Potential stratigraphic and paleontologic research on basement cover rocks in the Appalachian deep hole
If the thin-skinned thrusting hypothesis is valid, the Southern Appalachians deep hole will penetrate Cambro-Ordovician cover rocks on the lower plate at 5-8 km depth. Stratigraphic and paleontologic studies on cores and cuttings of these cover rocks will allow the deep hole succession to be correlated with the well-known Valley-and-Ridge Cambro-Ordovician succession to the west. Of utmost significance, however, is the fact that paleontologic evidence may be the definite proof that the drill hole has penetrated the cover rocks of the lower plate, thus verifying the thin-skinned thrusting hypothesis. It has been suggested that the cover rocks are an eastward extension of the Valley-and-Ridge Cambro-Ordovician sequence, the upper part of which is dominated by carbonates, shales, and turbidites in which graptolites conodonts, and chitinozoans are common and have been studied by the authors. The depth and duration of the burial of the cover rocks are likely to have caused some metamorphism of the fossils but identifiable specimens might have been preserved as they are beneath obducted ophiolites in Newfoundland, in the cores of the Ouachitas, and in metamorphosed areas of the European Caledonides. Biostratigraphy will date cover rocks sedimentological and tectonic events, and conodonts and acritarchs may provide useful paleotemperature and maturation data. Microfossils may be obtained from cuttings but cores must be taken for graptolite studies and for obtaining large microfossil samples with good dept control and minimal contamination.
- Research Organization:
- Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6876406
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-8510489-
- Journal Information:
- Geol. Soc. Am., Abstr. Programs; (United States), Journal Name: Geol. Soc. Am., Abstr. Programs; (United States) Vol. 17; ISSN GAAPB
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
580100* -- Geology & Hydrology-- (-1989)
580201 -- Geophysics-- Seismology & Tectonics-- (1980-1989)
AGE ESTIMATION
APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS
CAMBRIAN PERIOD
CORRELATIONS
DRILL CORES
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGY
GEOTHERMOMETRY
MOUNTAINS
ORDOVICIAN PERIOD
PALEONTOLOGY
PALEOZOIC ERA
PLATE TECTONICS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
STRATIGRAPHY
TECTONICS