geologic map of prince george's county, maryland · 2014. 1. 17. · maryland geological survey 0 a...

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( C ra i n H w y Pennsylvania Ave I - 95 I - 495 Area not mapped for loam, Military Reserve Indian H e ad H wy P a in t B ranch I n d ia n Cr e ek MD 193 Croom Rd U.S. 50 MD 193 We stern Bran c h Western Branch Mataponi Cr e ek Piscataway Cre e k T inkers Cr eek Hen son Creek B l a ck Swamp Creek MD 382 US 301 M D 5 Ave C ollington Bra nch S a ndy Sp ring Rd B a l tim or e Ave Laur e l Bo w ie R d John Hanson Hwy Central Ave Crain Hwy I-95 Central Ave C ro om R d Bra nch Ave Annapolis Rd B al timore Av e I ndi an Head Hwy Largo Rd Pen nsylva n ia I - 4 95 Aquasco Rd Rig gs R d A ccoke ek Rd Balt imore W ashingt on Pky Gree nbe lt Rd Crain Hwy Lando v er R d Kenilworth Pisc a tawa y Rd W o o dya r d R d Brandy wine Rd E nte r pr is e R d Ma r tin Lu th e r K i n g Jr H wy Pow d er M ill Rd S ilver Hill R d Co l li ng t on R d Gle nn Da le R d S t Barnab a s Rd Chillu m R d All entown R d 3 8 th S t Suitl a n d Rd Glenn Dal e B l vd Vet erans P ky East-W e st Hwy Oxon Hill Rd E d m o nston Rd W atk i ns P a rk D r Bladensburg R d Q u eens Chapel Rd I -29 5 U ni ver sit y B lvd 11th St 7 th St 9th St Riv e rd al e R d Main Blvd Sta te Hig h w a y 2 28 Far mi n gton L iving s t o n Rd Ne w Ha mp sh ire Ave Hamilton St M A R Y L A N D MONTGO M ER Y C O UNTY Potomac River L a u r e l Bo w i e R d I-95 I - 495 AN N E A R U N D E L COU NT Y Pa t ux e n t R i ver P atuxe nt Riv er A N N E A R U N D E L C O U N TY CA L V E RT C O U N T Y CHARLES COUNTY M a tt a wo man Creek C H A R L E S C O U N T Y Piscataway Creek Broad Creek V I R G I N I A DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA An a costia R i v e r DISTRI CT OF COLUMBIA Patuxent River AQUED UCT AQU EDUCT AQU EDUC T PIPELINE P a t u x e n t R i v e r Pa tu x e nt Ri v er N ew Ha mp s h i r e A v e B a l timor e I -9 5 I - 495 Lanham Severn Rd I - 495 Ave R d Aquasco R d Cr ai n Hwy U S 3 0 1 Wa s h in g ton Ave St Tu Tc Ta Ta Qal Tc Kps Tc Qal Qt Ta Kpc TKbs Ta Kpc Qal Kpc Tu Tc Kps Tc Kpc Kps Qal Kps Qal Qal Kpc \la Ta Qal Ta Kps Tu Qal Qal Tu Tc Qt TKbs Tn Ta Qt Tu Tn Tn Qt Qt Ta Tc Qal Qt Kps Tc Tn Qt Qal Tc Tu Qal Ta Qal Ta Kps Qt Kpc Qt Qt Kps Qt Qt Qt Kps Tu Tu Tu Tu Qal Kpc Kps Qt Tc Qal Tu Qal Qt Qt Qt \la Kpc Qt Qt Kpc Kps Qt \la Qt Tn Qt Tc Tu Qt Tn Qt Qt Tc TKbs Tu Qt Qt Qt Kps Ta Kpc Qal Tc Qt Qt Kpc Qt Qt Kpc Qt Tu Tc Tu Tc Tn Kpc Tn Tn Cla Kps Qal Qal Tc TKbs Ta Tn Tu Tm Tm TKbs Qal Tc Tc Tu Tc Qal Qal Qal Tc Ta Tu Tu Tu Tu Tu Qal Tn Tc Tc Ta 20 10 0 1 2 0 4 0 6 0 80 1 40 60 60 40 60 60 20 6 0 40 4 0 60 20 20 4 0 100 6 0 60 20 20 60 60 40 60 4 0 60 60 80 6 0 60 6 0 2 0 40 4 0 60 6 0 4 0 60 60 80 40 60 80 60 80 60 40 60 8 0 60 6 0 20 6 0 40 60 40 40 40 40 80 40 60 60 40 40 40 40 4 0 4 0 60 2 0 80 40 20 60 40 60 80 6 0 8 0 40 60 80 60 40 6 0 60 60 10 0 60 60 60 20 100 2 0 40 4 0 4 0 60 8 0 4 0 4 0 20 4 0 60 2 0 20 8 0 40 40 4 0 4 0 4 0 6 0 60 4 0 6 0 60 20 20 4 0 60 60 20 4 0 60 20 2 0 20 80 60 6 0 4 0 2 0 6 0 20 60 4 0 8 0 80 60 6 0 40 60 8 0 80 60 4 0 60 2 0 60 60 8 0 60 40 40 20 20 20 60 60 6 0 80 80 2 0 60 20 120 60 40 40 2 0 20 40 6 0 4 0 6 0 6 0 60 20 2 0 6 0 40 2 0 6 0 4 0 20 6 0 40 40 20 40 4 0 80 4 0 40 80 60 6 0 2 0 6 0 60 60 20 60 40 60 100 80 6 0 40 40 4 0 4 0 80 40 60 8 0 4 0 4 0 6 0 2 0 20 4 0 40 60 6 0 40 2 0 2 0 60 40 80 2 0 60 60 60 2 0 40 20 40 80 20 60 40 40 60 60 6 0 20 20 60 80 2 0 60 40 2 0 40 20 20 20 60 6 0 40 2 0 40 60 4 0 Clinton Bowie Laurel Muirkirk Cheverly Greenbelt Beltsville Hyattsville College Park Mitchellville Upper Marlboro New Carrollton Fort Washington A B A' B' Schematic Cross Sections Vertical Exaggeration 13 x 77°0'0"W 38°37'30"N 38°45'0"N 38°52'30"N 39°0'0"N 39°7'30"N 77°0'0"W 76°52'30"W 76°45'0"W 39°7'30"N 39°0'0"N 38°52'30"N 38°45'0"N 38°37'30"N 76°45'0"W 76°52'30"W 410000 420000 400000 430000 100000 420000 410000 400000 100000 110000 120000 130000 140000 150000 160000 430000 160000 150000 140000 130000 120000 110000 Correlation of Map Units Cambrian Tertiary Cretaceous Quaternary Holocene Lower Cretaceous Upper Cretaceous lower Paleocene upper Paleocene lower Eocene lower and middle Miocene upper Miocene - Pliocene Pleistocene Tu Tc Tn Tm Ta TKbs Kps Kpc \la Qt Qal Base map compiled and extracted from: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): National Hydrologic Dataset (NHD), high resolution, for hydrographic features NHD high resolution dataset generally developed at 1:24,000/1:12,000 scale Topographic 30 x 60-minute series (1:100,000 scale) digital line graphs (DLGs) for topography Portions of Washington West, Washington East, Frederick and Baltimore sheets As shown, topographic features are an enlargement from 1:100,000 to 1:62,500 scale Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) database for cultural features/place names shown Maryland State Highway Administration (MD-SHA): MD Cooperative Centerline Program, Prince George’s County excerpt (2006) for transportation features Original dataset developed at 1:12,000 scale Estimated 2006 magnetic north declination (center of county): 10 degrees 47 minutes west (To determine current magnetic declination see: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/geomag/jsp/Declination.jsp) Current map projection: Maryland State Plane Coordinate System 1987 (Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic, 1980 geodetic reference system) (Horizontal Datum: North American Datum 1983) State Plane 2000-meter grid tics and coordinates shown in black Geographic coordinates (latitude-longitude) shown near corners and 2.5’ intervals also shown in black with larger font Michael S. Steele Lieutenant Governor DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES C. Ronald Franks Secretary MARYLAND GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Emery T. Cleaves Director STATE OF MARYLAND Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Governor crystalline rock Kpc Qal Qal Kpc Kps Kpc Kps TKbs Ta Qal Qal Qal Ta Tc Qt Qal Tn Tm Tm Tn Qt Qal I-495 Paint Branch Kenilworth Ave Indian Creek Baltimore-Washington Pkwy 300 200 100 0 - 100 80 Western Branch Feet A 60 40 20 0 - 20 Meters A' US 50 I-495 MD 193 Crain Hwy (US 301) Patuxent River Qal - 200 - 300 B Feet - 100 0 100 200 300 Kps Tu Kpc Qal Tu Qal Ta Kps TKbs Tc Kps Qal Brandywine Rd Branch Ave (MD 5) Qal Qt Qal Piscataway Creek Crain Hwy (US 301) Kpc Mataponi Creek Tu Kps Tm Tc Ta Kpc Tn Tu TKbs Qal Qal MD 382 Black Swamp Creek Qal Tc Qt Qal B' Patuxent River Meters 60 40 20 0 - 20 - 40 - 60 Henson Creek - 80 80 Qt Tc TKbs Ta I-95 Oxen Hill Rd Tn Tm Tinkers Creek Copies of this map are available in hard copy (paper) and digital form from: MARYLAND GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 2300 Saint Paul Street Baltimore, MD 21218 Ph: 410- 554- 5500 Fax: 410- 554- 5502 http://www.mgs.md.gov/ Cleaves, E. T., Edwards, J., Jr., and Glaser, J. D. (compilers and eds.), 1968, Geologic map of Maryland: Maryland Geological Survey, scale 1:250,000. Drake, A. A., Jr., Sinha, A. K., Laird, J., Guy, R. E., 1989, The Taconic orogen (Chapter 3) in The Geology of North America Volume F-2, The Appalacian-Ouchita Orogen in the United States: Boulder, Colorado, The Geological Society of America, p. 101-177. Fleming, A. H., Drake A. A., Jr., and McCartan, L., 1995, Geologic map of the Washington West quadrangle, District of Columbia, Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties, Maryland, and Arlington and Fairfax Counties, Virginia: U.S. Geologic Survey, Geologic Quadrangle Map, GQ-1748, 1 sheet, scale 1:24,000. Gibson, T. G., and Bybell, L. M., 1994, Paleogene stratigraphy of the Solomons Island, Maryland corehole: U.S. Geological Survey Open-file Report 94-708, 39p. Gibson, T. G., Bybell, L. M. and Mason, D. B., 2000, Stratigraphic and climatic implications of clay mineral changes around the Paleocene/Eocene boundary of the northeastern US margin: Sedimentary Geology, volume 134, issue 1-2, pp. 65-92. Glaser, J. D., 1971, Geology and mineral resources of southern Maryland: Maryland Geological Survey Report of Investigations, no 15, 84 p. _____, 1973, Geologic map of the Bowie quadrangle, Anne Arundel and Prince Georges Counties, Maryland: Maryland Geological Survey, scale 1:24,000. _____, 1978, Geologic map of the Mount Vernon and Piscataway quadrangles, Maryland: Maryland Geological Survey Quadrangle Geologic Map QA no. 8, Atlas Map no. 1, scale 1:24,000. _____, 1981, Geologic map of the Upper Marlboro quadrangle, Prince Georges County, Maryland: Maryland Geological Survey, scale 1:24,000. _____, 1984, Geologic map of the Bristol quadrangle, Prince Georges, Anne Arundel and Calvert Counties, Maryland: Maryland Geological Survey, scale 1:24,000. _____, 2002, Geologic map of the Benedict quadrangle, Charles, Prince George’s, and Calvert Counties, Maryland: Maryland Geological Survey, scale 1:24,000 (digital version 2002.1). Hack, J. T., 1977, Geologic map for land-use planning, Prince Georges County, Maryland: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigation Map I-1004, scale 1:62,500. Hopson, C. A., 1964, The crystalline rocks of Howard and Montgomery Counties, in The Geology of Howard and Montgomery Counties: Baltimore, Maryland Geological Survey, p. 27-215. Kuff, K. R., 1980, Mineral resources and mined land inventory map of Prince George’s County: Maryland Geological Survey, Mineral Resources Investigations County Map, scale 1:62,500. McCartan, L., 1989a, Geologic map of Charles County: Maryland Geological Survey, scale 1:62,500. _____, 1989b, Atlantic Coastal Plain sedimentation and basement tectonics southeast of Washington, D.C.: American Geophysical Union, 28th International Geological Congress Field Trip Guidebook T214, 25p. Muller, P. D., Candela P. A., and Wylie, A. G., 1989, Liberty Complex; polygenetic mélange in the central Maryland Piedmont: Geological Society of America, Special Paper 228, p. 119-134. Pomeroy, J. S., 1989, Map showing landslide susceptibility in Prince George’s County, Maryland: U. S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-2051, scale 1:62,500. Southwick, D. L. and Fisher, G. W., 1967, Revision of the stratigraphic nomenclature of the Glenarm Series in Maryland: Maryland Geological Survey Report of Investigations No. 6, 19 p. Withington, C. F. and Froelick, A. J., 1974, Preliminary geologic map of the Beltsville quadrangle, Prince Georges, Montgomery, and Howard Counties, Maryland: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies MF-582, 2 sheets, scale 1:24000. Map References: Qal Qt POTOMAC GROUP (Patapsco, Arundel, Patuxent Formations) The Potomac Group includes the Patapsco, Arundel and Patuxent Formations. In Prince George’s County these units have not been mapped separately at the county scale; instead sediments of the Potomac Group have been mapped according to dominant lithology: sand-gravel facies (Kps) or silt-clay facies (Kpc). Potomac Group strata are Early Cretaceous in age, and record floodplain deposition. A maximum thickness of about 1000 feet (about 305 m) is known in the outcrop belt. -- Interbedded sand, gravel, and silt-clay. Typically tan, brown, or shades of gray; weathers to yellow, orange, or brown hues, commonly limonitic. Included under Terrace deposits are heterogeneous lithologies such as medium to coarse sand, pebbly sand, and subordinate silt-clay. These sediments are contained in a series of disjunct bodies flanking the major streams in Prince George’s County, reaching as high as 160 feet in elevation across some portions of the county, but declining to near sea level along the Patuxent River. A few such deposits are as thick as 50 feet (15.2 m), but the average is much less. Bedding within these deposits is mostly lenticular, but ranges to massive and unstructured. The Terrace deposits are the product of stream erosion during the early Quaternary, and are now isolated on the valley walls above the modern floodplain by renewed downcutting. Major terraces are associated with Western Branch, Piscataway Creek, and Mattawoman Creek, as well as the Patuxent and Potomac Rivers. Deposits flanking the Patuxent River tend to be more laterally extensive than those along the smaller watercourses, averaging 20 to 25 feet (6.1 to 7.6 m) in thickness, and have been utilized as a source of construction sand and gravel in the past. TERRACE DEPOSITS -- Sand, glauconitic, variably clayey; and silt- clay. Glaucontic sand, medium-gray to dark greenish gray, where unweathered; silt-clay, dark-gray to chocolate-brown. Mottled yellow and pale-brown in weathered outcrops. The Nanjemoy consists mostly of quartz sand, fine- to coarse-grained, with a variable amount of interstitial silt-clay and as much as 50 percent of green glauconite, imparting a "salt and pepper" aspect to the sediments. Darker silt- clay interbeds are common. Bedding generally appears massive with conspicuous burrow-mottling. Fossils, mostly , are moderately common. Indurated beds and concretionary bodies occur in places. The sand fraction coarsens upward within the unit. Nanjemoy outcrops are largely restricted to the eastern edge of the county adjacent to the Patuxent River where the unit reaches a maximum 60 feet (18.3 m) thick. Poorer outcrops are found in the southwestern part of the county, especially along Piscataway Creek. The unit is a marine shelf deposit of early Eocene age. Venericardia NANJEMOY FORMATION -- Clay, pale-red to silvery-gray, and minor interbedded silt, yellowish gray to pale- gray. The Marlboro Clay is a thin but highly distinctive unit composed of dense, brittle clay, ranging from thickly-bedded to finely laminated, lenticular or hummocky in part, containing partings and thin lenses of micaceous and lignitic laminated silt. The lowest part of the clay contains thin interbeds of glauconitic sand. Marlboro Clay exposures can be found in the same portions of the county as the Nanjemoy Formation. The Marlboro reaches 20 feet (6.1 m) in thickness in some places. The contact with the overlying Nanjemoy Formation is typically sharp but highly burrowed. Regionally, burrows infilled with Nanjemoy sediments are reported to extend up to a foot or more into the Marlboro Clay (Glaser, 1971; Gibson et al., 2000; Gibson and Bybell, 1994). In some areas, Marlboro sediments appear to be reworked into the lower part of the overlying Nanjemoy Formation (McCartan, 1989a; Gibson et al., 2000). The lower contact of the Marlboro with the underlying Aquia Formation is sharp in some outcrops (particularly in updip sections) but the transition appears gradational over a vertical distance of several inches to feet in other outcrops and cores (e.g., Glaser, 1971; Gibson et al., 2000). The depositional environment and precise age of this unit have been debated. Based on recent studies focusing on microfossils (foraminifera, calcareous nannoplankton, dinoflagellates) and clay mineralogy, the unit is believed to represent deposition in an inner to middle marine shelf area that received sediments from river drainage systems (e.g., Gibson et al., 2000). Regional microfossil studies indicate that the Marlboro Clay ranges in age from latest Paleocene to earliest Eocene (calcareous nannoplankton upper Zone 9 and lower Zone 10) (e.g., Gibson et al., 2000). MARLBORO CLAY AQUIA FORMATION BRIGHTSEAT-SEVERN FORMATIONS, undivided BRIGHTSEAT FORMATION -- Sand and silt, clayey in part, variably glauconitic. Dark-gray to dark greenish gray; weathering pale-gray to brownish gray. The Brightseat consists of mostly fine-grained, poorly sorted sand, with up to 30 percent glauconite, but generally much less. In places, the basal Brightseat contains some medium to coarse sand with quartz granules, small pebbles, phosphatic clasts, and shark teeth. The unit is essentially a fining-upward sequence, with the relatively coarse lower portion grading rapidly upward to fine- grained clayey sand and finally dense clayey micaceous silt. The abundance of mica is characteristic of the upper Brightseat, as is a decided purplish cast in unweathered sediment. The Brightseat is both thin and lithologically similar to the underlying Severn Formation; thus, the two units are mapped together at this scale. It thickens southwestward across the county, reaching a maximum of about 60 feet (18.3 m) south of the District of Columbia. The Brightseat is a marine shelf unit of early Paleocene age. SEVERN FORMATION -- Sand, fine-grained, variably glauconitic. Pale-gray to medium-gray; weathering mottled pale-gray and yellow. The Severn is composed almost entirely of very fine- to fine-grained glauconitic sand, which is moderately to well sorted. The sand grades in places to dense clayey micaceous sand and silt. Glauconite may comprise as much as 40 percent of the sand fraction. The basal few feet of the unit is fine- to medium-grained with scattered granules and pebbles, siderite concretions, and shark teeth. Along the Patuxent River and its tributaries in the vicinity of Bowie, a zone of large lobate or ellipsoidal ferruginous concretions marks the top of the formation. Moreover, outcrops along the Potomac may contain considerable selenite. Like the Brightseat, the Severn Formation is a thin unit, 40 feet (12.2 m) thick at most along the Patuxent, and reducing to about 13 feet (4.0 m) in outcrop at the Potomac River. It is mapped with the Brightseat as a single map unit. The Severn was deposited on the inner marine shelf in Late Cretaceous time. -- Interbedded sand, silt-clay, and subordinate gravel. Light- to dark-gray, tan, or brown; weathers pale-gray, yellow, or brown. Alluvium includes very heterogeneous, commonly poorly stratified sediments, with muddy sand and silt the dominant lithology. Organic matter, including leaves, branches, and logs, is a common component. Thin peats occur in places. Dark gray organic muds are prevalent in tidal marsh areas. This unit underlies the channels and flanking valley floors of all major streams and many minor ones in the County. Much of this sediment is soft and water-saturated due to perennially high water tables. The composition of the alluvium in any given stream valley reflects the source sediments; thus, alluvial sand contains considerable glauconite where the source is the Aquia, Nanjemoy, or Severn Formations. Small areas of tidal marsh are found bordering the Patuxent and Potomac Rivers. Alluvial sediment thickness ranges from less than 5 feet (1.5 m) to as much as 40 feet (12.2 m), although the average is closer to 15 feet (4.6 m). Sediments mapped under this heading are geologically young, deposited mostly within the past 10,000 years. ALLUVIUM -- Sand, quartz silt, and diatomaceous silt. Olive- green to olive-gray where unweathered; pale-gray, tan, brown, yellow or orange in weathered sections. The Calvert Formation consists largely of variably clayey, very fine- to fine- grained sand and silt, as well as diatomaceous silt, and minor amounts of clay. Near the base of the unit is a bed of diatomaceous silt, as thick as 10 feet (3 m), consisting of as much as 40 percent diatoms. The diatomaceous bed thins and feathers out both northward and westward. The upper part of the unit is relatively homogeneous sand and silty sand with obscure bedding, laced with pervasive burrow-mottling. Much of this upper Calvert has been weathered to loosely textured, yellow to orange sand, which makes up the surface sediment over the southeastern part of the county. Most of the Calvert sediments in the county belong to the lower or Fairhaven Member of the formation. The upper member, the Plum Point Marls, is confined to the southeastern portion (Benedict quadrangle) of the map area, as are intact molluscan fossils. Here, the Calvert also attains its maximum thickness of about 100 feet (30.5 m). The Calvert is a lower to middle Miocene marine unit, with most of the Fairhaven having accumulated in relatively deep water in a restricted basin. The Plum Point Marls unit is an open shelf deposit laid down in shallower waters. CALVERT FORMATION Interbedded quartz sand, pebbly sand, gravel, and subordinate silt-clay. Sands and gravels typically white, buff, yellow to brown; weathered zone commonly limonitic with ironstone pods and layers. Silt-clay is white, pale gray, or variegated; dark-gray, where highly organic. The sand-gravel facies is largely the lower Potomac Group (Patuxent Formation), but the upper portion (Patapsco Formation) also contains considerable sand and some gravel, which is included in this map unit. This coarse facies lies mostly west of Indian Creek in the north and northwestern area of the county. The lithology is essentially fine- to coarse-grained sand, grading to pebbly sand and gravel, coarse to very coarse in places, arranged in thin to very thick lenticular beds. Conspicuous cross-bedding is common, as are clay clasts, channel fills, and fining-upward sequences. Interbedded with these coarser clastics are scattered thin lenticular bodies of tough massive silt-clay. As is typical of fluvial sediments, few beds are laterally continuous for any great distance; consequently, great variability in outcrop lithology is the rule. Sand-gravel facies: Clay, silt, and subordinate fine- to medium-grained clayey sand. Red, tan, gray, buff, or mottled; dark-gray, where heavily organic. The silt-clay facies of the Potomac Group, comprised of the Arundel Clay and much of the lower Patapsco Formation, lies mostly east of Indian Creek. The lithology is predominantly compact red and dark-gray clay containing large and small lenses and pods of sand and minor gravel. Some of the clay is strikingly variegated in color. Dark-gray lignitic clay is most characteristic of the Arundel but occurs at other stratigraphic levels as well. Much of the clay is internally massive and weathers hackly. Silt-clay lenses in the uppermost portion of the unit tend to be whitish or pale-gray, and thinner. Rare dinosaur bones and teeth have been found in Potomac silt-clay, as have plant fossils. Silt-clay facies: (Hopson, 1964; Fleming et al., 1995) -- Metasedimentary rock unit, which includes considerable mica gneiss and schist; a metamorphosed sedimentary mélange. Medium- to coarse-grained, moderately to well foliated sedimentary mélange consisting of a quartzofeldspathic matrix that contains quartz “eyes” and fragments to blocks of metamorphic rocks which specifically include fragments of meta-arenite and biotite schist in the mapped area (Fleming et al., 1995). The rock weathers to a porous, spongy brown saprolite and grades upward to a sticky micaceous red and gray clay (Withington and Froelich, 1974). Originally thought to be a metamorphosed igneous rock (e.g., gneissic granite, migmatite), the unit is now interpreted as a metamorphosed sedimentary unit that originated as a “chaotic mixture of fragmental rocks and pebbles in an unsorted matrix of sand, silt, and mud” resulting from submarine debris slide and was subsequently metamorphosed (Hopson, 1964). Some previous workers have considered the Laurel Formation to be the same unit as the Sykesville Formation and mapped the Laurel and Sykesville Formations either as part of the boulder gneiss facies of the Wissahickon Formation (Southwick and Fisher, 1967; Cleaves et al., 1968) or simply as the Sykesville Formation (e.g., Muller et al., 1989). A preliminary geologic map of the Beltsville area (Withington and Froelich, 1974) showed areas that are identified on the current map as Laurel Formation mainly as two facies (diamictite gneiss and pelitic schist) of the Wissahickon Formation. The Laurel Formation nomenclature shown on the current map follows the most recent mapping of the unit by Fleming et al. (1995). The Laurel Formation is considered Early Cambrian in age by Fleming et al. (1995). However, the precise age of the unit and the timing of episodes of metamorphism (and intrusives) in the region have been debated for decades (e.g., Hopson, 1964; Muller et al., 1989; Drake et al., 1989). LAUREL FORMATION -- Sand, pebbly sand, and gravel, capped by sandy pebbly loam in places. Pale-gray, tan, or buff in color; weathering to yellow, orange, and shades of brown. The Upland deposits (or Brandywine Formation of earlier workers) consist largely of poorly sorted, medium to coarse sand interbedded with pebbly sand and medium to coarse gravel. The sand is predominantly quartz, and the pebbles quartzite, sandstone, and chert. The basal beds of the deposit include scattered boulders ranging to several feet in diameter. Bedding is chiefly lenticular, and cross-bedded to massive. Where least dissected, the uppermost portion of the deposit consists of as much as 15 feet (4.6 m) of compact yellowish to reddish- brown pebbly loam. Total thickness of the unit reaches a maximum 40 feet (12.2 m). The Upland deposits are fluvial sediments, presumably laid down by the ancestral Potomac River as it swept southward across southern Maryland in late Miocene and Pliocene time (McCartan, 1989a, 1989b). UPLAND DEPOSITS -- Sand, variably glauconitic, and minor calcareous or ferruginous sandstone. Dark greenish gray to medium-gray; weathering "salt and pepper" speckled to rusty brown. The Aquia is composed of sand, fine- to medium-grained, poorly sorted to well sorted, containing as much as 40 percent glauconite. Thin layers and concretionary zones of calcareous shelly sandstone are scattered through the unit. Outcrop sections contain "rusty" ferruginous sandstones in places. Bedding is massive for the most part, with burrow mottling common. Molluscan fossils, chiefly large and , are present in some beds. The Aquia reaches a maximum 150 feet (45.7 m) in thickness in Prince George’s County. Aquia sands accumulated on the marginal marine shelf in less than 200 feet (61 m) of water during late Paleocene time. Turritella Ostrea -- Silt- loam surface soils containing thick hardpan as mapped by Hack (1977) within the Upland deposits (Tu) (geologic unit). The hardpan is described as 3 to 4 feet thick (0.9 to 1.2 m) and approximately 2 feet (0.6 m) below the ground surface. Hack indicates that the hardpan is moderately impermeable so "the surface soil is wet in winter months and may be excessively dry in summer." Silt loam soils with hardpan in Upland deposits (Hack, 1977) Tm Tn Tc Tu TKbs Ta \la Kpc Kps Contour Interval 10 Meters 5,000 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 Feet 1 0 1 2 3 0.5 Miles 1 0 1 2 3 4 0.5 Kilometers Scale 1:62,500 ¢ (State Plane Grid North) Geologic Map of Prince George's County, Maryland by John D. Glaser, 2003 And Silt- Loam Soils with Hardpan in Upland Deposits from Hack (1977) Explanation of Map Symbols Cultural/Transportation Symbols Major roads County Boundary Hydrologic Symbols Reservoir, treatment ! ( Gaging Station ! ( Dam/Weir, nonearthen Shore, nonearthen Stream, intermittent Dump Site, operational Foreshore Lake/Pond, intermittent Water body (including lakes, ponds, streams) Reservoir Swamp/Marsh Aqueduct; pipeline Stream; Connector Topographic Symbols Topographic Contour - Intermediate (10- m interval) Topographic Contour - Index (20- m interval) 2 8 0 0 Geologic Symbols A A' Line of Section Contact, approximate, gradational, or inferred Supplemental Information Use Constraints: These data represent the results of data collection/processing for a specific Department of Natural Resources, Maryland Geological Survey activity and indicate general existing conditions. As such, they are only valid for the intended use, content, time, and accuracy specifications. The user is responsible for the results of any application of the data for other than their intended purpose. The Maryland Geological Survey makes no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the use or appropriateness of the data, and there are no warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose of use. The Maryland Geological Survey makes no representation to the accuracy or completeness of the data and may not be held liable for human error or defect. Geologic data are only valid at 1:62500 scale. Data may not be used at a scale greater than that. Acknowledgements: Production of the digital map was funded, in part, through a memorandum of understanding with the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. The views expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the USDA-NRCS or any of its sub-agencies. Geologic field mapping for the original county geologic map was completed by J.D. Glaser in 1996. The geologic map was compiled in digital form and edited by Heather Quinn, Maryland Geological Survey. Additional digital support provided by Catherine Luckhardt, Towson University, Center for Geographic Information Sciences. Revisions, corrections and updates to the original geologic map will be completed periodically as needed and as additional data becomes available. The July 2006 release includes an updated county boundary, updated hydrographic features and corresponding changes and corrections to the map layout. The geologic layer has been updated to reflect these changes in the base layers and, in the southeastern corner of the county, the geology has been modified to reflect the digital geologic data available for the Benedict quadrangle (mapped at a more detailed, larger, 1:24,000 scale) (Glaser, 2002). Corrections to cross-sections have also been made. The facilities and services of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources are available to all without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin or physical or mental disability. Original digital release April 2003 Version: PGGEO2003.2, release July 2006

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    Pennsylvania Ave

    I - 95

    I - 495

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    MD

    193

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    Beltsville

    Hyattsville

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    New Carrollton

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    A

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    Schematic Cross SectionsVertical Exaggeration ≈ 13 x

    77°0'0"W

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    Correlation of Map Units

    Cambrian

    Tertiary

    Cretaceous

    Quaternary

    Holocene

    Lower Cretaceous

    Upper Cretaceous

    lower Paleocene

    upper Paleocene

    lower Eocene

    lower and middle Miocene

    upper Miocene - Pliocene

    Pleistocene

    Tu

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    Base map compiled and extracted from: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): National Hydrologic Dataset (NHD), high resolution, for hydrographic features NHD high resolution dataset generally developed at 1:24,000/1:12,000 scale Topographic 30 x 60-minute series (1:100,000 scale) digital line graphs (DLGs) for topography Portions of Washington West, Washington East, Frederick and Baltimore sheets As shown, topographic features are an enlargement from 1:100,000 to 1:62,500 scale Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) database for cultural features/place names shown

    Maryland State Highway Administration (MD-SHA): MD Cooperative Centerline Program, Prince George’s County excerpt (2006) for transportation features Original dataset developed at 1:12,000 scale

    Estimated 2006 magnetic north declination (center of county): 10 degrees 47 minutes west(To determine current magnetic declination see: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/geomag/jsp/Declination.jsp)

    Current map projection:Maryland State Plane Coordinate System 1987 (Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic, 1980 geodetic reference system) (Horizontal Datum: North American Datum 1983)

    State Plane 2000-meter grid tics and coordinates shown in blackGeographic coordinates (latitude-longitude) shown near corners and 2.5’ intervals also shown in black with larger font

    Michael S. SteeleLieutenant Governor

    DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCESC. Ronald Franks

    Secretary

    MARYLAND GEOLOGICAL SURVEYEmery T. Cleaves

    Director

    STATE OF MARYLANDRobert L. Ehrlich, Jr.

    Governor

    crystalline rockKpc Qal

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    ashingtonPkw

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    ranch

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    Meters

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    S 301)

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    D 5)

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    reek

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    Copies of this map are available in hard copy (paper) and digital form from:MARYLAND GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

    2300 Saint Paul StreetBaltimore, MD 21218Ph: 410- 554- 5500Fax: 410- 554- 5502

    http://www.mgs.md.gov/

    Cleaves, E. T., Edwards, J., Jr., and Glaser, J. D. (compilers and eds.), 1968, Geologic map of Maryland:Maryland Geological Survey, scale 1:250,000.

    Drake, A. A., Jr., Sinha, A. K., Laird, J., Guy, R. E., 1989, The Taconic orogen (Chapter 3) in The Geology ofNorth America Volume F-2, The Appalacian-Ouchita Orogen in the United States: Boulder, Colorado, TheGeological Society of America, p. 101-177.

    Fleming, A. H., Drake A. A., Jr., and McCartan, L., 1995, Geologic map of the Washington West quadrangle,District of Columbia, Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties, Maryland, and Arlington and Fairfax Counties,Virginia: U.S. Geologic Survey, Geologic Quadrangle Map, GQ-1748, 1 sheet, scale 1:24,000.

    Gibson, T. G., and Bybell, L. M., 1994, Paleogene stratigraphy of the Solomons Island, Maryland corehole: U.S.Geological Survey Open-file Report 94-708, 39p.

    Gibson, T. G., Bybell, L. M. and Mason, D. B., 2000, Stratigraphic and climatic implications of clay mineralchanges around the Paleocene/Eocene boundary of the northeastern US margin: Sedimentary Geology, volume134, issue 1-2, pp. 65-92.

    Glaser, J. D., 1971, Geology and mineral resources of southern Maryland: Maryland Geological Survey Report ofInvestigations, no 15, 84 p.

    _____, 1973, Geologic map of the Bowie quadrangle, Anne Arundel and Prince Georges Counties, Maryland:Maryland Geological Survey, scale 1:24,000.

    _____, 1978, Geologic map of the Mount Vernon and Piscataway quadrangles, Maryland: Maryland GeologicalSurvey Quadrangle Geologic Map QA no. 8, Atlas Map no. 1, scale 1:24,000.

    _____, 1981, Geologic map of the Upper Marlboro quadrangle, Prince Georges County, Maryland: MarylandGeological Survey, scale 1:24,000.

    _____, 1984, Geologic map of the Bristol quadrangle, Prince Georges, Anne Arundel and Calvert Counties,Maryland: Maryland Geological Survey, scale 1:24,000.

    _____, 2002, Geologic map of the Benedict quadrangle, Charles, Prince George’s, and Calvert Counties, Maryland:Maryland Geological Survey, scale 1:24,000 (digital version 2002.1).

    Hack, J. T., 1977, Geologic map for land-use planning, Prince Georges County, Maryland: U.S. GeologicalSurvey Miscellaneous Investigation Map I-1004, scale 1:62,500.

    Hopson, C. A., 1964, The crystalline rocks of Howard and Montgomery Counties, in The Geology of Howard andMontgomery Counties: Baltimore, Maryland Geological Survey, p. 27-215.

    Kuff, K. R., 1980, Mineral resources and mined land inventory map of Prince George’s County: MarylandGeological Survey, Mineral Resources Investigations County Map, scale 1:62,500.

    McCartan, L., 1989a, Geologic map of Charles County: Maryland Geological Survey, scale 1:62,500.

    _____, 1989b, Atlantic Coastal Plain sedimentation and basement tectonics southeast of Washington, D.C.:American Geophysical Union, 28th International Geological Congress Field Trip Guidebook T214, 25p.

    Muller, P. D., Candela P. A., and Wylie, A. G., 1989, Liberty Complex; polygenetic mélange in the centralMaryland Piedmont: Geological Society of America, Special Paper 228, p. 119-134.

    Pomeroy, J. S., 1989, Map showing landslide susceptibility in Prince George’s County, Maryland: U. S.Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-2051, scale 1:62,500.

    Southwick, D. L. and Fisher, G. W., 1967, Revision of the stratigraphic nomenclature of the Glenarm Series inMaryland: Maryland Geological Survey Report of Investigations No. 6, 19 p.

    Withington, C. F. and Froelick, A. J., 1974, Preliminary geologic map of the Beltsville quadrangle, PrinceGeorges, Montgomery, and Howard Counties, Maryland: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field StudiesMF-582, 2 sheets, scale 1:24000.

    Map References:

    Qal

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    POTOMAC GROUP (Patapsco, Arundel, Patuxent Formations)

    The Potomac Group includes the Patapsco, Arundel and Patuxent Formations. InPrince George’s County these units have not been mapped separately at thecounty scale; instead sediments of the Potomac Group have been mappedaccording to dominant lithology: sand-gravel facies (Kps) or silt-clay facies(Kpc). Potomac Group strata are Early Cretaceous in age, and record floodplaindeposition. A maximum thickness of about 1000 feet (about 305 m) is known inthe outcrop belt.

    -- Interbedded sand, gravel, and silt-clay. Typicallytan, brown, or shades of gray; weathers to yellow, orange, or brown hues,commonly limonitic.

    Included under Terrace deposits are heterogeneous lithologies such as mediumto coarse sand, pebbly sand, and subordinate silt-clay. These sediments arecontained in a series of disjunct bodies flanking the major streams in PrinceGeorge’s County, reaching as high as 160 feet in elevation across some portionsof the county, but declining to near sea level along the Patuxent River. A fewsuch deposits are as thick as 50 feet (15.2 m), but the average is much less.Bedding within these deposits is mostly lenticular, but ranges to massive andunstructured. The Terrace deposits are the product of stream erosion during theearly Quaternary, and are now isolated on the valley walls above the modernfloodplain by renewed downcutting. Major terraces are associated with WesternBranch, Piscataway Creek, and Mattawoman Creek, as well as the Patuxent andPotomac Rivers. Deposits flanking the Patuxent River tend to be more laterallyextensive than those along the smaller watercourses, averaging 20 to 25 feet (6.1 to7.6 m) in thickness, and have been utilized as a source of construction sand andgravel in the past.

    TERRACE DEPOSITS

    -- Sand, glauconitic, variably clayey; and silt-clay. Glaucontic sand, medium-gray to dark greenish gray, where unweathered;silt-clay, dark-gray to chocolate-brown. Mottled yellow and pale-brown inweathered outcrops.

    The Nanjemoy consists mostly of quartz sand, fine- to coarse-grained, with avariable amount of interstitial silt-clay and as much as 50 percent of greenglauconite, imparting a "salt and pepper" aspect to the sediments. Darker silt-clay interbeds are common. Bedding generally appears massive withconspicuous burrow-mottling. Fossils, mostly , are moderatelycommon. Indurated beds and concretionary bodies occur in places. The sandfraction coarsens upward within the unit. Nanjemoy outcrops are largelyrestricted to the eastern edge of the county adjacent to the Patuxent River where the unit reaches a maximum 60 feet (18.3 m) thick. Poorer outcrops are found inthe southwestern part of the county, especially along Piscataway Creek. The unitis a marine shelf deposit of early Eocene age.

    Venericardia

    NANJEMOY FORMATION

    -- Clay, pale-red to silvery-gray, and minor interbeddedsilt, yellowish gray to pale- gray.

    The Marlboro Clay is a thin but highly distinctive unit composed of dense, brittleclay, ranging from thickly-bedded to finely laminated, lenticular or hummocky inpart, containing partings and thin lenses of micaceous and lignitic laminated silt.The lowest part of the clay contains thin interbeds of glauconitic sand. MarlboroClay exposures can be found in the same portions of the county as the NanjemoyFormation. The Marlboro reaches 20 feet (6.1 m) in thickness in some places.

    The contact with the overlying Nanjemoy Formation is typically sharp but highlyburrowed. Regionally, burrows infilled with Nanjemoy sediments are reported toextend up to a foot or more into the Marlboro Clay (Glaser, 1971; Gibson et al.,2000; Gibson and Bybell, 1994). In some areas, Marlboro sediments appear tobe reworked into the lower part of the overlying Nanjemoy Formation(McCartan, 1989a; Gibson et al., 2000). The lower contact of the Marlboro withthe underlying Aquia Formation is sharp in some outcrops (particularly in updipsections) but the transition appears gradational over a vertical distance of severalinches to feet in other outcrops and cores (e.g., Glaser, 1971; Gibson et al., 2000).The depositional environment and precise age of this unit have been debated.Based on recent studies focusing on microfossils (foraminifera, calcareousnannoplankton, dinoflagellates) and clay mineralogy, the unit is believed torepresent deposition in an inner to middle marine shelf area that receivedsediments from river drainage systems (e.g., Gibson et al., 2000). Regionalmicrofossil studies indicate that the Marlboro Clay ranges in age from latestPaleocene to earliest Eocene (calcareous nannoplankton upper Zone 9 and lowerZone 10) (e.g., Gibson et al., 2000).

    MARLBORO CLAY

    AQUIA FORMATION

    BRIGHTSEAT-SEVERN FORMATIONS, undivided

    BRIGHTSEAT FORMATION -- Sand and silt, clayey in part, variablyglauconitic. Dark-gray to dark greenish gray; weathering pale-gray to brownishgray.

    The Brightseat consists of mostly fine-grained, poorly sorted sand, with up to 30percent glauconite, but generally much less. In places, the basal Brightseatcontains some medium to coarse sand with quartz granules, small pebbles,phosphatic clasts, and shark teeth. The unit is essentially a fining-upwardsequence, with the relatively coarse lower portion grading rapidly upward to fine-grained clayey sand and finally dense clayey micaceous silt. The abundance ofmica is characteristic of the upper Brightseat, as is a decided purplish cast inunweathered sediment. The Brightseat is both thin and lithologically similar tothe underlying Severn Formation; thus, the two units are mapped together at thisscale. It thickens southwestward across the county, reaching a maximum ofabout 60 feet (18.3 m) south of the District of Columbia. The Brightseat is amarine shelf unit of early Paleocene age.

    SEVERN FORMATION -- Sand, fine-grained, variably glauconitic. Pale-gray tomedium-gray; weathering mottled pale-gray and yellow.

    The Severn is composed almost entirely of very fine- to fine-grained glauconiticsand, which is moderately to well sorted. The sand grades in places to denseclayey micaceous sand and silt. Glauconite may comprise as much as 40 percentof the sand fraction. The basal few feet of the unit is fine- to medium-grainedwith scattered granules and pebbles, siderite concretions, and shark teeth. Alongthe Patuxent River and its tributaries in the vicinity of Bowie, a zone of largelobate or ellipsoidal ferruginous concretions marks the top of the formation.Moreover, outcrops along the Potomac may contain considerable selenite. Likethe Brightseat, the Severn Formation is a thin unit, 40 feet (12.2 m) thick at mostalong the Patuxent, and reducing to about 13 feet (4.0 m) in outcrop at thePotomac River. It is mapped with the Brightseat as a single map unit. TheSevern was deposited on the inner marine shelf in Late Cretaceous time.

    -- Interbedded sand, silt-clay, and subordinate gravel. Light- todark-gray, tan, or brown; weathers pale-gray, yellow, or brown.

    Alluvium includes very heterogeneous, commonly poorly stratified sediments,with muddy sand and silt the dominant lithology. Organic matter, includingleaves, branches, and logs, is a common component. Thin peats occur in places.Dark gray organic muds are prevalent in tidal marsh areas. This unit underliesthe channels and flanking valley floors of all major streams and many minor onesin the County. Much of this sediment is soft and water-saturated due toperennially high water tables. The composition of the alluvium in any givenstream valley reflects the source sediments; thus, alluvial sand containsconsiderable glauconite where the source is the Aquia, Nanjemoy, or SevernFormations. Small areas of tidal marsh are found bordering the Patuxent andPotomac Rivers. Alluvial sediment thickness ranges from less than 5 feet (1.5 m)to as much as 40 feet (12.2 m), although the average is closer to 15 feet (4.6 m).Sediments mapped under this heading are geologically young, deposited mostlywithin the past 10,000 years.

    ALLUVIUM

    -- Sand, quartz silt, and diatomaceous silt. Olive-green to olive-gray where unweathered; pale-gray, tan, brown, yellow or orangein weathered sections.

    The Calvert Formation consists largely of variably clayey, very fine- to fine-grained sand and silt, as well as diatomaceous silt, and minor amounts of clay.Near the base of the unit is a bed of diatomaceous silt, as thick as 10 feet (3 m),consisting of as much as 40 percent diatoms. The diatomaceous bed thins andfeathers out both northward and westward. The upper part of the unit isrelatively homogeneous sand and silty sand with obscure bedding, laced withpervasive burrow-mottling. Much of this upper Calvert has been weathered toloosely textured, yellow to orange sand, which makes up the surface sedimentover the southeastern part of the county. Most of the Calvert sediments in thecounty belong to the lower or Fairhaven Member of the formation. The uppermember, the Plum Point Marls, is confined to the southeastern portion (Benedictquadrangle) of the map area, as are intact molluscan fossils. Here, the Calvertalso attains its maximum thickness of about 100 feet (30.5 m). The Calvert is alower to middle Miocene marine unit, with most of the Fairhaven havingaccumulated in relatively deep water in a restricted basin. The Plum Point Marlsunit is an open shelf deposit laid down in shallower waters.

    CALVERT FORMATION

    Interbedded quartz sand, pebbly sand, gravel, and subordinate silt-clay. Sandsand gravels typically white, buff, yellow to brown; weathered zone commonlylimonitic with ironstone pods and layers. Silt-clay is white, pale gray, orvariegated; dark-gray, where highly organic.

    The sand-gravel facies is largely the lower Potomac Group (Patuxent Formation),but the upper portion (Patapsco Formation) also contains considerable sand andsome gravel, which is included in this map unit. This coarse facies lies mostlywest of Indian Creek in the north and northwestern area of the county. Thelithology is essentially fine- to coarse-grained sand, grading to pebbly sand andgravel, coarse to very coarse in places, arranged in thin to very thick lenticularbeds. Conspicuous cross-bedding is common, as are clay clasts, channel fills,and fining-upward sequences. Interbedded with these coarser clastics arescattered thin lenticular bodies of tough massive silt-clay. As is typical of fluvialsediments, few beds are laterally continuous for any great distance; consequently,great variability in outcrop lithology is the rule.

    Sand-gravel facies:

    Clay, silt, and subordinate fine- to medium-grained clayey sand. Red, tan, gray, buff, or mottled; dark-gray, where heavily organic.

    The silt-clay facies of the Potomac Group, comprised of the Arundel Clay andmuch of the lower Patapsco Formation, lies mostly east of Indian Creek. Thelithology is predominantly compact red and dark-gray clay containing large andsmall lenses and pods of sand and minor gravel. Some of the clay is strikinglyvariegated in color. Dark-gray lignitic clay is most characteristic of the Arundelbut occurs at other stratigraphic levels as well. Much of the clay is internallymassive and weathers hackly. Silt-clay lenses in the uppermost portion of theunit tend to be whitish or pale-gray, and thinner. Rare dinosaur bones and teethhave been found in Potomac silt-clay, as have plant fossils.

    Silt-clay facies:

    (Hopson, 1964; Fleming et al., 1995) --Metasedimentary rock unit, which includes considerable mica gneiss and schist;a metamorphosed sedimentary mélange.

    Medium- to coarse-grained, moderately to well foliated sedimentary mélangeconsisting of a quartzofeldspathic matrix that contains quartz “eyes” andfragments to blocks of metamorphic rocks which specifically include fragmentsof meta-arenite and biotite schist in the mapped area (Fleming et al., 1995). Therock weathers to a porous, spongy brown saprolite and grades upward to a stickymicaceous red and gray clay (Withington and Froelich, 1974).

    Originally thought to be a metamorphosed igneous rock (e.g., gneissic granite,migmatite), the unit is now interpreted as a metamorphosed sedimentary unit thatoriginated as a “chaotic mixture of fragmental rocks and pebbles in an unsortedmatrix of sand, silt, and mud” resulting from submarine debris slide and wassubsequently metamorphosed (Hopson, 1964).

    Some previous workers have considered the Laurel Formation to be the same unitas the Sykesville Formation and mapped the Laurel and Sykesville Formationseither as part of the boulder gneiss facies of the Wissahickon Formation(Southwick and Fisher, 1967; Cleaves et al., 1968) or simply as the SykesvilleFormation (e.g., Muller et al., 1989). A preliminary geologic map of theBeltsville area (Withington and Froelich, 1974) showed areas that are identifiedon the current map as Laurel Formation mainly as two facies (diamictite gneissand pelitic schist) of the Wissahickon Formation. The Laurel Formationnomenclature shown on the current map follows the most recent mapping of theunit by Fleming et al. (1995).

    The Laurel Formation is considered Early Cambrian in age by Fleming et al.(1995). However, the precise age of the unit and the timing of episodes ofmetamorphism (and intrusives) in the region have been debated for decades (e.g.,Hopson, 1964; Muller et al., 1989; Drake et al., 1989).

    LAUREL FORMATION

    -- Sand, pebbly sand, and gravel, capped by sandy pebblyloam in places. Pale-gray, tan, or buff in color; weathering to yellow, orange,and shades of brown.

    The Upland deposits (or Brandywine Formation of earlier workers) consistlargely of poorly sorted, medium to coarse sand interbedded with pebbly sandand medium to coarse gravel. The sand is predominantly quartz, and the pebblesquartzite, sandstone, and chert. The basal beds of the deposit include scatteredboulders ranging to several feet in diameter. Bedding is chiefly lenticular, andcross-bedded to massive. Where least dissected, the uppermost portion of thedeposit consists of as much as 15 feet (4.6 m) of compact yellowish to reddish-brown pebbly loam. Total thickness of the unit reaches a maximum 40 feet (12.2m). The Upland deposits are fluvial sediments, presumably laid down by theancestral Potomac River as it swept southward across southern Maryland in lateMiocene and Pliocene time (McCartan, 1989a, 1989b).

    UPLAND DEPOSITS

    -- Sand, variably glauconitic, and minor calcareous or ferruginous sandstone. Dark greenish gray to medium-gray; weathering "salt and pepper" speckled to rusty brown.

    The Aquia is composed of sand, fine- to medium-grained, poorly sorted to wellsorted, containing as much as 40 percent glauconite. Thin layers andconcretionary zones of calcareous shelly sandstone are scattered through the unit.Outcrop sections contain "rusty" ferruginous sandstones in places. Bedding ismassive for the most part, with burrow mottling common. Molluscan fossils,chiefly large and , are present in some beds. The Aquia reachesa maximum 150 feet (45.7 m) in thickness in Prince George’s County. Aquiasands accumulated on the marginal marine shelf in less than 200 feet (61 m) ofwater during late Paleocene time.

    Turritella Ostrea

    -- Silt-loam surface soils containing thick hardpan as mapped by Hack (1977)within the Upland deposits (Tu) (geologic unit). The hardpan isdescribed as 3 to 4 feet thick (0.9 to 1.2 m) and approximately 2 feet(0.6 m) below the ground surface. Hack indicates that the hardpan ismoderately impermeable so "the surface soil is wet in winter months andmay be excessively dry in summer."

    Silt loam soils with hardpan in Upland deposits (Hack, 1977)

    Tm

    Tn

    Tc

    Tu

    TKbs

    Ta

    \la

    Kpc

    Kps

    Contour Interval 10 Meters

    5,000 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 Feet

    1 0 1 2 30.5 Miles

    1 0 1 2 3 40.5 Kilometers

    Scale 1:62,500

    ¢(State Plane Grid North)

    Geologic Map of Prince George's County, Marylandby John D. Glaser, 2003

    And Silt- Loam Soils with Hardpan in Upland Deposits from Hack (1977)

    Explanation of Map Symbols

    Cultural/Transportation Symbols

    Major roads

    County Boundary

    Hydrologic Symbols

    Reservoir, treatment!(

    Gaging Station!(

    Dam/Weir, nonearthen

    Shore, nonearthen

    Stream, intermittent

    Dump Site, operational

    Foreshore

    Lake/Pond, intermittent

    Water body (including lakes, ponds, streams)

    Reservoir

    Swamp/Marsh

    Aqueduct; pipeline

    Stream; Connector

    Topographic Symbols

    Topographic Contour - Intermediate (10- m interval)

    Topographic Contour - Index (20- m interval) 2800

    Geologic Symbols

    AA'

    Line of Section

    Contact, approximate, gradational, or inferred

    Supplemental Information

    Use Constraints: These data represent the results of data collection/processing for a specific Department of NaturalResources, Maryland Geological Survey activity and indicate general existing conditions. As such, they are only validfor the intended use, content, time, and accuracy specifications. The user is responsible for the results of anyapplication of the data for other than their intended purpose. The Maryland Geological Survey makes nowarranty, expressed or implied, as to the use or appropriateness of the data, and there are no warranties ofmerchantability or fitness for a particular purpose of use. The Maryland Geological Survey makes no representation to theaccuracy or completeness of the data and may not be held liable for human error or defect. Geologic data are onlyvalid at 1:62500 scale. Data may not be used at a scale greater than that.

    Acknowledgements: Production of the digital map was funded, in part, through a memorandum of understanding withthe United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. The views expressed herein arethose of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the USDA-NRCS or any of its sub-agencies.

    Geologic field mapping for the original county geologic map was completed by J.D. Glaser in 1996. The geologic mapwas compiled in digital form and edited by Heather Quinn, Maryland Geological Survey. Additional digital supportprovided by Catherine Luckhardt, Towson University, Center for Geographic Information Sciences.

    Revisions, corrections and updates to the original geologic map will be completed periodically as needed and asadditional data becomes available. The July 2006 release includes an updated county boundary, updatedhydrographic features and corresponding changes and corrections to the map layout. The geologiclayer has been updated to reflect these changes in the base layers and, in the southeastern corner of the county,the geology has been modified to reflect the digital geologic data available for the Benedict quadrangle (mappedat a more detailed, larger, 1:24,000 scale) (Glaser, 2002). Corrections to cross-sections have also been made.

    The facilities and services of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources are available to all without regard to race,color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin or physical or mental disability.

    Original digital release April 2003 Version: PGGEO2003.2, release July 2006