Prairie du Chien Group includes Oneota Fm (Coon Valley, Hager City members) and Shakopee Fm (New Richmond Sandstone, Willow River members); St. Peter Sandstone includes Readstown and Tonti members. Sub-St. Peter erosional surface bevels and locally truncates Prairie du Chien strata. Primary lithologies: dolomite, part cherty, part sandy, mostly unfossiliferous, common voids and vugs (Prairie du Chien); sandstone, quartzose, very fine to medium grained (St. Peter, Shakopee). Secondary lithologies: dolomite, laminated to stromatolitic, part intraclastic; dolomite, fossil molds (primarily mollusks); interbedded very fine to fine sandstone and dolomite (Coon Valley, Shakopee); conglomerate, dolomite and chert clasts in sandy matrix (Readstown). Minor: oolitic dolomite and oolitic chert (Shakopee); shale, green, part sandy (Shakopee); shale, green-brown to gray, part laminated, silty to sandy, part fossiliferous (locally in St. Peter of Winneshiek Co.); coarse sand grains (St. Peter, Shakopee); breccia, dolomite-chert clasts; chalcedony/quartz nodules. Maximum thicknesses total interval: generally 300-400 ft (90-120 m), may reach thicknesses to 700 ft (210 m) (locally thick St. Peter in Winneshiek Co.). Unit thicknesses: Prairie du Chien Group, 225-335 ft (69-102 m), locally thinner where overlain by thick St. Peter; Oneota Fm, 130-225 ft (40-69 m), locally thinned beneath thick St. Peter; Shakopee Fm, 55-100 ft (17-30 m), locally thinned to absent beneath thick St. Peter; St. Peter Sandstone, generally 40-75 ft (12-23 m), varies 25-225 ft (8-69 m), may locally reach thicknesses to 700 ft (210 m) in Winneshiek Co.
Galena Group includes Decorah, Dunleith, Wise Lake, Dubuque formations; Platteville Formation includes Pecatonica, McGregor members; Glenwood Shale forms thin basal shale unit. Primary lithologies: dolomite, part porous to vuggy, fossiliferous, part cherty; limestone and dolomitic limestone, fossiliferous, part cherty (note: Galena Group entirely limestone to north, entirely dolomite to south, interstratified limestone-dolomite in intervening areas). Secondary lithologies: shale, green-gray, calcareous, with thin to nodular limestone, part fossiliferous (Decorah Sh); limestone, wavy-bedded to nodular, part fossiliferous (Decorah-Platteville); dolomite and limestone, slightly argillaceous. Minor: shale partings and thin beds, green-gray to brown-gray, part fossiliferous (Dubuque Fm); shale partings and thin beds, light to dark brown, part organic-rich (Decorah-Platteville); dolomite, sandy to very sandy (Pecatonica Mbr); shale, green-gray, noncalcareous, unfossiliferous, part sandy (Glenwood Sh); thin sandstone to siltstone (Glenwood Sh); dark phosphatic grains (primarily Glenwood, Pecatonica, Decorah); phosphate-pyrite-iron oxide crusts (on some hardground surfaces); pyrite nodules; thin K-bentonite beds (Galena Gp); ironstone ooids (Decorah Sh). Maximum thicknesses total interval: 330 ft (100 m); Galena Group, 250-280 ft (76-85 m); Platteville Formation, 25-55 ft (8-17 m); Glenwood Shale, 3-10 ft (1-3 m).
Surface exposures limited to Allamakee and northeast Clayton counties; subcrops beneath Mississippi River alluvium in southern Allamakee and Clayton counties. Primary lithologies: sandstone, very fine to coarse grained, quartzose to feldspathic (Jordan); silty dolomite to dolomitic siltstone (St. Lawrence); sandstone, very fine to fine grained, glauconitic to very glauconitic, common greensands (Lone Rock). Secondary lithologies: siltstone, part argillaceous (St. Lawrence, Lone Rock). Minor: silty shale partings (St. Lawrence, Lone Rock); dolomite, part sandy; intraclastic dolomite, sandstone, and siltstone. Maximum thicknesses of total interval: 260-310 ft (79-95 m). Formation thicknesses: Lone Rock Fm, 110-140 ft (34-43 m); St. Lawrence Fm, 60-80 ft (18-24 m); Jordan Sandstone, 80-110 ft (244-34 m).
Includes Elgin, Clermont, Fort Atkinson, Brainard, and Neda members. Overlain by Silurian strata in east-central Iowa, incised paleovalleys beneath Mosalem Fm.; truncated beneath Devonian strata in northern-most counties. Primary lithologies: shale, green-gray, variably dolomitic, mostly unfossiliferous; dolomite, argillaceous, part shaly, variably fossiliferous (part with common trilobites); dolomite, part argillaceous, part cherty to very cherty (northern Iowa). Secondary lithologies: shale, brown to brown-gray, organic, part graptolitic, part finely laminated (lower strata); dolomitic limestone to limestone, argillaceous, part cherty to very cherty, variably fossiliferous, part crinoidal (northern Iowa); interbedded dolomite and shale, part nodular, part fossiliferous. Minor: phosphorite, granular to massive (basal unit); dolomite, phosphatic to very phosphatic, argillaceous (Elgin Mbr.); ooidal ironstone and red shale (Neda Mbr.); pyrite, finely disseminated to nodular, pyrite cements. Maximum thicknesses: generally 200-275 ft (60-85 m) beneath Silurian, locally 100-200 ft (30-60 m) beneath Mosalem Fm.; 75-180 ft (23-55 m) where capped by Devonian strata in northern Iowa.
Subcrops beneath Mississippi River alluvium in Allamakee County; surface exposures absent. Primary lithologies: sandstone, very fine to fine grained, part argillaceous; shale, silty, gray to green-gray, part glauconitic. Secondary lithology: siltstone, part argillaceous, part dolomitic. Minor: dolomite. Thicknesses: 120-145 ft (37-44 m).
Surface exposures limited to northeastern Allamakee County; subcrops beneath Mississippi River alluvium in Allamakee County. Includes Ironton and Galesville members. Primary lithology: sandstone, fine to coarse grained, upper part fossiliferous (Ironton). Thicknesses: 125-155 ft (38-47 m).
Subcrops beneath Mississippi River alluvium in northeastern Allamakee County; surface exposures absent. Overlies erosional surface on Precambrian granitic basement rocks. Primary lithology: sandstone, very fine to very coarse grained, part iron-stained. Minor: shale, silty to sandy, gray, red, green; quartz granules; granitic pebbles. Thicknesses: 365-405 ft (111-123 m).
Dolostone, sandy to silty dolostone, and sandstone; includes the Shakopee Formation and Oneota Dolomite of the Prairie du Chien Group.
Sandstone with some dolomite and shale, undivided; includes Trempealeau, Tunnel City, and Elk Mound Formations
Sandstone, siltstone, and shale; includes the Wonewoc Sandstone, Eau Claire Formation, and Mt. Simon Sandstone.
Dakota Formation widespread in western Iowa, lower sandstone-dominated Nishnabotna Member, upper mudstone/shale-dominated Woodbury Member. Correlative Windrow Formation found as erosional outliers in northeastern and north-central Iowa. Primary lithologies: sandstone, quartzose, very fine to medium grained; mudstone/shale, light to dark gray, variably silty-sandy, noncalcareous (Woodbury Mbr.). Secondary lithologies: sandstone, medium to very coarse grained, part pebbly to gravelly, locally cemented by iron oxides (Nishnabotna Mbr., Windrow Fm.), gravel, quartz and chert clasts; siltstone; mudstone, red, pink, yellow-brown, black (carbonaceous). Minor: lignite; siderite (concretions, pedogenic sphaerosiderite pellets, cemented siltstone); massive iron ore, silty to sandy (Windrow Fm.). Maximum thickness Dakota Fm. 500 ft (150 m), commonly 100-300 ft (30-90 m); Windrow Fm. 40 ft (12 m).
Shale, dolomitic limestone, and sandstone; includes the Decorah Shale of the Galena Group, the Platteville and Glenwood Formations, and the St. Peter Sandstone.
Sandstone, siltstone, shale, and dolostone; includes the Jordan Sandstone and St. Lawrence Formation, and the Mazomanie, Lone Rock, and Davis Formations of the Tunnel City Group.
Dolomite with some sandstone and shale; includes Shakopee and Oneota Formations
Limestone, shaley limestone, and dolostone; includes the Maquoketa Formation, and the Stewartville, Prosser, and Cummingsville Formations of the Galena Group. Also includes limestone and dolostone of the Red River Formation, and sandstone and shale of the Winnipeg Formation in northwest Minnesota.