Geology and Ground Water Resources of the Matanuska Valley Agricultural Area, Alaska

Ground-water resources of the Palmer-Big Lake area, Alaska: a conceptual model

“…This is the one watershed of the study area in which continuous confining units are clearly identifiable above permeable units. The findings in this area match the findings of Trainer (1960), who documented the existence of a confining layer in the area north and west of Palmer. Thick alluvial deposits beneath the confining layer and the location of the section in a major river valley indicate that a large and productive aquifer may exist.…”

“…Generally, the surface of the study area ( fig. 2) exhibits a transition from glacial outwash and ice contact deposits in the east to morainal topography and more surface expressions of till materials in the west (Trainer, 1960;Reger and Updike, 1983;Daniels, 1981a and1981b;and Reger, 1981aand Reger, , 1981band Reger, , 1981cand Reger, , and 1981d.…”

Geomorphology and bank erosion of the Matanuska River, southcentral Alaska

“…Glacial deposits can be identified near the present Matanuska Glacier, and deposits near Palmer have been interpreted as till, morainal, and outwash deposits in sequences up to a few hundred feet thick (Trainer, 1960;Freethey and Scully, 1980;Reger and Updike, 1983). Strong winds that entrain sediment from the braid plain or banks have left a prominent loess cap on many banks near the river (Trainer, 1961;Muhs and others, 2004) and modern sand dunes at sediment bluff tops near Palmer.…”

Guidebook to Permafrost and Quaternary Geology along the Richardson and Glenn Highways between Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska

“…Early interpretations of the Quaternary history of the region by Karlstrom (1953;1957;, Miller and Dobrovolny (1959), Trainer (1960), and Trainer and Waller (1965) are based on: a) geomorphic evidence gathered from early aerial photography, maps, and field investigations; b) stratigraphic evidence gleaned from natural exposures in sea bluffs around Cook Inlet and in river bluffs or from artificial exposures available at the time; c) several radiometric dates for organic material collected from these sections; and d) subsurface data (well logs) from the Anchorage and Palmer areas. With the availability of better photography and maps, improved radiometric-dating methods, new stratigraphic sections, and literally hundreds of borehole logs (especially in the Anchorage area), these early chronologies were tested, and the following summary incorporates the resulting refinements and reinterpretations.…”

“…Based on his interpretation of water-well logs, Trainer (1960) Hauling is suspended from mid-October to May, when the aggregate freezes in the hopper cars and is difficult to unload and when the demand for aggregate is greatly reduced. During this time, the cars are used to haul coal.…”