Publications Catalog

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...

Elevation contour data and an accompanying report provide an updated interpretation of the elevation of the top of Precambrian bedrock in south-central Wisconsin. The elevation surface was developed from geologic and geophysical data, and provides new detail on the entrenched bedrock valleys that were incised into the north and south ranges of the Baraboo...

If you’re thinking about donating land as a conservation easement but don’t own the subsurface (known as “severed mineral rights”), then you’ll need an assessment of the land’s mineral potential to determine whether the easement will qualify as a charitable tax deduction. Geologists at the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey perform this...

Depth-to-bedrock maps show the thickness of unconsolidated materials overlying bedrock. These maps provide a key link between the underlying geology, groundwater flow, and land use and are important in guiding activities such as permitting, bridge construction, and the land application of waste products in sensitive areas. Given their role in guiding...

This map shows thicknesses of deposits of unconsolidated materials above the bedrock. Across the county, depth to bedrock ranges from 0 feet, where bedrock is exposed, to over 250 feet within bedrock valleys. Areas with bedrock depths shallower than 20 feet are of particular importance for land-use planning and to the construction stone industry. Such...

The Baraboo quadrangle, records where glaciers stopped in the east-central Baraboo Hills. On this map, 1:24,000 scale, Precambrian igneous and metasedimentary rocks are overlain by Paleozoic sedimentary rocks and, more recently, by glacial deposits. Superb exposures of all three can be found in Devils Lake State Park and Parfreys Glen State Natural Area.

The Rock Springs quadrangle is located in the western Baraboo Hills of south-central Wisconsin. This map, 1:24,000 scale, conveys the rich Precambrian through Quaternary history present on the ground. Here, ancient rocks metamorphosed and folded and were later displaced by a series of faults. Although never glaciated, an ice sheet 8 kilometers to the east...

Dodge County lies in southeast Wisconsin, an area almost entirely covered by glacial deposits. This map interprets the distribution of the buried bedrock units across the county. Geologist Esther Stewart’s refinement of the bedrock elevation contours may help land-use planners identify areas most susceptible to groundwater contamination from applications...

The North Freedom quadrangle is located on the South Range of the Baraboo Hills in south-central Wisconsin. The Baraboo Hills are recognized for their ecologic and geologic significance, with superb exposure of Precambrian and Paleozoic rocks and Quaternary sediments. Mapping focused on the Precambrian section, building on past work by subdividing and...

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