USGS State of Tennessee Geology

 This State of Tennessee Geology Map consists of four joined sheets (west, west-central, east-central and east) from Hardeman et al (1966). Use the controls on the bottom right hand side of the window above to pan/zoom - or better yet to full screen (or use your mouse).

Click here for Geologic Unit, Names, Ages, and Descriptions

Note: there is some duplication of unit descriptions based on location within the strike belt and/or repeating sequences.

Source Coverages from the USGS Geologic Maps of the US States:   http://mrdata.usgs.gov/geology/state/

Map Label Unit Name Unit Age Unit Description
Cc Conasauga Group, including Maynardville Limestone, Nolichucky Shale, the Maryville, Rogersville, and Rutledge Formations, Pumpkin Valley Shale, Rome Formation, and Shady Dolomite Cambrian Conasauga Group - Mostly shale northwest of a line connecting Etowah and Bearden (Knoxville); to the east it consists of the six formations at right [Cmn, Maynardville Limestone. Ccl including Cn, Nolichucky Shale, Cmr Maryville, Rogersville, and Rutledge Formations, and Pumpkin Valley Shale; Cr, Rome Formation, and Cs, Shady Dolomite. Thickness about 2,000 feet.
Cc Conasauga Group Cambrian Conasauga Group - Mostly shale northwest of a line connecting Knoxville and Tazewell; dominantly dolomite with minor shale southeast of a line from Newport to Kingsport; between these lines it consists of six formations. Thickness about 2,000 feet.
Cc Conasauga Group, includes Maynardville Limestone, Nolichucky Shale, Honaker Dolomite, Maryville Limestone, Rogersville Shale, Rutledge Limestone, Pumpkin Valley Shale, Rome Formation, Shady Dolomite Cambrian Conasauga Group, includes Maynardville Limestone, Nolichucky Shale, Honaker Dolomite, Maryville Limestone, Rogersville Shale, Rutledge Limestone, Pumpkin Valley Shale, Rome Formation, Shady Dolomite
Ccc Conococheague Limestone Ordovician Conococheague Limestone - Well-bedded, ribboned (silt and dolomite), dark-gray limestone; interbeds of fine-grained, light- to dark-gray dolomite; sparingly cherty; cryptozoans typical. Thickness about 1,500 feet.
Cch Chilhowee Group; Cochran Conglomerate Cambrian Chilhowee Gourp; Cochran Conglomerate - Quartz-pebble conglomerate, gray pebbly arkose, siltstone and shale; irregular bedding, scour features, crossbedding common; maroon micaceous arkose and shale near middle and base. Thickness about 1,200 feet.
Cch Cochran Conglomerate Cambrian Cochran Conglomerate - Quartz-pebble conglomerate, gray pebbly arkose, siltstone and shale; irregular bedding, scour features, crossbedding common; maroon micaceous arkose and shale near middle and base. Thickness about 1,200 feet.
Cchi Chilhowee Group, including Erwin Formation, Hesse Sandstone, Murray Shale, Nebo Sandstone, Nichols Shale, Cochran Conglomerate, Hampton Formation, and Unicoi Formation Cambrian Chilhowee Group - Conformable sequence of dominantly clastic sediments. Thickness 3,000 to 7,500 feet; including Erwin Formation - White, vitreous quartzite, massive, with interbeds of dark-green silty and sandy shale, minor siltstone, and very fine-grained sandstone. Thickness 1,000 to 1,500 feet; Hesse Sandstone - White, vitreous quartzite, medium- to coarse-grained, occurs in massive ledges; Helenmode Member at top is gray to greenish sandstone and shale. Thickness about 600 feet; Murray Shale - Shale, silty, sandy, dull-green to brown, micaceous. Thickness about 500 feet; Nebo Sandstone - Medium-bedded, fine-grained, white, vitreous quartzite, in part feldspathic. Thickness 250 feet; Nichols Shale - Olive-gray to green, silty and sandy, micaceous shale and siltstone; local lenses of fine-grained feldspathic quartzite. Thickness about 700 feet; Cochran Conglomerate - Quartz-pebble conglomerate, gray pebbly arkose, siltstone and shale; irregular bedding, scour features, crossbedding common; maroon micaceous arkose and shale near middle and base. Thickness about 1,200 feet; Hampton Formation - Dark greenish-gray, silty and sandy, micaceous shale; numerous layers of medium-grained, feldspathic, thinly bedded sandstone. Thickness 500 to 2,000 feet; Unicoi Formation - Sequence of gray feldspathic sandstone, arkose, conglomerate, graywacke, siltstone and shale; greenish amygdaloidal basalt flows near middle and base. Thickness 2,000 to 5,000 feet.
Ccl Nolichucky Shale, and Maryville, Rogersville, and Rutledge Formations, and Pumpkin Valley Shale Cambrian (Cn) Nolichucky Shale - Pastel-colored (pink, greenish, olive), flaky clay shale; gray, commonly oolitic, shaly limestone lenses; locally stromatolitic limestone layers; thin, blocky siltstone near middle. Thickness 500 feet in the east to 900 feet in the west.; (Cmr) Maryville, Rogersville, and Rutledge Formations - Maryvile and Rutledge are gray limestone, in part oolitic, with gray dolomite locally. Rogersville is green clay shale. Thickness 400 to 1,000 feet. Pumpkin Valley Shale - Dull-brown to maroon shale with numerous interbeds of thin, blocky, sandy siltstone. Thickness 100 to 600 feet.
Ccl Maynardville Limestone, Nolichucky Shale, Honaker Dolomite, Maryville Limestone, Rogersville Shale, Rutledge Limestone, Pumpkin Valley Shale Cambrian Maynardville Limestone - Thick-bedded, bluish-gray, ribboned (silt and dolomite) nodular limestone; light-gray, fine-grained, laminated to thinly bedded, noncherty dolomite in upper part. Thickness 150 to 400 feet; Nolichucky Shale - Pastel-colored (pink, greenish, olive), flaky clay shale; gray, commonly oolitic, shaly limestone lenses; locally stromatolitic limestone layers; thin, blocky siltstone near middle. Thickness 100 feet in the east to 900 feet in the west; Honaker Dolomite - Dark-gray, medium-bedded dolomite with minor dark limestone beds; locally cherty; cryptozoans abundant in places. Thickness about 1,500 feet; Maryville Limestone - Gray, ribboned (silt and dolomite), fine-grained, evenly bedded limestone; intraformational conglomerate and oolitic layers common; clay shale and light-gray dolomite locally. Thickness 300 to 800 feet; Rogersville Shale - Light-green, fissile clay shale; in places limestone (Craig Member) in upper part. Commonly 25 to 80 feet thick; maximum thickness 250 feet; Rutledge Limestone - Medium- to dark-gray, ribboned (silt and dolomite), medium-grained, well-bedded limestone; locally dark-gray, coarse-grained, medium-bedded dolomite in upper part. Thickness 100 to 500 feet; Pumpkin Valley Shale - Dull-brown to maroon shale with numerous interbeds of thin, blocky, and sandy siltstone. Thickness 100 to 600 feet.
Ccr Copper Ridge Dolomite Cambrian Copper Ridge Dolomite - Coarse, dark-gray, knotty dolomite, asphaltic in places, with much gray, medium-grained, well- bedded dolomite; abundant chert; cryptozoans typical. Thickness about 1,000 feet.
Ccr Copper Ridge Dolomite Ordovician Copper Ridge Dolomite - Coarse, dark-gray, knotty dolomite, asphaltic in places; with much gray, medium-grained, well- bedded dolomite; abundant chert; cryptozoans typical. Thickness about 1,000 feet.
Ccu Maynardville Limestone, Nolichucky Shale, and Honaker Dolomite Cambrian Maynardville Limestone - Thick-bedded, bluish-gray, ribboned (silt and dolomite) nodular limestone; light-gray, fine-grained, laminated to thinly bedded, noncherty dolomite in upper part. Thickness 150 to 400 feet; Nolichucky Shale - Pastel-colored (pink, greenish, olive), flaky clay shale; gray, commonly oolitic, shaly limestone lenses; locally stromatolitic limestone layers; thin, blocky siltstone near middle. Thickness 100 feet in the east to 900 feet in the west; Honaker Dolomite - Dark-gray, medium-bedded dolomite with minor dark limestone beds; locally cherty; cryptozoans abundant in places. Thickness about 1,500 feet.
Ce Erwin Formation Cambrian Erwin Formation - White, vitreous quartzite, massive, with interbeds of dark-green silty and sandy shale, minor siltstone, and very fine-grained sandstone. Thickness 1,000 to 1,500 feet.
Ch Hampton Formation Cambrian Hampton Formation - Dark greenish-gray, silty and sandy, micaceous shale; numerous layers of medium-grained, feldspathic, thinly bedded sandstone. Thickness 500 to 2,000 feet.
Che Chilhowee Group; Hesse Sandstone Cambrian Chilhowee Group; Hesse Sandstone - White, vitreous quartzite, medium- to coarse-grained, occurs in massive ledges; Helenmode Member at top is gray to greenish sandstone and shale. Thickness about 600 feet.
Che Hesse Sandstone Cambrian Hesse Sandstone - White, vitreous quartzite, medium- to coarse-grained, occurs in massive ledges; Helenmode Member at top is gray to greenish sandstone and shale. Thickness about 600 feet.
Chk Honaker Dolomite Cambrian Honaker Dolomite - Dark-gray, medium-bedded dolomite with minor dark limestone beds; locally cherty; cryptozoans abundant in places. Thickness about 1,500 feet.
Cm Maryville Limestone Cambrian Maryville Limestone - Gray, ribboned (silt and dolomite), fine-grained, evenly bedded limestone; intraformational conglomerate and oolitic layers common; clay shale and light-gray dolomite locally. Thickness 300 to 800 feet.
Cmn Maynardville Limestone Cambrian Maynardville Limestone - Thick-bedded, bluish-gray, ribboned (silt and dolomite), nodular limestone; light-gray, fine- grained, laminated to thin-bedded, noncherty dolomite in upper part. Thickness 150 to 400 feet.
Cmn Maynardville Limestone Cambrian Maynardville Limestone - Thick-bedded, bluish-gray, ribboned (silt and dolomite) nodular limestone; light-gray, fine-grained, laminated to thinly bedded, noncherty dolomite in upper part. Thickness 150 to 400 feet.
Cmr Maryville, Rogersville, and Rutledge Formations Cambrian Maryville, Rogersville, and Rutledge Formations - Maryville and Rutledge are gray limestone, in part oolitic, with gray dolomite locally. Rogersville is green clay shale. Thickness 400 to 1,000 feet.
Cmr Maryville Limestone, Rogersville Shale, Rutledge Limestone Cambrian Maryville Limestone - Gray, ribboned (silt and dolomite), fine-grained, evenly bedded limestone; intraformational conglomerate and oolitic layers common; clay shale and light-gray dolomite locally. Thickness 300 to 800 feet; Rogersville Shale - Light-green, fissile clay shale; in places limestone (Craig Member) in upper part. Commonly 25 to 80 feet thick; maximum thickness 250 feet; Rutledge Limestone - Medium- to dark-gray, ribboned (silt and dolomite), medium-grained, well-bedded limestone; locally dark-gray, coarse-grained, medium-bedded dolomite in upper part. Thickness 100 to 500 feet.
Cmu Chilhowee Group; Murray Shale Cambrian Chilhowee Group; Murray Shale - Shale, silty, sandy, dull-green to brown, micaceous. Thickness about 500 feet.
Cmu Murray Shale Cambrian Murray Shale - Shale, silty, sandy, dull-green to brown, micaceous. Thickness about 500 feet.
Cn Nolichucky Shale Cambrian Nolichucky Shale - Pastel-colored (pink, greenish, olive), flaky clay shale; gray, commonly oolitic, shaly limestone lenses; locally stromatolitic limestone layers; thin, blocky siltstone near middle. Thickness 500 feet in the east to 900 feet in the west.
Cn Nolichucky Shale Cambrian Nolichucky Shale - Pastel-colored (pink, greenish, olive), flaky clay shale; gray, commonly oolitic, shaly limestone lenses; locally stromatolitic limestone layers; thin, blocky siltstone near middle. Thickness 100 feet in the east to 900 feet in the west.
Cnb Chilhowee Group; Nebo Sandstone Cambrian Chilhowee Group; Nebo Sandstone - Medium-bedded, fine-grained, white vitreous quartzite, in part feldspathic. Thickness 250 feet.
Cnb Nebo Sandstone Cambrian Nebo Sandstone - Medium-bedded, fine-grained, white, vitreous quartzite, in part feldspathic. Thickness 250 feet.
Cni Nichols Shale Cambrian Chilhowee Group; Nichols Shale - Olive-gray to green, silty and sandy, micaceous shale and siltstone; local lenses of fine-grained feldspathic quartzite. Thickness about 700 feet.
Cni Nichols Shale Cambrian Nichols Shale - Olive-gray to green, silty and sandy, micaceous shale and siltstone; local lenses of fine-grained feldspathic quartzite. Thickness about 700 feet.
Cpv Pumpkin Valley Shale Cambrian Pumpkin Valley Shale - Dull-brown to maroon shale with numerous interbeds of thin, blocky, and sandy siltstone. Thickness 100 to 600 feet.
Cr Rome Formation Cambrian Rome Formation - Variegated (red, green, yellow) shale and siltstone with beds of gray, fine-grained sandstone. Maximum exposed thickness 1,500 feet.
Cr Rome Formation Cambrian Rome Foundation - Variegated (red, green, yellow) shale and siltstone; gray, fine-grained sandstone in middle and west part of Valley and Ridge; abundant limestone and dolomite in east. Thickness about 2,000 feet.
Crg Rogersville Shale Cambrian Rogersville Shale - Light-green, fissile clay shale; in places limestone (Craig Member) in upper part. Commonly 25 to 80 feet thick; maximum thickness 250 feet.
Crt Rutledge Limestone Cambrian Rutledge Limestone - Medium- to dark-gray, ribboned (silt and dolomite), medium-grained, well-bedded limestone; locally dark-gray, coarse-grained, medium-bedded dolomite in upper part. Thickness 100 to 500 feet.
Cs Shady Dolomite Cambrian Shady Dolomite - Light-gray dolomite and thinly bedded limestone with much shaly gray limestone and calcareous gray shale. Thickness about 1,000 feet.
Cs Shady Dolomite Cambrian Shady Dolomite - Light-gray, well-bedded dolomite with thin- to medium-bedded gray limestone; yellowish-brown residual clays with "jasperoid" diagnostic. Thickness about 1,000 feet.
Cu Unicoi Formation Cambrian Unicoi Formation - Sequence of gray feldspathic sandstone, arkose, conglomerate, graywacke, siltstone and shale; greenish amygdaloidal basalt flows near middle and base. Thickness 2,000 to 5,000 feet.
D Devonian Formations, includes Pegram Formation, Camden Formation, Harriman Formation, Flat Gap Limestone, and Ross Formation Devonian Devonian Formations - Characterized by marked north-south facies variations. Because of pre-Chattanooga and/or pre-Cretaceous warping and erosion, the distribution and thickness of Devonian formations is very irregular. Includes Pegram Formation - Thick-bedded, gray limestone and gray sandstone. Thickness 0 to 15 feet; Camden Formation - Light-gray novaculitic chert and tripolitic clay; and minor siliceous limestone. Thickness 0 to about 100 feet; Harriman Formation - Light-gray novaculitic chert and tripolitic clay; and minor siliceous limestone. (Harriman and Camden are differentiated paleontologically.) Thickness 0 to 50 feet; Flat Gap Limestone - Thick-bedded, coarse-grained limestone, gray with red and brown grains. Thickness 0 to 55 feet; Ross Formation - Siliceous limestone; gray and variegated shale; and medium-grained glauconitic limestone. Thickness 0 to 75 feet.
D Devonian Formations, including Pegram Formation, Camden Formation, Harriman Formation, Flat Gap Limestone, and Ross Formation Devonian Devonian Formations - Characterized by marked north-south facies variations and by very irregular distribution. Individual formations are not uniform in thickness and have been truncated by pre-Chattanooga erosion; includes Pegram Formation - Thick-bedded, gray limestone and gray sandstone. Thickness 0 to 30 feet; Camden Formation - Light-gray novaculitic chert and tripolitic clay; and minor siliceous limestone. Thickness 0 to about 100 feet; Harriman Formation - Light-gray novaculitic chert and tripolitic clay; and minor siliceous limestone. (Harriman and Camden are differentiated paleontologically.) Thickness 0 to 50 feet; Flat Gap Limestone - Thick-bedded, coarse-grained limestone, gray with red and brown grains. Thickness 0 to 13 feet; Ross Formation - Siliceous limestone; gray and variegated shale; and medium-grained glauconitic limestone. Thickness 0 to 75 feet.
DSs Sneedville Limestone Devonian to Silurian Sneedville Limestone - Gray silty limestone and dolomite, minor shale, and fine-grained, greenish-gray sandstone; fossils locally abundant. Thickness 100 to 300 feet.
ig Intrusive igneous rocks Paleozoic () Intrusive Igneous Rocks - Metadiorite and metagabbro in Polk County, intrude Great Smoky Group.
ig Intrusive igneous rocks Precambrian Intrusive Igneous Rocks - Mica peridotite plugs (two in Union County), intrude Sneedville Limestone; metadiorite and metagabbro sills and dikes in Sevier County, intrude Great Smoky Group.
Kc Coffee Sand Cretaceous Coffee Sand - Loose fine-grained sand, light-gray, sparsely glauconitic, locally interbedded with laminated lignitic clay. Thickness 25 to 200 feet; thins northward.
Kc Coffee Sand Cretaceous Coffee Sand - Loose fine-grained sand, light-gray, sparsely glauconitic; locally interbedded with laminated lignitic clay. Maximum preserved thickness about 40 feet.
Kcc Coon Creek Formation Cretaceous Coon Creek Formation - Fossiliferous, micaceous sand, silty and glauconitic; locally fossiliferous sandy clay at base. Siderite concretions common in upper part. Thickness about 140 feet.
Kd Demopolis Formation Cretaceous Demopolis Formation - Marl and calcareous clay, light-gray, fossiliferous, locally glauconitic and sandy. Merges northward into sands mapped as Kcc. Maximum thickness 180 feet.
Ke Eutaw Formation Cretaceous Eutaw Formation - Grayish-green sand, fine-grained, glauconitic, micaceous; interbedded with gray laminated clays which commonly contain carbonized or silicified wood. (Mapped with Coffee except in Hardin County and southeastern Decatur County.) Thickness 0 to 180 feet; thins northward
Ke Eutaw Formation Cretaceous Eutaw Formation - Grayish-green sand, fine-grained, glauconitic, micaceous; interbedded with gray laminated clays which commonly contain carbonized or silicified wood. Maximum preserved thickness 80 feet; absent to the north.
Km McNairy Sand Cretaceous McNairy Sand - Predominantly sand, in places interbedded with silty light-gray clays. Fine-grained sand at base, locally contains heavy minerals. Thickness about 300 feet.
Ko Owl Creek Formation Cretaceous Owl Creek Formation - Sandy clay, greenish gray, glauconitic, fossiliferous; merges northward into unfossiliferous clays and sands. Thickness 0 to about 40 feet.
Ks Sardis Formation Cretaceous Sardis Formation - Quartz sand and glauconite sand, argillaceous and locally fossiliferous. (Mapped with Kcc north of Beech River.) Maximum thickness 70 feet.
Kt Tuscaloosa Formation Cretaceous Tuscaloosa Formation - Poorly sorted, light-gray chert gravel in a matrix of silt and sand; locally interbedded with sand and clay lenses. Thickness 0 to 140 feet.
Kt Tuscaloosa Formation Cretaceous Tuscaloosa Formation - Poorly sorted, light-gray chert gravel in a matrix of silt and sand; locally interbedded with sand and clay lenses. Thickness 0 to 150 feet.
Mbh Bangor Limestone and Hartselle Formation Mississippian Bangor Limestone - Dark brownish-gray limestone, thick-bedded. Thickness 100 to 250 feet; and Hartselle Formation - Thin-bedded, fine-grained sandstone and greenish-gray shale interbedded with coarse limestone. Thickness 0 to 60 feet.
Mbh Bangor Limestone and Hartselle Formation Mississippian Bangor Limestone - Dark brownish-gray limestone, thick-bedded. Thickness 70 to 400 feet., and Hartselle Formation - Thin-bedded, fine-grained sandstone interbedded with gray shale; with oolitic and coarse-grained limestone beds locally. Thickness 0 to 80 feet.
MDc Chattanooga Shale Mississippian and Devonian Chattanooga Shale - Black carbonaceous shale, fissile. Thickness 20 to 30 feet in most areas; thickens abruptly to about 100 feet near east edge of sheet. (Mapped with Mfp on West-Central sheet)
MDc Chattanooga Shale Mississippian and Devonian Chattanooga Shale - Black carbonaceous shale, fissile. Thickness 100 to 900 feet; about 25 feet on Chilhowee Mountain. (Mapped with Mfp on West-Central and parts of East Central Sheets)
MDSO Mississippian, Silurian, Devonian, and Ordovician Formations - containing all or portions of the Newman, Fort Payne, Chattanooga, Rockwood, and Sequatchie formations. Mississippian to Ordovician Mississippian, Silurian, Devonian, and Ordovician Formations - Structurally complex area containing all or portions of the Newman, Fort Payne, Chattanooga, Rockwood, and Sequatchie formations.
Mfp Fort Payne Formation Mississippian Fort Payne Formation - Bedded chert, calcareous and dolomitic, somewhat crinoidal; and minor shale. Thin green shale (Maury) at base. Average thickness about 200 feet.
Mfp Fort Payne Formation Mississippian Fort Payne Formation - Bedded chert, calcareous and dolomitic, somewhat crinoidal; and minor shale. Thin green shale (Maury) at base. Thickness about 300 feet.
Mfp Fort Payne Formation and Chattanooga Shale Mississippian Fort Payne Formation - Bedded chert and calcereous and dolomitic silicastone; minor coarse-grained limestone and shale. Thin green shale (Maury) at base. Thickness about 200 feet.
Chattanooga Shale - Black carbonaceous shale, fissile. Thickness 0 to 70 feet.
Mfp Fort Payne Formation and Chattanooga Shale Mississippian Fort Payne Formation - Bedded chert; calcareous and dolomitic silicastone; minor limestone and shale; scattered lenses of crinoidal limestone. Thin green shale (Maury) at base. Average thickness about 250 feet (475 in Wells Creek area); and Chattanooga Shale - Black carbonaceous shale, fissile. Thickness 0 to 70 feet; average about 20 feet. (Mapped as MDc on East-Central and East sheets)
Mfp Fort Payne Formation and Chattanooga Shale Mississippian Fort Payne Formation - Calcareous and dolomitic silicastone; contains bedded chert, cherty limestone, and shale; scattered crinoidal limestone lenses. Thin green shale (Maury) at base. Thickness 100 to 275 feet.; and Chattanooga Shale - Black carbonaceous shale, fissile. Thickness 20 to 30 feet in most areas. (Mapped as MDc in Flynn Creek structure, where it is about 200 feet thick.) (Also mapped as MDc on the East Sheet)
Mg Grainger Formation Mississippian Grainger Formation - Gray to green shale with siltstone and fine-grained glauconitic sandstone; in some areas quartz-pebble conglomerate. Thickness about 1,200 feet.
Mg Grainger Formation Mississippian Grainger Formation - Gray to green shale with siltstone and fine-grained glauconitic sandstone; in some areas quartz-pebble conglomerate. Thickness 500 to 1,000 feet.
Mgg Greasy Cove Formation, includes Grainger Formation Mississippian Greasy Cove Formation, includes Grainger Formation- Gray argillaceous limestone, calcareous shale, siltstone, and fine-grained sandstone. Equivalent to Newman Limestone. Maximum preserved thickness about 400 feet.
Mgg Greasy Cove Formation and Grainger Formation Mississippian Greasy Cove Formation - Gray, argillaceous limestone, calcareous shale, siltstone, and fine-grained sandstone. Equivalent to Newman Limestone. Maximum preserved thickness about 400 feet; and Grainger Formation - Gray to green shale with siltstone and fine-grained glauconitic sandstone; in some areas quartz-pebble conglomerate. Thickness about 1,200 feet.
Mm Monteagle Limestone Mississippian Monteagle Limestone - Fragmental and oolitic limestone, light-gray; and fine-grained, brownish-gray limestone. Thickness 180 to 350 feet.
Mm Monteagle Limestone Mississippian Monteagle Limestone - Mainly fragmental and oolitic, light-gray limestone; blocky bryozoan chert weathers from base. Thickness 180 to 300 feet.
Mn Newman Limestone Mississippian Newman Limestone - Gray limestone sequence near Cumberland Plateau and on Whiteoak Mountain. Shaly limestone, shale, siltstone, and sandstone on Chilhowee Mountain. Thickness about 700 feet.
Mn Newman Limestone Mississippian Newman Limestone - Gray limestone sequence near Cumberland Plateau; shaly and silty limestone with minor sandstone and shale in the area of Clinch Mountain. Thickness 600 to 3,000 feet.
Mp Pennington Formation Mississippian Pennington Formation - Highly variegated clay shale, distinctive; contains siltstone and locally gray, fine-grained sandstone. Thickness 400 to 700 feet.
Mp Pennington Formation Mississippian Pennington Formation - Highly variegated clay shale distinctive; contains siltstone beds and locally gray, fine-grained sandstone. Thickness 300 to 500 feet near Cumberland Plateau; maximum of about 1,250 feet to the east.
Mp Pennington Formation Mississippian Pennington Formation - Reddish and greenish shale and siltstone; fine-grained dolomite; and minor fragmental and oolitic limestone. Thickness 240 to 360 feet.
Mp Pennington Formation Mississippian Pennington Formation - Reddish and greenish shale and siltstone; fine-grained dolomite; dark-gray limestone; and thin-bedded sandstone. Persistent dolomite bed at base. Thickness 150 to 400 feet.
Msg St. Genevieve Limestone Mississippian St. Genevieve Limestone - Gray limestone, slightly oolitic and cherty, with some green shale and fine-grained sandstone. Maximum preserved thickness 70 feet. (In Western Highland Rim area only.)
Msw St. Louis Limestone and Warsaw Limestone Mississippian St. Louis Limestone - Residuum of nodules and blocks of chert in sandy clay. (Originally grayish-brown, medium-bedded limestone.) Maximum preserved thickness about 50 feet. Warsaw Limestone - Residuum of porous chert blocks in sandy clay. (Originally gray, medium- to coarse-grained, thick- bedded limestone.) Thickness about 60 feet.
Msw St. Louis Limestone and Warsaw Limestone Mississippian St. Louis Limestone - Fine-grained, brownish-gray limestone, dolomitic and cherty. Thickness 100 to 280 feet; and Warsaw Limestone - Coarse-grained, gray, crossbedded limestone; somewhat shaly in the northeast. Thickness 40 to 150 feet.
Msw St. Louis Limestone and Warsaw Limestone Mississippian St. Louis Limestone - Fine-grained, brownish-gray limestone, dolomitic and cherty. Thickness 80 to 160 feet.; and Warsaw Limestone - Mainly medium- to coarse-grained, gray limestone, crossbedded. Includes much calcareous sandstone and shale to the north. Thickness 100 to 130 feet.
O Ordovician Formations including Richmond Group (Mannie Shale, Fernvale Limestone), and Nashville Group (Hermitage Formation) Ordovician Ordovician Formations - Richmond Group (including Mannie Shale - Shale with thin beds of argillaceous limestone. Thickness 0 to 20 feet and Fernvale Limestone - Thick-bedded, coarse-grained limestone with vari-colored grains. Thickness 0 to 20 feet).
and Nashville Group (including Hermitage Formation - Gray shale and thin-bedded to laminated, sandy and argillaceous limestone. Maximum exposed thickness 80 feet.)
O Ordovician formations, including Mannie Shale, Fernvale Limestone, Hermitage Formation, and Carters, Lebanon, Ridley, Pierce, and Murfreesboro Limestones Ordovician Ordovician formations - including Mannie Shale - Shale with thin beds of argillaceous limestone. Thickness 0 to 20 feet; Fernvale Limestone - Thick-bedded, coarse-grained, gray limestone with varicolored grains. Thickness 0 to 30 feet; Hermitage Formation - Gray shale and thin-bedded to laminated, sandy and argillaceous limestone. About 200 to 300 feet thick in Wells Creek Basin; only about 80 feet exposed in Western Valley; and the Carters, Lebanon, Ridley, Pierce, and Murfreesboro Limestones - Thin- to thick-bedded, cryptograined to coarse-grained, yellowish-brown to olive-gray limestones. Thickness about 1,000 feet. (Not exposed in Western Valley.)
Oa Athens Shale Ordovician Athens Shale - Medium- to dark-gray, calcareous, graptolitic shale; calcareous gray sandstone, siltstone, and locally fine-pebble quartz conglomerate; nodules of shaly limestone near base. Maximum thickness 1,500 feet.
Oa Athens Shale Ordovician Athens Shale - Medium- to dark-gray, calcareous, graptolitic shale; calcareous gray sandstone, siltstone, and locally fine-pebble quartz conglomerate; nodules of shaly limestone near base. Maximum thickness 1,500 feet.
Ob Bays Formation Ordovician Bays Formation - Maroon, well-jointed claystone and siltstone, commonly mottled greenish, evenly bedded; light- gray sandstone beds and metabentonite in upper part. Maximum thickness 1,000 feet.
Ob Bays Formation Ordovician Bays Formation - Maroon claystone and siltstone, commonly mottled greenish, evenly bedded; to northeast, light- gray to white, thick-bedded sandstone; metabentonite in upper part. Maximum thickness 1,000 feet.
Obh Nashville Group; Bigby-Cannon Limestone and Hermitage Formation Ordovician Nashville Group - Bigby-Cannon Limestone - Brownish-gray phosphatic calcarenite and light-gray to brownish-gray, cryptograined to medium- grained, even-bedded limestone. Thickness 50 to 125 feet; and Hermitage Formation - Thin-bedded to laminated, sandy and argillaceous limestone with shale; nodular shaly limestone; coquina; and phosphatic calcarenite. Thickness 50 to 100 feet.
Obh Bigby-Cannon Limestone and Hermitage Formation Ordovician Bigby-Cannon Limestone - Dark- to light-gray, dense to medium-grained, medium- and even-bedded limestone. Thickness 80 to 150 feet; and Hermitage Formation - Gray, fine-grained, thin-bedded to laminated, sandy and argillaceous limestone; shale, weathers yellowish-brown; and nodular, shaly limestone. Thickness 50 to 100 feet.
Obr Ordovician Breccia Ordovician Ordovician Breccia - Angular to subrounded fragments of limestone ranging in size from a fraction of an inch to several feet.
um
Obr Ordovician Breccia Ordovician Ordovician Breccia - Limestone and dolomite fragments ranging in size from a fraction of an inch to several feet.
Oc Chepultepec Dolomite Ordovician Chepultepec Dolomite - Light-gray, fine-grained, well-bedded dolomite, moderately cherty; fine-grained limestone locally in upper part; quartz sandstone beds at base. Average thickness about 800 feet.
Oc Chepultepec Dolomite Ordovician Chepultepec Dolomite - Light-gray, fine-grained, well-bedded dolomite, moderately cherty; fine-grained limestone locally in upper part; quartz sandstone beds at base. Thickness about 800 feet.
Oca Stones River Group; Carters Limestone Ordovician Stones River Group; Carters Limestone - Fine-grained, yellowish-brown limestone; thin-bedded in upper part; thicker bedded and very slightly cherty with scattered mottlings of magnesian limestone in lower part. Contains thin bentonite beds. Thickness 50 to 100 feet.
Oca Carters Limestone Ordovician Carters Limestone - Fine-grained, yellowish-brown limestone; thin-bedded in upper part; thicker bedded and very slightly cherty with scattered mottlings of magnesian limestone in lower part. Contains thin bentonite beds. Thickness 60 to 250 feet.
OCk Knox Group, including Newala Formation, Mascot Dolomite, Kingsport Formation, Longview Dolomite, Chepultepec Dolomite, and Copper Ridge Dolomite Ordovician to Cambrian Knox Group - Siliceous dolomite and magnesian limestone sequence. Thickness 2,500 to 3,000 feet.
OCk Knox Group Ordovician to Cambrian Knox Group - Siliceous, well-bedded dolomite and magnesian limestone in the central and northwest belts of the Valley. To the southeast, much dark limestone is present and the rocks are only sparsely cherty. Thickness about 3,000 feet.
OCk Knox Group, including Jonesboro Limestone, Newala Formation, Mascot Dolomite, Kingsport Formation, Longview Dolomite, Chepultepec Dolomite, Copper Ridge Dolomite, Conococheague Limestone Ordovician to Cambrian Knox Group, including (Ojb) Jonesboro Limestone - Dark bluish-gray, ribboned (silt and dolomite) limestone; numerous interbeds of dark-gray dolomite; quartz sandstone at base. Erosional unconformity at top. Thickness about 2,000 feet; (On) Newala Formation; (Oma) Mascot Dolomite - Light-gray, fine-grained, well-bedded cherty dolomite; mottled (red and green) dolomite characteristic; interbeds of bluish-gray limestone in upper part; chert-matrix quartz sandstone at base. Erosional unconformity at top. Thickness 350 to 800 feet; (Ok) Kingsport Formation - Gray, fine-grained, sparingly cherty dolomite with basal dense, gray limestone sequence. Thickness about 250 feet; (Olv) Longview Dolomite - Siliceous, gray, fine-grained, medium-bedded dolomite; interbeds of gray limestone in upper part. Thickness about 300 feet; (Oc) Chepultepec Dolomite - Light-gray, fine-grained, well-bedded dolomite, moderately cherty; fine-grained limestone locally in upper part; quartz sandstone beds at base. Thickness about 800 feet; (Ccr) Copper Ridge Dolomite - Coarse, dark-gray, knotty dolomite, asphaltic in places; with much gray, medium-grained, well- bedded dolomite; abundant chert; cryptozoans typical. Thickness about 1,000 feet.; (Ccc) Conococheague Limestone - Well-bedded, ribboned (silt and dolomite), dark-gray limestone; interbeds of fine-grained, light- to dark-gray dolomite; sparingly cherty; cryptozoans typical. Thickness about 1,500 feet.
OCk Wells Creek Dolomite and Knox Group Ordovician Wells Creek Dolomite and Knox Group - Yellowish-gray and light olive-gray dolomite, within partings of grayish-green shale, and pale- orange to yellowish-gray limestone; thin- to thick-bedded, micrograined to coarse-grained. Present only in Wells Creek Basin. Exposed thickness at least 600 feet. (Also mapped with Onc on East-Central Sheet)
Och Chickamauga Group, includes Upper part of Chickamauga Group (Reedsville Shale, and Unnamed limestone unit) and Middle and Lower part of Chickamauga Group (Moccasin Formation, Bays Formation, Ottosee Shale, Holston Formation, Lenoir Limestone, Athens Shale, and Sevier Shale) Ordovician Chickamauga Group - In the northwest part of the Valley and Ridge a predominantly limestone sequence about 2,000 feet thick. Becomes progressively more clastic and thicker to the southeast, including Upper part of Chickamauga Group (Reedsville Shale- Greenish-gray calcareous shale. Thickness 0 to 400 feet, and Unnamed Limestone Unit - Medium-grained, fossiliferous, gray limestone, shaly in part. Thickness as much as 600 feet ) and.Middle and lower parts of Chickamauga Group (Omlc)
Och Chickamauga Group Ordovician Chickamauga Group - In the northwest predominantly a limestone sequence about 2,000 feet thick. Becomes progressively more clastic and thicker to the southeast.
Oh Holston Formation Ordovician Holston Formation - Pink, gray, and red coarsely crystalline limestone (Holston Marble); in many areas upper part is sandy, crossbedded ferruginous limestone and brown to greenish calcareous shale. Thickness 200 to 600 feet.
Oh Holston Formation Ordovician Holston Formation - Pink, gray, and red coarsely crystalline limestone (Holston Marble); in many areas upper part is sandy, crossbedded ferruginous limestone and brown to greenish calcareous shale. Thickness 200 to 600 feet.
Oj Juniata Formation Ordovician Juniata Formation - Maroon, claystone, siltstone, and shale; uniformly bedded; some faint greenish mottling; less calcareous than Sequatchie Formation. Thickness about 300 feet.
Ojb Jonesboro Limestone Ordovician Jonesboro Limestone - Dark bluish-gray, ribboned (silt and dolomite) limestone; numerous interbeds of dark-gray dolomite; quartz sandstone at base. Erosional unconformity at top. Thickness about 2,000 feet.
Ok Kingsport Formation Ordovician Kingsport Formation - Gray, fine-grained, sparingly cherty dolomite with basal dense, gray limestone sequence. Thickness about 250 feet.
Ok Kingsport Formation Ordovician Kingsport Formation - Gray, fine-grained, sparingly cherty dolomite with basal dense, gray limestone sequence. Thickness about 250 feet.
Ol Lenoir Limestone Ordovician Lenoir Limestone - Nodular, argillaceous, gray limestone; in places basal sedimentary breccia, conglomerate, quartz sand; Mosheim Limestone Member (dense, light- to medium-gray limestone) near base. Thickness 25 to 500 feet.
Ol Lenoir Limestone Ordovician Lenoir Limestone - Nodular, argillaceous, gray limestone; in places basal sedimentary breccia, conglomerate, quartz sand; Mosheim Limestone Member (dense, light- to medium-gray limestone) near base. Thickness 25 to 500 feet.
Olb Stones River Group; Lebanon Limestone Ordovician Stones River Group; Lebanon Limestone - Thin-bedded, gray limestone with calcareous shale partings. Thickness 80 to 100 feet.
Olb Lebanon Limestone Ordovician Lebanon Limestone - Thin-bedded limestone, gray to yellowish-brown, slightly dolomitic, with thin calcareous shale partings. Thickness about 100 feet.
Olc Unnamed (middle part of Knox Group), including Longview Dolomite and Chepultepec Dolomite Ordovician (Olc) Unnamed (middle part of Knox Group) including (Olv) Longview Dolomite - Siliceous, gray, fine-grained, medium-bedded dolomite; interbeds of gray limestone in upper part. Thickness about 300 feet.; and (Oc) Chepultepec Dolomite - Light-gray, fine-grained, well-bedded dolomite, moderately cherty; fine-grained limestone locally in upper part; quartz sandstone beds at base. Average thickness about 800 feet.
Olc Longview Dolomite and Chepultepec Dolomite Ordovician Longview Dolomite - Siliceous, gray, fine-grained, medium-bedded dolomite; interbeds of gray limestone in upper part. Thickness about 300 feet; and Chepultepec Dolomite - Light-gray, fine-grained, well-bedded dolomite, moderately cherty; fine-grained limestone locally in upper part; quartz sandstone beds at base. Thickness about 800 feet.
Olv Longview Dolomite Ordovician Longview Dolomite - Siliceous, gray, fine-grained, medium-bedded dolomite; interbeds of gray limestone in upper part. Thickness about 300 feet.
Olv Longview Dolomite Ordovician Longview Dolomite - Siliceous, gray, fine-grained, medium-bedded dolomite; interbeds of gray limestone in upper part. Thickness about 300 feet.
Oma Mascot Dolomite Ordovician Mascot Dolomite - Light-gray, fine-grained, well-bedded cherty dolomite; mottled (red and green) dolomite characteristic; interbeds of bluish-gray limestone in upper part; chert-matrix quartz sandstone at base. Erosional unconformity at top. Thickness 350 to 800 feet.
Oma Mascot Dolomite Ordovician Mascot Dolomite - Light-gray, fine-grained, well-bedded cherty dolomite; mottled (red and green) dolomite characteristic; interbeds of bluish-gray limestone in upper part; chert-matrix quartz sandstone at base. Erosional unconformity at top. Thickness 350 to 800 feet.
Omb Martinsburg Shale, including Reedsville Shale and Unnamed Limestone Unit Ordovician Martinsburg Shale - Bluish-gray, calcareous clay shale, weathers yellowish-brown; with thin beds of nodular gray, fossiliferous limestone; thin layers of metabentonite near base. Thickness about 1,000 feet. Incluldes Reedsville Shale - Greenish-gray calcareous shale. Thickness 200 to 400 feet. and Unnamed Limestone Unit - Medium-grained, fossiliferous, gray limestone, shaly in part. Thickness as much as 600 feet.
Omlc Middle and Lower parts of Chickamauga Group, including Moccassin Formation, Bays Formation, Sevier Shale, Ottosee Shale, Holston Formation, Lenoir Limestone, and Athens Shale Ordovician Middle and Lower Parts of Chickamauga Group - A sequence of about 1,400 feet of limestone in the northwest part of Valley and Ridge, which thickens and becomes more clastic to the southeast and is divided into the formations shown at right. Maximum thickness about 7,000 feet. Includes Moccasin Formation - Maroon calcareous shale, siltstone, and limestone; thin metabentonite layers in upper part; mud cracks, ripple marks common. Thickness 800 to 1,000 feet;. (Ob) Bays Formation - Maroon, well-jointed claystone and siltstone, commonly mottled greenish, evenly bedded; light- gray sandstone beds and metabentonite in upper part. Maximum thickness 1,000 feet; (Osv) Sevier Shale - Calcareous, bluish-gray shale, weathers yellowish-brown; with thin, gray limestone layers; sandstone, siltstone, and locally conglomerate to the east. Thickness 2,000 to 7,000 feet; (Oo) Ottosee Shale - Bluish-gray calcareous shale, weathers yellow; with reef lenses of coarsely crystalline reddish fossiliferous limestone ("marble"). Thickness about 1,000 feet; (Oh) Holston Formation - Pink, gray, and red coarsely crystalline limestone (Holston Marble); in many areas upper part is sandy, crossbedded ferruginous limestone and brown to greenish calcareous shale. Thickness 200 to 600 feet; (Ol) Lenoir Limestone - Nodular, argillaceous, gray limestone; in places basal sedimentary breccia, conglomerate, quartz sand; Mosheim Limestone Member (dense, light- to medium-gray limestone) near base. Thickness 25 to 500 feet; (Oa) Athens Shale - Medium- to dark-gray, calcareous, graptolitic shale; calcareous gray sandstone, siltstone, and locally fine-pebble quartz conglomerate; nodules of shaly limestone near base. Maximum thickness 1,500 feet.
Omlc Middle and Lower Parts of Chickamauga Group, including Mocassin Formation, Bays Formation, Sevier Shale, Ottosee Shale, Holston Formation, Lenoir Limestone and Athens Shale Ordovician Middle and Lower Parts of Chickamauga Group - A sequence of about 1,400 feet of limestone in the northeast, which thickens and becomes more clastic to the southeast and is divided into the formations shown at right. Maximum thickness about 8,000 feet.
Includes Mocassin Formation - Maroon calcareous shale, siltstone, and limestone; thin metabentonite layers in upper part; mud cracks, ripple marks common. Thickness 800 to 1,000 feet; (Ob) Bays Formation - Maroon claystone and siltstone, commonly mottled greenish, evenly bedded; to northeast, light- gray to white, thick-bedded sandstone; metabentonite in upper part. Maximum thickness 1,000 feet. (Osv) Sevier Shale - Calcareous, bluish-gray shale, weathers yellowish-brown; with thin gray limestone layers; sandstone, siltstone, and locally conglomerate to the east. Thickness 2,000 to 7,000 feet; (Oo) - Ottosee Shale - Bluish-gray calcareous shale, weathers yellow; with reef lenses of coarsely crystalline reddish fossiliferous limestone ("marble"). Thickness about 1,000 feet; (Oh) - Holston Formation - Pink, gray, and red coarsely crystalline limestone (Holston Marble); in many areas upper part is sandy, crossbedded ferruginous limestone and brown to greenish calcareous shale. Thickness 200 to 600 feet; (Ol) Lenoir Limestone - Nodular, argillaceous, gray limestone; in places basal sedimentary breccia, conglomerate, quartz sand; Mosheim Limestone Member (dense, light- to medium-gray limestone) near base. Thickness 25 to 500 feet; (Oa) Athens Shale - Medium- to dark-gray, calcareous, graptolitic shale; calcareous gray sandstone, siltstone, and locally fine-pebble quartz conglomerate; nodules of shaly limestone near base. Maximum thickness 1,500 feet.
On Newala Formation, including Mascot Dolomite and Kingsport Formation Ordovician (On) Newala Formation, including (Oma) Mascot Dolomite - Light-gray, fine-grained, well-bedded cherty dolomite; mottled (red and green) dolomite characteristic; interbeds of bluish-gray limestone in upper part; chert-matrix quartz sandstone at base. Erosional unconformity at top. Thickness 350 to 800 feet; and (Ok) Kingsport Formation - Gray, fine-grained, sparingly cherty dolomite with basal dense, gray limestone sequence. Thickness about 250 feet.
On Newala Formation, including Mascot Dolomite and Kingsport Formation Ordovician Newala Formation includes Mascot Dolomite - Light-gray, fine-grained, well-bedded cherty dolomite; mottled (red and green) dolomite characteristic; interbeds of bluish-gray limestone in upper part; chert-matrix quartz sandstone at base. Erosional unconformity at top. Thickness 350 to 800 feet; and Kingsport Formation - Gray, fine-grained, sparingly cherty dolomite with basal dense, gray limestone sequence. Thickness about 250 feet.
Onc Unnamed (upper part of Knox Group), including Newala Formation, Mascot Dolomite, Kingsport Formation, Longview Dolomite, and Chepultepec Dolomite Ordovician (Onc) Unnamed (upper part of the Knox Group), including the (On) Newala Formation; (Oma) Mascot Dolomite - Light-gray, fine-grained, well-bedded cherty dolomite; mottled (red and green) dolomite characteristic; interbeds of bluish-gray limestone in upper part; chert-matrix quartz sandstone at base. Erosional unconformity at top. Thickness 350 to 800 feet; (Ok) Kingsport Formation - Gray, fine-grained, sparingly cherty dolomite with basal dense, gray limestone sequence. Thickness about 250 feet.
and (Olc) Unnamed (middle part of the Knox Group), including (Olv) Longview Dolomite - Siliceous, gray, fine-grained, medium-bedded dolomite; interbeds of gray limestone in upper part. Thickness about 300 feet; (Oc) Chepultepec Dolomite - Light-gray, fine-grained, well-bedded dolomite, moderately cherty; fine-grained limestone locally in upper part; quartz sandstone beds at base. Average thickness about 800 feet.
Onc Jonesboro Limestone, Newala Formation, Mascot Dolomite, Kingsport Formation, Longview Dolomite, and Chepultepec Dolomite Ordovician Jonesboro Limestone - Dark bluish-gray, ribboned (silt and dolomite) limestone; numerous interbeds of dark-gray dolomite; quartz sandstone at base. Erosional unconformity at top. Thickness about 2,000 feet; Newala Formation inlcuding Mascot Dolomite - Light-gray, fine-grained, well-bedded cherty dolomite; mottled (red and green) dolomite characteristic; interbeds of bluish-gray limestone in upper part; chert-matrix quartz sandstone at base. Erosional unconformity at top. Thickness 350 to 800 feet; and Kingsport Formation - Gray, fine-grained, sparingly cherty dolomite with basal dense, gray limestone sequence. Thickness about 250 feet; Longview Dolomite - Siliceous, gray, fine-grained, medium-bedded dolomite; interbeds of gray limestone in upper part. Thickness about 300 feet; Chepultepec Dolomite - Light-gray, fine-grained, well-bedded dolomite, moderately cherty; fine-grained limestone locally in upper part; quartz sandstone beds at base. Thickness about 800 feet.
Onc Wells Creek Formation and Knox Group (above Copper Ridge Dolomite) Ordovician Wells Creek Formation - Gray limestone and dolomite, with angular chert blocks and fragments; and minor shale, mottled red and green, calcareous. Thickness 0 to 50 feet. (Present only in Sequatchie Valley.); and Knox Group (above Copper Ridge Dolomite) - Gray, cherty dolomite and limestone, fine- to medium-grained. Maximum exposed thickness in Sequatchie Valley 600 feet. (Units in Onc are also mapped as OCk on the West-Central Sheet)
Oo Ottosee Shale Ordovician Ottosee Shale - Bluish-gray calcareous shale, weathers yellow; with reef lenses of coarsely crystalline reddish fossiliferous limestone ("marble"). Thickness about 1,000 feet.
Oo Ottosee Shale Ordovician Ottosee Shale - Bluish-gray calcareous shale, weathers yellow; with reef lenses of coarsely crystalline reddish fossiliferous limestone ("marble"). Thickness about 1,000 feet.
Opm Stones River Group; Pierce Limestone and Murfreesboro Limestone Ordovician Stones River Group; Pierce Limestone - Gray, thin-bedded limestone with shale partings. Thickness 25 feet; and Murfreesboro Limestone - Thick-bedded, dark-gray, fine-grained limestone, with mottlings of magnesian limestone; somewhat cherty in upper part. Maximum exposed thickness 70 feet.
Opm Pierce and Murfreesboro Limestones Ordovician Pierce and Murfreesboro Limestones - Medium- to very thick-bedded, fine-grained, gray limestone; thin-bedded, nodular and shaly, greenish-gray limestone in places. Thickness 200 to 500 feet.
Ord Stones River Group; Ridley Limestone Ordovician Stones River Group; Ridley Limestone - Thick-bedded, brownish-gray limestone, fine-grained, with minor mottlings of magnesian limestone; slightly cherty. Thickness 90 to 150 feet.
Ord Ridley Limestone Ordovician Ridley Limestone - Medium- to very thick-bedded, fine- to medium-grained, gray dolomitic limestone, with prominent greenish-gray calcareous shale and shaly limestone unit in middle. Thickness 200 to 275 feet.
Os Sequatchie Formation Ordovician Sequatchie Formation - Maroon and gray shaly limestone, mottled greenish; with interbeds of calcareous, olive to maroon shale and siltstone. Average thickness about 200 feet.
Os Sequatchie Formation Ordovician Sequatchie Formation - Maroon and gray shaly limestone, mottled greenish; with interbeds of olive to maroon calcareous shale and siltstone. Thickness about 300 feet.
Osv Sevier Shale Ordovician Sevier Shale - Calcareous, bluish-gray shale, weathers yellowish-brown; with thin, gray limestone layers; sandstone, siltstone, and locally conglomerate to the east. Thickness 2,000 to 7,000 feet.
Osv Sevier Shale Ordovician Sevier Shale - Calcareous, bluish-gray shale, weathers yellowish-brown; with thin gray limestone layers; sandstone, siltstone, and locally conglomerate to the east. Thickness 2,000 to 7,000 feet.
Ou Ordovician [units] including Richmond Group (which includes Mannie Shale, Fernvale Limestone, Sequatchie Formation, and Arnheim Formation), the Maysville Group (which includes Leipers Formation), the Eden Group (which includes Inman Formation), and the Nashville Group (which includes Catheys Formation) Ordovician Ordovician [units] including Richmond Group (which includes Mannie Shale - Olive-gray shale. Thickness 0 to 20 feet; Fernvale Limestone - Massive, coarsely crystalline, gray limestone with varicolored grains. Thickness 0 to 50 feet; Sequatchie Formation - Olive-gray and greenish-gray shale, mudstone, and argillaceous limestone; dolomitic, laminated, and sandy. Thickness 0 to 100 feet; and Arnheim Formation Nodular, shaly, gray limestone. Thickness 0 to 20 feet; the Maysville Group (which includes Leipers Formation - Nodular, shaly limestone; fine- to coarse-grained limestone; and phosphatic calcarenite locally. Thickness 0 to 150 feet); the Eden Group (which includes the Inman Formation - Thin-bedded to laminated, fine-grained, gray limestone with shale partings. Thickness 0 to 50 feet); and the Nashville Group (which includes Catheys Formation - Nodular, shaly limestone; fine- to coarse-grained limestone; phosphatic calcarenite; and light-gray cryptograined limestone. Thickness 50 to 175 feet.)
Ou Sequatchie Formation, Leipers Formation, Inman Formation and Catheys Formation Ordovician Sequatchie Formation - Greenish-gray calcareous shale, mudstone, and argillaceous limestone; dolomitic, laminated, and sandy. Thickness 0 to 165 feet; Leipers Formation - Nodular, shaly limestone and fine- to coarse-grained limestone. Thickness 0 to 150 feet; Inman Formation - Thin-bedded to laminated, fine-grained, greenish-gray limestone interbedded with red and green calcareous shale beds. Thickness 0 to 50 feet. (Present only in Sequatchie Valley.); and Catheys Formation - Nodular, shaly, thin- to medium-bedded limestone and fine- to coarse-grained limestone. Thickness 125 to 400 feet.
Pcf Crooked Fork Group Pennsylvanian Crooked Fork Group - Shale, sandstone, siltstone, and thin coal beds; from top down group includes Poplar Creek coal, Wartburg Sandstone, Glenmary Shale, Coalfield Sandstone, Burnt Mill Shale, Crossville Sandstone, and Dorton Shale. Thickness 200 to 450 feet.
Pcf Crooked Fork Group, including Wartburg Sandstone, Glenmary Shale, Coalfield Sandstone, Burnt Mill Shale, Crossville Sandstone, Dorton Shale Pennsylvanian Crooked Fork Group - Shale, sandstone, conglomerate, siltstone, and coal; from Poplar Creek coal to top of Rockcastle Conglomerate. Thickness 320 to 455 feet; Wartburg Sandstone - Sandstone, gray to brown, fine- to medium-grained, locally conglomeratic. Poplar Creek coal and thin shale at top. Thickness 0 to 50 feet; Glenmary Shale - Mostly dark-gray to light-brown shale with minor siltstone and sandstone. Thin coal near base locally. Thickness 50 to 150 feet; Coalfield Sandstone - Sandstone, gray to brown, fine- to medium-grained. Thickness 0 to 80 feet; Burnt Mill Shale - Mostly dark-gray to light-brown shale, with minor siltstone. Thin sandstone locally present near base. Hooper coal just above base. Thickness as much as 110 feet; Crossville Sandstone - Sandstone, gray to brown or pink, fine- to medium-grained, thinly and evenly bedded. Thickness 30 to 70 feet; Dorton Shale - Mostly dark-gray to light-brown shale, with minor siltstone and sandstone. Thin coal near top. Rex coal as much as 70 feet above base. Thickness as much as 150 feet.
Pcg Crab Orchard Mounatins and Gizzard Group Pennsylvanian Crab Orchard Mountains and Gizzard Groups - Sandstone, conglomerate, siltstone, shale, and thin coal beds. From top down Crab Orchard Mountains group includes Rockcastle Conglomerate, Vadever Formation, Newton Sandstone, Whitwell Shale, and Sewanee Conglomerate; Gizzard Group includes Signal Point Shale, Warren Point Sandstone, and Raccoon Mountain Formation. Thickness about 1,200 to 1,400 feet.
Pcg Crab Orchard Mountains and Gizzard Groups Pennsylvanian Crab Orchard Mountains and Gizzard Groups - Sandstone, conglomerate, siltstone, shale, and thin coal beds. Thickness 1,200 to 1,400 feet.
Pcm Cross Mountain Formation Pennsylvanian Cross Mountain Formation - Mostly shale, interbedded with sandstone, siltstone, and thin coal beds; base at top of Frozen Head Sandstone. Maximum preserved thickness 270 feet.
Pcm Cross Mountain Formation Pennsylvanian Cross Mountain Formation - Mostly shale, interbedded with sandstone, siltstone, and thin coal beds; base at top of Frozen Head Sandstone. Maximum preserved thickness 554 feet.
Pco Crab Orchard Mountains Group Pennsylvanian Crab Orchard Mountains Group - Only the lowest formation of the group, the Sewanee Conglomerate, is preserved in the area of this sheet. Sewanee is gray to brown, medium- to coarse-grained conglomeratic sandstone, with a thin zone of ferruginous quartz- and shale-pebble conglomerate at base. Maximum preserved thickness 35 feet.
Pco Crab Orchard Mountains Group, including Rockcastle Conglomerate, Vandever Formation, Newton Sandstone, Whitwell Shale, and Sewanee Conglomerate Pennsylvanian Crab Orchard Mountains Group - Conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone, shale, and coal; from top of Rockcastle Conglomerate to base of Sewanee Conglomerate. Thickness 200 to 950 feet; including Rockcastle Conglomerate - Conglomeratic sandstone and sandstone, gray to brown, fine- to coarse-grained. Thin coal-bearing shale locally present near middle. Thickness 150 to 220 feet; Vandever Formation - Mostly shale and siltstone, dark-gray to light-brown; conglomerate or sandstone in middle to south. Lantana and Morgan Springs coals near base and top. Thickness as much as 450 feet, average about 300 feet; Newton Sandstone - Sandstone, gray to brown or pink, fine- to medium-grained, locally conglomeratic. Thickness as much as 200 feet; average about 90 feet; Whitwell Shale - Mostly dark-gray to light-brown shale, with minor siltstone; locally middle part is sandstone. Richland coal near base; Sewanee coal in upper part. Thickness as much as 220 feet, average about 75 feet; Sewanee Conglomerate - Conglomeratic sandstone and sandstone, gray to brown, fine- to coarse-grained. Thickness as much as 200 feet, average about 100 feet.
Pf Fentress Formation Pennsylvanian Fentress Formation - Mostly dark-gray to light-brown shale, with minor siltstone and sandstone. Wilder coal near middle. Laterally equivalent to entire Gizzard Group and all of Crab Orchard Mountains Group below Rockcastle Conglomerate. Thickness as much as 340 feet.
Pg Gizzard Group including Warren Point Sandstone and Raccoon Mountain Formation Pennsylvanian Gizzard Group - Sandstone, conglomeratic sandstone, siltstone, shale, and minor coal. Thickness 100 to 200 feet. Includes Warren Point Sandstone - Gray to brown sandstone and minor conglomeratic sandstone. Thickness 60 to 160 feet; Raccoon Mountain Formation - Siltstone, sandstone, shale, and minor coal. Thickness 0 to 65 feet.
Pg Gizzard Group, including Signal Point Shale, Warren Point Sandstone, and Raccoon Mountain Formation Pennsylvanian Gizzard Group - Shale, siltstone, sandstone, and conglomerate; from base of Sewannee Conglomerate to top of Mississippian. Thickness 0 to 520 feet, including Signal Point Shale - Mostly dark-gray to light-brown shale, with minor siltstone. Wilder coal near top. Thickness 0 to 180 feet, average about 60 feet; Warren Point Sandstone - Sandstone and conglomeratic sandstone, gray to brown, fine- to medium-grained, locally interbedded with shale containing coal. Thickness 0 to 300 feet, thins from southeast to northwest, average thickness about 100 feet; Raccoon Mountain Formation - Shale, siltstone, and sandstone. Bon Air coal near top; White Oak and Sale Creek coals near base. Thickness 0 to 260 feet.
Pgg Graves Gap Formation Pennsylvanian Graves Gap Formation - Shale, sandstone, siltstone, and coal; from Windrock coal to top of Pioneer Sandstone. Thickness 200 to 350 feet.
Pgg Graves Gap Formation Pennsylvanian Graves Gap Formation - Shale, sandstone, siltstone, and coal; from Windrock coal to top of Pioneer Sandstone. Thickness 275 to 385 feet.
Pib Indian Bluff Formation Pennsylvanian Indian Bluff Formation - Shale, sandstone, siltstone, and thin coal beds; from Pioneer Sandstone Member to Jellico coal. Thickness 150 to 250 feet.
Pib Indian Bluff Formation Pennsylvanian Indian Bluff Formation - Shale, sandstone, siltstone, and thin coal beds; from Pioneer Sandstone Member to Jellico coal. Thickness 150 to 415 feet.
Pr Rockcastle Conglomerate Pennsylvanian Rockcastle Conglomerate - Conglomeratic sandstone and sandstone, gray to brown, fine- to coarse-grained. Thin coal-bearing shale locally present near middle. Thickness 150 to 220 feet.
Prm Redoak Mountain Formation Pennsylvanian Redoak Mountain Formation - Shale, sandstone, siltstone, and several important coals; from Pewee coal to Windrock coal. Thickness 340 to 420 feet.
Prm Redoak Mountain Formation Pennsylvanian Redoak Mountain Formation - Shale, sandstone, silicastone, and several important coals; from Pewee coal to Windrock coal. Thickness 340 to 420 feet.
Psl Slatestone Formation Pennsylvanian Slatestone Formation - Shale, sandstone, siltstone, and several important coals; from Jellico coal to Poplar Creek coal. Thickness 500 to 650 feet.
Psl Slatestone Formation Pennsylvanian Slatestone Formation - Shale, sandstone, siltstone, and several important coals; from Jellico coal to Poplar Creek coal. Thickness 500 to 720 feet.
Pvm Vowell Mountain Formation Pennsylvanian Vowell Mountain Formation - Shale, sandstone, siltstone, and coal; from Frozen Head Sandstone Member to Pewee coal. Thickness 300 to 375 feet.
Pvm Vowell Mountain Formation Pennsylvanian Vowell Mountain Formation - Shale, sandstone, siltstone, and coal; from Frozen Head Sandstone Member to Pewee coal. Thickness 230 to 375 feet.
pCb Beech Granite Precambrian Beech Granite - Granite, porphyritic, light-gray to reddish; coarse potash feldspar crystals and clustered interstitial mafics (chloritized biotite and hornblende) give spotted appearance; includes Max Patch Granite.
pCba Bakersville Gabbro Precambrian Bakersville Gabbro - Metagabbro, dark, porphyritic; contains diorite, basalt, anorthosite, and diabase; occurs as thin to massive dikes and lenticular masses.
pCc Cranberry Granite Precambrian Cranberry Granite - Complex of intertonguing rock types including migmatite, granitic gneisses, monzonite, quartz diorite, greenstone, mica and hornblende schists, abundant granitic pegmatite.
pCca Cades Sandstone Precambrian Cades Sandstone - Gray, well-bedded, fine- to medium-grained feldspathic metasandstone, with interbeds of dark slate and metasiltstone; precise stratigraphic position unknown. Thickness about 1,500 feet.
pCg Great Smoky Group, including Anakeesta Formation, Thunderhead Sandstone, and Elkmont Sandstone Precambrian Great Smoky Group - Characterized by very massive layers of coarse graywacke and arkose. The formations have been mapped only in the region of the Great Smoky Mountains. Near Ducktown, in ascending order, the Copperhill, Hughes Gap, Hothouse, and Dean Formations are recognized. Thickness 14,000 to about 40,000 feet. Includes Anakeesta Formation - Dark-gray, bluish-gray, and black slate with dark-gray interbeds of fine-grained sandstone. Thickness 3,000 to 4,500 feet; Thunderhead Sandstone - Coarse, gray feldspathic sandstone, graywacke, and conglomerate; occurs in massive ledges; graded bedding and blue quartz characteristic. Thickness 5,500 to 6,300 feet; Elkmont Sandstone - Coarse to fine, gray feldspathic sandstone, graywacke, and fine conglomerate; generally finer grained beds in lower part; graded bedding typical. Thickness 1,000 to 8,000 feet
pCg Great Smoky Group, includes Unnamed Sandstone Unit, Anakeesta Formation, Thunderhead Sandstone, and Elkmont Sandstone Precambrian Great Smoky Group - Characterized by very massive layers of coarse graywacke and arkose. The formations at right have been mapped only in region of the Great Smoky Mountains. Thickness 14,000 to about 25,000 feet; includes Unnamed Sandstone Unit - Gray, coarse sandstone and fine conglomerate, similar to Thunderhead Sandstone. Thickness about 4,500 feet; Anakeesta Formation - Dark-gray, bluish-gray, and black slate with dark-gray interbeds of fine-grained sandstone. Thickness 3,000 to 4,500 feet; Thunderhead Sandstone - Coarse, gray feldspathic sandstone, graywacke, and conglomerate; occurs in massive ledges; graded bedding and blue quartz characteristic. Thickness 5,500 to 6,300 feet; Elkmont Sandstone - Coarse to fine, gray feldspathic sandstone, graywacke, and fine conglomerate; generally finer grained beds in lower part; graded bedding typical. Thickness 1,000 to 8,000 feet.
pCm Mount Rogers Group including Bakersville Gabbro, Beech Granite, Cranberry Granite, and Roan Gneiss Precambrian Mount Rogers Group - Metavolcanics, typically purplish and reddish; massive lavas and tuffs, altered rhyolites and quartz latites; strongly foliated; interbedded arkose, shale, and conglomerate. Thickness 1,000 to 3,000 feet; Includes Bakersville Gabbro - Metagabbro, dark, porphyritic; contains diorite, basalt, anorthosite, and diabase; occurs as thin to massive dikes and lenticular masses; Beech Granite - Granite, porphyritic, light-gray to reddish; coarse potash feldspar crystals and clustered interstitial mafics (chloritized biotite and hornblende) give spotted appearance; includes Max Patch Granite; Cranberry Granite - Complex of intertonguing rock types including migmatite, granitic gneisses, monzonite, quartz diorite, greenstone, mica and hornblende schists, abundant granitic pegmatite; and Roan Gneiss - Layered hornblende and garnet gneiss and granitic migmatite with zones of mica schist and amphibolite, foliation commonly contorted; contains numerous granitic and gabbroic dikes.
pCo Ocoee Supergroup, including Walden Creek Group, (including Sandsuck Formation, Wilhite Formation, Shields Formation, Licklog Formation), Cades Sandstone, and Rich Butt Sandstone Precambrian Ocoee Supergroup - Terrigenous clastic sedimentary rocks, for the most part poorly sorted and coarse. The groups are subdivided into formations only in the region of the Great Smoky Mountains. Thickness as much as 50,000 feet. Includes Walden Creek Group - The formations, other than the Sandsuck, have been mapped only in the region of the Great Smoky Mountains. Thickness about 8,000 feet; Sandsuck Formation - Olive-green and gray, argillaceous, micaceous shale with coarse feldspathic sandstone and quartz- pebble conglomerate. Thickness about 2,000 feet; Wilhite Formation - Gray to green siltstone and slate with interbeds of pebble conglomerate, sandstone, and quartzite. Thickness about 4,000 feet; Shields Formation - Massive conglomerate, sandstone, argillaceous slate; conglomerate (pebbles of various rock types) characteristic. Thickness about 1,500 feet; Licklog Formation - Feldspathic sandstone, greenish phyllite, and bluish-gray slate. Thickness about 1,500 feet; and the Cades Sandstone - Gray, well-bedded, fine- to medium-grained feldspathic metasandstone, with interbeds of dark slate and metasiltstone; precise stratigraphic position unknown. Thickness about 1,500 feet; and Rich Butt Sandstone - Gray, massive beds of feldspathic, fine- to medium-grained sandstone, with interbeds of dark slate and arkosic conglomerate; exact stratigraphic position unknown. Thickness about 1,500 feet.
pCr Roan Gneiss Precambrian Roan Gneiss - Layered hornblende and garnet gneiss and granitic migmatite with zones of mica schist and amphibolite, foliation commonly contorted; contains numerous granitic and gabbroic dikes.
pCrb Rich Butt Sandstone Precambrian Rich Butt Sandstone - Gray, massive beds of feldspathic, fine- to medium-grained sandstone, with interbeds of dark slate and arkosic conglomerate; exact stratigraphic position unknown. Thickness about 1,500 feet.
pCs Snowbird Group, including Pigeon Siltstone, Roaring Fork Sandstone, Metcalf Phyllite, Longarm Quartzite, and Wading Branch Formation Precambrian Snowbird Group - The formations at right are applicable chiefly in the area of the Great Smoky Mountains. Thickness 13,000 to about 20,000 feet. Includes Pigeon Siltstone - Laminated, greenish quartzose and feldspathic siltstone; minor fine-grained gray sandstone. Thickness as much as 10,000 feet; Roaring Fork Sandstone - Interbedded massive feldspathic sandstone, greenish siltstone, and greenish phyllite. Maximum thickness 7,000 feet; Metcalf Phyllite - Lustrous, pale-green and silvery sericitic and chloritic phyllite; siltstone interbeds abundant. Thickness uncertain; at least 5,000 feet; Longarm Quartzite - Feldspathic quartzite and arkose, conspicuously light-colored, current bedded and crossbedded. Thickness about 5,000 feet; Wading Branch Formation - Medium- to dark-gray sandy slate to coarse, pebbly feldspathic sandstone and graywacke; basal part is quartz-sericite phyllite; graded bedding common. Thickness about 1,500 feet.
pCss Walden Creek Group; Sandsuck Formation Precambrian Wladen Creek Group; Sandsuck Formation - Olive-green and gray, argillaceous, micaceous shale with coarse feldspathic sandstone and quartz- pebble conglomerate. Thickness about 2,000 feet.
pCss Sandsuck Formation Precambrian Sandsuck Formation - Olive-green and gray, argillaceous, micaceous shale with coarse feldspathic sandstone and quartz- pebble conglomerate. Thickness about 2,000 feet.
pCw Walden Creek Group, including Sandsuck Formation, Wilhite Formation, Shields Formation, and Licklog Formation Cambrian Walden Creek Group - The formations, other than the Sandsuck, are applicable mainly in the region of the Great Smoky Mountains. Thickness about 8,000 feet, Includes Sandsuck Formation - Olive-green and gray, argillaceous, micaceous shale with coarse feldspathic sandstone and quartz- pebble conglomerate. Thickness about 2,000 feet; Wilhite Formation - Gray to green siltstone and slate with interbeds of pebble conglomerate, sandstone, and quartzite. Thickness about 4,000 feet; Shields Formation - Massive conglomerate, sandstone, argillaceous slate; conglomerate (pebbles of various rock types) characteristic. Thickness about 1,500 feet.; Licklog Formation - Feldspathic sandstone, greenish phyllite, and bluish-gray slate. Thickness about 1,500 feet.
pCw Walden Creek Group, including Sandsuck Formation, Wilhite Formation, Shields Formation, and Licklog Formation Precambrian The formations, other than the Sandsuck, have been mapped only in the region of the Great Smoky Mountains. Thickness about 8,000 feet. Includes Sandsuck Formation - Olive-green and gray, argillaceous, micaceous shale with coarse feldspathic sandstone and quartz- pebble conglomerate. Thickness about 2,000 feet; Wilhite Formation - Gray to green siltstone and slate with interbeds of pebble conglomerate, sandstone, and quartzite. Thickness about 4,000 feet; Shields Formation - Massive conglomerate, sandstone, argillaceous slate; conglomerate (pebbles of various rock types) characteristic. Thickness about 1,500 feet; Licklog Formation - Feldspathic sandstone, greenish phyllite, and bluish-gray slate. Thickness about 1,500 feet.
Qal Alluvial deposits Quaternary Alluvial Deposits - Sand, silt, clay, and gravel. In flood plain of Mississippi River more than 100 feet thick; in smaller streams generally less than 20 feet thick.
Qal Alluvial deposits Quaternary Alluvial Deposits - Sand, silt, clay, and gravel. As much as 60 feet thick in flood plains of Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers; in smaller streams generally less than 20 feet thick.
Qal Alluvial deposits Quaternary Alluvial Deposits - Sand, silt, clay and gravel. Mapped only in valley of Cumberland River and in Elk Valley. Thickness generally less than 30 feet.
Ql Loess Quaternary Loess - Clayey and sandy silt, gray to brown, massive. Maximum thickness about 100 feet along bluffs of Mississippi River; thins eastward. (Minimum mapped thickness 4 feet.)
QT High-level alluvial deposits Quaternary-Tertiary High-level Alluvial Deposits - Iron-stained gravel, sand, silt, and clay; variable in thickness but generally less then 60 feet thick.
QT High-Level Alluvial Deposits Quaternary-Tertiary High-Level Alluvial Deposits - Iron-stained gravel, sand, silt, and clay; variable in thickness but generally less than 60 feet thick.
S Silurian Formations, including Decatur Limestone, Brownsport Group (Lobelville Formation, Bob Limestone, Beech River Formation), Wayne Group (Dixon Formation, Lego Formation, Waldron Shale, Laurel Limestone, Osgood Formation) and Brassfield Limestone Silurian Silurian Formations - A complete section of Silurian formations is not common because of pre-Chattanooga and/or pre- Cretaceous erosion. Where preserved, Silurian formations are remarkably uniform in thickness and are characteristically light olive-gray to greenish-gray with variable reddish-brown color in some area;.
Decatur Limestone - Thick-bedded, medium- to coarse-grained limestone, gray with reddish-brown grains. Thickness 0 to 70 feet; Brownsport Group which includes 1) Lobelville Formation - Shale with thin beds of limestone. Thickness 0 to 40 feet; 2) Bob Limestone - Thick-bedded, medium-grained limestone, locally oolitic. Thickness 0 to 25 feet; and 3) Beech River Formation - Shale with thin beds of limestone. Thickness 0 to 60 feet; Wayne Group which includes: 1) Dixon Formation - Green and reddish-brown argillaceous limestone, shale, and mudstone. Thickness 0 to 40 feet; 2) Lego Limestone - Even-bedded, olive-gray limestone with scattered reddish-brown grains. Thickness 0 to 30 feet; 3) Waldron Shale - Greenish-gray fossiliferous shale. Thickness 0 to 5 feet; 4) Laurel Limestone - Even-bedded, gray limestone with scattered reddish-brown grains. Thickness 0 to 30 feet; 5) Osgood Formation - Greenish- and reddish-gray shale and argillaceous limestone. Thickness 0 to 15 feet.; and Brassfield Limestone - Thin-bedded cherty limestone, locally glauconitic. Thickness 0 to 20 feet.
S Silurian Formations, including Decatur Limestone, Brownsport Group (Lobelville Formation, Bob Limestone, Beech River Formation), Wayne Group (Dixon Formation, Lego Formation, Waldron Shale, Laurel Limestone, Osgood Formation) and Brassfield Limestone Silurian Silurian Formations - Characteristically light olive-gray to greenish-gray, with variable reddish-brown color in some areas. Individual formations are generally uniform in thickness, except where truncated by pre- Chattanooga erosion. Most formations are slightly thicker (than indicated) in Wells Creek Basin. Includes Decatur Limestone- Thick-bedded, medium- to coarse-grained limestone, gray with reddish-brown grains. Thickness 0 to 70 feet; Brownsport Group ( which includes Lobelville Formation - Shale with thin beds of limestone. Thickness 0 to 30 feet; Bob Limestone - Thick-bedded, medium-grained limestone, locally oolitic. Thickness 0 to 25 feet; and Beech River Formation - Shale with thin beds of limestone. Thickness 0 to 60 feet);
Wayne Group (which includes Dixon Formation - Green and reddish-brown argillaceous limestone, shale, and mudstone. Thickness 0 to 40 feet; Lego Limestone - Even-bedded, olive-gray limestone with scattered reddish-brown grains. Thickness 0 to 30 feet; Waldron Shale - Greenish-gray fossiliferous shale. Thickness 0 to 5 feet; Laurel Limestone - Even-bedded, olive-gray limestone with scattered reddish-brown grains. Thickness 0 to 30 feet; Osgood Formation - Greenish- and reddish-gray shale and argillaceous limestone. Thickness 0 to 15 feet); and Brassfield Limestone - Thin-bedded cherty limestone, locally glauconitic. Thickness 0 to 50 feet; generally about 20 feet.
S Laurel Limestone, Osgood Formation, and Brassfield Formation Silurian Laurel Limestone - Dolomitic limestone, mottled yellowish-gray to yellowish-green, fine-grained. Thickness 0 to 10 feet. (Present only in Macon County); Osgood Formation - Grayish-green shale. Thickness 0 to 10 feet. (Present only in Macon County.); and Brassfield Formation - Olive-gray, fine-grained cherty limestone to the north, merging into olive-gray calcareous shale to the south. Thickness 60 to 130 feet. (Present only in Sequatchie Valley.)
Sc Clinch Sandstone Silurian Clinch Sandstone - Clean, white, well-sorted sandstone; locally gray siltstone and shale. Average thickness about 600 feet.
Sr Rockwood Formation Silurian Rockwood Formation - Brown to maroon shale, thin gray siltstone and sandstone, and thin lenticular layers of oolitic and fossiliferous red hematite. Thickness 200 to 800 feet.
Sr Rockwood Formation Silurian Rockwood Formation - Brown to maroon shale, thin gray siltstone and sandstone, and thin lenticular layers of oolitic and fossiliferous red hematite. Thickness 350 to 550 feet.
Src Rockwood Formation and Clinch Sandstone Silurian Rockwood Formation - Brown to maroon shale, thin gray siltstone and sandstone, and thin lenticular layers of oolitic and fossiliferous red hematite. Thickness 200 to 800 feet; and Clinch Sandstone - Clean, white, well-sorted sandstone; locally gray siltstone and shale. Combined Rockwood and Clinch thicknesses about 700 feet.
Src Rockwood Formation and Clinch Sandstone Silurian Rockwood Formation - Brown to maroon shale, thin gray siltstone and sandstone, and thin lenticular layers of oolitic and fossiliferous red hematite. Thickness 350 to 550 feet; Clinch Sandstone - Clean, white, well-sorted sandstone; locally gray siltstone and shale. Average thickness about 600 feet.
Tcw Claiborne and Wilcox Formation Tertiary Claiborne and Wilcox Formations -- Irregularly bedded sand, locally interbedded with lenses and beds of gray to white clay, silty clay, lignitic clay, and lignite. Thickness more than 400 feet.
Tj Jackson () Formation Tertiary Jackson () Formation - Sand, with layers of gray clay, silt, and lignite. Exposed only in bluffs along Mississippi River; thickness at least 60 feet.
Tm Midway Group including Porters Creek Clay and Clayton Formation Tertiary Midway Group - includes Porters Creek Clay - Pale-brown to brownish-gray, massive, blocky clay; locally contains glauconitic sand. Thickness 130 to 170 feet. Also includes Clayton Formation- Glauconitic sand, argillaceous and locally fossiliferous; at base in Hardeman County is an impure fossiliferous limestone. Thickness 30 to 70 feet.
WATR water Holocene water
Back to Top