Refined Lithostratigraphy of Upper and Middle Devonian Shales in West Virginia
- National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA (United States)
- West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey, Morgantown, WV (United States)
The evolution of the formal lithostratigraphy for the Middle and Upper Devonian strata in the central Appalachian Basin has been complex. The original terminology (Chemung, Portage, Marcellus, Catskill, and others) was assigned in the latter 19th century. However, by the 1930s, the realization that these units changed in nature dramatically when traced laterally resulted in a crisis in stratigraphy that forced the differentiation of chronostratigraphy from lithostratigraphy. Further, the sheer size of the basin creates challenges, as stratigraphic terminology defined by examination along the outcrop belts at the basin margins is difficult to extend into the subsurface due to the distances involved, the different nature of outcrop and subsurface data, the different perspective of workers attempting to extend units either from the north and west or from the east, and the complex facies changes within the strata. As a result, the facies architecture and associated lithostratigraphic nomenclature for many Middle and Upper Devonian units remained unsettled, particularly in the basin center.
- Research Organization:
- National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, Morgantown, WV, and Albany, OR (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE)
- OSTI ID:
- 1784961
- Report Number(s):
- 30607
- Journal Information:
- WVGES Report of Investigation, Journal Name: WVGES Report of Investigation Vol. 2019
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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