Date of Graduation
12-2012
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Geology (MS)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Geosciences
Advisor/Mentor
Zachry, Doy L.
Committee Member
Manger, Walter L.
Second Committee Member
Melton, Douglas C. Jr.
Keywords
Earth sciences; Arkansas; Oklahoma
Abstract
The State Line Arch is represented by a structural high that trends through the study area in a loose alignment with the Arkansas-Oklahoma state line. Evidence of the arch extending further to the north includes a structural high and stratigraphic variation at an outcrop on Highway 59 near Evansville Mountain in Crawford County, Arkansas. The exact timing of the formation of the arch remains undetermined, but upper Devonian thinning at the top of the arch indicates the structure is pre-Mississippian. The reason for the development of the arch is poorly understood, but evidence linking Mississippian-aged Waulsortian mounds to Precambrian Spavinaw granite structures of northeastern Oklahoma and southwestern Missouri suggests Precambrian basement structures may extend into the study area. The structural nature of the arch provided an environment favorable to carbonate build-up during deposition of the Mississippian interval. A previously unidentified limestone unit measuring 175 feet thick likely represents the transgressive phase of a transgressive-regressive sequence responsible for the deposition of the Mayes Group of northeastern Oklahoma. Growth on the downthrown side of the Muldrow-Mulberry Fault system may indicate earlier movement than previous studies have suggested on the east-west trending normal faults of the Arkoma Basin. A possible roll-over anticline structure may exist to the south of the Muldrow-Mulberry fault system.
Citation
Engelhardt, T. D. (2012). Stratigraphic Variations in the Carboniferous Section Across the Arkansas-Oklahoma State Line Arch. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/606
