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Geology of the Tulare Formation and other continental deposits, Kettleman City area, San Joaquin Valley, California, with a section on ground-water management considerations and use of texture maps

January 1, 1983

The Tulare Formation and other continental deposits of Pliocene to Holocene age crop out over most of the area near Kettleman City in the San Joaquin Valley of California. The deposits range in thickness from 0 to more than 4,000 feet and overlie the upper Mya zone of the San Joaquin Formation of Pliocene age. Some features of their base reflect structural deformation during Quaternary time. Many freshwater fossils occur in the Tulare Formation itself, including the largest fossil assemblage of clams and snails known on the Pacific Coast. Sediments in the Tulare Formation and other continental deposits consist mainly of unconsolidated deposits of clay, silt, sand, and gravel. Texture maps of the Tulare Formation and other continental deposits show the distribution, both laterally and vertically, of the coarse- and fine-grained sediment in the area. Such maps can be used by water managers for selecting areas for recharge and discharge operations and by ground-water modelers for assigning relative values of hydraulic conductivity and storage coefficient. 

Publication Year 1983
Title Geology of the Tulare Formation and other continental deposits, Kettleman City area, San Joaquin Valley, California, with a section on ground-water management considerations and use of texture maps
DOI 10.3133/wri834000
Authors R. W. Page
Publication Type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Series Title Water-Resources Investigations Report
Series Number 83-4000
Index ID wri834000
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse