Geologic units in Stearns county, Minnesota

Undifferentiated (Cenomanian to Campanian) at surface, covers 18 % of this area

Conglomerate, sandstone, mudstone, shale, marlstone, siltstone, and minor lignite, deposited in marine and non-marine settings; likely Cenomanian to Campanian age. Unit outline is the product of contouring the stratigraphic top and base, from which an isopach grid was created. Because the distribution is patchy, unit boundaries were drawn from the gridded data to represent locations where more than 25 feet (8 meters) of thickness occurs. As a result, many areas outside of the unit boundaries may be overlain by thin Cretaceous strata and the unit is depicted without a contact line.

Little Falls Formation (Paleoproterozoic) at surface, covers 15 % of this area

Schist and slate of graywacke-mudstone protolith.

Foliated to gneissic tonalite and granodiorite (Mesoarchean to Paleoarchean) at surface, covers 15 % of this area

Foliated to gneissic tonalite and granodiorite.

Interlayered volcanic, volcaniclastic, sedimentary, and hypabyssal intrusive rocks (Paleoproterozoic) at surface, covers 9 % of this area

Interlayered volcanic, volcaniclastic, sedimentary, and hypabyssal intrusive rocks. Includes parts of the Mille Lacs Group, North and South Range Groups, and Glen Township Formation.

Sartell Gneiss (Paleoproterozoic) at surface, covers 8 % of this area

Quartzofeldspathic orthogneiss and schist; local metaconglomerate; age unknown.

Rockville Granite and rocks inferred to be related (Paleoproterozoic) at surface, covers 7 % of this area

Rockville Granite and rocks inferred to be related. Coarse-grained and pink to white (~1,780 Ma).

Gray granodiorite to granite intrusions (Paleoproterozoic) at surface, covers 6 % of this area

Gray granodiorite to granite intrusions. Includes the Reformatory (~1,783 Ma), Freedhem (~1,775, 1,776 Ma), Isle (~1,779 Ma), and Warman (~1,787 Ma) intrusions.

Granitic orthogneiss and migmatite (Mesoarchean to Paleoarchean) at surface, covers 6 % of this area

Granitic orthogneiss and migmatite. Geophysical map patterns imply this unit intruded other gneisses.

Granite (Paleoproterozoic) at surface, covers 5 % of this area

Granite, reddish, variably porphyritic, massive; includes the St. Cloud Red (~1,779 Ma), Foley (~1,774, 1,779 Ma), Pierz (~1,779 Ma), and Pease granites, and Richmond charnockitic granite (~1,772 Ma). An unnamed granite in south-central Minnesota is slightly older at ~1,792 Ma.

Gabbro, pyroxenite, diorite, and lamprophyre (Paleoproterozoic) at surface, covers 3 % of this area

Gabbro, pyroxenite, diorite, and lamprophyre. Includes the Watab quartz diorite (~1,780 Ma), St. Wendell quartz gabbro, and an unnamed diorite (~1,786 Ma).

Granitic rocks, undifferentiated (Paleoproterozoic) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Granitic rocks, undifferentiated. Largely inferred from geophysical maps.

Slate and graywacke (Paleoproterozoic) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Slate and graywacke. Includes the Rove (~1,836 to 1,777 Ma), Virginia (~1,832 Ma near base), and Thompson Formations (youngest zircons in the Thompson Formation ~1,790 Ma).

Gabbroic to dioritic intrusion (Archean or Paleoproterozoic) at surface, covers 1 % of this area

Gabbroic to dioritic intrusion. High to moderate gravity and magnetic signature. Includes Providence and Cottonwood intrusions in southwestern Minnesota.

Gabbroic, noritic, and anorthositic intrusions (Paleoproterozoic) at surface, covers 0.8 % of this area

Gabbroic, noritic, and anorthositic intrusions.

Mafic intrusions including pyroxenite, peridotite, gabbro, and lamprophyre (Paleoproterozoic) at surface, covers 0.7 % of this area

Mafic intrusions including pyroxenite, peridotite, gabbro, and lamprophyre. Defined largely by magnetic signature. One intrusion in Morrison County is ~1,791 Ma, and lithologically similar intrusions cut the Foley Granite (~1,774 Ma).

Iron-formation in the Cuyuna North and South Ranges and Mille Lacs Group (Paleoproterozoic) at surface, covers 0.2 % of this area

Iron-formation in the Cuyuna North and South Ranges and Mille Lacs Group. Includes the Trommald Formation. Unit description from GEOLEX - Trommald Formation: interlayered cherty and slaty iron-formation, moderately deformed and weakly metamorphosed.

Granitic to granodioritic orthogneiss (Neoarchean) at surface, covers 0.2 % of this area

Granitic to granodioritic orthogneiss. Includes the McGrath Gneiss (~2,752 ± 15, 2,557 Ma) and unnamed units.

Amphibolitic to dioritic gneiss (Mesoarchean to Paleoarchean) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Amphibolitic to dioritic gneiss.