Kansas Geological Survey Research Articles

Finding Common Ground in the Field to Inform Science Policy

The Kansas Geological Survey’s annual Field Conference takes scientists, producers, legislators, and public officials around the state to spark conversation about natural resources.

Revision to Nomenclature of the Zarah Subgroup of the Kansas City Group (Pennsylvanian) in Kansas

This paper provides a summary review of proposed nomenclatural revisions to the Zarah Subgroup of the Kansas City Group (Pennsylvanian) in Kansas and outlines changes adopted by the Kansas Geological Survey. The Iola Limestone, which comprises in ascending order the Paola Limestone, Muncie Creek Shale, and Raytown Limestone Members, is now considered the basal formation of the Zarah Subgroup. We reinstate the overlying Liberty Memorial Shale as originally defined by Clair (1943) in the area of Kansas City, Missouri. We also restrict the Wyandotte Limestone to include only, in ascending order, the Frisbie Limestone, Quindaro Shale, and Argentine Limestone Members. Furthermore, the Lane Shale is restricted in use and encompasses all strata within the shale-dominated interval between the top of the Argentine Limestone Member of the Wyandotte Limestone and the base of the overlying Plattsburg Limestone. Within the revised Lane Shale, the KGS now formally recognizes, in ascending order, the Lower Farley Limestone, Middle Farley Shale, and Upper Farley Limestone Members. The Bonner Springs Shale is now demoted in rank and included as the uppermost member within the Lane Shale.

Water Well Hydrographs: An Underutilized Resource for Characterizing Subsurface Conditions.

Many of the world's major aquifers are under severe stress as a result of intensive pumping to support irrigated agriculture and provide drinking water supplies for millions. The question of what the future holds for these aquifers is one of global importance. Without better information about subsurface conditions, it will be difficult to reliably assess an aquifer's response to management actions and climatic stresses. One important but underutilized source of information is the data from monitoring well networks that provide near-continuous records of water levels through time. Most organizations running these networks are, by necessity, primarily focused on network maintenance. The result is that relatively little attention is given to interpretation of the acquired hydrographs. However, embedded in those hydrographs is valuable information about subsurface conditions and aquifer responses to natural and anthropogenic stresses. We demonstrate the range of insights that can be gleaned from such hydrographs using data from the High Plains aquifer index well network of the Kansas Geological Survey. We show how information about an aquifer's hydraulic state and lateral extent, the nature of recharge, the hydraulic connection to the aquifer and nearby pumping wells, and the expected response to conservation-based pumping reductions can be extracted from these hydrographs. The value of this information is dependent on accurate water-level measurements; errors in those measurements can make it difficult to fully exploit the insights that water-well hydrographs can provide. We therefore conclude by presenting measures that can help reduce the potential for such errors.

There may be no better place to do hydrogeological field work during a pandemic than western Kansas

Groundwater Monitoring & RemediationVolume 41, Issue 3 p. 86-87 In My Experience There may be no better place to do hydrogeological field work during a pandemic than western Kansas First published: 21 August 2021 https://doi.org/10.1111/gwmr.12477 by Rex Buchanan, Director Emeritus of the Kansas Geological Survey. 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 No abstract is available for this article. Volume41, Issue3Summer 2021Pages 86-87 RelatedInformation

ASLO 2020 Award Winners

<scp>ASLO</scp> 2020 Award Winners

Mississippian Stratigraphic Nomenclature Revisions in Kansas

This paper reviews proposed Mississippian nomenclature changes in Kansas and outlines the changes to Zeller (1968) that have been adopted by the Kansas Geological Survey. The Sedalia Dolomite is changed to the Sedalia Formation and the Northview Shale is changed to Northview Formation due to lateral lithology changes. The Short Creek Oolite Member as originally defined and described by Smith and Siebenthal (1907) at the type section in Kansas is reinstated. The Cowley Formation as originally defined and described by Lee (1940) in Kansas is reinstated. The Ste. Genevieve Limestone is placed as the basal formation of the Chesteran Stage.

Quaternary Stratigraphy and Stratigraphic Nomenclature Revisions in Kansas

This paper outlines Quaternary nomenclature changes to Zeller (1968) that have been adopted by the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS). The KGS formally recognizes two series/epochs for the Quaternary: the Holocene and Pleistocene. Pleistocene stage/age names Kansan, Aftonian, Nebraskan, and Yarmouthian are abandoned and replaced with the broader term "pre-Illinoian." Formation names Bignell, Peoria, Gilman Canyon, and Loveland are maintained for loess units. Formation names for the following alluvial lithostratigraphic units are abandoned: Crete, Sappa, Grand Island, Fullerton, and Holdrege. The Severance Formation is adopted as a new lithostratigraphic unit for thick packages of late Pleistocene alluvium and colluvium in Kansas. The DeForest Formation is accepted as a valid lithostratigraphic unit for deposits of fine-grained Holocene alluvium in Kansas. Formation names Iowa Point, Nickerson, and Cedar Bluffs for glacial tills and Atchison and David City for glaciofluvial deposits are abandoned. The Afton and Yarmouth Soils are abandoned as pedostratigraphic units, whereas the Sangamon Geosol and Brady Geosol are maintained.

Classification of Red Beds at Point of Rocks, Morton County, Kansas

The age of red beds exposed below the bluff-capping Ogallala Formation at Point of Rocks in Morton County, Kansas, has been disputed since they were first recognized in the late 1800s. Over the years, nearly 25 maps and reports have variously classified the strata as Cretaceous, Jurassic, Triassic, or Permian, creating an interesting history of speculation and stratigraphic nomenclature. Many of the interpretations relied on the indirect method of comparing lithologies to similar exposures in surrounding states, but none were in-depth studies. Until recently, the Kansas Geological Survey has considered the rocks to be Jurassic based on Zeller (1968), the currently recognized stratigraphic guide and chart for Kansas. A comprehensive study by Smith et al. (2015)--using outcrop descriptions, subsurface information, and detrital zircon data--constrained the age of the red beds at Point of Rocks, assigning them to the Guadalupian Big Basin Formation, the uppermost Permian unit in Kansas.

E&amp;P Notes (December 2015)

E&amp;P Notes Study Finds Surface Spills a Higher Risk to Groundwater Than Fracturing Trent Jacobs, JPT Senior Technology Writer Researchers at Yale University who analyzed groundwater wells in the Marcellus Shale area have determined that hydraulic fracturing is highly unlikely to be a direct source of contamination. The 3-year study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also found that well casing failures and produced water containment ponds did not impact the groundwater samples taken during the study. The researchers concluded that the samples that tested positive for some of the same organic chemical compounds used in drilling and completion operations, but not in dangerous concentrations, resulted from accidental spills on the surface. Statistics Point to Water Injection as Cause of Earthquakes, But Understanding Why Remains a Geological Puzzle Stephen Rassenfoss, JPT Emerging Technology Senior Editor A surge in earthquakes tightly clustered in southern Kansas that followed the large increase in produced water injections prompted the state to cut the daily limits on disposal wells in that area to see if that will help solve the problem. Based on 3 months of reduced injections through mid-September, “the results were encouraging,” said Shelby Peterie, a research geophysicist at the Kansas Geological Survey. Her presentation at the Society of Exploration Geophysicists’ annual meeting in New Orleans in October showed there has been a reduction in the intensity of the earthquakes reported, but not the number of them. From Air to Sea: Introducing Crew Resource Management to the Offshore Industry Trent Jacobs, JPT Senior Technology Writer Despite a number of recent and high-profile jetliner crashes, commercial aviation has entered into a new era of safety. Seven of the past 10 years have seen the fewest fatal accidents in the industry’s nearly 7-decade history and this year is on track to be the safest yet. Aside from the significant improvements made in aircraft reliability, much of the progress has been attributed to the communication and operational training program known as crew resource management (CRM). The basic principle of CRM is to encourage key personnel to speak up when they detect problems or notice mistakes while maintaining the hierarchy of authority. Air Gun Inventor Creates A Lower Pressure Option Stephen Rassenfoss, JPT Emerging Technology Senior Editor More than 50 years after inventing the air gun, Stephen Chelminski is working on a new version of the industry standard designed to be more in tune with the current needs of the industry and its regulators. While the components used would be familiar to anyone who has worked with an air gun, it has a fatter shape and produces sounds in a lower range. If it were a horn, it would be a tuba and a standard air gun would be a trumpet. The goal is to reduce the energy emitted to produce the lower frequency range that is useful for seismic, while decreasing the emission of frequencies said to cause trouble for marine life. “Something like 3% to 6% of the energy from an air gun is turned into useful energy for seismic. The rest is wasted,” said Chelminski, chief executive officer of Chelminski Research, during an interview at the recent Society of Exploration Geophysicists’ (SEG) annual meeting in New Orleans. Drilling Competition Offers Real-World Skills Challenge Stephen Rassenfoss, JPT Emerging Technology Senior Editor Vimlesh Bavadiya is leading a team of engineering students at the University of Oklahoma (OU) to repeat its victory in SPE’s Drillbotics competition next year. The competition to build the best automated drilling machine was created to provide engineering students with a dose of real-world experience, where teamwork is required to attack a complex challenge when time and money are limited, the rules change, and in the end, things break. “It was a very difficult path. But it was very good,” Bavadiya said, summing up the experience of the five-member team that won the first ever Drillbotics competition, which was created by the SPE Drilling Systems Automation Technical Section.

A semi-analytical solution for slug tests in an unconfined aquifer considering unsaturated flow

Summary A semi-analytical solution considering the vertical unsaturated flow is developed for groundwater flow in response to a slug test in an unconfined aquifer in Laplace space. The new solution incorporates the effects of partial penetrating, anisotropy, vertical unsaturated flow, and a moving water table boundary. Compared to the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS) model, the new solution can significantly improve the fittings of the modeled to the measured hydraulic heads at the late stage of slug tests in an unconfined aquifer, particularly when the slug well has a partially submerged screen and moisture drainage above the water table is significant. The radial hydraulic conductivities estimated with the new solution are comparable to those from the KGS, Bouwer and Rice, and Hvorslev methods. In addition, the new solution also can be used to examine the vertical conductivity, specific storage, specific yield, and the moisture retention parameters in an unconfined aquifer based on slug test data.

NovCare 2013 (Novel methods for subsurface characterization and monitoring: from theory to practice)

As safe and effective use of the subsurface environment is a major challenge facing our society, there is a great need to improve our understanding of the subsurface and to observe and investigate natural and anthropogenically influenced systems. Characterization of the subsurface includes the investigation of both groundwater and subsurface soils and their interaction processes. The range of monitoring tools used can be extended to include remote sensing tools [e.g., Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)], applicable at the near-surface to estimate gas–soil gas exchange processes. One example that highlights the importance of subsurface characterization and monitoring is the detection of groundwater contamination, to provide data for developing plans to prevent any further contamination and remediate existing contamination. With an increasing demand for investigation methods that have both high accuracy and resolution across a variety of spatial scales, there are several challenges for monitoring and exploration technologies in environmental research. These challenges include, among others, the identification and parameterization of system relevant physical, chemical, biological processes, as well as the determination of interactions between different scales. These challenges require high-resolution methods or novel data processing and common interpretation of data measured by different methods. In particular, cost-effective methods that are minimally destructive and can be rapidly applied are taken into consideration. Methods for subsurface characterization include e.g., geophysical, hydrogeological and direct push (DP) technologies, borehole-based, and tomographic methods. The NovCare conference (Novel methods for subsurface characterization and monitoring: from theory to practice— established in 2009) provides a platform to present and discuss state of the art developments and concepts. Existing methods are often refined and new methods are continually being developed. Therefore, this symposium presents recent developments, examples of field applications and introduces method concepts such as direct push, geophysical methods, adaptive (sensor) networks, and novel monitoring sensors. It also highlights the application of these methods in different thematic areas. The NovCare 2013 International Conference (Novel methods for subsurface characterization and monitoring: from theory to practice) took place from May 13–16th 2013 at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig. This conference, which was organized by the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, the University of Tuebingen, the Kansas Geological Survey and the Michigan State University, was the third successive annual conference. This conference series, which began in Leipzig in 2009 and then moved to Cape Cod in the US in 2011, has proven to be an excellent forum for exchanging ideas and experiences related to the challenges of subsurface characterization and monitoring. NovCare 2013 again provided a rare opportunity and an outstanding platform for researchers and practitioners from all over the world to exchange their ideas and experiences in dealing with the challenges of subsurface characterization and monitoring using a variety of methods. The conference had a strong interdisciplinary and international flavor, with around 100 participants from 13 countries taking part. Twelve companies and institutes presented their expertise and novel equipment and U. Sauer (&) P. Dietrich Department of Monitoring and Exploration Technologies, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany e-mail: uta.sauer@ufz.de

Retraction: Sophocleous, M. (2012). Conserving and extending the useful life of the largest aquifer in North America: The future of the High Plains/Ogallala aquifer. Ground Water , 50: 831–839. doi: 10.1111/j.1745-6584.2012.00965.x.

The above article, published online on July 23, 2012 on Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the author's sponsoring institution, the journal Editor in Chief, Franklin W. Schwartz, and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. The retraction has been agreed following an investigation by the Kansas Geological Survey (a research and service division of the University of Kansas), which identified unattributed areas of overlap with a number of other publications.

Retraction: Sophocleous, M. (2012). On understanding and predicting groundwater response time. Ground Water, 50: 528–540. doi: 10.1111/j.1745-6584.2011.00876.x.

The above article, published online on October 24, 2011 on Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the author's sponsoring institution, the journal Editor in Chief, Franklin W. Schwartz, and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. The retraction has been agreed following an investigation by the Kansas Geological Survey (a research and service division of the University of Kansas), which identified unattributed areas of overlap with a number of other publications.

Estimation of near-surface shear-wave velocities and quality factors using multichannel analysis of surface-wave methods

Abstract This overview article gives a picture of multichannel analysis of high-frequency surface (Rayleigh and Love) waves developed mainly by research scientists at the Kansas Geological Survey, the University of Kansas and China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) during the last eighteen years by discussing dispersion imaging techniques, inversion systems, and real-world examples. Shear (S)-wave velocities of near-surface materials can be derived from inverting the dispersive phase velocities of high-frequency surface waves. Multichannel analysis of surface waves—MASW used phase information of high-frequency Rayleigh waves recorded on vertical component geophones to determine near-surface S-wave velocities. The differences between MASW results and direct borehole measurements are approximately 15% or less and random. Studies show that inversion with higher modes and the fundamental mode simultaneously can increase model resolution and an investigation depth. Multichannel analysis of Love waves—MALW used phase information of high-frequency Love waves recorded on horizontal (perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation) component geophones to determine S-wave velocities of shallow materials. Because of independence of compressional (P)-wave velocity, the MALW method has some attractive advantages, such as 1) Love-wave dispersion curves are simpler than Rayleigh wave's; 2) dispersion images of Love-wave energy have a higher signal to noise ratio and more focused than those generated from Rayleigh waves; and 3) inversion of Love-wave dispersion curves is less dependent on initial models and more stable than Rayleigh waves. To derive S-wave velocities of near-surface materials from high-frequency surface waves only utilizes their phase information. Feasibility of using their amplitude information to estimate near-surface quality factors (Q s and/or Q p ) has been studied. Attenuation coefficients of high-frequency surface (Rayleigh and/or Love) waves can be calculated from their amplitude. And by inverting attenuation coefficients, it is feasible to obtain quality factors. Similar to inverting phase velocities of Love waves for S-wave velocities, attenuation coefficients of Love waves are independent of Q p , which makes inversion of attenuation coefficients of Love waves to estimate Q s simpler than that of Rayleigh waves. Both MASW and MALW methods to estimate near-surface S-wave velocities are non-invasive, non-destructive, environment-friendly, low-cost, fast, and in situ seismic methods and possess stable and efficient inversion algorithms to invert phase velocities of surface waves. Real world examples demonstrated that near-surface S-wave velocities derived from phase information are reliable and that methods discussed in the paper to estimate near-surface quality factors from amplitude information are feasible.

Reply to Butler et al.: A sound hydrologic foundation for interdisciplinary studies of the High Plains Aquifer

We absolutely and unequivocally refute the criticisms of Steward et al. (1) by Butler et al. (2) from the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS), which are based on several apparent misconceptions that are straightforward to address. [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: steward{at}ksu.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1

Precambrian Nomenclature in Kansas

The informal stratigraphic term "Precambrian" is replaced by formal nomenclature--Proterozoic and Archean Eonothems/Eons--and the informal term Hadean. The Phanerozoic Eonothem/Eon, representing all rocks younger than the Proterozoic, is added. The Proterozoic is further divided into Paleoproterozoic, Mesoproterozoic, and Neoproterozoic Erathems/Eras. The name Rice Formation (Scott, 1966) is abandoned, and the use of the informal term "Rice unit" is recommended. The proposed name Rice Series (Berendsen, 1994) is not accepted. These changes are adopted by the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS) and the stratigraphic nomenclature of Zeller (1968) has been revised accordingly.

Characterizing Hydraulic Conductivity with the Direct‐push Permeameter

GroundwaterVolume 48, Issue 6 p. 792-795 Characterizing Hydraulic Conductivity with the Direct-push Permeameter Robert P. Chapuis, Corresponding Author Robert P. Chapuis Department of CGM, École Polytechnique de Montréal, P.O. Box 6079, Sta. CV, Montreal, QC, Canada H3C 3A7; (514) 340-4711 ext. 4427; fax: (514) 340-4477; [email protected] Kansas Geological Survey, 1930 Constant Ave., Campus West, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047; [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorDjaouida Chenaf, Djaouida Chenaf Department of Civil Engineering, Royal Military College, P.O. Box 17000, Stn Forces, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, K7K 7B4; (613) 541-6000 ext. 6603; fax: (613) 541-6218; [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorJames J. Butler Jr., Corresponding Author James J. Butler Jr. Department of CGM, École Polytechnique de Montréal, P.O. Box 6079, Sta. CV, Montreal, QC, Canada H3C 3A7; (514) 340-4711 ext. 4427; fax: (514) 340-4477; [email protected] Kansas Geological Survey, 1930 Constant Ave., Campus West, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047; [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorPeter Dietrich, Peter Dietrich UFZ, Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Monitoring and Exploration Technologies, Permoserstraße 15, D-04318 Leipzig, Germany.Search for more papers by this authorVolker Wittig, Volker Wittig Volker Wittig and Tom Christy, Geoprobe Systems, Inc., 601 North Broadway, Salina, KS 67401.Search for more papers by this authorTom Christy, Tom Christy Volker Wittig and Tom Christy, Geoprobe Systems, Inc., 601 North Broadway, Salina, KS 67401.Search for more papers by this author Robert P. Chapuis, Corresponding Author Robert P. Chapuis Department of CGM, École Polytechnique de Montréal, P.O. Box 6079, Sta. CV, Montreal, QC, Canada H3C 3A7; (514) 340-4711 ext. 4427; fax: (514) 340-4477; [email protected] Kansas Geological Survey, 1930 Constant Ave., Campus West, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047; [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorDjaouida Chenaf, Djaouida Chenaf Department of Civil Engineering, Royal Military College, P.O. Box 17000, Stn Forces, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, K7K 7B4; (613) 541-6000 ext. 6603; fax: (613) 541-6218; [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorJames J. Butler Jr., Corresponding Author James J. Butler Jr. Department of CGM, École Polytechnique de Montréal, P.O. Box 6079, Sta. CV, Montreal, QC, Canada H3C 3A7; (514) 340-4711 ext. 4427; fax: (514) 340-4477; [email protected] Kansas Geological Survey, 1930 Constant Ave., Campus West, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047; [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorPeter Dietrich, Peter Dietrich UFZ, Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Monitoring and Exploration Technologies, Permoserstraße 15, D-04318 Leipzig, Germany.Search for more papers by this authorVolker Wittig, Volker Wittig Volker Wittig and Tom Christy, Geoprobe Systems, Inc., 601 North Broadway, Salina, KS 67401.Search for more papers by this authorTom Christy, Tom Christy Volker Wittig and Tom Christy, Geoprobe Systems, Inc., 601 North Broadway, Salina, KS 67401.Search for more papers by this author First published: 03 November 2010 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.2010.00739.xRead 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 Volume48, Issue6November/December 2010Pages 792-795 RelatedInformation

Collaborative multi-agent rock facies classification from wireline well log data

Gas and oil reservoirs have been the focus of modeling efforts for decades as an attempt to locate zones with high volumes. Certain subsurface layers and layer sequences, such as those containing shale, are known to be impermeable to gas and/or liquid. Oil and natural gas then become trapped by these layers, making it possible to drill wells to reach the supply, and extract for use. The drilling of these wells, however, is costly. In this paper, we utilize multi-agent machine learning and classifier combination to learn rock facies sequences from wireline well log data. The paper focuses on how to construct a successful set of classifiers, which periodically collaborate, to increase the classification accuracy. Utilizing multiple, heterogeneous collaborative learning agents is shown to be successful for this classification problem. Utilizing the Multi-Agent Collaborative Learning Architecture, 84.5% absolute accuracy was obtained, an improvement of about 6.5% over the best results achieved by the Kansas Geological Survey with the same data set. A number of heuristics are presented for constructing teams of multiple collaborative classifiers for predicting rock facies.

A Review of the Stratigraphy of the Ogallala Formation and Revision of Neogene (“Tertiary”) Nomenclature in Kansas

The member names for the Ogallala Formation (including the Valentine, Ash Hollow, and Kimball) in Kansas of Zeller (1968) are abandoned. The Ogallala Formation in Kansas includes strata of Miocene and earliest Pliocene age, revising earlier correlation to the Pliocene only (Zeller, 1968). The Kansas Geological Survey is abandoning use of the term "Tertiary," to be replaced by the term "Neogene." International stage boundaries for the Neogene have not been established in Kansas.

New Stratigraphic Rank for the Carboniferous, Mississippian, and Pennsylvanian in Kansas

A new classification for the Carboniferous System/Period is formally adopted by the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS), and Zeller (1968) is modified accordingly. The Carboniferous is the system/period between the Devonian and Permian, and the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian are subsystems/subperiods of the Carboniferous. The Mississippian is subdivided into Lower, Middle, and Upper Mississippian Series and the Pennsylvanian is subdivided into Lower, Middle, and Upper Pennsylvanian Series. Regional stage names remain unchanged.