Valley of Virginia with Explanatory Text
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Plcase retum this publication to the Virsinia Gcological Sungy when you have no furthcr uac for it. Petase will be refuuded. COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA ST.ATE COMMISSION ON CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY ARTHUR BEVAN, State Geologist Bulletin 42 Map of the Appalachian $'., Geologic Ti.l Valley of Virginia with Explanatory Text BY CHARLES BUTTS PREPARED IN COOPERATION WITH THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVBY Q.E 113 ne UNIVERSITY, VIRGINIA ho, {a 1933 C 3 COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA STATE COMMISSION ON CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT VIRGINIA, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY ttl l I ARTHUR BEVAN, State Geologist Bulletin 42 Geologic Map of the Appalachian Valley of Virginia with Explanatory Text BY CHARLES BUTTS PREPARED IN COOPERATION WITH THtr UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY UNIVERSITY, VIRGINIA 1933 F.::t' :.'tFF F. Q r t7t hz, uo, $2" aopl 3 , RICHMOND: , Drwsrox or Puncrrasr ewo Pnrnrrwc 1933 .r...' .'..'. .', :".;ii':.J..1 ; i,1,'.- .li i : -. i ::: i"i 1 . : ..: :.3 -". ". I .i I i aa"..: a a-r-'ro t' a a".3 at!-i t a . .: . r o aa ? r. I a a a a -. , a a -a . 't ': STATE COMMISSION ON CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT Wrr,r,rau E. CansoN, Chai,rrnqn, Riverton Cor-BuaN Wonrne w, V i,c e -C hai,rman, Richmond E. Gnrprrrs DoosoN, Norfolk Tnoues L. Fennan, Charlottesville . Jumrus P. FrsneunN, Roanoke LsB LoNc, Dante Rurus G. Rosnnrs, Culpeper Rrcneno A. Grr,r-raiu t Erecwti,ve Secretary and Treaswrer. Richmond * t- .h. ,1r ill J .g i 5 s LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL ColrruomwrAlTrr oF VrncrNra VrncrNre GBor,ocrcer, Sunvev IJxrvnnsrry op VrncrNre Cnanr,orrpsvrr,r,e, Ve., March 15, 1933. To the State Coruyni,ssion on Conserztation and Deztelopment: GpNrr,eruBm.' I have the honor to transmit and to recommend for oublication as Bulletin 42 ol the Virginia Geological Survey series oi reports the manuscript for the Erplanati.on of the Geologic Map of tke Appalachian Valley of Virginia, by Dr. Charles Butts, of the United States Geological Survey. Doctor Butts was engaged during the field seasons of. 1926-t932 in mapping all of the {ormations between the northwest foot of the Blue Ridge in Virginia and the State lines of West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. This was a cooperative project between the United States Geological Survey and the Virginia Geological Survey. He was as- sisted in the field by several graduate students from the School of Geology, IJniversity of Virginia, who were employed by the Virginia Geological Survey. The geologic map prepared by Doctor Butts is a noteworthy con- tribution to the understanding of the complex geology of the Ap- palachian Valley and thus to the best development and utilization of its vast mineral wealth. The map and explanatory text will be of great value also for use in schools and colleges throughout the nation. They reflect the results of a lifetime study of the stratigraphy of the Ap- palachian Valley from New York to Alabama. A complete illustrated report upon the formations in the Ap- palachian Valley in Virginia is being cooperatively prepar.ed by Doctor Butts for the Virginia Geological Survey. Respectfully submitted, Anrnun BevaN, State Geologi,st. Approved for publication: State Commission on Conservation and Development, Richmond, Virginia, March 17, 1933. Rrcnenn A. Grr,r,rau, Er7cwti,ve Secretary und Treq,swrer. CONTENTS Plcn Introduction.. ....;........ 1 Pre-Cambrian rocks... 2 Cambrian system. 2 Basal quartzites., .. .. .. .. .. .. 2 Loudoun formation. 2 Weverton quartzite. 2 Unicoi formation..... 2 Harpers and Hampton shales.. 3 Antietam quartzite and Errvin quartzite. 3 Tomstown dolomite and Shady dolomite. 3 Rome formation and Waynesboro formation. 4 Elbrook dolomite.. 6 Honaker dolomite. 7 Rutledge limestone, Rogersville shale, and Maryville limestone. 7 Nolichucky shale. .. 8 Ozarkian system. 8 Conococheague limestone. 8 Copper Ridge dolomite. .. .. .. .. 9 Chepultepec limestone. 10 Canadian system. 10 Stonehenge limestone. 1l Nittany dolomite equivaleat. 1l Bellefonte dolomite equivalent. 12 Ordovician system. 13 Stones River group.. 13 General features. .. .. .. .. 13 Murfreesboro limestone. 13 Mosheim and Lenoir limestones. 14 Blount group. 15 Holston limestone. .. .. .. 15 Whitesburg limestone. 15 Athens shale and Athens limestone. 16 Ottosee limestone. 17 Black River group.. 18 Lowville limestone... 18 Moccasin limestone. 18 Chambersburg limestone. 19 Trenton limestone. 20 ' Reedsville shale. 2L Martinsburg shale. .. .. .. .. 2t Oswego sandstone. 22 Silurian system. 23 Juniata formation and Sequatchie formation. 23 Clinch sandstone and Tuscarora quartzite. 24 Clinton formation. 25 vl1 Yl1l CoNrsNts Plcn Formations of Cayuga age... .. 26 McKenzie formation. 26 Bloomsburg shale... 26 Wills Creek sandstone. 26 Tonolowaylimestone. ......., 27 Devonian system. 28 Helderberg limestone. 28 Keyser limestone. .. 28 Coeymans limestone. .. .. .. 28 New Scotland limestone. 28 Becralt limestone. 28 ; l**ff*il ..... .. .. ...' .'.... .. .. .. .. 11 il. 35 Catskill formation. Genesee (i), Portage, and Big Stone Gap shales, in part Mississippian (l)...... 35 Mississippian system. Price formation and Pocono sandstone. 36 Maccrady shale... 37 Fort Payne chert.. 38 Limestone of Warsaw age and St. Louis limestone. 38 St. Louis limestone, Ste. Genevieve limestone, Gasper limestone and Glen Dean limestone. 40 Fido sandstone -. -. .. -. 42 Bluefield shale... 42 Cove Creek limestone. 43 Pennington formation and Hinton formation. 44 Princeton sandstone and Bluestone formation. 46 Pennsylvanian system. 47 Lee formation. 47 Nortonformation.... .....:.. 47 $ilf*i:l':::.....: : : :::: :: :: ::::: :: ::: : :.....: ii Alluvium. 49 Igneous rocks.. 49 TABLE Pecs 1, Stratigraphy of the Appalachian Valley in Virginia. .. .. .. .. 49 Explanation of the Geologic Map of the Appa- lachian Valley of Virginia Bv Cnenr,ns Burrs Prepared, i,n Cooperat,ion wi,th; the Uni,ted Stqtes Geologi,cal Swrvey INTRODUCTION The geologic map of the Appalachian Valley of Virginia is based on field work by the author in the seasons ot 1926-1932, assisted by R. P. Meacham, \Made Safford, C. R. L. Oder, Benjamin Gildersleeve, arrd R. S. Edmundson; upon several folios of the United States Geo- logical Survey by M. R. Campbell, N. H. Darton, and Arthur Keith; upon reports of the Virginia Geological Survey on the Virginia coal fields by Henry Hinds, T. K. Harnsberger, J. B. Eby, A. W. Giles, C. K. Wentworth, M. R. Campbell, and R. J. Holden; report on the Big Stone Gap region by G. W. Stose; report on Massanutten Moun- tain by A. C. Spencer; reports of the Virginia Geological Survey on the Roanoke area by H. P. Woodward and on the manganese deposits by G. W. Stose, H. D. Miser, F. J.Katz, and D. F. Hewett; geological map of Virginia, edition oL I92B; unpublished work on the zinc dis- trict in Smyth and Wythe counties by L. W. Currier; unpublished work on the Eagle Rock and Natural Bridge Special quadrangles by H. P. Woodward; unpublished work on the Abingdon quadrangle by G. W. Stose; and reports by the West Virginia Geological Survey on several counties bordering upon Virginia. Special acknowledgment is due E. O. Ulrich for invaluable contributions to the knowledge of Ap- palachian stratigraphy. The colors and hachure patterns shown on the map are of difierent values. Some of these represent single formations, as the Nolichucky shale (€n), or Conococheague limestone (Oc); others represent com- binations of formations. For example, on the Cumberland escarpment, the Glen Dean limestone, Gasper limestone, Ste. Genevieve limestone, and St. Louis limestone are combined into one map unit, Mdgsl. The different formations in such combinations differ in their character and areal distribution to such an extent that adequate description is not pos- sible in the ordinary map legend. The object of this bulletin, which is really an expanded legend, is to give the fuller information needed. A summary of the stratigraphy is given in Table 1 (p. a9). 2 Gsor.ocrc Mep or Appar,ecnreN Ver,r,ny on VrncrNre PRE-CAMBRIAN ROCKS (pe) The pre-Cambrian rocks consist of igneous and metamorphic rocks, such as granite and granitoid rocks, greenstone, gneiss and schist, These are very ancient rocks, highly folded and eroded, and they con- stitute the basement or foundation upon which the Paleozoic rocks of the Valley lie. They crop out mainly east of the Valley of Vir- ginia, chiefly in the Blue Ridge province and in the Piedmont province farther east. CAMBRIAN SYSTEM Beser. Quanrzrrns (€bq) The basal Cambrian rocks include four formatiorrs, for which the name Chilhowee group has been used by Woodward.l The name is derived from that of Chilhowee Mountain, Tenn., in which these basal Cambrian formations are at least partly represented. In Virginia these rocks form the summit of the Blue Ridge for considerable distances, and for almost the entire distance across the State they form the northwest slope of that ridge. Northeast of Roanoke (Roanoke County) these formations bear one set of names and southwest of Roanoke they bear a different set of names, as follows: Northeast of Roanohe Southanest of Roanoke Antietam quartzite ....Erwin quartzite Harpers shale . Hampton shale Weverton quartzite I unlcor lormatlon LOUGOUnlormatron .......... ) The Loudoun forrna,ti,on is a rather heterogeneous mass of fine con- glomerate, quartzite, and shale, some of which is red or purple. In places some of its beds are difficult to distinguish from the underlying pre-Cambrian rocks from which its basal beds are derived. It is 100 to 800 feet thick. The Wezterton qua,rtzite is made up mainly of quartz sand but con- tains considerable feldspar. It is 200 to 1,000 feet thick and is ap- parently persistent from Loudoun County in northern Virginia to Roanoke. The Unicoi f orrna"tion is composed in the upper part of gray, thick- bedded sandstone; in the lower part of coarse arkosic sandstone, some of it reddish, a few thin beds of red shale, and a few beds of con- glomerate. About the middle of the Unicoi is a persistent bed of amygdaloid, a dark-green igneous rock, about 200 feet thick.