Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 8-1986 Stratigraphic and Sedimentologic Analysis of the Middle Devonian Filer Sandstone John Charles Rodwan Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Geology Commons Recommended Citation Rodwan, John Charles, "Stratigraphic and Sedimentologic Analysis of the Middle Devonian Filer Sandstone" (1986). Master's Theses. 1349. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/1349 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STRATIGRAPHIC AND SEDIMENTOLOGIC ANALYSIS OF THE MIDDLE DEVONIAN FILER SANDSTONE by John Charles Rodwan A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Department of Geology Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan August 1986 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. STRATIGRAPHIC AND SEDIMENTOLOGIC ANALYSIS OF THE MIDDLE DEVONIAN FILER SANDSTONE John Charles Rodwan, M.S. Western Michigan University, 1986 The Filer Sandstone, a multistory assemblage o£ lenticular sand bodies, is a member of the Middle Devonian Amherstburg Formation of the Detroit River Group in the subsurface of the western and central portion of the Michigan Basin. It is distinguished from the reworked eolian and nearshore marine sand facies of the underlying Sylvania Sandstone by recognition of its barrier island facies relationships and stratigraphic position within enclosing carbonates unique to the Amherstburg Formation. Lithologically, the Filer ranges from a fine-grained, carbonate-cemented, supermature quartzarenite at its upper shoreface facies, to a texturally-inverted sandy carbonate at its lagoonal facies. Facies distribution was controlled by sea floor topography. Source area for the sand is believed to be Cambrian and Ordovician sandstones of the Wisconsin Highland region to the northwest. From there, wind and streams distributed the sand to oscillating strandlines with attendant barrier islands in the Amherstburg Sea. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS For offering their guidance and suggestions I express thanks to Drs. William B. Harrison, W. Thomas Straw and John D. Grace. Also, I am indebted to the following persons for providing materials or lending their services to expedite this investigation: Bill Bolio of Wiser Oil; Darwin Buthala of Western Michigan University; Joyce Budai of the University of Michigan; Peter Clemens of Western Michigan University; Denise Rodwan of Information Transfer Systems; and, Dianne Roycraft of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. John Charles Rodwan Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI 1 . 0 111. B^i 2.2 fttt I li. 1 ^ Li I I 2.0 ULi 1.1 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS STANDARD REFERENCE MATERIAL 1010a (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) University Microfilms International A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 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These prints are available upon request from the Dissertations Customer Services Department. 5. Some pages in any document may have indistinct print. In all cases the best available copy has been filmed. Uni International 300 N. Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1329018 Rodwan, John Charles STRATIGRAPHIC AND SEDIMENTOLOGIC ANALYSIS OF THE MIDDLE DEVONIAN FILER SANDSTONE Western Michigan University M.S. 1986 University Microfilms International 300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 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TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...........................................ii LIST OF FIGURES............................. v INTRODUCTION............................................ 1 General Statement....................................... 1 Purpose and Scope....................................... 1 Previous Work............................................3 Methodology.............................................. 5 MICHIGAN BASIN STRUCTURAL SETTING.......................10 GENERAL STRATIGRAPHY OF THE DETROIT RIVER GROUP........12 Garden Island and Bois Blanc Formations...............13 Sylvania Sandstone.....................................15 Amherstburg Formation................................. 18 Meldrum Member...................................... 22 Filer Sandstone Member............................ 24 Amherstburg-Lucas Formation Transition Strata 28 GEOMETRY....................................................30 IDENTIFICATION IN THE SUBSURFACE........................36 LITHOLOGY...................................................40 INTERNAL FEATURES......................................... 47 DEPOSITIONAL HISTORY OF DETROIT RIVER SANDS............ 50 Sylvania Sandstone.....................................52 Filer Sandstone........................................ 56 iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table of Contents— Continued Sandy Lithofacies of Lucas Formation................63 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS....................................64 APPENDICES A. Location of Wells Used in Study.................. 68 B. Plates............................................... 72 BIBLIOGRAPHY................................................ 90 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OP FIGURES 1. Generalized Stratigraphic Column................... 2 2. Study