bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Physical Properties of Eastern Kansas Crude Oils
Authors: Everett J.P. , Weinaug C.F.
Published: January 2025

Pertinent physical properties of 453 samples of crude oil from eastern Kansas are given. The samples tested were obtained from fields being produced by both primary and secondary recovery methods.
Physical properties measured were: A.P.I. gravity, absolute viscosity at three temperatures, and oil-water interfacial tension. All the tests are reported in tabular form and curves showing the correlation between A.P.I. gravity and viscosity are given.
Review of Geophysical Activity in Kansas Through 1956
Authors: Hambleton William W. , Merriam Daniel F.
Published: January 2025

A complete bibliography of 52 published geophysical papers on Kansas is presented along with a brief description of each. The subjects include magnetic, gravity, electrical, and seismic work, but exclude bore-hole investigations and geochemical studies. A review of geophysical exploration in the state for the past 20 years also is presented. Cross reference to the bibliography by subject and county is given.
Relationship of the Lansing Group and the Tonganoxie ("Stalnaker") Sandstone in South-Central Kansas
Authors: Winchell Richard L.
Published: January 2025

The "Stalnaker sand," known in the subsurface of southern Kansas as an oil and gas producing zone, is the Tonganoxie sandstone of eastern Kansas outcrops. Evidence is presented in this report that upholds this correlation and disproves the idea that the "Stalnaker" is a facies of the Lansing group. The lithologic difference between the "Stalnaker" and the Lansing is not the result of contemporaneous deposition of different facies but is the result of erosion of the Lansing and deposition of the Tonganoxie ("Stalnaker") sandstone in the erosional depressions and basins left after post-Missourian erosion.
The Mineral Industry in Kansas in 1958
Authors: Schoewe Walter H.
Published: January 2025

In 1958, for the third consecutive year, the value of Kansas mineral production exceeded $500,000,000. Minerals produced in the state were valued at $514,234,445, or approximately $19,859,000 less than in 1957, a decrease of 3.7 percent. Of this total, $440,976,227 or 85.7 percent was derived from sale of mineral fuels and associated products, $72,052,368 or 14 percent was contributed by the nonmetals excluding mineral fuels, and $1,205,850 or 0.3 percent by the metals. Salt brine, cement, both natural and portland, coal, diatomaceous marl, LP gases, propane, sand and gravel, and stone were produced in greater quantity in 1958 than in the previous year, and the values of brine, carbon black, cement, coal, gypsum, marl, sand and gravel, stone, and vermiculite produced in 1598 were greater than those of the same minerals produced in 1957.
Only 3 of the 105 counties in Kansas reported no mineral production in 1958. Oil, gas, or both were produced in 78 counties, sand and gravel in at least 66 counties, and stone in 46 counties. In 1958, each of 54 counties produced minerals worth $1,000,000 or more. As in 1957, Barton County, with a production value of $35,293,535, continued to lead all others. Ellis County, with $34,177,827, was second, and Russell County, with $27,228,855 was third. Only seven of the counties producing $1,000,000 or more in mineral wealth in 1958 produced mainly nonfuel minerals, and six of these are in eastern Kansas. The counties that produced the greatest dollar value of minerals are those in which oil is found, mainly western Kansas counties. Counties that exploited the most different minerals were Barber, Bourbon, Cherokee, Cowley, Reno, Sedgwick, and Wilson. Most important minerals produced per dollar value were oil, natural gas, cement, stone, clay and clay products, salt, sand and gravel, natural gasoline, carbon black, coal, propane, and butane. This report gives the production and value of all minerals produced in the state in 1958 and compares them with 1957, and it also includes directories of mineral producers on record as of December 31, 1958.
Geology and Ground-Water Resources of Clay County, Kansas
Authors: Walters Kenneth L. , Bayne Charles K.
Published: January 2025

This report describing the geography, geology, and ground-water resources of Clay County, in north-central Kansas, is based on hydrologic and geologic information obtained in the field during the fall of 1953 and the summer of 1954. The field data are given in tables; they include records of 143 wells, chemical analyses of water from 35 representative wells, logs of 28 test holes, and results of pumping (aquifer) tests. In addition, 110 holes were augered to determine the depth to water.
Clay County has an area of about 660 square miles and lies in the Great Plains and Central Lowlands physiographic provinces. Most of it is drained by Republican River; small areas are drained by Fancy Creek and Chapman Creek, which are not tributaries of Republican River. The normal annual precipitation at Clay Center is 27.92 inches, and the mean annual temperature is 55.1° F. Agriculture is the principal occupation in the county.
The rocks that crop out at the surface in Clay County are sedimentary and range in age from Permian to Recent. The oldest formation exposed in the county is the Barneston Limestone. The Dakota Formation, the youngest Cretaceous rock in the county, crops out over a large part of western and northern Clay County. The Permian and Cretaceous rocks are mantled in many places by unconsolidated continental deposits of fluviatile and eolian origin representing four stages of the Pleistocene Epoch.
The unconsolidated sand and gravel deposits of Pleistocene age form the principal aquifer in the county. These deposits are thickest and most extensive in the valley of Republican River. The Dakota Formation yields moderate quantities of water to wells in western and northern Clay County. The Barneston Limestone yields small to moderate quantities of water to wells in eastern Clay County. Ground water in the area is recharged principally from local precipitation; underflow from adjacent areas contributes significantly, however. Ground water is discharged mainly by seepage into streams and by transpiration by plants. All municipal and industrial water supplies and most domestic and stock supplies are obtained from wells. Irrigation from wells is practiced extensively in the valley of Republican River.
Ground-Water Level in Observation Wells in Kansas - 1959
Authors: Fishel V.C. , Broeker Margaret E.
Published: January 2025

Information arranged by township and range concerning name, location, elevation, depth to Precambrian, total depth, Precambrian rock type, and rock unit overlying the Precambrian surface is included for each of approximately 2100 wells drilled to Precambrian rocks in Kansas through December 31, 1960.
Test-Hole Exploration for Light-Firing Clay in Cloud and Ellsworth Counties, Kansas
Authors: Plummer Norman , Edmonds Clarence S. , Bauleke Maynard P.
Published: January 2025

In two areas in Kansas (Ellsworth County, sec. 25, T. 15 S., R. 7 W., and Cloud County, sec. 12, T. 8 S., R. 2 W.) the Dakota Formation was systematically drilled to determine the availability of light-color-burning clay. Beds of light-burning clay lack continuity in Cloud County in the upper part of the Dakota; however, in the Ellsworth County area the lower part of the formation contains well-defined, continuous layers of light-burning clay. The lack of continuity of one and the well-defined continuity of the other is not confined to the test localities but extends over areas of several square miles. These conditions are not typical of clays in these two stratigraphic positions, but they illustrate the extreme variations in extent and continuity of beds that can be expected in the commercial exploitation of clays in either the upper or lower beds of the formation. Both test areas have clay deposits suitable for structural clay products.
Geology and Ground-water Resources of Brown County, Kansas
Authors: Bayne Charles K.
Published: January 2025

Brown County is in the northern tier of counties in the State and is the second county west of the east border. It has an area of 576 square miles. It is in the Dissected Till Plains section of the Central Lowlands Province. The annual long-term mean precipitation is 34.20 inches, and the mean annual temperature is 53.3° F. Agriculture is the principal source of income in the county.
Rocks that underlie but do not crop out in the county range in age from Precambrian to Pennsylvanian (Virgilian). Rocks that crop out in the county range in age from Pennsylvanian to Permian. Cenozoic rocks consist of glacial till of Kansan age and loess of Wisconsinan and Illinoisan(?) ages. Fluvial deposits of Wisconsinan and Recent ages occur in the major valleys. The county lies in the Forest City Basin, which was a part of the North Kansas Basin prior to elevation of the Nemaha Anticline during Mississippian time.
Ground water is the principal source of water in the county; Horton is the only city that obtains its water supply from surface water. Glacial drift is the principal source of ground water in the area. Yields ranging up to 450 gpm (gallons per minute) are obtained from the glacial drift, but yields of less than 100 gpm are more common. Rocks of the Council Grove Group in northwestern Brown County yield as much as 250 gpm. Pennsylvanian sandstones in eastern Brown County yield small quantities of water. Generally less than 20 gpm of water are obtained from fluvial deposits in the major stream valleys.
Nearly all ground water in the area contains enough dissolved mineral matter to be considered hard. Chloride concentrations are not high at depths ordinarily reached by wells, but at greater depths they are present in high concentrations. Nitrate concentrations are higher in many wells than the recommended standards.
Progress Report on the Ground-Water Hydrology of the Equus-Beds Area, Kansas--1966
Authors: Stramel G. J.
Published: January 2025

The drought of the 1950's resulted in a continual water-level decline as reported in Kansas Geological Survey Bulletin 119, Part 1. Since 1957, however, substantial quantities of recharge have occurred, and as a result the water table has shown a net rise. In addition, Wichita's withdrawals from the newly completed surface-water reservoir, commencing in 1965, has resulted in a reduced and dispersed draft from the Equus-beds well field, thus affecting the water levels.
The maximum decline in water level since 1940 was 33 feet in 1956; by December 31, 1965, the maximum decline had decreased to approximately 20 feet. Thus, the maximum net rise in the center of the well field has been 13 feet. The zone of pumping influence encompassed an area somewhat in excess of 120 square miles by 1956, but by December 31, 1965, the affected area had been reduced to about 98 square miles. The storage capacity of the zone of pumping influence had dropped from 111,000 acre-feet in 1956 to 95,800 by the end of 1965, indicating that recharge more than balanced withdrawals. During this period, the City of Wichita had pumped 306,000 acre-feet of water from the well field.
From September 1940 to December 31, 1965, the historical period of pumping, the City of Wichita pumped 636,000 acre-feet of water from the well field. The reduction in storage amounted to 95,800 acre-feet. Thus, about 85 percent of the water pumped from the Wichita well field since 1940 has been replaced by recharge.
The Wichita well field, and certainly the greater Equus-beds area as a whole, can stand substantial increase in development. The full potential of the Equus beds will never be realized unless water levels are lowered to points lower than they have been in the past. The Little Arkansas River, the spillway to the Equus beds, is still a gaining stream, and thus considerable water is discharged from the Equus beds and flows from the area unused. Proper water management in the Equus-beds area must include the development of the unused surface waters of the Little Arkansas River.
Geology and Ground-Water Resources of Rush County, Central Kansas
Authors: McNellis Jesse M.
Published: January 2025

Rush County, which comprises an area of 724 square miles in central Kansas, is principally in the Smoky Hills section of the Great Plains physiographic province. The north third of the county is in the Smoky Hill River drainage basin and the rest is in the Arkansas River drainage basin. The average annual precipitation at Bison is 22.21 inches, and the average growing season is 174 days. The population of the county in 1970 was 5,117, of which 36.6 percent was rural. Agriculture is the dominant economic activity in the county and the chief mineral resources are ground water, oil and gas, and helium.
All rocks that crop out in Rush County are sedimentary. They include the Greenhorn Limestone, Carlile Shale, and Niobrara Chalk of Cretaceous age; the Ogallala Formation of Pliocene age; and eolian, fluvial, and colluvial deposits of Pleistocene age.
The principal aquifers are the Dakota Formation, which underlies the entire county, and the Pleistocene deposits in the stream valleys. Yields from wells in the Dakota generally are adequate for stock and domestic purposes, but the chemical quality of the water may be considered marginal for most uses. Wells obtaining water from the Dakota range in depth from 80 feet in the southeastern part of the county to a reported 530 feet in the northwestern part.
The Pleistocene aquifer in Walnut Creek valley yields 290 to 1,200 gallons per minute to wells for irrigation. Yields as great as 1,500 gallons per minute have been reported. Pleistocene deposits in other stream valleys yield adequate supplies for stock and domestic purposes. Water from Pleistocene deposits commonly is hard to very hard, but is satisfactory for most uses.
Recharge to the aquifers is principally from local precipitation. The aquifer in Walnut Creek valley receives sizable amounts of recharge during periods of high flow in Walnut Creek; perhaps as much as 1 1/3 feet of water per acre was recharged from a flood in 1959.
"Graniteville-type" Proterozoic igneous intrusions mapped in southeast Kansas
Authors: Gay S. Parker, Jr.
Published: January 2025

On detailed total-intensity aeromagnetic maps of southeastern Kansas (Sumner, Sedgwick, Butler, Elk, and Greenwood counties), it is possible to recognize individual basement plutons within the area designated as "granitic to quartz-monzonitic intrusive rocks" by Bickford et al. (1979) and dated as 1.4 to 1.7 b.y. in age. Cross-cutting relationships of several plutons are apparent on the magnetic maps, thus establishing relative ages between them. The youngest and largest individual intrusion mapped, the northwesterly trending Wichita Pluton in southeastern Sedgwick County, measures 20 x 13 mi (32 x 21 km). On the south and west, it cuts an older complex of north-north east-trending basement blocks, possibly meta-sedimentary or meta-igneous units. On the northeast, it truncates the smaller (7 x 5 mi; 11 x 8 km) Rose Hill Pluton. Farther east in southwestern Greenwood County, another individual intrusion of nearly the same dimensions as the Wichita Pluton has been recognized. The plutons appear on the magnetic map as magnetic lows with ringing magnetic highs and are therefore similar to the series of intrusions in southeast Missouri of nearly the same age described by Gay (1976) and later studied in more detail by Kisvarsanyi (1981). The pluton cropping out at Graniteville, Missouri, is considered the type intrusive. In Missouri the intrusions are clean, quartz-feldspar granites with few mafics, the mafics apparently having been precipitated in the host rocks, thus forming the ringing magnetic highs. Probably the same relationships will hold true for the southeastern Kansas intrusions after more basement-rock intercepts have been studied. Age dating of these intercepts should also establish absolute ages for the different units which have been dated only in relative fashion by the aeromagnetic studies. On the residual magnetic maps which outline basement features of shorter wavelengths presumably located at the basement subcrop, a series of north-northeasterly trending horsts and grabens cutting the Wichita Pluton is indicated. The bounding faults may have formed during the midcontinent rifting event at 1,100 m.y. B.P. and been reactivated during the Nemaha event in Pennsylvanian time. A left-lateral movement of 3 mi (4.8 km) or more is well documented along one of these faults, which also shows down-to-the-west post-Kinderhook throw from well studies (Shawver, 1965).
Diagenetic modeling of siliciclastic systems: Status report
Authors: Brenner Robert L. , Ludvigson Greg A. , Scal Roland , Dogan A. Umran
Published: January 2025

Basin analysis (the reconstruction of the dynamics and history of sedimentary basins) has entered a quantitative stage that requires analytical lithologic data. These data must include geologic parameters that describe the characteristics of sediments and the diagenetic changes that they undergo through time. Diagenesis is controlled by eight geologic parameters: sediment composition, temperature history, rate of accommodation (subsidence + sea-level changes + sediment compaction), rate of sediment accumulation, age (time that sediments have been exposed to other variables), internal sediment-body architecture (sedimentary texture and structure), sediment-body external geometry, and fluid chemistry and flow history. Tectonic and paleogeographic settings determine the primary compositions of both chemical and siliciclastic sediments. Siliciclastic provenances are reflected by the mineralogy of sandstones. The source or sources of sediment in sandstone units within genetic sequences and the contribution of each source need to be evaluated in terms of quantitative effects on the various diagenetic styles observed. With the use of modern settings as partial analogues, stratigraphic, sedimentologic, and petrographic data can be used to reconstruct sandstone architecture and to draw inferences about original pore fluid chemistry. Subsidence histories, isotopic signatures, trace element compositions, and fluid inclusion studies combined with petrographic observations can be used to set constraints on the geologic parameters for sandstone bodies within a time-temperature-basin setting framework. As more insight is gained into the reaction kinetics within specific paleotectonic and depositional settings, diagenetic modeling will become increasingly more quantitative and precise.
Plastic Deformation and Dissolution of the Hutchinson Salt Member in Kansas
Authors: Anderson Neil L. , Knapp Ralph W. , Steeples Don W. , Miller Richard D.
Published: January 2025

The Hutchinson Salt Member of the Permian Wellington Formation is preserved throughout south-central Kansas at subsurface depths of between 60 m and 760 m (197 ft and 2,494 ft), as a more-or-Iess contiguous body having maximum net thicknesses on the order of 170 m (558 ft). Within Kansas, the margins of the salt are depositional except for the updip eastern edge, which is dissolutional. Basinward of the present-day main eastern edge of the Hutchinson Salt, localized dissolution of both natural and anthropogenic origin has occurred. Such leaching has resulted in the formation of both surface sinkholes (e.g,. Janssen sink, Panning sink) and subsurface cavities (e.g., Knackstedt cavity).
Janssen sink is an example of slow and gradual surface subsidence, characterized by the predominantly ductile deformation of remnant salt. On seismic data, the feature is manifested as an upwards-expanding zone of measurable subsidence. Panning sink, in contrast, is an example of catastrophic surface subsidence. In cross section, the feature is presented as an inverted coneshaped, vertically migrated collapse cavity (chimney).
The Knackstedt void is a bridged cavity, characterized by a vertically migrating collapse chimney, the roof of which is presently bridged above the original top of the salt. It is anticipated that this void will eventually close and that a surface sinkhole will develop on site. The nature of the sinkhole (i.e., gradual subsidence or catastrophic collapse) will be partially dependent upon: 1) the rate of continuing dissolution, 2) the rate of effective cavity closure due to creep and stoping, and 3) the shear strength of the post-salt strata.
Feasibility and Resolution of Shallow Seismic-reflection Techniques in Northwestern Franklin, Southeastern Douglas, and Osage Counties in Kansas
Authors: Miller Richard D. , Weis Thomas V.
Published: January 2025

Seismic reflection can be effectively used in east-central Kansas to delineate subsurface features significant to hydrologists, petroleum geologists, and petroleum engineers. Eight high-resolution seismic lines were acquired within a three-county area in east-central Kansas. Dominant frequencies of reflections from this area ranged from 140 to 350 Hz, yielding vertical resolution limits between 1 m and 3 m (3.3 ft to 10 ft) to depths in excess of 200 m (656 ft). Synthetic seismic traces and well geology were incorporated into interpretations of reflection events. Seismic data from the east, north, and west portions of the study area are of excellent quality and can be correlated with the synthetic seismograms and from line to line based on wavelet character and reflection-time intervals.
Exploration Case History, Coats South Area, Barber County, Kansas
Authors: Hedke Dennis E. , Woolsey I. Wayne , Nicholson L. A.
Published: January 2025

The Coats South area is situated in north-central Barber County, Kansas, immediately east of the southern limit of the Pratt anticline. The geologic setting encompasses a variety of structural and stratigraphic traps. The case study discussed herein involves exploration targets in Mississippian- and Ordovician-aged carbonates and cherts. The trap for either target zone is stratigraphic. Recently (1991) acquired multifold Vibroseis data have been examined in an effort to characterize the reservoirs and the relatively complex structure and stratigraphy proximal to the Pratt anticline.
Significant topographic variation, highly variable materials in the weathered zone, and local areas of high data attenuation within the study area present special data-processing difficulties. These difficulties can be overcome by careful integration of known geologic constraints and iterative static solutions.
Seismic models of those geologic conditions relevant to hydrocarbon traps in the study area correlate well with processed seismic sections. The data utilized in this study are of sufficiently high frequency content that stratigraphic pinchouts and other thin-bed phenomena are clearly distinguishable on both conventional and enhanced trace-attribute plots. As a general rule, structure plays a minor role in the stratigraphic traps evaluated in this study.
Factors Affecting Nitrate Concentrations in Ground Water in Stafford County, Kansas
Authors: Townsend Margaret A. , Young David P.
Published: January 2025

Nitrate contamination of the Great Bend Prairie aquifer in south-central Kansas is more pronounced at shallower than at deeper portions of the aquifer. Factors influencing the occurrence of nitrate in the shallow ground water include irrigation-well density, subsurface clay lenses, and land-use practices. Ground-water samples were taken from 42 wells, including deep (irrigation) wells and shallow (domestic and stock) wells. Except for one well with an anomalously high concentration due to a point source, nitrate-N concentrations of sampled wells ranged from 1.3 to 13.3 mg/L with a mean of 5.4 mg/L and a median of 4.7 mg/L. Statistical analyses indicate that shallow ground water is more susceptible to contamination than deeper ground water and that lower nitrate-N concentrations are probable in wells with a greater thickness of clay above the well screen. Irrigation-well density showed a statistically significant positive correlation with nitrate-N concentrations of shallow wells. No significant difference in nitrate-N concentrations was found to result from the two irrigation methods (flood versus center-pivot) used in the area. Nor were there significant differences in nitrate-N concentrations between sandy and loamy soils. Land-use practices and subsurface stratigraphy may be better indicators of potential nitrate contamination than the surface soils.
The Geology of Kansas ARBUCKLE GROUP
Authors: Franseen Evan K. , Byrnes Alan P. , Cansler Jason R. , Steinhauff D. Mark , Carr Timothy R.
Published: January 2025

Cambrian-Ordovician Arbuckle Group rocks in Kansas occur entirely in the subsurface. As is demonstrated throughout this paper, the historical and current understanding of the Arbuckle Group rocks in Kansas has in large part been dependent on petroleum-industry philosophies, practices, and trends. The widely accepted conceptual model of Arbuckle reservoirs as an unconformity play guided drilling and completion practices in which wells were drilled into the top of the Arbuckle with relatively short penetration (under 10 to 50 ft) deeper into the Arbuckle. This resulted in very little log or core data available from the Arbuckle interval. In addition, due to the early development (1917-1940) of the majority of Arbuckle reservoirs, log and geophysical data are not up to modern standards. Over the last few decades, deep penetrating wells have been drilled into the Arbuckle accompanied by full modern log suites and drill-stem tests. However, little corresponding core has been taken to calibrate the logs, and no detailed studies have been conducted to date on the more extensive, modern log data. Thus, data and detailed understanding of Arbuckle Group strata in Kansas are lacking relative to Arbuckle and age-equivalent strata from other areas in the United States, especially those where Arbuckle strata crop out. However, Arbuckle Group strata remain an important reservoir target in Kansas, and our understanding of the unit will increase with continued studies that incorporate modern data, techniques, and approaches.
Pleistocene Mammals from Kansas / A New Species of Cyprinidotid Fish from the Middle Pliocene of Kansas
Authors: Hibbard Claude W. , Dunkle David H.
Published: January 2025

The following mammals are reported as new to the Borchers fauna from lower Pleistocene deposits of Meade County, Kansas: Canis sp., Felis? sp., Perognathus gidleyi Hibbard, Parahodomys sp., Ondatra sp., and Equus sp. Reported as new additions to the Jones fauna, from the upper Pleistocene of Meade County, are Perognathus sp., Onychomys leucogaster and Platygonus. Cynomys vetus, n. sp., is described from a Pleistocene deposit in Jewell County, Kansas. A new species of cyprinidontid fish, Fundulus detillae, is described from the middle Pliocene, Ogallala formation, of Logan County, Kansas.
Mineral Resources of Phillips County
Authors: Landes Kenneth K , Keroher Raymond P.
Published: January 2025

The rocks exposed at the surface in Phillips County, north-central Kansas, consist of the Ogallala formation of Pliocene age, and the Pierre shale, Niobrara limestone, and Carlile shale of Cretaceous age. The known mineral resources of the county include oil, stone, sand and gravel, ground water, bentonite, volcanic ash, and an ever-present fertile soil. A brief discussion of the subsurface beds ranging in age from Precambrian to Cretaceous, and a description of the oil-producing areas are included.
Kansas Bentonite: Its Properties and Utilization
Authors: Kinney E. D.
Published: January 2025

Extensive deposits of bentonite of various types exist in Kansas. Uses for this product are steadily expanding. It is now employed as a bleaching agent for oil, as a bond in foundry sand, as a thickener for drilling mud in oil fields, as a bonding material in ceramics and refractories, as a filler for paper, in soap and cosmetics because of its fineness and freedom from grit, for de-inking newsprint because of its absorptive properties, and for many other purposes. Laboratory tests indicate that bentonite is especially valuable in bleaching oil and in acting as a bonding agent in foundry sand. This report covers the use of Kansas bentonite in the more important applications only.
Kansas should well be able to compete in the relatively new and growing bentonite industry because of the favorable mining and shipping conditions in the state, together with the fact that Kansas is nearer to eastern markets than certain other western producing states.
Exploration for Oil and Gas in Western Kansas During 1941
Authors: Ver Wiebe Walter A.
Published: January 2025

During 1941 the oil and gas industries of Kansas went forward to new record heights. Of 2,113 wells drilled, 1,446 were oil wells and 76 were new gas wells. In western Kansas alone 1,186 new oil wells and 34 new gas wells were completed. Of the 286 wildcat wells drilled in western Kansas 25 percent were successful in finding new supplies of oil or gas. Of these, 147 were rank wildcats, located at least 2 miles from the nearest producing well, and among them only 16 percent were successful, showing a lack of success for this type of prospecting. There were 21,838 oil wells in Kansas at the end of 1941, and these had accounted for a total of no less than 83 million barrels of oil. The monthly pipeline runs increased from slightly over 6 million barrels in January to about 7 million barrels in December. During 1941 nearly 18 million more barrels of oil were produced than in 1940 and nearly 13 million more barrels than in the previous highest year, 1937. The Trapp pool in western Kansas ranks highest with a production of 72 million barrels during 1941. The Silica pool with 7 million barrels and the Bemis -Shutts pool with 4 million barrels follow. The Burnett pool and the Zenith pool also produced a large quantity of oil. In the matter of gas production, a new high record was attained in 1941when over 93 billion cubic feet were marketed. The bulk of this total came from the phenomenal gas pool in the southwestern part of the state. Exploration for new pools resulted in the discovery of 32 new oil pools and 6 new gas pools. The most sensational new oil pool is the Patterson pool, which lies many miles west of the present oil pools of western Kansas, in county. The five new pools in western Reno County probably will prove to constitute the largest new oil reserve discovered during the year.
New Carboniferous and Permian Sponges
Authors: King Ralph H.
Published: January 2025

The following Permian forms are described as new species referred to genera previously established: Heliospongia vokesi, Guadalupia williamsi, and Girtyocoelia dunbari. The following Permian genera and species are described as new: Laubenfelsia regularis, Pseudopemmatites skinneri, Defordia defuncta, Stylopegma dulce, S. conica, Polyphymaspongia explanata, and Talpaspongia clavata. All the Permian forms are calcisponges and tetracladine silicisponges. One new Pennsylvania calcisponge, Wewokella contorta, is referred to an established genus, and one, Cystauletes mammilosus, is assigned to a new genus. A new genus and species of Mississippian calcisponge is described as Cotyliscus ewersi.
A Process for Extracting Alumina from Kansas Clay
Authors: Kinney E. D.
Published: January 2025

A process for the extraction of alumina from clay, utilizing Kansas raw materials, is described. This process is essentially the old soda-sinter process with a new method, devised in the laboratories of the State Geological Survey of Kansas, for controlling the impurities in the solution from which the aluminum hydroxide is precipitated. This method consists of the fractional precipitation of impurities by carbon dioxide gas and their removal by filtering. It is believed that this method may make it possible for Kansas raw materials to compete commercially with other sources of alumina. For a better understanding of the subject, a review of the metallurgy of aluminum is given.
Ground-Water Conditions in the Neosho River Valley in the Vicinity of Parsons, Kansas
Authors: Williams Charles C.
Published: January 2025

This report presents the results of an investigation of the ground-water conditions in the Neosho river valley near Parsons, Kansas, which was made with special reference to the possibility of developing a supply of water for the Kansas Ordnance Plant. A geological reconnaissance of a part of the valley was supplemented by test drilling and by a pumping test.
It was found that the physical characteristics and thickness of the water-bearing materials comprising the alluvium are quite variable. In general the alluvium is about 35 feet thick. The upper 10 to 30 feet consists of silt and clay and the lower part, ranging in thickness from a few inches to 15 feet, consists of poorly sorted sand and gravel.
Neosho river receives water from the ground-water reservoir which in turn receives recharge from precipitation. Some recharge is supplied to the alluvium by Neosho river in times of flood. In 1942 the water table was less than 10 feet below land surface in most parts of the valley.
A pumping test was made, and from the data obtained it was computed that the alluvium has a coefficient of permeability of about 420 and a specific yield of about 20 percent. It is concluded that during periods of normal precipitation a supply of about 200,000 gallons of water daily can be developed in the Neosho valley from several wells properly distributed within an area of about 1 square mile. It is believed that the pumping rate of each well should not exceed 50 gallons a minute.
The ground water in the alluvium is very hard and contains a considerable amount of iron but it is low in chloride. The hardness is almost all carbonate hardness, so that both hardness and iron can be removed by relatively simple and inexpensive treatment.
Coal Resources of the Kansas City Group, Thayer Bed, in Eastern Kansas
Authors: Schoewe Walter H.
Published: January 2025

The Thayer coal bed of the Chanute formation, Kansas City group, crops out in eastern Kansas, and extends from Kansas City southward to the state line in Montgomery County. Mining activities of the Thayer bed have been centered at Blue Mound, Linn County; in the vicinity of Thayer, Neosho and Wilson counties; and in Montgomery County. It has been estimated that 753,488 tons of coal have been mined from this bed since 1870. The total reserves of Thayer coal are estimated at about 37,000,000 tons underlying an area of 29,000 acres in Wilson, Neosho, Montgomery, and Linn counties. Field investigations indicate that a large percentage of this coal can be mined by stripping methods.
The Chanute shale, the physical and chemical characteristics of the coal, and the mining methods generally used are described in this paper. Analyses of the Thayer coal are similar to analyses of other Kansas coals of commercial grade and indicate that this coal can be used for all general purposes. Included in the report is a list of outcrops of Thayer coal, locations of mines, production statistics, estimates of reserves, and a bibliography of Kansas coal. The trace of the coal outcrop and the location of mines and mining districts are shown on maps.
Tabular Description of Outcropping Rocks in Kansas
Authors: Moore Raymond C. , Frye John C. , Jewett John M.
Published: January 2025

This paper summarizes knowledge of the outcropping rocks of Kansas, indicating in tabular form their present classification and nomenclature. Range in thickness and average thickness of each described unit, based on observation of outcrops but not on subsurface data, are indicated. It is the purpose of the contribution to make available a compact outline of the stratigraphy of the Kansas region, as represented by exposed formations. References to important publications that offer detailed treatment of various rock divisions in Kansas are arranged by main parts of the geologic column.
Stratigraphy of the Marmaton Group, Pennsylvanian, in Kansas
Authors: Jewett John M.
Published: January 2025

The Marmaton group comprises four limestones and four shale formations which lie in the upper part of rocks of Desmoinesian age in Kansas. Rocks of this group are underlain by the Cherokee shale; they lie below a regional unconformity that is regarded as separating rocks of Desmoinesian age from those of Missourian age. The outcrop belt of these rocks in Kansas ranges in width from about 10 to 25 miles, and extends from Linn and Bourbon counties on the Kansas-Missouri boundary to Montgomery and Labette counties on the Kansas-Oklahoma boundary.
The rock units are described in detail and 179 stratigraphic sections measured in Kansas are given. A few sections measured in neighboring parts of Missouri and Oklahoma are also included. The rock descriptions are based on studies of these and many other less complete exposures.
Exposures of Marmaton rocks in Kansas offer excellent opportunities for studying cyclic deposits. Both cyclothems and megacyclothems are more or less readily identified in these sediments.
Coal Resources of the Wabaunsee Group in Eastern Kansas
Authors: Schoewe Walter H.
Published: January 2025

The Wabaunsee coal-bearing rocks constitute the youngest or uppermost group of Pennsylvanian strata in Kansas. The rocks crop out in a northeast-southwest belt, approximately 3,100 square miles in area, in the eastern part of the state, extending from Doniphan, Brown, and Nemaha counties on the north to the Kansas-Oklahoma state line in Chautauqua and Cowley counties on the south. At least 6 of the 12 coal beds in the Wabaunsee group have been mined at one time or another within the last 75 years. Nodaway, the lowermost coal, is by far the most important of the coals mined, and it is the only one of commercial importance at the present time. Including the 1944-45 coal-mining season, a minimum cumulative total of 11,783,464 tons of Nodaway coal had been mined, of which 97.2 percent came from Osage County. The Elmo coal, of which more than 200,000 tons has been produced, is the second most important of the Wabaunsee coals. The cumulative tonnage of all coals of the Wabaunsee group mined is 12,017,737 tons, which is 4.8 percent of the total coal production in Kansas. There are 186,680,000 tons of proved Wabaunsee reserve coal, of which 128,050,000 tons is Nodaway, 47,560,000 tons Elmo, and 11,070,000 tons other miscellaneous coals. The greatest Nodaway proved coal reserve, 77,670,000 tons, is found in Osage County; the greatest Elmo proved coal reserve, in Brown County, amounts to 23,160,000 tons. The proved Wabaunsee coal reserves are sufficient to last about 50 years if mined at the average annual rate of production for the 5-year period 1940-44. The potential Wabaunsee coal reserves are calculated at 3,685,780,000 tons, an amount sufficient to last approximately 250 years at the average rate of production for the last 5 years. Of the potential coal reserve, 1,285,960,000 tons or 34.8 percent is Nodaway coal, 1,515,850,000 tons or 41.1 percent is Elmo coal, and 883,970,000 tons or 24.1 percent is miscellaneous coals.
This report includes a description of the geographic distribution, stratigraphic position, thicknesses, contact rocks, and physical and chemical characters of the Wabaunsee group coals. It also contains information on the history of Wabaunsee coal mining, mining methods, production and coal reserve data, and a short account of the origin of the coal. Each of the mined Wabaunsee group coals is treated separately under each of the 16 counties in which the coal occurs.
Ground-Water Conditions in Arkansas River Valley in the Vicinity of Hutchinson, Kansas
Authors: Williams Charles C.
Published: January 2025

This report presents the results of an investigation of the geology and ground-water conditions near Hutchinson, Kansas. The investigation was made with special reference to the possibility of developing ground water of good chemical quality for municipal supply.
The report contains a map showing the areal geology and water-table contours, logs of 40 test holes and wells, and results of mechanical analyses and determinations of permeability of samples of the water-bearing materials penetrated by the test drill. The coefficient of permeability for most of the samples tested ranged from 1,000 to 15,000 (Meinzer's units). The chemical character of the ground waters in this area, as shown by analyses of 63 samples of water collected from test holes and wells, varies widely. In places the ground water is contaminated by intrusion of salt water from streams and industrial wastes. Several maps and graphs illustrating the quality of the ground water are included.
Estimates of the quantity of water available for pumping in the several parts of the area are based on studies of recharge from precipitation, yield of wells, and physical properties of the water-bearing materials. Large quantities of water are available in most parts of the area, and the quantity and quality of the water in each of several sub-areas is discussed. The area along the border of the sand dunes at the edge of Arkansas River Valley north and east of Hutchinson appears most promising for the development of a supply of water of chemical quality suitable for municipal use.
Geology and Ground-Water Resources of Stanton County, Kansas
Authors: Byrne Frank E. , McLaughlin Thad G.
Published: January 2025

The report describes the geography, geology, and groundwater resources of Seward County in southwestern Kansas. The county has an area of 643 square miles and had a population of 6,593 in 1940. The area consists predominantly of flat to rolling upland plains which are broken only by the valley of the Cimarron River, which extends diagonally across the county. The climate is semiarid, the average annual precipitation being about 18 inches. The principal occupations in the area are farming and livestock raising.
The report includes a map showing the areas of outcrop of the rock formations (Pl. 1). The Meade and Kingsdown formations and dune sand underlie the upland areas and the Meade, Rexroad (?), and Laverne formations are exposed along the sides of Cimarron Valley. The floor and lower slopes of the valley are underlain by alluvium and colluvium. The report also contains a diagrammatic cross section of the area showing the distribution of the rock formations above the Permian redbeds as determined by extensive test drilling (Pl. 3).
The report contains a map of the area showing the depth to water level by means of shading (Pl. 2). The water table ranges in depth from less than 10 feet in parts of Cimarron Valley to more than 200 feet in parts of the upland. A map showing by contours the shape and slope of the water table is also included in this report. The contours show that ground water moves eastward through Seward County and that the gradient of the water table ranges from about 4 feet to the mile in the northeastern part of the county to about 40 feet to the mile in the southwestern part of the county.
The groundwater reservoir is recharged principally from precipitation that falls within the area, by percolation from intermittent streams, and by subsurface inflow from adjacent areas. Ground water is discharged from the groundwater reservoir by movement into adjacent areas, by evaporation and transpiration in areas of shallow water table, by seepage into Cimarron River, and by wells. All the domestic, public, industrial, and irrigation supplies and much of the stock supply are obtained from wells.
Ground water in Seward County is hard, but is suitable for most ordinary uses. Waters from the Laverne, Rexroad (?), and Meade formations are similar in composition and in hardness. Waters from the alluvium generally are of poorer quality.
The principal water-bearing formations in Seward County are the Rexroad (?), Laverne, and Meade formations, but a few domestic and stock wells obtain water from alluvium in the Cimarron Valley. The character and water supply of each formation are discussed in the report.
The field data upon which most of the report is based are given in Table 10 and include records of 162 wells and chemical analyses of the waters from 20 representative wells. Logs of 35 test holes, water wells, and oil and gas wells in the area are given, including 23 test holes put down by the State and Federal Geological Surveys.
Coal Reserves in Kansas
Authors: Abernathy George E. , Jewett John M. , Schoewe W.H.
Published: January 2025

This report gives results of a detailed study of the coal reserves in Kansas; it includes data on the proved and potential reserves by beds and by counties of all bituminous coal beds in the state. Brief descriptions of coal-bearing groups of rocks with their interbedded coals are given as well as a short description of methods used in calculating the reserves. The proved coal reserves in Kansas are about 949,323,000 tons. The state's potential coal reserves are about 17,574,000,000 tons.
Graphic Representation of Oil-Field Brines in Kansas
Authors: Jeffords Russell M.
Published: January 2025

This brief paper relates the density of Kansas oil-field brines to the major dissolved constituents so as to permit rapid and inexpensive estimation of the composition of these Paleozoic brines when only the density is known. By use of graphs given in the paper, reasonably accurate estimates of the concentrations of sodium, calcium, magnesium, and dissolved solids may be made readily after determining the density. These relationships seem essentially similar regardless of depth, age, or composition of the producing formation. Minor constituents seem not related consistently to the density.
A comparison of the density-concentration relationships of the Kansas brines with those from the Appalachian area indicates that the eastern brines differ significantly in percentages of dissolved constituents.
Radioactivity Surveys in the Kansas Part of the Tri-State Zinc and Lead Mining District, Cherokee County, Kansas
Authors: Dreyer Robert M.
Published: January 2025

A detailed radioactivity survey in parts of Cherokee County indicates that the Geiger-Muller counter is of no value either in locating ore bodies or in delineating major structural features in the Tri-State district.
Preliminary Report on Phosphate-Bearing Shales in Eastern Kansas
Authors: Runnels Russell T.
Published: January 2025

Phosphate-bearing bituminous shales of Pennsylvanian age were sampled from Crawford, Bourbon, Franklin, Labette, and Wyandotte counties. Complete chemical analyses of the shales were made. Special analyses included the percentage of P2O5 soluble in citric acid, use of the spectrograph to determine trace elements present, and tests to determine the trace elements soluble in water. These analyses suggest that the phosphate and trace elements are present in quantities sufficient for the shales to merit evaluation as a source of agricultural fertilizer.
The Cheyenne Sandstone of Barber, Comanche, and Kiowa Counties, Kansas, as Raw Material for Glass Manufacture
Authors: Nixon E.K. , Runnels Russell T. , Kulstad R.O
Published: January 2025

A study of samples of Cheyenne sandstone obtained from 12 drill holes in Barber, Comanche, and Kiowa counties, Kansas, was made to determine the usability of this sandstone as a raw material for glass manufacture. Metallurgical, chemical, and petrographic data were obtained. All data show that there are reserves, adequate for commercial operation, of sands that are amenable to standard methods of beneficiation and which have a chemical composition comparable to the recommended standards set up by the American Ceramic Society and the National Bureau of Standards.