Geological mapping and 3D model of deposits that host ground-water systems in the Fargo-Moorhead region, Minnesota and North Dakota

Abstract

The objective of the current project is to present an updated and enhanced depiction of the sediments and rocks within which ground-water systems occur across the Fargo-Moorhead region, to support further assessment of currently utilized and potentially usable ground-water resources in the region. To do so, existing geologic maps from North Dakota and Minnesota were compiled, interpreted, and integrated to produce two maps, one depicting the uppermost unconsolidated deposits (Surficial Geology; 1: 200,000), and the other depicting the uppermost rocks (Bedrock Geology; 1: 400,000). These maps were merged with a new interpretation of bedrock elevation and a compilation of readily available digital drillhole data for approximately 30,000 sites to produce a three-dimensional (3D) depiction of subsurface geology, extending from the land surface down to the top of the granites and other igneous and metamorphic basement rocks of Precambrian age that underlie the entire region.