OF THE INTERIOR

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

APPLICATION

OF

.~0\..061 RD UBRAR'f

505 i.v.Rou.ETTE NY, RM AlBUQUERQUi. . 87102

LABORATORY PERMEABILITY DATA

WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION

Denver, Colorado

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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

APPLICATION

OF

LABORATORY PERMEABILITY DATA

By A. I. Johnson

Open-File Report

Water Resources Division Denver, Colorado

1963

U:S. Gi0L061CAL SURVEY WRD, USRARY 505 MARQU.ETTE N\Y, RM 7.26 ALBUQUERQ.UE, N.A\ 87100

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CONTENTS

Page

Abstract ------------------------------------------------------ 1 Introduction -------------------------------------------------- 1 Permeability defined ------------------------------------------ 2 Laboratory methods -------------------------------------------- 3 Use of laboratory data --------------------------------------~- 10

Application to test-hole logs ---------------------------- 10 Maps of transmissibility or permeability ----------------- 12 Geohydrologic cross-sections ----------------------------- 22

Permeability of rock and soil materials ----------------------- 26 References ---------------------------------------------------- 33

ILLUSTRATIONS

Figure lo Diagram and photograph of permeability apparatus --- 4 2o Diagram of de-aired water-supply system for permea-

bility testing ----------------------------------- 8 3o Graph showing variation of permeability with

elapsed time of testing -------------------------- 8 4o Photograph of packing machine ---------------------- 9 5. Relative permeability curves for Bandelier tuff ---- 10 6o Example of a project map of transmissibility ------- 12 7o Map of the artificial-recharge area showing

approximate lines of equal transmissibility,

summer 1954 -------------------------------------- 13 So Map of the Chapman area, Nebraska, showing the

average coefficient of permeability of the upper 3 feet of alluvial sediments --------------------- 14

9. Map of Frenchman Creek Basin, showing location of aquifer tests, lines of equal transmissibility, and lines along which subsurface outflow was

computed ----------------------------------------- 15 10. Map showing transmissibility of the aquifer of

Quaternary age in and near the project area from Mississippi River to Little Rock ----------------- 16

11. Map showing lines of equal transmissibility for the Gage and Gardena Aquifers, Los Angeles County,

Calif -------------------------------------------- 17 12. Map showing lines of equal transmissibility for the

combined aquifers, Los Angeles County, Calif ----- 18 13. Map of Rechna Doab, West Pakistan, showing average

coefficient of permeability ---------------------- 19 14o Map of Rechna Doab, West Pakistan, showing trans-

missibility -------------------------------------- 20

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ILLUSTRATIONS--Continued

Page

Figure 15. Map of Rechna Doab, West Pakistan, showing thickness of aquifers --------------------------- 21

l6o Geohydrologic cross-section of alluvial deposits--- 22 17. Hydro-lithologic section showing lithologic units

and transmissibility of the various formations and the chloride content in mg/1 of the deep groundwater at 20, 30, and 40 m below soil surface 23

18. Geologic sections and water table profiles, Arkansas River Valley, Ark ---------------------- 24

19o Map of alluvial geology showing location of cross-sections, Arkansas River Valley, Ark ------------ 25

20. Graph showing relation of permeability to particle size for alluvial sediments near Chapman, Nebr -- 26

2lo Graph showing relationship between effective size,·· porosity, and permeability ---------------------- 27

22. Graph showing relationship of permeability to effective size ---------------------------------- 28

23o Graph sh0Wing relationship of permeability to median diameter --------------------------------- 29

24. Graph showing relationship of permeability to texture for undisturbed samples from Arkansas ---- 30

. 25. Composite graph of aquifer properties for test hole L3S-4W-3dcal4, Artificial Recharge Project,

Ark --------------------------------------------- 31

TABlES

Table 1. Permeability conversion factors --------------------- 3a 2~ Temperature corrections for laboratory permea-

bilities ------------------------------------------ 6 3. Application of laboratory permeability data to test-

hole logs ----------------------------------------- 11 4. Typical coefficients of permeability, as determined

on laboratory samples ----------------------------- 32

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APPLICATION OF LABORATORY PERMEABILITY DATA

By Ao I. Johnson

ABSTRACT

Judicious use of laboratory permeability data, combined with good geologic interpretation, often can be used for determining the transmissibility over large areas where aquifer tests using wells may not be economically feasibleo This report describes laboratory methods for determining permeability and then describes ways in which such data may be used for producing maps or cross­sections of transmissibility or permeability. Published maps and cross-sections are provided as examples. To assist the hydrologist in estimating permeabilities when samples are not available for laboratory testing, some graphs and tables relating permeability to particle-size are provided, but the hydrologist is cautioned to use these relationships only with great cautiono

INTRODUCTION

Some of the basic material contained in this report originally was prepared in 1952 as instructional handouts for ground-water short courses and for training of foreign participantso The mate­rial has been revised and expanded and is presented in the present form to make it more readily available to the field hydrologist. Illustrations now present published examples of the applications suggested in the 1952 materialo

For small areas, a field pumping test is sufficient to predict the characteristics of an aquifero With a large area under study, the aquifer properties must be determined at many different locations and it is not usually economically feasible to make sufficient field tests to define the aquifer properties in detail for the whole aquifer. By supplementing a few field tests with labora~ory permea­bility data and geologic interpretation, more point measurements representative of the hydrologic properties of the aquifer may be obtained.

A sufficient number of samples seldom can be obtained to completely identify the permeability or transmissibility in detail for a projec~ areao However, a few judiciously chosen samples of high quality, combined with good geologic interp~etation, often will permit the extrapolation of permeability information over a large area with a fair degree of reliabilityo The importance of adequate geologic information, as well as the importance of collecting samples representative of at least all major textural units lying within the section or area of study, cannot be overemphasizedo

PERMEABILITY DEFINED

Permeability ia a measure of the capacity of a material to transmit water under pressure·. It may be determined in the labora-· tory by observing the rate of percolation of water through samples of known length and erose-sectional area under a known difference in head .

. The basic law for flow of fluids through porous materials was established by Darcy, who demonstrated experimentally that the rate of flow of water waa proportional to the hydr.aulic gradient. Darcy '.s law may be expressed as ·

Q • kiA (1).

in which Q. is the quantity of water.discbarged in a unit of time, ! is the total cross-sectional area through which the water percolates, 1 is the hydraulic gradient (the difference in head, !!, divided by the length of flow, 1) and ,! is the coefficient of pe~bility of the material for water, or

The coefficient of permeability~ P, used by the Ground Water Branch of ·the u.s. Geolog.ical Survey, la defined {Wenzel, 1942, p. 7) aa the rate of flow of water in gallons per day, through a cross-sectional area of 1 square foot under a hydraulic gradient

0 of 1 foot per foot at a temperature of 60 F.(this is sometimes . known as a Meinzer). Other permeability units are used by other organizations and other disciplines and table 1 provides factors for converting between many CODIDOD permeability units.

Coefficients of permeability,;ranging from 0.00001 to 90,000 gpd per $q ft, have been determined in the Hydrologic Laboratory. The value depends in general upon the degree o~ sorting and upon arrangement and size of the particles. It is usually low tor clay and other fine-textured or tightly cemented materials, and high for coarse, clean gravel. Moat productive water:-bearing materials have coefficients of permea~ility of 100 or above and usually above 1,.000. In general, the 'permeability in a direction parallel to the be&ding plane (for. ccmven-ience, often designated as horizontal permeability) of sediments is greater than the permeability perpendicular to the bedding plan~ (often designated as vertical permeability).

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LABORATORY METHODS

Coefficients of permeability are determined in the laboratory in .constant-head or variable-head permeameters (fig. 1). The constant-head permeameteT is generally used for samples of medium to high permeability, the variable-head permeameter for samples of low permeability.

The constant-head permeability method requires observations on the rate of discharge of water through a sample where the. difference in bead of water at the top and bottom of the sample is maintained at a constant value. From Darcy's law, th~ basic formula for the constant-head permeameter is

(3)

where ~ is the coefficient of permeability, ~ is the volume of percolat.ion, 1. is the length of the sample, A is the area of the sample cylinder, t is the length of the time of flow, h is the difference in head at the top and bottom of the sample: and OT is the ratio of the viscosity of water at the observed temperatUYe to

0 the viscosity at 60 F. Using Ground Water Branch units, equation (3) becomes

p = 21,200 QL C Ath T

(4)

when ! is in gallons per day per square foot, 2 is in cubic centi­meters, 1. and. !:!. are in centimeters, ~ is in square centimeters, !. is in seconds, and CT is dtmensionless.

The variable-head permeability method requires the indirect measurement of the quantity of water percolating through the sample by observing the rate of f.all of the water level in a manometer connected to the sample. By integrating Darcy's equation, the basic formula for use of the variable-head permeameter is

aL ho k • 2.3Atlost; CT (5)

where ~ is. the coefficient of permeability, h0 is the head in the manometer at zero time, h. is the head at anygiven elapsed time, .t is the elapsed time, ! is the cross-sectional area of the sample, ~ is the area of the manometer, 1 is the length of the sample, and CT is the temperature correction .

w Ill

Table 2.--Permeability conversion factors

[From Johnson, A. I., 1963, Application of laboratory perme~bility data: U.S_. Geol-. Survey open-file rept.]

•. Meinzer

Cm per sec Ft per day · Ft per yr Darcy (gpd per sq ft)

. . 3 .• . 6 3 4 Cm per sec l 2 •. 835xl0 . l.0348xl0 l.033xl0 2.12xl0

Ft per ~ay . -4

3.53xl0 l . 365 J.64xlo- 1 7.48

-.7 . . -3 -4 <, -2 Ft per ·yr· 9.67xl0 2.74xl0 ,.1 9.99xl0 2.05xl0

-4 2.75 3 I Darcy 9.68xl0 ·1.00lxlO l 20.50 I

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-5 -1 -2 1

Meinz,er 4.72xl0 · l.34xl0 48.8 4.88xl0 l !

(gpd per sq ft) j

Multip.ly. unit at left by numbe·r ·in ~olumn to get unit at top of column. All units bas·~d on temperature 0 .. 0

of 60 F or 15.6 C.

• • r • •. •

""

e

a----+i!---

t Time ~ II-!- ho (t) -f--1

Manometer Temperature

~ ..-l ~

~ 0

il •.-I Cl

(CT)

Overflow tank

.. To

waste

Screen

(a) Diagram of variable-head type,

where k = 2.3 !!!. log ho CT At h

e

Upper-head tank

lj

' .

t ~h

_1

e

(Q) Quantity

~ Time (t)

(b) Photograph of apparatus (c) Diagram of constant-head type.,

where k =

Figure 1.--Permeability apparatus ,

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Using Gr~und Water Branch units; equation (5) becomes

h P = 48,81~ :~ log ~ CT (6)

in which! fs in gallons per.day per square·foot under a hydraulic . 0.

gradient of one· foot per ·foot ··at 60 F. ! and !. are in square centimeters, L is in centimeters, t is in seconds, h ·and hare in centimeters·, ;nd c~ is ·ditilensionless. 0

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In the above equation•, the propertiea of the percolation fluid have been neglected. However, permeability ia di~ectly proportional to the unit weight (density), 1, and inversely proportional to the viscosity, ~. .,. Thus, kl

1 (7) •k-

2 12

and k • ~2

k - (8) 1 2 ~1

Although special fluids, as well as air or other gases, are used by the Hydrologic Laboratory in the determination of permeability, most tests have used fairly pure water·. (See Johnson and Morris, 1962, for the chemical analysis of Denver tap water.) Under the latter conditions, the unit weight of water, 1 , is essentially constant at avalue clos.e to 1 g per cc, but t~e viscosity, ~' varies considera~ly with changes in temperature. From equatio~ (7), it is obvious that permeability increases with an increase in temperature.

Because co-efficients of permeabilitX are reported from the laboratory for a water temperature of 60 F, they must be corrected for the temperature of the. ground water before applying them to field problems. The permeability at some given .field tempera­ture, ~' may be obtained fr~ the equation

k60 k.r = CT

Table 2 provides the temperature corrections required for the most common ground-water temperatures .

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(9)

Table 2. --Temperature corrections for laboratory permeabilities

Conversion factors for cogvertin~ coefficients of permeability at water temperature~ of 40 16 - 90. F to c.oefficients of permeability at water temperature of 60 F.

k60 = kTCT

Water Conversion . Water ·conversion tem~rature factor temperature factor

(oF) (C~ (oF) (C~

40 1.37 65 0.93

41 1.35 66 0.91

42 1.33 67 0.90

43 1.31 68 0.89

44 1.28 69 0.88 45 1.26 70 0.87 46 1.24 71 0.86

47 1.22 72 0.84

48 1.20 73 0.83

49 1.18 74 0.82

50 1.16 75 0.81

51 1.15 76 0.80

52 1.13 77 0.79

53 1.11 78 0.78

54 1.09 79 0.77

55 1.08 80 0.16

56 1.06 81 0.75

57 1.04 82 0.75

58 1.03 83 0.74 .,

59 1.01 84 0.73

60 1.00 85 0.72

61 0.98 86 0.71

62 0.97 87 0.70

63 0.96 88 .. 0.69 64 0.95 89 0.69

90 _0.68

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Equations (7) and (8) show that permeabilities determined from flow of air or other gases theoretically can be converted to equiva• lent permeabilities for water. Although good agreement sometimes may be obtained (usually on fairly clean sands and gravels) from actual tests using either gas or water, the agreement more often is quite poor. The cases of disagreement usually can be explained by the fact that clay minerals in the sample may be. affected by water but not by gas. Thus, the author recommends the use of water for most permeability measurements in connection with ground-water studies. However, for special problems--s4ch as salt-water encroach­ment, the tests should. be made with water of the same analysis as that found in the project area. When water is used for the permea­bility test, entrapped air in the sample may cause plugging of some of the pore space and greatly reduce the apparent coefficient of· permeability. Thus, a specially-designed vacuum system (fig. 2) is used by the Hydrologic·Laboratory to provide the de-aired water used as a percolation fluid. Such water has an affinity for soluble gas and any gases present in the pore space will thus tend to be dissolved and carried out of the sample, satura~ing the pore space during the process.

Once the sample is saturated, decreases in permeability usually will occur (fig. 3) if tes.ting is continued. This decrease is due to (1) migration of some gas bubbles to points where they can plug a pore space and reduce flow, (2) solid matter of microscope size plugging pore channels, (3) small amounts of dissolved chemicals plug the filter disks on the permeameters or react with the clay minerals in the sampie, (4) migration of fine particles of' the sample plugging pore passages, and (5) growth of micro-organisms reducing the effective pore space. Figure 3 shews that the length of time and the amplitude of the changes for (1) the early period of rising permeability (to saturation), (2)the middle period of relatively constant permeability, and (3) the later period of reducing pernaeabilities varies with the texture of the material being tested·. Figure 3 also shows, for a coarse sand, the difference in permeability obtained from use of ordinary tap water and de-aired water. The coefficient of permeability reported by the Hydrologic Laboratory is the maximum value obtained after several flow measure­ments, the peak values on the graphs of figure 3, and represents the permeability at saturation.

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Solenoid

Scale: \" = 1'

Figure 2. -~De-aired water-supply system for permeability testing, Hydrologic Laboratory, Denver, Colo.

~ I'-"' 0 0

"' H < &: 5I

1000

ffi ""

\ Coarse sand, with deaired tap water

~ i'-......

---- Coarse sand, with1 ordin~ry. tap ""'ter.

~ Fine to medium sand t!l

~

E. ;:l

"" ~ 100

~

"' 0 v - I--

Very fine sand

§ -~ {::

s' 10

ELAPSED TIME, IN DAYS

Figure 3. --Graph showing variation of permeability with elapsed time of testing.

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For saturated permeability measurements, undisturbed cores of unconsolidated materials are retained in the cylinder liners of drive ~ore barrels. Undisturbed cores of consolidated materials are sealed with sealing wax in the percolation cylinders. Disturbed samples of unconsolidated materials are packed in the percolation cylinders by means of a specially-designed packing machine (fig. 4). All cylinders are installed directly in the permeameter to serve as the perco­lation cylinder of the apparatus.

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Figure 4.--Packing machine

Unsaturated permeability, or the variation of permeability with degree of saturation, is determined in the Hydrologic Laboratory by use of the pressure-plate outflow method (Gardner, 1956), for unconsolidated materials, and by use of a modified stationary-liquid method (Burdine, l953; Corey, 1954; Hassler and others, 1936), for consolidated materials. The apparatus (bottom, cover photograph) used in the latter method holds the wetting phase (water) stationary within the sample by capillary forces while determining the permea­b.ility of the sample to the non-wetting phase (air) under very low pressure gradients. The unsaturated permeability to water (fig. 5) is then calculated from the measured air permeabilities using a mathematical procedure developed by Corey (1954).

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E

I • 9 E

··I • 7 ""

~

~----~-----r-----;------+--r--~ .6 ~ f-<

~~ -....a::

.s E ~ ~3: o-<'-'

.4 i

.3 ~

~----1------r~--~--~--~----4 .2 ~ ~ :z;

.1 ::>

o.

PERCE~ LIQUID SATURATION

Figure 5.--Relative permeability curves for Bandelier tuff~

USE OF LABORATORY DATA

Application to Test-Hole Logs

Aquifers usually consist of lithologic units,or layers, which have different texture and consequently-different permeabilityo To determine the average permeability of the section under study, good quality samples (preferably undisturbed cores) should be obtained from each of the layers and analyzed for their permeability. Once the permeabilities are known for the individual units, the average permeab~lity may be calculated by the following equation:

1 k a (10)

where k ~ average coefficient of permeability parallel to the bedding planes of the layers,

~ = total thickness of section under study, m1 , m2, • • • mn = thickness of each unit or layer.,

k1, k2, kn = coefficient of permeability of each unit or 'layer.

Table 3 demonstrates the method of making such calculationso

Once permeabilities have been obtained for the lithologic units or textures found in the project area, driller's or geologist's logs (preferably the ~atter) may be used in conjunction with those data to obtain the average permeability or transmissibility at many specific locations.

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Table 3.--Application of laboratory permeability data to test-hole logs.

Test-hole Thickness Coefficient Weighted permeability

log (feet) of permeability or (gpd per sq ft) unit transmissibility

(gpd per ft) Surface

Unsaturated rna teria ls 25

Water table

Very--rin-e- -- --10---~0---- -1 000---sand ,

Sandy silt 5 10 50

Silty clay

Medium sand

Coarse sand­fine gravel

Medium-crs gravel with cobbles

15

10

15

20

1 15

2,000 20,000

5,000 75,000

8,000 160,000

Base of aquifer~

Note: Saturated thickness (ft): 75. Aquifer transmissibility (gpd per ft): 256,000. Average permeability (gpd per sq ft): 256,000 7 75 : 3,400 .

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Maps of-Transmissibility or Permeability.

Once transmissibilities, or average permeabilities, have been deter­mined from ~quifer.tests or by calculation from laboratory and test-hole data, they may be.plotted at the location of the well or test hole. ·Con­tours of equal transmissibility, or permeability, then may be drawn in a manner simifar to the preparation of topographic maps (fig. 6). Differ­ent patterns also may be drawn between contours· to indicate ranges of transmissibility or permeability.

Figures 7 through 15 present examples of areal maps showing pat·terns of transmissibility or permeability, and related properties •. Those figures showing permeability data may represent the average permeability for the total saturated thickness or for selected zones, according to the needs of the hydrologic problem.

LEGEND

• Test-hole and laboratory data

60

0

Pumping-test data

Transmissibility (gpd per ft X 1,000)

Figure 6.--Example of a project map of transmissibilityo

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(Illustration ·from Sniegock1, R. T., 1964)

R. 5 W.

-~

" ~~ ~ ' ~ STU~TGA

i...o .... ~ .. ~ 0

... I I I ~':~II

~r, 1 J"rr/ 1 t\ 1 I 1 I f I

\ II\; ll \

\ \ \ \\ ' \ \ I'\'· " \ 1

\ \

\ \ \\ \.\ ,, '

R. 4 W. R. 3 W

- - - 150 ,.- ~111:. I 6 I 6 ,.._-t.-12 •134

//' v/;~

..,,. II

•212 r-,-r

~\\ l~i 100 ... o '· \. \.!136

"-j~ ....:---::= .. $0-~

~\ (1,0

,//r~:::- uo-i~ r--.,,./) ~9~) -.J; -..... ~~ ... ~ II I/ 60 )1 I I /. ·/.~ -~·" ... ~ ~ /~ ) ,J!tf/11 1/l/ ~~ ~~~

~ .Ao "'-..1 y~~>' l rTT,T{fj ~,,,, r~~,

8

T cr0 _'-. t- S: )~ ~ ......... , ,/68~ ~/ ,,

~'\ ' '~<... :";>--~ , I~

3~ ~~"-.~ .,;c.~ ~~~ 31

.......... ) ~~;~ r-\ ~t ~\ 1/.~ ... .....--J 6•1T ~

0\~(~~~ -~ !f=1 v' ~

lJ "' L~~ ~ IJ 77,/ ~J) r( ,-;. -../

'r ~ ~ ~\ L-~ v;'~ \ I I

./ v./ l1l

~I J I ..... ~·· '- ~~ ~MYRA. ~ I

,../\

~ 170 \\:. -d; '-LJ

1' 31 36 _,. ..71

I I 6 I :1 6

,) EXPLANATION

•67 Teat llole allowi119 lron1111inibilily nlimoled from well looa, in IIIOUIOftdl

of oonon1 per day per fool

_6o--Line of equal coeffieclenl of lranii'Jiisaibilily, in lhouaonlll of oallou

pet ., per fool. Doahed wllert inferred. lnlenel ia 10 110,000 opd per footl

Y"'--t, ;,1 ----

:; ~ . 11 ~-,.::

,1fJ,/ \~ ~ T. ~ /~- 2 r:::,....t s

T 3 s.

T. 4

S.

Pi1ure 7.--Map of the artificial-recharge area showing approximate lines of equal tranamiaaibility, summer 1954 .

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.p-

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(Illustration from Keech, C. F., 1964)

R.8W. I I 1a I

24 I . :3

l 1~, ....

T.12 N •

6

T. 11 N. r::.: y P'"' a .r.i·:.!l!l·::::·'"

R. 7 W.

• 320

Auger Hole Number is average coefficient of

permeability of upper 3 feet of surficial deposits, in gallons per day per square foot

r:::::J L:..:.:..:J <70

(gpd per sq ft) -70-600

(gpd persq ft)

Figure 8.--Map of the Chapman area, Nebraska, showing the average coefficient

of permeability of the upper 3 feet of alluvial sediments.

•• . .. •

...... Ul

• UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

OEOLOOICAL SURVEY

• . ~ • (Illustrati,on from cardwell. W. D. 1., aDd Jeakiu, B. D., 1963)

R.39W. R.38W. R.37W. R.36W.I R.35W.

"or

WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1577 Pu.TE 7

EXPLANATION

e35

Well at which aquifer test wa made

R.46W. R.45W. IT.

PLATTE_/_....L---+----+' - ~12 --55

Well &t which &quif<T t<st yielded &DOmaloas <O<fflcient of tnrtsmissibility, owina to local variations in permeability. partial penetration of aquifer, or both

Eckley•

~ I II I I =-I ( I I I !N.

IT. 11 N.

I

Val110 _, ...J i• eo.p4lifllll .. ,

o200 Well at which opccifoc capocity wa clct.cnnincd AIJP"U'i-.t~~q(INU*iaibilitrati...,..

fr-fio-n a

C D Line acn::a which subsurface now wu eompated

-25_===== Lines of equal transmissibility

Dud#d w.Un iRkrpolawl fro• map •ftoriJtQ acturut1d d:itl-ut•. N11a~r• irtdira.tr traumi11Jibilit~.in tMut!Jid11 ofpallou JWr daJI~rfoot

Approximate boundary of Frenchman Creek basin

-..s~r-- ~ 1 'S\.;;;j ~ ~ R 3 ~\ rut. __ -.,. , -~~~ t I .1\ 1

. 2W. R.31. } ' Hayes Ce~ter

I I

KANSAS

T. 4 N.

T. 3 N.

Flpre 9.-- MAP OF FRENCHMAN CREEK BASIN, SHOWING LOCATION OF AQUIFER TESTS, LINES OF EQUAL TRANSMISSIBILITY, AND LINES ALONG WHICH SUBSURFA.CE OUTFLOW WAS COMPUTED

5 0 5 10 15 20 25 MILES

(Illustration from Bedinger, M. S., Tanaka, H. H., and others, 1960)

REPORT ON GROUND-WATER GEOLOGY AND HYDROLOGY OF THE LOWER ARKANSAS

AND VERDIGRIS RIVER VALLEYS

4

EXPLANATION

Pumru•.q test

0

Sp ec•f•t coPoc• ty test

Tronsmtss ibili ty

Lus than 100

~ tOO to 200

Olilllll 200- 300

~ Mort than 300

•• ,o 0180

Number and pattern indicate transmissibility in thousands of ooltons per day per. foot.

Boundary of the aqu1ftr of Quaternary age .

I~ J 10

Scale in Mil ..

Ft.aure 10 -Map show in<;~ transmissibility of the aquifer of Quaternary aQe m and near the project oreo from Mississippi River to Little Rock .

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....... -..)

• ;I! d:

*---4---------~-----1 I

~

"9:

I I I I I A!!r-~· / ;t-:."'"ll' I I I

"

"

0

0

1"'\

l>

z

• 104, 1961)

f L

LEGEND

~IOUJCtl&II'YCWWAT[II'I£ARINGM&T[Iti&L

--- 'AULT, I&IUtl[lt m1 ltAIItfi&L 1.&1111111[11' TO GltOUllft> *AT[ItiiiOV[MENT

--- '.&ULT, NO Uft!IU[IIt TO ~OUNO W.IT£11' MOVEMENT (D&Stot£0 WK[It[ &PPftOXIIIIAT[L'f' LOCAT[DI

--..... ~~~~~!,;:'.~: ::.,~~=::~..,~::::£0) LIN[ 0' [QUaL TltUSIIIISSUULITT IN T"OUSANO$

OF' GALLONS ~UI OAT P[lt 'DOT OF' WIDTH

nAnDI'c:..uno~~J~UA

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES 80UTM&RN CALI,.OMIIIIA DI8TIIt1CT

GROUND WATER GEOLOGY OF THE COASTAL PLAIN OF

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

LINES OF EQUAL TRANSMISSIBILITY OF THE GAGE AND GARDENA AQUIFERS

SCALEMMIL[$

'~- _Q ____ I~ I

Figure 11.--Map showing lines of equal transmissibility for the Gage and Gardena Aquifers, Los

Angeles County, Calif.

•

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•

(Illustration from Calif. Dept. Water Resources Bull. 104, 1961)

ffi---~---------j ____ _ I I I I

l E G E N 0

~BOUIIIDARYOFII'.t.TERIIEARIIIIGM.t.T[RIAL

I I I .A~

UNE 01' EQUAL TRAHSIIISSIBiliTY IN THOUSANDS OF GALLONS P£R OI.Y P!:A FOOT Of' WIDTH

-o

~

I I I

C'>

""

C'>

0

0

"' l>

z

8TAT. 0" CAUPOIDilA

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES 80UTHIIRN CALI,.OIItNIA DleTRICT

GROUND WATER GEOLOGY OF THE COASTAL PLAIN OF

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

GENERALIZED LINES OF EQUAL TRANSMISSIBILITY OF THE COMBINED AQUIFERS

I I u <

Figure 12.--Map showing lines of equal transmissibility for the combined aquifers, Los Angeles County, Calif.

• ~ r •

.......

..0

• • (Illustration from Kazmi, A. H., 1961)

• Te~t nola&.

~ Avcra9• Cot(ficianl· of Permeabilily in goUorl1 per cloy jsq.ft. tttt1 o.s-s.o rrm 5.0-50.0

~ S0-.100

0 100-!00

c:J 100-500

e LOCATION OF TEST HOW

SCALE :.t ~ "'" •L_ ____________ ~··---------------

• it,...

Figure 13:.--Map of Rechna Doab, West Pakistan, showing average

coefficient of permeability.

•

N 0

e

• Tu.t hole$,

TR~HSMISSI&Il!Tf IN GALLONS PEl ~y PEl • 5-t.OOO

m 1000- 10. 001

[]] 10.000- ZO,OOD

~ .Z0,000-50,000

D so.ooo-1oo,o1o

~ 100;000· 100,\lQO

(Illustration from Kazmi, A. H., 1961)

.. . SCALE •• !Iii•• "

7~·

Figure 14.--Map of Rec hna Doab, West Pakistan, showing transmissibility.

e . ' e

N ......

e

;·

• THICKNtSS OF AQUIFERS IN FfET

o- too

m too-zoo [lll 2oo- 300

121 30o-400

e • ' ·

(Illustration from Kazmi, A. H., 1961)

SCALE • ~ n ~

Figure 15.--Map of Rechna Doab, West Pakistan, showing thickness

of aquifers.

e .

Geohydrologic Cross-Sections

To completely understand subsurface hydraulic conditions, a geohydrologic cross-section is valuable. The cross-section is based on test-hole logs and laboratory and aquifer-test data and the interpretation of the geology. Patterns may indicate the hydrologic properties, or permeability values at specific sample locations may be shown beside the test hole or within the litho­logic unit. In any case, it becomes obvious that there is little difference between a geologic and a geohydrologic cross-section, except for putting quantitative numbers on the geology.

Figure 16 demonstrates the principle· and figures ·17 and 18 present several examples of published geohydrologic sections. Figure 19 shows details of the area for the cross-section pre­sented in figure 18.

----~Channel

trT-riTr-PT-TTT¥-1~;;;;;, fill

Permeability (gpd per sq ft)

1

r::J

LEGEND

10

~

clay

1,000

~ 5,000

[[JI] 10,000 ~ ~

Figure 16.--Geohydrologic cross-section of alluvial deposits.

22

•

•

•

N w

e e

(Illustration from DeRidder, N. A., 1961)

S£CTION A-X K73

Soa loval [m

-10

-20

-30

- 40

•50 kD-470m'/day

20m- 15500 mg~l/l 30m- 15700 .. 'Om- 14300 ..

l£GEND

0 Vory fino sand ( (U•120-160)

j::::::::: .. j Modium fino sand (U•90-120)

c::::J Fino sand (U•SO- 90)

f:::::::::::·.j Coarse sa nil I U• 30- 50)

HYDRO-LITHOLOGIC SECTION K80 K81

k0•450 rrt/day 16443 mg Cl/l 16520 .. 13350 ..

- Cloy.s~lt ( >40°/o)

IDllliiii Clay+silt(20-40%)

[[[]I Clay+s ilt(10-20%)

l j:: : :J:: :~H Clayey sand (clay .. silt 5-10°/o)

k0·440 m2/day 11400 mg Cl/l 13600 .. 13~00 ..

U:::.::::D Clayey sand (cloy•silt 2-5°/o)

- Poat H Filter

kD • Transmissibility in m2/doy

• '- e

K78 m

Soa lO¥ol

-10

-20

-lo

200 -4iil600m

Figure 17.--Hydro-lithologic section showing lithologic units and transmissibiltty of the various formations and the chloride content in mg/1 of the deep groundwater at 20, 30 and 40 m below soil surface.

~

e

J =~

(Illustration from Bedinger, M. S., Tanaka, H. H., and ot hers , 1960)

C8:J 0

G5·23 """~'us

~ --­~ ~---r7 [::;] -w ,.,..,-... .-._, ~, .. , __ --- _,_, ----- HCI_,_

--~ ... ""_, ~he=~-'" w••UIXI ::--:::•.::wr;.

CiS•I5 ,...., lso'os

., 0

• "IG>1n PERVIOUS III (OIUIIII TO COoVIS(

A'

-~·-·. · SANO.t.NO!Oit.IIV(I.~STIUTUIII

::~..:_:-';,:.II:O~otC AOClt ~·, ·~· , • ~~ ' ·. : • ".~ ~ • o' 1: 'o •, • ~· ~., ~~

OoSUioiC ( l'l,llf

SECTION A - A '

1•1.2. 000

L ... .,..

MULTIPLE-PURPOSE PLAN

GROUND WATER HYDROLOGY­ALLUVIAL GEOLOGY

GEOLOGIC SECTIONS AND

WATER TABLE PROF! LES SCALE ; AS SHOWN

Figure 18.--Geologic sections and water table profiles, Arkansas River Valley, Ark.

e ' r

\

I

e

N Vt

e e , ~ e

(Illustration from Bedinger, M. s., Tanaka, H. H., and others, 1960)

~ i

PALEOZOIC ROCK

PAlEOZOIC ROCK

EITITJ c:m ~ fi'OINT IIAif MXACTIDNS

~ •Aat SWAIIII' DCI"'SST'S

~ Ell •nHtAI.. LCIICC O€t>OSITS -t:liiiilll!lill TltiiMJ1.AifrALL/JVI/HI -¢000 STA/IIDAIIOI1£lln'tl€1fl' ...

J l?werpt»>fJDn 1s (IPI"'tt"""llf•l!l f11t1f o~ 5Pn"'J, /95$

WULTtPLE~PURPOSE PUN

GROUND WATER HYDROLOGY- AllUVIAL GEOLOGY

ALLUVIAL GEOLOGY

SU.lf: I 20,000

·---·~ ~-. -=-~· ... AREA Z3

Figure 19.--Alluvial geology showing location of cross-sections, Arkanaas River Valley, Ark.

~ ~ ~ H

~ ~ ~ H ~

~ ft

~ ~ H

~ 0

~ ~ 0 H

~ ~

~ ~

Permeability of Rock and Soil Materials

Although the best permeability data are those obtained from analysis of samples actually obtained from the study area, projects may not always have time or funds to collect the samples or have them analyzed. Figures 20 through 24 and table 4 are presented to provide the project hydrologist with a working list of permeability coefficients representative of the rock or soil materials found in his areao In most cases, the data or relationships result from research in the Hydrologic Laboratory. Figure 25 illustrates one method of presenting the physical and hydrologic properties of water-bearing materials in a test holeo The hydrologist is cautioned to apply these data only with great caution and is reminded that it is best to develop such relations for each particular project area.

1.0

0.1·

0.01 1 10 1000

COEFFICIENT OF PERMEABILITY, IN GPD PER SQ FT

Figure 20.--Relation of permeability to particle size for alluvial

sediments near Chapman, Nebro

26

•

•

•

•

en ~ tal 1-t

~ .... ~ ~ .... X :z: ....

.. ..,-..

0 ~

N ~ -...J

.........

llEl N ..... en tal > ..... 1-t 0 ~ ~ fz.t tal

• ......

0.1

.01.· I I I I I I I I !!!IIIII'

10 100 1,00.0 10,000 PERMEABILITY, IN GALLONS PER DAY PER SQUARE FOOT

Figure 21.--Relationship between effective size, porosity, and permeability. (After Turneaure, F. E., and .. Ru~se 11, H. L., 194 7)

•

100,000

100,000

E-4 f:l.4

0' c:n ~ t::LI p..

Q p.. C!)

z H

.. ~ H ~ H ~

i t::LI p..

10,000

1,000

100

10 0.01

A

!!.

Sample nmnber

Porosity

I I

0.1

I

I I

I

I I I

I

Data from Hydrologic Laborator

-- Data from Turneaure and Russell (1947)

1

EFFECTIVE SIZE, IN MILLIMETERS

Figure 22.--Relationship of permeability to effective size.

28

• \

I

•

10

•

• }

'

E-t ~

0' til

~ ~ p..

~ p.. C!)

z ..... • .. ~ ..... ..:a ..... ,:Q

I p..

•

1,000

100

10

1 0.01

A Sample number

-1

--2 --3

--4 --5

--6

0.1

Data from Hydrologic Laboratory c = 1.3-1.4

u Rose and Smith, Rose and Smith,

1957· c = 2-4 , u 1957. c = 4-6

' u Logan County, Ark; Av. C = 5

u Fort Smith, Ark., to Muskogee,

Arkansas, Jefferson, and Pulaski Counties, Ark; Av. c = 6; after Bedinger, M. S . , anduothers, 1960

1.0 10.0

~DIAN DIAMETER, IN MILLIMETERS Figure 23.--Relationship of permeability to median diameter.

29

l.V

0

•

~ ·~

~ q_4;

~ lq'

~ ~

"'~ SANDY CLAY

C(-"V,..L.

~ ~

50 -~

~ 1)0 ~

40 1--~

30

y' c) ) ; > ; I >> J ) >;' ; > ) Q

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

SILT SIZE, IN PERCENT

Figure 24. --Relationship of permeability to texture for undisturbed samples from Arkansas •

• \,_...., •

75

85

"' 90

~

~ 95 1.,),1 "' - 0 z :5 lOO

~ <;l = 105

5 Q 110

115

120

125

127.5

• ~ .;

, ....•..... 0 "' 0

0

0 0

EFFECTIVE SIZE, IN MM

~ • "'~

UNIFORMITY COEFFICIENT POROSITY, IN PERCENT SPECIFIC YIELD, IN PERCENT PERMEABILITY, IN GPD PER SQ FT

Figure 25. - Composite graph of aquifer properties for test hole L38-4W-3dca14, Artificial Recharge Project, Ark.

•

t:l. <

~ 0 s 3

~ "' §

TRANSMISSIBILITY, IN GPD PER FT

Table 4.--Typical coefficients of permeability, as determined on

Material

Granite

Slate

Dolomite

Hematite

Limestone

Gneiss

Basalt

Tuff

Sandstone

Till Loess

Beach ·sand

Dune sand

Alluvium

Clay

Silt

Very fine sand

Pine sand

Medium sand

Coarse sand

Very coarse sand

Very fine·gravel

Fine gravel

Medium gravel

Coarse gravel

Very coarse gravel

Cobbles

laboratory samples

Permeability 0

(gpd per sq ft @ 60 F)

0.0000009

0.000001

0.00009

0.000002

0.00001

0.0005

0.00004

0.0003

·o.oo3 0.003

1

100

200

0.000005

0.000003

0.0002

0.009

0.002

0.05

1

10

30

0.5

30

400

600 (see individual materials below)

0.001 1

1

10

100

1,000

4,500

6,500

s,ooo 11,000

16,000

22,000

30,000

32

10

100

1,000

4,500.

6,500

8,000

11,000

16,000

22,000

30,000

- 40,000

Over 40,000

• \ "

•

•

•

•

•

REFERENCES

Bedinger, M. S., Tanaka, H. H., and others, 1960, Report on ground-water geology and hydrology of the Lower Arkansas and Verdigris River Valleys: U.S. Geol. Survey open-file rept., 171 p.

Burdine, N. T., 1953, Relative permeability calculations from pore size distribution data: Am. Inst. Mining Metal!. Engineers Trans., v. 198,· p. 71-77.

California Department of Water Resources, 1961, Planned utilization of the ground water basins of the coastal plain of Los Angeles County: California Dept. Water Resources Bull. 104, App. A.

Cardwell, W. D. E., and Jenkins, E. D., 1963, Ground-water geology and pump irrigation in Frenchman Creek Basin above Palisade, Nebraska: U.S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 1577, 472 p.

Corey, A. T., 1954, The interrelation between gas and oil relative permeabilities: Producer's Monthly, v. 19, no. 1, 32-41.

DeRidder, N. A., 1961, Hydro-geological investigations in the Netherlands: Netherlands, Inst. Land Water Management Research Tech. Bull. 20, 11 p.

Gardner, W. R., 1956, Calculation of capillary conductivity from pressure plate outflow data: Soil Sci. Soc. America Proc., v. 20, p. 317-320.

Hassler, G. 1., Rice, R. R., and Leeman, E. H., 1936, Investigations on the recovery of oil from sandstones by gas drive: Am. Inst. Mining Metal!. Engineers Trans., v. 118, p. 116-137.

Johnson, A. I., and Morris, D. A., 1962, Physical and hydrologic properties of water-bearing deposits from core holes in the Los Banos-Kettleman City area, California: U.S. Geol. Survey open-file rept., 182 p.

Kazmi, Ao Ho, 1961, Laboratory tests on test drilling samples from Rechna Doab, West Pakistan, and their application to water resources--Evaluation studies: Internat. Assoco Scio Hydrology, Pub. 57, Po 493-508o

Keech, Co Fo, 1964, Ground-water conditions in the proposed waterfowl ~efuge area near Chapman, Nebraska with ~ section ~ Chemical quality of the water, by Po Go Rosene: UoSo Geolo Survey Water­Supply Paper 1779-E, 55 Po

Rose, H. Go, and Smith, Ho Fo, 1957, Particles and permeability--A method of determining permeability and specific capacity from effective grain size: Water Well Jouro, Marcho

33

Sniegocki, R. T., 1964, Hydrogeology of a part of the Grand Prairie Region, Arkansas: U.S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 1615-B, 72 p.

Turneaure, F. E., and Russell, H. L., 1947, Public water supplies: 4th ed., New York, John Wiley & Sons, 704 p.

Wenzel, L. K., 1942, Methods for determining permeability of water­bearing materials: U.S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 887, 192 p.

34

•

'

•

•