Mississippian Formations Research Articles

Stratigraphy and structure of southwest Saypo quadrangle, Montana

The Saypo quadrangle, in northwestern Montana, lies between parallels 47°30′ and 48° and meridians 112°30′ and 113° and contains parts of the Lewis and Clark and the Sawtooth ranges and part of the northern Great Plains. Stebinger mapped the geology west to the mountains before 1918, and the writer began mapping the mountains in 1940 for the United States Geological Survey. The stratigraphic column, approximately 14,500 feet thick, consists of 19 formations: four of Belt, nine of Cambrian, two of Devonian, and one each of Mississippian, Jurassic, and Lower and Upper Cretaceous age. Pleistocene drift and Recent alluvium lie on all older rocks. Belt and Cretaceous sediments contain gabbro and diorite sills. Unconformities occur between Cambrian and Belt, Devonian and Cambrian, Mississippian and Devonian, and Jurassic and Mississippian formations. None are strongly angular. The region contains two structural provinces: an eastern province characterized by westward-dipping, high-angle thrust faults, which broke steeply dipping Paleozoic and Mesozoic sediments, and a western province characterized by westward-dipping, low-angle overthrusts and westward-dipping, high-angle normal faults which broke the Belt and older Paleozoic sediments. Folds are subordinate to faults, both in number and importance. All major structures probably formed during the Laramide orogeny. Its earlier compressional phase produced open folding, then high-angle thrusting, and finally low-angle overthrusting. The later tensional phase resulted in low-angle normal and, toward its close, in high-angle normal faulting.

Post-Appalachian Faulting In Western Kentucky

The intricate faulting in the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian formations of western Kentucky has been usually correlated with the Appalachian orogeny. Post-Paleozoic sediments are all unconsolidated and evidence of post-Appalachian faulting is consequently obscure; references to the possibility of later faulting have heretofore been largely unsupported by specific evidence. Detailed examination of the area establishes the occurrence of later faulting. Just as the epeirogenic disturbances in this region at the end of the Paleozoic era were associated with important faulting, the similar but less intense epeirogenic movements during the Cretaceous and Eocene periods led to renewed faulting--probably, however, on a smaller scale.

Mississippian Formations of Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico: ABSTRACT

Formations of Mississippian age are exposed along the west face of the Sacramento mountains of New Mexico from a short distance north of Alamogordo southward to the vicinity of Grapevine canyon. Detailed sections have been measured and the faunas collected throughout the entire area of exposure. The name Cabellero is proposed for the gray, nodular, marly limestone formation of Kinderhook age lying at the base of the Mississippian section. The Caballero formation has heretofore been considered as a part of the Lake Valley formation. The Lake Valley formation has been divided into three members, Alamogordo at the base, followed by Arcente, and capped by Dona Ana. The fauna of the Caballero formation is closely related to that of the Chouteau formation of the upper Mississip i valley region. The Lake Valley formation is entirely of early Osage age. Both Fern Glen and lower Burlington faunas can be recognized. Spectacular large bioherms characterize the Alamogordo member making it necessary to subdivide the member into several facies. End_of_Article - Last_Page 935------------

Mississippian Formations of Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico

Formations of Mississippian age are exposed along the west face of the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico from a short distance north of Alamogordo southward to the vicinity of Grapevine Canyon. Detailed sections have been measured and the faunas collected throughout the entire area of exposure. The name Caballero is proposed for the gray, nodular, marly limestone formation of Kinderhook age lying at the base of the Mississippian section. The Caballero formation has heretofore been considered as a part of the Lake Valley formation. The Lake Valley formation has been divided into three members, Alamogordo at the base, followed by Arcente, and capped by Dona Ana. The fauna of the Caballero formation is closely related to that of the Chouteau formation of the upper Mississip i Valley region. The Lake Valley formation is entirely of early Osage age. Both Fern Glen and lower Burlington faunas can be recognized. Spectacular, large bioherms characterize the Alamogordo member, making it necessary to subdivide the member into several facies.

The Howell Structure, Lincoln County, Tennessee

A small area of highly disturbed, contorted, and brecciated strata centering at Howell, in north-central Lincoln County, Tennessee, has been mapped and studied in detail. The salient structural feature is a circular area of intensely deformed Black River and Trenton rocks, which have been uplifted approximately 100 feet above their normal positions. This circular area is composed of jumbled blocks of limestone imbedded in a matrix of shatter breccia. The major deformation is believed to have been post-Trenton and pre-Fernvale in age. Overlying the shattered strata is the Fern vale formation, the relative thickness and lithology of which point directly toward deposition in a graded crater. The Fern vale shale unit shows moderately high dips. This partial disturbance of the Fernvale possibly indicates a mild renewal of the forces which caused the major deformation. The younger Silurian and Mississippian formations are relatively undisturbed. A magnetic survey indicates a "closure" of 335 gammas, 1 3/4 miles southwest of the center of the disturbance. While no conclusive evidence has been observed to support either the cryptovolcanic or the meteoritic hypothesis of origin, the Howell structure is considered tentatively as an example of the cryptovolcanic structures as interpreted by Bucher.

Pre-Cambrian and Paleozoic Algae

Calcareous algae, some of which are replaced by chert, are abundant in several pre-Cambrian, Cambrian, and Mississippian formations of the Northwest Territories of Canada and the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming and Montana, and in Ordovician formations of the upper Mississippi Valley. Several form-genera and form-species persist over considerable areas in spite of variations in the sediments which contain them. Some form-species produced massive biostromes, while others made limestone “mottlings” in dolomites or produced irregular layers. Fluctuations within form-species may be correlated with evidence of environmental variation.

Faunal Zones in the Standard Mississippian Section

The standard Mississippian section is that exhibited in the Mississippi Valley, exposed in Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri. In this section there are recognized a series of more or less distinct faunal zones which have been observed to have considerable geographic distribution. These zones are denned, the leading features of their faunas are mentioned, and their known geographic distribution is shown, with the belief that the facts presented may assist in the wider correlation of the Mississippian formations and faunas.

The Stratigraphy of the Mississippian Formations of Iowa

The Stratigraphy of the Mississippian Formations of Iowa

FIRE CLAYS OF THE EASTERN COALFIELD OF KENTUCKY1

The eastern coalfield of Kentucky contains two horizons of workable refractory clays. One of these bearing flint, semi-flint and plastic clay is definitely proven to be of upper Pottsville age, and rests unconformably on the Mississippian formations. The other found in Boyd and eastern Carter County is in the Allegheny series and carries plastic fire clay of less commercial value. A number of points, not hitherto emphasized or noted are described.

The Mississippian formations of the Horton-Windsor District, Nova Scotia

The Mississippian formations of the Horton-Windsor District, Nova Scotia

The Western Interior Geosyncline and Its Bearing on the Origin and Distribution of the Coal Measures

While occupied with a study of the stratigraphy of the Mississippian formations of Iowa for the Iowa Geological Survey the writer has been attracted by the regular and nearly uniform gentle dip of these formations to the southwestward, and he has recently attempted to ascertain the age and significance of the deformation which gave rise to this. Investigation soon showed that the tilting was related to deformation over a wide area in southern Iowa, southeastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, and northwestern Missouri which outlined a great southwestwardly pitching geosyncline in which the Coal Measures of the western interior coal field were deposited. The evidence is clearly in favor of the view that the movement took place, in part at least, during pre-Pennsylvanian time, as shown by the fact that the Coal Measures now rest upon trunkated Mississippian formations successively younger in age toward the southwest. This belted arrangement of the Mississippian deposits beneath the Coal Measures cannot be accounted for on the assumption that the distribution of the former is original, since tJhe beds often consist entirely of nearly pure limestone up to their very boundaries and show no indications of shore facies. That the geosyncline was shallow in early Pennsylvanian time is indicated by the fact that the maximum known thickness of the deposits of the Cherokee stage, which probably represents the time of greatest sea extension in this basin during the Pennsylvanian, is only 712 feet. At the present time, however, it attains a known depth of approximately 2,400 feet at McFarland, Kansas, and future drill records will probably show it to be considerably deeper than this to the southwest. The deepening is believed to have

The Devonian and Mississippian Formations of Northeastern Ohio. Charles S. Prosser

Previous articleNext article FreeReviewsThe Devonian and Mississippian Formations of Northeastern Ohio. Charles S. Prosser C. R. S.C. R. S. Search for more articles by this author PDF Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Journal of Geology Volume 22, Number 1Jan. - Feb., 1914 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/622136 Views: 76 Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Cooperative Investigation of the Mississippian Formations

Cooperative Investigation of the Mississippian Formations

A Mississippian delta

Introductory During the summers of 1907, 1908, and 1909 the writer investigated the geology of parts of Bland, Giles, Pulaski, and Montgomery counties of northern Virginia. Four weeks of 1908 were spent north of Narrows, 011 New River, and two weeks 12 miles south of Narrows, where the Dubliu-Pearisburg road crosses Cloyds Mountain. In the former region most of the Mississippian formations can be studied and in the latter a fine section is exposed. The sections are so strikingly unlike that some time was spent in attempting to account for the differences. The outcrops occur in parallel belts striking northeast-southwest. The dip is generally above 45 degrees, and between the two lines of outcrop all rocks younger than the Devonian have been removed by erosion. As near as can be determined from available data, the regions were about 36 miles apart before folding and faulting took place, and the drawing . . .

Mississippian (Lower Carboniferous) formations in the Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico

Mississippian (Lower Carboniferous) formations in the Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico