The Driftless Area of southwestern Wisconsin and northwestern Illinois got its name from the lack of glacial sediment (“drift”) covering the landscape. The surficial geology and topography of the Driftless Area are thus distinct from …
New publications
Assessing private well contamination in Grant, Iowa, and Lafayette counties: The southwest Wisconsin groundwater and geology study
The southwest Wisconsin groundwater and geology study (SWIGG) was a cooperative effort between Grant, Iowa, and Lafayette county governments, with scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, and …
Central Sands nitrate and neonicotinoids database
The Central Sands nitrate and neonicotinoid database consists of over 100,000 measurements of nitrate and neonicotinoid concentrations in groundwater from wells across Adams, Juneau, Marquette, Portage, Waushara, and Wood counties collected between 1953 and 2021. …
Evaluating pXRF instrument performance using reference materials
The portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) instrument provides fast, real-time, non-destructive, multi-element geochemical data (i.e. elemental concentrations) on rocks and minerals at a relatively low cost and with minimal sample preparation. This study quantifies the precision …
Elevation contours of the Precambrian surface of south-central Wisconsin
Elevation contour data and an accompanying report provide an updated interpretation of the elevation of the top of Precambrian bedrock in south-central Wisconsin. The elevation surface was developed from geologic and geophysical data, and provides …
Hydrogeology of the sandy uplands of the Bayfield Peninsula, Wisconsin
The sandy uplands of the Bayfield Peninsula are primary contributors to regional groundwater recharge and provide baseflow to streams in the area. Few data exist, however, to characterize upland hydrogeology or its susceptibility to groundwater …
Geologic map of the Bloomington and Brodtville 7.5-minute quadrangles, Grant County, Wisconsin
The geologic map of the Bloomington and Brodtville quadrangles includes 1:24,000 scale mapping of both surficial and bedrock geology. There is little structural folding or faulting in this portion of the Driftless Area. Thus, it …
Quaternary Geology of Jefferson County, Wisconsin
The Quaternary geologic map of Jefferson County, Wisconsin, provides details about the surficial sediment and landscapes that were formed largely in the footprint of the Laurentide Ice Sheet’s southern Green Bay Lobe during the late …
Wisconsin Groundwater-Level Monitoring Network Improvements, 2018-2021
This report documents work completed as part of a grant from the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Groundwater Monitoring Network (NGWMN) program. It provides an overview of the Wisconsin Groundwater-Level Monitoring Network (WGLMN) and provides detailed …