Marianas Geology

Geology and Groundwater of Saipan 
Listed here are resources that were used to develop the presentation on geology and groundwater of Saipan. Also, listed here are links to references for information on geology and groundwater for Tinian and Rota.

Groundwater - General Reference 
The book "Groundwater and Wells" can be ordered from the National Groundwater Association here:

https://info.ngwa.org/servicecenter/shopper/ProductDetail.cfm?ProdCompanyPassed=ngw&ProdCdPassed=ngw-T017

This is the new, 3rd Edition, so the price has gone up substantially from what Brian told you during the presentation - $150. The old second edition was available for about $90 before, but it's not available now. Derek has a copy of the 2nd edition that is available through the lending library.

Here are some free (or cheap) references specific to the Marianas, from the appendices of the CNMI Percolation Tester's Manual:

Geology / hydrology: 
Many USGS publications are now available on-line. Simply go to the USGS publications search page and type in “Marianas” or any island name (e.g., “Saipan”) and you will be presented with a list of just about everything that the USGS has ever published about the islands. Some documents are available on in “.dvu” format, but links to free “déjà vu” viewers are available on the results page for those documents.

USGS Publications Warehouse: http://infotrek.er.usgs.gov/pubs/

Particularly useful publications include:

Saipan 
There are 2 excellent geology/hydrology resources available for Saipan, and a number of other related reports. The Carruth (2003) publication is all a site evaluator should ever need. The Cloud (1956) report is far more detailed, and is an interesting read. Other reports available on the USGS page are also worth reading, but are not mentioned here because they are not as directly applicable.

  • Carruth, R.L. 2003. Ground-Water Resources of Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 03-4178. 3 Plates. http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/wri/wri034178/
  • Cloud, P. E., Jr.; Schmidt, R. G.; Burke, H. W. 1956. Geology of Saipan, Mariana Islands; Part 1, General geology. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 280-A. http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/usgspubs/pp/pp280A

Tinian 
The one publication listed below is very useful, but unfortunately is not available on-line. However, it can be ordered for a small fee ($4.00) and mailed to the CNMI. The link provided will take you to the order page.

  • Gingerich, S. B.; Yeatts, D. S. 2000. Ground-water resources of Tinian, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 2000-4068. 2 Plates. http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/usgspubs/wri/wri004068

Rota 
Unfortunately, there are no geological maps available for the island of Rota. The following USGS report may contain useful information, and is available on-line. The University of Guam “WERI” website also contains reports about Rota geological investigations, though no island-wide descriptions or maps. However, generally speaking, the geology and groundwater environment of Rota can be considered essentially similar to Saipan and Tinian, with limestone and fresh water lens-type aquifer systems in all areas except for the upper Sabana region and its southern slopes, which is volcanic in origin.

  • Carruth, R.L. 2005. Construction, geologic, and hydrologic data from five exploratory wells on Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 1999. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2005-1042, 40 p. http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1042/