20
Ordovician and Cambrian formations of central Alabama, showing different usages and equivalents
Alabama Tennessee (U. S. Geological Survey reports)
Bessemer- Vandiver folio Birmingham folio Valley and Ridge province System and New York (New York State Alabama series Survey reports) Montevallo-Columbiana Geological Central basin Eastern areas folio Survey Cahaba Valley Birmingham Valley Birmingham Valley Cahaba Valley reports Western areas Knoxville folio Morristown folio
[Sevier shale northwest Basal Trenton Trenton fully repre [Represented ] of Clinch Mountain= Trenton limestone. represented. [Represented.] sented. Martinsburg shale. Lower part=Trenton.] [Absent.] Ordovician.Middle Amsterdam limestone. Represented. [Represented.] [Not represented.] [Represented?] [Represented?] Watertown Absent. Absent. [Absent.] limestone. Black Bays sand River Moccasin stone group. limestone. [typical]. Leray limestone. Represented. [Represented.] Carters limestone. [Represented.] Bays sandstone. Northwest Southeast Lowville lime of Clinch of Clinch stone. Mountain. Moun tain. _ ?.__. _ ._ __ . ("Pelham")limestone.Chickamauga Sevier shale [typical : Sevier shale south Little Oak limestone. Little Oak limestone. 03 Ottosee shale of east of Clinch Chickamaugalimestone. fl Chickamaugalimestone. O Ulrich]. Mountain. -P 00 0>
.1 Tellico sandstone not repre Not represented. sented. Tellico sandstone. [Not represented.] [Not represent a [Probably not Not represented. ed.] ' A"a! [Not represented.] represented.] Ordovician. Athens shale. Athens shale. to Athens shale. Athens shale. Normanskill northwestMountain.ofClinchChickamaugalimestone shale and Val- ("Pelham")limestone.Chickamauga cour lime Holston marble mem stone. ber of Chicka Absent. Absent. mauga limestone.
Chazy Lebanon lime group. Absent. Pamelia lime Ordovician.Lower Absent. stone. stone. PH o Chickamauga lime Stones River [Stones River gj, Ridley limestone. stone southeast of group repre group repre h Clinch Mountain. Lenoir limestone. Lerioir limestone. sented. sented] £ Attalla chert Attalla con 2 Pierce limestone. [Stones River Crown Point glomerate Chickamauga lime conglomerate GOo> limestone stone. limestone. member at member at a represented.] base. base. £ Murfreesboro QQ limestone. Bot Absent. Absent. tom not ex posed. Day Point lime ? stone. Mosheim limestone. Mosheim limestone.
Odenville limestone. Odenville limestone. Absent. [Absent.]
Newala limestone. Newala limestone. Beekmantown limestone. ? 1 _____ Longview limestone. Longview limestone. Absent. [Absent.] Knox dolomite. Knox dolomite. Knox dolomite. [Absent except [Chepultepec Chepultepec dolomite Chepultepec dolo Absent. in Murphrees dolomite pres Chert bed at top of Little mite. Valley.] ent.] Falls dolomite.
Ulrich).(Ozarkiansystemof [Copper Ridge -JSJ [Copper Ridge OrdovicianCambrianor Copper Ridge dolo Copper Ridge dolo dolomite pres 'g dolomite pres- dolomite.Knox Copper Ridge dolomite. mite. mite. Knoxdolomite. ent.] 'o£ ent.] t3 f Bibb dolomite. Bibb dolomite. Absent. [Ab&ent.] g [Absent.] M Ketona dolomite Ketona dolo Ketona dolomite. Ketona dolomite. Ketona dolomite. member. exposed.lowercroppingoutNorocksor mite member. [Absent.] [Absent.] [Absent.]
Hoyt limestone. Brierfleld dolomite. Brierfleld dolomite. Absent. [Absent ] [Absent.] Theresa dolomite. Potsdam sandstone. i Upper Cambrian. Nolichueky shale. Nolichueky shale. Maryville limestone. Maryville limestone. Conasauga ("Coosa") lime Conasauga ("Coosa") Conasauga (' Coosa") Coosa (Flat- Rogersville shale. Rogersville shale. Absent. [Absent.] woods) Conasauga shale. stone. limestone. limestone. shale. Rutledge limestone. Rutledge limestone. Middle Cambrian. Montevallo Rome ("Montevallo") for Rome ("Montevallo") Horizon not ex [Horizon not ex Rome ("Montevallo") variegated mation. formation. posed. posed ] formation. shales and Rome formation. Rome formation. Rome formation. sandstones. Cambrian.! Absent (?); may be repre sented in Rome forma [Absent.] Beaver limestone. tion. Apison shale.
Cambrian.Lower Aldrich Lower Cambrian slates, Shady limestone. limestone. [Not represented.] quartzites, and limestones with Poughquag quartz [No lower rocks cropping out or exposed.] Not exposed. [Not exposed.] ite at base. Hesse sandstone [or quartzite]. Weisner Murray shale. "Weisner quartzite. sandstone Nebo sandstone. and shale. Nichols shale. Cochran conglom erate. GENERALIZED COLUMNAR SECTION OF THE SEDIMENTARY ROCKS OF THE MONTEVALLO AND COLUMBIANA QUADRANGLES SCALE: 1 INCH=1,000 FEET '
THICKNESS SYSTEM SERIES FORMATION SYMBOL SECTION IN FEET MINOR DIVISIONS CHARACTER OF ROCKS AND TOPOGRAPHY
riJg=yf oa>S^g^ ; 'o- » (><;b
VoV^'^'o^^o"'"^ ' : '°
Upper Maylena coal. Lower Maylena coal.
rfiS : V.VoSM .-doJo7? Sj9 0i?Vi?.9:-:>?is^?:.Q-°o.<'.o'? Upper Dogwood coal. Lower Dogwood coal.
^/b'.'^-.V'-?;-?.^ V..«^i«»T^:i?3~i«F93| Montevallo coal.
... "jTf^.'.T^i.'r;/.^:^; Yeshie coal.
v;::-;/;:;^^;^^ Helena coal. :fr^Vrr-.:Hr:-r:T7^V:v: Straven conglomerate member. Thompson coal. Smithshop coal. Quarry coal. Gholson ? coal. Clark ? coal. Moyer coal. Youngblood coal. ^S¥ ._ -- Buck coal.
li * i^^~4^-"^===r_ =, Pump coal. * PENNSYLVANIANo 9180 Pottsville formation. Cpv Shale, sandstone, conglomerate, and coal beds. Sandstone, siliceous and feldspathic (arkosic), thick-bedded, and flaggy. The "TfTTffT.-rrr. TTTT. rrr.-.-. . ~ Shades, Pine, and Chestnut sandstone members, which are hard ridge makers, compose the "Millstone Grit " of Alabama. The Aiken coal. shale is generally of clayey composition and of dark color, but some is siliceous. This formation contains nearly all the coals of Alabama, except the lignite of the southern part of the State. ^i , Wadsworth coals. a^^.¥H^7==
irfg-ssag Harkness (Big Bone) coal. O DC UJ u. 1 O Nunnally coal, group. CQ DC J O I 7^r--'.-'.:7\\~\:-~:::.~": Chestnut sandstone member. -:.Trrrr-.-. .-. : ;-.-.-.-.-.v^~^
Gould coal.
...... ;...... Pine sandstone member.
-- -^
V; _.'; =/; :;i'v' -.: Shades sandstone member. . - . Brock coal. frrfTTr". . ~=^
Park wood formation. Cpw ZZTT-ZZZivZLJi: 1000± Shale and sandstone, predominantly gray, much like the Pottsville formation but without coal. Carries a sparse Mississippian fauna in the lower part and a sparse fauna of Pennsylvanian aspect in the upper part. Generally unfossiliferous.
.TTT:: -r=7=r
- ' -
MISSISSIPPI Mainly dark to black clay-shale including thin layers of argillaceous limestone and a considerable proportion of fine-grained Cf greenish sandstone, apparently in lenticular layers of no great extent. Some gray and finely conglomeratic sandstone. Floyd shale. - '-^j-- -aa- 1200-2000±
Fort Payne chert. Gray thick and thin-bedded fossiliferous chert. ^m^^^m^ Rusty and dark sandstone. DEV. L. D, Frog Mountain sandstone. ~~oi7-^ Little Oak limestone. -^^wT' Thick-bedded dark partly eherty, fossiliferous limestone. jS^ESip-p-'e^P-g.'p8'-
Athens shale. Oa 200-500 Black fissile graptolitic shale with layers of black argillaceous limestone. z Lenoir and Mosheim (?) lime Ol 1 1 1 1 1 / 0-400 Thick-bedded dark medium-grained limestone with clay veins that make a residual network on the weathered surface. Mosheim E3 stones. _ - - limestone is compact, dove-colored, pure, and fossiliferous. ORDOVICIAN o o ce I. «=| 1 => o -S/ V^-r 1 DC UJ Newala and Odenville limestones. On 800-1200 Thick-bedded, compact, light bluish-gray limestone with layers of dolomite and magnesian limestone. Yields very little or no 0 -J-..-I ( .. j , , . chert. Sparingly fossiliferous. Extensively burned for lime. Odenville limestone, at top argillaceous and fossiliferous. [ c=> 1 *=» | 1 1 1 . j | | I 1 1 Longview limestone. Thick-bedded, partly magnesian limestone yielding much rather brittle chert which commonly contains fossils, especially gastro Olv 0-400 pods of the characteristic genus Lecanospira, ^/SS^/f x^^s/
c=i/ c=> /=>c=,/c=< :>/«=,/ ea/CSjr
/C=3/C=>0./ CT=3 c=> /C-.CTO/ cro ^3/CDC?/ G^D/CS =/^0/C=-D/cr
/=-<=>/ cC^D/cCO Copper Ridge dolomite. 0cr 2000± Thick-bedded, mainly dark bluish-gray dolomite; some light-gray fine-grained dolomite. Yields many large masses of dense >/«=/«=/Ci./0 CO / CZT3 <=>/ / jagged chert, much more than any other formation in Alabama. Chert very sparingly fossiliferous. CAMBRIANORORDOVICIAN c=3/ C3 /cC=5/C: 3/C3 CD/ C=r5/ C=i c=yCO/ <=/ C20/CTDC3 c=o /«=
.-1 1 1 111.
Thick-bedded bluish-gray finely crystalline dolomite, highly siliceous, with silica incrustations or network of silica ridges on Bibb dolomite. Ob ?/
SECTION CONTINUED ON BACK OF THIS SHEET COLUMNAR SECTION-Continued
SCALE: 1 INCH =1,000 FEET
THICKNESS SYSTEM SERIES FORMATION SYMBOL SECTION IN FEET MINOR DIVISIONS CHARACTER OF ROCKS AND TOPOGRAPHY
Mainly thin-bedded limestone with intercalated shale which aggregates a considerable proportion of the whole. Limestone is 0-1500 somewhat impure with argillaceous and siliceous matter and also somewhat magnesian. Makes low, flat, poorly drained land, O os Conasauga ("Coosa") limestone. called "flatwoods." I
____r\____ Red shale, fine-grained calcareous sandstone weathering rusty, and a small amount of limestone, some layers of which appear to Rome (" Montevallo") formation. r 1000± be fairly pure. Generally makes rough land of low hills. Sparingly fossiliferous.
cc 00 Shady dolomite. 400± Thick-bedded light-gray to white coarse-grained limestone. Makes valley.
Hematite ore.
Hematite ore (good grade). Clay and siliceous slate or sericitic schist with finely conglomeratic quartzite lentils 8 to 125 feet thick. Hematite lenses. Makes Weisner formation. the high ridges of the Columbiana Mountain region. 1700-3800
Massive sandstone. Black slate.
Sericitic phyllite, greenish and grayish when weathered. Some crumpled quartz veins that contain a little gold present in places. Wash Creek slate. 5000± Sandy in lower part. Occasional small lentil of conglomeratic sandstone or quartzite. In upper part, heavy bed of conglom eratic sandstone, with black slate or schist beneath. Low rounded hills and ridges.
Ferruginous sandstone member, con O taining lean ore. O M O
< Q_ cc O Sericitic phyllite, predominantly purplish gray, some of it having green silty luster. Locally ferruginous at bottom (lean ore). Brewer phyllite. 500± Easily recognizable and important as key to structure and stratigraphy of Talladega slate.
DC Sawyer limestone member (50-200 CO feet). Variegated fine-grained limestone or ornamental marble; dark and light-gray rather coarse limestone; sandy and pebbly lime- Sandstone (50-100 feet). stone, locally ferruginous and making a lean ore. Limestone (10-20 feet). cc Q_
Dark bluish shale and schist weathering pink, yellow, and gray. Conglomeratic sandstone in quartzite lentils. Limestone beds in Sandstone (100± feet). the upper part. Low rounded hills and ridges. Waxahatchee slate. 5000±
Crystalline schists, gneisses, and granite. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ALABAMA U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MONTEVALLO AND COLUMBIANA QUADRANGLES
PLATE 1.-COOSA RIVER IN THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE COLUMBIANA PLATE 2.- VIEW LOOKING NORTHWEST ACROSS SHELBY VALLEY PLATE 3.-ROUNDED HILLS CHARACTERISTIC OF AREAS UNDERLAIN BY WAXA- QUADRANGLE HATCHEE SLATE Looking south from the Narrows. Shows upland surface or old peneplain with intrenched Valley eroded mainly on the Newala limestone. Columbiana Mountain in the distance. About 2 miles^outh of Shelby. Looking east. river valley.
PLATE 5.-CRUMPLED WASH CREEK SLATE 8 MILES SOUTH OF SHELBY PLATE 6.-BRIERFIELD DOLOMITE INCRUSTED WITH CHARACTERISTIC FRETWORK OF RESIDUAL SILICA PLATE 4.-PROSPECT FOR ROOFING SLATE IN WAXAHATCHEE SLATE Sixmile Creek, about 1 mile northwest of the southwest corner of the Montevallo Three-fourths of a mile south of Ocampo. Looking north. quadrangle.
PLATE 9.-FROG MOUNTAIN SANDSTONE (DEVONIAN) LYING ON FOSSILIFEROUS CLAY WHICH IS DECOMPOSED LITTLE OAK LIMESTONE (ORDOVICIAN) PLATE 7. CAVERNOUS SILICA FROM BIBB DOLOMITE PLATE 8.-NEWALA LIMESTONE IN BOWDEN'S QUARRY Cut on railroad 1 mile northwest of Mosteller, in the eastern part of the Columbiana quad Characteristic weathering product from the Brierfield and About half a mile south of Newala, in the northeastern part of the Montevallo quadrangle. rangle. Between the clay and sandstone is a stratigraphic gap representing the upper Bibb dolomites. Looking east. part of the Ordovician system, the entire Silurian system, and the lower part of the Devonian system.
PLATE 10.-CARBONIFEROUS AND ORDOVICIAN ROCKS IN CUT ON SOUTHERN PLATE 11.-SHELBY IRON ORE DIGGINGS PLATE 12.-CONASAUGA LIMESTONE OVERTHRUST ON A COAL BED IN THE RAILWAY HALF A MILE EAST OF CALERA POTTSVILLE FORMATION At top there is 15 feet of red loam carrying best quality of lump ore, underlain by light- Shoal Creek, 1.5 miles southwest of Aldrich, in the Cahaba coal field. The Athens shale (Ordovician) is overlain by the Frog Mountain sandstone (Devonian), 4 inches colored sand and quartz gravel, possibly of Cretaceous age. thick; clay that may be of Devonian age in the middle; and Fort Payne chert (Missis- sippian) at the right. There is a great stratigraphic break between the Frog Mountain sand stone and Athens shale. Looking northeast.
PLATE 13.-TYPICAL COAL MINE IN THE CAHABA COAL FIELD PLATE 14.-RESIDUAL PINNACLE OF CONTORTED NEWALA LIMESTONE EXPOSED PLATE 15.-IRON ORE DIGGINGS AT SHELBY Coleanor mine, about 2 miles west of the Montevallo quadrangle. Looking west. IN ORE BANK AT SHELBY Ore is in pockets in decayed rock, which is reported to extend nearly 100 feet below the bottom of the pit. The clay seems to fill an ancient sink hole.