Geologic map of the Heart Butte quadrangle, Morton and Grant Counties, North Dakota
No abstract available.
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Preliminary geologic map of the Glen Ullin quadrangle, Morton County, North Dakota
The Glen Ullin quadrangle occupies approximately 51 square miles inwestern Morton County, southwestern North Dakota. Glen Ullin, a small agricultural community on the Northern Pacific Railroad, about 52 miles west of Bismarck, is near the center of the quadrangle (fig. 1). The Glen Ullin quadrangle is one of a group of 14 adjoining 71/2-minute quadrangles (fig. 1) that are being mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey to furnish a basis for classification of lands withdrawn by the Federal Government pending classification for coal and to contribute to the geologic map atlas of the United States. Most of the fieldwork for the Glen Ullin quadrangle was done during the late summers and early falls of 1964 and 1965. During the summer of 1966 the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a drilling program in the Glen Ullin and nearby quadrangles (Smith, 1970) to gather information on the existence, thickness, and depth of lignite beds in withdrawn Federal lands. Three of the holes drilled are in the Glen Ullin quadrangle.
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Preliminary description of cores, chemical analyses of lignite beds, and map showing locations of holes drilled in Grant, Hettinger, Morton, and Stark Counties, North Dakota
Nineteen exploratory holes were drilled in Grant, Hettinger, Morton, and Stark Counties, N. Dak. (fig. 1), for the U.S. Geological Survey from June 7 to September 15, 1966. This prospect drilling was undertaken to gather data on the thickness, quality, and extent of lignite beds and the lithologic characteristics of the rocks in the Sentinel Butte and Tongue River Members of the Fort Union Formation. This information is in support of geologic mapping and as part of a program of mineral land classification. A preliminary lithologic description of the cores, drill samples, and chemical analyses of the lignite beds sampled in each hole, drill samples, and chemical analyses of the lignite beds sampled in each hole are given. Partial core and drill samples of the 19 holes drilled may be inspected at the North Dakota Geological Survey, Grand Forks, N. Dak.
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A proposed streamflow-data program for North Dakota
An evaluation of the streamflow data available in North Dakota was made to provide guidelines for planning future programs. The basic steps in the evaluation procedure were (1) definition of the long-term goals of the streamflow data program in quantitative form, (2) examination and analysis of all available data to determine which goals have already been met, and (3) consideration of alternate programs and techniques to meet the remaining objectives. None of the goals could be met by generalization of the data for gaged basins by regression analysis. This fact indicates that significant changes should be made in the present data program to obtain better areal coverage to achieve the goals set. A streamflow data program based on the guidelines developed in this study is proposed for the future.
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Geology and ground water resources of Grand Forks County
Grand Forks County in northeastern North Dakota is underlain by glacial drift, westward-dipping Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks and Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks. Glacial drift that covers the bedrock reaches a maximum thickness of 455 feet. It can be differentiated into 5 drift sheets, each of which in turn can be separated into till units, lake clay and silt units, and sand and gravel units. Relief on the bedrock surface is much greater than that on the present glacial topography. In western Grand Forks County, the bedrock rises 600 feet from east to west at the Pembina escarpment, whereas the surface elevations rise only 300 feet.
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Geology and ground water resources of Wells County, North Dakota
Wells County is in east-central North Dakota on the eastern flank of the Williston Basin. It is underlain by 4000 to 6000 feet of Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks that dip gently to the west. The uppermost Cretaceous rocks, the Hell Creek, Fox Hills and Pierre Formations, lie directly beneath the glacial drift; isolated exposures of the Fox Hills and Pierre rocks occur in the Sheyenne River valley. Glacial drift covers the entire area averaging about 100 feet thick. In certain buried valleys it is more than 400 feet thick.
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Geology and ground water resources, Williams County, North Dakota
Williams County, in northwestern North Dakota, is located near the center of the structural and sedimentary Williston basin. The preglacial sedimentary formations beneath the county are as much as 14,828 feet thick. Their beds dip generally to the south except along the flanks of the north-south striking Nesson anticline in the eastern part of the county. Late Wisconsinan glacial deposits cover all of Williams County except along the Missouri River and other scattered small areas.
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Waterfowl production in relation to grazing
A 4-year production study of upland nesting waterfowl on the Missouri Coteau area of North Dakota showed that pair numbers, nesting densities and nest success were generally reduced by grazing. It is suggested that cover removal such as regular grazing and mowing be discontinued on areas managed primarily for waterfowl production and that management practices which create dense rank cover be substituted.
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Mallard hatching from an egg cracked by freezing
The eggs of early-nesting waterfowl in North Dakota are frequently exposed to subfreezing temperatures. Mallards ( Anas platyrhynchos ) and Pintail ( Anas acuta ), normally the first ducks to arrive in the spring, begin limited early nesting in min-April. Nighttime temperatures during this period frequently drop below freezing, and late spring blizzards are not unusual.
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Chemical quality of surface waters in Devils Lake basin North Dakota, 1952-60
Above-normal precipitation in 1954, 1956, and 1957 caused the water surface of Devils Lake to rise to an altitude of 1,419.3 feet, its highest in 40 years. Nearly all the water entering the lake flowed through Big Coulee, and about three-fourths of that inflow was at rates greater than 100 cubic feet per second. At these rates, the inflow contained less than 600 ppm (parts per million) dissolved solids and was of the calcium bicarbonate type. Because the inflow was more dilute than the lake water, the dissolved solids in the lake decreased from 8,680 ppm in 1952 to about 6,000 ppm in 1956 and 1957. Subsequently, however, they increased to slightly more than 8,000 ppm and averaged 6,800 ppm for the 1954-60 period. Sodium and sulfate were the principal dissolved constituents in the lake water. Although the concentration of dissolved solids varied significantly from time to time, the relative proportions of the chief constituents remained nearly the same. Water flowed from Devils Lake to Mission Bay in 1956,1957, and 1958, and some flowed from Mission Bay into East Bay. However, no water moved between East Devils Lake, western Stump Lake, and eastern Stump Lake during 1952-60; these lakes received only local runoff, and the variations in their water volume caused only minor variations in dissolved solids. For the periods sampled, concentrations averaged 60,700 ppm for East Devils Lake, 23,100 ppm for western Stump Lake, and 127,000 ppm for eastern Stump Lake. Sodium and sulfate were the chief dissolved constituents in all the lakes of the Devils Lake chain. Water in eastern Stump Lake was saturated with sodium sulfate and precipitated large quantities of granular, hydrated sodium sulfate crystals on the lakebed and shore in fall and winter. A discontinuous layer of consolidated sodium sulfate crystals formed a significant part of the bed throughout the year. Measured concentrations! of zinc, iron, manganese, fluoride, arsenic, boron, copper, and lead were not high enough to harm fish. Data on alpha and beta particle activities in Devils Lake were insufficient to determine if present activities are less than, equal to, or more than activities before nuclear tests began. Miscellaneous surface waters not in the Devils Lake chain contained dissolved solids that ranged from 239 to 61,200 ppm. The lakes that spill infrequently and have little or no ground-water inflow and outflow generally contain high concentrations of dissolved solids. Salt balance computations for Devils Lake for 1952-60 indicate that a net of as much as 89,000 tons of salts was removed from the bed by the water in some years and as much as 35,000 tons was added to the bed in other years. For the 9-year period, the tons removed exceeded the tons added; the net removed averaged 2.7 tons per acre per year. Pickup of these salts from the bed increased the dissolved solids in the lake water an average of 193 ppni per year. Between 1952 and 1960, 201,000 tons of salt was added to the bed of East Devils Lake, 15,100 tons to the bed of western Stump Lake, and 421,000 tons to the bed of eastern Stump Lake. Laboratory examination of shore and bed material indicated that the shore contained less weight of salt per unit weight of dry, inorganic material than the bed. Calcium and bicarbonate were the chief constituents dissolved from bed material of Devils Lake, whereas sodium and sulfate were the chief constituents dissolved from bed material of East Bay, East Devils Lake, and eastern and western Stump Lakes. Generally, calcium and bicarbonate were the chief constitutents dissolved from shore material of all these lakes. Evidence indicates that not more than 20 percent of the salt that "disappeared" from the water of Devils Lake west of State Route 20 as the lake altitudes decreased years ago will redissolve if the lake altitude is restored.
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Geology and ground water resources of Cass County, North Dakota
Cass County comprises an area of 1,749 square miles in the southeastern corner of North Dakota. About one-fourth of the county is in the Drift Prairie physiographic province; the rest is in the Red River Valley (Lake Agassiz basin) physiographic division.
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Geology and ground water resources of Eddy and Foster Counties, North Dakota
Eddy and Foster Counties are in east-central North Dakota, high on the eastern flank of the Williston Basin. They are underlain by 3200 to 4300 feet of Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks that dip gently to the west. The uppermost formation, the Cretaceous Pierre Shale, lies directly beneath the glacial drift and crops out in the valleys of the James and Sheyenne Rivers. Glacial drift that covers the entire are a averages about 150 feet thick but in certain buried valleys it is as much as 400 feet thick.
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Preliminary map showing the estimated potential yields of the Little Muddy aquifer, Williams County, North Dakota
No abstract available.
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Geohydrology of the Souris River Valley in the vicinity of Minot, North Dakota
The Minot area is in the north-central part of North Dakota and includes part of the Souris River valley. The region is covered by glacial drift of late Wisconsin age except in small areas where the Fort Union Formation of Tertiary age crops out. Thickness of the drift is controlled by the topography of the bedrock. In places the drift is more than 450 feet thick, but it averages about 100 feet thick. Water from the Fort Union Formation is soft and is of sodium bicarbonate type that is undesirable for many uses. Wells in the formation produce only a few gallons per minute. Six glacial aquifers were studied in the report area, but detailed work was limited to the Minot aquifer. The Sundre buried-channel and the lower Souris aquifers contain large quantities of bard water of good chemical quality, but little is known of their hydraulic characteristics owing to lack of development. The North Hill and South Hill aquifers generally provide small quantities of hard water that may be high in iron and sodium. The northwest buried-channel aquifer has a high content of iron and chloride. Locally as much as 1,000 gallons per minute may be pumped from it. The Minot aquifer is a thick deposit of sand and gravel confined to the Souris River valley. The water level has declined more than 70 feet since the first municipal well began pumping in 1916. In .some places the water level in the aquifer declined more than 20 feet during 1961-1963. The rapid decline in water level indicates that a serious water shortage may arise in the near future unless counter measures are taken to prevent it. The Minot aquifer is under both artesian and water-table conditions. In places the transmissibility exceeds 250,000 gallons per day per foot. In 1963, 13 municipal wells pump'ed an average of nearly 4 million gallons per day from the aquifer. Some wells produce as much as 1,000 gallons per minute. The Minot aquifer receives most of its recharge from the buried glaciofiuvial deposits and from the Souris River. Natural recharge probably average about 3 million gallons per day. About 56,000 acre-feet of water available to wells was in storage in 1963. Artificial recharge could be used to counteract the rapid decline in water levels. Several feasible artificial recharge sites are in the western part of Minot, where highly permeable sand and gravel crop out.
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Weather and pheasant populations in southwestern North Dakota
High productivity and survival of ring-necked pheasants ( Phasianus colchicus ) were correlated with high rainfall and cool temperatures in May and June during an 8-year period in southwestern North Dakota. These findings differed markedly from those of several earlier studies in the less arid midwestern United States where cool, wet weather in the spring generally affected pheasant populations adversely. General trends in the pheasant population could be explained on the basis of precipitation in May and June. The population was relatively high during the mid-1950's when wet and dry May and June periods occurred in alternate years but declined markedly after 2 consecutive years of spring and summer drought. The population remained at a static low during 1960 through 1963 when wet and dry spring and summer periods again occurred alternately.
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Floods of June 24-25, 1966 in southwest-central North Dakota
A severe thunderstorm accompanied by much hail swept through southwest-central North Dakota on the afternoon of June 24. Rainfall of up to 13 inches caused floods higher than any previously known in the area. The isohyetal map (fig. 1) indicates the extent and magnitude of the storm. This map was derived from rainfall data at 20 U.S. Weather Bureau gages (4 recording), 26 Geological Survey gages (5 recording) and 124 sites located in a bucket survey made by the Geological Survey (table 1).
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Geologic map of the New Salem quadrangle, Morton County, North Dakota
No abstract available.
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