Geologic formation in the United States
| Brallier Formation |
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| Stratigraphic range: Frasnian - Famennian[1] |
 Outcrop of Brallier Formation on north side of Pennsylvania Turnpike, central Bedford County, near Mile Marker 138 |
| Type | sedimentary |
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| Sub-units | Black Creek Siltstone Member,[2] Minnehaha Springs Member[3] |
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| Underlies | Greenland Gap Group and Scherr Formation |
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| Overlies | Harrell Formation |
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| Thickness | 1350 to 1800 feet in central PA[4] |
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| Lithology |
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| Primary | shale, sandstone |
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| Location |
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| Region | Appalachian Mountains |
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| Country | United States |
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| Extent | Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia |
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| Type section |
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| Named by | Charles Butts, 1918[4] |
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The Devonian Brallier Formation is a mapped bedrock unit in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia.
Description
The Brallier Formation was described by Charles Butts in 1918 as a fine-grained, siliceous shale with few fine-grained sandstone layers, from outcrops in central Pennsylvania. Others expanded usage of the term to rocks in other states.
Stratigraphy
The Brallier is roughly equivalent to the Scherr Formation.
The contact with the underlying Harrell Formation is generally gradational.
Fossils
Hasson and Dennison reported the following fossils from outcrops of the lower Brallier at Keyser, West Virginia, Ridgeville, West Virginia, and McCoole, Maryland:[5]
- Bivalvia: Buchiola retrostriata, Paracardium doris, Pterochaenia fragilis
- Cephalopoda: Bactrites, Orthoceras filosum
- Cricoconarida (class of Mollusca): Styliolina fissurella
- Annelida: Pteridichnites biseriatus
Notable Exposures
Type locality is at a railway station 6 miles northeast of Everett, Bedford County, Pennsylvania.[4]
A large exposure is located in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, along the ramp from U.S. Route 22 west to Route 26 north.[6]
Another good exposure is on the Pennsylvania Railroad bed just west of Altoona, Pennsylvania.[6]
Age
Relative age dating places the Brallier in the late Devonian.
References
- ^ Paleozoic Sedimentary Successions of the Virginia Valley & Ridge and Plateau
- ^ Avary, K.L., and Dennison, J.M., 1980, Back Creek Siltstone Member of Devonian Brallier Formation in Virginia and West Virginia: Southeastern Geology, v. 21, no. 2, p. 121-153.
- ^ Lyke, W.L., 1986, The stratigraphy, paleogeography, depositional environment, faunal communities, and general petrology of the Minnehaha Springs Member of the Scherr Formation: Southeastern Geology, v. 26, no. 3, p. 173-192.
- ^ a b c Butts, Charles, 1918, Geologic section of Blair and Huntingdon Counties, central Pennsylvania: American Journal of Science, 4th series, v. 46, p. 523-537.
- ^ Hasson, Kenneth O., and Dennison, John M., 1978, STRATIGRAPHY OF THE DEVONIAN HARRELL AND MILLBORO SHALES IN PARTS OF PENNSYLVANIA, MARYLAND, WEST VIRGINIA, AND VIRGINIA, Project Final Report for Energy Research and Development Administration Contract #EY-77-C-21-8153, May 1978 [1]
- ^ a b Charles Butts, 1945. Hollidaysburg-Huntingdon folio, Pennsylvania, Folios of the Geologic Atlas 227. United States Geological Survey.
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| Ph | | Pz | | P | | Cisuralian | - Dunkard Group
Greene Formation:
- Windy Gap Limestone
- Windy Gap Coal
- Gilmore Sandstone
- Nineveh Sandstone
- Nineveh Coal
- Nineveh Limestone
- Fish Creek Sandstone
- Claysville Limestone
- Dunkard Coal
- Prosperity Limestone
- Tenmile Coal
- Donley Limestone
- Upper Washington Coal
- Rockport Member
Washington Formation:
- Upper Washington Limestone Member
- Jollytown Limestone Member
- Jollytown Coal
- Middle Washington Limestone Member
- Washington Coal
- Lower Washington Limestone Member
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| C | | ⁋ | | Gzhelian | - Dunkard Group
Waynesburg Formation:
- Upper Waynesburg Member
- Little Washington Coal
- Waynesburg“B” coal
- Middle Waynesburg Member
- Waynesburg“A” coal
- Lower Waynesburg Member
- Monongahela Group
Uniontown Formation:
- Waynesburg coal "No. 11 Coal"
- Gilboy Sandstone Member
- Little Waynesburg Coal
- Waynesburg Limestone Member
- Uniontown Sanstone Member
- Annabelle Shale Member
- Uniontown Coal "No. 10 Coal"
- Uniontown Limestone Member "Great Lime"
- Fulton Shale Member
Pittsburgh Formation:
- Benwood Limestone
- Upper Sewickley Coal
- Upper Sewickley Sandstone Member
- Sewickley Coal "Meigis Creek" "No. 9 Coal"
- Lower Sewickley Sandstone Member
- Sewickley Limestone Member
- Cedarville Sanstone Member
- Redstone-Pomeroy coal "No 8a. Coal"
- Westone Sanstone Member
- Pittsburgh coal seam "No. 8 Coal"
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| Kasimovian | - Conemaugh Group
Casselman Formation:
- Upper Pittsburgh Limestone Member
- Little Pittsburgh coal seam
- Lower Pittsburgh Limestone Member
- Connellsville Member
- Morgantown Member
- Birmingham Member
- Glenshaw Formation
- Ames Limestone
- Pittsburgh Red Beds
- Upper Bakerstown coal
- Upper Saltsburg Sandstone Member
- Woods Run Limestone Member
- Lower Saltsburg Sandstone Member
- Pine Creek Limestone Member
- Buffalo Sandstone Member
- Bush Creek Limestone Member
- Mahoning Formation
- Bush Creek Coal
- Upper Mahoning Sandstone Member
- Mahoning Coal "No. 7a Coal"
- Lower Mahoning Sandstone Member
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| Moscovian | - Allegheny Group
Freeport Formation:
- Upper Freeport Coal "No. 7 Coal"
- Upper Freeport Limestone Member
- Butler Sandstone Member
- Lower Freeport Coal "No. 6a Coal"
- Upper Freeport Limestone Member
- Freeport Sandstone Member
- Kittanning Formation
- Upper Kittanning Coal
- Johnstone Limestone Member
- Middle Kittanning Coal "No. 6 Coal"
- Lower Kittanning Coal "No. 5 Coal"
- Kittanning Sandstone Member
- Clarian Formation
- Clarian Coal "No. 4a Coal"
- Vanport Limestone Member
- Brookville Coal "No. 4 Coal"
- Brookville Member
- Pottsville Group
Beaver River Formation:
- Homewood Sandstone Member "1st Salt Sand"
- Mercer Formation
- Upper Mercer Limestone Member
- Upper Mercer Coal
- Lower Mercer Limestone Member
- Lower Mercer Coal "No. 3 Coal"
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| Bashkirian | - Pottsville Group
Connoquenessing Formation:
- Upper Connoquenessing Sandstone Member "2nd Salt Sand"
- Quakertown Coal "No. 2 Coal"
- Quakertown Fire Clay
- Quakertown Shale
- Lower Connoquenessing Sandstone Member
- Sharon Formation
- Sharon Shale Member
- Sharon Coal "No. 1 Coal"
- Sharon Sandstone
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| M | |
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| D | | Upper | | Famennian | - Venango Group
- Gantz, Hundred-foot sand, Fifty-foot sand, Thirty-foot sand, Nineveh-Snee, Gordon Stray, Fourth Sand, Fifth Sand, Bayard Sand, Elizabeth Sand, Sweet Richard,
- Chadakoin Formation, First Warren
- Bradford Group
- Upper Warren, Lower Warren, Speechely Stray, Speechely, Balltown A, Balltown B, Balltown C, Sheffield, First Bradford, Second Bradford, Third Bradford, Kane
- Elk Group
- 1st Elk Sand, 2nd Elk Sand, 3rd Elk Sand, 4th Elk Sand, 5th Elk Sand
- Ohio Shale
- Catskill Group
- Duncannon Member
- Sherman Creek Member
- Irish Valley Member
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| Frasnian | |
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- Knapp Conglomerate
- Murrysville Sandstone
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| pЄ | Grenville Complex |
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| Ph | | Pz | | C | | ⁋ | | Moscovian | - Betsie Shale
- Grundy Formation
- Hyden Formation
- Kendrick Shale
- Pikeville Formation
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| Bashkirian | - Bee Rock Formation
- Hensley Shale
- Sewannee Formation
- Warren Point Formation
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Devonian
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Part of the exposure at Huntingdon (2017)
Another view at Huntingdon (1924)
