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Characterization of the karst hydrogeology of the Boone Formation in Big Creek Valley near Mt. Judea, Arkansas—documenting the close relation of groundwater and surface water

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Abstract

The Boone Formation has been generalized as a karst aquifer throughout northern Arkansas, although it is an impure limestone. Because the formation contains from 50 to 70 % insoluble chert, it is typically covered with a mantle of regolith, rocky clay, and soil which infills and masks its internal fast-flow pathways within the limestone facies. This paper describes continuous monitoring of precipitation, water levels in wells, and water levels in streams (stream stage) in Big Creek Valley upstream from its confluence with the Buffalo National River to characterize the nearly identical timing response of relevant components of the hydrologic budget and to clearly establish the karstic nature of this formation. Although the complete hydrographs of streams and wells are not identical in the study area, lag time between precipitation onset and water-level response in wells and streams is rapid and essentially indistinguishable from one another. The spikey nature of the stream hydrographs reflects low storage, high transmissivity, and rapid draining of the upper zones of the karst aquifer, whereas the longer-term, plateau-like draining in the lower zones reflects groundwater perching on chert layers that feed low-yield springs and seeps through lower storage and lower permeability flow paths. Groundwater drainage to thin terrace and alluvial deposits with intermediate hydraulic attributes overlying the Boone Formation also shows rapid drainage to Big Creek, consistent with karst hydrogeology, but with high precipitation peaks retarded by slower recession in the alluvial and terrace deposits as the stream peaks move downstream.

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Acknowledgments

We are most grateful to Patagonia Environmental Grants Program for funding a portion of travel expenses for this project, to the Buffalo River Watershed Alliance for maintenance of the Patagonia Award, to Ann Mesrobian, Ginny Masullo, and Marti Olesen for editorial and verification review, and to four anonymous donors who contributed funds for partial travel and equipment expenses. Three local landowners and farmers in Big Creek Valley allowed us access to their wells and unlimited access to their property, and we are most grateful for their assistance and kindness. Finally, we sincerely thank two anonymous peer reviewers for this journal who made meaningful suggestions that improved this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fayetteville, AR, USA

    John Murdoch

  2. HC 73, Box 182 A, Marble Falls, AR, 72648, USA

    Carol Bitting

  3. Professor Emeritus, Department of Geosciences, 20 Gearhart Hall, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA

    John Van Brahana

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  1. John Murdoch
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  2. Carol Bitting
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  3. John Van Brahana
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Correspondence to John Van Brahana.

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John Murdoch: Retired from University of Arkansas, Department of Biologic and Agricultural Engineering, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, USA.

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Murdoch, J., Bitting, C. & Van Brahana, J. Characterization of the karst hydrogeology of the Boone Formation in Big Creek Valley near Mt. Judea, Arkansas—documenting the close relation of groundwater and surface water. Environ Earth Sci 75, 1160 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-5981-y

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