UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Oscar L. Chapman, Secretary 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

W. E. Wrather, Director 

Washingt.,pn, D. C. 
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CffiCULAR 88 

January 1951 

CONSTRUCTION-MATERIALS 

IN CLOUD COUNTY, KANSAS 

:ay 

Laurence P. Buck, Richard Van Horn, 

and Robert G. Young 

PREPARED IN COOPERATION WITH THE 

STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION OF KANSAS 

R C. Keeling, State Highway Engineer 

S. E. Horner, Chief Geologist 

R D. Finney, Engineer of Materials 

Prepared as Part of a Program 

of the Department of the Interior 

for Development of the Missouri River Basin 
Paqe 

Introduction. . . . . • . . • • . • • . . . • . . . . . • • • . . • . 1 

Purpose of the investiqation. . . • • . • . . . • • • 1 

Geoqraphy of the area. • . • . . . . • • • • • . . • • • . 1 

Area covered by the investiqation. . . • • 1 

Topoqraphy. ... . . • . • . . . • . . . . . . • . . . . . • 1 

Drainage........................... 1 

Climate ........... ,................ 1 

Roads and railroads. . . . . . . . . . • . . . • • . 3 

Investigation procedure .. ,_. . • • . . . . • • • • ~ 

Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . • . • . . . . . . . . . . . 3 

Characteristics of the outcropping 

stratiqraphic units .. ·. . . . • . . . • . . • . . • . . • . 3 

General............................... 3 

Dakota sandstone. . . • . . • . . . • . . . . . . . . • . . . 6 

Areal distribution ....•.••••.... , . • • . 6 

General description. . . . . . • • . . • • • • . • . . 6 

Representative measured 

sections ....•..•••••.... { . • . . • . . • . . 6 

Thickness ......... ·. . • . . . . • . . . • . . • . . . 9 

·construction materials. . . • . . . • . . • . . . . 9 

Graneros shale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • • . . . 9 

Areal distribution. ........••.•..... ,·, 9 

General description. . . . . • . • . . . • . . . . • . 9 

Representative measured 

section .......•.•.•...•............ : 9 

Thickness. . . . . . . . • . . . . . . • . . • . . . • • . . . 10 

Construction materials. . • . . . • . . . . • . . . 10 

Greenhorn limestone. • . . • • • . . • • • . . . • . • . . 10 

General ..••.•.•••...•.•.•..•••....•. 10 

Areal distribution.................... 10 

General description. . . . . . • . . . . • . . . . • • 10 

Representative measured 

sections. . . . . . • • . . • . • . • • . • . . . . • • . . . 10 

Thickness.·. . . . . . . . . . . . . • . • . . . • . . . • . 13 

Construction materials. . . . . . . • . . . . .. . i3 

Carlile shale. . . . . . . • . • • . . • . . . . .. • . . . . . . 13 

Areal distribution................... 13 

General description .... ·....•........ 13 

Representative measured 

section........................... 13 

Thickness. . • . • . . . . . . . . . . • . • . . . . . . . 13 

Construction materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 

Ogallala formation ....•.•... •.......... 14 

Areal distribution................... 14 

General description................. 14 

Representative measured 

section ........•••.• ·••.•••.•..•.••. 14 

Thickness. . . . . • . . . . . . • . . . • . . • . . . . . . . 14 

Construction materials............... 14 

Sanborn formation. . . . • . • . . . . . . • . . . • . . . . 14 

Areal distribution................... 14 

General description.................. 14 

Representative measured 

section............................ 14 

Thickness. . . • • • • • • • . . . . . • • • • . . . • . . . • 15 

Construction materials. . . . . • • • . • • . • . . 15 

Terrace deposits. . . . . . • • • • • . . . • . • • . • . . . 15 

Areal distribution. . • . • . • • . • • • . . . . . . . • 15 

General characteristics •......•.•....• 15 

Representative measured 

section .....•••.•.•.•..••.•....••.. · 15 

Thickness. . . . . • . • . . . . . • . .... . . • • . • • • . . 15 

CONTENTS 

Terrace deposits--Continued. 

Construction materials •.•••......... 

DUlle sa11d. . • • • • • • . • . • • • • • • • • . • • • • • . • . · 

Areal distribution •.•..••... ~ .....•. General description ... o ••••••••••• o · 

Representative measured ... 

section ...•..••..••...••....•.... Thickness ....• · .•.•................ 

Construction materials ..•...••.•.... 

Alluvium •..•......•..•.•••........... Areal distribution •.................. 

General description ..•...•. ~ ........ . Representative measured 

section ...•...•.................... 

Thickness ......•.................... Construction materials ............... . 

Inventory of construction materials ........ . 

G.eneral ..........•....•................ Aqqregate for concrete ................ . 

Enqineering and qeoloqic 

characteristics ......•.............. Stratiqraphic sources and 

performance charactei-istics ........ . 

Alluvium .......................... . 

Sanborn formation •. ; ••........... ', .. 

Dakota sandstone • .-•...•............. Dune sand .........•....•..... : ..... 

Road metal .......••..•.•..•............. Enqineerinq and qeQloqic 

Paqe 

15 

15 

15 

15 

15 

15 

16 

16 

16 

16 

16 

16 

16 

16 

16 

17 

17 

17 

17 

17 

17 

18 

18 

characteristics. • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 

Aqgreqate .for concrete. • . . . . • . . . . . • . . 18 

Limestone ·gravel .. . . . • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 

Crushed· :rock.... .. . • • • . . • . • . . . . . . . . . . . 18 

Stratiqraphic sources and performance 

characteristics. . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 

Aqqregate for concrete. • . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 

Limestone qravel. . . . .. . . . . • . . . . . . . . • . 18 

Crushed rock. . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 

Mineral filler ........................... ~ 19 

Enqineerinq .and qeoloqic 

characteristics. • • . . . • . . • . . . • . . . . . . . . 19 

Stratiqraphic sources and 

performance characteristics. . . . . . . . . . 19 

Sanborn formation. • . • . • . . . . . . • . . • . . . 19 

Terrace deposits. • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 

Dune sand. . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 

Riprap .....•.........•......•........... 19 

Enqineerinq and qeoloqic -~ 

character is tics .•....•...•.......... Stratiqraphic sources and 

performance characteristics ......•.. 

Dakota Sandstone ...••..•........... Greenhorn limestone ....•......•.... 

Structural stone •....•.....•............ Enqineerinq and qeoloqic 

characteristics .••.•.••............. Stratiqraphic s'ources and 

performance characteristics .......•. 

Dakota sandstone •. · •.••.............. 

Greenhorn limestone .............•••. 

19 

19 

19 

19 

19 

19 

19 

19 

20 
ILLUSTRATIONS 

Plate 1. Map showing construction materials and geology of Cloud County, Kans ••••••••••••••• In pocket 

Page 

Figure 1. Index map of Ka.rlsas showinq areas cover-ed by this report and by other 

construction materials invest:UJaUons ...........•........•.•••••..••....•.•.•••.• 2. Chart showing temperature· ranges at .Concordia, Kans •.•.••.•••••...•••••.•••• ~ ••• 3. Chart showing precipitation. ranges at Concordia, Kans •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••. 

4. Outcropping stratiqraphic units in Cloud County, Kans. , and their construction 

materials •.... · ........•..........•..•.......••.....•....... · ..••.•.•..•..•.•••. 

2 

4 

5 

7 

5. Cross section along the line A-A • from the northwest corner of sec. 19, T. 7 S. , R. 5 W. , 

southward to the southwest corner of sec. 19, T. 8 S., R. 5 W •...•.....•......••.•..•. 8 

Table 1. Summary of materials .tests ••..•.•.......•.....•.•...•..........••..••.•.•.•.• Faces 20 

ii 
CONSTRUCTION-MATERIALS IN CLOUD COUNTY, KANSAS 

By 

Laurence P .. Buck, Richanl Van Hom, a,nd. Robert G. Young 

INTRODUCTION 

PURPOSE OF TilE INVESTIGATION 

The State Highway Commission of Kansas and 

the United States Geological Survey are cooperating 

in the compilation of a State-wide inventory of construction materials. In connection with this work, 

a field party composed of members of the United 

States Geological Survey investigated sources of 

engineering construction materials in Cloud County, 

Kansas, during the summer of 1948. This report of 

the investigation is a contribution to the geologic 

mapping and investigation of mineral resources 

being made in the Missouri River Basin. 1 I The 

primary objective of the investigation was to collect 

all data pertaining to the geologic materials .which 

would be useful in engineering projects. 

GEOGRAPHY OF TiiE AREA 

Area ctovered £1. the investigation, --Cloud 

County is in the second tier of Kansas counties 

south of the Nebraska border and in the eighth tier 

east of the Colorado border. (See fig. 1.) It comprises 20 townships and covers an area of about 

720 square miles. The county is bounded by parallels 39°18' and 39°39' north latitude and meridians 

97° 22' and 97° 56' west longitude. 

Topography. --Cloud County lies in the eastern 

part of the Plains Border division of the Great 

Plains physiographic province, a sub maturely to 

maturely dissected plateau region. 2/ The land 

surface in Cloud County has been dissected to a 

rc lling topography of moderate relief. 

A conspicuous topographic feature in the northern 

part of the county is the broad, flat valley of the 

Republican River, part of which is more than 3 miles 

wide. The valley of the Solomon River, which crosses 

the southwestern corner of the county, has a flat 

floor more than 2 miles wide. These valleys are 

about 200 feet below the undulating upland and their 

valley walls are moderately steep. Valleys cut into 

the unconsolidated sediments in the divide area 

between the two rivers are shallow with gently 

sloping walls. Areas between the upland valleys 

are gently rolling. 

1

Missouri River Basin, conservation, control, and use of water resources: 

78th Cong., ·2dlsess., S. doc. 191, 1944. 

~rye, J. C., Th~ High Plains surface in Kansas: Kansas Acad. Sci. 

Trans., vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 76, 81-82, June 1946. 

1 

The points of lowest elevation in Cloud County, 

about 1300 feet above sea level, are in the southwestern part along the Solomon River and in the northeastern part along the· Republican River. The highest 

~levations in the county are along the divide between 

the two rivers, one point in the south-central part 

being more than 1700 feet above sea level. 

Drainage. --Approximately the northern two-thirds 

of Cloud County lies in the drainage basin of the Republican River. (See pl. 1.) This river rises about 350 · 

miles to the west in Colorado and flows generally 

toward the east in southern Nebraska, and toward the 

southeast in Kansas, joining the Smoky Hill River at 

Junction City to form the Kansas River.. The tributary streams in Cloud County which enter the Republican River on the north side rise in Republic County. 

Buffalo Creek, the largest tributary, r-ises in Jewell 

County. This stream and its tributaries drain the 

northwest part of Cloud County. The tributaries 

entering the river from the south in Cloud County 

head in the divide area, between the Republican and 

Solomon Rivers. 

Nearly one-third of Cloud County lies in the 

drainage basin of the Solomon River which rises about 

185 miles to the west in Thomas County, Kansas. This 

river flows generally toward the east and joins the 

Smoky Hill River at Solomon~ Kansas. The tributaries 

entering the river from the north in Cloud County 

drain the southern slope of the divide area .between 

the Republican and Solomon Rivers. Chapman Creek, 

in the southeast part of the county, is a tributary of 

the Smoky Hill River. 

Climate. --Cloud County lies in an area of continental-type climate in which the summers are long 

and the winters are short and fairly cold. The average 

annual precipitation is about 25. 24 inches. 3/ The 

average date of the last killing frost in spring is 

Aprill5, and the average date of the first killing frost 

in fall is October 18. 4/ The average number of cloudy 

days is about 90 a year, of partly cloudy days about 

100 a year, and of clear days about 175 a year.~/ 

Temperature and precipitation are factors which 

are important in various phases of engineering construction such as setting concrete, laying bituminousmat, <:irading, and excavation. Figure 2, a chart 

~lora, S. 0., The Climate of Kansas: Kansas State Board of Agri. 

Rept. vol. 67, no. 285, p. 84, June 1948. 

'ibid., pp. 223 and 224. 

~bid., pp. 239 and 240. 
Thi$ 

report 

Report in 

preparation 

Report 

published 

Figure (._Index map of Kansas showing areas covered by this report and by other 

construction materials investigations 

2 
showinq temperature ranqes at Concordia, Kans. , was compiled from climatoloqical data for the 

years 1937 to 1946, inclusive. 6/ The chart indicates, 

for the 10-year period, the number of days each 

month in which the maximum daily temperature 

fell within certain ranqes arbitrarily based on temperatures important in certain construction activities 

Days in which the maximum temperature does 

not exceed 32° F. occur only from November to 

April, inclusive, with a maximum incidence of 9. 8 

days in January. July is the warmest month in the 

year, ·and has an average of 18. 8 days in which the 

daily maximum temperature exceeds gooF. The 

chart also shows the average difference between the 

daily maximum and minimum temperatures. The 

greatest difference in daily temperatures, 24. 5°F., 

is in July and the least difference, 17. 3°F., is in 

January. 

Figure 3 shows the average number .of days 

in which precipitation fell within certain ranqes at 

Concordia, Kans. The ranqes are selected arbitrarily to show the effect of precipitation on the number 

of workinq days in enqineering construction. As 

based on a 10-year average (Climatological Summary, 

Kansas section, 1937 -46) there are 5 days in June, 

for example, in which the precipitation is 1. 01 inches or more. Most of the prE!cipitation in the ranqe 

above 1 inch falls as heavy showers of short duration. 

Rain falling within the lesser precipitation ranges 

is g~nerally gentle and lasts over lonqer per-iods of 

time. · 

Roads and railroads. --Two transcontinental 

highways cross the county. U S 24, a major east:-

west highway with a bituminous-mat surface, crosses the southern part of the county. us 81, a major 

north-south highway, crosses the central part of 

the county. This highway is surfaced With concrete 

from the southern boundary to a P.Oint two miles 

north of Concordia. The remaining part of the 

road in the county is surfaced with bituminous-mat. 

Kansas Highway No. 9 is a bituminous-mat 

road from Clyde to Concordia and is metaled with 

gravel in the western part of the county. Kansas 

Highway .No. 28, from Concordia throuqh Jamestown, is a bituminous-mat road. Most of the roads 

maintained by the county are metaled with materials 

available locally, whereas most of the roads maintained by the townships are graded earth roads. The 

railroads shown on plate 1 are all branch lines. No 

rock quarried locally is used as ballast on any of 

the railroads in Cloud County. 

INVESTIGATION PROCEDURE 

This report is based on reconnaissance field 

work. The base map and aerial photographs used 

in mapping were supplied by the Soil Conservation 

Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. The areal distribution of the outcropping 

stratigraphic units was mapped on aerial photographs having a scale of 4 iTicheR equals 1 mile. 

The outcrop areas were later transferred to a oa.::~e 

map havinq a scale of 1 inch equals 1 mile. Some of the 

liweather Bureau, U. S. Department of Commerce, Climatological Data 

Kansas section, 1937 to 1946. 

3 

outcrops were mapped in the field di!-ectly on the 

base map. The mapped stratigraphic units are those 

recognized by the United States Geoloqical Survey 7 I 

and the Kansas Geoloqical Survey. §./ . -

The field party obtained. all the available records 

of tests made on the construction materials of Cloud 

County by the State Highway Commission of Kansas 

and investiqated the sources of the materials. Samples 

of construction materials not previously reported were collected and subjected to routine laboratory 

tests in the Road Materials Laboratory of the State 

Highway Commission in Manhattan, Kansas. 

A portion of each sample of aggregate material was examined under a binocular microscope in the 

laboratory of the Dep;;rtment of Geology, Kansas , State College, and the constituent rock and mineral 

grains were determined. The laboratory tests, mineralogical analyses, and the information from other sources are presented in table 1, a summary of materials 

tests. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

The field procedures and the form of this report 

follow the practices initiated by Frank E. Byrne of 

the United States Geological Survey for similar inventories of materials in other Kansas counties. 

Generous assistance in the compilation of the areal 

map or of construction materials data by the following 

is appreciated: the State Highway Commission of 

Kansas at Topeka, S. E. Horner, chief geologist, 

. and R. D. Finney, engineer of materials, and his 

associates; the Kansas office of the Ground ·water 

Branch, United States Geological Survey, V. C. 

Fishel, district engineer, and A. R. Leonard, 

geologist; the State Geological Survey of Kansas at 

Lawrence, J. C. Frye, executive director; the Cloud 

County office of the Soil Conservation Service, United 

States Department of Agriculture, C. W. Naylor in 

charge; Clifford A. Palmquist, county engineer of 

Cloud County; and Don J. Christensen, resident 

engineer for the State Highway Commission of Kansas 

at Concordia. 

This report, in manuscript form, was reviewed 

critically by various members of the State Highway 

Commission of Kansas and the United States Geological 

Survey. The petrographic determinations were made 

by R. F. McCormack of the United States Geological 

Survey. · 

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OUTCROPPING 

STRATIGRAPHIC UNITS 

GENERAL 

This discussion 'of the geologic formations that 

crop out in Cloud County emphasizes the areal distribution, the general characteristics, and the thick- ness of each stratigraphic unit. One or more representative measured sections are given for each formation or member except for those that were homogeneous or very thin. The mea$ured sections are 7 -

Wilmarth, M. G., Lexicon of qeoloqic names of the United States: U.S. 

Geoloqical Survey Bull. 896, pta. 1 and 2, 2396 pp., 1938. 

~~Moore, R. C., Frye, J.. C., Jewett, J. M., Tabular description of outcropping rocks in Kansas: Kans. Geological Survey Bull. 52, pt. 4, 

212 pp., 1944. 
No. of days Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June Ju!y Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. 

doily maximum 17.3!1tF. 18.~ 20.EfF. 20.tfF. 21.~ 2:U1f. 24. 22.1•F. 22.9-.:- 23.~F. 20.s-F. 18.3'= 

and minimum 

temperatures 

EXPLANATlON 

IIID ~ Maximum temperature more than '90' F Maximum temperature between 32-""'40°F 

~ I 

Moximum temperature between 61°-90°F Maximum temperature less than 32° F 

Mcncimum temperature between 41°-60° F 

FiQure 2.- Chart showinQ temperature ranQea at Concordia, Kansas. 
No. of days Jon. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. 

Avera9e 

precipitation 0.77 0.81 

In inches 

1.69 2.24 3.91 4.36 2.90 3.25 2.83 1.74 1.17 

I 

Days in wtttch precipitation was more thcHI I inch 

Days in which precipitation was between O.Uand I inch 

EXPLANATION 

[ill] 

Days in which precipitation 

was between a trace and 0.1 inch 

D 

Days in which there was 

no preclpitatiof4· 

·· Figure 3.- Chart showing precipitation ra~es. at Concordia, Kansaa. 

.82 
not intended to be complete but were selected to 

show typical outcrops of a unit in the county. The 

construction materials in each stratigraphic unit 

are llsted. This part of the report presents the 

qeoloqical information required for . the location 

and the effective development of the construction 

materials. · · 

A summary of data for each unit is presented 

in fiqure 4, Outcroppinq stratigraphic units in Cloud . 

County, Kans. , and the :r;:elationships of these stratigraphic units are illustrated in fiqure 5, Geoloqic 

cross section alonq the line A -A'. 

The areal distribution of the local stratigraphic 

units is shown on plate 1, Map of Cloud County, 

Kans. , showinq construction material resources and qeoloqy. Each unit is indicated by an: identifying 

symbol and its. outcrop areas are shown by a distinctive pattern overprinted in color. Roads, railroads, 

and streams are shown on the map to provide a 

basis for evaluatinq the accessibility of sources of 

construction materials. 

The locations of pits and quarries are shown 

also on plate 1. The symbols indicate whether the 

pit or quarry is or has been operated or is a prospect, 

the type of construction material available at each 

site, and the quantity of material (in units of 10,000 

cubic yards) that can be removed under no more than 

moderate overburden (unconsolidated material less. 

than 8 feet thick). Most of these sources are listed 

in table 1. Materials listed on the map in inclined 

letters have not been tested and are not listed in 

table 1. All materials sources listed in table 1 

are numbered within each materials classification 

accordinq to the followinq plan: The numberinq 

starts in the nprthwesternmost township and continues 

alonq the same tier to the east boundary of the county; 

it is continued in the next tier south startinq aqain 

with the township in the westernmost ranqe and 

proceeds to the east bound~y of the coun~y, and so 

on. 

DAKOTA SANDSTONE 

Areal distribution. --The Dakota sandstone of 

Late Cretaceous aqe is the oldest stratigraphic unit 

that crops out in Cloud County. (See pl. 1 and 

fig. 4.) It underlies all of the county but crops out 

most extensively in the eastern and southern parts. 

The northeast qua,rter is qenerally an area of qenUe 

relief in which resistant sandstones have formed 

scattered knolls and hills, the larqest of them beinq 

north of the Republican River and west of Hollis. 

The most conspicuous exposures of the Dakota sandstone are found in the southeast quatter of the· county, 

and westward to the valley of the Solomon River where 

cemented and case-hardened sandstones have formed 

many knolls and larqe hills. The Dakota sandstone 

crops out alonq both the north and s~mth walls of the 

valley of the Solomon River. South of the river are 

several larqe hills of Dakota sandstone. There are g1i_nor outcrops alonq the south valley wall of Buffalo 

Creek, alonq both valley walls of Wolf Cr.eek, and 

south of the Republican River near Concordia. In 

the divide area between the Solomon and Republican 

Rivers the Dakota sandstone is overlain by the 

Graneros shale and Greenhorn limestone. 

6 

GenerSl descri~ion. --The Dakota sandstone 

consists of clay, s!e, siltstone, and sandstone. 

Locany, it contains iron oxide concretions, quartzitic sandstones, carbonaceous material, and liqnite. £I 

A larqe part of the formation is made up of 

variously-colored clays and in the areas where they 

predominate the topogra,phic· relief is qenUe. .. Exposures 

of the clays and shales can be seen occasionally in 

stream banks and road cuts. The clays are usually 

mottled liqht gray and red to purple, and may include 

white, yellow, or brown zones. 

The sandstones are mainly thick, lenticular 

channel·deposits and qenerally are cross-bedded 

fine-grained soft; friable, and qray, tan, or brown. 

Lenses of hard, cemented sandstones may occur at 

any place in the section. Cementinq materials include 

iron oxide, calcite, dolomitic calcite, silica, and 

barite, and mixtures of two or more of them.lO I The 

most common cementinq agent is· iron oxide. and many 

of the sandstones contain a high percentage of iron 

either disseminated throughout or in the form of 

concretions. Hills are often capped by fine-qrained 

iron-rich sandstone that has case-hardened to a dense, 

brittle, dark-brown to purple "ironstone." 

Concretions in the sandstones may occur in 

several forms, such as: spherical masses-of sand, 

cemented with iron oxide, ranging from less than an inch to several feet in diameter; iron-cemented shells 

filled with loose sand or gray clay; pellets of con- cretionary iron; and gnarled layers of concretionary 

iron. 

Carbonaceous materials in the Dakota sandstone 

include fossil leaves, lignitized stems and roots, 

lignitic clays,. and lignite. A lignitic shale bed near the top of the formation outcrops in a stream bank in 

the swt NEt sec. 1, T. 5 S. , R. 3 W. The lignite 

is weathered and is shaly to papery, qray to black, 

and about 1. 5 feet thick. 

Representative measured sections. --The following 

section of the Dakota sandstone was measured near the center of the swt sec. 34, T. 8 s., R. l W.: 

Feet 

Dakota sandstone: 

Top of hill covered with fraqments of 

gnarled iron-cemented sandstone. 

Sandstone, medium-grained; resistant; 

oranqe brown to dark brown . . . . . . . . . . . 10 

Sandstone, fine-qrained, friable; 

brown............................... 30 

Sandstone, medium-qrained; crossbedded;· forms bench; dark brown...... 5 

.Sandstone, fine-grained, massive; 

some beds cross-bedded; brown...... 38 

Sandstone, fine-grained, hard, ironrich; cross-bedded; brown........... 2 

Sandstone, very fine-grained; crossbedded; tan gray, gray oranqe, red 

brown.............................. 23 

9Moore, Frye, and Jewett, op. cit., p. 153. 

1

%wtnefcrd, Ada, Cemented sandstones of the Dakota and Kiowa formations 

in Kansas: Kansas Geol. Survey Bull. 70, pt. 4, 104 pp., 1947. 
Section 

c. ., Stratigraphic units c f!- ~.,....---------~ 

b } 'i E ., Format ions 

'S .~ ! I .! and 

0 = /; ~ members 

+-

c 

Cll 

Alluvium 

Generalized description 

Light-brown silt with numerous lenses and layers 

of sand and gravel interbedded. 

Construction . 

materials 

Aggregate 

Road metal 

D ~ Cll 0~------------------~---------------------------------------+---------------i E a:: ., 

g Dune sand 

a 

Terrace deposits 

Tan-gray, cross-bedded, wind-blown silt and sand I 

characterized by hummocky topography. 

Upper part gray- brown silt locally with buried 

soil zone• lower part silt with thin lenses of 

sand and grove I. 

Aggregate 

Mineral filler 

Mineral filler 

Road metal 

Mineral filler 

Aggregate iJ!i Road metal o-100 ~ ~~ ~·~·,~mali~ .u:;~;~·~~;;~:~:;:~;~;~E~~, ~~~!:8 • .:::.•..::-:o.o~~~/ ~ij....., _______ __,;, ____ -+------------------------------tr-----------t -·-·--·-•- · · 0-1 :: g OQOIIolo formation Mottled gray and tan, hard algal lime.stone. 

~~~ 0-20? ~.! f~~~ . · .Carli'-'dtberle Orange or yellow-brown chalky shalts with 

~-= == ---=--=.. -:::,-; 0-15 IU IU ~Fair~Ft ,&hale .member interbedded thin lenses of chalk. 

0-20 .!! 1\ Pfeifi!r shale member Interbedded orange- gray chalky shales and 

~~~~~~~~~~~ c thin tan-gray chalky limestones. r= - ---:: 5 ,,J•tmore chalk member . . ~-- =--=: ~-~ 0-28 ~ '' "' Interbedded thm gray chalky limestones and 

0-22 

0-20 

"' ;:, 

0 

"' ., 

0 ;:, D c • ., 

0 

D 0 a; ... 0 ., 

Q. 

Q. 

~ 

0-280 

I Hartland shalt!! Member I\ blue- gray calcareous shales. 

'-"""L....,•_n_oo'""l-n'""l ... •m-e-s'""t-on-e--&1\ Calcareous gray shales interbedded with thin 

member 1\ chalky limestones and thin bentonites. 

1\ Graneros shale Interbedded thin crystalline limestones, 

Dakota sandstone 

catcartous shales. and thin bentonites. 

Blue-gray noncolcareous cloy shale, thin bentonites; sandstone lenses in basal part. 

Lenses of tan to brown cross- bedded sandstone interbedded with gray, tan, brown, 

or red silt or clay shales. 

Structural stone 

Rood metal 

Road metal 

Structural stone 

Riprap 

Figure 4.- Outcropping stratigraphic units in Cloud County, Kansai, and their constructtQn materials. 
North 

A 

0 

Alluvium 

Scale 

0 I 2 Miles 

EXPLANATION 

0 8 8 G EJ Terrace deposits Sanborn formation Carlile shole Greenhorn limestone Graneros shale 

~ 

~ Silt Sand with grovel lenses 

"--""-

Visible 

unconformity 

......... _ ... ,, .... -· 

Concealed 

unconformity 

• ~ 

~ Limestone • 

Concealed 

conformable contact 

Shale Sondslone 

Visible 

conformable contact . 

Figura 5.- Cross section along the line A-A from the northwest corner of sec. 19, T. 7 S., R. 5 W., 

scu1 hward to the !'Oufhwest corner of sec. 19, T. 8 S., R. 5 W. 

G 

~ 

1000! 

l 

: 

0 

' 900 i 

South 

A' 

! 

.5 

. 800~ 

Ci 

Dakota sandstone 
Dakota sandstone--Continued. 

Sandstone, very fine-grained, iron- ~ 

rich; concretionary; dark brown ••. ,, _L 

Base covered. 109 

A road cut in the NEt NEt sec. 4, T. 8 S. , 

R. 4 w._. , shows the following section of t~e Dakota 

sandstone: 

Dakota sandstone: 

Sandstone, fine-grained, friable, 

massive, gray; contains 3 layers 

of harder sandstone, red purple, 

0. 5 to 1 foot thick; several large 

lenticular mass6s of concretionary 

quartzite, silica-cemented, texture 

fine to coarse, very hard, dense, 

massive, jointed, gray, tan gray, 

Feet 

and red brown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 

Sahdstone, fine-grained, friable, 

massive; gray tan to brown; numerous 

nodular to large round concretions 

composed of sand cemented with 

iron oxide. . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 

Base covered. --wThe following section of the Dakota sandstone 

is e]!:posed in the NWt swt sec. 34, T. 8 s. , R. 5 

w. : 

Dakota sandstone: 

Sandstone, fine-grained, hard; 

iron-rich; concretionary; 

variably red, red brown, brown, 

bluish-purple; fossilized wood 

and leaves on bE..ddiBg planes; 

numerous hollow pipes lined 

Feet 

with ironstone ....... ; ............ ~ 0. 5 

Clay, slightly silty; tan gray. . . . . . . . . 1. 5 

Clay, sandy, silty; red brown ....... ·. 7. 7 

Sandstone, fine-grained, soft, friable; 

gray orange; composed of compacted. 

fine sand and silt; cross-bedded; 

lenticular. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8. 5 

Base covered. "'i8.'2 

Thickness. --Wing states that nearly 400 feet 

of the Dakota sandstone outcrops in Cloud and Republic Counties. 11/ By computing the difference in 

elevation between the lowest and highest outcrops in · 

the vicinity of Miltonvale, an estimate of about 

280 feet is obtained as the maximum thickness in 

any locality in Cloud County. Outcrops range in 

thickness from a few feet to 110 feet. 

Construction .materials. --The clay beds in the 

Dakota sandstone are used as a source of ceramic 

material. Plummer and Hladik 12/ report that a ceramic slag suitable for use as lightweight aggregate 

llWing, M. E., The geology of Cloud and Republic Counties, Kansas: 

Kansas Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 31, 1930. 

1

2plurnmer, N. and Kladik, W. B., The manufacture of ceramic railroad 

hallast and constructional aggregates from Kqnsas clays and silts: 

Kansas Geol. Survey Bull. 76, pt. 4, 112 pp., 1948. 

9 

can be manufactured from these clays. Quartzitelike sandstone from t.his formation is used as: 

road metal, structural stone, and riprap. 

. GRANEROS SHALE 

Areal distribution. --The Graneros shale of Upper 

Cretaceous strata outcrops only locally in Cloud County. 

(See pl. 1 and fig. 4.} It can be seen in only a few 

outcrops along the divide area between the Solomon 

and Republican Rivers. Rapid erosion or road cut 

excavations in these places has stripped away the 

loess, colluvium, or slope wash that elsewhere 

conceals the soft shales of the formation. Undoubtedly 

there ar.e other areas bordering the outcropping Greenhorn limestone where the Graneros shale is only 

thinly covered by younger sediments. 

General description. --The Graneros shale lies on 

the Dakota sandstone and beneath the Greenhorn limestone. It is a marine formation composed largely of 

nonfossiliterous clay shale. The shale is blue gray to 

black and weathers gray or red brown. The upper part 

contains a bentonite bed, or thin interbedded layers of 

bentonite, about 1 :oot thick. The shale also contains 

small lenses of iron-stained brown sandstone, and 

crystals of gypsum which range in size from sand 

grains to plates nearly a foot long and an inch thick. 

The basal part of the Graneros shale may contain 

+enses of channel sandstone locally. 

Representative measured section. --The following 

section of the Graneros shale was measured in a r.oad 

cut along the west edge of the swt.sec. 19, T. 8 S., 

R. 5 W. , on the Cloud-Mitchell county line: 

Feet 

Soil: 

Carlile shale: 

"""""0.5 

5.8 

Greenhorn limestone: 75.4 

Graneros shale: 

Clay shale, thin-bedded; dark gray, 

weathers red brown; fine gypsum 

grains between beds ........... ~ . . . . 0. 9 

Bentonite; cream and orange; partly 

streaked with iron stains .......... . 

Clay shale, thin -bedded to papery; 

non-calcareous; blue gray, weathers 

light gray; thin seams of gypsum fill 

joint cracks; streaks of altered 

bentonite; small lenses of ironcemented sandstone; becomes 

darker near top; sandstone lenses 

1.0 

more numerous in top 3 feet. . . . . . . . . 10. 1 

Sandstone, thin-bedded, iron-stained; 

yellow brown to red brown; gypsum 

and thin seams of calcite .......... . 

Clay ~hale, thin-bedded to papery; noncalcareous; blue gray mottled with 

yellow flakes of bentonite, weathers 

light gray; gypsum crystals and lenses 

of red-brown clay; joints filled with 

iron oxide; lenses of red-brown sand-

. 5 

stone 'in upper 2 feet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6. 1 

Shale, thin-bedded, soft, non-calcareous; 

red brown.......................... . 6 

Shale, slightly silty, soft, thin-bedded, 

non-calcareous; gray, weathers light 

gray ................................. 2. 3 

Underlain by iron-cemented Dakota? -

sandstone .......................... 21. 5 
Thickness. --The total thickness of the Graneros 

shale is about22 feet. Outcrops ranqe from 5 to 15 

feet th!ck. 

Construction materials. --The Graneros shale 

is not a source of construction materials. Because 

the formation is largely composed of h1ghli plastic 

clay shale, its use in engineering construction miqht 

contribute to foundation failures and poor embankment or subqrade performance. 

GREEHORN LIMESTONE 

General. --The Greenhorn limestone of Upper 

Cretaceous strata (see fig. 4) is divided into four 

members: (1) the Lincoln limestone (oldest and 

lowest stratigraphically), (2) the Hartland shale, 

{3) the Jetmore chalk, and (4) the Pfeifer shale 

(youngest and· highest stratigraphically). The formation is mapped as a single unit on plate 1, although 

descriptions of the several members will be given. 

Areal distribution. --The Greenhorn limestone 

crops out most extensively in the divide area between 

the valleys of the Republican and Solomon Rivers 

(see pl. 1. ) where the limestones form prominent 

terraces along the valley walls. In the upland areas 

between streams, the Greenhorn limestone is concealed by the younger Sanborn formation and the topography is flat or gently rolling. It outcrops on the 

hillsides along the county line north of Buffalo Creek 

and.the Republican River, and is also exposed around 

the high hills near the southwest corner of the county. 

The formation is absent in the eastern part of the 

county. 

General description. --The Greenhorn limestone 

is a marine deposit of chalky shales and limestones 

that lies between the underlying Graneros sha~e and 

the overlying Carlile shale. Erosion has removed 

the Carlile shale from much of the outcrop area 

and stratigraphic units of Tertiary or Quaternary 

age locally overlie the Greenhorn lime;stone. 

( 1) The Lincoln limestone member consists of 

beds of shale interbedded with numerous thin layers 

of limestone and seams of bentonite~ The shale 

layers are silty or clay.ey., laminated, calcareous, 

gray or brown, and weather light tan or qray. Most 

of the limestones are dense, hard, and crystalline. 

Several are impure and soft but caseharden when 

exposed to air. The limestones contain fish scales 

and teeth, fish vertebrae, and shark teeth. The 

limestone bed at the base of the member and several 

other limestone beds in the Lincoln member have a · petroliferous odor when freshly fractured. The 

limestones are qray or brown, and weather light 

gray, tan qray, or brown. 

(2) About 75 percent of the Hartland shale member 

is calcareous silty shale. The shales ~e soft, thin- · 

bedded to papery, qray, qray orange, or red brown, 

and weather tan qray. Most of the shale beds contain 

shells of a fossil clam, fish scales and teeth, and 

shark teeth. Limestones make up about 18 percent 

of the member. Most of them are thin-bedded, 

crystalline, hard, qray or tan qray, and contain 

shark teeth, fish sc3J.es, and clam shells. About 

7 percent of the member is bentonite in thin layers 

ranging from 0. 03 to o: 65 foot· thick. The bentonite 

is tan qray, gray orange, or red brown. 

(3) The Jetmore chalk member consists of interbedded limy shales and chalky limestones, with a 

ratio of about 70 percent shale and 30 percent limestone; The shales are very limy, thin-bedded, and 

tan qray; some are fossiliferous. The limestones 

are chalky in contrast to the crystalline limestones 

of the Hartland and Lincoln members. They are buff or tan qray, and contain clam fossils. 

The top of the Jetmore chalk member is marked 

by the "Shellrock" limestone bed, so called because it 

contains an abundance of clam shells. It is a tanqray, chalky limestone about a foot thick that forms 

terraces around the shoulders of hills throughout 

central and western Cloud County. This bed has been 

quarried extensively for use as a building stone and 

qrassed-over trenches mark old quarries around many 

hills where the "Shellrock" outcrops. 

(4) The Pfeifer shale member consists of tanqray or qray-orange, thin-bedded or platy limy shales 

containing several layers of chalky fossiliferous 

limestone. At its top, arbitrarily separating the 

Greenhorn limestone from the overlying Carlile shale, 

i~ the ".Fencepost" limestone bed. This bed is a tangray chalky limestone with a rust-colored band in the 

middle part; it contains many clam shells. There are 

few outcrops of.the "Fencepost" limestone bed in 

·cloud County. Outcrops· of the Pfeifer shale generally 

show only a few feet of the lower part of the member. 

Repre·sentative measured sections. --The following 

measured sections show the characteristics of the 

various members of the Greenhorn limestone as they 

outcrop in Cloud County:. 

(1) A cut bank along the west edge of the swt sec. 19, 

. T. 8 S., R. 5 W., along the Cloud-Mitchell co'unty 

line: 

Feet 

Soil: ().5 

Carlile shale: 5. 8 

Greenhorn limestone: 

Pfeifer shale member: 

Jetmore chalk member: 

Hartland shale member: 

Limestone, massive, hard; 

mottled qray and red brown, 

weathers light red brown; iron 

concretions through middle form 

14.3 

15.9 

weak zone; calcite seams; scattered 

shell fragments, fish scales, shark 

teeth, fossil coiled cephalopod. . . . . . 4 

Bentonite,. friable'; tan qray............ . 2 

Shale, silty, calcareous, thin-bedded, 

soft; tan qray, weathers liqht qray and 

has chalky, brittle appearance; iron 

oxide stains; fish scales, shark teeth~ 

clam shells. (Note:· this bed locally . 

is blue black and quite carbonaceous). . 2. 4 

Shale, very silty, calcareous, thinbedded, fairly hard; red brown, weathers 

tan qray; iron-staining on bedding planes; 

fish scales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. 65 

Limestone, chalky, soft; tan qr~y, 

weathers .light qray. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 
Hartland shale member of Greenhorn limestone--

Continued. · Feet 

Shale, silty, calcareous, thin-bedded, - soft; tan gray intermingled with gray 

orange, weathers tan gray.......... . 86 

Bentonite, friable; motUed red brown 

and gray orange, weathers tan gray... . 66 

Limestone, very soft, cha.l.kY; shows no bedding; light gray, weathers 

tan gr~y; iron-stained on fra~ture 

surfaces; no fossils noted ... _........ . 3_ · Shale, silty; calcareous, soft, thinbedded; gray orange intermingled 

with red brown, weathers light 

gray; iron stains on bedding 

lili!nes; fish scales and teeth. . . . • . . 2. 1 

Limestone, hard, shows no.bedding; 

tan gray, weathers light tan gray; 

thin calcite seams; 4-on stains; 

fish teeth and scales, shellfragments .... ~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . 3 

Shale, silty, calcareous, thinbedded; red brown, weathers 

gray orange; iron stains; fish 

scales ...... ~ ... ·. . . . . . . . . • . . . . . • . 46 

Shale, clayey,. calcareous, blocky, 

soft; gray orange, weathers gray. . . 36 

Bentonite, friable; orange.......... . . 2 

Shale, slighUy silty, soft; gray 

orange, weathers light gray; 

contains _some bentonite. • . . . . . . . . . . . 36 

Shale, very silty, calcareous, · · 

blocky; massive; tan gray and 

red brown mixed, weathers 

light gray; iron stains on fracture surfaces; shell 

fragments, fish scales •••..•. ~.... 1. 3. 

Bentonite, platy; oranqe. . • . . . • . . . • • 2 

Limestone with shale partincjs, 

thin-bedded; gray to gray 

orange; fish scaleS and 

teeth, clam shells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. 2 

Limestone, laminated; light gray · to gray, weathers tan gray; 

small limonite concretions; no fossils noted. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 

Shale, silty, calcareous, platy; 

light gray to red brown, weathers 

tan gray; thin calcite partings; 

fish scales and teeth, clam shells. . 1. 40 

Bentonite, platy; orange.......... . . . . 05 

Shale, silty, calcareous, platy; 

light gray to red brown, weathers 

tan gray; thin calcite partings; 

fish scales and teeth, clam shells . . • . 8 

Bentonite, blocky; prange............ . • 1 

Shale, silty, calcareous, platy; 

light gray to red brown, weathers: 

tan gray; thin calcite partings; 

fish scales and :teeth, clam 

shells .....•.•....••...•.•.....• ·• 3. 3 . Bentonit,, .blocky; o~ange........... • a 

Shale, silty, calcareous, pli.ty; 

gray orange to gray, weathers 

tan gray, fish scales and teeth, 

clam shells ••• ·• • . . • . • . • . • • . • • • . • • . • 3 

Bentonite·, blo~ky; gray orange to 

brown........................... ~ 2 

Shale, silty, calcareous, 

platy; brown, w~athers· tan gray; · fish scales and teeth, clam shells. . 1. 0 11 

Bentonite, blo~ky; orange; lenses 

of. iron oxide ....... ; .....•..•... 

Shale, silty, calcareous, platy; 

brown, weathers tan gray; 

fish scales and teeth, clam 

shells •.•.•......•••.......•... 

Limestone, thin-bedded, crystalline; 

beds separated by very thin shale 

partings; gray weathers tan gray; 

Feet 

• 15 

• 6 

fish scales and teeth, clam shells ....• 5 

Shale, silty, calcareous, platy; 

gray orange intermingled with 

light gray, weathers tan gray; 

.very thin, gray crystalline 

limestone partings; fish scales 

and teeth, clam shells ..•.......•.. 1. a 

Bentonite, platy, orange. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 05 

Limestone, soft, blocky; gray 

orange, weathers tan gray; fish 

scales and teeth, clam shells. . . . . . . . 1 

Bentonite, blocky; orange. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 

Shale, silty, calcareous, platy; 

few thin limestone partings; 

brown to red brown, weathers 

tan gray; fish scales and teeth. . . . . . 1. 4 

Limestone with s}?.ale partings, 

thin-bedded; shale partings 

silty, calcareous; red brown, 

weathers tan gray; limestone 

somewhat crystalline; fish 

scales and teeth. . . . . • . . • • . . . . . . . . 1. 0 

Lincoln limestone member: 

Limestone, dense, crystalline; 

tan gray, weathers gray; fish 

'J.'f:T 

scales, clam shells .•.•••. ·. • . . . . .. . 3 

Shale, silty, calcareous, platy; 

brc;>wn, weathers gray; fish 

scales, _clam shells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 

Bentonite, platy; orange. • . . . . . . . . . . 05 

Limestone, thin-bedded; light gray, 

weathers tan gray; fish scales..... . 2 

Shale, silty, calcareous, platy; 

brown to black, weathers 

gray; clam shells ............ ,. . . . . . 3 

Bentonite, blocky; gray orange...... . 3 

Shale, silty, calcareous; brown...... . 1 

Limestone, platy, soft, impure, · silty; dark gray motUed with 

red brown; casehardens when 

exposed; color pattern follows 

jointing; irregul.al- seams of 

lignite; fish scales, shark 

teeth, clam shells. • . . • . . . . . • . • . . . . . 4 

Shale, sil~y, calcareous, thinbedded, soft;.dark gray intermixed 

with red brown, weathers gray; 

fish scales, shark teeth ••.•..••.•.. · . 3 

Bentonite, blocky, soft; red brown. ... · . 3 

Limestone, sUty, soft; gray brown, 

weathers tan gray; abundant fish 

scales............................ . 05 

Shale, $Uty, calcareous, thin-bedded, 

soft; qray brown, weathers Uqht gray; 

fish scales......................... . 1 

Limestone, hard, crystalline, very 

platy; reel brown, weathers tan gray; 

fish scales in bedding: planes; shark 

teeth ....•........ .- .......•.......... 1 
Lincoln limestone member of the Greenhorr ;~.mestone--Continued. 

Shale, silty, calcareous; red 

brown, weathers tan qray; 

red brown streak in middle 

part containinq iron oxide 

concretions; unfossiliferous ...... . Shale, clayey, calcareous, 

laminated; gray brown to 

black, weathers tan gray; 

fish scales; .interbedded 

irregular thin lenses of red 

brown, hard, crystalline limestone cq_ntaining fish scales 

and small clay pellets ........... . Bentonite; cream and red 

brown .......... ~· ............... . Shale, clayey, calcareous, thinbedded, soft; br~e gray to black 

with gray orange streaks; small· 

gypsum crystals between bedding 

planes; unfossiliferous ........... . 

Shale, slightly silty, thin-bedd~d·, 

soft; red brown, weathers tan 

gray; gypsum crystals in fracture 

joints; unfossiliferous ....•........ Shale, silty, calcareous, thinbedded, soft; red brown; thin 

layers of crystalline limestone ..... Limestone, crystalline hard, thinbedded; gray to gray orange; 

thickness and thins laterally ...... . Shale, clayey, calcareous; gray 

orange; interbedded thin, platy, 

crystalline limestones ........... . 

Limestone, crystalline, hard, 

persistent; d~k gray; fish 

scales, shark teeth .............. . 

Limestone~ crystalline, hard, . platy; dark gray, weathers tan 

gray; fish scales, shark teeth; 

interbedded layers of brown shale .. Graneros shale: · 

.4 

.4 

.3 

4.9 

5. 1 

1.4 

.6 

.8 

.2 

• 7 

"21.'"0 

Dakota sandstone: Base covered. 

(2) A cut bank on U. S. HighWay No. 24 in the 

SWt swt sec. 8, T. 8 S. , R. 5 W. : Feet 

Soil: silt, humus, limestone 

pebbles. . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. 0 

Greenhorn limestone: 

Pfeifer shale member: 

Shale, chalky, thin-bedded, 

soft; tan gray to gray orange; 

thin lenses of chalky limestone; 

clam .shells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . !..Q 

Jetmore chalk member: . 

"Shellrock" limestone bed; 

chalky;. tan gray; abundant 

clam shells; .unweathered 

surfaces soft, weathered 

surfaces hard; exposed rock 

fract.ured and split by frost 

action in bedding planes •••. ·~ . . • . 9 

Shale., chalky, . thin-bedded; iiqht 

gray, weathers tan gray; 

interbedded thin lenses of 

ch9J.ky, fossiliferous limestone. . . 2. 2 

12 

Limestone, dep.se, hard; qray, 

weathers tan gray; clam 

shells ...•...•......•...•.•.... Shale, chalky, thin -bedded to 

platy; gray, weathers tan 

gray; thin le.nses of fo.ssiliferous limestone ...........••. Limestone, crystalline dense, 

hard; gray, weathers tan gray; 

. 35 

. 85 

clam shells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 

Shale, calcareous, thin-bedded · to platy; gray, weathers tan 

gray; clam shells ............... . Limestone, crystalline, dense, 

hard; gray, weathers tan gray; 

clam shells ...................... . Shhle, calcareous, thin-bedded to 

papery; gray, weathers tan 

gray; clam shells ............... . Limestone, crystalline, dense, 

hard; gray, weathers· tan gray; 

clam shells .................... . Shale, calcareous, very thin-bedded 

to platy; gray, weathers tan gray; 

clam shells ..................... . Limestone, chalky, hard; tan gray .. ; 

Shale, calcareous; thin-bedded; 

top 0. 1 foot orange; liqht tan 

to tan gray; very chalky at 

base; clam shells ............•.... Limestone, dense, hard; liqht 

gray, weathers tan gray; 

fossil fraqtnents •................. Shale, calcareous, very thin-bedded 

to platy; gray, weathers tan gray ... 

Limestone, very chalky, soft; tan 

gray .............•.............. Base covered. 

. 75 

.4 

. 6 

.35 

• 45 

• 2 

1.5 

. 3 

. 5 

. 15 

9.lr 

(3) A cut bank on U. S. Hiqhway No. 81 in the 

swt NEt sec. 16, T. 6 s., R. 3 w.: . 

Soil humus, shale anq limestone 

fragments ..................... . 

Greenhorn limestone: 

Jetmore chalk member, lower part: 

Shale, very limy, platy; tan gray 

and red brown, weathers light 

tan gray; thin lenses and layers 

of limestone; clam shells ....... . 

Limestone, dense, hard; gray, 

weathers tan gray; iron 

staining in middle part; fish 

scales, fossil fragments, 

clam shells .................... . Shale, very limy, thin-bedded; light 

gray, weathers tan gray; discscaped fossiliferous limestone 

nodules; clam shells ............. . Limestone, chalky; light tan 

gray, weathers liqht gray; 

fossil fragments, clam shells .... 

Shale, limy, thin-bedded; tan 

gray; shell fraqments .....•.•... Limestone, hard, brittle; gray, 

'jiVeathers tan gray; iron stains; 

clam shells •...•.....•....•....•• 

Feet 

0.50 

...::=::=::.... 

3.35 

. 25 

l.O 

.25 

• 75 

• 4 
Jetmore chalk member of the greenhorn limestone 

lower part--Continued. 

Shale, limy, thin-bedded; tan 

gray and red brown, weathers 

tan gray; disc-shaped nodules 

of fossiliferous limestone; 

. clam shells ...................• 

Limestone, chalky; mottled tan 

gray and red brown; thin lenses 

of iron oxide material in middle 

part; thickens and thins laterally; 

clam shells ................... . 

Shale, clayey, calcareous, thinbedded; tan gray to red brown, 

weathers tan gray ........ ; .... . 

Limestone, chalky; tan gray 

with red brown iron stains; 

thickens and thins laterally; 

clam shells ..................•. Shale, chalky, thin-bedded; tan 

gray ••••••.•.••..••••.••.••••• 

Limestone, very chalky; very 

light gray, weathers tan gray; 

· clam shells ................... . Shale, limy, thin-bedded; tan 

gray ......................... . Limestone, chalky; mottled 

light gray, gray tan, red 

brown; iron stains; clam 

shells ....................... . Shale, limy, thin-bedded; very 

light tan gray ................ . Limestone, very chalky; tan 

gray; iron stains; thickens and 

thins laterally; clam shells ..... . 

Shale, limy, thin-bedded; tan 

gray ......•............•....•• 

Limestone, very chalky; tan 

gray mottled with red brown 

iron-staining; thickens and 

thins laterally; cia.~ shells ..... 

Shale, limy, thin-bedded; tah 

gray. • .•... ~ ............ · .... . Limestone, chalky; mottled tan 

gray and red brown; iron O?Cide 

streaks in middle part; thickens 

and thins laterally ............• 

Shale, limy, thin-bedded to.platy; 

tan giiay •••••••••••••••••••• •• 

Limestone, chalky; tan gray; 

thickens 'and thins laterally ..... 

Shale, limy; tan gray ......•..... 

Limestone, very chalky; tan 

gray •.......................... Shale, limy; tan gray; shark. 

teeth. ...............•... ·•••· Limestone, crystalline·, dense, 

hard; mottled tan gray and 

red brown, weathers light 

red brown; iron stains and 

calcite· filled cavities in 

middle part; persistent, 

forms ledge; clam shells ..... . 

Hartland shale member; base 

covered •......•. ; ..•..........•.• 

Feet 

1. 3 

.2 

• 45 

.15 

.4 

. 35 

. 35 

.35 

.45 

.2 

. 3 

.2 

• 4 

.3 

.3 

. 1 

.2 

. 15 

. 1 

.35 

12.6 

21.0 

13 

Thickness. --The section of the Greenhorn 

limestone measured on the county line near the southwest corner of the county (see p.lO) totaled 75. 4 feet 

thick. The thickness of each member is as follows: 

pfeifer shale member 14.3 feet; Jetmore chalk member 

15. g feet; Hartland shale member 27. ~ feet; and the 

Lincoln limestone member 17. 4 feet. The formation 

is somewhat thicker in the central part of the county 

where the Jetmore chalk member is nearly 20 feet 

thick. The maximum thickness of the Greenhorn 

limestone is about 80 feet. 

Construction materials. --Materials from the 

Greenhorn limestone are used as structural stone 

and roaa metal . 

CARULE SHALE 

Areal distribution. --Only the Fairport chalky 

shale member of the Carlile shale outcrops in Cloud 

County. (See pl. 1 and fig. 4.) Outcrops are few in 

number, small in area, and are limited to the western 

part of the county. 

General description. --The Fairport member is 

a gray-orange chalky shale which weathers a chalky 

cream color and contains interbedded thin beds and 

disc-shaped lenses of soft, chalky, orange-tan 

fossiliferous limestone. The Fairport member ov~rlies the Greenhorn limestone and the contact is 

arbitrarily placed at the 'top of the "Fencepost" limestone the uppermost bed of the older formation. The 

Carllle shale is concealed by the overlying Sanborn 

formation in most places; in·at least one locality it is 

over lain by a thin algallike limestone of the Ogallala 

formation. 

Representative measured section. --The following 

section of the Fairport chalkY shale member of the 

Carlile shale is exposed in the swt SWt sec. 19, 

T. 8 S., R. 5 W., along the Cloud-Mitchell county 

line: 

Feet 

Soil; shaly, limy............... 0. 5 

Carlile shale: 

Fairport chalky shale member: 

Shale, chalky; gray orange, 

weathers light gray orange; 

thin discontinuous layers of 

chalk .. ·....................... 1. 5 

Limestone, chalky; gray orange, 

weathers to. light gray orange; 

thickens and thins laterally; 

discontinuous; clam shells...... . 3 

Shale, chalky; gray orange........ 4. 0 

Underlain by Greenhorn limestone. 'KS 

Thickness. --The thickness of the Carlile shale 

in Cloud County is about 20 feet. Individual outcrops 

average about 5 feet thick. 

Construction materials.- -No materials of value 

in engineering construction were found in this formation. The shales might be satisfactory for fills 

and embankments if shoulder slopes are graded to 

a low angle. However, outcrops of this formation 

are so thin and small in ar.ea that they may be disregarded as productive sources of construction 

materials. 
OGALLALA FORMA nON 

Areal distribution. --Th~ Oqallala formation 

of Pliocene aqe (see flq. 4) is not developed 

typically in Cloud County,' Material that has been 

assigned to this formation outcrops near the tops 

of divides in three places. (See pl. 1. ) In the 

SEt SEt sec. 71 T. 6 S. 1 R. 4 W. a thin layer of 

the formation rests on the upper part of the Greenhorn limestone and is covered by loess of the Sanborn 

formation. The same material outcrops in a similar 

stratiqraphic position near the top of a ridge in the 

SEt SEt sec, 34, T. 6 S. 1 R. 4 W. It also outcrops 

in the SWt swt sec. 18, T. 7 S., R. 4 W. where it 

lies on the Fairport chalky 'shale member of the 

Carlile shale and is covered by loess of the Sanborn 

formations. 

General description. --The Ogallala formation in 

Cloud County is a thin, dense, hard limestone with 

sand qrains scattered throughout. It is mottled 

light qray, tan qray, and red brown. In cross 

section, the rock shows an irregular whorled 

pattern. Specimens of this material have·been 

examined by Dr. M. K. Elias, of the Nebraska 

Geological Survey, and by Dr. J. C. Frye, of the 

Kansas Geological Survey, who identified them as 

algal limestone of the Ogallala formation. A more 

detailed investigation may reveal other scattered 

outcrops of this formation in the county. 

·Thickness. --The averaqe thickness of the Oqallala 

formation is about 1 foot. 

Construction materials. --This formation is so 

poorly developed, thin, and with. so few outcrops, 

that it may be disregarded as a source of constnuction 

materials in Cloud County. 

SANBORN FORMA noN 

Areal distribution. --The Sanborn formation of 

Pleistocene and Recent age is the most widely distributed formation mapped in Cloud County. (See 

pl. 1 and fig. 4. ) The formation was deposited over 

most of the area of the county, but subseq_uent erosion has removed it along the courses of the larger 

streams, and stripped it from the steepest slopes 

of many hills. The most extensive phase of the 

formation is that which caps the uplands as a silt 

blanket of variable thickness. This phase of the 

formation is similar to, and in places merges with, 

a colluvial slope phase which extends up the slopes 

of the larqer stream. valleys. Silts and clays in the 

valley bottoms of small intermittent streams merqe 

with the slope phase. Local lenses of sand and 

qravel in the basal part of the formation represent 

local slope wash deposits, minor qulley fillinqs, · 

and terrace deposits or channel fills of former 

streams. 

The characteristics of the silts are similar, 

and, with the underlying coarse sediments, are 

mapped as a sinqle stratiqraphic unit on plate 1. 

14 

Frye and Fent 13/ have subdivided the formation 

into members, but it was not feasible to treat these 

members separately in the reconnaissance-type 

mappinq on which this report is based. The treatment 

of the Sanborn formation as an undivided unit seems 

adequate to serve the purpose of the construction 

materials inventory. 

General description. --The Sanborn formation is 

composed of material deposited by wind, streams, 

and slopewash, or .material that has been moved 

down slope by the action of qravity. It consists 

predominantly of tan-qray, qray-oranqe, and r-edbrown silt. Where the formation over lies the Dakota 

sandsto'ne, in the east and south parts of the county, 

it is dark red-brown, reflecting the influence. of the 

underlying formation~ The silt of the Sanborn is a 

very homogeneous material that tends to stand in 

vertical banks and shows a crude type of columnar 

structure. The formation generally forms a gently 

rolling surface, but where the headward portion of a 

stream valley has been cut into the formation multiple 

steplike scarps have formed on the slope of hills. ·The 

term "cat-step" erosion has been applie.d to the development of these scarps which are a foot or two 

high and"from a few feet to 20 feet wide. 

A prominent soil zone is present at the top of the 

formation, and a buried soil zone, reported by Hibbard, 

.Frye, and Leonard, 14/ :was observed in several 

places in Cloud County. Calcium carbonate occurs 

in the formation, either disseminated throughout or 

concentrated in the form of scattered nodules and 

pipelike concretions. 

The largest deposits of qravel in the Sanborn 

formation occur near the southwest corner of the 

county along the edges of the valley of the Solomon 

River. Several deposits have been produced commercially in this area. These deposits are bars or 

lenses of stream-deposited silt, sand, and qravel, 

interbedded and cross._bedded. They may contain 

calcium carbonate, either as a cementing agent or 

as nodular concretions. The qravel is composed of 

material the size of pebbles t6 cobbles derived from 

older limestones and sandstones outcropping nearby. 

Representative measured section. --The silts and 

clays of the Sanborn formation are so homogeneous 

it was not thought necessary to measure a section 

of them. The followinq section of sand-qravel in the 

Sanborn was measured in the NWt NWt sec. 32, . 

T. 7 S. 1 R. 5 W. : 

Feet 

Soil, sandy; gray. ...... ." . . . . . . . . . . . 2. 0 

Sanborn formation: · 

Silt, sandy; oranqe-brown; scattered 

pebbles of crystalline limestone 

increasing in number with depth; 

white lime nodules; becomes more 

limy with depth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6. 0 

~rye, J. C., and Fent, 0. S., Late Pleist~ene loesses of central 

Kansas: Kans. Geoloqical Survey Bull. 70, pt. 3, pp, 41-51, 1947; 

1

"Hibbard, C. W., Frye, J. C., and Leonard, A. B., Reconnaissance of 

Pleistocene deposits in northcentral Kansas: Kans. Geolcqical Survey 

Bull. 52, pt. 1, p. 13, 1944. · · 
Sanborn formation--Continued. 

Sand-gravel, cross-bedded; 

slightly cemented with 

calcium carbonate; gravel 

predominantly thin, hard, 

crystalline limestone; sand 

clean, siliceous .............. . Gravel, coarse tq fine; contains 

scattered cobbles, silt, sand; 

cemented with calcium carbonate; 

gravel contains pebbles of finegrained, hard, iron-cemented 

brown sandstone and thin 

crystalline limestone ......... . Base covered. 

10.5 

3. 5 

20.1) 

Thickness. --Individual exposures of the Sanborn formation in Cloud County usually range between 

5 and 20 feet thick. The maximum thickness of the 

formation is about 100 feet. 

Construction materials. --Materials from the 

Sanborn formation are used as: mineral filler, 

aggregate for concrete, .and road metal. 

TERRA€E DEPOSITS 

Areal distribution. --Terrace deposits of Recent 

age are extensive in the valleys of the Republican 

and Solomon Rivers and their larger tributaries, 

and narrow extensions project into the valleys .of 

the iarger feeder streams. (See pl. 1 and fig. 4, ) 

The terraces alonq Buffalo and Salt Creeks are 

more than a mile wide in places. Chapman Creek 

has developed terraces in the southeast part of the 

coUnty, Terrace deposits in the stream valleys 

are continuous except along the north side of the 

Republican River. Two or more terrace levels are present but are mapped as. a single unit on 

plate 1 because their characteristics are similar. 

General characteristics. --The terrace deposits 

over lie older formations and are composed of m~­

terials laid down by present-day streams in earlier 

depositional cycles. The upper part of a deposit 

consists predominantly of gray-brown silt but 

contains some clay arid sand. This silty phase of 

the deposits tends to develop a crude columnar 

structure and to stand in vertical banks. A soil 

profile is .developed at the top of the formation, 

and a buried soil zone was found in many lOcations 

at a depth varying from 2. 5 to 5 feet below the top 

of the terrace. This buried soil usually includes a thick B zone containing calcium carbonate nodules 

and stains. The B zone is much lighter in color 

than the overlying thin dark-gray A zone. The 

deposits may contain thin lenses of sand and gravel 

in the basal part. 

Representative measured section. -·The terrace 

deposits are uniformly silty except in buried soil zones and the gravel lenses in the basal part. The 

following measured -sections illustrate these exceptions. · 

(1) S~"ction of terrace ·deposits in_ the NEt SWt 

sec. 33, T. 5 S., R~ 1 W.: 

Soil very silty; contains ' sand, 

fine to coarse; gray brown ..... ~ 15 

Terrace deposits: 

Silt, sandy; contains clay-size 

binder; plastic when wet; 

tan.qray ....•....•... · ........... . Clay, silty, plastic; s.cattered fine 

sand; dark gray ••.•............. Silt; tan gray ......•.............. Clay, silty; dark gray brown ...... . Silt,. gray brown; contains 

. Unstratified gravel, fine to 

coarse, and cobbles, angular 

to well-rounded; gravel lens 

of limited lateral extent ......... . 

3.0 

5. 8 

2.0 

2.5 

7. 1 

w.7 

(2) Section of terrace deposits measured in a 

road cut in the swt swt sec. 29, T. 5 s., R. 1 W.: 

Soil zone: silt, fine sa~; tan 

gray ..........•...•. ~·:· ......... . Terrace deposits: 

· Silt; tan gray •..................... Buried soil zone: clay, silty, blocky; 

dark qray; calcium carbonate 

nodules and stains near base ..... . Silt, blocky; some clay-size 

binder; tan gray ••••...•......... Base not exposed. . 

Feet 

~ 

1.7 

Thickne$s. --It is estimated that the total thick- ness of the terrace deposits along the Republican and 

Solomon Rivers is no more than 50·feet; alonq Buffalo 

and Salt Creeks no more thap. 30 feet; and along other 

streams in the county less than 20 feet. 

Construction materials. --The terrace deposits are a potenfiai source of mineral filler. 

DUNE SAND 

. · Areal distribution. - Dune sand of Recent age 

(see fig. 4) occurs in the valley of the Republican 

River. The largest dunes are near the north boundary 

of the county east of the river. Other large dunes are on the ·north side of the river south of Hollis, west of 

Clyde, and south of the river in the eastern part' of 

the county. Other areas of dune sand were noted in 

the valley of the Republican River but were not mapped on plate 1 because of their limited extent. · 

General description. --Sand dunes are deposits 

formed through thedepositional activity of the wind. 

Areas of dunes are characterized by hummocky topography. The material composinq the dunes is typically 

cross-bedded, tan-gray silt, and fine sand. The 

dunes in the valley of the Republican River probably 

repr.esent sand spread originally by flood waters and 

lat~r reworked by the wind. Most of the larger_dunes 

have been anchored by a cover of vegetation. · 

Re resentative measured section. --The dune sands are· so omoqeneous t it was no t ought necessary 

to measure a section of them. . 

Thickness. --The averaqe height of the dunes. is 

probably io to 15 feet, but tha crests of several near the north edqe of the county stand nearly 50 feet · 

above the f190d·p;Iain upon which they rest. 
Construction materials. --Dune sand is of minor 

importance as a potentiiil source of mineral filler. 

ALLUVIUM 

Areal distribution. --The recent deposits (see 

fig. 4) formed by streams iri their present cycles 

are mapped as alluvium on plate 1. They, and the 

dune sands that locally overlie them, are the mpst 

recent stratigraphic units in Cloud -County. · 

Alluvium is defined in this report as the material 

underlying the present floodplain of a stream. Al- · 

luvium is mapped on plate 1 in the valleys of the 

Republican and Solomon Rivers and Buffalo Creek, 

Alluvial deposits are present in many of the smaller 

valleys but are so narrow that they could not be 

shown on a map scaled an inch to the mile. The 'alluvium in the valley of the Republican River averages 

considerably more than a mile wide, but the all1,1vium 

in the valleys of Buffalo Creek and the Solomon 

River averages less than 0. 2 mile wide~ 

General description. --The alluvium of theRepublican River consists of silt and sand underlain 

bf layers and lenses df sand and gravel. At the 

top, the alluvium ls composed predominantly of 

silt _deposited in the valley .during floods. In the 

stream channel, the alluvium is principally sand 

deposited under the normal flow condition of the 

stream. Lenses or layers of sand and gravelly 

san<,i occur at different depths beneath the surface. 

Most of the sand and gravel particles are fragments 

of quartz and feldspar; minor quantities of calcite, 

chert, basic igneous rocks, or locally derived limestone and sandstone fragments may also be present. 

The alluvium of the Solomon River is predominantly 

silt with only occasional lenses of sand or gravel. 

The alluvial deposits in other valleys of the county 

are composed almost entirely of dark-gray or brown 

silt; they contain only minor quantities of fine sand 

or gravel disseminated throughout or in thin lenses. 

Representative measured section. --Because of 

the low relief of the alluvium it was impossible to 

measure a section representative of this formation. 

Logs of test holes drilled in 1942 by the State Geological Survey of Kansas have been pubiished and 

a representative section from these tests follows. 15/ 

Sample log of test hole 89 in the NWt sw-t sec. 28, 

T. 5 S., R. 2 W., 0. 55 mile south of section line and 

9 feet east of center of road. 

Feet 

Alluvium: 

Soil, silty; dark gray; contains 

some sand. . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. 0 

Silt, clayey; yellow gray; 

contains some sand. . . . . . • • . . . . . 2. 0 

(Water level 4. 3 feet below land 

surface) 

Sand, coarse to fine, and fine 

gravel; qreen. . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . 5. 0 

Gravel, medium to fine, and 

coarse to fine sand; green. . . . . . . 10. 0 

~ishel, v. c., Ground-water resourCeS of Republic County and northern 

Cloud County, Kansas: Kems. Geological Survey Bull. 73, p. 175, 1948. 

16" 

Gravel and sar~d, coarse to fine ..... . 

Gravel, medium to fine, and coarse to fine sand; green ........ . 

Gravel and sand, coarse to 

fine .....................•...... Gravel, medium to fine, and coarse to fine sand .......... · ... . Silt, soft; light green; contains · 

some fine sand ................ . Gravel and sand, coarse to fine .. . 

Silt, soft; buff and green ........ . Gravel, coarse to fine ........... . Silt, soft; bUff; contains 

3tlery fine sand ................. . 

Gravel, medium to fine .......... . Silt, soft; buff and blue 

gray; contains much 

fine sand ...................... . Underlain by Dakota sandstone. 

Feet 

1Q."Q.' 

10.0 

10.0 

6.5 

0.5 

8.0 

3.0 

4.0 

3. 0 

4.0 

10.0 

8['0 

Thickness. --The logs of test holes drilled by the 

Kansas Geological Survey 16/ show that the alluvium 

in the valley of the Republican River reaches a thickness of 124 feet at the north edge of the county. Test 

hole data for other valleys in the county are not available. It is probable that the maximum thickness of the . 

alluvium of other streams in the county is less than 

50 feet. 

Construction materials. --Materials from the 

alluvium are used as aggregate for concrete and 

road rnetal. 

INVENTORY OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS 

GENERAL. 

The objective of this inventory of construction 

materials in Cloud County is to define the materials as they are classified in this report and to relate 

them to the map units in which they occur. Whenever 

available, la:boratory test data have been introduced 

into the report to aid in the evaluation of the materials. 

The information given in table 1 is based on the standard 

testing procedure_s of the State Highway Commission of 

Kansas 17 I and the American Association of State 

HigbwayOfficials. 18/ ' 

It is expected that prospects listed in this report 

will be proved by subsequent drilling, or test pitting, 

and that the materials themselves will be subjected to 

laboratory testing prior to acceptance for specific uses. Although numerous prospect pits and quarries. 

were located, no attempt was made to complete an 

.exhaustive survey of all possible sources of materials. 

~ishel, oP· cit., pp. 173-189. 

17State Highway Commission of Kansas, Standard sepcificati~ns fc:r State 

road and bridge construction, 512 pp., 1945. Gradation factor, p. 16. 

Sieve analysis, pp. 333-334. Soundness, pp. 335-336. 

18 American Association of State Highway Officials, Standard specifications for highway rmterials and methods of sampling and testing, pt. 2, 

5th ed., 361 pp., 1947. Absorption, pp. 251-252. Compressive strength, 

pp. 257-258. Deval abrasion, pp. 235-236.: Liqilid limit pp. 198-201. 

Los Angeles abrasion, pp. 237-239. Plasticity indes, pp. 202-204. 

Specific gravity, pp. 249-250. Toughness, pp.I240.:24T." Weight per 

cubic foot, pp. 253-254. 
AGGREGATE FOR CONCRETE 

'Engineering and geologic characteristics. --In 

table 1 and on plate 1, aggregate for concrete is 

classified as fine aggregate or mixed aggregate. 

The distinction is arbitrarily based on the percentage 

of material retained on a No. 4 sieve. The portion 

of a sample retained on that sieve is designated as the coarse fraction. The material is classified as 

a mixed aggregate if the coarse fraction is 5 percent OP more by weight of the whole sample, and as a 

fine aggregate if the coarse fraction is less than 5 

percent. Fine and mixed aggregate will be considered together because the grading of almost any 

aggregate material may be changed by sweetening 

or screening to conform to required specifications. 

Aggregate for concrete consists of fragments of 

hard, durabl~ minerals or rocks, of sand and gravel 

size. The constituent particles are free from adherent 

coatings that would interfere with the bonding of 

cement with the particles. The presence of the 

following substances, if in quantities thought to be 

excessive, is noted under Remarks in table 1: 

material passing the No~ 200 sieve (wash); shaly, 

soft, or flaky fragments; sticks'or other organic 

debris; clay lumps; and minerals which, because 

of their chemical composition, may react with the 

cement to the detriment of the concrete. 

The materials reported in this classification 

are exposed at the surface or are under unconsolidated overburden sufficiently thin that they may be 

economically developed. Deposits of .sand and gravel 

overlain by thick or consolidated beds are not 

usually included in this classification because of. the 

added expense in the removal of the material. For 

the same reason, relatively inaccessible deposits are not included. 

The test characteristics of the materials included 

in the classification indicate that some of these materials 

are not suit~d for use in ·concrete. The same materials, 

though, might be acceptable for other aggregate uses, 

such as aggregate for bituminous construction or cover material. · 

Stratigraphic sources and performance 

characteristics. --The following stratigraphic units 

are actual or potential sources of aggregate for 

_concrete in Cloud County: 

(1) Alluvium. The alluvium of the Republican 

River is a nearly unlimited source of• aggregate. 

The alluvium is composed of sand and a small 

proportion of gravel of about i inch maximum size. 

Screened aggregates from the alluvium have been 

widely used in engineering construction. Unfortunately, these aggregates have a poor performance 

record in the construction of concrete highways 

and bridges. An illustration of the deterioration 

of concrete in which these aggregates were used 

may be seen in the bridge on U S 81 at Concordia, 

Kansas. Map cracking has developed in the abutment 

wing walls, pier caps, and road surface. 

Three samples (fa 1 to 3) of fine aggregate and 

four samples (ma 1 'to 4) of mixed aggregate were 

taken from the Republican Riv~r alluvium. These 

aqgregates cannot be rejected on the basis of the 

17 

standard tests as shown in table 1. The average 

specific gravity of t~e samples tested is about 2. 61; 

the gradation factor, about 3. 75; the compressivestrength ratio in all samples was well above 1; and 

the tests show that the aggregates are sound. 

Petrographic analyses show that the mineral and 

rock fragments composing the aggregates of the alluvium are predominantly quartz, potash feldspar, 

and coarse-grained granite with smaller amounts of 

other acid igneous rocks and quartzite. The proportion of quartz in the aggregates increases as the 

particle size decreases. Minor amounts of opaline. 

and chalcedonic chert, whi~h are alkali-reactive, 

are also present. According to Rhoades and Mielenz 19/ 

the particles of coarse-grained granite and potash -

feldspar contribute to the deterioration of concrete 

subjected to volume change, and the mixture of alkalireactive rocks and mineral particles will cause a deleterious reaction between the aggregate and t:he 

paste. 

(2) Sanborn formation. No material from the 

Sanborn formation is listed as aggregate in table 1. 

However, the limestone gravel deposits ·~apped on plate 1 are actual or ·potential sources of aggregate 

for concrete. Some of the limestone gravels from 

the basal part of the Sanborn formation are free of 

of clay and silt. Limestone gravel from the pit 

ln the NWt NWt sac. 32, T. · 7 S. , R. 5 W. , for 

example, has been used· in concrete construction. 

A sample from this pit (lg 2) was analyzed and its 

mineral and test characteristics are given in table 1. 

The analysis indicates that ~he coarse fraction of the 

material contains a high percentage of limestone 

fragments of local origin. The fragments are predominantly of hard, crystalline limestone, and the 

test characteristics of the material·are apparently 

within acceptable limits. Undoubtedly there are other potential sources of aggregate material in the 

basal part of the Sanborn formation which extensive 

exploration would reveal. Because of the deposits 

are channel fills, it is likely that all of them would 

be limited in quantity. 

Plummer and Hladik 20/ regard the clays and 

silts of Pleistocene -age asthe most pr9mising raw materials available in the State for the manufacture 

of ceramic slag, if all the economic factors involved 

in the production are considered. The silt deposits 

of the Sanborn formation are friable, easily mined, 

free from excessive overburden, and occur in ex- tensive deposits of uniform properties; and· the quality 

of the finished product compares favorably with that 

produced from other materials. The Sanborn formation is, therefore, an important potential source 

of material for the manufacture of ceramic railroad 

ballast and constructional aggregate. 

(3) Dakota sandstone •. One sample of Dakota sandstone shown in table 1 {ss 3) was tested and found 

acceptable, under. Section 107 of SHCK specifications, 

1945 edition, as crushed stone for use in coarse aggregate for concrete. It is probable that other hard 

sandstones of the Dakota miqht also prove acceptl[l.ble. 

~hodea, Rooer and Mielenze, Richard C., Petro;raphic and mineraloqic:al 

characteristics of C199feqate: American Society for Teatinq Materials, 

Materials, Special Technical Publication No. 83, p. 45, 1948. 

100p. cit., p, 87. 
( 4) Dune sand. No samples of dune sand were 

classified as aggregate because the material is a 

very fine sand and its gradation factor is below 

standard. The material might be of some use as 

an additive in bringing a concrete aggregate to the 

desired grading. The mineral analysis of sample 

mf 1 shows the dune sand to be composed predominantly of quartz with minor amounts ·of feldspar and chert. Additional sources of similar 

material are mapped on plate 1. · 

ROAD METAL 

Engineering and geologic characteristics. --

Road metal, known also as surfacing material, 

crushed stone, and aggregate, is defined in this 

report as any material that may be applied to a.road 

to improve the performance characteristics of that 

road. The geologic materials classed as road 

metal vary from one area to another. The following 

materials in Cloud County have been used or are 

available for use as road metal. 

(1) Aggregate for concrete. 

· (2) Limestone gravel. Limestone gravel is defined by the Stated Highway Commission of Kansas 

as a sedimentary material composed of rounded 

fragments of local limestone, usually about threefourths of an inch long, incorporated in a matrix of 

siltsize particles. Limestone gravel is used extensively as road metal, throughout north-central 

Kansas especially on secondary roads. 

(3) Crushed rock. Indurated rocks are available 

for use as crushed stone in road construction, and 

some have been so used. The rocks are: (a} limestone, a compact, ma~sive layer of calcareous 

material, variable in hardness; (b) quartzite, a 

compact, massive, hard r.ock in which sand and/or 

gravel have been firmly silica-cemented by the 

action of percolating ground water; and (c) sandstone, a massive rock composed predominantly of 

sand-size particles of quartz more or less firmly 

cemented by deposits of calcium carbonate, silica, or iron oxide. 

The material included here under crushed rock 

are listed in table 1 and mapped on plate 1 under 

the more specific designations. of limestone and 

sandstone because, in addition to their uses as road 

metal, they may be used as structural stone and 

riprap. 

Strati aphic sources and erformance characteristics. -- 1 Aggregate for concrete. Materials listed in the section on Aggregate for concrete 

have been used, or .are available for use, in various 

types of road construction in Cloud County. The 

alluvium of the Republican River is the most widely 

exploited source of material for use in the base 

course of bituminous-mat roads, as loose road 

metal on light-traffic roads and in other types of 

road construction. Gravelly sands in the basal 

part of the Sanborn formation have been used in 

the construction of sand-gravel roads, and field 

observation indicates that these materials perform 

satisfactorily when used as loose road metal; no 

information is available on the performance of 

material from the Sanborn formation in bituminous 

construction. 18 

(2} Limestone gravel. Several sources of material classified as limestone gravel are mapped on 

plate 1, and the test characteristics of material from 

four of these sources (lg 1 to 4 ) are ':1iven in table 1. 

The gravels occur as channel deposits in the basal 

part of the Sanborn formation. They contain limestone 

particles derived largely from the lower part of the 

Greenhorn limestone, and sandstone particles derived 

from iron-cemented Dakota sandstone. Because these 

gravels are found in channel deposits, the quantity of 

material in any one location is limited and several 

quarries appear to have been depleted. The only area 

in the county where this material is quarried is along 

both wails of the valley of the Solomon River. Additional deposits undoubtedly, occur in the area and 

might be found by intensive search of the margins of 

the outcrop areas of the Sanborn formation shown on 

plate 1. 

(3) Crushed rock. 

(a) The Dakota sandstone is a potential source of 

material for use in road construction. Iron-cemented 

sandstone from the Dakota has been used in the eastern 

part of the county as a loose road metal on light-traffic 

roads. The material appears to be staisfactory when 

s9 used, but it is reported to make a "rough-riding" 

surface that causes excessive tire wear. The hard 

sandstones may also be acceptable for cru~hed stone 

.base course and crushed aggregate for bituminous 

surfacing and resurfacing. The loosely cemented 

fine sandstones of this formation have a bad performance record when used as a sub-base for bituminous7mat surfacinqs; the mat breaks up rapidly 

when laid on a soft sand base. The softer sandstones 

are easily pulverized, admix readily, and might be 

used in combination with other aggregate to bring the 

total aggregate within grading requirements for use 

in a bituminous surface course. 

The quartzitic sandstones (silica-cemented) or 

quartzitelike sandstones (lime-cemented) of the 

Dakota sandstone might also be used in road construction as loose road metal, or to sweeten aggregates 

to the grading desired for other uses. The quantity of 

silica-cemented sandstone is limited. One outcrop was 

observed in the NEt NEt sec. 4, T. 8 .S., R. 2 W. 

This material is a massive, dense, very hard quartzite occurring in round concretionary masses within 

a friable gray-tan to red-brown sandstone. (See 

measured section, pJ2) The deposit is too small to 

be of economic value. No lime-cemented sandstones 

were found in Cloud County. Intensive search of the 

mapped outcrop area of the Dakota sandstone might 

reveal additional sources of these materials. 

(b) Greenhorn limestone. The l.imestones and 

shales of the Greenhorn limestone have been used 

rather extensively as road metal in Cloud County. 

Two samples of limestone {1s 1 and 2) were tested 

and the data given in table 1; the sources are mapped 

on plate 1. The thicker limestone beds near the top 

of the formation are quarried and the fragments 

stock-piled. Weathering by slaking and freeze-andthaw causes the surficial portion of each limestone 

fragment to slough off. The fragments are then 

crushed, mixed with shales from the same formation, 

and applied to the road. The material tends to cement 

and to form a traffic-bound macadam which is acceptable for light-traffic surfacing with satisfactory performance in wet weather and little tendency toward 
forming dust in dry weather. Field observation 

indicates that a layer at least 6 inches thick should 

be applied or the macadam will tend to break out in 

critical places along the road. For the past few 

years high labor costs have made the quarryinq and 

crushing of limestone and its use on light-traffic 

roads so expensive, that road· metal from commercial 

pits along the Republican River is being used tn· · Cloud County almost excusively for- county and township roads. An almost unlimited amount of chalky 

limestone and shale from the upper part of the -Greenhorn limestone is available throughout the mapped area of outcrop of· this formation. ·No attempt has 

been made to map all of the'operated quarries on plate 1. 

MJNERAL FILLER 

Engineering and geologic characteristics.~­

Material composed predominantly of silt-size 

particles (50 percent or more of. which pass the 

No. 200 sieve) is classified in this report as mineral 

filler. It has no more than a trace of sticks or other organic debris, but may contain minor amounts 

of fine sand or clay. To qualify for mineral filler, 

laboratory tests must indicate that this material 

has a low coefficient of cementation. Deficiencies 

of the samples tested for this characteristic are 

noted under Remarks in table 1. Failure of the 

material to pulverize easily, a factor of cementation, 

increases the difficulty of obtaining its uniform 

distribution throughout the mixture. 

Strati a hie sources and erformance characteristics.-- nborn format on. Test ata on 

two samples of mi.1eral filler (mf 2 and 3) taken . 

from the Sanborn formation indicate that the material 

is acceptable as mineral filler on the basis of the 

sieve analysis; but the test results show a high 

cementation factor, 84. 6, for sample mf 2. · Sample 

mf 3,taken froma different locality, has a much lower 

cementation factor, 28. The Sanborn formation is 

the most widespread source of mineral filler in 

Cloud County and pits could be opened at any convenient site throughout the area of its outcrop. For 

this reason only two prospect pits are mapped on 

plate 1. It is recommended that, prior to the 

development of a site, the material be laboratory 

tested and its cementation factor determined. 

(2) Terrace deposits. No sample of mineral 

filler from the terrace deposits was tested in the 

laboratory, but this stratigraphic unit is a potential 

source of mineral filler and has been so used in 

other counties in the State. Silts of some of the 

terrace deposits are similar lithologically to silts 

of the Sanborn formation; it is probable, therefore, 

that the test characteristics are about the same. A sample should be laboratory-tested to determine 

the cementation factor prior to the development of 

a site. 

(3} Dune sand. Two samples of dune sand 

(mf 1 and 4} were tested in the laboratory. The 

sieve analysis of sample mf 1 indicates that the 

material from this source is too coarse to classify as mineral filler as only 6. 27 percent passed the 

No. 200 sieve. The· analysis of sample mf 4 

indicates that the dune sand from this source is 

fine enouqh to classify as mtn·eral·filler. 

19 

Seventy-four percent passed No. 200 sieve; and the 

cementation factor is within acceptable limits. Other 

dunes are mapped on' plate 1 and might prove to be 

sources of acceptable material. Because the sand 

composing the dunes is variable in particle size and 

limited 'in quantity, dune sand is only of minor importance 

as a potential source of mineral filler in the county. 

RIP RAP 

Engineering and geologic characteristics. --As 

defined in this report, riprap is any material suitabJ e for protecting earthen fills from erosion. To be 

acceptable for this use the material must be relatively 

sound and free from cracks and other structural 

defects or impurities that would cause it to disintegrate through erosion, slaking, or freeze-and thaw. 

It is desirable that the material be in clocks having 

approximately rectangular faces 7 inches or more 

in width, and that the specific gravity be 2 or higher. 

Strati aphic sourced and erformance characteristics. -- 1 Dakota Sandstone. The quartzitic 

sandstones and the quartzitelike sandstones in the 

Dakota are acceptable for use as riprap. · The r.ock 

is sound and the Los Angeles abrasion loss is within 

acceptable limits; the absorption factor is not excessive; and the specific gravity is well above the minimum 

limit. (See table 1. ) Similar material from the Dakota 

sandstone has been used as riprap on numerous 

·earthen dams in central and northcentral Kansas, 

including the recently constructed Kanopolis dam. 

Field observations indicate that the rock is acceptable 

for this use. The less well-cemented zones of the 

Dakota sandstone are probabiy not acceptable for use as riprap because of excessive losses through abrasion and freeze-and-thaw. 

{2) Greenhorn limestone. Chalky limestones 

from the upper part of the Greenhorn limestone have 

been used for riprap in northcentral Kansas and two 

dams riprapped with this material were observed in 

Cloud County. Field observation indicates that this 

stone is not satisfactory when so used. It disintegrates rapidly through slaking and freeze-and-thaw 

and soon loses itS' protective value. The development 

of the Greenhorn limestone as a source of riprap is 

inadvisable. 

STRUCTURAL STONE 

Engineering and geologic characteristics.--

Structural stone, as defined in this report, is any 

hard, dense rock material that can be quarried and 

cut to the desired size and shape. Materials fulfilling these requirements occur in the Dakota sandstone and the Greenhorn limestone in Cloud County. 

Strati a hie sources and erformance characteristics. -- 1 a ota sandstone. The Dakota 

sandstone is used as structural stone, to a limited 

extent, in Cloud County and other counties in which 

the formation. outcrops. The quartzitic and quartzzitelike phases of the formation are probably entirely 

acceptable as structural stone; the iron-cemented. 

and loosely cemented sandstones are probably not 

acceptable, although the iron-cemented sandstone 

has been used in some buildings in the county. The 

amount of quartzitic and quartzitelike sandstone now known in Cloud County is quite limited. Int.ensive 
exploration of the outcrop area (see pl. 1) may 

yield additional sources. 

(2) Greenhorn limestone. Two limestone beds 

in the Greenhorn limestone have been used in Cloud 

County and adjacent counties as structural stone. 

The "Fencepost" limestone bed at the top of the 

Pfeifershale member of the Greenhorn is used ex- tensively throughout a wide area in northcentral 

Kansas, even to a considerable distance from the area of outcrop. A few buildings constructed of .. "Fencepost" limestone were observed in western 

Cloud County. The area of outcrop of this bed is 

mainly in T. 7 S., R. 5 W., where. small outcrops were found in section 7, 13, 14, and 24. It is possible that test pitting elsewhere in this township 

might reveal other sources of this stone. 

The "Shellrock" limestone bed at the top of the 

Jetmore chalk member of the Greenhorn limestone 

has been extensively quarried and used in Cloud 

County for structural stone; so many quarries have 

been opened in this bed that only a few of them have 

been rnapped on plate 1. Additional quarries could 

be opened at any convenient site in the area of outcrop. Field observation indicates that this limestone 

20 

is suitable as a structural stone in this area. Structures built of it sta.nd up very well in the relatively 

dry climate of northcentral Kansas. A church in the SWt SWt sec. 18; T. 8 S. , R. 3 W. was built of the 

"Shellrock" l·imestone· in 1880. The rough-hewn stone 

has weathered weU and there is. no indication of serious 

deterioration of the stone itself, although mortar has come out from between blocks in many places neces- sitating tuck pointing. Other old buildings were observed 

in which the stone was pitted by weathering but otherwise little affected. 

The "Shellrock" limestone bed has also been used 

in the construction of small bridges~ culverts, and 

retainin'g' walls for bridge approaches or terraces. 

The rock used in the arches of several old stone 

bridges is well preserved. However, in many bridges, 

culverts, and retaining walls where the rock is 

subjected to surface-water run-off or ground-water 

seepage, the more highly fossiliferous blocks have 

been split by freeze-and-thaw action along the surfaces 

of the fossil shells. Under these conditions, the 

"Shellrock" limestone is not entirely satisfactory and care should be used to select. only the mo.st massive 

and least fossiliferous stone available. 
Location AVtf091 Sieve analysis 

..... thickness 

-

0 :t 

0 

c- oo ii: § ~ Geologic formation ... - - .... c• ~ 0 .. -·~ g oc c - ..,o:::.~ c or member -'1. :t c c c o• .2 .2 !Ill .. 0 O..c c 0 :.0 0 u- c- ~ Q. - ~ .!'0 ~ -- -o- ,... - - ..c - u ·- Cl .! c :c o-

... _ 0 - u :ae ou :J .. 

·= ~ '0 ·- .. • .2 .. 0 c c c ~U) ' a._._ ·-.. c c 

u"' ... c ~i~l .... ..a. • .. ·- .. ·- ~.,. .. E u !!- ....... ..c- • ~.,. ~lXI u-

~ c .. u o• .t~ -; : 0 to ... . u-s :J 

~ .. 0 ., ~ 0 :1 Oc >C u ...... ........ .,o z If) 0: L&J cr E u 2:. o:::. "' "' - 0 a..l'l O..l'l a..z a..z 

fol NW sw 14 !5 4 150,000 90 0 Fair Alluvium SHCK 7-29-48 0 0 I 68 !! USGS 

• g. fo2 NE sw 2ti, 5 3 150,000 90 0 Good Alluvium SHCK 8-10-48 0 0 0 17 .5! USGS LL~ fa3 NE NW' 35 5 I 150,000 90 0 Good Alluvium SHCK 8-10-48 0 0 0 22 USGS 

mol NE sw 26 5 3 150,000 90 0 Good Alluvium SHCK 8-10-48 0 2 II 60 USGS 

.. mo2 NE sw 26 5 3 150,000 90 0 Good Alluvium SHCI< "00 USGS 8-10-48 0 4 15 71 .. o .... SHCK ·-;;. ma3 sw NW 33 !5 2 150,000 90 0 Good Alluvium 7-19-48 0 4 14 80 ::10 USGS 0 

mo4 NE NW 3!5 5 I 150,000 90 0 Good Alluvium SHCK 8-10-48 0 4 18 82 USGS 

lgl SE SE 30 7 !5 5,000 10 1-4 Good Sanborn formation SHCK 1-28-42 3 8 13 40 USGS 

1- lg2 NW NW 32 7 5 !50,000 II 5-10 Good Son born formation SHCK 3-9-46 3 5 9 26 

--~ USGS 

,Iii. 1;3 sw NW 27 8 5 10,000 10 2 Fair Sanborn formation ~~~~ 4-29-46 5 II 24 61 ..J 

1;4 sw NE 16 8 4 10,000 12 2 Good Sanborn formation SHCK 9-14-48 16 34 52 77 USGS 

mfl SE SE 4 !5 4 50,000 15 I Poor Dune sand SHCK 7-17-48 0 0 0 0 USGS 

~~ mf2 SE NE 31 5 3 24,000 10 I Good Sanborn formation SHCK 7-17-48 0 0 0 0 

mf3 NE SE 35 5 2 100,000 10 I Good Son born formation SHCK 7-17-48 0 0 0 0 

mf4 NE NE 2 6 I 10,000 8 I Good Dune sand SHCK 1-20-42 0 0 0 I 

Ill SE NE 4 6 2 1,000 8 2-5 Good Dakota sandstone SHCK 9-15-48 

! u2 SE SE 10 8 4 5,000 20 I Good Dakota sandstone SHCK 5-19-36 i 

c u3 sw sw 24 8 3 5,000 32 I Good Dakota sandstone SHCK 5-4-46 0 

fl) 

114 NW NW II 8 I 8,000 10 I Good Dakota sandstone SHCK 10-13-48 

'! lsi NE NE 20 6 4 1,000 I 4-8 Foir Jetmore shale member SHCK 9-14-48 

.12 ls2 NW NE 16 6 3 1,000 I ..J .. 3-5 Fair Jetmore shale member SHCK 5-2-36 

c 

0 

-o 

.. co _ 

~ . ..o 

a..z 

97 

100 

99 

99 

96 

98 

99 

99 

99 

86 

89 

,75 

2 

0 

7 

"0~ 

.,..c 

.,., 

"'0 olll 

o.-

_o 

cO 

~(\I ... . .. o a..z 

2.55 

0-25 

0.80 

0.51 

2.89 

1.35 

0.90 

0.50 

0.90 

13.0 

9.29 

6.27 

95.4 

Table I. Summary of materials tests 

(Blank spaces indicate dolo not ovoiloblt) 

Description of the moteriol2 

.. .. :J ~ 

o.g :J 0 .. 0 .. .. • • ~ ... .. :J a.• c c !! c_.. 0 c c o.!::! 0 .2' 2 ~ ~ .5!' B o- Q. -o e _._2 .. .. .. ..... llt..c o• .. c u ... ~u "0 ... .. 0 "0 -o ... 

-~ 0 u- c 0 0 -0 .. ~ :J .. 'ij u oo :J o..c 0 ..c ... 0 

0 LL "'e Q) ... 0 :J:S (.)tit If) (.)0 2 

2( 25 35 20 tr 

F 75 10 3 2 tr 10 

IC 

F 85 5 5 tr tr 5 

c 

F a 3 5 2 5 

c I ~0 35 10 tr 10 

F 7 I !I tr 10 

I C I I 4 0 ~5 tr tr 

IF 15 tr tr 

c 5 I 5 15 5 5 

IF 150 I~ !0 5 tr 5 

IC 5 ~~ 145 tr 10 10 

F 60 25 5 tr 10 

IC tr 60 40 

F 180 10 tr 5 5 

IC 10 liO 

F lll!i ll !f tr 

c IQI\ 5 

IF 5 IR!'l IC 

c 60 40 

IF ,( r't r.-n 

c 

IF 19( 5 !i tr 

IC 

IF 

c 97.4 F 

74.0 IC 

F 185 5 5 tr 

MotHed ;roy, purple, and brown sandstone 

Rtd-purpit iron-ctmtnttd sandstone 

Dark rtd-brown sandstone 

Dork brown iron-ctmtnttd sandstone 

Light blut-oroy limestone; Ia rot fossils 

Light blue-troy limestone; Iorge fossils 

lg u i -~.,;. -~ ... 0 ..c !.! ... :s~; u ~:a~ 

i !ti .:J 

!lllu 

109.4 2.60 

105.6 2.62 

106.4 2.61 

113.8 2.61 

113.1 2.60 

107.7 2.60 

110.5 2.61 

114.0 2.62 

110.5 2.63 

tr 

10.0.0 2.63 

78.8 2.60 

5 81.3 

2.63 

139.0 2.35 

153.5 2.!56 

2.44 

2.21 

130.0 2.25 

I. SHCK, Stott Hl;hwoy Commission of Kansas. SHCK and USGS, sltvt 

analysis and loborotaty t11ts bJ Stolt HlohWOJ Cornmi11ian of 

Kansas, sample collection and description of material bJ u. s. 

Gt!llo;icol Survey. 

2. C, coarse fraction, rttolntd on No. 4 sltvt1 F, fint fraction, p0111d 

Ulrough No.4 sltvt; tr, tract. 

3. Loss ratio. 

4. Color, st, straw; cl, clear. 

Laboratory teat data 

.2 

Comprnsivt e~ strength ..... ... c 

~~ .., .. .2 ~ Remarks 

ratio .. -u .. g 0 

~ ! .. i 0 ?: c- c ~~ Q. ·u .,. "'c -gtn I ... "0 .. • !r 0 =Ill( ~ 

£] ... .. ~ "3 ,...o ..,~ :J~ .. .. . o• ~ • ..a CJ" 0"0 0 -a -a ..JQ. ~ (.) 

"' :J a: .c (.) 

3.94 1.31 1.55 33.1 0-96 st Acc:~c:t'" for concrete in culverts if material complies with sieve ana is and dtltterioul substance rtQ.ui,.mtnll . 

2.78 1.21 1.20 st Opaline and cholctdonic particles art deleterious btcoust of rtactivity with cement a•alits . ' 

2.86 1.44 1.32 cl 

3.87 1.71 1.64 cl Foir!r, hi;h percentage of 

ch cedonic porticlts. ollloU-rtoctivt opaline and 

4.08 1.70 1.69 st 

4.29 1.45 1.47 st 

Fairtl high ptrcento91 of olkoli-rtCICtivt ~~n• and chalctdonlc 4.43 1.38 1.51 st .par iclts In tint fraction. •· 

3.55 1.33 1.12 32.4 0.97 Calcite cements together mont of tht ;rains of tht tint fraction and 

surrounds many pebbles of ·mestont and shalt. 

3.09 1.68 1.40 28.3 0.94 cl Mixed oweorott for concrete, Dituminous surface courst, sh"t 

osPI\aH cover material • .lurlOCino by SHCK sotcificotions of 1945. 

3.85 33.4 Accept~~ fat cl,-~vtl surloct courst under SHCK 

aptclficotlonl of 9 5. · 

5.13 0-90 . 

Percent on No. 100 sltvt too nrgn1 maTtrtor mront Dt used as 

blendina sand. 

84.6 

Mattriol consilii of oray-oraf191 corcoreous silt and ciOJ· 

Cementation factor too hiah. 

28.0 Material consists of ton-oraJ silt and cloJ12.0 Material consists of groJ-brown silt and fint send. 

35.7 0.97 2.18 Tnttd t:lt1 

SHCK for earthworks and culverts 4-23-46 and found 

occtpto e for Type I wash checks. 

OK 5 3.20 Dtvol abrasion loll, 17.0 percent. Tested and accepted bJ SHCK 

for bituminous mot bast course. 

32.0 0.98 7 3.22 Coarse ~~toott Tor concrete, ag\'eoott for bitumlnoua surfocino 01 

01 rnur ocrnil. or crvslled stone ost course. 

61.5 0.94 5.99 

49.5 0.87 10-0 Net sound; fairly hi1Jh oblorplion foetor. 

Fair~ high obsatf1tion foetor. Pronounced sotisfoctatJ for riprop under OK 7.53 SH K s-otcificohons of 1934.