Earth Sciences Commons^™

Groundwater Studies Near The Dowagiac Landfill Area, Dowagiac, Michigan, Using Seismic Resistivity Methods, Saiful B. Baharom

Masters Theses

Groundwater contamination has occurred in the vicinity of the Dowagiac landfill, Dowagiac, Michigan. The groundwater has been degraded by the presence of organic hydrocarbons, trichloroethylene in particular. At least two aquifers are thought to be present in the area with the upper unconfined aquifer being contaminated while a lower confined aquifer remains uncontaminated. This lower aquifer is thought to be protected from above by a clay layer. A combined geophysical survey consisting of seismic refraction and electrical resistivity surveys was conducted to determine the continuity and thickness of this clay layer as well as the extent of the contamination. A …

Geology Newsletter- 1991, Department Of Geology

Geological and Environmental Sciences News

Vol.1, No. 16

• Core Research Lab
• Faculty News
• Service Staff News
• Alumni/ Friends/ Former Faculty Notes
• 1991 Speakers Program
• New Alumni
• Awards and Scholarships
• Geology Club

Structural, Depositional, And Diagenetic Controls On Reservoir Development: St. Peter Sandstone, Newaygo County, Michigan, Mark S. Caldwell

Masters Theses

Enhanced reservoir quality in the Middle Ordovician St. Peter Sandstone is observed in gas bearing zones in wells located on domal structures. Geometry and degree of this enhanced porosity development is the result of the interplay of structural, depositional, and diagenetic controls. An integrated subsurface study of the Woodville/Goodwell field area was performed in order to document controls on hydrocarbon accumulation.

Recurrent structural growth of domal features throughout the Paleozoic is well documented by isopach mapping. Burial and thermal history studies indicate that hydrocarbons were generated in Ordovician aged source rocks during late Devonian to early Mississippian time, and accumulated …

An Analysis Of Hydrogeologic Factors Affecting Aquifer Vulnerability In Southwestern Michigan, Steven E. Benton

Masters Theses

In southwestern Michigan aquifers are threatened by human activities. Parameter/factor weighting systems are used to rate aquifer vulnerability. Hydrogeologic factors affecting aquifer vulnerability were investigated in this study.

Well records, soil surveys, hydrogeologic reports, and partial chemical analyses were used to obtain data on the aquifers, soil types, glacial sediments, and types of contaminants. Data analysis included comparisons of means and medians, factor analysis, and Pearson and Spearman Correlation analysis.

The results indicate that the aquifers in Kalamazoo County are not protected. Depending on the type of glacial sediment, hydrogeologic factors that protect aquifers are clay thickness and the depth …

Fractures In The Jacobsville Sandstone And The Precambrian “W” Rocks In Eastern Marquette County, Michigan, Leonard Paul Belliveau

Masters Theses

The major fracture systems in the Jacobsville sandstone likely originated by reverse faulting on the Keweenaw fault and by glacially produced thrusting. Fracture orientations, apertures, and spacings are uniform in the Jacobsville sandstone and Lighthouse Point member of the Mona Schist, and are variable in the Lower member of the Mona schist and Compeau Creek gneiss. Fracture sets in the Compeau Creek gneiss exist in domains separated by metadiabase dikes. The metadiabase dikes relieved the strain produced by the Penokean orogeny by fracturing. Fractures present in inclusions, quartz veins, metadiabase and diabase dikes can be used to temporally evaluate the …

A Hydrogeochemical Characterization Of A Glacial-Drift Aquifer System In Southwest Michigan, Patrick G. Barrese

Masters Theses

A hydrogeochemical investigation of the Schoolcraft Aquifer, an unconfined, glacial-drift aquifer located in southwest Michigan, was undertaken to focus on three topics: (1) the geochemical definition of recharge and discharge zones both vertically and laterally along projected flow paths, (2) the description of the carbonate and redox chemical systems, and (3) groundwater degradation associated with excessive nitrate, ammonium, and chloride concentrations.

The results of the study were inconclusive in defining recharge and discharge zones; however, iron and alkalinity concentrations were identified as possible indices for recharge and discharge conditions. The carbonate analysis indicated that the aquifer is saturated with respect …

Basement Control On The Development Of Selected Michigan Basin Oil And Gas Fields As Constrained By Fabric Elements In Paleozoic Limestones, Robert Thomas Versical

Masters Theses

Hydrocarbon bearing structures in the Paleozoic section of the Michigan basin possess different structural styles and orientations. Quantification of the direction and magnitude of shortening strains by applying a calcite twin-strain analysis constrains the mechanisms by which these structures may have developed. The calcite twin-strain analysis and fracture orientations in Paleozoic rocks indicate that the mean direction of compression controlling structural development ranged from SE-NW to nearly E-W. This direction of compression nearly parallels the majority of structures in the basin, and provides insight into their origin.

The structural geometries of fields considered in this study can be explained by …

Facies Analysis And Diagenesis Of The Lower Engadine Group And The Manistique Group In Manistee, Mason And Oceana Counties, Michigan, Karen S. Mater

Masters Theses

Three lithofacies in the Lower Engadine Group, and four lithofacies in the Manistique Group were identified. Facies patterns suggest a transgression during deposition of the Manistique Group and Lower Engadine Group.

Environments of deposition were determined by analysis of facies found in the Lower Engadine and Manistique Groups using available cores, petrophysical logs, and well cuttings. The diagenetic sequence of events was identified using thin sections.

Diagenesis has greatly altered original fabric and porosity. Hydrocarbon accumulation in these units is dependent on facies distribution, diagenesis, and structural features.

Flotation Data Sampling Strategies In Archaeological Research: An Experiment At The Elam Site (20ae195), Allegan County, Michigan, Brian David Deroo

Masters Theses

Studies of prehistoric Native American subsistence patterns have benefited greatly from data recovered through the technique of flotation, which allows investigators to recover small scale organic remains which would otherwise be missed using standard excavation procedures. Using data recovered through flotation researchers have been able to more fairly evaluate the role of plant foods, both wild and cultivated, in the aboriginal diet.

A common method of obtaining a flotation sample is to define a column through the center of the cultural feature or midden and removing a specified volume of soil matrix (usually 10 liters) from this column. This thesis …

An Analysis Of Dissolved Organic Compounds And Their Contribution To Iron Complexation In The Shallow Leachate Plume Of The West Kl Landfill Kalamazoo, Michigan, Eric Fahle

Masters Theses

High concentrations of dissolved iron are present in downgradient groundwater samples adjacent to the western border of the West KL Landfill. Analysis by Rudder (1988) of groundwater samples indicates oversaturation of selected iron oxides, iron sulfides and siderite in monitoring wells TW-4 and M3.

Previous research suggests that pyrogallol, gallic acid, tannic acid and similar organic compounds may retard the oxidation of ferrous iron in the shallow leachate plume of the West KL landfill (Rudder, 1988). Present research utilizing solid phase extraction, reverse phase high performance chromatography, Fourier transform IR spectrophotometry, UV/Visible spectrophotometry, and gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy indicate that pyrogallol, …

Sedimentological, Structural, And Organic Geochemical Controls On Natural Gas Occurrence In The Antrim Formation In Otsego County, Michigan, Timothy M. Dellapenna

Masters Theses

The prolific Antrim Formation natural gas reservoir in Otsego County, Michigan, has been examined using core descriptions, X-ray diffraction, petrographic, and geochemical analyses. New stratigraphy nomenclature is proposed for the Antrim and Ellsworth Shales. The Antrim Shale contains two distinctive lithofacies: (1) a fractured, non-bioturbated, silica-rich, organicrich black shale lithofacies; and (2) sparsely fractured, bioturbated, carbonaterich, organic-poor gray-green shale. Gas production comes from the Black shale facies.

Rock-Eval analysis demonstrates that the organic matter is a mixture of types I and II material. Low Tmax (435°C) and vitrinite reflectance (0.41-0.46%) values indicate a submature thermal maturation level. Del 13 carbon …

Diagenesis In The St. Peter Sandstone, Michigan Basin, Carl E. Lundgren

Masters Theses

The petrographic evolution of authigenic minerals in the St. Peter formation consists of: early marine cement, syndepositional dolomite, quartz overgrowth cement, pervasive dolomite replacement of precursor carbonate, dissolution of framework grains and carbonate cements, and late formation of authigenic chlorite and illite.

Variations in the diagenetic sequence were templated by variations in primary mineralogy related to depositional facies. Early intergranular carbonate cement, common in shelf facies, precluded early quartz cementation. Subsequent dissolution of dolomite and detrital grains may be temporally and chemically related to the precipitation of authigenic clay in dissolution pores. In peritidal facies, pervasive quartz cementation was locally …

A Regional Study Of Ground-Water Quality In Barry County, Michigan, Margene K. Brewer

Masters Theses

A regional study of ground-water quality in Barry County, Michigan was conducted using a computerized database from the Science for Citizens Center at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The database, initiated by the Michigan Groundwater Survey, consists of residential well logs and chemical analyses of samples collected from residential wells by the Barry County Health Department. Qualitative and statistical analyses of the data indicate that the glacial drift aquifer is recharging the bedrock aquifer throughout most of the county. Groundwater quality appears to be controlled mainly by the open-system dissolution of carbonate minerals. The water chemistry is also influenced …

Effects Of Capillarity On Dnapl Thickness In Wells And In Adjacent Sands, Timothy V. Adams

Masters Theses

Physical model experiments were used to investigate the behavior of dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) in various geologic media.

The objectives of the laboratory investigations were to (a) compare DNAPL thickness in wells to thickness in adjacent sands, (b) observe and interpret dyed DNAPL migration in unsaturated and saturated sands, and (c) study DNAPLs' effects on clay layers.

Two cylindrical glass columns fitted with various well screens were filled with sand, clay layers, water, and dyed DNAPLs in four experiments. Columns were packed with fine or coarse sand and clay layers. Coarse hydrophobic sand was also used.

At equilibrium, DNAPL …

Sedimentology Of The Bedford-Berea Sequence (Early Mississippian), Williams Field, Michigan, David Alan Balthazor

Masters Theses

The Berea Sandstone has produced in excess of 1.6 million barrels of oil in the Williams field since discovery in 1980. Seven lithofacies are identified from conventional core in the Bedford-Berea sequence. These facies are interpreted as deltaic deposits comprising prodelta (Bedford Shale), delta front, destructive marine shale, abandoned distributary channel-fill, interdistributary bay-fill, transgressive marine sandstone, and marine shale (Sunbury Shale) facies. Passive channel-fill facies truncate reservoir sandstone bodies and compartmentalize the field NW-SE across the trend of the northwestplunging anticline.

The two reservoir facies in the Williams field are the delta front and transgressive marine sandstones. The sandstone framework …

The Paleoethnobotany Of Schwerdt (20ae127): An Early Fifteenth Century Encampment In The Lower Kalamazoo River Valley, Gregory R. Walz

Masters Theses

Carbonized macrobotanical remains from the Schwerdt Site, an Upper Mississippian sturgeon fishery in the Lower Kalamazoo River Valley are identified and analyzed in terms of their implications for localized subsistence-settlement systems operating during the Berrien Phase in southwestern Michigan. The exploitation of wild plant foods at this limited-activity, spring sturgeon fishery and the environmental composition of the site environs are reconstructed from their representation in flotation samples derived from excavated feature and midden contexts.

Botanical data indicate a strong wetland-aquatic orientation in plant procurement, with aquatic tubers being the primary plant resource exploited at the site. Data from several sites …

The Effects Of Urbanization On A Portion Of The Portage Creek Watershed: A Case Study On Surface Water And Groundwater Quality, Susan E. Rezek

Masters Theses

The surface water and groundwater quality in the study area of the Portage Creek watershed was analyzed to determine the possible effects of urbanization. Dry weather and wet weather surface water and groundwater samples were collected from June 1986 to November 1986 at selected stations in the watershed.

Water samples were analyzed for 26 inorganic and organic parameters. Most concentrations were below analytic method detection limits. The analytical data indicate that sodium and chloride are the principal contaminants resulting from urbanization. The probable source of the contamination is deicing salt applied to the City of Portage, Michigan streets.

Overall, the …

Geology Newsletter- 1990, Department Of Geology

Geological and Environmental Sciences News

Vol.1, No. 15

• Institute for Water Sciences
• Ground-Water Education in Michigan
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Reservoir Geology Of The Dundee Limestone, West Branch Field, Michigan, Brendan Ciaran Curran

Masters Theses

West Branch field is a low-relief, NW-SE-trending anticline near the center o f the Michigan basin. Since 1934, the Dundee Limestone (Middle Devonian) has produced over 12 million barrels of oil from this field. From core studies, six depositional facies types were recognized in the Dundee. These are dominated by bioclastic carbonate sand facies deposited in normal-marine shelf settings. Although burial cements have occluded some porosity, carbonate sand facies have retained significant primary interparticle porosity and are the most important reservoir rocks. Micritic facies with restricted faunal assemblages are present at the top of the Dundee. The top 10 to …

A Hydrogeological And Hydrogeochemical Investigation Of Groundwater At A Landfill For Sludge From The Kalamazoo Wastewater Treatment Plant, Richard Howard Christensen

Masters Theses

Major cations and anions were analyzed to determine groundwater chemistry at a site used for the disposal of municipal sludge in the late 1960s and contaminated Portage Creek sedimem dredged in the late 1970s. The disposal site consists of five unlined basins constructed over 50 to 100 feet of stratified sand and gravel outwash underlain by silt and clay. Groundwater in the outwash is unconfined and flows from east to west. A groundwater divide in the center of the site produces local divergent flow to the northwest and southwest. Measurements of chemical constituents indicate that three factors influence groundwater chemistry …

Spatial And Temporal Variations Of Synthetic Organic Compounds In The Contaminant Plume Emanating From The Kl Landfill, Lynn Diane Broede

Masters Theses

Thirty-one synthetic organic compounds have been detected in samples collected from the KL Landfill contaminant plume from March, 1980 to March, 1986. Two groups of organic compounds have been delineated based on their occurrence, concentrations, and persistence throughout the 7-year monitoring period.

Changes in plume geometry and concentration have been studied relative to time, and concentration variations have been related to selected inorganic plume parameters, distance from the landfill, and precipitation. The spatial and temporal distribution of the organic compounds are attributed to biodegradation, three biotransformation sequences, physical properties of the organics and other factors. Three abbreviated anaerobic biotransformation sequences …

Cambrian-Early Ordovician Sequence Stratigraphy And Mount Simon Sandstone Petrology-Michigan Basin, Jeffrey T. Cottingham

Masters Theses

Michigan subsurface correlation is complicated in the Cambrian-Early Ordovician section due to limited availability of rock data. Core and cuttings examination demonstrate that similar stratigraphic sequences exist between the Michigan Basin and surrounding regions. Lithofacies in Wisconsin outcrop are similar to their basinal counterparts, and are correlated on the basis of sediment types, sedimentary structures, and the sequence stratigraphic concept.

The Mount Simon Sandstone in Michigan correlates with that observed in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Isopach data throughout the Midwest indicate a single depocenter in Northeastern Illinois. Sedimentary structures and lithology indicate a subtidal environment that may be a progradational …

Hydrogeology And Hydrogeochemistry Of The Tekonsha Moraine And Adjacent Interlobate Deposits In Charleston Township, Kalamazoo County, Michigan, Victor V. Melbardis

Masters Theses

Hydrogeochemical analyses and hydrogeologic interpretations provide the basis for an understanding of local ground-water flow, in a 12 square mile study area, transected by the Tekonsha Moraine and bound by glaciofluvial deposits. Glacial tills separate an upper and lower aquifer system throughout most of the area.

Degraded and tritiated ground water is present in the lower aquifer system. A negative correlation (-0.62) between tritium concentrations and depth is statistically significant (.04). In this local system, hydrochemical trends are characterized by decreases in sulfate percentages and increases in bicarbonate in the direction of ground-water flow. Statistical evaluation of the hydrochemical data …

Simulation Of Bromide Transport In A Layered Aquifer Using Two-Dimensional And Three-Dimensional Computer Models, Kathleen Michelle Hewitt

Masters Theses

Simulation of a two-well tracer test at a site near Mobile, Alabama was performed and compared with the experimental breakthrough curve. The models used to simulate the test results were the three-dimensional USGS code HST3D and the two-dimensional USGS code MOC. The results of the three-dimensional model were also compared with the results of the two-dimensional model.

The three-dimensional model HST3D predicted the measured breakthrough curve accurately with the exception of early arrival times of the tracer in the withdrawal well. The two-dimensional model MOC did not accurately predict the bromide concentration in the withdrawal well during the two-well test. …

Geology Newsletter- 1989, Department Of Geology

Geological and Environmental Sciences News

Vol.1, No. 14

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The Relation Of Radium-226 And 228 To The Groundwater Geochemistry Of Carbon, Sulfur, And Chlorine Near Michigan's Saginaw Bay, Ray Milejczak

Masters Theses

The Michigan Department of Public Health (MDPH) sampled 149 residential wells producing from glacial drift and Saginaw Formation aquifers in Bay, Midland, Saginaw, and Tuscola counties in 1987. These wells were analyzed for ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ra and general chemistry. Of the 149 samples, 50 exceeded the USEPA MCL of 5 pCi/L or greater for combined ²²⁶Ra + ²²⁸Ra activities. A geochemical model (WATEQF, Plummer et al., 1976) was used to determine activity coefficients, activities, ionic strength, and mineral saturation. The radium isotopes were statistically analyzed with respect to the chemical data from MDPH and the geochemical model …

Wetland Study Of Southeastern Portage Township, Kalamazoo County, Michigan, Kevin M. Walsh

Masters Theses

Under the Clean Water Act, Congress passed legislation to maintain and restore the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the water of the United States. The objective of this study is to determine if the wooded area located in Upjohn Company's Property in southeastern Portage Township, Portage, Michigan falls under the classification of a wetland.

This objective has been pursued through an examination of the hydrology of the area, the soil characteristics of the area, and the vegetation types and characteristics of the area. These parameters have been utilized following the guidelines outlined in the "Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation …

A Laboratory Characterization Of Pulp And Paper Mill Solid Wastes For Potential Use As Hydraulic Barrier Material In Landfill Covers, Carleton Van Maltby

Masters Theses

Fifteen sludges from wastewater treatment systems of pulp and paper mills that encompass major production categories, and eight fly ashes from mill boilers incinerating wood waste, coal, or their combination were characterized for their potential suitability as hydraulic barrier material. Hydraulic conductivity was observed to range over four orders of magnitude for the materials tested.

Resistivity And Seismic Refraction Surveys Applied To A Groundwater Investigation In Richland Township, Kalamazoo County, Michigan, Homa Moaddel

Masters Theses

Many geophysical methods are increasingly being applied in investigations of contaminated sites. Among the most popular ones are resistivity and seismic refraction techniques.

In this study seismic refraction utilizing a twelve channel digital seismograph and hammer impact source provided records that have given important information about the subsurface layers. Along the same traverses, the Schlumberger resistivity method was applied at selected points. An AC digital resistivity system with a separate uncoupled transmitter (50 watts) and receiver was applied to obtain these measurements.

Geoelectrical cross-sections provided information about the variation in thickness of important layers within the glacial drift aquifer system. …

Geology Newsletter- 1988, Department Of Geology

Geological and Environmental Sciences News

Vol. 1, No. 13

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