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Stratigraphy and Structure of Middle and Upper Ordovician Rocks in the Sedgwick Basin and Adjacent Areas, South-Central Kansas GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 702 Prepared in cooperation with the State Geological Survey of Kansas Stratigraphy and Structure of Middle and Upper Ordovician Rocks in the Sedgwick Basin and Adjacent Areas, South-Central Kansas By W. L. ADKISON GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 702 Prepared in cooperation with the State Geological Survey of Kansas UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON 1972 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ROGERS C. B. MORTON, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY V. E. McKELVEY, Director Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 72-600040 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price $1.50 (paper cover) CONTENTS Page Page Abstract --------,--------------------------------- 1 Stratigraphy-Continued Introduction -------------------------------------­ 1 Post-Ordovician rocks 20 Acknowledgments --------------------------------­ 2 Structure ----------------------------------------- 21 Methods of investigation --------------------------- 3 Principal structural features ------------------- 21 22 4 Structural history ----------------------------­ Stratigraphy -------------------------------------- Pre-Simpson folding ----------------------­ 23 Pre-Middle Ordovician rocks ------------------- 4 Folding between Early Ordovician and Middle and Upper Ordovician rocks ____________ _ 5 Mississippian time ---------------------- 23 Simpson Group --------------------------­ 5 Folding in late Paleozoic time -------------­ 25 Viola Limestone ---------------------------­ 14 Oil and gas --------------------------------------­ 25 Sylvan Shale ----------------------------- 18 References cited ---------------------------------- 31 ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates 1-5 are in pocket] PLATE 1. Stratigraphic cross sections of Middle and Upper Ordovician rocks. 2-4. Maps showing distribution and thickness: 2. Simpson Group. 3. Viola Limestone. 4. Sylvan Shale. 5. Strvcture-contour map of the Sedgwick basin and adjacent areas showing oil and gas fields. Page FIGURES 1-7. Map showing- 1. Area of this report ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 2. Geologic units that directly overlie Middle and Upper Ordovician rocks ----------------------- 7 3. Major structural features formed in central and eastern Kansas from Early Ordovician (upper Arbuckle) through Late Devonian (lower Chattanooga) time ---------------------------- 8 4. Percentage of sandstone in the Simpson Group --------------------------------------------- 11 5. Percentage of carbonate rock in the Simpson Group ----------------------------------------- 13 6. Distribution of chert and thickness of residual chert in the Viola Limestone ------------------- 17 7. Major pre-Middle Ordovician structural features ------------------------------------------- 23 TABLES Page TABLE 1. Stratigraphic nomenclature used in this report ----------------------------------------------------- 4 2. Oil and gas fields that produced from Middle and Upper Ordovician rocks during 1965 -------------- 27 111 STRATIGRAPHY AND STRUCTURE OF MIDDLE AND UPPER ORDOVICIAN ROCKS IN THE SEDGWICK BASIN AND ADJACENT AREAS, SOUTH-CENTRAL KANSAS By W. L. ADKISON ABSTRACT Folding after Early Ordovician time and before Mississip­ The Middle and Upper Ordovician rocks of Sedgwick basin, pian time formed the North Kansas basin, Chautauqua arch, south-central Kansas, have yielded large amounts of oil and and the ancestral Central Kansas uplift. The northern part some gas. These rocks are assigned to three units: the of the map area lies high on the southwestern flank of the Simpson Group, Viola Limestone, and Sylvan Shale (from North Kansas basin, and the southeastern part includes the oldest to youngest). western part of the Chautauqua arch. Broad uplift of the The Simpson Group, as much as 254 feet thick, uncon­ arch occurred in Silurian and Late Devonian times, although formably overlies the Arbuckle Group and consists of sand­ minor movements probably began as early as Middle Ordo­ stone, shale, dolomite, and limestone. The group thins region­ vician (late Simpson) time and recurred in Late Ordovician ally toward the northwest. The percentage of sandstone (post-Viola pre-Sylvan) time. Structural movements in the increases southeastward, and the percentage of carbonate western part of the area during Late Devonian time prob­ rocks is generally greatest in the northern and westernmost ably formed a broad low arch that plunged gently southward parts of the area. Areas where the Simpson is thin in much and possibly merged northward with the ancestral Central of the western part may indicate pre-Simpson topographic Kansas uplift. highs that trend mostly northeast and north. The major structural features in the area were formed The Viola Limestone, possibly as much as 239 feet thick, largely at the end of Mississippian or in the early part of consists of limestone, dolomite, and chert. In much of the Pennsylvanian time. The Sedgwick basin is a broad relatively western part of the area, the formation includes residual shallow southward-plunging northeast embayment of the chert and at a few places clastic rocks that may be cavern Anadarko basin of Oklahoma. It is limited on the east by the fillings. Karst topography at the top of the Viola is tenta­ Nemaha anticline and on the west by the Central Kansas tively interpreted from the thickness map. Evidently the uplift and Pratt anticline. The northern limit is obscurely formation was exposed to subaerial erosion and underground defined by thinning of Mississippian rocks. Several anticlines drainage, and parts of it were dissolved. Erosion removed in the basin are generally subparallel to the Nemaha anti­ part of the Viola in the central part of the area, and cut cline and plunge southward. Post-Mississippian structural through into the Simpson at one place, before the Sylvan features are primarily folds, but faults are locally significant, Shale was deposited. especially along the larger anticlines. The Sylvan Shale consists of shale and dolomite and un­ Hundreds of oil and gas fields have been discovered in the conformably overlies the Viola. It is found mainly in the area, and many of these are productive from Middle and northern part of the area, where it is as much as 142 feet Upper Ordovician rocks. Anticlines probably provided the thick. The Sylvan is also present in the southwestern part traps for oil in most fields that produce from the Middle and of the area adjacent to the Oklahoma State line. Upper Ordovician rocks; stratigraphic traps in these rocks In the eastern part of the study area Devonian carbonates are less well known. overlap southward across Silurian carbonates, the Sylvan Shale, Viola Limestone, and possibly onto the Simpson INTRODUCTION Group. The Chattanooga Shale, Devonian and Mississippian This report describes the stratigraphy, lithologic in age, unconformably overlies the Ordovician rocks in most composition, and general structure of the Middle of the area. In the western part, a variable clastic sequence of Early Mississippian (Kinderhook) age overlies Ordovician and Upper Ordovician subsurface rocks of the Sedg­ beds. Rocks of Middle and Late Pennsylvanian age uncon­ wick basin and adjacent areas in south-central formably overlie the Ordovician rocks at places along the Kansas (fig. 1). The area includes about 15,000 Nemaha and Pratt anticlines and on much of the Central square miles in parts of 22 counties. The city of Kansas uplift. Early Ordovician (pre-Simpson) movements probably Wichita lies in the east-central part of the area. tilted the area toward the south. A structural hinge line may The Sedgwick basin is a south-plunging northeast have extended westward through the southern part of the embayment of the Anadarko basin of Oklahoma. area and separated a large relatively flat platform area to The basin and adjacent positive features were the north from a more rapidly subsiding basin area in formed by structural movements, mainly in Early Oklahoma. Precambrian rocks were locally exposed by erosion in the northern part of the area, but detailed structural Pennsylvanian time. The basin is limited on the east relations are unknown. by the Nemaha anticline and on the west by the 1 2 STRATIGRAPHY, MIDDLE AND UPPER ORDOVICIAN ROCKS, SOUTH-CENTRAL KANSAS Central Kansas uplift and the Pratt anticline (fig. informal cooperation by the State Survey after the 1) . The border of the Sedgwick basin with the writer left Kansas. Salina basin to the north is rather poorly defined. The study of Ordovician rocks in the map area The Middle and Upper Ordovician rocks are was facilitated by the large collection of samples, assigned, from oldest to youngest, to the Simpson logs, and other data in the files of the State Geo­ Group, Viola Limestone, and Sylvan Shale. The un­ logical Survey of Kansas. Geologists of the State derlying Arbuckle Group (Upper Cambrian and Survey who aided this study include Edwin D. Lower Ordovician) was not studied for this report. Goebel, Paul L. Hilpman, Mrs. Margaret 0. Oros, Ordovician rocks have yielded large amounts of oil and Douglas L. Beene. Several other members of and gas in Kansas for many years, and this report is the State Survey aided in many ways. intended to aid in the continuing search for new oil The petroleum industry in Kansas and the Kansas and gas fields. Geological Society deserve

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