Publications Catalog

The geologic map of the Stitzer and western part of the Montfort quadrangles includes 1:24,000-scale mapping of both surficial and bedrock geology. This area occurs at the northern margin of the historic Upper Mississippi Valley lead and zinc mining district. Paleozoic strata are folded into a regionally-significant anticline, and mapping was initiated to...

The southwest Wisconsin groundwater and geology study (SWIGG) was a cooperative effort between Grant, Iowa, and Lafayette county governments, with scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, and WGNHS. Researchers tested water quality in hundreds of private water wells across the three...

The portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) instrument provides fast, real-time, non-destructive, multi-element geochemical data (i.e. elemental concentrations) on rocks and minerals at a relatively low cost and with minimal sample preparation. This study quantifies the precision and accuracy of measurements collected by the WGNHS pXRF on reference materials...

The sandy uplands of the Bayfield Peninsula are primary contributors to regional groundwater recharge and provide baseflow to streams in the area. Few data exist, however, to characterize upland hydrogeology or its susceptibility to groundwater contamination. Here, data from two new cores and wells, one existing well, and a lake in the sandy uplands...

The geologic map of the Bloomington and Brodtville quadrangles includes 1:24,000 scale mapping of both surficial and bedrock geology. There is little structural folding or faulting in this portion of the Driftless Area. Thus, it is ideal for studying the hydrostratigraphic framework of the mapped units. The accompanying report presents stratigraphic...

This report documents work completed as part of a grant from the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Groundwater Monitoring Network (NGWMN) program. It provides an overview of the Wisconsin Groundwater-Level Monitoring Network (WGLMN) and provides detailed description of well evaluation and repair activities, and drilling of new monitoring wells across the...

The geologic map of the Castle Rock and Long Hollow quadrangles includes 1:24,000 scale mapping of both surficial and bedrock geology. The accompanying report presents new observations about bedrock folds and fracture sets in this portion of the Driftless Area that lies just north of the main Upper Mississippi Valley zinc-lead mineral district. The...

Computerized groundwater-flow models provide scientific analysis of water resources. Since its initial development in 2014, the Columbia County groundwater-flow model has been used to respond to requests for information about specific groundwater and land use issues. This companion report to the Hydrogeology and simulation of groundwater flow in Columbia...

Results of regional study characterizing the elemental composition of rocks found at the Wonewoc-Tunnel City contact interval in west-central and southwest Wisconsin.

Field trip route and notes looking at Cambrian and Middle Ordovician rocks of southwestern Wisconsin.

This open-file report documents the first year of a two-year mapping project in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin. This preliminary document is being released to encourage input on the mapping methods and map to make the final product as useful as possible. Contains 27-page report, map of southern Trempeleau County, cross section, and photos of drill core.

Field trip guidebook showcasing four sites in Trempealeau County in west-central Wisconsin. The focus of this trip is on the sandstone formations that are prized for frac sand mining. (A draft of this book was originally prepared for the 2017 American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) Sand Mine Life Cycle Seminar held in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.)

Report, maps, and GIS data cataloging the groundwater and hydrogeologic conditions in Kewaunee County's Town of Lincoln.

Part of a larger regional study of the Eau Claire Formation, the core, from Dane County, Wisconsin, was tested using a portable x-ray fluorescence (pXRF) elemental analyzer. The report presents the data set and discusses lithologic interpretations, subsurface lithostratigraphic correlations, and hydrostratigraphic frameworks. Includes photos of the core.

This report provides information about well construction, groundwater flow, and resulting implications for well susceptibility in Bayfield County, Wisconsin. The work follows an earlier groundwater study that focused on two agricultural areas within Bayfield County.

Concentrations of radium at or above the health standard in a Madison municipal well prompted the water utility to request assistance from the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey to better understand the source of the radium. This report documents a series of analyses performed on the elemental composition of rock samples from the affected...

Details the current WGNHS approach to pXRF analysis, including usage guidelines, sample preparation, calibration, and plotting techniques.

This open-file report contains a map (PDF) and GIS data (shapefiles) of the glacial and post-glacial deposits of Waupaca County in central Wisconsin. This map and GIS data were superseded by a Map Series publication in 2023: https://doi.org/10.54915/bger3320.

Field trip guidebook describes the evidence suggesting that the Wisconsin River once flowed from west to east. (Prepared for the 2015 Geological Society of America North-Central Section Meeting.)

This open-file report contains a map (PDF), GIS data (shapefiles), and metadata for Columbia, Green Lake, and Marquette Counties in central Wisconsin.