Aquifers - Objectives

Areas

Hydraulic head and groundwater flow

Upon completion, students will be able to:

• Understand concepts needed to measure hydraulic head and horizontal and vertical head gradients in the field
• Survey wells using transits
• Determine depth to water using DTW meters
• Estimate the azimuth of groundwater flow 

Well-drilling and sampling

Upon completion, students will be able to:

• Understand basic methods for drilling and sampling wells
• Describe the soil core
• Understand the drilling, sampling and completion process for shallow wells
• Describe a soil core or cuttings that you obtained

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  Collecting soil cores with Geoprobe

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  Geoprobe operator conferring with students

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  Describing soil cores collected with Geoprobe

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  Describing soil cores collected with Geoprobe

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  Using a Munsell chart to describe soil core color

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  Using a Munsell chart to describe soil core color

Spatial mapping

Upon completion, students will be able to:

• Make a map using a pace (and/or tape) and compass
• Measure locations and elevations using a transit, plot the points on a base map
• Map and describe an outcrop

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  Using total station to survey in well locations and height

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  Setting up a prism at a well location for surveying

Describing aquifer materials

Upon completion, students will be able to:

• Describe geologic material exposed in a borehole wall
• Describe core samples from 3 different sites

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  Students describing cores from bedrock wells

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  Students describing cores from bedrock wells

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  Using a downhole camera to view fractures in bedrock wells

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  Borehole inspection using downhole camera