Geology and Mineral Resources of Mississippi
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A' Economic Geology, 71 Bulletin No. 283 B, Descriptive Geology, 9 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CHARLES D. WALCOTT,.DiBECTOK GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF MISSISSIPPI BY .A. F. CRIDEJEl WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1906 .CONTENTS. Introduction by Edwin C. Eckel .................................''........... 5 Geology.................................................................. 7 Devonian ............................................. '. .............. 7 Mississippian (Lower Carboniferous)..................................... 10 Tullahoma formation..................-...'.........'.....--...'..... 10 St.. Louis limestone. .................................1............. 11 Chester formation .................................................. 11 Cretaceous..................................................'.'.......... 12 Tuscaloosa formation .............................:............ [... ' 12 Eutaw sands.............................................'....'.' :. *>:'!J' )f 13 Selma chalk ...................................................... 16 Ripley formation.........................................:'.....'... 19 Tertiary..................................................:..'..': ; .'l'!1'.'^ 22 Midway group .... ^..................................'.............'!.' 22 Clayton formation .................................. .....'..."..' 22 Porters Creek clay............................................\^ 23 Wilcox formation.................................................. ' 25 Claiborne group ...................................... ^ .i......... 28 Tallahatta buhrstone ..................................1.'.'.'...'. ' 29 Lisbon beds ......................:........................... 33 Jackson formation................................................. 33 Vicksburg formation................................................ 37 Pascagoula formation.............................................. 40 Grand Gulf group ...... r ..;....:.. ..... _........_ :................... 40 Quaternary............................ '.....'.......................... 44 Lafayette formation ............................................... 44 Port Hudson formation ............................................ 46 Loess................................................................ 48. Recent alluvium ................................................... r 49 Mineral resources of Mississippi .....................................^. r ..... 49 Present development ................................................... '49 Future prospects ................................................. T . r ... 49 Clays and clay industries............................................... 50 Clays of the Tuscaloosa formation (lower Cretaceous)"................. 50 Porters Creek clays (lower Eocene).................................. 54 Wilcox clays (Eocene)............................................. 55 Stratified clays.................................................. 56 Unstratified clays.............................................. 56 Notes on Wilcox clays ......................................... 56 Clays of the Jackson formation (upper Eocene) ....................... 66 Clays of the G/'and Gulf group (Miocene)............................. 67 Lafayette clays (early Quaternary).................................. 68 Loess and yellow-loam brick clays (Quaternary) ...................... 69 Quaternary clays of the Gulf coast................................... 70 Quaternary clays of the Yazoo delta................................. 71 3 4 CONTENTS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. Mineral resources of Mississippi Continued. Page. Cement materials, by Edwin C. Eckel.................................... 71 Portland cement .................................................. 71 Cement materials in general ........................................ 72 Essential conditions ........................................... 72 Chemical composition.......................................... 73 Physical composition .......................................... 74 Amount available.............................................. 74 Location with respect to transportation routes ........ 1............ 74 Location with respect to fuel supplies............................ 74 Location with respect to markets................................ 75 Cost of equipment and erection ..........:...................... 75 Total capital required.......................................... 75 Cement materials in Mississippi ...................................... 75 Mississippian (Lower Carboniferous) limestones.................... 76 Cretaceous limestone (Selma chalk or rotten limestone)............ 76 Tertiary limestone (Vicksburg limestone)......................... 84 Building stone........................................................ 85 Road materials ....................................................... 85 Gravel or shingle.................................................. 85 Burned clay...................I.................................. 86 Metalliferous ores.................................. ^................... 87 Glass sand and silica.................................................... 87 Oil and gas ........................................................... 87 Coal and lignite ................J...................................... 87 Ocher.......'......................................................... 89 Phosphates, greensands, marls, and other fertilizers........................ 89 Mineral waters........................................................ 90 Index.................................................................... 93 ILLUSTRATIONS. Page. PLATE I. Geologic and contour map of Mississippi............................. 6 II. A, Outcrop of Vicksburg limestone at Rock Cut 1 mile west of Clinton; B, Tuscaloosa sands near luka......... -............................ 12 III. A, Selma chalk bluff, Macon; B, Loess bluff, Yazoo City............... 18 IV. A, Bed of glass sand on Pearl River near Byram; B, Ledge of Tallahatta quartzite, Hoffman.............................................. 32 FIG. 1. Cross section from mouth of Yellow Creek to Mingo ................... 7 2. Cross section from the Alabama line to Mississippi River............... 8 3. Cross section from West Point to Greenville ........................... 8 4. Cross section from Gattman to Fort Adams .......................... 9 5. Cross section from Scranton to Tennessee River....................... , 9 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF MISSISSIPPI. By A. F. CKIDER. ' INTRODUCTION. By EDWIN C. ECKEL., The following sketch of the geology'and mineral resources of the State of Mississippi has been prepared to serve as a summary of present knowledge of those subjects. Much detailed field work in the State will.be required before any complete discussion of its geology can be presented, but it is hoped that the outline given here will be of service, particularly in indi cating the lines along which the development of Mississippi's mineral resources will probably take place. It is with pleasure that this opportunity is taken of acknowledging indebtedness to pre vious workers in the same field. In the preparation of the present sketch free use has been made of the various reports and papers published by Dr. Eugene Hilgard, former State geolo gist. Dr. Eugene A. Smith, formerly assistant to Doctor Hilgard and now State geologist of Alabama, has very generously furnished notes on various phases of Mississippi geology. Mr. L. C. Johnson, of Pachuta, Miss., who has spent many years in geologic work in the State, has also contributed numerous data. In a paper recently published in the Transactions of the Mississippi Historical Society, Doctor Hilgard has given an outline of the principal events in the history of the Geological and Agricultural Survey of the State of Mississippi, from its formation in 1850 to its untimely cutting off in 1872. A summary of this valuable outline is as follows: The Geological and Agricultural Survey of the State of Mississippi had its origin in an act of the legislature entitled "An act to further endow the University of Mississippi," which was approved by the governor March 5, 1850, and took effect June 1 following. This act provided that $3,000 should be semiannually appropriated for the support of the agricul tural and geologic departments of the university, at least one-half of which sum was to be expended in making a general geologic and agricultural survey of the State. Annual reports were to be made to the governor by the trustees of the university. This act, together with later legislation in 1852, 1854, and 1860, was the basis of all geologic work carried on by the State. In 1852, Prof. B. L. C. Wailes took up active work under the act of 1850, and in 1854 an appropriation for the publication of his report was made by the legislature. Professor Wailes was succeeded as State geologist in 1854 by Prof. Lewis Harper, and in 1857 another report was published. Both of these reports, particularly that of Professor Wailes, contain matter of much geologic and agricultural interest; but they are far inferior to the third report, published in 1860 by Dr. Eugene Hilgard, then State geologist. This is still the best avail able book on the geology of the State of Mississippi. Doctor Hilgard's report, though printed in 1860, was not generally distributed until 1866, as the entire edition was sent to St. Louis for binding in November, 1860, and remained . 5 6 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOUEOES OF MISSISSIPPI.