Department of Earth Sciences

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https://hdl.handle.net/11299/138978

The Department of Earth Sciences focuses on research and education related to understanding the origin and evolution of the Earth from its surface to its deep interior. We particularly value interdisciplinary approaches that integrate aspects of the solid Earth, surface dynamics, and biological systems.

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Report on Investigation of the Water Supply System Ideal Creamery, Canton, Minnesota
(Minnesota Department of Health District No. 3, 1941-09) Kingston, S.P.
Report on Investigation of Water Supply and Sewage Disposal Systems: Dr. H. K. Gray Residence, Rochester Twp., Olmsted County
(1942-08-07) Kingston, S.P.; Breslow, L.
Contamination of Water Supplies in Limestone Formation
(American Water Works Association. Vol 35, p. 1450-1456, 1943-11) Kingston, S.P.
August 1981 Root River Dye Trace
(1981) Alexander Jr., E Calvin
August 1982 Root River Dye Trace
(Journal of Freshwater, 1982) Alexander Jr., E Calvin
Groundwater: Hidden Questions, Hidden Answers
(Journal of Freshwater, 1983) Alexander Jr., E Calvin
A Study of Subsurface Water Flow in a Southeastern Minnesota Karst Drainage Basin
(1983-08) Mohring, Eric H
The Root River drainage basin in Fillmore county, southeastern Minnesota has well developed karst topography and karst groundwater flow in carbonate sedimentary rocks of upper Ordovician age. In the upper carbonate aquifer subsurface water flows rapidly through solution-enlarged fractures and conduits, and is intimately connected to surface water. As such it is very subsceptible to pollution. An area was chosen in the drainage of the South Branch of the Root River, southeast of the town of Spring Valley, for detailed hydrologic study. The area has one of the highest densities of karst features in Minnesota. The first part of the study involved quantitative fluorometric tracing of subsurface water using the fluorescent dye Rhodamine WT and a field fluorometer. The tracing studies delineated subsurface flowpaths, revealed travel times and dispersion along the flowpaths, and permitted mass balance calculations of inflowing and outflowing water. The traces defined the recharge area of Moth and Grabau Springs at the head of Forestville Creek, and important trout stream. A gauging station was installed to measure the discharge of these springs, and so far has produced two years of continuous record. A network of rain gauges was installed to measure precipitation over the recharge area. Data from these installations describe the way the karst system responds to recharge events. Several sub-environments of flow exist within the aquifer. Initial estimates of transmissivity and aquifer diffusivity can be derived from the data.
Altura, MN Waste Treatment Lagoon Failures: A Hydrogeologic Study
(1984-02) Book, Paul R; Alexander Jr., E. Calvin
In April 1976, a series of karat sinkholes opened in the holding lagoon of the Altura MN Waste Treatment Facility. Subsequent detailed field mapping of the region around the community revealed at least 22 sinkholes not shown on existing maps. The distribution of the sinkholes as well as post-failure investigations of the lagoon indicate that catastrophic collapse is related to the presence of a thin, poorly indurated, jointed sandstone overlying a thick carbonate unit. The sandstone served to collect solutionally aggressive vadose water and to concentrate that water onto specific areas of the underlying carbonate. The resulting differential solution produced voids into which the overlying materials collapsed. The disabled facility has been diverting partially treated effluent into a nearby dry run since the lagoon collapsed. A dye trace documented that the effluent after sinking underground reemerges from three local springs and then flows into a river which is a regional trout fishery. However, a second dye trace from the sinkhole in the lagoon failed to establish a connection to any local well or spring.
Hydrogeologic Investigation of the Proposed Expansion Site of the Winona County (Murphy) Landfill
(1984-04) Dalgleish, Janet; Alexander Jr., E. Calvin
Altura Minnesota lagoon collapses
(Proceedings of the First Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes. Orlando, Florida 15-17 October 1984. "Sinkholes: Their Geology, Engineering and Environmental Impact. Edited by Barry F. Beck of the Florida Sinkhole Research Institute, University of Central Florida, Orlando. Page 311 - 318. Taylor & Francis, London, UK. Offprint, 1984-10-17) Book, Paul R; Alexander Jr., E. Calvin
In April 1976, a series of karst sinkholes opened in the holding lagoon of the Altura, Minnesota Waste Treatment Facility. This major failure was preceded by minor sinkhole formation during the construction of the facility in 1974. Subsequent detailed field mapping of the region around the community revealed at least 23 sinkholes not shown on existing maps. The distribution of the sinkholes as well as post-failure investigations of the lagoon indicate that catastrophic collapse is related to the presence of a thin, poorly indurated, jointed sandstone overlying a thick carbonate unit. The sandstone served to collect solutionally aggressive vadose water and to concentrate that water onto specific areas of the underlying carbonate. The resulting differential solution produced voids into which the overlying materials collapsed.
Sinkhole Distribution in Winona County, Minnesota
(Proceedings of the First Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes. Orlando, Florida 15-17 October 1984. "Sinkholes: Their Geology, Engineering and Environmental Impact. Edited by Barry F. Beck of the Florida Sinkhole Research Institute, University of Central Florida, Orlando. Page 311 - 318. Taylor & Francis, London, UK. Offprint., 1984-10-17) Dalgleish, Janet B; Alexander Jr., E Calvin
Winona County, located in southeastern Minnesota, is part of a karst region in the upper Mississippi Valley. The karst is developing in flat-lying dolomitic Ordovician rocks. As part of a Minnesota Geological Survey county atlas program, we have systematically field located sinkholes, and prepared a 1 to 100,000 scale map showing sinkhole locations and sinkhole probability. We located 535 sinkholes in Winona County (~1600 [sq-km]). Most of these relatively small, geomorphically young sinkholes are not included in the USGS 7.5 minute topographic maps and cannot be readily detected on air photos. The sinkhole density, while low compared to many karst regions was much greater than local, regional, and state land use planners anticipated. New bedrock, surficial and hydrogeology maps of Winona County were used for correlation with the geographic distribution of the sinkholes. The primary control on the distribution of sinkholes appears to be the bedrock stratigraphy. The secondary controls, not necessarily in order of importance include slope of the land surface, and composition of surficial materials. The depth to the water table does not appear to have an important [effect] on sinkhole development. Age data indicate that the rate of sinkhole formation has [significantly] increased in recent years.
Canfield Creek Dye Trace: October, 1985
(1985) Alexander Jr., E. Calvin
Dye Tracing Through Thick Unsaturated Zones
(Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on Underground Water Tracing. The Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration, Athens, Greece, 1986. Edited by A. Morfis, P. Paraskevopoulou. Reprinted from Proceedings p.p. 181-188, 1986) Alexander Jr., E. Calvin; Davis, Marsha A; Dalgleish, Janet B
Using the fluorescent dye Rhodamine WT, a field fluorometer, and direct samples of water collected from springs, wells, cave drips, and pools we have conducted two successful dye traces through thick unsaturated zones in karst regions. The first dye trace was of a proposed expansion site for a landfill in Winona County, southeastern Minnesota. The site sits on top of a narrow ridge about 150 meters above the adjacent valleys. The second trace was at Jewel Cave National Monument in the southern Black Hills of South Dakota. This trace was initiated to evaluate the impact of tourist facilities on the underlying cave. A visitor center was constructed on the surface, 50 to 100 meters directly above the cave. In both traces, small, irregular pulses of dye began to appear (in springs and wells at the Winona Landfill site and in cave drips and pools at Jewel Cave) within days of the dye injection, and the pulses continued to emerge for months. The pulses were typically a day or less in duration and a very small (10s to 100s of parts per trillion, 10- 12 g/g). The pulses are more frequent after major precipitation/runoff events but appear to be moving through both unsaturated zones in a very irregular, stochastic fashion. The very low levels of dye detected in many of the pulses required so.me type of confirmation analysis. We have successfully used the large negative temperature coefficient of Rhodamine WT's fluorescence to discriminate between low levels of Rhodamine WT and fluorescence due to background materials.
Dye Tracing Studies of the Fountain, Minnesota Sewage System
(Proceedings of the Environmental Problems in Karst Terranes and Their Solutions Conference, 1986. © Published by, "National Water Well Association" and Produced by, "Water Well Journal Publishing Company"., 1986-10-30) Alexander Jr., E. Calvin; Milske, Jodi A
Fountain, a small community in southeastern Minnesota, is located on a sinkhole plain developed in the Ordovician Galena Formation. Many of the approximately 100 houses in the town have sewer systems that empty directly into sinkholes. Qualitative dye traces using Fluorescein and a quantitative dye trace using Rhodamine WT indicate that effluent from the community's individual disposal systems resurges at a group of springs about a mile northwest of the community. These springs are located in the Galena aquifer which comprises the upper karst above the Decorah Shale aquitard. The travel time of the underground flow here is about one day. The citizens of Fountain are considering the construction of a community drainfield to alleviate the sewage disposal problem. The effluent from individual septic tanks would be collected and piped to a drainfield about two miles south of town. The proposed drainfield site is stratigraphically below the Decorah Shale in a valley underlain by limestones and dolomites of the Praire du Chien Group. Watson Creek, which flows through the valley, is a karst stream which loses water into the ground in the vicinity of the proposed site. The quantitative dye trace from the proposed site indicates that the water beneath it is moving southeast at a velocity of about 1.3 miles/year. Water in the lower karst aquifer (in the Prairie du Chien) is moving two to three orders of magnitude more slowly than in the upper karst aquifer (in the Galena). [Carbon-14] analyses of the water in the Prairie du Chien aquifer are consistent with the dye trace results and indicate residence times of less than 25 years. Flow in the upper karst aquifer is about 300 times faster than in the lower aquifer, and in the opposite direction.
Olmsted County Dye Trace Investigation of the Oronoco Sanitary Landfill
(Donohue & Associates, Inc., 1991-04) Alexander Jr., E. Calvin; Huberty, Barbara J; Anderson, Keith J
Fountain USGS 24k DRG Topo Map
(1992) Spong, Ronald C
Cherry Grove USGS 24k DRG Topo Map
(1992) Spong, Ronald C
Greenleafton B 24K USGS DRG Topo Map
(1992) Spong, Ronald C
Stewartville B 24k USGS DRG Topo Map
(1992) Spong, Ronald C
Chatfield A USGS 24k DRG Topo Map
(1992) Spong, Ronald C