SEDIMENTATION AND STRATIGRAPHY OF THE DEVONIAN ROCKS OF SOUTHEASTERN INDIANA Compiled by HAYDN H. MURRAY Indiana Department of Conservation GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Field Conference Guidebook No. 8 1955 STATE OF INDIANA George N. Craig, Governor DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION Harley G. Hook, Director GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Charles F. Deiss, State Geologist Bloomington __________________________________________________________________________________ Field Conference Guidebook No. 8 __________________________________________________________________________________ SEDIMENTATION AND STRATIGRAPHY OF THE DEVONIAN ROCKS OF SOUTHEASTERN INDIANA Compiled by Haydn H. Murray Contributions by T. A. Dawson R. K. Leininger Duncan J. McGregor Haydn H. Murray John B. Patton William J. Wayne CONFERENCE SPONSORED BY Geological Survey, Indiana Department of Conservation, and Department of Geology, Indiana University, September 30 to October 2, 1955 CONFERENCE COMMITTEE Haydn H. Murray, Chairman; T. A. Dawson; Duncan J. McGregor; William H. Moran; John B. Patton; William J. Wayne; and Gerald S. Woodard Printed by authority of the state of Indiana BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA September 1955 __________________________________________________________________________________ For sale by Geological Survey, Indiana Deportment of Conservation, Bloomington, Indiana Price $ 1.00 CONTENTS 3 Page Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 Summary of program---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 Itinerary------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 Saturday, October 1, 1955 ------------------------------------------------------------------ 9 Stop 1. Fourteen Mile Creek----------------------------------------------------------- 10 Stop 2. Falls of the Ohio River -------------------------------------------------------- 12 Stop 3. Abandoned quarry, Sellersburg Stone Company -------------------------- 15 Stop 4. Louisville Cement Company quarry ---------------------------------------- 17 Stop 5. Exposure of Rockford limestone -------------------------------------------- 19 Stop 6. Scott County Stone Company quarry --------------------------------------- 21 Stop 7. Paul Frank quarry-------------------------------------------------------------- 24 Sunday, October 2, 1955 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 27 Stop 8A. Meshberger Stone Company quarry -------------------------------------- 29 Stop 8B. Spillway section, Brush Creek reservoir, Muscatatuck State School ----------------------------------------------------------- 31 Stop 9. Cave Stone Company quarry ------------------------------------------------- 35 Stratigraphy -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 37 Geneva dolomite ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 37 Jeffersonville limestone --------------------------------------------------------------- 38 Sellersburg (North Vernon) limestone ----------------------------------------------- 39 New Albany shale ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 43 Conditions of sedimentation during deposition of Devonian rocks in southeastern Indiana ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 43 Deposition of Geneva dolomite ------------------------------------------------------- 44 Deposition of Jeffersonville limestone ----------------------------------------------- 44 Deposition of Sellersburg limestone ------------------------------------------------- 45 Deposition of New Albany shale ----------------------------------------------------- 46 Geomorphology of field conference area ----------------------------------------------------- 46 Physiographic units -------------------------------------------------------------------- 46 4 CONTENTS Page Dearborn upland ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 46 Muscatatuck regional slope ----------------------------------------------------------- 46 Scottsburg lowland --------------------------------------------------------------------- 46 Norman upland -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 46 Tertiary erosion and deposits -------------------------------------------------------------- 47 Erosion surfaces------------------------------------------------------------------------- 47 Tertiary deposits ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 47 Pleistocene geomorphic history and deposits -------------------------------------------- 47 Kansan glaciation and Yarmouth interglacial age ---------------------------------- 47 Illinoian glaciation and Sangamon interglacial age -------------------------------- 47 Wisconsin glaciation ------------------------------------------------------------------- 48 Industrial minerals in the field conference area ---------------------------------------------- 48 The mineral aggregates industry----------------------------------------------------------- 48 Production ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 48 Uses -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 48 Economics ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 50 Distribution and stratigraphy of mineral raw materials -------------------------------- 50 Sand and gravel ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 50 Crushed stone --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 50 Specifications for mineral aggregates----------------------------------------------------- 51 Importance of mineral raw materials in the conference area -------------------------- 51 Uses of mineral raw materials --------------------------------------------------------- 51 Some economic considerations -------------------------------------------------------- 52 Chemical composition of Devonian rocks of southeastern Indiana ----------------------- 53 Chemical composition of Geneva dolomite --------------------------------------------- 53 Chemical composition of Jeffersonville limestone ------------------------------------- 54 Chemical composition of Sellersburg (North Vernon) limestone --------------------- 55 Speed facies ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 55 CONTENTS 5 Page Silver Creek facies --------------------------------------------------------------------- 55 Beechwood limestone member ------------------------------------------------------- 56 Chemical composition of New Albany shale -------------------------------------------- 56 Addenda ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 68 Graham section ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 68 Commiskey quarry section ---------------------------------------------------------------- 69 Selected bibliography --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 70 ILLUSTRATIONS Facing Plate page 1. Composite stratigraphic column of Silurian, Devonian, and adjacent rocks in southeastern Indiana ---------------------------------------------- 8 2. Map of field conference area showing route, geomorphology, and pits and quarries ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 10 3. North wall of abandoned Sellersburg quarry ------------------------------------------- 18 4. South wall of Scott County Stone Company quarry ----------------------------------- 22 5. Northeast wall of Paul Frank quarry------------------------------------------------------ 24 6. View looking east across Meshberger quarry ------------------------------------------- 30 7A. Contact of Louisville limestone and Geneva dolomite -------------------------------- 36 7B. View looking south across Cave quarry-------------------------------------------------- 36 6 TABLES Page 1. Sand and gravel sold or used by producers in Indiana during 1953 according to use -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 49 2. Crushed stone sold or used by producers in Indiana during 1953 according to use -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 49 3. Chemical and spectrographic analyses of samples from measured section at Stop 1, Fourteen Mile Creek ------------------------------------------------ 57 4. Chemical and spectrographic analyses of samples from measured section at Stop 3, abandoned quarry, Sellersburg Stone Company ------------------ 58 5. Chemical and spectrographic analyses of samples from measured section at Stop 4, Louisville Cement Company quarry ------------------------------ 59 6. Chemical and spectrographic analysis of sample from Rockford limestone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 60 7. Chemical and spectrographic analyses of samples from measured section at Stop 6, Scott County Stone Company quarry ----------------------------- 61 8. Chemical and spectrographic analyses of samples from measured section at Stop 7, Paul Frank quarry ---------------------------------------------------- 62 9. Chemical and spectrographic analyses of samples from measured section at Stop 8A, Meshberger Stone Company quarry ----------------------------- 64 10. Chemical and spectrographic analyses of samples from measured section