the geologic column of missouri - vol 3 - issue 2

7/28/2019 The Geologic Column of Missouri - Vol 3 - Issue 2

1/6

O F M I S S O U R I

Volume 3, Issue 2 Winter 20

GEOLOGIC MAPSEssential tools in planning Missouris future

Oten colorul and visuallyappealing, geologic maps maybe one o Missouris best but

most overlooked planning tools.Earth scientists realize that

these maps are the undamentalsource o geologic inormation,

but geologists are not the onlyusers. Geologic maps are a publicresource o broad value to our

society. Understanding the earthbeneath our eet is the rst step in

understanding the world around

us. Foresters and biologists are

aware that geologic conditionsaect ecology. Engineers areconcerned with the properties o

soil and bedrock along proposedhighway construction. City

planners want to know about thelikelihood o damage rom earth-

quakes, landslides or sinkholecollapse on inrastructure such aspipelines, roads and wastewater

and drinking water acilities. Geo-logic mapping provides the basic

inormation we need about many

o our nite natural resources.

The potential impact on Missoueconomy is staggering. Accordito one study, the value o geolog

maps is 25 to 39 times the cost oproducing them. Geologic maps a

essential to planning Missourisuture because they help us

optimize the use o water, uel amineral resources and minimizeenvironmental degradation and

hazards.

MISSOURIDEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURC

Division of Geology and Land Survey

Edie Starbuck, a geologist with the Department of Natural Resources, use

PC tablet and GPS as she collects data in the


2/6

Data Collection andField Investigation

To collect data or a geologic map, geologists investigateexisting data including logs o wells that have been drilled

in the area, descriptions o exposures, or outcrops, thatwere previously examined, along with existing mapping.They also examine available aerial imagery to look or

linear trends or variations in topography or vegetationthat may be a clue to the underlying geology. However,

most o the data collected or a new bedrock map comesrom eld investigation. Geologists investigate by inspect-

ing eatures along roads, ditches, streams, quarries,blu lines and hillsides to nd exposures o bedrock andsurcial materials. Loose rock, soil, and even vegeta-

tion, can be clues to underlying materials. Geologists tryto locate a large number o data points that are evenly

distributed. This requires the cooperation o landown-ers who allow access to their property. Data is collected

along roads and on public property, but in many partso the state, most o the property is owned privately and

the cooperation o landowners contributes greatly to theeort to collect data.

As investigations proceed, the geologist will take notes

about the rock type (lithology), ossils (paleontology) andabout the particular sequence o layers (stratigraphy).

To create a map at a scale o 1:24,000, the divisionsmappers attempt to collect at least 11 data points per

square mile, or about 660 data points per 7.5 minutequadrangle. A geologist will walk 50 to 100 miles collectingdata during a eld season to prepare a geologic map or

one 7.5 minute area.

Once the geologist returns to the

oce, the data must be interpreted andsummarized. This is done by producing

a map o the distribution o geologicunits, describing each unit and drawinga stratigraphic column or the bedrock

maps. Geologic unit boundaries areprinted on top o U.S. Geological Survey

topographic maps o the area to helporient the user. A topographic map is a

detailed and accurate graphic represen-tation o some o the cultural and naturaleatures on the ground. The base map is

printed with light colors, so it doesntinterere with seeing the geologic

eatures on the map. A stratigraphiccolumn and unit description help users

to interpret the map. The stratigraphiccolumn displays the layering o each unit

as well as its thickness and relationshipto other units. The color o each unit on

the stratigraphic column correspondswith the color o the unit on the map.Letter symbols are used to abbreviate

the unit on the map and the description.The geologist also interprets the

bedrock structures such as aulting andolding o bedrock. These structuresare ormed when earth orces cause

layers to bend or break. Faulting canbe an indicator o the likelihood o an

earthquake, but oten these eatureswere ormed hundreds o millions o

years ago, and the area may no longer

be a site o earthquake activity. Faultingand olding o bedrock has an eect on

the present-day fow o groundwater andthe distribution o mineral resources.

Most bedrock geologic maps include adescription o the bedrock structures

indicating the location and nature othe structure. The description will note

whether the structure is a ault or old,

and how ar the bedrock layers may beoset i there is aulting. Bedrock struc-

tures are also represented in a graphicorm as a geologic cross section. A geo-

logic cross section shows what a verticalslice through the earth would look likealong a given line.

Map Development

DNR geologist, Chris Vierrether, collecting data along a bluff near Gasconade,Missouri. The bluff contains St. Peter sandstone laid down by a tropical ocean

some 470 million years ago.

Geologic Cross Section

Partial

Stratigraphic Column

DNRphotobyMikeSiemens

DyersBranch

HwyJ J

AuxvasseCreek I-70

Calwoodfault

Aux vass eCreek

anticline

WhetstoneCreekA

00'

00'

00'

00'

00'

00'

Vertical Exaggeration =1

Ordovician age strata

DcvPk

PkMbk

Mbk

PkMch

Mch DscMch Dsc

Ordovician age strataDcv

Mbk

PfsPc

Pfs

PcPfs Pfs

Mch

Dsc

Pfs PkPc


3/6

The Geological Map o the South-westBranch, Pacifc Rail Road was publishedin 1859 along with a report on the samesubject. This investigation was perormedprior to completion o the rail line. GeorgeC. Swallow, the author o the report, was

the frst Missouri State Geologist and chieadministrator o the frst Missouri Geologi-cal Survey. The duties o this agency werelater passed on to the Geological SurveyProgram, within the Division o Geologyand Land Survey. This map is on displayat the divisions Buehler Building at 111Fairgrounds Road, in Rolla

A Moment in TimeEarly years of geologic mapping in Missouri

Requests for Geologic Mapping at Groundwater Contamination Site

Geologic Maps MatterMany types o maps and geologic

studies are based on geologic maps.Evaluations o mineral resources are

needed to determine the availability ostone or road construction, metals orbuildings and cars, and oil or coal or

uel. Simply put, these types o studiesrequire geologic maps. The type o

earth material beneath our eet deter-mines our susceptibility to geologic

hazards such as sinkhole collapse,landslides or earthquake damage.Geologic hazard maps benet society

by providing the inormation necessary

to make decisions about constructionand inrastructure design in earth-

quake-prone areas. Many people areinterested in geologic maps simplybecause they want to know more

about the rocks or ossils that they seeon their property, or they may want

to know where to look to nd certaintypes o minerals or ossils to collect.

Geologic maps have many uses andare an important resource or Missou-rians with varied needs and interests.

Bedrock geologic maps are es-sential to the investigation into theimpact o contaminant spills

on groundwater supplies. Themovement o groundwater

(and contaminants) is aectedby both bedrock properties and

by geologic structures. Fluidstravel more easily through sometypes o rock than others. For

example, shale normally presentsa barrier to fuid movement, and

water will fow dierently throughlimestone than it does through

sandstone. Bedrock racturingassociated with olding andaulting, oten provides pathways

through which contaminants

can migrate. For these reasons, divisiongeologists are sometimes requestedto do geologic mapping in locations o

ongoing groundwater contaminationinvestigations.

The departments EnvironmentalQuality division requested that Geo-

logical Survey sta conduct a detailedgeologic investigation o the Oak Grove

Village and Sullivan areas as part o the

investigation into contamination o apublic water supply well. This investigation,

along with a hydrologic investigationconducted by sta with the divisions

Environmental Geology section, indi-cated that deep groundwater fows alongthe trend o bedrock olding that is in

the area. Solution channels or small

connected voids have also developed inthe soluble dolomite bedrock, allowingshallow groundwater to fow rom one

surace water drainage basin to anotheA similar investigation was conducted

part o a remedial investigation undedby the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency into the contamination o watewells at New Haven. As a result o thiscollaborative eort, it was determined

that the direction o groundwater movement parallels the slope o bedding

plane suraces. Structures that mayaect groundwater movement were als

discovered. This type o inormationallows researchers to track the source contamination and determine where it

has spread.

DNRphotobyScottMyers

Uses of Geologic Mapping Exploring for and developing mineral, fueland water resources

Cleaning up environmentally damaged sites

Avoiding karst, earthquake and landslidehazards

Designing foundations and structures

Making zoning and city planning decisions

Locating waste disposal facilities

Siting landlls and liquid waste treatment facilitie

Evaluating property Planning transportation

Delineating ecosystems


4/6

The National Cooperative GeologicMapping Program (NCGMP) was man-

ated with the National Geologic Map-ing Act o 1992 because o the need orcomprehensive nationwide program detailed geologic mapping. The

NCGMP, developed and coordinated byhe U.S. Geological Survey and the As-ociation o American State Geologists,nnually receives ederal unds which itisperses through a competitive projectroposal process. STATEMAP is the com-onent o the NCGMP that provides unds

to state geological surveys or geologicmapping. The Division o Geology andLand Survey is Missouris state geologicalsurvey. States receiving STATEMAPunding provide matching unds. Onerequirement is that geologic mappingpriorities are set in consultation witha panel o individuals across the state,having varied interests in geologicmapping. This group comprises theGeologic Mapping Advisory Committee(GMAC).

Members o Missouris GMAC serve

three-year terms and may serve nomore than three consecutive terms. Allten members were new to the commit-tee in 2007. The membership encom-passes several dierent constituencieso bedrock map users. This groupincludes geological consultants, miningand energy interests, development plan-ners, geologic hazard experts, academiaand a representative o a proessionalgeological society. The committee meetannually to direct plans or detailedgeologic mapping in Missouri.

On April 18, 2008 a magnitude 5.2

earthquake with an epicenter in south-

ern Illinois shook a large area o the

Midwest, including much o easternMissouri. About two weeks later, on

May 5, a magnitude 2.7 earthquake

centered near Valley Park rattled Mis-

sourians again. Though these quakes

caused no major damage, Missourians

were let wondering, When is the next

one? Actually, small earthquakes oc-

cur in Missouri airly requently. In the

frst hal o 2008, 124 earthquakes with

a magnitude less than three

occurred in southeastern

Missouri. Most are so small

that no one eels them. Theoccurrence o larger quakes

reminds Missourians that our

history includes the massive

earthquakes o 1811 and 1812.

Important tools that can be

used to prepare or the repeat

o such a disastrous event

are earthquake hazard maps.

Earthquake hazard depends

on the location, magnitude

and requency o likely earth-

quakes and on the properties

o the rocks and sediments through

which earthquake waves travel. Inor-

mation about the properties o rocks

and sediments in an earthquake-prone

area comes rom basic geologic map-

ping.

Other geologic hazards can also

be defned by geologic mapping. Therisk o sinkhole development is based

primarily on the presence o limestone

or dolomite, the degree o weathering

and the surfcial materials present.

Landslides in Missouri are also related

to geologic conditions. Geologic maps

are routinely used to evaluate proposed

sewage lagoon sites or catastrophic

collapse potential.

Geologic HazardsThe Importance of Planning

MarySeid,

IllinoisGeologicalS

urvey

The Geologic Mapping Advisory Committee and STATEMAP

Geologic Mapswww.dnr.mo.gov/geology/statemap/missouri-maps.htmGMAC Web Pagewww.dnr.mo.gov/geology/geosrv/gmac/STATEMAP Fact Sheetwww.dnr.mo.gov/geology/geosrv/Missouri.pdGeologic Hazards Web Pagewww.dnr.mo.gov/geology/geosrv/geores/GeoHazhp.htmPublications Catalog

www.dnr.mo.gov/geology/adm/publications/pubscatalog.pd

Web Sites

Map ScaleScale determines how much inorma-

ion a map can display. Scale is the ratio the length o a eature depicted onhe map, compared to the length o thectual eature. For instance, a map scale

1:24,000 means that one inch on themap represents 24,000 inches (2,000 eet)n the real world. I your house is 2,000eet rom a road intersection, then thatistance is only one inch on a map o thatcale. When a maps scale is 1:500,000,hen one inch on the map is representative 500,000 inches in the real world. Therere 63,360 inches in a mile, so one inchn the map represents almost eight miles.

Consequently, a 1:500,000 scale map can-ot display the same detail as a 1:24,000cale map.

A great amount o conusion is causedy the terms, small scale and largecale map. Small scale maps show lessetail than large scale maps. 500,000 isbig number, but the ratio 1/500,000 isvery small number. Small scale mapshow large areas with little detail. Largecale maps show smaller areas, but with

more detail. The most detailed topograph-c maps that are available or the entiretate are 1:24,000 scale produced byhe U.S. Geological Survey. These mapsre oten called 7.5 minute quadrangle

maps since they cover an area that is 7.5minutes o longitude by 7.5 minutes oatitude. In Missouri, this is an area that isbout 6.5 miles in the east-west directiony 8.5 miles in the north-south direc-ion. These maps appear rectangular,

hence the use o the word quadrangleo describe them. The Division o Geol-gy and Land Survey makes these mapsvailable or sale. Corresponding geologic

quadrangles are also available or pur-hase. Check out our Web site (www.dnr.

mo.gov/geology/adm/publications/topo-

quads.htm).

A wider view of the 1904 Berry School,Mt. Carmel, Illinois, shows the collapsedchimney, bricks missing from the wall,and bricks missing from the A-frame.


5/6

Publications

Bedrock or Surficial?

Geologic maps are available to the publicin di erent ormats. Some o the maps have

been published and printed on paper. Theyare waiting on our shelves to be sold. Many

o our maps are stored as electronic imageles and can be plotted on paper when a cus-

tomer needs them, or copied to a CD-ROM.All o the bedrock maps that the division haspublished since 1997 were created using a

geographic inormation system (GIS). Theelectronic les in a GIS are spatially reer-

enced (linked to location) so that the inor-mation can easily be compared to other data

in the same or a nearby location. The digita lbedrock geologic map o Missouri basedon the 1:500,000 scale Sesquicentennial

map, is available in a GIS compatible ormat.Approximately 104 o the more than 1,300

quadrangles in Missouri have been mapped

in a GIS ormat at a scale o 1:24,000. Most othese have been incorporated into the digitalgeologic map o Missouri.

Available in VariousFormats

Report o a Geological Reconnaissance o that Part o the State o Missouri

Adjacent to the Osage River, made to William H. Morrell, Chie Engineer o the Stat

by Order o the Board o Internal Improvement,by Henry King, M.D., Geologist, inSenate Journal Appendix, 1stSession, Missouri 11th General Assembly, p. 506-535,

Jeerson City, 1840.

Geological report o the South-western Branch o the Pacifc Rail Road, State o M

souri, by G.C. Swallow, 110 p., 2 pls., olded map, 1859.

Preliminary Report on the Iron Ores and Coal Fields rom the Field Work 1872, by Raphael Pumpelly, Adolph Schmidt, G.C. Broadhead, and W.B. Potter, 67p., 190 illus., and atlas with 14 large sheets, 1873.

Geology o the Disseminated Lead Deposits o St. Francois and Washington

Counties, by Ernest Robertson Buckley, pt. 1, 275 p., pls. 1-39, 10 gs., pt. 2, pls.

40-121, including geologic map o southeastern Missouri, 1908.

The Oil and Gas Resources o Cass and Jackson Counties Missouri,by Joseph R. Clair, 208 p., 7 pls., 14 gs., 1 tbl., 1943.

Early geologic reports are still useul toresearchers, but until recently many were

not readily available to the public, some areout o print and others dicult to nd inlibraries. The Division o Geology and Land

Survey recently completed a comprehen-sive project o electronically scanning and

cataloging these documents in an eortto preserve them and to make them more

accessible. As a result, many o out-o-printpublications are available again, in CD-ROMormat. Examples o out-o-print publications

that are now available include:

This is scaled-down image of a 1:24,000 scale surcial material map. The area shown includes the

city of Hermann and includes parts of the counties of Gasconade, Montgomery and Warren. When

printed, the complete map is 36" x 44" and includes descriptive text, a legend, stratigraphic column

and cross section illustrations.

Different maps are produced for differentuses. Bedrock geologic maps provideinformation about the layering of bedrockunits and faulting, folding or deformationthat may be present. Bedrock mapsprovide information about the distribu-

tion and structure of consolidated rocksuch as limestone, sandstone, coal andgranite. Surcial material maps focus on

all of the deposits above bedrock. This

includes soil, but it also includes up toseveral hundred feet of deeper uncon-solidated material. Surcial materials

geologic maps indicate the distributionof materials such as residuum, till andalluvium.


6/6

O F M I S S O U R I

PRSRT. STD.

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

PERMIT #215

ROLLA, MO

MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

Division of Geology and Land Survey

111 Fairgrounds Road, Rolla, MO 65401

Published by the

Missouri Departmeno Natural Resources

Division o Geologyand Land Survey

Joe GillmanDirector and State Geologist

Division of Geology and Land Surve

Bill DuleyDeputy Director andAssistant State Geologist

Division of Geology and Land Surve

Edith StarbuckContributing Author

Hylan BeydlerDivision Inormation Ofcer

Mark GordonLayout and Graphics

These and other publications may be purchased from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources

Division of Geology and Land Survey. To order, contact the publications desk at: 573-368-2125 or

1-800-361-4827, or use our online form at: www.dnr.mo.gov/geology/adm/publications/MapsOrder.

htm. For additional information visit our Web site: www.dnr.mo.gov/geology/.

New Geologic MapsOFM-07-523-GS Bedrock geologic map o the Fulton 71/2' quadrangle, Callaway County,Missouri by Mark A. Middendorf, 2007, scale 1:24,000.

OFM-07-524-GS Surfcial material geologic map o the Fulton 71/2' quadrangle, Callaway

County, Missouri by Mike Chalfant, Wyn Kelley and Mike Siemens, 2007, scale 1:24,000.

OFM-07-525-GS Bedrock geologic map o the Readsville 71/2' quadrangle, Callaway and

Montgomery counties, Missouri by Edith A. Starbuck, 2007, scale 1:24,000.

OFM-07-526-GS Surfcial material geologic map o the Readsville 71/2 quadrangle, Cal-

away and Montgomery counties, Missouri by Mike Chalfant, Wyn Kelley and Mike Siemens,

2007, scale 1:24,000.

OFM-07-527-GS Bedrock geologic map o the Williamsburg 71/2' quadrangle, Callawayand Montgomery counties, Missouri by Christopher B. Vierrether, 2007, scale 1:24,000.

OFM-07-528-GS Surfcial material geologic map o the Williamsburg 71/2' quadrangle,

Callaway and Montgomery counties, Missouri by Mike Chalfant, Wyn Kelley and

Mike Siemens, 2007, scale 1:24,000.

OFM-07-529-GS Pre-mining Mulberr y coal thickness and overburden thickness,

Amoret 71/2' quadrangle, Bates County, Missouri by Scott Kaden, Lacy Moore and

Michael Hill, 2007, scale 1:24,000.

the geologic column of missouri - vol 3 - issue 2

Documents