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Thomas County Geohydrology

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Logs and Test Holes and Wells

Listed in the following pages are logs of 29 test holes and one irrigation well in Thomas County. The test holes were drilled by the State and Federal Geological Surveys during 1943 and 1944. Samples of the material penetrated by the test holes were examined in the field by Nick Fent, who supervised the drilling and prepared logs of the holes. The samples were subsequently studied microscopically by me and the descriptions in the logs were changed where necessary. The log and data concerning the irrigation well at the Colby Agricultural Experiment Station were supplied by George S. Knapp and Embert Coles. Samples obtained from the test holes are on file for general use in the offices of the State Geological Survey at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. The locations of the test holes within the county are shown in figure 13.

1. Log of test hole 1 in the NW corner sec. 6, T. 6 S., R. 31 W. Surface altitude, 2,997.9 feet. Thickness,
feet		 Depth,
feet
1 Road fill 3 3
Sanborn formation
1 Silt and very fine sand; yellow-gray; containing abundant snails 20 23
1 Silt, clay, and sand; light buff to brown 11 34
Ogallala formation
1 Gravel, sand, and silt; buff and gray; partly cemented by calcium carbonate 23 57
1 Silt and sand; pink-tan 7 64
1 Gravel and sand 21 85
1 Silt, sand, and caliche; gray and buff 27 112
1 Gravel and sand 6 118
1 Silt, sand, and caliche; grading downward into silt, clay, and caliche; gray 31 149
1 Sand, becoming coarser downward and containing some clay at base 37 186
Pierre shale
1 Shale, dark gray 14 200

2. Log of test hole 2 in the NW corner sec. 6, T. 6 S., R.33 W. Surface altitude, 3,159.0 feet. Thickness,
feet		 Depth,
feet
Sanborn formation
1 Silt, containing admixtures of fine sand and clay in some zones and some nodules of caliche; tan to gray; containing abundant snails 33 33
1 Silt, sand, and caliche; gray-white 7 40
Ogallala formation
1 Silt, sand, and gravel; buff; partly cemented by calcium carbonate 10 50
1 Gravel and sand; gray-buff to brown; containing some zones cemented by calcium carbonate 54 104
1 Silt and caliche; pink-tan; containing some clay and sand 18 122
1 Gravel, medium to fine, and sand; containing some silt 8 130
1 Silt, sand, gravel, and caliche; gray to tan 30 160
1 Gravel and sand; cemented by calcium carbonate; gray to brown 9 69
1 Caliche, clay, and silt; containing some sand; light tan to white 25 194
1 Gravel, fine, and sand 11 205
1 Silt, clay, sand, and gravel 3 208
Pierre shale
1 Shale, light blue-gray mottled with yellow-brown 2 210
1 Shale, blue-gray 5 215

3. Log of test hole 3 in the NW corner sec. 6, T. 6 S., R. 35 W. Surface altitude, 3,330.2 feet. Thickness,
feet		 Depth,
feet
Sanborn formation
1 Silt, yellow-gray; containing abundant snails 50 50
Ogallala formation
1 Silt, caliche, sand, and gravel; tan 29 79
1 Gravel and sand 21 100
1 Silt, caliche, sand, and gravel; buff 23 123
1 Gravel, sand, and caliche 34 157
1 Silt, caliche, sand, and gravel 53 210
1 Sand, medium to fine, loosely cemented with calcium carbonate 20 230
1 Silt and sand; containing caliche, gray 9 239
1 Sand, medium to fine 11 250
1 Silt, sand, and caliche; light brown 8 258
1 Sand and silt; buff 33 291
Pierre shale
1 Shale, light yellow grading downward to dark gray 9 300

4. Log of test hole 4 in the NE corner sec. 1, T. 7 S., R. 37 W. (Sherman County). Surface altitude, 3,417.5 feet. Thickness,
feet		 Depth,
feet
1 Soil, dark gray-brown 4 4
Sanborn formation
1 Silt, yellow-gray, containing abundant snails 46 50
1 Silt, containing clay; sand, and caliche; tan 17 67
Ogallala formation
1 Gravel, containing sand and caliche 6 73
1 Silt, containing sand, gravel, and caliche; gray 15 88
1 Gravel and sand 19 107
1 Silt, containing gravel, sand, and caliche; buff 23 130
1 Gravel, fine, containing sand and caliche 6 136
1 Silt, sand, and caliche; gray to buff 17 153
1 Gravel, sand, and caliche 4 157
1 Silt and caliche; light brown 2 159
1 Gravel and sand 18 177
1 Silt, sand, and caliche; gray and tan 19 196
1 Gravel, medium to fine, and sand 4 200
1 Sand and caliche 7 207
1 Gravel, sand, and caliche; gray-buff 15 222
1 Silt, yellow-gray, and caliche 4 226
1 Sand, gravel, and caliche 37 263
1 Clay, sand, and caliche; gray 9 272
1 Gravel, fine, and sand, gray 9 281
1 Silt and sand; gray-green 3 284
1 Gravel and sand; gray 11 298
Pierre shale
1 Shale, light blue-gray and yellow 2 300
1 Shale, dark gray 10 310

5. Log of test hole 5 in the NE corner sec. 1, T. 7 S., R. 36 W. Surface altitude, 3,383.1 feet. Thickness,
feet		 Depth,
feet
1 Soil, dark gray-brown 2 2
Sanborn formation
1 Silt and sand, very fine; gray-brown 48 50
Ogallala formation
1 Silt, sand, gravel, and caliche; buff 17 67
1 Gravel and sand; loosely cemented with calcium carbonate 29 96
1 Silt and sand; pink-tan; containing gravel and caliche 34 130
1 Gravel, coarse to fine, and sand; loosely cemented 20 150
1 Silt, tan, containing sand and caliche 7 157
1 Gravel, sand, silt, and caliche 8 165
1 Silt, sand, and caliche; buff 29 194
1 Gravel and sand; loosely cemented with calcium carbonate 6 200
1 Caliche, sandy, hard, gray 9 209
1 Gravel and sand 31 240
1 Sand, gray 18 258
Pierre shale
1 Shale, light blue-gray mottled yellow 2 260
1 Shale, Gray 10 270

6. Log of test hole 6 in the NW corner sec. 6, T. 7 S., R. 34 W. Surface altitude, 3,259.1 feet. Thickness,
feet		 Depth,
feet
1 Soil, gray 2 2
Sanborn formation
1 Silt and sand, very fine; buff-gray 28 30
1 Silt and clay; buff 20 50
Ogallala formation
1 Silt, buff; containing sand, gravel, and nodules of caliche 30 80
1 Gravel, sand, and silt; buff 5 85
1 Silt, sand, gravel, and caliche 4 89
1 Gravel and sand 6 95
1 Silt, sand, and caliche 23 118
1 Gravel and sand; gray; containing silt and caliche 41 159
1 Silt, caliche, sand, and gravel; pink-tan 20 179
1 Gravel, sand, and caliche 6 185
1 Silt, sand, gravel, and caliche 15 200
1 Gravel and sand; gray and yellow 46 246
Pierre shale
1 Shale, light blue-gray and yellow 4 250
1 Shale, dark gray 10 260

7. Log of test hole 7 in the SW 1/4 SW 1/4 sec. 31, T. 6 S., R. 33 W. Surface altitude, 3,083.8 feet. Thickness,
feet		 Depth,
feet
1 Soil, gray-black 3 3
Sanborn formation
1 Silt and very fine sand; containing nodules of caliche and fragments of snails 23 26
Ogallala formation
1 Gravel and sand; buff; containing silt and caliche 19 45
1 Silt, tan; containing sand, gravel, and caliche. 6 51
1 Gravel and sand; loosely cemented; buff 23 74
1 Silt, sand, gravel, and caliche; buff 6 80
1 Gravel, sand, and caliche 7 87
1 Caliche, silt, and sand 12 99
1 Gravel and sand 4 103
Pierre shale
1 Shale, light blue-gray and yellow 7 110
1 Shale, dark gray 20 130

8. Log of test hole 8 in the NE corner sec. 1, T. 7 S., R. 33 W. Surface altitude, 3,062.1 feet. Thickness,
feet		 Depth,
feet
1 Road fill 3 3
Sanborn formation
1 Silt, tan; containing sand, very fine, and clay 15 18
Ogallala formation
1 Gravel and sand 9 27
1 Silt, sand, and gravel; light brown 3 30
1 Gravel, medium to fine, and sand 10 40
1 Silt, sand, gravel, and caliche; buff-tan 8 48
1 Gravel and sand 16 64
1 Silt, sand, and caliche; buff 15 79
1 Gravel and sand; loosely cemented 9 88
1 Silt and sand; buff 10 98
1 Gravel, sand, and silt; yellow 18 116
1 Silt and sand; buff 1 117
1 Gravel, sand, and silt; buff 12 129
1 Silt, sand, and clay; blue-gray 2 131
1 Gravel, sand, and silt; buff 9 140
1 Silt, caliche, and sand; containing a few zones of very hard white caliche 11 151
1 Gravel and sand 7 158
Pierre shale
1 Shale, yellow and light gray 9 167
1 Shale, dark gray 3 170

9. Log of test hole 9 in the SE corner sec. 36, T. 6 S., R. 32 W. Surface altitude, 2,992.4 feet. Thickness,
feet		 Depth,
feet
1 Soil, dark gray-brown 2 2
Sanborn formation
1 Silt and very fine sand; yellow-gray; containing snails 18 20
1 Silt, containing some sand and fine gravel; yellow-gray 18 38
1 Silt, clay, and very fine sand; containing abundant snails 7 45
1 Silt, tan; containing gravel, fine, and sand 15 60
1 Silt and very fine sand; gray; containing snails 12 72
Ogallala formation
1 Gravel, fine, and sand 4 76
1 Silt, caliche, and sand 2 78
1 Gravel and sand; loosely cemented 15 93
1 Silt, sand, and caliche; gray and buff 27 120
1 Gravel, sand, silt, and caliche, gray 9 129
1 Caliche, sand, hard, white 6 135
1 Gravel and sand; loosely cemented 3 188
1 Caliche, very hard, white 3 141
1 Gravel, fine, sand, and clay; orange-brown 16 157
1 Silt, grave], sand, and caliche; gray to buff 10 167
Pierre shale
1 Shale, greenish-gray 3 170
1 Shale, gray streaked with yellow 20 190

10. Log of test hole 10 in the NE corner sec. 1, T. 7 S., R. 31 W. Surface altitude, 2,950.6 feet. Thickness,
feet		 Depth,
feet
1 Soil, dark gray 3 3
Sanborn formation
1 Silt and very fine sand; yellow-gray 24 27
1 Silt and clay; buff; containing a small amount of sand and fine gravel 8 35
Ogallala formation
1 Gravel, sand, and silt; loosely cemented; buff 5 40
1 Silt, sand, gravel, and caliche; tan 5 45
1 Gravel and sand; cemented with calcium carbonate 8 53
1 Silt, gravel, sand, and caliche; tan 4 57
1 Gravel and sand; containing caliche 21 78
1 Silt, caliche, sand, and gravel; tan 11 89
1 Gravel and sand 4 93
1 Silt, clay, sand, gravel, and caliche; gray 11 104
1 Sand, fine, and silt, brown 9 113
1 Gravel and sand 8 121
1 Silt, gravel, sand, and caliche; brown to gray 9 130
1 Gravel and sand 13 143
1 Silt, sand, gravel, and clay; light buff 7 150
1 Sand, tan, containing gravel and silt 28 178
1 Gravel, fine, and sand; loosely cemented 7 185
1 Sand and some gravel 5 190
1 Gravel, buff, containing sand, silt, and clay 10 200
1 Silt, buff, containing sand 8 208
1 Gravel, fine, and sand 12 220
Pierre shale
1 Shale, bentonitic (?), yellow grading downward to blue-gray 10 230
1 Shale, gray-black 8 238

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Kansas Geological Survey, Thomas County Geohydrology
Web version Nov. 2001. Original publication date Dec. 1945.
Comments to webadmin@kgs.ku.edu
The URL for this page is http://www.kgs.ku.edu/General/Geology/Thomas/08_logs.html