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Remote Sensing and Geophysical Investigations of Glacial Buried Valleys in Northeastern Kansas
Author(s) -
Denne Jane E.,
Yarger Harold L.,
Macfarlane P. Allen,
Knapp Ralph W.,
Sophocleous Marios A.,
Lucas James R.,
Steeples Don W.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
groundwater
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.84
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1745-6584
pISSN - 0017-467X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-6584.1984.tb01476.x
Subject(s) - geology , glacial period , seismic refraction , drilling , aquifer , remote sensing , geomorphology , geophysics , groundwater , geotechnical engineering , mechanical engineering , engineering
Aquifers found in glacial buried valleys are a major source of good‐quality ground water in northeastern Kansas. The extent and character of many of these deposits are not precisely known, so a detailed study of the buried valleys was undertaken. Test drilling, Landsat imagery, shallow‐earth temperature measurements, seismic refraction, surface electrical resistivity, and gravity data were used to evaluate two sites in Nemaha and Jefferson Counties. Tonal patterns on springtime Landsat imagery and winter/summer anomalies in shallow‐earth temperatures were quick and inexpensive methods for locating some glacial buried aquifers and suggested areas for more intensive field studies. Reversed seismic refraction and resistivity surveys were generally reliable indicators of the presence or absence of glacial buried valleys, with most depth determinations being within 25% of test‐drilling results. The effectiveness of expensive test‐hole drilling was greatly increased by integrating remote sensing, shallow‐earth temperature, seismic, and resistivity techniques in the two buried valley test areas. A gravity profile allowed precise definition of the extent of one of the channels after the other techniques had been used for general information.