Distribution and altitude of the top of saline ground water in the southeastern Coastal Plain

A map prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey shows the approximate distribution of saline water (greater than 10,000 mg/L as NaCl) in the Southeastern Coastal Plain. The primary distribution of saline water is in Cretaceous sediments and may be characterized as an extensive body of fluid whose upper surface generally slopes upward from inland toward coastal areas. Some freshwater appears to occupy parts of the deeper water-bearing zones in Georgia. A small amount of saline water appears to occupy a narrow upper zone of limited extent in lower Tertiary sediments in Georgia and parts of South Carolina. The freshwater-saline water interface for the lower zone lies offshore, east of the South Carolina coast. Consequently, the saline water distribution is inferred offshore.