Edited by James E. Palmer and Russell R. Dutcher - University of ...

- 800w_I aJWest East ,.- 0+D5--:0 wcnw >8 so0a-wh400Figure.Y-9.Cross section along Western Kentucky Parkway from Milepost 100 to Leitchfield, illustrating eastward thinning ofChesterian beds.59.859.965.867 -971.973.475.677.07 8.7sandstone beds considered diagnostic of thePennsylvanian.Leitchfield Toll Station, Western KentuckyParkway; turn right on exit ramp.Junction Kentucky Route 259; turn left(south). For the next 3 miles the route is principallyover the outcrop of the LeitchfieldFormation (Late Mississippian). The following15 miles (24 km) are over a moderately- towell dissected plateau capped with rocks ofEarly Pennsylvanian age. Outcrops along thehighway are scarce until the route descendsfrom the upland surface into the valley ofNolin River.Junction Kentucky Routes 259 and 266 atMeredith; turn right (south) on 259.Anneta; continue on Kentucky 259.Grayson-Edmonson County line.Broadway. This is part of the Western Kentuckyrock asphalt district. In this area bitumen-bearingrocks are primarily sandstonesand conglomeratic sandstones of Early Pennsylvanianage. The headwaters of DismalCreek, an area of tar seeps cited in the firstreport of the Kentucky Geological Survey(Owen, 1856), are near this point. Owen(1 856, p. 166-167) wrote that the local inhabitantscollected the tarry oozes and usedthe material, when freed from earthy impurities,for greasing wagons, pitching boats, andother such purposes. However, the developmentof the Kentucky deposits has been almostexclusively for use as paving materials.An area 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of here hasbeen the site of industry-sponsored experimentalwork on extractive techniques for oilrecovery from the bitumen-bearing sandstones.Junction Kentucky Routes 259 and 238 atBee Spring; continue on 259.Junction Kentucky Routes 259 and 728; turnleft (east) on 728.On left, inactive quarry of Cardinal StoneCompany in Glen Dean Limestone. TheLeitchfield Formation is visible in the highwallabove the quarry face. The highest Mississippianunit exposed at this point is theVienna Limestone Member; the Vienna isoverlain by sandstone of Early Pennsylvanianage.79.1 On left, spillway for Nolin Dam. The wallsand floor of the spillway are Pennsylvaniansandstone. Note the tar seeps in the wall ofthe spillway and the difference in elevationbetween this outcrop and the sandstone cappingthe hill above the inactive quarry.79.2 Parking area at west end of Nolin Dam. Lunchstop. This interesting area has been known bygeologists for more than 108 years (fig.(KY-lo), but 'it has only been since the constructionof Nolin Dam and the new highwaysthat it has been readily accessible to studentsof earth sciences and others. Nolin Dam, completedin 1963, is an integral unit of the comprehensiveflood-control plan for the Ohioand Mississippi Rivers. The Nolin River Projectwas designed to reduce flood stages inGreen River Valley and other areas downstreamfrom the dam. Normal pool evelationis 515 feet (157 m) above sea level.In central Kentucky (Edmonson and Hart Counties)the boundary between the Mississippian and Pennsylvaniansequences is delineated by the well developedBrownsville paleovalley. This paleovalley, cut intoChester rocks, is about 21 6 feet (66 m) deep, about 3miles (5 km) wide, and has several well defined benchesalong its sides. The valley is filled with more than 197feet (60 m) of Kyrock sandstone (Caseyville), which isa lower pebbly sandstone and an upper sandstone-andshaleunit. The lower unit is interpreted as a low-sinuositybraided-stream deposit and the upper unit isinterpreted as a series of high-sinuosity meander-streamdeposits.The Brownsville paleovalley and its Kyrock sandstonefill suggest the cutting of a rather narrow anddeep valley during late Chester or Early PennsylvanianFIELD TRIP 9/ROAD LOG