Galena Group and Platteville Formation

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).
State Iowa
Name Galena Group and Platteville Formation
Geologic age Upper Ordovician, Turinian-basal Richmondian (upper Sandbian-upper Katian)
Lithologic constituents
Major
Sedimentary > Carbonate > Dolostone (Bed)part porous to vuggy, fossiliferous, part cherty (Galena Group entirely dolomite to south, interstratified limestone-dolostone in intervening areas); minor slightly argillaceous; incidental sandy to very sandy (Pecatonica Mbr)
Sedimentary > Carbonate > Limestone (Bed)fossiliferous, part cherty (Galena Group entirely limestone to north, interstratified limestone-dolostone in intervening areas); dolomitic limestone, fossiliferous, part cherty; minor slightly argillaceous; minor wavy-bedded to nodular, part fossiliferous (Decorah-Platteville)
Minor
Sedimentary > Clastic > Mudstone > Shale (Bed)green-gray, calcareous, with thin to nodular limestone, part fossiliferous (Decorah Sh); incidental shale partings and thin beds, green-gray to brown-gray, part fossiliferous (Dubuque Fm); incidental shale partings and thin beds, light to dark brown, part organic-rich (Decorah-Platteville); incidental shale, green-gray, noncalcareous, unfossiliferous, part sandy (Glenwood Sh)
Incidental
Sedimentary > Chemical > Banded-iron-formation (Bed)ironstone ooids
Sedimentary > Clastic > Sandstone (Bed)thin sandstone to siltstone, (Glenwood Sh)
Sedimentary > Clastic > Mudstone > Claystone > Bentonite (Bed)thin K-bentonite beds (Galena Gp)
References

Witzke, Brian J., Anderson, Raymond R., and Pope, John P., 2010, Iowa Geological and Water Survey, DNR, Bedrock Geologic Map of Iowa, OFM-2010-1. Scale 1:500,000.

NGMDB product
Counties Allamakee - Clay - Clayton - Clinton - Dubuque - Fayette - Howard - Jackson - Kossuth - Winnebago - Winneshiek