Geologic units in Saunders county, Nebraska

Dakota Group (Early Cretaceous) at surface, covers 96 % of this area

Upper part is white, light-gray, brownish-gray, yellow, redish-brown, and red sandstone and shale. Sandstone is very fine to coarse grained, friable, micaeous, crossbedded, and lenticular; locally contains gravel near base. contains numerous zones of ironstone and siltstone concretions of variable thickness. Middle part is light-gray, yellow, red brown and dark-gray, sandy carbonaceous shale; commonly contains a zone of concretions near top. Lower part is sandstone similar to that in upper except there are zones of siderite concretions and, locally a basal zone of chert pebbles. Approx. max thickness 600 ft.

Douglas Group (Late Pennsylvanian - Virgilian) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Shale and limestone. Shale is dark gray to medium gray, red , black, fossiliferous, calcareous and locally sandy. Limestone is dark gray to light gray, thin bedded to thick bedded, fossiliferous and locally sandy. Approx. max thickness 100 ft

Greenhorn Limestone and Graneros Shale (Late Cretaceous) at surface, covers 0.9 % of this area

Greenhorn Limestone- medium- to light-gray limestone interbedded with argillaceous limestone, marl and calcareous shale; contains Inoceramus fossils. Upper and lower contacts gradational. Approx. max thickness 30 ft. Graneros Shale- medium- to dark-gray, partly calcareous shale. Interbeds of siltstone, sandstone, and carbonaceous shale, and thin bentonite layers in upper part. Approx. max thickness 60 ft.

Lansing Group (Late Pennsylvanian - Missourian) at surface, covers 0.5 % of this area

Limestone and shale. Limestone is dark gray to light gray, very thin bedded to massive, sandy fossiliferous, and cherty. Shale is dark gray to light gray, maroon, black, fossiliferous, and calcareous. Approx. max thickness 75 ft

Shawnee Group (Late Pennsylvanian - Virgilian) at surface, covers 0.4 % 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

Kansas City Group (Late Pennsylvanian - Missouria) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Limestone and shale. Limestone is dark gray to light gray, brownish gray, very thin bedded to massive, argillaceous, fossiliferous; contains very thin layers of chert, pyrite crystals, and small flakes of mica near base. Shale is dark gray to light gray, greenish gray, red, and black; locally slighty sandy, calcareous, carbonaeous, fissile, and fossiliferous. Approx. max thickness 200 ft