DEPARTMENT OF THE INTEEIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIEECTOE WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 227 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATERS j OF SOUTH DAKOTA ( BY N. H. DARTON i ' WASHINGTON GOVEBNMENT PBINTING OFFICE 1909 CONTENTS. Page. Introduction.............................................................. 7 Geography and topography.................................................. 8 Geology of the Black Hills region............................................ 8 General relations....................................................... 8 Cambrian system....................................................... 10 Deadwood sandstone............................................... 10 Ordovician system..................................................... 11 Whitewood limestone............................................... 11 Carboniferous system................................................... 11 General outline................................................... 11 Englewood limestone............................................... 12 Pahasapa limestone................................................. 12 Minnelusa sandstone................................................ 13 Opeche formation.................................................. 14 Minnekahta limestone............................................. 14 Triassic (?) system..................................................... 15 Spearfish formation................................................. 15 Jurassic system......................................................... 16 Sundance formation............................................... 16 Unkpapa sandstone................................................. 17 Cretaceous system..................................................... 17 Morrison shale..................................................... 17 Lakota sandstone.................................................. 18 Minnewaste limestone.............................................. 18 Fuson formation.................................................... 19 Dakota sandstone............. .................................... 20 Benton group...............................'...................... 20 Graneros shale................................................ 20 Greenhorn limestone........................................... 21 Carlile shale.................................................. 21 Niobrara formation....'............................................ 22 Pierre shale........................................................ 22 Fox Hills'sandstone............................... ^................ 24 Tertiary system....................................................... 24 White River group................................................. 24 Geology of south-central South Dakota....................:.................. 26 General relations....................................................... 26 Tertiary deposits....................................................... 26 Geology of northwestern South Dakota..................................... 1. 27 General outline...............................................^ ......... 27 Fort Union, Laramie (?), and Fox Hills formations....................... 28 Post-Eocene..........'................................................ 31 Geology of eastern South Dakota........................................... 32 General structure....................................................... 32 Archean and Algonkian rocks........................................... 33 Paleozoic to Jurassic................................................... 40 3 4 CONTENTS. Geology of eastern South Dakota Continued. Page. Cretaceous system..................................................... 41 Dakota sandstone.................................................. 41 Benton group..................................................... 48 Niobrara formation................................................ 53 Pierre shale........................................................ 56 Fox Hills sandstone.....:.......................................... 58 Tertiary deposits. .................................................... 58 Quaternary deposits................................................... 58 Underground waters........................................."............... 59 General conditions.................................................... 59 Water horizons........................................................ 61 Dakota and associated sandstones................................... 61 Sandstones of the Benton group..................................... 62 Minnelusa sandstone.............................................. 62 Fox Hills and overlying sandstones................................. 63 Deadwood sandstone............................................... 63 ,Chadron formation................................................. 63 Deep wells and well prospects in South Dakota.......................... 64 Introductory statement. .......................................... 64 Aurora County. .................................................. 65 Beadle County.................................................... 68 Bonhomme County............................................... 69 Brookings County.^............................................... 72 Brown County..................................................... 72 Brule County.......................................... '. .......... 74 Buffalo County................................................... 75 Butte County. ................................................... 76 Belle Fourche and vicinity.................................... 78 United States Reclamation Service............................ 79 Orman well................................................... 80 Chambers ranch. ............................................. 81 Vale......................................................... 81 Campbell County.....'............................................. 81 Charles Mix County.........:...................................... 82 Cheyenne Indian Reservation..................................... 84 Clark County..................................................... 85 Raymond..................................................... 85 Clark. ..........................:............................ 86 Clay County...................................................... 86 Codington County................................................. 87 Custer County..................................................... 87 Davidson County................................................. 89 Day County....................................................... 90 Andover..................................................... 91 Pierpoint. ................................................... 91 Webster....................................................... 91 Deuel County. ................................................... 92 Douglas County. ................................................. 92 Edmunds County................................................. 92 Fall River County................................................ 94 Edgemont..................................................... 95 Minnekahta................................................... 99 Ardmore...................................................... 100 CONTENTS. 5 Underground waters Continued. Page. Deep wells and well prospects in South Dakota Continued. Fall River County Continued. Argentine.................................................... 100 Hot Springs................................................... 101 Faulk County. ................................................... 101 Grant County...................................................... 102 Gregory County................................................... 103 Hamlin County................................................... 104 Hand County...................................................... 104 Hanson County.................................................... 106 Hughes County.................................................... 108 Hutchinson County................................................ 109 Hyde County..........................!........................... Ill Jerauld County.................................................... 112 Kingsbury County................................................ 113 Lake County..................................................... 117 Lawrence County.................................................. 118 Lincoln County.................................................... 118 Lyman County..................................................... 119 Wells opposite Chamberlain.................................... 119 McClure well................................................. 120 Capa......................................................... 120 Kennebec.....................................................'. 121 Vivian....................................................... 121 Draper....................................................... 121 Murdo McKenzie............................................. 121 McCook County................................................... 122 McPherson County................................................. 122 Marshall County.................................................. 123 Meade County..................................................... 124 Wells north of Sturgis.......................................... 124 Fort Meade.................................................... 125 Miner County...................................................... 126 Minnehaha County................................................