Ground-Water Resources and 

Geology of Northern and 

Central Johnson County 

Wyoming

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1806

Prepared in cooperation with the 

Jf^yoming State Engineer
Ground-Water Resources and 

Geology of Northern and 

Central Johnson County 

Wyoming

By HAROLD A. WHITCOMB, T. RAY CUMMINGS, and RICHARD A. McCULLOUGH 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1806

Prepared in cooperation with the 

Jf^yoming State Engineer

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1966
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

William T. Pecora, Director

Library of Congress catalog - card No. GS 66-187

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office 

Washington, D.G. 20402
CONTENTS

Page

Abstract_______________________________________________________. 1

Introduction.____________________________________________________ . 2

Location and extent of area___________---_-__--_-___---_--_---_- 2

Purpose and scope of the investigation. __________________________ 3

Previous investigations.________________________________________ 4

Methods of investigation_____________-____-__-____------__-_-._ 4

Well-numbering system__-_____________-_____-_______---___-____ 5

Acknowledgments..__________________________________________ 6

Geography______________________________________________________ 6

Topography and drainage____________-_____-_-_-__--_-__--_--- 6

Bighorn Mountains__-_-_-__-_-__------_---------__-------- 7

Foothffls_-.__________-_____--__--__--_----_-----_--__--_-_ 8

Powder River drainage basin..______________________________ 9

Climate and vegetation________________-_-____-__-__--_-_----___ 9

Economic development.________________________________________ 11

Geology: summary of stratigraphy..-.____________________--___--___- 12

Geologic formations and their water-bearing characteristics.-______-_-__ 18

Rocks of pre-Mississippian age._______________---____-__---_-___ 18

Mississippian System______________________-----__-______-_-__ 18

Lower Mississippian Series..-_________--__-_-____-____--____ 18

Madison Limestone_____-_-____-_-___-______-_-_-_-____ 18

Pennsylvanian System.-,-_______-______-______________-_-_--___ 21

Amsden Formation......__________________________________ 21

Tensleep Sandstone. _____________________________________ 22

Undifferentiated rocks of Permian, Triassic, and Jurassic age..__ 25

Cretaceous System___________________________________________ 26

Lower Cretaceous Series-___-_.______--_______-_---_-_--____ 26

Cleverly Formation.___________________________________ 26

Skull Creek Shale_.___._._._______..______.. ._--_-- 28

Newcastle Sandstone--__--_______-_--_____-----_--_--_- 28

Mowry Shale....____________________________________ 29

Upper Cretaceous Series-___-_-__________-_-__-_----_-_---_- 29

Frontier Formation and Cody Shale____________________ 29

Shannon Sandstone Member of the Cody Shale ______ 30

Parkman Sandstone_________________-___-__-__------_ 31

Bearpaw Shale_______________-__-_--_-___-_-_____---_- 33

Lance Formation._____________________________________ 33

Tertiary System.___._._..____.._..____._______.___--_-__ 36

Paleocene Series-________________-_______-_______--__--_-_- 36

Fort Union Formation----_________-_-______-___._______ 36

Eocene Series________-_____-____________--_-___--.---_---_. 39

Wasatch Formation__________________________________ 39

Quaternary System.___________________________________________ 42

Alluvial deposits of stream valleys.-_______-_____---____----- 43

in
IV CONTENTS

Page

Ground water and its relation to geologic conditions__________________ 49

Artesian and water-table conditions____________________________ 49

Depth to water-bearing strata--_-__-_-------__--_-------------__ 53

Recharge.____________________________________________________ 55

Discharge. ____________________________________________________ 55

Springs and seeps_______________-----_-_----------------__- 56

Wells...... ________________________________________________ 56

Evapotranspiration_ _______________________________________ 57

Recovery and utilization of ground water________________________ 58

Potential sources of large supplies of ground water.________________ 59

Chemical quality of ground water_--____-_-__________----_____-______ 62

Reporting of chemical-quality data_______________________________ 62

Chemical quality of water in relation to use.______________________ 62

Domestic use_______________-_-_--____-_-___-_-__--_-____-- 62

Agricultural use________ ___________________________________ 63

Industrial use______________ _______________________________ 65

Chemical quality of water in relation to source-___________________ 65

Rocks of Precambrian age-______---_-_-_----------_-------- 65

Tensleep Sandstone._______________________________________ 65

Frontier Formation________________________________________ 68

Cody Shale______________.______________________________ 68

Parkman Sandstone______________________________________ 68

Lance Formation-_________________________________________ 68

Fort Union Formation._____________________________________ 69

Wasatch Formation._______________________________________ 72

Glacial deposits.___________________________________________ 73

Alluvial deposits.__________________________________________ 73

Conclusions. ______________________________________________________ 74

Records of springs, water wells, and oil-test holes-_____________________ 76

Drillers' logs of water wells and oil-test holes__________________________ 86

Selected references.__________________________^_____________________ 97
CONTENTS

ILLUSTRATIONS

Page 

PLATE 1. Geologic map of northern and central Johmon County, Wyo.,

showing location of wells, springs, aad oil-test holes___- In pocket 

2. Generalized columnar section showing rocks of northern and

central Johnson County, Wyo______________________ In pocket

FIGURE 1. Map of Wyoming showing the area described in this report.- 3

2. Diagram showing well-numbering system.___ r _____________ 5

3. Photographs showing foothills and steeply dipping strata

along east flank of Bighorn Mountains__________________ 7

4. Geologic sections across the east flank of the Bighorn Mountains and the western part of the Powder River structural 

basin _______________________________________________ 13

5. Photograph showing outcrop of Madison Limestone_______ 19

6. Photograph showing outcrop of Tensleep Sandstone_______ 25

7. Photograph showing boulder conglomerate of Moncrief

Member of Wasatch Formation._______________________ 41

8. Cross sections of alluvium in the valley of the Powder River_ 44

9. Diagrammatic sketch illustrating artesian and water-table

conditions._ _________________________________________ 49

10. Hydrographs of wells in the project area showing the effect of

local recharge and of regional recharge upon water levels.- 50

11. Composite graph of precipitation at three weather stations

in the vicinity of Buffalo, Wyo____-___-_-_____________- 51

12. Hydrographs of observation wells in the vicinity of Lake De

Srnet......____.-__.._-_-_----_---_.----_--___------- 54

13. Sketch illustrating effect of pumping wells on the water table

in the alluvium_____________________________________ 61

14. Diagram showing chemical characteristics of water from the

Lance, Fort Union, and Wasatch Formations ____________ 69

TABLES

Page 

TABLE 1. Average monthly and annual precipitation and mean monthly

and annual temperatures______--_---_-_----__---_-_----_ 10

2. Generalized section of the geologic formations_____-_____-_-_ 14

3. Sample logs of test holes augered in alluvium of the Powder

River, northern Johnson County_________________________ 45

4. Records of water levels in observation wells._________________ 52

5. Chemical analyses of ground water____-___-_---_-_-_------- 66

6. Records of springs___________-_-_____--__-_---_--__---__ 77

7. Records of water wells and oil-test holes________-_-_-___--_ 78

8. Drillers' logs of water wells and oil-test holes________________ 86
GROUND-WATER RESOURCES AND GEOLOGY OF 

NORTHERN AND CENTRAL JOHNSON COUNTY, WYOMING

By HAROLD A. WHITCOMB, T. RAY CTJMMINGS, and

RlCHARD A. McCuLLOTJGH

ABSTRACT

Northern and central Johnson County, Wyo., is an area of about 2,600 square 

miles that lies principally in the western part of the Powder River structural 

basin but also includes the east flank of the Bighorn Mountains. Sedimentary 

rocks exposed range in age from Cambrian to Recent and have an average total 

thickness of about 16,000 feet. Igneous and metamorphic rocks of Precambrian 

age crop out in the Bighorn Mountains. Rocks of pre-Tertiary age, exposed on 

the flanks and in the foothills of the Bighorns, dip steeply eastward and lie at 

great depth in the Powder River basin. The rest of the project area is underlain 

by a thick sequence of interbedded sandstone, siltstone, and shale of Paleocene 

and Eocene age. Owing to the regional structure, most aquifers in Johnson 

County contain water under artesian pressure.

The Madison Limestone had not been tapped for water in Johnson County 

at the time of the present investigation (1963), but several wells in eastern Big 

Horn and Washakie Counties, on the west flank of the Bighorn Mountains, 

reportedly have flows ranging from 1,100 to 2,800 gallons per minute. Comparable yields can probably be obtained from the Madison in Johnson County 

in those areas where the limestone is fractured or cavernous. The Tensleep 

Sandstone reportedly yields 600 gallons per minute to a pumped irrigation well 

near its outcrop in the southwestern part of the project area. Several flowing 

wells tap the formation on the west flank of the Bighorn Mountains. The 

Madison Limestone and the Tensleep Sandstone have limited potential as sources 

of water because they can be developed economically only in a narrow band 

paralleling the Bighorn Mountain front in the southwestern part of the project 

area.

Overlying the Tensleep Sandstone is about 6,000 feet of shale, siltstone, and 

fine-grained sandstone that, with a few exceptions, normally yields only small 

quantities of water to wells. The Cloverly Formation and the Newcastle Sandstone may yield moderate quantities of water to wells; but, in some areas, properly constructed wells tapping both formations might yield large quantities of 

water. The Shannon Sandstone Member of the Cody Shale will probably yield 

only small quantities of water to wells, but it is the best potential source of 

ground water in the stratigraphic interval between the Newcastle and Parkman 

Sandstones.

The Parkman Sandstone and the Lance Formation yield water to relatively 

shallow wells principally in the southwestern part of the project area. The
2 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

Fort Union Formation yields adequate supplies of water for stock and domestic 

use from relatively shallow wells near its outcrop almost everywhere in the 

county. A few deep wells tap the Fort Union along the Powder River valley 

in the northeastern part of Johnson County. Some of these wells flow, but 

their flows rarely exceed 10 gallons per minute; larger yields could be undoubtedly be obtained by pumping.

The Wasatch Formation is the principal source of ground water in Johnson 

County. It yields adequate supplies to many relatively shallow stock and 

domestic wells, some of which flow, but much larger yields probably would require pumping lifts that are prohibitive for most purposes. The Kingsbury 

Conglomerate and Moncrief Members of the Wasatch Formation, though, may 

yield moderate quantities of water in some places.

Alluvial deposits underlying the valleys of the Powder River and Crazy 

Woman, Clear, and Piney Creeks are potential sources of moderate to large 

supplies of water in the Powder River drainage basin. The permeability of 

these deposits decreases with distance from the Bighorn Mountain front, so 

that largest yields can probably be obtained along the upper reaches of these 

streams.

Most ground water utilized in the project area is for domestic and stock 

supplies and is obtained from drilled wells and from springs. Water for irrigation is obtained almost entirely by diverting flows of perennial streams. The 

discharge of wells and springs is small compared to the amount of ground water 

available, and pumpage generally could be increased considerably without noticeably affecting the quantity of ground water in storage. Overdevelopment of 

water in the alluvium of the upper reaches of Crazy Woman, Clear, and Piney 

Creeks, however, might seriously reduce the amount of surface water that currently is available for irrigation.

Water from Precambrian rocks, the Tensleep Sandstone, glacial deposits, and 

alluvial deposits in the western part of the project area is generally of good 

quality for domestic, irrigation, and stock use. Water from the Frontier 

Formation, the Lance Formation, and alluvial deposits in the eastern part of 

the project area is of poor quality for domestic use and of fair to poor quality 

for stock use. The water is unsuitable for irrigation under ordinary conditions 

because of its very high salinity hazard. Water from the Parkman Sandstone 

is usable as a domestic supply but has limited suitability for irrigation^because 

of its high salinity and high sodium hazards. As a source for stock supplies, 

the Parkman Sandstone yields water of fair quality. Water from the Cody Shale 

is unsuitable for most uses.

Water from the Fort Union and Wasatch Formations is usable for domesticpurposes, although at many locations the water does not meet suggested domestic 

standards with respect to dissolved solids, iron, manganese, and sulfate. 

Hydrogen sulflde is an objectionable constituent of water from some wells. The 

water generally is unsuitable for irrigation, either because of its high sodium 

and high bicarbonate content or because of its high salinity hazard. It ranges 

from good to poor quality for stock use.

INTRODUCTION

LOCATION AND EXTENT OF AREA

The project area constitutes about 2,600 square miles and includes 

approximately the northern two-thirds of Johnson County (fig. 1).
INTRODUCTION

YELLOWSTONIp 

NATIONALVj 

PARK

EXPLANATION

Area of this report Published or 

open-file report

FIGURE 1. The project area.

The west boundary of the county conforms, for the most part, to 

the drainage divide along the crest of the Bighorn Mountains. Sheridan County adjoins Johnson County on the north. The east boundary 

of Johnson County lies 5-8 miles east of the Powder River. The 

south boundary of the report area is the south line of T. 46 N.

PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE INVESTIGATION

The investigation of the ground-water resources of northern and 

central Johnson County is a part of the continuing program of 

ground-water studies that was begun in Wyoming in 19-40 by the U.S. 

Geological Survey in cooperation with the Wyoming State Engineer. 

The purpose of the investigation was to evaluate the ground-water 

resources and to determine the possibility of developing additional 

supplies of ground water where present (1963) supplies are unsuitable or inadequate. The work involved a study of the character,
4 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

thickness, and extent of the principal water-bearing formations and 

the occurrence, movement, quantity, and quality of the ground water. 

The work was begun in October 1959 by R. A. McCullough, who 

collected much of the hydrologic data. The responsibility for the 

completion of the investigation was assumed by H. A. Whitcomb 

upon the transfer of Mr. McCullough in June 1961. T. R. Cummings 

collected most of the water samples and wrote the chemical-quality 

section of this report.

PBEVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS

Several previous geologic studies included parts of Johnson County. 

Among the earliest studies were those by Darton (1906 a, b, c), whose 

geologic descriptions of the Bighorn Mountains and the Bald Mountain-Dayton and Cloud Peak-Fort McKinney quadrangles include 

the western part of the project area. Gale and Wegemann (1910) 

made a reconnaissance study of the Tertiary coal deposits in the 

vicinity of Buffalo, and Wegemann (1912) studied the Sussex coal 

field, which extends into the southern part of the project area. 

Demorest (1941) mapped Paleozoic and Triassic units and described 

faults and folds along the east flank of the Bighorn Mountains. 

Sharp (1948) studied and mapped the Tertiary conglomeratic rocks 

along the east flank of the Bighorns. Hose (1955) and Mapel (1959) 

described and mapped the geology and discussed the mineral deposits 

in the contiguous Crazy Woman Creek and Buffalo-Lake De Smet 

areas, respectively.

METHODS OF INVESTIGATION

The study of the geology of northern and central Johnson County, 

preparatory to the writing of this report, consisted of a brief examination of outcrops and a study of drillers' records and logs. The exposed 

formations had previously been mapped and described by other 

geologists, and much of this information has been utilized in preparing 

this report.

Records were obtained of 278 wells that probably are representative 

of most of those in the county. The depths of wells and depths to 

water were measured where possible; otherwise, the data were obtained 

from the well owner or driller. Information regarding the construction and discharge of wells and the character and thickness of waterbearing materials was usually obtained from drillers' records or from 

well owners. The discharge of flowing wells was measured where 

possible.

Water samples for chemical analysis were collected from 31 wells 

tapping various aquifers and from 3 springs. Test holes were augered
INTRODUCTION 5

at three sites in the valley of the Powder River to determine the thickness and physical character of alluvial deposits.

Geologic and hydrologic field data were recorded directly on a base 

map adapted from the Wyoming State Highway planning map for 

Johnson County. Aerial photographs were used in the field to insure 

maximum accuracy where map detail was lacking.

WELL-NUMBERING SYSTEM

Water wells and oil-test holes shown on the accompanying geologic 

map (pi. 1) are numbered according to the Federal system of land 

subdivision. The number shows the location of the well or test hole 

by township, range, section, and position within the section, as 

illustrated in figure 2.

50

49

9 48

RANGES WEST 

81 80 79 78 77 76 75 21

/

/

 We

/

II 49-8 3-5dd

BASE LINE

Section 5

T. 49 N.

6

7

18

19

30

31

 /

8

17

20

29

32

L 4 

.

9

16

21

28

33

3

"^10^

15

22

27

34

2

11

14

23

26

35

1

12

13

24

25

36

 _j_ C -______

FIGURE 2. Well-numbering system used in this report.
6 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

The first numeral of a well number indicates the township, the 

second the range, and the third the section in which the well is located. 

The lowercase letters following the section number indicate the position of the well within the section. The first letter denotes the quarter 

section and the second letter the quarter-quarter section (40-acre 

tract). The subdivision of the sections and quarter sections are lettered a, b, c, and d in a counterclockwise direction beginning in the 

northeast quarter. Where more than one well is in a 40-acre tract, 

consecutive numbers beginning with 1 are addled to the well number.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors appreciate the cooperation of the several well drillers 

who furnished many well data that could not have been obtained 

otherwise. Mr. C. T. Eeid of Sheridan, Wyo., was especially helpful 

and provided records of many wells drilled in Johnson County. 

Ranch owners and tenants permitted and often assisted in collecting 

hydrologic data and water samples. The Johnson County Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Office at Buffalo, made available 

records of wells drilled under the conservation program. Mr. Luke 

H. Baumgardner, geologist for the Reynolds Mining Corp., supplied 

data on wells drilled in the vicinity of Lake De Smet and records of 

periodic measurements of water levels in the wells. The Planning 

Division of the Wyoming Highway Department provided a base map 

of Johnson County.

GEOGRAPHY

TOPOGRAPHY AND DRAINAGE

Nearly all the project area lies within the Powder River drainage 

basin. A small sector along the central part of the west county line 

however, drains westward into the Bighorn River drainage basin, and 

about 70 square miles in the northwest comer of the county lies within 

the Tongue River drainage. The Bighorn Mountains occupy a large 

part of western Johnson County, whereas central and eastern Johnson County is largely a dissected plain. Altitudes range from about 

3,700 feet in the valley of the Powder River at the Sheridan County 

line to 13,165 feet at the summit of Cloud Peak, the highest point in 

the Bighorn Mountain range. The maximum relief is about 2,000 feet 

in the plains east of the mountains, where altitudes range from 3,700 

feet to an average of about 5,700 feet in the foothills at the base of 

the Bighorn Mountain front.

In this report, the term "Powder River structural basin" refers to 

the broad elongate synclinal region of dipping sedimentary rocks between the Bighorn Mountains on the west and the Black Hills uplift
GEOGRAPHY 7

on the east. The Powder River drainage basin, 'the drainage reach 

of the Powder River, extends westward to the crest of the Bighorn 

Mountains.

BIGHORN MOUNTAINS

The Bighorn Mountains, which extend from north-central Wyoming into south-central Montana, are a part of the Rocky Mountain 

system. They rise abruptly along the west margin of the Powder 

River Basin to form a high, nearly impassable barrier between the 

Powder River Basin and the Bighorn Basin to the west (fig. 3). Altitudes along the crest of the mountains generally range from 8,000 to 

9,000 feet, although higher summits rise 3,000^,000 feet above the 

general level.

P

FIGUKE 3. Foothills and Bighorn Mountains northwest across the valley of Clear 

Creek (upper photo.), and steeply dipping strata along east flank of Bighorn 

Mountains and gentle basinward slope of pediment (lower photo.).
8 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

The higher peaks are underlain principally by granite and have 

been extensively glaciated. High ridges, deep valleys, and steep-sided 

cirques, many of which contain small lakes, are characteristic. Remnants of the glaciers that carved this rugged terrain still can be seen 

in some places. Most of this part of the project area lies above timberline and consists of bare bedrock or of masses of talus at the foot 

of precipitous slopes. The crest of the mountains, which has a relatively uniform altitude (8,000-9,000 ft.) except where higher peaks 

rise above the general level, was called the "central plateau" by Darton (1906c, p. 1). Surrounding the central plateau are scarps formed 

by the upturned edges of strata that dip into the adjacent structural 

basins. In places the scarps display cliff faces several hundred feet 

high.

Drainage in the Bighorn Mountains is mainly peripheral away from 

the summit peaks. Rivulets originating as melt water from deep 

snow banks converge to form glacial lakes, whence rise the streams 

that constitute the principal drainage systems in the project area. 

Piney and Clear Creeks and the forks of Crazy Woman Creek have 

cut deep narrow canyons in the east flank of the Bighorn Mountains 

in their descent to the plains. Flows normally are perennial in these 

upper reaches, but discharges range widely from spring floods to 

late summer low flows.

FOOTHILLS

The relatively narrow band of foothills adjacent to the mountain 

front is characterized by a gently sloping pediment surface that has 

been carved into rounded ridges and flat-topped benches and terraces 

by basin ward-flowing streams (fig. 3). A few higher ridges, underlain 

by cobbles and boulders, stand several hundred feet above the surrounding terrain. The ridges and terraces decrease in prominence eastward and gradually coalesce with the broad surface of the Powder 

River drainage basin.

Dendritic patterns of northeastward-flowing drainage systems have 

intricately incised the foothills. Most of the streams are intermittent, 

flowing only during the spring when fed by melting snow on the flanks 

of the Bighorns or during the summer after heavy or prolonged rains. 

Clear Creek and its major tributaries, Piney and Rock Creeks, in the 

northern part of the area, and the forks of Crazy Woman Creek and 

the North Fork Powder River, in the southern part, generally are 

perennial and flow during most years. The natural basin occupied by 

Lake De Smet serves as a storage reservoir for water diverted from 

Piney Creek during periods of heavy surface runoff. Water thus 

stored is released into Piney Creek as needed for irrigation downstream during late summer, when streamflow is normally lowest.
GEOGRAPHY 9 

POWDER KIVER DRAINAGE BASIN

That part of the Powder Kiver drainage basin in Johnson County 

east of the foothills is characterized by rounded knobs and steepflanked ridges and by narrow valleys that become more deeply incised 

toward the Powder Kiver. The many small streams that are tributary 

to the Powder River and Crazy Woman Creek have carved the soft 

shale and sandstone of the basin into local badlands.

The Powder River is the principal stream in the region. It has a 

drainage area of about 6,000 square miles in Johnson County. Its 

major tributaries, Crazy Woman and Clear Creeks, head in the Bighorn Mountains and are perennial in their upper reaches, but extensive diversion of water for irrigation may cause flows to be intermittent in the lower reaches during the summer. Drainage is generally 

to the northeast into the Powder River, thence northward into the 

Yellowstone River, and ultimately into the Missouri. The Powder, 

throughout most of its reach in the project area, occupies a rather 

deeply incised north-trending valley, about %-l mile wide. The 

stream has cut a meandering channel several feet below the general 

flood-plain level. Flow in the Powder River is extremely variable, 

ranging from none to several thousand cubic feet per second during 

sporadic floods after heavy or prolonged precipitation on the drainage area or during the spring period of runoff from snowmelt in the 

Bighorn Mountains.

CLIMATE AND VEGETATION

The climate of eastern Johnson County is principally that of the 

northern High Plains a region of low precipitation, high rate of 

evaporation, and wide ranges in temperature. In the western part of 

the county, however, the Bighorn Mountains have a climate of low 

mean temperatures and relatively high precipitation. The average 

annual precipitation at Buffalo is 12.11 inches (table 1); this figure 

is applicable to most of Johnson County except for the foothills, where 

the average annual precipitation is about 15 inches. Nearly 50 percent of the total annual precipitation normally occurs during AprilJune. Summer rains are generally brief but heavy, and they are often 

accompanied by thunder and lightning and occasionally by strong 

winds and hail Snowfall during the winter is generally light but 

is frequently driven by strong winds; occasionally, blizzards have 

caused heavy loss of stock.

Mean monthly and annual temperatures recorded at four weather 

stations in northern Johnson County are given in table 1. The highest 

temperature recorded during the period of record (1957-60) at Buffalo 

is 104°, and the lowest is 28°, Temperatures on the plains to the east
TABLE 1. Average monthly and annual precipitation and mean monthly and annual tem

County, Wyo.

Station

Period

of record

(years)

Altitude

(feet) Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June J

Precipitation

[Inches of water; based on published records of U.S. Weather Bu

Buffalo 5W, 5 miles W. of Buffalo 

Lower Crazy Woman Creek, 25 miles E.

Metz Ranch, 10 miles S. of Buffalo ___

21

19

13

21

4 645

5,240

3.900±

5,280

0.46

.45

.54

.32

0.39

.52

.42

.32

0.96

.93

.80

.71

1.61

1.89

1.07

1.59

1 07

2.64

1.96

2.20

1.92

2.73

2.86

2.19

Temperatures

[Degrees Fahrenheit; based on published records of U.S. Weather 

Buffalo 

Buffalo 5W, 5 miles W. of Buffalo. __ .

Lower Crazy Woman Creek, 25 miles E. of 

Buffalo.- ______ _______ _ -

Metz Ranch, 10 miles S. of Buffalo. ___

4

18

13

21

4,645

5,240

3,900±

5,280

22.5

25.1

18.0

24.3

25.5

26.6

23.1

27.1

33.3

30.2

30.7-

31.0

42.1

42.2

43.7

42.2

54.2

51.0

53.0

52.1

61.9

58.2

61.3

59.9
GEOGRAPHY 11

are generally somewhat higher in the summer and lower in the winter 

than are those at Buffalo. Both the highest and the lowest temperatures (107° and 47°) in the project area were recorded at the weather 

station on lower Crazy Woman Creek, about 25 miles east of Buffalo. 

The growing season at Buffalo averages 121 days; the shortest period 

on record between killing frosts is 72 days, and the longest is 167 days. 

The growing season is somewhat longer in the eastern part of the 

project area; in the valley of Powder Eiver, it ranges from 100 to 

195 days.

Vegetation in the Powder River Basin is principally sagebrush, 

native grasses, and prickly pear, although dense growths of willows, 

ash, and cottonwoods flourish locally along the Crazy Woman Creek 

and Powder Eiver valleys. The slopes and uplands in the Bighorn 

Mountains support large stands of pine, spruce, and cedar. Aspen 

thrive in the mountain meadows. Above timberline, vegetation is 

largely restricted to moss, lichens, dwarf willows, and a sparse cover 

of hardy native grasses in protected areas.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The first white settlers in Johnson County were cattlemen attracted 

by the abundance of natural resources in the western part of the 

Powder River drainage basin The vast grazing lands watered by 

numerous perennial streams were v ideal for stock raising. Nearby 

mountain meadows provided pasturage during the summer, when the 

climate of the grass lands at lower altitudes becomes hot and dry. 

Timber growing on the mountain slopes supplied building material, 

and coal deposits in the vicinity of Buffalo were a convenient source 

of fuel. The abundance of water also promised adequate supplies for 

irrigation and industrial development.

Sheep and cattle raising and the cultivation of crops to support the 

stock industry are the bases of the county's economy; mineral and 

recreational resources also have contributed to the economy. Hay is 

the principal crop, but feed grains such as corn, oats, and barley are 

also grown. Wheat, sugar beets, and potatoes the major cash 

crops are cultivated on a relatively small scale. Wheat is grown by 

dry-farming methods, and alfalfa and feed grains are grown on both 

dry and irrigated land, whereas sugar beets and potatoes require irrigation throughout most of the growing season. Coal has been mined 

intermittently in the Buffalo area for many years, but most of the 

production has been used by local ranchers. With the advent of natural and manufactured gas fuels, mining was drastically curtailed; 

and at the present time (1963), production is limited almost entirely 

to that for domestic use by the mine owners. Coal beds thick enough
12 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

to be of commercial importance, however, occur in the southern part of 

the project area, but little effort has been made to develop them. The 

Billy Creek gas field, about 13 miles south of Buffalo, produced an 

appreciable quantity of gas before 1947, when its reserves were depleted. Several attempts in recent years to develop other commercial 

quantities of oil and gas have met with little or no success. Eecreational facilities, principally for hunting and fishing, are available 

in the Bighorn Mountains and at nearby Lake De Smet and are playing an increasingly important role in the economy of Buffalo.

The population of Johnson County was 5,475 in 1960. At that 

time, more than half the population (2,907) was centered in Buffalo, 

the county seat and the only incorporated community in the project 

area.

The region is served by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Eailroad, 

which has shipping points at Clearmont and Sheridan, both in Sheridan County. U.S. Highway 87 connects Buffalo with Casper to the 

south and with Sheridan to the north. U.S. Highway 16 crosses the 

Bighorn Mountains from the west and joins U.S. Interstate Highway 

90, which connects Buffalo with Gillette and the northeastern part of 

Wyoming. Several gravel-topped or dirt roads provide access to some 

of the more remote parts of the project area.

GEOLOGY: SUMMARY OF STRATIGRAPHY

Igneous and metamorphic rocks of Precambrian age are exposed 

in the Bighorn Mountains in the western part of the project area. 

Sedimentary rocks underlie the rest of the area; they range in age 

from Cambrian to Quaternary and average about 16,000 feet in thickness. (See fig. 4.) Only rocks of Silurian and Devonian age are* 

absent from the stratigraphic sequence. Clastic rocks ranging from 

claystone to boulder conglomerate are the predominant lithologic 

types, but massive limestone and dolomite occur near the base of the 

sedimentary series. The physical character and thickness of all these 

formations are shown graphically on plate 2, and the areas of outcrop and the structural relations of the formations are shown on 

plate 1 and in figure 4.

The age, physical character, and water-bearing properties of all 

the formations are summarized in table 2, but only those formations that currently yield water to wells in the project area or that 

may be potential sources of water in the future are discussed in 

detail in this report. For more complete descriptions of the geologic formations not discussed in this report, the reader is referred to 

the publications cited in the list of references.
Adapted from Mapel (1959)

8000' - 

6000' - 

4000' - 

2000' - 

SEA LEVEL 

B 

-

Bighorn Mountains

2000'

BILLY CRE

ANTICLIN

P r

Adapted from Hose (1955)

HORIZONTAL SCALE 

0 1 2 3 MIL

DATUM IS MEAN. SEA LEVEL

EXPLANATION

p r, rocks of Precambrian age

OCr, rocks of Ordovician and Cambrian age undifferentiated

Mm, Madison Limestone

(Pta, Tensleep Sandstone and 

Amsden Formation

J"RPr, rocks of Jurassic, Triassic, 

and Permian age undifferentiated

Kr, rocks of Cretaceous 

undifferentiated 

Kbp, Bearpaw Shale and 

man Sandstone 

Kl, Lance Formation

FIGURE 4. Geologic sections across the east flank of the Bighorn Mountains and 

structural basin, Johnson County, Wyo. (Location of sections shown on pi. 1.)
TABLE 2. Generalized section of the geologic formations in northern and cen

System

Quaternary

Tertiary

Series

Recent and 

Pleistocene

Eocene

Paleocene

Stratigraphic unit

Alluvium

| ^ 

§ MoncriefMem- 'js 

5 ber S

£ s£

 § Kingsbury g , 

"S Conglomerate £ g 

a Member a a 

£ fl

Fort Union Formation

Lance Formation

Bearpaw Shale

Parkman Sandstone

Thickness (feet)

0-100±

0- 

1,400±

0-800

500- 

2,000±

1,200±-3,900

1, 950-2, 200

200±

720±

Physical character

Unconsoh'dated flood-plain and terrac

clay, silt, and fine sand containing len

sand and gravel that differ locally in t

extent.

Wasatch formation is principally interb

gray fine-grained sandstone and d

brown shale containing lenticular b

naceous shale and coal. Moncrief an

Conglomerate Members consist of len

sorted conglomerate interbedded wi

medium- to coarse-grained sandstone 

gray siltstone and shale.

Interbedded light-gray and light-brown 

sandstone and darker gray shale conta

carbonaceous shale and, in the sout

area, thin beds of coal.

Light-gray fine- to medium-grained sa

dark-gray shale containing some th

beds of carbonaceous shale.

Dark-greenish-gray shale containing so

of light-gray fine-grained sandstone in 

Light-gray fine- to medium-grained sa

taining some interbedded dark-gray 

in upper and lower parts.
Cretaceous Upper 

Cretaceous

Lower 

Cretaceous

Cody shale

Upper shale 

member

Shannon' Sandstone 

Member

Sandstone and shale 

member

Niobrara Shale 

Member

Carlile Shale 

Member

Greenhorn Calcareous Member

Lower shale 

member

Frontier Formation

Mowry Shale Light-gray siliceous 

shale member

Black shale member

Newcastle Sandstone

Skull Creek Shale

930

200±

1,070

985

155

140

65-80

3,600±

480-515

325

200

525

40-50

175

Dark-gray noncalcareous shale contain

partings of light-gray fine-grained 

lower part.

Principally a light-greenish-gray fine

stone containing many thin parting

shale.

Dark-gray shale containing interbed

light-gray fine-grained sandstone an

Grayish-black calcareous shale contain

beds of bentonite.

Dark-gray to grayish-black noncalc

sandy in lower part.

Light-gray fine-grained sandstone in 

grayish-black calcareous shale in low

Dark-gray to grayish-black noncalcare

Dark-gray shale and interbedded li

grained sandstone; upper 30-40 ft co

fine- to medium-grained sandstone.

Light-gray siliceous shale and siltsto

light silvery gray; contains many 

bentonite and some fine-grained san

Grayish-black shale containing many 

bentonite and some very fine grain

Light-gray fine- to medium-grained 

stone.

Grayish-black shale containing some 

brown siltstone in lower part.
TABLE 2. Generalized section of the geologic formations in northern and central Jo

System

Creaceous 

Continued

Jurassie

Trlassic

Permian

Carboniferous Pennsylvanian

Mississippian

Ordovician

Series

Lower 

Cretaceous 

 Continued

Upper 

Jurassic

Middle 

Jurassic

Upper 

Ordovician

Stratigraphic unit

Cleverly Formation

Morrison Formation

Sundance Formation

Gypsum Spring 

Formation

Chug water Formation

Gypsum and redshale sequence

Tensleep Sandstone

Amsden Formation

Madison Limestone

Bighorn Dolomite

Thickness (feet)

155

185

280

120-185

750-800

180-250

280-355

250-300

550-665

150-395

Physical character

Dark-gray shale and interbedded bro

A light-gray fine- to coarse-graine

sandstone bed 15-45 ft thick occurs a

Variegated shale and claystone; some le

of light-gray fine-grained sandstone i

Grayish-green sandy shale; 30-40 ft 

fine-grained sandstone at base.

Red shale and claystone containing so

thin-bedded limestone in upper pa

gypsum in lower part.

Reddish-brown fine- to medium-gr

sorted sandstone, siltstone, and s

sistent ledge-forming bed of limesto

upper part.

Red shale and siltstone containing 

gypsum in upper part.

Light-yellowish-gray to white fine- 

grained crossbedded sandstone; co

thin beds of pink, purple, and 

dolomite.

Light-gray cherty dolomite and red 

shale containing some sandstone a

near top and base.

Light-yellowish-brown to white limeston

limestone, and dolomite.

Yellowish-gray massive dolomite that 

bedded in upper part. A white very 

to fine-grained sandstone bed 55-65 ft 
Cambrian

Precambrian

Upper and 

Middle 

Cambrian

Middle 

Cambrian

Gallatin and Gros 

Ventre Formations

Flathead Sandstone

550-645

260-345

Light-gray thin-bedded limestone i

green micaceous shale in middle 

brown medium- to coarse-grained 

lower part.

Light-yellowish-gray sandstone co

interbedded green shale and siltsto

brown coarse-grained sandstone at ba

Red and gray granite and gneiss.
18 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS AND THEIR WATER-BEARING 

CHARACTERISTICS

Geologic maps in U.S. Geological Survey Bulletins 1027-B (Hose, 

1955) and 1078 (Mapel, 1959) were adapted for the geologic map accompanying this report. Much of the following discussion of the geology of the project area also was extracted from these publications, 

and the reader is referred to them for a more detailed description of 

the geology and mineral resources of northern and central Johnson 

County.

The discussion of the water-bearing characteristics of aquifers in the 

project area is based, as far as available data permit, upon records of 

wells. The discussion of potential aquifers that had not been developed at the time of 'the investigation is based principally upon hydrologic studies made in other areas where these formations yield water. 

In this report the comparative terms "small," "moderate," and "large," 

as applied to quantities of water, have been given arbitary values of 

less than 50 gpm (gallons per minute), 50-300 gpm, and more than 

300 gpm, respectively.

ROCKS OF PRE-MISSISSIPIAN AGE

Rocks of pre-Mississippian age in Johnson County are too deeply 

buried, or generally crop out in areas that are too inaccessible, to be 

considered economical sources of ground water. Except for one well 

(47-83-7bc), which apparently taps the Flathead Sandstone of Middle 

Cambrian age (driller's log, table 8, p. 88), and several springs, which 

yield water from Precambrian granite in the Bighorn Mountains 

(table 6), no attempts have been made to develop water from these 

formations because, at most places, there are several productive aquifers at shallower depths. Chemical analysis of water from spring 

50-84-10da (table 5) and specific conductances of water from several 

other springs (table 6) show that water from the granite is only 

slightly mineralized and is probably soft.

MISSISSIPPIAN SYSTEM 

LOWER MISSISSIPPIAN SERIES

The Mississippian System in Johnson County is represented by 

rocks considered to be of Early Mississippian age. No Upper Mississippian strata have been recognized, and limestone of Early Mississippian age is overlain uiiconformably by sandstone and shale of Pennsylvanian age.

MADISON LIMESTONE 

Outcrop and distribution

The Madison Limestone crops out in the upper slopes of the Bighorn 

Mountains, where it and the underlying Bighorn Dolomite form a
MISSISSIPPIAN SYSTEM 19

prominent steeply dipping hogback that extends nearly the entire 

length of the eastern mountain front. Except in its outcrop area, the 

formation is deeply buried throughout Johnson County. Depths to the 

formation a short distance east of the mountain front range from 

about 1,000 feet in the southern part of the project area to more than 

11,000 feet in the foothills northwest of Buffalo, where the rocks dip 

nearly vertically. Depths to the formation may be even greater in 

areas of downf aulting. The log of an oil-test hole drilled about 3 miles 

south of Buffalo indicates that, if the test hole had been sufficiently 

deep, it would have reached the top of the Madison at a depth of 

about 15,300 feet. 

Litliology and thickness

The Madison consists of a thick sequence of light-yellowish-brown 

to white limestone, dolomitic limestone, and dolomite. The lower unit 

is principally thin- to thick-bedded dolomite and dolomitic limestone, 

the middle unit is composed of limestone and dolomitic limestone that 

locally contain numerous chert nodules and stringers, and the upper 

unit is principally a finely crystalline thin- to thick-bedded cherty 

limestone containing solution cavities in its middle part. (See fig. 5.)

FIGURE 5. Outcrop of Madison Limestone in canyon of North Fork Crazy 

Woman Creek, showing cavernous zones that may yield large quantities of 

water at depth.
20 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

The formation ranges in thickness from about 550 feet in the southern 

part of the project area to 665 feet in the northern part. This thickness apparently persists rather uniformly eastward across the Powder 

River Basin; comparable thicknesses of Pahasapa Limestone, in part 

the stratigraphic equivalent of the Madison, have been logged in deep 

oil-test holes drilled adjacent to the Black Hills on the east side of the 

basin. A section of Madison Limestone measured by Mapel (1959, p. 

18-19) follows.

Section of the Madison Limestone in the SW^ sec. 25, T. 52 N., R. 84 W. 

[Adapted from Mapel (1959, p. 18-19)]

Amsden Formation.

Unconformity. Thickness 

Madison Limestone : (feet) 

Limestone, white to light-gray, finely crystalline; thin- to mediumbedded in upper part, becoming thick-bedded in lower part ; contains

lenses and nodules of gray chert ; large solution cavities occur near

middle of section _____________________ 252 

Concealed _____________________________ 18 

Dolomite, white, dense to earthy, thin-bedded - 26 

Limestone, light-gray, finely crystalline, dolomitic, thin-bedded- 125 

Limestone, mottled purple and green, finely to coarsely crystalline, in

part oolitic ______________ __ 16 

Limestone, light-gray, dense to finely crystalline, dolomitic, thinbedded _________________ . ___________________ 15 

Limestone, light-gray, dense to finely crystalline, thin- to mediumbedded ________________________________ _ 21 

Dolomite and dolomitic limestone, light-gray to light-yellowish-brown,

dense to finely crystalline, thin- to thick-bedded ______ __ 193

Total measured thickness __________________ __ 666 

Unconformity ( ? ) . 

Bighorn Dolomite.

Water-toearlng characteristics

The Madison Limestone had not been developed as a source of water 

in Johnson County at the time of the investigation (1963). Most of 

of the major flowing wells in the vicinity of Tensleep, Wyo., on the 

west flank of the Bighorn Mountains, tap the Madison (Lowry, 1963, 

table 1) and reportedly yield 1,100-2,800 gpm. Flows from less 

productive wells in the Madison are reportedly as low as 84 gpm. In 

the eastern part of the Powder River structural basin, along the west 

flank of the Black Hills, the Pahasapa Limestone yields water to 

several wells that flow more than 500 gpm. Drillers' logs indicate 

that the larger flows are derived from solution cavities or fracture 

zones that generally occur near the top of the Pahasapa. Undoubtedly, 

wells of large capacity could be developed in the Madison in Johnson County; but, except in or near the outcrop area, drilling to the
PENNSYLVANIA SYSTEM 21

great depths required would generally be uneconomical. The Madison 

Limestone is the best potential source of large quantities of ground 

water in the project area.

The Madison Limestone probably is completely saturated downdip 

from the outcrop of the overlying Amsden Formation, and the water 

is under artesian pressure. Wells drilled in the foothills in the southern part of the area should reach the top of the Madison at depths 

ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 feet and may flow. The success of such 

wells will depend upon the presence of fractured and fissured zones 

or of solution cavities; otherwise, the limestone is too dense to have 

a high permeability. Probably, however, the Madison was fractured 

by the crustal movement that accompanied the uplift of the Bighorn 

Mountains, so that the formation may have a relatively high permeability in some sectors.

In the northern part of the project area, the dip of beds at some 

places is nearly vertical, and the rocks are extensively faulted and 

fractured. In much of this sector the depth to the Madison is several 

thousand feet. Drilling to the Madison, however, probably would not 

be necessary in most places because the overlying Tensleep Sandstone 

will normally yield adequate supplies of water for most purposes.

Water in the Madison Limestone in or near areas of outcrop on the 

east flank of the Bighorn Mountains should be° at least as good as that 

yielded by wells in the vicinity of Tensleep on the west side of the 

Bighorns, where Madison water generally contains only a moderate 

amount of dissolved solids, is of the calcium bicarbonate type, and is 

very hard. The mineralization of the water may be expected to increase with depth and distance from the recharge area, however, because ground water normally increases in mineral content as it moves 

through the rocks.

PENNSYLVANIAN SYSTEM 

A.MSDEN FORMATION

The Amsden Formation overlies the Madison Limestone and consists mainly of 250-300 feet of interbedded gray cherty dolomite and 

red and purple shale but has some sandstone and limestone near the 

top and base. It is mapped with the overlying Tensleep Sandstone, 

which also is of Pennsylvanian age. The Amsden is not considered 

to be a potential source of large quantities of ground water, because 

it is relatively impermeable; however, it may be a source of additional 

water if the supply in the overlying Tensleep proves to be inadequate. 

Several wells drilled in the vicinity of Tensleep penetrated 

the Amsden, but they were continued into the underlying Madison 

to obtain larger supplies.
22 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

TBNSIiEEP SANIM8TONE 

Outcrop and distribution

The Tensleep Sandstone is exposed on the east flank of the Bighorn 

Mountains, where it forms a prominent dip slope that rises abruptly 

from the adjacent foothills. The eroded edge characteristically 

forms a protective bluff above the softer shale of the underlying 

Amsden Formation. The outcrop, which is relatively broad in the 

southern part of the project area, narrows abruptly near the middle 

of T. 49 N., R. 83 W., and is absent at some places in the northern 

part of the county, where faulting has caused the formation to be 

buried. The Tensleep persists in the subsurface eastward across the 

Powder River structural basin and crops out on the west flank of the 

Black Hills uplift as the Minnelusa Formation. In the southern part 

of the project area, the depth to the formation increases eastward 

to as much as 12,000 feet within 10 miles from the outcrop. In the 

northern part of the area, where the dip of beds generally is steeper 

and downfaulting has occurred locally, the depth increases more 

rapidly. 

Ldthology and thickness

The Tensleep is principally a light-yellowish-gray to white sandstone containing a few thin beds of pink, purple, and light-yellow 

dolomite. The sandstone is fine to medium grained, well sorted, and 

generally friable, except where more resistant dolomitic layers occur. 

It is thick bedded and characteristically has large-scale crossbedding. 

Apparently, the formlation contains few, if any gypsum and anhydrite 

beds like those that are common in the Minnelusa Formation in the 

eastern part of the Powder River structural basin. The following 

stratigraphic section, 280 feet thick, measured by Mapel (1959, p. 

23-24), is reprentatrvte of the Tensleep Sandstone throughout most of 

the project area. Hbse (1955, p. 108-109) described a 355-foot section of Tensleep Sandstone in the southern part of the project area, 

where the unit contains a smaller proportion of dolomite and dolomitic sandstone. The thickness of the formation in northern and 

central Johnson County probably ranges between these two measured 

thicknesses.
PENNSYLVANIA!* SYSTEM 23

Section of the Tensleep Sandstone in the SWty sec. 6, T. 52 N., R. 83 W. 

[Adapted from Mapel (1959, p. 23-24) ]

Gypsum and red shale sequence

Unconformity Thickness 

Tensleep Sandstone: (feet) 

Sandstone, white to light-yellow, fine- to medium-grained, friable,

thick-ibedded, crossbedded, jointed and fractured_______ _ 44 

Sandstone, pink and yellow, dolomitic, thin-bedded_______ ___ 6 

Sandstone, white to light-yellow, fine- to medium-grained, friable,

crossbedded _________________________________ 6 

Sandstone, purple, medium-grained, dolomitic, firmly cemented, thinibedded _____________________________________ 6

Dolomite, purple, finely crystalline, thin- to medium-bedded_____ 9 

Sandstone, pink, fine- to medium-grained, dolomitic, hard, slabby_ 11 

Sandstone, white, fine- to medium-grained, friable, medium- to thickbedded, crossbedded____________________________ 76 

Dolomite, pink and red, silty and sandy, thin-bedded-_______ ___ 6

Sandstone, yellow, fine-grained, dolomitic, firmly cemented, very thin

'bedded ___________________________________ 3 

Sandstone, white to light-yellowish-gray, fine- to medium-grained, 

friable, thick-bedded, crossbedded; some interbedded dolomite in 

lower part_______________________________ _ 82

Dolomite, yellow, hard, thin-bedded____________________ 2 

Sandstone, white and yellow, fine- to medium-grained, friable to 

firmly cemented, thin-bedded, crossbedded_____ _____ 12

Sandstone and dolomite; sandstone is white, fine to medium grained, 

friable ______________________________________ 17

Total measured thickness__________________________ 280

Amsden Formation. 

"Water-toearlng characteristics

Only three of the wells inventoried apparently tap the Tensleep 

Sandstone. (See drillers' logs, table 8.) Well 46-83-22dd, which is 

258 feet deep and starts in the gypsum and red-shale sequence, bottomed in 2 feet of sandstone, probably marking the top of the Tensleep, and reportedly yields 600 gpm by pumping. Unfortunately, 

this yield could not be verified, because the pump was not in operation 

at the time of the investigation. Chemical analysis of water from 

this well (table 5) indicates that at least some of the water is from the 

overlying gypsum and red-shale sequence; but unless extensively 

fractured and fissured, these strata would not be expected to yield more 

than small quantities of water. Likewise, the thin section of sandstone penetrated probably would not yield the amount of water 

reported unless it, too, was fractured. The water level in the well was 

56 feet below the land surface when measured in April 1961.

Well 47-83-15cd is in the outcrop area of the Tensleep and penetrates nearly 300 feet of the unit. The driller's log indicates that a
24 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

water-bearing zone was penetrated at a depth of 286 feet; the water 

level was 64 feet below the land surface when measured in August 

1960. A specific-conductance test of the water shows it has a relatively 

low dissolved-solids content. A 5-hour bailing test of the completed 

well reportedly indicated a drawdown of 15 feet at a discharge of 

about 5 gpm. Because the well penetrates only a few feet of waterbearing strata, a deeper well would probably yield appreciably greater 

quantities of water.

Well 49-83-27dc, which penetrates only about 115 feet of Tensleep 

Sandstone, reportedly yields 33 gpm. Greater production might be 

obtained by deeper drilling^ because as much as 200 feet of saturated 

Tensleep may lie below the bottom of the well. Depth to water in 

the well could not be measured.

The Tensleep Sandstone also yields water to several flowing wells 

on the west flank of the Bighorns. Measured flows from wells tapping 

the formation in the vicinity of Tensleep range from about 10 to 462 

gpm, and the flow of one spring is reportedly 900 gpm (Lowry, 1963, 

table 1).

The Tensleep Sandstone is probably second only to the Madison 

Limestone as a potential source of irrigation water in Johnson County. 

The formation generally is saturated, but only locally does it lie within 

an economical drilling depth for most purposes. Field observations 

indicate that the formation has a fairly high permeability, which 

would be much greater where the sandstone is fractured and jointed. 

(See fig. 6.)

Drilling in the Tensleep Sandstone should be done in the outcrop 

area of the unit or only a short distance east of the outcrop of the 

overlying gypsum and red-shale sequence because the steep dip of 

beds along the east flank of the Bighorn Mountains causes the formation to lie at great depths throughout the rest of the area. Consequently, most wells necessarily will be in places where the soil or 

terrain is not suitable for irrigation; however, canals or pipe lines 

could be used to carry the water by gravity from the well site to places 

more suitable for the cultivation of crops. If more than one well is 

required to obtain the quantity of water desired, care should be taken 

to determine the proper spacing of the wells so that interference 

between them it not excessive. This interference may cause a serious 

local decline in pressure and an accompanying decrease in yield. To 

reduce the danger of excessive interference, one or more of the wells 

might be deepened to tap the Madison Limestone, in which artesian 

pressures normally are greater than they are in the Tensleep.
PENNSYLVANIA!* SYSTEM 25

FIGURE 6. Outcrop of Tensleep Sandstone in canyon of North Fork Crazy 

Woman Creek; the fractures, joints, and bedding planes may yield moderate 

to large quantities of water at depth.

Chemical analyses of water samples from two wells and one spring 

are given in table 5. The water from well 46-83-22dd probably is contaminated by water from the overlying gypsum and red-shale sequence. 

Water from wells drilled in the Tensleep Sandstone in or near its 

outcrop area will generally be suitable for most uses, although the 

water is likely to be very hard. Deeper wells drilled at greater 

distances from the recharge area will probably yield more highly 

mineralized water.

IJITOIFFERENTIATED ROCKS OF PERMIAN, TRIAS SIC, ANI» 

JURASSIC AGE

The Tensleep Sandstone is overlain by a thick sequence of rocks 

that comprises, in ascending order, an unnamed sequence of gypsum 

and red shale of Permian age, the Chugwater Formation of Triassic 

age, the Gypsum Spring Formation of Middle Jurassic age, and the 

Sundance and Morrison Formations of Late Jurassic age. Outcrops 

generally weather to grass-covered slopes and ridges and, except for 

the conspicuous red band formed by the Chugwater Formation along 

the base of the Bighorn front, are poorly exposed. The total thickness 

of these rocks in Johnson County is about 1,600 feet.
26 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

None of the wells inventoried penetrate these formations, but wells 

tapping sandstone in the Morrison, Sundance, and Chugwater Formations would probably yield small quantities of water acceptable for 

stock and domestic use. The water is generally under artesian pressure and will rise in wells that penetrate water-bearing beds.

The chemical quality of the water is probably somewhat better than 

that of water from these formations in the eastern part of the Powder 

River structural basin, where concentrations of calcium and sodium 

sulfate limit the suitability of the water for some uses. Wells drilled 

in northern and central Johnson County will generally be nearer areas 

of reacharge, so that the water will have had less opportunity to dissolve these undesirable minerals from the aquifers.

Water from the Gypsum Spring Formation and the gypsum and 

red-shale sequence is probably so highly mineralized that its suitability 

is marginal even for stock use. Thus wells penetrating these formations should be cased or plugged back to prevent contamination of 

water in underlying or overlying aquifers.

CEETACEOUS SYSTEM

LOWER CRETACEOUS SERIES

CLOVERLY FORMATION

The Cleverly Formation is the basal unit, of the Cretaceous System 

in Johnson County and conformably overlies the Morrison Formation 

of Jurassic age. Waage (1959, fig. 5) postulated that the Cloverly 

Formation in the Bighorn Basin is probably the lithogenetic equivalent of the Inyan Kara Group in the eastern Powder River structural 

basin. Love (1945) extended use of the name Cloverly from the 

Bighorn Basin to the western Powder River basin. The Inyan Kara 

Group is the principal source of ground water for many wells in the 

Black Hills region.

Outcrop and distribution

The Cloverly crops out as a narrow band of sandstone and shale that 

persists, except where locally concealed by faults, along the entire east 

side of the Bighorn Mountains. The resistant sandstone beds are 

conspicuous as low rocky ridges rising above grass-covered slopes 

underlain by intervening shale. The formation is probably present 

at depth throughout the Powder River structural basin, although it is 

not, recognizable in samples from some deep oil-test holes drilled near 

the center of the basin, where the predominance of shale may cause it 

to be indistinguishable from the overlying Skull Creek Shale.

Lithology and thickness

The Cloverly Formation consists of a basal sandstone unit, averaging 

about 30 feet in thickness, overlain by a sequence of dark-gray to
CRETACEOUS SYSTEM 27

brownish-black shale and brown siltstone that grades vertically into 

the overlying Skull Creek Shale. Mapel (1959, p. 36) placed the contact with the Skull Creek at the top of the uppermost persistent bed 

of brown siltstone. The basal sandstone is light gray to light yellowish 

gray, fine to coarse grained, generally well sorted, and crossbedded. 

It becomes increasingly fine grained in its upper part and grades into 

the overlying siltstone and shale. The formation is about 155 feet 

thick in the project area, which is about half the average thickness of 

the Inyan Kara Group exposed in the Black Hills. A section measured 

by Hose (1955, p. 104) in the southern part of the project area follows.

Section of the Cloverly Formation in sec. 25, T. 49 N., R. 83 W. 

[Adapted from Hose, (1955, p. 104)]

Skull Greek Shale Thickness 

Cloverly Formation: (feet)

Siltstone, brownish-gray, calcareous, thin-bedded to slabby; forms 

ledge_____________________________________ 5%

Shale and siltstone, light- to dark-gray, calcareous; some beds are 

ferruginous; contain iron-stained siltstone concretions in upper part- 112

Sandstone, light-yellowish-gray, medium-grained, well-sorted, lenticular _______________________________________ 2

Shale, brownish-black, carbonaceous_________________ 9

Mostly concealed; appears to be mainly gray silty sandstone- 17

Sandstone, very light gray, fine-grained, well-sorted, calcareous, thinbedded, crossbedded____________________________ 8

Sandstone, light-yellowish-gray, medium- to coarse-grained, fairly 

well sorted, crossbedded______________________ 3

Total measured thickness_______________________ 156% 

Morrison Formation.

Water-bearing characteristics

No wells in the project area are known to tap the Cloverly Formation. 

Areas of outcrop are narrow, and the beds dip steeply (dips range from 

about 20° in the southern part of the area to nearly vertical in the 

northern part). Thus, the formation lies at excessive drilling depths 

for stock water a short distance east of the outcrop. The basal sandstone of the Cloverly probably is the only potential source of more 

than small quantities of water of good quality between the Tensleep 

Sandstone and the Newcastle Sandstone.

Drilling in the Cloverly should not be terminated until the gray, 

green, and red shale of the underlying Morrison Formation is reached, 

because, owing to the steep dip of the beds, the apparent thickness of 

the basal sandstone may be appreciably greater than the 28 feet measured in the outcrop. Some additional water can probably be obtained 

from the underlying Morrison Formation, but the increase in yield
28 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

generally would not warrant the expense of a deeper hole; rather, 

drilling into the Cleverly at another site would probably be more 

advisable.

Wells drilled where the Cleverly lies within an economical drilling 

depth will probably yield water that is suitable for most uses. 

Water from the Inyan Kara Group on the east side of the Powder 

River Basin, however, generally contains more iron than is desirable 

in water for domestic use.

SKULL CREEK SHALE

The Skull Creek Shale consists of about 175 feet of grayish-black 

marine shale containing some thin lenticular beds of brown silstone 

in the lower part. The formation grades vertically into the underlying Cleverly Formation and the overlying Newcastle Sandstone. 

The Skull Creek is relatively impermeable and is not considered to be 

an aquifer in the project area.

NEWCASTLE SANDSTONE 

Outcrop and distribution.

The Newcastle Sandstone (familiarly known to oil-well drillers as 

the Muddy sand or Muddy) crops out in the southern part of the 

project area as a fairly prominent sinuous ridge between the adjacent 

Skull Creek and Mowry Shales. Where the sandstone is relatively 

nonresistant, outcrops are concealed beneath a grass or pine cover. 

In the northern part of the area, downfaulting has at many places 

caused the formation to be buried beneath deposits of Tertiary age. 

The Newcastle generally is readily identified in deep oil-test holes and 

serves as a dependable marker bed throughout the Powder River 

Basin.

Lithology and thickness

The Newcastle is principally a light-gray fine- to medium-grained 

standstone containing thin partings of black shale near the top and 

base, which in some places cause the contact with underlying and 

overlying formations to be gradational. It generally is friable and 

thin bedded to slabby but commonly is crossbedded. The thickness 

of the formation ranges between 40 and 50 feet in the project area. 

The following section measured by Mapel (1959, p. 40) illustrates 

the predominantly sand character of the Newcastle in Johnson County.
CRETACEOUS SYSTEM 29

Section of the Newcastle Sandstone in the center of the SEty sec. 31, T. 52 N.,

R. 83 W.

[Adapted from Mapel (1959, p. 40) ]

Mowry Shale Thickness 

Newcastle Sandstone: (feet) 

Sandstone, gray, fine- to medium-grained, friable____________ 8 

Sandstone, light-gray to white, fine-grained, thin-bedded, crossbedded ______________________________________ 28 

Sandstone and shale, interlaminated; becomes more shaly toward

base ______________________________________ 3 

Bentonite, gray_________________________________ 1

Total measured thickness_______________________ 40 

Skull Creek Shale.

Water-toearlng characteristics

The authors were not able to find any wells in the project area that 

tap the Newcastle Sandstone. Examinations of Newcastle outcrops, 

however, indicated that it has a relatively high permeability and, 

where saturated, should yield small to moderate quantities of water 

to wells.

Wells drilled to penetrate the Newcastle should be in or, generally, 

only a short distance east of the outcrop area. Water levels in wells 

drilled east of the contact with the overlying Mowry Shale should 

rise to within a few feet of the land surface; wells in low areas 

might flow. If insufficient water is obtained from the Newcastle 

Sandstone, supplemental supplies could probably be developed in 

some sectors by drilling an additional 400-500 feet, depending upon 

the dip, to tap the basal sandstone of the Cloverly Formation.

No data are available on the chemical quality of water in the Newcastle Sandstone in the project area. Water from wells drilled in or 

near the outcrop, however, should be suitable for most uses, whereas 

water from deep wells will probably be rather highly mineralized.

MOWRY SHALE

The Mowry Shale consists of about 525 feet of light-gray to grayishblack siliceous shale containing some thin beds of siltstone and lightgray sandstone and many thin beds of bentonite. It lies comf ormably 

on the Newcastle Sandstone. The formation is not considered to be a 

potential source of water either in Johnson County or elsewhere in 

the Powder River Basin.

UPPER CRETACEOUS SERIES

FRONTIER FORMATION AND CODY SHALE

Overlying the Mowry 'Shale is about 4,000 feet of predominantly 

dark-gray and black marine shale containing subordinate amounts of
30 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

interbedded siltstone and fine-grained sandstone. The rocks comprise, 

in ascending order, the Frontier Formation and the Cody Shale. 

Except possibly for the Shannon Sandstone Member of the Cody 

Shale, these rocks are not considered to be potential aquifers in places 

where other sources are available. In some areas where other sources 

are not available, however, sufficiently deep wells may yield adequate 

supplies of water for stock use. In prospecting for water in the outcrop 

of the Frontier Formation and Cody Shale, sites that are underlain 

by alluvial deposits and that may receive recharge from surface runoff, such as along small streams or draws, should be tested first. 

Supplies obtained from the alluvium may be small and ephemeral, but 

they might be a welcome supplement to any water developed from 

the underlying bedrock.

The chemical quality of the water probably will range from marginal 

for a domestic supply to unfit for stock consumption. The analysis 

of water from a well (50-83-36aa) drilled in the Cody Shale is given 

in table 5.

SHANNON SANDSTONE MEMBER OF THE CODY SHALE

Outcrop and. distribution

The Shannon Sandstone Member lies approximately 1,000 feet 

below the top of the Cody Shale. It persists in a poorly exposed outcrop along much of the west margin of the project area, where it 

generally underlies smooth grass-covered slopes. In some places in 

the northern part of the area, the formation has been displaced by 

faulting and is concealed beneath younger beds.

Liithology and thickness

The Shannon is principally a light-greenish-gray fine-grained 

friable sandstone about 215 feet thick that contains many thin partings 

of dark-gray shale. The sandstone becomes more shaly in its upper 

and lower parts and grades into overlying and underlying shaly 

members of the Cody Shale. A section measured by Hose (1955, 

p. 93-94) in the southern part of the project area is considered to be 

representative of the Shannon Sandstone Member in both lithology 

and thickness.
CRETACEOUS SYSTEM 31

Section of the Shannon Sandstone Member of the Cody Shale m sees. 13 and 14,

T. 49 N., R. 83 W.

[Adapted from Hose (1955, p. 93-94] 

Cody Shale:

Upper shale member. Thickness 

Shannon Sandstone Member: (feet) 

Sandstone and shale, interbedded; sandstone is very light gray, 

fine to medium grained, very thin bedded; shale is dark gray, 

sandy____________________._____ _ __ 76 

Sandstone, pale-olive, very fine grained; contains many thin partings of dark-gray shale, especially in lower part 139

Total measured thickness___________ 215 

Sandstone and shale member.

Water-bearing characteristics

The Shannon Sandstone Member, although fairly thick and persistent, probably would not yield more than small quantities of water 

to wells in Johnson County because of its generally low permeability. 

It is, however, the best potential source of ground water in the area 

lying between outcrops of the Newcastle Sandstone and the Parkman 

Sandstone, and it generally should yield adequate supplies for a stock 

well.

Analysis of water from oil-test holes in the Shannon Sandstone 

Member in sees. 17, 21, and 28, T. 48 N., E. 82 W., show that the water 

is unsuitable for most domestic uses and of poor quality for stock use. 

It has a dissolved-solids content ranging from 2,100 to 3,300 ppm 

and is of a sodium bicarbonate or sodium chloride type. Wells drilled 

into the Shannon in or near outcrops will undoubtedly yield water of 

better quality than will wells tapping the member where it lies deeper 

in the Powder River Basin.

PARKMAN SANDSTONE 

Outcrop and distribution

The parkman Sandstone crops out in a series of ledges and ridges 

of resistant sandstone that rise prominently above outcrops of the 

underlying Cody Shale and overlying Bearpaw Shale. It serves as a 

convenient marker bed in logging oil-test holes throughout much of 

the western and central Powder River structural basin. Farther east 

the sandstone becomes more shaly and loses its identity in the upper 

part of the Pierre Shale. 

Litnology and tnickness

The Parkman Sandstone is light gray, generally fine to medium 

grained, and weakly to firmly cemented. The formation is about 720 

feet thick. Beds are thin to moderately thick and commonly are crossbedded. Interbedded dark-gray shale in the lower part of the formation becomes increasingly abundant toward the base, and the contact

795-830
32 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

with the underlying Cody Shale is gradational. A thin persistent bed 

of white sandstone, which marks the top of the formation in Johnson 

County, forms a sharp and conspicuous lithologic break with the overlying Bearpaw Shale. Hose (1955, p. 92-93) described a section of 

the Parkman Sandstone exposed near the central part of the outcrop 

in the project area. The section is considered to represent the average 

thickness of the formation.

Section of the Parkman Sandstone m sec. 13, T. 49 N., R. 83 W.

[Adapted from Hose (1955, p. 92-93]

Bearpaw Shale. Thickness 

Parkman Sandstone: (feet) 

Sandstone, white, fine-grained, friable, crossbedded 8 

Shale, pale- to moderate-brown, carbonaceous _ 25 

Sandstone, very light gray, fine- to medium-grained, friable, mediumbedded _____________________________________ 130 

Shale and sandstone, interbedded; shale is dark greenish gray, silty;

sandstone is very light gray, very fine grained, thin bedded __ 45 

Sandstone and shale, interbedded; sandstone is very light gray, very 

fine to fine grained, moderately thick bedded, crossbedded; shale is 

dark greenish gray_____________ ___ _- 85 

Sandstone, very light gray, fine- to medium-grained, thin- to thickbedded, crossbedded__________________________ __ 283 

'Sandstone and shale, interbedded; becomes more shaly toward 'base; 

sandstone is very light gray, fine grained, thin bedded, crossbedded; 

shale is dark gray_______________________________ 145

Total measured thickness_____________________-___ 721 

Cody Shale. 

Water-bearing characteristics

The Parkman Sandstone has not been tapped by many wells in the 

project area. Only three of the wells inventoried yield water from 

the formation, but there may be others in the area that were not 

visited by the authors. The wells range from 105 to 150 feet in depth 

and apparently penetrate only the lower part of the formation, as 

indicated by their location on the outcrop and by the lithologic descriptions in the drillers' logs. (See logs of wells 46-82-9ad, 48-82- 

18ad, and 48-82-20bc, table 8.)

Well 46-82-9 ad penetrated water-bearing sandstone at a depth of 

about 130 feet, and the water rose in the hole to within 5 feet of the 

surface. The well reportedly yielded 6 gpm with a drawdown of 

27 feet when test bailed; thus, the permeability of the saturated zone 

penetrated at this site is very low. The yield of the well and the 

artesian head might have been increased appreciably if a greater 

thickness of saturated sandstone had been penetrated. Well 48-82- 

18ad yielded only 3.5 gpm with 35 feet of drawdown during a bailing 

test. No data are available on the yield of well 48-82-20bc.
CRETACEOUS SYSTEM 33

The thick beds of sandstone that make up the bulk of the Parkman 

in the southern part of the project area will probably yield at least 

moderate quantities of water to properly constructed wells. Wells 

drilled in the outcrop should be located along its east margin, where 

possible, to insure penetration of a maximum thickness of saturated 

material. Water levels, in general, should be close to the land surface, 

and wells in some areas might flow. Yield and artesian head normally 

will increase with depth of penetration.

In most of the northern part of the project area, rocks of the Parkman dip vertically or are slightly overturned to the east. The success 

of wells drilled in them is unpredictable, because the movement of 

ground water downdip may cause the rocks below the outcrop to be 

drained to a considerable depth. Also, a drill hole started in the 

upturned edge of a shaly unit could conceivably continue in shale for 

several hundred feet without penetrating a water-bearing bed. Smalldiameter test holes are advisable to prospect the area before a production well is attempted.

Water from well 46-82-9ad contains more dissolved solids and 

sulfate than is desirable in a domestic supply, but it is usable where 

water of better quality is unobtainable. It is of much better quality, 

however, than that from the underlying Cody Shale or that from the 

overlying Lance Formation. (See table 5.)

BEARPAW SHALE

The Bearpaw Shale consists of a relatively thin sequence of finegrained marine rocks that was deposited conformably on the Parkman 

Sandstone. The formation is about 200 feet thick and is composed 

principally of dark-greenish-gray shale, containing a few thin laminae 

of light-gray fine-grained sandstone in the upper part, that grades 

upward into the sandstone and shale of the overlying Lance Formation. 

The Bearpaw is not considered to be a potential source of ground water 

in the project area.

LANCE FORMATION

The Lance Formation lies gradationally above the Bearpaw Shale. 

The Fox Hills Sandstone, which lies between the Bearpaw Shale and 

the Lance Formation in the southern part of Johnson County, has not 

been recognized in the project area (Hose, 1955, p. 65; Mapel, 1959, 

p. 59). The lower part of the unit mapped as Lance may be the 

stratigraphic equivalent of deposits laid down during Fox Hills time.

Outcrop and distribution

The Lance Formation is exposed principally in the southern part of 

the project area. The outcrop parallels the Bighorn Mountain front 

in a band that ranges in width from about 2 miles at the south boundary
34 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

of the project area to less than a quarter of a mile near the middle of 

the area, where the dip of beds is nearly vertical. In the northern part, 

downfaulting and overlap by younger strata cause the formation to 

be concealed at many places. The Lance generally is poorly exposed, 

and its terrane is little different from that of the adjacent Bearpaw 

Shale and Fort Union Formation. Consequently the location of 

contacts on the geologic map is only approximate in many places. The 

Lance is exposed around the periphery of much of the Powder River 

structural basin in Wyoming, and its outcrops extend northward into 

southern Montana.

Litliology and thickness

The Lance Formation consists of a sequence of interbedded lightcolored sandstone and dark shale containing a few thin 'beds of 

carbonaceous shale in the upper part. In some places the formation 

can be divided into two fairly distinct units: a lower unit 100-200 

feet thick composed of light-gray fine-grained thin- and even-bedded 

sandstone that becomes shaly toward the base, and an upper unit of 

light-gray to light-yellowish-gray fine- to medium-grained lenticular 

sandstone and interbedded dark-gray shale. Lenticular deposits of 

carbonaceous shale, which become thinner and less numerous in the 

northern part of the project area, occur throughout the formation.

The thickness of the Lance in outcrops along the Bighorn Mountain front ranges from about 1,950 to 2,200 feet and is probably 

somewhat greater toward the middle of the Powder River structural basin. Exposures along the east side of the basin, in the vicinity 

of the Black Hills, are appreciably thinner, ranging from about 500 

to 1,000 feet in thickness.

The following section of Lance strata was measured by R. K. 

Hose a short distance north of Billy Creek anticline.
CRETACEOUS SYSTEM 35

Section of the Lance Formation m sec. 29, T. 49 N., R. 82 W.

[Adapted from Hose (1955, p. 91)]

Thickness 

Lance Formation: (feet)

Sandstone and shale, interbedded; sandtsone is very light gray, fine 

grained, friable, thin fco thick .bedded, crossbedded; shale is dark 

gray and dark olive gray________________ 1, 330

Sandstone, very light gray, fine- to medium-grained, medium- to thickbedded, crossbedded; contains a few thin 'beds and partings of 

dark-gray shale______________________ 355

Shale, moderate-brown, silty, carbonaceous; contains thin lenses of 

light-gray fine-grained sandstone_________ 8

Sandstone, very light gray, very fine grained to fine-grained, thin- to 

medium-bedded; contains a few thin partings of moderate-'brown 

carbonaceous shale_______________________ 62

Concealed ___________________________ 46

Sandstone, very light gray, fine-grained, friable, thinjbedded, crossbedded ; contains laminae of dark-gray shale_______ 76

Concealed ___________________________________ 31

Sandstone, very light gray, very fine grained, thin-bedded; contains 

many thin partings of dark-gray shale_____________ 20

Mostly concealed; appears to foe mainly interbedded dark-greenishgray shale and light-gray fine-grained sandstone 42

Total measured thickness___________________-___ 1, 970 

Bearpaw Shale. 

Water-bearing characteristics

The Lance Formation yields water to a few wells in the southwestern part of the project area, but elsewhere it generally is too deeply 

buried to 'be an economical source of water. Only six of the wells 

inventoried during the investigation pentrate the Lance, but undoubtedly there are others tapping the formation. Elsewhere in 

the Powder River structural basin, the Lance generally yields adequate supplies of water for stock and domestic use from relatively 

shallow depths. Yields of wells differ from place to place, depending on the number, thickness, extent, and permeability of waterbearing sandstone beds penetrated, and moderate supplies might be 

obtained in some sectors from deep wells penetrating a thick section 

of saturated material.

In the southern part of the project area, where the dip of beds is 

relatively gentle, the Lance would probably yield adequate supplies 

of water to stock and domestic wells nearly everywhere. The saturated thickness of the formation increases eastward toward the contact with the overlying Fort Union Formation, where the Lance attains its full thickness and may be completely saturated or contain 

water under sufficient artesian pressure to rise to within a short distance of the land surface.
36 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

In the northern part of the project area, the Lance strata dip 

nearly vertically at most places. (See cross section A-A', fig. 4.) 

Prospecting for water in this sector is unpredictable, because the 

success of wells depends on whether the hole is drilled in a predominantly sandy or shaly unit. Consequently, the construction of 

water wells in the Lance Formation north of T. 49 N. should generally be preceded by preliminary test drilling to determine the 

depth to water and the potential yield from the aquifier.

To obtain the maximum amount of water from the Lance Formation, the well should be drilled as deeply into the formation as is 

economically feasible, and casing should be perforated at each significant water-bearing bed. Well sites should be selected in topographically low areas to keep drilling depths and pumping lifts to a 

minimum. Some wells tapping the formation east of the LanceFort Union contact may flow.

Analyses of water from two wells drilled in Lance outcrops indicate that the water is too highly mineralized to be suitable for domestic use and ranges from fair to poor for stock consumption (table 5). 

The analysis of only two water samples, however, does not permit 

a generalization of the quality of the water in the Lance Formation in 

Johnson County. Analyses of water from the Lance in other areas 

indicate that the quality differs from well to well, ranging from acceptable for a domestic supply, where no other source is available, 

to poor for stock consumption. The situation is probably similar in 

Johnson County.

TERTIARY SYSTEM

The Tertiary System in Johnson County comprises rocks of Paleocene, Eocene, and possibly Oligocene age; no deposits of Miocene or 

Pliocene age have been identified in the project area. Deposits of 

Oligocene(?) age are not shown on the geologic map because they 

crop out in the mountain uplands in small isolated patches and are of 

little or no significance as potential sources of ground water.

PALEOCENE SERIES 

FORT UNION FORMATION

The Fort Union Formation lies gradationally above the Lance 

Formation. Along the east side of the Powder Kiver structural basin, 

the Fort Union has been divided into three units. In ascending order, 

they are the Tullock, the Lebo Shale, and the Tongue Kiver Members 

(Love and Weitz, 1951). These units have not been identified in 

Johnson County, although Hose (1955, p. 66) described, but did not 

map, a three-fold facies of the formation exposed in the southern part 

of the project area. Mapel (1959, p. 61) postulated that in the north-
TERTIARY SYSTEM 37

ern part of the project area all the middle unit and part of the lower 

unit identified by Hose were removed by erosion before the upper 

unit was deposited, and he described only two members of the formation, separated by an angular unconformity. Because of the hydrologic similarity of the units, Fort Union strata are mapped simply as 

the Fort Union Formation. In the Southern part of the project area, 

the Fort Union is overlain with apparent conformity by the finegrained facies of the Wasatch Formation; but in the northern part 

of the area, near the Bighorn Mountains, the Fort Union is overlain 

unconformably by the conglomeratic facies of the Wasatch.

Outcrop and distribution

The Fort Union crops out in the southern part of the project area in 

a band about 4 miles wide that gradually narrows northward because 

of an increase in dip and the progressive overlap by the Wasatch 

Formation. In places the Fort Union is completely concealed by the 

Wasatch. Outcrop areas are generally characterized by sharp-crested 

and gullied ridges and narrow twisting ravinelike valleys. Some 

have been reduced to badlands that are unsuitable even for stock 

grazing. Except where eroded to badlands, the formation is poorly 

exposed, and the contacts with the underlying Lance Formation and 

the overlying Wasatch are difficult to locate.

Ldtnology and thickness

The Fort Union Formation is composed of a thick sequence of interbedded sandstone, siltstone, and shale that contains some thin to thick 

beds of carbonaceous shale and coal in the southern part of the area. 

The sandstone is generally light gray to light brown, fine grained and 

friable. Beds are characteristically shaly and lenticular and grade 

laterally and vertically into adjacent siltstone and shale. In some 

places, lenticular beds of conglomerate with a matrix of coarse-grained 

sandstone occur near the middle of the formation.

The exposed thickness of the Fort Union ranges from about 3,900 

feet in the southern part of the project area to about 1,200 feet in the 

northern part, where erosion has removed about 2,600 feet of the 

formation. Along the west margin of the outcrop area, the formation 

has been eroded to a thin edge that wedges out against upturned strata 

of the Lance Formation.

Water-bearing characteristics

Wells drilled in the outcrop of the Fort Union Formation normally 

yield adequate supplies of water for stock and domestic use. The 

water is generally under artesian pressure, which probably increases 

with depth downdip from the Lance-Fort Union contact. For example, well 48-82-llbb, which is 420 feet deep, flows; but well 48- 

82-2cc, only a short distance away and at approximately the same
38 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

altitude, is 130 feet deep and has a water level that is 50 feet below 

the land surface. Depth to water in wells tapping the Fort Union 

also varies with the altitude of the well site.

Several flowing wells tap the upper part of the Fort Union along 

the lower reaches of the Powder River in Johnson County. There 

the formation lies at a relatively shallow depth, and it crops out in the 

river valley about 4 miles north of the Johnson-Sheridan County 

line. Drillers' logs of water wells in this sector do not distinguish 

between Wasatch and Fort Union, and such a distinction probably 

cannot be made on the basis of drill cuttings.

The flows of these wells are generally small (measured yields ranged 

from 1 to 17 gpm); however, two wells reportedly flow 40 gpm, and 

one flows 60 gpm. No records of the artesian pressures are available, 

but field observations indicate that the pressures are not great. Measurement of artesian pressures was not possible during the investigation, because few of the wells are equipped with control valves. The 

construction of most wells makes it inadvisable to shut in the flow 

because of the danger of causing leakage around the outside of the 

casing and of causing loss of water into overlying aquifers in which 

artesian pressures probably are lower than the pressure in the producing zone.

Prospecting for water in the outcrop of the Fort Union Formation 

should be done first, if possible, along stream valleys, where water 

levels normally are nearer the surface, rather than on the slopes or 

crests of ridges. Careful selection of well sites may result in flowing 

wells in some places. Wells that would yield more than small amount 

of water probably cannot be constructed anywhere in the Fort Union 

without drilling to great depth, and pumping lifts might be prohibitive. Wells drilled in the extreme western part of the outcrop area 

may have to penetrate the underlying Lance Formation to obtain 

sufficient water for a stock supply, because there the Fort Union is 

thin and may be drained. Because of the eastward dip of the beds, 

the saturated thickness of the Fort Union increases toward the contact with the overlying Wasatch Formation, and depths to water 

should generally decrease accordingly. As in the Lance Formation, 

wells should be drilled as deeply as economics permit, so that the 

maximum amount of water available can be obtained. Casing should 

be perforated at each potential water-bearing bed below the water 

table.

Water from wells drilled in the Fort Union Formation differs 

greatly in type and degree of mineralization; its quality ranges from 

acceptable for domestic use to fair for stock supplies. Chemical 

analyses of water from nine wells are given in table 5.
TERTIARY SYSTEM 39

EOCENE SERIES 

WASATCH FORMATION

The Wasatch Formation in Johnson County can be divided into a 

fine-grained facies and a conglomeratic facies. The fine-grained 

facies, principally sandstone and shale, makes up the Wasatch in the 

Powder Kiver Basin; the conglomeratic facies, which occurs along the 

Bighorn Mountain front, comprises the Kingsbury Conglomerate and 

Moncrief Members of the Wasatch. In the project area both the 

Kingsbury Conglomerate Member and the Moncrief Member grade 

to the south and east into the basin facies (fine-grained facies) of the 

Wasatch Formation. The Kingsbury Conglomerate Member lies 

with an angular unconformity on the Fort Union Formation in the 

southern part of the project area and progressively overlaps older 

rocks northward. Eastward the angle of discordance decreases, and 

the fine-grained facies of the Wasatch lies with apparent conformity 

on the Fort Union Formation. The Kingsbury, in turn, is overlain 

with angular unconformity by the Moncrief Member.

Outcrop and distribution.

The Kingsbury Conglomerate and Moncrief Members of the 

Wasatch Formation crop out along much of the west margin of the 

Powder Kiver structural basin in the project area. They underlie 

the high ridges and terraces that in places abut against the east flank 

of the Bighorn Mountains. The rocks are generally concealed beneath 

a thin soil and grass cover, so that good exposures are rare except where 

streams have cut deeply into the formations. The basin facies of 

the Wasatch, which extends over the rest of the project area, underlies 

a former plains surface that has been deeply and irregularly dissected 

by streams. Sandstone-capped ridges, mesas, and buttes separated 

by narrow .steep-sided valleys and ravines characterize much of the 

outcrop area. East of Buffalo, rocks adjacent to burned out coal beds 

were altered by the intense heat to hard bright-red clinker, which 

forms a spectacularly colorful capping on many ridges and buttes.

Litliology and thickness

The bulk of the Wasatch Formation consists of interbedded lightgray sandstone, darker gray and brown shale, and coal. The Kingsbury Conglomerate and Moncrief Members are composed of lenticular 

beds of conglomerate interbedded with light-gray medium- to coarsegrained sandstone and greenish-gray siltstone and shale. The conglomerate beds contain pebbles, cobbles, and boulders as much as 10 feet 

in diameter. The sandstone beds, which are the principal source 

of water in the Wasatch Formation, are light to yellowish gray, generally fine grained, and friable. They are characteristically lenticular, 

thin bedded; and cross laminated.
40 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

The combined thickness of the Kingsbury Conglomerate and Moncrief Members of the Wasatch Formation in the northern part of the 

project area is about 1,000-2,000 feet (Mapel, 1959, pi. 3). Near the 

middle of the project area, where the Moncrief Member is absent, the 

Kingsbury Conglomerate Member ranges in thickness from 400 to 600 

feet (Hose, 1955, p. 67). Logs of oil-test holes drilled in the eastern 

part of the project area indicate that the thickness of the basin facies 

of the Wasatch ranges from about 600 feet in sec. 21, T. 50 N., R. 80 W., 

to nearly 1,400 feet in sec. 14, T. 52 N., R. 78 W. (See table 8.) 

However, the log of oil-test hole 52-77-21ca, in the valley of the 

Powder River, indicates that the Wasatch is only 740 feet thick at that 

test site.

Water-bearing characteristics

Sandstone beds in the Wasatch Formation yield water to many 

stock and domestic wells in the Powder River structural basin. In 

some places water has reportedly been obtained from the thicker and 

more persistant coal beds, which apparently transmit water through 

interconnecting networks of fractures and joints. The Kingsbury 

Conglomerate and Moncrief Members yield water to a few wells in 

the foothills adjacent to the Bighorn Mountains, but, because of the 

fine material that is generally intermixed with the coarser fragments, 

these units probably are only slightly more permeable than the sandstone of the Wasatch to the east. (See fig. 7.) Probably neither the 

fine-grained nor the conglomeratic facies of the Wasatch will yield 

more than moderate quantities of water to wells.

About 65 percent of the wells inventoried yield water from the 

Wasatch Formation. Some of them flow, but most are equipped with 

small-discharge cylinder or jet pumps. Depths of the wells range 

from 25 to 1,294 feet, but the average depth is about 280 feet. The 

average depth of flowing wells, however, is somewhat greater approximately 340 feet. The depth to the water level in nonflowing wells 

ranges from about 1 foot to more than 400 feet and averages 65 feet.

Little is known of the potential yields of wells in the Wasatch 

Formation, but normally the wells yield adequate supplies for stock 

and domestic use. Measured yields of flowing wells range from less 

than 1 to 7.5 gpm, and the maximum reported flow is about 15 gpm. 

Larger yields could probably be obtained from most flowing wells by 

pumping. One well (51-82-33dd), possibly tapping the Moncrief 

Member, flows 7.5 gpm and yielded 70 gpm with a drawdown of 46 

feet during a pumping test made by the authors. The well is probably 

capable of yielding larger quantities of water, with a proportionate 

increase in drawdown.
TERTIARY SYSTEM 41

- f, Tar* £=* J&nom*

'ot* - *<* - -f^> --*i*; \jtfi"

-.- -X - >». MIP'.'r-- ^i ^ ; -^'^ ".«*7r k_^

FIGURE 7. Boulder conglomerate of Moncrief Member of Wasatch Formation in 

roadcut on north side of U.S. Highway 16 about 5 miles west of Buffalo, Wyo. 

Hat in lower center illustrates size of boulders.

The results of the pumping test made at well 51-82-33dd are given 

in the following table. The data are applicable only to that part of 

the aquifer tested at the site of the pumped well and are not necessarily 

indicative of the water-bearing potential of the formation elsewhere.

Results of pumping test on well 51-82-33^,6, 

[Moncrief(?) Member of the Wasatch Formation; Sept. 2, 1961]

Duration of pumping_________________________________ 3%

Average rate of discharge_________________________gpm_ 70 

Drawdown in well________________________________J:t__ 46

Specific capacity of well____________gpm per foot of drawdown_ 1. 5 

Saturated thickness of aquifer penetrated________________ft__ 145 

Coefficient of transmissibility__________gallons per day per foot__ 2, 500 

Average field coefficient of permeability____gallons per day per square 

foot__________________________________________ 17

Most wells in Johnson County are equipped with wind-powered 

cylinder pumps that normally discharge water at rates that are both 

too low and too erratic to allow a satisfactory pumping test. Wells 

equipped with jet pumps are used principally for domestic supplies and 

are customarily sealed for sanitary reasons. Few of the flowing wells 

are equipped with control valves, and, because of the construction of the 

wells, attempts to measure shut-in pressure were inadvisable. The
42 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

yields and drawdowns of some wells in the Wasatch Formation are 

given in table 7. The average specific capacity of these wells is 0.23 

gpm per foot of drawdown, which is much less than that of well 51-82- 

33dd. Most of these data are from drillers' records of bailing tests 

made at the time the wells were completed and generally are only 

approximate.

Depth to water in the Wasatch Formation is relatively shallow in 

the western part of the outcrop area, but it generally increases eastward because the upper part of the formation is disected and drained 

by many deep narrow valleys. Wells on ridges and divides may penetrate several tens of feet of nearly dry strata before tapping a waterbearing bed. Owing to the irregularity of the terrain and the discontinuity of aquifers, prediction of the depth to water at any particular 

site is difficult. One or more small-diameter test holes should be drilled 

to determine the availability and depth of water at places where more 

than a stock or domestic supply is desired. In the southwestern part 

of the project area, where the Wasatch Formation wedges out against 

the Fort Union Formation, and along the lower reaches of the Powder 

River, where the Wasatch apparently is relatively thin, additional 

water can be obtained by drilling into the underlying Fort Union.

The water in the Wasatch Formation differs greatly in chemical 

quality throughout the project area, but generally it is unsuitable for 

most domestic uses because of high dissolved-solids content and excessive hardness. Analyses indicate that water from some wells is of 

poor quality even for stock consumption (table 5).

The Quaternary System is represented in Johnson County principally by alluvial deposits of unconsolidated silt, sand, and gravel 

that underlie the flood plains and bordering terraces of major streams. 

Along the upper reaches of these streams and on the divides between 

the streams, remnants 10-30 feet or more thick of older terraces stand 

130-350 feet above the floors of present stream valleys. Near the 

mountains, broad pediments are covered with thin deposits of silt, 

sand, gravel, and boulders that merge basin ward with the high terrace 

deposits. On the upland surfaces of the Bighorn Mountains, at altitudes ranging from 8,000 to 10,000 feet, thick glacial deposits extensively cover the floors of ice-carved valleys.

Deposits underlying the higher terraces and those covering the pediments probably are soon drained of any recharge from precipitation 

and are not considered to be potential sources of water, except where 

small ephemeral springs and seeps issue from them at their contact 

with underlying less permeable rock. These deposits play a part,
QUATERNARY SYSTEM 43

however, in retarding runoff and increasing the amount of water that 

reaches the underlying aquifers.

Glacial moraines yield water to numerous springs and seeps in the 

uplands. One large spring (53-86-27cd) reportedly yields a dependable supply of about 400 gpm. Because of the generally inaccessibility 

of the region in which these glacial deposits occur, they are not considered to be significant sources of water in the project area.

ALLTTVIAL, DEPOSITS OF STREAM VALLEYS 

Outcrop and distribution

Deposits of stream-laid clay, silt, sand, and gravel underlie most of 

the stream valleys in Johnson County. They rangeJn thickness from 

only a veneer in the upland valleys and narrow canyons to several tens 

of feet in the valleys of the Powder River and Crazy Woman Creek. 

Only the thicker and more extensive alluvial deposits are considered 

to be potential sources of moderate to large supplies of ground water 

in the project area. On the geologic map (pi. 1) they are shown 

underlying the valleys of the Powder River and Crazy Woman, Clear, 

and Piney Creeks and their major tributaries.

Lithology and thickness

Alluvium exposed in the valleys of the Powder River and the lower 

reach of Crazy Woman Creek is composed principally of clay and 

fine sand containing pebbles and cobbles of fine- to medium-grained 

sandstone. The lower part of the alluvial deposits, however, commonly contains lenses of coarse sand and gravel that differ in thickness 

and extent (table 3) and mark the position of buried former stream 

channels. Deposits along the upper reaches of Crazy Woman Creek 

and along Clear and Piney Creeks are likely to be coarser because they 

lie near the source of the material, which is principally the coarsegrained and resistant rocks that form the east flank of the Bighorn 

Mountains.

Little information is available, on the thickness of alluvium in the 

major stream valleys, because few wells in the project area have been 

drilled in these deposits. Two wells (50-82-6ad and 51-82-36aa) in 

Clear Creek valley penetrated 26 feet of sand and boulders and 30 

feet of silt and sand, respectively, without reaching bedrock. A series 

of test holes was augered by the Geological Survey across accessible 

parts of the valley of the Powder River at three different locations to 

determine the thickness of the underlying alluvium (fig. 8). A complete profile could not be obtained, however, as the river could not be 

crossed. The location of the lines of test holes is shown on plate 1, 

and the logs are given in table 3. The maximum thickness penetrated 

was 29 feet near the middle of the valley in the SE*4 sec. 20, T 51 N., 

R. 77 W. More closely spaced test holes might have located buried
(

4000'-

3960' -

3820' -i

"r 

j

t

-?.-

)

J

3 /Water table

' /Water table i

j

Alluvium H

2

Test hole 

\ 

3

-- ____4_____~--'~*

_- " 

NEi/4 sec. 7, T. 48 N., R. 77 W.

z

1

2

::r ^___

>'

- 3820'

3800'-

3780' -

9 .

~-?~ ~.

/Water table 2

.2

Alluvium

Wasatch Formation

1

/Powder River ^___

^~-~L *^

yr- 3820' 

i- 3800' 

- 3780'

5

SEi/4 sec. 20, T. 51 N., R. 77 W.

i

3720' -

3700' - 

3680' -

? 

j

 7 _

Water table^

\

-

Wasatch Forrr

3 2

__ 

ation

Alluvium

 - -_ _

Powder R

SWi/4 sec. 26, T. 53 N., R. 77 W.

FIGURE 8. Cross sections of alluvium in the valley of the Powder River, nort

numbered in the order drilled. Location of sections s
QUATERNARY SYSTEM 45

channels at somewhat greater depth. Additional data on the thickness of alluvial deposits along the Powder River were obtained from 

drillers' logs of several wells drilled in sec. 20, T. 49 N"., R. 77 W., to 

supply water for highway construction. There, the maximum thickness penetrated was 31 feet; the log of one of the wells (49-77-20ba) 

is given in table 8. The driller's log of well 46-78-13bd indicates 47 

feet of sand and gravel in that part of the Powder River valley, and 

the log of well 53-77-24db, 102 feet of sand and gravel. Well 52-78- 

16cb, in the valley of Crazy Woman Creek, penetrated 54 feet of 

alluvium before reaching the underlying Wasatch Formation. Wells 

penetrating more than 40 feet of alluvium are probably on bordering 

terraces that, in places, stand a considerable distance above the main 

valley floor.

TABLE 3. Sample logs of test holes augered in alluvium of the Powder River, 

northern Johnson County, Wyo.

Material

Thickness Depth 

(feet) (feet) Material

Thickness Depth 

(feet) (feet)

SECTION C-C' IN NEVi SEC. 7, T. 48 N., 

R. 77 W.

Test hole 1 

Alluvium:

Silt, light-brown,

sandy____________ 5

GraveL __--_-______ 1

Silt, sandy, containing lenses of medium graveL _____ 4

Gravel (water at 13.5 

ft).______________ 3.5

Silt, some medium

gravel___________ 1.5

Silt containing lenses 

of medium to 

coarse gravel _ _ _ _ _ 5

Clay, brownish-gray, 

silty--------___ 3

GraveL ____________ 2

Wasatch Formation:

Shale, blue, sandy. __ 1

10

13. 5

15

20

23

25

26

Test hole 2

Alluvium:

Sand, brownish-gray, 

very fine. _________

Sand, very fine; contains lenses of 

gravel__________ 10

Test hole 2 Continued

Wasatch Formation: 

Shale, blue, sticky

(water at 11.0 ft) _ 3 13

Test hole 3

Alluvium:

Silt and fine sand

(water at 4.5 ft)_ 5 5 

Sand, dark-brown, 

fine to medium, 

and silt.___------ 4.5 9.5

Wasatch Formation:

Shale carbonaceous. _ . 5 10

Test hole 4

Alluvium:

Silt, brownish-gray __ 5 5

Sand, silt, and some

gravel-. _________ 5 10

Sand, medium to 

coarse, silty; contains gravel lenses 

(water at 12.3 ft)._ 12. 5 22. 5 

Wasatch Formation:

Shale, blue.________ .5 23

Test hole 5

Alluvium:

Silt__----__-------- 5 5

Clay, silt, and fine

sand_____________ 5 10
46 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

TABLE 3. Sample logs of test holes angered in alluvium of the Powder River, 

northern Johnson County, Wyo. Continued

Material

Thickness Depth 

(feet) (feet) Material

Thickness Depth 

(feet) (feet)

Test hole 5 Continued 

Alluvium Continued 

Sand, fine to coarse; 

contains some silt 

and gravel lenses 

(water at 12.3 ft)__ 5 15 

Sand, fine to coarse;

some clay and silt. 5 20 

No sample (gravel?) 5 25 

Gravel_________ 2 27

Wasatch Formation:

Shale, blue______.__ 1 28

Test hole 6

Alluvium:

Silt, brownish-gray __ 5 5

Silt and sand containing lenses of 

gravel (water at 

13.1 ft)__________ 10 15

Silt and sand; some

gravel___________ 5 20

Silt and sand_______ 5 25

Wasatch Formation:

Shale, blue-gray_ __ 1 26

SECTION D-D' IN SE^ SEC. 20. 

T. 51 N., R. 77 W. 

Test hole 1

Alluvium:

Clay, silt, and sand_ 5 5 

Sand, silty (water

at 7.3 ft)_____ 5 10 

Sand and silt containing some

gravel lenses_____ 14 24 

Wasatch Formation:

Shale, blue._______ 1 25

Test hole 2

Alluvium:

Clay, silt, and sand

(water at 8.7 ft)._ 10 10

As above; contains 

some lenses of fine 

gravel_________ 5 15

Gravel, fine to medium, silty______ 5 20

Test hole 2 Continued 

Alluvium Continued

Silt and sand- _____ 5 25

Clay, dark-brown; 

some gravel in 

lower part_______ 4 29

Wasatch Formation:

Shale, blue, sticky__ 2 31

Test hole 3

Alluvium:

Silt, brownish-gray, 

and some very 

fine gravel___ _ _ _ _ 5 5

Clay and silt, 

brownish-gray 

(water at 9.3 ft)__ 5 10

Sand, fine_-__--__- 5 15

Silt and green sandy

clay_________ 7 22 

Wasatch Formation:

Shale, reddishbrown, carbonaceous. __________ 2 24

SECTION E-E' IN SW% SEC. 26 

T. 53 N., R. 77 W.

Test hole 1 

Alluvium:

Silt, clayey.________ 5 5

Sand, silty and clayey; 

gravel lense at 10 

ft (water at 9.6 

ft)___._ 10 15

Clay, sandy-.--.--. 13 28 

Wasatch Formation:

Shale, blue---..---- 4 32

Test hole 2

Alluvium:

Silt, brownish-gray,

and very fine sand

(water at 9.9 ft).-. 10 10 

Sand, fine to coarse;

contains some silt

and gravel._______ 5 15
QUATERNARY SYSTEM 47

TABLE 3. Sample logs of test holes augered in alluvium of the Powder River, 

northern Johnson County, Wyo. Continued

Material

Test hole 2 Contin

Alluvium Continued 

Silt containing lenses 

of fine to coarse 

sand. _______ ____

Silt, sand, and medium gravel. _

Wasatch Formation: 

Shale, blue. __ _____

Test hole 3

Alluvium: 

Silt, brownish-gray,

Silt, dark- brown,

As above ; contains 

some lenses of gravel (water at 10.3

Wasatch Formation: 

Shale, blue-gray, 

stickv _ _____ __

Thickness Depth 

(feet) (feet)

ued

5 20 

3 23 

2 25

5 5 

5 10

17 27 

3 30

Material

Test hole 4

Alluvium: 

Silt, clayey _____ _ _

Silt and some fine 

sand (water at 9.4

Sand and some clay

Wasatch Formation: 

Shale, bluish-black, 

sticky __ ---__ __

Test hole 5

Alluvium: 

Clay and silt; some 

sand in lower part 

(water at 10.4 ft). 

Sand, silt, and some 

coarse gravel.

Wasatch Formation: 

Shale, blue. ______ _

Thickness 

(feet)

5

15 

6

4

20 

3

4

Depth 

(feet)

5

20 

26

30

20 

23

27

Water-bearing characteristics

Few wells in the project area tap alluvial deposits, because, throughout most of the region, bedrock aquifers are generally considered to be 

more dependable sources of water. Small supplies can probably be 

obtained from alluvium at most places in the major stream valleys, 

and moderate to large supplies, adequate for small-scale irrigation, 

might be developed in some places where the alluvium is thick and 

permeable. Well 50-82-6ad, which is actually an infiltration gallery 

in the alluvium of Clear Creek, provides water by gravity flow to 

Buffalo at a reported rate of 250 gpm. Drilled wells having comparable yields can probably be constructed at some locations along 

Piney Creek and the upper reaches of Crazy Woman Creek, but withdrawal of large quantities of water from the alluvium might reduce 

streamflow in these localities.

Well 49-77-20ba, one of several supplying water for highway construction from the alluvium of the Powder River, was discharging 

approximately 60 gpm when visited by the authors. The drawdown 

could not be determined, owing to the cascading of water into the well 

through perforations in the casing. A second well reportedly yields 

90 gpm. Possibly wells of even larger yield might be developed where
48 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

the alluvium is thicker and more permeable. Yields from alluvium 

in Powder River valley and in the lower reaches of Crazy Woman 

Creek valley, however, probably will not be adequate for more than 

small-scale irrigation.

Before a large-diameter irrigation well is constructed in alluvial 

deposits, drilling of small-diameter test holes across the trend of the 

valley is generally advisable. The purpose of test drilling is to locate 

the thickest and most permeable water-bearing beds, which normally 

occupy former stream channels that subsequently were buried beneath 

more recent alluvium. Unless the test drilling is carefully planned and 

systematically done, however, the results may not warrant the 

expense. The test holes, where possible, should be regularly spaced 

along a straight line. If the holes are drilled to the underlying bedrock and properly logged, a section across the valley fill can be drawn; 

such a section would show the location of the buried channel and the 

lithologic characteristics of the material penetrated.

If the alluvium does not yield the quantity of water desired, additional small supplies can generally be developed from the underlying 

Wasatch, Fort Union, or Lance Formations. No appreciable increase 

of yield, however, can be expected to result from drilling into the 

underlying bedrock.

Water in the alluvium along the Powder River, and probably also 

along the lower reach of Crazy Woman Creek, contains high concentrations of minerals dissolved from the material through which the 

water moves. The alluvium is recharged in some areas by effluent 

seepage of moderately to highly mineralized water from the Wasatch 

Formation. For example, water from well 49-77-20ba is unsuitable 

for domestic use and of marginal suitability for stock use; its application as irrigation water generally should be restricted to use by plants 

having high salt tolerance. Toward the headwaters of streams, the 

quality of the water in alluvial deposits may be expected to gradually 

improve. Thus, water in the alluvium along the upper reaches of 

Crazy Woman Creek and in the valleys of Clear and Piney Creeks is 

normally of much better quality than that in the alluvium along the 

lower reaches. Even in the upper reaches, however, the dissolvedsolids content may rise appreciably during late summer and early 

fall, as seepage from surface water applied for irrigation leaches 

minerals from the soil and gradually increases the mineralization of 

water in the alluvium.
GROUND WATER, RELATION TO GEOLOGIC CONDITIONS 49

GROUND WATER AND ITS RELATION TO GEOLOGIC

CONDITIONS

ARTESIAN AND WATER-TABLE CONDITIONS

The geologic structure of the Bighorn Mountains and the adjacent 

Powder Kiver Basin promotes -artesian conditions throughout Johnson County (fig. 9). Most of the rocks dip rather steeply eastward

/Recharge area for

Dry

Height to which water level 

in well would rise if no 

friction loss of pressure 

occurs in casing

Water-table 

-well

FIGUEE 9. Artesian and water-table conditions and their effect on the success 

of Wells drilled in Johnson County.

away from the crest of the Bighorns and are composed largely of relatively permeable sandstone interbedded with nearly impermeable 

shale. Water entering the permeable beds in the outcrop area moves 

downdip by gravity between the confining layers. The water thus 

confined is under artesian pressure and will rise in wells that penetrate the permeable beds. Where wells penetrate water-bearing beds 

of coal or other carbonaceous material or tap an aquifer closely associatd with them, the presence of hydrocarbon gases in the aquifer 

may supply a "gas lift" that causes the water level to rise higher than 

it would if only artesian pressure were in effect. Some artesian wells 

in the project area probably flow solely because of the added impetus 

of "gas lift." The effect of gas on water levels in wells is described 

more fully in the chemical-quality section of this report.

The imaginary surface defined by the level of water in wells is called 

the piezometric surface. A piezometric surface fluctuates in response 

to changes in the relation of recharge to discharge; it rises when recharge exceeds discharge and declines when the reverse prevails. 

Monthly measurements were made of the water level in 16 wells tapping the Wasatch Formation to determine the magnitude and trend, if 

any, of fluctuations of the piezometric surface. Hydrographs of the 

water levels in three wells that reflect changes in regional recharge

795-S30 O 66 1
50 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

and in three wells that reflect changes in local recharge are given in 

figure 10.

Figure 11 is a composite graph of monthly precipitation at three 

weather stations during the period 1959-61: at Buffalo, 5 miles west of 

Buffalo, and at the Metz Kanch. The relation between precipitation 

and water levels in the wells shown in figure 11 cannot be correlated

I I I I ! I I I I

LOCAL RECHARGE

I I I I I I I I I I I I

47-80-22dc, depth 300 ft

51-83-14bd, depth 90 ft 

(stream nearby)

I I ! I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I f ! I

REGIONAL RECHARGE

49-80-5dd, depth 165 ft

51-82-19ca, depth 160 ft

51-83-3bd, depth 90 ft

JFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASON

FIGURE 10. Effect of local recharge and of regional recharge upon water levels

in project area.
GROUND WATER, RELATION TO GEOLOGIC CONDITIONS 51

Z

9. i

FMAMJ JASON

AVERAGE TOTAL

PRECIPITATION, 11.28 IN

1959

FMAMJ JASON

AVERAGE TOTAL 

PRECIPITATION, 7.22 IN 

1960

FMAMJ J ASOND 

, AVERAGE TOTAL 

PRECIPITATION, 12.27 IN

1961

FIGURE 11. Precipitation at three weather stations in the vicinity of Buffalo, 

Wyo., years 1959-61. From records of the U.S. Weather Bureau.

precisely because of the short record of water-level measurements and 

because the effect of precipitation, or lack of it, is not reflected immediately by changes in ground-water levels. The time lag normally 

increases with distance from the area of recharge.

A comparison of figures 10 and 11 suggests that water levels in early 

1960 reflect the nearly normal amount of precipitation during 1959. 

Levels generally declined during 1960 and much of 1961, probably 

because of far below normal precipitation throughout 1960. At the 

close of 1961, water levels in most wells were in an upward trend as a 

result of the resumption of a nearly normal rate of precipitation in 

May of that year. By March 1962 the water level in well 49-80-5dd 

was 27.71 feet below the land surface, which is the highest level for 

the period of record, probably because above-normal amounts of rainfall in September and October 1961.

Table 4 contains monthly records of water-level measurements made 

in six observation wells during the period of investigation. Since the 

completion of the fieldwork, these wells have been incorporated in an 

expanded net of observation wells in Johnson and Sheridan Counties, 

in which water levels are measured semiannual] y.

Water-table conditions exist where water in the zone of saturation 

in an aquifer is not confined between less permeable beds and the water 

is under atmospheric pressure. In the project area these conditions are 

restricted mainly to unconsolidated alluvial deposits in the major 

stream valleys and their tributaries. Water levels in alluvial deposits 

generally fluctuate in response, principally, to seasonal variations in 

streamflow; they normally rise during periods of heavy runoff and 

decline as the runoff subsides. The magnitude of fluctuation depends 

largely on tile-permeability of the alluvial material.
TABLE 4. Records of water levels m observation wells in northern and c

[Water levels, in feet below land surface]

Well Depth 

(feet)

1960

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.

Jan. Feb. Ma

Cody Shale

47-82-18CC..... ........... 450 18. U 19.05 19.

Wasatch Formation

48-77-8aC _. 

49-80-5dd_ _. - 

50-81-22dd ...

61-77-17cc,..-.i' .

51-83-10ac. 

465

165

362

165

275

-----

31.20

28.55

4.30

31.28

.....

29.00

-----

31.27

41.12

30.29

4.55

30.90

41.10

30.45

4.47

31.33

40.19

30.50

4.80

31.41

41.23

29.88

31.48

41.20

29.65

13.74 

75.13

31.48

40.99

29.84

7.70

74.47

31.42

41.20

30.66

9.91

74.34

31.47

41.22

30.55

10.10

74.25

31.44

41.26

30.65

6.95

73.74

31.16

41.27

5.85

74.62

31.44

40.89

29.96

5.50

76.19

31.46

40.8

29.8

5.0

75.5

31.4
GROUND WATER, RELATION TO GEOLOGIC CONDITIONS 53

Water-level measurements made in one shallow well in the alluvium 

of the Powder River during the spring and summer of 1962 illustrates 

the effect of streamflow on the water table in the underlying valley fill.

Well 49-77-SOba

Date of measurement __________ Mar. 25, 1962 June 22, 1962 Sept. 24,1962

Depth to water below land

surface----------------_ft__ 6.52 3.76 8.55

Mean daily discharge of the 

Powder River at Arvada, 

Wyo., during 5-day period 

prior to water-level measurement __ cubic feet per second __ 313 7,152 167

The early spring measurement was made before the snowpack in the 

Bighorn Mountains had begun to yield melt water to streams rising on 

the east slope. The June measurement was made shortly after heavy 

rains had augmented the seasonal runoff and raised stream levels 

throughout, the project area. The low water level in the alluvium in 

late September reflects the diversion of surface water for irrigation 

in the upper reaches of the Powder Eiver and its tributaries and the 

discharge of ground water by evapotranspiration.

Several observation wells were drilled north of Lake De Smet by the 

Reynolds Mining Corp. to measure the fluctuation of the water table 

in response to changes in storage of water in the lake. The distance 

from the lake shore ranges from about a quarter of a mile for well 

52-82-6bc to nearly a mile for well 52-83-ldc. Hydrographs of water 

levels in four of the wells and their relation to water levels of the lake 

are shown in figure 12. Apparently, water levels in the observation 

wells fluctuate directly with the lake level, rising when surface water 

is diverted into the lake and declining when water is released.

DEPTH TO WATER-BEARING STRATA

Depths to water-bearing strata differ greatly throughout the project 

area, ranging from less than 10 feet in the alluvium of the Powder 

River and other major stream valleys to more than 400 feet in well 48- 

Y6-29ac, drilled in -the Wasatch Formation in the extreme eastern part 

of Johnson County. One test hole penetrated 1,100 feet of Cody Shale 

without obtaining water and was abandoned. Most of the wells tap 

relatively deep-lying aquifers in which water is under sufficient pressure to flow or to rise appreciably in the hole. Drillers' logs (table 8) 

indicate that many wells did not penetrate water-bearing zones for 

several tens of feet, and some, for several hundreds of feet. Because 

of the general lenticularity and small areal extent of sandstone beds 

in the Wasatch and Fort Union Formations, one cannot predict at
I I I I I 

52-83-Idc

MJJASONDJFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASONDJFM

FIGUEE 12. Relation of the water table in observation wells in the vicinity of La

records of Reynolds Mining Corp.
GROUND WATER, RELATION TO GEOLOGIC CONDITIONS 55

what depths a water-bearing unit may be tapped or estimate the artesian rise. The irregularity of the land surface further complicates 

prospecting for ground water in the Wasatch and Fort Union Formations.

Water levels in wells throughout the project area do not coincide 

with a regional water table because of widespread artesian conditions; 

thus, depths to water differ greatly and commonly have no apparent 

relation to the altitude of the well. For example, wells 50-81-22dd 

and -23cc, which are only about a quarter of a mile apart and at nearly 

the same altitude, have water levels that are 4 and 284 feet below the 

land surface, respectively. (See table 7.)

RECHARGE

Ground water in the project area is derived chiefly from direct 

precipitation on the Powder River drainage basin; smaller amounts 

are derived by infiltration of water from streams flowing across outcrops and from seepage of surface water diverted for irrigation on the 

bottom lands along the upper reaches of Crazy Woman, Clear, French, 

Rock, and Piney Creeks. Seepage from Lake De Smet recharges the 

adjacent alluvium and, probably, the underlying bedrock. Most of 

the precipitation runs off or evaporates, owing to the generally low 

permeability of the soil and underlying bedrock and to the sparseness 

of vegetal cover, and only a small fraction eventually reaches the 

ground-water reservoirs. The older rocks flanking the Bighorn 

Mountains are recharged almost entirely by rain and melt water from 

snow on the mountains.

DISCHARGE

Ground water moves out of the project area as streamflow derived 

from effluent seepage and springs, as discharge from wells, as underflow through aquifers, and as evapotranspiration. Ground-water contribution to the flow of streams and the withdrawal of water from 

wells are probably the major modes of discharge. Ground-water 

movement out of the area through deep artesian aquifers is probably 

minor, because the deepest part of the Powder River structural basin 

is along the west margin of the project area; thus, water in artesian 

aquifers normally would be expected to move into Johnson County 

rather than out of it. Evapotranspiration losses are small except 

where the water table is at or near the land surface, as in the bottom 

lands along the Powder River and Crazy Woman Creek and their 

major tributaries or where open bodies of water such as Lake De Smet 

and the perennial reaches of streams are supplied in part by ground 

water.
56 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

SPRINGS AND SEEPS

Numerous springs issuing from the granitic core of the Bighorn 

Mountains and from the permeable sedimentary rocks overlapping it 

probably contribute appreciably to the perennial flow in the upper 

reaches of the forks of Crazy Woman Creek and to that in Clear Creek 

and its tributaries, French, Rock, and Piney Creeks. The cavernous 

Madison Limestone and Bighorn Dolomite are probably the principal 

contributing aquifers, although springs and seeps issue also from outcrops of the Tensleep Sandstone. Much of this ground-water discharge is utilized for irrigation on the lowlands bordering the mountains, and little of it moves out of Johnson County as surface runoff 

except during the winter. Irrigation water that is not evaporated or 

transpired returns to the ground-water reservoir in the alluvium and 

adjacent bedrock by downward seepage.

Small quantities of ground water are discharged from springs and 

seeps in the Wasatch and Fort Union Formations where stream valleys 

have cut into water-bearing beds. Flows are characteristically small, 

and the water generally is soon evaporated and transpired. Where 

outlets are buried beneath alluvium, however, and evaporation is thus 

inhibited, ground-water discharge from the adjacent bedrock may 

contribute substantially to underflow in the valleys of major streams 

such as the Powder River and the lower reaches of Crazy Woman 

Creek.

WELLS

Most of the wells in the project area tap either the Wasatch Formation or the Fort Union Formation. Deeper lying aquifers and surface 

alluvial deposits contribute only a small part of the water discharged 

to wells. Wells range in depth from 30 to about 1,300 feet, and in 

diameter, from 2 to 6 inches. They are generally cased to prevent 

caving of the wallrock and, in places, to shut out water of unsuitable 

quality. The casing may be set down to the bottom of the hole and 

perforated opposite the aquifer, or it may be set only down to the top 

of the aquifer, so that the rest of the hole is uncased. Many of the 

deep flowing wells contain 2-inch casing that is merely suspended 

inside a 4-inch surface casing and cemented at the surface to prevent 

leakage between the casings. A few shallow dug wells yield water 

from alluvium along the upper reaches of Crazy Woman and Clear 

Creeks and their major tributaries.

The discharge from wells is small in relation to the amount of 

ground water available because of the small number of wells, the 

small capacity of most of the pumps, and the generally small yield 

of flowing wells. During the investigation, 128 flowing wells were 

inventoried, and the measured or reported yields of 69 of these wells
GROUND WATER, RELATION TO GEOLOGIC CONDITIONS 57

ranged from less than 1 gpm to 60 gpm; the average yield of the 69 

wells was about 7 gpm. Undoubtedly there are other flowing wells 

that were not visited. Thus, if one assumes that there are 130 flowing 

wells in the project area discharging an average of 7 gpm each, the 

total discharge from flowing wells in the project area would be at 

least 1,300,000 gallons per day (900 gpm), and probably would be 

more. Consequently, the uncontrolled flows from these artesian wells 

contribute appreciably to the total amount of ground water withdrawn. In addition to the flowing wells, about 500 pumped wells 

were operated in the project area in 1963. A rough approximation 

of the combined yield of all these pumped wells is about 700,000 gallons per day, or about half the discharge of the flowing wells.

EVAPOTRAXSPIRATION

Evapotranspiration is the term commonly used in discussing the 

combined natural processes of evaporation from land and water surfaces and transpiration by plants. These processes normally are 

mutually operative, because where the water table is sufficiently close 

to the land surface to permit evaporation from the capillary fringe 

(a zone above the water table that is only partly saturated with water 

raised by capillary action in the soil), conditions are generally most 

favorable for plant growth. Transpiration is the process by which 

water is extracted from the soil by plant roots and is subsequently discharged into the atmosphere as vapor from leaf surfaces. Plants 

that obtain all or most of their water from ground-water reservoirs 

are called phreatophytes. Climatic conditions in Johnson County 

are conducive to a high rate of evapotranspiration.

Records of the U.S. Weather Bureau show that the average rate 

of evaporation from the surface of lakes and other open bodies of 

water in Johnson County ranges from 28 inches (estimated) per year 

on the crest of the Bighorn Mountains to about 42 inches per year in 

the Powder River structural basin. (See Kohler and others, 1959, 

pi. 2.) Culler (1961, table 3), in his study of the hydrology of stockwater reservoirs in the upper Cheyenne River basin, estimated that 

the average rate of evaporation from stock ponds and reservoirs in 

the eastern part of the Powder River Basin is 4.82 feet per year. In 

other words, at least 3^ and perhaps as much as 4iX> acre-feet of water 

may be evaporated each year from an acre of free-water surface at 

altitudes prevailing in the basin. This loss of water constitutes a 

draft on ground-water reservoirs that discharge into surface bodies 

of water.

Except for Lake De Smet and the perennial reaches of streams, few 

surface-water bodies of any great extent are recharged wholly or in 

part by ground water. Before inlet and outlet canals connecting Lake
58 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

De Smet, with Piney Creek were dug, the water in the lake evidently 

was supplied principally by ground water and was highly mineralized. 

The draft upon ground water must have been appreciable, because the 

water table at some distance from the lake fluctuates markedly in direct 

response to changes in lake level. (See fig. 12.) The diversion from 

Piney Creek undoubtedly reduces the draft on ground water and, at 

times, contributes recharge to the ground-water reservoir.

The climatic factors of low relative humidity, high temperature, 

and light precipitation that prevail in most of Johnson County during 

the summer cause phreatophytes to draw heavily on ground water. 

Mower and Nace (1957, table 6) estimated that ground-water consumption by cottonwoods in the Malad Valley of southern Idaho was 

4.5 feet per year for areas of 100 percent density of foliage. This area 

has a climate comparable to that of the western part of the Powder 

Eiver structural basin, although the length of the growing season in 

the Malad Valley is appreciably shorter, averaging about 100 days as 

compared with about 125 days at Buffalo and a somewhat longer season 

in the eastern part of Johnson County. No attempt was made during 

this investigation to evaluate the quantity of water consumed by 

cottonwoods and willows in the valley of Powder River, but it probably 

is several acre-feet per day during the growing season. Transpiration 

does not cease during the nongrowing season, but the rate is greatly 

reduced; and many ephemeral streams that are dry during the summer 

begin to flow shortly after the first killing frost.

Most phreatophytes (principally willow and cotton wood trees) in 

the valleys of major streams in Johnson County have little economic 

value except as wind breaks, as shelter for livestock, and as inhibitors 

of runoff and resulting land erosion. In places, however, dense stands 

of cottonwoods provide vastly more cover than would be required to 

provide the benefits described, and the trees use large amounts of 

ground water. The elimination of superfluous trees would reduce the 

draft on the ground-water reservoir and result in a generally higher 

water table in the alluvium. A higher water table would result in the 

discharge of larger quantities of ground water to streams and thus 

provide additional surface water for irrigation and stock watering. 

The decreased depth to water would probably promote a denser growth 

of native grasses and alfalfa on unirrigated land, especially where 

these plants are no longer forced to compete with trees for moisture 

and sunlight.

RECOVERY AND UTILIZATION OF GROUND WATER 

Springs and seeps

Springs and seeps contribute to the flow of many streams in northern 

Johnson County, particularly those rising on the east flank of the
GROUND WATER, RELATION TO GEOLOGIC CONDITIONS 59

Bighorn Mountains, where the Tensleep Sandstone and Madison 

Limestone crop out or the granitic core of the Bighorns is exposed. A 

few small springs and seeps discharge in the foothills near the base of 

the Moncrief and Kingsbury Conglomerate Members of the Wasatch 

Formation, where downward percolation is impeded by less permeable 

beds. Many seeps reportedly issue from fractures in exposed coal 

beds in the Wasatch, but the yields are generally insignificant.

Only a comparatively few springs are utilized, however, because 

most others are in relatively inaccessible areas that serve as range 

for stock or outdoor recreation. Table 6 contains records of springs 

for which data were available or could be obtained by the authors from 

field observations. The discharges of most springs fluctuate in response to seasonal precipitation and were probably at or near their 

lowest at the time measurements or estimates were made. The yield of 

one large spring (53-86-27cd), however, which issues from morainal 

deposits overlying the granite of the Bighorn Mountains, reportedly 

remains fairly constant throughout the year. 

Wells

Data for selected representative wells are given in table 7, and the 

location of the wells is shown on plate 1. Drillers' logs of water wells 

and oil-test holes are given in table 8.

Most of the wells furnish water for stock and domestic supplies. 

Nonflowing wells are generally equipped with cylinder pumps powered 

by wind or gasoline, but some domestic wells, where electricity is 

available, are equipped with jet pumps. Only four wells are known to 

be equipped with turbine pumps, and one of these wells reportedly 

yields sufficient water for moderately large scale irrigation. Water for 

the community of Buffalo is obtained partly from an infiltration 

gallery and partly from flow in Clear Creek. The infiltration gallery 

consists of about 900 feet of 15-inch and 500 feet of 24-inch perforated 

pipe buried 15-25 feet deep in the alluvium between two forks of 

Clear Creek. The water flows by gravity from a 350,000-gallon 

settling and storage tank directly into the community water lines. 

The yield from the gallery is reportedly about 250 gpm, but it probably 

varies with the surface flow in Clear Creek.

POTENTIAL SOURCES OF LARGE SUPPLIES OF GROUND WATER

Most aquifers in the project area either consist of fine-grained clastic 

rocks of relatively low permeability or are too deeply buried to be 

tapped economically for most purposes. In the northern part of the 

project area, the development of large quantities of ground water 

would probably be confined principally to alluvium in the valleys of 

Piney and Clear Creeks. The alluvium along the upper reaches of
60 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

these streams is probably composed in large part of lenses of relatively 

coarse sand and gravel interbedded with finer sand and silt. Where 

the sand and gravel is saturated, it should readily yield large quantities 

of water to wells. The proportion of coarser material decreases downstream, and the likelihood of developing large supplies of water from 

the alluvium diminishes with distance from the mountain front.

The alluvium along the Powder River and the lower reach of Crazy 

Woman Creek is predominantly silt and fine sand but contains subordinate amounts of coarse sand and gravel. Downstream, the sand 

and gravel become progressively less abundant. The relatively low 

permeability of these deposits precludes the possibility of large yields 

from wells; 150-200 gpm would probably be the maximum yield at 

most places. To obtain maximum yields, wells will require proper 

screening and, in some instances, gravel packing.

Water from the alluvium of the Powder River, and probably from 

the lower reach of Crazy Woman Creek, is highly mineralized and 

can safely be used for irrigating only very salt tolerant plants on 

well-drained land. Water from wells in the valleys of Piney and 

Clear Creeks should be suitable for most irrigation uses, although 

return seepage of surface water applied to the bottom lands may result 

in an appreciably higher dissolved-solids content in ground water 

during the summer.

In the southern part of the project area, moderate to large supplies 

of ground water might be developed from the alluvium along the 

Powder River and the upper reaches of Crazy Woman Creek, from 

the Tensleep Sandstone, and probably from the underlying Madison 

Limestone. Alluvial deposits along the forks of Crazy Woman 

Creek probably contain an appreciable thickness of saturated coarse 

sand and gravel that should persist, though in gradually decreasing 

amounts, for some distance down stream from the confluence of the 

forks with Crazy Woman Creek proper. The alluvium in the upper 

reaches of the Powder River also should contain a larger proportion 

of sand and gravel and thus be capable of yielding larger quantities 

of water than should the alluvium in the lower reaches. Except in 

the Powder River valley and perhaps in the lower part of the valley 

of Crazy Woman Creek, water from the alluvium probably is generally suitable for most uses, but the return flow of surface water 

diverted for irrigation may cause the quality to change seasonally.

In considering the possibilities of developing large supplies of 

ground water from alluvium along streams that currently are providing most of the water for irrigation, one should be aware that most of 

the surface water available during the irrigation season has been 

appropriated by long-granted water rights and by applications await-
GROUND WATER, RELATION TO GEOLOGIC CONDITIONS 61

ing adjudication. Water withdrawn from storage in the alluvium 

would largely be replaced by the downward seepage of streamflow, 

and surface-water rights might be infringed upon. Figure 13 is a

Solid arrows show direction of ground-water movement when wells are not discharging; dashed 

arrows show direction of movement after pumping 

begins. As the water table declines, an increasing 

amount of streamflow is diverted into the groundwater reservoir by downward seepage

FIGURE 13. Effect of pumping wells on the water table in the alluvium and 

possible effect on flow of nearby stream.

diagrammatic sketch illustrating the possible effect that heavy pumping from alluvium may have on streamflow.

The Tensleep Sandstone reportedly yields 600 gpm to an irrigation 

well at the foot of the Bighorn Mountain front. The well apparently 

penetrates only the uppermost few feet of the formation, so that 

deeper penetration probably would have increased the yield considerably. Wells of equal or greater yield can probably be drilled 

in favorable areas, particularly where the permeability of the rock 

is increased by fractured or fissured zones. Because of its steep dip, 

the Tensleep can be tapped by wells at an economical depth for most 

purposes only in its outcrop area or in a narrow belt, generally less 

than 1 mile wide, paralleling the east margin of the outcrop. Water 

from the Tensleep Sandstone is of good quality for irrigation use and 

of acceptable quality for domestic supply.

The Madison Limestone had not been tapped by wells in the project 

area at the time of the investigation, but the cavernous character of 

its outcrops suggests fchat it is a potential source of large quantities 

of water. The formation yields large flows from cavernous zones to 

several wells in the vicinity of Tensleep on the west flank of the Bighorn Mountains. Water from wells tapping the Madison in or near 

the outcrop should be of suitable quality for all uses.
62 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO. 

CHEMICAL QUALITY OF GROUND WATER 

REPORTING OF CHEMICAL-QUALITY DATA

Concentrations of dissolved chemical constituents in a water are 

generally expressed in parts per million (ppm). A part per million 

is one unit weight of a constituent in 1 million unit weights of water. 

The specific conductance of water is a measure of the ability of the 

water to conduct an electrical current and is related to the amount and 

the chemical type of dissolved material. Because the specific conductance is directly related to the amount of dissolved material, it 

can be used for estimating the total mineralization. The pH is the 

degree of acidity or alkalinity of a water. A pH progressively higher 

than 7 denotes increasing alkalinity, and a pH progressively lower 

than 7 denotes increasing acidity. Percent sodium and sodiumadsorption ratio are chemical-quality determinations that are of 

special significance in evaluating the suitability of a water for 

irrigation.

CHEMICAL QUALITY OF WATER IN RELATION TO USE 

DOMESTIC USE

The U.S. Public Health Service (1962) recently revised the recommended chemical-quality standards for water used for drinking and 

culinary purposes on interstate carriers. On the basis of these standards, most water samples analyzed for this report contained excessive 

amounts of some constituents; some samples are unsuitable for domestic use under any circumstances. Notable exceptions were water 

from Precambrian rocks, the Tensleep Sandstone, and the alluvium 

of upper Clear Creek, and one sample from the Wasatch Formation. 

Some of the recommended limits5 for chemical constituents in drinking water are as follows:

Recommended

maximum 

concentration 

Constituent (ppm)

Iron. (Fe)_____________________________ 0.3 

Manganese (Mn)________________________ .05 

Sulfate (SO4 )___________________________ 250 

Chloride (d)___________________________ 250 

Fluoride (F)___________________________ *. 8-1. 7 

Nitrate (NOs)__________________________ 45 

Dissolved solids__________________________ 500

1 Recommended limits for fluoride are based on the annual average of maximum daily air 

temperatures. For example, when the average is 50.0°-53.7°F, the recommended upper 

limit is 1.7 ppm; when the average is between '79.3°F and 90.5'°F, the upper limit is 

0.8 ppm.
CHEMICAL QUALITY OF GROUND WATER 63

Hardness, a property of water familiar to many people, is caused 

principally by high concentrations of calcium and magnesium. Arbitrarily, the hardness of water is classified as follows: 60 ppm or less, 

soft; 61-120 ppm, moderately hard; 121-180 ppm, hard; and 181 ppm 

or more, very hard.

AGRICULTURAL. USE

Although investigations relating the chemical quality of water to 

its suitability for agricultural purposes have been few, guidelines generally considered reliable have been proposed (Beath, in Miller, 1956; 

Beath and others, 1953; Eaton, 1950; Scofield, 1936; U.S. Salinity 

Laboratory Staff, 1954). The following information was extracted 

largely from the published results of these investigations. Many water 

supplies that do not meet these requirements fully have been used for 

many years for agricultural purposes. 

Irrigation use

Many chemical properties of water affect its suitability for irrigation. The two main criteria for determining a suitable supply are the 

dissolved-solids content and the sodium concentration relative to the 

calcium and magnesium concentrations. Also, the concentrations of 

bicarbonate, boron, and selenium are significant under certain 

conditions.

Irrigation water having a high dissolved-solids content (salinity) 

tends to upset the salt balance in the soil, and the result is retardation 

of plant growth. As a rule, the higher the salinity of a water, the 

less suitable the water is for irrigation use.

When the concentration of sodium in an irrigation water is higher 

than that of calcium and magnesium, the sodium tends to replace 

calcium and magnesium adsorbed on soil colloids. Soil colloids then 

tend to disperse and restrict the movement of air and water through 

the soil, and the result is a soil having poor tilth and permeability. The 

sodium-absorption-ratio (SAR) is frequently used as an indicator of 

the hazard entailed in using water having a high sodium content. 

Percent sodium also is useful in evaluating the suitability of water for 

irrigation. The U.S. Salinity Laboratory Staff (1954) classified the 

suitability of water for irrigation on the basis of the salinity and 

the sodium hazard.

Carbonate and bicarbonate, when present in sufficient concentrations, 

also may make water unsuitable for irrigation use. The carbonates of 

calcium and magnesium tend to precipitate, so that the relative proportion of sodium in the soil solution increases. The effect is the 

same as that produced by applying irrigation water of initially high 

sodium content. The harmful effects of excessive concentrations of
64 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

carbonate and bicarbonate are often measured and expressed as "residual sodium carbonate" (Eaton, 1950). In classifying water according to residual sodium carbonate value, the U.S. Salinity Laboratory 

Staff (1954, p. 81) concluded that less than 1.25 epm (equivalents per 

million) is probably safe, 1.25-2.5 epm is marginal, and more than 

2.5 epm is not suitable.

Boron, although an essential plant nutrient, is toxic to some plants. 

According to Scofield (1936), water used to irrigate sensitive crops is 

regarded as excellent with respect to boron if it contains less than 

0.33 ppm and as unsuitable if it contains more than 1.25 ppm. For 

irrigation of semitolerant crops, water is classed as excellent if it 

contains less than 0.67 ppm boron and as unsuitable if it contains more 

than 2.50 ppm. For tolerant crops, water containing less than 1.00 ppm 

is classed as excellent, and that containing more than 3.75 ppm is 

unsuitable.

When even small amounts of selenium are present in irrigation 

water, it may accumulate in vegetation in sufficient quantities to be 

toxic to humans and animals if the vegetation is eaten. Beath (in 

Miller, 1956) suggested the following relations between concentrations of selenium and degree of toxicity.

Selenium Effect 

content of water 

(ppm)

0.00-0.10 No plant toxicity expected.

0.11-0.20 Toxicity may accumulate over a long period of time.

0.21-0.50__ Probable toxic accumulation in plants if conditions are favorable.

>0.50 Definite toxicity.

Stock watering

Investigations of the relation of water quality to the health of stock 

have not been numerous; therefore, rigid criteria for evaluating the 

suitability of a stock-water supply are difficult to establish. Although 

stock can safely consume water considered unfit for human consumption, a sufficiently high dissolved-solids content may cause poor growth, 

sickness, and even death. Beath and others (1953) suggested the 

following classification as a guide for the evaluation of stock water.

Dissolved solids Classification

(ppm)

<1,000 _____________________________ Good. 

1,000-3,000___________________________ Fair (usable). 

3,000-5,000___________________________ Poor (usable). 

5,000-7,000____________________________ Very poor (questionable). 

>7,000 _____________________________ Not advisable.

Harmful effects to stock have been attributed to selenium, sulfate, 

and fluoride in water supplies, but no limiting concentrations for these 

substances have been generally agreed upon; however, water containing 

0.4 0.5 ppm selenium is reportedly nontoxic to cattle (California State
CHEMICAL QUALITY Or GROUND WATER 65

Water Pollution Control Board, 1952, p. 351). A high iron content 

may make water unpalatable to stock.

INDUSTRIAL USE

Water-quality requirements for specific industrial uses will not be 

discussed in this report. Reports by Moore (1940) and by the California State Water Pollution Control Board (1952) contain information on industrial water-quality standards and may be consulted for 

criteria applicable to a specific use. Although water-quality requirements range widely, generally water that is suitable for domestic use 

is also suitable for industrial use or can be made so by treatment. 

For many uses, water having uniform quality and temperature is as 

desirable as water having special chemical characteristics.

CHEMICAL QUALITY OP WATER IN RELATION TO SOURCE

The amount and kind of chemical constituents in ground water 

depend principally on the type of rock through which the water has 

moved and the length of time the water was in contact with the rock. 

Other factors affecting the quality of ground water are temperature, 

pressure, and dissolved substances already in the water when it entered 

the aquifer. Chemical analyses of water from 31 selected wells and 

3 springs are given in table 5.

ROCKS OF PRECAMBBIAN AGE

Measurements of specific conductance of water from several springs 

issuing from rocks of Precambrian age (table 6) indicate that the 

dissolved-solids content of the water is less than 100 ppm. An analysis of water from springs 50-84-10da is given in table 5. The water 

is of a calcium bicarbonate type and has a dissolved-solids content of 

63 ppm. The water is of excellent quality for most uses. Because 

the Precambrian rocks in the project area are resistant to the solvent 

action of water, water in these rocks probably has similar chemical 

characteristics at most locations.

TENSLEEP SANDSTONE

Analyses of three samples of water from the Tensleep Sandstone 

are given in table 5. Water from spring 46-83-3bd and well 49-83- 

27dc is of a magnesium bicarbonate type and contains less than 300 

ppm dissolved solids. Water from well 46-83-22dd is of a calcium 

magnesium sulfate type and has a dissolved-solids content of 956 

ppm. The different chemical character and higher dissolved-solids 

content of water from well 46-83-22dd are probably due to water 

entering the well from an overlying gypsum and red-shale sequence. 

Water from the Tensleep Sandstone at most locations, however, will
p. §

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(gpm)i Yield 

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5'g,

F) (° Temperature 

(SiOz) Silica 

(Fe) Iron 

(Mn) Manganese 

(Ca) Calcium 

(Mg) Magnesium 

(Na) Sodium 

(K) Potassium 

(HCOs) Bicarbonate 

(COs) Carbonate )4 (SO Sulfate 

(Cl) Chloride 

(F) Fluoride 

(NOs) Nitrate 

(B) Boron 

Calculated

evapo- on Residue C 180° at ration 

Magne- Calcium, 

sium

Noncarbonate

Dissolved solids

Hardness 

asCaCOs

sodium Percent 

ratio Sodium-adsorption 

(mic- conductance Specific 

C) 25° at romhos 

PH

2 (units) Color 

(HsS) sulfide Hydrogen 

99 CLXUIOHD ' JsosNHor 
Lance Formation

48-82-9ad - 

51-83-4bC . .

186 

205

10 Oct. 19, 1961..

Aug. 31, 1961. 57

12 

15

5.1 

6.3

0.27 

.26

481 

389

125 

134

191 

172

5.6 

4.2

278 

464

0 

0

1,780 

1,430

64

7.4

0

Fort Union Formation

16-82-14ad.... 

47-82-13db.... 

48-77-25db - 

48-82-llbb 

i9-77-21ba.-__ 

50-77-29dc. ... 

51-77-20ca. 

51-77-20CC--.- 

52-77-3ab _

205 

323 

605 

420 

600 

575 

580 

758 

828

 -_-

2.0 

1 

1.2 

2 

.6 

7.7 

17.0

Oct. 30,1962.. 

Oct. 20,1961.. 

Oct. 27,1960-

Oct. 27, 1960- 

July 31, 1962- 

Oct. 27,1960- 

Aug,31,1961_- 

Oct. 26,1960-

48 

49 

56

56 

61 

54 

60 

63

6.8 

9.8

11 

9.8 

9.3 

10 

11

9

8.8 

.26 

,0fi

.56 

.24 

.18 

.18 

.45

0.17 

.04

.00 

.00 

.05 

.02 

.04

600 

325 

5.7 

78 

5.6 

6.4 

4.6 

7.0 

14

198 

110 

.5 

31 

1.9 

.2 

1.1 

2.6 

3.4

39 

358 

216 

236 

256 

333 

213 

410 

500

if"

2.1

~2.~1 

2.4 

2.8 

4.5 

4.6

484 

134 

566 

271 

591 

828 

571 

1,120 

1,350

0 

0 

0 

0 

50 

24 

0 

0 

0

1,870 

1,800 

16 

568 

2.3 

4.6 

2.0 

.3 

1.5

8.0 

63 

10 

22 

11 

14 

13 

13 

23

0.

1.

1.

3.

1

3.

.

Wasatch Formation

16-77-31bal_-_ 

46-80-19ab_-. 

46-80-20bb . 

19-81 -33bb_... 

49-82-2bb.. 

50-79-19bc__- 

50-82-1 icb. 

51-79-16ba____ 

51-82-33dd 

52-79-12CC-... 

52-82-13db . 

52-83-22ca._- 

53-82-33bb 

203 

225 

370 

255 

318 

600 

460 

164 

145 

160 

246 

510 

60

15 

2 

5 

3 

15 

8.0 

1.8

~~"7.~5

"16" 

.5 

20

May 23, 1961. 

Oct. 24, 1961- 

.....do .....

Oct. 20,1961-.

 do 

Oct. 27,1960.. 

Oct. 19,1961.. 

Oct. 26, I960.. 

Oct. 27, I960- 

Oct. 26, 1960- 

Oct.23,1961.. 

Oct. 20, 1961- 

Oct.23,1961__

"49 

49

49 

48 

51 

50 

48 

49 

48 

50 

49

9.6 

7.4 

7.4 

10 

12 

12 

15 

8.7 

13 

7.9 

13 

9.3 

15

0.15 

.11 

.07 

.72 

1.6 

.42 

2.7 

.19 

.72 

.20 

13 

1.6 

.87

0.00 

.00 

.14 

.10 

.00 

.63 

.20 

.03 

.04 

.06 

.43 

.10 

.04

4.2 

52 

118 

117 

75 

156 

183 

27 

76 

5.1 

321 

100 

93

0.4 

14 

35 

44 

40 

45 

48 

11 

10 

2.3 

313 

51 

59

121 

330 

510 

141 

36 

181 

175 

202 

296 

235 

660 

61 

104

1.2 

4.0 

5.4 

5.4 

5.0 

3.2 

4.3 

2.9 

1.9 

1.6 

25 

6.4 

8.5

117 

196 

185 

169 

349 

443 

277 

453 

479 

638 

477 

399 

488

5.9 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0

149 

690 

1,360 

593 

139 

569 

780 

183 

484 

1.3 

3,020 

243 

284

10 

33 

22 

12 

4.5 

19 

7.3 

10 

7.8 

12 

19 

6.2 

4.5

0.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

1.

.

.

.

Glacial deposits

53-86-27cd. Spring 400 Oct. 28, 1960- 38 21 .22 .00 10 3.2 4.7 1.0 58 0 3.3 0.0 0.

Alluvium

49-77-20ba_... 

50-82-6ad .

32 

26

60.0 

250

Oct. 27, 1960- 

Oct. 30, 1962-

53 

50

11 5.0 2.4 302 

22

87 

5.2

287 

5.7

8.5 271 

96

0 

0

1,220 

10

194 

0

0.

1 Yields measured by authors given in gallons and tenths; others were estimated or s Analysis by Wyoming 

reported. 4 Sample probably con

2 Platinum-cobalt scale (Hazen, 1892). sequence. 
68 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

probably have a chemical quality similar to that of water from spring 

46-83-3bd and well 49-83-27dc. The water will be very hard, but otherwise it will be suitable as a domestic supply. As a source of water 

for stock and irrigation use, the Tensleep Sandstone can be expected 

to yield water of good quality.

FRONTIER FORMATION

Well 48-83-13ca yields water from the Frontier Formation. The 

water is of a sodium calcium sulfate type and has a dissolved-solids 

content of 2,020 ppm. (See table 5.) Iron, manganese, sulfate, and 

dissolved-solids contents exceed recommended maximum concentrations for water used domestically. Because of a very high salinity 

hazard, the water cannot 'be recommended for irrigation except on 

salt-tolerant crops under special circumstances. Water supplies developed for stock use will be of fair quality, although a high iron 

content may make the water unpalatable.

CODY SHALE

Water from the Cody Shale was obtained from well 50-83-36aa. 

The water is of a sodium sulfate type and has a dissolved-solids content of 12,580 ppm. (See table 5.) It is unusable for domestic, 

irrigation, and stock purposes. The Cody Shale will probably yield 

water of poor quality to most wells throughout the project area, but 

the dissolved-solids content of water from all wells may not be as high 

as that of water from well 50-83-36aa.

PARKMAN SANDSTONE

Water from the Parkman Sandstone was obtained from well 46- 

82-9ad. The water is of a sodium sulfate type and has a dissolvedsolids content of 1,360 ppm (table 5). It is usable as a domestic supply, although sulfate and dissolved-solids contents exceed the maximum allowable concentrations recommended by the U.S. Public 

Health Service (1962). The water is of fair quality for stock supply, but its high salinity and high sodium hazards limit its use for 

irrigation to crops having a high salt tolerance and grown on welldrained soils.

LANCE FORMATION

Water from the Lance Formation was obtained at two locations: 

well 48-82~9ad, which yields a calcium sulfate type water that has a 

dissolved-solids content of 3,060 ppm, and well 51-83-4bc, which 

yields a similar type of water that has a dissolved-solids content 

of 2,650 ppm (table 5). The chemical characteristics of the water 

from well 51-83-4bc are illustrated graphically in figure 14. Water 

from the Lance Formation is unsuitable for domestic use because of
CHEMICAL QUALITY OF GROUND WATER 69

51-83-4bc

< 20

EXPLANATION

79-12cc

 v/;

i

Lance 

Formation Fort Union Formation Wasatch Formation

FIGURE 14. Chemical characteristics of water from the Lance, Fort Union, 

and Wasatch, Formations in northern and central Johnson County, Wyo.

high iron, manganese, sulfate, and dissolved-solids contents. On 

the basis of dissolved-solids content, the water is fair to poor for 

stock use, but the high iron content may make the water unpalatable 

even to stock. The water is unsuitable for irrigation under ordinary 

conditions because of a very high salinity hazard.

FORT UNION FORMATION

Chemical analyses of nine samples of water from the Fort Union 

Formation are given in table 5. Iron content ranges from 0.06 to 

19 ppm; sulfate content, from 0.3 to 1,870 ppm; and hardness, from 

16 (soft) to 2,310 ppm (very hard). Dissolved-solids content ranges 

from 529 to 3,250 ppm. The chemical characteristics of water from 

three wells in the Fort Union Formation are presented graphically in 

figure 14.

The quality of water in the Fort Union Formation seems to be 

related to the depth of the water-bearing zone. Of the wells sampled, 

those deeper than about 500 feet yield water of a sodium bicarbonate 

type having a dissolved-solid content of 1,250 ppm or less. The water 

is soft and contains only small amounts of sulfate. Water from wells 

less than 500 feet deep is of a sodium sulfate, calcium-sodium sulfate,
70 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

or calcium sulfate type having a dissolved-solids content as high as 

3,250 ppm. The water is very hard. Wells 46-82-14ad and 47-82- 

13db yield water having iron contents of 19 and 8.8 ppm, respectively. 

Both wells are less than 500 feet deep.

Water from depth of more than 500 feet is probably affected by two 

chemical reactions as the water moves through the rocks: cation-exchange softening and sulfate reduction. Eiffenburg (1925) cited cation-exchange softening as affecting the quality of water in the Fort 

Union Formation in Montana. The reduction of sulfate in water of 

the Fort Union Formation is indicated by the relatively high bicarbonate concentrations in comparison to the sulfate concentrations, and 

by the occurrence of hydrogen sulfide and hydrocarbon gases in the 

water at many locations.

Although cation-exchange softening is a likely cause of the high 

percentage of sodium in the water from wells more than 500 feet deep, 

sulfate reduction may indirectly increase the percentage of sodium. 

Under favorable conditions, the reduction of sulfate may result in 

the formation of nearly insoluble calcium and magnesium carbonates, 

which precipitate (Eaton, 1936, p. 515).

Foster (1950) suggested that carbon dioxide originating in carbonaceous material promotes high sodium bicarbonate concentrations in 

water. Carbon dioxide, when adsorbed by water, enables the water 

to dissolve calcium carbonate, thereby increasing the bicarbonate concentration. If water that contains calcium carbonate comes in contact 

with cation-exchange materials, the dissolved calcium may be exchanged for sodium. The exchange not only increases the proportion 

of sodium in solution, but allows even greater amounts of bicarbonate 

to be held in solution.

Gas accompanies water discharged from wells penetrating beds of 

coal and other carbonaceous material in the Fort Union Formation. A 

sample of gas was collected from well 51-77-20cc in accordance with 

techniques suggested by the Chemical and Geological Laboratories, 

Casper, Wyo. A chemical analysis of the gas was made by that laboratory using a gas chromatograph. The percentage composition of the 

gas was as follows:

Percentage 

composition

Gas (by volume)

Oxygen (O») --____________________ 0.56 

Nitrogen (N2 )_____________________________ 11.56 

Carbon dioxide (CO2 )________________________ .47 

Methane (OH*)____________________________ 87.38 

Ethane (CaHe) and higher paraffin hydrocarbons .03

Free hydrogen sulfide also occurs in the gas, but the quantity could 

not be determined by chromatographic analysis. Samples of water
CHEMICAL QUALITY OF GROUND WATER 71

from some wells were analyzed for dissolved hydrogen sulfide. (See 

table 5.) Well 51-77-20cc discharged 0.3 liter of gas per liter of 

water.

Most of the gas probably originates in the coal or in other carbonaceous material. Analyses of gas contained in coal (Chamberlin, 

1909) are similar in many respects to the analysis of gas obtained from 

well 51-77-20cc in Johnson County. Lewis (1934) stated that carbon 

dioxide and methane contained in coal are being formed continuously, 

primarily by internal molecular adjustments during transitions from 

rank to rank in the coal series. Ethane and propane have been obtained 

from coal, but generally as a result of heating. Although coal and 

carbonaceous material are probably the principal sources of the gas 

discharged from water wells, the ethane and higher paraffin hydrocarbons might be in natural gas that has migrated upward from preTertiary rocks. Natural gas generally contains a higher percentage 

of ethane and propane than does gas obtained from coal.

Moore (1950) stated that the nitrogen in coal comes partly from 

plant constituents but mainly from air that has been imprisoned in the 

coal. Some of the nitrogen discharged with the water from well 51- 

77-20cc, however, may have been carried down by percolating ground 

water. Most of the oxygen in the air imprisoned in coal probably 

combines with carbon and hydrogen during the alteration of the 

vegetal matter from which the coal is formed. Nevertheless, oxygen 

has been obtained from coal, and Lewis (1934, p. 33) stated that free 

oxygen is sometimes observed in coal in small quantities. The oxygen 

in the gas from well 51-77-20cc may have 'been present in percolating 

ground water that was at one time in contact with the atmosphere. 

Despite the fact that both oxygen and nitrogen have been detected 

in coal and that both may be present in percolating ground water, 

the oxygen, and some of the nitrogen, that was detected in the samples 

may have resulted from air contamination when the samples were 

collected.

Gas accumulates in fractures and in places of increased porosity in 

the coal, and it also may migrate to adjacent strata. Gas in an aquifer 

affects the height to which water will rise in a well and may provide 

the "lift" necessary to bring the water to the surface. Where the 

quantity of gas in an aquifer is small, all the gas may be dissolved 

in the water. A gradual decrease in pressure as the water moves upward from the aquifer allows the dissolved gas to be liberated. With 

liberation, the gas expands; and as the gas expands, the specific gravity 

of the gas-water mixture decreases, and a lifting action is created. 

Because of this effect, probably several wells in the project area flow 

that otherwise would not. Some of the wells may flow because of the 

pressure of free gas in the aquifer.
72 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

Water from the Fort Union Formation is used principally for 

domestic and stock purposes. According to the U.S. Public Health 

Service (1962), the water does not meet suggested domestic standards 

with respect to dissolved-solids content, although it is usable. The 

iron content of the water differs from well to well and may exceed 

the 0.3-ppm suggested as the maximum allowable in water for 

domestic use. Hydrogen sulfide imparts an unpleasant odor to most 

supplies, but, like carbon dioxide, it is not physiologically harmful 

in water. No reference in the literature could be found that cited 

harm to human beings or stock as a result of drinking water containing 

the quantities of hydrocarbon gases likely to be in solution at atmospheric pressure. At the time of this investigation (1963), water 

from the Fort Union Formation was not being used for irrigation. 

The water is unsuitable as an irrigation supply either because of a 

very high salinity hazard or because it contains an excessive amount of 

"residual sodium carbonate" (Eaton, 1950). The quality of water 

from the Fort Union Formation ranges from good to poor for stock 

use.

WASATCH FORMATION

Chemical analyses of 13 samples of water from the Wasatch Formation are given in table 5. Dissolved-solids content ranges from 

364 to 4,920 ppm; iron content, from 0.07 to 13 ppm; sulfate content, 

from 1.3 to 3,020 ppm; and hardness, from 12 (soft) to 2,090 ppm 

(very hard). The chemical characteristics of the water from four 

wells drilled in the Wasatch Formation are shown graphically in 

figure 14. Approximately half the wells sampled yield water in 

which sodium constitutes more than 50 percent of the cations. The 

rest of the wells yield water in which the two most abundant cations 

are calcium and magnesium, sodium and calcium, or sodium and 

magnesium. Bicarbonate makes up more than 50 percent of the 

anions in water from 5 of the 13 wells sampled, whereas sulfate composes more than 50 percent of the anions in water from the rest of the 

wells. Water containing bicarbonate as the predominant anion generally has a dissolved-solids content of less than 1,000 ppm, whereas 

water containing sulfate as the predominant anion generally has a 

dissolved-solids content greater than 1,000 ppm. The diversity of 

quality of water from the Wasatch Formation may be attributed to 

local differences in recharge, soil, and lithology. Cation-exchange 

softening and sulfate reduction probably affect the water in some 

localities.

Small quantities of gas are discharged with water from several 

wells in the Wasatch Formation. The quantity of hydrogen sulfide 

in solution in water at the well head was determined for eight wells.
CHEMICAL QUALITY OF GROUND WATER 73

(See table 5.) Carbon dioxide, methane, and higher paraffin hydrocarbon gases are probably present also, particularly where coal or 

other carbonaceous material occur. No analyses of free gas at the 

well head were made because of unsuitable sampling conditions.

Water from the Wasatch Formation is principally used for domestic and stock supplies. Water from only 2 of the 13 wells sampled 

meets suggested domestic standards with respect to dissolved-solids 

content. Concentrations of iron, manganese, and sulfate are high 

also, mainly in water having a dissolved-solids content greater than 

1,000 ppm. Approximately three-fourths of the wells sampled 

yield very hard water. In most places, however, water from the 

Wasatch Formation is usable for domestic purposes if no other supply is available. Although sufficient water could be obtained from 

the Wasatch from properly constructed wells, the water would generally be unsuitable for irrigation of anything but salt-tolerant crops 

grown on well-drained soils. A chemical analysis of water from a 

test hole should be made before a large-diameter irrigation well is 

constructed. The quality of the water ranges from good to fair for 

stock use.

GLACIAL DEPOSITS

Spring 53-86-27cd yields water for domestic and stock use from 

glacial deposits. The water is a calcium bicarbonate type and has a 

dissolved-solids content of 82 ppm. (See table 5.) Because glacial 

deposits occur only in the mountains, water from these deposits will 

probably continue to be used only for domestic and stock purposes, 

although the quality of the water is excellent for all but specialized 

industrial uses.

ALLUVIAL DEPOSITS

Well 49-77-20ba yields calcium-sodium sulfate water containing 

2,370 ppm dissolved solids. (See table 5.) The water is of poor 

quality for domestic use because it is very hard and has high iron, 

manganese, sulfate, and dissolved-solids contents. The water has a 

very high salinity hazard, so that its use for irrigation must be restricted to very salt-tolerant crops under special circumstances. The 

water is of fair quality for stock use. The quality of water from well 

49-77-20ba probably is typical of that of water in alluvial deposits 

in the eastern part of the project area.

Water from well 50-82-6ad (infiltration gallery) is a calcuim bicarbonate type having a dissolved-solids content of 106 ppm. The 

water is of excellent quality for domestic, irrigation, and stock uses. 

Water from this well, mixed with water from Clear Creek, is the 

public supply of the community of Buffalo. The alluvium is recharged by Clear Creek, which contains water of excellent quality at
74 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

Buffalo. In general, alluvial deposits in the western part of the 

project area contain water of better quality than do alluvial deposits 

in the eastern part, mainly because the quality of recharge water is

better.

CONCLUSIONS

Ground water in northern and central Johnson County occurs under 

both artesian and water-table conditions. Most of the aquifers, however, are artesian, owing to the structural influence of the Bighorn 

uplift. Water-table conditions exist mainly in the alluvium in major 

stream valleys and in the outcrop areas of artesian aquifers.

At the present time (1963) the Wasatch Formation is the principal 

source of ground water in the project area, because it lies at or near 

the surface in much of the county. The depth of wells drilled in 

the Wasatch ranges from less than 100 to more than 1,000 feet, but 

the average depth is nearer 300 feet. Yields from the fine-grained 

facies of the Wasatch are generally small and are barely adequate 

for stock and domestic use. Wells drilled in the Kingsbury Conglomerate and Moncrief Members may be more productive locally, 

but insufficient data were obtained to permit an evaluation of the 

permeability of these coarse-grained facies. They probably will not 

yield more than moderate supplies. The Fort Union Formation 

may be slightly more permeable than the fine-grained facies of the 

Wasatch, but only small yields can generally be expected.

Sufficiently deep wells drilled in the Lance Formation may yield 

moderate supplies of water in some places, but pumping costs would 

probably be prohibitive for most purposes because of high pumping 

lifts. The Parkman Sandstone might yield moderate quantities of 

water to properly constructed wells, but only locally can the formation 

be developed economically owing to the steep dip of the beds, which 

causes the unit to be deeply buried in much of the project area. The 

Shannon Sandstone Member of the Cody Shale is of little importance 

as an aquifer in most of the area; however, it is the only potential 

source of ground water between outcrops of the Parkman Sandstone 

and the Newcastle Sandstone. The Shannon will probably yield only 

enough water for stock or domestic wells in most localities. Both the 

Newcastle Sandstone and the basal sandstone of the Cleverly Formation seem to be sufficiently permeable to yield moderate supplies of 

water to wells, and a properly constructed well tapping both aquifers 

would yield even larger quantities of water. The importance of these 

aquifers is minimized, however, because recharge areas are small and 

because depths to the formation are great in most of the project area, 

area.
CONCLUSIONS 75

The development of ground-water supplies adequate for irrigation 

use is unlikely, except from the Tensleep Sandstone and the Madison 

Limestone and possibly from coarse alluvium that may occur along 

the upper reaches of major streams. Both the Tensleep and Madison 

are at great depths except in or near their outcrop areas. Some wells 

drilled into the formations may flow, but unless the aquifer is fractured or cavernous, the flow probably will not be adequate for irrigation and will have to be augmented by pumping. Careful test drilling 

in the alluvium of Piney Creek and in the upper reaches of Crazy 

Woman and Clear Creeks may locate saturated deposits of coarse 

sand and gravel that are sufficiently thick and permeable to yield 

moderate to large quantities of water to wells. The development of 

large quantities of water from the alluvium in these places, however, 

might appreciably reduce the flows of adjacent streams.

In general, ground water from Precambrian rocks, the Tensleep 

Sandstone, and glacial deposits is of good quality for domestic, irrigation, and stock uses. Water of similar quality is obtained from 

alluvial deposits in the western part of the project area. The Frontier 

Formation, the Lance Formation, and alluvial deposits in the eastern 

part of the project area yield water of poor quality for domestic use 

and of fair to poor quality for stock use. The water is unsuitable for 

irrigation under ordinary conditions because it has a very high salinity 

hazard. Water from the Parkman Sandstone is usable as a domestic 

supply but has limited suitability for irrigation because of its high 

salinity and sodium hazards. Water from the Parkman Sandstone 

is of fair quality for stock use. Water from the Cody Shale is unsuitable for most uses.

Water from the Fort Union Formation is usable as a domestic 

supply, although the dissolved-solids content exceeds the recommended 

maximum. Hydrogen sulfide occurs in the water at most places and 

imparts an unpleasant odor to domestic water supplies. The water is 

unsuitable for irrigation use because of high sodium and bicarbonate 

contents; it ranges from good to poor for stock use.

Water from the Wasatch Formation is usable for domestic purposes, 

although it generally does not meet suggested domestic-water standards with respect to iron, manganese, sulf ate, and dissolved-solids contents. Hydrogen sulfide also is an objectionable constituent in water 

from several wells. Water from the Wasatch Formation is unsuitable 

for irrigation use except where used on salt-tolerant crops grown on 

well-drained soils. The water is good to fair for stock use.
76 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

RECORDS OF SPRINGS, WATER WELLS, AND OIL-TEST

HOLES

Tables 6 and 7 contain records of 21 springs and 278 wells, respectively, that were inventoried during the investigation. Many of the 

data were obtained from well owners or tenants, well drillers, or 

records of the Johnson County Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Office at Buffalo. The depth to water and the depth of the 

well were measured by the authors where possible. The location of 

the springs, wells, and oil-test holes is shown on plate 1.
TABLE 6. Records of springs in northern and central Johnson 

[Discharge: E, estimated; M, measured; R, reported. Use of water: D, domestic; S, stock. Rema

Location Owner or tenant Discharge

(gpm)

Quality

Specific

conductance

(micromhos

at 25°C) »

Temperature

op

Use of

Water

Moraine deposits

53-86-27cd ... 8pear-O-Wigwam. ________ .. 400R- ... Good _ .... 110 38 D, S 

Wasatch Formation

50-83-12ca_ - 

53-83-27CC. -..-..

0.2M 

2-3E.. .... 52

S 

D, S

Tensleep Sandstone

46-83-3bd... 

-22ac .....

30E.. ......

170M... .... ...

Good .......

 ..do...... .

411 

90

46 

43

D, S 

D, S 

Precambrian granite

47-84-4ca 

49-84-7ad 

-14ac. 

-18dd...- 

-27ab . .

50-83-5ba.-~---

-5bb.. ...

-6cb .

50-84-2ab -

-lOac - ...

-lOda __ ....

-lOdb.---..-

-llcb _ .-...

-15db_.. .

-23ba ...

-27ba.. 

A. Hansen.. __ . __ . __ . ____

U.S. Forest Service _________

. do.. .

... ..do 

 do 

-....do . .... . ...

... ..do .... ...... _ 

.....do ... ... ...

..-..do.. - - - - .

 ..do... . 

 ..do - -

 ..do.. ~

 do 

South Fork Inn _ ..-. __

3.2M ... ...

4.4M... ... ....

11.2M. ... .

l.OM ... ....

1.0M- ... ...

.3M 

2E._- ___ ...

Dry ... ...

1.6M ...... .

3.0M .......

2E._ ..... .

1.5M .... 

3.2M.. 

3.5M .... 

 do -

 do... ....

 do 

 .do 

.... .do 

.... .do 

... ..do... ....

 do.. ..

... ..do... 

 do 

.....do.... 

Good.. ...

100 

70 

50 

50

115

110 

70

70

39 

41 

53 

37 

40 

. 48

44

43 

42 

46 

46 

39

36

D, 8 

D 

D

8 

D 

8 

8 

8 

8 

D 

D 

8 

8 

8 

8 

D

i Tbe concentration of dissolved solids generally ranges from 55 to 75 percent of tbe specific conductance.
TABLE 7. Records of water wells and oil-test holes in northern and centra

Well: See text for description of well-numbering system.

Type of well: Dr, drilled; Du, dug.

Depth of well: Measured depths given in feet and tenths below land surface; reported

depths given in feet.

Character of material: G, gravel; S, sand; Sh, shale; Ss, sandstone. 

Geologic source (symbols listed alphabetically): -Cf, Flathead Sandstone; Kc, Cody

Shale: Kf, Frontier Formation; Kl, Lance Formation; Kp, Parkman Sandstone;

Pt, Tensleep Sandstone; Qal, alluvium: Tfu, Port Union Formation; Tw, basin

facies of Wasatch Formation; Twk, Kingsbury Conglomerate Member of Wasatch

Formation.

Method of lift and type of p

gravity flow; J, jet; N, no

operated; N, none; W, wind

Use of water: D, domestic; I

Water level: Measured depth

feet; +, artesian head not k

Remarks- Ca, chemical anal

measured; R, reported); D

rate; L, log of well in table 

Well

48-77-7CC. 

-9ad -

-14aa 

-19dd.._ 

-27ba._-

-31bal 

-31ba2 

46-78-12ac _

-12db__-

-13bd...

-15ac_.-

-18dc .

-30cd 

46-79-20bb. 

-22ad 

-26bd .

-33ad 

-35cd_ 

46-80-4bb..-

-8ac-- _ 

-19ab 

-20bbOwner or tenant

-.-..do... __ . ___ _ _ ....

 do... 

.....do..l.....................

.....do... ........... ..........

.. do.. _ _ _ 

 do___ 

 do 

- do 

C. Eklund...... . _ . .. ..

F. W. Hesse 

F. Grain ____________

- do........................

Year 

constructed

1946 

1946 

1959 

1951 

1957 

1947 

1947 

1955

1956 

1951 

1957 

1958 

1954 

1956 

1960 

1956 

1954 

1952 

1952 

1950

1950

Type

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr

Dr

Depth 

(feet)

210 

247 

330 

290 

336 

203 

289 

387 

240 

486 

270 

540 

262 

44 

200 

300 

346 

131 

240 

250 

225

370

Casing

Depth 

(feet)

194 

134 

290 

77 

336 

109 

277 

387 

22 

486 

175 

280 

262 

44 

200 

300 

346 

131 

237 

250 

225

Diameter 

(inches)

6-4 

6-2 

4 

4 

4 

6-2 

4 

2 

6 

4-2 

2 

4 

4 

7 

4 

4 

4 

6 

6.4 

4 

4

4

Principal waterbearing bed

Character 

of material

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

8s 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss

Ss

Geologic 

source

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw

Tw

Method 

of lift 

and 

type of 

power

F 

C, W 

C, W 

F 

C,W 

F 

C, W 

F 

C,W 

F 

F 

C, W 

C, W 

C, W 

C, W 

C, G 

C, G 

C, G 

C, G 

C, G 

C, W

C, W

U

o

wa

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S

S
4.A Oft 9Af»ft

-25bc 

-26bd.._

-28bd...

46-81-13bb...

-18cd .

-26cd _

46-82-9ad ..

-14ad .

-33dc .

46-83-13ca.___

47-76-31cd 

47-77-24dc.-_

47-78-5bb 

-22dd 

-23ad 

-24db. 

-28da 

47-79-6dd..___

-21dd 

-32bd....

47-80-16ba 

-20da 

-22dc -

-32cd 

-33cb 

47-81-17ca-.- 

-25cd 

-25dc 

-31ca___- 

47-82-13db..._ 

-18cc..-.

47-«3-7bc - 

-15cd 

C. Eklund.. ... __ .. ...

... -do... ... ... ... ... .

 -do 

F. Grain......................

J. K. Wright and son _____

H. Gerard. ......... ..........

M. K. Howie. _ . ....

D. Adrian........ .............

.....do... ..... ...........

B. T. Pheasant-... ___ ....

. .do. ... ...... .......

J. Iberlin..... ................. 

.....do............. .........

L. Falxa-- 

... -.do... ...................

 -do-...... ...............

J. L. Brooks ___ . . 

.... .do ......................

. .do -........--........ 

L. Falxa---.--- __ ...

L. Falxa.. . ___ . ...........

Smith Bros.-. ____ . ...

 .do 

 -.do..... ....... .......

O. Struck---. _________ - 

J. Zezas ____ ... ___ --....

R. H. Purdy..... ... ....

S. Will 

R. H. Purdy. - 

T. Barker .................._ 

E. U. Snider. _

L. Rldley 

J. F. Greub. -- ----- - 

1951

1951

1951

1946

1943

1950

1958

1953

1928

1940

1955

1954

1955

1954

1955

1960

1960

1950 

1940

1946 

1939

1947

1959

1959

1955

1949

1946 

1955

1956

1955

1955

1959

"1955" 

1959 

1948

1960 

1959 

1941 

1955

1958 

1960

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr

Dr 

Dr

31

300

25

377

ISO

375

150

150

205

170

336

240

202

70

258

160

253

264

184

333

271

330

235

450

90

315

510

220

464

400

220

328

300

76.5

263

170

370

367

285

323

450

189

300

31

300

25

150

375

150

150

100

144

336

240

202

69

258

150

253

264

184

333

210

184

200

406

90

315

510

32

464

388

220

300

298

263

164

359

367

285

225

450

155

50

8 4

8 6

6 

6-4 

6 4

6 44

4 

4 

4 

10 

7-6 4

4 

4 

6 

6-45

(t_A u *4

6 

4 

4-2 

6 

6-4 2

4 4

6 

4 

4 

6 

4 4

4-3 64

6 4

Ss 

Ss

Ss 

Ss

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss

Ss 

Ss

Sh

Sh

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss

Ss 

Ss

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss

Ss 

Ss

Sh

Ss 

Ss

Tw 

Tw

Tw 

Tw

Tw 

Tfu 

Tw 

Kp

Tfu 

Kl

Kc

Kc 

Kl 

Kf 

Pt(?) 

Tw 

Tw

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw

Tw

Tw 

Tw

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw

Tw 

Tw

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw

Tfu 

Tfu

Kc

 f(?)

Pt

C, W 

C, W

C, W

N

C, W 

C, W 

C, W 

C, W

C, W 

C, W

C, G

C, G 

C, G 

J, E 

T, E 

C, G 

C, W

C, W 

C, W 

C, W 

C, W

C, W

F

C, W

C, W 

C, W 

C, W 

C, W 

C, G F

C, G 

C, G

C, G 

N 

C, G 

C, W 

C,W 

C,W

C, G 

C,WN

C,G 

C,W
TABLE 7. Records of water wells and oil-test holes m northern and central Jo

Well

48-76-16ab 

-20ba_ 

-29ac_ - 

48-77-8ac 

-15db -

-25da 

-25db -

48-78-32bd -

-35db -

48-79-17aa 

-26cc.... 

-29ca....

-34cb -

48-81-2ab - _ 

-2ba 

-7bc - 

-lOba 

-12dd . 

-14dc 

-16bd - 

-22bd 

48-82-2CC.. 

-9ad - 

-lOcb - 

-llbb 

-18ad 

-20bc 

Owner or tenant

The California Co ____ . .-

Pure Oil Co. ____ .

S. Harriet--.---.... .........

 . .do... .... ..................

S. Harriet. _ - .... .... 

Harriet Bros. __ ____ 

J. Iberlin 

__ do

 -do ..... ... .........

 ..do ......................

J. H. Winchester... ___ . ...

P. Urizaga Est _______ _>..

M. U. Cabilade 

S. S. Doyen. _ .... .. ... 

Smith Bros ________ .

S. S. Doyen ___________ 

J. Zezas _____ ...._........

S. S. Doyen ___________

T. and E. Moore _______

B. E. Taylor... _ .. . _ - __ 

R. Purdy... ... ________

Year 

constructed

1958

1952 

1940 

1940 

1946

1952

1942 

1946 

1948 

1954 

1940 

1959 

1957 

1956 

1956 

1955 

1960 

1956 

1957 

1955 

1958 

1957

1956 

1955 

1953 

1947 

1947

Type

Dr

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr

Depth 

(feet)

7,750

13, 861 

465 

465 

165 

280 

605

261 

308 

365 

430 

405 

390 

260 

574 

400 

335 

212 

380 

400 

420 

286 

720 

130 

186 

152 

420 

124 

105

Casing

Depth 

(feet)

160 

264 

590

207

246 

410 

357 

373 

260 

490 

400 

335 

212 

380 

400 

420 

286 

466 

120 

186 

152 

420 

122 

100

Diameter 

(inches)

7

6 

4 

1M

6 

4 

4 

4 

5 

4 

4 

4-2 

4 

2 

4 

4 

4-2 

4 

4 

4-2 

4 

4 

4 

4-2 

4 

4

Principal waterbearing bed

Character 

of material

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss

Geologic 

source

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tfu

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tfu 

Kl 

Kl 

Tfu 

Kp 

KD

Method 

of lift 

and 

type of 

power

N

N 

N 

C, W 

N 

C,W 

F

C,W 

C,W 

N 

C, W 

C, W 

C, Q 

C, Q 

F 

C,Q 

F 

C, Q 

C, W 

F 

C, W 

F 

F 

C, E 

C, Q 

C, Q 

C, E 

C, W 

C, W
49-75-29bc 

.

-29ca..-.

49-76-13dd . 

-17ca._._

49-77-5da--_.

-9ba .. 

-lied....

-13db._..

-Ificc....

-20ba....

-20bc .

-21ba_...

49-78-llcd....

49-79-9CC.-.-.

-25dd....

49-80-5dd.....

-23ac __

-30bb....

49-81-3ac-_ 

-8bc.....

-15ba... .

-20ba .

-25dd .

-26ac..~

-28cd .

-31bd .

-33bb .

49-82-2bb ..

-8da ..

-lObb. 

-lOcd .

-20ba. 

-24ad-.-.

49-83-27de .

The California Co.. ...........

. .do.... .....................

Farmers Union Central Exchange.

H. Jones.. _____ __ ....... 

.....do.........................

.....do.........................

.... .do....... ..................

do

Esponda Co __________

__ do. ____ . _____ . ...

G. Webber............... ...

G. Hakert... ___ . __ ....

M. Hakert.... ................

J. H. Winchester ____ .. ...

J. H. Winchester ____ ......

._. ..do..... .................

 ..do. .......... _ _..__ 

... ..do .. _- _ 

L. Tass .

A. Dressier... ___ ._.. _ ...

1957

1958

1957 

1947

1960

1955 

1960

1960

1947

1960

1960

1959

1955

1946

1951

1942

1955

1940

1956

1955

1957

1955

1956

1960

1955

1955

1955

1955

1956

1960 

1959

1956

T)r

Dr

Dr 

Pr

Dr

Dr 

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr 

Ds

Dr

0 014 &) &L*t

7,097

404

395

606

930

630

230

31.5

615

600

400

623

200

165

145

292

320

218

492

265

560

265

322

260

187

255

318

115

330

336

228

865

245

375

392

606

920

630

226

31

613

400

623

200

162

280

320

218

492

265

250

265

322

260

187

248

318

100

330

336

228

480

238

62222

6-4

16

6-2

4-2424456664444446444444

4-27

3s

Ss

Ss

Ss

3s

Ss

8, G

3s

8s

Ss

Ss

Ss

3s

Ss

Ss

3s

Ss

3s

Ss

Ss

3s

Ss

Ss

3s

Ss

Ss

3s

Ss

Ss

3s

Ss

Ss

Tw

Tw

Tfu(?)

Tfu(?)

Tf u (?)

Tw

Qal

Tfu(?)

Tfu

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw

Twk

Tw

Twk

Twk

Twk

Tfu

Kl

Tw

Pt

NNNFFFFFF

T, G

FF

C,WF

C,W

C, W

C, E

C,W

C,W

 O, G

F

C, G

F

C, G

FNF

C, W

C, W

C, G

C, G

C, G

C, G

C, G
TABLE 7. Records of water wells and oil-test holes in northern and central Johnson County, 

Well

50-76-8ad 

-22bd. 

-23aa .

50-77-3bb 

-9bc 

-llcb .

-12dc .

-28cc.... 

-29dc_ 

-31cd 

-32ca .. 

50-78-16bd. 

-20ad.._-

-24dd 

-26bb 

50-79-4da . . 

-6aa __ 

-6bc. .

-19bc 

50-80-6aa-__-

-6ca .

-21bb.... 

-26ad.-..

-33cb 

50-81-5dd - 

-7ad - 

-17aa 

-17bc 

Owner or tenant

Tennessee Gas Transmission 

Co.

O.L.Walker.. ___ ____

 ..do. . __

 do 

U. M. Ranch..... _____ - _

T. Dixon.... ....... _____ .

 do.. 

F. Hepp 

__ .do _____________

British-American Oil Producing Co.

Northern Wyoming Land Co..

Northern Wyoming Land Co.. 

__ .do" __________ 

Year 

constructed

1959 

1958

1957

1957 

1958 

1954 

1955 

1959 

1961 

1955 

1956 

1941 

1957

1955

1942 

1947 

1957 

1950 

1956 

1950 

1956 

1959

1957 

1952 

1941 

1955 

1959 

1959

Type

Dr 

Dr

Dr

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr

Dr

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr

Depth 

(feet)

7,016 

6,833

7,200

1,010 

560 

580 

1,000 

630 

575 

618 

724 

380 

1,000

755

380 

301 

260 

248 

600 

210 

260 

9,570

205 

100 

228 

525 

300 

285

Casing

Depth 

(feet)

1,010 

560 

580

970 

630

574

724 

325 

520

70

375

278 

85 

248

iss

260

205 

65 

225 

502 

127 

276

Diameter 

(inches)

4-2 

4 

4-2 

4-2 

2 

2

2 

4 

6-4

4

4 

4 

4 

4 

4 

4 

6-4

4 

4 

4 

4-2 

4 

4

Principal waterbearing bed

Character 

of material

8s 

8s 

8s 

Ss 

8s 

8s 

8s 

8s 

8s 

8s

8s

Ss

8s 

8s 

8s 

Ss 

8s 

8s

8s 

8s 

8s 

8s 

8s 

8s

Geologic 

source

Tfu 

Tfu(7) 

Tfu<?) 

Tfu(?) 

Tfu(?) 

Tfu 

Tfu(?) 

Tfu(?) 

Tw 

Tw, 

Tfu(?) 

Tw, 

Tfu (7) 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw

Method 

of lift 

and 

type of 

power

N

N

N

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

C,W 

C,W

C,W_.

C,W 

C,W 

C,W 

C,W 

C, G 

C,W 

C,W 

N

C, G 

C,W 

C,W 

C, G 

C,W 

C. G

w
50-81-22dd 

-23cc-.-

-28ac_.-

-32cb 

-llad _

-llcb 

-18cd 

-23cd .

-23dc 

-24cd 

-35bb...

50-S3-14dc __ 

-36aa ....

51-76-30dd-__

-17cc- 

-17dd...

-20ca__ -

-20cc

-20dc....

-22ba_ 

-25ba 

-29aa..- 

-30da 

51-78-32bb 

51-79-2ca--_-

-llcd 

-16ba . 

-23da-_-

51-«0-llbc 

-15db 

-20ad . 

-26dd .

-32ab..- 

-32cb -

51-Sl-7dc_ -

-Sda 

-18ba_ 

-19dd .

-27ad_.-_

G. A. Hakert. ................

do

B. Hakert

G. A. Hakert

J. W. Driskill

S, K. McBride. 

Northern Wyoming Land Co_.

 do

-- do . . ....

Northern Wyoming Land Co.. 

R. Stokey.. ______ ._ ...

T. Dixon .. ....

T. Dixon. . ...................

do

-.-do _.__ ...............

.....do......... .............

T. Dixon 

-.-do..... .............

U. M. Ranch... __ . ........ 

A. Wells

 -do..... ..... ........

U. M. Ranch.-- _ 

 ..do..... . .. ... .

 do 

Northern Wyoming Land Co. 

R. Hepp. __ . 

R. Hepp_ ______ _____ 

_ do _ ___ .

Northern Wyoming Land Co.

B. Vftfinoy

Northern Wyoming Land Co_

1959

1959

1960

1960

1954

1958

1957

1955

1954 

1954

1942

1955

1955

1956 

1957

1958

1958

1954

1954

1958

1930

1948 

1957

1960

1948 

1948

1951

1955 

1956 

1947

1958 

1961

1942 

1948

1941

1955

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dn

Dr

Dr

Dr 

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr 

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr

Dr 

Dr

Dr

Dr 

Dr

Dr

Dr 

Dr

Dr

Dr 

Dr 

Dr

Dr 

Dr

Dn

Dr 

Dr

Dr

Dr

362

496

215

360

220

26

308

460

300

420

243

310

355

290

270

7,270

570

165

690

580

758

550

935

835

758

400

550

344

285

1,240

164

130

215

270

276

166

220

1,294

10

237

92

139

166

362

496

209

346

194

308

460

210

260

148

268

355

280

175

570

165

690

580

758

550

935

835

758

400

550

278

285

651

164

130

203

270

270

166

220

10

149

92

139

166

64444444

4-34424424

4-222

4-22

4-2222442

6-4444444434644

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

S, G

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Sh

Sh

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

S.G

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw

Qal

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw

Kc

Kc

Tfu

Tw

Tfu

Tfu

Tfu

Tfu(?)

Tfu

Tfu

Tfu(?)

Tw

Tw,

Tfu(?)

Tw

Tw

Tw,

Tfu(?)

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw

Qal

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw

C,W

C, G

C, G

C, G

C, W

Gf

C, G

F

C,W

C,WN

C, W

F

c,w

C,H NF

C,WFFF

C, W

FFFFF

C, W

C, G

C, G

C, G

C, W

C, W

C, W

C, G

C, W

C, W

N

Cf, E

N

C, W

C, G

C, W
TABLE 7. Records of water wells and oil-test holes m northern and central Jo

Well

51-82-lbd- _

-6cd 

-lOdb . 

-15dc 

-16cc..-. 

-17ad 

-19ca_ . .

-21CC .

-33dd _

-34ba_ 

-36aa __

51-83-3bc ..

-3bd 

-4bc 

-lOac - 

-10ca_ 

-I3cd_--.

-14bd 

-27ad.-.

52-77-3ab--- 

-5aa_- _ 

-9ab._-_- 

-16bd-_-

-21ca- 

-22ca- 

-30ba _

-32ad - 

-36bb.._

52-78-lba. 

-14aa-__ _

Owner or tenant

P. Belus - ___________

R. A. Fischer..... _ . _ .....

Powder River Golf and 

Country Club.

C. Tarbet 

C. Tarbet-----------. _ .. _

C. Tarbet-. ...............

E. Hillard 

Upper Johnson Creek School. . 

J. Smith- 

---.do.... ..................

E. I. Jewell- -------

Clavton Oil Co. -----------

Year 

constructed

1940

1953 

1940 

1954 

1948 

1956 

1956 

1960

1960

1954 

1961 

1944 

1961 

1944

1943 

1948 

1954

1947

1959 

1955

1957 

1960

1960

1960

1958 

1958

Type

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr

Dr

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr

Dr 

Dr

Dr 

Dr 

Dr

Dr 

Dr

Depth 

(feet)

150 

100 

250 

135 

230 

120 

160 

300 

145

280

30 

460 

90 

205 

275 

505 

239 

90 

200

828 

460 

1,060 

605

6,800 

653

210 

785 

1,179

1,085 

6.850

Casing

Depth 

(feet)

86 

100 

250 

92 

230 

90 

160 

300

180

22 

460 

90 

205 

206

84 

77 

200

460 

1,046 

605

653

210 

785 

1,158

1,085

Diameter 

(inches)

6 

4 

6 

5 

4 

3 

4 

2 

6

4

12 

2 

6-4 

4 

6

6 

4 

4

4-2 

2 

4-2

2

4

6

2 

4-2

4-2

Principal waterbearing bed

Character 

of material

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss

Ss

S 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss

Ss

Ss 

Ss 

Ss

Ss

Geologic 

source

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw

Tw

Qal 

Tw 

Twk(?) 

Kl 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw

Tfu 

Tw 

Tfu 

Tfu(?)

Tfu

Tw 

Tfu 

Tfu(?)

Tfu(?)

Method 

of lift 

and 

type of 

power

C, W 

C, H 

C, W 

N 

C, W 

F 

C, G 

F 

T, E

T, E

C, W 

F 

C, W 

C, E 

C, W 

F 

C, W 

C, H 

F

F 

F

F 

F

N 

F

C,W 

F 

F

C, W

N

w
52-78-15cd- 

-16bc_ 

-16cb 

-22cb_ 

52-79-3bai _

-lOab _

-12cc.___

-24dd__. 

-35ad 

52-80-lac. 

-lOab

-18dc._- 

-27bb .

52-81-18bd .

-27ad.._ .

-29aa __

-33bd 

52-82-6bc_ 

-6cc .....

-13db... .

-19db_._ .

-25ab 

-33db 

-35dc 

52-83-ldc ___.

-lOdd 

-12aa_ 

-22ba 

-22ca__-

-23ab _ 

-30bc _ _ 

-35aa-._. 

53-77-24cd _

-24db_ 

-26ba.__.

-26cc....

-27ca.__-

-34bd....

53-78-20CC-.-- 

53-79-25aa.--_

53-80-35ba .

53-81-23ad_...

-34db.... 

53-82-33bb 

53-83-19bd.... 

-35aa..__

F. Hepp. ............ __ _____ 

do

S. Inchauspe

A. F. Betz..___ ____ ________

. .do...... _..__.______....

D J Watt

F. Hepp-------- _ ____.__-_

do

K. Walters ___________ 

D. J. Watt

 -.do.... .............. ....

do

A. Belus..-- _ - ____ _ _ ._

do .

H. Buell

C. Buell.-. ....... .. ... .

Q Stringer

K. Huey.. -..-. _ . 

C. Tarbet -_ --- 

O. Hepp. _ -- _ _ ___ __ __ 

__ --.do...- ----._-.__-_-...

---.do....... ...... ........ .

do

do

R.Hepp..--- .. .. -- 

Lion Oil Co _________ ..

K. Leis--- - -- ----- 

L.A. Wuthier.. ...... ........

B. Stager ____ _ __ ___- _ __ 

C. Repp.--. 

1960

1958 

1960

1959

1954

1952

1952

1957 

1953

1950

1945

1945

1960 

1945

1949

1950

1942

1954

1956

1956

1956

1942

1956

1956

1957

1957

1947 

1960

1958 

1961 

1945 

1954

1959

1955

1942

1952

1954

1959 

1957

1957

1957

1955 

1956

1959 

1958

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr

Dr 

Dr 

Dr

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Du 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr

Du 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr 

Dr

905

725 

1,095

245 

260 

220

160

270

246 

174 

312 

105

365 

170

363

152

55

225 

270

1Q >

130+

246

306 

240 

312

185

52+

16 

70+

200

510 

18

1,100

305 

780

981

265 

428

900

865 

350 

7,315

250 

220 

420 

60 

130

150

905

185 

1,050

245 

260 

220

270

246 

120 

312 

84

354 

150

124

133

52

225 

270

246

89 

240

185

16

200

510 

12N

138 

756

981

265

900

850 

342

250 

220 

420 

60 

112

150

242

4 

4 444

4 

4 

4 4

4 

6-4444

4 4

6-4

4 64

36

4-2

6-4 

124

4 24

2 22

2 4

4 

4 

4 

6 66

Ss

Ss 

Ss

Ss 

Ss 

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss

Ss 

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss

Ss 

Ss

Ss

Ss 

Ss 

Ss

Ss

S, Q

Ss

Ss 

S, Q

Sh

Ss 

Ss

Ss

Ss 

Ss

Ss

Ss 

Ss

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss 

Ss

Ss

Tfu(?)

Tw 

Tfu(?)

Tw 

Tw 

Tw

Tw

Tw

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw

Tw 

Tw

Tw

Tw

Qal, 

Tw(?) 

Tw 

Tw

Tw 

Tw 

Tw

Tw

Qal

Tw, 

Twk 

Qal

Kc

Tw 

Tfu

Tfu

Tw 

Tfu (7)

Tfu

Tfu 

Tw

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw 

Tw

Tw

F

C, G F

C, W 

C, G 

C,W

C, G

C, G 

C, G 

0, W 

C, W

C, W 

C, W

C, W

,O, W

C, W 

C, W

NN

C, W

0, W 

C, W

N

C, G

N

Cf, E

NF

F 

Of, E

N

C, W FF

F FF

F 

C, G

N

0, W 

O, G 

C.G 

J, E

N

D

D

D

N

D DN
86 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

DRILLERS' LOGS OP WATER WELLS AND OIL-TEST

HOLES

Table 8 contains logs of 72 water wells and oil-test holes drilled 

in the project area. The data were obtained principally from drillers' 

records, well owners, and files of the Johnson County Agricultural 

Stabilization and Conservation Office at Buffalo. The descriptive 

terminology used is mainly that of the driller. Stratigraphic interpretations in most logs, except those of oil-test holes, are by the authors. The location of the wells and oil-test holes listed is shown on 

the geologic map (pi. 1.).

TABLE 8. Drillers' logs of water wells and oil-test holes in northern and central

Johnson County, Wyo.

Thickness Depth 

Material (feet) (feet)

46-78-13bd

Alluvium:

Sand and gravel_ 47 47 

Wasatch Formation: 

Blue shale with 

some sandstone 

and coal______ 193 240

Sandstone____.___ 60 300

Shale, blue. ______ 140 440

Sandstone (water). 46 486

46-81-18cd

Alluvium:

Silt and sand. _ _ _ _ 40 40

Clay, yellow_--___ 30 70 

Fort Union Formation:

Shale, gray. ______ 80 150

Sandstone, gray

(water, 1 gpm)__ 10 160 

Shale, gray. ______ 110 270

Sandstone, gray

(water)________ 13 283

Shale, gray_--_-_- 25 308 

Sandstone, gray___ 15 323 

Shale, gray, sandy

(water)________ 42 365

Shale, gray.----__ 10 375

46-82-9ad

Alluvium:

Topsoil. ______-_- 4 4

Clay, yellow--_-._ 11 15 

Gravel. __________ 8 23

Parkman Sandstone:

Shale, gray.______ 69 92

Material

Thickness Depth 

(feet) (feet)

46-82-9ad Continued

Parkman Sandstone Continued

Rock (sandstone?)- 4 96 

Shale, red.._-.___ 17 113 

Shale, blue.______ 20 133

Sandstone (water).. 17 150

46-82-31ac

Alluvium:

Sandy soiL_____._ 26 26

Cody Shale:

Shale, gray.____-- 4 60

Shale, blue__._____ 110 170

Rock (sandstone?). 5 175 

Shale, blue...____ 99 274

Sandstone. __--___ 11 285 

Shale, blue _______ 20 305

Shale; contains thin 

sandstone beds 

(water)..______ 31 336

46-82-35bc

Alluvium:

Topsoil. _ ________ 5 5

SUt and sand. ____ 17 22

Lance Formation:

Coal (carbonaceous

shale?)___._____ 4 26

Shale, gray.______ 64 90

Sandstone (water). 30 120 

Shale, blue_______ 60 180

Shale, blue; contains thin beds of 

sandstone 

(water)_______- 22 202
DRILLERS' LOGS OF WATER WELLS AND OIL-TEST HOLES 87

TABLE 8. Drillers' logs of water wells and oil-test holes in northern and central 

Johnson County, Wyo. Continued

Material 

46-83-22dd

Alluvium : 

TopsoiL. _ _ __

Gypsum and red-shale 

sequence : 

Red beds. ______

Red beds and gypsum. _____ _ _

Red beds. _____

Tensleep(?) Sandstone: 

Sandstone (water).

47-77-24dc

Wasatch Formation: 

Shale, brown, 

sandy________ _

Coal._ _____ __._

Shale; contains 

stringeis of coal. 

Sandstone (water). 

Shale, blue.-.. __

47-78-24db

Alluvium: 

Soil, sand, and 

gravel _ _ ____

Wasatch Formation: 

Shale, blue

Shale, gray. ______

Shale, brown _ _

CoaL__ ___ _ __

Shale, brown __ __

Shale, gray ___ _

Sandstone, gray 

(water) _ _ _

Shale, gray ___ __

47-78-28da

Alluvium:

Wasatch Formation: 

Shale, blue_ ______

Shale, blue, hard; 

contains limy 

layers _ _ _ __

Sandstone (water). 

Shale, blue, hard__

Thickness 

(feet)

6

182

25 

53

2

25 

105 

2

108 

9

4

31

9 

35 

10 

5 

30 

80

33 

2

12

38 

15

275 

5 

50

Depth 

(feet)

6

188

203 

256

258

25 

130 

132

240 

249 

253

31

40 

75 

85 

90 

120 

200

233 

235

12

50 

65

340 

345 

395

Thickness 

Material (feet)

47-78-28da Continued

Wasatch Formation Continued 

Sandstone (water). 8 

Shale, blue, hard__ 47

47-79-15da

Alluvium: 

TopsoiL--.- .--- 8

Wasatch Formation: 

Sandstone. _.._ 22

Shale, blue. ______ 40

Coal _ _____ 6

Shale, blue-..-..- 79

Rock (sandstone?)- 1 

Shale, blue; contains stringers 

of coal---- -- - 54

Rock, hard (sandstone?) _ ----- 2

Shale, blue. ______ 8

Rock (sandstone?). 3 

Shale, blue. __-_-. 42

Rock, hard (sandstone?) _ r____ 3

Shale, blue-.- .-. 23

Sandstone (water)- 29 

Shale, blue. _ .._ 60

Sandstone (water). 18 

Shale___-_-----_- 10

Rock (sandstone?)- 2 

Shale-__--_------ 10

Sandstone (water). 15 

Shale..----..---. 30

Rock (sandstone?)- 5 

Sandstone (water). 40

47-79-32bd

Alluvium: 

Silt and fine sand__ 34 

Wasatch Formation: 

Shale, blue-. .___ 66

Shale, blue --_.--_ 69

Rock (sandstone?)- 6 

Shale, blue. ______ 86

Rock (sandstone?). 7 

Shale, blue. _.-_-- 171

Sandstone (water). 20

Depth 

(feet)

403 

450

8

30 

70 

76 

155 

156

210

212 

220 

223 

265

268 

291 

320 

380 

398 

408 

410 

420 

435 

465 

470 

510

34

100 

105 

174 

180 

266 

273 

444 

464
88 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

TABLE 8. Drillers' logs of water wells and, oil-test holes in northern and, central 

JoJmson County, Wyo. Continued

Material 

47-80-22dc

Wasatch Formation: 

Shale, blue ____ _

Shale, brown __ _

Shale, blue_____

Shale, gray, sandy

Shale, blue _____

47-81-25cd

Alluvium: 

Clay and silt. ___

Wasatch Formation: 

Shale, blue; contains thin beds 

of sandstone (water, 0.5 gpm)___

Shale, gray, hard;

contains interbedded sandstone _ _

Shale, blue _____

Coal _ __________

Shale, gray____ _

Sandstone, gray,

hard- _____ _

Shale, gray. _ _ _

Coal-_-_-----_-_-

Shale, sandy

Coal_-------__---

Shale, gray _-__.

Coal .--___-____

Shale, gray ____ _

Shale, gray ; contains stringers of

Coal__------ _ __

Shale, blue

Sandstone, gray, 

very fine grained

Shale. blue__ ___

Thickness 

(feet)

140

35

15

95

15

35

30

50

35

5

5

5

20

5

10

10

10

25

5

10

65

5

20

10

10

Depth 

(feet)

140

175

190

285

300

35

65

115

150

155

160

165

185

190

200

210

220

245

250

260

325

330

350

360

370

Material 

47-81-31ca

Fort Union Formation:

Shale, blue. _

Shale, pink and

Shale, white, sandy

47-82-13db

Alluvium :

Fort Union Formation: 

Shale, red, sandy

Shale, blue _ _ _

Sandstone (water).

Alluvium _ _______

Cody Shale:

Shale, yellow. __

Shale, blue__--_

Rock (sandstone?)-

Sandstone (water). 

Shale, blue.. _ .

Coal__-----------

Sandstone (water).

47-83-7bc

Topsoil. .__ -

Flathead(?) Sandstone: 

Sandstone, reddishsoft (water) _____

47-83-15cd

Alluvium:

Soil -----------

Thickness 

(feet)

30

40

130

40

45

20

15

257

7 

24

6

24

165

31

179

7

33

8

147

o^

6

Depth 

(feet)

30

70

200

240

285

20

35

292

299 

323

6

30

195

200

ZiOJL

410

417

450

8

X OO

JL 0*7

6
DRILLERS' LOGS OF WATER WELLS AND OIL-TEST HOLES 89

TABLE 8. Drillers' logs of water wells and- oil-test holes in northern and central 

Johnson County, Wyo. Continued

Thickness 

Material (feet)

47-83-15cd Continued

Tensleep Sandstone: 

Sandstone, lightgray, moderately 

hard____ _ __ _ 44

As above, harder; 

contains interbedded soft gray 

shale (water at 

286ft).._ _ _._ 250

48-76-16ab

(Oil test about 0.5 mile east of project are 

log)

Wasatch Formation _ 850

Fort Union Formation: 

Shale and sandstone_ _ _____ 530

Shale and coal _ _ _ _ 80 

Shale and sandstone. ________ 2,600

48-76-20ba 

(Oil test, partial log)

Wasatch Formation: 

Shale and sandstone. __ _ _ _ 900

Fort Union (?) Formation: 

Shale and coal _ _ _ _ 25 

Shale and sandstone. ___ _____ 385

Shale and coal _ _ _ _ 70

48-77-25db

Alluvium: 

Topsoil___ ______ 2

Clay_____________ 6

Gravel. _ ___ _ 14

Wasatch and Fort 

Union Formations:

Sandstone_______ 165

Shale, blue... _ _ 310

Rock (sandstone?). 10 

Sandstone (flow) _ _ 35

Depth 

(feet)

50

300

a; partial 

850

1,380 

1,460

4,060

900

925

1,310 

1,380

2 

8 

22

85 

250 

560 

570 

605

Material 

48-78-35db

Alluvium: 

Soil and yellow 

clay. ___ _____

Wasatch Formation: 

Shale, brown..- __

Sandstone, gray___

Sandstone, gray 

(water) ____ ___

Shale, gray_ _ __

Shale, brown_____

Shale, gray___ __

Sandstone, gray,

Shale, blue.. ___

Hard shell (limy

lo TT^Td f )

Sandstone, gray

Shale, brown__ ___

Shale, gray__ ___

Shale, brown. __ __

Sandstone, gray___ 

Shale, brown____ _

Sandstone, gray

Shale, brown _ ___

Shale, gray__ ____

Shale, gray____ __

Shale, brown _ ___

Shale, gray _ _ __

Coal____--__-----

Shale, gray. _ ___

48-81-2ab

Alluvium: 

Sandy soil... _.

Sand, yellow, and 

gravel ___ ___

Clay, brown.. __

Gravel_____ -____

Thickness 

(feet)

20

15 

15 

40

7

8 

18 

7 

7

5 

10

3

10 

5 

3 

20 

2 

22 

3

12 

8 

34 

6 

40 

6 

16 

13 

5 

5

10

5 

9 

6

Depth 

(feet)

20

35 

50 

90 

97

105 

123 

130 

137

142 

152

155

165 

170 

173 

193 

195 

217 

220

232 

240 

274 

280 

320 

326 

342 

355 

360 

365

10

15 

24 

30
90 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

TABLE 8. Drillers' logs of water wells and oil-test holes in northern and central 

Johnson County, Wyo. Continued

Thickness

Material (feet)

48-81-2ab Continued

Wasatch Formation:

Coal_____________

Shale, blue___ __

Rock (sandstone?).

Shale, blue... _

Sandstone _ _ _

Shale, blue__

Coal.. .._____.___

Shale, blue

Coal________-____

Shale, blue..

Sandstone _______

Shale, blue _ _

Sandstone (water).

48-81-5ac

Alluvium :

Topsoil ______ __

Sandy soil _

Clay, yellow..- __

Wasatch Formation:

Sandstone.

Shale, blue. _ _

Rock (sandstone?).

Shale, blue... _

Sandstone. ___

Shale, blue___ __

Sandstone (water).

48-81-12dd

Alluvium :

Sand and gravel___

Wasatch Formation:

Shale, blue___ __

CoaL.-_________.

Shale, blue__ _ ___

Sandstone. _

Shale, blue___

Coal... __________

Shale, blue__

Sandstone (water).

48-82-9ad

Alluvium :

Silt and fine sand__

Lance Formation:

Shale, blue__

10

41

4

35

80

60

10

30

12

165

48

30

19

8

22

10

15

5

3

137

50

55

30

35

8

15

82

60

110

14

38

38

72

8

Depth Depth 

(feet)

40

81

85

120

200

260

270

300

312

477

525

555

574

30

40

55

60

63

200

250

305

335

35

43

58

140

200

310

324

362

400

72

80

Thickness 

Material (feet)

48-82-9ad Continued

Lance Formation Continued 

Rock (probably

limy layers) _ _ _ _ 4 84

Shale, blue.______ 66 150

Sandstone (water). 4 154 

Shale, blue.______ 16 170

Sandstone (water). 16 186

48-82-10cb 

Alluvium:

Silt and fine sand. _ 31 31 

Lance Formation:

Rock (probably

limy layers) ____ 4 35

Shale, blue.______ 35 70

Sandstone. _ ___ _ 18 88 

Rock (probably

limy layers) _ _ _ _ 7 95

Shale, blue.______ 15 110

Sandstone (water

138-152 ft)_____ 42 152

48-82-18ad

Alluvium:

Soil__-__-------- 8 8

Parkman Sandstone:

Sandstone, brown_ 9 17 

Shale, yellow. _ _ _ _ 38 55

Sandstone, gray___ 5 60 

Shale, gray.______ 20 80

Sandstone, gray.-- 2 82 

Shale, gray, sandy

(water). _______ 40 122

Shale, blue. ______ 2 124

48-82-20bc

Alluvium:

Sand, brown____ 10 10

Parkman Sandstone:

Sandstone, gray_ 15 25 

Sandstone, brown. 25 50 

Sandstone, gray___ 15 65 

Shale, brown...... 5 70

Shale, gray, sandy- 10 80 

Sandstone, gray

(water) ________ 20 100

Shale.___________ 5 105
DRILLERS' LOGS OF WATER WELLS AND OIL-TEST HOLES 91

TABLE 8. Drillers' logs of water wells and oil-test holes in northern and central 

Johnson County, Wyo. Continued

Thickness Depth 

Material (feet) (feet)

49-75-29bc

(Oil test about 5 miles east of project area; partial log)

Wasatch Formation __ 926 926 

Fort Union Formation. 2, 870 3, 796

49-75-29ca

Wasatch Formation __ 802 802 

Fort Union Formation. 2, 893 3, 695

49-76-13dd

(Oil test about 4 miles east of project area; partial log)

Wasatch Formation __ 833 833

Fort Union Formation. 3, 199 4, 032

49-77-9ba

Alluvium: 

Sand and gravel _ 30 30 

Wasatch and Fort 

Union(?) Formations: 

Sandstone _ _.._. 7 37

Shale. ____ ... 3 40

Coal _____ .. 5 50

Shale, blue. _. _ 70 120

Sandstone _____ 4 124

Shale, blue. ... 174 298

Sandstone _ _. _ 9 307

Shale, blue ._. . 223 530

Shale, blue. _. __ 31 566

Sandstone (water). 40 606

49-77-15cc

Alluvium:

Quicksand and 

gravel-- _______ 34 34

Wasatch Formation: 

Shale, blue ______ 6 40

Shale, brown ___ _ 20 60

Shale, sandy; contains stringers of

coal (water) ____ 5 65 

Shale, blue ______ 25 90

Shale, brown . 15 105

Shale, gray-. _____ 11 116

Shale, gray, sandy. 2 118

Shale, green -___ 17 135

Thickness 

Material (feet)

4 9-77-lScc Continued

Wasatch Formation Continued 

Shale, blue. _ ___ 33

Shale, gray, sandy

fwsii*PT^ f.

Shale, gray__--__ 12

Shale, green _ _ _ _ 15

ftTl .1f* 0"PJ_ V 10

Sandstone (water). 20

49-77-20ba

Alluvium: 

Sand (water at 7.6 

ft) _ _ _ 8

Gravel ___ _ _ 18

Wasatch Formation: 

Shale, blue.- ___ 6

49-79-9cc

Alluvium: 

Sand and gravel _ 22 

Wasatch Formation: 

Shale, blue- _. __ 33

Coal _ ___ _ 5

Shale, blue. ------ 220

Coal ____ __ -- 5

Rock (probably

limy layers) - - - 8

Shale, blue.- _ __ 112

Rock (sandstone?). 4

Shale, blue. ______ 63

Rock (probably

limy layers) _ _ _ _ 5

Shale, blue- ______ 61

Sandstone. __--___ 39

4<L.flft_l_*l*l

Alluvium: 

Topsoil___ _ __-_ 3

Clay .--.----- 5

Sand, red, coarse. _ 9 

Clay.... --------- 5

Wasatch Formation: 

Coal__. ___ -_- 3

Shale, blue. ______ 15

Coal__----------- 6

Sandstone 6

Depth 

(feet)

168

173

185

200

210

230

8

26

32

22 

55

60

280

285

300

308

420

424

487

492 

523

584

623

3

8

17 

22

25

40

46

60

66
92 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

TABLE 8. Drillers' logs of water wells and oil-test holes in northern and central 

Johnson County, Wyo. Continued

Thickness 

Material (feet)

4 9-80-5dd Continued

Wasatch Formation Continued 

Shale, blue __ 7

Rock, hard (probably limy layers) _ 5 

Shale, blue__ _ _ 20

Sandstone (water, 

1 gpm) __ 7

Shale, blue _ _ _ 45

Sandstone (water). 12 

Shale____ . ___ 3

49-81-13cb

Alluvium: 

Silt and fine sand__ 22 

Clay, yellow. _____ 23

Wasatch Formation: 

Shale, blue. ______ 15

Coal. _ ___ _ _ _ 5

Shale, blue. _____ 45

Rock (sandstone?). 4 

Shale, blue___ _ 66

Coal ___ _ _ _ 8

Shale, blue. _ __ 22

Rock (sandstone?). 6 

Shale, blue. ______ 154

Coal ____ ___ __ 7

Shale, blue . ___ 99

Sandstone ( water) _ 16

49-81-33bb

Alluvium:

Clay, yellow ____ 36

Wasatch Formation: 

Shale, blue___ ___ 34

Rock (probably 

limy layers) _ _ _ _ 3 

Sandstone. _ _ 9

Shale, blue _ _ 83

Coal _ . _____ 4

Shale, blue _____ 75

Rock, hard (probably limy layers) _ 2 

Sandstone (water). 5

49-82-24ad

Alluvium: 

Clay, sandy. _ }_ _ _ 14

Depth, 

(feet)

73

78 

98

105 

150 

162 

165

22 

45

60 

65 

110 

114 

180 

188 

210 

216 

370 

377 

476 

492

4 

40

74

77 

86 

169 

173 

248

250 

255

14

Thickness 

Material (feet)

49-S2-24ad Continued 

Wasatch Formation:

Shale, blue. _ ____ 55

Shale, blue_ _ _ _ _ 58

Shale, blue. ______ 273

Sandstone (water). 30 

Shale, blue. _____ 240

Shale, blue._ ___ 164

49-83-27dc

Alluvium: 

Soil______-_-_-__- 10

Gypsum and red-shale 

sequence : 

Redshale_ _____ 120

Tensleep Sandstone: 

Sandstone (water 

at200ft)_ ____ 115

50-76-8ad

(Oil test; partial log)

Wasatch Formation- _ _ 1, 129 

Fort Union Formation. 2, 657

50-76-22bd

(Oil test about 1.5 miles east of project area 

log)

Wasatch Formation. _ _ 1, 226 

Fort Union Formation. 1, 130

50-76-23aa

(Oil test about 3 miles east of project area; pa:

Wasatch Formation. _ _ 718 

Fort Union Formation. 3, 273

5ft-77-9bc

Alluvium. _ ____ __ 27

Wasatch and Fort 

Union (?) Formations: 

Goal............. 24

Shale.----.--.... 20

Coal.. _ __ _ _ 3

Shale----_---___. 68

Depth 

(feet)

40 

95 

98 

156 

157 

430 

460 

700 

701 

865

10 

130 

245

1,129 

3,786

; partial

1,226 

2,356

rtiallog)

718 

3,991

27

51

71 

74 

142
DRILLERS' LOGS OF WATER WELLS AND OIL-TEST HOLES 93

TABLE 8. Drillers' logs of water wells and oil-test holes in northern and central 

Johnson County, Wyo. Continued

Thicl 

Material (fee

50-77-9 be Continue

Wasatch and Fort Union (?) 

Formations Continued 

Coal ___ _ _

Shale 

Shale.... _ -----

Sandstone. _-_ ___

Shale

Coal

Shale _ _ _-__ _

Coal

Shale...-.- _ _._

Coal __ _ _

Shale

Coal

Shale_-_-_. ___-._

Sandstone __ ___

Shale

50-77-12dc

Alluvium: 

TopsoiL- _____

Gravel. __ ___

Wasatch and Fort 

Union (?) Formations: 

Shale-_--_---_-__

Shale 

Coal__. __________

Shale 

Coal 

Shale 

Shale 

Coal 

Shale 

Shale 

Coal__________ _

Shale___-- ___ _

Coal 

Shale 

Coal -_

Shale------_-_--_

Shale___-___-____

mess 

t)

d

3 

29 

5 

12 

10 

63 

2 

85 

6 

7 

8 

4 

2 

8 

102 

58 

15

20 

10

50 

20 

140 

20 

30 

20 

100 

50 

130 

20 

80 

20 

10 

20 

30 

30 

20 

50 

10 

50 

40 

30

Depth, 

(feet)

145 

174 

179 

191 

201 

264 

266 

351 

357 

364 

372 

376 

378 

385 

487 

545 

560

20 

30

80 

100 

240 

260 

290 

310 

410 

460 

590 

610 

690 

710 

720 

740 

770 

800 

820 

870 

880 

930 

970 

1.000

Material 

50-77-29dc

Alluvium: 

Sand and gravel _ 

Wasatch and Fort Union (?) Formations:

Shale, blue _ _

Sandstone, hard _ 

Sandstone, water, _

50-80-21bb 

(OH test; partial

Wasatch Formation __ 

Fort Union Formation.

50-81-7ad

Alluvium: 

Topsoil. _- _ __

Wasatch Formation: 

Red clinkers

CoaL 

Shale, carbonaShale, blue......

Shale... ---------

Coal _ _ _

Shale. ---------

Coal 

Shale... -------

Sandstone and coal

Shale-... _ -----

50-82-llcb

Alluvium: 

Sand. ___- _ -_

Wasatch Formation: 

Shale, brown __ _

Shale, gray. _

Shale, blue...

Sandstone.

Sandstone (water)

Thickness 

(feet)

20

180 

3 

327 

25 

20

log)

600

821 (?)

5

25 

15 

1 

9

20 

30 

85 

30 

35 

5 

85 

2 

53 

30

70 

25

38

12 

62 

98 

70 

152 

28

Depth 

(feet)

20

200 

203 

530 

555 

575

600 

1,421

5

30 

45 

46 

55

75 

105 

190 

220 

255 

260 

345 

347 

400 

430

500 

525

38

50 

112 

210 

280 

432 

460
94 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

TABLE 8. Drillers' logs of water wells ana oil-test holes in northern and central 

Johnson County, Wyo. Continued

Material 

50-83-14dc

Alluvium: 

Sand and boulders. 

Cody Shale: 

Shale, gray_-__-_.

Shale, blue. _ _

Sandstone (water). 

Shale, blue - _

51-76-30dd

(Oil test; partial

Wasatch Formation _ _ 

Fort Union Formation.

51-77-17dd

Alluvium: 

Topsoil____ _ __

Wasatch and Fort 

Union(?) Formations: 

Shale_---_--- _-

Shale__-

Coal____---_-_-_-

Shale_ _--------

Coal--_-.. ______

Shale. - _--_.

Coal... __________

Shale. 

Sandstone (water, 

flow 60 gpm) ___

51-77-32cc

Alluvium: 

Sand and clay. 

Sand and gravel ___ 

Wasatch and Fort 

Union (?) Formations: 

Shale, carbonaceous__ __ __ 

Shale, gray ____ _

Sandstone, hard

Shale, carbonaSandstone, hard___ 

Shale, bluish-gray _ 

Shale, dark-gray _ 

Shale, gray, sandy. 

Shale. erav_ ___ _

Thickness 

(feet)

30

20 

220 

10 

10

Llog)

981 

3,054

20

230 

50 

150 

10 

60 

10 

50 

20 

30

60

19 

13

23 

20

30

20 

72 

88 

15 

10 

60

Depth 

(feet)

30

50 

270 

280 

290

981 

4,035

20

250 

300 

450 

460 

520 

530 

580 

600 

630

690

19 

32

55 

75

105

125 

197 

285 

300 

310 

370

Thickn 

Material (feet)

51-77-32CC Continued

Wasatch and Fort Union (?) 

F ormation s Continued 

Shale, carbonaf*cw~*nci

Hard shell (limy 

layer?) ____ _ _

Sandstone (water). 

Shale, carbonaHard shell (limy 

lavpr^

Shale, carbonaShale, hard, limy.. 

Sandstone, hard... 

Hard shell (limy

IQ VAT?^

Sandstone, soft 

(water, flows). __ 

Sandstone, hard... 

Coal _ . __ . .

Sandstone and

Shale. 

51-79-16ba

Alluvium: 

Sand and gravel 

(water) ------ _

Wasatch Formation: 

Shale, gray, sandySandstone, gray_-_

Coal. _ - _____

Shale, gray, sandy

Shale, brown and 

gray, interShale, gray, sandy

Shale, brown.. _ _

51-82-lbd

Wasatch Formation: 

Shale, carbonaceous.. _ _ -_

ess

24

1 

20

35 

1

47 

5 

8

1

30 

1 

1

4 

2

30

20 

5 

25

7

7

6

55

7 

2

15

Depth 

(feet)

394

395 

415

450 

451

498 

503 

511

512

542 

543 

544

548 

550

30

50 

55 

80

87 

94

100

155

162 

164

15
DRILLERS' LOGS OF WATER WELLS AND OIL-TEST HOLES 95

TABLK 8. Drillers' logs of water wells and oil-test holes in northern and central 

Johnson County, Wyo. Continued

Material 

51-82-lbd Con

Wasatch Formation Cc 

Shale, gray.. _ __

Sandstone (water). 

Shale, gray. _ ___

Sandstone (water). 

Shale------_---_-

51-82-10db

Alluvium: 

Sand and gravel- __ 

Wasatch Formation: 

Shale, gray. _ _ .

Shale, brown______

Sandstone, gray

Shale, brown; contains thin stringers of coal _____

Sandstone, gray___ 

Shale, gray___ _ _

Shale, blue... ___

Sandstone (water). 

Shale-------..---

51-82-36aa 

Alluvium:

Silt and sand. 

Sand (water) _____

51-83-3bd 

Alluvium: 

Soil and gravel. _ _

Wasatch Formation: 

Kingsbury Conglomerate (?) Member: 

Sand and gravel 

(water) _ _ _

Shale, blue __ __

Sandstone, blue 

(water) _ _ _ _ _

Sandstone, gray___

51-83-14bd

Alluvium: 

Sand and gravel. __ 

Wasatch Formation: 

Sandstone _

Shale. blue____

Thickness 

(feet)

tinned

tntinued 

30 

25 

14 

64 

2

47

8 

15

15

52 

33 

1 

33 

43 

3

4 

13 

13

10

46 

9

16 

6 

3

27

16 

27

Depth 

(feet)

45 

70 

84 

148 

150

47

55 

70

85

137 

170 

171 

204 

247 

250

4 

17 

30

10

56 

65

81 

87 

90

27

43 

70

Thickness 

Material (feet)

51-83-14bd Continued

Wasatch Formation Continued 

Sandstone (water) 4

Shale, blue...-- - 16

52-77-3ab 

Alluvium: 

Sand and gravel _ 55 

Wasatch and Fort 

Union Formations: 

Shale---.-.------ 242

Shale------------ 169

Sandstone (water). 11 

Shale------------ 179

Coal.-----.------ 10

Shale---. . __ 60

Sandstone (water). 70 

Coal..----------- 19

Shale.------.---- 4

52-77-9ab

Wasatch and Fort 

Union Formations: 

Shale, red (clinkers), "and gravel

ff\ 4.K

Shale---.-----.- 85

Sandstone.-- __ 10

Shale------------ 146

Sandstone...--- _ 16

Shale------------ 233

Shale------------ 40

Coal_---_-------- 20

Shale------------ 25

Sandstone (water). 10 

Shale------.----. 244

Sandstone.--. - 8

Shale...--------- 88

Coal_----_------- 43

Sandstone (water, 

flow 10 gpm) _ . _ 27 

Shale.-.--------- 10

52-77-21ca

(Oil test; partial log)

Wasatch Formation __ 740 

Fort Union Formation. 1, 160(?)

Depth 

(feet)

74 

90

55

297 

306 

475 

486 

665 

675 

735 

805 

824 

828

45 

130 

140 

286 

302 

535 

545 

585 

605 

630 

640 

884 

892 

980 

1,023

1,050 

1,060

740 

1,900
96 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

TABLE 8. Drillers' logs of water wells and oil-test holes in northern and central 

Johnson County, Wyo. Continued

Material 

52-78-14aa

(Oil test; partial

Wasatch Formation __ 

Fort Union Formation.

52-78-16cb

Alluvium: 

Sand and gravel- . 

Wasatch and Fort 

Union (?) Formations: 

Shale..----..--..

Sandstone. _ _____

Shale.. 

Coal___------ _ _

Shale.. _ ___

Shale___-__---___

Sandstone. __ ___

Shale..----.-- _

Shale_-----_-____

Sandstone . 

Shale.- 

Coal 

Shale..-. __- ____

Shale__ 

Coal 

Shale__ 

Coal._-_---_-_-__

Shale..- . __

52-82- 13db

Alluvium: 

Silt and sand_____ 

Gravel. _________

Wasatch Formation: 

CoaL 

Shale, blue__

Rock (sandstone?). 

Shale, blue _ _

Shale, blue____ __

Rock (sandstone?). 

Shale, blue _ _ _ _

Rock (sandstone?)-

Thickness 

(feet)

log)

1,374 

2,073

54

21 

45 

25 

15 

84 

12 

104 

10 

76 

59 

15 

30 

140 

28 

12 

20 

43 

24 

123 

20 

75 

60

7 

13 

35

13 

22 

4 

16 

16 

22 

5 

7 

5

Depth 

(feet)

1,374 

3,447

54

75 

120 

145 

160 

244 

256 

360 

370 

446 

505 

520 

550 

690 

718 

730 

750 

793 

817 

940 

960 

1,035 

1,095

7 

20 

55

68 

90 

94 

110 

126 

148 

153 

160 

165

Thickness 

Material (feet)

52-82-13db Continued 

Wasatch Formation Continued

Shale, blue... __ 20

Rock (sandstone?). 5 

Shale, blue_ _ ___ 23

Shale, blue. __ __ 2

52-S3-22ca

Alluvium: 

Silt, sand, and 

gravel. _ _ _ - 55

Wasatch Formation: 

Shale, gray, hard 12 

Shale, sandy (water). __ __ _. _ 18

Shale, brown; contains some stringers of coal. _ __ 12

Shale, blue, hard.. 13 

Sandstone, gray 

(water at 11 8 ft). 20 

Shale, blue. ___ 40

Sandstone, bluishgray (water)..-. 10 

Shale, blue-----.. 95

CoaL 105

.Shale containing 

stringers of coal. 80 

Sandstone (water). 3 

Shale and coal __ 39

Sandstone (flow 1 

gpm) _______ _ 6

Shale__ _ - _ -_. 2

53-77-24db

Alluvium (?) : 

Sand and gravel _ 102 

Wasatch and Fort 

Union Formations: 

Shale-- -- 128

Coal_--_--------- 16

Shale- 84

Sandstone _ _ 20

Shale.- -- 128

Coal..----------- 12

Depth 

(feet)

180 

200 

205 

228 

244 

246

55

67 

85

97 

110

130 

170

180 

275 

380

460 

463 

502

508 

510

102

230 

246 

330 

350 

478 

490
SELECTED REFERENCES 97

TABLE 8. Drillers' logs of water wells and oil-test holes in northern, and central 

Johnson County, Wyo. Continued

Thickness Depth 

Material (feet) (feet)

53-77-24db Continued

Wasatch etc. Continued

Shale____________

Sandstone (flow 1 

gpm) _

Shale

Coal

Shale__ __ ______

Sandstone. ______

Sandstone (water).

53-77-27ca

Alluvium :

Sand and gravel. __

Wasatch and Fort

Union Formations:

Sandstone. _______

Sandstone (water).

222

28 

70 

20 

55 

25 

30 

41

60

240 

10 

170 

10 

180

712

740 

810 

830 

885 

910 

940 

981

60

300 

310 

480 

490 

670

Material

Thickness Depth 

(feet) (feet)

53-77-27ca Continued

Wasatch and Fort Union 

Formations Continued

Sandstone (flow)__

10

60

70

10

80

53-79-25aa

(Oil test; partial log)

Wasatch Formation. __ 990 

Fort Union Formation. 2, 964

53-82-33bb

Alluvium:

Clay... __________ 5

Gravel.... ____ 13

Wasatch Formation:

Shale, blue-.-...- 12 

Sandstone (water). 2 

Shale, blue. ---___ 9 

Sandstone (water). 19

680

740

810

820

900

990

3,954

5

18

30

32

41

60

SELECTED REFERENCES

Beath, O. A., and others, 1953, Poisonous plants and livestock poisoning: Wyoming Agr. Expt. Sta. Bull. 324, 94 p. 

Brown, R. W., 1958, Fort Union Formation in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming,

in Wyoming Geol. Assoc. Guidebook 13th Ann. Field Conf., Powder River

Basin, 1958: p. 111-113. 

California State Water Pollution Control Board, 1952, Water-quality criteria:

California State Water Pollution Control Board Pub. 3, 512 p. 

Chamberlin, R. T., 1909, Notes on explosive mine gases and dusts: U.S. Geol.

Survey Bull. 383, 67 p. 

Culler, R. C., 1961, Hydrology of stock-water reservoirs in upper Cheyenne River

basin, pt. A of Hydrology of the upper Cheyenne River basin: U.S. Geol.

Survey Water-Supply Paper 1531, p. 1-136. 

Darton, N. H., 1906a, Geology of the Bighorn Mountains: U.S. Geol. Survey

Prof. Paper 51,129 p.

 1906b, Description of the Bald Mountain-Dayton quadrangle [Wyoming]: 

U.S. Geol. Survey Geol. Atlas, Folio 141.

 1906c, Description of the Cloud Peak-Fort McKinney quadrangle [Wyoming] : U.S. Geol. Survey Geol. Atlas, Folio 142.

Demorest, M. H., 1941, Critical structural features of the Bighorn Mountains, 

Wyoming: Geol. Soc. America Bull., v. 52, no. 2, p. 161-176.

Eaton, F. M., 1936, Changes in the composition of ground-waters resultant to

anaerobic sulfate decomposition and the attendant precipitation of calcium

and magnesium: Am. Geophys. Union Trans., Ann. Mtg. 17, pt. 2, p. 512-516.
98 GROUND WATER, GEOLOGY, JOHNSON COUNTY, WYO.

Eaton, T. M., 1950, Significance of carbonates in irrigation waters: Soil Sci., v.

69, no. 2, p. 123-133. 

Foster, M. D., 1950, The origin of high sodium bicarbonate waters in the Atlantic

and Gulf Coastal Plain: Geochim. et Cosmochim. Acta, v. 1, p. 33-48. 

Gale, H. S., and Wegemann, C. H., 1910, The Baffalo coal field, Wyoming, m

Coal fields in Wyoming: TJjS. Geol. Survey Bull. 381-B, p. 137-169. 

Hadley, R. F., and Schumm, S. A., 1961, Sediment sources and drainage-basin

characteristics in upper Cheyenne River basin, pt. B of Hydrology of the

upper Cheyenne River basin: U.S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 1531, p.

137-197. 

Hazen, Alien, 1892, A new color standard for natural waters: Am. Chem. Soc.

Jour., v. 12, p. 427, 428. 

Hem, J. D., 1959, Study and interpretation of the chemical characteristics of

natural water: U.S. Geol., Survey Water-iSupply Paper 1473, 269 p. 

Hose, R. K., 1955, Geology of the Crazy Woman Creek area, Johnson County,

Wyoming: U.S. Geol. Survey Bull. 1027-B, p. 33-118. 

Kohler, M. A., Nordenson, T. J., and Baker, T R., 1959, Evaporation maps of

the United States: US. Weather Bureau Technical Paper 37,13 p. 

Leopold, L. B., and Miller, J. P., 1954, A postglacial chronology for some alluvial

valleys in Wyoming: U.'S. Geol. Survey Water-tSupply Paper 1261, 90 p. 

Lewis, J. V., 1934, The evolution of the mineral coals: Econ. Geology, v. 29,

no. 1, p. 1-38. 

Love, J. D., 1945, 'Stratigraphic sections and thickness maps of Lower Cretaceous

and non-marine Jurassic rocks of central Wyoming: U.S. Geol. Survey

Oil and Gas Inv. (Prelim.) Chart 13. 

Love, J. D., and Weitz, J. L., 1951, Geologic map of the Powder River Basin

and adjacent areas, Wyoming: U.S. Geol. Survey Oil and Gas Inv. Map

OM-122. 

Lowry, M. E., 1963, Development of ground water in the vicinity of Tensleep,

Wyoming: U.S. Geol. Survey open-file report, 12 p. 

Mapel, W. J., 1959, Geology and coal resources of the Buffalo-Lake DeiSmet

area, Johnson and Sheridan Counties, Wyoming: U.S. Geol. Survey Bull.

1078, 148 p. 

Meinzer, O. E., 1923, The occurrence of ground water in the United States,

with a discussion of principles: U.S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper

489, 321 p. 

Miller, W. McNab, 1956, Agricultural Engineering Fact Sheet: Wyoming Univ.,

Wyoming Agr. Ext. Serv., 2 p.

Moore, E. S., 1950, Coal: New York, John Wiley & Sons, 473 p. 

Moore, E. W., 1940, Progress report of the committee on quality tolerances of

water for industrial uses: New England Water Works Assoc. Jour., v.

'54, p. 271. 

Mower, R. W., and Nace, R. L., 1957, Water consumption by water-loving

plants in the Malad Valley, Oneida County, Idaho: U.S. Geol. Survey

Water-Supply Paper 1412, 33 p. 

Riffenburg, H. B., 1925, Chemical character of ground water of the northern

Great Plains: U.S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 560-B, p. 31-52. 

Scofleld, C. S., 1936, The salinity of irrigation water: Smithsonian Inst. Ann.

Rept., 1935, p. 275-287. 

Sharp, R. P., 1948, Early Tertiary fanglomerate, Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming:

Jour. Geology, v. 56, no. 1, p. 1-15.
SELECTED REFERENCES 99

Theis, C. V., 1935, The relation 'between the lowering of the piezometric surface and the rate and duration of discharge of a well using ground-water 

storage: Am. Geophys. Union Trans., p. 519-524.

U.S. Public Health Service, 1962, Drinking Water Standards: U.S. Public 

Health Service Pub. 956, 61 p.

U.S. Salinity Laboratory 'Staff, 1954, Diagnosis and improvement of saline and 

alkali soils: U.S. Dept. Agriculture Handb. 60,160 p.

Waage, K. M., 1950, Stratigraphy of the Inyan Kara Group in the Black Hills: 

U.S. Geol. Survey Bull. 1081-B, p. 11-90.

Wegemann, C. H., 1912, The Sussex Goal field, Johnson, Natrona, and Converse 

Counties, Wyoming: U.S. Geol. Survey Bull. 471-F, p. 441-471.

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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

PREPARED IN COOPERATION WITH THE

WYOMING STATE ENGINEER

WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1806 

PLATE 2

Thickness 

16,000' 

15.000' -

14,000' 

13,000' -

12.000' -

11,000' -

10,000' 

9000' 

8000' 

7000' 

6000' 

5000' -

4000' -

3000' -

2000' 

1000' 

500' 

Moncrief Member ' '"~7~~37 

 --^- ^-iiS^_'

Kingsbury ^ 

Conglomerate 

Member

Wasatch Formation Water bearing

Fort Union 

Formation

Light-gray sandstone 

and dark-gray shale 

containing lenticular 

beds of carbonaceous 

shale and coal

Lance 

Formation

Light-gray sandstone 

and dark-gray shale

Water bearing

=Z=^\

rrFl

Water bearing

Bearpaw Shale Dark-gray shale

Parkman Sandstone

Yellowish-gray 

sandstone and 

gray shale

Water bearing

Cody Shale

Shannon Sandstone Member

Dark-gray shale containing 

some light-gray sandstone 

in upper part

Water bearing?

Frontier Formation Dark-gray shale and interbedded 

light-gray sandstone Water bearing ?

Mowry Shale

Light- to dark-gray 

siliceous shale

Skull Creek Shale

Newcastle Sandstone

Cleverly Formation Siltstone and shale; sandstone at base

Black shale

^^ Tvrrr-.r=~^ :7~TX } Water bearing?

A > Water bearing?

Morrison Formation Variegated shale

Sundance Formation Shale and sandstone

Gypsum Spring Formation

Chugwater Formation Reddish-brown claystone, siltstone, and fine-grained sandstone

Gypsum and red-shale sequence

Tensleep Sandstone Light-gray sandstone

Amsden Formation

Water bearing?

Water bearing

Shale, limestone, and dolomite

Madison Limestone Light-gray limestone and dolomite

Bighorn Dolomite Light-gray dolomite containing sandstone at base

Gallatin and Gros Ventre Formations Limestone, shale, and sandstone

Flathead Sandstone Sandstone containing some shale and siltstone 

Precambrian red and gray granite

> Water bearing ?

GENERALIZED COLUMNAR SECTION SHOWING ROCKS OF NORTHERN 

AND CENTRAL JOHNSON COUNTY, WYOMING

795-830 O - 66 (In pocket)