Southeastern Part of the Texas Coastal Plain
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 335 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATERS OF THE SOUTHEASTERN PART OF THE TEXAS COASTAL PLAIN BY ALEXANDER DEUSSEN WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1914 CONTENTS. Page. Introduction.............................................................. 13 Physiography.............................................................. 14 General character..................................................... 14 Topographic features.................................................. 16 Relief............................................................ 16 Coast prairie.................................................. 16 Kisatchie Wold............................................... 16 Nacogdoches Wold............................................ 16 Corsicana Cuesta and White Rock Escarpment................... 18 Bottom lands................................................. 18 Mounds and pimple plains...................................... 19 Drainage.......................................................... 19 Timber............................................................... 21 General geologic features................................................... 21 Relation of geology to the occurrence of underground water............... 21 Principles of stratigraphy.............................................. 22 Erosion and sedimentation.......................................... 22 The geologic column.............................................. 22 Subdivision of the geologic column................................. 23 Systems....................................................... 23 Formations................................................... 23 Fossils............................................................ 24 Nature and geologic distribution............................... 24 Importance.................................................... 24 Paleontologic units............................................. 25 Geology of the Coastal Plain................................................ 25 General features....................................................... 25 Stratigraphy of the Coastal Plain in eastern Texas....................... 26 Rock systems represented.......................................... 26 Carboniferous rocks................................................ 26 Cretaceous rocks................................................... 26 Tertiary and Quaternary rocks..................................... 27 Tertiary system................................................... 29 Eocene series................................................. 29 Midway formation........................................ 29 Name and correlations................................. 29 Occurrence and character...................... t ....... 31 Relations to adjacent formations........................ 31 Paleontology......................................... 32 Detailed sections....................................... 38 Brazos River section.............................. 88 Falls County,.................................... 35 Limestone County................................. 85 Kaufman County.................................. 36 Van Zandt County................................ 36 3 ' 4 CONTENTS. Geology of the Coastal Plain Continued. Stratigraphy of the Coastal Plain in eastern Texas Continued. Tertiary system Continued. Eocene series Continued. Page. Wilcox formation.......................................... 37 Name and correlation.................................. 37 Occurrence and character.............................. 39 Paleontology......................................... 40 Detailed sections...................................... 41 Brazos Eiver section.............................. 41 North of the Brazos............................... 44 Northeast Texas................................... 44 Sabine Eiver section.............................. 46 Claiborne group............................................ 51 Mount Selman formation............................... 51 Name and correlation.............................. 51 Occurrence and character.......................... 52 Paleontology..................................... 52 Detailed sections.................................. 52 Brazos River section.......................... 52 Trinity River section.......................... 52 Cherokee County section....................... 53 Harrison County section........................ 54 Sabine River section.......................... 55 Cook Mountain formation.............................. 56 Name and correlation.............................. 56 Occurrence and character.......................... 56 Paleontology..................................... 56 Detailed sections.................................. 56 Brazos River section.......................... 56 Trinity River section.......................... 60 Cherokee County section....................... 62 Sabine River section.......................... 64 Yegua formation...................................... 65 Name and correlation. .......................*...... 65 Occurrence and character.......................... 66 Detailed sections.................................. 66 Brazos River section.......................... 66 Sabine River section.......................... 67 Jackson formation.......................................... 67 Name and correlation.................................. 67 Occurrence and character.............................. 67 Paleontology......................................... 67 Detailed sections...................................... 68 Sabine River section.............................. 68 Oligocene series................................................ 68 Catahoula sandstone (including some Eocene)............... 68 Nameand correlation.................................. 68 Occurrence and character...,............--.-...---...- 70 Detailed sections...................................... 70 Sabine River section.............................. 70 San Augustine County.............................. 70 Tyler County...................................... 70 Polk County....................................... 71 Brazos County..................................... 71 CONTENTS. 5 Geology of the Coastal Plain Continued. Stratigraphy of the Coastal Plain in Eastern Texas Continued. Tertiary system Continued. Page. Miocene series................................................. 72 Fleming clay.............................................. 72 Name and correlation.................................. 72 Occurrence and character.............................. 74 Detailed sections...................................... 74 Sabine River section.............................. 74 Neches River section............................... 74 Grimes and Brazos counties......................... 74 Dewitt formation (including some Pliocene).................. 74 Name and correlation.................................. 74 Occurrence and character.............................. 75 Paleontology........................................... 75 Detailed sections....................................... 75 East of Brazos River.............................. 75 West of Brazos River.............................. 75 Marine Miocene (probably including some early Pliocene)... 76 General character..................................... 76 Details of occurrence................................... 76 Pliocene series................................................ 77 Uvalde formation.......................................... 77 Name and correlation.................................. 77 Occurrence and character.............................. .77 Quaternary system................................................. 78 Pleistocene series............................................. 78 Lissie gravel.............................................. 78 Name and correlation.................................. 78 Occurrence and character.............................. 78 Paleontology........................................... 80 Details of occurrence................................... 80 Beaumont clay............................................ 80 Name................................................ 80 Occurrence and character.............................. 81 Paleontology........................................... 81 Pleistocene terrace deposits................................ 81 Highest Pleistocene terrace............................ 81 Middle Pleistocene terrace............................ 82 Lowest Pleistocene terrace............................ 83 Recent series.................................................. 83 Structure............................................................ 84 General features................................................... 84 Domes........................................................... 84 Angelina-Caldwell flexure......................................... 85 Cooks Springs-Caddo fault and flexure............................. 86 Minor flexures..................................................... 86 Sabine uplift..................................................... 86 Hydrology................................................................ 87 Definitions........................................................... 87 Occurrence of ground water............................................ 87 Source of ground water............................................ 87 Zone of saturation................................................ 87 Movement of ground water.......................................