Western Kentucky Parkway Geology (82 -82.3) EarthCache
Western Kentucky Parkway Geology (82 -82.3)
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DO NOT STOP ON THE HIGHWAY
DO NOT GO BELOW 40 MPH
This Earthcache must be done with at least two people
one driving and the other observing the rock & gpsr.
Observations can be made in both direction.
LOCATION: Western Kentucky Parkway.
Going east - mile marker 82.0 to 82.3
Going west - mile marker 82.3 to 82.0
GEOLOGY: Beginning about mile 82.0, the landscape changes to the east from an upland (above Cumberland River Valley) of complex sinkholes and thick residual soils to narrow ridges and valleys underlained by an alternating sequence of resistant sandstones and less-resistant shales and limestones.
At mile 82.3 a cut has exposed the Golgonda Formation and the Hardinsburg Sandstone. A thin shale layer is also exposed. Hardinsburg Sandstone is yellowish-brown in color. It is between 80 to 100 feet thick with small amounts of shale. Lower layer may be reddish brown from weathering. The Golgonda Formation is dark to medum gray in color. It is between 70 to 85 feet thick. It is comprised of thin shale and limestone.
At mile 82.0, a north-trending fault (not exposed) causes the units to dip about 14 degrees. There are basically two types of dip-slip faults: normal and reverse. Normal faults are created when the crust is extended or pulled apart. The hanging wall (above fault) moves down relative to the foot wall (below fault). Reverse faults occur where the crust is compressed. The hanging wall is pushed up over the footwall. Unlike the reverse hanging wall, you can safely walk on a normal hanging wall.
GEOLOGY LESSON: Email me the answers to the following questions to demonstrate your understanding of the Geology Along the Western Kentucky Parkway:
1) What type of faulting is occuring in the area - Normal or Reverse? Explain why you chose this type of fault.
2) At mile 82.3 the units dip down. In which direction are the units tilted downward - Easterly or Westerly.
3) Which member lies on top of the other?
4) The Hardinsburg Sandstone forms several different layers about 10 feet thick. How many beds of this member do you see?
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