Geology and Mineral Resources of the Bellefonte Quadrangle, Pennsylvania
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PLEASE DO NOT DESTROY OR THROW AWAY THIS PUBLICATION. If you have no further use for it, write to the Geological Survey at Washington and ask for a frank to return it UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE BELLEFONTE QUADRANGLE, PENNSYLVANIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 855 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Harold L. Ickes, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. C. Mendenhall, Director Bulletin 855 GEOLOGY AND MINEEAL BESOUECES OF THE BELLEFONTE QUADRANGLE, PENNSYLVANIA BY CHARLES BUTTS AND ELWOOD S. MOORE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1936 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. -------- Price 50 cents CONTENTS Page Abstract ___ -- 1 Introduction ._________________________________________________ 4 Location and area___-__--_---_-_------________________________ 4 Appalachian Highlands___-_______----_________________________ 4 Piedmont province._______________________________________ 5 Blue Ridge province ---_--_------_-__-__..-_-_-.________ 5 Valley and Ridge province_ _--___._______________ 6 Appalachian Plateaus____________________________________ 7 Drainage of the Appalachian Highlands____-__----_-_-_-.____ 8 Topography....--...- _------__--_--_____ . _ _ .... 8 General features.._______.______________ 8 Relief____ --- ---------------- ___-____------. ._ 9 Allegheny Plateau and Allegheny Mountains-_--_-----_______ 9 Bald Eagle Mountain____________________________________ 9 Nittany Mountain._______________________________________ 9 Tussey Mountain___-_____-__--___-________.______________ 10 Nittany, Penn, and Bald Eagle Valleys._____________________ 10 Kittatinny peneplain._____________________________________ 10 Schooley peneplain_____________________________________..__ 11 Harrisburg peneplain____________________._-._______________ 11 Drainage__ _________________________________________________ 11 General geology .._._--_---------_--------___-__-------________ 12 Stratigraphy. __-. ____.--_-______ . 12 Age of the rocks__-----------_-------_---------_-------._- 12 Cambrian system.__---_----__--_--__-______---------_____ 13 Warrior limestone_------__---__________--__-___._-____ 13 Hiatus between Warrior limestone and Gatesburg formation 15 Gatesburg formation._________________________________ 15 Mines dolomite.______________________________________ 17 Larke dolomite___-______.____________________________ 19 Hiatus between Mines dolomite and Stonehenge limestone.____ 20 Ordovician system___________.____________________________ 20 Beekmantown group________________________________ 21 Stonehenge limestone__________________________.___ 21 Nittany dolomite.________________________________ 25 Axemann limestone__---___________--_.__-_______ 27 Beliefonte dolomite_.-_-----_______---_-_________ 29 Carlim limestone..____________________________________ 32 Hiatus between Carlim limestone and Lowville limestone_ 35 Lowville limestone.___________________________________ 36 Rodman limestone.___________________________________ ' 39 Hiatus between Rodman limestone and Trenton limestone. 401 Trenton limestone__----_-------____-_.-_-__-___.___. 40 Reedsville shale_----_________-___-____-__-__________ 43 Oswego sandstone.____________________________________ 45 Juniata formation____________________:_______________. 47 m IV CONTENTS General geology Continued. Stratigraphy Continued. Page Silurian system______________.____________________________ 49 Tuscarora quartzite.__-__-_-_--_______.-__-_-___--____ 49 Clinton formation.____________________________________ 51 Hiatus between Clinton formation and McKenzie limestone. 52 Cayuga group._______________________________________ 53 McKenzie limestone.______________________________ 53 Bloornsburg redbeds._____-_--____-__---____ T -_____ 54 Wills Creek shale (restricted)_______________________ 56 Tonoloway limestone.____-__--__--___-____________ 57 Devonian system__________________________________________ 57 Helderberg limestone._________________________________ 58 Hiatus between Helderberg limestone and Shriver formation. 60 Oriskany group_--____________________________________ 60 Shriver formation.________________________________ 60 Ridgeley sandstone________________________________ 61 Hiatus between Ridgeley sandstone and Marcellus shale. __ 63 Marcellus shale.______________________________________ 63 Hamilton formation.__________________________________ 64 Portage group._______________________________________ 65 Harrell shale.____________________________________ 66 Brallier shale___-_--________--__-------_._________ 67 Chemung formation___________________________________ 68 Catskill formation___________________________________ 72 Carboniferous system..____________________________________ 74 Mississippian series___-_---___-_---____-_-______--___ 74 Pocono f6rmation_______________________^_________ 74 Hiatus between Pocono formation and Mauch Chunk formation..____________________________________ 76 Mauch Chunk formation___._______________________ 77 Hiatus between Mauch Chunk formation and Potts- ville conglomerate.______________________________ Pennsylvanian series.__________________________________ Pottsville conglomerate___--___--__--__--_-_-_-__ Quaternary system._______________________________________ 79 Structure.___________________________________________________ 79 Folds and faults. ._______ ___._.-_ 79 Minor features_-------___-_-_______________----__-___-____ 82 <Geologic history_______----__-_____-_-___-_---__---------------_-_ 83 Proterozoic era.___--_-__-___-_-__-____-_____________-__---___ 83 Paleozoic era____-__-__-_-_____-_________-______-____--_---___ 83 Cambrian period.____.____.__________i_-__________________ 83 Ordovician period.-----__-_-_____--________----__--_-__.__ 85 Silurian period--_-------__--____--_---_-__----__---------- 88 Devonian period__-_--_-___-____-__---_-_-------_____--__- 89 Carboniferous period_______._____-_-_--_____---__-__-__-__ 91 Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras.__-_-_____-__-___.___-______-_-_--_ 92 Appalachian uplift_________________-_.____________________ 93 Cycles of erosion._________________________________________ 93 Kittatinny peneplain__________---____-----___-____-__- 93 Schooley peneplain__--_--____-__-___-------_______-___ 94 Harrisburg peneplain____________-____________-________ 94 CONTENTS V Geologic history Continued. Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras Continued. Cycles of erosion Continued. Page Post-Harrisburg erosion__._____________________________ 94 Development of drainage features.______________________ 94 Glacial epoch.________'____________________________________ 95 Recent epoch____-_---_-________--_--_--__._.__._._.__ ___ 95 Progress of life.__________________________________________ 95 Economic geology._.-----_--__-._-..--_---_---_--.-..._.-...-.-_.. 96 Iron ore.____--_--___-___-_--______--__--_---_-------_.----__ 96 Limestone. _______--__--------_---_-_---------__--_-_--_..-_-- 98 Production and uses.______________________________________ 98 Chemical character________________________________________ 98 Quarry rock._____________________________________________ 99 Cement materials.___--___-_----------_---__-_------_-_--_ 101 Building and glass sand._______________________________________ 102 Canister.____________________________________________________ 102 Building stone...._______--_-________-__..____________________' 103 Lead, zinc, silver, and barite_________-_----__-___-_____________ 103 Fluorite and pyrite____________.__--_---__-____________________ 104 Clayr__________________________________________________ 104 Water resources______--_---__-__--_---------.-_______________ 105 Surface \vater________-____-__-_-_-__--__.-._._.__________ 105 Ground water.___________________________________________ 105 Municipal supplies._---_----------------------_-_._-______ 106 Soils. _______._-------------------------------_----__----_.__ 107 ________________-___-______-___-_-___-.__________________ 109 ILLUSTRATIONS Page PLATE v L Geologic map of the Beliefonte quadrangle__._____.___- In pocket 1/2. Geologic structure sections in the Belief onte quadrangle. _ In pocket 3. Columnar geologic section in the Bellefonte quadrangle._ In pocket 4. View looking northeast from a bench on the foothills of the Allegheny Front northwest of Bellefonte _________________ 10 5. A, Photomicrograph of a thin section of oolitic chert from the Mines dolomite; B, Old ore pit 1% miles N. 75° W. of Scotia. 34 6. A, Lemont argillaceous limestone member of Carlim lime stone; B, Rib of Lemont argillaceous limestone member of Carlim limestone.--___.__-____-__-__---_--_-_-_-.--.-- 34 7. Views and sections .showing distribution and stratigraphic rela tions of the Blount group. _____________________________ 34 8. A, Old quarry just southwest of active limestone mine in west ern environs of Bellefonte; B, Near view of scarred top of Lemont limestone forming footwall of quarry shown in A.. 34 9. A, Old quarry in northwest edge of Bellefonte; B, Sun cracks in Lowville limestone.______----__-__--_.____--_-_-____ 34 10. A, Rodman limestone between the thick-bedded white Low ville limestone below and the thin-bedded Trenton limestone above; B, Thin-bedded Trenton limestone in quarry at Union Furnace, Huntingdon County_____-_---___-_-___- 35 Page PLATE 11. A, Rounded hill of Harrell shale capped by Brallier shale; B, Cross-bedding in Burgoon.sandstone-_-___---_________ 74 12. A, Block of sandstone, partly conglomeratic, from the Burgoon sandstone member of the Pocono; B, Quarry in the Low- ville limestone