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Mineral Resources > Online Spatial Data > Geology > by state > Alabama Geology

Geologic units in Cherokee county, Alabama

[Additional scientific data in this geographic area]

Conasauga Formation (Cambrian) at surface, covers 27 % of this area

Conasauga Formation - Medium-bluish-gray fine-grained, thin-bedded argillaceous limestone and interbedded dark-gray shale in varying proportions.

Lithology: limestone; shale

Newala Limestone (Ordovician) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Newala Limestone

Lithology: limestone

Floyd Shale (Mississippian) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Floyd Shale - Dark-gray shale, sideritic in part; thin beds of sandstone, limestone and chert are locally present; beds of partly bioclastic, partly argillaceous limestone are abundant in parts of Calhoun and Cherokee Counties.

Lithology: shale; sandstone; limestone; chert

Paleozoic shale undifferentiated (Mississippian) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Paleozoic shale undifferentiated - Dark-gray shale and mudstone, locally containing thin interbeds and lenses of dark-greenish-gray sandstone includes probable Floyd Shale in area east of Gadsden, Etowah County.

Lithology: shale; mudstone; sandstone

Mississippian undifferentiated (Mississippian) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Mississippian undifferentiated: Includes Pennington Shale, Bangor Limestone (except in Floyd County), Hartselle Sandstone, Golconda Formation, Gasper Limestone, Ste. Genevieve Limestone and St. Louis Limestone

Lithology: limestone; shale; sandstone

Newala Limestone (Ordovician) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Newala Limestone - light to dark-gray thick-bedded micritic and peloidal limestone and minor dolomite.

Lithology: limestone; dolostone (dolomite)

Rome Formation (Cambrian) at surface, covers 0.3 % of this area

Rome Formation - variegated thinly interbedded mudstone, shale, siltstone, and sandstone; limestone and dolomite occur locally. Quartzose sandstone commonly present near top of formation.

Lithology: mudstone; shale; siltstone; sandstone; limestone; dolostone (dolomite)

Conasauga Formation, lower unnamed shale facies (Cambrian) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Conasauga Formation, lower unnamed shale facies - lower unnamed shale facies in eastern Valley and Ridge consists of dark-green to pale-olive fossiliferous shale with a few dark-gray limestone interbeds.

Lithology: shale; limestone

Athens Shale (Ordovician) at surface, covers 0.7 % of this area

Athens Shale - black graptolitic shale, locally contains interbedded dark-gray limestone.

Lithology: black shale; limestone

Frog Mountain Sandstone (Devonian) at surface, covers 0.4 % of this area

Frog Mountain Sandstone -- light to dark-gray sandstone with thin dark-gray shale interbeds, light-gray to black dolomudstone, glauconitic limestone, and fossiliferous chert locally in lower part.

Lithology: sandstone; shale; mudstone; limestone; chert

Chilhowee Group undifferentiated (Cambrian) at surface, covers 0.4 % of this area

Chilhowee Group undifferentiated - light to medium-gray arkose, arkosic conglomerate, and discontinous mudstone overlain by greenish-gray mudstone with minor siltstone and sandstone; dominantly light-gray pebbly quartzose sandstone in upper part.

Lithology: conglomerate; mudstone; siltstone; sandstone

Little Oak and Lenoir Limestones undifferentiated (Ordovician) at surface, covers 0.1 % of this area

Little Oak and Lenoir Limestones undifferentiated - dark-gray argillaceous, fossiliferous medium to thick-bedded limestone; locally contains rare chert in upper part and an interval of fenestral mudstone in lower part (Mosheim Limestone Member of the Lenoir Limestone). Between Siluria and Pelham in Shelby County, the Little Oak and Lenoir Limestones are separated by a tongue of the Athens Shale.

Lithology: limestone; mudstone; chert

Nichols Formation (Cambrian) at surface, covers 0.5 % of this area

Nichols Formation - massive to laminated greenish-gray and black micaceous mudstone containing minor interbeds of siltstone and very fine-grained sandstone.

Lithology: mudstone; siltstone; sandstone

Alluvial, coastal and low terrace deposits (Holocene) at surface, covers 9 % of this area

Alluvial, coastal and low terrace deposits - Varicolored fine to coarse quartz sand containing clay lenses and gravel in places. Gravel composed of quartz and chert pebbles and assorted metmorphic and igneous rock fragments in streams near the Piedmont. In areas of the Valley and Ridge province gravel composed of angular to subrounded chert, quartz, and quartzite pebbles. Coastal deposits include fine to medium quartz sand with shell fragments and accessory heavy minerals along Gulf beaches and fine to medium quartz sand, silt, clay, peat, mud and ooze in the Mississippi Sound, Little Lagoon, bays, lakes, streams, and estuaries.

Lithology: beach sand; alluvium

Bangor and Monteagle Limestones undivided in part (Mississippian) at surface, covers 1.0 % of this area

Bangor and Monteagle Limestones undivided in part - Bangor Limestone -- medium-gray bioclastic and oolitic limestone, containing interbeds of dusky-red and olive-green mudstone in upper part. Monteagle Limestone -- light-gray oolitic limestone containing interbedded argillaceous, bioclastic, or dolomitic limestone, dolomite, and medium-gray shale.

Lithology: limestone; mudstone; dolostone (dolomite); shale

Parkwood and Pennington Formations undifferentiated (Pennsylvanian-Mississippian) at surface, covers 0.7 % of this area

Parkwood and Pennington Formations undifferentiated - Interbedded medium to dark-gray shale and light to medium-gray sandstone, locally contains lithic conglomerate, dusky-red and grayish-green mudstone, argillaceous limestone, and clayey coal.

Lithology: shale; sandstone; conglomerate; mudstone; limestone; clay or mud; mixed clastic/coal

Weisner and Wilson Ridge Formations undifferentiated (Cambrian) at surface, covers 3 % of this area

Weisner and Wilson Ridge Formations undifferentiated -- interbedded quartzose to slightly feldspathic sandstone and laterally continous conglomerate in ledge-forming units separated by greenish-gray silty mudstone.

Lithology: sandstone; conglomerate; mudstone

Chickamauga Group; Middle Ordovician rocks; Rockmart Slate (Middle Ordovician) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Chickamauga Group; Middle Ordovician rocks; Rockmart Slate

Lithology: slate

Parkwood Formation and Floyd Shale undifferentiated (Pennsylvanian-Mississippian) at surface, covers 0.4 % of this area

Parkwood Formation and Floyd Shale undifferentiated - Parkwood Formation -- Interbedded medium to dark-gray shale and light to medium-gray sandstone; locally contains dusky-red and grayish-green mudstone, argillaceous limestone, and clayey coal. Floyd Shale -- Dark-gray shale, sideritic in part; thin beds of sandstone, limestone and chert are locally present; beds of partly bioclastic, partly argillaceous limestone are abundant in parts of Calhoun and Cherokee Counties.

Lithology: shale; sandstone; mudstone; limestone; chert; mixed clastic/coal; clay or mud

Sequatchie Formation (Ordovician) at surface, covers 1 % of this area

Sequatchie Formation - Grayish-red, grayish-green, and yellowish-gray thin-bedded calcareous shale and calcareous mudstone containing interbedded fossiliferous limestone, and medium-gray to moderate-red partly sandy and glauconitic, medium to coarse-grained bioclastic limestone.

Lithology: shale; mudstone; limestone

Sequatchie Formation, Colvin Mountain Sandstone, Greensport Formation undifferentiated (Ordovician) at surface, covers 0.2 % of this area

Sequatchie Formation, Colvin Mountain Sandstone, Greensport Formation undifferentiated - variegated dusky-red and pale-yellowish-orange shale, calcareous mudstone, dolomite, siltstone, and minor sandstone. Mapped in areas of facies transition with the Chickamauga Limestone (Canoe Creek, Dunaway, and Hensley Mountains).

Lithology: shale; mudstone; dolostone (dolomite); siltstone; sandstone

Pottsville Formation (Pennsylvanian) at surface, covers 12 % of this area

Pottsville Formation - Light-gray thin to thick-bedded quartzose sandstone and conglomerate containing interbedded dark-gray shale, siltstone, and coal. Mapped on Lookout Mountain, Blount and Chandler Mountains, and Sand Mountain northeats of Blount County, and on the mountains of Jackson, Marshall and Madison Counties north and west of the TN river.

Lithology: sandstone; conglomerate; shale; siltstone; coal

Chickamauga Limestone (Ordovician) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Chickamauga Limestone - Medium to dark-gray thick to thin-bedded partly argillaceous, locally fossiliferous limestone. Restricted to the western part of the Valley and Ridge province and Murphrees Valley and Wills Valley anticlines. Locally includes a thin interval of Attalla Chert Conglomerate Member at base. Attalla Chert Conglomerate - conglomerate of pebbles, cobbles, and boulders of chert and rare dolomite and quartzite in a sand-sized matrix; thin beds of gray-green or dusky-red shale common at base.

Lithology: limestone; conglomerate; chert; shale; dolostone (dolomite); quartzite

Attalla Chert Conglomerate Member of the Chickamauga Limestone (Ordovician) at surface, covers 0.2 % of this area

Attalla Chert Conglomerate Member of the Chickamauga Limestone - conglomerate of pebbles, cobbles, and boulders of chert and rare dolomite and quartzite in a sand-sized chert and quartz matrix; thin beds of gray-green or dusky-red shale common at base.

Lithology: conglomerate; chert; shale; dolostone (dolomite); quartzite

Bangor Limestone (Mississippian) at surface, covers 0.1 % of this area

Bangor Limestone - Medium-gray bioclastic and oolitic limestone, containing interbeds of dusky-red and olive-green mudstone in the upper part.

Lithology: limestone; mudstone

Knox Group undifferentiated (Ordovician-Cambrian) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Knox Group undifferentiated

Lithology: dolostone (dolomite); limestone

Monteagle Limestone (Mississippian) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Monteagle Limestone - Light-gray oolitic limestone containing interbedded argillaceous, bioclastic, or dolomitic limestone, dolomite, and medium-gray shale.

Lithology: limestone; dolostone (dolomite); shale

High terrace deposits (Pleistocene) at surface, covers 3 % of this area

High terrace deposits - Varicolored lenticular beds of poorly sorted sand, ferruginous sand, silt, clay, and gravelly sand. Sand consists primarily of very fine to very coarse poorly sorted quartz grains; gravel composed of quartz, quartzite, and chert pebbles.

Lithology: terrace

Red Mountain Formation (Silurian) at surface, covers 4 % of this area

Red Mountain Formation - Interbedded yellowish-gray to moderate-red sandstone, siltstone and shale; greenish-gray to moderate-red fossiliferous partly silty and sandy limestone; few thin hematitic beds.

Lithology: sandstone; shale; siltstone; limestone

Pennsylvanian undifferentiated (Pennsylvanian) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Pennsylvanian undifferentiated

Lithology: sandstone; shale; conglomerate

Tuscumbia Limestone and Fort Payne Chert undivided (Mississippian) at surface, covers 1 % of this area

Tuscumbia Limestone and Fort Payne Chert undivided - Tuscumbia Limestone -- light-gray partly oolitic limestone; very coarse bioclastic crinoidal limestone common; light-gray chert nodules and concretions locally abundant. Fort Payne Chert -- very light to light-olive-gray, thin to thick-bedded fine to coarse-grained bioclastic (abundant pelmatozoans) limestone containing abundant nodules, lenses and beds of light to dark-grey chert. Upper part of formation locally consists of light-bluish-gray laminated siltstone containing vugs lined or filled with quartz and scattered throughout the formation are interbeds of medium to greenish-gray shale, shaly limestone and siltstone. Lenses of dark-gray siliceous shale occur locally at the base of the Fort Payne in Wills Valley. Commonly present below the Fort Payne is a ligh-olive-gray claystone or shale (Maury Formation) which is mapped with the Fort Payne. The Tuscumbia and Fort Payne are undifferentiated in Murphrees and Wills Valleys.

Lithology: limestone; chert; siltstone; shale; claystone

Frog Mountain (Devonian) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Frog Mountain

Lithology: sandstone

Knox Group undifferentiated (Ordovician-Cambrian) at surface, covers 22 % of this area

Knox Group undifferentiated - Light-gray to light-brown locally sandy dolomite, dolomitic limestone, and limestone; characterized by abundant light-colored chert.

Lithology: dolostone (dolomite); limestone; chert

Shady Dolomite (Cambrian) at surface, covers 1.0 % of this area

Shady Dolomite - bluish-gray or pale-yellowish-gray thick-bedded siliceous dolomite; characterized by coarsely crystalline porous chert.

Lithology: dolostone (dolomite); chert