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H. L. Young

Publications and source records attributed to H. L. Young.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1992

Summary of ground-water hydrology of the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system in the northern Midwest, United States

The Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system contains very productive aquifers throughout an area of about 161,000 square miles in the northern Midwest. The aquifer system is used extensively for industrial and rural water supplies and is the primary source of water for many municipalities in most of its area of occurrence, except in Indiana, central and southern Illinois, and western Iowa, where the aquifer system contains saline water. About 680 million gallons per day was withdrawn from drilled wells in the aquifer system in 1980. Rocks of Cambrian and Ordovician age, mainly marine sandstones and carbonate rocks, constitute most of the bedrock and subcrop beneath glacial drift in southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa, Wisconsin, northern Illinois, and extreme northwestern Indiana. These strata dip generally to the south and east off the Transcontinental arch in Minnesota and the Wisconsin arch, which are structurally high areas of the Precambrian basement, into the structural lows of the Forest City basin of southwestern Iowa, the Illinois basin, and the Michigan basin. The Cambrian and Ordovician rocks are buried by younger rocks in the remainder of Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana and in most of northern Missouri. Silurian and Devonian carbonate rocks immediately overlie the Cambrian and Ordovician rocks in those areas and are termed the "Silurian-Devonian aquifer" in this study. The balance of the Devonian rocks and the overlying Mississippian and Pennsylvanian rocks generally are fine-grained sediment or dense carbonate rocks and collectively are considered to be a regional confining unit. Most of the area is covered by a veneer of glacial drift, which, along with Cretaceous sandstone in northwestern Iowa, is treated as a regional water-table aquifer. The Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system is composed of six hydrogeologic units, which are, in descending order, the Maquoketa confining unit, St. Peter-Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer, St. Lawrence- Franconia confining unit, Ironton-Galesville aquifer, Eau Claire confining unit, and Mount Simon aquifer. The uppermost confining unit is the least permeable; it consists primarily of the Maquoketa Shale but includes the dense carbonate rocks of the Galena Dolomite and the Decorah, Platteville, and Glenwood Formations where they are overlain by the Maquoketa Shale. The presence of the Maquoketa in Iowa, eastern Wisconsin, northeastern Illinois, and Indiana effectively confines the entire aquifer system below. The aquifer system is a leaky-artesian system in which movement of ground water is controlled partly by the internal confining units. In the northern outcrop area, unconfined conditions prevail in shallow parts of the aquifer system and where the system is thin. Much of the recharge in upland areas discharges to streams through local flow systems, which are no more than a few miles in length. The remainder of the recharge moves slowly downward to deeper formations and downgradient to form or join the regional flow system. Computer simulations of regional ground-water flow improve understanding of the regional character of the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system. Ground-water flow in the confined part of the aquifer system is mainly horizontal, away from the structural highs in the north, toward the structural basins in the south and east. The rate of ground-water movement is very slow, and the flux along flow paths into the basins decreases because of a progressive loss of head and small but widespread upward leakage. Saline water in the basins restricts movement of freshwater into the deeper parts of the basins, thereby forcing flow upward through confining units. Principal regional discharge areas are the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, the Illinois and Michigan structural basins, and Lake Michigan. However, the lake is not in direct hydraulic connection with the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system and receives flow primarily from the Silurian-Devonian aquifer, which it directly overlies. The longest regional flow paths originate in recharge areas in northwestern Iowa and extend southeastward as much as 400 miles toward the Illinois basin. Simulated predevelopment recharge and discharge for the Cambrian- Ordovician aquifer system balance at 351 million gallons per day. Development of the aquifer system began in various parts of the northern Midwest in the 1860's and 1870's with the drilling of deep, generally flowing artesian wells near Lake Michigan in eastern Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois and along the valleys of the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Initial heads of 186 and 130 feet above Lake Michigan at Milwaukee and Chicago, respectively, have been reported. Large-scale pumping has produced cones of depression in these two areas, with respective head declines of as much as 375 and 900 feet. Other major pumping centers generally have had much smaller declines. The largest withdrawals from the aquifer system were about 180 million gallons per day in each of the major metropolitan areas of Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul (Twin Cities). However, the total decline in head in the St. Peter-Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer in the Twin Cities by 1980 was only 90 feet because the aquifer is unconfined. Most of the eastern two-thirds of Iowa, where the aquifer system is tightly confined, is characterized by more than 50 feet of head decline, with 200 feet or more at Mason City and the Quad Cities. Pumpage from the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system throughout the study area averaged 683 million gallons per day for the period 1976-80. Results of a transient-model simulation show that recharge increased over predevelopment recharge by 447 million gallons per day. Natural discharge decreased by 99 million gallons per day, and 137 million gallons per day was released from aquifer storage. Mineralization of ground water in the aquifer system increases from slightly mineralized calcium magnesium bicarbonate water in the northern recharge areas, through more mineralized, mixed water types with increased sodium and sulfate, to highly mineralized sodium chloride brines in the deeper parts of the structural basins.

Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Miss↗
USGS1987

Hydrogeology of the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system at a test well in northeastern Illinois

A 3,475-ft-deep test well was drilled in northeastern Illinois near Lake Michigan and the Illinois-Wisconsin State line as part of a regional hydrologic study of the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer. The well penetrates the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system and 40 ft of Precambrian granite. From oldest to youngest the aquifer system consists of the lower Mount Simon aquifer, Mount Simon confining unit, Elmhurst-Mount Simon aquifer, Eau Claire confining unit, Ironton-Galesville aquifer, Franconia confining unit, St. Peter aquifer, and an upper confining unit composed of the Glenwood Formation, Galena Dolomite and Platteville Limestone, and Maquoketa Shale. Aquifer tests were performed on hydrogeologic units that were isolated with inflatable packers. Results indicate that the Ironton-Galesville aquifer has the highest hydraulic conductivity - 10 ft/day. The St. Peter and Elmhurst-Mount Simon aquifers have hydraulic conductivities of 1.8 and 1.5 ft/day, respectively. The Mount Simon confining bed has a hydraulic conductivity of 1.3 ft/day. The Mount Simon confining unit confines saline water present in the lower Mount Simon aquifer. The dissolved solids concentration in water from this aquifer is > than 55,000 mg/L, and the head is at least 50 ft higher than heads in any of the overlying Cambrian and Ordovician aquifers. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1980

Ground-water resources and geology of Washington and Ozaukee Counties, Wisconsin

Population growth is placing increased demands on water supplies in Washington and Ozaukee Counties. Water from three principal aquifers supplies most municipal, industrial, irrigation, residential, and farm water needs in these counties. These are the sand-and-gravel, Niagara, and sandstone aquifers. As much as 15 gallons per minute can be obtained from wells almost everywhere in these counties. Yields of 500 to 1,000 gallons per minute are available from the sand-and-gravel aquifer in parts of Washington County. The Niagara aquifer underlies most of the area and can yield as much as 500 gallons per minute in most of Ozaukee and eastern Washington Counties. It yields less than 100 gallons per minute in some areas, notably eastern Mequon in Ozaukee County and parts of western Washington County. The sandstone aquifer underlies the entire area and generally can yield more than 1,000 gallons per minute to wells. However, yields of less than 500 gallons per minute are common in southwestern Washington County, where the aquifer is thinnest.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1974

Water resources of Wisconsin--Lake Superior basin

This report describes the physical environment, availability, distribution, movement, quality, and use of water in the upper Wisconsin River basin as an aid in planning and water management. The report presents general information on the basin derived from data obtained from Federal, State, and local agencies, New field data were collected in areas where information was lacking. More detailed studies of problem areas may be required in the future, as water needs and related development increase. The upper Wisconsin River basin is the headwaters of the Wisconsin River drainage and includes about 2,730 square miles in northern Wisconsin (upstream from the gage on the Wisconsin River at Merrill). An additional 50 square miles of the basin lies in Michigan and is not covered by this report. The report area includes parts of Forest, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Oneida, Price, Taylor, and Vilas Counties, Many organizations and persons assisted the study by providing data. Among the contributors were the University of Wisconsin-Extension, Geological and Natural History Survey, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Valley Improvement Company, Municipal water officials furnished water-supply information and well records, Many individuals allowed access to their wells for water-level measurements and collection of water samples for chemical analysis.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1973

Petrography and stratigraphy of glacial drift, Mesabi-Vermilion Iron Range area, northeastern Minnesota

Glacial deposits in the Mesabi-Vermilion Iron Range area consist of four major till units and associated glaciofluvial sediments. Particle-size data and pebble, heavy-mineral, clay-mineral, and percentage-soluble content were used in addition to field description of color and texture to describe and correlate the drift units. The lowermost till unit, basal till, occurs in only a small number of mines, but the mines are scattered across the entire Iron Range. The till is dark gray to dark greenish gray and brownish gray, sandy, silty, and calcareous. Pebbles are largely granitic and metamorphic rocks of local origin, but include limestone, dolomite, shale, basalt, felsite, agate, and gabbro. Clay-mineral content is largely illite. The age of the till is probably middle or early Wisconsin but could be pre-Wisconsin. The middle till unit, bouldery till, is the thickest and most widespread of the four tills. It is gray, yellow, red, orange, or brown, sandy, silty, noncalcareous and contains abundant cobbles and boulders. Pebbles are largely granitic and metamorphic rocks of local origin, but also include gabbro, basalt, and felsite in minor amounts. Montmorillonite is the most common clay mineral. Colored bouldery till below gray bouldery till may be a separate subunit distinguished largely on particle-size differences, but the overall characteristics are similar to the other bouldery till. The till was deposited by the Rainy lobe, which has a minimum age of 14,000 to 16,000 years before present. The uppermost, or surficial, tills were deposited contemporaneously by two minor sublobes of the Des Moines lobe about 12,000 years ago. Brown silty till occurs in the western and north-central part of the study area. It is light to medium brown, sandy, silty, and calcareous. Pebbles are largely granitic and metamorphic rocks of local origin, but include limestone, dolomite, shale, basalt, felsite, and gabbro. Clay-mineral content is largely mixed-layered montmorillonite and illite. Red clayey till occurs in the south-central part of the area. It is red to reddish brown, clayey, silty, and calcareous. Pebbles are similar to those in the brown silty till, but contain less limestone than the brown till. Glaciofluvial sediments are common between the various till units throughout the area, but are thickest near the east and near the west ends of the Iron Range.

Minnesota↗
USGS1965

Ground and surface water in the Mesabi and Vermilion Iron Range area, northeastern Minnesota

Within the Mesabi-Vermilion Iron Range area, water of good quality is available from the Biwabik Iron-Formation, from stratified drift, and from lakes and streams. About 700 bgy (billion gallons a year) leaves the area as surface water, of which about one-third comes from ground water. Leached, oxidized, and fractured parts of the Biwabik Iron-Formation yield as much as 1,000 gpm (gallons per minute) to wells. Much of the permeable stratified drift within the area underlies the Ice-Contact region and the Horainal and Ice-Contact region, and several wells drilled in drift have been pumped at rates of more than 1,000 gpm. Parts of three major drainage basins lie within the area, and lakes compose about 5 percent of the area. Low-flow and flood-frequency data have been compiled for many of the streams. Large quantities of surface water are available from the Border-Lakes region and the Morainal and Ice-Contact region. The quality of ground water from the Biwabik Iron-Formation and from the drift is similar. The water is generally moderately siliceous, hard or very hard, and contains much iron and manganese. Surface water is generally soft, contains much iron, and is highly colored. Large uses of water in the area include: taconite processing (50 bgy), wash-ore processing (19 bgy), power plants (63 bgy), municipal water supplies (3 bgy) and paper processing (1 bgy). Optimum development of the water resources might be achieved by using streamflow in the spring and stunner and ground-water and surface-water storage in the fall and winter.

Minnesota↗
USGS1965

Water resources in the vicinity of municipalities on the western Mesabi Iron Range, northeastern Minnesota

Additional supplies of water are available near the municipalities on the western Mesabi Iron Range. Potential yields from both ground-water and surface-water sources are good. The most productive aquifers for ground-water supplies are the Biwabik Iron-Formation and the stratified glacial drift. Areas of stratified drift believed to have good water potential have been outlined. The most abundant surface-water supplies in the area of this report are from the Mississippi River and its tributaries. The ground water is generally hard and has a high concentration of iron and manganese. The surface water is generally high in iron and is colored. Analyses of water from many sources are included. Data from many wells and test holes are given as are flow data for two discharge stations.

Minnesota↗
USGS1965

Water resources in the vicinity of municipalities on the west-central Mesabi Iron Range, northeastern Minnesota

Additional supplies of water are available near the municipalities or the west-central Mesabi Iron Range. The largest sources are the ground-water aquifers in the Biwabik Iron-Formation and the stratified glacial drift. Areas of stratified drift that probably have good water potential have been outlined. Surface-water supplies are negligible in the eastern part of this area but increase toward the west. Flow records from one gaging station, results of discharge measurements at two miscellaneous sites, and data from many wells and test holes are presented. Most of the ground water is hard and has a high concentration of iron and manganese. The surface water generally has a high concentration of. iron and is colored. Analyses of water from many sources are .shown.

Minnesota↗
USGS1965

Water resources in the vicinity of municipalities on the central Mesabi Iron Range, northeastern Minnesota

Additional supplies of water are available near the municipalities on the central Mesabi Iron Range. Ground water presents the greatest potential yield, and most of the productive aquifers are in the Biwabik Iron-Formation and the stratified glacial drift. /k single body of ice-contact stratified drift underlies parts of all but one of the five municipality areas mapped. Surface-water supplies are generally inadequate. The Two River system in the eastern part of the area of this report offers some possibilities. Flow data from one discharge station and one miscellaneous gaging site are presented. Analyses of water from many sources are presented as are data from many wells and test holes. Ground water commonly has a concentration of high iron and manganese and is hard. Surface water generally has a high concentration of iron and is colored.

Minnesota↗
USGS1965

Water resources in the vicinity of municipalities on the east-central Mesabi Iron Range, northeastern Minnesota

Additional supplies of water are available near the municipalities on the east-central Mesabi Iron Range. Both ground water and surface water offer good potential supplies. For the ground-water supplies, the most productive aquifers are the Biwabik Iron Formation and the stratified glacial drift. Surface-water supplies are variable. Streams in the western part of the report area are too small to yield supplies of importance, but lakes are a good potential supply. Eveleth and Gilbert are the only towns presently utilizing this source. In the eastern part of the area of this report, the Pike and Embarrass Rivers offer good potential supplies. Flow records from two gaging stations are presented as are data from many wells and test holes. Surface water generally has a high concentration of iron and is colored. Most ground water has a high concentration of iron and manganese and is hard. Analyses of water from many sources are presented.

Minnesota↗
USGS1965

Water resources in the vicinity of municipalities on the eastern Mesabi Iron Range and the Vermilion Iron Range, northeastern Minnesota

Additional supplies of water are available near the municipalities on the eastern Mesabi Iron Range and the Vermilion Iron Range. On the eastern Mesabi Range the potential for additional development of both ground-water and surface-water supplies are good, and on the Vermilion Range the best potential for development is from surface-water resources. The most productive aquifers in the area of this report are the Biwabik Iron-Formation and the stratified glacial drift; Bast of Colby Lake the Biwabik Iron-Formation is not an important aquifer, and it is entirely absent on the Vermilion Range. Also, on the Vermilion Range the glacial drift is generally too thin to yield the quantities of water found on the Mesabi Range. Surface-water supplies in the area of this report are good. An extensive network of river systems and many lakes form a large untapped potential supply. Records of flow from eight gaging stations are presented as are data from many wells and test holes. Ground water commonly has a high concentration of iron and manganese and is hard. Surface water generally has a high concentration of iron and is colored. Analyses of water from many sources are included.

Minnesota↗