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

Geologic units in Blount county, Tennessee

[Additional scientific data in this geographic area]

Nolichucky Shale, and Maryville, Rogersville, and Rutledge Formations, and Pumpkin Valley Shale (Cambrian) at surface, covers 4 % of this area

(Cn) Nolichucky Shale - Pastel-colored (pink, greenish, olive), flaky clay shale; gray, commonly oolitic, shaly limestone lenses; locally stromatolitic limestone layers; thin, blocky siltstone near middle. Thickness 500 feet in the east to 900 feet in the west.; (Cmr) Maryville, Rogersville, and Rutledge Formations - Maryvile and Rutledge are gray limestone, in part oolitic, with gray dolomite locally. Rogersville is green clay shale. Thickness 400 to 1,000 feet. Pumpkin Valley Shale - Dull-brown to maroon shale with numerous interbeds of thin, blocky, sandy siltstone. Thickness 100 to 600 feet.

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

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

Holston Formation - Pink, gray, and red coarsely crystalline limestone (Holston Marble); in many areas upper part is sandy, crossbedded ferruginous limestone and brown to greenish calcareous shale. Thickness 200 to 600 feet.

Lithology: limestone; shale

Walden Creek Group; Sandsuck Formation (Precambrian) at surface, covers 0.7 % of this area

Wladen Creek Group; Sandsuck Formation - Olive-green and gray, argillaceous, micaceous shale with coarse feldspathic sandstone and quartz- pebble conglomerate. Thickness about 2,000 feet.

Lithology: shale; sandstone; conglomerate

Sevier Shale (Ordovician) at surface, covers 8 % of this area

Sevier Shale - Calcareous, bluish-gray shale, weathers yellowish-brown; with thin, gray limestone layers; sandstone, siltstone, and locally conglomerate to the east. Thickness 2,000 to 7,000 feet.

Lithology: shale; limestone; sandstone; siltstone; conglomerate

Chilhowee Group; Nebo Sandstone (Cambrian) at surface, covers 0.8 % of this area

Chilhowee Group; Nebo Sandstone - Medium-bedded, fine-grained, white vitreous quartzite, in part feldspathic. Thickness 250 feet.

Lithology: quartzite

Nolichucky Shale (Cambrian) at surface, covers 1 % of this area

Nolichucky Shale - Pastel-colored (pink, greenish, olive), flaky clay shale; gray, commonly oolitic, shaly limestone lenses; locally stromatolitic limestone layers; thin, blocky siltstone near middle. Thickness 500 feet in the east to 900 feet in the west.

Lithology: shale; limestone; siltstone

Chattanooga Shale (Mississippian and Devonian) at surface, covers 0.2 % of this area

Chattanooga Shale - Black carbonaceous shale, fissile. Thickness 20 to 30 feet in most areas; thickens abruptly to about 100 feet near east edge of sheet. (Mapped with Mfp on West-Central sheet)

Lithology: black shale

Greasy Cove Formation, includes Grainger Formation (Mississippian) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Greasy Cove Formation, includes Grainger Formation- Gray argillaceous limestone, calcareous shale, siltstone, and fine-grained sandstone. Equivalent to Newman Limestone. Maximum preserved thickness about 400 feet.

Lithology: limestone; sandstone; shale; siltstone

Maynardville Limestone, Nolichucky Shale, and Honaker Dolomite (Cambrian) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Maynardville Limestone - Thick-bedded, bluish-gray, ribboned (silt and dolomite) nodular limestone; light-gray, fine-grained, laminated to thinly bedded, noncherty dolomite in upper part. Thickness 150 to 400 feet; Nolichucky Shale - Pastel-colored (pink, greenish, olive), flaky clay shale; gray, commonly oolitic, shaly limestone lenses; locally stromatolitic limestone layers; thin, blocky siltstone near middle. Thickness 100 feet in the east to 900 feet in the west; Honaker Dolomite - Dark-gray, medium-bedded dolomite with minor dark limestone beds; locally cherty; cryptozoans abundant in places. Thickness about 1,500 feet.

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

Ocoee Supergroup; Great Smokey Group, undivided (Late Proterozoic) at surface, covers < 0.1 % 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

Knox Group, including Newala Formation, Mascot Dolomite, Kingsport Formation, Longview Dolomite, Chepultepec Dolomite, and Copper Ridge Dolomite (Ordovician to Cambrian) at surface, covers 7 % of this area

Knox Group - Siliceous dolomite and magnesian limestone sequence. Thickness 2,500 to 3,000 feet.

Lithology: dolostone (dolomite); limestone

Chilhowee Group; Hesse Sandstone (Cambrian) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Chilhowee Group; Hesse Sandstone - White, vitreous quartzite, medium- to coarse-grained, occurs in massive ledges; Helenmode Member at top is gray to greenish sandstone and shale. Thickness about 600 feet.

Lithology: quartzite; sandstone; shale

Maynardville Limestone (Cambrian) at surface, covers 1 % of this area

Maynardville Limestone - Thick-bedded, bluish-gray, ribboned (silt and dolomite), nodular limestone; light-gray, fine- grained, laminated to thin-bedded, noncherty dolomite in upper part. Thickness 150 to 400 feet.

Lithology: limestone; dolostone (dolomite)

Rome Formation (Cambrian) at surface, covers 0.8 % of this area

Rome Formation - Variegated (red, green, yellow) shale and siltstone with beds of gray, fine-grained sandstone. Maximum exposed thickness 1,500 feet.

Lithology: shale; siltstone; sandstone

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

Boyd Gap Formation - dark gray, highly-sulfidic slate and metasiltstone interbedded and gradational with metagraywacke. Stratigraphic position uncertain. In Cherokee County includes upper part of Buck Bald Formation.

Lithology: slate; metasedimentary rock

Cades Sandstone (Precambrian) at surface, covers 7 % of this area

Cades Sandstone - Gray, well-bedded, fine- to medium-grained feldspathic metasandstone, with interbeds of dark slate and metasiltstone; precise stratigraphic position unknown. Thickness about 1,500 feet.

Lithology: metasedimentary rock

Longview Dolomite (Ordovician) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Longview Dolomite - Siliceous, gray, fine-grained, medium-bedded dolomite; interbeds of gray limestone in upper part. Thickness about 300 feet.

Lithology: dolostone (dolomite); limestone

Bays Formation (Ordovician) at surface, covers 0.9 % of this area

Bays Formation - Maroon, well-jointed claystone and siltstone, commonly mottled greenish, evenly bedded; light- gray sandstone beds and metabentonite in upper part. Maximum thickness 1,000 feet.

Lithology: claystone; siltstone; sandstone; bentonite

Unnamed (upper part of Knox Group), including Newala Formation, Mascot Dolomite, Kingsport Formation, Longview Dolomite, and Chepultepec Dolomite (Ordovician) at surface, covers 14 % of this area

(Onc) Unnamed (upper part of the Knox Group), including the (On) Newala Formation; (Oma) Mascot Dolomite - Light-gray, fine-grained, well-bedded cherty dolomite; mottled (red and green) dolomite characteristic; interbeds of bluish-gray limestone in upper part; chert-matrix quartz sandstone at base. Erosional unconformity at top. Thickness 350 to 800 feet; (Ok) Kingsport Formation - Gray, fine-grained, sparingly cherty dolomite with basal dense, gray limestone sequence. Thickness about 250 feet. and (Olc) Unnamed (middle part of the Knox Group), including (Olv) Longview Dolomite - Siliceous, gray, fine-grained, medium-bedded dolomite; interbeds of gray limestone in upper part. Thickness about 300 feet; (Oc) Chepultepec Dolomite - Light-gray, fine-grained, well-bedded dolomite, moderately cherty; fine-grained limestone locally in upper part; quartz sandstone beds at base. Average thickness about 800 feet.

Lithology: dolostone (dolomite); limestone; sandstone

Copper Ridge Dolomite (Cambrian) at surface, covers 5 % of this area

Copper Ridge Dolomite - Coarse, dark-gray, knotty dolomite, asphaltic in places, with much gray, medium-grained, well- bedded dolomite; abundant chert; cryptozoans typical. Thickness about 1,000 feet.

Lithology: dolostone (dolomite); chert

Pumpkin Valley Shale (Cambrian) at surface, covers 0.6 % of this area

Pumpkin Valley Shale - Dull-brown to maroon shale with numerous interbeds of thin, blocky, and sandy siltstone. Thickness 100 to 600 feet.

Lithology: shale; siltstone

Kingsport Formation (Ordovician) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Kingsport Formation - Gray, fine-grained, sparingly cherty dolomite with basal dense, gray limestone sequence. Thickness about 250 feet.

Lithology: dolostone (dolomite); limestone

Ottosee Shale (Ordovician) at surface, covers 6 % of this area

Ottosee Shale - Bluish-gray calcareous shale, weathers yellow; with reef lenses of coarsely crystalline reddish fossiliferous limestone ("marble"). Thickness about 1,000 feet.

Lithology: shale; limestone

Shady Dolomite (Cambrian) at surface, covers 0.7 % of this area

Shady Dolomite - Light-gray dolomite and thinly bedded limestone with much shaly gray limestone and calcareous gray shale. Thickness about 1,000 feet.

Lithology: dolostone (dolomite); limestone; shale

Lenoir Limestone (Ordovician) at surface, covers 4 % of this area

Lenoir Limestone - Nodular, argillaceous, gray limestone; in places basal sedimentary breccia, conglomerate, quartz sand; Mosheim Limestone Member (dense, light- to medium-gray limestone) near base. Thickness 25 to 500 feet.

Lithology: limestone; conglomerate; sand

Maryville, Rogersville, and Rutledge Formations (Cambrian) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Maryville, Rogersville, and Rutledge Formations - Maryville and Rutledge are gray limestone, in part oolitic, with gray dolomite locally. Rogersville is green clay shale. Thickness 400 to 1,000 feet.

Lithology: limestone; shale; dolostone (dolomite)

Chilhowee Group; Murray Shale (Cambrian) at surface, covers 0.6 % of this area

Chilhowee Group; Murray Shale - Shale, silty, sandy, dull-green to brown, micaceous. Thickness about 500 feet.

Lithology: shale

Snowbird Group, including Pigeon Siltstone, Roaring Fork Sandstone, Metcalf Phyllite, Longarm Quartzite, and Wading Branch Formation (Precambrian) at surface, covers 4 % 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

Walden Creek Group, including Sandsuck Formation, Wilhite Formation, Shields Formation, and Licklog Formation (Cambrian) at surface, covers 13 % of this area

Walden Creek Group - The formations, other than the Sandsuck, are applicable mainly in the region of the Great Smoky Mountains. Thickness about 8,000 feet, Includes Sandsuck Formation - Olive-green and gray, argillaceous, micaceous shale with coarse feldspathic sandstone and quartz- pebble conglomerate. Thickness about 2,000 feet; Wilhite Formation - Gray to green siltstone and slate with interbeds of pebble conglomerate, sandstone, and quartzite. Thickness about 4,000 feet; Shields Formation - Massive conglomerate, sandstone, argillaceous slate; conglomerate (pebbles of various rock types) characteristic. Thickness about 1,500 feet.; Licklog Formation - Feldspathic sandstone, greenish phyllite, and bluish-gray slate. Thickness about 1,500 feet.

Lithology: shale; siltstone; sandstone; conglomerate; slate; quartzite; phyllite

Nichols Shale (Cambrian) at surface, covers 0.7 % of this area

Chilhowee Group; Nichols Shale - Olive-gray to green, silty and sandy, micaceous shale and siltstone; local lenses of fine-grained feldspathic quartzite. Thickness about 700 feet.

Lithology: shale; siltstone; quartzite

Chepultepec Dolomite (Ordovician) at surface, covers 0.2 % of this area

Chepultepec Dolomite - Light-gray, fine-grained, well-bedded dolomite, moderately cherty; fine-grained limestone locally in upper part; quartz sandstone beds at base. Average thickness about 800 feet.

Lithology: dolostone (dolomite); limestone; sandstone

Great Smoky Group, including Anakeesta Formation, Thunderhead Sandstone, and Elkmont Sandstone (Precambrian) at surface, covers 9 % 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

Athens Shale (Ordovician) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Athens Shale - Medium- to dark-gray, calcareous, graptolitic shale; calcareous gray sandstone, siltstone, and locally fine-pebble quartz conglomerate; nodules of shaly limestone near base. Maximum thickness 1,500 feet.

Lithology: shale; sandstone; siltstone; conglomerate; limestone

Chilhowee Group; Cochran Conglomerate (Cambrian) at surface, covers 1 % of this area

Chilhowee Gourp; Cochran Conglomerate - Quartz-pebble conglomerate, gray pebbly arkose, siltstone and shale; irregular bedding, scour features, crossbedding common; maroon micaceous arkose and shale near middle and base. Thickness about 1,200 feet.

Lithology: conglomerate; arkose; sandstone; siltstone; shale