bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Shallow Seismic-reflection Study of a Salt-dissolution Subsidence Feature in Stafford County, Kansas
Authors: Miller Richard D. , Steeples Don W. , Weis Thomas V.
Published: January 2025

Seismic-reflection surveying was successfully used to define subsidence of the Stone Corral anhydrite in Stafford County, Kansas, in response to dissolution of the 85-m (279-ft)-thick Permian-aged Hutchinson Salt at a depth of approximately 340 m (1,116 ft). Gradual formation of a surface depression around the Siefkes "A" No. 6 abandoned oil-field-brine disposal well in Stafford County, Kansas, led to a 12-fold COP seismic survey to define the potential extent and amount of future surface subsidence. Several reflections interpreted on the CDP stacked sections possess dominant frequencies in excess of 100 Hz. Reflections can be interpreted on stacked sections at two-way times from 80 msec (approximate depth of 70 m; 230 ft) to 220 msec (approximate depth of 200 m; 656 ft). The Stone Corral anhydrite reflection is present between 200 and 220 msec on all three seismic lines and possesses a maximum of 20 msec (35 m assuming 1,770 m/sec seismic velocity) of relative subsidence. The March 1990 subsurface dissolution boundary, as defined by the Stone Corral anhydrite, suggested a potential four-fold increase in the surface area of the sinkhole encompassing part of both an east-west and a north-south county road.
Garfield Prospect, Lippelmann Field, Decatur County, Kansas
Authors: Crouch Michael L.
Published: January 2025

The Lippelmann field is located in the east-central portion of Decatur County, Kansas. The initial test, the Murfin Drilling Company #1-16 Lippelmann, was drilled in August 1982. Development drilling began immediately after the discovery well, and the field was developed by September 1984. A total of five successful oil wells have been drilled in the Lippelmann field with production coming from the Pennsylvanian Oread, Lansing, and Pawnee-Cherokee formations. Production has been approximately 356,166 BO as of June 1992, with the ultimate recovery projected at 554,732 BO.
Roland SE Field, Rush County, Kansas
Authors: Ballard David W. , Reinschmidt Kevin K.
Published: January 2025

Roland SE field is located in the northwest portion of Rush County, Kansas (fig. 1). Although the field was discovered in 1968, it was not effectively developed until 1988. At the present time, there are 10 producing wells at Roland SE. Production is from the Cambrian-Ordovician Arbuckle Group with the exception of one well, Baldwin #1-36, which produces from the Pennsylvanian Lansing Group (fig. 2). Ultimate recovery at Roland SE is projected to be 444,000 BO, with the average well producing 44,000 BO.
The Arbuckle dolomite is an excellent reservoir at Roland SE field, as illustrated by 6 ft of Arbuckle core from the House #3-36. Measured porosities average 23.7% while the average permeability is 1,540.7 millidarcies.
Seismic Support Leading to Discovery and Development of Strahm South Field, Forest City Basin, Northeastern Kansas
Authors: Hedke Dennis E.
Published: January 2025

For the past five or six decades, the Forest City basin has been subject to sporadic exploration activity. Prior to the advent of multifold seismic data acquisition, many significant fields (e.g., Davis Ranch in Wabaunsee County) were discovered by integrating subsurface well control with shallow core-hole data. In some cases (Strahm field, Nemaha County), spot correlation seismic data were utilized in conjunction with shallow surface/outcrop structure mapping.
At Strahm South field, east-central Nemaha County, Kansas, an initial subsurface lead was investigated by acquiring 6.25 mi (10.0 km) of nominal 12-fold CDP data in early 1984. This initial survey resulted in a discovery and was augmented by the phased acquisition of 11.4 mi (18.25 km) of "development" data. Pre-drilling seismic mapping indicated significant thinning over a key Lansing-Viola interval; this feature generally indicates deep subsurface structure, particularly at the Ordovician. The survey data also indicated critical west dip of more than 100 ft (30 m) at the top of the Viola and probable closure.
Drilling has confirmed this 100 ft (30 m) of dip and that the Strahm South field is an elongated, faulted, and closed feature. It is slightly over 1 mi (1.6 km) long, with a productive width apparently less than 1,300 ft (390 m). Estimated ultimate recovery from six Viola wells will likely exceed 275,000 bbls. Untested Hunton and Simpson pay remains behind pipe.
Although other geophysical and geochemical techniques can be of assistance prior to drilling untested structures in this area, multifold seismic results are especially encouraging. Both lateral and vertical resolution, particularly with modem recording geometries and processing, confirm good agreement with actual subsurface data. When measured against the cost of a typical dry hole in the area, the CDP surveys are also very cost effective if designed with appropriate constraint.
Case History of Hampton Field (Arbuckle Group), Rush County, Kansas
Authors: Carr Timothy R. , Hopkins John , Anderson Neil L. , Hedke Dennis E.
Published: January 2025

Hampton field, located in northwestern Rush County, Kansas (principally in secs. 5-8, T. 17 S., R. 19 W.), is a small Arbuckle field (1.12 MMBO) along the western flank of the Central Kansas uplift. The field is a classic example of an unconformity trap and reservoir related to development of "mature" karst features into a poorly organized hierarchy of closed depressions and erosional highs (e.g., fractures, sinks, steepheads, uvalas, and half-blind valleys). An understanding of the paleogeomorphology of the pre-Pennsylvanian exposure surface and its relationship to basement structure is critical to successful exploration and development. Seismic control provides evidence of pre-existing basement structure that influenced subsequent deposition and erosion. Structural relief and closure at the Arbuckle level across Hampton field can be recognized on the seismic data. The seismic data in conjunction with the well control are a valuable exploration and development tool. The seismic data provide insights into timing of tectonic movements, the influence of basement structure on subsequent deposition and erosional topography, and on differential compaction of post-Cherokee rocks across the pre-Pennsylvanian basement structure.
Cherokee Sandstone Reservoir, Southeastern Kansas
Authors: Knapp Ralph W. , Anderson Neil L. , Youle John
Published: January 2025

The oil reservoir encountered by the Timmons #1 well, Wilson County, Kansas, produces from a fluvial channel sandstone facies (point bar deposit) within the Cherokee Group known commonly as the "Bartlesville" Sandstone. Hydrocarbons are stratigraphically trapped, the porous sandstone facies effectively sealed within tight, dense shales. The reservoir is characteristic of many of the Pennsylvanian pools in southeastern Kansas in that the sandstone is both shallow (335 m; 1,105 ft) and thin (3 m; 10 ft). Its thinness makes it effectively transparent or invisible to conventional seismic data. High-resolution seismic data, however, use frequencies that are harmonic with the thickness of the sandstone, creating a tuning situation and effectively a bright-spot response of the horizon when sandstone is encountered. The interpretation is validated with the observation of drape over the channel and the polarity of the reflection.
Finally, the interpretation scheme was confirmed with the drilling of Timmons #3 directly north of Timmons #1 where a reflection character similar to that under Timmons #1 is seen on Line 2. Timmons #3 encountered porous sandstone of greater thickness than that under Timmons #1.
Comparison of Maturation Data and Fluid-inclusion Homogenization Temperatures to Simple Thermal Models: Implications for Thermal History and Fluid Flow in the Midcontinent
Authors: Newell K. David
Published: January 2025

Time-temperature index (TTI) modeling is used to establish a simple theoretical thermal maturity for Paleozoic strata in central Kansas. These thermal maturation calculations are based on estimates of likely geothermal gradients and best knowledge of the tectonic history of the region, as derived from stratigraphic thicknesses and estimates of erosion at unconformities. Major uncertainties in the data for the TTI modeling are burial during Cretaceous time and geothermal gradient, thus several models were calculated in which ranges of these two variables were considered. Results of the thermal modeling are then compared to available data on the thermal maturation. These data are principally derived from subsurface samples, on which vitrinite-reflectance, pyrolysis, and fluid-inclusion analyses have been performed.
Vitrinite-reflectance and Rock-Eval maturation measurements indicate that Middle and Upper Ordovician strata (i.e., Simpson, Viola, and Maquoketa formations) in the study area are in initial phases of oil generation. Maturation modeling can match the results of the organic analyses, but geothermal gradients and burial during the Cretaceous have to be maximized.
Although the TTI modeling utilizing very high geothermal gradients and near-excessive thicknesses of Cretaceous strata can match the observed maturation, the modeled results are probably not correct because fluid-inclusion data from saddle dolomites from the Upper Ordovician Viola Limestone indicate this unit reached temperatures 50° C higher than the maximum modeled temperature. A thermal event is inferred to account for the excess maturation and elevated fluid-inclusion homogenization temperatures. This thermal event may be manifested in the erratic increase of vitrinite-reflectance with depth for post-Devonian strata, as well as for pyrolysis measurements in wells for which maturation profiles are available. Flow of heated water onto the cratonic shelf out of the Anadarko basin during the late Paleozoic Ouachita orogeny may be responsible for the maturation anomalies.
The Relationship Between Geology and Landslide Hazards of Atchison, Kansas, and Vicinity
Authors: Ohlmacher Gregory C.
Published: January 2025

Landslides along the Missouri and Kansas rivers will affect existing structures and potential development in the Kansas City metropolitan area. A pilot landslide-mapping project was conducted in the vicinity of Atchison, Kansas, to inventory existing landslides and determine the factors that caused them. Landslides are generally controlled by the slope morphology, geology, soils, and moisture conditions. For this study, landslides were divided into recent and older landslides (including earth slides and earth flows) and rock-fall hazards (including rock falls and rock topples). Recent landslides are associated with shale members of the Pennsylvanian Lawrence Formation, Oread Limestone, Kanwaka Shale, and Tecumseh Shale. Limestone layers that occur between these shale members were incorporated into recent and older landslides. Recent landslides occurred on slopes with an average angle of 22 degrees. Recent landslides were also observed in glacial drift, loess, and alluvium. Rock-fall hazards occurred in areas of nearly vertical slopes along streams, river bluffs, highways, and quarries, where limestone members of the Pennsylvanian Oread, Lecompton, and Deer Creek Limestones are exposed. Troublesome rock-fall hazards occurred where weak shale layers are eroding underneath resistant limestone layers.
Revision of Stratigraphic Nomenclature and Classification of the Pleasanton, Kansas City, Lansing, and Lower Part of the Douglas Groups (Lower Upper Pennsylvanian, Missourian) in Kansas
Authors: Heckel P. H. , Watney W. L.
Published: January 2025

Correction of several long-standing miscorrelations within the Missourian succession in Kansas has resulted from recent field work along outcrop and has been substantiated by near-surface drilling. This requires some revision of nomenclature and classification of this succession of rocks so that its stratigraphy is clarified and sufficiently characterized to facilitate its utilization in the interpretation of geologic history and assessment of resources. The revision also is timely for consideration of the succession in the pending selection of international Series/Stage boundary stratotypes. New formations now recognized in Kansas are the Hepler and Shale Hill Formations in the Pleasanton Group; the Elm Branch Shale and Mound Valley Limestone, both essentially reinstated, in the Bronson Subgroup of the Kansas City Group; the Nellie Bly Formation and Dewey Limestone, both newly extended into Kansas (from Oklahoma) in the Linn Subgroup of the Kansas City Group; the Liberty Memorial Shale, reinstated (from Missouri) in the Zarah Subgroup of the Kansas City Group; and the Cass Limestone, newly extended into Kansas (from Nebraska) in the middle of the Douglas Group. In addition, the Coffeyville Group is now recognized in southern Kansas to more adequately characterize the southward facies transition of the upper Pleasanton and lower Kansas City Groups (most of the Bronson Subgroup). Several formations previously recognized in Kansas have been revised (Tacket Formation, Hertha Limestone, Cherryvale Formation, Wyandotte Limestone, Lane Shale, Stanton Limestone), with members shifted from or to adjacent formations. Two members are raised in rank (Rock Lake Shale and South Bend Limestone); four members are extended into Kansas from surrounding areas (Exline Limestone Member of Shale Hill Formation, Gretna Shale Member of South Bend Limestone, Little Pawnee Shale Member and Shoemaker Limestone Member ofCass Limestone); one member is reinstated (Little Kaw Limestone Member of South Bend Limestone); and two members are newly defined in Kansas (Mantey Shale Member and Guthrie Mountain Shale Member of Shale Hill Formation).
Modeling Dielectric-constant Values of Geologic Materials: An Aid to Ground-penetrating Radar Data Collection and Interpretation
Authors: Martinez Alex , Byrnes Alan P.
Published: January 2025

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is a near-surface geophysical imaging technique used for non-intrusive subsurface geologic and engineering investigations. Dielectric constant is a critical parameter for GPR surveys because it controls propagation velocity of electromagnetic waves through material, reflection coefficients across interfaces of different materials, and vertical and horizontal imaging resolution. Dielectric constant in rocks and sediments is primarily a function of mineralogy, porosity, pore fluids, frequency, geometries, and electrochemical interactions between rock components. Reported dielectric-constant values for sedimentary rocks provide general ranges of expected values, but these values may not adequately represent rocks in specific field conditions.
Time-propagation mixing modeling, a forward-modeling technique, was performed and showed good correlation between modeled and measured dielectric constants of selected sandstones and limestones. Additional models were constructed to investigate the role of lithology and fluid saturation on dielectric constant and GPR response. Three modeled rock examples of variable mineralogy, porosity, and saturation illustrate that bulk dielectric constant, which generally ranges from 2 to 38 in the materials modeled, is primarily controlled by water saturation and, secondarily, by porosity and mineralogy, although these variables are interdependent. Without data stacking, differences in dielectric constant must be greater than 2 to produce reflections that can be recorded above background noise. For the examples modeled, saturation differences of less than 35% between layers produced reflection signals above background noise, but in completely dry material, normal mineralogic and porosity differences may not produce discernible reflections without stacking.
Response of Forest to Climatic Events and Human Management at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
Authors: Aber James S. , Wallace Juliet , Nowak Matthew C.
Published: January 2025

Characteristics and temporal changes in forest cover from 1987 to 1997 were documented on the basis of remote sensing for two study forests at Fort Leavenworth, northeastern Kansas. Eight Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) datasets from the month of July cover the study period, which included a major drought in 1988-1989 and flooding along the Missouri River in 1993. Other data sources included kite aerial photographs, digital orthophotos, tree-ring cores, climatic records, and ground observations. Three study areas were evaluated from Landsat TM datasets: (1) the entire Fort Leavenworth area; (2) an upland, hardwood forest composed mainly of oaks; and (3) a bottomland, softwood forest dominated by cottonwood. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values were derived from these three study sets and subjected to image differencing and principal-component analysis. The TM band 5:4 ratio was also analyzed for the two study forests. Values and trends derived from Landsat imagery were compared to data on tree-ring growth in upland oaks and regional climatic events.
Annual growth of tree rings in upland oaks is tied closely to precipitation and the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI); however, changes in NDVI values lag one to two years behind the onset of climatic events, particularly drought episodes. During the first year of drought (1988), vegetation cover in the upland and bottomland forests reacted in different ways: with a slight decline in the upland forest and a slight increase in the bottomland forest. The increased vegetation in the bottomland forest presumably resulted from more understory growth in dry hollows and potholes. In the second year of drought (1989), both forests suffered a marked decline in vegetation cover. NDVI values reached their minima for all categories (whole area, upland forest, and bottomland forest) in 1990, even though precipitation and tree-ring growth increased substantially that year. We conclude that changes in Landsat-derived NDVI values are out of phase with climatic events and variations in tree-ring growth for both upland and bottomland forests in northeastern Kansas and northwestern Missouri.
Overall change (1987 to 1997) for NDVI values is down slightly for all categories of evaluation. This probably reflects reduced precipitation throughout the study period compared to the long-term average. Changes in vegetation took place mainly on the forest margins. Such changes are thought to result from microclimatic stress at forest edges. The bottomland study forest also was impacted by severe flooding in 1993. Routine human activities may have resulted in minor changes along the margins of both study forests. The bottomland forest was affected by intentional burning of the adjacent prairie in April 2000. Cottonwood trees at the forest edge were killed or injured by the prairie fire, which penetrated the forest understory some distance.
A New Look at an Old Petroleum Province
Authors: Gerhard Lee C.
Published: January 2025

New petroleum paradigms in mature basins can be derived from re-examining geological parameters without bias of preceding theory. Kansas has a long history of oil and gas production with over 300,000 wells drilled. Precambrian basement faults in Kansas control the development of later structures, and probably, reservoirs. This study and re-interpretation of geologic history has identified a possible new play along reverse and thrust faults of the Humboldt Fault Zone along the eastern margin of the Nemaha uplift. This paper also suggests that the lack of significant petroleum production in the Salina basin is the result of migration barriers created by faults at the junction of two major fracture trends, rather than by limited local generation and migration.
Reconstructing Late Cenozoic Stream Gradients from High-level Chert Gravels in Central Eastern Kansas
Authors: Harbaugh John W. , Merriam Daniel F. , Howard Hugh H.
Published: January 2025

Interpreting the evolution of Kansas' landscape east of the Flint Hills provides major challenges. In the Neogene (late Tertiary) and perhaps part of the Pleistocene, streams transported a variety of sedimentary materials, including chert gravels derived from the Flint Hills. Gentle intermittent uplift stimulated the stream system to cut down, locally removing and reworking the gravels to create stream-terrace deposits that consist mostly of chert pebbles, which now lie well above the floodplains of modern streams. By correlating the elevations of these gravels, the gradients of the trunk streams that deposited them can be reconstructed. Interestingly, these ancient streams flowed southeast at a little more than a foot per mile (0.2 m/km), roughly the same as the gradient of the trunk streams in the region today.
The evolving landscape in eastern Kansas also has been strongly influenced by an extensive network of fractures that is widespread in the midcontinent region and may be worldwide in extent. In northeastern Kansas, glaciation during the Pleistocene disrupted the southeasterly drainage and established the present location of the Kansas River. South of the Kansas River and its immediate tributaries, however, the general southeasterly drainage has been preserved.
We have made use of the wealth of topographic-elevation data now available in digital form known as DEMs or digital elevation models. Coupled with GIS procedures, the DEMs helped link the mapped distribution of chert gravels with hypothetical fitted surfaces that represent ancient stream gradients. Furthermore, DEM data placed in shaded-relief map form emphasize the influence of fractures in evolution of the drainage system.
Preliminary Identification of Ground-water Nitrate Sources Using Nitrogen and Carbon Stable Isotopes, Kansas
Authors: Townsend M. A. , Macko S. A.
Published: January 2025

Increasing nitrate-N in ground water is a problem in many areas with limited ground-water supplies, such as west-central Kansas. However, potential sources of nitrate-N are not known. Nitrate-N concentrations in ground water in the Hays study area in Ellis County, west-central Kansas, range from 0.9 to 26 mg/L. The δ15N signatures of the ground waters are more enriched (+16.8 to +28.7‰) than those of the soils (+8.4 to +13.7‰), strongly suggesting that nitrogen sources are not from mineralized and labile nitrogen present in the unsaturated zone. In this study, nitrate-N values greater than the U.S. EPA drinking water limit of 10 mg/L occur with δ15N values of greater than +10‰. This relationship between high nitrate-N concentrations and enriched δ15N values (greater than +10‰) in ground water has been observed in other studies in Kansas and is usually related to a human- and/or animal-waste source.
Soil cores collected near municipal wells had mean total nitrogen values of 1.2-15 mg/kg. Increased δ15N with depth in several of the cores suggests that microbial mineralization, denitrification, or volatilization processes caused the enriched δ15N signatures. Decreasing total nitrogen and nitrate-N values with depth also help support the idea of microbial processes.
Stable carbon isotopes provide supporting evidence that soils are not a major contributor to the observed nitrate-N concentration in the ground water. δ13C values of the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in soils generally were more enriched (-11.6 to -18.8‰) while corresponding ground-water δ13C values were more depleted (-19.9 to -22.2‰), suggesting that the source of the DOC in ground water is not from the soils.
Channels Ran Through It— The Lawrence Formation at Lone Star Lake, Douglas County, Kansas
Authors: Enos Paul , Jefferson Robert D. , Goetz Staci L.
Published: January 2025

The upper part of the Ireland Sandstone Member of the Lawrence Formation exposed in the spillway of Lone Star Lake, southwest of Lawrence, Kansas, consists of abundant pinstripe-bedded shales and siltstones; thin, lenticular sandstone and siltstone beds; and meter-scale, channel-form sandstone and mudstone lenses. Soft-sediment-deformation structures, including load casts, ball-and-pillow, and pseudonodules are abundant. The lenticular and pinstripe bedding with bipolar paleocurrents suggests tide-influenced deposition. The crosscutting, channel-form deposits are interpreted as tidal channels in an environment with low energy but rapid sedimentation. The depositional environment was a tide-dominated, muddy upper estuary cut by tidal channels. Gravitational instabilities resulting from rapid deposition of sand over saturated mud produced inverse-density gradients that resulted in soft-sediment deformation.
The Permian System in Kansas
Authors: West R. R. , Miller K. B. , Watney W. L.
Published: January 2025

Rocks of Permian age in Kansas were first recognized in 1895, and by the early 21st century the internationally accepted boundary between the Permian and the Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian Subsystem) was recognized in Kansas at the base of the Bennett Shale Member of the Red Eagle Limestone. The upper boundary of the Permian is an erosional unconformity that is overlain by rocks of Cretaceous age. Currently accepted stratigraphic nomenclature for the Permian of Kansas recognizes the Wolfcampian, Leonardian, and Guadalupian Series, and the lithostratigraphic formations within each of these series reflect a wide spectrum of depositional environments. Summaries of the lithofacies, thicknesses, depositional environments, and source areas of, and for, the rocks in each series provide a basis for inferring the history of the Permian in Kansas as currently understood. Fluctuations from shallow-marine to terrestrial environments associated with climate change as a result of the waning of Gondwana glaciers and latitudinal shifts are recorded in the Permian rocks of Kansas. Economically these Permian rocks have been, and are, an important source of hydrocarbons, salt, gypsum, building stone, aggregate, and ground water.
This report on the Permian System in Kansas is "a work in progress" and future multi-disciplinary studies of chrono- and sequence stratigraphy, climate history, structural aspects, sediment transport, and diagenesis will further enhance our understanding of the end of the Paleozoic in Kansas.
Cover photo--The broad, flat surface in the center of the photo is the top of the Glenrock Limestone Member of the Red Eagle Limestone and the Carboniferous-Permian boundary at Tuttle Creek Lake Spillway in Pottawatomie County, Kansas.
New Insights on the Sequence Stratigraphic Architecture of the Dakota Formation in Kansas-Nebraska-Iowa from a Decade of Sponsored Research Activity
Authors: Ludvigson Greg A. , Witzke Brian J. , Joeckel R. M. , Ravn Robert L. , Phillips Preston Lee , González Luis A. , Brenner Robert L.
Published: January 2025

The Cretaceous Dakota Formation in the areas of Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa contains a rich and well-preserved microflora of fossil palynomorphs. A comprehensive listing of these taxa is presented in this publication as part of a continuing effort to develop a refined biostratigraphic scheme for mid-Cretaceous terrestrial deposits in North America. The Dakota Formation in this region contains four distinctive Albian-Cenomanian palynostratigraphic zones that are used to partition the unit into successive depositional cycles, and each zone records deposition in fluvial-estuarine environments. The late Albian Kiowa-Skull Creek depositional cycle at the base of the Dakota Formation is recognized throughout the study area, and is also recognized in other parts of the Cretaceous North American Western Interior basin. The overlying newly recognized latest Albian "Muddy-Mowry Cycle" is formally defined for the first time in this paper and correlates with depositional cycles recognized by other workers in other parts of the Western Interior basin. The Cenomanian lower Greenhorn Cycle is already widely recognized by many other workers throughout the Western Interior basin. Laterally extensive thin zones of pervasive carbonate mineral cementation are noted in fluvial-estuarine deposits in the Dakota Formation. They are believed to have formed as synsedimentary cements that precipitated below estuarine marine-flooding surfaces in settings related to discharging paleoground waters. The existence of these early diagenetic cementation zones has important implications for the recognition of diagenetic barriers and baffles to modern fluid flow in the Dakota Formation. New stable isotopic data on these authigenic cements are reported in this paper and add to a body of published data on the δ18O of mid-Cretaceous paleoprecipitation in North America.
Enigmatic Red Beds Exposed at Point of Rocks, Cimarron National Grassland, Morton County, Kansas: Chronostratigraphic Constraints from Uranium-Lead Dating of Detrital Zircons
Authors: Smith Jon J. , Platt Brian F. , Ludvigson Greg A. , Sawin Robert S. , Marshall Craig P. , Olcott-Marshall Alison
Published: January 2025

Point of Rocks, a high-relief bluff overlooking the Cimarron River valley in Morton County, Kansas, is capped by distinct white beds of Neogene Ogallala Formation calcrete that overlie red beds of shale, siltstone, and sandstone. These unfossiliferous red beds are currently assigned to the Jurassic System; however, their age has long been debated due to a lack of marker beds, index fossils, and nearby correlative outcrops. As a result, geologists over the years have assigned the rocks to systems ranging from the Permian to the Cretaceous. In this study, four stratigraphic sections were measured in the red beds and three bulk samples were collected to determine the uranium-lead age distributions of detrital zircon (DZ) populations. Red-bed strata composed of fissile shale and sandstone are interpreted as alluvial overbank deposits, while dominantly trough cross-bedded and planar-laminated sandstones are interpreted as tidally influenced fluvial deposits. Detrital zircon age peaks can be grouped into at least seven subpopulations with a youngest single zircon age of 263.8 ± 12.1 Ma, a more conservative age of 293.0 ± 6.95 Ma based on the youngest grouping of three grain ages overlapping at 2σ, and a complete absence of Mesozoic age zircons. In addition, copper oxides along partings and fractures suggest that the red beds once hosted copper sulfides, a common constituent of regional Permian-Triassic red beds. The DZ data--in conjunction with the identification of the Permian Day Creek Dolomite marker bed in logs of nearby drilling tests--strongly suggest that the enigmatic red beds cropping out at the base of Point of Rocks should be assigned to the Guadalupian Big Basin Formation, the uppermost Permian unit in Kansas.
Upper Pennsylvanian Gastropods from Kansas
Authors: Moore Raymond C.
Published: January 2025

A molluscan fauna collected in north-central Kansas from the Deer Creek limestone of the Shawnee group, upper Pennsylvanian (Virgil) in age, contains bellerophontid and other gastropods that excellently show apertural characters and some features of shell structure.Study of specimens of Euphemites indicates that the prismatic shell layer, secreted by an anterior border region of the mantle, is marked on the outerside by growth lines and covered externally by a thin smooth shell layer, here named perinductura, formed by a backward reflection of the outer edge of the mantle and partly by a longitudinally ribbed inductura deposited by the posterior and lateral parts of the mantle. Some species of Euphemites show the presence of another distinct shell layer that is deposited over part of the inductura. This layer is named the coinductura. The “obsolescence” of revolving ridges on a portion of the last whorl of Euphemites, not previously well explained, is seen to belong inherently both to old and young individuals.The smooth area is covered only the noncostate perinductura, whereas the costate area is formed by the inductura or by the inductura and coinductura. A new bellerophontid genus, Knightites, which is represented in the collections by nearly all growth stages, is especially characterized by a series of paired tubular projections bordering the slit band. These hornlike structures are believed to mark the loci of incurrent streams of water that bathed the ctenidia and osphradia. Mature or gerontic specimens of this genus and ofsome other bellerophontids in the collection show a thick inductura that is much more strongly curved transversely than the underlying shell of the preceding whorl. A new species that is assigned to Warthia, previously known from Permian rocks of Asia, seems to be the first determination of the occurrence of this genus in North America. Two new species of Bellerophon are described.
Extinct Lizards from Upper Pliocene Deposits of Kansas / Extinct Toads and Salamanders from Middle Pliocene Beds of Wallace and Sherman Counties, Kansas
Authors: Edward H. Taylor
Published: January 2025

The state of Kansas is widely known for its fossil-bearing rock strata, which have yielded a great number and variety of extinct vertebrate animals that lived in past ages. For the most part, the vertebrate fossils that are best known belong to the larger forms of mammals, reptiles, and fishes, inasmuch as these are usually the first to be collected. This is probably due to the fact that fossilized bones of the larger animals are more readily discovered and more easily excavated. The faunas of the past, however, did not consist merely of large animals. Just as today we find small species living in the same regions with the larger species, so we may expect the same to be true of past geological periods or epochs.
I have undertaken to find out something about the varieties of these small forms, particularly, the species of lizards, snakes, frogs, toads, and salamanders that lived during late Pliocene time in Kansas; to ascertain their relationships with the present living forms; and to determine whether they throw any light on the climatic conditions that existed in the past, when camels, rhinoceroses, peccaries, three-toed horses, and mastodons were typical large mammals of the state.
This paper treats only of the lizards of the upper Pliocene deposits in Kansas. Four species are here reported for the first time. That this is a significant number is evident when we realize that only three species of lizards have been heretofore known from all of Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene time in North America. One of the three is a horned-toad, one a collared lizard, and these two have been referred to the living genera Phrynosoma and Crotaphytus, respectively; one, which is from the Miocene, has been made the type of a new genus, having no known living representatives.
In this paper one genus and four species of lizards are described from the upper Pliocene beds of Meade County, Kansas. These are Eumecoides, n. gen. (Scincidae?), genotype E. hibbardi, n. sp., E. mylocoelus, n. sp., Eumeces striatulatus, n. sp. (Scincidae), and Cnemidophorus bilobatus, n. sp. (Teiidae).
The first two species are small lizards whose relationship is not clear. They are placed in a new genus, and referred, with some doubt, to the family of the skinks. The third species is a skink of the widely distributed genus Eumeces, which has living representatives in Africa, Asia, and North America. The fourth species is a whiptail lizard, belonging to a living genus, and to a family which is confined to the western hemisphere.
The Borchers Fauna, a New Pleistocene Interglacial Fauna from Meade County, Kansas
Authors: Hibbard Claude W.
Published: January 2025

A previously unknown mammalian fauna from interglacial Pleistocene deposits of the High Plains region is described from Meade County, Kansas, and a short discussion of the geological relations of the fossil-bearing beds is given. The fauna indicates the existence of a warm climatic condition at the time that the fauna lived in the area. Remains of four classes of vertebrates have been collected from the deposit--amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals--of which specimens belonging to the first three have not yet been studied. This paper treats the Mammalia, which consists of 4 orders, 9 families, and 12 genera. The following new species are described and illustrated: Citellus meadensis, Citellus cragini, Perognathus pearlettensis, Onychomys fossilis, Reithrodontomys pratincola, Sigmodon hilli, and Zapus burti.
Ground-Water Resources of Mississippian and Older Rocks in Bourbon, Crawford, Cherokee, and Labette Counties, Southeastern Kansas
Authors: Abernathy G.E.
Published: January 2025

Large quantities of ground water suitable for domestic and industrial uses may be obtained from drilled wells in an area of about 2,000 square miles located in Bourbon, Crawford, Cherokee, and Labette counties, Kansas. These counties adjoin the eastern and southern state boundaries and they comprise part of the mining district in southwestern Missouri, southeastern Kansas, and northeastern Oklahoma that is known as the Tri-State area. The water wells of this region that penetrate Mississippian or older rocks are artesian wells in which the water is under sufficient hydrostatic pressure to flow or rise several hundred feet above the point in the well at which the water is encountered. The beds of rock that are the chief reservoirs for ground water lie at a minimum depth of 300 feet and a maximum depth of 1,700 feet beneath the surface in southeastern Kansas, and crop out at the surface in south-central Missouri, along the axis of the Ozark Uplift, where water enters these beds from local rainfall. The chief ground-water zones in the Tri-State district are, in ascending order, Lamotte sandstone (Upper Cambrian), Roubidoux sandstone (Lower Ordovician), Jefferson City-Cotter dolomites (Lower Ordovician), and Boone limestone (Mississippian, Lower Carboniferous). Most of the water for domestic use is pumped from the Roubidoux sandstone. Some of the cities in the district consume about 2,000,000 gallons of water per day. A pumping test in Cherokee county, Kansas, indicated that 8,000,000 gallons of water a day was pumped from the Reeds Spring formation (Mississippian). The dissolved mineral content of the ground water in this district increases down the dip of the rock formations, that is, the solid matter (in parts per million) increases with the distance the ground water migrates through the rock.
Reconnaissance of Ground-Water Resources of Atchison County, Kansas
Authors: Frye John C.
Published: January 2025

A severe drought during the fall and winter of 1939-40 gave rise to a shortage of water supplies in parts of eastern Kansas. In an attempt to locate areas in which additional supplies could be obtained from wells, a brief investigation was undertaken in Atchison County by the Federal and State geological surveys in cooperation with the Division of Sanitation of the Kansas State Board of Health and the Division of Water Resources of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture.
Classification of the Marmaton Group, Pennsylvanian, in Kansas
Authors: Jewett John M.
Published: January 2025

The Marmaton group consists of about 250 feet of limestone, shale, sandstone, and coal which, together with the underlying Cherokee shale, comprise the Des Moines series of Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) age in the northern Mid-continent area. The outcrop area of Marmaton rocks extends from southern Iowa across Missouri and southeastern Kansas into northeastern Oklahoma. Marmaton rocks seem to rest conformably on the Cherokee shale, but are separated from the overlying rocks of the Missouri series by a regional disconformity.
Marmaton rocks have long been subdivided into limestone formations and shale formations, and these have been given formal names. A few of the members of the limestone formations have been named, but the classification thus far has been decidedly incomplete. This paper introduces names for several limestone and shale units within the limestone formations and hence offers a more nearly complete classification applicable to the group in Kansas and at least in part in other states. Names are given to members of the Fort Scott, Pawnee, Altamont, and Lenapah limestone formations, and names are suggested for sandstones (probably better termed sandy facies) in the Bandera and Nowata shales.
Although the lithology of Marmaton rocks is not described here in detail, some descriptions of lateral and vertical changes are nevertheless included. The fact that there is plain evidence of cyclic sedimentation is noted. It is explained that the rocks of the Marmaton group are readily divisible into megacyclothems and cyclothems,
Pennsylvanian Morrowan Rocks and Fusulinids of Kansas
Authors: Thompson M.L
Published: January 2025

Subsurface pre-Desmoinesian Pennsylvanian rocks of Kearny County, southwestern Kansas, are named the Kearny formation, and, mainly on the basis of their fusulinid faunas, they are referred to the Morrowan series. Four species and one variety of fusulinids from the type section of the Kearny formation are described and illustrated as Millerella marblensis Thompson, M. pressa, n. sp., M. pinguis, n. sp., M.? advena n. sp., and M.? advena var. ampla, n. var. Also, the fusulinid fauna from the type section of the Morrowan series at Morrow, Arkansas, is here described and illustrated for the first time. All four of the species of fusulinids, and possibly the variety, present in the Kearny formation in Kansas are also recognized in Morrowan rocks of Arkansas.
Some High-Calcium Limestones in Kansas
Authors: Runnels Russell T.
Published: January 2025

Industries in Kansas and adjacent states have a growing need for local sources of high-calcium limestone. In order to help fill this need the Geological Survey undertook a study of selected limestones; a more complete inventory is under way. Chemical analyses of 14 limestones from 18 locations were made. Evaluation of chemical characteristics with known specifications for quick and hydrated lime, metallurgical lime and limestone, chemical and industrial uses, and glass and glass-fiber industries was made. Three of the limestones compare favorably with the highest grade of high-calcium limestones being used at the present time; the average calcium (plus magnesium) carbonate content is 98.5 percent (the range is 97.7 to 99.1 percent). Half the samples showed an average calcium (plus magnesium) carbonate content of 97.6 percent and the other half averaged 95.4 percent. Sulfur and phosphorus were not present in deleterious amounts in any of the samples. Silica, alumina, and ferric oxide make up the remainder of the constituents.
Pleistocene Drainage Reversal in the Upper Tuttle Creek Reservoir Area of Kansas
Authors: Chelikowsky J.R.
Published: January 2025

A study of stream valley cross sections and longitudinal profiles indicates that the pre-Kansan drainage in the Upper Tuttle Creek Reservoir area was northward, from the Randolph Divide along a course now occupied by the Black Vermillion River, into an east-flowing pre-Kansan tributary of the hypothetical preglacial Grand River. The east-flowing tributary, now buried under 300 to 400 feet of Kansas Glacial Deposits, was part of a drainage system that included the east-flowing Little Blue and the south-flowing Big Blue Rivers.
During Kansan (Nickerson) time a lobe of the glacier blocked the eastward drainage of the Grand River and a proglacial lake formed in the tributary draining north from the Randolph Divide. Overflow from the lake was southward through a nickpoint in the divide. This reversal of drainage produced a 300 to 400 foot deep gorge across the Randolph Divide. Terraced bedrock of the gorge now buried under alluvium suggests two major erosional cycles. Additional evidence for more than one period of erosion is found downstream in the Lower Kansas River drainage below Manhattan where the Kansan, Illinoisan, and Wisconsin alluvial terraces have significant elevation differences. The nickpoint on the Randolph Divide, driven northward by headward erosion, currently appears to be in the vicinity of Blue Rapids.
Community-led turtle conservation in the Rivers Ganga and Ramganga, Uttar Pradesh, India
Authors: Dubey K.P. , Kumar Niraj , Janoo N.K. , Prasad Ganga , Sharma Aditi , Babu Suresh , Kaushal Nitin , Yadav Sanjeev , Khan Mohd Shahnawaz
Published: January 2025

The Gangetic River System in Uttar Pradesh, India, supports 14 species of turtles. Excessive riverbedfarming has encroached on turtle habitat used for nesting and basking. To conserve threatened turtles in the UpperGanga, an in-situ turtle conservation program was initiated jointly by the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department andWWF-India in 2012 to engage the community in turtle conservation. The local riparian community was sensitizedand mobilized to participate in conservation efforts. Turtles and the Ganga River have religious significance and arehonored by the local riparian community, which encourages active participation in conservation efforts. During thestudy, 226 riparian community members have registered as Ganga Mitras (Friends of the River) and are involved inmonitoring and other conservation efforts. A total of 828 turtle nests were rescued from riverbed agriculture with thehelp of 520 riverbed farmers in the Upper Ganga and Ramganga Rivers between 2012 and 2021. These nests contained5,828 eggs, from which 4,529 turtles were hatched and survived (77.7% hatching success). These hatchlings were thenreared in specially designed nursery ponds during the flood season and released into their respective rivers in winter.As poikilotherms, the food requirements of turtles are reduced during the winter season, making it easier for them toacclimatize to the new environment. Released turtle hatchlings were 1,945 Critically Endangered Three-striped RoofedTurtles (Batagur dhongoka), 1,292 Near-Threatened Brown Roofed Turtles (Pangshura smithii), and 1,480 Indian TentTurtles (Pangshura tentoria), which are listed as being of Least Concern.
Hormonal Imbalance and Infectious Diseases in Female Infertility: A Cross-Sectional Study in Garoua, Cameroon
Authors: Didiane Mefokou Yemele , Edwige Zoubo Moune , Isaac Mboh Eyong , Steve Francky Sohanang Nodem , Yvette Drapal Djouma Abile Amina , Rosine Dicko Newe , Djamilatou Leïla , Phélix Bruno Telefo , Elias Nukenine Nchiwan
Published: January 2025

Objective: Infertility is one of the most common reasons for consultation in gynecology services. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of women’s infertility in Garoua City, North region, Cameroon in other to guide its prevention and treatment.
Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the gynecology services of Military and Regional Hospitals of Garoua and women coming for medical consultations were included. The variables studied including socio-demographic characteristics, style of life, and infertility statuses were assessed using a well-structured and validated questionnaire. Mycoplasma infections were assessed in vaginal swabs using Mycoplasma Culturing, Identiﬁcation Kit whereas, chlamydia infections were detected in serum by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) Kit. Hormone levels including follicle-stimulating (FSH), luteinizing (LH), and estradiol bloods serum were determined by Immunofluorescence.
Results: A prevalence rate of 9.52% (n = 62) of women infertility was recorded in this study. Primary infertility was more prevalent (58%) compared to secondary infertility (42%). The lifestyle mode of the women with infertility revealed the presence of those with high body mass index (22.6%), alcohol consumption (22.6%), and obesity (8.1%). U. urealyticum and C. trachomatis infections were the most common with 29.9% (n = 18) and 27.4% (n = 17) respectively. The hormonal mean values of 6.84 ± 5.41 IU/L, 12.44 ± 10.99 IU/L, 12.59 ± 6.21 pg/L, and 1.8 for FSH, LH, Estradiol and LH/FSH ratio respectively were found. Most women with infertility had normal hormone values of 79%, 74.2%, and 67.7% for FSH, Estradiol, and LH respectively (Table 5). High values of LH (27.4%) FSH (6.5%), and Estradiol (6.5%) and low values of Estradiol (19.4%), FSH (14.5%), and LH (4.8%) were also recorded.
Conclusion: Considering various associated factors for women’s infertility, this showed the important contribution of lifestyle mode, sexually transmitted diseases, the variability on the hormone balance, and LH/FSH ratio.