Black River Group

Black River Group
Stratigraphic range: Middle Ordovician to Late Ordovician
Whiterockian-Mohawkian
~460–450 Ma
Mudcracked limestone (Tyrone Limestone, Black River Group, Late Ordovician; Frankfort, Kentucky)
TypeGroup
Sub-unitsCoboconk Formation
Deicke and Millbrig bentonite layers
Gull River Formation
Hatter Formation (PA)
Isle La Motte Limestone (NY,VT)
Linden Hall Limestone (PA)
Pamelia Formation (NY)
Pecatonica Formation (IN)
Peery Limestone (VA,WV)
Plattin Formation (IN)
Selby Limestone (NY)
Snyder Limestone (PA,VA,WV)
Ward Cove Limestone (VA,WV)
Wardell Formation (VA, WV)
Witten Limestone (VA,WV)
Shadow Lake Formation.
New York
Amsterdam Limestone
Waterton Limestone
Lowville Formation
UnderliesLexington Limestone and Trenton Group
OverliesSt. Paul Group and Wells Creek Formation
Lithology
PrimaryLimestone
OtherDolomite, Mudstone
Location
Region Indiana
 Kentucky
 Michigan
 New York
 Ohio
 Pennsylvania
 Tennessee
 West Virginia

 Ontario
 Quebec
Country United States
 Canada

The Black River Group is a geologic group that covers three sedimentary basins in the Eastern and Midwestern United States. These include the Appalachian Basin, Illinois Basin and the Michigan Basin. It dates back to the Late Ordovician period. It is roughly equivalent to the Platteville Group in Illinois.[1] In Kentucky and Tennessee it is also known as the High Bridge Group. In areas where this Geologic Unit thins it is also called the Black River Formation (undifferentiated). One example of this is over the Cincinnati Arch and Findley Arch.[2] Large parts of the Black River have been dolomized (where the parent limestone CaCO3 has been turned into dolomite CaMg(CO3)2.) This happed when there was interaction of hot saline brine and the limestone. This created hydrothermal dolomites that in some areas serve as petroleum reservoirs.[3]

  1. ^ "Black River Group". igws.indiana.edu. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  2. ^ "NGMDB Product Description Page". ngmdb.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  3. ^ "A Geologic Play Book for Trenton-Black River Appalachian Basin Exploration" (PDF). West Virginia Geological Survey.