Geologic units in Nemaha county, Kansas

Drift (Pleistocene) at surface, covers 85 % of this area

sand, silt, clay, and some gravel

Council Grove Group (Early Permian Gearyan) at surface, covers 6 % of this area

Includes: Speiser Shale, Funston Limestone, Blue Rapids Shale, Crouse Limestone (base CS), Easy Creek Shale, Bader Limestone (base BE), Stearns Shale, Beattie Limestone, Eskridge Shale, and Neva Limestone.

Loess (Holocene to Pleistocene) at surface, covers 5 % of this area

eolian silts

Alluvium (Holocene to Pleistocene) at surface, covers 3 % of this area

unconsolidated sand, silt, clay, and gravel

Wabaunsee Group (Late Pennsylvanian- Virgilian) at surface, covers 0.5 % of this area

Includes: Wood Siding FM, Root Shale, Stotler Limestone (base ST), Pillsbury Shale, Zeandale Limestone (base Z), Willard Shale, Emporia Limestone (base E), Auburn Shale, Bern Limestone (base BR), Scranton Shale, Howard Limestone (base H), and Severy Shale.

Admire Group (Late Pennsylvanian) at surface, covers 0.4 % of this area

Includes: Grenola Limestone, Roca Shale, Red Eagle Limestone (base RE), Johnson Shale, Foraker Limestone (base FO), Janesville Shale with Five Point Limestone Member (base FP), Falls City Limestone, and Onaga Shale.

Dune Sand (Holocene to Pleistocene) at surface, covers 0.2 % of this area

unconsolidated dune sand

Council Grove Group (Permian) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Shale and interbedded limestone. Shale is gray, green, red, reddish brown, or maroon, sandy, calcareous, fossiliferous, locally fissile; several fissile black shale beds are in lower 75 feet. Interbedded dark- to light-gray, medium- to thick-bedded, argillaceous, cherty limestone beds are very fossiliferous and locally contain shale partings. Approx. max thickness 300 ft

Wabaunsee Group (Late Pennsylvanian - Virgilian) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Shale, sandstone, and interbedded limestone. Shale is light gray to dark gray, greenish gray, red, or black; contains very thin layers of siltstone; locally very fossiliferous, carbonaceous. Sandstone is brownish gray to yellowish gray, or gray, argillaceous , and micaceous. Limestone is dark gray to medium gray, yellowish gray, thin bedded to thick bedded; very fossiliferous. Contains coal beds less than 1 ft. thick. Approx. max thickness 300 ft

Chase Group (Permian) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Limestone and shale. Limestone is light gray to dark gray, yellowish gray to pale yellowish brown. Two limestones in the upper part are thin bedded to medium bedded, argillaceous, cherty and fossiliferous; two limestones in the lower part are medium to massive bedded, very cherty, and fossiliferous. Shale is gray, green, red, redish brown, calcareous, arenaceous, fossiliferous; locally fissile. Approx. max thickness 300 ft.

Shawnee Group (Late Pennsylvanian - Virgilian) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Limestone, shale and siltstone. Limestone is dark gray to very light gray, yellowish gray, very thin bedded to massive bedded, and fossiliferous; locally the thin bedds are argillaceous other beds are oolitic and a few contain chert. Shale is medium gray, greenish gray, pale red, dark redish brown, black, sandy fossiliferous and calcareous; black shale in part is fissile. Siltstone is light gray to greenish yellow, massive, calcareous; locally sandy. Approx. max thickness 200 ft

Admire Group (Permian) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Shale and interbedded limestone. Shale is dark gray to light gray, brown, red, or green, sandy, calcareous, and fossiliferous. Interbedded dark- to light-gray, very thin to medium bedded, argillaceous, very fossiliferous limestone beds. Near top of unit a fine-grained, micaceous sandstone bed underlies a stromatolite limestone bed which has distinctive lobate bedding. Approx. max thickness 150 ft