The Sandwich Fault Zone of Northern Illinois
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505 THE SANDWICH FAULT ZONE OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS Dennis R. Kolata T. C. Buschbach Janis D. Treworgy STATE OF ILLINOIS, DEPARTMENT OF REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION CIRCULAR 505 Illinois State Geological Survey, Urbana, Illinois 1978 Jack A. Simon, Chief COVER PHOTO: Faulted and shattered Silurian dolomite in the Meyer Material Company quarry (Vick's Pit) located within the Sandwich Fault Zone about six miles southwest of Joliet, Will County, Illinois. A major fault with approximately 100 feet of displacement is marked by the white line. Rocks of the Wilhelmi Formation on the left are upthrown in juxtaposition with the Joliet Formation on the right. Numerous, small high-angle faults and joints can be seen in the highwall. The faulted Silurian dolomite is truncated to a flat surface and is covered by approximately 20 feet of the Wisconsinan Yorkville Till Member. Kolata, Dennis R. The Sandwich Fault Zone of northern Illinois/ by Dennis R. Kolata, T. C. Busch- bach and Janis D. Treworgy. Urbana: Illinois State Geological Survey, 1978. 26 p. illus. 28 cm. (ISGS Circular 505) References: p. 26. 1. Faults (Geology). I. Buschbach, Thomas C. II. Treworgy, Janis D. III. Title. THE SANDWICH FAULT ZONE OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS Dennis R. Kolata T. C. Buschbach Janis D. Treworgy ILLINOIS STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Urbana, Illinois 61801 Jack A. Simon, Chief Circular 505, 1978 . 21 CONTENTS FIGURES 1 Prominent structural features and area of study. 2 2. Geologic map of the Sandwich Fault Zone and adjacent areas. 4 3. Generalized stratigraphic section in the area of the Sandwich Fault Zone. 5 4. Structure of the top of the Franconia Formation Abstract 1 Introduction 2 along the Sandwich Fault Zone. 1 Location and purpose of study 2 5. Structural cross section showing stratigraphic Previous studies 2 relationships across the Sandwich Fault Zone Geologic setting 3 in Ogle and Lee Counties. 12 Stratigraphy and areal geology 3 6. Small fault in the New Richmond Sandstone Cambrian System 3 in an outcrop in the Sandwich Fault Zone Ordovician System 6 south of Oregon, Ogle County. 1 Prairie du Chien Group 6 7a. Cross sections AB and BC of the Sandwich Ancell Group 7 Fault Zone exposed in Burlington Northern Platteville and Galena Groups 8 Railroad cut. 13 Maquoketa Shale Group 9 7b. Cross sections CD, DE, EF, and FG of the Sandwich Silurian System 9 Fault Zone exposed in Burlington Northern Rail- Pennsylvanian System 10 road cut. 14 Quaternary System 10 7c. Cross sections GH, HI, JK, and KL of the Sandwich Structure mapping 10 Fault Zone exposed in Burlington Northern Rail- Sandwich Fault Zone 10 road cut. 15 Sandwich Fault Zone in outcrop 11 8. Faulted strata of the Quimbys Mill Formation on Ogle County outcrops 11 the northwest side of the Burlington Northern Fox River outcrops 17 Railroad. 16 Channahon Mound outcrops 17 9. Faults A through F in and near Vick's Pit (Meyer Geophysical surveys 20 Material Company) on Channahon Mound, Will Refraction seismography 21 County, Illinois. 18 Earth resistivity profiling 21 10. Faulted Silurian rocks in Vick's Pit (Meyer Material Associated structures 21 Company) on Channahon Mound. 19 1 1 Tectonic history 23 . Faulted Silurian rocks on west wall of haulage road References 26 in Vick's Pit (Meyer Material Company) on Chan- nahon Mound. 19 12. A solution collapse structure in the Silurian Racine TABLES Formation in Vick's Pit (Meyer Material Company quarry) at Channahon Mound. 20 Data from refraction seismographic survey 13. Structural cross section across the Sandwich Fault on the Sandwich Fault Zone. 23 Zone west of Rochelle, Ogle County, Illinois. 22 Acknowledgments Paul C. Heigold and Philip C. Reed of the Illinois State Geological Survey conducted the refraction seismographic and earth resistivity profiles, respectively. The discussions, suggestions, and criticisms of H. B. Willman and Elwood Atherton, also of the Survey, greatly benefited the study. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign http://archive.org/details/sandwichfaultzon505kola THE SANDWICH FAULT ZONE OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS Dennis R. Kolata T. C. Buschbach Janis D. Treworgy ABSTRACT The Sandwich Fault Zone extends northwesterly from near Manhattan, Will County, to near Oregon, Ogle County, a distance of about 85 miles. Drilling samples from explor- atory borings and water wells, drillers' logs, geophysical logs, refraction seismography, earth resistivity profiles, and outcrop studies indicate that the fault zone is about one- half to two miles wide and is upthrown to the south throughout most of its extent. The fault zone has a max- imum cumulative displacement of about 800 feet at its midpoint in southeastern De Kalb County. At the eastern end, in Will County, the fault zone is downthrown to the south with a total displacement of about 150 feet. High-angle faults that commonly bound small grabens and horsts characterize the Sandwich Fault Zone. The Ashton Arch, Oregon Anticline, and many small flexures and faults are closely associated with the fault zone and appear to be genetically related to it. The faulting is post- Niagaran (middle Silurian), pre-lllinoian (Pleistocene) in age. Geologic relationships suggest that the major move- ments were contemporaneous with the deformation of the La Salle Anticlinal Belt in late Paleozoic time. THE SANDWICH FAULT ZONE OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS INTRODUCTION miles wide and has a maximum cumulative displacement of about 800 feet at its midpoint in southeastern De Kalb Location and purpose of study County. This prominent geologic feature has had a pro- nounced effect on the bedrock geology of northern Illinois. The Sandwich Fault Zone is located in the highly populated northern part of Illinois where knowledge of the bedrock Previous studies geology has many practical applications in land-use plan- ning. An understanding of the fault zone and associated The earliest mention of a structural anomaly in the area of geologic structures is particularly important in (1) eval- the Sandwich Fault Zone was made by Bannister (1870, p. uating the potential for underground disposal of waste 138 and 144-146) in a study of outcrops along the Fox materials and for underground storage of gas and liquid River in Kendall County. He noted the unusual occurrence petroleum products, (2) determining the suitability of sites and relations of the St. Peter Sandstone and the Trenton for construction of major buildings such as nuclear power (Platteville and Galena) rocks in this area and described the plants, and (3) locating water and mineral resources. anomaly as a breached anticline in which the St. Peter The purpose of this investigation is to determine the Sandstone was exposed along the axis. extent, magnitude, age, and nature of faulting in the Sand- Cady (1920, p. 90) studied the geologic structures wich Fault Zone. The area of detailed study includes the in the area of the Sandwich Fault Zone and defined two fault zone and a 10- to 20-mile-wide strip on either side of separate yet essentially continuous anticlines, the "Ogle, it (fig. 1). Drilling samples from exploratory borings and Lee, and La Salle Counties anticline" and the "Morris- water wells, drillers' logs, geophysical logs, refraction Kankakee anticline." The two anticlines were shown seismography, earth resistivity profiles, and outcrops (Cady, 1920, p. 88, fig. 8) generally to parallel the Sand- were utilized in this study. All information currently wich Fault Zone as it is now mapped, but both were posi- available was used to describe in detail the areal geology tioned several miles south of the fault zone. and structural configuration along the fault zone. Pirtle (1932, p. 147 and 149) first applied the term The Sandwich Fault Zone is a narrow belt of high- Kankakee Arch to the structure and described it as con- angle faults that commonly trends northwestward about necting the Wisconsin and Cincinnati Arches. Ekblaw 85 miles from near Manhattan, Will County, to near Or- (1938) also used the term Kankakee Arch. He observed egon, Ogle County. The fault zone is generally 1/2 to 2 that the subsurface data northeast of Oregon showed all Figure 1 . Prominent structural features and area of study. ILLINOIS STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 505 of the Prairie du Chien (lower Ordovician) and the upper STRATIGRAPHY AND AREAL GEOLOGY strata of the Cambrian to be missing, although southwest of Oregon a complete sequence of strata was present. This Bedrock within the area consists entirely of Paleozoic was interpreted as representing post-Cambrian, pre-St. Peter rocks; Cambrian, Ordovician, and Silurian strata have a folding and erosion. His map depicted the axis of the Kan- combined maximum thickness of approximately 4,000 kakee Arch at nearly the same location as the Sandwich feet. A few isolated patches of Pennsylvanian strata overlie Fault Zone as it is now mapped. Ekblaw extended the rocks that range in age from Champlainian (middle Ordo- axis to the southeast with dashed lines suggesting a pos- vician) through Silurian. The main body of Pennsylvanian sible continuation with the Cincinnati Arch, as was shown strata within the Illinois Basin, however, pinches out along by Pirtle (1932, p. 147). an erosional edge in the southern part of the study area. Willman and Payne (1942, p. 186) first described the The Paleozoic rocks rest unconformably on a basement of presence of faulting in the area on the basis of subsurface Precambrian crystalline rocks that are mostly granite and studies of L. E. Workman and exposures along the Fox are covered by as much as 500 feet of Pleistocene glacial River Valley. They applied the name Sandwich Fault in drift, loess, and alluvium. A generalized stratigraphic reference to Sandwich, De Kalb County, where faulting section of the rocks and surficial deposits in the study area was first suspected.