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University of Florida Thesis Or ORIGIN AND STRATIGRAPHIC SIGNIFICANCE OF KAOLINITIC SEDIMENTS FROM THE CYPRESSHEAD FORMATION: A SEDIMENTOLOGICAL, MINERALOGICAL AND GEOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATION By KENDALL BRIAN FOUNTAIN A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2009 1 © 2009 Kendall Brian Fountain 2 "The Ridge is the Florida Divide, the peninsular watershed, and, to hear Floridians describe it, the world's most stupendous mountain range after the Himalayas and the Andes. Soaring two hundred and forty feet into the sub-tropical sky, the Ridge is difficult to distinguish from the surrounding lowlands, but it differs more in soil conditions than in altitude, and citrus trees cover it like a long streamer, sometimes as little as a mile and never more than twenty-five miles wide, running south, from Leesburg to Sebring, for roughly a hundred miles." John McPhee, 1967 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge the financial support and in-kind service of the Clay Minerals Society, the Graduate School of the University of Florida, the Florida Geological Survey, E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, and Edgar Minerals (formerly Feldspar Corporation). Without their assistance, this research would have never been possible. I would also like to thank my committee, but in particular, Dr. Guerry H. McClellan, my committee chairman, for constantly challenging me during my time at the University of Florida and serving as my mentor both academically and professionally. Additionally, I would like to thank some of the other sources of academic, and sometimes personal, advice that impacted this research and my life as a whole. They include, but are not limited to, Dr. J.L. Eades, Dr. T.M. Scott, Dr. V.J. Hurst, Dr. F.N. Blanchard and Dr. W.G. Harris. There were, of course, many people that assisted with the acquisition of data necessary to complete this research, or simply were a great source of conversation over a beer (or two). They include Dr. Michael (Mike) Rosenmeier, Dr. Phillip (Phil) Neuhoff, Dr. George Kamenov, William Kenney, Dr. Jehangir (Jango) Bhadha, René Bohren, Dr. Richard (Rich) Hisert, Dr. Todd Kincaid, Brickman (Bricky) Way, Christian George and Dr. Craig Oyen. Special recognition is afforded to George Kamenov for his assistance with the collection of neodymium isotopic data. Without his help, this portion of the study would have never been completed. Additionally, a debt of gratitude is also owed to the staff of the Major Analytical Instrumentation Center at the University of Florida (Wayne Acree in particular) for their assistance with collecting SEM data for this study, often at reduced rates and sometimes as bartered services. Lastly, I would like to thank my family, for they are the ones that have always been there for me through this extended process, even when it seemed doubtful that I would ever finish. My geologist father has been a huge influence in my career, having introduced me to the wonder that 4 is this science at an early age, and helping to raise me with a strong work ethic and a sense of professionalism. On the other hand, it is my mother and brother who have been my “rocks” for many years, and have kept faith when I would fall off the path to finishing. They have also been the ones that have offered moral and emotional support when it has been needed the most during trying times. Without them, I would not be the man I am today. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................4 LIST OF TABLES.........................................................................................................................10 LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................................12 ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................................17 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................20 Hypothesis ..............................................................................................................................22 Purpose and Scope..................................................................................................................22 Geologic Setting .....................................................................................................................24 Neogene Stratigraphic and Structural Framework ..........................................................24 Regional Physiography....................................................................................................25 Regional Stratigraphy......................................................................................................30 Miocene series..........................................................................................................30 Pliocene series..........................................................................................................33 Pleistocene series......................................................................................................38 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE.................................................................................................39 Cypresshead Origin and Age..................................................................................................39 Facies Associations .........................................................................................................39 Paleoenvironment............................................................................................................41 Age Estimates..................................................................................................................42 Correlative Siliciclastics .........................................................................................................43 Citronelle Formation .......................................................................................................43 Miccosukee......................................................................................................................45 Kaolin Origin and Provenance................................................................................................46 Georgia-South Carolina Kaolin District..........................................................................46 Cypresshead Formation...................................................................................................50 3 METHODS.............................................................................................................................53 Sample Localities....................................................................................................................53 Cypresshead Formation (Florida)....................................................................................53 Cypresshead Formation (Georgia) ..................................................................................58 Middle Georgia Kaolin District.......................................................................................58 Sample Preparation.................................................................................................................59 Analytical Procedures.............................................................................................................60 Grain-Size Analysis.........................................................................................................60 6 Hydrometer and sieve analysis.................................................................................61 SediGraph analysis...................................................................................................62 X-ray Diffraction Analysis..............................................................................................64 Oriented samples ......................................................................................................65 Random samples ......................................................................................................66 Petrographic/Scanning Electron Microscope Analysis ...................................................67 Geochemical Analysis.....................................................................................................68 Major and trace element analysis .............................................................................68 Nd isotopic analysis .................................................................................................68 4 SEDIMENTOLOGICAL AND MINERALOGICAL EVIDENCE FOR THE ORIGIN AND STRATIGRAPHIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CYPRESSHEAD FORMATION .....73 Introduction.............................................................................................................................73 Related Deposits and the Siliciclastic Conveyor.............................................................74 Age Constraints on Cypresshead Deposition ..................................................................77 Pliocene Paleoclimate......................................................................................................78 Results.....................................................................................................................................80
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