Scholars' Mine Masters Theses Student Theses and Dissertations 1965 The geology of the interstate highway 244 and 44 exchange, Kirkwood, Missouri John Neil Thomas Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/masters_theses Part of the Geology Commons Department: Recommended Citation Thomas, John Neil, "The geology of the interstate highway 244 and 44 exchange, Kirkwood, Missouri" (1965). Masters Theses. 5338. https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/masters_theses/5338 This thesis is brought to you by Scholars' Mine, a service of the Missouri S&T Library and Learning Resources. This work is protected by U. S. Copyright Law. Unauthorized use including reproduction for redistribution requires the permission of the copyright holder. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE GEOLOGY OF THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY 244 AND 44 INTERCHANGE, KIRKWOOD MISSOURI BY JOHN NEIL THOMAS A THESIS submitted to the faculty of the UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT ROLLA in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE, GEOLOGY MAJOR Rolla, Missouri 1965 Approved by ~~ (advisor) ~.Ad~ ii ABSTRACT During the summer of 1964, construction was completed on the intersection of Interstate Highways 244, 44 and u.s. Highway 66, one mile southwest of Kirkwood, Missouri. Dur­ ing the construction of the interchange, numerous artificial exposures of rocks of the middle Mississippian Meramecian Series were exposed. This provided an excellent opportunity for examining fresh exposures near the type Meramecian Ser­ ies. The formations of the area were studied, and starti­ graphic sections were prepared from three of the more com­ plete sections that were measured and described. The high­ way cuts expose complete sections of the Warsaw and Salem formations, and the lower part of the St. Louis Formation. The exposed sections within the thesis area were correlated both locally and regionally. Correlations of the local sec­ tions indicate considerable lateral variability of the lime­ stone and shale units within the Warsaw and Salem formations. A geologic map of the interchange area was prepared while the bedrock was sti 11 exposed along the roadway, prior to filling and grading. Thirty-three thin sections were prepared from the lime­ stones in the sections. The carbonate rock types varied from a biosparite in the Warsaw and lower Salem formations, to a micrite in the upper Salem and St. Louis formations. The implications of the observable features in the thin sections indicate that the Meramecian Series was laid down during moderately shallow water conditions. During Wareaw times the iii seas were muddy as indicated by the prominence of shales in the formation, although there is the possibility of current action which either brought in no clays, or removed the finer muds during carbonate deposition. This lack of clays in the carbonate sections could also be the result of a lowering of the source area, thus eliminating the influx of muds and clays, allowing carbonate deposition to occur in the absence of the clay material. The presence of ripple marks and cross-bedding in much of the Salem Formation indicates shallow water deposition. The presence of intraformational breccia in rocks de­ posited during St. Louis time indicates that general quies­ cent conditions of sedimentation were periodically inter­ rupted by possible tectonic activity. In general, the car­ bonates of the St. Louis Formation are very fine-grained. The presence of algal growths indicates that a very small part of the formation is of organic origin. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author wishes to thank and express his appreciation to Professor A. c. Spreng who acted as advisor on the thesis and also supervised the field and laboratory work. The Missouri Highway Department furnished the necessary maps of the interchange and donated a core taken from the area. The author is indebted to his mother, Mrs. Dorothy o. Thomas, and Mrs. V. H. McNutt for financial aid during the period of his field work. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT . ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. iv LIST OF FIGURES. vii LIST OF PLATES. viii I. INTRODUCTION •••••••••••• . 1 A. Purpose and Scope 1 B. Procedure of Study 1 C. Previous Work • 2 II. GEOGRAPHY AND PHYSIOGRAPHY. 4 A. location. 4 B. Culture 4 c. Regional Setting. 6 D. Topography and Drainage 6 III. STRATIGRAPHY •••••••••••••••• . .. 8 A. History of Series and Formation Names 8 B. Sections. 11 1. sylvan Beach Stratigraphic Section 14 2. Northeast Stratigraphic Section. 19 3. East Stratigraphic section 24 c. Petrology 27 1. Carbonates 28 a) Limestones. 28 b) Dolomites 32 2. Shale 35 3. Chert 37 D. Formational Contacts. 39 1. Keokuk Warsaw Contact. 41 2. Warsaw - Salem Contact 42 3. Salem St. Louis Contact • 43 E. Paleontology. 43 F. Correlations. 51 IV. ENVIRONMENTS OF DEPOSITION •••••••• . 59 A. Warsaw Time 59 B. Salem Time. 61 c. St. Louis Time. 63 V. ENGINEERING GEOLOGY ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 66 vi Page VI. CONCLUSION......... • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 68 BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................... 70 VITA ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••.••••••••.••••••••• 74 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Evolution of Formation Names in the Meramecian Series.... 10 2. Sylvan Beach Stratigraphic Section •••••••••••••••• 14 3. Continuation of Figure 2 • . • • . ............. .. 15 4. Continuation of Figure 2 • .....•....••..•..••.••••• 16 5. Continuation of Figure 2 . • . • • . • . • • • • • . • • • • • . • . 17 6. Continuation of Figure 2 . • . • . • . 18 7. Northeast Stratigraphic Section ••••••••••••••••.•• 19 8. Continuation of Figure 7 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • 20 9. Continuation of Figure 7 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 21 10. Continuation of Figure 7 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 22 11. Continuation of Figure 7 • • . • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • 23 12. East Stratigraphic Section •••••••••••••••••••••••• 24 13. Continuation of Figure 12......................... 25 14. Continuation of Figure 12 •••••••••••••••••.••.••.• 26 15. Faunal chart showing the ranges of the common species in the Warsaw, Salem and St. louis formations, at the I-244, 44 Interchange, Kirkwood, Missouri.............................. 46 16. Keokuk - Warsaw Contact in Quarry located in theSE~, SE~, Sec. 8, T. 44 N., R. 5 E., Kirkwood, Missouri Quadrangle .••...•••.•..•••••• 53 17. Regional Correlation of Osage - Meramecian formations. 56 18. Local Correlation of Osage - Meramecian formations...................................... 57 19. Local Correlation of Warsaw- Salem formations.... 58 viii LIST OF PLATES Plate Page I An aerial view of the Interchange area, look- ing south southwest ........................... 5 II A. An aerial view of I-44, 244 interchange showing location of Sylvan Beach Strati- graphic section •........................... 12 B. An aerial view of I-44, 244 interchange showing location of the Northeast Strat- igraphic Section. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • . 12 III An aerial view of I-44,244 interchange, showing location of the East Stratigraphic Section ••.•. 13 IV Photomicrograph of Warsaw biosparite. X 26 •.••••• 29 V Photomicrograph of Lower Salem biosparite. X 26 •• 31 VI A. Photomicrograph of upper Salem micrite. X 26. 33 B. Cross-bedding of the Salem Formation located in the upper part of the Sylvan Beach Sec- tion . ..... • ............................. • . 33 VII A. Photomicrograph of St. Louis micrite. X 75 ••• 34 B. Breccia in St. Louis Formation located in Meramec Highlands Quarry in the SE~, SE~, Sec. 8, T. 44 N., R. 5 E., Kirkwood, Missouri Quadrangle •••••••••••••.••.•.•.••• 34 VIII An exposure of Warsaw shale in the Sylvan Beach section . ........... ,. 36 IX A. Long ellipsoidal chert nodules in upper Salem Formation in the Sylvan Beach section. 40 B. Primary chert nodules in upper Salem For­ mation in the Northeast section •••••••••••• 40 X Warsaw - Salem contact in the Sylvan Beach section. 44 XI Photograph of Dictyonema blairi Gurley, found in Lower Warsaw Formation in the Sylvan Beach section. • • • • . • . • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • . • 49 XII A. Photomicrograph of EndothyEa baileyi (Hall) X 75. From the upper Salem Formation •••••• 50 B. Algal structure in St. Louis Formation ••••••• SO ix Plate Page XIII Geology of the Interstate Highway 244, 44 Interchange, Kirkwood, Missouri ••••••••• (In pocket) 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Purpose and Scope During the summer of 1963, the Weber Construction Com­ pany contracted to build the interchange of Interstate High­ ways 44 and 244, located in the southwestern corner of st. Louis County, Missouri. In their construction, they made numerous artificial exposures of the Meramecian Series of Mississippian age, which provided an excellent opportunity for examining fresh exposures of the type series. It is the purpose of this paper to ascertain the geo­ logy of the interchange area and redescribe the lithologies of the type Meramecian Series. In addition to detailed map­ ping, attention was given in the investigation to the paleon­ tology, petrology, and depositional conditions of the Warsaw, Salem and St. Louis formations. The base map used in the study was surveyed by the Missouri Highway Department. B. Procedure of Study During the summer of 1964, in the final phase of con­ struction of the interchange, the writer was granted per­ mission to begin a geological field investigation of the exposures.