filemphis General Depot, U. S. Army ^ ^Memphis 2, Tennessee PLEASE DO NOT DESTROY OB THROW AWAY THIS PUBLICATION. If yon hare no further OM for it, write to the Geological Surrey at Washington and ask for a frank to return it UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GROUND WATER IN SOUTH-CENTRAL TENNESSEE Prepared in cooperation with the TENNESSEE DIVISION OF GEOLOGY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 677 Please do not destroy or throw away this publication. If you have no further use for it write to the Geological Survey at Washington and ask for a frank to return it UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Harold L. Ickes, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. C. Mendenhall, Director Water-Supply Paper 677 GROUND WATER IN SOUTH-CENTRAL TENNESSEE BY CHARLES V. THEIS Prepared in cooperation with the TENNESSEE DIVISION OF GEOLOGY UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1936 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. Price 50 cents (Paper cover) CONTENTS . Page Abstract 1 Introduction_______._-_-_--____ ___ ---- - 2 Climate..-.-..- __- _ 3 General features________--___-----------_--------------------- 3 Temperature. ___ ___________ __ _______ _______ 4 Precipitation_____- _. __ _ -_ -____--_ ____ 4 Ground-water supply in 1930 compared with that of other drought years__________ _________ __ ___ ______ 5 Geomorphology 8 Subdivisions _________ ___ _ _____ 8 Nashville Basin________ ______ ____________ _ 9 Boundaries. ____________________________________________ 9 Stratigraphy 11 General physical features. __ _________ ____ 11 Streams_____________________________ 12 Adjustment of drainage to structure.- _____ _ 13 Geomorphic divisions of Nashville Basin. __ 13 Comparison with Lexington Plain __________ _____________ 14 Highland Him remnants..______________________________ 15 Highland Rim plateau _ _________ ___________ _____ 15 Boundaries.. ___ ___ ___ ______ _______ 15 Stratigraphy 16 General physical features . _ ___ _________ ____ 16 Streams____________________________________ 17 Adjustment of drainage to structure _ 18 Geomorphic types.. _____ _ ___ _ 18 Cumberland Plateau____________________________ 20 Geomorphic history..._________________ _________ 20 :Stratigraphic synopsis and columnar section _ _____ _______ 26 Ground water._________________________________________ 32 Source_____________ _ _ _ . __ 32 Types of openings in which water is found...________________ 33 Circulation of ground water_____ ____ _ __ 36 Development of underground drainage in limestone ______ _ ____ 41 The solution cycle 43 Interrelation with surface drainage.-..________________ 45 Quality of water...___ _________________________ 46 General features.._______________ ______________ 46 Relation between quality of water and stratigraphy and geomor- phology _ _. __ 48 The strata and their water-bearing properties_______________ 52 Quaternary system _ ________________________ 52 Flood-plain alluvium _ _.._____._____ __.. 52 Quaternary (?) system.. __ .________ ____ 52 Terrace deposits.. _ __ 52 in IV CONTENTS The strata and their water-bearing properties Continued. Page Cretaceous system._ _____ 53 Upper Cretaceous series ________ ____ _____________ 53 Eutaw formation________ _ __ ______________ 53 Tuscaloosa formation___________ ___________________ 54 Carboniferous system ___________________________________ __ 55 Pennsylvanian series. ___________________________ __ 55 Whit\yell shale______________________________________ 55 Sewanee conglomerate__ _____________________________ 55 Gizzard formation_____ ________________ _______ 56 Mississippian series. ____________________________________ 57 Formations of the Cumberland Escarpment ______________ 57 General section________________________-__________ 57 Pennington shale________________________________ 59 Bangor limestone (restricted)_______________________ 59 Hartselle sandstone (restricted)_____________________ 60 Golconda (?) shale_______ ._ _ .--_. __ 60 Gasper formation_________________________________ 60 Ste. Genevieve limestone___-_---_--_-_-_-_--____-_- 60 Formations of the Highland Rim ___________________ 61 St. Louis limestone___-----__-____-_______________ 61 Warsaw formation_____-___________________-______ 62 Fort Payne chert_____--_---_--____-_--____-___ 64 Ridgetop shale______--_-_-----_--_------_-_--__-__ 64 Carboniferous or Devonian system__------_---_-_-_---__--___-_- 67 Chattanooga shale_______-___-__--___-------_---_---_-_-__ 67 Devonian system_______________--___--_--_____-___-_-_-______ 68 Pegram limestone------__-__----__-----------_--_---_-_-_- 68 Camden chert___________-__--__--_--__-_-_-----_---_____- 68 Harriman chert____---___----------_--_-_-----_-___----__- 69 Quail limestone__-_-___-_-___--_----_---_-_-_----__-_-_--- 69 Decaturville chert_______________________________________ 69 Birdsong shale__-____-___-__----_---------_--__-----_-_-__ 69 Olive Hill formation__________________-___-____--_-_____-__ 70 Silurian system._ ____________ _ __ 70 Decatur limestone_______________________________________ 70 Brownsport formation______________________.___-__________ 71 Wayne formation______________________________-___-______ 72 Brassfield limestone____-_--_-----______---__------___ __ 73 Ordovician system.______-___________---_-_ ________________ 73 Fernvale formation__--___-___-___--_----_---------_-______ 73 Arnheim limestone___-_---_-_--__-_----------_----_-_-_-__ 73 Leipers limestone________-___-_________-_--_------_-______ 74 Catheys limestone____-_-_________-_-___--_--_---_-_-_-___- 74 Cannon limestone__---____-____-_--_-------------_-------- 74 Bigby limestone_______________________________ ______ 75 Hermitage formation_______________________--__-_-_-______ 77 Lowville limestone._____--_______-__----_-----_---_-__--_- 77 Lebanon limestone___-_-_--__--__-_-----_---------_-_-_-_ 79 Ridley limestone-__---_-___-_---_-------_-----_-_-_-_-___- 79 Rocks not exposed___________-_______-_-----__--__________ 79 Water-bearing properties of the Ordovician rocks.____________ 80 CONTENTS V Page County descriptions.__ ________________________________________ 81 Scope_______________ ___ _ - 81 Bedford County____________________ 82 Franklin County.. ________ 92 Giles County____._ ___-._-_--_-_ -___- --- 100 Hickman County_____-_______---___-_--_-_- ___________ ___ 109 Lawrence County___-_-____________-___-_____--_--------- 117 Lewis County.____-_____-____-___---____-_____-______-_--_-__ 125 Lincoln County. ______________________________ ___--__ 131 Marshall County______________________. _ 138 Maury County_--__---__-__-_- ___________________ ______ 145 Moore County________--__--_--___-__-_--_-__-___________ __ 155 Perry County_______________________________________ __ 159 Wayne County.._________________________ __ 167 ____________._____-_____-_..-_-_--_-_-_-_-_-__-___ _-- 179 ILLUSTRATIONS Page PLATE 1. Geologic map of south-central Tennessee._______________ In pocket 2. Map of south-central Tennessee showing the location of wells and springs mentioned in this report._______________ In pocket 3. Map of the drainage basin of the Tennessee River and surround­ ing region, showing progress of ground-water surveys_______ 2 4. Map of Tennessee showing geomorphic districts ______________ 2 5. Discharge of Huntsville Spring, Ala., and precipitation at Madi­ son, about 9 miles west______-__--______-_-___ ______ 34 6. A, Dry solution passage in Ridgetop shale; B, Horses of unaltered Bigby limestone and cutters from which the residual phosphate rock has been taken_____.________--_____________-___ 50 7. A, Outlet of underground stream breached by surface erosion; B, Inlet of underground stream breached by surface erosion__ 51 FIGURE 1. Hypothetical system of underground channels to account for the behavior of Bigby Spring______________________________ 41 2. Topography near Pleasantville showing capture of Sinking Creek by undergound drainage__-----_________--____-___ 46 GBOUND WATEE IN SOUTH-CENTBAL TENNESSEE By CHARLES V. ABSTRACT This paper describes the characteristics of the ground water in an area lying la the south half of Tennessee, extending from tie west front of the Cumberland Plateau westward to the lower course of the T nnessee River and embracing 12 counties. The geology of the region is sketchec as a background for the ground- water data. This area includes a small portion of the Cumberland Plateau, the south half of the Highland Rim plateau in Tennessee, an the south half of the Nashville Basin. The Cumberland Plateau in this area i s a well-preserved uplifted pene- plain at an altitude of about 2,000 feet; the Hig iland Rim plateau is another up- lifted peneplain at an altitude of about 1,000 feel , very well preserved and scarcely broken by dissection except on its inner edg< and near the Tennessee River; the Nashville Basin, a third somewhat uplifted peneplain at an altitude of about 700 feet, is more rolling in this area than the other two The exposed strata range in age from Lower Ordovician to Quaternary. The Paleozoic strata are predominantly limestone and are the surface rocks over moat of the area. Cretaceous gravel and sand overlap from the west and south and cover a small portion of the southwestern part of the area. Terrace and flood- plain deposits of later age occur along the is. The Paleozoic strata are well exposed and express a long period of greatly int irrupted sedimentation. A thick mantle of residual cherty clay covers most of the Highland Rim plateau in this area. In the extreme western and eastern portions of the area ground water occurs in