Scholars' Mine Masters Theses Student Theses and Dissertations 1971 Distribution, petrology, and environment of the St. Louis-Ste. Genevieve transition zone in Missouri Donald Howerton Fielding Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/masters_theses Part of the Geology Commons Department: Recommended Citation Fielding, Donald Howerton, "Distribution, petrology, and environment of the St. Louis-Ste. Genevieve transition zone in Missouri" (1971). Masters Theses. 6705. https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/masters_theses/6705 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]. DISTRIBUTION, PETROLOGY, AND ENVIRONMENT OF THE ST. LOUIS-STE. GENEVIEVE TRANSITION ZONE IN MISSOURI by DONALD HOWERTON FIELDING, 1938- A THESIS submitted to the faculty of UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI - ROLLA in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN GEOLOGY Rolla, Missouri 1971 Approved by (Advisor) 1 ii ABSTRACT In eastern Missouri, southeastern Iowa, and western Illinois e a transition zone, a body of rock consisting of several lithosomes which has a geographic extent measured in scores to hundreds of miles and which lies between a single overlying formation and a single underlying formation and which has lithologic and/or paleontologic properties common to both the overlying and the underlying formations, was found to exist between the St. Louis and the Ste. Genevieve for­ mations. This transition zone is called the St. Louis-Ste. Genevieve Transition Zone, and is shown to possibly be due to continuous deposi­ tion between these two times and a transitional or alternating environ­ ment. It is believed that these conditions existed in Late Meramec­ ian times in the study area alternating between a near-shore environ­ ment that deposited the Ste. Genevieve-like arenaceous oo- and bio­ sparites and a far-shore environment that deposited the St. Louis- like lithographic to sublithographic micrites and biomicrites. The geographic extent of the depressed Transition Zone is postulated to range from just north of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, northwestward into southeastern Iowa. The distribution is probably the result of a bird­ foot delta to the northeast, the prevailing winds, and sediment-carry­ ing currents that moved the sediments contributed by the major river system(s) that built-up such a delta. It is suggested that if the Transition Zone becomes recognized widely enough that it be given formal status and termed the Alton Member and assigned to the St. Louis Formation. A suggested type­ locality in Alton, Illinois, is included. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My most sincere thanks go to my faculty advisor, Dr. A. C. Spreng, who originally suggested I examine the upper Meramecian for a thesis problem, accompanied me on many field examinations, and who counselled me throughout. I wish to thank the Department of Geology and Geophysics of the University of Missouri - Rolla for the NDEA Fellowship which made my graduate work possible and the V. H. McNutt Memorial Foundation for the support to accomplish the necessary field work. Thanks should also go to the many individual quarry operators who generously provided their facilities, as well as to the men and women of the state geological surveys of Missouri, Iowa and Illinois. Special thanks go to my wife, without whose encouragement, typing skills, and patience, this thesis would not have been possible. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT • • • • • . • . • • • • • • . • . • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • . • • . • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • . i i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT • • . • • • . • • • . • . • . • • . • . • . • . • • • iii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ....••..•...........•....•.•..•••••••••••.••• viii I . INTRODUCTION • . • . • . • . • . • . • . • . 1 A. Purpose of Investigation •....••....•.•..........•.....•• 3 B. Location ................................................ 4 C. Upper Meramecian Nomenclature •..•••••••.••.••••••...•••• 6 II. DISTRIBUTION OF THE UPPER MERAMECIAN IN NORTHERN MISSOURI •••• 10 A. The Mississippian in Missouri •••..••.• .- .......•.•.•.••• 10 1. The Upper Meramecian in Northern Missouri •••...••• 11 2. Historical Background ••.....•••.••..••.•........•• 15 3. Upper Meramecian Exposures . • . • . • . • . • • • . • 30 B. Structure of Northern Missouri ••...••..•.•••.•........• 31 1. Ozark Dome ........................................ 32 2. Lincoln Fold ...•.................................. 32 3. The Cap au Gr~s Fault ..•.•......•••••.•...••...••• 35 4. The Illinois Basin (Eastern Interior Basin) .•••••• 36 5. The Forest· City Basin (Western Interior Basin) •••• 36 C. Distribution of the Upper Meramecian ••••••••...•••..•.. 37 1. Source of Data .................................... 38 2. Distribution of the Ste. Genevieve Formation in Northern Missouri •......•.....•.•••...•••• 39 3. Distribution of the St. Louis Formation in Northern Missouri ••••....•...•....•.•••.•• 45 v Table_of Contents (continued) Page III. THE LITHOLOGY AND CONTACT OF THE ST. LOUIS AND THE STE. GENEVIEVE FORMATION ••••.•••••••••••••• 52 ' A. Lithologic Character of the St. Louis Formation ••••.•.• 52 B. Lithologic Character of the Ste. Genevieve Formation ••• 53 C. The St. Louis-Ste. Genevieve Contact ••.•••..•...•...••• 55 IV. THE NATURE OF THE TRANSITION ZONE ·········••·•••••••••••••••• 58 A. Definition . • . • . • . • . 58 B. The Character of a Transition Zone ••••••••••••••••••••• 59 1. General Character ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 59 a. Composition ..•••••••......................... 59 b. Shape ••.......•.............................. 60 c. Boundaries .• .. • . 61 2. Recognition of a Transition Zone •••..•••...•.••••• 61 3. The Use of a Transition Zone ••••.••••••.••..•..••• 66 a. The Correlation Significance of Transition Zones •.••.•.•....•.•.•••......•••• 66 b. The Genetic Significance of Transition Zones ..• .. •. • • . • . • . • . • • • • . • . • • . • • • • 6 7 c. The Economic Significance of Transition Zones ••••••.••.•..•.••...•.....•.•...•..•..•• 67 c. The St. Louis-Ste. Genevieve Transition Zone ••...•••..• 67 1. The Petrology of the St. Louis-Ste. Genevieve Transition Zone ............................. 68 a. St. Louis-Ste. Genevieve Transition Zone Characteristic Assemblage Table •••.••..•••••• 68 b. Photomicrographs .• .• . • • . • • • • • • . • • • . • . • • • 70 vi Table of Contents (continued) Page 2. The Environment of the St. Louis-Ste. Genevieve Transition Zone •..•.••.•...••.••..•••.•.•••• 70 3. Distribution of the St. Louis-Ste. Genevieve Trans i t ion Zone • • • • . • . , • . • . • • • . • . • . • 8 5 V. SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS •••.•.•.•..•••••...••..•....•••••• 89 A. Suggestions •........................................... 89 1. Suggested Nomenclature Changes •.••.....•.•...•..•. 89 2. Suggested Additional Research ••••..•..•••••••...•• 90 a. Continued Study of the Extent and Distribution of the St. Louis-Ste. Genevieve Transition Zone .••••••••.•.•....••• 90 b. Study of Transition Cross-Bedding •••••••••••• 90 c. Faunal Correlations •••••••.•••••••••••••••••• 90 d. Studies of Carbonate Lateral Variation ••••••. 91 e. The Identification of Continuous and Persistent Time-Stratigraphic Units •••••••••• 91 f. Studies Involving the Economic Signi- ficance of the Transition Zone ••••••.•...••.• 91 g. The Extension of the Concept of a "Transition Zone" .....•...................... 91 B. Conclusions ...•...•.................................... 92 B IBLIOO'RAPHY ••••••••..••.........••.....•........•....•.....•.....•• 94 APPENDIX- MEASURED STRATIGRAPHIC SECTIONS .••••••••••••••.•••...••• 102 DESIGNATION SYSTEM FOR STRATIGRAPHIC SECTIONS EXPLAINED ••••••• 103 DESCRIPTION OF MEASURED SECTIONS • • • • • • . • • . • • • . • . 105 SECTION I, Van Zee New Durham Quarry, Marion County, Iowa (south side of south pit) 106 vii Table of Contents (continued) Page SECTION I*, Van Zee New Durham Quarry, Marion County, Iowa (north side of south pit) ........... 111 SECTION II, Hawkeye Quarry, Henry County, Iowa .......... 116 SECTION III, Abandoned Quarry near West Point, Lee County, Iowa •••••......................... 121 SECTION IV, Baker's Quarry, Clark County, Missouri ...... 125 SECTION V, Kaser Company Quarry, Scotland County, Missouri •••••••••.••.•.... 129 SECTION VI, Outcrops along Mississippi River south of Dogtown Hollow, Calhoun County, Illinois •• 133 SECTION VII, Outcrops along Mississippi River at Alton, Madison County, Illinois 138 SECTION VIII, Missouri Portland Cement Company Quarry at Ft. Bellefontaine, St. Louis County, Missouri ••••••....•••••••••• 144 SECTION IX, Eyermann Quarry, St. Louis, Missouri •••••..• 148 SECTION X, Interstate 55 (I-55) Road cut, south St. Louis County, Missouri •.••••.•......••••• 153 SECTION XI, Little Rock Cement Quarry, Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri ••..•..•...•..•........••• 161 VITA •......•....................•....................•...........• 167 viii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figures Page 1. Map showing study area and the approximate area of upper Meramecian outcrop .............•.......................•....... 5 2. Upper Meramecian correlation in area studied ••••..............•. 8 3. Principle structural features in Missouri ••....... ............ 33 4. Development of the principle structural features in Missouri during the Paleozoic