Short Contributions to the Geology of Georgia
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
SHORT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GEOLOGY OF GEORGIA ATLANTA 1978 BULLITIN 93 For convenience in selecting our reports from your bookshelves, they will be color-keyed across the spine by subject as follows: Red Valley & Ridge mapping and structural geology Dk. Purple Piedmont & Blue Ridge mapping and struc- tural geology Maroon Coastal Plain mapping and stratigraphy Lt. Green Paleontology Lt. Blue Coastal Zone studies Dk. Green Geochemical and Geophysical studies Dk. Blue Hydrology Olive Economic geology Mining directory Yellow Environmental studies Engineering studies Dk. Orange Bibliographies and lists of publications Brown Petroleum and natural gas Black Field trip guidebooks Dk. Brown Collections of papers Colors have been selected at random, and will be augmented as new subjects are published. ---- -·-- ------·- -~-~-·-·--· ·- .. SHORT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GEOLOGY OF GEORGIA STATE OF GEORGIA Department of Natural Resources Joe D. Tanner. Commissioner Environmental Protection Division J. leonard Ledbetter. Director Georgia Geologic Survey John R. George, Acting State Geologist ATLANTA 1978 CONTENTS Page The Huber Formation of Eastern Central Georgia by B. F. BUIE . 1 Figure 1. Contact of Huber Formation overlain unconformably by Clinchfield Sand . 2 Figure 2. Close-up view of fossil zone in clayey sand, near top of Huber Formation . 2 Figure 3. Schematic diagram of Cretaceous and Tertiary strata, Macon-Gordon area, Georgia . 3 Table 1. Detailed stratigraphic section of Huber Formation 4 Figure 4. Road cut exposure of updip Huber Formation 5 Figure 5. Photograph of measured section (Table 1) . 5 Table 2. Characteristics of kaolins of the Cretaceous beds undifferentiated and Huber Formation . 6 Figure 6. Contrast of fracture form in Tertiary and Cretaceous kaolin 6 Figure 7. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) photograph of a typical specimen of Tertiary (Claiborne) kaolin (12,000X) . 7 Figure 8. SEM photograph of same specimen as in Figure 6 (60,000X) 7 Anomalous Distribution of Sinks in the Upper Little River Watershed: Tift, Turner and Worth Counties, Georgia by R. E. CARVER 8 Figure 1. Index map showing the location of the upper Little River watershed . 8 Figure 2. Outline map of the upper Little River watershed showing the location of sinks . 9 Table 1. Size distribution of sinks in the upper Little River watershed . 9 Table 2. Distribution of sinks in the upper Little River watershed 10 Stratigraphic Significance of Heavy Minerals in Atlantic Coastal Plain Sediments of Georgia by R. E. CARVER and R. M. SCOTT . 11 Table 1. Analyses of non-opaque, non-micaceous heavy mineral fraction of Holocene and Pleistocene Atlantic Coastal Plain sands . 12 Table 2. Correlation of heavy mineralogy with age of sediment 13 Table 3. Analyses of non-opaque, non-micaceous heavy mineral fraction of Eocene and Cretaceous Atlantic Coastal Plain sands . 14 Soil Geochemistry of the Franklin-Creighton Gold Mine, Cherokee County, Georgia by R. B. COOK . 15 Figure 1. Land lot map of the Franklin-Creighton Gold Mine and grid area . 16 Figure 2. Grid area map with underground workings projected vertically to surface . 17 Figure 3. Contour map of "B" horizon soil gold content 18 Table 1. Data for nine ore zones within the Franklin vein . 19 Figure 4. Contour map of "B" horizon soil copper content 20 CONTENTS - Continued Page Ore mineralogy of West-Central Georgia Massive Sulfide Deposits by R. B. COOK . 22 Figure 1. Sphalerite embayment into pyrite . 24 Figure 2. Sphalerite deeply embaying pyrite . 24 Figure '3. Apparent core and rim replacement of cataclastically deformed pyrite by sphalerite . 24 Figure 4. Cataclastically deformed pyrite "healed" by chalcopyrite 24 Figure 5. Euhedral dolomite partially replaced by chalcopyrite 27 Figure 6. Dolomite replacement by chalcopyrite 27 Figure 7. Pyrite replacement by amphibole 28 Figure 8. Skeletal sphalerite crystal in albite . 28 Figure 9. Cataclastically deformed magnetite with gahnite . 28 Figure 10. Clastic quartz grain bounded by deformed pyrite 28 Figure 11. Clastic feldspar grain veined by pyrrhotite . 29 Figure 12. Extensive replacement of wall rock silicates by pyrrhotite 29 Shear Zones in the Corbin Gneiss of Georgia by J. 0. COSTELLO . 32 Figure 1. Generalized areal extent of the Corbin gneiss . 32 Figure 2. Generalized geologic map of the Salem Church Anticlinorium and Murphy Syncline . 33 Figure 3. Allatoona Dam Quadrangle showing the Corbin gneiss "inclusions" and sample locations 34 Plate I. Slab of sheared Corbin gneiss . 34 Plate II. Outcrop of sheared Corbin gneiss 34 Plate III. Photomicrograph of sheared Corbin gneiss 35 Plate IV. Photomicrograph of sheared Corbin gneiss 35 Plate V. Outcrop of Corbin gneiss on Shut-in Creek 35 Plate VI. Igneous contact between megacrystic Corbin gneiss and a finer grained gneissic rock . 36 Plate VII. Unconformable contact between porphyroclastic Corbin gneiss and arkosic conglomerates of the Pinelog Formation . 36 Plate VIII. Syncline with a core of meta-arkosic rocks enclosed with Corbin gneiss . 36 The Geology and Ground Water of the Gulf Trough by CAROL GELBAUM . 38 Figure 1. Location map of GGS wells used for this report . 38 Figure 2. Potentiometric map of the principal artesian aquifer 40 Figure 3. Cross-section A-A'. 41 Figure 4. Cross-section B-B'. 42 Figure 5. Fence diagram of the southwestern portions of the Gulf Trough . 44 Table 1. List of GGS wells selected for this study . 48 ii CONTENTS - Continued Page The Sandy Springs Group and Related Rocks of the Georgia Piedmont Nomenclature and Stratigraphy by M. W. HIGGINS and K. I. McCONNELL 50 Figure 1. Landsat image showing the topographic expression of the Sandy Springs Group . 50 Table 1. Stratigraphic units of the Sandy Springs Group . 50 Figure 2. Diagrammatic stratigraphic column of the Sandy Springs Group. 51 Figure 3. County outline map of Georgia showing known outcrop area of the Sandy Springs Group . 51 Figure 4. The type locality for the Powers Ferry Formation . 52 Figure 5. The type locality for the Mableton Amphibolite Member 52 Figure 6. The type locality for the Chattahoochee Palisades Quartzite 53 Figure 7. The type locality for the Factory Shoals Formation 53 Figure 8. The type locality for the Rottenwood Creek Quartzite 54 Figure 9. The type locality for the Long Island Creek Gneiss . 54 Table 2 Correlation Chart . 55 Stratigraphy of the Tobacco Road Sand- A New Formation by P. F. HUDDLESTUN and J. H. HETRICK . 56 Figure 1. Location map of Tobacco Road Sand . 56 Figure 2. Outcrop belt of Jacksonian deposits 57 Figure 3. Section of Tobacco Road Sand exposed at type locality in Richmond County, Georgia . 60 Figure 4. Stratigraphic cross-section in Burke and Richmond County, Georgia . 62 Figure 5. Stratigraphic and columnal cross-section in Washington County, Georgia . 64 Figure 6. Section of Tobacco Road Sand exposed in Oakey Woods Wildlife Management Area, Houston County, Georgia . 66 Figure 7. 68 Figure 8. Block diagram showing inferred development of Tobacco Road sedimentation and paleogeography . 70 Appendix List of cited localities and cores . 77 A Gravity Survey of the Dalton, Georgia Area by S. A. GUINN and L. T. LONG . 78 Figure 1. Location Map . 78 Figure 2. Simple Bouger gravity map and geologic map 79 Figure 3. Simple Bouger gravity map of Georgia. 79 Figure 4. 80 Figure 5. 81 Figure 6. Gravity profile A-A'. 81 iii CONTENTS - Continued Page The Alto Allochthon: A Major Tectonic Unit of the Northeast Georgia Piedmont by R. D. HATCHER . 83 Figure 1. Generalized geologic map showing the location of the Alto Allochthon . ... 83 Figure 2. Detailed geologic map of a portion of the Tugaloo Lake Quadrangle, South Carolina- Georgia . 84 Structural and Lithologic Controls of Sweetwater Creek in Western Georgia by K. I. McCONNELL and C. E. ABRAMS . 87 Figure 1. Drainage basin of Sweetwater Creek . 87 Figure 2. Geologic map of the Sweetwater Creek drainage basin 88 Figure 3. Equal-area projection of poles to foliation . 89 Figure 4. Equal-area projection of poles to jointing in the Austell gneiss 89 Figure 5. Relationship of Snake Creek and the Dog River to the Austell-Frolona antiform . 90 Figure 6. Equal-area projection of poles to jointing in the southeastern section of Sweetwater Creek . 91 Figure 7. Rose diagrams of foliation, jointing and stream direction 91 A Thermal Reconnaissance of Georgia: Heat Flow and Radioactive Heat Generation by D. L. SMITH, R. G. GREGORY and M. J. GARVEY . 93 Figure 1. Distribution of heat flow values in and adjacent to Georgia. 94 Table 1. Temperature gradient, mean harmonic thermal conductivity values and surface heat flow values . 95 Figure 2. Temperature profiles recorded in Georgia boreholes 96 Table 2. Average abundances of radioactive elements and heat generation values for 1 kilogram composite samples of surficial rocks in Georgia . 97 Figure 3. Distribution of sample locations for radioactive heat generation measurements and generalized contour lines of average values . ... 98 Figure 4. Plot of surficial heat flow and radioactive heat generation for Georgia and surrounding areas . 99 Figure 5. Plot of temperature calculations for the Georgia subsurface . 101 Table 3. Temperature calculations for the Georgia subsurface . 102 iv THE HUBER FORMATION OF EASTERN CENTRAL GEORGIA B. F. Buie Department of Geology Florida State University Tallahassee, Florida 32306 ABSTRACT The term "Huber Formation" is proposed for all of the known that these physical differences correlate to a large post-Cretaceous pre-Jackson strata in the kaolin mining degree with the age of the kaolin, Cretaceous or Tertiary. districts of Georgia, northeast of .the Ocmulgee River. This Accordingly, recognition of the Huber Formation will term is justified for convenience in referring to a sequence contribute to the solution of some of the prospecting, of strata having incompletely known age, but occurring evaluation, and mining problems. between two recognizable unconformities and constituting The portion of Georgia referred to in this paper is a mappable unit.