Framework Grain Composition and Texture of the Wedington Sandstone Member, Fayetteville Shale, as a Provenance and Sediment Dispersal Indicator for Clastic Depositional Systems Across the Northern Arkansas Structural Platform During the Late Mississippian

The Wedington Sandstone Member of the Fayetteville Shale is a constructive delta complex in the Chesterian section of the Late Mississippian record in Northwest Arkansas. A comparative analysis of framework grain composition between the Wedington and two other stratigraphically proximal Carboniferous sandstones: the Batesville Sandstone (older) and the Basal Atoka-Spiro Sandstone (younger) has addressed three questions: 1) Is there similarity in sediment provenance for the three sandstones? 2) Do these three sandstone units have a similar sediment dispersal vector? 3) What are likely sediment source terrains for the Wedington Sandstone? Wedington samples overwhelmingly plot as quartzarenites with fewer samples plotting as sublitharenites. Samples from the Spiro also plot as quartzarenites, while Batesville samples contain more lithic and feldspar grains, and plot in the subarkose and sublitharenite fields in Folk’s sandstone classification scheme. This suggests that the Wedington and Spiro sands likely share a common sediment source terrain that differs from that of the Batesville Sandstone. Quartz percentages for the Wedington range from 90.5% to 99.2%. Lithic fragments account for 0.0% to 9.5% of grains and were mostly sedimentary rock fragments. Feldspar grains were exclusively alkali feldspars and account for 0% to 1.4% of framework grains. The Wedington delta complex had a northwest to southeast sediment dispersal vector which is similar to the one proposed for the Basal Atoka-Spiro. The Batesville Sandstone, with its different framework grain composition, was dispersed from north-northeast to south-southwest focused through the Illinois Basin. This vector which predates the Spiro and Wedington systems becomes one of the dominant supply systems for the remainder of the Pennsylvanian fill across central Arkansas. Sediment for the Wedington was likely derived from a mix of source terrains including: the Nemaha Ridge, an older recycled sandstone unit, the Appalachian Mountains, and the Canadian Shield. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my mentors at the University of Arkansas for their advice, comments, and all assistance in pushing me as I finished this thesis. Dr. T.A. ‘Mac’ McGilvery provided me with constant encouragement and aid while finishing this thesis. He was also gracious enough to take the lead position on the project. Dr. Walter Manger, thank you for getting me started on the project, aiding in field work, and having my thin sections made. The project would not have been possible without your support. Thanks to Dr. Glenn Sharman, whose comments and ideas helped me to think of ways to attack the problem, even if not all were able to be used, due to COVID-19 complications. Thank you to Dr. Gregory Dumond for taking time out of his schedule to help me capture photomicrographs for this thesis. Other Geosciences professors, whose guidance was most helpful include: Dr. Tom Paradise, Ms. Jamie Woolsey, Dr. Doy Zachry, and Dr. Chris Liner. Many thanks to Dr. Burt Bluhm, in Plant Pathology, who always had an open ear when a long day needed to be talked through. None of my success in geology would be possible without my advisors and friends in the Arkansas Tech University Geology Program. Dr. Cathy Baker instilled in me a passion for the science and gave me a huge “leg-up” with all of her support. Dr. Jason Patton, thank you for all the chats about research ideas, woes of academia, and supporting me for my first job teaching geology. A big thanks is also due to the two faculty members that started at ATU when I was a graduate student in Education. Dr. Michael Davis and Dr. Jacob Grosskopf were both integral to my success by allowing me into their classrooms and helping me hone my skills teaching upperdivision classes. Their friendship and mentorship helped me arrive where I am today. Jacob, that you, again, for being willing to serve on my committee and provide constructive criticism and encouragement. I also want to thank the Emeritus faculty at ATU, Dr. Richard Cohoon and Dr. Vic Vere, who took their time to share their experiences and were never afraid to ask us “the hard questions”. Another thanks to Ms. Brenda Lauffart. Brenda, thank you for offering me my first job as a teaching assistant and helping me to solidify that I wanted to teach science to young people, even if it is not always the easiest job. I think teaching Survey of Chemistry Lab together really broke me into being stern but having a good time in the laboratory. Another thank you is due to my parents, Mark and Lisa Corbin. They have supported me in all that I have attempted and always push me to be my best. I could not ask for better parents in this journey. In addition to my parents a word of thanks to my siblings, Bailey and Grayson, who have been subjected to many a roadside lecture. Thank you to my grandmothers, Joyce Corbin and Carol George. I know many prayers were said on my behalf as I worked towards this goal. I wish that my grandfather, Don Corbin, would have been able to see me finish this challenge, as he was always one of my biggest supporters. Lastly, I want to thank my friends and peers in the M.S. program that helped me complete this thesis. Michael Foust was always willing to go with me in the field, as I needed to re-look at an outcrop or take an additional photograph. His mapping skills were beyond helpful in creating some of the figures seen in this thesis. Thank you, as well, to my D&D group (Amy, Emily, Beth, Asher, and Wade), who allowed me a retreat from the real world. Cheers to my friends and family at Sideways (Lexi, Robert, Chris, Tim, Sam, Cody, and Jeff) and Ryleigh’s (Chailey, Julie, Sarah, Mitch, J., Nate, Jake, and Sam) for giving me a place to go and relax after a long day’s work. TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page Number