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Illinois State Geological Survey Urbana, Illinois

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White limestones underground in Illinois by

L. E. Workman January 23, 1947

-MINEftAL RESOURCE RECCllt»S DIVISI&N vJ o y K. Ma. n, L.:. E .

/fl/5 . 4/- Cop~ .f. ILLINOIS STATE

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

The Illinois Geological Survey receives from time to

time requests for information regarding where white limestones,

like those used for whiting or high calcium lime, oecur beneath

the surface at depths such that the limestone eould be mined by

shafts. Following are the results of a preliminary study of the

Survey•s .file of chips or "cuttings" from wells .for white ~ime-. -

stone. Practically all these cuttings came from wells drilled

with cable tools, · though a few ~ere drilled with rotary tools.

The data presented are regarded as indicating those areas where

possibilities for discovering white limestone deposits are promis­

ing, but are not considered to demonstrate the existence of de­

posits necessarily of workable extent · or character. This must be

determined by test drilling , preferably so as to obtain cores of

the lim~stone.

The question of how deep it would be possible to mine white

limestone in Illinois is not susceptible of an unqualified answer.

An arbitrary maximum . of 1000 feet was used for convenience in the

current work. In some wells the thicknesses of white limestone

recorded are probably too small to have connnercial appeal at present.

However, the limitations of the data which can be obtained from a

study of dri.11 cuttings make the thickness figures somewhat inexact

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though they are probably accurate within 5 feet and are more apt

to be too low than too high.

Two areas of white limestone were revealed by the study,

{see attached figure), one near ~uincy in western Illinois and the

other near Valmeyer in southwestern Illinois. The rock in the

Quincy tract is coarsely crystalline, crinoidal limestone of Burling­

ton age similar to that w0rked at Quincy where there are thicknesses

of 25 feet, more or less, in outcrops, quarries and mines. The i,W

maximum thickness of white limestone recorded at wells is 15 i'eet.

A little chert is present in some samples of the white limestone

and may be native to the l~mestone or may have caved from higher

parts of the boring. The most promising areas of pro-specting in

order of importance are a~ follows:

Secs. 13 and 14, T. 5 s., R. 6 w., Pike Co. South part or T. 1 N., R. 6 and 7 w., Adams Co. Sec. 25, T. 2 N. , R • 6 W. , Adams Ce. Sec. 17, T. 3 N., R. 7 w., Hancock Co. Sec. 2, T. 15 N., ij. 13 w., . S&att Co.

Brief descriptions of the limestone encountered in various

wells are given in the Appendix, Nos. 1 to 24 inclusive. Locations

of the wells are shown on the attached map.

The white limes,one near Valmeyer comprises the upper part

of the Kimmswick i'ormation and is white, eoarsely crystalline, granu­

lar limestone, containing considerable transparent calcite. The

limestone is ehert free and reaches a m~imum thickness of about

50 feet. In the vicinity of the old Waterloo oil pool, extending

north and somewhat west of Waterloo, the rock is oil stained but

where "off structure" is locally white.

Data on the most important wells are given in the Appendix,

numbers 25 to 31 inclusive. Survey sample set numbers are shown.

The Salem limestone, which contains white oolitic rock

at Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, and also the upper part of the St~.

Genevieve formation were considered as possible sources of white

limestone in western & southwestern Illinois, but careful study

of the well data failed to reveal any rock of outstanding whiteness.

Likewise the white Backbone limestone of Union County and

vicinity was found to contain light gray spots which wauld prevent

its classification as an outstandingly white li~estone.

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APPENDIX

(Burlington limestone) 25-1N-2W, Schuyler Co., Schwartz - Abe~ #1, SS #~OS2. 5 feet

or white limestone, slightly cherty, .at 340~345 (elevo 221), buff tints below.

4-1N-3W, Brown Co., Levine - Kroft #1, SS #15,419. 5 feet of white coarse -limestone with an occasional very light gray spot at 250-255; a few fragments of chert in the sample probably caved; overlain by white eherty limestone and underlain by light buff gray limestone becoming cherty downward.

12-1N-5W, Adams Go., Miller-Miller #1, SS #15,385. 5 feet of white coarsely crinoidal limestone, with little dull white chert, 335-340 (~-e-v-. ---3-4&?-t; cherty above and below.

21-1N-5W, Adams Co., Golden-Hecox #2, SS #1218. 5 feet of nearly white coar·se limestone, containing no chert, at 4 05-410 {-&J:~r- "295-'?-) •

33-1N-6W, Adams Co., Nations-Dinklage #1, SS #10,693. 10 feet of white, coarse, non-eherty limestone at .486-490 (elev. 275), dolomi tie above and no samples directly below.

34-1N-7W, Adams Co., H. Axel water well drilled by Guy Gabel, SS #6483. 10 feet of white coarse limestone at 300 to 310 feet (elev. 445) having a trace of chert and a slight amount of dol0mite, 0verlain by very cherty limestone and underlain by 10 feet of limestone similar to that above but slightly burr, followed below by siltstone.

35-1N-7W, Adams Co., A. L. Dickhut water well drilled by Guy Gabel, SS #8740. 5 feet of white coarsely crinoidal lime­stone at 335-340 in which there is a traee of chert and dolomite, overlain by white very cherty limestone and underlain by siltstone.

1-lN-BW, Adams Co., D. M. Sheer water well drilled by Guy Gabel, SS #4960. 10 feet of white coarse limestone at 280-290 feet having slight amounts of chert and glauconite, over­lain by cherty buff limestone and underlain by cherty white limestone.

32-lN-SW, Adams Co., L. C .• Ercke water well drilled by Guy Gabel, SS #8973 • . 5 feet of white coarsely crinoidal lime­stone at 180-185 feet, overlain and underlain by cherty limestone.

12-2N-5W, Adams Co., Robinson-Fowler #1, SS #3461. 5 feet or coarsely crinoidal limestone at 440-445 (elev. 220), sample shows a little chert. The limestone above and below are cherty B.Bd dolomitic.

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11) 25-2N-6W, Adams Co., Schuster-Schuster #1, SS #5256. 15 feet of coa~sely erinoidal white limestone with _slight a.mount of chert at 415-430 (elev. 291), the limestone below is cherty and dolomitic.

12} 28-2N-7W, Adams Co., Charles Measley - John Hardy #1, SS #3350 10 feet of coarse white limestone at 174-184 feet having traces of chert and dolomite, overlain by cherty dolomite and underlain by siltstone.

13) 35-2N-8W, Adams Co., G. Gabel - F. D. Shupe, SS #11,922. 5 feet of white coarsely crinoidal limestone with a .. trace of light cream and a trace of chert at 285-290 feet, overlain by 10 feet of limestone that is non-cherty, white to ltght buff, and slightly dolomitic at the top. · The rock below is dolomite.

14) 3-3N-2W, Schuyler Co., Northern Ordnanee - Payne #1, SS #11,52~ 8 feet of white coarse limestone at 418-426, (.elev. 248}. The limestone above is buff eherty and below is dolomitic.

15) 17-3N-7W, Hancock Co., Herndon-Laffy #1, SS #11,030. 10 feet of white coarsely erinoidal limestone at 305.-315 feet (elev. 355), samples show a little chert that may be caved. The li~estone above i s cherty and that below is d0lomitic.

16) 21-1S-6W, Adams Co., R. Hussong - R. Hussong #1, SS #9566. 4 feet of white coarsely crinoidal slightly cherty limestone at 349-353 feet, (elev. 341), overlain by cherty cream-colored limestone and some white dolomite, underlain by 3 feet of white limestone with some cream color and a trace of chert followed below by light buff limestone.

17) 7-1S-7W, Adams Co., H. L. Myers water well drilled 'by Guy Gabel, SS #5125. 10 feet of white fine to medium limestone at 205~215 feet having a slight amount of chert in the samples, overlain by very cherty buff dolomitic limestone and under­lain by _cherty cream-colored limestone.

18) 33-1S-8W1 Adams Co., A. V. Kunkel water well drilled by Guy Gabel, SS #10,205. 5 feet of white coarsely crinoidal lime­stone with .a trace of chert .and an occasional glauconite grain at 195-200 feet {elev. 545). The rock above is cherty dolomite and below is buff cherty and dolomitic limestone.

19) ll-2S-9W, Adams Co., Meyer Building Co. #3 in Quincy, water well drilled by Guy Gabel, SS #7861. 10 feet of white coarsely crinoidal limestone at 160-170 feet, having traces of glauconite and chert, overlain by very cherty white limestone and dolomite, underlain by 15 .feet of cherty and partly dolomitic white limestone. Below this, at 185-190 feet is 5 feet of white coarse limestone having a trace 0£ chert and dolomite, followed below by siltstone.

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13-5S-6W, Pike Co., Gill & Kindred - Tittsworth #1, SS #10,675. 15 feet of white, coarse, non-cherty limestone, very good, at 115-130, (elev. 595). cherty limestone is above and below.

14-5S-6W, Pike Co., R. E. Smith - Geo. S. Hyde #1, SS #6269. The following section is indicated by the samples:

Limestone, very cherty light gray 15 85 feet Limestone, white, coarse, semi­crystalline, no chert

Limestone as above but dolomitic and slightly cherty

Limestone, white, coarse, semi­crystalline, no chert or dolomite

Dolomite, white to light green The top of the upper white limestone at 85 elevation of 626. This is one of the best white limestone found.

5 90

5 95

15 - 110 5 .. 115 feet is at an occurrences of

22-6S-2W, Pike C-o., Landess - Landess #1, SS #5834. 10 feet of whfte coarse limestone· with a few light gray & green spots, very slightly cherty, at 125-135 (elev. 585), overlain by 5 feet of slightly cherty limestone followed above by light yellow cherty limestone. There are no samples below 135 feet.

24-15N-14W, Scott Co., Scott Co. 011 & Gas - Tash #1, SS #841. 5 feet of white, coarse, slightly cherty limestone at _207-213 feet (elev. 230), overlain by 5' slightly cherty limestone with slight buff tint followed above by slightly cherty and dolomitic limestone with slight buff tint, underlain by light buff limestone.

2-15N-13W, Scott Co., Texa~ Co. - Mueller #1, SS #971. 20 feet of white coarse limestone without chert or dolomite, very good, at 380-400 (elev. 181}. There is a gap of 10 feet without samples above 380 feet followed above by cherty white limestone, underlain below 400 feet by cherty dolo­mitic white limestone.

, ('Kimmswick limestone)

(25) 3-2S-lOW, Monroe Co., Tishner-Gummersheimer, SS #170. 9 feet of white coarsely crystalline limestone, having a few darker spots, at 580-589. (elev. 21)

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(26) 16-2S-lOW, Monroe Co., Morris-Crowder #1, SS #11,340. 5 feet of white coarsely crystalline limestone, at 899-904 ,{,-E-1&V-• ..- -· - ~)... There are no samples . below 904 feet and additional white limestone may be present below.

27) 7-3S-9W, Monroe Co., Ziebold-Tolin, SS #175. 15 feet of white, coarsely crystalline limestone, at 835-850 (elev. 195).

28) 13-3S-lOW, Monroe Co., Braun & Vawter - Dill #1, SS #10,162. 23 feet of white limestone, some showing a slight buff tint at 915-938 ( &-l.-ev . -·-- ) •

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29) 18-3S-lOW, Monroe Co., Luth-Harbaugh, SS_ #188. 8 feet of white coarse limestone at . 507-512 feet (elev. 233), continues downward into limestone having some light gray grains.

30) 20-3S-lOW, Monroe Co., Nixon - Feltmeir, SS #187. 5 feet of white limestone at ~90-595 (elev. 152) • . There are ne samples above and below this interval so that the white zone may be thicker.

31) 10-3S-llW, Monroe Co., Fernwald - Steinman #1, SS #2829. 50 feet of limestone that may have been white but .is now stained buff by weathering, since it is close to the surface, at 35-85 feet (elev. 556).

32) 11-3S-llW, Monroe Co., Neibrugge - Prior #1, SS #168. 5 feet of white coarsely crystalline limestone at 390-395 (elev. 40Q). There are no samples at 395-410, and the ~amples of limestone below (410-425) have pink and light gray tints.

33) 15-3S-llW, Monroe Co., Hughes - Ferrala #1, SS #3869. 3 feet of white coarse, semi-crystalline limestone.

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