Hydrochemistry of Aquifer Systems and Relation to Regional Flow Patterns in Cretaceous and Older Rocks Underlying Kansas, Nebraska, and Parts of Arkansas, Colorado, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming

摘要

The purpose of this report is to describe the chemical character of the water contained in the regional geohydrologic systems and to discuss, to the extent possible, the causes for the hydrochemical variability and relations to regional flow patterns. The hydrochemical conclusions in this report are based primarily on the distribution of solute concentrations and on ratios of common ions, which are particularly useful for comparing the present chemical character of the water with that of hypothetical sources. More detailed studies, including geochemical models and details analysis of the distribution of the less-common elements, such as bromine, iodine, iron, manganese, and others, are necessary for a more comprehensive understanding of the origins and evolution of water in these deeply buried aquifers.