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Stratigraphy and Ostracoda of the Ripley Formation of Western Georgia. Raymond Weathers Stephens Jr Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

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Stratigraphy and Ostracoda of the Ripley Formation of Western Georgia. Raymond Weathers Stephens Jr Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1960 Stratigraphy and Ostracoda of the Ripley Formation of Western Georgia. Raymond Weathers Stephens Jr Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Stephens, Raymond Weathers Jr, "Stratigraphy and Ostracoda of the Ripley Formation of Western Georgia." (1960). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 587. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/587 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Stratigraphy and Ostracoda of the Ripley Formation of Western Georgia A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirement8 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Geology by Raymond Weathers Stephens, Jr. B. S., University of Georgia, 1951? M, S,, Louisiana State University, 1956 January, I960 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writer wishes to express his sincere appreciation to Dr* Glover E. Murray and Dr. Clarence 0. Durban, Jr., Louisiana State University, for their guidance and assistance throughout the preparation of this dissertation and for their time spent with me in both the field and the office* Grateful acknowledgment is due Dr. Henry V. Howe, Director of the School of Geology, Louisiana State University, far his invaluable assistance in the identification of the Ostracoda and for the generous use of his excellent type collection* Dr. John C. Fern graciously assisted in the study of the thin sections used in this dissertation and far this the author offers credit and appreciation* Special acknowledgment is due fellow graduate student Steve R. Windham for preparing the Ostracoda illustrations and fellow graduate student Phili Deboo for his aid in mineral identification. The writer is also indebted to the Magnolia Petroleum Company for their graduate fellowship for the years 1957-1959. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page I ABSTRACT............................................ .. II INTRODUCTION......................................... 1 III STRATIGRAPHY..................................... 3 Gulfian ................... ..... 3 General Features. * . ............... ........ 3 Ripley Formation. ............................. 5 General Features......................... • 5 Detailed Lithology.............. ... .......... 7 Quitman and Southern Stewart Counties . ......... 8 Northern Stewart, Southern Chattahoochee, and Southern Marion Counties. ....... .......... 12 Central Stewart County. .... ............. ... 15 Northern Schley, Southern Taylor, and Northern Macon Counties.................................. 17 Providence Sand ............ 21 Area Between Flint and Ocmulgee Rivers. ......... 21 Cretaceous East of the Ocmulgee R i v e r ................. 27 Twiggs County .................................. 27 IV SUMMARY.............................................. 29 V SEDIMENTARY PETROGRAPHY........... ".................... 31 VE OSTRACODA ........ 35 VII DESCRIPTION OF GENERA AND SPECIES... ..... ............ 37 iii Page Phylum ARTHROPODA. ..................................... 37 Glass CRUSTACEA......................................... 37 Order OSTRACODA . ................ * ......... 37 Suborder FLATYCOPA Sars, 1865 ...... ............ 37 Family CYTHERELLIDAE Sars, 1866 ................... 37 Genus CYTHERELLOIDEA Alexander, 1929.............. 37 Cytherelloidea crafti Sexton, 1951. • • .......... 37 Genus CYTHERELLA Jones, 181*9. .................. 38 Cytherella ovoidea Alexander, 1929.............. 38 Cytherella cf. C. tuberculifera Alexander, ~Y929 . 7 . ............... 39 Cytherella sp. 1 .............................. 39 Cytherella s p . 2 . ................... 1*0 Suborder PODOCOPA Sars, 1865. 1*1 Family CYPRIDAE Baird, 181*9................. 1*1 Subfamily PONTOCEPRIDINAE....................... 1*1 Genus ARGILLOECIA Sars, 1866.............. 1*1 Argilloecia sp.............................. 1*1 Subfamily CYPRIDINAE Baird, 181*6..................... 1*1 Genus PARACYPRIS Sars, 1866 ....................... Id Paracypris sp. .......... 1*1 Family BAIEDIIBAE Sars, 1923....................... 1*2 Subfamily BAIRDIINAE Sars, 1923 .......... 1*2 Genus BAIRDOPPHATA Coryell, Sample and Jennings, 193?. .............. 1*2 Bairdoppilata magna Alexander, 1927 ...... 1*2 iv Page Family CYTHERIDAE Baird, 1850.......................... 43 Subfamily XESTOLEBERINAE Sars, 1928. .............43 Genus XESTOLEBERIS Sars, 1866..................... 43 Xestoleberis sp.......... , .......... 43 Subfamily LOXOCOWCHINAE Sars, 1925 ................. 44 Genus LOXOCONCHA Sars, 1866........................ kk Laxoconcha cretacaa Alexander,- 1936 .............. 44 Subfamily CYTHERURINAE Muller, 1894 ................. 45 Genus CYTHEROPTERON Sars, 1866 ................... 45 Cytheropteron n, sp.............................. 45 Genus ORTHONOTACYTHERE Alexander, 1933 ............ 46 Orthonctacythere hannai (Israelsky), 1929......... 46 Subfamily CYTHERIDEINAE Sars, 1925 ................. 47 Genus CLXTHROCYTHERIDEA Stephenson, 1936 .......... 47 Clithrocytheridea ? n. sp........................ 47 Clithrocytherldea fabaformls (Berry), 1925 ..... 48 Genus HAPLOCYTHERIDEA Stephenson, 1936 ............ 50 Haplocytheridea n. sp...................... 50 Haplocytheridea ? eouncilli (Brown), 1957......... 51 Haplocytheridea ? globosa (Alexander), 1929. .... 52 Haplocytheridea micropunctata (Alexander), 1929. 53 Haplocytheridea ? monmouthensis (Berry), 1925. 54 Haplocytheridea ? plummeri (Alexander), 1929 .... 55 Haplocytheridea ? raybumensis Butler and Jones, Haplocytheridea Barectaensis (Brown), 1957 ..... 57 page Haplocytheridea ? ulrichi (Berry), 1925 ......... 58 Subfamily KRITHINAE Mandelstom, 1958............. 59 Genus KRITHE Brady, Crosskey and Robertson, 1874- . 59 Krithe cushmant Alexander, 1929 ................ 59 Subfamily PROGONOCYTHERINAE Sylvester-Bradley, 1948 . 60 Genus PR0G0N0CYTHERE Sylvester-Bradley, 1948....... 60 Progonocybhere ? n. sp. .............. 60 Subfamily BRACHYCYTHERINAE Puri, 1953 .............. 6l Genus BRACHYCYTKERE Alexander, 1933 .............. 6l Brachycythere ledaforma (Israelsky), 1929 ..... 61 Brachycythere ovata (Berry), 1925 ............. 63 Brachycythere rhomboidalis (Berry), 1925........ 64 Genus PTERGOCYTHERE Hill, 1954................. 65 Ptergocythere saratogana (Israelsky), 1929..... 65 Subfamily TRACHYLEBERINAE Sylvester-Bradley, 1948.. 66 Genus CYTHEREIS Jones, 1849 ..................... 66 Cythereis costatana Israelsky, 1929 .......... • 66 Cythereis communis Israelsky, 1929. ....... 67 Cythereis hazardi Israelsky, 1929 .............. 69 Cythereis huntensis (Alexander), 1929 ........... 70 Genus VEENIA Butler and Jones, 1957 .............. 71 Veenia ozanana (Israelsky), 1929........... 71 Veenia arachoides (Berry), 1925 .... ......... 72 Genus AMPHICYTHERURA Butler and Jones, 1957 .... 74 Amphicytherura ? curta (Jennings), 1937 ......... 74 Subfamily Uncertain .............................. 74 vi Page New Genus n. sp. aff. Cytherura ? aaratogana Israelsky,1929 ............................ 74 VIII LOCATION OF SAMPLES............................... 76 IX SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY.............................. 81 X V I T A ................. 85 ▼ii LIST OP TABLES Page I Percentages of Minerals Identified in each Thin Section;.......... 32 II Mean Grain Size, Standard Deviation from Mean, and Observed Range of Quartz Grains in Thin Sections where Quartz Exceeds Ten Percent ............ 33 III Trace Minerals and Matrix Description of all Thin Sections.................................... 34 viii LIST OF FIGURES 1 Index Hap.......... ................ following page 2 2 Check List of Ostracod Species ........ following page 36 ix LIST OF PLATES I Outcrop Map of Ripley and Providence Formations of Western Georgia............................ in pocket II East-West Stratigraphic Section, Quitman County, Georgia to Peach County, Georgia (Shows stratigraphic position of ostracod samples and rock thin sections). ............... in pocket III Ostracoda Species.... ........................... 78 IV Ostracoda Species ........................... 79 V Ostracoda Species .. ......................... 80 x ABSTRACT The Ripley formation (Gulfian) and its bounding formations in western Georgia were studied stratigraphically from the Chattahoochee River on the west to the Ocmulgee River on the east. Surface exposures were measured and described in detail and ostracod samples and rocks for thin sections were collected for study. An outcrop map of the Rip­ ley formation with the geographic location of the measured sections and a stratigraphic cross section with the position of all ostracod samples and rock thin sections are enclosed in the pocket. The Ripley extends eastward into Georgia from Alabama and crops out from the Chattahoochee River to the Flint River where it is over­ lapped by the more northerly striking Providence sand. In western Georgia, the Ripley is composed of a nearshore marl that predominates updip and an offshore fine marine sand and clay that predominates down- dip. The offshore sand and clay extend eastward to the Flint River with very
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