We have utilized Landsat MSS data for various geologic and hydrologic studies in the Great Plains. Devils Lake is a complex lake system within an enclosed drainage basin in eastern North Dakota. The lake fluctuates in area, elevation, salinity and biomass because of climatic changes and human impacts. During the period 1973-88, Devils Lake rose 3 m in elevation and increased its surface area by >50%. Further increases in 1993-95 have threatened nearby human settlements. In eastern Kansas, many river valleys follow distinct lineaments oriented NW-SE (Fall/Neosho), NNE-SSW (Walnut), and NE-SW (Little Walnut). These patterns correspond to major crustal fractures (joints and buried faults). Based on Landsat imagery, we have identified another significant lineament trend at about 350 degrees. It is best depicted in headwaters of the Verdigris, Fall, and South Fork Cottonwood drainage basins in the Flint Hills. We propose to name this trend the Verdigris lineament.
Return to KAS Symposium