Hydrogeologic inferences from drillers` logs and from gravity and resistivity surveys in the Amargosa Desert, southern Nevada

Technical Report · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1989

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/137792· OSTI ID:137792

Oatfield, W J; Czarnecki, J B

The Amargosa Desert of southern Nevada, in the Basin and Range province, is hydraulically downgradient from Yucca Mountain, the potential site of a repository for high-level nuclear waste. Ground-water flow paths and flow rates beneath the Amargosa Desert are controlled in part by the total saturated thickness and the hydraulic properties of basin-fill alluvial sediments. Drillers` logs of water wells completed in alluvium were analyzed to help characterize the hydrogeologic framework underlying the Amargosa Desert. Fractions of coarse-grained sediments, calculated from each of these logs, were contoured using a universal-kriging routine to interpolate values. Results from a previous electrical sounding survey also were contoured, including the estimated depth to Paleozoic basement rocks. The vertical electric sounding results were obtained from individual depth-to-resistivity profiles, from which the average resistivity of the total profile and the resistivity of the upper 75 meters were calculated. the distribution and variations in average resistivity of the total depth correlated reasonably well with the distribution of variations in regional gravity. 24 refs., 17 figs.

• Research Organization: Geological Survey, Denver, CO (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AI08-78ET44802
• OSTI ID: 137792
• Report Number(s): USGS-OFR--89-234; ON: DE90015533
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ALLUVIAL DEPOSITS
DESERTS
ELECTRICAL SURVEYS
FLOW RATE
GEOLOGIC SURVEYS
GRAVITY LOGGING
GRAVITY SURVEYS
GROUND WATER
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
HYDROLOGY
NEVADA
RESISTIVITY LOGGING
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
WATER WELLS
WELL LOGGING
YUCCA MOUNTAIN
Yucca Mountain Project