Facies distributions, recharge-discharge relations, and aquifer sensitivity in a glacial aquifer system, northeastern Indiana
- Indiana Geological Survey, Bloomington, IN (United States)
- Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management, Indianapolis, IN (United States)
The Huntertown aquifer system underlies about 650 km[sup 2] in the interlobate region of northeastern Indiana and corresponds to a sequence of Saginaw Lobe deposits sandwiched between two Erie Lobe till sheets. The northern part of the system typically consists of a 3 to 10 m thick basal outwash apron composed chiefly of sand and capped by a discontinuous sheet of sandy till. Several small to medium-sized (5 to 30km[sup 2]) ice-contact fans are superposed on this sequence and result in thick (15 to 30 m), transmissive sections of sand and gravel. To the southeast, these sediments grade into finer-grained fan-delta and slackwater facies associated with ancestral Lake Erie. Facies distributions, and thus aquifer connectivity, are related to topographic characteristics of the underlying till sheet, which controlled Saginaw Lobe meltwater drainage. The aquifer system is variably confined by a younger sequence of clayey tills and lacustrine mud. The degree of confinement is related to terrain characteristics, with the thickest till (15 to 25 m) being associated with ridged and moraines in the southern and central parts of the system. These features are characteristic of a regional discharge area and suggest a relatively longer residence time. Sensitivity of aquifers in this part of the system may thus be correspondingly less. The distribution of geochemical facies is much less predictable, however, and may be affected by several independent variables.
- OSTI ID:
- 7140819
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9404217-; CODEN: GAAPBC
- Journal Information:
- Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Vol. 26:5; Conference: 27. annual conference of the North-Central Section of the Geological Society of America (GSA), Kalamazoo, MI (United States), 28-29 Apr 1994; ISSN 0016-7592
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
History of late glacial runoff from the southern Laurentide ice sheet in Indiana
Late Wisconsin evolution of the Maumee lacustrine basin in northeastern Indiana
Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AQUIFERS
HYDROLOGY
RECHARGE
STRATIGRAPHY
GROUND WATER
WATER CHEMISTRY
INDIANA
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
MORAINES
CHEMISTRY
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGY
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
NORTH AMERICA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
USA
WATER
580000* - Geosciences
540250 - Environment
Terrestrial- Site Resource & Use Studies- (1990-)