Hydrocnemical Facies and Ground-Water Flow
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HydrocnemicalT T 1 1 * 1 FaciesT^ * and1 Ground-Water Flow -w ^ JTilLLCIIloMo i"i"^T*Tl C 1Y1111 E O L O G I C A L S LU R V E Y PR OF E S S I O N A L PA PER 4 ® B - A Hydrochemical Fades and Ground-Water Flow Patterns in Northern Part of Atlantic Coastal Plain By WILLIAM BACK HYDROLOGY OF AQUIFER SYSTEMS GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 498-A UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1966 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR DONALD PAUL HODEL, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director Any use of trade names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Geological Survey First printing 1966 Second printing 1988 For sale by the Books and Open-File Reports Section, U.S. Geological Survey Federal Center, Box 25425, Denver, CO 80225 CONTENTS Page Page Abstract. ___________________________________________ Al Hydrochemical facies Continued Introduction-_____-_--_----________________________ 1 Occurrence of hydrochemical facies Continued Geology--_--____.___________...._________.____.___ 2 Cretaceous sediments..______________________ A15 Relation of salt water to fresh water._________________ 2 Eocene formations.___________________-----_ 22 Factors affecting position of the salt-water body.--. 2 Miocene formations.__--_----__-----_------- 31 Factors affecting occurrence of salt water._________ 9 Spatial distribution and origin of hydrochemical Ground-water flow patterns._________________________ 9 facies_ ______________-___---_-_-__--------__ 37 Hydrochemical facies..._---__--_--___-_-______-_____ 11 Concentration of dissolved solids____________ 37 Definition... _ __________________________________ 11 Cation facies._________-_____--__-_--___ 38 Procedures and mapping techniques.-______--_-___ 14 Anion facies____________________________ 39 Occurrence of hydrochemical facies within strati- Summary and conclusions..__________________________ 40 graphic units.-_----_-_____________________.__ 15 Selected references.________________-___-__--------__ 41 ILLUSTRATIONS PLATE 1. Fence diagrams of the northern part of Atlantic Coastal Plain. _______________-___________---_----_ In pocket FIGURE 1. Index map of part of the northern Atlantic Coastal Plain showing location of cross sections in the fence dia grams. _ -__.-___.___._.___.___..____._.......____.__.__._____-._._._--__.-___-.-----.------. A3 2. Map showing the relation of topography to salt- and fresh-water interfaces.______.____________-------___ 7 3. Map showing general pattern of ground-water flow in the Cretaceous sediments_________________________ 10 4. Sections showing the vertical component of the major ground-water flow._______________________________ 12 5-18. Water-analysis diagrams: 5. Hydrochemical facies, in percent of total equivalents per million_______________________________ 14 6. Cretaceous formations in Virginia__________________________________________________________ 16 7. Mattaponi Formation in Virginia________________________________-__---__-_-_---_------__-_- 18 8. Cretaceous formations in Maryland.________________________________________________________ 20 9. Magothy and Raritan Formations in New Jersey---------.----------------------------------- 22 10. Selected Cretaceous formations in New Jersey. _-________-_-__--__-_-___-_---______---------- 24 11. Englishtown and Vincentown Formations in New Jersey. ___________-_--_---_-___--------_---- 26 12. Eocene formations in Virginia._____________________________________________________________ 28 13. Aquia Greensand in Maryland.____________________________________________________________ 29 14. Selected Eocene formations in Maryland..__________________________________________________ 30 15. Miocene formations in Virginia. ___________________________________________________________ 32 16. Miocene formations in Maryland...__________-_-_.-________________________________________ 33 17. Kirkwood Formation in New Jersey._______________________________________________________ 34 18. Cohansey Sand in New Jersey___-___--____-_.__._._______________----__-_--____---_--_-___ 36 in IV CONTENTS TABLES TABLE 1. Stratigraphic units of the northern part of the Coastal Plain. ______________________________________________ A 4 2. Classification of hydrochemical facies._________________________________________--___-____-----_-___--____ 13 3-15. Analyses of water from 3. Undifferentiated Cretaceous formations in Virginia. ________________________________________________ 17 4. Mattaponi Formation in Virginia...__.___________._______.__---___-_____-_--_--_-_---__-_-------- 19 5. Cretaceous formations in Maryland___________-______--_________________------__-_---------------- 21 6. Magothy and Raritan Formations in New Jersey._____________________-____________--___-_-__------ 23 7. Selected Cretaceous formations in New Jersey. _____________-____________--_-______--------__---.--- 23 8. Englishtown and Vincentown Formations in New Jersey. ___________________________________________ 25 9. Eocene formations in Virginia.._______________________--_-____-_-_______----_-___-----_-_-_-----_ 25 10. Aquia Greensand in Maryland.__________________________________________________________________ 27 11. Selected Eocene formations in Maryland__._.____._________.____--_______--____-____-_-__-__---_-_ 27 12. Miocene formations in Virginia__________________________________--_-______--____--_-.--___---____ 31 13. Miocene formations in Maryland.________________________________________________________________ 35 14. Kirkwood Formation in New Jersey__________________-____________________-__--_-----_---_------- 35 15. Cohansey Sand in New Jersey. _______________________________-______-__--__--__.-----__--_-__-_- 37 HYDROLOGY OF AQUIFER SYSTEMS HYDROCHEMICAL FACIES AND GROUND-WATER FLOW PATTERNS IN NORTHERN PART OF ATLANTIC COASTAL PLAIN By WILLIAM BACK ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION The part of the Atlantic Coastal Plain that extends from New Jersey through Virginia was selected as a suitable field The science of chemical geohydrology in the United model in which to study the relationships between geology, States has for many years received little attention, not hydrology, and chemical character of ground water. The only in comparison with the general field of ground- ground-water flow pattern is the principal hydrologic control water hydrology, but also in comparison with the broad on the chemical character of the water. Within the Coastal field of geochemistry. Of the geochemical cycle of the Plain sediments, the proportions of clay, glauconitic sand, and elements the part that has been studied least is that in calcareous material are the principal lithologic controls over the chemistry of the water. which the circulation of ground water modifies the con A subsurface body of salt water extends from southern New centration and distribution of chemical constituents Jersey through southern Virginia and occupies the deposits within particular environments of the earth's crust. deeper than about 500 feet below land surface in the eastern Most of the interpretative reports prepared in this part of the Coastal Plain. The position of its top is determined country that pertain to the hydrosphere has been re by the relative head, which in turn is influenced by topography, drainage density, and the thickness and permeability of the stricted to the fields of oceanography, potamology, and Coastal Plain sediments. limnology. Hydrochemical facies is a term used in this paper to denote Although the amount of water stored in and circu the diagnostic chemical aspect of ground-water solutions oc lating through the rocks is but a small percentage of the curring in hydrologic systems. The facies reflect the response total water of the earth, it is this water that is largely of chemical processes operating within the lithologic framework and also the pattern of flow of the water. The distribution responsible for both the chemical character and quantity of these facies is shown in trilinear diagrams and isometric of dissolved solids carried to the oceans by streams. fence diagrams and on maps showing isopleths of chemical con This paper and certain succeeding papers in this series stituents within certain formations. The occurrence of the var are concerned with this part of the geochemical cycle. ious facies within one formation or within a group of forma Interest in the geochemistry of ground water has tions of uniform mineralogy indicates that the ground-water been gradually increasing during the past several years. flow through the aquifer system modifies the distribution of the facies. One factor that has contributed to this renewed and in Flow patterns of fresh ground water shown on maps and in creased interest is the realization of the significance of cross sections have been deduced from available water-level ground-water circulation in the occurrence of uranium data. These patterns are controlled by the distribution of the minerals in the Colorado Plateau. Another significant higher landmasses and by the depth to either bedrock or to the factor has been the realization that hydrochemical salt-water interface. The mapping of hydrochemical facies features of a basin may reflect the hydrodynamics of shows that at shallow depths within the Coastal Plain (less than about 200 ft) the calcium-magnesium cation facies gener petroleum accumulation. ally predominates. The bicarbonate anion facies occurs within The primary purpose of the study reported here is to more of the shallow Coastal Plain sediments than