Evolution of Thought on the Buried Precambrian Rocks of Kansas

Abstract

From the cursory look of the early 20th Century to the detailed look of the 21st Century, the increased data and new concepts changed the interpretation of the buried Precambrian of the Midcontinent. These new data on the Precambrian basement rocks of Kansas through a century highlights the changes and understanding brought about by that additional data. First all, the new data provide a more detailed look at the shape, composition, and age of the basement, and secondly, a reinterpretation utilizing new concepts proposed in the intervening time were possible. These interpretations on the Kansas Precambrian, in fact, can be chronicled by looking at the changes with additional well data and geophysical data, especially magnetics and gravity, during this time period. From these additional data the configuration of the Precambrian surface could be more adequately delineated, the general rock types mapped into terranes, and age dates allowed some interpretation on the development of the basement; this informat...