Equus Beds Aquifer

The Equus Beds Aquifer is a distinct part the High Plains Aquifer System[1] and is a principal municipal aquifer in south-central Kansas,[2] underlying Hutchinson, McPherson, Newton, and Wichita.[3][4]

While generally illustrated as an extension of the Miocene-Pliocene Ogallala Aquifer, this aquifer is composed of alternating beds of sand and clay mostly deposited in the later Pleistocene and was named the "McPherson Equus Beds" for having characteristic modern horse fossils.[5][6]

The aquifer beds overlie, and are partially recharged by the Dakota Aquifer and certain Permian aquifers. These particular High Plains Aquifers are also known sources of widespread natural salt contamination, including portions of the Equus Beds, which can be aggravated by human extraction of water as well as by salt mining and oil wells.[7][8]

Further reading

• Erasmus Haworth and J. W. Beede (1897). "The McPherson Equus Beds". Geological Survey of Kansas. Vol. 2. Retrieved 2023-04-07. ... a formation of considerable economic and scientific interest ....

References

1. "ABOUT GMD2". Equus Beds Groundwater Management District No. 2. Retrieved 2023-04-07. The Equus Beds aquifer is part of a regional aquifer system known as the High Plains aquifer system.
2. Bevans, Hugh E. (1989). "Water Resources of Sedgwick County, Kansas" (PDF). Water-Resources Investigations (Report 88-422). United States Geological Survey: 4. Retrieved 2023-04-07. Results of an investigation of the geology and ground-water resources of the Equus beds, the principal aquifer in the area, ...
3. Hillel Rubin, David Young, and Robert Buddemeier (2001). "Sources, Transport, and Management of Salt Contamination in the Groundwater of South-Central Kansas". KGS Geohydrology Reports. Equus Beds Mineral Intrusion Project (Open File Report 2000-60 (Version 2.0)). Kansas Geological Survey. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
4. "Boundaries of Equus Beds Location" (PDF). Public Works & Utilities. City of Wichita. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
5. "Geologic Unit: McPherson". National Geologic Database. Geolex — Significant Publications. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
6. "Geologic Unit: Equus". National Geologic Database. Geolex — Significant Publications. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2023-04-07. The USGS in general calls the beds containing EQUUS remains the EQUUS zone, ...
7. Whittemore, Donald O. "Geochemical Identification of Sources of Salinity in Ground Waters of the High Plains Aquifer South of McPherson, Kansas". KGS Geohydrology Reports (Open-file Report 2004-62). Kansas Geological Survey. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
8. D. P. Young, R. W. Buddemeier, D. O. Whittemore, and H. Rubin (2001). "Final Summary and Data Report: The Equus Beds Mineral Intrusion Project". KGS Geohydrology Reports (Open File Report 2000-30). Kansas Geological Survey. Retrieved 2023-04-07.