Engineering geology of the Jefferson City, Missouri area

Author

Briget C. Doyle

Abstract

"Jefferson City, Missouri, located in central Missouri in Cole and Callaway Counties, has rapidly increased in size and population in recent years causing conflicts in land use between urban, suburban, and agricultural applications and mineral resource extraction. Competition between these applications and land-use problems also have arisen from the presence of natural hazards in the area. Long-range planning to determine the most appropriate uses of land must consider the geologic environment of the region. The purpose of this report is to delineate areas of potential natural hazards and potential mineral resources within the city limits of Jefferson City and a one-mile buffer zone around the city limits. Hazard areas and areas of potential mineral resources are shown on a series of 1:24000 scale engineering geologic maps included in the report.

The natural hazards of the Jefferson City area include flooding, differential settlement of structures built over paleokarst features, loessal soils with high erosion potential, areas of high slope, and faults that have the potential to act as either groundwater barriers or preferential groundwater flow paths. Of these five hazards, flooding is the most widespread and important natural hazard. The Missouri River is the main physiographic feature of the area of study and the principle source of flood hazards, although the many smaller river and streams do have an impact on adjacent areas. Regions with the potential for one- and five-hundred year floods and areas subject to other hazards were delineated for the area of study and shown on hazard maps.

The main mineral resource of the Jefferson City area is aggregate material. The two principle sources are alluvial sands and gravels from the Missouri River channel and its floodplain, and the carbonate bedrock of the area. Dredging for sand and gravel is conducted in the Missouri River, and it is believed that the alluvial materials of the Missouri River floodplain and the Moreau River southeast of Jefferson City are also suitable for use in roadfill. Some of the carbonate bedrock of the area is suitable for use in Portland cement and agricultural lime, whereas other bedrock material is better suited to use in asphaltic concrete. These areas of aggregate resources are shown on a map of potential mineral resources"--Abstract, page iii.

Advisor(s)

Santi, Paul M. (Paul Michael), 1964-

Committee Member(s)

Rockaway, John D.
Laudon, Robert C.

Department(s)

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering

Degree Name

M.S. in Geological Engineering

Comments

Two plates, folded in the back pocket of the manuscript, are included in the pdf. They are also provided as supplemental files for greater detail.

Publisher

University of Missouri--Rolla

Publication Date

Spring 2000

Pagination

viii, 45 pages, maps

Note about bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 42-44).

Geographic Coverage

Jefferson City, Missouri

Rights

© 2000 Briget Claire Doyle, All rights reserved.

Document Type

Thesis - Restricted Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Thesis Number

T 7732

Print OCLC #

45665910

Electronic OCLC #

1107639478

Recommended Citation

Doyle, Briget C., "Engineering geology of the Jefferson City, Missouri area" (2000). Masters Theses. 1943.
https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/masters_theses/1943