Lithostratigrapic, Geophysical, and Hydrogeologic Observations from a Deep Boring in Glacial Sediments on Davis Neck near Nantucket Sound, East Falmouth, Western Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Lithostratigraphic and hydrogeologic observations for the unconfined aquifer of western Cape Cod are limited near coastal groundwater-discharge areas. In spring 2015, a 310-foot-deep boring was drilled and a well was installed to 100 feet below land surface to facilitate detailed study of aquifer characteristics along the southern coast of Cape Cod. Characteristics of interest included the depth and character of the freshwater/saltwater interface and bedrock surface, and vertical variations in grain size, bedding structure, and hydraulic conductivity.

Sediment cores were collected from land surface to the bedrock surface at 305 feet below land surface. Bedrock cores were collected from 305 to 310 feet below land surface. The sediment cores were subsampled during drilling to determine the salinity of the pore water. The cores were later photographed, examined for bedding structure, and subsampled for analysis of grain-size distribution. Geophysical logs were run in the permanent well to further characterize the stratigraphy and the thickness and depth of the freshwater/saltwater interface.

This data release presents the lithostratigraphic and hydrogeologic observations that are interpreted and discussed in a report by Hull and others (2019). The observations include high-resolution digital photographs of cored sediment, and a Microsoft Access database with text files that contain descriptions of the cored sediments. Geophysical logs are presented in a separate data release (Johnson and others, 2019).

This data release is associated with the following publications:

Hull, R.B, Johnson, C.D., Stone, B.D., LeBlanc, D.R., McCobb, T.D., Phillips, S.N., Pappas, K.L., and Lane, J.W., 2019, Lithostratigraphic, geophysical, and hydrogeologic observations from a boring drilled to bedrock in glacial sediments near Nantucket Sound in East Falmouth, Cape Cod, Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2019-XXXX, x p., https://doi.org/.

Johnson, C.D., White, E.A., Phillips, S.N., Pappas, K.L., Hull, R.B., LeBlanc, D.R., and Lane, J.W., 2019, Transient electromagnetics, passive seismic, and borehole electromagnetics, gamma, and nuclear magnetic resonance methods to characterize glacial sediments in East Falmouth, Massachusetts, near Nantucket Sound: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7P26X0Z.