STATE OF ILLINOIS DWIGHT H. GREEN, Governor DEPARTMENT OF REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION FRANK G. THOMPSON. Director DIVISION OF THE STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY M. M. LEIGHTON. Chief URBANA REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS — No. 90 HIGH-PURITY DOLOMITE IN ILLINOIS BY H. B. WiLLMAN PRINTED BY AUTHORITY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS URBANA, ILLINOIS 194 3 eEOUOOlCALSOH^^^^^ ,UL>K)1S STATE 3 3051 00005 7574 STATE OF ILLINOIS DWIGHT H. GREEN. Govtnior DEPARTMENT OF REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION FRANK G. THOMPSON, Director DIVISION OF THE STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY M. M. LEIGHTON, Chief URBANA REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS — No. 90 HIGH-PURITY DOLOMITE IN ILLINOIS BY H. B. WiLLMAN PRINTED BY AUTHORITY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS URBANA, ILLINOIS 19 4 3 ORGANIZATION STATE OF ILLINOIS HON. DWIGHT H. GREEN, Governor DEPARTMENT OF REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION HON. FRANK G. THOMPSON, Director BOARD OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION HON. FRANK G. THOMPSON, Chairman EDSON S. BASTIN, Ph.D., D.Sc, Geology ROGER ADAMS, Ph.D., D.Sc, Chemistry LOUIS R. HOWSON',<Le!, Engineering WILLIAM TRELEASE, D.Sc, LL.D., Biology EZRA JACOB KRAUS, Ph.D., D.Sc, Forestry ARTHUR CUTTS WILLARD, D.Engr., LL.D. President of the University of Illinois GEOLOGICAL SURVEY DIVISION M. M. LEIGHTON, Chief SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL STAFF OF THE STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY DIVISION 100 Natural Resources Building, IJrbana M. M. LEIGHTON, Ph.D., Chief Enid Townley, M.S., Assistant to the Chief Velda a. Millard, Junior Assistant to the Chief GEOLOGICAL RESOURCES GEOCHEMISTRY Coal Frank H. Reed, Ph.D., Chief Chemist G. H. Cady, Ph.D., Senior Geologist and Head H. W. Jackman, M.S.E., Chemical Engineer L. C. McCabe, Ph.D., Geologist (on leave) James G. McCullough, Research Associate R. J. Helfinstine, M.S., Assoc. Mech. Eng. James M. Schopf, Ph.D., Asst. Geologist Coal J. Norman Payne, Ph.D., Asst. Geologist G. R. Yohe, Ph.D., Chemist Charles C. Boley, M.S., Asst. Mining Eng. Carol Bartels, B.S., Research Assistant Bryan Parks, M.S., Asst. Geologist Industrial Minerals Robert M. Kosanke, M.A., Research Assistant George M. Wilson, B.S., Research Assistant J. S. Machin, Ph.D., Chemist and Head L. A.M., Research Assistant Henry L. Smith, A.B., Research Assistant Delbert Hanna, Industrial Minerals Fluorspar Assoc. E. Lamar, B.S., Geologist and Head G. C. Finger, Ph.D., Chemist J. B.S., Assistant H. B. Willman, Ph.D., Assoc. Geologist Everett W. Maynert, Research Robert M. Grogan, Ph.D., Associate Geologist X-ray and Spectrography Robert R. Reynolds, M.S., Assistant Geologist W. F. Bradley, Ph.D., Assoc Chemist Oil and Gas Analytical A. H. Bell, Ph.D., Geologist and Head O. W. Rees, Ph.D., Chemist and Head B.S., ?etr. Eng. Frederick Squires, Howard S. Clark, B.A., Assoc Chemist Charles W. Carter, Ph.D., Asst. Geologist L. D. McVicKER, B.S., Asst. Chemist Asst. "William H. Easton, Ph.D., Geologist P. W. Henline, M.S., Asst. Chemical Engineer Paul G. Luckhardt, M.S., Asst. Geologist William F. Wagner, M.S., Asst. Chemist Assistant Wayne F. Meents, Research K. F. BuRSACK, B.A., Research Assistant Areal and Engineering Geology Cameron D. Lewis, B.A., Research Assistant George E. Ekblaw, Ph.D., Geologist and Head Mary Ann Winsche, B.S., Research Assistant B.S., Research Assistant Richard F. Fisher, M.S., Asst. Geologist Marjorie Winchester, Subsurface Geology L. E. Workman, M.S., Geologist and Head MINERAL ECONOMICS Arnold C. Mason, B.S., Assoc. Geologist W. H. VosKuiL, Ph.D., Mineral Economist Merlyn B. Buhle, M.S., Asst. Geologist Douglas F. Stevens, M.E., Research Associate Tippie, B.S., Asst. Frank E. Geologist Grace N. Oliver, A.B., Assistant in Mineral Margaret Sands B.S., Research Assistant Economics Ruth E. Roth, B.S., Research Assistant Walter R. Smith, Research Assistant EDUCATIONAL EXTENSION Stratigraphy and Paleontology J. Marvin Weller, Ph.D., Geologist and Head Don L. Carroll, B.S., Assoc. Geologist Chalmer L. Cooper, M.S., Assoc. Geologist Petrography PUBLICATIONS AND RECORDS Ralph E. Grim, Ph.D., Petrographer Richards A. Rowland, Ph.D., Asst. Petrographer George E. Ekblaw, Ph.D., Geologic Editor (on leave) Chalmer L. Cooper, M.S., Geologic Editor Dorothy E. Rose, B.S., Technical Editor Physics Kathryn K. Dedman, M.A., Asst. Technical Editor R. J. Piersol, Ph.D., Physicist Alma R. Sweeny, A.B., Technical Files Clerk B. J. Greenwood, B.S., Mech. Engineer Portia Allyn Smith, Research Assistant Donald O. Holland, M.S., Asst. Physicist Meredith M. Calkins, Geologic Draftsman (on leave) Leslie D. Vaughan, Asst. Photographer Special Staff to Aid in the War Effort Oil and Gas Resources Ground Water Geology Earle F. Taylor, M.S., Asst. Geologist Carl A. Bays, Ph.D., Spec. Geologist M. W. PuLLEN, Jr., M.S., Spec. Asst. Geologist C. Leland Horberg, Ph.D., Spec Asst. Geologist Arnold Eddings, B.A., Research Assistant Stewart Folk, M.S., Spec Asst. Geologist Virginia Kremers, B.S., Research Assistant Margaret Parker, B.S., Research Assistant Ernest P. DuBois, Ph.D., Spec Asst. Geologist John A. Harrison, B.S., Spec. Research Assistant Paul Herbert, Jr., B.S., Spec. Asst. Geologist (on leave) Charles G. Johnson, A.B., Spec. Asst. Geologist Consultants: Ceramics, Cullen W. Parmelee, M.S., D.Sc, and Ralph K. Hursh, B.S. University of Illinois Mechanical Engineering, Seichi Konzo, M.S., University of Illinois Topographic Mapping in Cooperation with the United States Geological Survey. This report is a contribution of the Industrial Minerals Division. 46805—2M— 9-43) May 1, 1943 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign http://archive.org/details/highpuritydolomi90will CONTENTS Page Summary 9 Introduction 10 Acknowledgments 10 Uses of high-purity dolomite 10 Discussion of terms 13 Character of high-purity dolomite . 14 Coral reefs 17 Geological formations 19 Samples, analyses, and tests 19 Samples 19 Chemical analyses 21 Solubility tests 21 Physical properties 21 Prospecting 22 Description of deposits 22 Chicago region 25 Present industry 25 Description of formations 26 Joliet formation . 26 Waukesha formation 27 Racine formation 29 Pre-Niagaran strata 30 Undeveloped Deposits . 30 Kankakee area 30 Sag Bridge area 37 CONTENTS— Continued Page Chicago Heights area 39 Stony Island area . 40 Romeo area 41 Hinsdale area . 43 New Lenox area 45 Manhattan area . 47 LaGrange Park area 48 Naperville area ; ...'.... 49 Frankfort area .50 Lockport area . 51 Lemont area . 51 Other areas . 51 Underground mining of high-purity dolomite . 52 .' Savanna-Port Byron Region . 53 :' :- Present industry : 53 Description of formations . 53 Joliet formation 55 Waukesha formation 55 Racine formation 58 Port Byron formation 59 Pre-Niagaran strata . 59 '. Undeveloped Deposits . ... 59 Savanna area 59 Fulton area 63 Albany area . .67 CONTENTS—Continued Page Port Byron area . .* . 71 Morrison area IZ Other areas 75 Rockford Region 75 Present industry . 78 Description of formations 78 Platteville and Decorah formations 78 Galena formation , 78 Development possibilities 83 Boone County . 84 Carroll County . 84 DeKalb County 84 Jo Daviess County 84 Lee County 84 Ogle County 84 Stephenson County 85 Whiteside County 85 Winnebago County , 85 Grafton-Hardin Region 85 ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1 Dolomite containing bands and nodules of chert 15 2 Dolomite containing clay partings and small nodules of white chert .... 15 3 Smoothed surface of high-purity dolomite showing the porous texture ... 15 4 Diagrammatic cross-section of a typical reef 16 16 5 Fresh fracture surface showing the characteristic light and dark gray mottling . 6 Massive high-purity dolomite in the core of a reef 16 7 Dipping well-bedded high-purity dolomite on the flank of a reef 17 8 Horizontal well-bedded high-purity dolomite comprising the interreef strata near a reef • ^^ 9 Regions of Illinois containing high-purity dolomite 23 10 Chicago region 24 11 An exposure of the Racine formation 28 12 Cross-section showing structural relations between types of dolomite in the Racine formation 28 13 High-purity dolomite in the Kankakee area 31 14 High-purity dolomite in the Sag Bridge area . - 36 15 High-purity dolomite in the Chicago Heights area 38 16 High-purity dolomite in the Stony Island area 40 17 High-purity dolomite in the Romeo area 42 18 High-purity dolomite in the Hinsdale area 44 19 High-purity dolomite in the New Lenox area 46 20 High-purity dolomite in the Manhattan area 47 21 High-purity dolomite in the LaGrange Park area 49 22 High-purity dolomite in the Frankfort area 50 23 Savanna-Port Byron region 54 24 Diagrammatic cross-section of strata exposed in the Mississippi River bluffs . 56 25 Exposure of high-purity Waukesha dolomite 57 26 High-purity dolomite in the Savanna area 60 27 High-purity dolomite in the Fulton area 64 28 High-purity dolomite in the Albany area 66 29 High-purity dolomite in the Port Byron area 70 30 High-purity dolomite in the Morrison area 73 31 Rockford region 76-77 32 Exposure of massive Galena dolomite 79 33 Smoothed surface of Galena dolomite showing variations in porosity ... 80 34 Grafton-Hardin region 86 TABLES Pace 1 Production of dolomite in Illinois in 1941 12 2 Limestone and dolomite in the United States in 1940 by uses 12 3 Nomenclature and character of the Ordovician and Silurian strata in northern Illinois 20 4 Classification of the Galena formation . „ 80 5 Results of solubility tests of Galena dolomite 82 6 Locations and chemical analyses of samples of Illinois dolomite 88-89 HIGH-PURITY DOLOMITE RESOURCES OF ILLINOIS BY- H. B. WiLLMAN SUMMARY Illinois contains extensive deposits of pure dolomite which is suitable for many war uses, such as refractories for open-hearth furnaces, flux for blast fur- naces, and the manufacture of magnesium.