Geology and Coal Resources of Belmont County, Ohio By HENRY L. BERRYHILL, JR. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 380 Prepared in cooperation with the Ohio Division of Geological Survey UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1963 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEW ART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington D.C. 20402 CONTENTS Page Stratigraphy Continued Abstract. __________________________________________ 1 Pennsylvanian rocks Continued Introduction _______________________________________ 1 Conemaugh formation Continued Purpose of the study- ___________________________ 1 Description of members Continued Preparation of the report ________________________ 2 Eastern Belmont County Continued Page Acknowledgments _______________________________ 2 Connellsville sandstone member __ 14 Previous workers _______________________________ 2 Lower Pittsburgh limestone mem­ Geography- ________________________________________ 3 ber __________________________ 14 Topography and drainage.-. _________________________ 3 Bellaire sandstone member. ___ 15 Structure, _ _____________________________________ 5 Upper Pittsburgh limestone mem­ Stratigraphy _ ______________________________________ 5 ber. _______________ __________ 15 General features. _______________________________ 5 Clay overlying the Upper Pitts­ Pennsylvanian rocks ___________________________ 6 Conemaugh formation. _ _____________________ 6 burgh limestone member and History of name. _______________________ 6 underlying the Pittsburgh coal Distribution__ __ _ _______________________ - 7 16 Thickness^ _ ____________________________ 7 Monongahela formation _____________________ 16 General character. ______________________ 7 History of name_ _______________________ 16 Description of members _________________ Distribution. _-___--_---_.______________ 17 Western Belmont County. __ _________ Thickness_ _ _____-------__________._____ 17 General character.. _ ._---_______________ 17 Cambridge limestone member. ___ Description of members. ________________ 19 Anderson coal bed_ _____________ Pittsburgh (No. 8) coal bed __________ 19 Portersville limestone member of Redstone limestone member. _________ 22 Condit ______________________ Pittsburgh sandstone member. _______ 24 Undifferentiated strata overlying Redstone (No. 8A) coal bed__ _______ _ 25 the Portersville limestone mem­ Redstone sandstone member _ ________ 26 ber and underlying the Ames Fishpot limestone member ___________ 26 limestone member. ___________ Fishpot coal bed__ __________________ 28 Ames limestone member __ ______ Fishpot sandstone member. __________ 29 Fndifferentiated strata overlying Sewickley (No. 9) coal bed___ _______ 30 the Ames limestone member and Sewickley sandstone member_ ________ 32 underlying the Morgantown Benwood limestone member. ________ 33 sandstone member, ___________ 10 Morningview sandstone member_ _____ 37 Morgantown sandstone member __ 10 Arnoldsburg limestone member. ______ 38 Undifferentiated strata overlying Arnoldsburg sandstone member. ______ 38 the Morgantown sandstone Little Captina limestone member _ 39 member and underlying the McKeefrey siltstone member _ ________ 39 Connellsville sandstone mem­ Uniontown limestone member ________ 41 ber.. _____________________ 11 Uniontown (No. 10) coal bed_____--_- 41 ConneUsville sandstone member__ 11 Uniontown sandstone member____--_- 42 Lower Pittsburgh limestone mem­ Waynesburg limestone member. ______ 43 ber.---- _____________________ 11 Little Waynesburg coal bed. _________ 44 Bellaire sandstone member ____ 12 Gilboy sandstone member___ ________ 44 Upper Pittsburgh limestone mem­ Waynesburg (No. 11) coal bed____-__- 45 ber- ____ _______________ 12 Pennsylvanian and Permian rocks _______________ 46 Clay overlying the Upper Pitts­ Dunkard group, Washington and Greene forma­ burgh limestone member and tions undiff erentiated_ _____________________ 46 underlying the Pittsburgh coal History of names _______________-__----- 46 13 Distribution __________________-------_-- 48 Eastern Belmont County. ___________ 13 Thickness__ .__________--_____-_-------- 48 Undifferentiated strata overlying General character-- _ ____________-_-_---- 48 the Morgantown sandstone Description of members _________________ 48 member and underlying the Waynesburg sandstone member- _____ 49 Connellsville sandstone mem­ Elm Grove limestone member ________ 50 ber ______ ______________ 14 Wegee limestone member ________-_-- 51 IV CONTENTS Stratigraphy Continued Sedimentation Continued Pennsylvanian and Permian rocks Continued Depositional environment and paleogeography Con. Page Dunkard group Continued Monongahela formation _____________________ 80 Description of members Continued Pa8re Dunkard group.____________________________ 88 Mount Morris limestone member. ____ 52 Economic geology___________________________________ 90 Waynesburg "A" coal bed___________ 52 Coal__________________________________________ 90 Mannington sandstone member_______ 53 Methods of preparing estimates of reserves_____ 91 Little Washington coal bed__________ 54 Classification according to characteristics Washington sandstone member_______ 55 of the coal.__________________________ 91 Bristol limestone member.___________ 55 Rank____________________________ 91 Washington coal bed_______________ 55 Weight___ _________________________ 91 Undifferentiated strata overlying the Thickness _ _______________________ 91 Washington coal bed and under­ Overburden,_______________________ 92 lying the Lower Washington lime­ Classification according to abundance and stone member.___________________ 57 reliability of data__.________________ 92 Lower Washington limestone member _ 57 Distinction between original, remaining, Lower Marietta sandstone member__ 58 and recoverable reserves.______________ 92 Lower tongue of the Middle Wash­ Methods of recording data and making ington limestone member_ _________ 59 calculations __________________________ 93 Middle Marietta sandstone member. __ 60 Summary of coal reserves.___________________ 93 Upper tongue of the Middle Washing­ Pittsburgh coal bed_____________________ 93 ton limestone member.____________ 61 Fishpot coal bed______________________ 95 Washington "A" coal bed(?) _________ 62 Sewickley coal bed______________________ 95 Upper Marietta sandstone member____ 62 Uniontown coal bed___________________ 96 Upper Washington limestone member, 62 Waynesburg coal bed____________________ 96 Jollytown "A" coal bed__ ___________ 63 Waynesburg "A" coal bed_ ______________ 97 Aults Run sandstone member ________ 64 Washington coal bed____________________ 97 Unnamed limestone.________________ 65 Subsurface coal beds.___________________ 97 Unnamed sandstone_________________ 65 Previous estimates of the coal reserves in Bel- Dilles Bottom limestone member______ 65 mont County_____________________________ 99 Big Run coal bed___________________ 65 Quality of the coal_________ _________________ 99 Undifferentiated strata overlying the History of mining___________________________ 103 Big Run coal bed and underlying Coal production ____________________________ 104 the Powhatan Point limestone Limestone _____________________________________ 105 member. ________________________ 66 Sandstone.____________________________________ 105 Powhatan Point limestone member____ 66 Shale and mudstone__-__________--_-_-_--_--___- 105 Hendershot coal bed ________________ 67 Clay__________________________________________ 106 Undifferentiated strata overlying the Oil and gas_ ___________-________-----_-------__ 106 Hendershot coal bed______________ 67 Producing strata_________-_---_---__-------_ 106 Quaternary deposits_____________________________ 68 Berea sand____^________--------_-__--_- 106 Alluvium. _________________________________ 68 Big Injun sand:.________________________ 107 Stream-bed deposits__-________-____-____ 68 Keener sand_ _____________-_----_--_--_ 107 Flood-plain deposits_---_-__--___ _______ 69 Big Lime sand_____________-____----__ 108 Terrace deposits._______________________ 69 Other oil sands.________________________ 108 Perched alluvium. _ ______________________ 70 Location of oil and gas pools-________________ 108 Sedimentation-__ _ _________________________________ 70 Quality of the oil___________----_-____-_--_- 108 Description of sedimentary cycles ________________ 71 Future oil-producing potential-________-_--_-_ 108 Depositional environment and paleogeography______ 79 Selected bibliography----____--------------------___- 109 Conemaugh formation__ _ ___________________ 79 Index_____________________-_-_-____---_-_------__- HI ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates are in separate volume] PLATE 1. Geologic map of Belmont County, Ohio. 2. Generalized sections of the rocks that crop out in Belmont County. 3. Columnar sections of the Conemaugh formation in Belmont County. 4. Map of the Pittsburgh (No. 8) coal bed showing distribution and the structure and thickness of the lower bench. 5. Sections of the Pittsburgh (No. 8) coal bed. 6-8. Columnar sections showing the stratigraphic relation of the: 6. Pittsburgh and Redstone coal beds and the Redstone limestone and Pittsburgh sandstone members. 7. Redstone and Fishpot coal beds and the Redstone sandstone and Fishpot limestone members. 8. Fishpot and Sewickley coal beds and the Fishpot sandstone member. CONTENTS V PLATES 9-10. Map of the: 9. Fishpot coal bed showing the outcrop and thickness. 10. Sewickley (No. 9) coal