Aquifer-nomenclature guidelines

Abstract

If aquifers are named, the names should be derived from lithologic terms, rock-stratigraphic units, or geographic names. The following items are not recommended as sources of aquifer names: time-stratigraphic names, relative position, alphanumeric designations, depositional environment, depth of occurence, acronyms, and hydro!ogic conditions. Confining units should not be named unless doing so clearly promotes understanding of a particular aquifer system. Sources of names for confining units are similar to those for aquifer names, i.e., lithologic terms, rockstratigraphic units or geographic names. The report contains examples of comparison charts and tables that are used to define the hydrogeologic framework. Aquifers are defined in 11 hypothetical examples that characterize hydrogeologic settings throughout the country.

SRS Geology/Hydrogeology Environmental Information Document

“…The draft classification scheme (Table 5-1) developed by the subcommittee follows guidelines published by Laney and Davidson (1986) for naming hydrogeologic units in USGS reports. The hydrostratigraphic classification uses a hierarchy of aquifer and confining units ranked at four levels.…”

Classification of hydrostratigraphic units at the Savannah River Site, South Carolina

“…2). The system is divided into two aquifers, in ascending order Aquifer Units IIA and IIB (Figs.6,8,9,10,11,12), separated by Confining Unit IIA-iiB.…”

“…Tile method of naming hydrostratigraphic units at SRS is modified from that developed by Laney and Davidson, 1986, is similar to the method proposed by Seaber, 1986, and follows the draft proposal for nomenclature recommended by the South Carolina Hydrostratigraphic Subcommittec. The system includes both formal and informal units and is based on a hierarchy of stratigraphic units ranked at three levels.…”

“…The code is robust and can be made as detailed ,'tsis needed to characterize the aquifer units and aquifer zones described in site specific studies, The hydrostratigraphic classification of the aquifers at SRS utilizes a hierarchy of aquifer and confining units ranked atthree levels (Laney and Davidson, 1986) Aquifer units and confining units, (rank 2)_ are the fundamental units of the classification. An aquifer unit is defined as a mappable (>400 sq.mi.)…”

Hydrogeology of continental southern Italy

“…Different from other types of geological units (lithostratigraphic, biostratigraphic and chronostratigraphic), for which univocal criteria of nomenclature and formal classifications have been issued (ISSC, 1976), there is still a lack for of hydrostratigraphic units. Therefore, the definition of aquifer (Meinzer, 1923) and the US Geological Survey's (USGS) multi-rank nomenclature (Jorgensen & Rosenshein, 1987;Laney & Davidson, 1986;Owen, 1987), of aquifer system, aquifer and zone, were considered as fundamental references. Accordingly, the hydrogeological complex concept (Civita, 1975), defined as a set of lithotypes with a prevailing type of permeability, a permeability grade ranging in a limited interval and a proved spatial and structural unity, was considered applicable in this work.…”