The geologic history of the surficial geologic units of the Georgetown Quadrangle is primarily that of deposition of the Beaverdam Formation and its subsequent modification by erosion and deposition of younger stratigraphic units. The age of the Beaverdam Formation is uncertain due to the lack of age-definitive fossils within the unit. Stratigraphic relationships in Delaware indicate that it is no older than late Miocene and no younger than early Pleistocene. Regional correlations based on similarities of depositional style, stratigraphic position, and sediment textures suggest that it is likely late Pliocene in age; correlative with the Bacons Castle Formation of Virginia (Ramsey, 1992, 2010).

This digital product contains gridded estimates of water-table (wt) elevation and depth to water (dtw) under dry, normal, and wet conditions for Sussex County, Delaware. Files containing the point data used to create the grids are also included. This work is the final component of a larger effort to provide estimates of water-table elevations and depths to water for the Coastal Plain portion of Delaware. Mapping was supported by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the Delaware Geological Survey.

These grids were produced with the same multiple linear regression (MLR) method as Andres and Martin (2005). Briefly, this method consists of: identifying dry, normal, and wet periods from long-term observation well data (Nc45-01, Ng11-01, Qe44-01); estimating a minimum water table (Sepulveda, 2002) by fitting a localized polynomial surface to elevations of surface water features (e.g., streams, swamps, and marshes); and computing a second variable in the regression from water levels observed in wells. A separate MLR equation was determined for dry, normal, and wet periods, and these equations were used in ArcMap v.9 (ESRI, 2004) to estimate grids of water-table elevations and depths to water. Grids produced in this project were merged with those previously completed for eastern Sussex and smoothed to minimize edge effects.