What are the causes of the Ogallala Aquifer depletion? (At least One paragraph).

Ogallala Aquifer is the largest aquifer in the Western North American Region, is hosted in sedimentary rocks that were deposited in the Pliocene and Miocene geological time period which started 24 million years ago and ended 1.8 million years ago. Sand and gravel eroded from the uplift of the Rocky Mountains, were transported eastward by large river systems, and blanketed the landscape. These highly porous and permeable sands and gravels filled with water during times of much wetter climates such as ca 10,000 years ago. The Ogallala Aquifer covers approximately 174,000 square miles (about 450,000 km2) (U.S. Geological Survey, 2008) and lies under Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. Currently, its thickness varies from less than 1 ft to about 400 ft. Since recharge rates are so slow, if the Ogallala Aquifer is completely depleted, it will not refill itself in a matter of years. Groundwater is not like a river that is constantly flowing and bringing new water, it is instead a collection of water, mostly ancient water from glaciers, held under ground for millions of years that will take an extremely long time to refill once depleted.

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Map of total groundwater depletions (in cubic km) for major aquifers in the contiguous U.S. from 1900-2008. Red 150-400; dark orange 50-150; light orange 25-50; dark yellow 10-25; light yellow 3-10; green 0-3; blues indicate net recharge. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5079.

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Water Use in Kansas (2010). Groundwater provides 80% of all the water used in the state, and 96% of all water used in counties overlying the High Plains Aquifer. The vast majority of this water is used for irrigation. Credit: AGI/Ben Mandler. Data source: U.S. Geological Survey

Read the article below and watch the video. When you have finished, Answer the questions below.

YouTube Video!Links to an external site.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-ogallala-aquifer/Links to an external site.

1. What are the causes of the Ogallala Aquifer depletion? (At least One paragraph).

2. What are the geological consequences to the region should the Ogallala Aquifer continue to be depleted (At least Two paragraphs).

3. Artificial groundwater recharge strategies can be effective in enhancing groundwater recharge, Explain. (At least One paragraph).

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