STATE OF TENNESSEE . Y STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVE . N l on . e s Wilbur A , State Geologist . B ULLETIN 22 o gy and Natur Re s ourc e s 0 Ruthe r o rd Co unt y , Te nne s s e e GA LLO W A Y By J. 1 . N V NN . ASH ILLE , TE ESSEE I9 I9 STATE GEO LO GICA L CO MMISSIO N E ha irman . C A . H ROB RTS , , Gover no r Te nness ee of . DR . N H . A MORGA , Pres id ent nive rsit Tenne s e U o s e . , y f D R . F M MCREE , o mm iss io ner A ri ulture C 0f g c . N . V A W . E A S , hie Mine Ins ecto r C f p . D . D R . N J H KIRKLA , l r a nd e r il er i Cha nc el o V b t Univ s t . , y N BISHOP A . W . K IGHT , - i r o uth Vice Cha nce llo r Un ve s it o th e S . , y f GEO LO GICA L CO RPS N N WILBUR A . ELSO , tate eo lo is t S G g . D BRUCE WA E , i e o l is t As s s tant State G og . D ND J . I . HI S , h emi st C . Z J . A . SWIT ER , d rauli E n ineer Hy c g . D D " R . S . MA O , Fo re te r s . Table of Contents Preface — Ch apter I l ntrod uc tion Towns Railroads and Roads Clim at e Ec onomi—c R esourc es Ch apter II Top ographic D es cription Rim of Hills Th e Central Plain D rainag e Glade s Kinds of Glade s O rigin —of Glades Chapter III TO pogr aphi c History Stages i n th e To p ographi c His tory Th e Highland Rim Peneplain Stage High T errace Gravel Stag e Th e Central B asin P eneplain Stage Th e R ec ent U plift Th e Shap e of th e Central B asin Ca es S nk - Ho es and n er roun D ra na , U g g e v i— l d d i Chapt er IV D es criptive Geolo gy His tori cal Revi ew Stratigraphy and A real Dis tribution R ocks N ot Exp os e d at Surface Rocks Exp ose d at th e Surfac e O r dovi c i an Sys tem Stones River Group M urfrees boro Limes tone Name and D efinition A real Di stri b uti on Thi ckness Charact er Comp osition Fos s ils Soil Pi erc e Lim es tone Nam e an d D efiniti on Thi ckness A real Dis trib ution Charac t er Stratigraphi c R elations F ossils Soil Ridley Lim es tone N am e and D efinition A real Di stribution Thi cknes s Charac ter Stratigraphi c Relations TABLE O F CONTENTS Leb anon Formation N am e and Definition Thi cknes s Stratigraphi c R elations Fos sils Soil Black River Group Carters Lim est one N am e and D efinition A real Distrib ution Stratigraphi c R elations Soil Trent on Group Hermitage Formation N am e and D efinition A real Distrib ution Thickness Charac ter Stratigraphi c Rel ations Fos sils Soil Bigby Form ati on Name and D efinition A real Di s trib ution Thicknes s Charac ter Stratigraphi c Relations Cannon Limes t one N am e and D efi nition Areal Di stribution Thi ckness Charact er Stratigraphi c R elations Fos sils Soil M aysville Group Leip ers Formation Name and D efinition A real Dis trib ution Character Stratigraphi c R elations U nconformity B etw een th e Cannon and th e Chattanooga Shale Carb onifer ous Sys t em Mi ssi ss ippian Seri es Chattanoo ga Form ation N ame and D efinition 4 TAB LE or CONTENTS Stratigr aphi c R elations For t Payne Formati on N am e and D efiniti on A real Di s trib uti on Thickness Charac ter Stratigr aphi c R el ati ons Soil — Chapt er V G eologi c Struct ure D e finition N as hville Dome Sm all Folds Faults Joints — Ch apter VI Geo lo gi c Hi s tory O rdovi c i an Tim e M urfreesb oro Ep och Pi erc e Ep och Ridley Ep o ch Leb anon Ep oc h U nrecor de d Interval Cart ers Ep och U nrecor de d Interval H erm itage Ep och U nrecor de d Int erval Cannon Epoch U nrecor ded Interval Leip ers Ep och U nrec or de d Interval Carb oniferous Time Missi ssippi an P eriod Chattanooga Ep och U nrecorde d Int erval Sub—sequent Event s Chapt er VII N atural R esourc es Soil B uilding Stones Road M at eri al Coa O il and Gas l , Mi s c ellaneous Mi neral s L T O F IL L U S T R ATI IS O N S . — a e I M a of R u er or oun n P p f C y, S ow g P ys ograp c R eg ons " l t — th d t h i h i hi i Plat e II —Diagram Sh owing th e To po graphi c Hi s tory of t he Central Basin a e enera e Sec on of the R ock s i n Ru er or Coun T enn 30 Pl t III G liz d ti th f d ty, M APS . In ocke on ack Geolo gi cal M ap of Rutherfor d County . p t b Geology and Natural Resources of Rutherford n Tennessee Cou ty, GA O W AY By J. J. LL PREFACE The survey upon which the present report is ba s ed was made in summer o f 1 9 1 5 f o r the Tennes see Geological Survey and the sur nt o f Agriculture of the University o f Tennessee . The N . onducted w . by the riter in association with Mr H Coryell , h ffi a University , to w om he is especially indebted for e cient The mapping of the are al geology of that part of the o f 62 included in the Woodbury quadrangle , an area square was D r . r . f D . o les , done by . E O Ulrich and R S Bassler , the 1 0 . f o 9 8 . S Geological Survey , in the summer The base map f o r the parts o f the county included in the Mur N Woodbury , Hollow Springs , and ashville quadrangles was d by . the U . S . Geological Survey . The remainder of the was . surveyed , for the base map , by Mr Fred Maloney and 1 1 . o f . 9 5 M Ferris , Knoxville , Tenn , in the summer of . l m ent r no w ed D . g is also due to the late A H Purdue , State lo ist f - r o D . c o . g Tennessee , for his hearty operation ; to E O Ulrich s o f his ervices in the identification the geologic formations , and to C . A . Malott for valuable assistance in the interpretation of the ” ra hic p history of the county . e purposes o f the survey were " ( 1 ) to determine the natural ces o f the county ; ( 2) to gather data for a detailed study of 3 f or th e o f the geology ; and ( ) to furnish a basis study the soil , in t o an endeavor increase its productivity and to reclaim waste land . The soil survey is not yet completed . A report on the paleontology f o N . the Stones River group is being prepared by Mr . H . Coryell CHAPTE R I . INT R OD U CT ION Locati on and E xt ent Rutherford County is the central county of the State . The geo graphical center of the State is on an area of bare rock o f about ten a two - o f cres in extent , and one half miles northeast Murfreesboro on the Lascassas pike . The county is also near the center o f the p i r hi s og ap c region known as the Central Basin . f 607 The county has an area o approximately square miles . u bounded on the north by Wilson Co nty, on the east by Cannon ff e s Co e counties , on the south by Bedford and Marshall countie , D on the west by Williamson and avidson counties . T boundary follows approximately the watershed or divide D Stones River and the uck River drainage basins , and the w boundary was designed to follow the divide between the Stones and the Harpeth River basins . i a o f The east , south , and west boundar es , and also p rt the no one . u , are very irregular Many of the irreg larities were made the State Legislature in response to petitions from farmers who 0 “ ” r land along the line , in order that the liners might pay thei t V r and ote in the county which was most convenient f o them . i s t county , however , largely a natural geographic uni . T owns Murfreesboro , the county seat , is the largest town in the co and has a population O f about It is the most important ing center in the county and is accessibl e from all directions by pikes .