Geology of the Trail.Pdf

appendix Geologist Report Overview of the Midland Trail’s Geology SECTION 1: CHARLESTON Over the last 300 million years, the the late 1800s and early 1900s (White). The Midland Trail is a prime brine has migrated to these sandstones The Kanawha Formation also contains example of the tremendous effect TO GAULEY BRIDGE known as the “Salt Sands” (Ludlum).The oil some relatively rare cannel coals used (MILE 0 TO 38) and gas, formed from decomposed marine for extracting lamp fuel oil. By the mid- mineral resources and geology plants and animals mixed in with sea floor 1800s, petroleum had replaced them as Geologist have had on West Virginia. The The Kanawha River Valley’s ancient histo- sediments, has also slowly migrated to these lamp fuel (Workman). As a result of ry is the foundation for its cultural history. rocks.At Burning Spring Creek, gas bubbling their high quality, the Kanawha Claudette Trail is richly endowed with coal, Charleston and the other communities built through the spring was believed to have Formation coals have been extensively oil, gas, limestone, sandstone, along the Kanawha owe their existence to been recognized by Native Americans and mined east of Charleston to the Gauley Simard offers an the area’s 300-million-year-old history. perhaps used for fuel (Eggleston). Bridge area. shale, salt, sand and gravel overview of the At that time, known as the Pennsylvania Technology developed by the Ruffner At Shrewsbury, mile 15, these coals because of its 380-million-year- Geologic Period, North America was near brothers to drill brine wells in 1806 was are being mined and the tipple is still geology of the the equator, ferns were as big as trees, and essential equipment for drilling for oil and active. I recommend this site as an ideal old history. The conditions were dragonflies had three-foot wing spans. The gas later in the century (Eggleston). Oil and pull-off area for signs to describe how Trail perfect for depositing the miner- sandstones that dominate the Trail’s road- gas, which were considered a nuisance by coal formed and its impact on the econ- cuts and cliffs are the remains of sandy the salt-well drillers, were wasted to the omy. Today, the majority of these and and als, then later exposing them for streams meandering across a low-lying extent that the Kanawha River was long other West Virginia coals are burned in easy access. As these minerals coastal area next to an inland sea. Plant known as “Old Greasy” by boatmen power plants like the Glasgow Power recommends fossils give proof that these were stream (Eggleston). In 1841, the value of gas was Plant (mile 20) to supply electricity for were discovered and extracted, rather than beach sands. In places, the first realized commercially when it was used homes and industry.West Virginia is the ways to enhance they attracted people and indus- streams were separated by flood plains to evaporate brine in the Dickinson area nation’s leading exporter of electricity. where mud accumulated and was later (Ludlum). Not until 1826 was oil used for The Kanawha River’s wide flood our scenic try to this area. This had a pro- compressed into thinly layered shales. In lamps in workshops and factories plains provided some of the rare flat other places, swamps were teeming with (Eggleston).The Kelley Creek Oil Field near land for building trails, then, later, roads, attributes. found impact on the culture and luxuriant tropical-like plants that thrived in Chelyan (mile 14) and the Cabin Creek Oil communities, and industry. The River history of the heart of West this hot equatorial climate. The plants died Field near Cedar Grove (mile 18) are has always been a vital transportation and piled into layers that formed peat and important gas producers for the area link to the Ohio River for people and Virginia--the Midland Trail. An were eventually compressed over time into (Gulley, et.al.). Today, Kanawha County is commerce. It has been and still is an increasingly important aspect of coal. Limey mud would settle in large lakes one of the state’s larger producers of gas important water source for local com- or a shallow arm of the ocean would cover and lesser amounts of oil. munities and industry.The Marmet Lock the state, its scenic beauty, is the area and deposit thin layers of what is Coal,West Virginia’s most valuable min- and Dam (mile 8) and London Lock and directly related to the underlying now limestone. Over time, the inland sea eral worth more than $4.5 billion annually, Dam Number 3 (mile 24) maintain a drained and these rock layers were uplifted, was first used commercially in 1817 when it constant river level for barge trans- rocks and processes that shaped then worn down to their present heights replaced charcoal as fuel at the Kanawha portation of products such as coal on them over time. above the Kanawha River. These rocks are River salt furnaces (Eggleston). By 1840, the Kanawha. Flood control dams at typical of the sedimentary rocks (made of 200,000 of the 300,000 tons of coal pro- Bluestone, Summersville, and Sutton In this report, the Midland particles or sediments) found in 99 percent duced that year were used at the Kanawha hold back flooding water that would Trail has been divided into four of West Virginia. salt furnaces (Eggleston). In 1997, 13 million normally inundate communities on the The sandstones have been quarried over tons of coal were produced in Kanawha Kanawha flood plain. I recommend signs parts based on changes in geology the years for decorative building stone and County, ranking it 5th among 28 coal-pro- at the dams to explain the role that the expressed in the landscape. Each crushed stone for making roads. (Haught). ducing counties, a distinction it has held for river plays in the lives of its inhabitants. From the early 1800s to about 1980, some at least the past 30 years (Ludlum; WV The Kanawha Falls Park is an excel- section includes recommenda- of the shales have been used to produce the Department of Mines). West Virginia com- lent place to showcase the scenic beau- tions for pull-off areas and signs tile, building brick, and road brick so com- petes with Kentucky every year for the ty in view of Kanawha Falls and to mon in the area (Haught). position of second leading coal-producing describe the vital role geology plays in to explain the essential role geol- At Malden, the sandstones are a source state. the development of the Falls, the New ogy plays in the available mineral of oil, gas, and brine that have, in places, filled West Virginia’s southern coal fields River Gorge, and the most valuable the tiny pore spaces between the sand formed under ideal conditions to make coals of the state, the New River coals. resources, history, and scenic grains.The brine, or ancient sea water, was them the best low-sulfur coals in the world I also recommend a geologic/scenic sign beauty of the area. instrumental in attracting Indians and, later, (Workman). The low-sulfur “smokeless” for the Kanawha Falls park at the Glen settlers, industry, and workers to the area. coals were premium steam coals sought Ferris Power Plant, mile 36. 11.2 after for steamship and locomotive fuel in 11.3 SECTION 2: GAULEY BRIDGE TO RAINELLE SECTION 3: RAINELLE TO WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS (MILE 38 TO 73) (MILE 73 TO 120) In this section, the Midland Trail County produced close to four million At the Fayette/Greenbrier County line, at Alta (mile 95),have a definite north- leaves the Kanawha and New River tons of coal in 1997, ranking it 15th of 28 mile 73, the rivers and streams have cut east-southwest orientation from the Valleys to traverse the ridge-tops. The coal-producing counties (WV Department through the younger Pennsylvanian-age folding.The folding has also raised the Trail climbs a large arch in the rock that of Mines). New River and Pocahontas Formation layers rock layers higher and cracked them, has lifted the New River Formation’s Lookout, at mile 58, is at the center of to expose Mississippian-aged rocks below. enabling erosive forces of water and Nuttall sandstones from 700 feet the arch in the rocks that lifted the New In 1997, 500,000 tons of New River wind to wear the younger under the surface at Dickinson to a River Formation’s sandstones and coals to and Pocahontas coals in Western Pennsylvanian rock layers away 1270-foot elevation at Hawks Nest the surface.This uplift and subsequent ero- Greenbrier County’s hills were produced, completely. This left the older, (Ludlum). sion created the area’s spectacular scenery This tough sandstone is the same and made the valuable New River ranking it 24th out of 28 coal-producing once-buried Mississippian layers at one that produces gas in this area and Formation coals accessible. The arch was counties (WV Department of Mines). At the surface for the rest of the route. brine and gas at Dickinson (Ludlum). folded when the continents collided about one time, all of the coal mined in this At mile 94 is the Boxley Greenbrier Numerous small cascades grace this 200 million years ago. During this collision, county passed through Rainelle (Heck), Limestone Quarry that produces section of the Trail as they flow over rocks in eastern West Virginia were folded making it a booming town as shown by crushed stone mainly for use in building the edge of the resistant sandstones.

Load more