Coal Geology of the 

White Oak Quadrangle 

Magoffin and Morgan 

Counties, Kentucky

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1047-A

Coal Geology of the 

White Oak Quadrangle 

Magoffin and Morgan 

Counties, Kentucky

By W. L. ADKISON

GEOLOGY OF THE DINGUS AREA, KENTUCKY

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1047-A

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1957
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fred A. Seaton, Secretary

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

Thomas B. Nolan, Director

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office 

Washington 25, D. C.
CONTENTS

Abstract ___________________________________________________________ 1

Introduction. ______________________________________________________ 1

Previous investigations._______________________ ________________ 2

Present investigation.___________________________________________ 2

Acknowledgments-. ____________________________________________ 4

Topography _____________________________________ _____________ 4

Stratigraphy. _________________________________ ___________________ 4

Pennsylvania!! system Breathitt formation___ ___________________ 4

Strata below the Tom Cooper coal-__________________________ 6

Strata from the base of the Tom Cooper coal to the base of the

Cannel City coal_ _______________________________________ 6

Strata from the base of the Cannel City coal to the base of the

Fire Clay coal______________________-_-________________-_ 6

Strata from the base of the Fire Clay coal to the base of the

Magoffin beds of Morse _ _________________________________ 8

The Magoffin beds of Morse________________________________ 10

Strata from the top of the Magoffin beds of Morse to the base of

the Index coal_______________________________________ _____ 11

Strata from the base of the Index coal to the base of the Nickell

coal______ ___________________________ ___________________ 12

Strata from the base of the Nickell coal to the base of the Sebastian

coal___________..__. ___________________________________ 12

Strata above the Sebastian coal- ____________________________ 13

Quaternary system Alluvium. _________________________________ 13

Structure-__ ______________________________________________________ 14

Description of coal beds and coal reserves_________________________ ___ 15

Tom Cooper coal bed_ _________________________________________ 16

Cannel City coal bed___________________________________________ 16

Fire Clay coal bed_____________________________.________________ 17

Hamlin(?) coal bed_ ________ __________________________________ 17

Colvin coal bed_ ______________________________________________ 17

Index coal bed________________________________________________ 19

Nickell coal bed-_______ _______________________________________ 19

Sebastian coal bed_____________________________________________ 20

Literature cited____________________________________________________ 20

Index ____________________________________________________________ 23

in
IV CONTENTS

ILLUSTRATIONS

[All plates in pocket]

PLATE 1. Geologic map of the White Oak quadrangle, Magoffm and 

Morgan Counties, Ky.

2. Stratigraphic sections of the Breathitt formation in the White 

Oak quadrangle, Magoffin and Morgan Counties, Ky.

3. Sections of coal beds exposed in the White Oak quadrangle, 

Magoffin and Morgan Counties, Ky.

4. Map showing thickness of the Fire Clay coal bed in the White 

Oak quadrangle, Magoffin and Morgan Counties, Ky.

FIGURE 1. Map showing the location of the White Oak quadrangle ______ 2

2. Map showing the position of the White Oak 7%-minute quadrangle and its relation to the western boundary of Pennsylvanian strata.-_____________________-_-_-____----_--_- 3

3. Exposure of Keiidrick shale of Jillson on the right fork of Vance

Fork____________ ____________________-__--_--__-_-_ 7

4. Generalized lithofacies map of the roof rock of the Fire Clay coal

bed_________________________________________________ 9

5. Exposure of Magoffin beds of Morse on Vance Fork.________ 11

6. Exposure of Johnson Creek fault on Johnson Fork______.___.. 15

TABLES

Page 

TABLE 1. Estimated coal reserves of the White Oak quadrangle (thousands

of short tons)__________________________________________ 16

2. Analyses of coals _______,._________________--___-----__--_ IS
GEOLOGY OF THE DINGUS AREA, KENTUCKY

COAL GEOLOGY OF THE WHITE OAK QUADRANGLE, 

MAGOFFIN AND MORGAN COUNTIES, KENTUCKY

By W. L. ADKISON

ABSTRACT

The White Oak quadrangle lies near the western edge of the eastern Kentucky 

coalfield and includes approximately 59 square miles of parts of Magomn and 

Morgan Counties, Ky. The outcropping rocks are equivalent to most of the 

Breathitt formation of Pennsylvania!! age. The regional southeast dip of the 

rocks is interrupted by the Irvine-Paint Creek fault, the Caney anticline, the 

Grape Creek syncline, and the Johnson Creek fault.

The Breathitt formation is comprised mainly of sandstone, siltstone, and 

shale; the remaining rocks consist of underclay, coal, limestone, and calcareous 

siltstone and shale. Eight of the coal beds Tom Cooper, Cannel City, Fire 

Clay, Hamlin(?), Colvin, Index, Nickell, and Sebastian are more than 14 inches 

thick in parts of the quadrangle. None of the beds have been mined extensively, 

and only one, the Nickell bed, was being mined in 1951. All coal in the quadrangle is of high volatile bituminous rank, and 4 beds Cannel City, Fire Clay, 

Colvin, and Nickell contain cannel coal locally. The total of estimated original 

coal reserves in beds more than 14 inches thick is at least 92 million tons.

INTRODUCTION

The U. S. Geological Survey is currently conducting investigations 

of the geology and coal resources of the Dingus area in eastern Kentucky. This is the first report resulting from these investigations.

The White Oak quadrangle includes about 59 square miles of parts 

of Magoffin and Morgan Counties, Ky. It occupies the southwestern 

part of the Dingus area, and lies near the western edge of the eastern 

Kentucky coalfield. The village of White Oak, which lies in the 

north-central part of the quadrangle, is about 8 miles southeast of 

West Liberty and about 14 miles northwest of Salyersville. (figs. 

1 and 2).

The area's principal highway, U. S. 460, crosses the quadrangle 

from the north to the southeast. Kentucky highways 364 in the 

northeast, 134 in the southeast, and 191 along the western edge 

also serve the area and are supplemented by several gravel roads. 

At this writing there are no railroads operating in the quadrangle.

1
GEOLOGY OP THE DINGUS AKEA, KENTUCKY

FIGURE 1. Map showing the location of White Oak quadrangle, Magoffin and Morgan Counties, Ky.

PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS

The presence of coal along Caney Creek, which lies about a mile 

west of the White Oak quadrangle, was reported in 1857 by D. D. 

Owen (1857, p. 29, 157). A few years later S. S. Lyon (1861, p. 535- 

538) described the coal and associated rocks on Johnson Fork. In 

a preliminary report on Morgan and Magoffin Counties, A. R. 

Crandall (1880 (?), p. 15-19) gave thicknesses and correlations of 

several coal beds on Caney Creek, Buck Branch, and Johnson Fork. 

In a later report Cranclall (1910, p. 13-18, 25, 26) further described 

the coal beds on Caney Creek, White Oak Creek, Johnson Fork, and 

Bend (Ben) Branch. He also recognized an axis of structural disturbance on White Oak Creek and Caney Creek.

The most detailed investigation of the geology of Magoffin County 

was made by I. B. Browning and P. G. Russell (1919). The report 

included descriptions and correlations of the coal beds and associated 

rocks and a description of the structure of the rocks.

Structure maps of Magoffin and Morgan Counties were published 

by I. B. Browning (1921), J. S. Hudnall and I. B. Browning (1924), 

and L. C. Robinson and J. S. Hudnall (1925).

In a report on the geology of Morgan County, L. C. Robinson 

(1927, p. 231-259) described the structure and stratigraphy and 

correlated some of the coal beds with those of the Big Sandy River 

and Kentucky River areas. The most recent study of the outcropping 

rocks in Magoffin and Morgan Counties was made by H. R. Wanless 

(1939, p. 53-59), who correlated the key beds of this area with those 

of adjoining counties.

PRESENT INVESTIGATION

The coal geology of the White Oak quadrangle was mapped by 

the U. S. Geological Survey as a part of a general investigation of the
'COAL GEOLOGY OF THE WHITE OAK QUADRANGLE

coal resources of eastern Kentucky. Fielclwork for this report required about 4 months and was done in the spring and fall of 1951 

and the spring of 1952.

Fieldwork consisted of measuring and describing several hundred 

coal outcrops at mines, readouts, and natural outcrops. Stratigraphic sections were measured and described along roads and trails 

at many places. Most of the altitudes of coal outcrops and other 

key beds were determined by aneroid barometer traverses, and the 

rest were determined by hand leveling from points of known altitude.

F L 0 Y D

BREATHITT 

°Jackson

0 10 Miles

FIGURE 2. Map showing the position of the White Oak 7M-minute quadrangle (shaded) within the 

Dingus area and its relation to the western boundary of Pennsylvanian strata.
4 GEOLOGY OF THE DINGUS AREA, KENTUCKY

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This report was prepared with the cooperation of the University of 

Kentucky and the Kentucky Geological Survey. The writer wishes 

to thank the local residents and mine operators for their cooperation 

during the fieldwork for this report. Chabot Kilburn assisted in the 

field for several weeks. The U. S. Bureau of Mines analyzed the

coal samples.

TOPOGRAPHY

The White Oak quadrangle lies near the western edge of the highly 

dissected Cumberland Plateau. The lowest point, approximately 

780 feet above sea level, is along the Licking River at the north edge 

of the quadrangle. Several points on the ridge in the southern part, 

of the quadrangle are slightly more than 1,300 feet above sea level. 

Local relief is 300 to 400 feet.

The width of the Licking River flood plain ranges from about 500 

feet in the north and south parts to nearly 1,000 feet in the eastcentral part where the river flows across the Caney anticline (pi. 1). 

On the Left Fork of White Oak Creek, the flood plain is about 700 

feet wide just north of the Irvine-Paint Creek fault but narrows to 

about 300 feet on the north flank of the Caney anticline. From the 

crest of the anticline southward, for about 2 miles, it is 400 to 600 

feet wide. Elsewhere in the quadrangle the other principal tributaries of the Licking River have flood plains which locally attain 

widths of 800 feet. The smaller creeks and branches have narrow 

steep-sided valleys and very narrow bands of alluvium in the bottoms.

Hillsides in the area generally consist of alternating benches and 

slopes formed by the differential erosion of beds of shale and sandstone.

STRATIGRAPHY

PENNSYLVANIAN SYSTEM BREATHITT FORMATION

The bedrock exposed in the White Oak quadrangle is equivalent 

to most of the Breathitt formation named by Campbell (1898, p. 3) 

from exposures in Breathitt County, Ky. In Breathitt County this 

formation includes all Pennsylvanian rocks above the Lee formation. 

This formation is considered by Wanless (1946, p. 10) to be about 

equivalent to the upper Norton, Gladeville, Wise, and Harlan formations of Campbell (1893, p. 28, 31-36) in Virginia and to the 

Briceville, Jellico, Scott, and Anderson formations of Keith, (revised 

by Glenn, 1925, p. 16-36) in Tennessee.

The Breathitt formation has a maximum exposed thickness of 

about 650 feet in this quadrangle, but the base is not exposed. The 

oldest exposed beds crop out along the two forks of White Oak Creek
COAL GEOLOGY OF THE WHITE OAK QUADRANGLE 5

on the Caney anticline. The youngest beds are poorly exposed on 

the ridges in the southern half of the quadrangle.

This formation comprises mainly sandstone, siltstone, and shale, 

and includes small amounts of underclay, coal, limestone, and calcareous siltstone and shale. The environment of deposition for most 

of this formation was probably nonmarine, but the fossiliferous 

limestone, siltstone, and shale were probably deposited under marine 

conditions.

The sandstone consists chiefly of subrounded, very fine to mediumsize quartz grains and a clay, silica, iron oxide, or calcareous cement. 

The color is generally medium light gray when freshly exposed, butweathering usually produces shades of reddish brown. Crossbedding 

is fairly common. Many of the sandstone beds lie in channels cut 

in the underlying rocks. The base of a sandstone channel deposit 

is generally sharp and undulating, but the upper contact is commonly 

gradational into finer grained sediments. These channel fillings of 

sandstone are not restricted to any particular part of the Breathitt 

formation.

The siltstone is generally medium light gray and ranges from 

quartzose to clayey. Most of the siltstone is thin to thick bedded, 

but some is nonbedded and stigmarian. For the most part the beds 

of stigmarian siltstone grade upward into silty underclay.

The shale is light gray to black, is usually medium gray, and upon 

weathering changes to shades of olive gray. Ironstone nodules and 

bands are abundant locally, and at many places the shale beds are 

heavily stained with iron oxide. Generally the shale is silty and commonly contains thin beds of siltstone. Plant imprints are present 

on the bedding planes of many of the shale beds. The beds of black 

shale are very carbonaceous and contain thin stringers of coal at 

many places.

The underclay is commonly medium light gray but ranges from 

light to dark gray. In general it is nonbedded and stigmarian and 

ranges from clayey to silty. Scattered ironstone nodules are fairly 

common, and most weathered outcrops are stained with iron oxide.

Limestone, in the form of concretions and beds, makes up a very 

small part of the Breathitt formation. The color of unweathered 

limestone beds ranges from medium gray to dark bluish gray but 

changes to shades of reddish brown upon weathering. The limestone 

is hard, dense, and silty, grading laterally to calcareous siltstone at 

several localities. Marine fossils are generally sparse to absent in 

the concretions but are more abundant in the beds of limestone and 

calcareous siltstone. The concretions, ellipsoidal in shape, locally 

attain a thickness of 4 feet and a diameter of about 10 feet. Com-
6 GEOLOGY OF THE DINGUS AREA, KENTUCKY

monly, these are septarian, and locally cone-in-cone structure is well 

developed.

For the purpose of a more detailed description, the rocks of the 

Breathitt formation are subdivided informally and arbitrarily at the 

bases of the mappable coal beds. An additional division is made 

for the Magoffin beds of Morse. (See pi. 2.)

STRATA BELOW THE TOM COOPER COAL

The oldest exposed rocks of the Breathitt formation crop out along 

the Caney anticline where they have a maximum thickness of about 

120 feet. The lower part of this unit is poorly exposed, but at several 

places as much as 20 to 45 feet of massive sandstone is exposed in 

the upper part (pi. 2, sees. 4 and 8). This sandstone is commonly 

overlain by a few feet of siltstone, which is in turn overlain by the 

underclay of the Tom Cooper coal bed.

STRATA FROM THE BASE OF THE TOM COOPER COAL TO THE BASE OF THE

CANNEL CITY COAL

The Tom Cooper bed was named from exposures on Brushy Fork 

of Lick Creek in the Salyersville North quadrangle (Browning and 

Russell, 1919, p. 29, 314). This bed is equivalent to the Little Caney 

coal bed of Englund (1955, p. 7, 15) and is probably equivalent to the 

Upper Elkhorn No. 3 of Pike County.

The rocks of this unit range in thickness from 25 to 50 feet. 

The lowermost bed above the Little Caney coal consists of black, 

carbonaceous shale less than 5 feet thick at most localities. In the 

east-central part of the quadrangle, the rocks above the black shale 

consist of gray shale and siltstone (pi. 2, sees. 8 and 9), but in the area 

west of Ditney Ridge, the black shale is overlain at most places by 

sandstone or siltstone. This sandstone is more than 12 feet thick on 

Spring Branch (pi. 2, sec. 4), and is overlain by shale and siltstone. 

The underclay of the Cannel City coal bed is about 2 feet thick and 

lies at the top of this unit of rocks.

STRATA FROM THE BASE OF THE CANNEL CITY COAL TO THE BASE OF THE

FIRE CLAY COAL

The Cannel City coal bed was named from a bed that has been 

mined at Cannel City, Ky. (Englund, 1955, p. 8, 17-18). Browning 

and Russell (1919, p. 78) called this bed the Gun Creek coal in the 

vicinity of Ben Branch, but this name is not used in this report 

because of the uncertainty of correlation with the type section. The 

Cannel City bed is equivalent to the Amburgy coal bed of the North 

Fork of Kentucky River (Englund, 1955, p. 4, 8). This coal bed is 

less than 14 inches thick at most localities but is a useful marker bed 

in much of the northeastern quarter of the quadrangle because it 

commonly contains a thin (less than half an inch) parting of hard, 

dense medium-grayish-brown flint clay.
COAL GEOLOGY OF THE WHITE OAK QUADRANGLE 7

This part of the Breathitt formation ranges in thickness from 80 to 

100 feet and is mainly shale, but at several places beds of massive 

sandstone are present in this unit. At most places the basal bed 

above the Cannel City coal is a gray shale which grades upward into 

the Kendrick shale of Jillson (1919, p. 96-104). At several localities 

a thin bed of coal is present 2 to 6 feet above the Cannel City coal bed.

The Kendrick shale of Jillson (1919) is a sparsely fossiliferous 

medium- to dark-gray shale which contains silty limestone concretions 

at most outcrops. The thickness is difficult to determine because 

both upper and lower contacts are gradational, but the average is 

probably close to 30 feet. The concretions are medium to dark gray, 

hard, and dense, and show septarian development at several places. 

These concretions have an average thickness of 2 feet and an average 

diameter of 5 feet. They are not restricted to one part of the shale 

but are present at several stratigraphic positions (pi. 2). In general, 

marine fossils are sparse, but some were found in a silty limestone bed 

7 inches thick in the creek bed at the mouth of the right fork of Webb 

Branch. Marine fossils were also found in silty limestone concretions 

and in the enclosing shale in a branch of Vance Fork a third of a mile 

west of the Vance Fork School (fig. 3).

FIGURE 3. Exposure of the Kendrick shale of Jillson on the right fork of Vance Fork 0.36 mile west of the 

Vance Fork School showing (a) dark-gray to grayish-black shale, (6) dark-gray fossiliferous siltstone, 

(c) dark bluish-gray dense fossiliferous concretionary limestone, (d) medium-gray silty shale, and (e) 

hammer.
8 GEOLOGY OF THE DINGUS AREA, KENTUCKY

Jn the vicinity of Carpenter Bend a massive cliff-forming sandstone 

about 40 feet thick lies in the stratigraphic position of the Kendrick 

shale of Jillson (1919) (pi. 2, sec. 8), but this sandstone becomes 

thinner to the west arid south (pi. 2, sec. 7).

The strata between the Kendrick shale of Jillson (1919) and the 

Fire Clay coal bed are composed mainly of siltstone and shale, and 

smaller amounts of sandstone. In most places these rocks contain 

2 or 3 thin beds of coal or black shale and associated beds of underclay 

(pi. 2). One of these coal beds, 15 to 30 feet below the Fire Clay coal 

bed, may be the equivalent of the Whitesburg coal bed of Letcher 

County.

A massive sandstone, the top of which lies 5 feet below the Fire 

Clay coal bed, crops out along the Licking River about a mile east of 

the mouth of Griffit Hollow (pi. 2, sec. 1). This sandstone, more than 

40 feet thick, probably contains several sandstone lentils, for at the 

Matthew Post Office and also in Griffit Hollow this part of the section 

contains 2 or 3 thin coal beds separated by beds of shale and sandstone. Although this sandstone probably represents a channel-fill, 

the extent and direction of the channel could not be determined. 

The uppermost bed of this unit of rocks is composed of medium- to 

light-gray underclay having an average thickness of about 2 feet.

STRATA FROM THE BASE OF THE FIRE CLAY COAL TO THE BASE OF THE 

MAGOFFIN BEDS OF MORSE

The Fire Clay coal bed, named by J. M. Hodge (1908, p. 40, 41), 

commonly contains a parting of flint clay ranging in thickness from 

a knife edge to 5 inches. At most places it is medium brownish gray, 

hard, dense, and nonbedded with a conchoidal fracture. This parting 

is absent in the Pricy Creek area, in the head of Big Spring Branch, 

and near the north edge of the quadrangle about a mile east of the 

mouth of Griffit Hollow (pi. 2, sec. 1). The flint clay is rather soft 

in the vicinity of the Matthew Post Office and locally in the southeastern corner of the quadrangle (Greasy Branch and pi. 2, sec. 11). 

This distinctive parting makes the Fire Clay coal bed one of the most 

useful stratigraphic markers in the Breathitt formation.

The rocks between the Fire Clay coal bed and the Magoffin beds of 

Morse range in thickness from 42 to 65 feet. This unit is thinnest 

in the northwest part of the quadrangle and along the northwest 

side of the Grape Creek syncline. It is thickest in the southeastern 

part of the quadrangle and in the vicinity of Pricy Creek.

The lower part of this unit is composed of medium-gray shale as 

much as 28 feet thick. At several places part or all of the shale has 

been eroded and replaced by a massive sandstone, commonly 10 to 20 

feet thick. In general, siltstone makes up a small part of this unit of 

rocks. Figure 4 shows the generalized lithology of the roof rock of the
'COAL GEOLOGY OF THE WHITE OAK QUADRANGLE

EXPLANATION

Sands 

thar 

betv 

the

;;8E^ y<9M m> 7

tone roof with less Shale roof, 1 to 5 Shale roof, more than Area of little 

1 foot of shale feet thick 5 feet thick or no data 

»een the coal and Includes local areas Includes local areas 

sandstone , which the roof/s in which the roof is

composed of siltstone composed of siltstone

FIGURE 4. Generalized lithofacies map of the roof rock of the Fire Clay coal bed.

Fire Clay coal bed. This part of the Breathitt formation was chosen 

for a lithofacies map because it lies directly above an extensive, easily 

recognizable horizon, and sufficient data were available for most of 

the quadrangle. This map outlines areas of probable channeling 

which were subsequently filled with sand. The pattern of distribution of the sandstone gives some suggestion of stream meanders,

397712 57 2
10 GEOLOGY OF THE DINGUS AREA, KENTUCKY

especially in the central part of the quadrangle, but a detailed stream 

pattern could not be determined.

A persistent and rather uniform coal bed lies 20 to 30 feet above the 

Fire Clay coal bed. This bed, which is probably equivalent to the 

Hamlin coal bed of Perry County, is commonly 12 to 16 inches thick 

and contains an underclay parting about 2 inches thick. A black 

carbonaceous shale, with an approximate average thickness of one 

foot, forms the roof of this coal.

The rocks above the black shale are dominantly gray shale, siltstone, 

and sandstone. At most localities a thin coal bed and an associated 

bed of underclay are present 10 to 20 feet above the Hamlin (?) bed. 

On Patrick Branch, in the southwestern part of the quadrangle, a 

massive sandstone about 20 feet thick lies a few inches above the 

Hamlin (?) coal bed. Less than half a mile northwest of Wolf Branch, 

along U. S. 460, the black shale roof of the Hamlin (?) coal bed is 

overlain by 15 feet of massive sandstone. This sandstone is overlain 

by about 15 feet of shale which has been entirely replaced by sandstone 

in the southeastern part of the exposure (pi. 2, sec. 10).

Although the upper part of this unit of rocks is commonly shale, at 

a few places the uppermost bed consists of underclay (pi. 2, sec. 5) or 

sandstone (head of Big Spring Branch).

THE MAGOFFIN BEDS OF MORSE

The Magoffin beds of Morse (1931, p. 301-303) are present throughout the quadrangle except for a few local areas. These beds, where 

typically developed (pi. 2, sec. 7, 8, and 10), consist of a lower bed of 

roedium-dark-gray silty fossiliferous limestone 2 to 6 inches thick and 

an overlying bed of gray to black shale about 3 feet thick. This shale 

contains medium-dark-gray hard dense silty limestone concretions 1 

to 2 feet thick (fig. 5). The shale immediately below the lower limestone bed is locally fossiliferous. The lower limestone bed commonly 

contains many macerated shell fragments, crinoid stem plates, and 

brachiopods. The overlying shale and concretionary limestone are 

locally fossiliferous.

In the extreme northeastern corner of the quadrangle, the Magoffin 

beds of Morse consist of a lower bed of silty fossiliferous limestone 

8 to 10 inches thick, a bed of medium- to dark-gray shale 3 to 5 feet 

thick, and an upper bed of silty fossiliferous limestone 18 to 21 inches 

thick. In other places the Magofiin beds are represented by the 

following types of rock: a bed of calcareous, fossiliferous siltstone 

4 to 12 inches thick (pi. 2, sees. 1 and 5); silty limestone concretions 

(pi. 2, sec. 2); and a massive bed of silty fossiliferous limestone 1 to 2 

feet thick (pi. 2, sees. 3 and 6), which is commonly very fossiliferous 

in the lower 2 to 4 inches and sparsely fossiliferous in the remainder
COAL GEOLOGY OF THE WHITE OAK QUADRANGLE 11

FIGUEE 5. Exposure of Magoffin beds of Morse on Vance Fork about a quarter of a mile east of the Vance 

Fork School showing (a) medium-gray fossiliferous shale, (6) medium-gray to medium dark bluish-gray 

dense fossiliferous concretionary limestone, (c) medium olivo-gray shale, and (d) hammer.

of the bed. Even though the lateral changes in the Magoffin beds at 

most places take place rather abruptly, these beds are easily recognized 

because of the abundance of marine fossils.

STRATA FROM THE TOP OF THE MAGOFFIN BEDS OF MORSE TO THE BASE

OF THE INDEX COAL

The rocks lying above the Magoffin beds of Morse and below the 

Index coal bed range in thickness from 65 to 90 feet and consist mainly 

of shale and sandstone. This unit includes some siltstone and 1 to 3 

coal beds and associated beds of underclay. The Magoffin beds are 

normally overlain by a medium-gray shale, but in several areas south 

of the Irvine-Paint Creek fault this shale, and locally the underlying 

limestone, have been removed by channeling and their position 

occupied by massive sandstone (pi. 2, sec. 4). This sandstone is 

about 40 feet thick in the head of Big Spring Branch but is generally 

less than 25 feet thick in the southern part of the quadrangle.

One coal bed, lying 20 to 35 feet above the Magoffin beds, has been 

mined at several places in the southeastern part of the quadrangle. 

This coal (pi. 3, sec. 57) is here given the name Colvin coal bed from 

old mining operations on Buck Branch (also called Colvin Branch). 

This bed, which was described by Crandall (1880 (?), p. 19), was 

called the Haddix coal by Browning and Russell (1919, p. 333-335),
12 GEOLOGY OF THE DINGUS AREA, KENTUCKY

but this name is not used here because of the uncertainty of correlation 

with the type section.

In the northern part of the quadrangle 1 to 3 thin coal beds and 

associated beds of underclay are present 20 to 55 feet above theMagofnn 

beds (pi. 2, sec. 1, 2, and 3). These thin beds are separated by beds 

of sandstone and shale, and one or more may correlate with the Colvin 

coal bed to the south. The rocks between the upper of these coal 

beds and the Index coal bed are composed chiefly of sandstone in 

the north-central part (pi. 2, sec. 1 and 2), but in the northwestern 

part a bed of shale, and some siltstone, occupies more than half of 

this interval (pi. 2, sec. 3).

The underclay of the Index coal bed lies at the top of this unit 

and ranges in thickness from a knife edge to about 10 feet. At one 

locality on Wells Branch (pi. 2, sec. 3) this underclay contains a bed 

of medium-grayish-brown nonbedded, fairly hard flint clay about 3 

inches thick lying 10 inches below the Index coal bed.

STRATA FROM THE BASE OF THE INDEX COAL TO THE BASE OF THE

NICKELL COAL

The Index coal bed is here named from mine exposures along 

U. S. 460 a few feet below the gap in the ridge between Index and 

West Liberty in the West Liberty quadrangle. At this locality the 

coal contains a parting of flint cla}T similar to that found in the Fire 

Clay coal bed in the White Oak quadrangle. The Index bed is 

probably equivalent to the Adele coal bed of Englund (1955, p. 11, 

18-19), but this correlation is uncertain due to the difficulty of tracing 

this coal across the Caney anticline.

In the area north of the Caney anticline the rocks of this unit are 

20 to 30 feet thick and are composed of shale, siltstone, underclay, 

and a small amount of sandstone (pi. 2, sec. 1-3). Locally, one or 

two thin coal beds are present in this unit.

This part of the Breathitt formation is poorly exposed in the area 

south of the Caney anticline. On Granddaddy Branch (pi. 2, sec. 6) 

these rocks are composed chiefly of sandstone, but to the southwest, 

on Keeton Branch, they are composed primarily of shale (pi. 2, sec. 5). 

At the latter locality a thin coal bed is present about 7 feet above the 

Index coal bed.

A bed of underclay, 10 feet thick at a few places, lies at the top 

of this unit.

STRATA FROM THE BASE OF THE NICKELL COAL TO THE BASE OF THE

SEBASTIAN COAL

The Nickell coal bed was named from exposures in the southern 

part of the Cannel City quadrangle (Englund, 1955, p. 11). In the 

ridge south of the head of Right Fork of White Oak Creek this bed 

was called the Hazard coal by Browning and Russell (1919, p. 57-68).
 COAL GEOLOGY OF THE WHITE OAK QUADRANGLE 13

This name is not used here because of the uncertainty of correlation 

with the type locality.

The approximate thickness of the overlying rocks is from 25 to 45 

feet. The basal bed is commonly a black, carbonaceous thin-bedded 

shale in the southwestern part of the quadrangle. This black shale 

ranges in thickness from a film to 6 feet. A medium-gray shale, 

25 feet thick locally (pi. 2, sec. 3), lies above the black shale. In 

the area between the two forks of White Oak Creek and southwest 

of Lick Branch, a massive sandstone lies in channels cut in the gray 

shale. Locally these channels have been cut through the gray shale 

and the black shale and into the Nickell coal bed.

In the northern part of the quadrangle the rocks of this unit are 

chiefly shale, but a small amount of sandstone is present in the upper 

part. At three localities the head of Lykins Branch, the head of 

Wells Branch (pi. 2, sec. 3), and the head of Jones Creek marine 

fossils, mainly brachiopods, were found in an iron-oxide-stained zone 

3 to 6 inches thick about 13 to 17 feet above the Nickell coal bed.

In the northeastern part, a massive sandstone, 25 feet thick at several 

places, lies above the Nickell coal bed. At one locality, near the mouth 

of Sebastian Branch of Rockhouse Creek, a few inches of medium-gray 

shale lie between the coal and the sandstone.

A bed of underclay, generally medium light gray and about 1 

to 2 feet thick, lies at the top of this unit.

STRATA ABOVE THE SEBASTIAN COAL

The Sebastian coal bed is here named from a small mining operation 

on the Carl Sebastian farm at the head of the third left hollow of 

Webb Branch of Caney Creek. At this place the coal has an altitude 

of about 1,080 feet and lies about 150 feet above the Magoffin beds 

of Morse.

The basal beds of this unit consist chiefly of shale, siltstone, and 

underclay in the area north of the Irvine-Paint Creek fault and west 

of the Licking River. These beds are 12 to 20 feet thick and are 

overlain by a thin (12 inches or less) coal bed. A massive cliff-forming 

sandstone 25 to 35 feet thick lies above this thin coal.

At the head of Tun Branch, in the southwestern part of the quadrangle, the Sebastian coal bed is overlain by about 10 feet of shale; 

but at the head of Turkey Branch, three quarters of a mile to the 

east, a massive sandstone 30 feet thick lies 5 feet above this coal. 

Approximately 150 feet of poorly exposed strata lie above this sandstone in the southwestern part of the quadrangle.

QUATERNARY SYSTEM ALLUVIUM

Sediments of Quaternary age consist of unconsolidated deposits of 

silt, sand, and larger fragments of rocks which were probably derived
14

entirely from the Breathitt formation. These deposits occur in the 

valleys and commonly merge into the slopewash on the hillsides.

STRUCTURE

The White Oak quadrangle lies on the western flank of the eastern 

Kentucky structural basin. The regional southeast dip is interrupted 

by the Irvine-Paint Creek fault, the Caney anticline, the Grape Creek 

syncline, and the Johnson Creek fault. The general structure of the 

Breathitt formation is shown on plate 1 by structure contours on 

the Fire Clay coal bed.

The Caney uplift was reported by Crandall (1910, p. 13, 16) and 

later mapped by Browning and Russell (1919, p. 19-21), Browning 

(1921), Hudnall and Browning (1924) and Robinson and Hudnall 

(1925). The Johnson Creek fault was described by Browning and 

Russell (1919, p. 20, 89, 100-104, 106, 328).

The Irvine-Paint Creek fault is a normal fault which has a displacement of about 100 to 250 feet. The fault plane was not seen, 

but the approximate trace of the fault can be determined by the displacement of key beds and by abrupt changes in the dips of the rocks 

as the fault is crossed. The rocks on the north (upthrown) side dip 

to the north at 100 to 160 feet per mile into a shallow syncline which 

lies 1 to 2 miles north of the fault. Rocks on the south side dip sharply 

to the north, the dip increasing as the fault is approached. Dips of 

10° to 15° are common near the fault, and one dip of 28° was measured 

on Keeton Branch.

The Caney anticline, which extends beyond the borders of the 

quadrangle, is slightly asymmetrical and plunges to the east at the 

rate of 15 to 30 feet per mile. The axis lies from 1 to \% miles south 

of the Irvine-Paint Creek fault and is subparallel to it. The north 

flank of the anticline dips at the rate of 120 to 280 feet per mile, increasing as the Irvine-Paint Creek fault is approached, but the south 

flank has a more gentle dip of 50 to 140 feet per mile.

The Grape Creek syncline, described by Browning and Russell 

(1919, p. 22), is a broad, shallow syncline south of and subparallel to 

the Caney anticline. It was also called the Harper syncline (Hudnall 

and Browning, 1924, map). In the southwestern part of the quadrangle this syncline is split by a low eastward-plunging nose. The 

south flank of the syncline rises at the rate of 60 to 120 feet per mile 

toward the Johnson Creek fault.

The Johnson Creek fault is a normal fault with a displacement of 

about 50 to 140 feet. The rocks on the south (downthrown) side 

dip to the north at 60 to 100 feet per mile. This fault is poorly exposed except at one place on Johnson Creek about half a mile below 

the mouth of Trapp Branch where the fault plane, which dips 40° to
COAL GEOLOGY OF THE WHITE OAK QUADRANGLE 15

FIGFRE 6. Exposure of Johnson Creek fault along Kentucky Route 134 about 0.45 mile below the mouth 

of Trapp Branch of Johnson Fork showing (a) fault plane dipping 40° south with about a 2-inch-thick 

zone of dark-gray clayey gouge, (6) massive sandstcne dipping about 5° N. having several joints and one 

small fault that are subparallel to the main fault, (c) medium-gray silty shale, (d) thin (less than 6 inches) 

beds of medium- to light-gray siltstone, and (e) lower bench of Cannel City coal.

the south, is well exposed in a roadcut on Kentucky Route 134 (fig. 

6). In contrast to the dipping fractured sandstone on the south side 

of the fault, the shale and siltstone on the north side are nearly 

flat-lying and undistorted.

Several minor folds and faults are present in the quadrangle but 

are not shown on the structure map because the poor exposures and 

small displacements (1 to 10 feet) of the faults, made it impossible to 

map these smaller features.

DESCRIPTION OF COAL BEDS AND COAL RESERVES

The Breathitt formation contains 8 mappable coal beds in the 

White Oak quadrangle, but 2 of these beds are less than 14 inches 

thick over most of the area. Coal outcrops are shown on plate 1, 

but thickness data were not obtained at many of the locations. 

Many of the small mines that produced coal for domestic use were 

completely caved when visited.

Coal reserves of the 6 major beds were divided into the following 

categories: Indicated reserves include coal lying within \.% miles of an 

outcrop along which the extent and thickness of the coal are well 

defined. Inferred reserves include the remaining coal lying beyond
16 GEOLOGY OF THE DINGUS AREA, KENTUCKY

the area of indicated reserves. The reserves were further subdivided 

into categories based on the coal thickness, excluding partings. The 

coal was assumed to weigh 1,800 tons per acre-foot. All of the 

calculated reserves have less than 1,000 feet of cover.

TOM COOPER COAL BED

This coal has been mined for domestic use at several places along 

the Caney anticline where it ranges in thickness from 10 to 30 inches, 

the average thickness being approximately 18 inches. The coal is 

fairly bright, consisting of thin to medium bands of vitrain in a moderately bright attrital matrix. It has no parting of bone or shale, 

but at one locality near the Holliday Post Office (pi. 3, sec. 5), a band 

of pyrite an eighth of an inch thick is present 8 inches above the base 

of the coal. The total estimated original reserves in this bed are 

16,662,000 tons (table 1). Of this total only 628,000 tons are in the 

28- to 42-inch thickness category. The amount of coal mined and 

lost in mining is believed to be small.

TABLE 1. Estimated original coal reserves of the White Oak quadrangle 

[In thousands of short tons. Covered by less than 1,000 feet of overburden]

Bed

Nickell---. _ ._

Fire Clay __ __

Totals .......

Indicated reserves in beds 

14-28 

in. thick

5,748 

7,416 

15, 173 

10, 115 

31, 951 

16,034

86, 437

28-42 

in. thick

249

1,390

2,756 

628

5,023

Total

5,748 

7,665 

15, 173 

11, 505 

34,707 

16, 662

91, 460

Inferred reserves in beds 

14-28 

in. thick

639

.........

639

28-42 

in. thick Total

639

639

Total

In beds 

14 to 28 

in. thick

5,748 

7,416 

15,812 

10, 115 

31, 951 

16, 034

87, 076

In beds 

28 to 42 

in. thick

249

1,390 

2,756 

628

5,023

Total

5,748 

7,665 

15, 812 

11,505 

34, 707 

16, 662

92, 099

CANNEL CITY COAL BED

The Cannel City coal bed has been mined in a small area along 

the western edge of the quadrangle on Spring Branch, Stinson Branch, 

and Yearling Branch. In this area the bed is composed mainly of 

cannel coal 33 inches thick locally (pi. 3, sec. 12). Elsewhere in the 

quadrangle this bed ranges in thickness from 10 to 14 inches and commonly contains one or more shale or underclay partings. At several 

places in the east-central part of the area the coal contains a thin 

(less than half a,n inch) parting of medium-grayish-brown flint clay 

(pi. 3, sec. 7, 9, and 10). The reserves in this bed were not calculated 

because the area containing coal more than 14 inches thick is very 

small and is believed to be nearly mined out.
 COAL GEOLOGY OF THE WHITE OAK QUADRANGLE 17 

FIRE CLAY COAL BED

Operations in this bed have been confined to small mines. The 

coal ranges in thickness from a few inches to 36 inches, but the area 

underlain by coal more than 28 inches thick is very small (pi. 4 ). 

The coal is commonly composed of thin to medium bands of vitrain in a 

bright to dull attrital matrix. Cannel coal is present in this bed at 

several places in the northeastern corner of the quadrangle (pi. 3, sec. 

13-17) and on Jones Creek near the edge of the quadrangle. Farther 

up Jones Creek this bed contains much dull attrital coal (pi. 3, sec 

22 and 23). At several other places the coal lying immediately above 

or below the flint clay parting contains much dull attrital matrix.

The most widespread parting in this coal is the bed of flint clay 

described previously. The Fire Clay coal bed also contains partings 

of underclay, shale, and siltstone, but these lack the persistence and 

distinctive character of the flint clay parting.

This coal was sampled at two places. One sample from locality 36 

on the Left Fork of White Oak Creek contained 5.6 percent ash, and 

the other sample (cannel) from locality 14 on Pricy Creek contained 

21.2 percent ash (table 2).

The total estimated original reserves in the Fire Clay coal bed 

are 34,707,000 tons, of which 2,756,000 tons are in the 28- to 42-inch 

thickness category. The amount of coal mined and lost in mining is 

unknown, but is probably rather small.

HAMLIN(?) COAL BED

The Hamlin (?) coal bed has been truck-mined at one place along 

the Licking River about a third of a mile east of the mouth of Cripple 

Creek (pi. 3, sec. 52). Here the coal is 25 inches thick and consists 

of thin to thick bands of vitrain in a moderate to bright attrital matrix. 

Elsewhere in the quadrangle this coal has an average thickness of 

12 to 16 inches and commonly contains a clay parting resembling 

underclay which ranges in thickness from 1 to 2K inches. Reserves 

for this bed were not calculated because of the general thinness of the 

coal and the lack of information.

COLVIN COAL BED

The Colvin coal bed has been truck-mined at several places in the 

southeastern part of the quadrangle. This bed consists mainly of 

cannel coal in the head of Buck Branch (pi. 3, sec. 57) and on Cripple 

Creek, but to the west of this area the coal consists of thin to medium 

bands of vitrain in a moderately dull to bright attrital matrix. At the 

mouth of Trapp Branch this bed is partly composed of canneloid coal.
TABLE 2. Analyses of coals 

[Bank: HVBB, high volatile B bituminous; HVBB NA, high volatile B bituminous, rionagglomerating, ca

Coal bed

Sebastian^. __ _ .. _ -____

Nick ell. .__--. _- 

Index ...... __ . _ _ _.

Oolvin_. _ __ _ .............

Fire Clay..._.-. ___ ........

Fire Clay.......... __ ......

Location

Oil

pi. 1

87 

80 

71 

58 

14 

36

B ureau 

of 

Mines 

laboratory 

no.

D-87746 

D-87745 

D-87744 

D-87741 

D-87739 

D^87740

Rank '

HVBB

HVBB NA. 

HVBB .__

HVBB

HVBB NA_

HVBB

Form 

of 

analysis 2

{ A 

I B 

/ A 

1 B 

f A 

1 B 

( A 

1 B

1 A 

1 B 

1 A 

1 B

Proximate analysis 

Moisture

7.4

2.3

8.7

5.7

1.4

5.4

Volatile 

matter

35.5 

42.1 

M5.8 

254.6 

37.3 

42.9 

39.1 

43.7 

42.9 

55.4 

40.0 

44.9

Fixed 

carbon

48.8 

57.9 

38.1 

45.4 

49.5 

57.1 

50.3 

56.3 

34.5 

44.6 

49.0 

55.1

Ash

8.3

13.8

4.5

4.9

21.2

5.6

1 Initial deformation temperature.

2 Determined by modified method.
 OAL GEOLOGY OF THE WHITE OAK QUADRANGLE 19

The Colviii coal bed has a thickness of more than 55 inches on 

Grape Creek opposite the mouth of Board tree Branch (pi. 3, sec. 59), 

and is more than 40 inches thick on Johnson Fork a fifth of a mile 

southeast of locality 59 (pi. 3, sec. 60). In this area the thickness of 

the coal ranges considerably because of the undulating floor and the 

presence of channels cut in the upper part of the coal. No reserves 

in the +42-inch category are shown in table 1 because of this irregular 

thickness. An analysis of this bed from locality 58 on Licking River 

showed that the coal contains 4.9 percent ash.

The total estimated original reserves in the Colvin coal bed are 

11,505,000 tons, of which 1,390,000 tons are in the 28- to 42-inch 

category. The amount of coal mined and lost in mining is unknown.

INDEX COAL BED

This coal has been mined for domestic use in the area north of the 

Caney anticline and in the southwestern part of the quadrangle. In 

the northern part the coal ranges in thickness from 17 to 29 inches 

and averages about 22 inches. It consists of thin to medium bands of 

vitrain in a bright to dull attrital matrix. Partings of underclay are 

fairly common, especially in the upper part of the coal. At one 

locality (pi. 3, sec. 68), a quarter of a mile north of the Matthew Post 

Office, a shale parting 2 inches thick contains lenses of hard mediumgray flint clay. These lenses have a maximum thickness of about 

half an inch.

In the area south of the Caney anticline the Index coal bed is poorly 

exposed. At the head of Spring Branch (pi. 2, sec. 4) this coal is 

apparently represented by 4% feet of black fissile coaly shale, somewhat 

resembling cannel coal.

This coal was sampled in Griffit Hollow (locality 71), and the 

analysis showed the coal to contain 4.5 percent ash.

The total estimated original reserves in the Index coal bed are 

15,812,000 tons in the 14- to 28-inch category. Mined areas are 

probably small.

NICKELL COAL BED

The Nickell coal bed was being strip mined in 1951 at one place 

in the head of the Right Fork of White Oak Creek (pi. 3, sec. 80). 

Crandall (1910, p. 16) reported mining operations in this area about 

the turn of the century. The Nickell coal bed has been mined for 

local use at several other places in the area between the head of Right 

Fork and the Left Fork of White Oak Creek. Throughout this area 

the bed is mainly cannel coal which has an average thickness of 

approximately 22 inches. Although the cannel coal is more than 28 

inches thick at several places in this area, all reserves are included in
20 GEOLOGY OF THE DINGUS AREA, KENTUCKY

the 14- to 28-inch category because of the irregular thickness of the 

bed. At one place at the head of Yearling Branch (pi. 3, sec. 83) 

the Nickell coal bed consists of 2 beds of cannel coal separated by 

3 feet of black shale.

This coal is poorly exposed in the ridge to the south and east of 

the Left Fork of White Oak Creek. There the bed is composed of 

thin to medium bands of vitrain in a bright to moderately dull attrital 

matrix. A maximum thickness of 33 inches was observed on Grape 

Creek (pi. 3, sec. 84). A coal which is probably equivalent to the 

Nickell bed has been mined for domestic use at several places in 

the northeastern part of the quadrangle (pi. 3, sec. 76-79). The 

coal ranges in thickness from 14 to 25 inches and consists of bands of 

vitrain in a moderately dull to bright attrital matrix. Elsewhere in 

the quadrangle the Nickell coal bed appears to be very thin or absent. 

A sample of the Nickell coal bed (cannel) was taken from locality 80 

at the head of the Right Fork of White Oak Creek, and the analysis 

showed the coal to contain 13.8 percent ash.

The total estimated original reserves in the Nickell coal bed are 

7,665,000 tons of which 249,000 tons are in the 28- to 42-inch category. 

The amount of coal mined and lost in mining is unknown, but much 

of the cannel coal is probably mined out or left in pillars.

SEBASTIAN COAL BED

This coal has been mined for domestic use at a few places in the 

area. It ranges in thickness from about 18 to 32 inches and commonly contains a dark-gray to black carbonaceous parting of underclay near the center of the bed (pi. 3, sec. 87).

The coal is composed of thin to thick bands of vitrain in a dull to 

moderately bright attrital matrix. An analysis of coal from locality 

87 on Webb Branch showed an 8.3 percent ash content.

All reserves are placed in the 14- to 28-inch category because of 

the lack of information on thickness of this bed. The total estimated 

original reserves in the Sebastian coal bed are 5,748,000 tons. The 

amount of coal mined and lost in mining is probably very small.

LITERATURE CITED

Browning, I. B., 1921, Structural geologic map of Magoffin County, Kentucky:

Ky. Geol. Survey, ser. 6. 

Browning, I. B. and Russell, P. G., 1919, Coals and structure of Magoffin County,

Kentucky: Ky. Geol. Survey, ser. 4, v. 5, pfc. 2, 552 p. 

Campbell, M. R., 1893, Geology of the Big Stone Gap coal field of Virginia and

Kentucky: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. Ill, 106 p. 

 1898, Description of the London quadrangle: U. S. Geol. Survey Geol.

Atlas 47, 3 p.
COAL GEOLOGY OF THE WHITE OAK QUADRANGLE 21

Crandall, A. R., 1880(?), Preliminary report on the geology of Morgan, Johnson, 

Magoffin, and Floyd Counties, Kentucky: Ky. Geol. Survey, ser. 2, v. 6, 

pt. 5, p. 315-338.

 1910, Coals of the Licking Valley region and of some contiguous territory, 

including also an account of Elliott County and its dikes: Ky. Geol. Survey 

Bull. 10, p. 1-34.

England, K. J., 1955, Geology and coal resources of the Cannel City quadrangle, Morgan, Wolfe, and Magoffin Counties, Kentucky: U. S. Geol. Survey 

Bull. 1020-A, 21 p.

Glenn, L. C., 1925, The northern Tennessee coal field: Tenn. Div. of Geology 

Bull. 33-B, 478 p.

Hodge, J. M., 1908, Summary of report on the region drained by the three forks 

of the Kentucky River: Ky. Geol. Survey, Rept. of Progress for the years 

1906 and 1907, p. 36-45.

 1915, Coal of the North Fork of Kentucky River in Breathitt and Perry

Counties, Kentucky: Ky. Geol. Survey, ser. 4, v. 3, pt. 3, 409 p. 

Hudnall, J. S. and Browning, I. B., 1924, Structural geologic map of the Paint

Creek Uplift in Floyd, Johnson, Magoffiii, Morgan, Lawrence, and Elliott

Counties, Kentucky: Ky. Geol. Survey, ser. 6. 

Jillson, W. R., 1919, The Kendrick shale, a new calcareous fossil horizon in the

coal measures of eastern Kentucky: Ky. Dept. Geology and Forestry,

ser. 5, v. 1, no. 2, p. 96-104. 

Lyon, S. S., 1861, Topographical geological report of the progress of the Survey

of Kentucky for the years 1858 and 1859: Ky. Geol. Survey, ser. 1, v. 4,

p. 495-599." 

Morse, W. C., 1931, Pemisylvanian invertebrate fauna: Ky. Geol. Survey, ser. 6,

v. 36, p. 293-348. 

Owen, D. D., 1857, Third report of the geological survey in Kentucky made

during the years 1856 and 1857: Ky. Geol. Survey, ser. 1, v. 3, 589 p. 

Robinson, L. C., 1927, Geology of Morgan County, Kentucky: Ky. Geol. Survey,

ser. 6, v. 26, p. 229-259. 

Robinson, L. C. and Hudnall, J. S., 1925, Areal and structural geologic map of

Morgan County, Kentucky: Ky. Geol. Survey, ser. 6. 

Wanless, H. R., 1939, Pennsylvania!! correlations in the Eastern Interior and

Appalachian coal fields: Geol. Soc. America Special Paper 17, 130 p.

 1946, Pennsylvania!! geology of a part of the Southern Appalachian coa] 

field: Geol. Soc. America Mem. 13, 162 p.

INDEX

Page

Adele coal bed, correlation with Index bed__ _ 12 

Alluvium________________._____ 13-14

Amburgy coal bed, correlation with Cannel 

Citybed.. . 6

Bend (Ben) Branch__________________ 2

Brachiopods_______________________ 10,13

Breathitt formation, general description______ 4-6

Buck Branch__________________________ 2,11

Caney anticline..-.____________ 6,12,14,19

Caney Creek-_________________ 2

Cannel City coal bed, general description. _ _ _ 6,16 

Colvin coal bed, general description _ __ 11,12,17-19 

Concretions, limestone... __________ 5-6, 7,10,11

Cripple Creek 17

Cumberland Plateau.____________________ 4

Faults, minor__.______ __ ._________ 15

Fieldwork 3

Fire Clay coal bed, description _________ 8-9,17

Flint clay, general description..._______ 6, 8,12,16

Folds, minor..____________.__________ 15

Fossils, marine._____.___________ 5, 7,11,13

Grape Creek syncline__________________ 8,14

Grifflt Hollow 8,19

Hamlin(?) coal bed, general description____ 10,17 

Harper syncline-__ ..._______ 14

Index coal bed, correlation with Adele bed... _ 12 

general description..____________ 12,19

Indicated reserves, defined--.. ._.______ 15

Inferred reserves, defined___________. 15-16 

Introduction.________.________ 1

Investigations, present and previous________ 2-3

Irvine-Paint Creek fault. . 11,13,14 

Johnson Creek fault. -- ...------____ 14-15

	Page 

Johnson Fork-_ ______ _ _____ - 2

Jones Creek-- - _______.. ____ 17

Kendrick shale of Jillson____________ 7,8

Licking River..----_____...____- 4,17

Limestone..._________ .___ _.-_ 5

Literature cited-_____________..__ . 20-21

Lithofacies map, interpretation.________-_-._. 9

Magoffin beds of Morse, general description.. 10-11

strata above.-______--_-__-_ _ _.. 11-12

Matthew Post Office.. 8

Mining, Cannel City coal--. _ _ _ 16

Colvin coal------------------------------ 17,19

Fire Clay coal--------------------------- 17

Hamlin(?) coal_________-_______ 17

Index coaL-__-_--__---------------------- 19

Nickell coal-. 19-20

Sebastian coal__ ________ -___ 20

Tom Cooper coal_____ ______-_-_ 16

Nickell coal bed, general description. 12-13,19-20

Pricy Creek.. 8,17

Quaternary system. _____ ____.. 13-14

Reserves, coal...___ ... .- ____- 15-16

Sandstone________ __..._ 5

Sebastian coal bed, features..._____-_-___. 13,20

Shale --- - 5

Siltstone__-______------________-----_-----. 5

Structure, White Oak quadrangle.. _ 14 

Tom Cooper coal bed, general description.... 6,16

Topography_____.... 4

Underclay, features__ _-_____ -____ 5

Vance Fork________---.-.__ _-__. 7

White Oak, village of 1

White Oak Creek-- 2,4,13,17

23

o