Central Appalachian Basin

Donald R. CHESNUT*University of Kentucky, 228 MMRB, Lexington, KY 40506, USA; chesnut @ uky.edu

Charles MASONMorehead State University, Physical Sciences, 123 Lappin A, Morehead, KY 40351, USA

David M. WORKMaine State Museum, 83 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333, USA

References for Fourth-Order Cycles

Al-Tawil, A and Read, J.F., 2003, Late Mississippian (Late Meramecian-Chesterian), glacioeustatic sequence development on an active distal foreland ramp, Kentucky, U.S.A. Permo-Carboniferous Carbonate Platforms and Reefs, Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM) Special Publication No. 78 and AAPG Memoir 83, p. 35-55.Khetani, A.B., and Read, J.F., 2002, Sequence development of a mixed carbonate siliciclastic high relief ramp, Mississippian,

Kentucky, U.S.A. Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 72, No. 5, p. 657-672.Krause, R.A., Jr. and Meyer, D.L., 2004, Sequence stratigraphy and depositional dynamics of carbonate buildups and associated

facies from the Lower Mississippian Fort Payne Formation of southern Kentucky, U.S.A. Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 74, p. 831-844.

Despite the abundant world-class exposures of Carboniferous strata in the Central Appalachian Basin, the details of biostratigraphy are lacking to correlate all the fourth-order cycles with those of other areas around the world. With extensive exposures of fossiliferous rocks, this area may actually be the best place to examine Mississippian fourth-order cycles in detail. Ongoing biostratigraphic work is being conducted to elucidate these cycles.

The Serpukhovian is represented by the Pennington sequence (herein includes the Pennington Group and Paragon Formation). This third-order sequence is dominated by siliciclastics that thicken along the northeast-striking axis of the Appalachian Basin. Sediment supply kept the basin largely filled as it subsided. The Pennington has numerous paleosols, red and green beds, coastal sandstones, marine shales and carbonates, and thin coals. This heterogeneous unit is certainly influenced by fourth-order eustatic cycles. However, detailed reconstructions are lacking and platform and ramp positions are unknown.

The Serpukhovian strata are unconformably overlain by Pennsylvanian coal-bearing siliciclastics. Along the margins of the basin the unconformity is probably a series of amalgamated unconformities of mid-Carboniferous age.

Late Viséan carbonates of the Slade sequence (herein includes Slade, Newman and Greenbriar formations minus the Renfro) were deposited on the now extensive platform formed by the earlier Borden through Fort Payne cycles. However, this time, the Slade carbonates formed a platform to the west of a Late Viséan northeast-striking basin located in Virginia and eastern West Virginia. Fourth-order cycles within the Slade and its lateral equivalents have been noted, but further systematic studies are needed.

The mixed siliciclastic-carbonate strata of the Early Viséan Fort Payne sequence (herein the Fort Payne, Muldraugh, Renfro, Harrodsburg, Warsaw, Salem and part of the Nada formations) filled in the remnant "Borden" basin with generally southwest prograding strata with discrete beds of shales, siltstones, sandstones, dolostones, “Waulsortian” mounds, and calcareous fenestrate- and crinoidal-biostromes. The thin glauconitic Floyds Knob bed at the base of the sequence traces the underlying Borden delta from basin to delta top and probably represents the maximum flooding surface of the third-order sequence. Up depositional dip, carbonates of the Renfro/Salem/Warsaw/Harrodsburg formations capped the siliciclastic basin fill at later stages. Some fourth-order cycles have been noted in the sequence, but no thorough, basin-scale study has been conducted to correlate these cycles with others around the world.

4. Pennington sequencecoastal and shallow marine

Paragon Fm. Pennington Gp.Mauch Chunk

Appalachian Basin subsidence

tidalites, paleosols, coals, marine clastics and minor carbonates

W E

Appalachian Basin subsidence

sea level

Slade, Newman, Greenbrier Ls.

Mauch Chunk

carbonates

carbonates

clastics

gentle ramp

carbonate platform

shallow basin

3. Slade sequence

old Borden delta

Floyds Knob bed (glauconite)

Ft. Payne Fm.

Warsaw-Salem Fms. Renfro and part Nadacarbonatesextensive platform

2. Ft. Payne sequence

Tournaisian siliciclastics of the Borden sequence (herein includes Sunbury, Maury, New Providence, Borden, Cuyahoga, Pocono, Price and Grainger formations) prograded westward from old Acadian highlands in the east. It prograded across the Central Appalachian Basin toward the margin of the basin in Kentucky. The northwest striking Borden Delta Front in Kentucky marks the final delta ramp. To the east of the front, the Borden/Pocono wedge forms a delta platform. To the west of the delta front, thin basinal deposits of the Sunbury (starved basin) and New Providence/Maury (very distal prodelta) are all that represent the Tournaisian deposition in this region. The organic-rich black shales of the Sunbury represent the maximum flooding surface overlying the Famenian clastic wedge (Berea/Bedford). The Borden delta front represents the arrested development of the Borden/Pocono clastic wedge at the end of third-order highstand through lowstand progradation. Discrete packages of siltstone, sandstone, red beds, and limey mounds probably represent the affects of fourth-order cycles, but a basin-scale, systematic litho- and biostratigraphic survey is lacking to differentiate and date many of the cycles. The "fossil" Borden delta front, delta basin and delta platform affected subsequent deposition through mid-Mississippian times.

“Borden delta”

siliciclastics

delta platform

“delta

front”

starved basin

Sunbury black shale Pocono

Pocono

sea level

1. Borden sequenceTo

urna

isian

Viséan

Serpuk

hovian

Bashkirian

Famennian

Has

taria

nIv

oria

n

Chadian

Arun

dian

Hol

keria

nAs

bian

Brig

antia

n

Pendlean

Arns

berg

ian

Pocahontas Fm.

Pennington sequence

Slade sequence

Ft. Payne sequence

Borden sequence

Sunbury Sh.

Warsaw-Salem

(minus Renfro)

4.

3.

2.

1.

Berea-Bedford

Borden Delta FrontFrom Lewis and Potter, 1978

From Keperle, 1977The Borden Formation in west-central Kentucky

Borden Formation at Bighill, Kentucky

Nancy Shale

Cowbell Siltst

one

Renfro Member

Nada Mbr.

Slade Formation (minus

Renfro

On-platform sediments: Ft. Payne sequence (Nada and Renfro here) at Bighill, Kentucky

Upper part of Slade Formation at Bighill, KentuckyFrom Al-Tawil and Read, 2003

Basin fill: Ft. Payne Formation near Burkesville, Kentucky

Cane Valley Mbr.

W

W

W E

E

E

Time scale and European substages from Menning and others (2006)

Fourth-order cycles in the Slade sequence

siliciclastics, carbonates, mounds

The Borden Formation in east-central. Kentucky

From Weir ant others, 1966

WE

Cross section from northeastern Kentucky to eastern W. Virginia

From Matchen and Kammer, 1994

W E

Mary

upper part of Pennington Formation at Pound Gap, Kentucky (from KSPG.org)