Traces of geologic and hydrogeologic cross sections used to develop the hydrogeologic framework model of the Death Valley regional ground-water flow system, Nevada and California

This digital dataset defines the traces of geologic and hydrogeologic cross sections that were used in the construction of a digital three-dimensional (3D) hydrogeologic framework model (HFM) of the Death Valley regional ground-water flow system (DVRFS). The HFM represents the geometry and extent of hydrogeologic units and major structures in an approximately 45,000 square-kilometer region of southern Nevada and California. The HFM was constructed from digital elevation models, geologic maps, borehole information, geologic and hydrogeologic cross sections, and other 3D models to represent the geometry of the hydrogeologic units. Cross sections from five sources were used as input to the HFM: (1) 28 sections of the DVRFS region, (2) six sections of southern Nevada and eastern California, (3) 22 sections from a hydrogeologic framework model of the Nevada Test Site region, (4) four sections of the Yucca Mountain area, and (5) three sections of the southern part of Yucca Mountain and the northern part of Amargosa Desert (Faunt and others, 2004, Chapter E, pages 176-179). The HFM represents principal aquifers and confining units and is an integral component of the DVRFS transient ground-water flow model. The DVRFS HFM and transient ground-water flow models are the most recent in a number of regional-scale models developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to support investigations at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) and at Yucca Mountain, Nevada (see "Larger Work Citation", Chapter A, page 8).