Wyoming Surficial Geology

It was originally created specifically for use in the Wyoming Ground-Water Vulnerability Mapping Project being conducted at the Wyoming Water Resources Center, a statewide study of aquifer vulnerability to contamination from pesticides. In that context, it was to be used to assist in the generation of a new State soils map, to analyze the effects of the vadose zone on contaminant migration, to define specific Quaternary- age aquifers, and to refine the analysis of regional hydrogeologic settings.

The Surficial Geology Map of Wyoming can be used, in conjunction with a bedrock geologic map, as a guide in siting new facilities or industries in Wyoming. It can also be used to identify and locate geologic hazards, such as landslides and windblown deposits, or to assist in the search for shallow ground water supplies and for construction aggregate. The map has already been used to assist the Wyoming Gap Analysis Project (Merrill and others, 1997) in southwestern Wyoming, and in the generation of Quaternary Geologic Maps of Wyoming.