GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 27 April 1949 CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IN ROOKS COUNTY, KANSAS By Frank E. Byrne, Henry V. Beck, and Max S. Houston PREPARED IN COOPERATION WITH STATE. HIGHWAY COMMISSION OF KANSAS R. C. Keeling, State Highway Engineer S. E. Horner, Chief Geologist UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR J. A. Krug, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. E. Wrather, Director WASHINGTON, D. C. Free on application to the Director, Geological Survey, Washington 26, D. C. CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IN ROOKS COUNTY, KANSAS By Frank E. Byrne, Henry V. Beck, and Max S. Houston CONTENTS Page Page Introduction. ......................... 2 Characteristics of the outcropping Purpose of the investigation...... 2 stratigraphic units Continued Area covered by the investigation. 2 Construction materials 11 Geography of the area............. 2 Inventory of construction materials.... 11 Investigation procedure........... 4 General............................ 11 Acknowledgments................... 4 Aggregate for concrete............. 11 Characteristics of the outcropping Engineering and geologic stratigraphic units................. 4 characteristics.............. 11 General........................... 4 Stratigraphic sources and Carlile shale...................... 4 performance characteristics.. 11 Areal distribution........ 4 Ogallala formation......... 11 General description....... 7 Sanborn formation.......... 12 Representative measured Terrace deposits........... 12 section.........^....... 7 Alluvium................... 12 Thickness.................. 7 Road metal......................... 12 Construction materials.... 7 Engineering and geologic Port Hays limestone member of characteristics.............. 12 Niobrara formation.............. 7 Stratigraphic sources and Areal distribtuion........ 7 performance characteristics.. 12 General description....... 7 Sanborn formation.......... 12 Representative measured . Ogallala formation......... 13 section................. '88 Blue Hill shale member of Thickness................. Carlile shale............ 13 Construction materials.... 8 Niobrara formation......... 13 Smoky Hill chalk member of Mineral filler..................... 13 Niobrara formation.............. 8 Engineering and. geologic Areal distribution........ 8 characteristics.............. 13 General description....... 8 Stratigraphic sources and Representative measured performance characteristics.. 13 section................. Sanborn formation.......... 13 Thickness................. Terrace deposits............ 13 Construction materials.... 8 Alluvium................... 13 Ogallala formation................ 8 Blending sand....................... 13 Areal distribution....'.... 8 Engineering and geologic General description....... 9 characteristics.............. 13 Representative measured Stratigraphic sources and section................. 9 performance characteristics.. 13 Thickness............;.... 9 Volcanic ash....................... 14 Construction materials.... 9 Engineering and geologic Sanborn formation................. 9 characteris tics.............. 14 Areal distribution........ 9 Stratigraphic sources and General description....... 10 performance characteristics.. 14 Representative measured Riprap............................. 14 section................. 10 Engineering and geologic Thickness................. 10 characteristics.............. 14 Construction materials.... 10 Stratigraphic sources and Terrace deposits.................. 10 performance characteristics., 14 Areal distribution........ 10 Ogallala formation......... 14 General description....... 10 Port Hays limestone member Representative measured of Niobrara formation.... 14 section................. 10 Structural stone................... 14 Thickness................. 10 Engineering and geologic , Construction materials.... 11 characteristics.............. 14 Dune sand......................... 11 Stratigraphic sources and Areal distribution........ 11 perfoTmance characteristics., 14 General description....... 11 Port Hays limestone member Representative meas\ired of Niobrara formation..... 14 section................. 11 Ogallala formation......... 14 Thickness................. 11 Calcareous binder.................. 14 Construction material...,. 11 Engineering and geologic Alluvium.............. ............ 11 characteristics.............. 14 Areal distribution........ 11 Stratigraphic sources and General description....... 11 performance characteristics.. 14 Representative measured Ogallala formation......... 14 section................. 11 Niobrara formation......... 15 Thickness................. 11 ILLUSTRATIONS Page Plate 1. Map showing construction materials and geology of Rooks County, Kans.... In pocket Figure 1. Index map of Kansas showing area covered "by this and other construction materials reports..................................................... ..... 3 2. Geologic cross section from Bow Creek south to the South Pork Solomon River................................................................. ..... 5 3. Outcropping stratigraphic units in Rooks County, Kans., and their construction materials................................................ ..... 6 TABLES Table 1. Summary of materials tests, In pocket INTRODUCTION the border region to one of low to moderate relief. The streams occupy steep-sided valleys, Purpose of the investigation many of which are cut more than 150 feet below the gently rounded upland surface. The areas The U. S. Geological Survey in the summer of greatest relief in Rooks County are along of 1946 sent a field party into Rooks County, the South Pork Solomon River in the central Kans., to investigate sources of engineering part -of the county, along Bow Creek at the construction materials, as part of a State­ northern edge of the county, and along the tri­ wide project conducted in cooperation with butaries to the Saline River in the southern the State Highway Commission of Kansas. This part of the county. report is a part of that inventory and a con­ tribution to the geologic mapping and mineral The South Pork of the Solomon River is the resource investigations being made in con­ larg-est stream in Rooks County. It rises about nection with studies of the Missouri River 100 miles farther west, crosses the west bounda­ Basin. I/ ry slightly north of the middle, and flows gener­ ally eastward across the county. Its most im­ The primary aim of the investigation was portant tributaries in Rooks County are north­ to accumulate field and laboratory data per­ ward-flowing streams; these are, in order from taining to the geologic materials in Rooks west to east, Lost Creek, Box Elder Creek, Elm County that would be of use in the construc­ Creek, and Medicine Creek. The tributaries tion of dams, irrigation canals, highways, entering from the north are markedly shorter airports, or other engineering structures. than those that enter from the south. Bow Additional geologic data are included in this Creek, the second largest stream in Rooks report only to the extent of providing County, rises about 45 miles to the west,flows information useful in the exploitation of the eastward, paralleling roughly the northern % prospects reported or in the location of other boundary of the county to a point slightly east sites where materials required to fulfill of the center line, then turns sharply north future engineering needs might be obtained. into Phillips County. Paradise Creek rises a few miles west of the city of Plainville and Area covered by the investigation flows generally eastward, leaving the county 4 miles north of the southeast corner to join the Rooks County is in the second tier of Saline River, which flows across the northern Kansas counties south of the Nebraska border part of Ellis County. Other southward-flowing and in the fifth tier east of the Colorado tributaries of the Saline River drain the south border. (See figure 1.) It has an area of part of Rooks County. about 900 square miles and comprises 25 town­ ships. The county is bounded by. parallels Rooks County is served by two railroads, 39°08' and 39°32'30n north latitude, and A branch line of the Union Pacific Railroad meridians 98°58' and 99°38' west longitude. enters the county at about the center of the It is bordered on the east'by Osborne County, western border, swings south through the cities on the west by Graham County, on the north by of Damar and Palco, and then runs east across Phillips County, and on the south by Ellis the county. A spur line of the Missouri County. Pacific Railroad starts at Stockton and runs east to the county line. Stockton, the county Geography of the area seat and largest city in the county, and Woodston also are served by the Missouri Pacific Rooks County is in the border region of Railroad. With the exception of Webster, the the Great Plains physiographic province. remaining cities in Rooks County are located Streams cutting headward from the'Central along the branch line of the Union Pacific. Lowlands province to the east have dissected There is a well-developed system of Federal, State, and county roads. The Federal highways are of the black-top type of con­ i/ Missouri River Sasln conservation control, struction. U. S. 24, a major east-west trans­ and use of water resources* ?8th Song., 21 sess.i continental route, crosses the northern part 3. doo. 191t PP. 94. 95. map of Kansas (la pocket). of the county. U. S. 183, an important north- 1944- south highway, extends through the center of the county. The two highways intersect at This report Report