Geology Commons^™

Geology And Energy Resources Of The Arkoma Basin, Oklahoma And Arkansas, Boyd R. Haley

UMR Journal -- V. H. McNutt Colloquium Series

The Arkoma basin is a structurally defined basin that underlies an area of about 13,000 sq. mi. It extends from Little Rock, Arkansas, to Atoka, Oklahoma. The rocks in the basin grade upward from dolomite, some limestone, sandstone (Upper Cambrian to Upper Devonian) to shale and limestone (Upper Devonian to Lower Pennsylvanian) to shale, limestone, and sandstone (Lower Pennsylvanian) to shale and sandstone (Middle Pennsylvanian). The sediments that formed rocks in the lower part of the Atoka formation on the south side of the basin were deposited in a deep-water environment. All other sediments in the basin were deposited in …

Basement Rocks Of The Main Interior Basins Of The Midcontinent, Edward C. Lidiak

UMR Journal -- V. H. McNutt Colloquium Series

The basement underlying the deeper basins in the Midcontinent is not well known because of the considerable thickness of overlying sedimentary rocks. However, gravity and magnetic surveys and sparse wells to basement suggest that deeper intracratonic basins are characteristically underlain by denser and more magnetic rocks than in adjacent areas. This correlation has important bearing on understanding the tectonic development and geologic history of Midcontinent basins.

The Michigan basin is underlain by prominent, linear gravity and magnetic highs that extend across the southern peninsula. A recent deep well to basement encountered basalt overlain by red clastic sedimentary rock. The combined …

Umr Journal: Selected Structural Basins Of The Mid-Continent, U.S.A., University Of Missouri--Rolla

UMR Journal -- V. H. McNutt Colloquium Series

No abstract provided.

Geologic-Tectonic History Of The Area Surrounding The Northern End Of The Mississippi Embayment, H. R. Schwalb

UMR Journal -- V. H. McNutt Colloquium Series

Since Precambrian time, zones of weakness have been repeatedly but infrequently reactivated in the Mississippi Embayment area. All of the major folds and many of the minor anticlines caused by this activity are associated with faults in the basement rocks. The latest occurrence of major tectonic activity (perhaps Early Cretaceous), however, not only affected the old fault zones but also created a vast new feature, the Pascola arch, which has no Paleozoic antecedent. Severe erosion and subsequent Tertiary subsidence associated with the Pascola arch indicate that this structure alone is the locus of present-day major earthquake activity. Until the time …

Structure Of The Salina-Forest City Interbasin Boundary From Seismic Studies, Don W. Steeples

UMR Journal -- V. H. McNutt Colloquium Series

As petroleum exploration efforts in the Midcontinent become directed toward smaller fields and the search for minerals is extended into new areas, the edges of the Salina and Forest City basins will become of increased interest to industry. The principal boundary feature between the two basins is the Nemaha ridge, a linear feature that extends from near Omaha, Nebraska, to near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Recent seismic studies at the Kansas Geological Survey have revealed a complex array of faulted and folded structures in the vicinity of the Humboldt fault zone (the eastern flank of the Nemaha ridge). Faulting of both …

Geological Evolution And Energy Resources Of The Williston Basin, Lee C. Gerhard

UMR Journal -- V. H. McNutt Colloquium Series

The Williston basin of North Dakota, Montana, South Dakota, and south-central Canada (Manitoba and Saskatchewan) is a major producer of oil and gas, lignite, and potash. Located on the western periphery of the Phanerozoic North American craton, the Williston basin has undergone only relatively mild tectonic distortion during Phanerozoic time. This distortion is largely related to movement of Precambrian basement blocks.

Sedimentary rocks of cratonic sequences Sauk through Tejas are present in the basin. Sauk, Tippecanoe, and Kaskaskia Sequence rocks are largely carbonate, as are the major oil and gas producing formations. Absaroka and Zuni rocks have more clastic content, …

Preface, Paul Dean Proctor, John W. Koenig

UMR Journal -- V. H. McNutt Colloquium Series

The UMR Journal has had an interesting but somewhat sporadic history. The topics of papers that appeared in UMR Journal 1 in 1968 under the general title of “A Coast to Coast Tectonic Study of the United States” covered the major tectonic features of the contiguous United States from the margin of the Atlantic continental shelf to the Pacific coast. Each paper was authored by a recognized expert for the specific province reviewed. UMR Journal 2, which was published in 1971, related to “Alaska—Its Mineral Potentials and Environmental Challenges”. This UMR Journal 3 emphasizes the geology, genesis, and energy resources …

Radiometric And Petrochemical Characteristics Of The Dells Granite, Yavapai County, Arizona, Kenneth Stewart Fleck

Masters Theses

"The Dells granite of central Arizona, an alkaline granite containing accessory fluorite and tourmaline, contains anomalously high amounts of uranium. Gamma-ray spectrometry, x-ray fluorescence, petrographic, and autoradiographic methods were used to determine the contents and distribution of equivalent U, Th, K, and ten major element oxides within the granite pluton. The range of uranium content is 0 to 39.7 parts per million (ppm) with the mean equivalent U content 8.8 ppm; eTh, 26.8 ppm; and K, 4.8%. The average uranium content is about twice the average of western United States granites, the thorium content slightly less than average. The Th/U …

Mineralogical, Textural, And Paragenetic Studies Of Selected Ore Deposits Of The Southeast Missouri Lead-Zinc-Copper District And Their Genetic Implications, Kenneth Bruce Horrall

Doctoral Dissertations

“A detailed paragenetic study of Pb-Zn-Cu ores from the Viburnum Number 28, Brushy Creek, and Goose Creek mines in the Southeast Missouri lead district indicates a complicated paragenesis characterized by repeated periods of mineral deposition. The sequence is composed of nineteen minerals including abundant galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, marcasite, dolomite, calcite, and quartz and minor siegenite, bornite, bravoite, blaubleibender covellite, covellite, gersdorffite, digenite, enargite, tennantite, dickite, and malachite.

The paragenesis indicates that the ore solutions evolved in the following order: (1) Cu-rich, (2) Co-Ni-rich, (3) Pb-Zn-rich, and (4) Fe-rich. Subsequent repeated generations include cubic galena, later sphalerite, and minor crystalline …

A Thermochemical Study Of The Ore Deposits Of The Milliken Mine, New Lead Belt, Missouri, Douglas L. Rickman

Doctoral Dissertations

"The ore body at the Milliken mine is a typical Mississippi Valleytype ore deposit. Mineralization is in a dolostone and structures are subtle, but very important ore controls. The major mineralogy is simple, predominately galena, luminescent hydrothermal dolomite, sphalerite and chalcopyrite. Twenty-three additional minerals have been identified in the ores, including barite and Pb-aragonite, bot h of which have not previously been recognized in the district.

Paragenetically, the ores are very complex, with four major, distinct periods of mineralization plus numerous periods of dissolution. The paragenesis provides evidence for the dynamic, evolving nature of the ore system. Galena textures, euhedral …

An Investigation Of The Nickel-Cobalt Occurrence In The Southeast Missouri Mining District, David Ray Jessey

Doctoral Dissertations

"A study of the occurrence of nickel and cobalt in the Southeast Missouri Mining District has revealed several significant geochemical trends and mineralogical relationships. Regional geochemical studies indicate that the greatest concentration of nickel and cobalt occurs in the Fredericktown area. Mines in the Viburnum Trend also have significant concentrations of these metals. Studies of the Viburnum Trend have established that both nickel and cobalt decrease in concentration southward from the Magmont mine to the Brushy Creek mine, increase at the Fletcher mine, and decrease again at the Sweetwater mine.

A detailed geochemical study of the Buick mine has shown …

Fossil Algae In The St. Louis Limestone, Near St. Louis, Missouri, Sherris Ragsdale Myers

Masters Theses

"Although Mississippian algae research is fairly extensive, little has been published on algae from the Mississippian type locality, the Upper Mississippi River Valley. For this study, portions of sixteen St. Louis Limestone stratigraphic sections containing units with oncolites, domal stromatolites, laminations, or mottled (possibly algal) textures, were measured, described, and sampled to determine: (1) to what extent algae are preserved in the St. Louis Limestone, (2) if enough of the delicate structure was fossilized to determine morphology, (3) depositional environment of the algae, and (4) if the algae are related to a lithologic pattern. Thin sections of the sampled units …

Geology And Mineralization, Ohio And Mt. Baldy Districts, Marysvale, Piute County, Utah, Laurence M. Nuelle

Masters Theses

"The Ohio and Mt. Baldy Mining Districts near Marysvale, Utah occupy a cauldron complex in the Bullion Canyon Volcanics. This complex contains three rock groups of three volcanic episodes. The oldest is a volcanic cone framework series of lahars. The middle group is represented by lava flows, ash flows, and breccias which represent intra-caldera fill. The upper group consists of a local vent complex and the Delano Peak Tuff Member both of which may be related to ring fracture activity.

The stages of veining in the area include in order of gradational deposition: (1) early quartz veins, (2) pre-productive main …

Heavy Metal Patterns In Big And Aux Vases River Drainage Rolla 1⁰ X 2⁰ Quadrangle, Missouri, Behzad Afzali

Masters Theses

"Some 71 active stream sediment, bank sediment, biota, and stream water samples were collected at selected sites along the Big River and Aux Vases rivers and tributaries. The pH, alkalinity, specific conductance, temperature were determined and samples analyzed for Cu, Pb, Zn, Co, Ni, and Cd content.

Stream waters carry heavy metals in low parts per billion. Greatest heavy metal content is in the stream waters of Flat River and lower Big River.

Acid leachable heavy metal content of -80 mesh fractions of stream sediments for Cu, Pb, Zn, Co, Ni, and Cd are orders of magnitude greater than that …

Sedimentology Of The Hannibal Formation In Northeastern Missouri And Western Illinois, Michael Harry Deming

Masters Theses

"The Hannibal Formation (Kinderhookian) occurring in northeastern Missouri and western Illinois is a fine-grained, terrigenous, sedimentary unit which can be divided into an upper and a lower portion, based on lithology. The upper portion consists of alternating coarse and argillaceous, fine siltstone units, while the lower portion consists of a silty mudstone with an occasional thin siltstone unit. At the extreme western margin of the formation, near where the Hannibal almost pinches out, the formation consists entirely of a silty claystone. Extending southward along the study area, the coarse siltstone units of the upper Hannibal become thinner, and eventually pinch …

Landsat Image Analysis Of Linears And Lineaments In The Tri-State District, Missouri-Oklahoma-Kansas, Solomon Hartley Toweh

Masters Theses

"Lineations within the Tri-State mining district are classified as megalineaments, lineaments and linears, based on length. One megalineament, 120 lineaments and 205 linears are identified on the LANDSAT imagery. In order of importance a dominant northeast set, northwest set, north-south set and east-west set are recognized. These range from 0.8 miles (1.3 km) to 68 miles (109.4 km) in length.

Major lineation trends spatially relate with trends of mined areas In the Picher field both northeast and northwest lineations generally parallel mined areas. In the Galena field ore and lineations trend northeast while in the Joplin and Duenweg-Webb City-Oronogo field …

The Paleontology And Biostratigraphy Of The Lower Ordovician Gasconade Formation Of Missouri, Bruce L. Stinchcomb

Doctoral Dissertations

"The biostratigraphy, paleoecology and paleontology of the Lower Ordovician Gasconade Formation in Missouri is reinvestigated in an attempt to solve problems that have arisen since the classic earlier studies by Ulrich, Bridge and others. Twelve faunal zones are established, many based on primitive mollusks which dominate the formation. The oldest of these, in the Van Buren Member, is the Hypseloaonus Zone. This is followed by a zone characterized by the primitive cephalopod Dakeoaeras then a zone dominated by the gastropod Sinuopea. These zones are succeeded by the Euomphalopsis, Matthevia and Ozarkina Zones which lie stratigraphically below the Cryptozoon Zone, …

The Geology Of The Searchlight Mining District, Clark County, Nevada, John Stewart Bown

Masters Theses

"The general area of the Searchlight mining district has been the object of various studies by geologists since 1861. The Searchlight district is located in southern Clark County, Nevada in the eastern part of the Mojave Desert at the southern end of the Eldorado Mountains. Southern Clark County is characterized by a lack of Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks. A Precambrian complex of rocks mostly gneiss in the southwest corner of the district is non-conformably overlain by Tertiary extrusive rocks about 8,500 feet (2,590 meters) thick consisting of andesite, basalt, rhyolite, and pyroclastics. Both the gneiss and volcanic assemblage were intruded …

Geology Of The Stateline District, Utah-Nevada, Terry Moore Collins

Masters Theses

"The rocks exposed in the Stateline District, Iron County, Utah and Lincoln County, Nevada, are Tertiary volcanics, which serve as hosts for gold and silver bearing quartz veins. The Miocene rhyolites and dellenites, a possible caldera, cupola-associated rock textures, and the faults and styles of deformations indicate the geologic setting of Stateline is in harmony with the tectonic framework of the southern Great Basin. Four map units, subdivided into nine members, are recognized. X-ray fluorescence analyses for SiO₂, TiO₂, Fe₂O₃, CaO, and K₂O differentiated the map units, while variations in the primary quartz, sanadine, plagioclase, biotite, hornblende, and total crystal …

Geology And The Barite Potential Of The Raymond Widel Area, Cooper County, Missouri, German Francisco

Masters Theses

"The Raymond Widel barite prospect is two miles northeast of Blackwater Town, in parts of Sections 23, 24, 25, and 26, T49N, R19W, Cooper County, Missouri. Reported in the area since the 1850's barite-galena deposits have been sporadically mined.

The Burlington-Keokuk and Warsaw formations of Mississippian age are exposed. The former is composed of coarse-grained limestone with abundant fossils, and the latter is a fossiliferous cherty limestone. These reach a thickness of over 200 feet. Local structures are not significant, but regional fold and fault structures are present outside the area.

Exploration drilling consisted of 31 drill holes ranging from …

Lower Mississippian Sedimentation In Northwestern Montana, Forest E. Haines

Doctoral Dissertations

"Thirty-three measured sections, nine with thin sections and insoluble residues, were studied to determine the depositional history of the Allan Mountain Limestone and the lower member of the Castle Reef Dolomite of the Madison Group in northwestern Montana.

The Allan Mountain base is a fossiliferous limestone, herein named the Brownback Gulch Member, which thickens and becomes cherty to the southwest where the section at Lone Butte resembles that of the Bridger Range Waulsortian-type reefs. A crinoidal lag deposit marks a dis- conformity at the top. In the overlying silty limestone member a thin black shale (Unit 1) grades into normal …

Geology Of The Southern Half Of The Stoutland, Missouri Quadrangle, Chester Encell Nichols

Doctoral Dissertations

"The dissertation area lies on the western flank of the Ozark uplift between Lebanon and Camdenton, Missouri. In the northwestern corner of the study area a portion of the Decaturville cryptoexplosive structure is exposed. The dominant structure outside the disturbed zone is a northwest-trending asymmetrical anticline with a subsidiary normal fault dipping southwest on the steeper southwest limb.

The area is mapped in considerable detail in order to describe subtle structural features. To overcome a problem of poor exposures, new key beds are defined which greatly increase structural control. Significant structures recognized as a result are the Dry Auglaize anticline, …

Geology Of The Al-Khums Area Northwestern Libya With Emphasis On The Stratigraphy And Biostratigraphy Of The Al-Khums Formation, Mostafa Juma Salem

Doctoral Dissertations

"The dissertation represents a geologic study of an area bordering the Mediterranean Sea in northwestern Libya. About 1200 km² were mapped and 28 stratigraphic sections were prepared.

The bedrock consists of 16 stratigraphic units of Mesozoic and Cenozoic age having a combined maximum thickness of about 750 meters. The oldest unit exposed, the Abu Shaybah Formation, is a redbed sequence of Triassic and Jurassic age. These beds are unconformably separated from Cretaceous carbonates (Garian Limestone, Ain Tobi Formation, and Gezzar Dolomite). These units in turn are overlain by the Miocene Al-Khums Formation. Younger Quaternary units consist of nearshore marine …

Areal Geology, Brecciation, And Mineralization In The Trout Creek Area, Park And Chaffee Counties, Colorado, Barry Plin Mercer

Masters Theses

"The principle purpose of this thesis research has been to map rock types in an area selected for its occurrence of lead-zinc mineralization, and particularly to examine the character and origin of breccias present in the Leadville Limestone. The thesis area is located in Colorado along the east flank of the southernmost Mosquito Range, bounded by Buffalo Peaks Volcanic field on the north and Trout Creek on the south. Units mapped include the Sawatch Quartzite (Cambrian), Manitou Limestone (lower Ordovician), Harding Sandstone (middle Ordovician), Fremont Limestone (upper Ordovician), Parting Quartzite (Devonian), Dyer Dolomite (Devonian), and Leadville Limestone (Mississippian). The Leadville …

Geology, Mineralogy, And Fluid Inclusion Geothermometry Of The El Paso Gold Mine, Cripple Creek, Colorado, Charles Albon Lane

Masters Theses

"The Cripple Creek district consists of a deeply- eroded, breccia-filled volcanic subsidence basin. Subsidence of the basin occurred along fissures formed by fracturing during the Laramide orogeny. The material filling the crater probably developed first as fissure flows. Erosion of the volcanics formed the material now filling the basin. Volcanic activity was accompanied by intrusion of numerous sills, dikes, and stocks of several different rock types into the breccia and surrounding granite, punctuated by occasional explosive activity. The majority of the mines in the district lie within the volcanic center; however, a few important ones, most notably the El Paso …

A Study Of Middle To Late Quaternary Sediments In The Karst Trap., David Lewis Rath

Masters Theses

"Quaternary deposits preserved in a karst trap on the Lebanon uplands a e described. The sediments represent the Yarmouthian, Illinoian, Sangamonian, and Wisconsinan Stages. The karst trap is pre-Yarmouthian in age. The lowermost deposit consists of residual fill material on which lies a well-developed Yarmouth paleosol. During the Illinoian Stage about 61 cm (2 feet) of Loveland loess was deposited over the area. Toward late Illinoian conditions favoring erosion rapidly filled the closed system, stripping the loess and reducing the residual slopes. The system stabilized during the Sangamonian Stage allowing for a thick, strong Sangamon paleosol to deve lop on …

Heavy Metal Contamination In Soil Around A Lead Smelter In Southeast Missouri, David Lewis Butherus

Masters Theses

"In order to determine the extent of possible heavy metal contamination, more than 963 samples of leaf litter and soil were collected from 410 sample stations around the AMAX smelter in southeast Missouri. Dried samples of leaf litter and minus 80 mesh soil fractions were analyzed for cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Minus 80 mesh soil fractions were also analyzed for sulfur using x-ray fluorescence methods. Ranges of heavy metal concentrations in leaf litter were: cadmium, 0.13 μg/g to 175 μg/g; copper, 4.2 μg/g to 6500 μg/g; lead, 50 μg/g to 130,000 μg/g; and zinc, 26 …

Fluid Inclusion Geothermometry Of Tri-State Sphalerite, Chi-Sheng Wei

Masters Theses

"Fluid inclusions in successively deposited generations of sphalerite from the Tri-State district have been examined for geothermometry as a function of time. The main stage of vug-filling sphalerite has been studied most intensively and as many as 83 fluid inclusions have been examined in a single crystal. These sphalerite crystals are commonly zoned, and their filling temperatures exhibit a general pattern of declining temperature from their cores outward, from about 135°C down to 90°C. The decline is not a steady one, but rather it is characterized by fluctuations commonly about 15-20°C. Some fluctuations have magnitudes as great as 50-60°C, with …

Geochemical And Biogeochemical Studies In The Hansonburg Mining District, New Mexico, Alan Nathan Silverman

Masters Theses

"The Hansonburg mining district is in Socorro county in south central New Mexico. A Paleozoic section of thick Pennsylvanian limestone units, thin shale and arkose layers and thick Permian units of sandstone, siltstone and gypsiferous beds interlayered with thin limestone units unconformably overlie a Precambrian basement of granite. The sedimentary rocks are folded with north trends and plunges. Northerly, some easterly and northwesterly trending faults cut the folds. Galena, fluorite, and barite mineralization occurs along some of the northerly faults and as bedded replacements and fissure fillings in the Pennsylvanian Council Spring limestone.

Geological mapping and geochemical soil surveys of …

A Geochemical And Microscopic Study Of A Recently Discovered Deposit In Southern Illinois Fluorspar District., Prachon Chareonsri

Masters Theses

"A bedding-replacement fluorite deposit, discovered by recent drilling in the northeast part of the Cave in Rock district, southern Illinois, has been studied by a combination of geochemical, X-ray, and microscopic techniques. The dispersion pattern for trace zinc, lead, cadmium and copper concentrations in carbonate host rocks adjacent to the fluorspar deposit, determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, appears to hold only little hope in serving as an aid to exploration. Only cadmium anomalies appear closely related to the known fluorspar ore, and those values are not greatly above background.

Broad zinc and cadmium anomalies and a narrow lead anomaly are …