Weverton Formation

The Weverton Formation is a quartzite geologic formation in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. It is considered the basal member of the Chilhowee Group. [1] The Weverton Formation dates back to the Cambrian period.

Weverton Formation
Stratigraphic range: Cambrian
TypeFormation
Unit ofChilhowee Group[1]
Sub-unitsBuzzard Knob Member, Maryland Heights Member, and Owens Creek Member[2]
UnderliesHarpers Formation
OverliesCatoctin Formation and London Conglomerate
Lithology
Primarysandstone, quartzite,
Othershale, siltstone
Location
RegionAppalachia, Mid-Atlantic United States, and Southeastern United States
CountryUnited States
Extent Maryland,  Pennsylvania,  Virginia, and  West Virginia[3]
Type section
Named for Weverton, Maryland

Description

The Weverton Formation is composed of three members: the Buzzard Knob Member, Maryland Heights Member, and Owens Creek Member[2]. The Buzzard Knob member is a coarse-grained quartzite with pervasive cross-beds. The Maryland Heights member consists of metamorphosed siltstone, coarse-grained metamorphosed greywacke, and quartzite. The Owens Creek Member is a coarse-grained to conglomeratic metamorphosed greywacke.[2][4] The formation was deposited in an alluvial environment[4].

The Weverton Formation is considered the main ridge forming unit in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Maryland.[2]

History

The Weverton Formation is sometimes incorrectly spelled Weaverton and has been called the Weverton Sandstone or the Weverton Quartzite.[1][5][6] It was divided into three members originally called the lower, middle, and upper member.[1][2] These members were informally called the Loft Mountain Member, the Oregon Hollow Member, and the Dismal Hollow Member before receiving their formal names in 1992.[2]

gollark: "Calm, organized and intelligent gender"?
gollark: Conspiracy theories are silly. They're obviously seeded by the elites to discourage real knowledge.
gollark: Suuuure.
gollark: Or smarter political organization, but HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
gollark: I agree. Existing problems probably require more people to think of clever ideas and such.

References

  1. King, Philip B. (1950). "Geology of the Elkton area, Virginia" (PDF). U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper. 230: 17–19. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  2. Brezinski, David K. (1992). "Lithostratigraphy of the western Blue Ridge cover rocks in Maryland" (PDF). Maryland Geological Survey Report of Investigations. 55: 9–18. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  3. Paleozoic Sedimentary Successions of the Virginia Valley & Ridge and Plateau
  4. Southworth, Scott; Brezinski, Donald K. (1996). "Geology of the Harpers Ferry quadrangle, Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia" (PDF). U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin. 2123: 12–13. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  5. Williams, G. H.; Clark, W. B. (1893). Maryland, its resources, industries, and institutions; geology. Baltimore, MC: Sun job printing office. p. 68. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  6. Burton, William C.; Froelich, Albert J.; Pomeroy, John S.; Lee, K. Y. (1995). "Geology of the Waterford quadrangle, Virginia and Maryland, and the Virginia part of the Point of Rocks quadrangle" (PDF). U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin. 2095: 15–16. Retrieved 29 June 2018.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.