Hopkinton, Blanding, Tete Des Morts, Mosalem formations

Mosalem Formation infills erosional paleovalleys incised into Maquoketa Shale; absent outside of paleovalleys. Lower Hopkinton Formation locally contains carbonate mound facies in Bremer County. Blanding Formation oversteps Tete des Morts-Mosalem edge in southern outcrop area. Primary Lithologies: dolomite, fossil-moldic to vuggy, fine to coarse crystalline; dolomite, dense to porous, cherty to very cherty, nodular to bedded chert (especially Blanding Fm). Secondary Lithologies: dolomite, dense, sparsely fossiliferous; dolomite, argillaceous, part laminated (Mosalem Fm). Minor: chalcedony, silicified fossils. Maximum thicknesses total interval: 160-330 ft (49-100 m), thickest in Dubuque, Jackson, Jones counties where Mosalem present; southern outcrop total thickness 65-130 ft (20-40 m). Formation thicknesses: Hopkinton, 65-160 ft (20-49 m); Blanding, 25-65 ft (8-20 m); Tete des Morts, 0-35 ft (11 m); Mosalem, 0-100 ft (30 m).
State Iowa
Name Hopkinton, Blanding, Tete Des Morts, Mosalem formations
Geologic age Lower Silurian, ?Rhuddanian, Aeronian-upper Llandovery,?uppermost Ordovician, upper Hirnantian
Lithologic constituents
Major
Sedimentary > Carbonate > Dolostone (Bed)fossil-moldic to vuggy, fine to coarse crystalline; dense to porous, cherty to very cherty, nodular to bedded chert (especially Blanding Fm); minor dense, sparsely fossiliferous; minor argillaceous, part laminated (Mosalem Fm)
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 Benton - Black Hawk - Bremer - Buchanan - Cedar - Chickasaw - Clayton - Clinton - Delaware - Dubuque - Fayette - Jackson - Jones - Linn - Muscatine - Scott