Water-supplyTTT j. o i andj IrrigationT A- PaperT) No.AT 159icn Seriesc |f B.0| UnderDescriptiveJ,ound Geology. ^tln, 90 56 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLCHiirAL SURVEY CHARLES D. WALCOTT,'DIRECTOR fci U M M A R TT OF THE UNDERGROUND - WATER RESOURCES OF MISSISSIPPI BY A. F. CRIDER and L. C. JOHNSON WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT POINTING OFFICE 1 0 0 6 CONTENTS. Pag-e. Introduction....................................--...---..--.....--------..- 1 General water conditions in Mississippi..................................... 1 Field work.............................................................. 1 Geography. ................................................................ 2 Topography................................................................. 2 Tennessee River hills................................................ ..... 2 Tombigbee Valley or Northeast Prairie..................................... 2 North-central plateau.................................................... 2 Yazoo Delta............................................................ 3 Jackson prairies......................................................... 3 Long-leaf-pine hills...................................................... 3 General geology............................................................. 4 Stratigraphy............................................................ 4 Description of formations................................................. 6 Devonian........................................................... 6 Carboniferous....................................................... 6 Cretaceous.......................................................... 6 Tuscaloosa formation............................................. 6 Eutaw formation................................................ 7 Selma chalk..................................................... 7 Ripley formation................................................ 8 Tertiary............................................................ 8 Midway group................................................... 8 Clayton limestone............................................ 8 Porters Creek clay........................................... 8 Wilcox formation................................................ 9 Claiborne group................................................. 9 Tallahatta buhrstone......................................... 9 Lisbon formation............................................ 10 Jackson formation............................................... 10 Vicksburg limestone.............................................. 11 Pascagoula formation............................................ 11 Grand Gulf formation............................................ 11 Lafayette formation.............................................. 12 Quaternary......................................................... 13 Port Hudson formation........................................... 13 Fossiliferous loess................................................ 13 Yellow loam.................................................... 13 Recent alluvium................................................. 13 Underground-water resources.................................................. 14 Source of underground waters............................................. 14 Rainfall............................................................ 14 Disposal of rainfall................................................... 15 IV CONTENTS. Underground-water resources Continued. Page. Depth of penetration of water............................................. 15 Capacity of materials to hold water........................................ 16 Rate of percolation...................................................... 16 Ground-water divisions................................................... 16 Ground-water table...................................................... 16 Recovery of underground waters........................................... 17 Shallow waters...................................................... 17 Deep-seated waters.................................................. 17 Artesian requisites....................................................... 17 Special conditions in Coastal Plain formations............................... 18 Underground-water horizons of Mississippi-................................. 19 Tuscaloosa-Eutaw horizon.......................................... 20 Catchment area................................................. 20 Upper confining stratum ......................................... 21 Inclination of the beds............................................ 21 Area of available artesian water................................... 21 Ripley horizon...................................................... 21 Catchment area................................................. 22 Upper confining stratum.......................................... 22 Dip of the water-bearing stratum.................................. 22 Area of available artesian water................................... 22 Wilcox horizon...................................................... 22 Catchment area................................................. 22 Upper confining stratum.......................................... 22 Dip of the water-bearing stratum.................................. 23 Area of available artesian water................................... 23 Claiborne horizon.................................................... 23 Catchment area................................................. 23 Upper confining stratum.......................................... 24 Dip of the water-bearing stratum.................................. 24 Area of available artesian water................................... 24 Pascagoula horizon................................................... 24 Grand Gulf horizon.................................................. 24 Catchment area................................................. 25 Upper confining stratum.......................................... 25 Dip of the water-bearing stratum.................................. 25 Area of available artesian water................................... 25 Lafayette horizon.................................................... 26 Catchment area................................................. 26 Upper confining stratum.......................................... 26 Dip of the water-bearing stratum.................................. 27 Area of available artesian water................................... 27 Notes on wells of Mississippi, by counties................................... 27 Adams County...................................................... 27 Alcorn County....................................................... 27 Amite County....................................................... 27 Attala County....................................................... 27 Benton County..........................-..........--..---.-.-.--.-. 27 Bolivar County...................................................... 28 Calhoun County..................................................... 28 Cat-roll County...................................................... 28 Chickasaw County --------------------------------------------------- 28 Choctaw County..................................................... 28 CONTENTS. V Underground-water resources Continued. Fage Notes on wells of Mississippi, by counties Continued. Claiborne County. ................ 28 Clarke County................................................... 28 Clay County.................................................... 29 Coahoma County.................. 29 Copiah County...._................_. ........................... .. 29 Covington County............. 30 De Soto County.. .............. ........ .............. 30 Franklin County.................................................. 30 Greene County...... 30 Grenada County. 30 Hancock County. ...... 30 Harrison County. ...... .................. 31 Hinds County. ............ 31 Holmes County.............. 31 Issaquena County. ............... 32 Itawamba County.......... 32 Jackson County..................................................... 32 Jasper County. ........ 32 Jefl'ersun County. ..... ............... 32 Jones County....... 32 Kemper County ..... 32 Lafayette County................................................. 32 Lamar County . ... .... 33 Lauderdale County.................................................. 33 Lawrence County.. 33 Leake County..................................................... 33 Lee County........................................................ 33 Leflore County .. ... 34 Lincoln County................ 34 Lowndes County. ..... 34 Madison County. ........ 34 Marion County. ... 35 Marshall County. 35 Monroe County. .............. 35 Montgomery County ......... 35 Neshoba County...................... 35 Newton County .... .. 36 Noxuhee County............. 36 Oktibheha County.................................................. 36 Panola County...................... 36 Pearl River County.................................................. 36 Perry County....................................................... 36 Pike County........................................................ 36 Pontotoc County.................................................... 37 Prentiss County..................................................... 37 Quit man County.................................................... 37 Rankin County...................................................... 37 Scott County.......................................................