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Geology of the Ohio Shore of Laiœ Erie

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Geology of the Ohio Shore of Laiœ Erie ■ GEOLOGY OF THE OHIO SHORE OF LAIŒ ERIE BETk’/EEI'I FAIRPORT AMD THE PEMSYLVAHIA BORDER DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State U niversity by JAIvES ELLIS CHRISTOPHER, A.B., 1,1.Sc. The Ohio State U niversity 19^9 Approved by: Advise Department of//Geology CONTENTS Page H'ITRODUCTION........................................................................................................ 1 Puipose and scope of the Investigation ............................................ 1 Acknowle dgmen t s ............................................................................................ 2 Previous Work ............................................................. U GEOGRAPHÏ AIŒ GEOMORPHOLOGY OF THE AREA............................................. 7 Location and size of the area .............................................................. 7 Geomoiphology of the topographic surface ....................................... 7 The Grand R iver ..................................................................... 11 The A shtabula R i v e r ......................................................................... 13 The Conneaut R iver .............................................................................. l 6 Hinor stream s ...................................................................................... l 6 Geomorphology of the bedrock surface ..................... 20 GENERAL STRATIGRAPHY OF THE AÆ A ........................................................ 32 Stratigraphy of the bedrock ......................................................................32 Stratigraphy of the surficial deposits ........................................... 36 Glacial t i l l .............................................................................................. 36 Lacustrine and fluviatile deposits ........................................... i i IXX Madison tcrvmship sand deposits ................................................... U7 DETAILED STRATIGRAPHY OF THE LAKE ERIE BLUFF IN THE AREA . $2 Lake County ' Painesville township ................................................... 53 Perry township .......................................................................................... 57 Deformational features in the lacustrine deposits . 69 Madison township .................................................................... 76 Ashtabula County Geneva township ..................... 81; Saybrook township .............................................................................. 85 Ashtabula township ......................................................................... 96 Kingsville township ......................................................................... IOI4 Conneaut township ................................................................................. 117 The origin of loam at the top of the stratigraphie sec tio n .............................................................................................. 120 Summary of the bluff stratigraphy between Fairport and the Ohio-Pennsylvania border .............................. 123 THE LATE 7/ISCOHSIN HISTORY OF THE STUDY AREA ............................... 128 THE RELATIONSHIPS BETvVEEl'j BLUFF LITHOLOGIES MID DEGRADATIONAL PROCESSES ............................................................................. 135 Degradation of sandy bluff deposits ............................................... 137 D egradation of th e la c u s trin e c l a y - s i l t member ...................... 139 Degradation of bluffs composed of competent glacial till lUO XV Failure by Creep in certain bluffs of glacial till . l50 Slumping in composite bluffs of glacial tills and interbedded lacustrine clay .......................................... iS? Group "A" slu m p s ............................................................................. 1^7 Group "B" slu m p s ............................................................................. l60 The sluîTÇJs of Painesville toivnship ..................................... l 6 l The slumps of Geneva and Saybrook tœmships .... I 69 LITTORAL PROCESSES Alffi SOURCES ........................................................ I 8I Description of the beach deposits in the area .................... I 83 Stream mouth beaches ..................................................................... l83 Beaches inpounded by je ttie s .................................................... l8? Shingle end bedrock defended beaches ................................... 190 Mechanical and heav^'' mineral analyses of bluff and beach samples ...................................................................................... 19$ Observations on litto ral transport of sediments .... 200 Submerged s p its ............................................................................. 217 SUÎvliARY.............................................................................................. 222 CONCLUDIira REI.ÎARKS............................................................................. 228 BIBLIOGRAPHY..................................................................... .................... 231 APPENDIX A Well sections of surficial deposits on the LaJce Plain . 23$ APPENDIX B Atterberg values of bluff and lalce plain samples . 2U5 Mechanical and heavy mineral analyses .............................. 2h^> Calculations of bluff erosion vs. quantity of beach s a n d ....................................................................................................... 2U8 APPENDIX G Glossary of terms used in Soil Mechanics .......................... 2k9 AUTOBIOGRAPHY....................... 2$0 ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. County map of northern Ohio, shovdng location of study a r e a ............................................................................ 8 2. Photograph. Govdes Greek, shovdng drovmed valley . 21 3. Photograph. Big (Areola) Creek, shovdng drovmed v a lle y . ......................................................................................... 22 U. Photograph. Blackmore Greek, Perry tovmship; shovdng valley-in-valley form ■ . 23 Photograph. Red Brook, Saybrook tovmship; shovdng stream bench .................................................. 2h 6. Generalized map of Lake Erie bottom deposits betvreen Fairport and the Ohio-Pennsylvania border . 28 7. Photograph. Hanging tributary of the Ashtabula River in Sheffield tovmship. Vievr from upper f a l l s ................................................................................... 29 8. As figure 7, but vievf from bottom of upper falls . 29 9. As figure 7, but viev; from top of lovrer falls . 30 10. Photograph. Sma].l a n tic lin e in th e v a lle y of the Ashtabula R iver ...................................................................... 31 11. Geologic map of the Lake Erie region ............................ 3U 12. Photograph. Chagrin shale in the valley of the A sh ta b u la ......................................................................................... 33> 13. Geologic map shovdng glacial deposits of northeastern Ohio ........................................................................ 37 lU. Northwest to southeast geologic cross-section of surficial deposits in Saybrook and Plymouth t mm ships, Ashtabula County ................................................... U3 1$. North to south geologic cross-section of surficial deposits in Sheffield and Kingsville townships, Ashtabula County ........................................................................... Iiit Vi Vax 16. Photograph. Section through the Lake Escarpment moraine in Saybrook tovmship ................................................ 1|6 17. Isopach map of surficial deposits in northern Madison tovmship ....................................................... SO 18. Northwest to southeast geologic cross-section of surficial deposits in northern Madison tovmship . $1 19. Photograph. Topmost unit in bluff section of Lake Erie in Painesville tovmship at Hardy Road .................. $6 20. Photograph. 1,600 feet northeast of Blackmore Road, Perry to-rmship ............................................................. ^9 21. Photograph. Contact zone at base of Upper Till, 800 feet southwest of Blaclcmore Road, Perry tovmship . 6l 22. Photograph. Contact zone at base of Upper Till, 750 feet northeast of Blaclcmore Road, Perry tovmship 62 23. Photograph. Boulder pavement on contact betvreen Upper and Lower tills, 1,000 feet northeast of Blaclcmore Road, Perry tovm ship ........................................... 63 2U. Photograph. Bluff, 2,000 feet southwest of-North Perry Village Park, perry tovmship ..................... 68 23. Drawing of contorted foimis in lacustrine beds of the bluff, 950 feet southwest of perry Park Road, Perry tovmship ............................................................................ 70 26. Dravâng of piercement fold in lacustrine unit at site of figure 25 ..................................................................... 71 27. Photograph. Contorted bedding at site of figure 25 72 28. Diagram of claj’" block in lacustrine laminated beds at site of figure 25 ................................................................. 75 29. Photograph. Lacustrine clay contact on the Upper Till, Perry tovmship ................................................................. 79 30. Photograph. Lacustrine unit in bluff of western Madison tovmship ....................................................................
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