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

Geologic units in Highland county, Ohio

Preacherville Member of the Drakes Formation, Waynesville and Arnheim Formation, Undivided (Ordovician) at surface, covers 6 % of this area

Preacherville Member of the Drakes Formation, Waynesville and Arnheim Formation, Undivided - Shale, limestone, and dolomite, interbedded; gray to maroon in upper part, weathers yellowish-gray to light-gray; planar to irregular to wavy to nodular, thin to thick bedded; shale increases upward.

Lithology: shale; limestone; dolostone (dolomite)

Dayton and Brassfield Limestones (Silurian) at surface, covers 4 % of this area

Dayton Limestone; gray to bluish-gray weathers grayish-white; medium to thick bedded; fine grained; dolomitic; 5 to 15 feet thick. Brassfield Limestone; white to pink, locally gray to reddish brown; irregular, thin to medium bedded; coarsely crystalline; abundant pelmatozoan fossils; grayish-green glauconitic partings; cliff forming; 20 to 50 feet thick. Interval ranges from 32 to 100 feet in thickness.

Lithology: limestone

Grant Lake Limestone and Fairview Formation, Undivided (Ordovician) at surface, covers 1.0 % of this area

Grant Lake Limestone and Fairview Formation, Undivided - Limestone and shale, interbedded; gray to bluish-gray weathers light gray to yellowish-gray; planar to lenticular, thin to medium bedded in lower half; wavy to irregular to nodular, thin to thick bedded in upper half; fossiliferous.

Lithology: limestone; shale

Drowning Creek Formation (Silurian) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Drowning Creek Formation - Limestone, and shale, interbedded; limestone, shades bluish, greenish, and yellowish gray to grayish-pink weathers light gray to shades of red; planar to irregular to nodular, thin to thick bedded; fine to very coarse grained; locally silty, dolomitic, cherty, glaconitic; moderate to abundant fossils. Shale, greenish-gray to bluish-gray weathers light gray, thin bedded; silty.

Lithology: limestone; shale

Tymochtee and Greenfield Formations, Undivided (Silurian) at surface, covers 7 % of this area

Tymochtee and Greenfield Formations, Undivided - Dolomite, olive-gray to yellowish- brown, thin to massive bedded, upper two-thirds commonly contains brownish-black to gray shale laminae; locally developed brecciated zones in lower one third.

Lithology: dolostone (dolomite); shale

Cedarville, Springfield, Euphemia, and Laurel Dolomites; Massie Shale, Undivided (Silurian) at surface, covers 0.2 % of this area

Cedarville, Springfield, Euphemia, and Laurel Dolomite; Massie Shale, Undivided - Cedarville Dolomite, white to gray to blue gray weathers gray; abundant intercrystalline, moldic, and vuggy porosity, massive bedded, 0 to 100 feet thick. Diagnostic features include porosity, cliff-forming nature of unit, and pentamerid brachiopod fossil zone near contact with Springfield Dolomite. Springfield Dolomite, gray to tan, mottled with brownish gray, massive bedded where unweathered and layered brick-like where weathered, 5 to 10 feet thick. Euphemia Dolomite, dolomite to dolomitic limestone, gray to bluish gray, massive bedded, 5 to 15 feet thick. Diagnostic features include large, blocky bedding where weathered and cliff forming nature. Massie Shale, gray to bluish gray, minor limestone and dolomite beds, calcareous, slakes easily, planar to irregular bedding, thin to thick bedded, 0 to 10 feet thick. Diagnostic feature includes calcareous shale with limestone and dolomite. Laurel Dolomite, gray to tan, weathers brown, argillaceous to nonargillaceous, wavy bedding, thin to medium bedded, 5 to 10 feet thick. Interval ranges from 115 to 140 feet thick. Euphemia Dolomite averages 1.6 to 2.6 m in thickness. Environment of deposition was normal marine offshore, free from clastic influence; similar to Cedarville Dolomite. Unconformably overlies Massie Shale. Correlates with Bisher Formation to the southeast. Age is Wenlockian (Ausich, 1987).

Lithology: dolostone (dolomite); shale; limestone

Peebles Dolomite, Lilley and Bisher Formations, Undivided (Silurian) at surface, covers 39 % of this area

Peebles Dolomite, Lilley Formation, Bisher Formation, Undivided - Peebles Dolomite, bluish gray weathers light gray; planar to irregular, thick to massive bedded; 0 to 120 feet thick; vuggy to cavernous porosity; cliffs former. Lilley Formation, dolomite with minor limestone, chert, and shale; bluish gray to gray weathers reddish gray to gray; planar to irregular, thin to thick bedded; 20 to 80 feet thick; fossiliferous. Bisher Formation, dolomite with minor shale; bluish gray to gray weathers yellowish-orange; argillaceous and silty in part; planar to lenticular, thin to thick bedded; 20 to 90 feet thick; Interval ranges from 80 to 160 feet in thickness. Peebles Dolomite overlies Lilley Formation and underlies Greenfield Dolomite, Hillsboro Sandstone, or Ohio Shale in southern OH. Age is Silurian (Wenlockian and Ludlovian) (Rexroad and Kleffner, 1984). Wenlockian age of the Lilley Formation is based on 10 species of conodont fauna. The Lilley Formation, Lilley-Peebles transition unit, and the Peebles Dolomite compose the upper Niagaran sequence along the east flank of the Cincinnati arch in southern OH. The Lilley consists of two main lithologies: 1) gray to blue gray, fine-grained argillaceous, variably fossiliferous uneven- to thin-bedded dolomite with dolomitic shale partings and 2) light-gray, medium to coarse-grained fossiliferous dolomite. Thickness averages 15 m in Adams and southeastern Highland Cos. and thickens to 24 m in western and northwestern Highland Co. Eustatic sea-level fall in early to middle Wenlockian is proposed as the cause for shoaling during deposition. Underlies Peebles Dolomite and overlies Bisher Formation (Kleffner, M.A., 1990).

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

Sunbury Shale, Berea Sandstone, and Bedford Shale, Undivided (Devonian and/or Mississippian) at surface, covers 0.3 % of this area

Sunbury Shale, Berea Sandstone, and Bedford Shale, Undivided - Shale and sandstone; upper 10 to 50 feet shale; black to brown, weathers light brown; carbonaceous; thin, planar bedding. Underlain by 10 to 50 feet sandstone; brown, weathers light brown to reddish brown; thin to thick bedded, planar to lenticular bedding; minor shale interbeds. Basal 80 to 100 feet shale and interbedded sandstone; gray to brown, weathers light gray to light brown; thin to medium bedded, planar to lenticular bedding; thick. Interval thickness ranges from 100 to 200 feet.

Lithology: shale; sandstone; black shale

Mississippian and Devonian Undifferentiated (Devonian and/or Mississippian) at surface, covers 0.1 % of this area

Mississippian and Devonian Undifferentiated - Sandstone and shale, interbedded. Occurs only in Serpent Mound Impact Structure.

Lithology: sandstone; shale

Drakes, Whitewater and Liberty Formations, Undivided (Ordovician) at surface, covers 0.9 % of this area

Drakes, Whitewater and Liberty Formations, Undivided - Drakes Formation; shale(90%) and limestone/dolomite(10%), interbedded; gray and maroon,weathers yellowish gray; planar to irregular, thin to thick bedded; 20 to 30 feet thick. Whitewater Formation, limestone(60%) and shale(40%) interbedded; gray weathers yellowish gray; irregular to wavy, thin to medium bedded; 20 to 80 feet thick. Liberty Formation, limestone(50%) and shale(50%), interbedded; gray weathers yellowish gray; planar to irregular, thin to medium bedded; 20 to 40 feet thick. Interval ranges from 60 to 150 feet in thickness. The Geological Survey of Ohio recognizes the Cincinnati Group proposed by Meek and Worthen (1865), but at this time retains it as an informal term. The unit will be formally reinstated as a lithostratigraphic term after revision of its lower boundary and minor lithologic redescription of its units are completed. The ten formations included in the group are the (ascending) Clays Ferry Formation, the Kope Formation, the Fairview Formation, the Miamitown Shale, the Grant Lake Limestone, the Arnheim Formation, the Waynesville Formation, the Liberty Formation, the Whitewater Formation, and the Drakes Formation. Six members have been identified in the course of field mapping: the Point Pleasant Tongue of the Clays Ferry, the informal Bellevue, Corryville, Mount Auburn, and Straight Creek members of the Grant Lake Limestone, and the Preachersville Member of the Drakes Formation. The Backbone Creek and Elk Creek beds are recognized as excellent stratigraphic marker beds (Shrake and others, 1988).

Lithology: shale; limestone; dolostone (dolomite)

Ohio Shale (Devonian) at surface, covers 4 % of this area

Ohio Shale - Shale; brownish black to greenish gray, weathers brown; carbonaceous to clayey, laminated to thin bedded, fissile parting; carbonate and/or siderite concretions in lowermost 50 feet; petroliferous odor; 250 to 500+ feet thick. Includes Olentangy Shale south of central Delaware Co.

Lithology: black shale; shale

Estill Shale (Silurian) at surface, covers 21 % of this area

Estill Shale - Shale and minor dolomite interbedded, reddish to greenish gray, weathers light gray, planar to irregular bedding, thin to thick bedded, 30 to 180 feet thick. Diagnostic features include dominance of shale and the units susceptibility to be unstable on slopes and cause landslides.

Lithology: shale; dolostone (dolomite)

Salina Group (Silurian) at surface, covers 0.8 % of this area

Salina Group - Dolomite, gray, yellow-gray to olive-gray, laminated to thin bedded; occasional thin bed and laminae of dark gray shale and anhydrite and/or gypsum; brecciated zones in part.

Lithology: dolostone (dolomite); shale; evaporite

Waynesville and Arnheim Formations, Undivided (Ordovician) at surface, covers 14 % of this area

Waynesville and Arnheim Formations, Undivided - Waynesville Formation, shale(70%) and limestone(30%) interbedded; gray to bluish gray weathers light gray; planar to irregular, thin to thick bedded; 90 to 120 feet thick. Arnheim formation, shale(60%) and limestone(40%) interbedded; gray to bluish gray weathers light gray; planar, wavy, irregular, to nodular (in upper portion), thin to thick bedded; 50 to 100 feet thick. Contains multiple sedimentary cycles consisting of the alternation of shale and limestone displaying planar to irregular bedding with limestone and shale exhibiting wavy to nodular bedding. Ranges from 140 to 220 feet. The Geological Survey of Ohio recognizes the Cincinnati Group proposed by Meek and Worthen (1865), but at this time retains it as an informal term. The unit will be formally reinstated as a lithostratigraphic term after revision of its lower boundary and minor lithologic redescription of its units are completed. The ten formations included in the group are the (ascending) Clays Ferry Formation, the Kope Formation, the Fairview Formation, the Miamitown Shale, the Grant Lake Limestone, the Arnheim Formation, the Waynesville Formation, the Liberty Formation, the Whitewater Formation, and the Drakes Formation. Six members have been identified in the course of field mapping: the Point Pleasant Tongue of the Clays Ferry, the informal Bellevue, Corryville, Mount Auburn, and Straight Creek members of the Grant Lake Limestone, and the Preachersville Member of the Drakes Formation. The Backbone Creek and Elk Creek beds are recognized as excellent stratigraphic marker beds (Shrake and others, 1988).

Lithology: shale; limestone