B-57 Geology and Mineral Resources of the Dalton Quadrangle, Georgia-Tennessee
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GEORGIA STATE DIVISION OF CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT OF MINES, MINING AND GEOLOGY GARLAND PEYTON, Director THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Bulletin Number 57 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE DALTON QUADRANGLE, GEORGIA-TENNESSEE By Arthur C. Munyan ATLANTA 1951 Looking east toward the Cohutta Mountain front. LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL Department of Mines, Mining and Geology Atlanta, July 16, 1951 To His Excellency, Herman Talmadge, Governor Commissioner Ex-Officio, State Division of Conservation Sir: I have the honor to submit herewith Georgia Geological Survey Bulletin No. 57, "Geology and Mineral Resources of the Dalton, Quadrangle, Georgia-Tennessee." This investi gation was undertaken by Arthur C. Munyan as a dissertation problem for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Univer sity of Cincinnati. It is desired to point out that this report r ~presents one example among many of cooperation between the Georgia Geological Survey and the universities. The productivity of our small permanent staff is appreciably expanded by sponsoring geologic research projects of this type, conducted by outstanding graduate students. This bulletin, prepared at little expense to the State, is a detailed report upon a part of the Paleozoic area of North west Georgia, and reviews the stratigraphic, structural and economic geology of that part of the State. Particular refer ence is made to the mineral resources of the area which include barite, clay, limestones and dolomites, manganese and iron, and tripoli. It is believed that this report will have transfer value to the solution of economic problems of adjacent areas. Respectfully, GARLAND PEYTON Director III 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 CONTENTS ABSTRACT 1 INTRODUCTION-------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 Purpose of Investigation ------------------------------------------------ 2 Field Work --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Acknowledgments ---------------------------------------------------------- 4 Methods of Map Preparation ---------------------------------------- 5 Location -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 PHYSIOGRAPHY ------------------------------------------------------------------ 9 STRATIGRAPHY ------------------------------------------------------------------ 13 Cambrian System ----------------------------------------------------------- 13 Weisner Formation ------------------------------------------------ l5 Rome Formation ----------·----------------------------------------- 18 Conasauga Formation -------------------------------------------- 25 Cambro-Ordivician -------------------------------------------------------- 38 Knox ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 38 Lower Ordovician ---------------------------------------------------------- 50 N ewala Formation ------------------------------------------------- 50 Middle Ordovician -------------------------------------------------------- 53 Post-Knox Ordovician -------~------------------------------------ 53 Blackford -------------------------------------------------------- 5-1 ''Mosheim'' ------------------------------------------------------ 60 ''Lenoir'' --------------------------------------------------------- 60 ''Holston'' -------------------------------------------------------- 60 ''Ottosee'' -------------------------------------------------------- 62 ''Athens'' ---------------------------------------------------------- 67 ''Mosheim-Lenoir" ------------------------------------------ 68 ''Holston'' ------------------------------------------------------- 70 ''Ottosee'' -------------------------------------------------------- 71 ''Sevier'' ---------------------------------------------------------- 72 ''Bays'' ------------------------------------------------------------ 7:1 Tertiary ( ?) Alluvium ------------------------------------------------- 75 Recent Alluvium ------------------------------------------------------------ 80 STRUCTURE -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 81 General Statement -------------------------------------------------------- 81 Major Local Structures ------------------------------------------------- 82 Structures East of Cedar Ridge ---------------------------- 82 Structures West of Cedar Ridge ---------------------------- 88 Minor Folds and Faults ---------------------------------------- 9,± General Considerations of Structure in the Quadrangle --------------------------------------------------------- 97 v C 0 N T E N T S - Continued MINERAL RESOURCES -------------------------------------------------------- 99 Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------- 99 Barite _____________________________________________________________________________ 1 0 0 Clay ------------------·-------------------------------------------------------------101 Limestone and Dolomites ______________________________________________ 103 Manganese and Iron ______________________________________________________ 107 Tripoli ____________________________________________________________________________ 1 0 9 GEOLOGIC HISTORY __________________________________________________________ 110 REFERENCES -----------------------------------------------------------------------122 INDEX ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------126 ILLUSTRATIONS Plates Page Frontispiece ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- II Plate I ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 19 Plate II ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28 Plate III -------------------------~-------------------------------------------------------- 42 Plate IV ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 44 Plate V ____________________________________________________________________ :_______________ 56 Plate VI ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 4 Plate VII _______ ----------------------- __________________________________________________ 1 04 Plate VIII ________________________________________________________________ Map Pocket Figures Figure 1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 Figure 2 ----------------~----------------------------------------------------~----------- 39 Figure 3 ---------------------·------------------------------------------------------------ 77 Figure 4 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 83 Figure 5 -------------------------------------------------------------------'-------------- 87 Figure 6 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 90 Cross Sections __________________________________________________________ Map Pocket VI GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE DALTON QUADRANGLE, GEORGIA-TENNESSEE By Arthur C. Munyan ABSTRACT The Dalton quadrangle (Ga.-Tenn.), located in northwest Georgia within the Ridge and Valley province, is a fifteen minute quadrangle with topographic. base by the U. S. Geo logical Survey. Because of the excellence of the base map and the location of the quadrangle in an area of lower Paleo zoic rocks, it was selected as a beginning point for a re-in vestigation of the geology of northwest Georgia. Study of the quadrangle, primarily concerned with the stratigraphy and structure of exposed Cambrian and Ordo vician strata in it, has resulted in a map showing the areal geology in considerably greater detail than has been done formerly. Some modifications and revisions of previous work have been established and suggested. Outcropping formations of the Cambrian system consist, at least in part, of the following, described in ascending order: Weisner ( ?) quartzites and conglomerates, Rome sandstones and siltstones, Conasauga shales and limestones, and the lower part of the Knox dolomite. The upper part of the Knox and the overlying Newala formation, previously assigned to the Lower Ordovician, may more properly belong with the Cambrian, because of the absence of a detectable interruption between the lower and upper Knox. On the other hand, a probable unconformity, ' which is thought to truncate the Newala as well as part of the Knox, seems to be a more natural and logical surface of separation between the two systems. This tends to confirm similar observations in east Tennessee and Virginia. The relative uniformity and persistence of Cambrian strata seem 1 2 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES to be in sharp contrast to the apparently inconstant char acter o{ som.e of the Ordovician formations in the area. Exposed formations of the Ordovician present varying aspects on the eastern and western sides of the quadrangle because of facies differences. Some of the formations could be mapped separately in some areas, but general poorness of outcrop combined with lack of fossils and absence of de termined J>trike continuity required that judgment of their exact equivalencies be reserved until adjacent areas are_ studied. Nevertheless, certain suggestions are presented and. provisional names assigned to some unit~, but all are pres ently grouped as "post-Knox Ordovician." Primary structural features of the quadrangle were simul taneously investigated with the stratigraphy, and are