Deep‐seated solution in the Meade basin and vicinity, Kansas and Oklahoma

Abstract

During the closing years of the 19th century, Haworth [see 1 and 2 of “References” at end of paper] and Johnson [3] noted the abundant depressions resembling sink‐holes in the Southern High Plains, especially in Meade and Clark counties, Kansas, and Beaver County, Oklahoma. Johnson was of the opinion that all the depressions and basins in this region were due to solution, whereas Haworth [1] believed the Meade artesian basin to be structural, although he held to a solutional origin for the Ashland and Englewood basins, which are a few miles to the east.

High‐Resolution Seismic Reflection Investigation of a Subsidence Feature on U.S. Highway 50 Near Hutchinson, Kansas

“…Sinkholes have been definitely correlated to failed containment of disposal wells injecting oil field brine wastewater using stem pressure tests and/or seismic reflection investigations at a variety of sites throughout central Kansas (Steeples et al, 1986;Knapp et al, 1989;Miller et al, 1995;Miller et al, 1997). Sinkholes which have formed by natural dissolution and subsidence processes are most commonly documented at the depositional edges on the west and north and erosional boundary on the east of the Hutchinson Salt (Frye and Schoff, 1942;Frye, 1950;Merriam and Mann, 1957;Anderson et al, 1995a). The vast majority of published works studying the source of localized leaching of salt in Kansas directly contradict suggestions that recent land subsidence in Kansas is mostly natural in origin (Anderson et al, 1995a).…”

“…Sinkholes forming above salt layers have been studied throughout Kansas (Frye, 1950;Walters, 1978) and the United States (Ege, 1984). Studies of subsidence related to mining of the salt around Hutchinson, Kansas (Walters, 1980), disposal of oil field brine near Russell, Kansas (Walters, 1991), and natural dissolution through fault/fractureinduced permeability (Frye and Schoff, 1942) have drawn conclusions about the mechanism responsible for subsidence geometries and rates based on surface and/or borehole observations. Using only surface observations and borehole data, a great number of assumptions and good deal of geologic/mechanical sense must be drawn on to define and explain these features and their impact.…”

Seismic reflection characteristics of naturally-induced subsidence affecting transportation

“…Sinkholes have been definitely correlated to failed containment of disposal wells injecting oil field brine wastewater using stem pressure tests and/or seismic reflection investigations at a variety of sites throughout Central Kansas (Miller et al, 1997;Knapp et al, 1989;Steeples et al, 1986). Sinkholes that have been formed by natural dissolution and subsidence processes are most commonly documented at the depositional edges on the west and north and erosional boundary on the east of the Hutchinson Salt Merriam and Mann, 1957;Frye, 1950;Frye and Schoff, 1942).…”

“…Sinkholes forming above salt layers have been studied throughout Kansas (Walters, 1978;Frye, 1950) and the United States (Ege, 1984). Studies of subsidence related to mining of the salt around Hutchinson, Kansas (Walters, 1980), disposal of oil field brine near Russell, Kansas (Walters, 1991), and natural dissolution through fault/fracture-induced permeability (Frye and Schoff, 1942) have drawn conclusions about the mechanism responsible for subsidence geometries and rates based on surface and/or Seismic Reflection Characteristics of Naturally-Induced Subsidence Affecting Transportation 497 borehole observations. Salt dissolution sinkholes are found in all areas of Kansas where the Hutchinson Salt is present in the subsurface (Fig.…”

Anhydrite deposits of the United States and characteristics of anhydrite important for storage of radioactive wastes

“…The maximum depths at which solution of salt or anhydrite has been found typically range from 150 to 550 m (Frye and Schoff, 1942;Newland, 1929;Landes and others, 1945;and Anderson and others, 1972). Earlier occurrence of thermal water within any of the basins that contain evaporites probably would have accelerated deep solution of the salt and anhydrite.…”