Marion County Geological Formation Marion County is at the extreme southwest corner of 11 11 East Tennessee and bordered on the south by the 11 Alabama and Georgia State lines. Although the county is part of the Cumberland Plateau, it also µ encompasses a large part of Sequatchie Valley and part of the north side of the valley of Tennessee 03 River. Throughout the county, relatively level rock 07 strata form the plateau and crop out in the valleys cut into its surface. Pennsylvanian- age sandstones, shales, and conglomerates, along with several minable coal seams, cap the Cumberland Plateau 38 tableland, Walden Ridge, the regional name of the 03 37 07 plateau east of Sequatchie Valley, and the crest of 07 Raccoon Mountain. Ordovician- and Mississippian -age limestones underlie the valley floors of 03 03 Tennessee and Sequatchie Rivers. The walls of the valleys and their tributaries are composed of 03 03 Mississippian-age limestones, sandstones, and 03 07 03 03 19 shales. Sequatchie Valley, the most prominent 14 15 39 topographic feature in Marion County, runs 19 03 03 03 northeast to southwest through its center. Linear 20 in appearance as a result of the geologic processes that formed it, the valley covers a little over 07 37 one-fourth of the county's total area. 17 40 27 07 03 03 "Tennessee Topology" by David D. Starnes 03 26 TN Div of Geology, Bulletin 86 15 19 03 33 39 15 03 19 03 17 03 23 07 03 03 14 03 03 14 38 1419 15 37 19 03 03 23 07 17 14 03 19

n 19 Cumberland Trail 23 Brassfield Formation

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Marion County Geology o

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r 24 Clinch Sandstone

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03 Formation Breakdown S S P P 19 38 25 Rockwood Formation 01 Alluvial Deposits 26 Bigby-Cannon Limestone 19 14 02 Crab Orchard Mountains & Gizzard Groups 03 27 Carters Limestone 19 03 Crab Orchard Mountains Group 03 03 d 28 Chepultepec Dolomite

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07 03 r 04 Crooked Fork Group

03 d 03 03 e 29 Chickamauga Group

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3837 r 05 Cross Mountain Formation

e 03 n 30 Copper Ridge Dolomite 03 P

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n 06 Fentress Formation

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o i 31 Juniata Formation

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07 Gizzard Group o

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i 14 l y 32 Knox Group 03 r P

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18 08 Graves Gap Formation

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19 a n 33 Lebanon Limestone

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09 Indian Bluff Formation c

i v 34 Longview Dolomite

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d 10 Redoak Mountain Formation d

r Walden Ridge Face r 35 Middle and Lower Parts of Chickamauga Group

O 11 Rockcastle Conglomerate O 36 Newala Formation, Mascot Dolomite 12 Slatestone Formation 37 Pierce and Murfreesboro Limestones 13 Vowell Mountain Formation 40 38 Ridley Limestone 14 Bangor Limestone 39 Sequatchie Formation 33 15 Fort Payne Formation 37 39 d 40 Wells Creek Formation 38 26 o i 16 Grainger Formation 27 r

d 41 Conasauga Group

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i 17 Monteagle Limestone

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e r 42 Maryville Limestone

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n 15 18 Newman Limestone P

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p i 43 Maynardville Limestone

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s 19 Pennington Formation a

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s 44 Nolichucky Shale

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s s 20 St. Louis Limestone

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i 17 i 45 Pumpkin Valley Shale

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M 21 Chattanooga Shale C 46 Rome Foundation 23 20 22 Sneedville Limestone

Map produced by Jim Brannon - Cumberland Trail SST - 11/09/2009