Ground Water Institute for Teachers Fractured Rock Hydrology Field Trip

USGS scientist Dr. Christopher Barton (now with Wright State University) led field trips on July 9, 2003, July 10, 2002, July 10, 2001, and July 12, 2000, to the USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology (Toxics) Program's fractured bedrock hydrology field research site at Hubbard Brook Forest in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The field trips were organized in collaboration with the American Ground Water Trust as part of its Ground Water Institute for Teachers. The Institute offers teachers an opportunity to explore the science behind water quality and ground-water contamination, and to develop a better understanding of groundwater resources. Middle and high school teachers from around the nation attended the Institute. The Mirror Lake field trips focused on the bedrock geology, the origin of the bedrock fracture network, and the recharge, storage, and flow of groundwater through fracture networks.

Areal view of Mirror Lake, NH Road cut outcrop of fractured rock bedrock near Mirror Lake, NH Geologists' Brunton Compass is used to measure the orientation of fractures for fracture network studies. A tapered gauge is used to measure maximum fracture aperture for fracture network studies.

Toxics Program Information on Fractured Rock

• Multidisciplinary Characterization of Fluid Flow and Solute Transport in Fractured Rock, Mirror Lake, New Hampshire
• New Paradigm for Fractured Rock Cleanup
• Geochemical and Microbiological Processes that Affect Migration and Natural Attenuation of Chlorinated Solvents in Fractured Sedimentary Rock, Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) Research Site, West Trenton, NJ
• Fractured-Rock Aquifers--Understanding an Increasingly Important Source of Water: USGS Fact Sheet FS-112-02
• Characterizing Ground-Water Chemistry and Hydraulic Properties of Fractured-Rock Aquifers Using the Multifunction Bedrock-Aquifer Transportable Testing Tool (BAT3): USGS Fact Sheet FS-075-01

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