Geological Society of America

10 D1. Hydrogeology and Water Quality of the Mid-Continent U.S. and Mexico

Monday, 12 March 2018
1:30 PM - 4:25 PM
Conway Room

GEOPHYSICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE MISSISSIPPI ALLUVIAL PLAIN HYDROGEOLOGIC FRAMEWORK

Paper number: 10-8
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 3:45 PM – 4:05 PM

Authors

Burke Minsley Presenting Author
U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO
Drew Thayer
USGS, Denver, CO
Benjamin R. Bloss
U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO
Paul Bedrosian
U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO
Eric A. White
U.S. Geological Survey, Storrs, CT
Carole Johnson
Water Resources Division, Branch of Geophysics, Office of Ground Water, Storrs, CT
Katherine L. Pappas
Office of Groundwater, Storrs, CT
Wade H. Kress
U.S. Geological Survey, San Angelo, TX

Abstract

The Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP) contains several geologic units which act as important aquifers for the region's agriculture. We collected six regional-scale transects of time-domain electromagnetic (TDEM) measurements which cross the MAP study area from east-to-west, with about 100 km between transects, covering an area of nearly 100,000 sq. km. Each transect spans a distance of 100-200 km, with 10-20 TDEM soundings that capture the major geologic units. TDEM is capable of measuring the electrical resistivity structure of the subsurface and distinguishing between geologic units that possess different electrical properties. We have compiled TDEM soundings for these transects and correlated the geophysical data with borehole data to build/refine the 3D aquifer structure for the MAP study. In addition, surface nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data were acquired at several sites to quantify total water content and relative pore size distribution of the surficial aquifer sediments. Together, these geophysical data will be used to guide the survey design and planning of a large airborne electromagnetic survey of the MAP region that will begin in early 2018.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 50, No. 1

doi: 10.1130/abs/2018SC-310068

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