Lithologic Study of the Upper Cambrian of Foster Number 1 Well, Ogemaw County, Michigan By Mansour S. Kashfi A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Department of Geology 1967 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author is grateful to Dr. C.E. Prouty, Chairman, Department of Geology, Michigan State University, under whose kind and patient guidance this problem was under- taken. Sincere appreciation is extended to Dr. Robert Ehrlich and Dr. Jane Smith for their constructive suggestions, encouragement and critical examination of the manuscript. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS AcknowledgementS........................................ List of IllustrationS................................... Figures Tables Introduction............................................ General Purpose and Scope Location and Area History of Previous Work................................ General Structure....................................... Stratigraphy............................................ General Sections Cambrian Section in the Foster Well..................... General Statement Overlying Beds Trempealeau Franconia Dresbach Eauclaire Mount Simon Inplications of Foster well............................. Conclusions 00.000000000000000...to...00000000000000.0000 111 page ii 'V' 1h 20 27 35 .‘CPIOOOIO ....I00.IO ICOCIOOICO log-cocoon o ,. o O O O o n I D I I 0 f O 9 O i O O I I O page BibliograthOOOOQOOo.oooo000000000oooooooooooocoooooooooo 39 Appendix AOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooso0.000000000000000000000 Ah Appendix B‘ooooooooooooooooooo.cocooooooooooooooooooooooo 81 Appendix Cooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 88 iv filo-.0000. 0.0.0.0... CID-too... 0.000.000. Q C O O I O O O I 6 page Bibliograth0000000000000000000000000 39 00000000000000000000 Appendix A000000000000000000000000 4h 00000000000000.00000000 Appendix B'OOOOOOIOOOOOOOOOOOO0...... 81 Appendix 000000000000000000000000 88 iv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figures Page 1. Index.Map-Location of Ogemaw County............. 3 2. Correlation of Ordovician and Cambrian.......... 13 3. General Section................................. 19 h. Bedrock Geology of Wisconsin.................... 31 5. Structure Contour Map of Precambrian............ 32 6. Structure Contour Map of Cambrian............... 33 7. ISOpaCh Map..................................... 3h 8. Sub-Trenton Section from Northeast Illinois in t0 EaSt Central Michigan........................enV€lOpe 9. Sub-Trenton Section from Northeast Ohio to EaSt Central MiChigan..........................o ” 10. Sub-Trenton Section from Beaver Island to EaSt Central Michigan........................... fl ll. Restored Section from Southeast to East Central MiChigan00000000000000000000000000000000 " 12. Gross Lithology of Foster Well Compared to Gamma Ray Neutron L0g000000000000000000000000000 " OCCOCQOOOOOO .0 C...- 0 0 0 a C C a 0 0 0 O C 00.00.... 0 0 0 Q a O V 0 C 0 a- 0 0 o 0 O O O I“ 0 0 a O O C Tables 1. 2. 3. h. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Relative Abundance of I! II I! fl '1 fl Dolomite.................. Sandstone................. Shale..................... Limestone................. Evaporite................. quartz-SiltStone0000000000 MiChigan wellS000000000000000000000000000000000. Ohio we11800000000000000000000000000000000000000 Indiana wellSo0000000000000000000000000000000000 vi Page 82 83 8h 85 86 87 89 91 92 O... 0 0 O b l O INTRODUCTION General The study herein is a part of a general program of study on the Upper Cambrian and Ordovician of the Michigan Basin. Recent successful petroleum exploration in the Ordovician of Southern Michigan and the Upper Cambrian of Northern Ohio has placed emphasis on the need for additional information on the subsurface stratigraphy of these areas. The Upper Cambrian stratigraphy of the Northern Michigan outcrOp is not clearly understood in regard to the typical Upper Cambrian of Wisconsin. One exception is a well core from Delta County (Dixon, 1961) which apparently shows the principal units of the Wisconsin section and therefore serves as a helpful reference well for Southern Michigan Cambrian. Cambrian wells are scarce and widely spaced geograph- ically in the Basin. Special significance is placed there- fore on any well penetrating all or even part of the Cambrian. Distance to other Cambrian wells or the Wisconsin outcrOp makes correlation difficult and most criteria of correlation are cought in these studies. Purpose and Scope The problem involves the study of Upper Cambrian cores and cuttings available from the Foster No. 1 Well, Ogemaw County, Michigan, the deepest well drilled to date in Michigan. The purpose of this work is to make detailed study of the lithologic composition and to compare it to available reference samples, and to any primary information offered through possible fossil content in the samples studied. It is hOped that the t0ps of formations can be selected, that the identification of the particular formations pre- sent can be made, and possible correlations within Southern Michigan and demonstrate lateral relations with Northern Michigan, Wisconsin, Northern Ohio, and Indiana. Location of Area The State-Foster No. 1 Well was drilled in SW k, SE é, SEé, Section 28-T2hN-R2E, Ogemaw County. It is located 3 33C feet from south line and 990 feet from east line of the quarter section. m J *— MICHlGAN DEPARTMENT OF CC"!SERVATION 9 . A‘ o ¢ £ 5" P o“ l“‘ Watu/ ‘4“: SUPERIOR I "TOWN MAM scam . . an n I W: t “on c Im: A ‘- u w - i.’\‘0.\ C 0'},\. m" ' SCHOOLCIAI’Y . ' ‘ {Fl . . . “mason ACAmAc ‘ onu . N I .°Dof 5mm“, A [an cream "not: m: 4‘ J l Luau \‘ mt“ nonwoazncv A $ I’ ‘ -' o ' ° ' KALKASKA cAAz'oao oscooA ALcoxA * ' mm 1 I g nuns: l C o I 3 O 2 L . . A I \ LI ' WM IOSCO . § Ism Itxrono usswxuiaoscmsca oat I o ‘ ' / V " b AREF‘C , . $ 1 ! \- usou LAAI: OSCIOLA CLARE GLAD-rm ‘9 1’ ‘ ‘ 6“? nunou I / § i «an utcosn ISAutLu mouso *— 3‘ . ammo - wscou ”ML“ “3 moon uranium tumor “5"" I ‘ kl m1. 5mm: LAPcu 2:13 I ‘. OTTAWA _ IOFJA (Linton m5!“ V I : HACOHB ‘1 A Fulani 8AA" [ATOM menu LWGSTON\ OAKLAND E. O i 2‘5.) VAN BUSEN MLAquw CALHOUN Jflcnefl 'ASHTiNA'. LENA?!“ '— . U ‘.. S! I :' .mtu CASS BRANCH unison! ' ' [Jason [ O l . ,.....'—--- |WBTA N A o 1 T---.I._‘A.. HISTORY OF PREVIOUS WORK The Michigan structural basin was recognized after the work of Douglas Houghton in 1814. James Hall (l8h3) pub— lished a map indicating the circular pattern of the rocks beneath the glacial drift in Michigan. Most of the reports on Lake Superior geology mention the "Lake Superior Sandstone" primarily because of the prob- lem of its age and stratigraphic relationships to the Kewee- nawan rocks. The question whether the "Lake Superior Sand- stone" is more closely related to the copper bearing rocks of the Michigan Basin has been debated for over a century. Houghton (l837-l8h5) first applied the term "Lake Superior Sandstones" to the lowest Paleozoic rocks in Northern Mich- igan which rest upon the Precambrian complex. Foster and Whitney (1851) published the results of their extensive studies of the geology and physiography of the Lake Superior area and presented the first detailed descriptions of the "Lake Superior Sandstones". They con- sidered the sandstone on both sides of the Keweenaw Penin- sula to be the same age and to be equivalent to the Potsdam of New York. Rominger (1873) believed that the "Lake Super- ior Sandstones" were equivalent to the Potsdam of New York. Van Rise and Bayley (1900) from their studies of the rocks in the Menominee district, proposed the term "Hermans- ville" for the strata which overlie the "Lake Superior Sandstone". Prior to l9hh the Hurst Well No. l, drilled in St. Clair County, Michigan, was the only well in the Southern Peninsula of Michigan to penetrate the full sedimentary section overlying Precambrian rocks. The depth to Pre- cambrian rocks increases considerably northwestward from Washtenaw County toward the center of the Michigan Basin in southeastern Clare County and southwestern Gladwin County, where it is estimated that approximately lh,OOO feet of sediments overlie Precambrian rocks. As the result of subsurface stratigraphic work in the Michigan Basin, Cohee (l9h5) considered the Hermansville to be equivalent to Jordan, Trempealeau and Prairie du Chien, and the Munising Formation equivalent to Eau Claire, Dres- bach and Franconia. Several unpublished theses have been written on various parts of the Munising or Jacobsville Formations. The earli- est of these was by Roberts (19AO), who studied the geology of the Alston district in Houghton and Baraga Counties. Roberts recognized the unconformity between the Jacobsville and Middle Keweenawan flows and concluded that the Jacobs- ville was Cambrian in age. Denning (1949) studied the petrology of the Jacobsville Sandstone and made detailed heavy mineral analyses of a number of samples collected in the Keweenaw Bay area. His work shows that the heavy mineral assemblage of the Jacobs— ville Formation remains relatively constant over a large area and throughout the stratigraphic section. Oetking (1951) studied the Lower Paleozoic rocks in the Munising area in an effort to determine their origin and stratigraphic relationships. He recognized an uncon- formity between the Jacobsville and Munising and on the basis of similarities in lithology and heavy mineral suites correlated the Jacobsville with the Bayfield of Wisconsin. Although he recognizes no lithologic break within the Munising Formation, Oetking (1951) reports a break in heavy mineral suites and correlates the Munising with Dresbach and Franconia. On the basis of fossils collected in the "Au Train" Formation Oetking established its age as Middle Ordovician which is indicated on his map to overlap the Hermansville Formation. Driscoll (1956) studied the heavy minerals from sam- ples collected from the Munising and Jacobsville between Marquette and Grand Marais. His heavy mineral work was much more detailed than Oetking's and it shows that the change in the heavy mineral suite is at the contact be- tween the "Pictured Rocks" and "Miner's Castle" members. Driscoll believes that the upper Munising represents a transgressive-regressive cycle of the Upper Cambrian seas. The lower units of the Upper Munising, or transgressive phase, represent the Franconia and the upper units, the regressive phase, represent the Jordan of southern Wis- consin. He bases these conclusions on the "upwardly in- creasing garnet percentages" in the Munising Formation. Many of the early workers based their correlation on 0p: uni ,A.- .v‘ t”: n v". the lithologic similarity between the Jacobsville and var- ious red sandstones of Late Paleozoic age. The more recent correlations, however, are based primarily on stratigraphic position with most of the disagreements resulting because the authors were unable to examine enough outcrOps to estab- lish a regional picture for the problem. GENERAL STRUCTURE The Michigan Basin is a roughly circular structural basin. It includes the Southern Peninsula and eastern Wis- consin, northeastern Illinois, northern Indiana, northwestern Ohio, and western Ontario. The Basin is bordered on the west by the Wisconsin Arch, on the south by the Kankakee Arch, and on the east by the Findlay-Algonquin Arch. The Basin in- cludes an area of 122,000 square miles, part of which is covered by Lakes Michigan, Huron, and St. Clair. Only a few wells have been drilled to the Precambrian basement rocks around the margin of the basin, and none of the wells drilled in the deeper part of the Basin reached the basement. The basement was reached in two wells drilled on Beaver Island at the northern end of Lake Michigan. In one well, the basement was reached at a depth of 4,705 feet below sea level, and another well drilled about 3 miles to the southwest, someshat down the dip, reached weathered granite about 700 feet higher. The amount of physiographic relief on the old weathered basement surface is of the order of hundreds of feet. A well at the southern end of Lake Michigan reached basement at a depth of 3,628 feet below sea level. A few wells were drilled to the basement along the Kankakee Arch in Indiana, the Findlay Arch in north- western Ohio, southeastern Michigan, and southwestern On- tario. Here basement was reached at depths of from 2,000 to 3,000 feet below sea level. Many wells in southern Michigan have been drilled into the Cambrian sequence, but not en- tirely through it. In the Northern Peninsula at the northern edge of the Michigan Basin, the Precambrian rocks trend in an east-west direction, with the pattern dominated by a series of high- angle faults. Gravity data show that these trends probably connect with other trends in the Southern Peninsula (Gamas, et al., 1961; Case and Gair, 1965). The Bouguer gravity anomaly map of mid-western United States, published by Rudman, Summerson and Hinze (1965), shows a gravity high, which is labeled trend B, extending northwest-southeast through the Michigan Basin. This "high" extends northward into Lake Superior and from there westward through the lake area to the western end, where it is a part of the prominent gravity feature known as the Mid-Continent gravity "high". Thiel (1956) showed that the positive part of the "Mid-Continent High" originated from dense basalt flows of Keweenawan age and that parallel negative anomalies result from a contrast with low-density Keweenawan sediments. Rudman and others show another linear positive anomaly, trend C, extending from eastern Kentucky across the Cincinnati Arch into southwestern Michigan. Zietz (1967) and others have pointed out the strong {mssibility that the Michigan trend may tie up with the éuea of east-west-trending gravity and magnetic anomalies filthe iron district in the Northern Peninsula. They state that the magnetic data indicates that anomaly C is not a lO continuing lithologic unit. The tectonic map of Canada reveals numerous folded areas and major faults at the northern edge of the Michigan Basin, and similar features occur in northern Michigan and Wisconsin bordering the Basin. We can assume that the base- ment under the Michigan Basin is characterized by such fea- tures. We know that the Howell Anticline, which is at the southeast end of the strong northwest-southeast anomaly through central Michigan, has been elevated at different times during the Paleozoic age and that some faulting has taken place along the fold (Cohee, 1965a). It is believed that other structural features such as faults and folds in the basement of the Michigan Basin, were likewise reactivated at different times. According to Ekblaw (1948) the major movement of the Wisconsin Arch occurred in post-Cambrian time with less movement possibly occurring during Cambrian time. The first major movement of the Kankakee Arch was after ShakOpee time, but before St. Peter time. The Wisconsin Arch was apparently elevated at various times in Upper Cambrian and possibly Lower Ordovician time, as suggested by the predominance of sandstone in deposits of these ages in eastern Wisconsin. The dolomite/sand ration in these rocks increases southward and eastward from Wisconsin. The Eau Claire, Trempealeau, and Prairie du Chien rocks con- tain much sandstone on the west side of Michigan but are less ll sandy on the east. The Findlay Arch was apparently elevated during Upper Cambrian time as suggested by the thinning of the Mount Simon sandstone eastward from Illinois and over the arch (Cohee, 1948). Major uplift at the close of Lower Ordo- vician time is indicated by the erosion of Lower Ordovician and Upper Cambrian rocks along parts of the arch in north- western Ohio and by the absence of all Cambrian and Lower Ordovician rocks on the arch in parts of Ontario. A drOp by faulting of more than 200 feet in the tOp of the Trenton limestone is indicated between well locations in the vicin- ity of Findlay, Cygnet, and Bowling Green, Ohio. The fault, which is downthrown on the west, extends northward and con- nects with the Lucas County (0hio)-Monroe County (Michigan) monocline. A structurally low area in Kent County, Ontario, re- ferred to by Kay (1948) as the Chatham Sag was depressed at frequent times during the Paleozoic era as indicated by the increased thickness of certain Paleozoic rocks in that area. The sag probably served as a connection between the Michigan and Appalachian Basins at various times. Likewise, the Logansport Sag on the Kankakee Arch near LoganSport, Cass County, Indiana, was probably a structurally low area connecting the Michigan and Illinois Basins at times. The structure of the rocks in the area of the Loganspost Sag has been discussed by Phinney, Logan, Cummings and Shrock (1948). 12 The Michigan Basin may have originated in Precambrian time, but important deformation in the Basin is believed to have occurred in Salina (Silurian) time (Cohee 1948) and in late Mississippian time (Kilbourne, 1947). The tOp of the Precambrian is estimated to lie at a depth of approx- imately 14,000 feet in the center of the Michigan Basin in southeastern Clare and southwestern Gladwin Counties. Little is known about the northern extension of the Michigan Basin. A well at Grand Marais in northeastern Alger County penetrated 7,700 feet of sandstone, which sug- gests that the Basin continues as a narrow trough into Lake Superior and is bordered by Precambrian crystalline and metamorphic rocks. It is possible, however, that a Precam- brian range, built by folding and continuous with the meta- morphic rocks in the western part of the Northern Peninsula, extends eastward under the Paleozoic sedimentary rocks. 13 Cambrian a Michigan Basin .p 0% Northern Peninsula Southern Peninsula Trenton Trenton Black River Black River Glenwood . St. Peter as 3‘ Shak0pee Dolomite g 2 .4 c: 0 s: E 0 New Richmond 83 I! E o . a o Hennansville :5 Oneota Dolomite (Au Train) 3: Jordan as 53 e ° .2 '3 a Lodi Dolomite AE / E [g / ° 5" St. Lawrence D01. l Franconia as Dre sbach ss. Munising ss 0‘) 2" (Eastern part) ‘ OE Eau Claire ss '8 gs ‘0 3 Mount Simon as A 1 5V Jacobsville as (Eastern part) «1300133171118 (?) Figure 2—Corre1ation of Ordovician and Cambrian Formations of the Michigan 3351110 (in part after Cohee and Bridge, 1948) 14 STRATIGRAPHY General Section: Southward from Northern Michigan into Wisconsin and Illinois, eastward across the Northern Peninsula, Middle Ordovician rocks overlap progressively older rocks, and on Manitoulin and adjacent islands, Black River rocks of Middle Ordovician age rest on Precambrian. This same stra- tigraphic relationship is observed in other outcrOp areas in Ontario and in deep wells that have penetrated the full section of sedimentary rocks. Pre-Black River erosion re- moved most of the older Paleozoic rocks from the underlying Precambrian in southwestern Ontario and in some places only a thin remnant of Upper Cambrian sandstone and some dolomite occurs between Middle Ordovician and Precambrian rocks. The aggregate thickness of these rocks increases south- westward from Michigan toward Illinois and thins southeast- ward over the Findlay Arch in southeastern Michigan and northwestern Ohio. The rocks increase in thickness east- ward into the Appalachian Basin from the Findlay Arch. Upper Cambrian sandstones, which may be more than 2500 feet thick in places, are the oldest deposits on the Pre- cambrian surface. Granite and metamorphic rocks have been found at the tap of the Precambrian in most of the wells that have been drilled through the sedimentary rocks in the Michigan Basin. The greatest thickness of Precambrian rocks penetrated in 15 the Southern Peninsula of Michigan is the well studied by Yettaw (1967), where more than 800 feet of granite has been drilled. Rocks of Upper Cambrian age underlie Middle Ordovician rocks and rest on Precambrian rocks in a large part of south- eastern Michigan. The thickness of Cambrian rocks varies from 1160 feet in Washtenaw County to 140 feet in St. Clair County. This variation in thickness is due to the uncon- formity at the base of Middle Ordovician rocks which was brought about by uplift and erosion at the close of Lower Ordovician time. Cambrian rocks are missing in parts of Kent, Lambston, and other counties in southwestern Ontario, and in these places Middle Ordovician rocks overlie Precam- brian rocks. Overlying the Precambrian rocks in the Northern Penin- sula of Michigan the following section is recognized: Jacobsville Sandstone The Jacobsville Formation was named by Lane and Seaman (1907) after the little town of Jacobsville. This red sand- stone is considered of Cambrian age by Hamblin (1958) and felt to be of Precambrian age by Thwaites (1934) and Trow (1967). Jacobsville thickens greatly to the north where it may be several thousand feet thick. Mbunt Simon Sandstone The Upper Cambrian Mount Simon sandstone rests on Precambrian rock, in the same places where Jacobsville is absent. The Mt. Simon reaches its maximum thickness in 16 northeastern Illinois, where it is 2500 feet thick. The sandstone thins eastward from Illinois. It is only 300 feet thick in southeastern Michigan, and is absent in parts of southwestern Ontario. It is a medium-to-coarse-grained sandstone with subangular to rounded grains, a few thin beds of dolomite and sandy dolomite occurring in the upper part of the sandstone. Eau Claire Sandstone This sandstone consists of sand, shale, and dolomite 'which is shaly and sandy. The dolomite beds in the Eau Claire may be gray to dark gray, pink, purple and red to brown in color, and the shale also is variously colored. Glauconite is locally abundant in the formation west of the Findlay Arch. The Eau Claire is much more sandy in western Michigan, northwestern Indiana, Illinois, and east- ern Wisconsin than it is in eastern Michigan, Ohio, and northeastern Indiana. It is also much more sandy northward in Michigan, and is mostly sandstone in the Northern Pen— insula. It is approximately 600 feet thick in northeastern Illinois but thins to 250 feet in southeastern Michigan. Dresbach Sandstone This unit is recognized in Wisconsin, Illinois, Mich- igan, and northwestern Indiana. It is absent in north- eastern Indiana but is present in northwestern Ohio and continues eastward across the Findlay Arch. In southeastern Michigan it is approximately 100 feet thick and is coarse sandstone with well rounded grains. Thin beds of dolomite Av» \ | H\ il 17 are found in parts of the sandstone. Franconia Sandstone This unit overlies the Dresbach Sandstone, which con- sists of fine, angular grains of quartz and thin beds of sandy dolomite. The sandstone in places is generally very glauconitic. In southeastern Michigan it is 10 to 20 feet thick, but in northeastern Illinois, where it is sandstone and sandy dolomite, it attains a thickness of 70 feet in places; in eastern Wisconsin the sandstone is red and pink in some areas and as much as 140 feet thick, the basal part of the Franconia sandstone at many places in Wisconsin consisting mainly of reworked sand grains of the Dresbach. Trempealeau Formation The Trempealeau is a distinct lithologic unit consist- ing predominantly of dolomite, somewhat sandy in parts, but also including some shaly dolomite and dolomitic shale at the base. It is 700 feet thick in northern Indiana but thins westwardly into northeastern Illinois to 400 feet; and to 500 feet in southeastern Michigan. The formation is generally sandy at the t0p and may be sandy at the base in places. Small amounts of chert are found in the Trempealeau. A considerable thickness of pink dolomite is found locally, but may disappear rapidly laterally. The Trempealeau in the typical area (Ulrich, 1924) is divided into the St. Lawrence, Lodi, and Jordan sand- stone members in ascending order. 18 St. Lawrence Member Winchell, N.H. (1874) described the St. Lawrence lime- stone, named by Alexander Winchell (1872), as the 14.5 feet of glauconitic and sandy dolomite occurring in quarries at the village of St. Lawrence, Scott County, Minnesota. The basal part consists of gray, sandy, very glauconitic dolo- mite overlain by dark gray to black dolomitic shale and dolomite. Lodi Member The Lodi was named by Ulrich (192h). It is generally white to buff dolomite, slightly sandy. Pink dolomite occurs locally in southeastern Michigan. Jordan Sandstone Member The Jordan sandstone was named by Winchell (1874) for the exposures at Sand Creek near the town of Jordan, Scott County, Minnesota. This member is not present in southeastern Michigan and northwestern Ohio, but is represented by sandy dolo- mite in northern Indiana. The sandstone is present in the Northern Peninsula where it is 5 to 30 feet thick and consists of well rounded, frosted and pitted quartz grains .(Cohee, 1948). 1‘? Standard Ozark Region "i:_=.c~::-n.:_'-_n Great Valley Central Great Valley Section I—Iissouri I';'_rin.;>sotf' Appalachians Pennsyl'i.“:.nia Southern Pa. Northern Va. 0) e o no - .. 11 u s ' " - :3 5'3 Ordovician Ordovician Orrkwician Ordovicim . Ordovician Madison 72:. :3 g uordan '2 Eminence ,3 Ifember 8, dolomite 3 g a ------~“-‘“ A c: & Lodi '0- V . v t" L— .. .— ._ .— .— -- E Icembcr 0 :3 : .2 .0 P013051 dolomit4 9* St.Lawrence ”g g E 0 2:2 ' r—1 «4 DOG Run A Bad Axem ,3 45; a dolomite E m —————— go o :E g . Derby Hudson 3 a, a) 4; ___d£lo_u_ni_t_e __ Member 0: no 8 o 5 e a . 5‘ e. “’ 2i '8 ° '2 5 :3 'g g. o h' 0 a ”E! 8 o 0 t3 3 E. o (5 5 Good- (5 g :3 o g Davis g. enough 2 .5 a A It: 5 Formation c“ Member 8 8 a. o c D A; Ironton g 8 Member Gale sville [Maynardsvifi ' J 5 Bonneterre .c: . E dolomite E Eau Claire Nolichuclqr, Warrior :2? «a Member Shale Formation E A A Iamotte 83 Mt. Smo' n as “W Figure 3—General Section Correlation Table Showing Upper Cambrian Nomenclature in Several Areas . Modified after the G.S.A. Bulletin (191.1.) 20 CAMBRIAN SECTION IN THE FOSTER WELL General Statement The Foster No. 1 Well, the subject of this study, is the deepest well drilled in the Michigan Basin. The well was completed as a dry hole at a depth of 13,000 feet, in Upper Cambrian sandstone. Well cuttings were studied under a binocular micro- scope in order to observe lithologic differences and to examine the relation between the lithology and gamma ray- neutron log characteristics. Stratigraphic position, lithologic and heavy mineral similarities are used as the bases for determining the correlations. A number of fig- ures, cross sections, structure contour maps and iSOpach maps are constructed to help the interpretation of strati- graphy, regional structure and correlations. These will be fully discussed in later sections. The following description covers the section from the Black River, Ordovician to the bottom of the well in low Upper Cambrian. Well cuttings taken at five-foot inter- vals in the well were compared to core chips from 11,640 feet to 12,3h5 feet. From 12,3h5 feet to the bottom of the well at 12,995, only core chips were studied. The Cambrian section, indicating the formation ele- vations and thickness, can be observed from Figure ll, and Appendix B, and from the detailed descriptions of the Upper Cambrian, Appendix A. Allmajor units of the Upper Cambrian 21 standard of the Upper Mississippi Valley, the Mount Simon, Eau Claire, Dresbach, Franconia and Trempealeau, are repre- sented in the Foster Well. Subdivisions of the Trempealeau, the St.Lawrence, Lodi, and Jordan are not recognized in the well. Overlying‘Beds Lower Ordovician sections are discussed in detail in Appendix A. Trempealeau---985 feet This formation, as indicated in Figure 11, consists of intermixed carbonates and elastic rocks. The prOportion of them are shown in Appendix B. Dolomite: gray to brownish gray, buff, occasionally dark gray to black, some fine crystalline texture. Almost all dolomite particles have some hairline fractures, most of which are covered by fine crystalline gypsum; prOportion of dolomite in this section is slightly greater than sand- stone, mostly occurs in upper part, becomes sandy dolomite in lower part; some oil stains. Sandstone: consists highly of clear quartz grains, fine to coarse grained, predominately medium size, rounded to sub- angular, fine grained usually are better rounded in middle part; white, colorless, sometimes orange to reddish; inclu- sions in some quartz grains; major part of sandstone in the middle part of this section, approximately 110 feet; becomes sandy dolomite associated with some salt toward lower part. Limestone: rather white in color, intermixed with other rocks, 22 especially in lower part of section. Salt: some small prOportion of salt associated with sandy dolomite in lower part. Between 10,820 to 10,840 feet, salt comprises 80 percent of whole rock. Heavy minerals: small pieces of muscovite in upper part, tend to occur with sandstone; iron oxide (mostly limonite), pyrite, glauconite are scattered throughout the section. Zircon, tourmaline and an Opaque mineral (possibly garnet) are observed in this unit. Fossils: BrachiOpod fragments are observed mostly in car- bonate part of this unit. Franconia---l95 feet This formation is readily recognized on the gamma ray- neutron log (Fig. 11). Sandy dolomite: major portion of this unit dolomite, gray to brown, dark brown, with some hairline fractures; dolomite occurs mostly in lower part; oil stains. Sandstone: fine grained, rounded, frosted, some orange to pink quartz crystals; sandstone found mostly in upper part; some small prOportion of limestone and quartz-siltstone intermixed through this section, average 2 per cent of salt, ‘slight increase toward lower part; bottom 25 feet is asso- ciated with almost 10 percent of salt. Heavy minerals: glauconite is found in middle part in sandy dolomite, muscovite in upper part, some limonite is scattered through this section; Opaque mineral, probably garnet. 23 Fossils: brachiOpod shells in upper part, disappear in middle, and reappear in lower part. Dresbach---515 feet This formation has high evaporite content (Table 5). Dolomite: light gray to dark brown, crystalline, very small seams of calcite intermixed with dolomite particles, sandy upper part, extend to middle section of this unit, from middle part toward the bottom, of this formation shaley dolomite have highest prOportion in Dresbach. Sandstone: grayish brown, fine to coarse grained, angular to rounded, occasional frosting; sandstones are mostly found in upper part, decrease toward middle part, rare towards base; proportion of sandstone is less than dolomite. Shale: dark to black; some thin flakes of green shale, in- creases toward bottom of section. Limestone: occurs in small prOportions in power part; high vugular porosity. Quartz-siltstone: white, colorless, very finely crystalline, alternating with other rock types through the whole unit. Salt: white to buff, 25 feet of rock in the upper part con- tains approximately 30 percent salt; the middle part shows (a small proportion of salt, locally with anhydrite, in the middle and lower parts of this unit. Heavy minerals: iron oxide, limonite, hematite with good prOportion of muscovite in upper part occur with sandy dolo- mite, pyrite, glauconite. 2h Fossils: brachiOpod fragments; a fragmented gastrOpod shell. Eau Claire---655 feet The EauClair characteristically shows a high glauconite content which is helpful in making correlations. The tOp of the formation shows clearly on the gamma ray-neutron log (Fig- ure ll). Dolomite: gray to brownish buff, intermixed with some shale, shaley dolomite, locally dolomitic shale; some fractures in dolomite particles show secondary calcite, gypsum; dolomite intermixed with sandstone throughout the formation; increasing shaley dolomite toward tOp; some oil stains. Sandstone: fine grained, white, rounded, intermixed with dolomite, highest portion of sandstone occurs in middle part. Limestone: occurs with high porocity due to solution (vugs), intermixed with other rocks scattered in whole section, pro- portion of limestone is less than dolomite and sandstone. Quartz-siltstone: white, soft, occurring as minor consti- tuent. Anhydrite: rather good prOportion found in middle, increasing towards upper part; frace of salt in upper part; a few crystals of calcite. Heavy minerals: iron oxide mixed with oil stains, high content of glauconite; a few flakes of muscovite. Fossils: some brachiOpod shells scattered in upper part of the unit. 25 Mount Simon---l50 feet The Mount Simon varies only slightly from tOp to the bottom of that portion drilled at total depth of well. Dolomite: intermixed with dolomitic shale, brown to gray, most dolomite particles covered by gypsum crystals; thin beds of green shale; occurrence of dolomite is greater in upper portion of this unit; prOportion of dolomite and dolomitic shale is higher than other rock types; color of dolomite is darker in lower portion. Shale: rather dark, some micaceous, and containing heavy minerals, mostly in upper portion of this unit, some scat- tered in middle and lower part; shale proportion is less than dolomite. Sandstone: white, colorless, some orange to red, well rounded fine to coarse grained, some big crystals of quartz, a few of which are the smoky variety; some sandstone with calcareous cement, mostly in middle part; occurrence of sandstone in Mount Simon is high in middle part decreasing towards the base, prOportion of sandstone is less than dolomite and shale. Limestone: partially frosted, some with high porosity (vugy), intermixed with other rocks, scattered in whole section, limestone has least prOportion of the Mount Si- mon units. Anhydrite: intermixed with dolomite, some gypsum, amount of anhydrite increases towards upper part; prOportion of anhy- drite is less than dolomite, shale, sandstone, limestone. Quartz-siltstone: white, very fine crystals of quartz, 26 very small proportion intermixed with other major rock types; micaceous shale, very small amount of chert intermixed with calcareous part in lower part of Mt. Simon drilled. Heavy minerals: iron oxide, limonite, hematite, ferrous iron form major part of heavy minerals, occurring through- out the whole section; pyrite increases toward lower part. 27 IMPLICATIONS OF FOSTER WELL A broad look at the structural maps of Precambrian, Cambrian and iSOpach maps of the Michigan Basin, reveals different lines of evidence to interpret the Michigan Basin environment through Cambrian time. At the beginning of Cambrian time, perhaps what is now the center of the Michigan Basin was relatively lower than surrounding structures and received more sediment. At this time northern Wisconsin (Figure 4) was a positive area, which stood above the sea, and was the source of the sedi- ments for the Michigan "Basin" area, which was negative area and covered by the early Cambrian sea. The movement of the center of the Michigan "Basin" appears eastward from Precambrian time to Cambrian time, as is shown by structure contour maps (Figures 5 and 6). It must be pointed out, however, that these maps are based on a min- imum of control and therefore are not realistic. The general paleogeography of the Michigan "Basin" area in Cambrian time is basically dependant on the posi- tion of the dividing line between areas of erosion and sedimentation. It is generally thought that the west shore {line was somehhere in Wisconsin. The eastern shore line of the basin was located a short distance east of the Foster Well area. Quick back and forth motions of the shore line in Cambrian time is understood and rapid change in lithologic facies as shown in Figure ll is in harmony with the trans- gression and regression of the shore lines. Thinning iso- 28 pachs toward the east side of the basin is another criter- ion for locating this shore line. But it should be mentioned that the iSOpaCh map of the Michigan Basin likely locates the greatest depth of sinking but not necessarily the great- est depth of water in the original basin. The Foster Well area is characterized for the most part by rather shallow water environment. There is some evidence through the silt- stones and shales of quiet water deposition in the Foster Well area. These fine grained clastics are found predom- inately in the lower Cambrian section which suggests the source area was still not high enough to provide coarse elastic materials to this region or perhaps the Foster Well area was too removed from the source area. Erosive power and current velocity apparently increased into Upper Cambrian time. The occurrence of coarse sandstone in various parts of the Upper Cambrian section in the Foster Well might indicate that high land of Wisconsin was reaching its Cambrian climax in providing sediment for the Michigan "Basin". In general, the coarse elastic material suggests a turbulant or rough water environment which was restricted to shallow depth. By constructing a number of sections based on deep wells in Michigan and surrounding states, the comparative structural position of the Foster Well was demonstrated. Figures 8 and 9 are sub-Trenton sections using the t0p of Trenton limestone as the datum plane. These sections in effect restore the picture to the approximate conditions at the time of Trenton sedimentation. It would appear 29 the Foster Well area was very close to the center of sinking basin area or a low (pocket) in the Precambrian surface. A structure section (Figure ll) from southeast of the basin to the Foster Well indicates the position of the Foster Well compared to sea level. This section also shows the low structural position of the Foster Well area. Evaporites occur in the Foster Well in thicknesses considered unusually great for Cambrian rocks in the gen- eral Michigan Basin area. Gypsum and anhydrite ihger normal salinity, and greater salinity leads to precipitation of halite. Existance of sodium chloride crystals in this well indicate at least a temporary salinity greater than normal. There is no reason to indicate that in Cambrian time, an arid condition prevailed in the Michigan "Basin" area, a condition often assigned to evaporite sedimentation. If arid conditions are necessary, it is then difficult to account for the apparently local concentration of high eva- porites in the Cambrian of the Foster Well. The occurrence of the abundant evaporites in the structurally low Foster Well may prove more than coincidence when comparisons are made to the studies of Pennington (1967) and Yettaw (1967). -The Wooden No. 1 Well studied by the former is lower struc- turally and has a higher evaporite content than the Secur- ity-Thalmann No. 1 Well studied by the latter, which is structurally higher and has a lower evaporite content. Should additional studies show similar correlations, spec- 'ulation would be strengthened indicating lower areas (pock- 30 ets) in the Cambrian sea floors being areas Of poorer circulation and higher saline waters. Observation of the above mentioned maps, also indicate a thickening of certain units into the Foster Well area, which is compatable with the lower structural (basinal) position of this area. Questions arise as to the time Of major settling of the true Michigan Basin, generally believed to be in the Salina (Silurian) time. It is more reasonable to assume that the "highs" and "lows" of the Cambrian floor more likely reflect the basement erosional surface and possibly structural elements such as has been noted by Lockett (19A?) and Asseez (1967) that may have been in- herited from the Precambrian. Thus the exceptionally low structural position of the Foster Well Cambrian could re- flect one of the extreme lows in the Precambrian topography as Opposed to the alternate consideration that it represents the center and therefore the lowest part of a true basinal structure. Thus until additional deep well data are avail- able, it may be difficult to say whether the conditions as inferred from Figures 5, 6, and 7 more closely represent the picture than that inferred from Figures 8, 9, 10 and 11. ‘Illliflllnuflnflaq IJJWI‘INI . .«<1 - O 0 u o \ 1“ /’\ 79 12,795-12,800. Dolomite, gray, white, anhydritic, micro- crystalline. l2,800-O5. Dolomite, as above, except highly anhydritic. 12,805-10. Dolomite, as above, except darker in color. 12,810-15. Sandstone, white to gray, rounded to sub- rounded, fine to medium, calcareous. 12,815-20. Dolomitic shale, dark gray to black, calcar- eous, anhydritic. 12,820-25. Dolomitic shale, as above, except darker in color. 12 825-830. Sandstone, dark gray to black, shaley in part, c careous cement. MOunt Simon: 12,830-35. Dolomite, brownish gray, anhydritic, sandy in part 0 12,835-40. Shale, dark gray, dolomitic. 12,840-45. Dolomite, dark gray to black, anhydritic, shaley. 12,845-50. Shale, brownish gray, concloidal chert, inter- mixed with quartz grains, dolomitic. 12,850-55. Sandstone, gray to buff, rounded to subrounded, mostly medium. 12,855-60. Sandy dolomite, as above, except more dolomitic. 12 860-65. Dolomite, gray to dark brown, shaley in part, ca careous, microcrystalline, anhydritic. 12,865-70. Dolomite, as above, except darker in color. 12,870-75. Sandstone, white to gray, rounded to subrounded, medium, calcareous cement. 12,875-80. Dolomite, white to gray, highly anhydritic. 12 880-85. Sandstone, dark gray, some smoky quartz grains, ca careous cement, dolomitic in part. 12,885-90. Sandstone, as above, except light in color. 12,890-95. Dolomite, dark brown to black, sandy in part, shaley, anhydritic. r‘ fl ’1 [‘I .I‘ 11 8O lZ,895-12,900. Dolomite, as above, except darker in color. 12,900-05. Dolomite, gray to light brown, highly calcareous. 12,905-10. Dolomite, as above, except lighter in color. 12,910-15. Dolomite, dark gray to black, microcrystalline, highly anhydritic. 12,915-20. Dolomite, light gray to white, highly calcar- eous, anhydritic. 12,920-25. Shaley dolomite, brownish gray to dark gray, sandy in part, shaley. 12,925-30. Dolomite, dark gray to black, calcareous, sandy in part. 12 930-35. Shale, black, micaceous, dolomitic in part, ca careous. ' 12,935-40. Sandstone, white, fine to coarse, rounded and frosted, calcareous cement. 12,940-45. Dolomite, gray to brownish gray, microcrystal- line, shaley, calcareous. 12,945-50. Sandstone, dark gray to black, fine to medium, subrounded, calcareous cement, calcareous in part, anhy- dritiCo 12,950-55. Dolomite, brown to dark brown, highly anhydritic, shaley in part, calcareous. 12,955-60. Dolomite, brown to light gray, sandy in part, calcareous, intermixed with anhydrite. 12,960-65. Sandstone, brown to white, fine to coarse, rounded to subrounded, dolomitic, very pyritic. 12,965-70. Sandstone, as above, except very dark in color, no pyrite, calcareous. 12,970-75. is missing 12,975-80. Dolomite, gray to white, microcrystalline, sandy in part, anhydritic in part. 12,980-85. Shale, dark gray to black, micaceous. 12,985-90. Shaley dolomite, gray to dark gray, anhydritic in part. . 12,990-95. Dolomite, gray, calcareous, sandy in part, anhydritic in part. I! IV 1‘ O D n a . x ,- \ .’ O p a ‘ C I F D ,- .' r, O I p f w ,. . fl \ o /\ 4“ 1‘ 1‘ a“ H 81 APPENDIX B Analyses showing relative abundance of rock types at ,50-foot intervals, based on visual estimates. I00 «I 80 7o 4 “I 60 ' q '7 .1 5 .1 __ _ 7 I ‘* J—I 7 3° _, 20 10 ° I I 1 I v DPESBACH EAUCLAIRE M. SIMON ORDOVICIAN T‘REMPEALEAU FRANCONIA TABLE I PERCENTAGE OF DOLOMITE )OO 1 '10 80 7o 50 4o - 39 — 20 '5 83 _ WWI I. ‘E 7111—1-1— ORDO VICIAN TREMPEALEAU FRANCONIA DRE SBACH' TABLE 2 PERCENTAGE OF SANDSTONE EAUCLAI RE M. SIMON loo Clo 80 7o 10 84 ~— I“ .1 __ T7 T T E “r 11 W [—71 L"‘T—I—‘l 'l'_l——‘r T1 I If! lI , ‘ . ORDOVICIAN TPEMPEALEAU FRANCONIA DRESBACH EAUCLAIRE TABLE 3 PERCENTAGE OF SHALE M. SIMON ‘- T? 85 "[11:— , W T ORDOVICIAN I I TREMPEALEAU FRANCONIA DRESBACH TABLE 4 PERCENTAGE OF LIMESTONE E AUCLAI RE M. SIMON 86 I— m LIT—TI, .77 [—7 I ‘ l ORDOVICIAN TREMPEALEAU FRANCONIA DRESBACH EAUCLAIRE M. SIMON TABLE 5 PERCENTAGE OF EVAPORITE' 8’7 I—r—r 1W e . 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