Characteristics of the Mid-Carboniferous Boundary and Associated Coal-Bearing Rocks in the Appalachian Basin: Morgantown, West Virginia to Chattanooga, Tennessee, July 19-27, 1989

117 Pages·2006·6.11 MB·English

by  William E. Edmunds

Characteristics of the Mid-Carboniferous
Boundary and Associated Coal-Bearing
Rocks in the Appalachian Basin
Morgantown, West Virginia to Chattanooga, Tennessee
July t 9-27, t 989
Field Trip Guidebook T352
American Geophysical Union, Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1989 American Geophysical Union
2000 Florida Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009
ISBN: 0-87590-661-3
Printed in the United States of America
IGC FIELD TRIP T352, PART 1:
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MID-CARBONIFEROUS BOUNDARY
AND ASSOCIATED COAL-BEARING ROCKS IN THE
NORTHERN APPALACHIAN BASIN
William E. Edmunds
263 Sassafras St., Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17102
Jane R. Eggleston
U.S. Geological Survey, 956 National Center Reston, Virginia 22092
with contributions by
o.
Jon Inners, Leonard J. Lentz, and William D. Sevon
The Pennsylvania Geological Survey, P.O. Box 2357, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
17120
and
Joseph T. O·Connor
U.S. Geological Survey, 955 National Center, Reston, Virginia 22092
PREFACE
In the northern Appalachians, the Chunk Formation into the alluvial
boundary between the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian Pottsville Formation,
Pennsylvanian systems falls within a which is reportedly as much as 1600 feet
complex sedimentary sequence spread thick. Passing northward up onto the
across a rapidly-subsiding depositional craton in northeastern Pennsylvania, an
trough and an adjacent, more stable unconformity develops (possibly within
craton margin. Sediment source areas the Pottsville Formation) which cuts out
lie in a more-or-less continuous the Mississippian section so that
semicircle from southeast to north of eventually the upper member of the
the basin. In addition, the Upper Pottsville rests upon the Devonian
Mississippian-Lower Pennsylvanian Catskill Formation. In south-central to
sequence is interrupted by extensive southwestern Pennsylvania, the contact
erosion related to epeirogenic upwarping between the Pottsville and Mauch Chunk
of the region. Biostratigraphically, Formations (which are each only a few
the systemic boundary is placed at the hundred feet thick) has been
first occurrence of the floral form conventionally considered to be
Neuropteris aocahontas (D. White) of unconformable. However, in the few
floral zone as defined by Read and places where the contact is well
Mamay (1964). However, because of the exposed, there is little physical
widespread disconformable nature of the indication of major unconformity. In
contact, the basal Pennsylvanian flora northwestern Pennsylvania, the basal
is often younger. contact of the Pottsville is clearly
The systemic boundary in the unconformable, progressively cutting out
geosynclinal trough is placed at the underlying Mississippian units to the
highest red bed in the gradational north until the Pottsville rests upon
sequence extending from the several Early Devonian marine units.
thousand feet thick Mississippian Mauch
T352: 3
CONTENTS
Page
The Mississippian-Pennsylvanian boundary and associated strata
in the Northern Appalachian Basin.................................. 5
Introduction.......................................................... 5
Depositional History.................................................. 5
Meramecian and early Chesterian Series............................. 5
Late Chesterian and early Morrowan Series, the systemic boundary... 8
Late Morrowan and early Atokan Series.............................. 9
Late Atokan Series.................................................
10
Early Desimoinesian Series.........................................
11
Field Guide to Upper Mississippian and Lower Pennsylvanian
coal-bearing rocks in the Northern Appalachians....................
11
Day 1: Washington, D.C. to Pottsville, PA......................
11
Day 2: Pottsville, PA to Wilkes-Barre, PA......................
13
Stop 1: Type Section of the Mississippian-Pennsylvanian
Boundary and of the Pottsville Formation.............
13
Stop 2: Reading Anthracite Coal Company Surface Mining
Operation............................................ 16
Stop 3: 1-81 Roadcuts at West Hazelton, Luzerne County....... 18
Stop 4: Mississippian-Pennsylvanian Sequence at Forty-
Fort Exit on Route 309, Northwest of Wilkes-Barre.... 23
Day 3: Wilkes-Barre, PA to Johnstown, PA....................... 23
Stop 5: 1-84 Roadcut near Dunmore, PA........................ 23
Stop 6: The Disconformable Mississippian-Pennsylvanian
Boundary at the Curwensville Reservoir. The
Occurrence of the Mercer High-Alumina Hard Clay...... 26
Day 4: Johnstown, PA to Morgantown, WV......................... 28
Stop 7: Mississippian-Pennsylvanian Sequence in Conemaugh
Gorge, near Johnstown, PA............................ 29
Stop 8: Keystone Lime Co., Eichorn Quarry Loyalhanna
Formation and Lower Member of the Mauch Chunk
Formation............................................ 30
Stop 9: U.S. 48 Roadcut, Big Savage Mountain, Mississippian
Mauch Chunk and Pennsylvanian Pottsville and
Allegheny Formations................................. 32
References............................................................ 36
T352: 4
IGC FIELD TRIP T352, PART 1:
THE MISSISSIPPIAN-PENNSYLVANIAN BOUNDARY AND ASSOCIATED
STRATA IN THE NORTHERN APPALACHIAN BASIN
William E. Edmunds
Consulting Geologist, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Jane Eggleston
U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia
1 1 1
Field Trip Stops by Jon D. Inners , Leonard J. Lentz , and William D. Sevon
2
Big Savage Mountain Section Petrography by J.T. 0lConnor
INTRODUCTION at the Mississippian-Pennsylvanian
boundary where boundary floral zones and
The placement of the Mississippian associated rocks disappear. White
Pennsylvanian boundary evolved from the believed that the Mississippian floral
original lithologic subdivision of the zones and rocks were eroded away in
Paleozoic stratigraphic sequence in reverse sequential order and sequential
which the present Mauch Chunk and Pennsylvanian floral zones and rocks
Pottsville Formations were primary units were missing by non-deposition. The
(Rogers, 1836, p. 16 and 1838, p. 71; importance of White1s initial insight
Lesley, 1876,p. 221-227). When into the problem is not diminished by
Williams (1891) first coined the term the fact that we now know that the
"Pennsylvanianll with the Pottsville relationship is considerably more
Formation at its base, and David White complex.
(1900) described in detail the In order to understand the nature of
lithologic and paleobotanical sequence the systemic boundary contact (some
at Pottsville, the interval which would aspects of which are still not clear),
become the Pennsylvanian System and the it is necessary to consider the history
type section of its base were of the sequence from the last half of
permanently established. Inasmuch as the Mississippian Period through the
the Pennsylvanian sequence at Pottsville first half of the Pennsylvanian" Period.
is conformable with the underlying
Mississippian sequence, the selection of DEPOSITIONAL HISTORY
this site was fortunate. Meramecian and early Chesterian Series
Paleobotanically, the Mississippian
Pennyslvanian section at Pottsville is By early Meramecian time the
correlated with the other clearly depositional scene was dominated by the
conformable Mississippian-Pennsylvanian last stages of the broad, anastomosing
section located in southeastern West alluvial-deltaic sand plain, the
Virginia, and through that, to more sediments of which comprise the Burgoon
marine strata to the west and to the Sandstone and correlative Pocono
marine carbonates of the Mississippian Formation. These sediments grade
type section. westward into somewhat finer marine
C.D. White (1904) first formally delta front clastics (Figs. 1 and 2A).
proposed the existence of a general During the late Meramecian and early
unconformity between the base of the Chesterian, a remarkable coincidence of
Pennsylvanian Pottsville and underlying three separate, but simultaneously
Mississippian units, except in the interacting, events occurred (Fig.
Pennsylvania Southern Anthracite field 2B). Rocks in the northwestern part of
and the Pocohontas coal region of Pennsylvania, along with adjacent New
southeastern West Virginia. As York and eastern Ohio, were
proposed,.Whitels unconformity developed epeirogenically uplifted. All older
rocks were tilted slightly to the south
and erosion of the Burgoon-Pocono
Ip;~~;Ylvania Geological Survey sandstones commenced. At the same time,
2Harrisburg, PA in the southeast, the red clastics of
U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA the Mauch Chunk delta began building
T352: 5
Q..
ce
en c -J.
a:: 0 «a:e:wI) SOUTHWEST NORTHWEST NORTHEAST
> a: AGE/EPOCH gz
w u. 0 PENNSYLVANIA PENNSYLVANIA PENNSYLVANIA
...J Q.. N
~
a'::z<c DUNKARD GROUP
W_
Q..::t (PART)
286 ? - - --?- - - -- --
? ---
MONONGAHELA
GROUP
(Ames Ls.) (Mill Creek LSj
CONEMAUGH GROUP CONEMAUGH GROUP LLEWELLYN
296 z
«Z FORMATION
i«
Z z
« <c ALLEGHENY GROUP ALLEGHENY GROUP
~ z >
«
> 0
(zJ) :«:J U (L. Kittanning Coal) (L..Kittanning Coal) SHARPMTN.MEM.
z eI)
I 0
UCLJ Q~.. ~ Mercer Coals SLHLSe
(J) POTTSVILLE
W
~ Z« GROUP ? ~?.
a: '?~.
315 5J2: 5 ..,:)
e«I)
4
(C p ?DISCONFORMITY? -------p-
320 M'---- ---
«aZ: «z z f),.rStl. DISCONFORMITY M
> « MAUCH CHUNK
::J a:
~ 0
« J: UJ /, 'MAUCH FORMATION
Z ~ ~ tl. CHUNK FM.
::J (J)
aQ:.. :U::Jc
ewn U 3
33
«
z t5
«
a:: UJ
~
Q.. «
CiS a:
(J) UJ BURGOON
eCni5 VISEAN ~ POCONO
~ z
« SANDSTONE FORMATION
W
C.!'
« 2
eI)
0
352
TOUR- wa:I:<- ?~'?
NAISIAN zCO~ MARINE UNITS ?DISCONFORMlTY?
?~'?
-0
~:::c M M --.S-PE-CH-TY-- ° M
360 ~ FAM- .«z o UNITS 0 KOPF FORMATION 0
OZ ENNIA ;:):J
>« <0
Cw- (PART) U:::C<::J CATSKILL FM.
* USGS PROF. PAPER 454K
FIGURE 1. Correlation chart of Mississippian and Pennsylvanian rocks in Pennsylvania.
T352: 6
A. OSAGEAN- EARLY MERAMECIAN B. LATE MERAMECIAN - EARLY CHESTERIAN
NON-MARINE
untley Mountain Fm..C\ 1CS
~#-..~(C)I~) T"r.'J~)~ '""~, - - - - - - ~" ".\Jf.ol>(9C'~~
cr~~ Jt. ~ ~ '(0\"J<'~
LJ...(j 0 ~ BRAIDED -4(J ~,1 ~
~
#-jJ E'0to- SANDS".UV/A"L I:J
(:A1
u.. (OurgOon &. ~
UJ . c: Pocoupper
~ 8> f-: no Frns.)
~ Jt
---....-.?~
Stagnat.ln.g b~sin developing braided alluvial sand p~ain.
Declining In ut. Much winnowin .
C. LATE CHESTERIAN - EARLY MORROWAN D. LATE MORROWAN - EARLY ATOKAN
N,1S_~ODING FROM CRATONIC SOURCE
NORTHERN ALLUVIAL PLAIN ? EROSK)N?
COARSE CLASTICS)\ . •
lPre-Mer~J .~\\f\0~:'\
OJ. \ 5 1\
?MERe ~~~ l\~.~ttv~1"~~\\\SG(j~~4''\+-~
UNBURIED CREST OF)
BURGOONESCARPMENT~\. ~~";1
" \.\)~\ GO /'
"\ RN ~\; )
~\\\e~U'. ~X:..
50\.)1\-\£
?o\\S ~0v~G
(Pre-Mercer /o~~b~
·pottsville alluvial sandstones and conglomerales from
northern and southern sources bury older units
exce t ositive remnant of Burgoon escarpment.
E. LATE ATOKAN F. EARLY DESMOINESIAN
FROM CRATONIC SOURCE FROM CRATONIC SOURCE
MARINE AND LOWER
& UPPER DELTA PLAIN
SEDIMENTS
(Upper Pottsville Fm.,
including Mercer coals
& marine units)
Deltaic, paludal, and shallow marine sediments Deltaic, paludal, and shallow marine sedimen~s
associated with transgressive embayment in west. associated with transgressive embayment In west.
Epeirogenic uplift and erosion in northeast. Alluvial plain clastics overrun northeast.
FIGURE 2. Late Mississippian through Early Pennsylvanian paleogeography and depositional
environments. Adapted from Edmunds and others, 1979.
T352: 7
northwestward. Between the northern and intercalated sand received from the
northwestern upwarped positive area and eroding northern area.
the prograding Mauch Chunk delta, an In very late Chesterian, the first
elongate marine embayment extended from elements of non-red, coarse-grained,
The southwest across the foundering Pottsville-type alluvial sandstones and
Burgoon-Pocono sand plain, penetrating conglomerates appeared interbedded with
well into northeastern Pennsylvania. In the upper Mauch Chunk deltaic red beds
this shallow arm of the sea, carbonates in the area of the northeast anthracite
of the Greenbrier and correlative fields. In the sense that the coarse
Loyalhanna Formations (Fig. 1) were Pottsville-type clastics represent the
deposited, and mixed with sand from the alluvial facies of the Mauch Chunk
eroding north and red clay from the delta, this initial appearance can
delta to the southeast. In some areas, readily be interpreted as the normal
an early leading tongue of Mauch Chunk sequence of a prograding delta.
red clastics briefly preceded the The base of the Pottsville Formation
Loyalhanna. A later tongue of the and its Tumbling Run Member, as well as
Greenbrier (the Wymps Gap Limestone the base of the Pennsylvanian System and
Member) is interbedded with the Mauch Morrowan Series, by definition, are
Chunk (Flint, 1965). Toward the placed at the highest red bed in the
northeast end of the embayment the transitional sequence between the Mauch
Loyalhanna changes from a sandy Chunk and Pottsville Formations at the
limestone to a calcareous sandstone. type section near the city of Pottsville
It has long been believed that a in the Southern Anthracite field (Fig.
substantial disconformity also exists 1). Except for the reddish coloration
between the Burgoon and overlying of the Mauch Chunk, the upper 50 m(165
Loyalhanna, based upon the presumed ft) of the Mauch Chunk and the lower 40
relative ages of the two units (Fig. 1), m(130 ft) of the Pottsville are rather
(Reger, 1927). Although this similar lithologically. Northward from
disconformity may be present, there is the area of the type section, Mauch
very little control on the terminal age Chunk red beds rise somewhat in the
of the Burgoon and the contact between section, so that the Mississippian
the two units, although sharp, is very Pennsylvanian boundary passes into the
uniform regionally. Any disconformity upper part of the Mauch Chunk Formation.
present has had remarkably little effect The Tumbling Run Member of the
on the underlying Burgoon Sandstone. Pottsville Formation is present in all
From most physical appearances, the or most of the Southern and Middle
Burgoon-Loyalhanna contact could be Anthracite fields and the contact with
simply that of a rapid marine the Mauch Chunk remains apparently
transgression encroaching across the top conformable. In the area of the
of a sediment-starved, foundering Northern Anthracite field, erosion along
alluvial plain. a disconformity below the Sharp Mountain
Member of the Pottsville Formation has
late Chesterian and early Morrowan cut well into the Mauch Chunk or below,
Series, the systemic boundary thus leaving the systemic boundary
within the hiatus (Figs. 1 and 3). Up
Through late Chesterian time (Fig. to 1400 m(4500 ft) of sediment has been
2C), the Mauch Chunk delta built removed.
northwestward, burying the Loyalhanna In northwest Pennsylvania, which may
embayment and lapping onto the have been a positive area since late
northwestern positive area. The Meramecian or early Chesterian time,
distance which Mauch Chunk sediments erosion continued, probably including
encroached northwestward onto the cutting back some considerable
positive area as well as westward along encroachment of the Mauch Chunk delta
the Greenbrier-Loyalhanna embayment is redbeds. The terminal age of the Mauch
unknown because of subsequent erosion, Chunk Formation in the north and
but may well have advanced a northwest is unknown. It could have
considerable distance beyond its present continued into early Morrowan time.
limit. The great mass of Mauch Chunk Because Pottsville rocks in the
sediments were clearly derived from the northwest as old as early Morrowan are
southeast orogenic belt, although many unknown, it is reasonable to assume that
non-red sandstones in the west represent the systemic boundary lies within the
T352: 8
!
Haz~leton Sugar NotcMl ountain Top Pitt~ston Scra~nton Jer~myn Forest C~ity
800
.2000 t
Forest City
5e0n0 w.w.... Scrantof1,.,eJerm
cUrJ: 10~00 Mountain Top.'Pittston
jSugar ch
Hazleton-
500 /
100
Pottsville-
0 0
MILES
G 5 10 20 J
I I ,
f 1 2b 3\)
1~ILOMETERS -------------~
AopprOXImate verticalexaggeration=26:1 •- _
14Ir(C--------------.
131 KILOMETERS(82MILES) o
I:m:::::m:~ lm:!!'!::m:!:m~
PENNSYLVANIAN MISSISSIPPIAN DEVONIAN
FIGURE 3. Generalized stratigraphic section of the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian across the Pennsylvania Anthracite fields.
Modified from Edmunds and others, 1979.
hiatus of the disconformity (Figs. 1, renewed orogenic activity as well
2C, and 4). (White, 1913, p. 74, Levine and
In southwestern Pennsylvania, the Slingerland, 1987, p. 62-63).
customary interpretation of the sequence
suggests a substantial disconformity at late Morrowan and early Atokan Series
the top of the Mauch Chunk Formation
(Fig. 1), which is essentially an By late Morrowan and into early
extension of the well-recognized Atokan time, Pottsville alluvial
unconformity to the north and west. clastics from the southeast orogenic
This implies that at some time close to highlands had spread across all but the
the systemic boundary further regional northwest quarter of Pennsylvania.
uplift occurred, expanding the positive These included the upper part of the
area across southwestern Pennsylvania .Tumbling Run and Schuylkill Members of
and on into West Virginia and the Pottsville Formation in the
Maryland. The relative thinness of both northeast and the pre-Mercer* part of
the Mauch Chunk and Pottsville the Pottsville in the southwest (Figs. 1
Formations in the southwest, coupled and 20). More or less simultaneously,
with the apparent absence of lower an influx of coarse alluvial clastics
Pennsylvanian floral zones, would seem from the fringes of the North American
to support this interpretation. Hoque craton to the north spread across
(1965), in his study of the Mauch Chunk, northwestern Pennsylvania, burying the
accepts the unconformity without long-lasting positive area beneath
question.
The massive alluvial onset which *Pre-Mercer, post-Mercer, and Mercer
began just before the beginning of the hard clays are all terms which refer to
Pennsylvanian Period very likely rocks associated with the Mercer coal
represents a sharp climate change to beds, located in the upper part of the
much wetter climate, and probably Pottsville Formation.
T352: 9