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Mineral Resources > Online Spatial Data > Geology > by state > North Carolina Geology

Geologic units in Haywood county, North Carolina

[Additional scientific data in this geographic area]

Ashe Metamorphic Suite and Tallulah Falls Formation; Biotite gneiss (Late Proterozoic) at surface, covers 0.2 % of this area

Biotite gneiss - interlayered with biotite-garnet gneiss, biotite-muscovite schist, garnet-mica schist, and amphibolite.

Lithology: biotite gneiss; mica schist; amphibolite

Ocoee Supergroup, Great Smokey Group; Rich Butt Sandstone (Late Proterozoic) at surface, covers 1 % of this area

Rich Butt Sandstone - feldspathic; interbedded with dark argillaceous layers and laminae. Stratigraphic position uncertain.

Lithology: sandstone

Coweeta Group; Biotite Gneiss (Middle/Late Proterozoic) at surface, covers 27 % of this area

Biotite Gneiss - migmatitic; interlayered and gradational with biotite-garnet gneiss and amphibolite; locally abundant quartz and alumino-silicates. Stratigraphic position uncertain.

Lithology: biotite gneiss; amphibolite

Ocoee Supergroup; Great Smokey Group, undivided (Late Proterozoic) at surface, covers 4 % of this area

Great Smokey Group, undivided - thick metasedimentary sequence of massive to graded beds of metagraywacke and metasiltstone with interbedded graphitic and sulfidic slate and schist.

Lithology: metasedimentary rock; slate; schist

Ocoee Supergroup, Snowbird Group, undivided (Late Proterozoic) at surface, covers 1 % of this area

Snowbird Group, undivided - feldspathic metasiltstone, metasandstone, and phyllite. Basal schist contains lenses of quartz-pebble conglomerate.

Lithology: metasedimentary rock; phyllite; schist; conglomerate

Ocoee Supergroup, Snowbird Group; Roaring Fork Sandstone (Late Proterozoic) at surface, covers 3 % of this area

Roaring Fork Sandstone - greenish gray, fine to medium grained, locally cross-bedded, metamorphosed; interbedded metasiltstone and phyllite.

Lithology: sandstone; metasedimentary rock; phyllite

Beech Granite (Precambrian) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

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.

Lithology: granite

Ocoee Supergroup, Great Smokey Group; Copperhill Formation (Late Proterozoic) at surface, covers 16 % of this area

Copperhill Formation - metagraywacke, massive, graded bedding common; includes dark-gray slate, mica schist, and nodular calc-silicate rock.

Lithology: metasedimentary rock; slate; mica schist; calc-silicate rock

Ocoee Supergroup, Snowbird Group; Longarm Quartzite (Late Proterozoic) at surface, covers 5 % of this area

Longarm Quartzite - cross-bedded, feldspathic, locally conglomeratic; includes dark slate and metasiltstone.

Lithology: quartzite; slate; metasedimentary rock

Ocoee Supergroup, Snowbird Group; Pigeon Siltstone (Late Proterozoic) at surface, covers 0.5 % of this area

Pigeon Siltstone - thin bedded to laminated, commonly cross-bedded, metamorphosed; locally includes argillite and calcareous and arkeritic metasiltstone grading to silty metalimestone.

Lithology: siltstone; metasedimentary rock; limestone; argillite

Rich Butt Sandstone (Precambrian) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

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.

Lithology: sandstone; slate; conglomerate

Ocoee Supergroup, Snowbird Group; Wading Branch Formation (Late Proterozoic) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Wading Branch Formation - sandy slate to coarse-grained pebbly metagraywacke with local graded bedding. Basal quartz-sericite schist or phyllite.

Lithology: slate; metasedimentary rock; sand; schist; phyllite

Biotite Granitic Gneiss (Middle Proterozoic) at surface, covers 12 % of this area

Biotite Granitic Gneiss - unconformity; pinkish gray to light gray, massive to well-foliated, granitic to quartz monzonitic; includes variably mylonitized orthogneiss and paragneiss, interlayered amphibolite, calc-silicate rock, and marble. Includes granites of the Bryson City area, Straight Fork window, and Elk Park Plutonic Suite.

Lithology: granitic gneiss; amphibolite; calc-silicate rock; marble

Max Patch Granite (Late Proterozoic) at surface, covers 0.5 % of this area

Max Patch Granite - mottled pink and light green, coarse grained to porphyritic, massive; contains biotite.

Lithology: granite

Ocoee Supergroup, Great Smokey Group; Slate of Copperhill Formation (Late Proterozoic) at surface, covers 0.1 % of this area

Slate of Copperhill Formation - slate to phyllite, dark gray, graphitic, sulfidic; includes metagraywacke with local graded bedding.

Lithology: slate; phyllite; metasedimentary rock

Granodioritic Gneiss (Middle Proterozoic) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Granodioritic Gneiss (1175 my) - unconformity; greenish gray to pinkish gray, porphyroclastic to mylonitic; epidote, sericite, and chlorite common.

Lithology: granitic gneiss

Ashe Metamorphic Suite and Tallulah Falls Formation; Muscovite-biotite gneiss (Late Proterozoic) at surface, covers 25 % of this area

Muscovite-biotite gneiss - locally sulfidic; interlayered and gradational with mica schist, minor amphibolite, and hornblende gneiss.

Lithology: gneiss; mica schist; amphibolite

Snowbird Group, including Pigeon Siltstone, Roaring Fork Sandstone, Metcalf Phyllite, Longarm Quartzite, and Wading Branch Formation (Precambrian) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

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.

Lithology: siltstone; sandstone; phyllite; quartzite; arkose; slate

Meta-ultramafic Rock (Paleozoic/Late Proterozoic) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Meta-ultramafic Rock - metamorphosed dunite and peridotite; serpentine, soapstone, and other altered ultramafic rock. Only larger bodies shown.

Lithology: metamorphic rock; serpentinite

Great Smoky Group, including Anakeesta Formation, Thunderhead Sandstone, and Elkmont Sandstone (Precambrian) at surface, covers 0.1 % of this area

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

Lithology: graywacke; arkose; slate; sandstone; conglomerate