The Carbonate Aquifer Characterization Laboratory (CACL) was initiated to promote collaborative research on carbonate aquifer characterization between the USGS and other governmental scientific agencies and academia. And, also to provide applied research for local, state, and federal agencies, and private industry, when research needs are within the scope of the USGS mission.
As the primary Federal science agency for water-resources information, the USGS is responsible for monitoring the quantity and quality of water in the Nation's rivers and aquifers and assessing the sources and fate of contaminants in aquatic systems. Towards this goal, a top priority for the USGS is to provide information to better define and manage the quality of the Nation's water resources. The CACL directly addresses this priority issue for the USGS by improving strategies to identify and protect drinking-water sources. The approach of the CACL is focused on the integration of the various disciplines that include core examination, sequence stratigraphy, borehole geophysics, digital optical borehole imaging, seismic, ground-penetrat
Our mission
The mission of the Carbonate Aquifer Characterization Laboratory (CACL) is to develop methods for carbonate aquifer characterization and conduct applied research that focuses on better understanding groundwater flow in multi-porosity carbonate aquifers. Groundwater flow in carbonate aquifers is particularly difficult to characterize because of a broad range in pore size and complicated pore connectivity. Diverse porosity and permeability networks represent a significant challenge to the accurate simulation of carbonate aquifer groundwater flow. This research is integrating the use of state-of-the-art technologies, including:
- Study of outcrop and subsurface carbonate rocks
- Cyclostratigraphy
- Ichnology
- High-multichannel 2D and 3D seismic
- Advanced borehole geophysics
- Digital optical borehole imagingComputational methods (eg., Lattice Boltzmann methods)
- 3D geomodeling with ROXAR RMS™
- Ground-penetrating radar
Capabilities
The capabilities of the Carbonate Aquifer Characterization Laboratory (CACL) are diverse and have largely concentrated on (1) hydrogeologic framework studies, (2) aquifer characterization, and (3) freshwater-saltwater interface delineation. Major specific technologies used by and available at the CACL include:
- Geologic analyses (sequence stratigraphy, lithostratigraphy, paleontology, petrography, ichnology, karstology [Reese and Cunningham, 2000; Cunningham et al., 2001a,b, 2003, 2004a,b, 2006a,b, 2007, 2008, 2010a,b; Ward et al., 2003; Rigby and Cunningham 2007; Cunningham and Florea, 2009; Cunningham and Walker, 2009; Hine et al., 2009; Cunningham and Sukop, 2011; Cunningham and Sukop, 2012; Cunningham et al., 2012a,b])
- Marine high-resolution multi-channel seismic (Kingdom Suite SMT™ software [Cunningham and Walker, 2009; Cunningham et al., 2012]) Marine high-resolution, multichannel seismic-reflection data acquired on the southeastern Florida peninsula in a canal. [larger image]
- Advanced borehole geophysics (Cunningham et al., 2004c, 2010b; Wacker and Cunningham, 2008) Geophysical Equipment List (Available from CFWSC-Davie) [USGS]
- Computational simulations (Shoemaker et al., 2008; Sukop et al., 2008; Cunningham et al., 2009, 2010b, 2012; Cunningham and Sukop, 2011; Sukop et al., 2013)
- 3D geomodeling (ROXAR RMS™ software) (Cunningham et al., 2012)
- Ground-penetrating radar (Cunningham et al., 2001b; Cunningham et al., 2003; Cunningham 2004)
- Tracer studies (Renken et al., 2005; Cunningham et al., 2008; Harvey et al., 2008; Renken et al., 2008; Shapiro et al., 2008)
- Hydraulic well testing (Renken et al., 2008; Shapiro et al., 2008)
- Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (Florea et al., 2009)
- X-ray computed tomography (Cunningham et al., 2009, 2010b; Cunningham and Sukop, 2011; 2012; Cunningham et al., 2012a; Sukop et al., 2013)
- CHIRP portable sub-bottom profiler Geophysical Equipment List (Available from CFWSC-Davie) [USGS]
- Distributed temperature surveys Geophysical Equipment List (Available from CFWSC-Davie) [USGS]
- Water-based Supersting™ continuous resistivity surveys (CRP) Geophysical Equipment List (Available from CFWSC-Davie) [USGS]
- Geonics™ time-domain electromagnetic system (TDEM) (Scott T. Prinos, personal communication) Geophysical Equipment List (Available from CFWSC-Davie) [USGS]
- Geometrics™ Ohm-Mapper capacitively-coupled resistivity system Geophysical Equipment List (Available from CFWSC-Davie) [USGS]
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 14
Three-dimensional seismic characterization of karst in the Floridan aquifer system, southeastern Miami-Dade County, Florida
Two three-dimensional seismic surveys totaling 3.4 square miles were acquired in southeastern Miami-Dade County during 2015 as part of an ongoing broad regional investigation by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department, that includes mapping and karst characterization of the Floridan aquifer system in southeastern Florida. Twenty columniform seismic
Authors
Kevin J. Cunningham, Joann F. Dixon, Richard L. Westcott, Sean Norgard, Cameron Walker
Statistical approach to neural network imaging of karst systems in 3D seismic reflection data
The current lack of a robust, standardized technique for geophysical mapping of karst systems can be attributed to both the complexity of the environment and prior technological limitations. Abrupt lateral variations in physical properties that are inherent to karst systems generate significant geophysical noise, challenging conventional seismic signal processing and interpretation. Modern applica
Authors
Daniel Ebuna, Jared W. Kluesner, Kevin J. Cunningham, Joel H. Edwards
Sequence stratigraphy, seismic stratigraphy, and seismic structures of the lower intermediate confining unit and most of the Floridan aquifer system, Broward County, Florida
Deep well injection and disposal of treated wastewater into the highly transmissive saline Boulder Zone in the lower part of the Floridan aquifer system began in 1971. The zone of injection is a highly transmissive hydrogeologic unit, the Boulder Zone, in the lower part of the Floridan aquifer system. Since the 1990s, however, treated wastewater injection into the Boulder Zone in southeastern Flor
Authors
Kevin J. Cunningham, Jared W. Kluesner, Richard L. Westcott, Edward Robinson, Cameron Walker, Shakira A. Khan
Geostatistical borehole image-based mapping of karst-carbonate aquifer pores
Quantification of the character and spatial distribution of porosity in carbonate aquifers is important as input into computer models used in the calculation of intrinsic permeability and for next-generation, high-resolution groundwater flow simulations. Digital, optical, borehole-wall image data from three closely spaced boreholes in the karst-carbonate Biscayne aquifer in southeastern Florida ar
Authors
Michael Sukop, Kevin J. Cunningham
Lattice Boltzmann methods applied to large-scale three-dimensional virtual cores constructed from digital optical borehole images of the karst carbonate Biscayne aquifer in southeastern Florida
Digital optical borehole images at approximately 2 mm vertical resolution and borehole caliper data were used to create three-dimensional renderings of the distribution of (1) matrix porosity and (2) vuggy megaporosity for the karst carbonate Biscayne aquifer in southeastern Florida. The renderings based on the borehole data were used as input into Lattice Boltzmann methods to obtain intrinsic per
Authors
Michael Sukop, Kevin J. Cunningham
Geologic and hydrogeologic frameworks of the Biscayne aquifer in central Miami-Dade County, Florida
Evaluations of the lithostratigraphy, lithofacies, paleontology, ichnology, depositional environments, and cyclostratigraphy from 11 test coreholes were linked to geophysical interpretations, and to results of hydraulic slug tests of six test coreholes at the Snapper Creek Well Field (SCWF), to construct geologic and hydrogeologic frameworks for the study area in central Miami-Dade County, Florida
Authors
Michael A. Wacker, Kevin J. Cunningham, John H. Williams
Integration of seismic-reflection and well data to assess the potential impact of stratigraphic and structural features on sustainable water supply from the Floridan aquifer system, Broward County, Florida
The U.S. Geological Survey and Broward County water managers commenced a 3.5-year cooperative study in July 2012 to refine the geologic and hydrogeologic framework of the Floridan aquifer system (FAS) in Broward County. A lack of advanced stratigraphic knowledge of the physical system and structural geologic anomalies (faults and fractures originating from tectonics and karst-collapse structures)
Authors
Kevin J. Cunningham
Origins and delineation of saltwater intrusion in the Biscayne aquifer and changes in the distribution of saltwater in Miami-Dade County, Florida
Intrusion of saltwater into parts of the shallow karst Biscayne aquifer is a major concern for the 2.5 million residents of Miami-Dade County that rely on this aquifer as their primary drinking water supply. Saltwater intrusion of this aquifer began when the Everglades were drained to provide dry land for urban development and agriculture. The reduction in water levels caused by this drainage, com
Authors
Scott T. Prinos, Michael A. Wacker, Kevin J. Cunningham, David V. Fitterman
Hydrogeologic framework and salinity distribution of the Floridan aquifer system of Broward County, Florida
Concerns about water-level decline and seawater intrusion in the surficial Biscayne aquifer, currently the principal source of water supply to Broward County, prompted a study to refine the hydrogeologic framework of the underlying Floridan aquifer system to evaluate its potential as an alternative source of supply. This report presents cross sections that illustrate the stratigraphy and hydrogeol
Authors
Ronald S. Reese, Kevin J. Cunningham
Integrating seismic-reflection and sequence-stratigraphic methods to characterize the hydrogeology of the Floridan aquifer system in southeast Florida
The Floridan aquifer system (FAS) is receiving increased attention as a result of regulatory restrictions on water-supply withdrawals and treated wastewater management practices. The South Florida Water Management District’s Regional Water Availability Rule, adopted in 2007, restricts urban withdrawals from the shallower Biscayne aquifer to pre-April 2006 levels throughout southeast Florida. Legis
Authors
Kevin J. Cunningham
Megaporosity and permeability of Thalassinoides-dominated ichnofabrics in the Cretaceous karst-carbonate Edwards-Trinity aquifer system, Texas
Current research has demonstrated that trace fossils and their related ichnofabrics can have a critical impact on the fluid-flow properties of hydrocarbon reservoirs and groundwater aquifers. Most petroleum-associated research has used ichnofabrics to support the definition of depositional environments and reservoir quality, and has concentrated on siliciclastic reservoir characterization and, to
Authors
Kevin J. Cunningham, Michael C. Sukop
Multiple technologies applied to characterization of the porosity and permeability of the Biscayne aquifer, Florida
Research is needed to determine how seepage-control actions planned by the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) will affect recharge, groundwater flow, and discharge within the dual-porosity karstic Biscayne aquifer where it extends eastward from the Everglades to Biscayne Bay. A key issue is whether the plan can be accomplished without causing urban flooding in adjacent populated area
Authors
K.J. Cunningham, M.C. Sukop
- Overview
The Carbonate Aquifer Characterization Laboratory (CACL) was initiated to promote collaborative research on carbonate aquifer characterization between the USGS and other governmental scientific agencies and academia. And, also to provide applied research for local, state, and federal agencies, and private industry, when research needs are within the scope of the USGS mission.
As the primary Federal science agency for water-resources information, the USGS is responsible for monitoring the quantity and quality of water in the Nation's rivers and aquifers and assessing the sources and fate of contaminants in aquatic systems. Towards this goal, a top priority for the USGS is to provide information to better define and manage the quality of the Nation's water resources. The CACL directly addresses this priority issue for the USGS by improving strategies to identify and protect drinking-water sources. The approach of the CACL is focused on the integration of the various disciplines that include core examination, sequence stratigraphy, borehole geophysics, digital optical borehole imaging, seismic, ground-penetrat
Our mission
The mission of the Carbonate Aquifer Characterization Laboratory (CACL) is to develop methods for carbonate aquifer characterization and conduct applied research that focuses on better understanding groundwater flow in multi-porosity carbonate aquifers. Groundwater flow in carbonate aquifers is particularly difficult to characterize because of a broad range in pore size and complicated pore connectivity. Diverse porosity and permeability networks represent a significant challenge to the accurate simulation of carbonate aquifer groundwater flow. This research is integrating the use of state-of-the-art technologies, including:
- Study of outcrop and subsurface carbonate rocks
- Cyclostratigraphy
- Ichnology
- High-multichannel 2D and 3D seismic
- Advanced borehole geophysics
- Digital optical borehole imagingComputational methods (eg., Lattice Boltzmann methods)
- 3D geomodeling with ROXAR RMS™
- Ground-penetrating radar
Capabilities
The capabilities of the Carbonate Aquifer Characterization Laboratory (CACL) are diverse and have largely concentrated on (1) hydrogeologic framework studies, (2) aquifer characterization, and (3) freshwater-saltwater interface delineation. Major specific technologies used by and available at the CACL include:
- Geologic analyses (sequence stratigraphy, lithostratigraphy, paleontology, petrography, ichnology, karstology [Reese and Cunningham, 2000; Cunningham et al., 2001a,b, 2003, 2004a,b, 2006a,b, 2007, 2008, 2010a,b; Ward et al., 2003; Rigby and Cunningham 2007; Cunningham and Florea, 2009; Cunningham and Walker, 2009; Hine et al., 2009; Cunningham and Sukop, 2011; Cunningham and Sukop, 2012; Cunningham et al., 2012a,b])
- Marine high-resolution multi-channel seismic (Kingdom Suite SMT™ software [Cunningham and Walker, 2009; Cunningham et al., 2012]) Marine high-resolution, multichannel seismic-reflection data acquired on the southeastern Florida peninsula in a canal. [larger image]
- Advanced borehole geophysics (Cunningham et al., 2004c, 2010b; Wacker and Cunningham, 2008) Geophysical Equipment List (Available from CFWSC-Davie) [USGS]
- Computational simulations (Shoemaker et al., 2008; Sukop et al., 2008; Cunningham et al., 2009, 2010b, 2012; Cunningham and Sukop, 2011; Sukop et al., 2013)
- 3D geomodeling (ROXAR RMS™ software) (Cunningham et al., 2012)
- Ground-penetrating radar (Cunningham et al., 2001b; Cunningham et al., 2003; Cunningham 2004)
- Tracer studies (Renken et al., 2005; Cunningham et al., 2008; Harvey et al., 2008; Renken et al., 2008; Shapiro et al., 2008)
- Hydraulic well testing (Renken et al., 2008; Shapiro et al., 2008)
- Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (Florea et al., 2009)
- X-ray computed tomography (Cunningham et al., 2009, 2010b; Cunningham and Sukop, 2011; 2012; Cunningham et al., 2012a; Sukop et al., 2013)
- CHIRP portable sub-bottom profiler Geophysical Equipment List (Available from CFWSC-Davie) [USGS]
- Distributed temperature surveys Geophysical Equipment List (Available from CFWSC-Davie) [USGS]
- Water-based Supersting™ continuous resistivity surveys (CRP) Geophysical Equipment List (Available from CFWSC-Davie) [USGS]
- Geonics™ time-domain electromagnetic system (TDEM) (Scott T. Prinos, personal communication) Geophysical Equipment List (Available from CFWSC-Davie) [USGS]
- Geometrics™ Ohm-Mapper capacitively-coupled resistivity system Geophysical Equipment List (Available from CFWSC-Davie) [USGS]
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 14Three-dimensional seismic characterization of karst in the Floridan aquifer system, southeastern Miami-Dade County, Florida
Two three-dimensional seismic surveys totaling 3.4 square miles were acquired in southeastern Miami-Dade County during 2015 as part of an ongoing broad regional investigation by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department, that includes mapping and karst characterization of the Floridan aquifer system in southeastern Florida. Twenty columniform seismicAuthorsKevin J. Cunningham, Joann F. Dixon, Richard L. Westcott, Sean Norgard, Cameron WalkerStatistical approach to neural network imaging of karst systems in 3D seismic reflection data
The current lack of a robust, standardized technique for geophysical mapping of karst systems can be attributed to both the complexity of the environment and prior technological limitations. Abrupt lateral variations in physical properties that are inherent to karst systems generate significant geophysical noise, challenging conventional seismic signal processing and interpretation. Modern applicaAuthorsDaniel Ebuna, Jared W. Kluesner, Kevin J. Cunningham, Joel H. EdwardsSequence stratigraphy, seismic stratigraphy, and seismic structures of the lower intermediate confining unit and most of the Floridan aquifer system, Broward County, Florida
Deep well injection and disposal of treated wastewater into the highly transmissive saline Boulder Zone in the lower part of the Floridan aquifer system began in 1971. The zone of injection is a highly transmissive hydrogeologic unit, the Boulder Zone, in the lower part of the Floridan aquifer system. Since the 1990s, however, treated wastewater injection into the Boulder Zone in southeastern FlorAuthorsKevin J. Cunningham, Jared W. Kluesner, Richard L. Westcott, Edward Robinson, Cameron Walker, Shakira A. KhanGeostatistical borehole image-based mapping of karst-carbonate aquifer pores
Quantification of the character and spatial distribution of porosity in carbonate aquifers is important as input into computer models used in the calculation of intrinsic permeability and for next-generation, high-resolution groundwater flow simulations. Digital, optical, borehole-wall image data from three closely spaced boreholes in the karst-carbonate Biscayne aquifer in southeastern Florida arAuthorsMichael Sukop, Kevin J. CunninghamLattice Boltzmann methods applied to large-scale three-dimensional virtual cores constructed from digital optical borehole images of the karst carbonate Biscayne aquifer in southeastern Florida
Digital optical borehole images at approximately 2 mm vertical resolution and borehole caliper data were used to create three-dimensional renderings of the distribution of (1) matrix porosity and (2) vuggy megaporosity for the karst carbonate Biscayne aquifer in southeastern Florida. The renderings based on the borehole data were used as input into Lattice Boltzmann methods to obtain intrinsic perAuthorsMichael Sukop, Kevin J. CunninghamGeologic and hydrogeologic frameworks of the Biscayne aquifer in central Miami-Dade County, Florida
Evaluations of the lithostratigraphy, lithofacies, paleontology, ichnology, depositional environments, and cyclostratigraphy from 11 test coreholes were linked to geophysical interpretations, and to results of hydraulic slug tests of six test coreholes at the Snapper Creek Well Field (SCWF), to construct geologic and hydrogeologic frameworks for the study area in central Miami-Dade County, FloridaAuthorsMichael A. Wacker, Kevin J. Cunningham, John H. WilliamsIntegration of seismic-reflection and well data to assess the potential impact of stratigraphic and structural features on sustainable water supply from the Floridan aquifer system, Broward County, Florida
The U.S. Geological Survey and Broward County water managers commenced a 3.5-year cooperative study in July 2012 to refine the geologic and hydrogeologic framework of the Floridan aquifer system (FAS) in Broward County. A lack of advanced stratigraphic knowledge of the physical system and structural geologic anomalies (faults and fractures originating from tectonics and karst-collapse structures)AuthorsKevin J. CunninghamOrigins and delineation of saltwater intrusion in the Biscayne aquifer and changes in the distribution of saltwater in Miami-Dade County, Florida
Intrusion of saltwater into parts of the shallow karst Biscayne aquifer is a major concern for the 2.5 million residents of Miami-Dade County that rely on this aquifer as their primary drinking water supply. Saltwater intrusion of this aquifer began when the Everglades were drained to provide dry land for urban development and agriculture. The reduction in water levels caused by this drainage, comAuthorsScott T. Prinos, Michael A. Wacker, Kevin J. Cunningham, David V. FittermanHydrogeologic framework and salinity distribution of the Floridan aquifer system of Broward County, Florida
Concerns about water-level decline and seawater intrusion in the surficial Biscayne aquifer, currently the principal source of water supply to Broward County, prompted a study to refine the hydrogeologic framework of the underlying Floridan aquifer system to evaluate its potential as an alternative source of supply. This report presents cross sections that illustrate the stratigraphy and hydrogeolAuthorsRonald S. Reese, Kevin J. CunninghamIntegrating seismic-reflection and sequence-stratigraphic methods to characterize the hydrogeology of the Floridan aquifer system in southeast Florida
The Floridan aquifer system (FAS) is receiving increased attention as a result of regulatory restrictions on water-supply withdrawals and treated wastewater management practices. The South Florida Water Management District’s Regional Water Availability Rule, adopted in 2007, restricts urban withdrawals from the shallower Biscayne aquifer to pre-April 2006 levels throughout southeast Florida. LegisAuthorsKevin J. CunninghamMegaporosity and permeability of Thalassinoides-dominated ichnofabrics in the Cretaceous karst-carbonate Edwards-Trinity aquifer system, Texas
Current research has demonstrated that trace fossils and their related ichnofabrics can have a critical impact on the fluid-flow properties of hydrocarbon reservoirs and groundwater aquifers. Most petroleum-associated research has used ichnofabrics to support the definition of depositional environments and reservoir quality, and has concentrated on siliciclastic reservoir characterization and, toAuthorsKevin J. Cunningham, Michael C. SukopMultiple technologies applied to characterization of the porosity and permeability of the Biscayne aquifer, Florida
Research is needed to determine how seepage-control actions planned by the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) will affect recharge, groundwater flow, and discharge within the dual-porosity karstic Biscayne aquifer where it extends eastward from the Everglades to Biscayne Bay. A key issue is whether the plan can be accomplished without causing urban flooding in adjacent populated areaAuthorsK.J. Cunningham, M.C. Sukop