Guide to the Geology of the AppleRiver Canyon State Park andSurrounding Area of NortheasternJo Daviess County, IllinoisWayne T. FrankieIllinois State Geological Survey

Robert S. NelsonIllinois State University

Field Trip Guidebook 2002B October 19, 2002November 2, 2002

George H. Ryan, Governor

Department of Natural ResourcesBrent Manning, Director

ILLINOIS STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEYWilliam W. Shilts, Chief

Geological Science Field Trips The Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) conducts four free tours each year to acquaint the public with the rocks, mineral resources, and landscapes of various regions of the state and the geological processes that have led to their origin. Each trip is an all-day excursion through one or more Illinois counties. Frequent stops are made to explore interest-ing phenomena, explain the processes that shape our environment, discuss principles of earth science, and collect rocks and fossils. People of all ages and interests are welcome. The trips are especially helpful to teachers who prepare earth science units. We ask, however, that grade school students be accompanied by at least one parent or guardian for each five students. High school science classes should be supervised by at least one adult for each ten students.

A list of guidebooks of earlier field trips for planning class tours and private outings may be obtained by contacting the Geoscience Outreach Coordinator, Illinois State Geological Survey, Natural Resources Building, 615 East Peabody Drive, Champaign, IL 61820-6964. Telephone: 217- 244-2427 or 217-333-4747. This information is on the ISGS home page:

http://www.isgs.uiuc.edu.

Six USGS 7.5-Minute Quadrangle maps (Apple River, Elizabeth Northeast, Scales Mound East, Scales Mound West, Shullsburg, and Warren) provide coverage for this field trip area.

v Printed with soybean ink on recycled paper

Printed by authority of the State of Illinois 3/02 - 1M

Cover photo: Apple River Canyon State Park (photo by W. T. Frankie).

ILLINOIS

NATURALRESOURCES

DEPARTMENT OF

Jonathan H. Goodwin, Chair Michael L. Barnhardt David R. Larson B. Brandon Curry John H. McBride Anne L. Erdmann Donald G. Mikulic

William R. Roy

Editorial Board

Guide to the Geology of the AppleRiver Canyon State Park andSurrounding Area of NortheasternJo Daviess County, IllinoisWayne T. Frankie,Illinois State Geological Survey

Robert S. NelsonIllinois State University

Field Trip Guidebook 2002B October 19, 2002November 2, 2002

George H. Ryan, Governor

Department of Natural ResourcesBrent Manning, Director

ILLINOIS STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEYWilliam W. Shilts, ChiefNatural Resources Building615 E. Peabody DriveChampaign, IL 61820-6964Home page: http://www.isgs.uiuc.edu/

CONTENTSIntroduction 1Geologic Framework 1 Precambrian Era 1 Paleozoic Era 2Depositional History 3 Paleozoic Era 3 Stratigraphic Units and Contacts 3 Mesozoic Era 7Ancient Environmental History 7Stratigraphy 12 Bedrock Names 12 Ordovician Period 12 Silurian Period 12Structural Setting 14 Wisconsin Arch 14Preglacial History of Northwestern Illinois 14 Erosion Surfaces 15Glacial History of Illinois 16 Pleistocene Epoch 16Geomorphology 21 Wisconsin Driftless Section 21 Rock River Hill Country 23Natural Divisions and Geology 23 Natural Divisions 23 Wisconsin Driftless Division 24 Drainage 24 Relief 24Natural Resources 24 Mineral Production 24 Groundwater 25 Future of Mineral Industries in Illinois 25

GUIDE TO THE ROUTE 27STOP DESCRIPTIONS 47 1 Rutherford’s Quarry and Dolomite Prairie 54 2 Youngbluth Quarry 56 3 Benton Mound 59 4 Lunch 60 5 Cox Quarry 62 6 Wenzel Mound Quarry 65

REFERENCES 70RELATED READINGS 71GLOSSARY 74SUPPLEMENTARY READING 82

Generalized geologic column showing succession of rocks in Illinois.

10,000

Period or Systemand Thickness

Age(years ago)E

po

ch

Holocene

General Types of Rocks

Pliocene

Paleocene

Quaternary0-500'

Tertiary0-500'

Cretaceous0-300'

Pennsylvanian0-3,000'

("Coal Measures")

Mississippian0-3,500'

Devonian0-1,500'

Silurian0-1,000'

Ordovician500-2,000'

Cambrian1,500-3,000'

Precambrian

1.8 m5.3 m

33.7 m

54.8 m

65.0 m

144 m

290 m

323 m

354 m

417 m

443 m

490 m

543 m

Era

Ag

eo

fM

am

ma

lsA

ge

of

Re

ptile

sA

ge

ofA

mp

hib

ian

sa

nd

Ea

rly

Pla

nts

Ag

eo

fIn

ve

rte

bra

tes

CE

NO

ZO

IC"R

ece

nt

Life

"M

ES

OZ

OIC

"Mid

dle

Life

"P

AL

EO

ZO

IC"A

ncie

nt

Life

"

Recent alluvium in river valleys

Glacial till, glacial outwash, gravel, sand, silt,lake deposits of clay and silt, loess and sand

dunes; covers nearly all of state except north-west corner and southern tip

Chert gravel, present in northern, southern andwestern Illinois

Mostly micaceous sand with some silt and clay;presently only in southern Illinois

Mostly clay, little sand; present only in southernIllinois

Mostly sand, some thin beds of clay, and, locally,gravel, present only in southern Illinois

Largely shale and sandstone with beds of coal,limestone, and clay

Black and gray shale at base, middle zone ofthick limestone that grades to siltstonechert, and shale; upper zone of interbeddedsandstone, shale, and limestone

Thick limestone, minor sandstones and shales;largely chert and cherty limestone in southernIllinois; black shale at top

Principally dolomite and limestone

Largely dolomite and limestone but containssandstone, shale, and siltstone formations

Chiefly sandstones with some dolomite and shale;exposed only in small areas in north-centralIllinois

Igneous and metamorphic rocks; known inIllinois only from deep wells

Ple

isto

ce

ne

Gla

cia

l Ag

eE

oce

ne

Ag

eo

fF

ish

es

4

0-100Mosalem

Tete des Morts15-20

Dolomite, light gray, slightly cherty, thick-bedded

medium to fine-grained, relatively pure.

Dolomite, gray, cherty; medium-bedded; lower part

is very argillaceous dolomite grading to dolomitic

shale at base.;

Figure 2 Generalized stratigraphic column from the top of the Niagaran (middle Silurian) to the base of the Champlainian (middle Ordovician) in the field trip area (modified from Kolata and Buschbach 1976). Figure continues on the next page.

5

6

normal fault reverse fault

fault plane

fault line

footwall

hanging wall

normal fault after erosion and burial

horst

graben

Figure 3  Diagrammatic illustrations of fault types that may be present in the field trip area. A fault is a fracture in the Earth’s crust along which there has been relative movement of the opposing blocks. A fault is usually an inclined plane, and when the hanging wall (the block above the plane) has moved up relative to the footwall (the block below the fracture), the fault is a reverse fault. When the hanging wall has moved down relative to the footwall, the fault is a normal fault.

x

xx

zx

A B

Figure 4  Schematic drawings of (A) a disconformity and (B) an angular unconformity (x represents the conformable rock sequence, and z is the plane of unconformity).

8

Plum ZoRiver Faul nt e

MIS

SIS

SIP

PI R

IVE

RA

RC

H

Glasford

WISCO

NSIN

ARCH Des Plaines

Sandwich Fault Zone

KANKAKEEARCH

Kentland

La Salle

Royal

Cente

rFo

rtvill

e

Mt. C

armel

CIN

CIN

NAT

IA

RC

H

Pennyrile F.S.

Moorman

Central F.S.

Fluo

rspa

rAr

ea F

.C.

Roe

ugh Crw

eek-Shawn eto n SF. .

Wab

ash

Valle

yCla

yC

ity

SANGAMON

ARCH

WE

ST

ER

N

SH

ELF

Anticlinorium

FAIRFIELD

BASIN

Sal

em

Fishhook

Pittsfield

Du

Quo

in

Loud

en

SPARTA

SHELF

Waterloo-D

upoValmeyer

Linc

Foln

old

Cap au Gr�s F.F .

Marshall-S

idell

OZARK

DOME

OmahaDomeCottage Grove

HicksDome

F.S. Faul

t

Sys

tem

Lusk

Creek

F.Z.

Ste. G

.

enevieev F .Z

PASCOLA

ARCH

Reelfo

ot R

ift

OmahaDome

MISSISSIPPI EMBAYMENT

0

0

20 40 60 mi

40 80 km

AnticlineSynclineMonoclineFault, ticks on

downthrown sideCrypto-explosive or

impact structure

F.C.F.F.F.S. Fault System

Faulted Flexure

F.Z.

Fault Complex

Fault Zone

Apple River Canyon State Park

Figure 5 Structural features of Illinois (modified from Buschbach and Kolata 1991).

10

Figure 7  Bedrock geology beneath the surficial deposits in Illinois.

11

Figure 8  Bedrock valleys of Illinois (modified from Piskin and Bergstrom 1975).

18

Figure 12  Generalized map of the glacial deposits in Illinois (modified from Willman and Frye 1970).

19

“Woodfordian”

Figure 13 The sequence of glaciations and interglacial drainage in Illinois.

20

Yearsbeforepresent Sediment record

Dominant climate conditionsDominant land forming and soil

forming events

Time-distance diagramInterglacial andglacial episodes

HO

LO-

CE

NE

(not

to s

cale

)P

LEIS

TOC

EN

E E

PO

CH

10,000

interglacialepisode

25,000

75,000

125,000

300,000

425,000

1,600,000and older

WISCONSIN(late)glacialepisode

WISCONSIN(early and middle)

glacial marginnorth of Illinois

SANGAMONinterglacial

episode

ILLINOISglacialepisode

YARMOUTHinterglacial

episode

?

PRE-ILLINOISglacial

and

interglacialepisodes

River, lake, wind, andslope deposits.

Till and ice-marginaldeposits; outwash andglacial lake deposits;loess.

Loess; river, lake, andslope deposits.

River, lake, wind, andslope deposits.

Till and ice-marginaldeposits; outwash andglacial lake deposits;loess.

River, lake, wind, andslope deposits.

Till and ice-marginaldeposits; outwash andglacial lake deposits;loess plus nonglacialriver, lake, wind, andslope deposits.

Warm; stable landscape conditions.Formation of modern soil; running wa-ter, lake, wind, and slope processes.

Cold; unstable landscape conditions.Glacial deposition, erosion, andlandforming processes (e.g., formationof end moraines, outwash plains, valleytrains, proglacial lakes, kettles), plusrunning water, lake, wind, and slopeprocesses.

Cool; stable.Weathering, soil formation (FarmdaleSoil and minor soils); wind and runningwater processes.

Warm; stable.Weathering, soil formation (SangamonGeosol); running water, lake, wind, andslope processes.

Cold; unstable.Glacial deposition, erosion, and land-forming processes, plus proglacialrunning water, lake, wind, and slopeprocesses; possible minor soilformation.

Warm; stable.Long weathering interval with deep soilformation (Yarmouth Geosol); runningwater, lake, wind, and slope processes.

Alternating stable and unstable inter-vals of uncertain duration.Glacial deposition, erosion, andforming processes, plus proglacialand interglacial running water, lake,wind, and slope processes; interglacialweathering and soil formation.

land-

?

glacialice

1

2

3

4

5

6

Figure 14 Timetable illustrating the glacial and interglacial events sediment record, and dominant climate conditions of the Ice Age in Illinois (modified from Killey 1998).

22

Figure 15  Physiographic divisions of Illinois (modified from Leighton et al. 1948).

37

0 .5 1 mi

0 .5 1 kmN

START

1

38

0 .5 1 mi

0 .5 1 kmN

1

39

0 .5 1 mi

0 .5 1 kmN

2

40

0 .5 1 mi

0 .5 1 kmN

3

41

0 .5 1 mi

0 .5 1 kmN

4

LUNCH

42

0 .5 1 mi

0 .5 1 kmN

5

43

0 .5 1 mi

0 .5 1 kmN

44

0 .5 1 mi

0 .5 1 kmN

45

0 .5 1 mi

0 .5 1 kmN

46

6

END

To Galena To Warren

0 .5 1 mi

0 .5 1 kmN

51

N

Stockton

City of Apple River

DRAINAGE

DIVIDE

E

W

City of Apple River

Stockton

N

OutletGlacier

Blockedvalley

Lake

City of Apple River

Stockton

West ForkApple River

Mill Creek

Hell’sBranch Coon

Creek

APPLE RIVER

GLA

CIE

RB

OU

ND

AR

Y

South Fork

Buriedvalley

MudRunCreek

North

Fork

ClearC

reek

Yellow

Creek

A

B

C

Figure 18. (A) Pre-Illinois glacial episode drainage (modi-fied from Reinertsen et al.1972). (B) Illinois glacial epi-sode drainage (modified from Reinertsen et al.1972). (C) Post-Illinois glacial episode drainage (modified from Rein-ertsen, Berggren, and Killey 1972).

83

Figure A2 Generalized sequence of strata in the Galena area.

87

88

90

STA

RT

1

4

2

3

5

LU

NC

H

EN

D6

ToW

arre

n

To G

alen

a

01

23

45

6 km

01

23

4 m

iN