DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FRANKLIN K. LANE, Secretary UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Director Water-Supply Paper 399 GEOLOGY AND GROUND WATERS OF NORTHEASTERN ARKANSAS LLOYD WILLIAM STEPHENSON AND ALBERT FOSTER CRIDER WITH A DISCUSSION OF THE CHEMICAL CHAEACTEE OF THE WATEES BY RICHARD B. DOLE WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1916 CONTENTS. Page. Introduction.............................................................. 13 Physiographic provinces of Arkansas.................................... 13 Acknowledgments.................................................... 14 Bibliography............................................................. 15 Physiography............................................................ 22 Classification of features................................................ 22 Coastal Plain uplands................................................. 22 Coastal Plain lowlands................................................ 25 Advance lowland................................................. 25 Mississippi lowland............................................... 28 Small mounds......................................................... 30 Geology.................................................................... 31 General composition and structure of the area.......................... 31 Paleozoic rocks....................................................... 32 Mesozoic and Cenozoic formations..................................... 34 Generalized section............................................... 34 Cretaceous system................................................. 34 Igneous intrusions of late Lower Cretaceous or early Upper Cre­ taceous age................................................. 34 Upper Cretaceous series........................................ 35 Character and distribution................................. 35 Nacatoch sand (?)........................................ 36 General features....................................... 36 Local details.......................................... 37 Independence County............................ 37 South of Independence County.................... 40 Correlation........................................... 41 Cretaceous strata penetrated in wells and excavations........ 42 Tertiary system..,................................................ 44 Distribution.................................................. 44 Eocene series................................................. 44 Formations differentiated................................. 44 Midway formation........................................ 45 General features....................................... 45 Local details.......................................... 48 Pulaski County................................... 48 Lonoke County.................................... 49 White County................................... 49 Jackson County................................... 51 Independence County............................ 53 Correlation........................................... 53 3 4 CONTENTS. Geology Continued. Mesozoic and Cenozoic formations Continued. Tertiary system Continued. Eocene series Continued. Page. Wilcox formation.......................................... 54 General features....................................... 54 Local details.......................................... 57 Missouri.......................................... 57 Clay County...................r................. 57 Greene County................................... 58 Craighead County................................. 60 Exposures of quartzite............................ 61 Poinsett County................................... 61 Correlation........................................... 63 Claiborne formation....................................... 63 General features....................................... 63 Local details.......................................... 67 Spencer Creek, Cross County....................... 68 Cherry Valley section, Cross County................ 68 Sections east of Wynne, Cross County.............. 70 Copperas Creek section, Cross County............... 71 Correlation........................................... 72 Jackson formation........................................ 73 General features....................................... 73 Local details.......................................... 75 St. Francis County................................ 76 Phillips County.................................. 78 Arkansas River localities.......................... 79 Correlation........................................... 82 Undifferentiated Eocene.................................. 84 Pliocene series................................................ 85 Lafayette formation....................................... 85 General features....................................... 85 Local details.......................................... 89 Clay County...................................... 89 Greene County................................... 90 Craighead County................................. 91 Poinsett County................................... 91 Cross County...................................... 92 St. Francis County................................ 93 Lee County....................................... 94 Phillips County................................... 94 Western border of the Mississippi embayment....... 95 Correlation........................................... 97 Quaternary system................................................. 100 Pleistocene series............................................. 100 Loess.................................................... 100 Areal distribution..................................... 100 Stratigraphic position.................................. 101 Lithologic character................................... 101 Thickness.............................-..------------. 105 Physiographic expression............................... 105 Paleontologic character................................ 105 CONTENTS. 5 Geology Continued. Mesozoic and Cenozoic formations Continued. Quaternary system Continued. Pleistocene series Continued. Loess Continued. Page. Local details.......................................... 106 Helena, PhillipsCounty............................ 106 Forrest City, St. Francis County................... 107 Wynne, Cross County.............................. 108 Jonesboro, Craighead County...................... 110 Greene County................................... 110 Clay County...................................... Ill Western margin of the Mississippi embayment in Ar- 1 kansas......................................... Ill Correlation........................................... 112 i Alluvium................................................ 114 General features....................................... 114 Local details.......................................... 116 Cloverbend, Lawrence County..................... 116 Old Grandglaise, Jackson County.................. 116 Colona, Woodruff County........................... 117 Augusta, Woodruff County......................... 117 Phillips County.................................... 118 Logs of wells...................................... 118 Correlation........................................... 120 Recent series.................................................. 121 Undifferentiated Quaternary alluvium.......................... 122 Geologic history...................................................... 123 Deposition of Paleozoic sediments.................................. 123 Post-Paleozoic erosion interval...................................... 123 Depression in Lower Cretaceous time................................ 123 Depression and deposition in Upper Cretaceous time.........-..-.-- 124 Uplift and erosion between the Cretaceous and Eocene ............... 124 Depression and deposition in Eocene time.......................... 124 Post-Eocene erosion................................................ 126 Deposition of the Lafayette formation............................... 126 Post-Lafayette erosion interval..................................... 127 Deposition of the loess............................................. 127 Erosion of the great troughs west and east of Crowleys Ridge and depo­ sition of Pleistocene alluvium..................................... 129 Captures of Mississippi River by Ohio River........................ 131 Deposition of Recent alluvium...................................... 132 Late Pleistocene and Recent erosion............................... 132 Surface waters............................................................ 132 Streams............................................................... 132 Lakes and ponds...................................................... 133 Swamps............................................................... 133 Economic uses........................................................ 134 Ground waters............................................................. 134' Source................................................................. 134 Disposal............................................................... 135 Quantity............................................................. 135 Stratigraphic distribution............................................... 136 Cretaceous deposits................................................. 136 6 CONTENTS. Ground waters Continued. Stratigraphic distribution Continued. Page. Tertiary deposits................................................... 136 Eocene strata.................................................