The Depositional History of the Point Pleasant Member of the Cynthiana Formation in Northern Kentucky

Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 12-1984 The Depositional History of the Point Pleasant Member of the Cynthiana Formation in Northern Kentucky Gary J. Stefaniak Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Geology Commons Recommended Citation Stefaniak, Gary J., "The Depositional History of the Point Pleasant Member of the Cynthiana Formation in Northern Kentucky" (1984). Master's Theses. 1545. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/1545 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE DEPOSITIONAL HISTORY OF THE POINT PLEASANT MEMBER OF THE CYNTHIANA FORMATION IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY by Gary J. Stefaniak A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty o f The Graduate College in partial fulfillm ent of the requirements for the Degree o f Master o f Science Department of Geology Western Michigan U niversity Kalamazoo, Michigan December 1984 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE DEPOSITIONAL HISTORY OF THE POINT PLEASANT MEMBER OF THE CYNTHIANA FORMATION IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY Gary J. Stefaniak, M.S. Western Michigan U nive rsity, 1984 Bioclastic limestones, siltstones, and shales of the Point Pleasant Member were deposited in a shallow marine environment immediately below normal e ffe c tiv e wave base. High-energy conditions produced by storms lowered the e ffe ctive wave base and s tirre d the bottom sediments and redistributed them into bedforms. The different types of contacts, distribution of the faunal groups, and fabrics permit inferences regarding energy levels and assignment of samples to a mode of deposition. Vertical and lateral trends were then deduced. High-energy conditions are believed to have occurred during Early and Late Point Pleasant time, whereas, low-energy conditions prevailed during deposition of the middle Point Pleasant. Laterally, a general high-energy trend is presumed to have occurred in the eastern areas re la tiv e to the western areas that were studied. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. INFORMATION TO USERS This reproduction was made from a copy of a document sent to us for microfilming. While the most advanced technology has been used to photograph and reproduce this document, the quality o f the reproduction is heavily dependent upon the quality of the material submitted. 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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1324860 STEFANIAK, GARY JOHN THE DEPOSITIONAL HISTORY OF THE POINT PLEASANT MEMBER OF THE CYNTHIANA FORMATION IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY M.S. 1984 University Microfilms International 300N.Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor.MI48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PLEASE NOTE: In all cases this material has been filmed in the best possible way from the available copy. Problems encountered with this docum ent have been identified here with a check mark__ 1. Glossy photographs or pages ^ 2. Colored illustrations, paper or print ____ 3. Photographs with dark background ^ A. Illustrations are poor copy______ 5. Pages with black marks, not original copy. 6. 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TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ............ ........................................ iv LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................ v INTRODUCTION ......................................................... 1 Tectonic Setting ......... 3 Climatic Setting ............. 4 Paleogeographical Setting ........... 7 PREVIOUS WORK ...................................... 12 METHODS OF STUDY ...................................................... 17 Study Area ......... 17 Field Methods ......... 18 Petrographic Methods ............... 20 Laboratory Methods ......... 20 STRATIGRAPHIC NOMENCLATURE AND LATERAL VARIATIONS ........... 26 GENERAL PETROLOGY OF THE CYNTHIANA FORMATION . 32 Limestone Petrography .................................................... 36 Shale and Mudstone Petrography ...................................................... 37 Insoluble Residue ................................................... 38 PETROGRAPHY OF THE POINT PLEASANT MEMBER ...................... 40 Introduction ......... 40 Limestone Petrography ....................... 40 Summary of Bioclastic Fabrics ......... 49 Sedimentary Structures .................................................. 59 Contorted Strata ............................................................... 64 i i Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Continued Diagenesis ............. *..... ....... 69 Cement Types ......... 72 Mudstone Petrography ............. 73 Distribution of Bioclastic Sediments, Matrix, and Cement........ 78 DEPOSITIONAL HISTORY ................... _____ ............. 91 Paleoecology of the Point Pleasant Member ......... 91 Communities ...................................................... 93 Environment of Deposition ................................................... 95 Generalized Setting ............. 95 Deposition o f clay-sized sediment ......... 100 Deposition of silt-sized sediment ......... 104 Storm-Generated Depositional Events ____ 107 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS .............................................. 130 BIBLIOGRAPHY .............................................................. 133 i i i Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF TABLES - 1. L is t of the various subdivisions o f the : ' Cynthiana Formation ........................ 13 2. Comparison o f Folk's (1974) te x tu ra l c la s s ific a tio n of limestone and Dunhams (1962) textural classification of limestone w ith the percent abundance of fa b rics counted in hand samples- . ......... ....... 44 3. Percent microfacies from composite sections according to the mode of deposition ............... 125 i v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF FIGURES 1. Index map of study area and location of outcrop sections ........... 2 2. Probable positions of North America in Ordovician and Silurian time, and possible effects on ocean currents ... 6 3. Section showing energy zones in e p e iric seas . 9 4. Index map of study area and location of composite sections ......... 19 5. Plot of vertical trends in limestone content ......................

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