GroundwaterVolume 59, Issue 3 p. 315-319 Technical Commentary/ Beware of Spatial Autocorrelation When Applying Machine Learning Algorithms to Borehole Geophysical Logs Neil Terry, Corresponding Author Neil Terry nterry@usgs.gov Corresponding author: U.S. Geological Survey, New York Water Science Center, 425 Jordan Road, Troy, NY 12180; (518) 285-5695; fax: (518) 285-5601; nterry@usgs.govSearch for more papers by this authorCarole D. Johnson, Carole D. Johnson U.S. Geological Survey, Earth System Processes Division, Hydrogeophysics Branch, 425 Jordan Road, Troy, NY, 12180 USASearch for more papers by this authorFrederick D. Day-Lewis, Frederick D. Day-Lewis U.S. Geological Survey, Earth System Processes Division, Hydrogeophysics Branch, 425 Jordan Road, Troy, NY, 12180 USASearch for more papers by this authorBeth Parker, Beth Parker G360 Institute for Groundwater Research, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, CanadaSearch for more papers by this authorLee Slater, Lee Slater Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University Newark, New Brunswick, NJ, USASearch for more papers by this author Neil Terry, Corresponding Author Neil Terry nterry@usgs.gov Corresponding author: U.S. Geological Survey, New York Water Science Center, 425 Jordan Road, Troy, NY 12180; (518) 285-5695; fax: (518) 285-5601; nterry@usgs.govSearch for more papers by this authorCarole D. Johnson, Carole D. Johnson U.S. Geological Survey, Earth System Processes Division, Hydrogeophysics Branch, 425 Jordan Road, Troy, NY, 12180 USASearch for more papers by this authorFrederick D. Day-Lewis, Frederick D. Day-Lewis U.S. Geological Survey, Earth System Processes Division, Hydrogeophysics Branch, 425 Jordan Road, Troy, NY, 12180 USASearch for more papers by this authorBeth Parker, Beth Parker G360 Institute for Groundwater Research, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, CanadaSearch for more papers by this authorLee Slater, Lee Slater Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University Newark, New Brunswick, NJ, USASearch for more papers by this author First published: 31 January 2021 https://doi.org/10.1111/gwat.13081 Article impact statement: Failure of random regression forest models trained on borehole geophysical logs to predict contaminant concentrations in new areas is explained by spatial autocorrelation and use of random shuffling in cross validation. Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume59, Issue3May/June 2021Pages 315-319 RelatedInformation