MISSISSIPPI STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WILLIAM CLIFFORD MORSE, Ph. D. Director BULLETIN 42 TIPPAH COUNTY MINERAL RESOURCES GEOLOGY By LOUIS COWLES CONANT, Ph.D. TESTS By THOMAS EDWIN McCUTCHEON, B. S., Ccr. Engr. UNIVERSITY, MISSISSIPPI 1941 Please do not destroy this report; rather return it to the Mississippi Geological Survey, University, Mississippi, and receive postage refund. MISSISSIPPI STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WILLIAM CLIFFORD MORSE, Ph. D. DIRECTOR BULLETIN 42 TIPPAH COUNTY MINERAL RESOURCES GEOLOGY By LOUIS COWLES CONANT, Ph. D. TESTS By THOMAS EDWIN McCUTCHEON, B. S., Cer. Engr. Prepared in cooperation with the Tippah citizens and the VVPA as a report on O.P.465-63-3-275 UNIVERSITY, MISSISSIPPI 194* MISSISSIPPI GEOLOGICAL SURVEY COMMISSION His Excellency, Paul Burney Johnson Governor Hon. Joseph Sloan Vandiver State Superintendent of Education Hon. William David McCain Director, Dept. of Archives and History Hon. Alfred Benjamin Butts Chancellor, University of Mississippi Hon. Duke Humphrey .... President, Mississippi State College STAFF William Clifford Morse, Ph.D. Director Calvin S. Brown, D.Sc, Ph.D. Archeologist Louis Cowles Conant, Ph.D. Assistant Geologist Thomas Edwin McCutcheon, B.S. Cer. Engr Ceramic Engineer Laura Cameron, B.A _. Secretary and Librarian Alta Ray Gault, M.S. Technician SUPERVISORS' Franklin Earl Vestal, M.S. ... Assistant Geologist Harlan Richard Bergquist, Ph.D. Assistant Geologist Richard Randall Priddy, Ph.D. Assistant Geologist Malcolm Rogers Livingston. B.S.E., M.S. Chemical Technician Roy Mills _. Potter Technician • Pay Roll of WPA. LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL Office of the State Geological Survey University, Mississippi December 10, 1940 To His Excellency, Governor Paul Burney Johnson, Chairman, and Members of the Geological Commission Gentlemen: Herewith is Bulletin 42, Tippah County Mineral Resources—Geology by Louis Cowles Conant, Ph.D.; Tests by Thomas Edwin McCutcheon, B.S. Cer. Engr.—the fourth in a series of bulletins that the Mississippi Geological Survey as sponsor to WPA project 4847 pledged itself to publish. The report is the fruit of the splendid cooperation on the part of the civic organizations of Ripley, the citizens of that city and of Tippah County with their State Geological Survey. Many citizens have contributed time and substance, for which the State Geologist is profoundly grateful—especially has Mr. Lee Cox, to mention only one of a number, labored for the success of the survey. The survey, of course, would not have been possible without the WPA grant. The report reveals a number of valuable mineral deposits which await only commercial development to yield a substantial income. The tests show that the Porters Creek clay (middle phase) produces a porous material which, on crushing, forms one of the strongest light-weight aggregates for concrete known to the industry—a material not only light in weight but one which has excellent insulating qualities and one which should supply a great need. Very sincerely yours, William Clifford Morse, State Geologist and Director TIPPAH COUNTY MINERAL RESOURCES 5 CONTENTS GEOLOGY Page Introduction 11 Geography ... 12 Communication 12 Population and schools 13 Agriculture 13 Labor 14 Topography 14 Climate 15 Drainage and water resources 16 General geology . 16 Stratigraphy—Mesozoic group . ... 21 Cretaceous system 21 Selma chalk 21 Ripley formation 21 General features .... 21 Transitional gray clay 22 Coon Creek tongue 22 McNairy sand tongue 23 Upper tongue 24 Owl Creek formation 25 Stratigraphy—Cenozoic group . 27 Paleocene system—Midway series 27 Clayton formation .... 27 General features 27 Basal limestone and marl member 29 Upper member 31 Porters Creek clay 33 General features ..... 33 Basal phase . 34 Typical phase . 35 Laminated upper phase 36 Tippah sand member 37 Bauxite-kaolin zone 39 Paleocene-Eocene (Midway-Wilcox) contact ... 41 Eocene system—Wilcox series .... 43 Ackerman formation 43 Basal clays . 43 Basal sand member 44 Upper clay member 45 6 MISSISSIPPI STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Page Holly Springs sand -- 46 Post-Eocene deposits . 47 Pliocene or Pleistocene —. 47 Stream terraces _ 47 Pleistocene and Recent 48 Flood plain alluvium 48 Colluvium -... 49 Structural geology _ — 50 Economic geology ._ — 52 Introductory statement _ 52 Ceramic clays _- 52 Introductory statement _ .._ _ 52 H. A. Hopper area _ _. 55 R. O. Patrick property — 57 J. C. McElwain property _ 57 J. S. Pearce property _ 57 E. P. Barber property- 58 Mark Hill region _ ~ 58 D. D. Hill—T. H. Burford properties 59 W. L. Roberson property _ 60 Flat Rock Church district _ 60 J. M. Gunter—Jim Hill properties 62 Bauxite 63 Ocher 64 Porters Creek clay.._ — — - 65 Bentonite _— __ 65 Siderite — ....- 66 Sand — — - 67 Marl _ 68 Phosphate _ -— . 69 Lignite _ _ _ - — 69 Oil and gas _..- ..... 70 Test hole records _... 70 Acknowledgments _ _ 107 References — _ 108 TIPPAH COUNTY MINERAL RESOURCES 7 TESTS Page Introduction _ _. .... Ill Relation between stratigraphy and classification of clays 112 Classification of clays and minerals 116 General 116 Classification 117 Laboratory tests of clays and minerals ... 125 Region A _ 125 Physical properties in the unburned state 126 Screen analyses 127 Chemical analyses 130 Pyro-physical properties 131 Region B ..._ 140 Physical properties in the unburned state 140 Screen analyses _ 141 Chemical analyses _ 142 Pyro-physical properties 143 Region C 145 Physical properties in the unburned state _ 145 Screen analyses _ 146 Chemical analyses 147 Pyro-physical properties 148 Region D _.... 153 Physical properties in the unburned state 153 Pyro-physical properties 154 Region E 157 Physical properties in the unburned state ... 157 Screen analyses ._ _ 158 Chemical analyses .. 162 Pyro-physical properties 163 Region F 167 Physical properties in the unburned state 167 Screen analyses 168 Chemical analyses 170 Pyro-physical properties 171 Region G - _ 176 Physical properties in the unburned state 176 Pyro-physical properties 177 Region H 180 Physical properties in the unburned state 180 Screen analysis 180 Chemical analysis _ 181 Pyro-physical properties 181 Porters Creek clay, upper phase _ ..... 182 Physical properties in the unburned state 182 Pyro-physical properties 182 Porters Creek clay, middle phase 183 Physical properties in the unburned state 183 Screen analyses 183 8 MISSISSIPPI STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Page Chemical analyses _ _ 183 Pyro-physical properties — „ 184 Porters Creek clay, lower phase _ 186 Physical properties in the unburned state _ 186 Pyro-physical properties 186 Bauxite _ _ _.. 187 Chemical analyses 187 Marl _ „ _ 188 Screen analyses ._ _. 188 Chemical analysis _ 189 Ocher ..._ „ __ 189 Screen analyses _ ... 189 Sand ._ _.. 190 Screen analyses __ .._. .. 190 Possibilities for utilization 191 Kaolinitic clays „ 191 Pottery clays _ ...__ 193 Brick and tile clays ..._ 195 Highly ferruginous clays __ 196 Clays of composite samples 196 Clays grading into the Porters Creek formation _ . 197 Clays of the Porters Creek formation, upper phase 197 Clays of the Porters Creek formation, middle phase.- 198 Properties _ 198 Possibilities _ _ ..._ _ 200 Clays of the Porters Creek formation, lower phase 201 Bauxite _ _ 202 Marl _ _ 202 Ocher _ 202 Sand „ _. 203 Experimental investigations of the Porters Creek clay, middle phase 203 General ..._ — 203 Rotary drilling mud _ _ 203 Functions and properties of mud fluid used in rotary drilling.... 203 Experimental data _ _ ___. _ 205 Summary and conclusions ___ 211 Burned light-weight aggregate ._ 212 Experimental procedure — 213 Experimental data — —— 214 Summary and conclusions 215 Laboratory procedure _ — 217 Preparation _ _. 217 Forming of test pieces- .... _ 218 Plastic, dry, and working properties 218 Fired properties „ _ _ 218 Chemical analyses 219 Conversion table — — _ 221 Screen analyses _ 222 Acknowledgments ._ _— — 222 Index __ _ 223 TIPPAH COUNTY MINERAL RESOURCES 9 ILLUSTRATIONS GEOLOGY Page Figure 1.—Map showing the location of Tippah County 12 Figure 2.—View across the Flatwoods, looking north from the top of Blue Mountain .15 Figure 3.—Generalized east-west cross section of Tippah County ... 18 Figure 4.—Type locality of the Owl Creek formation 25 Figure 5.—Small scale faulting in the Clayton formation 31 Figure 6.—Fifty-foot bluff of Porters Creek clay on the Kate Davis place 35 Figure 7.—Exposure of Tippah sand in recent culvert excavation 38 Figure 8.—Paleocene-Eocene (Midway-Wilcox) contact in a railroad cut about a quarter of a mile north of Walnut 42 Figure 9.—Interbedded white sandy bauxite and red Wilcox sand 43 Figure 10.—Clay-ball breccia in the basal Ackerman red sand 45 Figure 11.—Tubular and corrugated ferruginous sandstone concretions in red Wilcox sand 46 Figure 12.—Terrace formed about 1865 by the slipping of a portion of a hill of Porters Creek clay 50 Figure 13.—Map of Tippah County showing the places from which sam ples were obtained 54 Figure 14.—Map of the H. A. Hopper area 55 Figure 15.—Map of the area west of Blue Mountain 58 Figure 16.—Highway Department sand pit near north edge of Walnut .... 67 TESTS Figure 17.—Thermal dehydration curves of typical clays . 113 Figure 18.—Thermal dehydration curve of the Porters Creek clay (mid dle phase) 205 Figure 19.—Relation between viscosity and specific gravity of drilling fluid. Porters Creek clay (middle phase) 206 Figure 20—Properties of light-weight Porters Creek clay aggregate con crete 216 Figure 21.—Olsen 50-ton testing machine in the laboratory of the School of Engineering at the University of Mississippi used in deter mining the crushing strength.. 217 Index—Page references to test holes 223 Plate 1.—Geologic map of Tippah County .. Back TIPPAH COUNTY MINERAL RESOURCES GEOLOGY LOUIS COWLES CONANT, Ph.D. INTRODUCTION The field work on which this report is based was conducted from May to September, 1938, under the joint auspices of the Federal Works Progress Administration and the Mississippi Geological Sur vey, as one unit in a state-wide study of the mineral resources of Mississippi.