GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER Prepared in cooperation with the Kentucky Geological Survey Sandstone Units of the Lee Formation and Related Strata in Eastern Kentucky By CHARLES L. RICE With a section on Lee and Breathitt Formations along the northwestern part of the eastern Kentucky coal field By CHARLES L. RICE and GORDON W. WEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GEOLOGY OF KENTUCKY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 1 1 51-G Prepared in cooperation with the Kentucky Geological Survey Descriptions of the Lee Formation with a discussion of related stratigraphic units and the paleogeography of eastern Kentucky and adjoining areas of Early and Middle Pennsylvanian Ages UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1984 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR WILLIAM P. CLARK, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Rice, Charles L. Sandstone units of the Lee formation and related strata in eastern Kentucky. (Geological Survey professional paper ; 1151 - G) Bibliography: p. Supt. of Docs, no.: 119.16:1151 - G 1. Sandstone Kentucky. 2. Geology, Stratigraphic Pennsylvanian. I. Kentucky Geological Survey. II. Title. III. Series. QE471.15.S25R53 1983 552'.5 82-600381 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 CONTENTS Page Page Abstract ____________________________________ Gl Pennington and Lee Formations in the area of the Cumberland Introduction __________________________________ 2 overthrust sheet Continued Purpose and scope of study ____________________ 2 Lee Formation Continued Previous work _____________________________ 3 Hensley Member ______-_______--.-----_. G23 Geographic setting __________________________ 3 Bee Rock Sandstone and Naese Sandstone Members . 25 Acknowledgments ---.-.____-________________ 8 Lee and Breathitt Formations along the northwestern part of the Geologic setting ____________________________ 8 eastern Kentucky coal field by C. L. Rice and G. W. Weir _ 27 Lower boundary of the Pennsylvanian System ________ 11 Livingston Conglomerate Member of the Lee Formation and General Outline of the Pennsylvanian System in eastern the related sandstone units _____--__--__--_-__ 29 Kentucky __________________________________ 16 Rockcastle Conglomerate Member of the Lee Formation _ 32 Pennington and Lee Formations in the area of the Cumberland Unnamed quartzose sandstone units below the Corbin overthrust sheet _____________________________ 18 Sandstone Member along the Pottsville Escarpment _ _ 33 Pennington Formation ________________________ 18 Corbin Sandstone Member of the Lee Formation ______ 34 Lee Formation _____________________________ 18 Grayson sandstone bed of Whittington and Ferm _____ 37 Pinnacle Overlook Member __________________ 18 Environment of deposition of sandstone units in the Lee Chadwell Member --_._--.____-___________ 20 Formation _______________-___-___-__-__-._. 39 White Rocks Sandstone Member ______________ 21 Paleogeography ______________________-__-.---. 41 Dark Ridge Member ______________________ 21 Problems related to the Lee Formation deserving further study _ 49 Middlesboro Member ______________________ 21 References cited _______--__-_----------.----_-- 50 ILLUSTRATIONS FIGURE 1. Quadrangle index _________________________________________.---------_---_- G4 2. Physiographic diagram of Kentucky __________________________-___-__--_.-_-----------------_- 9 3. Geographic Setting of Eastern Kentucky _______________________________--_-_-_--_--_-----_----- 10 4. Geologic map of the sub-Pennsylvanian surface ________________________-__--__--_.--_------------- 12 5. Generalized section showing remnant northwest-facing cuestas ___-____-__-_--___-__------------------_ 13 6. Contour map of the base of the Pennsylvanian System ______________________-___--_-_------------_- 15 7. Geologic map of the Pennsylvanian formations of eastern Kentucky __________-___-__--_----_-----_-----_ 17 8. Correlation chart of the Pennington, Lee, and Hance Formations in the Cumberland overthrust sheet ____--_-..-_- 19 9. View of Pinnacle Overlook Member of the Lee Formation ____________________-__-._._--_--_- 20 10. Ripple bedding in upper part of the Pinnacle Overlook Member _______-___--_--__--_--__--__--_--_---- 20 11. Map showing the distribution of the Dark Ridge Member of the Lee Formation ____________________________ 22 12. View of dipping strata of the Middlesboro Member of the Lee Formation _______________-___-____-------._ 23 13. Map showing thickness contours of the Middlesboro Member of the Lee Formation __________________________ 24 14. Basal conglomeratic beds of the Middlesboro Member of the Lee Formation. ________________.___--__---___ 25 15. View of Hanging Rock on U.S. Highway 421 near Harlan, Ky ____________________--_--__--------_--_- 25 16. Map showing the thickness contours for the Bee Rock and Naese Sandstone Members ______-__-_-_--_--_---__ 26 17. Map showing the distribution of the Livingston and Rockcastle Conglomerate and Corbin Sandstone Members ________ 28 18. Schematic cross section showing relations of major members of the Lee Formation _____________-__---_.-.--- 29 19. Outlier of the Pottsville Escarpment showing the Livingston Conglomerate Member of the Lee Formation ______.-_. 30 20. Maps showing the Livingston channel and thickness of the Livingston Conglomerate Member ___________.__---_. 31 21. Planar sets of beds in the Livingston Conglomerate Member showing stringers and lenses of pebbles along bedding planes _ 32 22. View of the edge of a sandstone- and conglomerate-filled channel cut into Newman Limestone _-____-____-_--.--. 33 23. Massive quartz-pebble conglomerate on Pilot Knob ____________________-__--__---_--_-------_------ 34 24. Crossbedded conglomerate and conglomeratic sandstone on Pilot Knob _____--__--__-_----_--_-------_--_ 35 25. Cross sections showing relations of sandstone units on west edge of the Cumberland Plateau _-___-._-----__-.-- 36 26. Cliffs developed in the Corbin Sandstone Member of the Lee Formation ______________--___--.--_--__-___ 37 27. Map showing thickness contours of the Corbin Sandstone Member ___________________-__---_-_--__--.-_ 38 m IV CONTENTS 28. Dip-directions of crossbeds in the Corbin Sandstone Member ........_....____...__.__...__-.__------- G40 29. Trough sets of crossbeds in the Corbin Sandstone Member of the Lee Formation .__..._......_..___.____-.. 41 30. Map showing outcrop of Pennsylvanian rocks and limits of Mississippian carbonate formations .....__..__.____... 42 31. Map showing locations of Pennsylvanian channels in areas other than eastern Kentucky .__.__._.........___... 43 32. Map of pre-Pennsylvanian streams and rivers ___----------..------------------------------------ 44 33. Map showing breaching of drainage divide in Early Pennsylvanian time _---.----------------------------- 45 34. Map showing major stream captures _________________------.---------------------------------- 46 35. Map showing westward migration of distributaries in Early Pennsylvanian time .......---_--------...------ 47 36. Map showing the configuration of the Sharon drainage system in early Middle Pennsylvanian time ......__.____... 48 TABLE Page TABLE 1. List of U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Quadrangle (GQ) maps for eastern Kentucky .........._----_...---.-. G5 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GEOLOGY OF KENTUCKY SANDSTONE UNITS OF THE LEE FORMATION AND RELATED STRATA IN EASTERN KENTUCKY By CHARLES L. RICE ABSTRACT bers commonly are bimodal, resultant transport directions for both marine and terrestrial members are southwesterly as determined by Most of the Cumberland Plateau region of southeastern Kentucky crossbedding. is underlain by thick sequences of quartzose sandstone which are as­ Thickness variations of the Middlesboro Member in the Cumber­ signed for the most part to the Lee Formation. Much new informa­ land overthrust sheet suggest that it represents fills of at least three tion has been gathered about the Lee and related strata as a result major southwesterly trending paleovalleys. Thickness variations of of the cooperative mapping program of the U.S. Geological Survey the Bee Rock Sandstone Member east of Rocky Face fault and the and the Kentucky Geological Survey between 1960 and 1978. This re­ combined Bee Rock and Naese Sandstone Members west of Rocky port summarizes the age, lithology, distribution, sedimentary struc­ Face fault suggest that these members represent fills of at least two tures, and stratigraphic relations of the sandstone units of the Lee major southwesterly trending paleovalleys. East of Rocky Face fault, within and between each of three major outcrop belts in Kentucky: the Bee Rock is generally the uppermost member of the Lee; west Cumberland Mountain, Pine Mountain, and the Pottsville Escarp­ of the fault, the overlying Naese is at the top. The Naese may range ment area. in age from Early to Middle Pennsylvanian and is partly or wholly The Lee Formation generally has been regarded as Early Pennsyl- equivalent to the Rockcastle Sandstone member of the Lee Forma­ vanian in age and separated from Mississippian strata in Kentucky by tion in the area of the Pottsville Escarpment. The Mississippian- an unconformity. However, lithostratigraphic units included in the Pennsylvanian systemic boundary in the area of the Cumberland formation as presently defined are broadly time-transgressive and overthrust sheet in most places has been placed at an unconformity range in age from Late Mississippian in parts