Hydrogeology of the Regional Aquifer Near Flagstaff, Arizona, 1994-97
Bills DJ, Truini M, Flynn ME, Pierce HA, Catchings RD, Rymer MJ. 2000. Hydrogeology of the Regional Aquifer Near Flagstaff, Arizona, 1994-97. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Resources Investigations Report. United States Geological Survey. Tucson, AZ
Sandstones, siltstones, and limestones that are Pennsylvanian to Permian in age underlie the southern part of the Colorado Plateau near Flagstaff, Arizona, and contain a complex regional aquifer that has become increasingly important as a source of water for domestic, municipal, and recreational uses. Ground-water flow in the regional aquifer is poorly understood in this area because (1) depth of the aquifer limits exploratory drilling and testing and (2) the geologic structure increases the complexity of the aquifer characteristics and the ground-water flow system. Four methods were used to improve the understanding of the hydrogeology of the regional aquifer near Flagstaff. -Remote-sensing techniques and geologic mapping provided data to identify many structural features that indicate a more complex structural environment and history than previously realized. -Data from surface-geophysical techniques that included ground-penetrating radar, seismic reflection and seismic refraction, and square-array resistivity, verified that some of the geologic structures expressed at land surface propagate deep into the subsurface and through the principal water-bearing zones of the regional aquifer at near-vertical angles. -A well and spring inventory, borehole-geophysical methods, and well and aquifer tests provided additional information relating aquifer and ground-water flow characteristics to geologic structure. -Water-chemistry data, which included major ion, nutrient, trace-element, and radioactive and stable-isotope analyses, provided an independent means of verifying the hydrologic characteristics of the aquifer and were used to determine recharge and discharge areas, ground-water movement, and ground-water age.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Bills, Donald; Truini, Margot; Flynn, Marilyn; Pierce, Herbert; Catchings, Rufus; Rymer, Michael
- Date of Issue
- 2000
- Publisher
- United States Geological Survey
- Units
- SUCR , WACA , WUPA
- Keywords
- Aquifers, Geohydrology, Geology, Groundwater, Hydrochemistry, Water Quality, Water Resources, Wells