ASTM_D_6106_-_97_2010.pdf

Designation:D610697(Reapproved 2010)Standard Guide forEstablishing Nomenclature of Groundwater Aquifers1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D6106;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This guide covers a series of options but does notspecify a course of action.It should not be used as the solecriterion or basis of comparison and does not replace or relieveprofessional judgement.1.2 This guide contains instructions and suggestions forauthors of groundwater(hydrogeologic)reports in assigningappropriately derived and formatted aquifer nomenclature.Discussed are the water-bearing units that may require nameidentification,which are,ranked from largest to smallest,aquifer system,aquifer,and zone.Guidance is given onchoosing the source of aquifer names,those are from lithologicterms,rock-stratigraphic units,and geographic names.1.3 Included are examples of comparison charts and tablesthat can be used to define the hydrogeologic framework.Illustrations of eleven different hypothetical aquifer settings arepresented to demonstrate the naming process.1.4 Categories of items not suggested as a source of aquifernames are reviewed because,although they should be avoided,they occur in published documents.These categories are thefollowing:time-stratigraphic names,relative position,alpha-numeric designations,depositional environment,depth ofoccurrence,acronyms,and hydrologic conditions.1.5 Confining units are discussed with the suggestion thatthese units should not be named unless doing so clearlypromotes an understanding of a particular aquifer system.Suggested sources of names for confining units correspond tothose for aquifer names,which are lithologic terms,rock-stratigraphic units,and geographic names.1.6 It is suggested that in reports that involve hydrogeology,the author should consider first not naming aquifers(see 6.2).1.7 Format and expression styles are assessed along with thegeneral cautions related to name selection of aquifers andconfining units.1.8 This guide is a modification of a previously publishedreport(1).21.9 This guide offers an organized collection of informationor a series of options and does not recommend a specificcourse of action.This guide cannot replace education orexperience and should be used in conjunction with professionaljudgment.Not all aspects of this guide may be applicable in allcircumstances.This guide is not intended to represent orreplace the standard of care by which the adequacy of a givenprofessional service must be judged,nor should this guide beapplied without consideration of a projects many uniqueaspects.The word“Standard”in the title of this documentmeans only that the document has been approved through theASTM consensus process.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:3D653 Terminology Relating to Soil,Rock,and ContainedFluidsD1129 Terminology Relating to WaterD5409 Guide for Set of Data Elements to Describe aGround-Water Site;Part TwoPhysical DescriptorsD5434 Guide for Field Logging of Subsurface Explorationsof Soil and RockD5474 Guide for Selection of Data Elements for Groundwa-ter Investigations3.Terminology3.1 DefinitionsExcept as discussed as follows,all defini-tions are in accordance with Terminologies D653 and D1129.The following terms are examined in detail in order to clarifythe method of assigning nomenclature to the aquifers andassociated units:3.2 IntroductionAquifers do not lend themselves to brief,neat,and simple definitions;therefore,a flexible hierarchy ofterms is used in these guidelines.The terms that are used forwater-yielding rocks from largest to smallest are:aquifer1This guide is under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee D18 on Soil and Rockand is under the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D18.21 on Groundwater andVadose Zone Investigations.Current edition approved July 1,2010.Published September 2010.Originallyapproved in 1997.Last previous edition approved in 2004 as D6106 97(2004).DOI:10.1520/D6106-97R10.2The boldface numbers in parentheses refer to the list of references at the end ofthis standard.3For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 system(2),aquifer(3),and zone(4).Confining units(3)arediscussed because of the stratigraphic relationship with thewater-bearing units.3.2.1 Parallelism between the hierarchy of terms for water-yielding rocks and rock-stratigraphic terms,namely,aquifersystem(group),aquifer(formation),and zone(member),should be avoided because water-yieldin