A Conceptual Model of Ground-Water Flow in the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer at the Idaho National Laboratory and Vicinity with Implications for Contaminant Transport

Scientific Investigations Report 2006-5122

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Scientific Investigations Report 2006-5122

Table 2. Ranges of hydraulic conductivities and porosities for hydrogeologic units and other rocks of hydrogeologic importance, Idaho National Laboratory and vicinity, Idaho.

[Conductivities for thin, densely fractured basalt; massive, less densely fractured basalt; intermediate-age rocks; and older rocks were estimated from aquifer tests in wells having perforated or open intervals only within the respective hydrogeologic unit or rock. Values were calculated from stratigraphic and hydraulic data presented by Mann (1986), Wood and Norrell (1996, table 6-2), Anderson and Liszewski (1997), and Anderson and others (1999, table 2). Saturated hydraulic conductivities for sediment were measured in the laboratory on intact core samples from the unsaturated zone using either the constant- or falling-head method and were reported by McElroy and Hubbell, 1990, p. 23; Perkins and Nimmo, 2000, table 1; Perkins, 2003, table 1; Winfield, 2003, table 1; Winfield, 2005, table 2. Values for porosity were measured in the laboratory on core samples and were reported by Nace and others, 1959, p. 58-61, table 9; Barraclough and others, 1967b, p. 61 and 63; Knutson and others, 1992, p. 4-21; Robertson, 1977, p. 21; McElroy and Hubbell, 1990, p. 23; Perkins and Nimmo, 2000, table 1; Perkins, 2003, table 1; Winfield, 2003, table 1; Winfield, 2005, table 2. Abbreviations: ft/d, foot per day; 100s, hundreds; <, less than]

Hydrogeologic unit or rock	Property and sample data
	Hydraulic conductivity (ft/d)		Number of wells (w) or core samples (c)	Range or median porosity	Number of core samples
	Smallest	Largest	Number of wells (w) or core samples (c)	Range or median porosity	Number of core samples
Hydrogeologic unit 1—Younger rocks consisting of thin, densely fractured basalt	0.01	24,000	67 (w)	0.05 to 0.27	100s
Hydrogeologic unit 2—Younger rocks consisting of massive, less densely fractured basalt	6.5	1,400	4 (w)	¹0.11	100s
Hydrogeologic unit 3—Intermediate-age rocks consisting of slightly altered fractured basalt and interbedded sediment	.32	24,000	14 (w)	0.05 to 0.08	20
Older rocks consisting of intensely altered fractured basalt and rhyolitic ash-flow tuffs	.002	.03	1 (w)	<0.09 to 0.19	19
Sediment	.000032	240	109 (c)	0.25 to 0.73	100s

¹Median value.

Back to Table of Contents

Accessibility FOIA Privacy Policies and Notices

U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
Persistent URL: https://pubs.water.usgs.gov/sir20065122
Page Contact Information: Publications Team
Page Last Modified: Thursday, 01-Dec-2016 19:10:47 EST