The Juniata Formation : A Record Of Appalachain Mountain Building And Receding Seas

With our observation of the Shawangunk formation, we see a sedimentary rock formation containing a range of grain size. Such sizes range from pebbles (3cm-5cm), fine-grain sand, and medium-grain sand. There is some grading towards the bottom left of the outcrop known as a reverse grading with some small cross beds present (Figure 2). The grading occurs towards a slight part of the outcrop where we see the grading beginning as fine grain sediments and working up to coarser grain. With moderate sorting we see variations of degree of sorting per bed. As the degree of sorting varies as does the sphericity. The sediment bedding is well seen ranging in sizes of +/--20 cm to 40 cm. This outcrop has thick beds as one can see the basic units with cracks in between each (Figure 3). With mostly tabular beds consisting of sub-angular, and sub-rounded sediments, this outcrop also consists of some ventricular beds (Figure 4). When looking at figure 4, we have a small space of a ventricular bed present. This is because the bed comes in, pinches thicker bedding,

deposit is the Marcellus Shale, located in the northeastern part of the US, centering on the state

Starved rock and St. Peter Sandstone are an erosional remnant of Ordovician period. These remnants contain Pennsylvanian clastics that survived the washing out of the Illinois River at the end of the Ice Age. Evidence for swift, turbulent, and deep water includes gravel bars and erosional features as high as 160 feet above the current level of the river, massive cross bedded sand, and gravel deposits along the river course.

The Lynne deposit lies within the early Proterozoic Penokean fold belt of the southern province of the Precambrian Shield. The fold belt is divided into two major terranes in Wisconsin (Sims 1989). The first is the northern Penokean terrane, which contains major oxide facies iron formations and granitic intrusions (DeMatties 1989). The second major terrane, separated from the Penokean terrane by the Niagara fault zone, is the Wisconsin magmatic terrane, characterized by a volcanic island arc-basin assemblage (Sims 1989). This southern terrane lacks major oxide facies iron formations, but contains abundant tonalite-granite intrusions (DeMatties 1989). The Wisconsin magmatic terrane is further subdivided into the northern Pembine-Wausau terrane and the southern Marshfield terrane, which are separated by the Eau Pleine shear zone, a north-dipping subduction zone (Sims 1989).

One of the major things noticeable from the cross section is that quite a few of the rock layers are over turned, where the older rock layers are above the newer rock layers. This is seen in the contact between the Quartz Monzonite of Papoose Flat and the Campito Formation which is also a disconformity. Next there is some fault zones separating the Camptio, Poleta, and Harkless formations. We then see some more overturned layers with the contacts between Saline Spring Valley Formation (lower and upper members) above the Mule Spring Formation along with some inferred folding. With a normal fault separating the inferred folding event, we see where the overturning occurs. In between the Cambrian layers we see Tertiary Basalt nonconformities also being folded, thus with that we know that the folding event was more recent than the formation of the Basalt. Next there is a large Basalt field with a spot of the Harkless formation. Again we see over tuning as the Basalt field ends there are the Devonian and Mississippian rock Layers on top of the basalt. Separating these overturned layers from the Harkless Formation and the Saline valley Formation (upper member), which are not overturned, is a thrust fault. From this information, there was a major stress event sometime after the Tertiary period causing the rock layers to fold and overturn. And from this stress event and from the folding, normal and thrust faults are formed. Finally we see that there were alluvial and landslide deposits from the Quaternary after the folding, faulting, and over

The Earth's crust has been undergoing complex chemical, physical, and biological reactions over more than 4 billion years now. In this relentless tardiness of geologic instance, the convection of the Earth's mantle gave form to the planet (Cronon, 1993). The Middle Atlantic region of North American was shaped by the tectonic plate movements and climatic changes shaping the ancient oceans into lands. Water streams gave form to hills and deep valleys and rainwater broke big rocks into fine soil. It is interesting to note that while all this was taking place, Maryland's mountains were comparable to the size of the Himalayas (Flannery, 2001). Their rock gradually created the mountain that we see in Maryland in the present day. Eventually, Maryland's rock layer turned into fertile soils, mineral deposits, and composite water elements.

The quadrangle is considered to be a part of the Allegheny Plateau, so the rocks in this region are mostly of Carboniferous age. Carboniferous rocks are subdivided into two series: the Pennsylvanian and Mississippian. The rocks of both series mainly consist of alternating beds of shale and sandstone, but Mississippian rocks on southern parts of the plateau include thick limestones (Phalen 1). Both series are represented in the Johnstown quadrangle. The Pennsylvanian series, however, covers most of the region, while Mississippian rocks appear only at the surface along deeply eroded anticlines.

Diatomite is a rock that forms from the silica cell walls of a group of unicellular algae known as diatoms. Diatoms are found in both fresh water and salt water. When they die, their cell walls dissolve under water and become compacted over time into diatomite. The fossilization rock, may have fossil remains of many kinds of plants preserved within it. Amber is considered a mineral that is used as a gem but is less valuable than precious stones. Amber or semiprecious stones is the fossilized resin produced by earlier cone-bearing evergreen trees. Before resins harden, floral parts, pollen grains, fungal spores, and other plant parts may become trapped and be preserved. Amber is valued for jewelry and as fossils mainly from two parts of the world, the region of northern Europe and the Dominican Republic. When describing different types of fossilization, specific qualities of the fossil are used. A two-dimensional with organic material is called compressions. The physical 3-D structure is compressed to one or two-dimensions. Peat, lignite, and coal are compressions of thick plant debris of covered mineral sediment. Impressions are two-dimensional imprints lacking organic material. If the sediment is grained, impressions may show detailed external forms of the plant. Casts and models is a three-dimensional that has a surface layer of organic material. A cast is made when sediment is deposited into cavities left by the decay of plant parts. A mold is a cavity left in the sediment by the decayed plant tissue. Molds are usually unfilled, or partly filled with sediment. Casts and molds may be found together with the cast filling the mold. Permineralizations are also three-dimensional with plant tissue being infiltrated by mineral-rich fluid. The internal structure of the plant is preserved in three dimensions. Lastly, molecular fossils are non-structural and preserves organic

It is subdivided, from north to south, into the Wabigoon, Quetico, Wawa, and Minnesota River Valley (MRV) subprovinces (Figure 2, Jirsa et al., 2011). The Wabigoon subprovince is composed of greenschist facies mafic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks intruded by granitoid batholiths. Algoma-type iron formation and small mafic intrusions are also common in this terrane. Amphibolite to greenschist facies rocks comprise the majority of the Quetico subprovince. In Minnesota, it occurs as a westward thinning belt of relatively homogenous metasediments and interstratified migmatites. The Wawa subprovince is composed of greenschist facies mafic and felsic volcanic rocks, granitoid batholiths and subsidiary Algoma-type iron formation. The MRV is the oldest of the terranes, and is characterized by granulite facies gneissic domes (Jirsa et al., 2011). Although not included as part of this study, a comprehensive overview of the mineral potential of the Vermillion Greenstone (Wawa Terrane in MN) was provided by Peterson

This formation is a very fine grain Mississippian limestone. To test to see if this was the Bangor formation we used HCL and because there was a reaction we know its limestone. This formation could also be described as gray in color as well as an average thickness of 700 feet. We see the Bangor until stop eight, where we see a very different vertical bedding. Also different at stop eight is the outcrop no longer reacts with HCL. From this we gathered that we had moved into the Hartselle formation. In the Hartselle Formation, Mississippian aged sandstones are dominant. This particular stop had a large amount of jointing. After the Hartselle, we figured the Pride Mountain Formation would be next, however at stop nine we see the Maury Formation present. This stop focused on the rock located inside the creek. Because we were unable to go into the creek to get the strike and dips, we once again had to do a projected orientation. Also found on this stop were natural sulfur springs, easy to notice with the smell that it gives off. The Maury formation consist of Mississippian- Silurian aged shale. At the next stop, stop 10, we encounter the Ft. Payne formation. Although this area location was thickly vegetated, we were able to conduct the acid test and saw that the HCL reacts in some places but not all. From this we concluded that this was the cherty limestone of the Ft. Payne formation. The following stop, 12, we went up section and arrived at the Maury Formation once again. At the final stop, location 13, we see Ft. Payne Formation. All of the metamorphism and deformation in the southernmost Appalachians can be related to the movement of the thrust sheets and stacks (Higgins,

The basement rocks in the western Slave carton is older than 2.8 Ga and the known oldest rocks are the genesis found along the Acasta River which is about 3.6- 4.0 Ga old, which is estimated using the zircon dating (Isachsen & Bowring, 1994; Padgham,1992). Following by 2.8 - 3.5-Ga old genesis of Point Lake and genesis under the Yellowknife Greenstone belts, which exist over 3 Ga (Isachsen & Bowring, 1994; Padgham,1992). The major rock types include granitic to tonalitic genesis, migmatitic genesis and granodiorites, which have been deformed and metamorphosed (Fyson & Helmstaedt, 1988; Isachsen & Bowring, 1994; Padgham,1992). In the eastern Slave Craton, the basement is not confined but is correlated to the Nd-Pb isotopic boundaries

The Piedmont is located between the Coastal Plain and the Mountain regions, in the middle region of the state. The origins of Piedmont are French, meaning “foot of the mountain”, because it’s located at the base of the Appalachians Mountains. From the western Coastal Plane to the mountains, the elevations range from about 300 feet to near 1,500 feet (Seaman 2006). The fall line, or fault zone, lies between the Coastal Plain and the Piedmont. The rivers that flow along the fault line are formed from shoals, low waterfalls and rapids. As the rivers flow from the Piedmont to the coastal Plain the rocks become younger and softer. The streams below the fall line are usually lethargic and smooth-flowing. The streams above the fall line are gravelly and shallow, making boating difficult. As for the land, the Piedmont is called a plateau because it is high and mostly flat. Most geologist separate the Piedmont into two different areas because the rock suites are so different. The eastern part, known as the Carolina Slate Belt and then the western part, known as the Inner piedmont. My main area of focus will be the Carolina Slate Belt, with attention to the ancient

Past 360 million years ago, Kentucky was approximately 10 degree to the south of the equator when caves started to form. Kentucky was also occupied with water containing tiny organism having shells of calcium carbonate. When these tiny organisms died, shells accumulation of these creatures together with calcium carbonate emanating from water, built up more than millions of years such that it was hundreds of feet thick. On top of these formations, fifty feet of sandstone were deposited by another river system. Sandstone and limestone were exposed when the sea level started to fall approximately 280 million ago (Thompson & Thompson, 2003). When rivers that we have today started to form, sandstone topped plateau covered the Green River whereas a low limestone plain extended towards southeast direction (Call,

Before we get started, I guess we should actually distinguish, ‘What IS the Burgess Shale?’ Well, it is said to be a “shrouded legend” deep in the Canadian Rockies discovered in the early 1900s by Charles D. Walcott, notorious Smithsonian Secretary (Adler 2013). According to Haug, Caron, and Haug in their research article ‘Demecology in the Cambrian: Synchronized Molting in Arthropods from the Burgess Shale’ the Burgess is “arguably the best-known Konservat-Lagerstätte”. While the Burgess Shale is primarily known for the intricate preservation of soft-bodied creatures dating from the early Cambrian Period (Haug, Caron, Haug 2013); furthermore, what seems to make this specific site so special is the fact that not only the soft parts of

My outside source for questions 3 and 4 is a journal by Pat Shipman titled Fossils. This journal was published in The New Scientist Vol. 215, Issue 2876, p. 8-16.