Geology topics
Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including North Dakota.
Burleigh County in south-central North Dakota lies within the Missouri River Trench, Coteau Slope, and Missouri Coteau physiographic districts of the Glaciated Missouri Plateau section. Subdivisions of the Coteau Slope in Burleigh County are the Burnt Creek, Badger Creek Uplands, Lake McKenzie Basin, Long Lake, Apple Creek Uplands, Long Lake Basin, and Painted Woods Creek subdistricts.
The Devils Lake region of northeastern North Dakota is covered with glacial drift deposited by the Leeds lobe of the Mankato Substage of the Wisconsin Stage of the Pleistocene and is underlain by Pierre Shale of Cretaceous age. Associated with the Sheyenne River, which flows through the southern part of the region in a deep trench, are many stream terraces, spillways, deposits of ice-contact stratified drift, and eroded ground-moraine areas. Six stages of drainage have been established to which these various features can be assigned. In the first two stages the features formed as melt water drained to the glacial James River south of the region and as the ice front stood at and later retreated from the site of the Heimdal moraine, a recessional moraine of the Leeds lobe. The later stages occurred after the valley of the Sheyenne River was free of ice and after glacial Lake Souris northwest of the region drained down the valley to glacial Lake Agassiz in the eastern part of the state. Features originating during the four later stages are largely related to the deposition of the North Viking moraine (another, more northern, recessional moraine of the Leeds lobe) and subsequent retreat of the ice from the moraine. Discharge from the local Devils and Stump lakes and from glacial Lake Souris also were of considerable importance in the genesis of many features.
Data used for map compilation based in part upon maps listed below with modifications by the authors. Data for remaining areas from aerial photographs and reconnaissance studies by the authors.
Kidder County was covered with glacial ice at least three times during the Wisconsin Stage of the Pleistocene, but the entire sequence of drifts has not been observed in one exposure. The drift which covers the area was deposited during three ice advances termed the Long Lake, Burnstad and Streeter advances. The position of the drift border of the Long Lake advance is marked by the prominent Long Lake end moraine on the western border of the county.
Devils and Stump lakes in eastern North Dakota have been diminishing in area more or less continuously since the land around them was settled in the 1880's. Desiccations similar to the current one have occurred at least once and possibly two or more times in the past and are indicated directly and indirectly by tree stumps recently uncovered as the lake water receded and by lacustrine deposits containing buried soils and vertebrate remains. The lake levels seem to respond in a very sensitive manner to slight climatic changes. Probably the present desiccation and certainly the ones in the past are the result of changes toward a drier and warmer climate. The first may have been synchronous with the Thermal Maximum. A high abandoned strand line and associated lacustrine deposits containing buried soils and vertebrate remains indicate at least one period in the postglacial past, possibly following the Thermal Maximum, that was wetter and cooler than the present. A second desiccation, more definitely established and based on the radiocarbon dating of a tree stump, occurred less than 700 years ago, possibly during the sixteenth century.
No abstract available.
The Crow Creek Sand Lake area is in the northeastern part of South Dakota and consists of flat to gently rolling land. It is roughly 25 miles square and is bounded on the west by the James River, on the north by the North Dakota State line, and on the south and east by arbitrary land lines. Natural drainage, which is very poor, is augmented by a now very dilapidated system of man made drains; undrained or poorly drained potholes and sloughs are common. Most of the report area is in the drainage basin of Crow Creek, a tributary of the James River. About 60 square miles along the west border of the area is drained directly by the James River; and about 36 square miles in the northeastern corner of the area is drained by the Wild Rice River, a tributary of the Red River of the North. Granite and other related rocks of Precambrian age underlie the entire area below a depth of about 1,100 to 1,200 feet. Under part of the area these rocks are overlain by the Sioux quartzite, also of Precambrian age. Next above is the Dakota sandstone of Cretaceous age, which is about 250 feet thick and is the aquifer tapped by more than 600 deep wells in the area. The Dakota sandstone in turn is overlain by younger formations of Cretaceous age, which include the Graneros shale, Greenhorn limestone, Carlile shale, Niobrara formation, and Pierre shale. These younger formations have an aggregate thickness of about 700 to 950 feet and generally do not yield water. Mantling, the consolidated stratified rocks are unconsolidated deposits of Quaternary age that are absent locally but in places are as much as 200 feet thick. These deposits consist principally of glacial outwash, glacial till, and lake sediments and are the source of water for all shallow wells in the area. Precipitation is the principal source of recharge to the ground-water reservoir tapped by the shallow wells. The water table ranges in depth from less than 1 foot to a little more than 30 feet below the land surface; in July 1951 the depth to water was less than 5 feet in 15 percent of the area and 5 to 10 feet in an additional 25 percent of the area. Because the hydraulic gradient in most of the area is less than 10 feet per mile and because much of the water-bearing material is only slightly permeable, lateral movement of the ground water in the unconsolidated deposits is exceedingly slow. Transpiration by vegetation and evaporation account for most of the ground water discharged in the area; relatively little ground water is discharged by streams, wells, and springs, or as underflow out of the area. Much of the low-lying land is waterlogged. However, by improving and cleaning both the natural and artifical drains and by lowering the water table by pumping, waterlogging can be materially decreased and its recurrence prevented.
No abstract available.
No abstract available.
The Fort Berthold Indian Reservation occupies about 1,000 square miles in west- central North Dakota. The Missouri and Little Missouri Rivers flow through the area and form part of its boundaries. Garrison Dam, which is under construction on the Missouri River 30 miles downstream from the east boundary of the reservation, will impound water in Garrison Reservoir and flood the valleys of both rivers throughout the area. The reservoir will divide the reservation into five parts, herein referred to as the eastern, northeastern, northern, western, and southern segments. Rock formations ranging in age from Paleocene to Recent are exposed. The Fort Union formation of Paleocene age underlies the entire reservation, and it crops out along the Missouri and Little Missouri Rivers. Relatively thin glacial till and outwash deposits of late Pleistocene age mantle much of the upland in all of the segments. The glacial de. posits commonly are less than 10 feet thick; in many places they consist only of scattered boulders on the bedrock surface. The major valleys have terrace deposits of Pleistocene and Recent age and alluvium of Recent age. The principal mineral resources of the reservation are lignite, sand, and gravel. The lignite beds range in thickness from a few inches to about 30 feet. At least four separate beds, which range in thickness from 4 feet to more than 7 feet, are mined locally. Although many mines will be flooded after Garrison Dam is completed, many suitable mine sites will remain above the proposed reservoir level. Sand and gravel deposits are found in glacial outwash and in stream-terrace deposits. On upland areas of the reservation ground water is available principally from the lignite and the associated fine- to medium-grained sandstone beds of the Fort Union formation. Few wells on the reservation are known to produce water from glacial material, although the recessional moraines are possible sources of shallow-water supplies. Small quantities of ground water are available from thin alluvial deposits in some places on the upland. Most wells in the valleys produce water from the alluvium or the terrace deposits. However, several wells penetrate the underlying Fort Union formation. A few flowing wells in the Missouri River valley near Elbowoods produce water from either the lower part of the Fort Union formation or from the Cannonball formation, also of Paleocene age. The chemical character of water from the Fort Union formation and the outwash and river gravels was determined from analyses of 39 samples from wells and springs. Water from bedrock may be either hard or soft, and it is moderately to highly mineralized. Water from the surficial deposits is uniformly hard, but it is less mineralized. Shallow wells in the eastern and northeastern segments produce water of good quality. Wells in these segments, and several springs in the western segment, could be used satisfactorily as domestic supplies. Spring water from lignite deposits on the reservation generally is colored and contains objectionable amounts of iron. Treatment of the water would improve its quality for domestic use. The filling of Garrison Reservoir will cause a rise of the water levels in wells that tap aquifers now discharging below the operating level of the reservoir. All the permeable strata below this level will become saturated, and ground-water bodies that are now separated will become hydraulically united. In addition to providing subsurface information, the drilling program of the U. S. Bureau of Indian Affairs provided wells for domestic and stock-water supplies. All test holes that tapped an adequate supply of potable water were reamed to a larger diameter, equipped with casing and well screen, and gravel-packed. The test-drilling program was completed in 1951; however, the drilling of domestic wells was continued under the supervision of the U. S. Geological Survey.
No abstract available.
The Knife River area, consisting of six 15-minute quadrangles, includes the lower half of the Knife River valley in west-central North Dakota. The area, in the center of the Williston Basin, is underlain by the Tongue River member of the Fort Union formation (Paleocene) and the Golden Valley formation (Eocene). The Tongue River includes beds equivalent to the Sentinel Butte shale; the Golden Valley formation, which receives its first detailed description in this report, consists of two members, a lower member of gray to white sandy kaolin clay and an upper member of cross-bedded micaceous sandstone. Pro-Tongue River rocks that crop out in southwestern North Dakota include the Ludlow member of the Fort Union formation, the Cannonball marine formation (Paleocene) and the Hell Creek, Fox Hills, and Pierre formations, all upper Cretaceous. Post-Golden Valley rocks include the White River formation (Oligocene) and gravels on an old planation surface that may be Miocene or Pliocent. Surficial deposits include glacial and fluvial deposits of Pleistocene age and alluvium, dune sand, residual silica, and landslide blocks of Recent age. Three ages of glacial deposits can be differentiated, largely on the basis of three fills, separated by unconformities, in the Knife River valley. All three are of Wisconsin age and probably represent the Iowan, Tazewell, and Mankato substages. Deposits of the Cary substage have not been identified either in the Knife River area or elsewhere in southern North Dakota. Iowan glacial deposits form the outermost drift border in North Dakota. Southwest of this border are a few scattered granite boulders that are residual from the erosion of either the White River formation or a pre-Wisconsin till. The Tazewell drift border cannot be followed in southern North Dakota. The Mankato drift border can be traced in a general way from the South Dakota State line northwest across the Missouri River and through the middle of the Knife River area. The major land forms of southwestern North Dakota are: (1) high buttes that stand above (2) a gravel-capped planation surface and (3) a gently-rolling upland; below the upland surface are (4) remnants of a broad valley stage of erosion into which (5) modern valleys have been cut. The broad valley profiles of many streams continue east across the Missouri River trench and are part of a former drainage system that flowed into Hudson Bay. Crossing the divides are (6) large trenches, formed when the former northeast-flowing streams were dammed by the glacier and diverted to the southeast. The largest diversion valley is occupied by the Missouri River; another diversion system, now largely abandoned, extends from the Killdeer Mountains southwest to the mouth of Porcupine Creek in Sioux County. By analogy with South Dakota, most of the large diversion valleys are thought to have been cut in Illinoian time. Numerous diversion valleys of Illinoian to late Wisconsin age cut across the divides. Other Pleistocene land forms include ground and moraines, kames, and terraces. Land forms of Recent age include dunes, alluvial terraces, floodplains, and several types of landslide blocks. One type of landslide, called rockslide slump, has not previously been described. Drainage is well adjusted to the structure, most of the streams flowing down the axes of small synclines. The bedrock formations have been gently folded into small domes and synclines that interrupt a gentle northward regional dip into the Williston Basin. Three episodes of deformation affected southwestern North Dakota in Tertiary time: (1) intra-Paleocene, involving warping and minor faulting; (2) post-Eocene, involving uplift and tilting; (2) Oligocene, involving uplift and gentle folding. Mineral resources include ceramic clay, sand and gravel and lignite coal. The Knife River area is the largest lignite-producing district in the United States.
No abstract available.
No abstract available.
The Mohall area includes about 120 square miles in Bottineau and Renville Counties in northwestern North Dakota. Mohall, whose 1950 population was 1,073, is the only town in the area. The area is part of the Drift Prairie section of the Central Lowland physiographic province. It is characterized by the gently undulating ground moraine plain which slopes regionally to the northeast. It is drained by several southeast-trending intermittent streams which run almost at right angles to the regional slope. The geologic formations in the Mohall area may be conveniently grouped into three units: the alluvium or alluvial deposits, which are found in the valleys of the intermittent streams, the till and associated glaciofluvial deposits, and the bedrock formations. Ground water of reasonably good quality is obtained in the area only from the alluvial deposits. Because of the limited areal extent of these deposits, only a small number of farms obtain water supplies from them. However, the municipal water supply of the town of Mohall is obtained from these deposits in Spring Coulee northeast of the town, and much water for rural domestic use is hauled from the Becker well southwest of the town, in Little Deep Creek. The principal source of recharge to the alluvial deposits is seepage during the spring runoff period. Natural discharge occurs by underflow down the stream valleys, by evaporation from open water and marshy areas and transpiration by plants. The coefficient of transmissibility of the alluvium, n the basis of short pumping tests on Mohan wells 3 and 4, is indicated to be about 6,000 gallons a day per foot at well 3 and about 20,000 gallons a day per foot at well 4. The specific yield was computed as 0.25 from the pumping test on well 3. No gravel of importance was en countered in the two cross sections that were drilled across Spring Coulee near the municipal wells, and the greatest thickness of satu rated alluvial deposits found was only about 10 feet. A Saturated thickness of 20 feet of sand and gravel was penetrated in test drilling along Cut Bank Creek. This is the greatest thickness of saturated alluvial deposits penetrated anywhere in the area. Ground water in storage in these alluvial deposits has been estimated to be about 150 million gallons per mile. These deposits are favorably situated to receive recharge, as Cut Bank Creek drains a rather large area and contains long stretches of open water perennially, Therefore, it is believed that the alluvial deposits of Cut Bank Creek offer the best promise for the development of moderately large perennial ground-water supplies for the present and probable future needs of the town of Mohall. Test drilling in West Cut Bank Creek and in Little Deep Creek did not reveal alluvial deposits of such character and saturated thickness as to be considered favorable for the development of moderate to large water supplies, though some of the material encountered should yield adequate quantities for farm supplies. The till with its associated glaciofluvial deposits is the surface formation in the area except where covered by the alluvial deposits in the stream valleys. In the Mohall areas, this formation is not an important aquifer and fewer than half a dozen wells are known to obtain water from it. The glaciofluvial deposits penetrated by the test holes are not considered adequate sources for permanent municipal or industrial supplies because they are likely to have small-areal extent and the overlying, relatively impermeable till makes seasonal recharge to them practically impossible. Test drilling in the Souris River Valley about 12 miles west of Mohall penetrated as mutt as 58 feet of fluvial sediments, but practi-cally all the material is clay and silt. No important aquifers were found there. At least 50 percent of all the farm water supplies in the area are obtained from wells in the bedrock formations, which probably consist of the Fox Hills sandstone, the Cannonball formation, and the Ludlow and Tongue Rtter members of the Fort Union formation. Underlying these formations is approximately 2,600 feet of Cretaceous shale, which'is not water bearing. Water from the "Dakota" sandstone (including the possible equivalent of the Fuson shale and Lakota sandstone) may be obtained at depths of about 3,200 to 3,300 feet. The "Dakota sandstone" probably would yield water in sufficient quantity for municipal and many industrial purposes in this areas but the water is likely to be too highly mineralized for most domestic uses. Jurassic formations underlie the Cretaceous formations in the area. They do not constitute aquifers of importance, and, any water found in them is likely to be too highly mineralized for most purposes. In the Mohall area, by far the most suitable water for general purposes is obtained from the shallow alluvial deposits in the stream valleys. Of the seven samples of this water water analyzed, the highest concentration of dissolved solids was 1,242 parts per million and the lowest, 317 parts. The iron content was higher than desirable in two samples but satisfactory in all the others. Total hardness ranged from 196 to 570, which is higher than desirable. Nitrate was present in all samples analyzed and was excessively high in two samples. Water samples for analysis were not obtained from the till and associated glaciofluvial deposits but the water from these aquifers is likely to be more highly mineralized than the water from the alluvial. deposits. The water from the upper part of the bedrock is highly mineralized, but its mineral content varies considerably. The chloride concentration of the samples analyzed ranges from 608 to 3,740 parts per million and the bicarbonate concentration ranges from 160 to 860 parts per million. The specific conductance ranges from 3,190 to 11,120 micromhos and may represent total mineralization on the order of 1,500 to more than 6,000 parts per million in the water with high chloride and bicarbonate content.