Geology Commons^™

Groundwater Flow And Elastoplastic Stress-Strain Model For Cohesive Soils With Application To Channel Bank Stability, Richard A. Rohlf, Billy J. Barfield, Gary K. Felton

KWRRI Research Reports

A saturated-unsaturated groundwater flow and elastoplastic stress-strain finite element model was developed for simulating the mechanical behavior of rill and gully sized channel banks. The model coupled the two-dimensional saturated-unsaturated groundwater flow equation with a plane strain formulation of the virtual work equation. The constitutive relationship used the modified Cam clay yield function. The model included the effects of seepage force and variation in soil cohesive strength due to changes in water content and void ratio. A staggered solution procedure was used in which the groundwater equation was solved first to determine seepage force and soil cohesive force, and then …

Sand And Gravel Resources Along The Ohio River Valley In Boone, Gallatin, And Carroll Counties, Kentucky, Eugene J. Amaral

Report of Investigations--KGS

Glacial outwash sand and gravel from three northern Kentucky counties in the Ohio River Valley have been analyzed in order to characterize their particle size, composition, morphology, and surface alteration and to determine the geologic significance of lateral and stratigraphic variations in these sediment properties. The late Wisconsinan-age deposits, actively mined in terraces along the Ohio River, are composed of moderately sorted sand and a poorly sorted, bimodal mixture of sand and gravel. A systematic pattern of regional grain-size variation was found to be associated with the confluence of the Great Miami River, a major meltwater sluiceway entering the Ohio …

Impact Of Riparian Grass Filter Strips On Surface-Water Quality, Alex W. Fogle, Daniel I. Carey, Billy J. Barfield, Robert L. Blevins, Vasilios P. Evangelou, Cora E. Madison, Shreeram P. Inamdar

Information Circular--KGS

The effectiveness of natural riparian grass filter strips in removing sediment and agricultural chemicals from surface runoff was studied using no-tillage and conventional-tillage erosion plots. Runoff from the tillage plots was directed onto 4.57, 9.14, and 13.72 m (15, 30, and 45 ft.) length filter strips, where the inflow and outflow concentrations and sediment size distributions were measured. Trapping efficiencies for sediment and agricultural chemicals typically ranged near or above 90 percent, mainly because of high infiltration rates. The filters also significantly reduced peak discharge concentrations, which reduced the impact of sediment and agricultural chemicals on receiving surface waters.

Available Coal Resources Of The Salyersville South 7.5-Minute Quadrangle, Magoffin County, Kentucky, Robert E. Andrews, Gerald A. Weisenfluh, John K. Hiett, Richard E. Sergeant

Information Circular--KGS

Coal resources available for mining have been estimated for the Salyersville South Quadrangle, which is located in the Licking River Coal Reserve District of the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field. Nine coal beds within the quadrangle are potentially mineable and constitute the basis of these resource estimates. Seven of these beds have been commercially developed, but only five have produced more than 1 million tons: from youngest to oldest, the Skyline A, Lower Broas, Lower Peach Orchard, Middle Peach Orchard, and Upper Peach Orchard. A computerized Geographic Information System was used to calculate estimates of original, mined-out, and remaining resources, as …

Limestone And Lime For So2 And Pollutant Control In The Ohio Valley, James C. Cobb, Garland R. Dever Jr.

Information Circular--KGS

The purpose of this conference is to emphasize the importance of limestone resources for controlling SO₂ emissions from coal-fired power plants. We have brought together experts from utilities to describe important factors in limestone performance in scrubbers and from the stone industry to describe important factors in limestone and lime production. Conference speakers include also representatives from research institutes, equipment manufacturers, government agencies, and geological surveys.

Chemical And Statistical Analysis Of A Sampled Interval In The Camp Nelson Limestone (Upper Ordovician) Madison County, Central Kentucky, Garland R. Dever Jr., Warren H. Anderson, Henry E. Francis, O. Barton Davidson, Mark F. Thompson

Information Circular--KGS

The Camp Nelson Limestone of the High Bridge Group (Upper Ordovician) is mined at seven sites in central and north-central Kentucky for industrial, construction, and agricultural uses. As part of a regional investigation of its chemical characteristics, a 67-foot section in the upper Camp Nelson, which is being mined at Boonesborough, Madison County, was sampled for major-element analysis.

The upper Camp Nelson in the Boonesborough Mine consists of two zones (23 and 30 feet thick) of low-silica stone (4 percent or less total SiO₂) separated by a 14-foot section of slightly argillaceous limestone with an average silica content …

Rocks And Minerals Of Kentucky, Warren H. Anderson

Special Publication--KGS

This publication gives information about rocks and minerals of Kentucky and is organized to (1) help in your identification and study of Kentucky rocks and minerals, (2) explain how rocks and minerals are formed and why they are important to the Commonwealth, and (3) be a simplified reference.

Ground Water In The Kentucky River Basin, Daniel I. Carey, James C. Currens, James S. Dinger, James A. Kipp, David R. Wunsch, Philip G. Conrad

Information Circular--KGS

Most private wells in the Kentucky River Basin are in unconfined or semi-confined bedrock aquifers. Within these aquifers, high-yield zones are irregularly distributed. The most productive wells are drilled into fractured bedrock and alluvium along the Kentucky River floodplain. The data indicate that ground water acts as a buffer to peak and low flows in Kentucky River Basin streams. At current withdrawal rates, ground-water usage does not seem to have an adverse impact on the Kentucky River. Privately owned ground-water sources supply approximately 135,000 people living in the basin-approximately 19 percent of the total population and 36 percent of the …

Chloroform Contamination In The Louisville Aquifer: An Investigation Of Its Occurrence And Propagation, Sergio E. Serrano

KWRRI Research Reports

This report presents the main results of an investigation on the nature and propagation of an accidental spill of chloroform in the Louisville aquifer, Kentucky. Much of the effort is concentrated on the development of mathematical models to either reconstruct the history of evolution of the plume, or forecast its propagation in the future. Chloroform is a dense halogenated solvent which exhibits a special migration pattern in porous media: Because of this and the relative absence of a conceptual theory on its hydrodynamics in porous media, meaningful predictive models will have to deal with many unresolved theoretical aspects of contaminant …

Flooding Of The Sinking Creek Karst Area In Jessamine And Woodford Counties, Kentucky, James C. Currens, C. Douglas R. Graham

Report of Investigations--KGS

Tashamingo Subdivision in Sinking Creek Karst Valley, a tributary of the Garretts Spring Drainage Basin in Jessamine and Woodford Counties, Kentucky, was flooded in February 1989. To determine the cause of flooding, the boundary of the ground-water basin was mapped, discharge data were measured to determine intake capacity of swallow holes, and hydrologic modeling of the basin was conducted. Swallow-hole capacity was determined to be limited by the hydraulic parameters of the conduit, rather than by obstruction by trash. Flooding from a precipitation event is more likely, and will be higher, when antecedent soil moisture conditions in the watershed are …

Gas Exploration In The Devonian Shales Of Kentucky, Terence Hamilton-Smith

Bulletin--KGS

Devonian black shales constitute a major economic resource in Kentucky. These shales, known variously as the Ohio, Chattanooga, and New Albany Shales, are between 50 and 1, 700 feet thick and occur both in outcrop and in the subsurface, buried as deep as 4,200 feet below sea level.

Total gas in place for the Devonian shales in Kentucky is estimated to be between 63 and 112 trillion cubic feet; between 2 and 28 percent is recoverable. Known shale gas accumulations include the giant Big Sandy Field of eastern Kentucky and adjacent \/Vest Virginia, as well as a number of smaller …

Available Coal Resoures Of The Handshoe 7.5–Minute Quadrangle, Knott County, Kentucky, Gerald A. Weisenfluh, Robert E. Andrews, John K. Hiett, Richard E. Sergeant

Information Circular--KGS

Coal resources available for mining have been estimated for the Handshoe Quadrangle within the Hazard Coal Reserve District of the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field. Twelve coal beds within the quadrangle are potentially mineable and comprise the basis of these resource estimates. Seven of these beds have been commercially developed, but only four have produced more than 1 million tons: the Tiptop, Hazard No. 8, Hazard No. 4, and Upper Elkhorn No. 3. A computerized Geographic Information System was used to calculate estimates of original, mined-out, and remaining resources, restrictions to mining, and available resources.

Quality Of Private Ground-Water Supplies In Kentucky, Daniel I. Carey, James S. Dinger, O. Barton Davidson, Richard E. Sergeant, Joseph L. Taraba, Thomas W. Ilvento, Steve Coleman, Rayetta Boone, Laura M. Knoth

Information Circular--KGS

About 3.7 million people live in Kentucky, of which 1.9 million (52 percent) live in urban areas (roughly defined as any community with 2,500 or more people) and 1.8 million (48 percent) live in rural areas (University of Kentucky, 1993). Figure 1 summarizes sources of drinking water for Kentucky residents. About 70 percent of Kentuckians get their daily supply of water from surface-water sources - lakes and streams; about 25 percent get their water from ground-water wells; and about 5 percent get their water from other sources - springs, cisterns, ponds, or hauled water.

Oil And Gas Maps Of The Pikeville 30 X 60 Minute Quadrangle, Kentucky, Dan Walker, Joseph F. Meglen, Brandon C. Nuttall, X. Mara Chen, Anna E. Watson

Map and Chart--KGS

The purpose of these oil and gas maps is to portray the distribution of types of wells in a manner useful to the oil and gas industry and geologists interested in subsurface research. The maps are designed to help geologists better evaluate acreage holdings and exploratory/development potential.

Channel, A Model Of Channel Erosion By Shear, Scour And Channel Headwall Propagation: Part 1. Model Development, Alex W. Fogle, Billy J. Barfield

KWRRI Research Reports

In the research conducted under this project, models were developed which predict channel erosion resulting from shear in gradually varied flow, shearing forces resulting from submerged jets and hydraulic jumps, and shearing forces resulting from free jets impinging a plunge pool. These models are linked with a runoff routing algorithm to develop the CHANNEL model. This model predicts general channel erosion resulting from time varying gradually varied now as well as predicts the development and propagation of channel headwalls. At this writing, the model still has some problems handling the transition from open channel now to a free jet within …

Development Of Membrane Film Fiber Optic Based Sensors For The Remote Monitoring Of The Quality Of Surface And Groundwater, Leonidas G. Bachas

KWRRI Research Reports

The objective of this study was the development of chromo- and fluoroionophores and their subsequent use in sensors capable of surface and groundwater monitoring. Several reagents (modified crown ethers and porphyrins) were synthesized based on principles of chemical recognition and used for metal and pH sensing. The modified crown ether reagents include a chromogenic or fluorogenic group. The selectivity of these reagents is controlled by the size of the crown ether ring and the type of the chromogenic or fluorogenic side-arm. In addition, a fluorogenic crown ether was synthesized that incorporates a fluorogenic side-arm and a perfluorinated carbon chain. The …

Water Quality In The Kentucky River Basin, Daniel I. Carey

Information Circular--KGS

Data gathered up to 1990 suggest that water pollution problems existed throughout the Kentucky River Basin. Fecal coliform bacteria in streams was a widespread problem because of the inadequate treatment of municipal wastes, failing septic systems, and agricultural runoff. Iron, lead, manganese, mercury, and silver exceeded State standards and Federal guidelines for drinking water and aquatic life at most of the sample sites for a majority of samples. Aquatic life in many smaller streams in the Knobs region was reduced by chloride discharges from oil and gas operations, according to the Kentucky Division of Water. Organic enrichment and high nutrient …

Geology And Stratigraphy Of The Western Kentucky Coal Field, Stephen F. Greb, David A. Williams, Allen D. Williamson

Bulletin--KGS

The Pennsylvanian rocks of the Western Kentucky Coal Field produce between 40 and 55 million tons of coal a year from as many as 45 coal seams; however, three seams produce more than 75 percent of the total. In addition, Pennsylvanian strata contain numerous oil and natural gas reservoirs, tar-sand reservoirs, and industrial minerals. Pennsylvanian sandstones are also some of the most important bedrock aquifers in the coal field. Because of the economic importance of the Pennsylvanian strata to the region and the Commonwealth as a whole, a better understanding of these rocks is needed. This description of the nomenclature …

Low-Silica And High-Calcium Stone In The Newman Limestone (Mississippian) On Pine Mountain, Letcher County, Southeastern Kentucky, Garland R. Dever Jr., Thomas L. Robl, Jack R. Moody, Frank H. Walker, George W. Ellsworth Jr., Lance S. Barron

Information Circular--KGS

The coal industry of Kentucky is an important market for limestone. Coal producers use limestone as rock dust for explosion abatement in underground coal mines and as a neutralizing agent in surface-mine reclamation and acid-drainage control. Haulage-road construction and maintenance require crushed stone.

Coal-bearing rocks of Pennsylvanian age in the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field generally do not contain limestones that are sufficiently thick to quarry or mine economically, but in the southeastern part of the coal field, fault movement has brought the Newman Limestone to the surface along Pine Mountain. The Newman was sampled at three sites in Letcher County …

Geologic Highway Cross Sections: Interstate Highway 75 Conway, Kentucky, To Jellico, Tennessee, Donald R. Chesnut Jr.

Map and Chart--KGS

Highway roadcuts along Interstate Highway 75 from Conway, Kentucky, to Jellico, Tennessee, expose Mississippian and Pennsylvanian rocks in south-central Kentucky (Fig. 1). The roadcut exposures offer easy access and stratigraphic variety for educational purposes, and are ideal for high school, university, and professional geology field trips. Several national and international field trips, and many out-of-State university field trips have examined these exposures. In addition, scientific studies involving elastic and carbonate sedimentology, coal geology, paleontology, biostratigraphy, and karst (cave) development have been undertaken along this road.

Design, Construction, And Monitoring Of The Ground-Water Resources Of A Large Mine-Spoil Area: Star Fire Tract, Eastern Kentucky, David R. Wunsch, James S. Dinger, Page B. Taylor

Report of Investigations--KGS

By the year 2010, the Star Fire mining operation in Knott, Breathitt, and Perry Counties in eastern Kentucky, which uses mountaintop-removal and hollow-fill mining techniques, will have created approximately 5,000 acres of gently rolling terrain that could support alternative land uses. The present research is centered on approximately 1,000 acres of spoil created since mining began in 1981. An aquifer fed by both ground and surface water will be created within the spoil. Spoil-handling techniques such as cast blasting, dragline placement, end dumping by trucks, and surface grading have created porous coarse-rock zones within the spoil through which ground water …

Geologic Highway Cross Sections: Interstate Highway 64 Farmers To Catlettsburg, Kentucky, Donald R. Chesnut Jr.

Map and Chart--KGS

Highway roadcuts along Interstate Highway 64 from Farmers to Catlettsburg, Kentucky, provide scientifically significant exposures of rocks of Devonian, Mississippian, and Pennsylvanian ages in northeastern Kentucky. The roadcut exposures offer easy access to a variety of stratigraphic units and are ideal for educational field trips. However, Kentucky law prohibits vehicles from stopping on the shoulders of limited- access highways except in case of emergency, so any planned field trips must be coordinated with State authorities. Several national and international field trips, as well as many out-of-State university field trips, have examined these exposures. In addition, scientific studies involving carbonate sedimentology, …

Stratigraphic And Structural Framework Of The Carboniferous Rocks Of The Central Appalachian Basin In Kentucky, Donald R. Chesnut Jr.

Bulletin--KGS

A series of seven cross sections across the Central Appalachian Basin in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio was constructed in order to determine a stratigraphic and structural framework of the Carboniferous rocks for the basin. Oil and gas well logs, coal-company core descriptions, measured sections, and mapping of surface geology were used to construct these sections. New surface and subsurface faults, folds, and flexures were identified.

New, formal and informal lithostratigraphic nomenclature was introduced to clarify the stratigraphic framework. Formalized nomenclatural changes are (1) elevating Breathitt Formation to Breathitt Group, (2) dropping the Lee Formation, (3) elevating four …

Available Coal Resources Of The Booneville 7.5–Minute Quadrangle, Owsley County, Kentucky, Gerald A. Weisenfluh, R. E. Andrews, John K. Hiett, Stephen F. Greb, Richard E. Sergeant, Donald R. Chesnut Jr.

Information Circular--KGS

The Booneville Quadrangle lies within the Southwestern Reserve District of the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field. Six coal beds in the quadrangle have been commercially developed, mainly by surface mining methods, and comprise the basis of this Coal Availability Study. These beds are, in descending stratigraphic order, Copland, Whitesburg, Amburgy, Upper Elkhorn No. 3, Jellico and Manchester. A computerized Geographic Information System (GRASS) was used to calculate estimates of original, mined-out and remaining resources, restrictions to mining and available resources.

Geologic Highway Cross Section: Kentucky Highway 80, Hazard To Prestonburg, Donald R. Chesnut Jr.

Map and Chart--KGS

Highway roadcuts along Kentucky Highway 80 from Hazard to Prestonsburg are scientifically significant exposures of the Pennsylvanian coal-bearing rocks of the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field, and provide an excellent educational opportunity. The coals exposed along this road are the most economically important of the coal field, and the roadcut exposures offer easy access and stratigraphic variety. They are ideal for high school, university, and professional geology field trips (Cobb and others, 1981). Several national and international field trips and many out-of-state university field trips have examined these exposures. In addition, studies in coal geology and petrography, paleontology, biostratigraphy, and elastic …

Mineralization And Hydrocarbon Emplacement In The Cambrian-Ordovician Mascot Dolomite Of The Knox Group In South-Central Kentucky, Warren H. Anderson

Report of Investigations--KGS

The Mascot Dolomite, the upper unit of the Cambrian-Ordovician Knox Group, is a major host for Mississippi Valley-type ore deposits and petroleum in south-central Kentucky. The Mascot was deposited on a broad, shallow platform that exhibited unusually uniform conditions of deposition, ranging from supratidal to shallow subtidal environments. The formation has a complex diagenetic history, including several stages of dolomitization, silicification, solution, and brecciation. Diagenesis and, to some extent, deposition were influenced by Early Ordovician tectonic activity. Tectonic activity influenced development of a regional unconformity during Middle Ordovician time. Evidence of this tectonic activity includes up to 300 feet of …

Low-Silica And High-Calcium Stone In The Newman Limestone (Mississippian) On Pine Mountain, Harlan County, Southeastern Kentucky, Garland R. Dever Jr., Jack R. Moody, Thomas L. Robl, Lance S. Barron

Information Circular--KGS

The coal industry of Kentucky is an important market for limestone. Coal producers use limestone as rock dust for explosion abatement in underground coal mines and as a neutralizing agent in surface-mine reclamation and acid-drainage control. Crushed stone is also used for constructing and maintaining haulage roads.

In the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field, the coal-bearing rocks of Pennsylvanian age generally do not contain limestones that are thick enough to quarry or mine economically. But movement on the Pine Mountain overthrust fault has brought the Newman Limestone (Mississippian) to the surface along Pine Mountain in the southeastern part of the coal …

Paleontological Survey Of The Pennsylvanian Rocks Of The Eastern Kentucky Coal Field: Part 1, Invertebrates, Donald R. Chesnut Jr.

Information Circular--KGS

Morse (1931) conducted the last paleontological survey of the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field almost 60 years ago. Substantial new information generated by mapping, as well as sedimentological, stratigraphic, and paleontological studies, now justify a new paleontological survey of these rocks. This survey is a compilation of both the new and old information.

Lithologic analysis reveals at least 41 marine zones in the coal field. Paleontological analysis shows that a variety of faunal communities existed, and many of the marine zones contain abundant and diverse faunal assembleges. However, the biostratigraphic resolution of invertebrate fossils is apparently very poor compared to the …

Implications Of Thermal Events On Thrust Emplacement Sequence In The Appalachian Fold And Thrust Belt: Some New Vitrinite Reflectance Data, Sharon E. Lewis, James C. Hower

Center for Applied Energy Research Faculty and Staff Publications

Interpretation of existing geothermometry data combined with new vitrinite reflectance data, within the framework of a detailed composite tectonic setting, elucidates the evolution of structural sequencing of thrust sheets during the Alleghanian event in the Valley and Ridge Province in Virginia. That the Pulaski thrust sheet preceded the Saltville thrust sheet in the emplacement sequence, and that both reached thermal maxima prior to, or during, respective emplacement may be inferred from vitrinite and other geothermometry data. In contrast, the Narrows and St. Clair thrust sheets probably each attained their thermal maximum after emplacement. New vitrinite reflectance data are consistent with …

Constraints On The Emplacement And Uplift History Of The Pine Mountain Thrust Sheet, Eastern Kentucky: Evidence From Coal Rank Trends, Kieran D. O'Hara, James C. Hower, Susan M. Rimmer

Earth and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications

In this paper coal rank trends on both sides of the Pine Mountain thrust in eastern Kentucky are used to place constraints on thrust evolution. Vitrinite reflectance () measurements on a single Pennsylvanian coal horizon (Fire Clay coal) in eastern Kentucky increase from 0.5% in the north to about 1.0% toward the SE in front of the Pine Mountain thrust. The same horizon in the hangingwall of the thrust displays lower R_max values (0.8-0.85%). The reflectance isograds are subparallel to the thrust within approximately 10 km of the trace of the fault. We attribute thermal maturation to (1) pre-orogenic …