Geology Commons^™

Cambrian And Deeper Tests Of Kentucky, 1999 Includes Proposed Tests (Permitted Locations), Brandon C. Nuttall

Map and Chart--KGS

No abstract provided.

Mass Flux Of Agricultural Nonpoint-Source Pollutants In A Conduit-Flow-Dominated Karst Aquifer, Logan County, Kentucky, James C. Currens

Report of Investigations--KGS

Changes in water quality in a karst ground-water basin used intensively for agriculture are being measured before, during, and after the implementation of best management practices (BMP’s) and other management practices, to determine the success of such programs in protecting ground water. The study was divided into three phases. The results of the first two phases are included in this report and cover research conducted between August 1990 and October 1994. During phase I of the study the overall ground-water quality of the basin and its hydrogeology were investigated. Phase II began monitoring the water quality at Pleasant Grove Spring …

Ground-Water Quality In Kentucky: Fluoride, Philip G. Conrad, Daniel I. Carey, James S. Webb, James S. Dinger, R. Stephen Fisher, Matthew J. Mccourt

Information Circular--KGS

Fluoride (F-) is an ion of the element fluorine, and is a natural component in most water resources. According to Hem (1989), fluoride concentrations in fresh water are generally less than 1 mg/L (milligrams per liter), and the concentration of fluoride in the world's oceans is about 1.3 mg/L. The source of most fluoride in natural fresh-water resources is various rocks and minerals in bedrock and sediments.

Mapped Karst Ground-Water Basins In The Somerset 30 X 60 Minute Quadrangle, James C. Currens, Joseph A. Ray

Map and Chart--KGS

This map shows karst ground-water basins in the Somerset quadrangle, determined primarily by ground-water tracer studies. It can be used to quickly identify the ground-water basins and springs to which a site may drain. Major springs and the relative size of their catchment areas can be evaluated for potential as water supplies. The map also serves as a geographic index to literature on karst ground water in the area.

Mapped Karst Ground-Water Basins In The Campbellsville 30 X 60 Minute Quadrangle, Joseph A. Ray, James C. Currens

Map and Chart--KGS

This map shows karst ground-water basins in the Campbellsville quadrangle, determined primarily by ground-water tracer studies. It can be used to quickly identify the ground-water basins and springs to which a site may drain. Major springs and the relative size of their catchment areas can be evaluated for potential as water supplies. The map also serves as a geographic index to literature on karst ground water in the area.

Mapped Karst Ground-Water Basins In The Beaver Dam 30 X 60 Minute Quadrangle, Joseph A. Ray, James C. Currens

Map and Chart--KGS

This map shows karst ground-water basins in the Beaver Dam quadrangle, determined primarily by ground-water tracer studies. It can be used to quickly identify the ground-water basins and springs to which a site may drain. Major springs and the relative size of their catchment areas can be evaluated for potential as water supplies. The map also serves as a geographic index to literature on karst ground water in the area.

Mapped Karst Ground-Water Basins In The Harrodsburg 30 X 60 Minute Quadrangle, James C. Currens, Joseph A. Ray

Map and Chart--KGS

This map shows karst ground-water basins in the Harrodsburg quadrangle, determined primarily by ground-water tracer studies. It can be used to quickly identify the ground-water basins and springs to which a site may drain. Major springs and the relative size of their catchment areas can be evaluated for potential as water supplies. The map also serves as a geographic index to literature on karst ground water in the area.

Total Coal Thickness Of The Lower Elkhorn Coal In Eastern Kentucky, Ernest E. Thacker, Gerald A. Weisenfluh, William M. Andrews Jr.

Map and Chart--KGS

This map is one of a series that shows the regional characteristics of the Lower Elkhorn coal. The maps were prepared as part of the U.S. Geological Surveys National Coal Assessment Program, which compiles regional maps and databases that provide a comprehensive assessment of the most important coal beds in the nation. The Lower Elkhorn coal is one of the leading producers in the state of Kentucky and has, in some areas, a reputation as an excellent metallurgical-grade coal. It is known locally as the Pond Creek, Imboden, Path Fork, Blue Gem, Straight Creek, Bruin, or Vires coal bed. This …

Oil And Gas Map Of The Hazard 30 X 60 Minute Quadrangle, Kentucky, Brandon C. Nuttall

Map and Chart--KGS

No abstract provided.

Kentucky's Coal Industry: Historical Trends And Future Opportunities, Gerald A. Weisenfluh, James C. Cobb, John C. Ferm, Carol L. Ruthven

Information Circular--KGS

Coal has been produced in Kentucky since the late 18th century. In the early years, all mining was by underground methods, but surface mining became the dominant method during and after World War II. In recent years, surface-mine production in both fields has decreased while underground mining has increased.

In the last half of this century, the traditional steam coal market for locomotives has virtually disappeared, leaving electric power generation and coking coal for the steel industry as the principal markets. More than half of all coal produced in the State has been produced in the last 25 years. Whether …

Spatial And Temporal Variability In Seepage Between A Contaminated Aquifer And Tributaries To The Ohio River, Alan E. Fryar, David L. Brown, David B. Wenner, Todd C. Rasmussen, Eric J. Wallin

KWRRI Research Reports

Because interactions between ground water and tributaries may influence contaminant loading to rivers, we delineated seepage along Little Bayou and Bayou Creeks in McCracken County, Kentucky, during a two-year period. From the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, on the divide between the creeks, trichloroethene and technetium-99 plumes extend several km toward the Ohio River. Gaining conditions occur where the creeks are incised into coarse sediments in the river's flood plain. Such conditions were marked by upward hydraulic gradients within the bed; maximum specific discharge (q) > 0.24 m d^-1; relatively narrow ranges of stream, piezometer, and bed temperatures; relatively cool …

Oil And Gas Map Of The Evansville 30 X 60 Minute Quadrangle, Kentucky, Brandon C. Nuttall

Map and Chart--KGS

No abstract provided.

Mineral And Fuel Resources Map Of Kentucky, Warren H. Anderson, Garland R. Dever Jr.

Map and Chart--KGS

The production of minerals and fuels in Kentucky is a multibillion dollar industry. Historically, coal, oil, natural gas, limestone, sand and gravel, clay, fluorite, barite, lead, iron, phosphate, zinc, and brines have been produced in the State. These resources have greatly influenced the development of Kentucky by providing raw materials for the early settlers who settled the State and for current industrial and economic development. Electrical power for homes, businesses, and factories; materials for constructing houses, buildings, automobiles, and roads; and products we consume in everyday life come from the earth's mineral and fuel resources.

Impact Of Topographic And Data Resolution On Hydrologic And Nonpoint-Source Pollution Modeling In A Karst Terrane, Alex W. Fogle

Report of Investigations--KGS

To prevent or reduce the contamination of ground water from agricultural sources, Best Management Practices (BMP’s) such as land-use changes, modifications to control surface runoff, various tillage methods, variations in rates and kinds of chemical applications, and handling procedures for chemicals are being employed and analyzed for effectiveness. The effectiveness of a BMP is often estimated before implementation by evaluating the BMP through the use of computer simulation models. The interactions between surface water and ground water that are unique to karst terranes are not incorporated into the frequently used predictive models. The purpose of this study was to document …

Oil And Gas Map Of The Tompkinsville 30 X 60 Minute Quadrangle, Kentucky, Brandon C. Nuttall

Map and Chart--KGS

No abstract provided.

A Deep-To-Shallow Transition In The Fort Payne Formation (Lower Mississippian), Kentucky Highway 61, Cumberland County, Kentucky, David L. Meyer, Paul E. Potter, Jennifer L. Thies, William I. Ausich, Stephen A. Leslie

Map and Chart--KGS

The Fort Payne Formation of the Cumberland Saddle region of south-central Kentucky and north-central Tennessee is part of a vast marine sedimentation system that extended over much of North America during the Early Mississippian Period; broadly similar facies reached from Georgia through Tennessee and Kentucky, into western Illinois and Missouri, and into New Mexico and the northern Rockies (Pryor and Sable, 1974). Throughout North America the Fort Payne and its equivalents overlie a black shale (in Kentucky called the Chattanooga Shale) and underlie thick carbonates (in Kentucky, the Warsaw Formation and younger middle Mississippian limestones).

Six miles south of Burkesville, …

Oil And Gas Map Of The Middlesboro 30 X 60 Minute Quadrangle, Kentucky, Anna E. Watson, Lance G. Morris, Brandon C. Nuttall, Daniel I. Carey

Map and Chart--KGS

The purpose of the oil and gas map series is to portray the distribution of oil and gas resources in a manner useful to the oil and gas industry and to others interested in subsurface research.

Hydrogeology And Ground-Water Monitoring Of Coal-Ash Disposal Sites In A Karst Terrane Near Burnside, South-Central Kentucky, Shelley Minns Hutcheson, Lyle V. A. Sendlein, James S. Dinger, James C. Currens, Arsin M. Sahba

Report of Investigations--KGS

The effects of two coal-ash disposal facilities on ground-water quality at the John Sherman Cooper Power Plant, located in a karst region of south-central Kentucky, were evaluated using dye traces in springs. Springs were used for monitoring rather than wells, because in a karst terrane wells are unlikely to intercept individual conduits.

A closed-out ash pond located over a conduit-flow system discharges to three springs in the upper Salem and Warsaw Formations along Lake Cumberland. Water discharging from these downgradient springs is similar to springs unaffected by ash-disposal facilities and is a calcium-bicarbonate type. No constituent concentrations found in this …

Fresh-Water Aquifer In The Knox Group (Cambrian–Ordovician) Of Central Kentucky, James A. Kipp

Report of Investigations--KGS

Fresh water can be found in Cambrian and Ordovician carbonate rocks of the Knox Group in central Kentucky. The top of the aquifer is as much as 300 ft above mean sea level (m.s.l.) on the crest of the Cincinnati Arch, but descends off the flanks of the arch. Water is normally found in the upper 100 to 250 ft of the Knox, primarily in secondary porosity apparently associated with the unconformity at the top of the unit. Knox wells commonly exceed 750 ft in total depth, but because the aquifer is artesian, water rises to an elevation of about …

Modeling Transport Of Colloid-Bound Herbicides And Heavy Metals To Groundwater, Anastasios D. Karathanasis, R. E. Phillips, A. K. Seta

KWRRI Research Reports

Recent studies have suggested that contaminant transport to groundwater may be enhanced by association with colloidal particles. This study evaluated the role of water dispersible colloids with diverse mineralogical composition in co-transporting selected herbicides and heavy metals through intact soil columns. Colloid recovery in the eluents ranged from 45-90% for the herbicides and 10-60% for the heavy metals. The presence of colloids enhanced the transport of atrazine by 2-18%, and metolachlor by 8-30%. The corresponding increase for Cu and Zn was 2-150 and 5-30 times, respectively. For Pb, there was essentially no elution in the absence of colloids, suggesting nearly …

Mapped Karst Ground-Water Basins In The Lexington 30 X 60 Minute Quadrangle, James C. Currens, Joseph A. Ray

Map and Chart--KGS

No abstract provided.

Hydrogeology, Hydrogeochemistry, And Spoil Settlement At A Large Mine-Spoil Area In Eastern Kentucky: Star Fire Tract, David R. Wunsch, James S. Dinger, Page B. Taylor, Daniel I. Carey, C. Douglas R. Graham

Report of Investigations--KGS

An applied research program at the Star Fire surface mine in eastern Kentucky, owned and operated by Cypress-AMAX Coal Co., defined spoil characteristics to develop and monitor water resources, which will help identify a reliable water supply for future property development. Water stored in the mine spoil may provide a usable ground-water supply, and the spoil could also be engineered to provide base flow to surfacewater reservoirs.

Ground-water recharge enters the spoil by way of sinking streams, ground-water flow from bedrock in contact with the mine spoil, and a specially designed infiltration basin. Ground water discharges predominantly from springs and …

The Middle And Upper Ordovician Bioclastic Carbonate ("Trenton") Play In The Appalachian Basin, Brandon C. Nuttall

Information Circular--KGS

The bioclastic carbonate play in the Appalachian Basin (referred to by drillers as the "Trenton") includes both gas and oil produced from Middle and Upper Ordovician stratigraphic and combination traps in linear reservoirs often mistaken for reefs. While production from this play is currently reported from nine fields in south-central and eastern Kentucky and five fields in New York, potential reservoir rocks are present throughout most of the Appalachian Basin from New York to Tennessee. Along the western flank of the Appalachian Basin, in the Blue Grass Region of central Kentucky, Middle and Upper Ordovician strata crop out. In the …

Cambrian Hydrocarbon Potential Indicated In Kentucky's Rome Trough, David C. Harris, James A. Drahovzal

Information Circular--KGS

A recent gas discovery in the Rome Trough has resulted in a new phase of deep exploration in eastern Kentucky. This activity is located in Elliott County, near the northern boundary fault of the Cambrian Rome Trough graben. The Carson Associates No. 1 Kazee well was drilled in 1994, and blew out with a reported uncontrolled flow of 11 million cubic feet of gas per day. Although completed at a much lower rate, this well renewed interest in the deep gas potential of the Rome Trough, which has seen sporadic drilling activity since the 1940's. Gas production in the Rome …

Groundwater Study: Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Usa Georgetown, Kentucky, Gary Felton, Lyle V. A. Sendlein, Teri Dowdy, Daryl Hines

KWRRI Research Reports

An eighteen month study of the Toyota Motor Manufacturing (TMM) plant site and the surrounding area was undertaken. The basic charge for this project was to characterize the groundwater that is potentially impacted by the TMM plant site. This included occurrence, flow direction, and, if possible, velocity. Because the area is karstified (has sinkholes, springs, caves, etc.) surface water and groundwater are intimately connected and, hence, surface water was frequently an important component of this work.

Data from TMM construction plans and monitoring work done subsequent to construction were elicited from the various repositories within the TMM infrastructure. Aerial color …

Bouguer Gravity Map Of Kentucky, G. Randy Keller, Donald C. Adams

Map and Chart--KGS

No abstract provided.

High-Carbonate, Low-Silica, High-Calcium Stone In The High Bridge Group (Upper Ordovician), Mason County, North-Central Kentucky, Warren H. Anderson, Lance S. Barron

Information Circular--KGS

The High Bridge Group (Middle Ordovician) of northeastern Kentucky is a major source of limestone and dolomite for construction, agricultural, and industrial stone. These industries require carbonate rocks of high chemical purity. Chemical analyses of foot-by-foot samples from a Mason County core show that three zones of high-calcium and several thick zones of high-carbonate and low-silica stone are present in the High Bridge at a mineable depth. Mason County is located in northeastern Kentucky, on the Ohio River, and offers river access to transportation to the metropolitan Covington-Cincinnati market and the northern portion of the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field for …

Effects Of Longwall Mining On Hydrogeology, Leslie County, Kentucky Part 1: Pre-Mining Conditions, Shelley A. Minns, James A. Kipp, Daniel I. Carey, James S. Dinger, Lyle V. A. Sendlein

Report of Investigations--KGS

An investigation of the hydrologic effects of longwall coal mining is in progress in the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field. The study area is located in a first-order watershed in southern Leslie County over Shamrock Coal Company's Beech Fork Mine (Edd Fork Basin on the Helton 7.5-minute quadrangle). Longwall panels approximately 700 feet wide are separated by three-entry gateways 200 feet wide. The mine is operating in the Fire Clay coal (Hazard No. 4); overburden thickness ranges from 300 to 1,000 feet. Mining in the watershed began in late summer 1993. Undermining of the instrumented panel (panel 7) is anticipated for …

Preliminary Map Of The Structure Of The Precambrian Surface In Eastern Kentucky, James A. Drahovzal, Martin C. Noger

Map and Chart--KGS

This preliminary interpretation of the Precambrian unconformity surface in eastern Kentucky is based on data available to the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) as of November 1994. In early 1995, additional data became available to the KGS. Subsequent work using the new data should result in a more complete interpretation of the area within the next several years.

The map illustrates the Rome Trough and associated structures of the Precambrian surface, and as such contributes to an understanding of the regional geology, geologic evolution, distribution of energy and mineral resources, and potential geologic hazards. While it cannot be considered a prospecting …

Distribution Of Oil And Gas Wells In Kentucky, Brandon C. Nuttall, Daniel I. Carey

Map and Chart--KGS

This map shows the distribution of more than 109,000 wells for which location information is available in the Kentucky Geological Survey's oil and gas well record database.