Geochemistry of Forest City Basin
The Forest City basin, a structure below the surface of northeastern Kansas and adjoining parts of Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska, is estimated to hold commercial amounts of recoverable oil and gas—about 20 million barrels of crude oil and 70 billion cubic feet of gas.

Geochemistry of Oils and Hydrocarbon Source Rocks From the Forest City Basin, Northeastern Kansas, Northwestern Missouri, Southwestern Iowa and Southeastern Nebraska, by Joseph R. Hatch of the U.S. Geological Survey and K. David Newell of the Kansas Geological Survey, examines the geochemistry of oils and source rocks in the Forest City basin. Geochemical analyses are one way to evaluate the potential for generating hydrocarbons in various source rocks.

Copies of KGS Technical Series 13, Geochemistry of Oils and Hydrocarbon Source Rocks From the Forest City Basin, Northeastern Kansas, Northwestern Missouri, Southwestern Iowa, and Southeastern Nebraska, are available from the Survey for $10.00 plus tax, shipping, and handling.

Water and Nitrates

Most Kansans, about 70 percent, rely on ground water for their drinking water, yet much of the state's ground water has been contaminated by nitrates. In many areas of the state, nitrate concentrations are on the rise. A new Public Information Circular, written by Margaret Townsend and Dave Young, describes the nitrate problem in Kansas and outlines ways to protect ground water from nitrate contamination.

Copies of Nitrate in Kansas Gound Water (Public Information Circular 14) can be obtained free of charge by contacting Publications Sales at the KGS. These circulars are also available electronically through the Survey's World Wide Web site under Publications at pubsales@kgs.ku.edu.

New

Publications

Technical Series 13.

Mining, water, and environmental issues in southeast Kansas were the focus of the Survey's fifth annual Field Conference, held June 16–18, 1999. Each year the conference brings together legislators, State agency staff, educators, and leaders of business and environmental groups to view and discuss natural resource issues in Kansas. This year's conference included visits to coal and lead-and-zinc mined and reclaimed areas, a cement plant, wildlife areas, a turkey farm, and municipal wastewater and water-treatment facilities where reclamation, environmental, and water quality and quantity issues were discussed. One of the popular stops was a former coal cleaning area in the Mined Land Wildlife Area near West Mineral, Kansas (pictured here). At this location a private company has contracted to remove the coal waste (to be burned as fuel) and reclaim the site. The company benefits economically, and so does the environment, at no cost to the public. This year's conference was cosponsored by the Kansas Water Office and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The 2000 Field Conference, scheduled for June 7–9, will focus on natural resource issues in northeast Kansas.

Fifth Annual Field Conference