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

Geologic units in Perry county, Pennsylvania

Duncannon Member of Catskill Formation (Devonian) at surface, covers 3 % of this area

Duncannon Member of Catskill Formation - Grayish-red sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone in fining-upward cycles; conglomerate occurs at base of some cycles.

Lithology: sandstone; siltstone; mudstone; conglomerate

Juniata Formation (Ordovician) at surface, covers 0.3 % of this area

Juniata Formation - Grayish-red, very fine to medium-grained, crossbedded sandstone, and grayish-red siltstone and shale; merges with underlying Bald Eagle Formation to the south; not present east of Susquehanna River, except at Spitzenberg Hill area (Berks County).

Lithology: sandstone; shale; siltstone

Onondaga and Old Port Formations, undivided (Devonian) at surface, covers 4 % of this area

Onondaga and Old Port Formations, undivided - Includes, in descending order, the Onondaga Formation (Don), Ridgeley Member of Old Port Formation (Dor), and Shriver, Mandata, Corriganville, and New Creek Members of Old Port Formation, undivided (Dosn).

Lithology: shale; sandstone; limestone; chert; shale; siltstone; bentonite

Wills Creek Formation (Silurian) at surface, covers 7 % of this area

Wills Creek Formation - Variegated gray, grayish-red, yellowish-gray and greenish-gray, interbedded calcareous shale, siltstone, shaly limestone, and dolomite; passes into Bloomsburg Formation in the southeast; not present east of Harrisburg.

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

Clinton Group (Silurian) at surface, covers 11 % of this area

Clinton Group - Predominantly Rose Hill Formation--light-olive-gray to brownish-gray, fossiliferous shale; locally, limestone occurs near top; includes dark-reddish-gray, very fine to coarse-grained, ferruginous sandstone; east of Harrisburg, equivalent to Lizard Creek Member of Shawangunk Formation. Above Rose Hill is Keefer Formation--light- to dark-gray, fossiliferous sandstone, hematitic, oolitic sandstone, and shale; not recognized east of Harrisburg.

Lithology: shale; sandstone; limestone

Irish Valley Member of Catskill Formation (Devonian) at surface, covers 8 % of this area

Irish Valley Member of Catskill Formation - Nonmarine, grayish-red siltstone and mudstone, and gray and grayish-red sandstone interbedded with minor, thin, light-olive-gray marine siltstone; arranged in fining-upward cycles. Lower part of member has conglomeratic sandstones.

Lithology: siltstone; mudstone; sandstone; conglomerate

Martinsburg Formation (Ordovician) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Martinsburg Formation - Gray to dark-gray, buff-weathering shale.

Lithology: shale

Juniata and Bald Eagle Formations, undivided (Ordovician) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Juniata and Bald Eagle Formations, undivided - Includes, in descending order, the Juniata (Oj) and Bald Eagle (Obe) Formations.

Lithology: sandstone; siltstone; shale; conglomerate

Mauch Chunk Formation (Mississippian) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Mauch Chunk Formation - Grayish-red shale, siltstone, sandstone, and some conglomerate; some local nonred zones. Includes Loyalhanna Member (crossbedded, sandy limestone) at base in south-central and southwestern Pennsylvania; also includes Greenbrier Limestone Member, and Wymps Gap and Deer Valley Limestones, which are tongues of the Greenbrier. Along Allegheny Front from Blair County to Sullivan County, Loyalhanna Member is greenish-gray, calcareous, crossbedded sandstone.

Lithology: shale; siltstone; sandstone; conglomerate; limestone

Hamilton Group (Devonian) at surface, covers 15 % of this area

Hamilton Group - Includes, in descending order, the Mahantango (Dmh) and Marcellus (Dmr) Formations.

Lithology: black shale; shale; siltstone; limestone; sandstone; bentonite

Clarks Ferry Member of Catskill Formation (Devonian) at surface, covers 0.2 % of this area

Clarks Ferry Member of Catskill Formation - Gray to yellowish-gray sandstone, siltstone, and conglomerate.

Lithology: sandstone; siltstone; conglomerate

Sherman Creek Member of Catskill Formation (Devonian) at surface, covers 8 % of this area

Sherman Creek Member of Catskill Formation - Alternating grayish-red mudstone and siltstone in poorly defined fining-upward cycles, and minor intervals of gray sandstone; laterally equivalent to Berry Run, Sawmill Run, Packerton, and Long Run Members of eastern Pennsylvania.

Lithology: mudstone; siltstone; sandstone

Pocono Formation (Mississippian) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Pocono Formation - Light-gray to buff or light-olive-gray, medium-grained, crossbedded sandstone and minor siltstone; commonly conglomeratic at base and in middle; medial conglomerate, where present, is used to divide into Mount Carbon and Beckville Members; equivalent to Burgoon Sandstone of Allegheny Plateau.

Lithology: sandstone; siltstone; conglomerate

Keyser and Tonoloway Formations, undivided (Devonian and Silurian) at surface, covers 8 % of this area

Keyser and Tonoloway Formations, undivided - In descending order: Keyser Formation--medium-gray, crystalline to nodular, fossiliferous limestone; upper part laminated and mud-cracked; not present east of Harrisburg; passes into lower Coeymans, Rondout, and Decker Formations in the east. Tonoloway Formation--medium-gray, laminated, mud-cracked limestone containing some medium-dark- or olive-gray shale interbeds; lower part passes into Wills Creek Formation east and south; passes into Bossardville and Poxono Island beds in the east.

Lithology: limestone; shale

Spechty Kopf Formation (Mississippian and Devonian) at surface, covers 0.6 % of this area

Spechty Kopf Formation - Light- to olive-gray, fine- to medium- grained, crossbedded sandstone, siltstone, and local polymictic diamictite, pebbly mudstone, and laminite; arranged in crude fining-upward cycles in some places; locally has grayish-red shale near top and conglomerate at base and in middle.

Lithology: sandstone; siltstone; mudstone; shale; conglomerate

Bloomsburg and Mifflintown Formations, undivided (Silurian) at surface, covers 10 % of this area

Bloomsburg and Mifflintown Formations, undivided - Includes, in descending order, the Bloomsburg Formation (Sb) and the Mifflintown Formation--interbedded dark-gray shale and medium-gray fossiliferous limestone; equivalent to "McKenzie" and "Rochester" of earlier workers; not present east of Harrisburg.

Lithology: shale; siltstone; sandstone; limestone; mudstone

Trimmers Rock Formation (Devonian) at surface, covers 11 % of this area

Trimmers Rock Formation - Olive-gray siltstone and shale, characterized by graded bedding; marine fossils; some very fine grained sandstone in northeast; black shale of Harrell Formation at base in Susquehanna Valley.

Lithology: siltstone; shale; sandstone; black shale

Tuscarora Formation (Silurian) at surface, covers 7 % of this area

Tuscarora Formation - Light- to medium-gray quartzite and quartzitic sandstone and minor interbedded shale and siltstone, locally conglomeratic in lower part; includes (to the northwest) interbedded red and non-red sandstone (Castanea Member) at top; east of Harrisburg, equivalent to Minsi and Weiders Members of Shawangunk Formation.

Lithology: quartzite; sandstone; shale; siltstone; conglomerate

Bloomsburg Formation (Silurian) at surface, covers 0.2 % of this area

Bloomsburg Formation - Grayish-red siltstone, shale, and sandstone arranged in fining-upward cycles.

Lithology: siltstone; shale; sandstone