UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE 

INTERIOR. J. A. Krug, Secretary. 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. E. Wrather, Director. 

CIRCULAR 33 October 1948 

GEOLOGY AND WATER-BEARING PROPERTIES 

OF THE "1,400-FOOT" SAND IN THE MEMPHIS AREA 

A PROGRESS REPORT 

By . 

Robert Schneider and E. M. Cushinl 

Prepued in coopeptioo 1ritk the 

MEMPHIS LIGHT, GAS, AND WATER DIVlSION 

WASHINGTON, D. C. 

GEOLOGY AND WATER-BEARING PROPERTIES 

OF THE "1,400-FOOT". SAND IN THE MEMPHIS AREA 

A PROGRESS REPORT 

By Robert Sc4neider and E. M. ~ushing 

CONTENTS 

Page 

Introduction••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 2 

History of the development of tbe 

"1,40D-foot" sand•••••••••••••••••••••· 2 

Previous investigations•••••••••••••••• 2 

The present investigation ••••• ~......... 2 

Acknowledgments........................ 2 

Geology•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 3 

Regional geology••••••••••••••••••••••• 3 

Geology of the "1,400-foot" sand••••••• 3 

Stratigraphy••••••••••••••••••••••••• 3 

Page 

Geology--continued. 

Geology of the "1,40D-toot".sand--Con. 

Structure and thickness.............. 4 

Mechanical composition••••••••••••••• 6 

Preliminary microscopic study........ 7 

Quality ot the water••••••••••••••••••••• S 

Water-bearing properties••••••••••••••••• 8 

Pumpage and water-level histo.r,r........ 8 

Pumping tests•••••••••••••••••••••••••• 11 

Summar,r •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 13 

ILWSTRATIOIS 

Page 

Plate 1. Map of Memphis, tennessee, showing locations of deep wells and location ot cross 

section ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••..•••••••••• 2 

2. 4 

Figure l. Geologic _cross section (A-A') through Memphis, Tennessee•••••••••••••••••••••••••• 

Map of Shelby County, Tennessee, showing generalized structural contours on upper 

surface ot 11,40D-foot" sand••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 5 

9 

12 

2. Graphs showing relation between water-level fluctuations and pumpage trom the 

"1,4DO-foot• sand•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 

3. Approximate water-level declines at the end of l day at various distances trom a 

well being pumped at 1,000 gallons a minute•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 

ABSTRACT 

The entire municipal water supply of 

Memphis, Tennessee, comes from sandy beds 

in the Claiborne and Wilcox groups (Eocene). 

Sirce 1924 a number of w~lls have obtained 

water from a sand in the lower part ot the 

Wilcox grQUp. It is about 1,200 to 1,400 

feet below the land surface and is known 

locally as t~e "1,40D-foot" s~~~. 

The ·aquifer is composed ot unconsolidated 

fine- to medium-grained quartz sand interbedded with thin layers of clay. It is 

apparentlf about 210 feet thick and the upper 

surface dips westWard about .30 feet a mile. 

It is believed that the sand can be identified as a ~ologic unit as far as 45 miles 

vest, 78 miles north, 48 miles east, and 80 

milPs s~th of Memphis. 

Water from the "1,400..foot" sand is very 

soft but it contains iron. In the Memphis 

area its temperatur~ ranges tram 70° to 72° F. 

Pumping tests were ~e and the values for 

transmissibility and ~he coefficient ot storage were found to vary somewhat in different 

parts of the city. 1 

About 49 billion gallons of water was 

pumped from the "1 ,4C>O-foot" sand in Shelby 

County, Tennessee, from 1924 through 1946. 

In 1946 an average of abont 8.7 million gallons of water was 'pumped daily from the sand 

in Memphis. It_ is estimated that about 1 

mil1ton gallons ot water is pumped daily trom th~ -~1,40Q-foot" sand in De Soto County, 

Mis""issipp1, and Crittenden County, Arkansas. 

A study of the available water-level and 

pumpage data indicates that nearlJ all the 

water pumped up·to and including 1945 came 

trom storage vi thin the sand. There is, as 

yet, no indication that recharge bas been 

affected by the pumping. 

1 
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

OFFICIAL 

CITY MAP OF 

MEMPHIS 

TENNESSEE 

WALTER CHANDLER 

OSCAR P. WILLIAMS 

ROBERT I . FREDERICKS 

JOSEPH P. BOYLE 

DONALD C. MILLER 

PMMR!D 1Y THI: 

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS IL ~~ .f.2WL R 

1944 

·_!_ ~--·· __ T ___ _ 

t......,....,., ___ .. ....... _ .. .. .., ........... ..,.. ... , 

REPRODUCED IY THE 

U. S . IIOLOIICAL SURVEY 

WITH THE rEIUII SSION OP' 

. , DE,T. 0' PUILI C WOIUCI 

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MAP OF MEMPH IS, TENN., SHOWING LOCATIONS OF DEEP WELLS AND LOCATION OF CROSS SECTION 

CIRCULAR 33 PLATE 1 

EXPLANATION 

• USED WELL SCREENED IN 

" t, 400-FOOT" SAND. 

Q UNUSED WELL. 
2 

INTRODUCTION 

History of the development 

of the "1,400-foot" sand 

The entire municipal water supply of 

Memphis, _Tennessee, comes from water-bearing 

sands of Eocene age. Most of the municipal 

supply is obtained from sandy beds about> 400 

to 500 feet below the land .surface in the 

Claiborne group that are known locally as the 

"500-foot" sand. A supplementary source of 

water is obtained from a sand about 1,200 to 

1,400 feet below the land surface in the 

lower part of the Wilcox group, known locally 

as the "1,400-f'oot• sand. 

In 1924 a well tapping the "1,400-foot• 

sand was .drilled under the supervision of 

W. G .Lanham, of the Memphis Light, Gas and 

Water Division. According to Mr. Lanham, 'JI 

an exploratory well that reached this aquifer 

(water-bearing formation) had been drilled in 

1902. 

By 1928 the City had nine wells in the 

"1,400-foot" sand. At the present time the 

city uses 19 wells in this stratum and the 

Buckeye Cotton Oil Company uses one. (See 

p 1. 1 for location of wells in use.) From 

1940 to 1945 a well (No. 148-tJ>) screened in 

this sand was pumped at the Chickasaw Ordnance Works near Millington, Tennessee, about 

15 miles north of Memphis. 

A partial inventory of wells in the vicinity 

.or Memphis has disclosed that the city of West 

Memphis, Arkansas, about 7 miles west of 

Memphis, has two wells in this sand and that 

Marion, Arkansas, about 5 miles north of West 

~~emphis, has one. Several 2- and 3-inch wells 

probably in the same sand have been reported 

south of Memphis in De Soto County, Mississippi. 

Previous tnvestigations 

The earliest report on groand-water conditions in this region was written by L. c. 

Glenn. Y in 1906. In 1931 F. G. Wells l/ 

i/ Personal communication from W. G. Lanham 

to R. G. Kazmann, formerly with the U. s. 

Geological Survey. 

?:/ Glenn, L. c., Underground waters of 

Tennessee and Kentucky west of Tennessee 

River and of an adjacent area in Illinois: 

U. S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 164, 

1906. l/ Wells, F. G., A preliminary re:9ort on the 

artesian water supply of Memphis, Tennessee: 

U. s. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 

638-A, 1931. 

wrote a preliminary rPport on the artesian 

water supply of Memphis. In 1933 Wells Ill 

wrote a fairly comprehensive report on the 

ground-water resources of western Tennessee. 

The Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division 

conducted a series of pumping tests on the 

"1,400-foot" aquifer from l932 to 1934. The 

results of these tests were analyzed by 

·R. G. Kazmann, together with most of/the data 

obtained during the present investigation. 

Records of. water levels have been published 

in Water-Supply Papers 817, 840, 845 1 886 

907, 937, 945, 987, and 1017 of the Geological Survey under the title "Water levels and 

artesian pressure in observation wells in 

the United States." Water-level measurementl 

from April 1927 to March 1931 are presented 

graphically in Water-supply Paper 656. 

The present investigation 

The field work ·for this r•port was started 

in 1945 by R. G. Kazmann, who resigned tram 

the Geological ~Y before a report could 

be prepared. Most of the data in the section on water-bearing properties were obtained by him, except for those on a pumping 

test at the Buckeye Cotton Oil Company and 

the most recent data on pampage. The original analysis of the hydrologic data was also 

made by Mr. Kazmann. 

A typewritten report entitled "A brief review of ground-water condi tiona ir1 the vicinity of Memphis, Tennessee• was prepared 

by F. H. naer, Jr., and R. G. Kazmann in 

1943. A progress report entitled "The water 

supply of the Memphis area" was writte:p. in 

1944 by R. G. Kazmann and was issued in 

mimeographed form. 

Acknowledgments 

This investigation is being carried on 

under the general supervision of A. N. Sayre, 

Geologist in Charge of _the Ground Water Division of the Geological Survey. It was 

started under the general supervision of 

o. E. Meinzer (deceased) 1 Geologist in Charge 

of the Division. The investigation is under 

the immediate supervision of V • T. Stringfield, 

senior, geologist in the Geological Survey. It 

is being carried on in cooperation with the 

Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division. The 

writers express their thanks for the cooperation and assistance of Major T. H. Allen, 

c. M. McCord, w. G. Lanham, and A. J. Rumley, 

of the Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division. 
The officials ot the Du Pomt Company, who opera~ed the Chickasaw Ordnance Works near 

Millington, were most cooperative in furnishing pumpage records of their deep well 

tor the period 1940..45. w. F. Bowld, A. E. 

Logan, and C. B. Metz, of the Buckeye Cotton 

Oil Company, Chemical Pulp Division, were 

very cooperative in furnishing records of 

pumpage from their deep well and also in permit.ting the writers to make a pumping test. 

GEOLOGY 

Regional geology 

S~~eral times during Upper Cretaceous and 

Te~ time the area from about Cairo 1 

Illinois, to the Gu1t ot Mexico and tram 

Little Rock, Arkansas, to about the Tennessee 

"1,400..toot" sand, dip~ gene:t ally westward 

because the axis of the Embl:~ent in 'this 

latitude is west ot the Misfissippi River. 

3 

Little is known about the "1,400..toot" sand 

beyond the Memphis area. A study ot available electrical logs and drj~ers 1 logs ot 

water wells and wlldaat oil 1 ests seems to 

indicate a thickening of the sand toward the 

axis of the I!mbaym.ent. It j s believed that 

the sand can be mapped as a ~logic unit 

in the subsurface tor about 30 miles and 

possibly as much as 45 ·mUe2 west ot Memphia. 

A cross section prepared by P. F. Brown ~ ot 

the Geological Survey indicates that the aaDd 

can be mapped about 80 milee to the south. 

It is recognizable about 15 ~iles east of 

Memphis and possibly as tar~ 48 miles·eaat. 

The sand can be identified c n an electrical 

log and on logs of water wellls about 55 miles 

Generalized table of Cenozoic formations underlying Memphis, Tennessee 

S;yat. Series Groo.p Thiok:neaa 

(teet) 

Pbyaj cal character 

Recent Allun jal aailda, 

clayE , and gravels 

Quatel"D8.17 Pleistocene o-so Loeaa 

PleietoceDe 

and Pliocene 0..100 Terrae ~ deposits ot 1----- - - - _.,. - ._. ...... ·---- ....... - sand ~ gravel 

Jackson, group (?) Gray e ~d bluish-gray 

(Undifferentiated; clay~: 1 minor amounts 

possibly equivalen.t to 15o-200 ot lj gni te and tine · 

part of Yazoo clay of sand 

Eocene Mississippi) 

Claiborne group 1/ 

(Undifferentiated) 600..700 Sand, 

liglrl 

clay, and 

Tertiary' fte 

Wilcox group 'J/ 

5oo-600 

Sand, clay, and 

(unditterent~ated) lignj te 

Midway group jrq to black· 

Paleocene Porters Creek Formation 5oo-600 Da.tk-e 

clay and shaly clay 

'J/ It is extremely ditficmlt to differentiate the Claiborne group from the Wile ox group 

in the subsurface. 

River (near the ·latitude of Memphis) was an 

arm of the sea. Several thousand feet ot 

sand, · gravel, lignite, clay 1 chalk, and limestone was deposited in this embayment or 

geosyncline, which has been termed the 

Mississippi Embayment. The Tertiary deposits 

dip tram 15 to 30 teet a mile toward the axis 

ot the Embayment, which coincides approximatelY 

with the present course of the Mississippi 

River. 

Memphis is near the center of the northern 

or Upper :&nbayment region. The strata under.-

lying the cj.ty, one of which is known as the 

and possibly as far as 78 mjiJ.es to the north. 

Geology ot the "1 ,400.!toot• sand 

§tratigrappy.- The accomnarnkng generalized 

table of Cenozoic formations underlying 

Memphis was compiled mainly ~th the aid of 

JJI Brown, G. F., Geology and artesian water 

of the alluvial plain in northvestern 

Mississippi, 425 pp., 38 figs., 13 pls., 

1947. ~-)~.f.~ {W1 ~.{ 
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 33 PLATE 2. 

A A' 0.10 

ii: - 8 -50 8· 64 __ ,.....[II.....,[J r----;... 1TTniT ~ W:."!~o~~~ ~ ~ ~ ,.,

09 ---~H~i~;l·:~l~; !l;i~~-~~n~1't--r l;;~·~,~-··~-~IT,:~:;~:.,· ---~,·~;;~ ,: " ~.FH~'·;·~:'·~"....-f' ·,~;~~---------LL:Co)EE~S~ss"i(~PPLLJE;I S~T~O~C~E;N~E~)L===~:: __ --------------------------- . . . . .. 

•oo ::::7.~i;.....:F~~-· F~~~~~~=-==-==-:~;;~ml2~:====~j#~ ·J: ¥; :#; ::::::f~f;:t=f: t~ ~t. -. t=====¥:.~ .. F:::::::===f~ .. i. =F. _j. t .. i. t.~ .. it~====:.;s~A ~ A"N ~GRAVEL( PL E 1 s roc ENE AN o ~L~CE N E > ---_- -~.::--,----======-==-==-=:::::::-:::==;;;;;-;;;==-==i~· ~· ~·~· ·t===1~1-- •o• 

~ - =~ 1\~-- =-=::- r"- ~ . . 0 ... . ·:..;.··U;..:"':..;...~.+="='-.1-------------- ~ ~ /00------1~~···[--~---------------------i~-~------------it-~i~~ .. r---l~~·~ .. '~~~ .. r-,~~~~·~}:::j:~::::::~::=:tt~:: f1~;~.:r~~-~~rt~~~~~ ---------------------------------------~------------------------------------------------------------------------------~j-~~-----r~~=·.· .·.~--/OO ~_; ~i __ -- JACKSON GROUP ( ?) (EOCENE) ::-: - ~ 

MEA*------~Il-------------------------4~~----------~~}+~~--~-~~-~--~-~-~~~+---~~------i~~~E~-~-~-~~~-~-~----------------------------------------------------------------------~~==~~~~==~==~~------~~------~--~~~~-~~~~~?~-+~~--~~~ /::EL J-=- _- _ _ -- -:__ _ _ ------------ '-_--_::_- . . . . . LEttn -::c:;: ..--- - - ~v ~=~-..j:.:-::..::j..------------------- """"" 

/00 -----4~1---~----~==~~==~==~J~: f.---? ... 

:~~~~l· :;;.- ==~=?:~==~~~~~~~~~--~f--~- -1 .... -~~~1:::=: J---f;~------i~~ .. ·=.~ .. }+. t+~tt~tt~~ ~--_·_· ------------------------------------~--------------------------------------------------------------------------------1~:·~ ~ =·r-r.... ·~· r------t~ .. 

. .

~-~ . -- OO ~ ~~ ~ _ ... . 

. ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ,=,=F too------~~-------------------------+~~-----------+.~ ~~--~~--~~--~0+--~~~ .. -~.~-----}.~.~ .. ~~~.~.~~~.~~~~~------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+7~~-.=-i-------f~~ .. ~-~--too 

F. § · · · ~ ~· CLAIBORNE GROUP (EOCENE) ~ F.-:;.; 

•oo------~~~-~------------------------t:::~:~~: .. ~----------~~.~.~~~~~ --~~--~~--{~~-~··}---+~~.~~~-----}:;;.~ .. ~~~.~:~~~~-~~-~-~------------------ ~~~(U IF l ____________________________________________________________________________ ~~-t~-------t_~-:~.~--•oo 

•oo-- --~~------------------------~rliJI .. -----------+ ~~-~--~~~ .. .'~----h~--~~---+~~----~~~~~ ~-~-~~-~------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~ .. ~·t-~1-------t.~·~·r---•oo . · .. I--"-~-·- ·: 

:--:::-

§ ~ ...--- rE: - - -~v~ ~ 

600 ------f=;t "":' . -------------------------t·~·~"t------------+~tt~r---1~~t-~r.· - ~'·1--t~t---~~------~~~~~~~~~§- ~ F:=: ----------------------------------------------------------------~============================~~:===~--~~~~==~·----i~~-~r-~-~-]l------~7r---••• 

~ bF. ~ E . ... 

1 0 0 

-----4~~-------------------- .. . +---------~~~-~-~~ . ~ ~~--~·--~~--~--~-A-~ -~==~--~ -~~~ --·~----~~++~~~.•.. ~~~~ ~ E=' --------------------------------------------------------4 

.:=-. .-:. ~ ~ - -- r.:,=..: - .~__:::- .. ... ,:>. .. /-- -- ;:;.;;: F . . . . r..:=.., , ''~="=' -- TOO------~~-------------------------+. ~----------~~~~----~~--~~--~~-- ~~--~~~~~~~H=~~~------------------------------------------------------------------- ~ ~ / ~ 

·_ 1------------J~ r.o_...;.._l-- ---:. _-_ ~ ~ ·-t?t---.1E "' <::: /J =~ - § ~ · WILCOX GROUP (EOCENE) 

•oo------~-~- -----------------------~~~~----------~~~_~~-=~---~~--~~_~-f~~-~~~~-~-~-~~~- +.~----~~~:~~~~~-~=~~-~+~~~~.~~~~~~------------------~~~~ IA T __ E_D_) ____________________ _, 

---------- ~.....;..~c...; ------------- EXPLANATION 

SOURCE OF MATERIAL : DR I LLERS ' LOGS OF 

WELLS PENETRATING THE " 1,400 -FOOT " SAND 

LEGEND 

ITIIJ LOESS ("TOPSOil:) c=:J 15ANO 

f.:.:.:.j SAND AND CLAY r.....-.¢'1 CLAY 

~ SAND AND GRAVEL - LI QN ITE 

~ GRAV EL ~ •ROCK•tt 

C. LIGNITE AND SAND 

• POSSIIL.Y IAMOITON( , srdsTONr:, Ofl MAllO SHALl 

HOR IZONTAL SCALE 'lio VERTICAL SCALE 

~ · 1----------------+~--F==l------4;;;...;;;;.'-__ 600 

~ 1-----------------F~----{"~~· ~ .. i--''-'----+=-=--~---- 800 

-- - .. ~::.· ~ - ~ -_- F_- - . . . ,_-___ t..=....:: _- __ -

F--::: · ~ ~ ;;;;..; . . . ,....... p= ~ 

•• o,----~~~= .. .~----------------------~~~.------------~~~~-~-~--~~~-~--~~--~-~-~--~-~-~-----b~~~~~-~~~-~~~~~~--~--------------------------------~----------------------------~----------------_--_-_--_-_--_--_-_--_-_--_--_~_-- ----_-_--_--_ _-~-F=·.·· 3 ... v~.-.. :.::~ .. ::r------r ..~ .. ~ ... r--··· --t~~· ---------E~~.:;;. .. t, ------i=~=IT~~-_ii::~· ~~,__~=t=f_~-t==f.-~--¢====f:=~~~--W~1= &~§:-=ffi=~--~=====-:~==-==~~-~===-=- __ -__ -__ -_-_-__ -__ -__ -__ -_-__ -_-_-__ -__ -___________ ldt:J---rT--I, 000 

1.ooo ~ .. :=:::: ~ .. -::. . . . . '---,...- . . . . -~- _ ~ ~ 

-- = !=;:.::;: - -~ .. . :"<: ·. ~ 

1,100 ------e:.;....;, -;;;,j--------------------'-------E::,_;:::l•· ~---=-....C.--- ~--_-:.,r-:...:-4 .,.~'-'r--~'~ · -+."-_-__ --1:::-:-::l--+:...:..:.+--+··.:.···.:.. ·· ~--F+-------j.:.... :..: .4. -hd-1.:..:...:.-· ,_.. _. +-:....:.f..f--:4--------------------. I 4 0 0 - F 0 0 T II sAND ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------==--;;;!:-=· ··!---- 1,100 

--~ - ~ . . ------ .· :... ....... ' -------------- ~ c...:...:.: ~ c.:..:..:..: L.:...:....:... . • •• .,;,.:.:_...:..:...:. --?---- =-= r:-=-==-~ ----- . -

4~·------~~-------------------------+.~~--------------~~------------ E ------------------------------------------------------------------------=== -- --- ---=?~~~------~==~ ------~-- ~=-----------------------------------------------------------------------~~--- •oo 

:::=: - ---- ------?-- -_-_ -- -----?--- ••~-----k~------------------------~~~---------------+~~~~----------~~~~==~----~--------------------------------------~----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~~~-- ,>OO ~~-'-·'-'·+-------?--:- -?-- ~ 

~~-----'~~--- ~ 

MIDWAY GROUP (PALEOCE~E) 

GEOLOGIC CROSS SECTION (A-A') THROUGH MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE 
4 

the geologic maps of the States of Arkansas 

fJ/ 1 l.fississippi 7/, and Tennessee. ~ Corre. 

lations are based on stratigraphic positions 

and lithologic charact~ristics as described 

for the most part in drillers 1 logs. The 

"1,400-foot11 sand is presumed to be in the 

lower part of the Wilcox group of sands, 

clays, and liJni te. 

Roberts and Collins 2/ differentiated the 

Wilcox group of Tennessee, subdividing it 

into the Grenada, Holly Springs, and Ackerman 

formations. The middle Eocene (Claiborne 

group) was presumed to be absent. This interpretation, which was followed by Wells ~ 

was based on a subdivision of the Eocene of 

north-central Mississippi by Lowe. iL/ 

According to the most recent geologic map of 

Mississippi, :}6.1 part-of the strata which were 

mapped earlier as Wilcox may actually be, in 

part at least, of Claiborne age. 

In this report no attempt has been made to 

subdivide the Wilcox group in the subsurface 

bec:;ause the history of marine advances and 

regressions in the upper embayment was so 

complicated that marine and continental beds 

grade laterally and vertically into one 

another. In earlier work correlations on the 

surface have generally been based on fragmentary remains of plants, but these are generally destroyed by rotary drilling. 

At least locally the "1,40D-foot" sand con-' 

sists predominantly of unconsolidated fineto medium-grained quartz sand. Drillers I 

logs geDer~ describe the upper third or 

the unit as •sand", •artesian sand" 1 8 good 

sand", or "water-bearing sand.• Electrical 

logs of wells in the vicinity of Memphis 

essentially agree with these descriptions, 

although they also indicate that there are. 

some beds of argillaceous sand and sandy clay-, 

up to 5 or 10 feet thick, interbedded with 

the sand. Overlying the sand c:re thick beds 

of gray-1 bluiah-gr&.7, and green clais and 

shal7 clayw interbedded with thin lqers of 

lignite, sand, and sandy cl.q. The Porters 

W Arkansas Geol. Survey, 1929. 

7/ Mississippi Geol. Soc., 1945. 

~ Tennessee Di v. Geology, 1933. ~ Roberts, J. K., and Collins, R. L., The 

Tertiary of vest Tennessee: Am. Jour. 

Sci., 5th ser., vol. 12,. pp. 235-243, 

1926. 

:L,St Wells 1 F. G., Ground-water resources ot 

western Tennessee: U. S. Geol. Survey 

Water-Supply Paper 656, pp. 89-95, 1933. U/ Lowe, E. N., Preliminary report on iron 

ores of Mississippil Mississippi Geol. 

Survey Bull. 10, · pp. 23-25, 1913. u/ Op. cit. 

· Creek formation (Paleocene) and possibly 

same younger beds.of clay and shale lie tDmediately benAath the ."11400-foot" sand. 

On the geologic map of Tennessee the MidwayWilcox contact is about 60 miles east of 

Memphis. It the "1,4~foot• sand is assumed 

to be a continuous hydrologic unit eastward 

from Memphis, the distance to this contact 

would be the approximate distance to the area 

where the basal part of the sand crops out on 

the surtace. In Mississippi u/ there is some 

doubt as to whether the sand is continuous 

to the east and the same condition ~ possibly prE' vail in Tennessee. However, if' the 

sand is continuous eastward, there is also a 

possibility that it is completely overlapped 

by the Claiborne group. 

Regardless of whether the sand is overlapped 

eastward by the Claiborne group, the possibility of recharge still remains becanse the 

·claiborne group includes sandy beds which 

would permit the percolation of water downward toward the 111 1400..toot• sand. 

Structure and thickness.- It should be kept 

in mind that practic8liy all the information 

on the "1,400-toot" sand in the Memphis area 

has been recorded by water-well drillers. 

Unless a test hole is being drilled, the 

accumulation of data of scientific value is 

ot secondary importance to drillers because 

they are primarily interested in completing 

the well. Even though some of the logs JDa7 

be very poor 1 the drillers are to be commended for keeping the existin~ records. 

The apparent westward dip of the upper surface of the "1 ,4QO..foot• sand along the line 

of section A-A • (pl. 2 ) is about 30 feet to 

the mile. This figure is fairly reliable 

because the driller usually makes accurate 

observations about the time he expects the 

drill to penetrate the sand in which he is 

go~ to set the screen. 

The structural contour, map of the upper 

surface of the •1,400...toot11 sand in Shelby 

Count,- (fig. 1 ) was drawn with 16 control 

points. Three of the points are wells which 

were logged electrically. The rest are . 

selected drillers 1 logs which were considered 

to be relatively accurate. It should be noted 

that eight ot the control points are concentrated in Memphis. Consequently, the map is 

a very generalized picture ot the configuration of this surface. 

In the North Parkway Pumping Station area 

(walls with prefix number 7 in p 1. 1) 1 where 

the mean land-surface elevation is about 250 

U' Peraonal cCIIDDIUD.ication fr.Qm G. F, Brown 1 u.s. Geological Survey, Univers1ty, 

Mississippi. . 
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' 

t~ 

~.~ 

. . 

: 

I~ 

~·a 

s 

0 

. 

t 

I 

.: 

I 

• 

ro4 
6 

feet above mean sea level, the average depth 

to the top of the "1,40Q-foot" sand is about 

11 292 feet. · 

. In the Sheahan Pumping Station area (wells 

with prefix number 8), where the mean landsurface elevation is about 300 feet abo•e 

mean sea level, the average depth to the top 

of the aquifer is about 11207 feet. 

Three City test wells (Nos. 3-109, 7-25, 

and 8-60) have completely penetrated the 

aquifer. In well3-109 the driller's log 

indicates that the sand ia 77 feet thick. In 

well 7-25 it is 106 feet thick and in well 

8-60 it is 203 feet thick. In a test well 

of the Memphis Natural Gas and Oil Compa.D7 

on Hen and Chicken Island, in the Mississippi 

River,· the sand is 265 feet thick. An electrical log of an unused well on the property 

of the Buckeye Cotton OU Company, owned by 

the War Assets Administration, indicates that 

the sand is 210 feet thick. 

. 

According to W. G. Lanham W' ot the 

Memphis Light, Gas, and Water Division, the 

logs of wells 3-109 and 7-25 are not entirelY 

reliable. It is possible that the drillers 

of these wells, in recording their logs from 

the action of the drill, described argillaceous sand or sandy clay as merely "clay" • 

The apparent average thickness of the sand 

in the Memphis area is about 2#0 feet. 

Mech8nical composition.- The samples used in 

this study were collected from rotary drilling 

operations by drillers of the Memphis Light, 

Gas, and Water Division. They represent at 

most the upp"'·r third of the "1,400-foot" sand. 

Some of the samples were collected from the 

sluice trough or at the mouth of the well 

near the top of the surface casing pipe. 

OthPrs were collected with a sand bucket 

which was bailed down into the water-bearing 

ti/ Personal communication~ 

Mechanical analyses of samples from the "1~40Q-foot" sand· at Memphis 

Well Depth I Total Siz.;; fractions ~nUmber interval weight of 

(feet) sample ~ f. mm. Very Coarse Medium Fine Very 

grams) coarse 0.5- 0.25- 0.125- tine 

l-2mm. 1 Illlle 0.5mm. o.25mm 0.062-

In 1 ?'\mm 

7-42 134J.,-1354 134.37 o.06 O.(y] 0.25 1.53 89.21 8.23 

7-42 1.354-1362 219.16 .09 .23 .37 1.35 90.49 6.65 

7-1.2 1362-1368 142.96 .oo .27 1.00 5.88 87.56 4.74 

7-43 1324-1334 147.65 .oo .oo 1.69 69.60 28.37 .27 

7-43 1334-1344 111.16 .04 .10 3.61 67.37 27.93 .58. 

7-43 13~1369 315.19 .oo .03 4.57 71.52 23.64 .13 

7-45 1311-1382 165.40 .oo .22 3.37 74.02 21.21 .45 

8-50 1245-1260 147.31 .r:n .16 2.65 40.83 55.01 .95 

&-50 126o-1275 131.46 .05 .17 2.27 41.28 54.99 .87 

8-50 l29Q-1320 157.34 .oo· .10 2.00 44.29 52.44 .99 

8-56l( 6/1280 125.10 .o6 .07 .82 41.96 55.32 1.22 

8-56 1285 152.65 .oo .11 1.62 48.91 48.65 .58 

8-56 1310 157.44 .oo .10 3.03 61.83 .34.35 .45 

8-5.3 1235 96.30 .oo .58 5.71 32.21 60.42 1.11 

8-53 1235-1260 168.42 .04 .36 5.36 32.89 59.76 1.40 

8-53 1260-1290 124.84 .oo .42 5.74 36.57 55.91 1.12 

S-60 1250-1270 < 139.04 .oo .04 .20 41.20 56.73 1.54 

8-60 1270-1290 147.17 .oo .05 .18 42.15 55.59 1.75 

8-60 1290-1305 159.64 .oo .08 .17 42.40 55.66 1.50 

S-65 125~1267 167.86 .17 .20 6.40 60.10 31.87 .sa 

8-65 1278-1288 134.21 .oo .05 2.73 6.3.64 30.88 2.03 

8-65 1288-1.306 147.83 .oo .01 .31 35.11 59.06 4.55 

11

2

, A weighted average of the figures in the size-interval columns. ~- Computed from cumulative-frequency curve. 

Mean Coef'f'icien1 

size of of' 

Resi- ~rainsl/ uniformity 

due mm.) ?/ 

on 

.Dalt 

o.65 0.19 1.3 

.82 .19 1.3 

.55 .20 1.4 

.12 .33 1.6 

.37 .34 1.5 

.n .35 1.6 

.73 .35 1.6 

.33 .28 1.5 

.37 .28 1.5 

.18 .28 1.4 

.55 .27 1.5 

.13 .29 1.4 

.24 .32 1.6 

.31 .29 1.5 

.19 .28 1.5 

.24 .29 1.4 

.29 .27 1.5 

.28 .27 1.6 

.19 .27 1.4 

.38 .34 1.6 

.67 .32 1.6 

.96 .25 1.6 

J/ Well G-51 in U. S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 656. . 4/ Solitary figures in the c'olumn headed, "Depth interval• represent the depth to the drill 

bit at the time the sample was collected. 
sand. The latter method provides samples 

that are more ~ representative than those 

collected by the first method, although in 

both eases some or all the tiner mineral 

·grains are lost. . Samples collected by the 

first method are generally more or less mixed 

with material from other horizons, owing to 

the constant Qirculation of the drilling mud 

in the hole. The possibility of mixture with 

materials from shallower horizons exists in 

the sand-bucket method of collection also, 

but to a far l~ss degree. 

There is no record as to which method of 

sampling was used in collecting the samples 

studied. Theretore, the results 1 can be used 

only to make general comparisons between 

samples as far as. texture and the degree of 

sorting are concerned. It sbou.ld be emphasized that size-analysis data for a single 

sample are of little value unless the,- are 

used tor comparison with data for samples 

which have been collected in a •imilar marmer. 

The sand samples studied range in texture 

troll fine to medium, the ave~e-falling in 

the medium grade (Wentworth~ scale). The 

coefficient of unif'ormit,- is a mDD.erical index of the degree to which the sand bfs been 

sorted. It represents the .ratio of the diameter ot a grain that is coarl!ler than 60 PfJl"-

eent of the sample to the diameter of a grain 

that is coarser than 10 percent of the sample. 

Thus, a sand that is perfectly sorted would 

have a coefficient ot uniformity of 1.0; that 

1a, all the grains would be ot the s.. size. 

The average coefficient ot uniformity tor 

22 samples tram the •1,400-toot• s&Dd is 1.5, 

the max1mtml recorded is 1.6, and the miniJIIDI 

is 1.3. These coefficients are all somewhat 

lower than the trne value because it must be 

assumed that some of the finer mineral gra1u 

have been lest. Even though it is likel7 

that some of the coarser grains have been loat 

also, most ot the loss. is probably in the 

smaller grain sizes, olfing to the fact that 

they remain in suspension in the dril.l.iDc Jmd 

longer than the coarser grains. 

It is ot interest to note that, even though 

tn. coefficients of unitor.mit,y for the samples 

trom the Sheahan well field and the Jforth 

Parkway well field show little difference in 

the degree of sorting, the mechanical anal.ysis 

data indicate some ditterence. At least 67 .7! 

pf\reent of' the weight of' each sample trom the 

North Parkway well field is confined in one 

size interval. According to the analysis, 

90.49 percent of the sample trom'l 1.354-62 feet 

in well 7-42 is in the size interval 0.125-

0.25 DDDe 

U/ Wentworth, c. K., A scale of' grade and 

class terms for clastic sediments: Jour. 

Geology, vo.J..tt 30, No. 5, pp. 377-392, Jul7-AUg .l "J'"- • 

7 

In general, the bulk of the weight of each 

sample from the Sheahan well f'ield ill distributed between two size intervals, 0.125-0.25 

mm. and 0.25-0.5 mm. The most even distribution occurs in a sample trcn well 8-56 

(1,285 f'eet) in which 48.65 percent of' the 

sample is in the interval 0.125-0.25 Dille $Dd 

48.91 percent is in the interval 0.25-0.5 •• The most uneven distribution in this well 

field occurs in a sample frail 1,2?8-88 feet 1n 

well 8-65, in which .30.88 percent of the 

weight is in the size interval 0.125-0.25 .a. 

and 6.3 .64 percent is in the size interval 

0.25-0.5 DID.. 

These data should not be interpreted to 

mean that the coefficient of UDitormity is ot 

no value. A more accurate value tor this 

coefficient can be obtained b,y adding intermediate size intervals in the mechanical 

analysis. Considering the method or sampling 

and the scope of this report, it was not 

deemed necessary to make the mecbanical anal.Jses more detailed. 

As far as the samples used in this study 

are concerned, the meohani cal analyses indicate that the •1,400-toot• sand in the SJwaban 

well field is somevbat less well sorted tha 

1D the Rorth Parkway well field. It is believed that the slight ditterenee in the degree ot sorting is responsible to some extent 

tor the differences in the water-bearing 

properties ot the sand in the tvo fields because the size and arrangement or the grains 

effects the per.aeabilit,r. 

Pn11•1pen Jdcrgacopic study.- A binocular 

microscope was used to stu.c%r the sand samples. 

The folloving observations should be appraised 

cri ticall.y in view of the fact tbat the samples were collected tram rotary' drUl.1.q 

operaticms. Bo att-.pt was· -.de to identit7 

all the llineral grains present in llin.or 

8Dl011Jlts, owing to the possibility that the 

s811d may bave been contaminated vi th grains 

troa other horizons. 

The sand is composed essentially of tine to 

medium, subangular to sharplJr angular gl"aina 

of quartz. A fev or the graitns are wellrounded and frosted. About halt the quartz 

grains are clear and half are milky. The 

mil.k:y appearance is due in part to DUJDerowl 

tin7 fractures in the quartz. J. rev or the 

quartz grains are smoky or amber-colo~d. 

Almost every grain of smo1ey' quartz is CJ:"1Stalline. Minerals present in minor amounts mclude kyani te, staurolite, tourmaline, feldspars, pyrite, :u.gneti te 1 IIIUScovi te, rutile, 

and a dark glassy mineral. 

Eve17 sample ·exudned containa minor amouuta 

ot kaolinite. The kaolinite is general.l7 in 

slightl7 elongated "books" which are subr0Wlde4 
8 

tt9 subangular in shape. This mineral is extremely sort in comparison to the detrital 

minerals listed above. .If the kaolinite had 

_been_derived directly from the weathering-of 

feldspars in the sand it would have been more 

or less amorphous, except tor possible preservation of the general outlines or cleavage 

fragments. In a:idi tion, there should have 

been some partially kaolinized feldspar grains 

in the sand. The worn edges of the kaolinite 

grains suggest that they have been.transported 

for some distance, but the relatively weak 

physical character or the mineral limits the 

possible distance to the source area. The 

stratigraphic position of the sand (near the 

contact betlleen the WUcox and Midway groups) 

suggrsts a possible source for the kaolinite b~caus~ kaolinitic blays, bauxite, banxitic 

clays' and kaolinized bauxite are quite commonly associated with this contact in 

Arkansas, Tenness~e, Mississippi, and Alabama. 

It is possible that the kaolinite was eroded 

and transported in post-Midway time from 

deposits or kaolinite on the surface or the 

formations or thR Midway group. 

QUALITY OF THE WATER 

Water from the "1 ,40D-foot" sand is generally or good quality and ranges from 700 to 

72° F. in temperature. The average hardness determined from 10 analyses is 9.5 parte 

per million (as GaC03) • The maximum value 

recorded is 17 and the minimum is 5. This is 

generally considered to be a very soft water. 

The following table presents three typical 

analyses of waters from the "1 14DO-foot" sand. 

Analyses of waters from the "1,40Q-foot" sand 

in Memphis 

[Analyzed by G. A. Billingsley, U. S. 

Geological Survey] 

Well Well Buckeye 

7-38 8-62 Cotton 

OU Co .. 

(Parts per million except pH) 

Si.lica (Si02) 10 10 12 

Iron (Fe) .84 1.4 .55 

Aluminum (Al) .7 .7 1.8 

Calcium (Ca) 1.8 4.0 2.0 

Magnesium (Mg) .9 1-.7 .9 

Sodium (Na) 41 31 38 

Potassium (K) 1.3 1.7 1.6 

carbonat"" (ceg) 0 0 0 

Bicarbonate ( C03) 112 96 105 

Sulfate (S04) 4.4 4.7 4.4 

Chloride (Cl) 2.0 1.8 2.0 

Fluoride (F) .2 .1 .1 

Nitrate (N03) .2 .2 .2 

Dissolved Solids 119 105 115 

Total \lardness 8 17 9 

pH 7.8 7.7 7.6 

An objectionable quality of the water is 

that it contains an average of 0.86 part per 

million of iron. The maximum value recorded 

is 1.7 parts per million and the minimum is 

0.45 part per million. The presence of the 

iron necessitates its removal by aeration 

and filtration.. Practically all the iron in 

the public supply of the City of Memphis is 

eliminatPd in this manner. 

WATER-BEARING _PROPERTIES 

Pumpage and water-level history 

As far as is known the only major water 

withdrawals from the,"l,40D-foot" sand occur 

in Shelby County, Tennessee. A partial well 

inventory conducted in July 1945 in Crittenden 

County, Arkansas, indicated a total withdrawal 

of about three-quart~rs of a million gallons 

of water a day. The quantity or water withdrawn from the 2- and 3-inch wells penetrating 

the sand in De Soto County, Mississippi, ~s 

small. Outside Shelby Colinty the total amount 

ot ,water pumped from the "1,40Q-foot" sand is 

probably about a million gallons a day, and 

thr:se withdrawals are distributed over a large 

area. 

In Shelby County, owing to a combination of 

fortuitous circumstances, it has been possible 

to obtain an almost complete record of the 

water pumped from the aquifer. To obtain this 

record it was necessary to make a thorough 

check of all the records of the Memphis Light, 

Gas and Water Division and its predecessors. 

Fortunately, W. G. Lanham, the Superintendent 

of Wells, has insisted on the compilation and 

maintenance of adequate pumpage records. As 

Mr. Lanham has been associated with the muni-

_cipal water supply of Memphis for nearly 40 

years, the records are in good condition. The 

records of deep-well pumpage are continuous 

from the time the first well was put into 

operation on November 11, 1924. From 1924 

through 1946 about 49 billion gallons of water 

vas pumped from the "1,40D-foot" sand in 

Shelby County. The av~rage daily pumpage is 

given in the following .table: . 

Average daily ~unpage, in million gallons a 

day, from the "1 ,400-foot" sand in Shelby 

County \ 

~ear ~page Year Pumpage Year Pumpage 

1924 0.1 1932 6.5 1940 6.6 

1925 0.9 1933 3.8 1941 8.7 

1926 2.5 1934· 4.9 1942 8.6 

1927 2.2 1935 6.3 1943 11.1 

1928 4.5 i936 5.4 1944 10.8 

1929 5.7 1937 4.5 1945 8.7 

1930 6.2 1938 5.6 1946 8.7 

1931 5.4 1939 6.0 -- --
In th~ records ot the Memphis Light, Gas 

and Water Division, it vas found that the 

elevation of' the water level in well 7-5 

on November 9, 1924, was about 11 feet below 

the land surface or about 244 teet above 

mean s~a level. This elevation is believed 

to be the original static level in the Memphis 

area. 

Systematic records ot water levels in the 

•1,400..toot• sand are not. available f'Jiom. 1924 

= 0 

4 

IIIZ •• 

.o 

0 

::I 10 

2 4· 

9 

to 1945, principally beoauae all the wells 

were being pumped and no uuused valls ·were 

available in which to ma.JEi":laeaauraments. 

Periodic water-level measurements were starW 

in a well screened in this sand in Janu&r7 

1945. 

Figure 2 presents three hJdrographs of 

wells screened in the 111 ,400-toot• sand lllld 

a graph showing the average daily pumpqe 1n 

1945 and 1946. It is apparent that 'Water0 

10 

.. ~· 5 

::; 

AVERAGE DAILY PUMPAGE 

_, 

i 10 

... 

u 50 

' K 

~ 

• 

0 

a 

c 

... eo 

• 0 

_, 

... 

• 

... 

... 

Ill TO ~ 

E 

.; 

... eo > 

.., 

... 

1: 

.., 

!C • H 

WELL 14-10 

9 4 5 

Figure 2.-- Graphs showing relation between water-level 

fluctuations and pumpage from the "1,4QO-foot"· sand. 

20 

10 

•o 

TO 

eo 

eo 
10 

level fluctuations in a particular observation well tEmd to reflect the pumpage in the 

well field in which the observation well is 

located more than they do the total pumpage 

in th~ area. The relation between the fluctuations of the water level in an observation 

well and the total pUmpage is obscured by the 

£act that water is b~ing pumped from several 

widely scattered points. 

In De Soto County, Mississippi, a few 

measurements of water levels were made in 

wells that probably tap the "1,400-f'oot" sand. 

These measurements have been published in 

water-supply papers of the Geological Survey 

entitled "Water levels and artesian~ssure 

in observation wells in the United States," 

beginning with the 1942 volume. Although 

measurements were not made early enough and 

were not numerous enaugh to justify any conclusions, it is apparent that water levels in 

thP aquifer have declined, for the wells in 

Mississippi that formerly flowed freely under 

several feet of head now mnst be pumped. 

A number of water-level measurements have 

been made in individual wells of' the Parkway 

and Sheahan fields since the wells were first 

operated. These measurements are not strictly 

comparable, owing to changes in pumping conditions • Systematic measurements have been 

tabulated for the period tram July 1933 to 

February 1934, during which 1ime all the wells 

screened in the "1 ,400-toot" sand were slmt 

off' for an experiment. However, all the 

measurements made by members of· the water works 

staff over the 20-year period have not yet been tabulated. , 

Depths to \otater, in f'eet below the land 

surface in l.Q31 and 1945 under s:lm.Uar conditions of pu'lD.i31ng, are given below: 

Well January 18, 1931 January 18, 1945 

number Depth to Pumping Depth to Pumping 

water in rate in water in rate in 

feet gallons f'eet gallons 

a minute a minute 

7-5 (J/) - - 620 

7-26 - 700 51.6 - 7-27 - 700 (J/) - 7-28 

7-29 

36.7 

31.5 - 52.1 - - 47.7 - 7-30 26.8 - 44.9 - 7-31 27.2 - 45.5~ - 7-32 - 700 - 760 

7-33 - 700 40.0 - 7-38 - - - . 850 

'J./ No measurement made • 

Note: Wells in Sheahan fiE:'ld not yet drilled 

in 1931. Sheahan wells shut off for 2 days 

when measurements were made in 1945. 

The average clurnge in water level between 

'1931 and 1945 is apparently about 17 feet in 

the Parkway . well field. This is not a large 

change· over a 14-year period. Part of' the 

change can be.attributed to the effect ot 

wmping in the. Sheahail well field during the 

past 10 years. Computations made on the basis 

of data obtained from pumping tests indicate 

that a drawdown between 6 and 8 feet would be 

produced in the.Parkway field b,y pumping an 

average of 2 million gallons a day at the 

Sheahan well field for about 10 years. 

On the basis of' pumping-test data, and 

assuming that an average ot 5 million gallons 

of water was pumped daily in the Parkway field 

b.etween 19.31 and 19454 the static water leve~l * 

would be expected to decline about 4 fee~ 

given in the previOus paragraph, it is, be!:. 

lieved that 10 to 12 feet of the apparent loss ~ 

of head of 17 feet between 19.31 and 1945 can §~ 

be accounted for by the pumping in the two * 

municipal well fields. The interference ~ 

caused by the Chickasaw Ordnance Works, where ~ 

a daily average of about 1.5 million gallons p 

of water was pumped from January 1941 to 

January 1945, was between 2 and 3 feet at the ={' Parkway field by January 1945. Added to the • 

10 to 12 feet given above, thiS gives a total 

of 12 to 15 feet. ~, 

Basing conclusions on the results or the 

pumping tests and assuming that·the character 

of the sand is unchanged tram the Memphis 

area to the· area wher:e the. sand is at or near 

the surface, it would seem that the decline of 

the water level in the Parkway field between 

1931 and 1945 is largely accounted for by the 

known water withdrawals in the area. · 

The difference between the drawdown computed :from the effect or. pumping since 1931, 

1.2 to 15 feet, and the actual measured drawdowns, about 17 feet, is 2 to 5 teet. It is 

believed that this discrepancy is largely due 

to variations in pumpage within the field and 

to pumpage in Cr~ttenden County, Arkansas, and 

De Soto County, Mississippi, and to variations 

in the transmissibility and the coefficient 

of storage. The effect of recharge is not yet 

discernible. This would indicate that the re-· 

charge area is quite distant, probably more 

than 50 or 60 miles .from the Memphis area. 

The available water-level data, combined 

with pumpage and pumping-test information, 

seem to show that until now the aquifer has behaved as would be expected ot the theoretically 

infinite aquifer postulated in the derivation 

of the formulas used to compute the effects of' 

withdrawals. Apparently the quantity of water 

withdrawn has been small compared to the total quant~ty in storage and the effect of the boundaries of the aquitor is not yet manifest. 
.,. 

Pumping teste 

The quantity of water that can be obtained 

from a well or a group of wells depends in 

part upon the hydraulic characteristics ot 

thP. wate~aring formations tapped by the 

vella. Pumping tests may be used to determine 

. the-se characteristics. The quantity of water 

that is transmitted by a formation depends 

upon its pel'lleabUi ty, thickness, extent, and 

continuity, and on the hydraulic gradient 

that is induced in the formation. 

• The permeability of a formation is defined 

aa the rate at which the formation vil1 transmit watf>r through a unit cross section under 

unit difference of head per unit distance. 

Permeability may be exprPssed as 'the :number 

of gallons of wa~r a day that will percolate 

through a cross section of the tor.matiaD 1 

mile wide and 1 foot thick, tor each toot per 

mile of bydranlic gradient. 

Transmissibility is the product ot the permeability and the thickness or the saturated 

portion ot the aquifer, and 1n· this report is 

:measured in gallons a day per toot. 

The coerticient ot storage is the valume of 

water releas~ from storage in each vertical 

prism of the> aquiter or unit cross section by 

unit decline of head. The water is derived 

from storage, oviDg largely to the expansion 

of the water and the compaction of the aquifer. 

There is no actual unwatering of the formation. 

Arter the deep wells of the Sheahan well 

field were ccmpleted between 19.32 and 1934 by 

the Water Department (now included in the 

Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division), 

pumping tests were conducted on each well and 

the interference among the different wells 

screened in the same stratum was measured. 

The tests were planned and conducted by 

w. G. Lanham and most of the measurements 

were made by A • J. Rumley. After discussing 

the testing procedure vi tn Messrs. Lanham and 

Rumley 1 it was concluded that all the data 

needed for computing the values for the transmissibUi ty and for the storage coefficient 

were obtained to the required degree ot 

accuracy. 

·In addition to the tests made in the Sheahan 

wall field after ~he completion of the wells, 

another test was conducted by Mr. Lanham, 

starting in the summer of 19.33 and continuing 

into February 1934. The test consisted of 

stopping all lllllllicipal pumping from the 

•1 ,400-toot• sand. At the same time, measurements were made each day ot the depth to . water 

n 

in Oll the wells in the Sheahan and Park:wfq . 

fields. On February 9, 19.341 after the wells 

had been idle for 196 days 1 well 7-26 was 

started. On February 21, well 7-28 was started 

and pumped intermittently until March 9, 

when it was slmt off. On March 31 other deep 

wells were started and on April 1 wells 7-26, 

7-271 7-28, and 7-29 were all pumping. All 

the other wells in the Par~ fl.eld and wall . 

8-56 in the Sheahan field were measured 

during the entire period. Fran data collected 

during the course of this test 1 values tor the 

transmissibility and for the storage coefficient within the Parkway and Sheahan fields 

and between the fields were computed. 

On January and February 1945 another series 

ot pumping tests was conducted in the Parkway 

and Sheahan -well. fields and an attempt was 

made to measure . the interference between the 

fields • These tests yielded values for the 

transmissibility and for the storage coefficient essentially the same as those computed 

from the tests made in 1932-.34. 

A pumping test was made on the property ot 

the Buckeye 'Cotton Oil Comp&JlJ" during March 

1947. The company's deep well was used as the 

discharge well and was pumped tor 3 cla.J1I at a 

rate of 1,400 gallons a minute. Two wells on 

the company's property 1 which were owned b.t 

the War Assets Administration, were used a8 

observation wells. The decline. of the water· 

level produced by pumping the Buckeye CcmpaD7 

well was recorded in well 8-56 in the Sheahan 

well field, about .3.5 miles away. 

The values obtained from the pump~sts 

haw a moderate range. For e:mmple~ 

Parlcwlcy' tield, values ranging from ll01000 

to 1441000 gallons a day per toot were obtained tor the transmissibility, and the 

values tor the4storage coetftcient ranged 

!rom 2.3 X 1~ to 6.1 X l<r't • In the Sheahan 

field values tor the transmissibility ranged 

frOlll 8'7,000 to 1171000 gallons a dq p•foot 

and Talues fo~ the coefficient ot s~ 

ranged troa 1.21 X 1()4 to 2.15 X 1(1"'4 •- At 

the Buckeye plant the values tor the tran..:. 

missibUity ranced from Cf7 ,000 to 103 1 000 

gallons a . cia1' per feot and the values tor the 

coefficient ot storage ranged from 2.13 x lo-4 

to 2.52 X l<r4. . 

The differences in transmissibility • which 

are about t 15 percent from the average, are 

not greater than usual in UDConsolldated 

aquifers. 

The following table presents the averages 

of the results obtained from the pumping 

tests: 
2 

.... 4 

11.1 

w 

~ 

z 

. 

11.1 

! 6 

.J 

0 

11.1 

0 

.J 

UJ 

> 

~ 8 

I 

a: 

UJ 

i 

10 

12 

--1---;.=+r 

14 

100 

~ ,fll 

DISTANCE FROM PUMPED WELL, IN FEE1 . .... ~ ,w .~ .oa ,, ..... t» .. "' 

FT 

i=-=t--=1--+--

I

F 

l_ tL 

~tL_, __ _ 

lllll!lll!lllllllllllllll 

-·-

• 1,000 

"Tl'·rr,l 1 ' ! H-tttti:i-iH-I:T~ -2- ~~tiT- l--t- -1-+ r::__"·.-

IJ-

{::: 

H---+ r~ 

,_:-~F. ~-++l-r 

·"" ,01 

;jHl 

_l~}rL 

tmf ·;:' 1. L,. ~.1. -4 d- j • • : ! -~ ... 

.. lOt •" .w :0 p 

II 

I 

10,000., 

Figure 3 .-Approximate water-level declines at the end of 1 day at various distances trom a well being pumped 

· at 1 1 000 ;;.allons a minute. 

~ 
Number of 

Location sets of 

data 

Sheahan WPll field 14 

Parkway well field 5 

Buckeye Cotton Oil Company 2 

Between Sheahan and Parkway 

well fields 6 

Between Buckeye Cotton Oil Company 

and Sheahan well field 1 

The differences in the transmissibility aDd 

coefficient of storage in the Sheahan and 

Parkway well fields and at the Buckeye plant 

are :important in considering any future increase in the use of deep-well water·. A well 

drilled in the Parkway field should baire a 

specific capacity 25 to .30 percent greater 

than an identically constructed well in the 

Sheahan field or in the vicinity of the 

Buckeye property. The specific capac! ty of 

a well is defined as the yield per unit of 

drawdown and is commonly expressed as the 

yield in gallons a minute per foot of drawdow.n 

or the water level after a definite period ot 

pumping. For equal well spacing and the same 

pw:1page, the interference among the Parkway 

wells will be less than the interference 

among wells at the Sheahan field or at the 

Buckeye plant. 

Figure .3 shows the approximate water-level 

decline to be expected at the end of 1 day 

at various distances from a well that is being 

pumped at 1,&0<> gallons a minute. Separate 

curves have been drawn for the Sheahan and 

Parkway well fields and tor the vicinity or 

the Buckeye plant, using the following values 

for the transmissibility and coefficient of 

storage at the three locations: 

Transmissi- Coefficient 

Location bUity ot storage 

Parkway well field 1.30,000 4.5 X 1Ci4 

Sheahan well field 100,000 1.6 x lo-4 

Buckeye Cotton Oil 

Company 100,000 2 • .3 X l<J4 

As far as statio water levels are concerned, ov~r a long period of years the differences 

in water-level deolines.at each of the locations will be small if equal amounts of water 

are pumped constantly at each location. How- ev~r, the Parkway field and the Buckeye plant 

have a practical advantage over the Sheahan 

field in that their elevations are about 50 

teet lower and consequently the pumping lifts 

are less. 

l3 

Average transmissi- Number of Average ~oetfibili ty (gallons a sets of oient of 

day per foot) data storage (x 10-4 

100,000 12 1.6 

1.30,000 • 4 4.5 

100,000 2 2 • .3 

138,000 2 .3.8 

11.3,000 l 2.1 

A study of the available subsurface data 

indicat~=>s that the 111,400..f'oot11 sand is probably in the lower part of' the Wilcox group 

(Eocene). It is composed essentially ottineto medium-grained, subangular to sharply angular quartz sand interbedded w1 th a f'ev thin 

layers of' clay. The sand is apparently about 

210 Ill feet thick and the upper surface dips 

westward about .30 feet to the mile. It is 

believed that the sand can be identified as 

a hydrologic unit as far as 45 miles west, 

78 miles north, 48 miles east, and SO miles 

south of Memphis. In the Memphis area the 

aquifer has been found to be remarkably uniform both geologically and hydrologically. 

A study of the available water-level and pumpage data indicates that nearly all the water 

pumped up to and including 1945· came trom 

storage within the aquifer. There is, as yet, 

no indication that the rate of recharge or the 

aquifer bas bee~ affected by the pumping. 

Water from the "1,400-footn sand is ver,y 

soft but it contains iron. 

More investigative work will be necessary 

before these tentative conclusions can be 

substantiated tully. 

147877 
I , 

List ot oorreotlOM tor Ciraalar 331 

8Geolo11 ana· vater-'beuina propertlee · ot the ,, 1 1400.toot' eand . :ln the Mempbie ana. • · 

Cover page and page 1. ·•1,400 toot• sh01;1ld be 8 1,4oo-toot•. 

Plate 1. The solid and open oircles U:J'l(ler the explanation •hoal4 be · red instead or black. . ~ ' 

Pase, 2, oolwm 1, paragr-.ph 3, l.1De 6. lo. 148-ID shoold t. 148-l.D. 

Page 2, oo~ 2, paragraph 3, liM 6. IIMeua.reJD~zrt' ahCNld be ••uar artt~•, •. 

Pa1e 3, ool~ 1, paracraph 2, line 2. •Terltarr 1 ehoul4 be 81'.-tf.a711. 

· Pa1e 3, table. Line between QuatemarJ 8D4 T.-tiu7 ·a •s,._. ~ 

ehoald be dahed, ~ should be •owe!· up, opposite 1 Pleutootae &D4 

Pliooene.• 

Page 3, footnote s. "Miaeila1pP1" ahoald~ be followed d.UeOtJ.,. .. 'b7 a ooloD · and the phrase ·"Misaillsi:Pr>l Geol. SUne7 Ball. 65" • · · · 

Page 6, . oolu. 2, liDe 9. 230 teet ehould be .210 teet. 

Page 10, ool,_. 1, paragraph 2, line 12. "Deolinea• aboUld be •uoJ•...,•. . ' 

Page 10, oolUIID 2, paragraph 2, line 5. uter 8 4 teet.•, add 8 £dd1zal tbia 

to the tigare,ot 6 to 8 teet•. . . . 

Page 11, oolUIIl 2, 11n8. Line should read •tn all the wu.• • 

Page 11, oolu. 2, paragraph 4, 11De 2. sentence s~oul4 read, "For a.p~, 

in the Parltwq -•. . · 

Pqe 13, oollall 2, liM 8. ~· question mark after 210 ehould be .ttW. 

fUf'. 

I 
Cover page· end page 1. "11400 toot•· sh~d be •1,4oo.toot•. 

Plate 1. The solid aDd open oirolea UDder the expl.uation al\wld. be 

' red inatead or blaok. I 

I 

Pace 21 oollllll 11 paragraph 3, l:llle 6. lo. 148-ID should be 148-ID. 

Page 2·, ooJ.u. 2, paragraph 3, liM 6. IIMe~zrt;' ahoul4 be • ......._. •• 

••••· '' oolua 1, paracraph 2, liDe 2. llfer1tU')" 1ahoald be,•Tert~. 

· Paae 31 table. Line between Qutemaz7 aD4 Tertiaz7 m· •Sjlltea• oo11Jia 

ahOald be duhecl, u4 ahoulcl be JIOft4 up, opposite 1 Pleiatooat a4 

PlioOIDI.• · 

· Pa1• 31 tootllote 5. "Mias1aaS,pp11 ahOt.lld be tollowcl 41re~ bt a oolOD 

and the. pbraae "M18a1aa1ppl Geol. 8un'e7 Bl111. 65" • · . 

Page 6, ool~ 2, 11M 9. 230 teet should be 210 feet. · 

Pac~ 10, oolua1 1, parqraph 2, line 12. "Deollnea" ahoul4 be d.e~'w•.: 

Page 10, oolan 2, pargraph 2, line 5. .uter 1 4 teet~•, a4cl •ws.,.. .tllle 

to the tigare ot 6 to 8 teet• • · . . · 

Pap 11, colwan2, line •. Line should rea4 •m all the •U.•. 

Page ll, ool\181 2, paragraph 4, l-ine 2. SenteDce shOuld re&4, .,or·-~~ . in ~ Patkwa7 -• • · 

Page. 13, oolU. 2, lille 8. . The question ark atter 210 shoDld be -s.tw. I 

· sut•