Influence of the West Virginia Dome on paleocurrent patterns in the Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian Price Formation in the Central Appalachians

Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian sedimentation was influenced by a positive area known as the West Virginia Dome located in the Central Appalachians of West Virginia. Paleocurrent data collected from the Price Formation demonstrates the significance of the dome on paleoflow patterns. Exposures in West Virginia are located along the Allegheny Front and include the lowermost marine Oswayo Member, Riddlesburg Shale Member, unnamed Upper Member and the uppermost non-marine Rockwell Member. These units overlie the Devonian Hampshire Formation or Greenland Gap Formation and underlie the Mississippian Greenbrier Limestone or Maccrady Formation. At the center of the dome the Price Formation is absent with the Mississippian Greenbrier Limestone unconformably overlying the Devonian Hampshire Formation.;Paleocurrent data were grouped into the Hampshire Formation and into the members of the Price Formation into regions that were analyzed to determine if the West Virginia Dome was tectonically active during the Late Devonian-Early Mississippian, or during the Middle Mississippian. Outcrop locations were chosen around the West Virginia Dome to get a widespread distribution of paleocurrent data. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

Name thesis:degree_name

MS

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Geology and Geography

Year dc:date.available

2001

Author dc:creator

• Murphy, Sheldon James

Contributors dc:contributor

• Thomas Kammer.

• Geology

Identifier

https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/1316

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:researchrepository.wvu.edu:etd-2319