of transport were studied in the Kentucky, Big Sandy and Ohio Rivers. The sand and coal were in transport at different flow velocities for the rivers and the deposition of these sediments was a direct function of the flow conditions at a particular locality.

The flow conditions of transport of the sediments were studied in flumes as were the hydraulic conditions in model dredge holes to determine the feasibility of trapping sediment. The conditions of scour and fill were also established and compared with known conditions in a dredge hole in the Ohio River. …

Digital Computer Modeling Of Limestone Groundwater Systems, John Thrailkill, David P. Beiter

KWRRI Research Reports

Because limestone groundwater flows mainly In discrete openings, limestone aquifers are fundamentally different from aquifers In granular rocks. A digital computer program which simulates flow in a limestone aquifer as a pipe network was written and compared with the Sinkhole Plain aquifer of west-central Kentucky.

A reasonably good fit between observed parameters of the aquifer and those calculated were obtained under assumed conditions of both laminar and turbulent now In the aquifer. The Indicated gross permeablllty of the aquifer is 5600 melnzers with an assumed aquifer thickness of 100 feet. The location and discharge of springs along the streams bounding …

Capillary-Diffusion And Self-Diffusion Of Liquid Water In Unsaturated Soils, Ronald E. Phillips, V. L. Quisenberry Jr.

KWRRI Research Reports

Capillary-diffusion coefficients were measured by use of inflow and outflow methods. With both methods the capillary-diffusion coefficients decreased very rapidly with decreasing water content. The lighter textured soils were found to have the higher diffusion coefficients over the entire moisture content range studied, 0 to 1 bar tension.

Self-diffusion coefficients were measured over a moisture content range from air dryness to saturation using ³H as a tracer of water. Each of the soils gave the same diffusion characteristics when the self-diffusion coefficients were expressed as a function of either water content or average number of water layers on the …

The Generation Of Flood Damage Time Sequences, John P. Breaden

KWRRI Research Reports

There is a need in water resources planning to develop a procedure for determining the time pattern in which flood damages occur as a function of the rise and fall of the flood hydrograph. The widely-used approach for estimation of flood damages does not take into account the fact that the frequency of the annual flood peak may not be the same as the frequency of the total annual flood damages. As examples, several small storms during the year may do more damage than a single larger storm, or flood damages may be reduced by a reduction in flood duration …

Part I - Controlling The Soil Moisture Environment Of Transpiring Plants, Part Ii - Prediction Of Leaf Temperature Under Natural Atmospheric Conditions, Charles T. Haan, Billy J. Barfield, Robert Edling

KWRRI Research Reports

Part I

A technique for controlling the soil moisture potential in the root zone of transpiring plants was developed. The method uses the principles of unsaturated flow through a porous media to develop the desired moisture potential. In the case of non-steady state transpiration, the maximum possible fluctuation in the soil moisture potential can be determined by the techniques presented.

Part II

Two implicit leaf temperature prediction equations were derived from the energy balance approach. The equations define sensible and latent heat transfer from a plant population as a two step process:

1. Transfer between the plant leaf and the canopy …

Opset Program For Computerized Selection Of Watershed Parameter Values For The Stanford Watershed Model, Earnest Yuan-Shang Liou, L. Douglas James

KWRRI Research Reports

The advent of high-speed electronic computer made it possible to model complex hydrologic processes by mathematical expressions and thereby simulate streamflows from climatological data. The most widely used program is the Stanford Watershed Model, a digital parametric model of the land phase of the hydrologic cycle based on moisture accounting processes. It can be used to simulate annual or longer flow sequences at hourly time intervals. Due to its capability of simulating historical streamflows from recorded climatological data, it has a great potential in the planning and design of water resources systems. However, widespread use of the Stanford Watershed Model …

Solution Geochemistry Of The Water Of Limestone Terrains, John Thrailkill, David B. Beiter, Michael T. Osolnik, Roger H. Postley, William T. Mitchell, Leonard N. Plummer, James R. Riddell, Richard C. Worley, Robert D. Zwicker

KWRRI Research Reports

Limestone groundwater flows mainly in openings it has solutionally enlarged, thus an understanding of the water's state of saturation relative to calcite (the principal mineral component of limestone) is fundamental to an understanding of the nature and evolution of the limestone aquifer. This study investigated the Mammoth Cave-Sinkhole Plain (MCSP) and Cave Hollow (CH) aquifers in Kentucky, both in Missippian limestones.

Both aquifers were always undersaturated with calcite. Except for completely ventilated vadose flows (usually) and some vadose seepage (occasionally), all recharges sampled (sinking streams, vadose flows, and vadose seepage) were also undersaturated. The lack of saturation in the MCSP …

The Effects Of Geographical And Climatic Setting On The Economic Advantages Of Alternative Flood Control Measures, Clyde R. Dempsey, L. Douglas James

KWRRI Research Reports

It has long been realized that tributary urban development and channel improvement greatly affect the flow regime in a given watershed. A previous study used the Stanford Watershed Model to derive relationships expressing how the flood peaks in Sacramento, California, might be expected to vary with changing conditions of urbanization, channelization, and tributary drainage area. In order to observe the effects of climatic setting and geographical location on these relationships, the same type of analysis was applied to a drainage area near Louisville, Kentucky.

If reservoir storage is to be considered in a flood control program, it is necessary to …

Factors Controlling Porosity And Permeability In The Curdsville Member Of The Lexington Limestone, William C. Macquown Jr., Jimmie L. Barr, George T. Hine, Jojok Sumartojo, Edward V. Peck, Franklin D. Thomas

KWRRI Research Reports

Factors controlling the porosity and permeability of the Curdsville Limestone Member of the Lexington Limestone of Middle Ordovician Age in the Blue Grass Region of Kentucky are geological.

Microstratigraphic analysis had led to the division of the lower Lexington Limestone, consisting principally of the Curdsville Member into three beds which may be subdivided into "zones" made up of several lithologic types and sub-types. Lower, middle, and upper bed characteristics are helpful in determining the regional depositional history in the progressively transgressing Curdsville sea. Paleogeography of Curdsville time has been determined by delineation of two local facies: (1) a carbonate bank--shoal …

Oil And Gas Geology Of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, William D. Rose

Bulletin--KGS

This report presents an overall study of the geologic occurrence of oil and gas in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. Includes a systematic description of all oil and gas pools within the County, structure and stratigraphy diagrams, and maps.

Wild Life In Kentucky, William Delbert Funkhouser

Report of Investigations--KGS

The reptiles, birds and mammals of the Commonwealth, with a discussion of their appearance, habits and economic importance. Illustrated with ninety photographs, maps and diagrams.

Two images have been redacted for reasons related to NAGPRA, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

Report On The Geology And Coals Of The Central City, Madisonville, Calhoun, And Newberg Quadrangles (In Muhlenberg, Hopkins, Ohio, Mclean, Webster, Daviess, And Henderson Counties), F M. Hutchinson

Bulletin--KGS

A report on coal viability and other natural resources in Central City, Madisonville, Calhoun, and Newburg Quadrangles (in Muhlenberg, Hopkins, Ohio, McLean, Webster, Daviess, and Henderson Counties), Kentucky.

• General Geology - pp 3 - 27
• Central City Quadrangle - pp 28 - 68
• Madisonville Quadrangle - pp 69 - 98
• Calhoun Quadrangle - pp 99 - 116
• Newberg Quadrangle - pp 117 - 127

Some Kentucky Clays, Including Kaolinic, Plastic And Fire Clays: Clays In Several Parts Of Kentucky, With Some Account Of Sands, Marls And Limestones, Aug Foerste, James H. Gardner

Bulletin--KGS

The bulletin is preliminary in character and is offered now simply in order to meet the urgent calls for all information concerning our clays that is at present available. A more comprehensive report, in which not only the geology and distribution of our clays, but also their technological values, will be given, will follow in due course.

Data for such a bulletin are being gathered as rapidly as circumstances will permit. Among the clays upon which more field work is required are some of those associated with the coals and Conglomerate Measures of the Eastern Coalfield; those in other Lower …

Kentucky Fossil Shells: A Monograph Of The Fossil Shells Of The Silurian And Devonian Rocks Of Kentucky, Henry Nettelroth

Report of Investigations--KGS

A thoroughly researched and meticulously illustrated volume with 36 lithographed plate illustrations of various fossil shells.

Kentucky Fossil Corals: A Monograph Of The Fossil Corals Of The Silurian And Devonian Rocks Of Kentucky, William Davis

Report of Investigations--KGS

"In Two Parts, Part II" but Part I was never published. Contains descriptions and 139 plates reproducing photographs of fossil corals from around Kentucky.

Third Report Of The Geological Survey In Kentucky, Made During The Years 1856 And 1857, David Dale Owen

Administrative Report--KGS

Third report. Assisted by Robert Peter (geochemist), Sidney S. Lyon (topographer), Leo Lesquereux (paleontologist), and Edward T. Cox (paleontologist).

Second Report Of The Geological Survey In Kentucky, Made During The Years 1856 And 1857, David Dale Owen

Administrative Report--KGS

Second geological report. Assisted by Robert Peter (chemical analyses) and Sidney S. Lyon (topography).

Report Of The Geological Survey In Kentucky, Made During The Years 1854 And 1855, David Dale Owen

Administrative Report--KGS

This is the first book published by the Kentucky Geological Survey in service to the Kentucky State Legislature. Includes sections by Robert Peter (chemical analyses) and Sidney S. Lyon (topography).