Surficial Geology and Geomorphology of Potter County ., Pennsylvania
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Surficial Geology and Geomorphology of Potter County., Pennsylvania GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 288 Surficial Geology and Geomorphology of Potter County· Pennsylvania By CHARLES S. DENNY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 288 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1956 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fred A. Seaton, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. CONTENTS Page Page Abstract __________________________________________ _ 1 Surficial geology-Continued Introduction ______________________________________ _ 2 Wisconsin glacial deposits-Continued Location ______________________________________ _ 2 Thin mantles ______________________________ _ 23 Purpose and scope of study _____________________ _ 4 Description ___________________________ _ 23 Acknowledgments ______________________________ _ 4 Origin ________________________________ _ 23 General physical geography _________________________ _ 4 Kame terraces _____________________________ _ 23 Topography ___________________________________ _ 4 Description ____________________________ _ 23 Climate ______________________ - - - - - - - - - - _ -_ -- - - 4 Origin ________________________________ _ 23 General features ___________________________ _ 4 Lake deposits in the Genesee Valley __________ _ 24 Floods ____________________________________ _ 5 Erratics __________________________________ _ 24 Frost in the ground ________________________ _ 5 Size and shape ________________________ _ 24 Soils _________________________________________ _ 6 Lithologic types _______________________ _ 25 Bedrock geology ___________________________________ _ 6 Distribution ___________________________ _ 25 Source of data ________________________________ _ 6 Weathering ___________________________ _ 26 Chemung formation ____________________________ _ 7 Possible source areas ___________________ _ 27 Catskill formation _____________________________ _ 7 Conclusions ___________________________ _ 27 Pocono formation ______________________________ _ 7 Wisconsin drift border __________________________ _ 27 Pottsville formation _____________________________ _ 7 Genesee quadrangle ________________________ _ 27 Allegheny formation ___________________________ _ 7 Identification __________________________ _ 27 Structure _____________________________________ _ 7 Scarcity of terminal moraine or glaciofluvial Surficial geology ____________________________________ _ 7 deposits ____________________________ _ 27 Terminology_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 7 Topographic position ___________________ _ 28 Texture __________________________________ _ 7 Origin ________________________________ _ 28 Structure _________________________________ _ 8 Coudersport quadrangle ____________________ _ 29 Consistence _______________________________ _ 9 Gaines quadrangle _________________________ _ 29 Drainage _________________________________ _ 9 Galeton, Marshlands, Tiadaghton, and Cedar Color _____________________________________ _ 10 Run quadrangles _________________________ · 29 Pre-Wisconsin paleosoL ________________________ _ 10 Glacial spillways _______________________________ _ 29 General features ___________________________ _ 10 Age and correlation of drift in Potter County _____ _ 30 Potter County _____________________________ _ 11 Wisconsin periglacial deposits ___________________ _ 30 Paleosol northeast of Sweden, Genesee General field relations ______________________ _ 30 quadrangle __________________________ _ 13 Lithology _________________________________ _ 30 Paleosol near Sweden Hill cemetery, Genesee Internal structure __________________________ _ 31 quadrangle __________________________ _ 14 Thickness and areal extent __________________ _ 31 Origin of paleosoL _____________________ _ 16 Surface expression _________________________ _ 32 Lycoming County, Penny Hill, Milton quad- Ground-water conditions ___________________ _ 32 rangle __________________________________ _ 17 Stratigraphic and topographic position in re- Age of paleosol ____________________________ _ 17 lation to glacial deposits __________________ _ 32 Origin and climatic significance ______________ _ 17 Ancient soil structures and related features ____ _ 33 Pre-Wisconsin glacial deposits ___________________ _ 18 Block fields ___________________________ _ 33 Potter County _____________________________ _ 18 Boulder rings __________________________ _ 33 Salamanca reentrant_______________________ _ 19 Boulder stripes ________________________ _ 34 Pre-Wisconsin alluvial deposits in Kettle Creek val- Boulder stripes near Sweden Hill ley _________________________________________ _ 19 cemetery _______________________ _ 34 Wisconsin glacial deposits, Genesee quadrangle ____ _ 19 Buried boulder stripes ______________ _ 35 Till ______________________________________ _ 20 Terraces ______________________________ _ 37 Lithology _____________________________ _ 20 Deposits near Colesburg, Genesee quadrangle __ _ 37 Thickness _____________________________ _ 20 Deposits in Kettle Creek valley, Oleona and Weathering ___________________________ _ 20 Short Run quadrangles ___________________ _ 38 Topographic setting ____________________ _ 21 Eolian(?) deposits __________________________ _ 39 Description _______________________ _ 21 Age and origin ____________________________ _ 39 Origin ___________________________ _ 21 Other inferences from periglacial deposits _____ _ 41 III IV CONTENTS Page Page Surficial geology-Continued Special problems-Continued Recent deposits ________________________________ _ 42 Vegetation and surficial geology, by J. C. Goodlett__ 56 Alluvial fans ______________________________ _ 42 Vegetation regions and forest types __________ _ 56 Alluvium _________________________________ _ 42 Forest types and surficial geology ____________ _ 56 Geomorphic development of the Appalachian Plateaus ___ _ 43 Northern hardwood region ______________ _ 56 Description of upland surfaces ___________________ _ 44 Oak-forest region ______________________ _ 56 Size and shape _____________________________ _ 44 Possible explanations of geobotanical relation- Slopes ____________________________________ _ 44 ships ___________________________________ _ 59 Age ______________________________________ _ 44 Microrelief resulting from fallen trees, by C. S. Denny Restored contours drawn on upland surfaces __ _ 44 and J. C. Goodlett_ __________________________ _ 59 Method of construction _________________ _ 44 Introduction ______________________________ _ 59 Form of restored surface ________________ _ 44 Microrelief on essentially level land along Ridge Relation to lithology and structure _______ _ 44 Road, Wharton quadrangle _______________ _ 60 Description of drainage _________________________ _ 45 Youngest mounds and pits ______________ _ 61 Susquehanna drainage basin _________________ _ 45 Older mounds and pits _________________ _ 61 Genesee and Allegheny drainage basins _______ _ 46 Internal structure of mounds ____________ _ 61 Drainage divide ___________________________ _ 46 Microrelief between mounds and pits _____ _ 62 Origin of upland surfaces________________________ _ 4 7 Associated vegetation __________________ _ 62 The peneplain hypothesis ___________________ _ 4 7 Microrelief on sloping land along Ridge Road, Hypothesis of structural controL ____________ _ 48 Wharton quadrangle _____________________ _ 62 Origin of drainage _____________________________ _ 49 Orientation of mounds __________________ _ 62 West Branch Susquehanna River ____________ _ 49 Associated vegetation __________________ _ 63 Pine Creek ________________________________ _ 51 Ford Hill, Genesee quadrangle __________ '- ____ _ 63 Allegheny River ___________________________ _ 51 Age---------------------------~------- 63 Allegheny-Genesee-Susquehanna River divide __ _ 51 Significance ___________________________ _ 63 ~Geomorphic history of Potter County __ ~- ____________ _ 51 Area along Hungry Hollow Road, Oleona quad- Pre-Tertiary periods ___________________ -, _______ _ 51 rangle __________________________________ _ 63 Tertia~y period ___________________ ~------~------ 53 Significance for geology _____________________ _ 64 Early Pleistocene epoch ___ -------~~---~-,-~------ 53 Ancient and modern frost action _________ _ 64 Illinoian stage ___________________ -______________ _ 53 Erosion of slopes _______________________ _ 64 Sangamonstage ____________________ r----------- 53 Erosion on essentially level land _________ _ 65 Wisconsin stage _______________________________ _ 54 Soils on drift of the several substages of the Iowan-Tazewell (?) substages __ ~ _____________ _ 54 Wisconsin stage _____________________ _ 65 Cary and Mankato substages ________________ _ 55 Significance for soil science __________________ _ 65 Recent epoch __________________________________ _ 55 Significance for plant ecology ________________ _ 66 Special problems ___________________________________ _ 55 Literature cited ___________________________________ -_ 66 Soils and surficial geology _______________________ _ 5~ Index ____________________________________________ _ 69 ILLUSTRATIONS [All plates in pocket] PLATE 1. Map of Potter County and vicinity. 2. Map of area of paleosol near Sweden Hill cemetery. 3. Columnar sections of paleosol and associated surficial deposits. 4. Map of the Genesee quadrangle showing surficial geology. 5. Map of Potter County