Middle Devonian Formations in the Subsurface of Northwestern Ohio
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STATE OF OHIO DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION OF GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Horace R. Collins, Chief Report of Investigations No. 78 MIDDLE DEVONIAN FORMATIONS IN THE SUBSURFACE OF NORTHWESTERN OHIO by A. Janssens Columbus 1970 SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL STAFF OF THE OHIO DIVISION OF GEOLOGICAL SURVEY ADMINISTRATIVE SECTION Horace R. Collins, State Geologist and Di v ision Chief David K. Webb, Jr., Geologist and Assistant Chief Eleanor J. Hyle, Secretary Jean S. Brown, Geologist and Editor Pauline Smyth, Geologist Betty B. Baber, Geologist REGIONAL GEOLOGY SECTION SUBSURFACE GEOLOGY SECTION Richard A. Struble, Geologist and Section Head William J. Buschman, Jr., Geologist and Section Head Richard M. Delong, Geologist Michael J. Clifford, Geologist G. William Kalb, Geochemist Adriaan J anssens, Geologist Douglas L. Kohout, Geologis t Frederick B. Safford, Geologist David A. Stith, Geologist Jam es Wooten, Geologist Aide Joel D. Vormelker, Geologist Aide Barbara J. Adams, Clerk· Typist B. Margalene Crammer, Clerk PUBLICATIONS SECTION LAKE ERIE SECTION Harold J. Fl inc, Cartographer and Section Head Charles E. Herdendorf, Geologist and Sectwn Head James A. Brown, Cartographer Lawrence L. Braidech, Geologist Donald R. Camburn, Cartovapher Walter R. Lemke, Boat Captain Philip J. Celnar, Cartographer David B. Gruet, Geologist Aide Jean J. Miller, Photocopy Composer Jean R. Ludwig, Clerk- Typist STATE OF OHIO DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION OF GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Horace R. Collins, Chief Report of Investigations No. 78 MIDDLE DEVONIAN FORMATIONS IN THE SUBSURFACE OF NORTHWESTERN OHIO by A. Janssens Columbus 1970 GEOLOGY SERVES OHIO CONTENTS Page Introduction . 1 Previous investigations .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 Study methods . 4 Detroit River Group . .. .. .. ... .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. 6 Sylvania Sandstone ........................... ....................... .................... 6 Undifferentiated Detroit River dolomite .. .. .. .. .. 7 Dundee Limestone ....................................................................... 10 Traverse Group and Formation ...... ... .... .... .. ....... ...... .. .... ....... .... ..... .. 10 General statement . ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... •. .. .. 10 Silica Formation ....... .... ............................•.. ... ........... ... .. ........... 10 Tenmile Creek Dolomite .............................................................. 14 Geologic history . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... 14 References cited . .. .. ... .. .. ... .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 17 Appendix . .. 19 Well sample descriptions .. ... .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 19 Quarry section descriptions .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. 21 ILLUSTRATIONS Figures 1. Generalized section of Middle Devonian rocks of northwestern Ohio . 2 2. Strucrure on top of Silurian rocks . .. 3 3. Sketch showing regional dip of formations in northwestern Ohio .. .. 4 4. Thickness of Sylvania Sandstone............................................... 8 5. Thickness of Detroit River dolomite ...........................•.............. 9 6. Thickness of lower Dundee Limestone ................ ............•..... ..... 11 7. Thickness of lithographic Dundee Limestone .. .. ....... .... .•.. ..... .. .. 12 8. Thickness of Dundee Limestone ............................................... 13 9. Thickness of Silica Formation . ..... .. .. ................ ... ......... .. .. ....... 15 10. Thickness of Tenmile Creek Dolomite and of Traverse Formation .... 16 TABLES 1. Well data . .. ..•.. .. ....... ... ... .. .. .. .... ..... .. ... .. .• . .. .. .. .. .... .. 5 2. Quarry data ............................................................................ 6 iii Blank Page MIDDLE DEVONIAN FORMATIONS IN THE SUBSURFACE OF NORTHWESTERN OHIO by A. Janssens INTRODUCTION PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS Middle Devonian rocks ranging stratigraphically The earliest systematic investigations were pub- from the Sylvania Sandstone to the Tenmile Creek Do- lished as county reports. Gilbert (1873, p. 573-577), in lomite (fig. 1) are present in an eight-county area in his report on Lucas County, listed in ascending order northwestern Ohio. The area of investigation includes Oriskany Sandstone, Comiferous Limestone, and Hamil- Williams, Defiance, Fulton, and Henry Counties, and ton Group as outcropping units. His Oriskany was later parts of Lucas, Paulding, Wood, and Putnam Counties. named the Sylvania Sandstone by Orton (1888). The These rocks, bounded below by Silurian carbonates Corniferous comprised a section extending from the top and above by the Ohio [Antrim] Shale, occupy part of of the Sylvania to the top of the Silica Formation as the southern rim of the Michigan Basin. In post-De- then exposed. The Hamilton Group, not seen in outcrop vonian time they acquired a regional dip of between 15 by Gilbert, was believed "to be represented by a bed and 20 feet per mile toward the basin and were subse- of soft gray shale, outcropping in a narrow band along quently bevelled by erosion (figs. 2 and 3). As a result, the edge of the Huron shale.'' This seems to indicate the rocks discussed in this report lie directly below that his Hamilton was made up of rocks now included glacial deposits in a relatively narrow outcrop belt, in the Silica, and that the Tenmile Creek was con- with a few quarry exposures in Lucas, Wood, and Pauld- cealed. ing Counties. Why the sandstone below the Corniferous was cor- Although there have been extensive investigations related with the Oriskany was not indicated, although of the outcrop, primarily in Lucas County, there are no almost certainly the reason was its stratigraphic posi- published studies of th4! subsurface occurrence of these tion. rocks in northwestern Ohio. The present report fills The outcropping Middle Devonian rocks in the re- this gap and complements studies in southeastern mainder of northwestern Ohio were described by Win- Michigan and northern Indiana. chell ( 1874). In a generalized section of rocks of Pauld- This study shows that the Sylvania Sandstone has ing and Defiance Counties (p. 342) he gave the follow- a very restricted areal distribution in northwestern ing descriptions, to which the present writer's inter- Ohio and probably reflects the position of an early pretations have been added on the right: Middle Devonian shoreline. It has also been found that 1. Black slate (Huron shale the lower Dundee of the outcrop in Lucas County thins of the Ohio reports) Ohio [Antrim] Shale westward and is absent in the westernmost part of the 2. Bluish shale (Olentangy report area. The lower part of the upper Dundee of the of Delaware County) outcrop in Lucas County undergoes a fades change 3. Blue and blackish lime- and becomes a lithographic limestone a short distance stone; hard and siliceous west of the outcrop. In Williams County the two mem- (Tully limestone of New York) Silica Formation bers of the Traverse Group of northwestern Ohio, the 4. Blue limestone; the whole, Silica Formation and the Tenmile Creek Dolomite in including the lowest ob- ascending order, can no longer be differentiated and served part, holds Hamil- the name Traverse Formation is proposed for the un- ton fossils (Hamilton lime- differentiated rocks in that area. stone of New York) 1 lJ N fl) :aQ, (/) 8 .2 OI QJ ~ §' :;; Description (/) .~.e~ e ... lJ ........._... ~ ~ 0 ..... J.I.. VJ... .t:... .,._ __________ _ c: .... .... !c: ] Cl) ~----------- 300+ Shale, black and dark-brown; basal 30 feet interbedded with minor dense dark- ~~ 0 .,..,.. / / / / / brown dolomite, referred to the "Traverse Formation" in Michigan Q ~ __________ _ . Dolomite, light-yellowish-gray to very light-yellowish-brown, dense to medium 18 - 54 go crystalline; containing abundant white chert; referred to the "Traverse Lime- stone" in Michigan ~ (.!)e ~Q ~A _ 0.. 4 .a ,,,_...., ___ ,,__ L._ ,, ~ f I-r·z;-wrz tr! .... hf 3filf ti (/) '"" "l r 0 ...... c: ,_ - -·, - ----, , - - I> tr! 0 ) ) Limestone, grayish-brown, fine- to coarse-grained, argillaceous, fossiliferous, ~ interbedded with calcareous fossiliferous bluish- and brownish-gray shale. o1'0 t..__f"'""";t-"~~======~:::::~:".:-"":::::::::-:~ 10 - 54 ~ ~~ --~) Toward the northwest Silica and Tenmile Creek cannot be differentiated and VJ~ I) !?"_~-- -- comprise the TRAVERSE FORMATION § ~ ---- - c: -i----i~--.----r---1,-- --- ------------------------ --I !2! ·aOI g Divided into upper and lower parts. Upper part limestone, light-yellowish-gray ~ .... ..,.... g....c: Ei:!=::!:~:!:~!::le!:i:S:i:~~~i E;..........1"-:::;,.1 to medium-brown, medium- and coarse-grained, fossiliferous; basal upper Q ;! .... "CJ§ ....(/) c~~~:::;s:~;::::s~:;i=i:;!! 25. _ 108 Dundee grading westward into lithographic limestone. Lower Dundee dolomite and limestone, light-grayish-brown, finely and medium crystalline, sucrosic, E! ~ Q~ 1--.....ro-~-;;;:;.~-..,.......-;---'°"".:l,...."'":"~:.----:~"7'1 tr! "CJ sandy; containing white and light-brown chert ~ 2 tr! .,.. T---~ --7 -- -, -1 "CJ ~ ....... / / /' / / / go .~... / / / / @ c: Dol9mite, gray and brown, microcrystalline, laminated; with nodular anhydrite (.!)e ~ cs F. 24-175 and gypsum t ~ .)T/.? ./. 1 ;. ? ./. 31 I> :a ./ ./ / / 7 § Pa . \ ·8 •.... :.:: /:·.; .. ~ .: ~ .::~ .;"/.:.:::!..::..:._~--7-- l:l ·: : • ·: :··• • : :. :• •: :: :,. .!I .... , ........ :-. •. ; .:::-"."··· .··• • 0 - so Sandstone, fine- and medium-grained, friable •, : - . =~·...:.~":............ :..._·.~·...!_·.__ : :. ~. ·--·-·.. ·....- ..... - ....-- ~ -w#IT