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

Geologic units in Jackson county, North Carolina

[Additional scientific data in this geographic area]

Ocoee Supergroup, Great Smokey Group; Copperhill Formation (Late Proterozoic) at surface, covers 2 % 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; Great Smokey Group, undivided (Late Proterozoic) at surface, covers 10 % 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 2 % 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

Coweeta Group; Biotite Gneiss (Middle/Late Proterozoic) at surface, covers 25 % 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

Ashe Metamorphic Suite and Tallulah Falls Formation; Biotite gneiss (Late Proterozoic) at surface, covers 18 % of this area

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

Lithology: biotite gneiss; mica schist; amphibolite

Quartz Diorite to Granodiorite (Devonian) at surface, covers 12 % of this area

Quartz Diorite to Granodiorite (390 my) - contains biotite, muscovite, and xenocrysts. Includes Whiteside Mountain, Stone Mountain, Mount Airy, Spruce Pine, and other smaller plutons.

Lithology: quartz diorite; granodiorite

Ashe Metamorphic Suite and Tallulah Falls Formation; Muscovite-biotite gneiss (Late Proterozoic) at surface, covers 22 % of this area

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

Lithology: gneiss; mica schist; amphibolite

Meta-ultramafic Rock (Paleozoic/Late Proterozoic) at surface, covers 0.8 % 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

Toxaway Gneiss (Middle Proterozoic) at surface, covers 0.1 % of this area

Toxaway Gneiss (1203 my) - unconformity; poorly foliated to well-foliated; equigranular to inequigranular, granitic.

Lithology: granitic gneiss

Ashe Metamorphic Suite and Tallulah Falls Formation; Amphibolite (Late Proterozoic) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Amphibolite - equigranular, massive to well foliated, interlayered, rarely discordant, metamorphosed intrusive to extrusive mafic rock; may include metasedimentary rock.

Lithology: amphibolite; metasedimentary rock

Biotite Granitic Gneiss (Middle Proterozoic) at surface, covers 7 % 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