U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

USGS Fact Sheet 043-99

February 2000

South Dakota

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

provides information needed to

manage the Nation’s earth resources,

mitigate natural hazards, and understand the environment. In South

Dakota, the USGS works cooperatively with local, State, and Federal

agencies to study earth-science

issues.

Earth Surface Mapping and

Imagery

The USGS works with numerous

cooperators to produce map products

and digital cartographic data, which

are used with geographic information

systems (GIS). Among the most

popular maps are 1:24,000-scale

topographic maps that depict natural

and cultural features such as lakes,

streams, highways, railroads, and

political boundaries. Among the most

popular digital products are digital

orthophoto quadrangles (DOQ’s),

which are digital versions of aerial

photographs. These digital images

provide snapshots of the Earth’s

surface that are well suited as base

maps on which other information can

be overlaid. Production of DOQ’s has

been supported by numerous State

and Federal agencies. The South

Dakota Department of Environment

and Natural Resources (DENR) has

cooperated in the production of other

map products, which include digital

elevation models (DEM’s). A DEM is

a set of gridded elevation values.

DEM’s are useful for illustrating

surface or topographic views of the

Earth, and for deriving characteristics, such as slope, from elevation

data.

The USGS Earth Resources Observation System (EROS) Data Center near

Sioux Falls is the world’s largest

nonmilitary repository of remotely

sensed data. The EROS archives

house worldwide imagery from

satellite-borne sensors and more than

7 million aerial photographs of the

Nation. Much research within the

USGS is based on this ever-expanding collection of image data. Digital

and photographic products are made

available to government agencies,

commercial users, and the public. The

USGS also has developed partnerships with several agencies to provide

unclassified imagery for hazard

management and emergency-response

needs.

Figure 1 shows South Dakota as

recorded by the thematic mapper

sensor aboard a Landsat satellite. This

cloud-free image is a compilation of

18 images acquired during September

and October from 1986 to 1993. In

this false-color image, healthy

vegetation appears red. Examples of

vegetation patterns include intense

red tones of forests in the Black Hills

(left edge of mosaic) and cultivated

fields dispersed throughout the State.

The light area in the lower left

represents the Badlands region. Many

other light-colored areas are harvested fields. The smallest features

that can be seen in this image are

about 250 feet in size. Noticeable

features include the City of Sioux

Falls in the lower right, prairie lakes

in the upper right, and Oahe Dam in

the center of the mosaic.

The USGS is a partner in the South

Dakota Space Grant Consortium,

which is dedicated to improving

research capabilities within the State,

and also hosts university researchers

who work in areas of mutual interest.

The USGS also participates in an

educational partnership with the

Flandreau Indian School. This

Figure 1. False-color image of South Dakota.
science for a changing world

partnership provides the school with

resources and improves the quality of

math and science education.

The USGS Earth Science Information

Centers (ESIC’s) provide information

about programs, products, and technical developments. In cooperation

with the South Dakota Geological

Survey (SDGS), the USGS operates

ESIC’s in Sioux Falls and Vermillion.

As part of the national ESIC network,

information is provided on cartography, geography, digital data, remote

sensing, geology, geophysics, geochemistry, hydrology, geohydrology,

aerial photography, and land use.

Water and Climate Issues

Northeastern South Dakota has been

severely impacted by rising lake and

wetland water levels during much of

the 1990’s. Some lakes in the Waubay

Lakes Chain, which is within a closed

basin that lacks streams to drain it,

have risen as much as 18 feet since

1992, impacting residences, farmsteads, and roads (fig. 2). The Federal

Emergency Management Agency has

requested that the USGS lead a

multiagency study of flooding

conditions around Day County. This

study focuses on estimating the

frequency and duration of flooding

conditions in the closed basin.

Specific tasks include summarizing

climatic conditions and the resulting

extent of inundation during 1992–98;

modeling hypothetical future waterlevel changes; preparing long-term

(decades to millennia) estimates of

lake-level chronologies; and conducting water-balance and frequency

analyses for the Waubay Lakes Chain.

Other participating agencies are the

U.S. Department of Agriculture–

Natural Resources Conservation

Service, the U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers (USACE), the DENR, the

South Dakota Division of Emergency

Management, and South Dakota State

University.

A regional study of lake sediments

may provide insights into long-term

climatic conditions in northeastern

South Dakota. Lake sediments can

provide records of climatic change

over time periods that range from

years to millennia. Cores of lake

sediments provide a time series for

documenting the last 10,000 years of

climatic and environmental changes

through investigations of biology,

sedimentation, and chemistry. Sediments from Pickerel Lake provide a

continuous record of climatic and

environmental change for the last

12,000 years. Preliminary data on

carbon and oxygen isotopes from

sediments, fossil assemblages,

magnetic susceptibility, and organic

carbon and carbonate, indicate that

the climate and environment changed

dramatically during this period.

Rapid City and other towns near the

Black Hills are prone to flash flooding because of steep stream gradients

and intense thunderstorms. An

extreme flood in 1972 on Rapid

Creek and in adjacent drainages

caused 237 deaths. In response to

needs for enhanced flood-warning

capabilities, the USGS is cooperating

in the operation of a network of 17

stream gages and 19 precipitation

gages in the Black Hills area. All

gages transmit real-time data to

computer systems in USGS, National

Weather Service, and Pennington

County Emergency Management

offices. Other cooperators include the

Bureau of Reclamation, USACE, and

local agencies.

The USGS recently initiated a study

with the South Dakota Department of

Transportation (DOT) to evaluate

factors affecting ice forces at bridges

in response to damage to a bridge

across the Missouri River. The study

will involve measuring ice thickness

and crushing strength and developing

methods to predict these factors. Two

other studies with the DOT recently

were completed—a determination of

channel-scour characteristics at 31

bridge sites, and a statewide floodFigure 2. Landsat images of Day County showing normal conditions in May 1992

(left) and flooded conditions in April 1998 (right).
South Dakota

frequency analysis that provides

techniques for estimating peak-flow

magnitudes and frequencies.

Wetland, Fish, and Wildlife

Studies

The USGS is cooperating with the

City of Sioux Falls to evaluate the

artificial ground-water recharge

potential and habitat benefits of a

constructed wetland near Lyons. The

results may be useful for evaluating

benefits of other potential wetland

replacement efforts. The objective of

the hydrologic component of this

study is to develop a water budget for

estimating the volume and efficiency

of recharge from the wetland to the

Skunk Creek aquifer, which is a

source of municipal water supply for

Sioux Falls. The objective of the

study’s biologic component is to

monitor aquatic and terrestrial

wildlife and vegetation in the created

wetlands.

The USGS South Dakota Cooperative

Fish and Wildlife Research Unit has

developed maps showing the locations of 947,652 wetlands that cover

about 10 percent of the total landscape in eastern South Dakota. These

maps are used to plan developments

such as highway construction and

municipal expansions that will allow

conservation of wetlands along with

development. In cooperation with the

DOT, USGS scientists also are

studying wetlands created from

highway construction borrow pits.

This study began with an inventory of

biological diversity in natural wetlands that was used to evaluate factors

that could be incorporated into

wetland designs. Several wetlands

have been created by the DOT near

Mitchell and the results are being

evaluated.

USGS scientists at the South Dakota

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife

Research Unit have been surveying

fish communities in South Dakota

rivers and obtaining information on

walleye and catfish. This information

has been useful to anglers, and State

agencies, such as the South Dakota

Department of Game, Fish and Parks

(GF&P) and the DENR. The data

include habitat measurements intended to help management agencies

plan conservation measures, such as

improving in-stream habitat conditions or identifying areas to establish

conservation easements.

Fifty species of fish live in the South

Dakota part of the Missouri River.

New information on their abundance,

age, and growth help the USACE

assess the quality of the riverine

habitat. Emphasis is on the fish

community and the commercial and

recreational anglers that depend on a

healthy fishery, while also considering other uses of the river such as

electrical production, shipping, and

flood control.

The status of reptilian and amphibian

populations is uncertain in much of

the northern Great Plains. Studies are

underway in South Dakota by the

USGS to determine the presence,

numbers, and habitats of reptiles,

frogs, toads, and salamanders at Wind

Cave National Park and, in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, at

Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. In

addition, the USGS, the GF&P, and

the Natural Heritage Program are

preparing an “Atlas of South Dakota

Herpetology” for the World Wide

Web.

Several National Parks have management concerns regarding native

hoofed animals. Efforts are being

made to restore bighorn sheep

populations in Badlands National

Park. The USGS is providing census

techniques, evaluating restoration

practices, testing habitat models, and

developing a model to guide restoration plans. A separate USGS and

National Park Service (NPS) study in

Wind Cave National Park is examining the effects of fire and elk grazing

on the establishment and growth of

declining shrub communities.

Geologic Mapping

Geologic mapping may help identify

undiscovered cave passages in Jewel

Cave and Wind Cave, which are the

fourth and seventh longest known

caves in the world, respectively.

Based on calculations of air flow and

atmospheric pressure differences, it is

estimated that only 5 percent of the

cave passages have been discovered.

The NPS is concerned about preserving undiscovered passages from

potential contaminants seeping down

from the cave-bearing Madison

Limestone.

 A new 1:100,000-scale geologic map

of the central Black Hills is being

completed in collaboration with

SDGS, mining companies, and the

South Dakota School of Mines and

Technology. This map will provide

improvements to the knowledge of

igneous rocks that host most of the

economic mineral deposits in the

area. Sedimentary rocks and their

structures also are highlighted to

show ground-water movement off the

flanks of the Black Hills. Geophysical

maps, including gravity and aeromagnetics, are incorporated to show

the extent of subsurface units.

Areal Water-Resource Appraisals

The USGS, in cooperation with the

SDGS, counties, and Indian tribes has

been appraising water resources in

South Dakota since 1958. Studies for

most counties in eastern South

Dakota have been completed (fig. 3),

and studies have been initiated in

western South Dakota. These studies

typically use test-hole drilling,

observation-well installation, and

water-quality sampling to determine
Printed on recycled paper

USGS office locations USGS State Representative

1608 Mt. View Rd.

Rapid City, SD 57702

 (605) 355-4560

FAX (605) 355-4523

USGS Home Page

http://www.usgs.gov

Reports and products

1-888-ASK-USGS

the availability, movement, recharge,

discharge, and quality of water in

glacial and bedrock aquifers. The

studies usually result in a detailed

water-resources report published by

the USGS and three reports published

by the SDGS—a detailed geology

report, a major aquifers report, and a

sand and gravel report. The reports

are a foundation for water-resource

planning by State and local agencies.

Water-resources information is

critical for planning and management

by the nine Indian tribes in South

Dakota. Hydrogeologic studies with

six tribes (fig. 4) were completed by

the USGS during 1970–80. To meet

the tribes’ changing needs, more

recent studies of the Lower Brule and

The USGS has 147

employees in South Dakota

Huron

Brookings

Rapid City

Pierre

Sioux Falls

Yankton

Rosebud Reservations were completed during the 1990’s. In addition,

studies are in progress with four

tribes. An extensive appraisal of

surface- and ground-water resources

is underway with the SissetonWahpeton Tribe. Ongoing work

includes streamflow gaging, test-hole

drilling, observation-well installation,

and water-quality sampling. Studies

of the Pine Ridge, Cheyenne River,

and Standing Rock Reservations are

intended to meet a variety of needs.

Information related to surface- and

ground-water quality is of particular

importance in light of Federal programs associated with the Clean

Water Action Plan. Development of

accurate hydrogeologic data bases for

GIS applications is another priority.

Bedrock Aquifer Studies

A series of bedrock aquifers that

underlies much of the State is recharged in outcrop areas of the Black

Hills. Population growth and associated development in this area are

increasing the demand for water from

(and the potential for contamination

of) these aquifers. Several studies are

addressing these issues. The Black

Hills Hydrology Study (fig. 3) is a

hydrogeologic study in a six-county

area that began during 1990 in

cooperation with DENR and local

cooperators. Preliminary efforts

focused on extensive data-collection

activities that included precipitation

and streamflow gaging, water-quality

sampling, and ground-water-level

monitoring. Currently, efforts focus

on interpretive activities including

hydrogeologic mapping, determination of hydrologic budgets, characterization of aquifer properties, geochemical modeling, and analysis of

interactions between surface water

and ground water.

The Madison and Minnelusa aquifers

are particularly important in the

Black Hills area because of potentially large well yields and important

interactions with surface water. The

objectives of ongoing studies in

cooperation with Rapid City and

Spearfish include determination of

aquifer characteristics, geochemical

analyses, and modeling of groundwater flow and solute transport.

Solute transport is of particular

concern because of the fractured

nature of many aquifers in this area.

To address this issue, mapping of

aquifer sensitivity to contamination in

Lawrence County also was initiated.

This study uses extensive hydrologic

information and geologic maps.

Figure 3. Status of county and

multicounty water-resources

appraisals in South Dakota.

Completed

EXPLANATION

In progress

County boundary

Black Hills Hydrology

Not scheduled Study boundary

Figure 4. Status of hydrogeologic

investigations of Indian Tribal lands in

South Dakota.

Completed 1970–80

EXPLANATION

New Investigations in progress

Not scheduled

Rapid City

PIERRE Huron Brookings

Sioux Falls

STANDING

ROCK

CROW

CREEK

CHEYENNE

RIVER

PINE RIDGE

ROSEBUD

LOWER BRULE

SISSETONWAHPETON 

FLANDREAU

YANKTON