UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Ray Lyman Wilbur, Secretary GLtJLOGICAL SURVEY G«orge Otii Smith. Director Bulletin 818 "OLOGY AND MINEEAL EESOUECES OF T] CLEVELAND DISTEICT, OHIO BY H. P. GUSHING, FRANK LEVERETT AND FRANK R. VAN HORN * ^ UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1931 intondentof Documents, Washington, D, C. - / ,,l 7 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Ray Ljman Wilbur, Secretary 6kt)LOGICAL SURVEY George Oils Smith, Director Bulletin 818 OGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE f CLEVELAND DISTRICT, OHIO - BY H. P. GUSHING, FRANK LEVERETT AND FRANK R. VAN HORN * UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1931 intendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. Ql £5 CONTENTS Page Introduction, by H. P. Gushing and Frank Leverett __...__________. 1 General relations._______________________ _ 1 General geography and geology of the region _____ _______ _ 1 Physiographic divisions___ __ ___ __ 1 Drainage. _ 4 Stratigraphy and structure '5 Geologic history_________ _______________ _. 6 Relation of culture to geology 10 Topography of the Cleveland district, by H. P. Gushing.._ 11 Surf acfv features. ____________________________________ 11 G s .-eral character_________ ____ ______ 11 Appalachian Plateaus__._ _ _ _____ _ 11 Portage escarpment__ ___________ 12 Erie Plain.______________________________ 14 VaUeys..______ _ ___ 16 Drainage. __ ____ . 18 General character____________________.__.... 18 Cuyahoga River and other streams _____________ __ 19 Springs-.-. _____ __ ________________________ 21 ~- Bedrock surface.._________________-_----__._______ 21 Culture____________________________________ 24 Stratigraphy.... 26 General features, by H. P. Gushing__ _______________ . 26 Rocks not exposed, by H. P. Gushing _____ ___ _ 27 General features._______ 27 Ordovician and early Silurian rocks...____________________ 29 Late Silurian (Cayugan) rocks__________________ 30 Devonian limestones________ ____________ 31 Devonian shales___________ _____________ 32 Rocks exposed.._____________ ______________________ 33 Devonian system, by H. P. Cushing_____________________ 33 Chagrin shale.________________________________ 33 Devonian or Carboniferous rocks, by H. P. Cushing___________ 35 i^^^Pleveland shale...__________________________________ 35 . Bedford shale__..________________________ 40 Garboniferous system, by H. P. Gushing.________________ 45 Mississippian series.___._-______-_._________ 45 Berea sandstone____ __. __________ 45 Cuyahoga group_____________________ 48 Orangeville shale..____...__________ 49 Sharpsville sandstone. __________._ 50 Meadville shale___________________.._._. 52 Pennsylvanian series---________-_______-_________.___ 54 Sharon conglomerate______-_______-_______________ 54 in IV CONTENTS Stratigraphy Continued. Rocks exposed Continued. page Quaternary system, by Frank Leverett. _____________________ 57 Pleistocene series __ _________________________________ 57 General features..-. ______________________________ 57 Pre-Illinoian drift (Kansan?) _______________________ 58 Illinoian drift... _____._._...____-...______..._-__. 59 Post-Illinoian loess________________________________ 60 Latest or Wisconsin drift....--. ____________________ 60 General features--.... .._..-..____...---___-__ 60 Defiance moraine. ________ ____________________ 62 Ground moraine or till plain north of the Defiance moraine___. __________________________ _ __ 64 Euclid moraine........... _ .____-.________.. 65 Moraine in Brooklyn Township. ________________ 66 The glacial lakes...... _____________________________ 67 General features. ______-.._____.-__-_________. 67 GlacialLakeCuyahoga...... ____----_____-_-._ 68 Maumee beaches_______ _ _________>_____ _ _. 69 Work of Cuyahoga River at time of glacial Lake Maumee _ _. _ __ -_.. _ __ ___ ... _ 72 Work of Rocky River at time of glacial Lake Maumee... ________________________________ 73 Lake bed between shore lines of glacial Lake Maumee and those of glacial Lake Whittlesey. _ _ 74 Shore of glacial Lake Arkona.... _______________ 74 Work of Cuyahoga River at time of glacial Lake 75 Shore of glacial Lake Whittlesey ________________ 75_ Work of Cuyahoga River at the glacial Lake Whit­ tlesey stage_____________________________ 76 Lake bed between the Arkona-Whittlesey shore and the glacial Lake Warren shore.___________ 77 Shore of glacial Lake Wayne____________________ 77 Work of Cuyahoga River at the time of glacial Lake Wayne____ ___________-__-__-___-__- 78 Shore of glacial Lake Warren_ __._ _ 78 Lake bed between the Wayne-Warren shores and the Grassmere beach of glacial Lake Lundy_-_- Grassmere Beach of glacial Lake Lundy _______ Elkton Beach of glacial Lake Lundy____________ Lake bed between the Lake Lundy shores and^ LakeErie___-__--_--_. Early stages of Lake Erie. Present shore line of Lake Erie. Structure, by H. P. Gushing ___. Geologic history._________________1. Paleozoic era, by H. P. Gushing. ._'_ Ordovician period._________________ Silurian period_____-_____--_-_--l Devonian period___________________ Sylvania and Lucas submergence Onondaga submergence Hamilton submergence Portage and Chagrin sedimentation CONTENTS V Geologic history Continued. " Paleozoic era Continued. Page Devonian or Carboniferous submergence__..____..___-___-_-__ 88 Cleveland sedimentation _________________..___-____---- 88 ^ Bedford sedimentation..-__------_-___----------------_ 88 Carboniferous period.. .._.._.________-----____-__----- 89 »/ Mississippian epoch____________-____-___--_-____-_-__- 89 Berea sedimentation_________----__--___-__------ 89 * Orangeville sedimentation_.____-_________-_________ 90 Sharpsville and Meadville submergence______________ 90 * Later Mississippian time__________-_--____---__--_- 91 Pennsylvanian epoch_________________________________. 92 t Potts ville time-..--._-.._.-.____---------- 92 Remainder of Pennsylvanian time---___.______---_-_ 92 Deformation of the strata_____------_----------_--------------_ 93 t Mesozoic era, by H. P. Gushing .--------_____- ----------- 93 Cenozoic era...--.-.__-... _..--_----- .. ... 94 'V Tertiary period, by H. P. Gushing-.._________._-_-___..___- 94 Erosion of surface.--_-__-----_-------_----__--_------- 94 f Late Tertiary elevation....._.__----__----. .... _. 94 Quaternary period, by Frank Leverett.. -_-----__---___---_ 95 Pleistocene epoch.__----___..___.._______._________.__ 95 Initiation and stages of glaciation--______.__.._____. 95 Advance of the ice__----_---_----------_-_-.-----_ 95 ft Deglaciation...--_-.-_-_---_--__-_-_______-__-__-_ 96 History of the glacial lakes-__-_-____--______-___.__ 96 Glacial Lake Maumee__.__._.__.___.._-...__ 96 Glacial Lake Arkona._________________________ 98 * Glacial Lake Whittlesey________________ 98 Glacial Lake Wayne-.______--_-_______-.__..__ 99 ^ Glacial Lake Warren._________________________ 99 ^ Glacial Lake Lundy___________________________ 99 Postglacial lake.__-____-__--__-_-_-_-_____________ 100 ^ Lake Erie_.__.____._---___--.__________ 100 Postglacial stream8_-._-_-_________--_--,__________ 103 * Economic geology by F. R. Van Horn_____________________________ 104 Clay and shale__-_-__--_-__--------------_--__---__-__-__.__ 104 " Building stone_______ _ ______. _______________ 107 Grindstones __-_-_--____----------_------------_____________-_ 111 ^ Salt...______________________________________________________ 111 ^ Natural gas and petroleum_____________________________________ 114 Drift gas_ _______...____.______._________...._ 114 t Shale gas___._ _.-____._____ _____________ 115 f Rock gas.__ _ _____________________________ 116 + Historical notes______________________________________ 116 Producing sands______________________________________ 11& * Stray sand.__________________________ US Newburg or Stadler sand.__________________________ 118 Clinton sand_____________________________________ 120 _, , Trenton (?) limestone___.________________ 122 Pressures._______________________________________ 122 VI CONTENTS Economic geology by F. R. Van Horn Continued. Page Natural gas and petroleum Continued. Petroleum ________________________________. 123 Effect of structure and of physical character of the sand on accumulation of oil and gas.....I._____ _ 124 Sand and gravel.._____________________._._____. 126 Peat_____.______________________________________ 127 Road material.___________________.. __ 128 Water resources ____________________ __ __ 129 Soils___________________________________________ 131 Index__.______________ _______ ..... 135 ILLUSTRATIONS Pag* PLATE 1. Cliff of Chagrin shale near Euclid Creek, three-fourths of a mile south of Euclid.-._..._____.__.._ _ . 40 2. A, Shale bank of Cleveland Brick & Clay Co. near Cleveland; B, Quarry in "Euclid bluestone" at South Euclid_____ 40 3. Bedford shale in old quarry on Euclid Creek, 1% miles north of South Euclid__________________________ 40 4. Bedford shale at type locality, Tinkers Creek, Bedford____ 40 5. Bedford shale 2 miles south-southeast of Brooklyn. __. 40 6. Ledges on Tinkers Creek just west of Pennsylvania Railroad bridge.______________________________________________ 40 7. West contact of Berea sandstone on Bedford red shale in cut -* on Belt Line Railroad 2 miles southwest of Brooklyn____ 56 8. A, Orange ville shale cliff about 50 feet high, on Brandy wine '^ Creek 1 mile below Little York; B, Sharpsville sandstone on Brandywine Creek at Little York._____________. 56 9. Basal portion of Sharon conglomerate in quarry at Scotland, ^ Chester Township, Geauga County___ ___ _____ 56 10. View in road cut a short