Interpretive Geologic Maps and Cross Sections for Phelps, Kearney, and Adams Counties in Nebraska

Data from thousands of test-hole and well logs were interpreted to improve understanding and management of the High Plains aquifer in a three-county study area adjacent to the Big Bend reach of the Platte River. Five principal conclusions resulted from these interpretations: (1) the extent of Neogene Ogallala deposits beneath the study area is different than previously mapped; (2) a large paleovalley incised into Cretaceous bedrock probably cuts across Kearney and Adams counties and may be the course of the ancestral Platte River prior to formation of the Big Bend; (3) a groundwater mound created by irrigation canals artificially raises the water table in Phelps County and the western half of Kearney County, but dissipates in central Kearney County; (4) groundwater nitrate concentrations appear to be higher in Quaternary sediments than in the underlying Ogallala Group; (5) a potentially widespread, but discontinuous, silt and clay unit with varying amounts of sand is located at or near the top of the aquifer. Correlation of this unit across the study area is uncertain, as is its origin, but it may be a pre-Illinoian loess. More research is necessary to better delineate the paleovalley system incised into the Cretaceous bedrock and to identify the origin, extent, and hydrologic significance of the silt and clay unit(s). Despite remaining uncertainties, the geology of the study area indicates a history of shifting drainage patterns, climate changes, and Laramide structural deformation

Interpretive Geologic Maps and Cross Sections for Phelps, Kearney, and Adams Counties in Nebraska

Data from thousands of test-hole and well logs were interpreted to improve understanding and management of the High Plains aquifer in a three-county study area adjacent to the Big Bend reach of the Platte River. Five principal conclusions resulted from these interpretations: (1) the extent of Neogene Ogallala deposits beneath the study area is different than previously mapped; (2) a large paleovalley incised into Cretaceous bedrock probably cuts across Kearney and Adams counties and may be the course of the ancestral Platte River prior to formation of the Big Bend; (3) a groundwater mound created by irrigation canals artificially raises the water table in Phelps County and the western half of Kearney County, but dissipates in central Kearney County; (4) groundwater nitrate concentrations appear to be higher in Quaternary sediments than in the underlying Ogallala Group; (5) a potentially widespread, but discontinuous, silt and clay unit with varying amounts of sand is located at or near the top of the aquifer. Correlation of this unit across the study area is uncertain, as is its origin, but it may be a pre-Illinoian loess. More research is necessary to better delineate the paleovalley system incised into the Cretaceous bedrock and to identify the origin, extent, and hydrologic significance of the silt and clay unit(s). Despite remaining uncertainties, the geology of the study area indicates a history of shifting drainage patterns, climate changes, and Laramide structural deformation

Maps showing the Physical Hydrogeology and Changes in Saturated Thickness (Predevelopment to Spring 2016 and Spring 2011 to Spring 2016) in the Middle Republican Natural Resources District, Southwestern Nebraska.

This report accompanies fourteen new maps summarizing the hydrogeology and changes in saturated thickness in the Middle Republican Natural Resources District (MRNRD). The purpose of these maps is to assist the MRNRD in their groundwater management programs and in planning and installing an observation well network. Maps include: • base of the principal aquifer; • water table surfaces for predevelopment, Spring 2011, and Spring 2016; • saturated thicknesses for predevelopment, Spring 2011, and Spring 2016; • changes in saturated thickness (both in absolute magnitude and in percent) from predevelopment to Spring 2016 and from Spring 2011 to Spring 2016; • transmissivity. A series of comprehensive datasets was assembled from borehole logs and groundwater-level measurements. Borehole logs were assessed for quality using systematic procedures. Maps were generated using ordinary kriging (base of aquifer, transmissivity) and co-kriging (water table surfaces), and raster files were subtracted to derive the saturated thickness and change maps. Saturated thickness decreased as much as 35 ft from predevelopment to 2016, and as much as 10 ft from 2011 to 2016. Percentage decreases were as much as 40% from predevelopment to 2016 and as much as 10% from 2011 to 2016. Increases in saturated thickness occurred near surface water development projects north of the MRNRD, and were as much as 36 ft (15%) from predevelopment to 2016. Increases from 2011 to 2016 occurred in a few small areas, and were as much as 3 ft (5%). The calculated change in saturated thickness was highly variable between the two time periods in areas of sparse data and where the aquifer is thin. Digital GIS files are provided as part of this report for use in models, maps, and related hydrogeologic analyses

Chromospheric Activity of HAT-P-11: an Unusually Active Planet-Hosting K Star

Kepler photometry of the hot Neptune host star HAT-P-11 suggests that its spot latitude distribution is comparable to the Sun's near solar maximum. We search for evidence of an activity cycle in the CaII H & K chromospheric emission $S$-index with archival Keck/HIRES spectra and observations from the echelle spectrograph on the ARC 3.5 m Telescope at APO. The chromospheric emission of HAT-P-11 is consistent with a $\gtrsim 10$ year activity cycle, which plateaued near maximum during the Kepler mission. In the cycle that we observed, the star seemed to spend more time near active maximum than minimum. We compare the $\log R^\prime_{HK}$ normalized chromospheric emission index of HAT-P-11 with other stars. HAT-P-11 has unusually strong chromospheric emission compared to planet-hosting stars of similar effective temperature and rotation period, perhaps due to tides raised by its planet.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures; accepted to the Astrophysical Journa

Hydrogeologic Framework Studies of Portions of the Niobrara River

The Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (NeDNR) and Upper Niobrara-White Natural Resources District (UNWNRD) expressed interest in improving understanding and their ability to effectively manage water resources in and around a particular reach of the Niobrara River. Aquifer-thickness contours mapped by the Conservation and Survey Division (CSD) indicate that the principle aquifer has zero thickness in this area. Additionally, the statewide geologic bedrock map produced by CSD shows non-aquifer strata of the White River Group along the same reach, and this setting is consistent with the designation of an “aquifer absent area,” as in the present document. Water-management policy development and decisions are complicated by the apparently conflicting presence of registered irrigation wells in the aquifer absent area. This apparent conflict warranted a detailed review of local hydrogeology to improve the available science on which the UNWNRD and NeDNR will base any controls within an integrated water management plan

The California-Kepler Survey. I. High Resolution Spectroscopy of 1305 Stars Hosting Kepler Transiting Planets

The California-Kepler Survey (CKS) is an observational program to improve our knowledge of the properties of stars found to host transiting planets by NASA's Kepler Mission. The improvement stems from new high-resolution optical spectra obtained using HIRES at the W. M. Keck Observatory. The CKS stellar sample comprises 1305 stars classified as Kepler Objects of Interest, hosting a total of 2075 transiting planets. The primary sample is magnitude-limited (Kp < 14.2) and contains 960 stars with 1385 planets. The sample was extended to include some fainter stars that host multiple planets, ultra short period planets, or habitable zone planets. The spectroscopic parameters were determined with two different codes, one based on template matching and the other on direct spectral synthesis using radiative transfer. We demonstrate a precision of 60 K in effective temperature, 0.10 dex in surface gravity, 0.04 dex in [Fe/H], and 1.0 km/s in projected rotational velocity. In this paper we describe the CKS project and present a uniform catalog of spectroscopic parameters. Subsequent papers in this series present catalogs of derived stellar properties such as mass, radius and age; revised planet properties; and statistical explorations of the ensemble. CKS is the largest survey to determine the properties of Kepler stars using a uniform set of high-resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio spectra. The HIRES spectra are available to the community for independent analyses.Comment: 20 pages, 19 figures, accepted for publication in AJ; a full version of Table 5 is included as tab_cks.csv and tab_cks.te

The California-Kepler Survey. II. Precise Physical Properties of 2025 Kepler Planets and Their Host Stars

We present stellar and planetary properties for 1305 Kepler Objects of Interest (KOIs) hosting 2025 planet candidates observed as part of the California-Kepler Survey. We combine spectroscopic constraints, presented in Paper I, with stellar interior modeling to estimate stellar masses, radii, and ages. Stellar radii are typically constrained to 11%, compared to 40% when only photometric constraints are used. Stellar masses are constrained to 4%, and ages are constrained to 30%. We verify the integrity of the stellar parameters through comparisons with asteroseismic studies and Gaia parallaxes. We also recompute planetary radii for 2025 planet candidates. Because knowledge of planetary radii is often limited by uncertainties in stellar size, we improve the uncertainties in planet radii from typically 42% to 12%. We also leverage improved knowledge of stellar effective temperature to recompute incident stellar fluxes for the planets, now precise to 21%, compared to a factor of two when derived from photometry.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in AJ; full versions of tables 3 and 4 are include