PCPG Newsletter Communicating Key Information & Concerns to Geologists and Environmental Professionals Issue 3 / 2017
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PCPG Newsletter Communicating Key Information & Concerns to Geologists and Environmental Professionals Issue 3 / 2017 INSIDE THIS ISSUE... President’s Message ............................................................................................................... 1 Field Trip to Limestone Mine ................................................................................................. 2 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Member Spotlight ................................................................................................................... 4 President GAC Update ............................................................................................................................ 7 Dan Billman, P.G., C.P.G. Billman Geologic Consultants, LLC [email protected] President Elect MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Martin F. Helmke, PhD, P.G. West Chester University of Pennsylvania [email protected] Welcome to Fall!! Looking into my backyard, I see Immediate Past President the leaves of the birch trees are starting to turn color. Gary Kribbs, P.G. AEON Geoscience, Inc. Typically, Fall always seems to feel like the beginning of [email protected] a new year. Not a calendar year, obviously, but a school Permanent Director (1936-2016) year. I guess that is programmed into us, each of our first Richard E. Wright, P.G. R. E. Wright, P.G., LLC 18 to 22 years on the planet. As Professional Geologists, we are on a similar schedule. Every second year, in the Board Members Vincent Carbone, P.G., C.P.G. Fall, we need to re-register our license. HDR [email protected] By now, hopefully, you have successfully renewed your license. As the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs transitioned to an on-line renewal system, Tiffani L. Doerr, P.G. Evergreen Resources Management Operations there were a few reported bugs. To quote roadside signs from PennDOT, this was [email protected] likely a “Temporary Inconvenience Brenda Costa, P.G. French Creek Valley Conservancy for a Permanent Improvement.” In the [email protected] long run, however, making the license Barbara Dunst, P.G. renewal process quicker and easier EQT Production [email protected] can only benefit our profession. Kurt Friehauf, Ph.D., P.G. With this licensing period over, Kutztown University the PG educational “season” begins [email protected] again. Remain vigilant in your Martin F. Helmke, Ph.D., P.G. West Chester University of Pennsylvania continuing education. As applied [email protected] scientists, most geologists do indeed Valerie Holliday, P.G., C.P.G. continue educating themselves, for GeoLogos, LLC the betterment of their practice, Mark Ioos, P.G. Skelly & Loy, Inc. their clients and their companies. [email protected] One important benefit of PCPG Jim LaRegina, P.G. membership is that our continuing Herbert Rowland & Grubic [email protected] education program makes it quick and Russell Losco, P.G. easy to get required PDHs. The PCPG Lanchester Soil Consultants, Inc. bi-weekly news blasts and quarterly [email protected] newsletters will give you early Jennifer L. O’Reilly, P.G. Groundwater & Environmental Services, Inc. notice for course offerings, and your [email protected] membership entitles you to registration John Torrence, P.G. fee discounts. ERM [email protected] Fall also tends to be a new Richard Wardrop, P.G. beginning for our local professional Groundwater & Environmental Services, Inc. [email protected] and scientific societies’ activities General Information: [email protected] Fall splendor in the PCPG president’s backyard. Continued on Page 11 PENNSYLVANIA COUNCIL OF PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGISTS | 1 | FALL 2017 PCPG Newsletter PCPG FIELD TRIP TO CARBONATES AND KARST IN THE YORK AREA Lead Author - Kurt Friehauf, Ph.D., P.G. Assist - John Torrence, P.G. On June 6, 2017 PCPG and fellow scientists went on an all-day field trip to two limestone mines in the vicinity of York, PA. The first stop was at the Magnesita Refractories surface quarry and the second stop was at the underground Pennsy Supply mine. Stop 1 – Magnesita Refractories quarry area Pinnacles of exhumed bedrock surface exposing the Ledger Formation dolostone were dug out by hand with shovels to produce fill soil for sale (figure 1). Seeing the depth of channels in this uneven bedrock surface was very thought-provoking, knowing similar surfaces lie beneath our feet in a lot of limestone country. The exposed dolomite bedrock showed several features potentially relevant in the context of containment of infiltrating and dispersing groundwater contaminants. More dolomitic rocks in the sequence behaved in a more brittle fashion, so tectonic stresses during the Paleozoic orogenies fractured dolostones more thoroughly. This brittleness results in lowered RQD values and consequently reduced mining costs because the rock is already partially broken. Another consequence of the highly fractured nature of the dolostone is greater dissolution by Figure 1. Exhumed bedrock surface in karst groundwater along fractures where the flow rates are higher (figure 2). Although fracture orientations were locally sheeted or subparallel, fracture orientations on a deposit scale were not systematic. Only broad 30-ft wide channels traversed the area parallel to the regional strike to bedding. Weathering along fractures and exposed surfaces of dolomite formed brown iron-oxide weathering rinds, either as a residual iron from small amounts of iron in dolomite structure or exotic iron transported by infiltrating groundwaters. A 1999 field trip guidebook article exists on this site for readers interested in greater detail. Stop 2 – Overview of current Magnesita Refractories pit Magnesita mines very high purity dolomite for use in refractory bricks (e.g., steel ladles and cement kilns). Impurities are exceptionally low (< 1% SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3). This high purity is the primary factor in the value of the rock. Of secondary importance to rock value is grain size, with finer grained material being preferred because coarse-grained dolomite Figure 2. Dissolution along fractures in dolostone breaks more easily in the kiln. Continued on Page 3 FALL 2017 | 2 | PENNSYLVANIA COUNCIL OF PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGISTS PCPG Newsletter FIELD TRIP Continued from Page 2 The target strata was deposited originally as an oolitic limestone, probably as shelf margin carbonates akin to the knee-deep waters of the Bahamas. Magnesium-rich brines then infiltrated through the oolitic shoals to make pure dolomite. Some microbial reefs/bioherms are present in the formation, but the reefs have low porosity and were consequently not dolomitized, forming blocks of uneconomic limestone waste (figure 3). A subsequent dedolomitization event also down- graded portions of the formation by converting dolomite back into a calcitic metasomatic marble (figure 4). This calcitic marble is avoided by the Magnesita mining operations, but is extracted by Vulcan Materials who work symbiotically with Magnesita to remove sub-par dolostone and limestone for sale as aggregate. Red pockets of Triassic paleokarst infilled with maroon shale, commonly localized on dedolomitized marble, also constitute waste for Magnesita, but ore for Vulcan Materials (figure 3). Figure 3. Magnesita pit with maroon Triassic karst fill Red shale sediment fill drapes to sag in the middle of caves. Triassic cover is also represented by the New Oxford Formation conglomerate, deposited as an alluvial fan (“fanglomerate”) with clasts of variably rounded oolitic dolostone, reef limestone, marble, and Triassic shale in a red mud matrix (figure 5). Roughly 45° plunging slickenlines in the New Oxford conglomerate suggested either oblique slip along Triassic faults, or rotation of the fault surface after slickenline formation (figure 6). Stop 3 – Old Castle Industrial Minerals high-calcium limestone What began as a surface quarry in 1901 became an underground limestone mine in 1958. Still in operation, the Pennsy Supply mine located in Thomasville, PA produces aggregate and industrial minerals that are used to make caulks and fillers, as well as decorative stone. This mine produces high- calcium (+94%) with a bright white color and composition and Figure 4. Dedolomitized metasomatic calcitic marble in the Ledger Formation Figure 5. Triassic New Oxford Conglomerate Figure 6. Oblique slickenlines in New Oxford Conglomerate Continued on Page 5 PENNSYLVANIA COUNCIL OF PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGISTS | 3 | FALL 2017 PCPG Newsletter MEMBER SPOTLIGHT – EICHELBERGERS, INC. DR24 DUAL ROTARY DRILLING RIG Eichelbergers, Inc. began providing residential wells locally in 1946. With its corporate headquarters in Mechanicsburg PA, Eichelbergers is now known for providing a variety of drilling services throughout the northeastern United States including water supply wells, monitoring wells, extraction wells, geothermal bores, geotechnical rock coring/split spoon sampling and supporting services to the Marcellus and Utica shale plays. As a continued leader in the drilling industry, Eichelbergers has recently expanded it services with the addition of a new Foremost DR24 dual rotary drilling rig. The dual rotary drilling technology uses conventional drilling tools on a power head, while utilizing a lower drive system to rotate and advance a string of steel casing. The dual rotary technology has a track record of proven success in challenging overburden drilling conditions. A carbide studded casing shoe is welded to the bottom of the first casing joint to assist the casing in cutting