Stratigraphy and Structure of the Western Kentucky Fluorspar District GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER Prepared tn cooperation with the Geological Surrey Stratigraphy and Structure of the Western Kentucky Fluorspar District 53? Robert D. Trace and Dewey H. Amos CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GEOLOGY OF KENTUCKY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 1151-D Prepared in cooperation with the Kentucky Geological Survey Mississippian and Pennsylvanian limestone and clastic rocks are exposed in northeast- trending horsts and grab ens UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, W ASH I NGT O N : 1984 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR WILLIAM P. CLARK, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Trace, Robert Denny, 1917- Stratigraphy and structure of the western Kentucky fluorspar district. (Contributions to the geology of Kentucky) (Geological Survey professional paper ; 1151-D) Bibliography: p. Supt. of Docs, no.: I 19.16:1151-D 1. Geology, Stratigraphic Mississippian. 2. Geology, Stratigraphic Pennsylvanian. 3. Geology Kentucky. I. Amos, Dewey Harold, 1925- joint author. II. Kentucky. Geological Survey. III. Title. IV. Series. V. Series: United States. Geological Survey. Professional paper ; 1151-D. QE672.T7 551.7'009769 80-607000 For sale by the Distribution Branch, U.S. Geological Survey, 604 South Pickett Street, Alexandria, VA 22304 CONTENTS Page Page Abstract ————————————— Dl Stratigraphy—Continued Introduction ——————————— 2 Pennsylvanian System—Continued Production ——————————— 3 Morrowan Provincial Series—Continued History of previous geologic work • 4 Caseyville Formation—Continued Stratigraphy — 5 Caseyville Formation, undivided, along eastern Mississippian System —— 5 margin of district ——————— ———— D22 Osagean Provincial Series——————— 5 Sequence between the Pounds Sandstone Fort Payne Formation——————— 5 Member of the Caseyville Formation and Meramecian Provincial Series ———— 7 the Grindstaff Sandstone Member of the Trade- Warsaw-Salem-St. Louis problem- 7 water Formation in Rock Creek graben————— 22 Warsaw Limestone ———————— 8 Atokan Provincial Series———————————— 23 Salem Limestone ————————— 9 Tradewater Formation —————— 23 St. Louis Limestone——————— 9 Grindstaff Sandstone Member in Lower member————_———_ 9 Rock Creek graben 23 Upper member———————_ 10 Tradewater Formation, undivided, along Ste. Genevieve Limestone ———— 10 eastern margin of the district————— 23 Fredonia Limestone Member — 10 Cretaceous System——————————————— 23 Rosiclare Sandstone Member — 11 Residual soil—————————————————————• 24 Levias Limestone Member —— 11 Gulfian Provincial Series • 24 Chesterian Provincial Series————— 11 Tuscaloosa Formation - 24 Renault Formation ——————— 11 McNairy Formation-— 25 Bethel Sandstone—————————- 12 Tertiary System—————— 25 Paint Creek Shale ———————— 13 Pliocene Series- 25 Cypress Sandstone—— 13 "Lafayette" Formation • 26 Golconda Formation — 14 Quaternary System —————— 26 Hardinsburg Sandstone- 14 Pleistocene Series ———— 27 Glen Dean Limestone — 15 Residuum ———————• 27 Tar Springs Sandstone - 15 Peoria Loess —————. 27 Vienna Limestone —— 16 Pleistocene and Holocene Series ——— 28 Waltersburg Formation- 16 Fluvial deposits of major streams — 28 Menard Limestone—— 17 Fluvial deposits of minor streams- 28 Palestine Sandstone — 17 Lacustrine and fluviolacustrine deposits 28 Clore Limestone———— 18 Aeolian sand deposits ———————— 29 Degonia Formation ——- 18 Colluvium ————————————— 29 Kinkaid Limestone —— 19 Igneous rocks ————————————————— 29 Pennsylvanian System 20 Structure ——————————————————— 31 Morrowan Provincial Series — 20 Introduction ——————————— 31 Caseyville Formation 20 Faults and associated features ———— 31 Lusk Shale Member—————————————— 20 Grabens and horsts ———————— 33 Battery Rock Sandstone Member —————— 21 Tolu Arch __———________ 33 Sequence between Battery Rock and Pounds Geophysical data — 33 Sandstone Members —————————— 21 Origin —————— 35 Pounds Sandstone Member————————. 22 Mineral deposits —— 36 References cited ——— 38 m IV CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS Page PLATE 1. Geologic map of the western Kentucky fluorspar district- In pocket FIGURE 1. Index map showing numbers of U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Quadrangle (GQ) Maps of the Kentucky fluorspar district and adjacent areas in Kentucky ————————————————————————————————— D3 Generalized stratigraphic column of exposed formations in the western Kentucky fluorspar district- 6 Map showing major structural features of the Illinois-Kentucky fluorspar district- 32 Generalized fault map of the western Kentucky fluorspar district and surrounding area in Kentucky —————— 34 Map showing major structural features, igneous rocks, and distribution of known fluorspar deposits, Illinois- Kentucky fluorspar district —————————————————————————————————————— 37 TABLES Page TABLE 1. Authors of U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Quadrangle (GQ) Maps of quadrangles in and near the Kentucky fluorspar district——————————————————————————————————————————————————————— D2 2. Fluorspar shipments from Kentucky————————————————————————————————————————————— 3 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GEOLOGY OF KENTUCKY STRATIGRAPHY AND STRUCTURE OF THE WESTERN KENTUCKY FLUORSPAR DISTRICT By ROBERT D. TRACE1 and DEWEY H. AMOS2 ABSTRACT The western Kentucky fluorspar district is part of the larger are in a north-northwest-trending belt 6 to 8 mi wide and strike N. Illinois-Kentucky fluorspar district, the largest producer of fluorspar 20°-30° W. The dikes dip from 80° to 90° and are commonly 5 to 10 ft in the United States. This report is based largely on data gathered wide. Radioisotopic study indicates that the dikes are Early Permian from 1960 to 1974 during the U.S. Geological Survey-Kentucky Geo­ in age. logical Survey cooperative geologic mapping program of Kentucky. The district is just southeast of the intersection of the east- It deals chiefly with the stratigraphy and structure of the district trending Rough Creek-Shawneetown and northeast-trending New and, to a lesser extent, with the fluorspar-zinc-lead-barite deposits. Madrid fault systems. The district's principal structural features are Sedimentary rocks exposed in the district range in age from Early a northwest-trending denial anticline, the Tolu Arch, and a series of Mississippian (Osagean) to Quaternary. Most rocks exposed at the steeply dipping to nearly vertical normal faults and fault zones that surface are Mississippian in age; two-thirds are marine fossiliferous trend dominantly northeastward and divide the area into elongated limestones, and the remainder are shales, siltstones, and sandstones. northeast-trending grabens and horsts. Formation of these grabens Osagean deep-water marine silty limestone and chert are present at and horsts was one of the major tectonic events in the district. Verti­ the surface in the southwestern corner of the district. Meramecian cal displacement may be as much as 3,000 ft but commonly ranges marine limestone is exposed at the surface in about half the area. from a few feet to a few hundred feet; no substantial horizontal move­ Chesterian marine and fluvial to fluviodeltaic clastic sedimentary ment is believed to have taken place. Many cross faults having only a rocks and marine limestone underlie about one-third of the area. The few feet of displacement trend northwestward and are occupied at total sequence of Mississippian rocks is about 3,000 ft thick. places by mafic dikes. Faulting was mostly post-Early Permian to Pennsylvanian rocks are dominantly fluvial clastic sedimentary pre-middle Cretaceous in age. rocks that change upward into younger fluviodeltaic strata. Penn­ Many theories have been advanced to explain the structural sylvanian strata of Morrowan and Atokan age are locally thicker than history of the district. A generally acceptable overall hypothesis that 600 ft along the eastern and southeastern margin and in the major would account for all the structural complexities, however, is still grabens of the district where they have been preserved from erosion. lacking. Useful structural data, such as the structural differences be­ Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments of the Mississippi embay- tween the grabens and the horsts, have been obtained, however, from ment truncate Paleozoic formations in and near the southwestern the recently completed geologic mapping. Mapping also has more corner of the district and are preserved mostly as erosional outliers. clearly shown the alinement of the Tolu Arch, the belt of dikes, and The deposits are Gulfian nonmarine gravels, sands, and clays as an unusually deep graben (the Griffith Bluff graben); this alinement much as 170 ft thick and upper Pliocene fluvial continental deposits suggests that possible igneous activity may have caused tension, as thick as 45 ft. Pleistocene loess deposits mantle the upland surface stretching, and partial collapse of the crust. Recent magnetic and of the district, and Quaternary fluvial and fluviolacustrine deposits gravity maps are useful in determining basement structural trends. are common and widespread along the Ohio and Cumberland Rivers About 3V4 million short tons of fluorspar concentrate has been and their major tributaries. produced in the district since mining began in about 1873. Small Many mafic dikes and a few mafic sills are present. The mafic quantities of zinc, barite, and lead also have been produced. rocks are mostly altered mica peridotites or lamprophyres that are Most fluorspar-zinc-lead-barite ore bodies are steeply dipping to composed of carbonate minerals,