Hawthorn Group, Arcadia Formation

Hawthorn Group, Arcadia Formation - The undifferentiated Arcadia Formation and the Tampa Member crop out on the southwestern flank of the Ocala Platform from Pasco County southward to Sarasota County. Although ages of the outcropping sediments have not been accurately determined, stratigraphic position suggests that the Upper Oligocene parts of the Arcadia Formation and Tampa Member are exposed in this region, particularly from Hillsborough County northward to Pasco County. The Arcadia Formation, named by Scott (1988), is predominantly a carbonate unit with a variable siliciclastic component, including thin beds of siliciclastics. Within the outcrop area, the Arcadia Formation, with the exception of the Tampa Member, is composed of yellowish gray to light olive gray to light brown, micro to finely crystalline, variably sandy, clayey, and phosphatic, fossiliferous limestones and dolostones. Thin beds of sand and clay are common. The sands are yellowish gray, very fine to medium grained, poorly to moderately indurated, clayey, dolomitic and phosphatic. The clays are yellowish gray to light olive gray, poorly to moderately indurated, sandy, silty, phosphatic and dolomitic. Molds and casts of mollusks are common in the dolostones. Silicified carbonates and opalized claystone are found in the Arcadia Formation.