Hydrogeology of the Cambrian-Ordovician Aquifer System in the Northern Midwest, United States
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,-----r~'t ~ '"'-v--'1_ I ,,.."\.__, /'\ \ ,.._,- l~...-"'\._,- ~ MINNESOTA ' I / "-' MICHIGAN ( ___ ,___ ) ' \ '' \ INDIANA \ ILLINOIS ~\ \.. ) ~) I ..- ~r ,. .. r'-( ~ .... 1-....1 l /J MISSOURI ~ - j J ~--------------..I ..$--' /_I' U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 1405-B .Hydrogeology of the Cambrian-Ordovician Aquifer System in the Northern Midwest, United States By H.L. YOUNG With a section on GROUND-WATER QUALITY By D.I. SIEGEL REGIONAL AQUIFER SYSTEM ANALYSIS-NORTHERN MIDWEST U.S·. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 1405-B UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON 1992 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MANUEL LUJAN, JR., Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Young, H.L. Hydrogeology of the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system in the northern midwest, United States I by H.L. Young ; with a section on ground-water quality by D.l. Siegel p. em. -(Regional aquifer-system analysis-northern midwest) (U.S. Geological Survey professional paper ; 1405-B) (Regional aquifer-system analysis-northern midwest aquifer system.) ' Includes bibliographical references. Supt. of Docs. no.: I 19.16:1405-B 1. Water, Underground-Middle West. 2. Aquifers-MiddlE: West. 3. Geology, Stratigraphic-Cambrian. 4. Geology, Stratigraphic-Ordovician. I. Title. II. Series. Ill. Series: Regional aquifer-system analysis-northern midwest aquifer system. GB1017.Y67 1992 91-30254 551.49'0977-dc20 CIP For sale by Books and Open-File Reports, U.S. Geological Survey, Federal Center, Box 25286, Denver, CO 80225 FOREWORD THE REGIONAL AQUIFER-SYSTEM ANALYSIS PROGRAM The Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA) Program was started in 1978 following a congressional mandate to develop quantitative appraisals of the major ground-water systems of the United States. The RASA Program represents a systematic effort to study a number of the Nation's most important aquifer systems, which in aggregate underlie much of the country and which represent an important component of the Nation's total water supply. In general, the boundaries of these studies are identified by the hydrologic extent of each system and accordingly transcend the political subdivisions to which investigations have often arbitrarily been limited in the past. The broad objective for each study is to assemble geologic, hydrologic, and geochemical information, to analyze and develop an understanding of the system, and to develop predictive capabilities that will contribute to the effective management of the system. The use of computer simulation is an important element of the RASA studies, both to develop an understanding of the natural, undisturbed hydrologic system and the changes brought about in it by human activities, and to provide a means of predicting the regional effects of future pumping or other stresses. The final interpretive results of the RASA Program are presented in a series of U.S. Geological Survey Professional Papers that describe the geology, hydrology, and geochemistry of each regional aquifer system. Each study within the RASA Program is assigned a single Professional Paper number, and where the volume of interpretive material warrants, ·separate topical chapters that consider the principal elements of the investigation may be published. The series of RASA interpretive reports begins with Professional Paper 1400 and thereafter will continue in numerical sequence as the interpre- tive products of subsequent stu~ "7. ~ Dallas L. Peck Director CONTENTS Page Page Abstract------------------------------------------------------------------------ B1 Geologic framework-Continued Introd ucti on ------------------------------------------------------------------ 2 Paleozoic rocks-Continued Background-------------------------------------------------------------- 2 Silurian System------------------------------------------------- B32 Purpose and scope -:--------------------------------------------------- 3 Devonian System ----------------------------------------------- 34 Study area --------------------------------------------------------------- 3 Mississippian System----------------------------------------- 34 Method of investigation-------------------------------------------- 3 Pennsy1 vanian System ---------------------------------------- 36 Previous investigations --------------------------------------------- 5 Permian System ------------------------------------------------ 37 Acknowledgments ----------------------------------------------------- 5 Mesozoic rocks -------------------------------------------------------- 37 Physical setting ------------------------------------------------------------- 6 Cenozoic rocks ---------------------------------------------------------- 37 Geologic framework -------------------------------------------------------- 6 Quaternary System-------------------------------------------- 37 Geologic setting ------------------------------------------------------- 6 Pleistocene Series ---------------------------------------- 37 Precambrian rocks --------------------------------------------------- 7 Holocene Series ------------------------------------------- 39 Paleozoic rocks --------------------------------------------------------- 11 Ground-water hydrology-------------------------------------------------- 39 Cyclic deposition ------------------------------------------------ 11 Aquifers and confining units-------------------------------------- 39 Cambrian System ----------------------------------------------- 13 Drift aquifer ------------------------------------------------------ 42 Mount Simon and Lamotte Sandstones ---------- 13 Cretaceous aquifer--------------------------------------------- 42 . Eau Claire and Bonneterre Formations --------- 16 Pennsylvanian-Mississippian-Devonian confining Galesville and Ironton Sandstones ---------------- 19 unit ------------------------------------------------------------- 43 Franconia Formation and equivalents ----------- 19 Silurian-Devonian aquifer ---------------------------------- 43 St. Lawrence Formation and equivalents ------- 21 Maquoketa confining unit ---------------------------------- 44 Jordan Sandstone and Eminence Dolomite ----- 22 St. Peter-Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer ----------- 45 Ordovician System--------------------------------------------- 24 St. Lawrence-Franconia confining unit ---------------- 47 Lower Ordovician Series ------------------------------ 24 Ironton -Galesville aquifer ----------------------------------- 47 Oneota and Gasconade Dolomites ----------- 24 Eau Claire confining unit----------------------------------- 52 Shakopee Formation and equivalents ------- 26 Mount Simon aquifer ------------------------------------------ 53 Middle Ordovician Series ----------------------------- 26 Ground-water flow system---------------------------------------- 54 Pre-St. Peter Sandstone unconformity ----- 27 Withdrawal of ground water and its effects --------------- 67 Everton Dolomite ---------------------------------- 27 Areal utilization of aquifers-------------------------------- 68 St. Peter Sandstone ~------------------------------ 27 Changes in hydraulic head due to development---- 72 Glenwood Formation------------------------------ 29 Development in the Chicago-Milwaukee area-------- 72 Dutchtown Limestone ---------------------------- 29 Ground-water quality, by D.l. Siegel ------------------------------- 74 Joachim Dolomite ---------------------------------- 29 Dissolved solids ------------------------------------------------------- 76 Platteville Formation ----------------------------- 29 Effects of Pleistocene glaciation --------------------------------- 76 Plattin Formation---------------------------------- 30 Major so1 u te s ----------------------------------------------------------- 79 Decorah Formation -------------------------------- 30 Hydrochemical· classification------------------------------------- 82 Galena Dolomite and Kimmswick Representative water quality------------------------------------- 84 Formation ---------------------------------------- 30 Potability---------------------------------------------------------------- 84 Upper Ordovician Series ------------------------------ 30 Summary ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 87 Maquoketa Shale ------------------------------------ 30 Selected references --------------------------------------------------------- 93 ILLUSTRATIONS PLATE 1. Map showing generalized bedrock geology of the northern Midwest and geologic section from the Ozark uplift to the Wisconsin arch-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In pocket FIGURES 1-3. Maps of the northern Midwest showing: Page 1. Location and general features of the Northern Midwest Regional Aquifer-System Analysis area ------------ B4 2. Average annual precipitation, 1951-80 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 3. Extent of major glaciations during the Pleistocene Epoch -------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 v VI CONTENTS Page 4. Chart listing general lithology of rock units in the northern Midwest -------------------------------------------------------------- B9 5. Map showing the altitude of the Precambrian basement surface ---------------------------------------------------------------------