Geology of the West-Central Part of the Southern Anthracite Field and Adjoining Areas, Pennsylvania GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 602 Geology of the West-Central Part of the Southern Anthracite Field and Adjoining Areas, Pennsylvania By GORDON H. WOOD, JR., J. PETER TREXLER, and THOMAS M. KEHN GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 602 A study of part of one of the classic areas of geology and of the surrounding region UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1969 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY William T. Pecora, Director Library of Congress catalog card No. GS 68-298 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 CONTENTS Page Page Abstract_ _ _______________________________________ 1 Stratigraphy Continued Introduction. ______________________________________ 3 Mississippian System Continued Physical features._______________________________ 4 Pocono Formation Continued Present investigation.___________________________ 5 Deposition of the Pocono Formation._____ 63 Previous work_________________________________ 6 Age and correlation of the Pocono Forma­ Acknowledgments_____________________________ 7 tion. ________________________________ 65 Principal geologic featurea___________________________ 7 Mississippian and Pennsylvanian rocks____-____--_ 65 Stratigraphy _______________________________________ Mauch Chunk Formation____-____-____--_--_ 65 Ordovician System____________________________ Lower member.________________________ 65 Martinsburg Shale__________________________ Middle member._______________________ 66 Ordovician-Silurian unconformity-________________ 9 Upper member-________________________ 67 Silurian System_______________________________ 9 Sections of the Mauch Chunk Formation. _ 68 Tuscarora Sandstone._______________________ 10 Deposition of the Mauch Chunk Formation. 68 Clinton Formation._________________________ 11 Age of the Mauch Chunk Formation______ 70 Bloomsburg Red Beds_______________________ 13 Pennsylvanian System _________--___---_--_-_- 70 Wills Creek Shale_-_____--_-______________ 15 Pottsville Formation-__________-_-------_-__ 70 Tonoloway Limestone-______________________ 16 Tumbling Run Member------_----_-.--- 70 Silurian and Devonian rocks_____________________ 16 Schuylkill Member __________________ 73 Keyser Limestone.________________________ 16 Sharp Mountain Member________________ 74 Devonian System.______________________________ 17 Thickness of the Pottsville Formation..-.- 77 Helderberg Formation.______________________ 18 Deposition of the Pottsville Formation-___ 77 Oriskany Group ____________________________ 22 Age and correlation of the Pottsville Forma­ Shriver Chert._________________________ 22 tion. _ ________-___-_------_--_------- 78 Pre-Ridgeley unconformity._____________ 24 Llewellyn Formation.________-_____-----_-_- 79 Ridgeley Sandstone.__--_-_-_-_-________ 24 Quaternary deposits.___________-----___-----_--- 82 Post-Ridgeley unconformity____________ 26 Talus. _______ - - 82 Needmore Shale.___________________________ 26 Alluvium. ___-_________-_-------_---------- 82 Selinsgrove Limestone.___-_--____--_________ 26 Structure.________-__------------------------------ 84 Hamilton Group__________________________ 28 Structural features formed during the Taconic Marcellus Shale._______________________ 28 orogeny._______-_----------------------- -- 84 Mahantango Formation.________________ 29 Structural features formed during the Acadian Lower shale and sandstone member. _ _ 29 orogeny.------------------------------------- 84 Montebello Sandstone Member. 32 Upper shale member._______________ 35 Structural features formed during the Appalachian 85 Thickness of the Mahantango Forma­ orogeny._____------------------------- 85 tion... __________________________ 36 Folds 85 Depositional environment, age, and Broad Mountain anticlinorium. 86 correlation of the Mahantango For­ New Bloomfield anticlinorium__--_. 87 mation. _________________________ 36 Minersville synclinorium _..... 87 Susquehanna Group ________________________ 37 Anticlines ____________----_---. 88 Trimmers Rock Sandstone.______________ 37 Hooflander Mountain anticline. 88 Devonian and Mississippian rocks._______________ 41 Frackville anticline.--------- 88 Catskill Formation._________________________ 41 West West Falls anticline..--- 88 Irish Valley Member.__________:_____.._ 42 Branchdale anticline-______--. 89 Damascus Member.____________________ 45 Big Lick Mountain anticline. _. 89 Honesdale Sandstone Member_-_____-_. 48 Joliet anticline.__________---. 89 Cherry Ridge Member._________________ 51 Roedersville anticline. _____-_. Buddys Run Member.__________________ 53 Synclines- ___________------_----- 90 Spechty Kopf Member._________________ 55 Heckscherville syncline. ___--_- 90 Thickness of the Catskill Formation_______ 57 Little Mountain syncline. _____ 90 Pre-Pocono unconformity.___________________ 57 North Little Mountain syncline. 90 Mississippian System__________________________ 58 Deep Creek syncline-_____--_- 91 Pocono Formation __________________________ 59 Donaldson syncline-________-- 91 Beckville Member._____________________ 59 Tremont syncline-________--_- 91 Mount Carbon Member.________________ 62 Dauphin syncline-___--__----- 92 Thickness of the Pocono Formation.______ 63 Pine Grove syncline ___.__-_ 92 nx IV CONTENTS Page Pago Structure Continued Economic geology._________________________________ 117 Structural features formed during the Appalachian Coal--.-----.---------------__---_---__----- 117 orogeny Continued History and methods of mining_____________ 117 Faults___________________________________ 93 Extent of mine workings___________________ 118 Low-angle folded thrust and underthrust Condition of mine workings____-______-______ 118 <aults_______________________________ 94 Production.. -______-____-_-_________-__- 119 Fisher Ridge fault__________________ 94 Coal beds....._____________________________ 121 Hegins fault_____________________ 94 Coal beds of the Tumbling Run Member of Mauchono fault.___________________ 95 the Pottsville Formation_____________ 122 . Pottchunk fault____________________ 97 Lykens Valley No. 6 coal bed._______ 122 Unconformity versus structural origin Lykens Valley No. 5 coal bed. _______ 122 of Hegins, Mauchono, and Pott- Lykens Valley No. 4 coal bed._______ 124 chunk d'scordancies_ ______________ 98 Coal beds of the Schuylkill Member of the Imbricate faults from the Pottchunk Pottsville Formation________________ 124 fault____--_-________-_______-_-_ 99 Lykens Valley No. 3 coal bed._______ 124 Hans Yost fault_____________-__ 100 Lykens Valley No. 2 coal bed_______. 124 Dyer Run fault_______________ 100 Lykens Valley No. 1J^ coal bed_____. 124 Jugular fault_______________ 100 Lykens Valley No. 1 coal bed__-_____ 124 Mine Hill fault complex _________ 101 Coal beds of the Sharp Mountain Member Low-angle nonfolded thrust and under- of the Pottsville Formation ____________ 125 thrust faults_________________________ 102 Scotty Steel No. 2 coal bed__________ 125 Reservoir fault_____________________ 102 Scotty Steel No. 3 coal bed__________ 125 Blackwood fault__________________ 103 Little Buck Mountain (No. 4) coal Sharp Mountain fault.______________ 103 bed.....__---_-____.____-------- 125 Lorberry fault_________________.____ 104 Coal beds of the Llewellyn Formation__ _ 126 Sweet Arrow faul^ zone________---__- 104 Buck Mountain (No. 5) coal bed----- 126 High-angle reverse faults._______________ 105 Seven Foot (No. 6) coal bed. ________ 127 Newtown fault____________________ 106 Skidmore (No. 7) coal bed_-____-__ 127 South Newtown fault._____________ 106 Bottom Split (No. 8) coal bed______ 127 Tremont fault____________________ 106 Middle Split (No. 8J^) coal bed___-__ 128 Red Mountain fault._______________ 107 Top Split (No. 9) coal bed...______ 128 Orwin fault..__________________ 107 Holmes (No. 10) coal bed. _-__-_____ 128 Rausch Creek fault complex.________ 107 Primrose (No. 11) coal bed. __-___-__ 129 Coal Mountain fault complex._______ 107 Orchard (No. 12) coal bed.__________ 129 Big Lick fault complex.___-__-_-__-- 108 Little Orchard (No. 13) coal bed____ 130 Applebee fault.____________________ 108 Diamond (No. 14) coal bed._________ 130 White Horse and Round Head faults.. 108 Tracy (No. 16) coal bed. ____________ 130 High-angle faults in the northern part Little Tracy (No. 17) coal bed..____ 130 of the area_______________________ 108 Peach Mountain (No. 18) coal bed__ 130 Tear faults_____________________ 108 Characteristics of the coal.__________________ 131 Beuchler fault____________________ 109 Physical properties______________-_---- 131 East Branch Blackwood fault. _______ 109 Chemical composition.__________________ 131 Bedding-plane faults.___________________ 109 Relation of fixed carbon to deformation_______ 134 Short Mountain fault-______________ 110 Amount of coal in the report area_______------ 137 Joints _____________________________________ 110 Sand and gravel.____________-___-----__-------- 139 Cleavage __________________________________ 112 Road metal________________________- 139 Regional tectonics..____________________________ 113 Building stone________________________________ 139 Depth of deformation-__________________________ 115 References.____________________-__-_______---__---- 139 Structural history______________________________ 116 Index.______________-__------------_-_------------ 145 ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates are in pocket] PLATES