SUTRA model used to evaluate the role of uplift and erosion in the persistence of saline groundwater in the shallow subsurface

A modified version of the three-dimensional, variable-density solute-transport model (SUTRA) was developed to simulate the effects of erosion and uplift on the flushing of brine with meteoric water in Permian through Mississippian rocks of the Appalachian Plateaus. The model was run in 10-Ma transient simulations for a range of values of permeability and anisotropy. Model results indicate that the depth of shallow Paleozoic brine in the Appalachian Plateaus is controlled by the flushing rate of brine and the uplift/erosion rate. Knowledge concerning the erosion rate and the depth of brine can allow estimation of the effective regional permeability of the sedimentary rock. This USGS data release contains all of the input and output [...]