Hamilton Group

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The Devonian Hamilton Group (Dh) is a mapped bedrock unit in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia. In Virginia, it is known as the laterally equivilant Millboro Shale.[1] The group is named for the village of Hamilton, New York. [2] These rocks are the oldest strata of the Devonian gas shale sequence.[3]

Contents

[edit] Description

The Hamilton Group consists of the Mahantango Formation (Dmh), a dark gray, gray, brown, and olive laminated shale, siltstone, and very fine-grained sandstone or claystone containing marine fossils, overlying the Marcellus Shale (Dm), a fissile Gray-black to black, thinly laminated, pyritic, carbonaceous thin shale with sparse marine fauna and siderite concretions. The total thickness of the Hamilton Group in Pennsylvania runs approximately 970 feet. In New York State, it thickens from 250 feet near Lake Erie to over 2,500 feet in Ulster and Greene counties, with depths ranging from outcrops to 8,000 feet below the surface of Sullivan County, in the southeastern part of the state.[3]

In the interior lowlands of New York, the Hamilton Group contains the Marcellus, Skaneateles, Ludlowville, and Moscow Formations, in ascending order, with the Tully Limestone above.[4] These units are divided by the Stafford, Centerfield, and Tichenor limestones.[5] In Ontario, Canada, the Hamilton Group members are, in ascending order, Bell, Rockport Quarry, Arkona, Hungry Hollow, Widder and Ipperwash; the Kettle Point Formation lies unconformably above.[6]

The Mahantango Formation includes the following members, in descending order: Tully argillaceous limestone, Sherman Ridge, Montebello sandstone, Fisher Ridge, Dalmatia, and Turkey Ridge. In south-central Pennsylvania, it includes Clearville, Frame, Chaneysville, and Gander Run Members. Its thickness in Maryland ranges from 600 feet in the west, increasing to 1,200 feet in the east,[7] and approximately 1000 feet thick in central Pennsylvania.[8]

The Marcellus Formation contains a local limestone Purcell Member and Tioga bentonite at the base in eastern Pennsylvania. Its thickness in Maryland ranges from 250 feet in east, increasing to 500 feet in the west,[7] but is only approximately 70 feet thick in central Pennsylvania.[8]

The Hamilton Group, Tioga Metabentonite Bed, and Needmore Shale formerly were designated as the Romney Formation.[7]

[edit] Fossils

The uppermost clay regions of the Mahantango Formation are highly fossiliferous.[8]

[edit] Age

Relative age dating of the Hamilton places it in the middle and lower Devonian period. In Maryland, it rests conformably atop the Tioga Metabentonite Bed of thinly laminated shale with a thickness less than one foot over the Needmore Shale, and conformably below the Brallier Formation (formerly Woodmont Shale) dark laminated shale in the east, Harrell Shale dark laminated shale in the west, and Tully Limestone in the subsurface of Garrett County.[7] In Pennsylvania it lies atop the Onondaga Formation limestone and shale forming a sharp conformable contact with the Selinsgrove Limestone of that formation, and lies beneath the Portage (Brallier, Harrel, Burkett) dark shales of the Harrell Formation.[9]

[edit] Economic uses

The Hamilton is a good source of road material, riprap and building stone,[10] that is used locally for shale aggregate and common fill.[8]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Map Unit Descriptions (pdf). Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (2007-09-28).
  2. ^ Wood, G.H., Trexler, J.P., Kehn, T.M., (1964). Geology of the West-Central Part of the Southern Anthracite Field and Adjoining Areas, Pennsylvania. United States Geological Survey, C-46.
  3. ^ a b Martin, John P.. The Middle Devonian Hamilton Group Shales in the Northern Appalachian Basin: Production and Potential. New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Retrieved on 2008-04-02.
  4. ^ Sinclair, James P. (1993). Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement for Promulgation of 6 NYCRR Part 382 : Regulations for Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facilities. DIANE Publishing. ISBN 1568067461. 
  5. ^ Goldman, D.; Mitchell, C.E. (1990). "Morphology, systematics, and evolution of Middle Devonian Ambocoeliidae (Brachiopoda), western New York". Journal of Paleontology 64 (1): 79-99. 
  6. ^ Geology of the Southwestern District. Resident Geologist Program - Southern Ontario. Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines.
  7. ^ a b c d Geologic Maps of Maryland:. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
  8. ^ a b c d McElroy, Thomas A. and Hoskins, Donald M.. "Bedrock Geology of the Allensville Quadrangle, Huntingdon and Mifflin Counties, Pennsylvania" (pdf). . Pennsylvania Geological Survey
  9. ^ Jackson, Margaret S.; Hanley, Peter M.; and Sak, Peter B. (2007). Preliminary Bedrock Geologic Map of the Middle Portion of the Susquehanna River Valley, Cumberland, Dauphin, And Perry Counties, Pennsylvania (pdf). Open File Report OFBM-07-05.0. Pennsylvania Geological Survey. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
  10. ^ McElroy, Thomas A. and Hoskins, Donald M.. "Preliminary Bedrock Geologic Map of the Middle Portion of the Susquehanna River Valley, Cumberland, Dauphin, and Perry Counties, Pennsylvania" (pdf). . Pennsylvania Geological Survey

[edit] See also

Coordinates: 40°44′05″N 77°46′42″W / 40.73472, -77.77833


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