GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 51

January 1951

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS 

IN GRAHAM COUNTY, KANSAS

By

Frank E. Byrne, Vincent B. Coombs, 

and Claude W. Matthews

PREPARED IN COOPERATION WITH THE 

STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION OF KANSAS

R. C. Keeling, State Highway Engineer 

S. E. Horner, Chief Geologist

Prepared as Part of a Program

of the Department of the Interior

for Development of the Missouri River Basin
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Oscar L. Chapman, Secretary

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

W. E. Wrather, Director

WASHINGTON, D. C.

Free on application to the Geological Survey, Washington 25, D. C.
CONTENTS

Page

Introduction............................ 1

Purpose of the investigation.......... 1

Area covered by the investigation..... 1

Geography of the area............... 1

Topography....................... .1

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

Climate................... t ...... 1

Transportation routes.............. 3

Investigation procedure.............. 3

Acknowledgments..................... 3

Characteristics of the outcropping

stratigraphic units..................... 3

General.

Smoky Hill chalk member of the 

Niobrara formation...........

Areal distribution..........

General description.........

Representative measured 

section...................

6

6

6

6 

Thickness....................... 6,7

Construction materials........... 7

Pierre shale............;............. 7

Areal distribution distribution..... 7

General description.............. 7

Representative measured 

sections....................... 7

Thickness....................... 7

Construction materials........... 7,8

Ogallala formation..................... 8

Areal distribution...'............. 8

General description.............. 8

Representative measured 

sections....................... 8

Thickness....... r................ 8

Construction materials........... 9

Sariborn formation..................... 9

Areal distribution............... 9

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

Representative measured 

section........................ 9, ID

Thickness...................... 10

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

Terrace deposits...................... 10

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

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

Representative measured 

sections...................... 10

Thickness...................... 10

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

Dune sand............................ 10

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

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

Representative measured 

section....................... 11

Thickness...................... 11

Construction materials.......... 11

Alluvium............................. 11

Areal distribution............... 11

General description.............. 11

Representative measured 

section........................ 11

Thickness........................ 11

Construction materials........... 11

Inventory of construction materials......

General.........................

Aggregate for concrete............

Engineering and geologic 

characteristics...............

Stratigraphic sources and performance characteristics.......

Ogallala formation............

Sanborn formation............

Terrace deposits............~.

Dune sand...................

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

Road metal.........:..................

Engineering and geologic 

characteristics. 4 ...............

Sources of aggregate for concrete. 

Crushed rock....................

Stratigraphic sources and performance characteristics..............

Sources of aggregate for concrete., 

Crushed rock....................

Smoky Hill chalk 

member of the Niobrara formation. .....................

Ogallala formation.............

Mineral filler.........................

Engineering and geologic 

characteristics..............

Stratigraphic sources and performance characteristics.....

Sanborn formation...........

Terrace deposits............

Volcanic ash..........................

Engineering and geologic 

characteristics................

Stratigraphic sources and performance characteristics.......

Riprap...............................

Engineering and geologic 

characteristics..................

Stratigraphic sources and performance characteristics.........

Smoky Hill chalk member 

of the Niobrara formation......

Ogallala formation..............

Structural stone...................

Engineering and geologic 

characteristics................

Stratigraphic sources and performance characteristics.......

Smoky Hill chalk member 

of the Niobrara formation....

Ogallala formation.............

Calcareous binder.....................

Engineering and geologic 

characteristics...............

Stratigraphic sources and performance characteristics......

Smoky Hill chalk member 

of the Niobrara formation. ........................

Ogallala formation.............

11

11

11

11

12

12

12

12

12

12

12

12

12

12

13

13

13

13

13

13

13

13

13

13

13

13

14

14

14

14

14

14

14

14

14

14,15

15

15

15

15

15

15
ILLUSTRATIONS

Page 

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

Figure 1. Index map of Kansas showing areas covered by this report and by other construction-materials investigations....................................................... 1

2. Chart showing temperature ranges at Hill City, Kans................................... 2

3. Chart showing precipitation ranges at Hill City, Kans.................................. 2

4. Outcropping stratigraphic units in Graham County, Kans., and their construction materials................................................................ 4

5. Geologic cross section of the South Fork Solomon River............................... 5

TABLE 

Table 1. Summary of materials tests......................................................... In pocket

ii
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IN GRAHAM COUNTY, KANSAS

By

Frank E. Byrne, Vincent B. Coomb., Mftdftude W. Matthews

INTRODUCTION

)se of the investigation

The State Highway Commission of Kansas and 

the United States Geological Survey are cooperating in 

a State-wide inventory of construction materials. A 

field party composed of personnel from the two cooperating agencies investigated,sources of engineering construction materials in Graham County, Kans., 

in the summer of 1947. This report of the Graham 

County investigation is a part of the general inventory 

and a contribution to the geologic-mapping and miner alresource investigations being made in connection with 

the studies of the Missouri River Basin. \l

The primary objective of the investigation was 

that of accumulating all field and laboratory data pertaining to the geologic materials in Graham. County that 

would be of use in the construction of dams, irrigation 

canals, highways, airports, and other engineering 

structures. Additional geologic data are included in 

this report, but only to the extent of providing information useful in the development of the prospects 

reported in the inventory, or for the location of other 

materials required for future engineering needs.

Area covered by the investigation

Graham County is in the second tier of Kansas 

counties south of the Nebraska border and in the fourth 

tier east of Colorado. (See fig. 1.) It comprises 25 

townships and covers an area of about 900 square 

miles. The county is bounded by parallels 39° 08' and 

39°34' north latitude and meridians 99°36'30" and

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

resources: 78th Cong., 2d sess., S. doc. 191, 1944.

100° 10' west longitude. It is bounded op the north by 

Norton County, on the east by Rooks County, on the 

south by Trego County, and on the west by Sheridan 

County.

Geography of the area

Topography. Graham County is in the Plains 

Border section of the Great Plains physiographic 

province. 2/ The surface drainage is to the east, and 

for that reason the eastern part of the county is somewhat more dissected than the western part. The interstream areas are usually flat or gently rounded; they 

are sharp-crested only along the valleys of the major 

streams. The valleys of the principal streams and 

their larger tributaries are cut 175 feet below the . 

general upland level. The upland surface is highest 

along the western border of the county, in places rising 

slightly more than 2,500 feet above sea level. The 

lowest point in the county, at an altitude of about 

1, 980 feet, is in the valley of the South Fork Solomon 

River at the eastern boundary of the county.

Drainage. The principal streams in Graham . 

County are the South Fork Solomon River, the North 

Fork Saline River, and Bow Creek. (See pi, 1.) The 

southward-flowing-tributaries to these strums are 

more numerous but appreciably shorter than the northward-flowing tributaries.

Climate. - -Graham County is in an area of. continental-type climate in which the summers are relatively long and hot and the winters short and fairly 

cold. The mean annual temperature is 53. 9° F., and 

the mean daily temperature ranges from a low of

2Frye, J. C., The High Plains surface in Kansas: Kansas Acad. 

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

Report 

published

Figure I. Index mop of Kansas Jtfiowma greos covered by this report and by other 

cofrttnictiart material* investigations
28. 5° F. in January to a high of 79° F. in July. There 

are 40 cloudy days a year, 100 partly cloudy days, and 

225 clear days. The ground is snow-covered 31 days 

of the year. The normal annual precipitation is 20. 55 

inches. The average date of the first killing frost in 

the fall is October 12, and that of the last killing frost 

in the spring is April 30. 3_/

Figure 2, a chart showing temperature ranges 

at Hill City, Kans. , was compiled from Climatological 

Data 4/ for the years 1937 to 1946, inclusive, to provide 

basic data on temperature in relation to engineering 

construction. The chart indicates, for the 10-year 

period, the number of days each month in which the 

maximum daily temperature fell within certain designated ranges arbitrarily based on temperatures important in various phases of engineering construction.

Days in which the maximum temperature does 

not exceed 32° F. occur only from November to March, 

inclusive) with the maximum incidence of 7. 4 days in 

January. July is the warmest month of the year, with 

an average of 24. 5 days having maximum temperatures 

above 90° F. The chart also shows the average difference between the daily maximum and minimum 

temperatures for each month. The greatest difference 

in daily temperatures, 31. 11°F. , is in October; and 

the least difference, 25. 61° F. , is in January.

Inasmuch as precipitation also conditions the 

number of working days in engineering construction, 

figure 3, a chart showing precipitation ranges at 

Hill City, Kans. , is"presented to show the effect of 

this climatic factor. The ranges in precipitation were 

selected arbitrarily.

Average difference between

and minimum 

temperatures.

26°F 26°F 28°F 26°F 27°F 27°F 30°^

EXPLANATION

I Days in which maximum temperature was more than 90* R 

I (no concrete construction)

 Days in which maximum temperature was between 6I°"90° F. 

' (no Interference with any type of construction} 

I

3 Days in which maximum temperature was between 4I°-60° F.

(no interference with, concrete construction;

no bituminous surfacing* fold)

*

3 Days in which maximum temperature was between 32*-40°F. 

(concrete construction requires protection)

 Days in which maximum tsmperoture was less than 32° F.

* (ho concrete construction)

 Boto-fer froth ehorts

compiled from

Climatological Data

Kansas Section

for years 1937 to

1946, inclusive.

Issued by

Weather Bureau

United States

Department of Commercs

EXPLANATION

- Days in which precipitation 

I was more than I inch

(no construction activity)

 Days in which precipitation 

I was between O.ll and I inch 

(no bituminous surfacing* laid)

I Days in which precipitation 

was between a trace and D.I inch 

(no interference with construction)

, Days In which there was 

3 no precipitation

* (no interference with construction)

Figure 2._Chart showing temperature ranges at Hill City, Kansas! Figure 3._Chort showing precipitation ranges at Hill City, Kansas.

3Flora, S. D., The climate of Kansas: Kansas State Board of 

Agriculture,Rept., vol. 67, no. 285, 320 pp., 1948.

4U. S. Dept. Commerce, Weather Bur. Climatological Data 

{Kansas section)
As based on a 10-year average, 5/ there are 21.1 

days in June, for example, in which no measurable 

precipitation fell; 3. 2 days in which the precipitation 

ranged from a trace to 0.1 inch; 4. 4 days in which 

0. 11 to 1 inch of rain fell; and 1. 3 days in which the 

precipitation was more than 1 inch. Continuing rains 

fall, for theynaost part, in the late spring and early 

fall, and other rainfall is generally in the form of 

showers of short duration.

Transportation routes. Graham County is served 

by one railroad, a branch line of the Union Pacific; 

two transcontinental highways (U. S. 24 and U. S. 

283); and one highway (18). The Federal highways 

are of the black-top type of construction, and the State 

highway is a metaled, all-weather road. County and 

township roads, for the most part, follow section 

lines. Some of them are metaled with materials 

available locally, whereas others are maintained as 

earth roads. The locations of the roads and the railroad are shown on plate 1.

Investigation procedure

This report is based on field work of the reconnaissance type. The original base map was compiled 

at a scale of 1 inch equals 2 miles by the Soil Conservation Service of the United States Department of Agriculture from large-scale aerial photographs. This 

base map was enlarged photographically to a Scale of 

1 inch equals 1'mile. The area! distribution of the 

stratigraphic units that crop out in Graham County 

was then mapped in the field on the enlarged base map. 

The mapped units are those recognized by the United 

States Geological Survey 6/ and the Kansas Geological 

Survey. 7/ The principal emphasis of this report is on 

construction materials. Geologic problems not critically" related to construction materials, therefore, 

are considered to be of secondary importance.

An effort was made to accumulate all existing 

data pertaining to construction materials in the county 

these are presented in table 1, a summary of material 

tests.

A cknowledgments

Generous assistance in the compilation of construction-materials data by the following is appreciated: 

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

in the State Highway Commission at Topeka and Manhattan 

Kans.; and the district office of the Corps of Engineers, 

United States Army, at Kansas City, Mo. The State 

Geological Survey at Lawrence, Kans., J. C. Frye,

5Idem.

^ilmorth, M. G., Lexicon of geologic names of the United 

States: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 896, pts. 1 and 2, 2,396 pp., 1938.

?Moore, R. C., Frye, J. C-, and Jewett, J. M., Tabular description 

of outcropping rocks to Kansas: Kansas Geol. Survey Bull. 52, pt 4, 

212 pp., 1944.

executive director, made available its information on 

quartzites in Graham and surrounding counties.

This report, in manuscript form, was reviewed 

critically byS. E. Horner, chief geologist of the State 

Highway Commission and the United States Geological 

Survey.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OUTCROPPING

STRATIGRAPHIC UNITS

General

This discussion of the geologic formations that 

crop out in Graham County emphasizes the area! 

distribution, the general characteristics, and the 

thickness of each stratigraphic unit. This part of 

the report presents the geological information required for the location and the effective development 

of the construction materials.

A summary of the data, for each mapped unit 

is presented in figure 4, and the relations of the 

stratigraphic units to one another are illustrated on 

figure 5, a geologic cross section of the South Fork 

Solomon River Valley.

The area! distribution of the local stratigraphic 

units is shown on plate 1, a map showing construction 

materials and geology of Graham County, Kans. Each 

unit is indicated by an identifying symbol, and its outcrop areas are shown by a distinctive pattern.

The locations of pits and quarries also are shown 

on plate 1. The symbols indicate whether the pit or 

quarry is or has been operated or is prospect, the 

type of construction material available at each site, 

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

cubic yards) that can be removed under no more than 

moderate overburden (unconsolidated sediments less 

than 6 feet thick). Most of these sources are listed 

in table 1. Materials represented on the map by 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 

according to,the following plan: The numbering starts 

in the northeastermost township and continues along 

the same tier to the western boundary of the county; 

it is continued in the next tier south, starting again 

with the township in the easternmost range and proceeding to the west boundary of the county, and so on. 

Withina township the sources are numbered in the 

same sequence as are the sections of the township.
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Valley of the 

"South Fork S
Smoky Hill chalk member of the Niobrara formation

Area! distribution. The Smoky Hill chalk 

member of the Niobrara formation of Upper Cretaceous 

age is the oldest stratigraphic unit cropping out in 

Graham County. (See pi. 1 and fig. 4.) The lower 

member of the Niobrara formation, the Fort Hays 

limestone, underlies the Smoky Hill chalk member 

throughout the area of the county but is not exposed 

at the surface. The Smoky Hill chalk crops out 

principally along the valley walls of the South Fork 

Solomon River, the North Fork Saline River, and 

their tributaries. The member is covered by younger 

stratigraphic units in the divide areas of the county. 

No outcrops of the Smoky Hill chalk were found in the 

northwest part of the county, although it probably is 

present in the valley of Bow Creek beneath a thin cover 

of Quaternary terrace deposits. The chalk is overlain by the Pierre shale but is separated from all 

younger stratigraphic units by a pronounced intervening erosional break (an unconformity). (See fig. 5.)

General description. -- The Smoky Hill chalk 

member of the Niobrara formation consists of thick 

beds of chalky shale interbedded with relatively thin 

beds of chalky limestone and very thin layers of 

bentonite. The member is blue gray and light gray 

in the eastern part of the county but is orange gray 

in the western part. Along the western border of the 

county it is bright yellow.

The thin layers of bentonite, which average only 

0. 1 foot in thickness, appear to be persistent over 

considerable distances. The bentonites are white on 

unweathered surfaces but weather to yellow brown.

The beds of chalky limestone interbedded with 

the chalky shales are of the same color as the shale 

zones in which they occur. The limestones are soft, 

massive, and generally less .than a foot thick.

.In the vicinity both of Penokee and of Morland the 

uppermost chalk beds in the Smoky Hill member have 

been silicified through the action of percolating subsurface waters. The silicified beds are olive green 

and are composed of dense, hard, brittle opaline 

material. A typical exposure of the silicified chalk 

occurs in a road ditch along U. S. 24 in the NE-J-NEl 

sec. 15, T. 8.S., R. 24 W. The quartzite beds in 

the Ogallala formation are quite numerous in this 

this area (see pp. 7 and 8), and ground waters 

heavily charged with dissolved silica-probably replaced the calcium carbonate of the Smoky Hill chalk 

with silica. Frye and Swineford 8/ suggest that the 

silica may have been dissolved in a stratigraphically 

higher beds of volcanic ash.

Fossil shells of invertebrates and fragments of 

the fossilized skeletons of vertebrates have been reported from the Smoky Hill chalk. The numerous 

fossil shells are those of clams and oysters.

^rye, J. C., and Swineford, Ada, Silicified rock in the Ogallala 

formation: Kansas Geol. Survey Bull. 64, pt. 2, p. 57, 1946.

The Smoky Hill chalk member of the Niobrara 

and the overlying Pierre shale dip generally at a low 

angle toward the northwest, and the older Cretaceous 

formations in the subsurface of Graham County probably 

dip in the same direction. Local, minor variations in 

the secondary structure of the Smoky Hill chalk were 

noted but are not mapped on plate 1 because they do 

not affect the availability of construction materials. 

There is a high-angle reverse fault exposed in the 

west valley wall of a small stream in the SE^SE? sec. 

29, T. 8 S., R. 25 W. The fault plane dips toward 

the south at an angle of about 75° from the horizontal, 

and the "south block is upthrown about 10 feet.

Beds of the Smoky Hill chalk member in the 

SWiSEi sec. 11, T. 8 S. , R. 25 W. , dip about 20° E. , 

whereas a mile east, in the SWiSEi sec. 12, T. 8 S., 

R. 25 W., the dip is about 15° W., an angle appreciably 

greater than the regional dip. A small fault was noted 

in the cut bank in which the representative measured 

section of the Smoky Hill chalk is displayed.

Representative measured section. The following 

section of the Smoky Hill chalk member of the Niobrara 

formation was measured in the NWiSWi sec. 15, T. 

10 S., R. 22 W. , in a cut bank of a tributary to the 

North Fork Saline River:

Feet

Smoky Hill chalk member of the Niobrara 

formation:. 

Chalk; light gray, weathers buff.

Fossiliferous........................ 0. 2

Shale, chalky; light gray, weathers

buff; limonite-stained.

Fossiliferous........................ 2.4

Chalk, soft, massive; bluish gray,

weathers light gray. Fossiliferous...... 1. 0

Shale, chalky; stains and stringers

of limonite; light gray, weathers

buff. Fossiliferous................... 1.1

Chalk, soft; bluish gray, weathers

light gray............................ .1

Shale, chalky; dark brown, weathers

blue gray. Fossiliferous.............. 1.0

Chalk, soft; bluish gray, weathers

light gray............................. 2

Shale, chalky, limonite-stained; bluish

gray, weathers li'ght gray.

Fossiliferous......................... 3.0

Chalk; bluish gray, weathers light

gray................................. .1

Shale, chalky; 0. 5- to 5-inch bentonitic concretions scattered

throughout; bluish gray,

weathers light gray. Fossiliferous... 32.0

Base covered....................... 41.1

Thickness. Individual outcrops of the Smoky 

Hill chalk member are relatively thin, the probable 

maximum thickness being about 50 feet and the average
thickness about 15 feet. Outcrops generally are appreciably thicker in the eastern part of the county than 

they are in the western part. Estimates based on the 

width of outcrop and the regional dip of this member 

toward the west and northwest place its total thickness in Graham County at about 300 feet.

Construction materials. 

Road metal. 

Structural stone. 

Riprap. 

Calcareous binder.

Pierre shale

Areal distribution. Four outcrops of the Pierre 

shale of Upper Cretaceous age were found by the field 

party in Graham County. (See pi. 1 and fig. 4.) The 

largest of these is in sees. 28, 29, and 32, T. 83., 

R. 25 W. , where thp formation is exposed in the valley wall of a northward-flowing tributary of the South 

Fork Solomon River. A second outcrop was examined 

in the NEiSEi sec. 15, T. 8 S., R. 25 W., in a cut 

bank along the Solomon River. There is a small outcrop of the Pierre shale in the SEiSWi sec. 18, T. 

9 S., .R. 23 W., in the valley of a small northwardflowing tributary of the South Fork Solomon River. 

The fourth outcrop was found in the SEiNWi sec. 9, 

T. 83., R. 25 W., in a cut bank just above the water 

level of Antelope Lake.

The Pierre shale is the youngest sedimentary 

rock of marine origin in Graham County. It overlies 

the Smoky Hill chalk member of the Niobrara formation 

but is separated from all younger stratigraphic units 

by a pronounced erosional break. Undoubtedly the 

Pierre shale is extensive in the interstream areas of 

Graham County but is concealed by the younger Ogallala and Sariborn formations.

General description. Only the basal part of the 

Pierre shale crops out in the county. The shale generally 

is very thin bedded, is composed predominantly of 

clay- size particles, is noncalcareous, and has a soapy 

feel. Most of the shale zones are blue gray or blue 

black, but thin beds of white or brown bentonite are 

interbedded with the clay shales. The bentonitic zones 

increase in thickness in the upper part of the Pierre 

shale in Graham County, the maximum thickness 

observed being about 6 feet (in the SEiSWi sec. 18, 

T. 93., R. 23 W.). The bentonite is white on fresh 

surfaces but weathers brown. Small crystals of a 

variety of gypsum (selenite) occur locally in some 

zones of the clay shales. Limonite also is present in 

the shale zones.

Representative measured sections. 

(1) The following section of the Pierre shale 

is exposed in a cut bank at a tributary to the South Fork

Solomon River in the SWfNEi sec. 32, T. 8 S., R. 

25 W.:

Feet 

Sariborn formation: Silt and sand........... 5.9

Pierre shale:

Shale, bentonitic; buff with irregular gray stringers throughout; weathers yellow.................. 7. 0

Bentonite, white..................... .1

Shale, bentonitic, yellow brown....... .3

Bentonite, white..................... .2

Shale, bentonitic, fairly compact; 

buff, weathers yellow............... 3. 5

Bentonite; buff with white stringers in upper and lower parts......... .2

Shale, bentonitic, quite compact; 

buff, weathers yellow............... 1. 5

Bentonite, brown.................... .3

Shale, clay, noncalcareous; black, 

weathers light blue gray............. 4.0

Base covered. 17.1

(2) Another exposure of the Pierre shale was 

measured in a cut bank in the NE^SWi sec. 15, T. 

8 S., R. 25 W., as follows:

Terrace deposits: Silt, sand, and 

gravel. ................. 

Pierre shale:

Shale, very thin bedded; dark brown,

weathers light brown..............

Shale; some sandy zones and small

selenite crystals; very thin bedded;

black, weathers dark gray.........

Bentonite; yellow brown, weathers

grayish white.....................

Shale, noncalcareous, very thin

bedded; weathers light gray........

Shale, very thin bedded; black,

weathers light gray; limonitestained..........................

Shale, very thin bedded; black,

 weathers light gray...............

Base covered.

.5

3.0 

.1

e;o

3.5

5.0

18.1

Thickness. The total thickness of the Pierre 

shale in Graham County may be more than 150 feet, 

but the greatest thickness of any of the outcrops 

observed is about 18 feet. The formation undoubtedly 

is thickest in the interstream areas, especially those 

along the western border of the county.

Construction materials. No materials of general 

use in engineering construction are found in the part 

of the Pierre shale that crops out in Graham County. 

The bentonitic beds in the formation might be used in 

sealing earthen structures against water percolation,
but tests made by the State Geological Survey of 

Kansas 9/ indicate that the bentonites of Kansas do 

not sweff as much -when water-saturated (3 times the 

original volume) as do bentonites from Wyoming (15 

times the original volume).

Ogallala formation

Area! distribution. The Ogallala formation of 

Pliocene age crops out in all parts of Graham County. 

(See pi. 1 and fig. 4.). The outcrops generally are restricted to the valleys of tributary streams and the 

valley walls of the major streams. (See fig. 5.) In 

some places the Sanborn formation, which overlies 

and thus conceals the Cgallala, has been eroded 

completely and the Cgallala formation has been uncovered extensively, as in the outcrpp area a short 

distance south of Hill City.

General description. The Ogallala formation 

includes interbedded lenses of silt, clay, and crossbedded sands and gravels that indicate the streamdeposited origin of much of the-formation. The lenses 

vary in both thickness and areal extent. The bulk of 

the material composing the Ogallala was eroded in the 

Rocky Mountain area by streams that transported the 

material toward the east and deposited it as a sedimentary layer over the High Plains. The Ogallala 

sediments constitute an enormously extensive piedmont 

alluvial plain formed on the east flank of the Rocky 

Mountains during the Tertiary period. Probably some 

lake-deposited (lacustrine) beds are included in the 

formation.

The sand and gravel lenses are composed 

principally of fragments of quartz, granite, and feldspar' and ofteii contain clay balls 3 or 4 inches in 

diameter. The coarsest gravel particles are about 

1. 5 inches in average diameter. The sand and gravel 

particles are subrounded to rounded in shape, many of 

them coated with a film of calcium carbonate. The 

silt and clay particles are subangular to angular in 

shape and are predominantly "quartz and kaolinite.

"Lenticular beds of quartzite are quite numerous 

in the central part of Graham County and usually occur 

in the lower part of the Ogallala formation. Some of 

them were traced over distances of more than a mile, 

but most of them are quite local, the average extent 

being about 0. 25 mile in any one direction. The average 

thickness of the quartzite is 3 to 4 feet, but some of 

it is as much as 12 feet thick. The ledges are far 

harder than the other materials composing the Ogallala 

formation and are exposed at the surface as very 

conspicuous hillside ledges. The quartzite usually is 

green, but some beds are tan and a few are chocolate 

brown. The beds consist of cross-bedded sand or 

gravelly sand in which the constituent particles are 

usually very firmly cemented by silica deposited in 

the original pore spaces by percolating subsurface 

waters.

Mortar beds constitute another rock material 

characteristic of the Ogallala formation. A mortar 

bed is a lens of lime-cemented sand or gravel, or 

both, and is generally less hard than the silica- 

 cemented quartzites, although mortar beds usually

Q

Jewett, J. M., and Schoewe, W. H., Kansas mineral resources 

for wartime industries: Kansas Geol. Survey Bull. 41, pt. 3, p. 124 

1942.

form conspicuous hillside ledges. The ledges 

"generally are light gray and weather to irregular 

surfaces. Their thickness ranges from 1 foot to 

about 5 feet.

Local beds of hard, dense, gray limestone occur 

near the top of the Ogallala formation in the northwestern part of Graham County. The beds are as 

much as 4 or 5 feet thick in some places. The limestone probably was deposited as a surface or nearsurface caliche by subsurface waters heavily charged 

with calcium carbonate. One prospect is mapped on 

plate 1 in the NWiNEi sec. 4, T. 6 S., R. 25 W.

Representative measured sections. 

(1) A road cut in the NEiNEi sec. 32, T. 

7 S., R. 24 W., shows the following section of the 

Ogallala formation:

i Feet

Ogallala formation:

Mortar bed, fine, sandy, fairly

hard, gray............................ 5.0

Silt, clayey, lenticular, light

green-gray............................ .9

Silt; some fine sand; soft; brown,

weathers light tan...................... .8

Sand, silty; brown, weathers light

brown................................. .6

Sand, fine, partly cemented; green

gray, weathers gray.................... 0.1

Sand; occasional small gravel

particles not cemented; brown,

weathers light gray.................... .5

Silt, sandy, somewhat cemented;

dark brown, weathers light brown....... .1

Sand, fine, somewhat cemented;

brown, weathers light brown............ .3

Sand; scattered gravel particles;

somewhat cemented; green gray,

weathers gray......................... 1.0

Base covered. 9.3

(2) The following section of the Ogallala 

formation was measured in a road cut in the 

sec. 6, T. 9 S., R. 21 W.:

' Feet 

Ogallala formation:

Quartzite, fine-grained, -very hard;

green, weathers gray................. 3.1

Silt, brown; scattered sand and

gravel particles...................... .5

Quartzite, fine-grained, very hard;

green, weathers gray................. 1. 6

Silt, calcareous; occasional sand

and gravel particles; brown............ 5. 5

Base covered. 9.9

Thickness. --The Ogallala formation is thickest 

along the western boundary of Graham County, where 

it may reach an estimated maximum thickness of 

about 100 feet. It thins somewhat toward the east, 

and along the eastern boundary its maximum thickness 

is probably less than 50 feet. The formation is thickest 

in the center of the interstream areas and tapers to a 

feather edge along the stream valleys.
Construction materials. 

Riprap.

Structural stone. 

Road metal.

Aggregate for concrete. 

Calcareous binder.

Sanborn formation

Area! distribution. The Sanborn formation of 

Pleistocene and Recent (?) age is the.most widely 

distributed stratigraphic unit cropping out in Graham 

County. (See pi. I and fig. 4.) It occurs as an extensive blanket of silt of variable thickness capping 

the interstreani areas and as a discontinuous deposit 

of silt part way up the valley walls of the major streams 

and their larger tributaries. This discontinuous deposit is well developed along the south side of the 

South Fork Solomon River Valley just south of Hill 

City. The two phases of the Sanborn are mapped as 

a single stratigraphic unit because their lithologic 

characteristics are similar.

The Sanborn formation is separated from all 

older stratigraphic units by a well-marked erosional 

break. It overlies the Ogallala formation in the interstream areas and the Smoky Hill chalk member of the 

Niobrara formation and the Pierre shale along the 

stream courses. (See fig. 5.)

General description. The Sanborn formation is 

composed of materials deposited by streams, slope 

wash, and wind and through the action of gravity. No 

attempt was made to subdivide the formation into 

members as was done by Frye and Fent 10/ in Norton 

County! To do so would have required a greatly expanded field program, including test drilling. The 

treatment of the Sanborn formation as an undivided 

unit seems adequate to serve the purpose of this 

inventory of construction materials.

Silt-size particles predominate in the upper 

part of the formation. Occasional particles of sand 

and gravel, however, are scattered throughout the 

silt and" locally may be concentrated in thin lenses. 

The color varies from medium gray in the northwestern part of the county to yellow brown in the 

southeastern part.

There is a well-developed soil zone at the top 

of the formation, and a buried soil zone is reported 

by Hibbard, Frye, and Leonard, ll/ Its presence in 

Graham County was confirmed by the field party. The 

"A" zone of the profile averages about a foot in thickness 

and is underlain by a prominent "B" zone several times 

as thick. The "B" zone is characterized by secondary 

deposits of calcium carbonate in the form of pipelike 

concretionary masses, stringers, nodules, and impregnations. The "C" zone of the soil profile does 

not contain unusual concentrations of-secondary 

calcium carbonate.

10Frye, J. C., and Fent. 0. S., Late Pleistocene loesses of 

central Kansas: Geol. Survey Bull. 70, pt. 3, pp. 41-51, 1947.

uHibbard, C. W., Frye, J. C., and Leonard, A. B., Reconnaissance of Pleistocene deposits in northcentral Kansas: Kansas 

Geol. Survey Bull. 52, pt. 1. p. 13, 1944.

Silts of the Sanborn formation exhibit a marked 

tendency to stand in vertical cut banks and often show 

a crude columnar structure. The columnar structure 

is the result of the intersection of irregular joint 

planes.

The basal part of the formation includes numerous 

local lenses of tan-gray sand or gravel, or both. The 

gravel lenses consist of fragments of local limestone, 

mortar bed, quartzite, quartz, feldspar, chert, and 

calcite. The sands are predominantly particles of 

quartz and feldspar. The lenses are channel deposits 

and generally pinch out within relatively short distances. 

Their average thickness is about 4 feet, although in 

one -location there is a sand and gravel lens 24 feet 

thick. (See representative measured section.) This 

phase is well displayed, also, in a road cut along 

U. S. 24 in the SEiNEi sec. 8, T. 8 S. , R. 22 W., 

. and in numerous road cuts and cut banks in the southcentral and southeastern parts of the county.

Landes 12/ reports a deposit of volcanic ash 

about 1. 5 miles north of Morland. This probably is 

a deposit in the NEiSWi sec. 11, T. 8 S., R. 25 W., 

that consists of thin lenses of light-gray volcanic ash 

interbedded with thin lenses of sand and fine gravel, 

all of which are embedded in a light-brown mixture of 

ash and silt. The upper part of the deposit contains 

channel fillings of gravel apparently reworked from 

the Ogallala formation. The gravel particles include 

numerous fragments of mortar bed and quartzite. 

The Ogallala formation crops out in the same vicinity, 

but the contact between the ash and the Ogallala is 

buried. The age of the ash is uncertain, therefore, 

but the deposit is assigned tentatively to the basal 

part of the Sanborn formation on the basis of the reworked Ogallala rocks in the channel fills.

A deposit of ash and interbedded silty ash was 

found by the field party in the NWiNEi sec. 30, T. 

10 S., R. 21 W. The layers of ash are relatively free 

from adulterants, but the quantity available here is not 

more than several hundred cubic yards. The deposit 

is assigned to the basal part of the Sanborn formation. 

Another small deposit of the same age was noted in , 

the NWiNEi sec. 1, T. 8 S., R. 24 W., but the ash 

is adulterated by an extensive mixture of silt.

The fossil shells of snails (gastropods) are 

fairly abundant in the Sanborn formation.

Erosion of the Sanborn formation generally 

produces a smoothly undulating surface. Along the 

walls of valleys that have been cut into underlying 

stratigraphic units the Sanborn may develop "catstep" 

erosion. The catsteps appear to be caused by the 

sliding of water-saturated silt under the influence of 

gravity down the gentle valley walls toward the stream. 

The catsteps are bounded by scarps a foot or more 

high and are slump blocks from several feet to about 

20 feet wide. Two or more series of catsteps may 

develop along the valley slopes.

Representative measured section. --Thefollowing 

section of the Sanborn formation was measured in a 

cut bank of a tributary to the Saline River in the 

NEiSWi sec. 26, T. 10 S., R. 21 W.:

12Londes, K. K., Mineral resources of Kansas counties: Kansas 

Geol. Survey Bull. 38, No. 11, p. 37, 1937.
Feet 

Soil, silty, calcareous, brown. ........... . 1. 5

Sanborn formation:

Silt; calcareous concretions scattered throughout; yellowish brown,

weathers light brown. ................ 2. 0

Sand, silty; some scattered gravel

particles up to 1 inch in diameter;

dark brown, weathers light brown;

fossil gastropod shells. ............... 1. 2

Sand; some gravel-size particles,

including local limestones; gray

brown, weathers gray. ................ 1. 5

Sand, very fine, silty, calcareous;

gray, weathers light gray; numerous fossil gastropod shells. ............ .9

Sand; small scattered gravel particles; light brown, weathers

gray. ................................ .3

Silt, clayey; dark gray, weathers

light gray; shows columnar structure; fossil gastropod shells. ........... 1. 5

Silt; light brown, weathers light

gray; shows columnar structure;

fossil gastropod shells. ............... .2. 8

Silt, sandy; gray brown, weathers

gray; columnar structure; fossil

gastropod shells. ..................... 1. 5

Sand, silty; occasional small

gravel particles; yellow brown,

weathers gray brown; columnar

structure; fossil gastropod shells. ..... 1. 4

Silt, clayey; small amount of fine

gravel; mottled brown and yellow;

fossil gastropod shells. ............... 1. 1

Silt, sandy; yellow brown, weathers

light gray. .......................... 1.0

Sand and coarse gravel, latter

with many local limestone par -

tides; light gray to brown,

weathers light gray. ................ 24.0

Underlain by Smoky Hill chalk member of 

Niobrara formation.

Thickness. The thickness of the Sanborn formation in Graham County varies from a feather edge 

along the valleys to a maximum thickness of about 

50 feet in the high interstream areas of the northwestern part of the county. Its average thickness is 

probably between 15 and 25 feet.

Construction materials. 

Aggregate for concrete. 

Mineral filler. 

Road metal. 

Volcanic ash.

Terrace deposits

Area! distribution. --Terrace deposits are . 

developed extensively in the valley of the South Fork 

Solomon River. (See pi. 1 and fig. 4. ) The width of 

these terraces varies -from 1. 5 to 2 miles. Bow 

Creek, in the northern part of the county, has a much 

smaller terrace, its width ranging from 0. 2 mile in 

the western part of the county to 0. 5 mile in the 

eastern part. Fingerlike extensions of the terrace 

deposits, some of them as much as 12 miles long,

10

project into the valleys of streams tributary to these 

major drainage lines. Two or more terrace levels 

are recognized in Graham County but are mapped as 

a single stratigraphic unit inasmuch as the sediments 

composing them are similar. The terrace deposits 

are separated by erosional breaks from both older 

and younger stratigraphic units. (See fig. 5.)

General description. The terrace sediments 

are composed predominantly of reddish-brown siltsize particles, but occasional lenses of sand or 

gravelly sand occur in the basal part of the formation. 

The gravel-size fraction consists for the most part 

of soft local limestone particles. Only the terraces 

of the South Fork Solomon River Valley contain sandgravel lenses; those of Bow Creek Valley are composed 

entirely of silt. The physical characteristics of the 

silty part of the terrace deposits essentially duplicate 

those of the silty phase of the Sanborn formation.

Representative measured section. The lithology of the terrace deposits is so similar to that of 

the Sanborn formation that it was not thought necessary 

to measure a representative section.

Thickness. The estimated maximum thickness 

of the South Fork Solomon River terrace deposits is 

50 feet. The terrace deposits of Bow Creek Valley 

probably are no more than 15 or 20 feet thick, and 

those of the larger tributary valleys are even thinner.

Construction materials. 

Aggregate for concrete. 

Road metal. 

Mineral filler.

Dune sand

Area! distribution. Several deposits of dune 

sand in the east-central part of Graham County are 

mapped. (See pi. 1 and fig. 4.) The dunes usually 

cover areas of only a few hundred square yards, but 

one deposit about 4 miles north of Bogue extends over 

more than a square mile.

General description. The sand of which the 

dunes are composed was deposited by wind within 

recent geologic time and is being deposited even now. 

The material is a fine, brownish-tan, cross-bedded 

sand. The South Fork Solomon River is the source of 

the sand that forms the dunes located in the valley 

between the stream channel and the north valley wall. 

The sand was carried to its present position by dryseason winds blowing prevailingly from the south and 

southwest.

The extensive area of dune sand north of Bogue 

is on a fairly high interstream area. The dunes are 

composed of sand-size, subangular to subrounded, 

somewhat frosted grains of quartz and, to a lesser 

extent,' of feldspar. The characteristic hummocky 

topography is subdued, and the "A" soil zone is silty, 

indicating that the dunes are fairly old. Cultivation 

of some of the land within very recent times has 

broken the sod anchor and allowed the wind to blow 

the sand again. The sand probably was derived originally from the Ogallala formation, which crops out 

in the area adjacent on the west and north. Several 

small, low buttes capped by mortar-bed ledges of
Cgallala age are surrounded by sand now being reworked by the wind.

Representative measured section. The dune 

sand is so homogeneous throughout that it was not 

thought necessary to measure a section of it.

Thickness. The average thickness of the dune 

sand is about 10 feet, but the crests of the higher 

dunes in the valley of the South Fork Solomon River 

rise as high as 20 feet above the base of the deposit 

and some of the dunes in the area north of Bogue art 

at least 30 feet high.

Construction materials. 

Aggregate for concrete. 

Road metal.

Alluvium

Area! distribution. --The deposits formed by 

streams in their present gradational cycles are 

mapped as alluvium. (See pi. 1 and fig. 4.) They 

and the dune sands constitute the most recent stratigraphic units in Graham County. Alluvium is defined 

in this report as the material which underlies the 

present flood plain of a stream. The flood plain is 

the area adjacent to the stream channel that is 

covered by water during normal flood stage.

Alluvium is mapped along the South Fork 

Solomon River only. Alluvial deposits are also 

present in some of the larger tributary valleys and 

along Bow Creek but could not be shown because' of 

the map scale. The alluvial deposits of the South . 

Fork Solomon River average about 0.3 mile in width.

General description. The alluvium of the South 

Fork Solomon River is quite sandy, and numerous 

lenses of rounded gravel are interbedded with the 

sand. The gravel particles are rock fragments 

weathered and eroded from local stratigraphic units. 

Silt is characteristic of the upper part of the formation only.

Representative measured section. --The relief 

of the alluvium is so low that a representative section 

could not be measured.

Thickness. --The exact thickness, of. the alluvium 

could have been determined only by test drilling. It is 

estimated that the maximum thickness is no more than 

20 feet and probably is somewhat less than that.

Construction materials. --

Aggregate for concrete. 

Road metal.

INVENTORY OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS 

General

The objectives of this inventory of construction 

materials in Graham County are to define the construction materials as as they are classified and to relate 

the materials to the map units in which they occur.

Whenever available, laboratory test data have 

been introduced into the report to aid the reader in 

the evaluation of the materials. The information 

given-in table 1 is based on standard testing procedures 

of the American Association of State Highway Officials 13/ 

and the State Highway Commission of Kansas. It is 

expected that prospects listed in this report will be 

proved by subsequent augering, drilling, or test 

pitting and that the materials themselves will be 

subjected to laboratory testing prior, to production for 

specific uses.

Although numerous prospect pits and quarries 

were located in the field, no attempt was made to 

complete an exhaustive survey of all possible sources. 

If the construction materials that are available in 

Graham County can be related to the geologic formations mapped on plate 1, then the use of that map 

will aid the field man in his search for the materials 

needed in a construction project. It will eliminate 

the nonproductive areas from the search and, at the 

same time, will indicate the areas in which the needed 

materials are most likely to occur.

Aggregate for concrete 

Engineering and geologic characteristics

Aggregate for concrete is classified as fine aggregate 

and mixed aggregate in table 1 and on plate 1. In this 

report the distinction is an arbitrary one based on the 

percentage of material retained on a standard 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 or 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 of the standard practice 

of bringing the grading to specifications by sweetening 

or screening.

The materials reported in this and other classifications are exposed at the surface or are under unconsolidated overburden sufficiently thin that they may be 

economically developed. Because of the added expense 

in the removal of the overburden, deposits of sand and 

gravel overlain by thick or consolidated beds usually 

are not included, nor are relatively inaccessible 

deposits; exceptions to this practice are noted in the 

"Remarks" column of table 1.

13American Association of State Highway Officials, Standard 

specifications far highway materials and methods of sampling and 

testing; pt. 2, 5th ed., 361 pp., 1947.

Absorption, pp. 251-252.

Coaptwsive strength, pp. 257-2%.

Deval abrasion, pp. 235-236.

Liquid limit, pp. 198-201.

Los Angeles abrasion, pp. 237-239*

Plasticity indwc, pp. 202-204.

Specific gravity, pp. 249-250.

TougtoMs, pp. 240-241.

Weight per cubic foot, pp. 253-254. 

State Highway Commission of Kansas, Standard spedIcations for State road and bridge construction, 512 PP., 1945.

Gradation factor, p. 16.

Sieve analysis, pp. 333-334.

Soundness, pp. 335-336.

11
Stratigraphic sources and performance characteristics

The following Stratigraphic units are actual or 

potential sources of aggregate'for concrete:

(1) Ogallala formation. Only one of the .aggregate 

samples listed in table 1 (fa 1) was taken from the Ogallala formation, but in other counties of western Kansas 

the Ogallala is known to be an important source of both 

tine and mixed aggregates. The one sample analyzed is 

composed predominantly of fragments of quartz, feldspar, and basic igneous rocks. A small amount of 

chalk and a moderate percentage of limonite nodules 

are present in the coarse fraction. The coarse fraction, 

however, accounts for only 3 percent of the weight of 

the sample, so that these materials probably are not 

present in deleterious^ quantities. The test characteristics of the sample indicate that it may be acceptable. 

for use as fine aggregate for concrete.

The field party in Graham County encountered 

numerous other occurrences of sands or gravelly 

sands in the Ogallala formation. In these, however, 

the presence of hard ledges of mortar bed or quartzite 

constitutes such an overburden problem that the deposits 

cannot be developed economically by present-day 

methods. Intensive exploration of the mapped outcrop 

areas of the Ogallala formation probably will result in 

the location of sand and gravel deposits under no more 

than unconsolidated overburden.

(2) Sanborn formation. The Sariborn formation 

,s the source of four samples of fine aggregate (fa 3, 

fa 4, fa 6, and fa 7) and three of mixed aggregate 

(ma 1, ma 6, and ma 7). These are mapped on plate 

1, and their test data are given in table 1. The 

mineralogical analyses indicate that the fine fraction 

of aggregates from the Sanborn formation is composed 

predominantly of quartz and feldspar particles. There 

are significant percentages of mortar-bed fragments 

in the coarse fraction of three samples analyzed 

(fa 6, fa 7, and ma 1), but the mortar-bed particles 

are fairly hard and probably are not deleterious. 

Fifteen percent quartzite fragments is included in 

the coarse fraction of sample fa 9, but that fraction 

constitutes only 2 percent of the total sample weight, 

and the quartzite probably is not present in a deleterious quantity.

The test characteristics of all the Sanborn formation samples indicate that the material may be 

acceptable as aggregate for concrete. Sand and 

gravel lenses in the base of the Sanborn formation 

are wide spread over Graham County but generally 

are limited in size. Undoubtedly, additional prospects 

can be located in the basal part of this formation, and 

exploration will be most profitable if the marginal 

areas of the mapped outcrops of the Sanborn are explored. Present-day streams iiave cut deepest into 

the Sanborn in such areas and are most likely to have 

exposed the basal sand and gravel lenses.

(3) Terrace deposits. No samples of sand and 

gravel were obtained from the terrace deposits, but 

the material is composed predominantly of quartz 

particles. It contains a subordinate amount of feldspar particles, and minor quantities of fragments of 

basic igneous rocks and local limestones also are 

present.

The sand and gravel lenses occur in the basal 

part of the terrace deposits, and because the deposits 

are channel fills, the quantity of material in any one 

deposit probably will be limited. Such sand and gravel 

deposits may be located by intensive exploration of 

the terrace deposits- in the valleys of the South Fork 

Solomon River and its larger tributaries, as well as 

in the valleys of tributaries to the Saline River in the 

southern border area of Graham County. Field examination revealed that the terrace deposits of Bow Creek 

Valley are predominantly silt and that sands and gravels 

can be present only at some depth below the surface.

_ (4) Dune sand. One sample of dune sand (fa 2) 

was tested and is classified as fine aggregate. (See 

table 1 and pi. 1.) The material is a very fine sand 

composed predominantly of quartz particles but with 

minoi* amounts of feldspar, acid igneous rock, and 

basic igneous rock particles also present. Additional 

sources of similar materials are mapped as dune sand 

on plate 1.

(5) Alluvium. One sample of fine aggregate (fa 5) - 

and four of mixed aggregate (ma 2, ma 3, ma 4, and 

ma 5) from the alluvium are listed in table 1, and , 

the sample locations are mapped on plate 1. Alluvial 

deposits are now the most active sources of aggregate 

in Graham County. No samples were collected for 

mineral analysis, but on the basis of the generalized 

sample descriptions, the alluvial sands and gravels 

appear to be composed predominantly of fragments of 

quartz and igneous rocks with perhaps fairly heavy 

mixtures of calcareous particles in the coarse fraction. These particles probably are relatively soft 

local limestone'and somewhat harder Ogallala mortarbed fragments. The test characteristics indicate that 

alluvial sands and gravels-may be acceptable for use 

in concrete. Additional aggregate materials are 

present in the alluvial deposits of the South Fork 

Solomon River in Graham County.

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 differ from 

one area to another. The following materials are 

available in Graham County for use as road metal: 

« $

(1) Sources of aggregate for concrete.

(2) Crushed rock. Indurated rocks available in 

Graham County for use as crushed stone in road construction, filter bed for earthen dams, or railway 

ballast are (a) limestone, a compact, massive layer 

of calcareous material, variable in its hardness; 

(b) silicified chalk, a compact, massive, originally 

calcareous rock that has been more or less completely 

replaced by silica (the known deposits of silicified 

chalk in Graham County are not mapped on plate 1 but 

are discussed under, the Smoky Hill chalk member of .the 

Niobrara formation); (c5 quartzite, a massive, compact 

rock of variable hardness composed of sand or gravel 

particles (or both), usually firmly cemented by interstitial 

silica; (d) mortar'bed, a massive, compact rock of
variable hardness composed of sand or gravel particles 

(or both), more or less firmly cemented by interstitial 

calcium carbonate.

Three of these materials are mapped on plate 1 

and listed more specifically in table 1 as limestone, 

quartzite, and mortar bed, because, in addition to 

their use as road metal, some of them may be used 

as structural stone and riprap.

Stratigfaphtc sources and performance 

characteristics '

(1) Sources of aggregate ggr for concrete. The

materials listecfin the section on aggregate for concrete 

have been used in the construction of bituminous -mat 

and water -bound macadam roads and as surfacing 

material on many light-traffic roads within the county. 

Field observation indicates that they are adequate for 

these purposes.

(2) Crushed rock.

(a) Smoky Hill chalk member of_the Niobrara 

formation. Silicified chalk from the Smoky Hill chalk 

member has been uses as surfacing material on some 

roads in Graham County, and the county engineer 

reports that it is satisfactory if a thick application of 

material is laid down.

The beds of chalky limestones and shales in this 

member are used in the construction of light -traffic 

roads of the water -bound macadam type. This use 

also has been observed in other Kansas counties.

(b) Ogallala formation. Crushed quartzite hasbeen used on several roads in Graham County as 

surfacing material. Field observation indicates 

that it is advisable to crush the quartzite to particle 

sizes less than 0. 5 inch in diameter because particles 

larger than this tend to kick out from the road.

Crushed quartzite is reported by W. E. Gibson, 

engineer of tests, State Highway Commission of 

Kansas, to have been used in the construction of 

concrete pavement in Hill City. The pavement shows 

no evidence of failure due to reaction between the 

quartzite and the portland cement. It is to be noted, 

however, that the pavement is not in a water -saturated 

environment.

The more important operated or prospect quarries are mapped on plate 1, and the chemical compositions and test characteristics of some of the 

quartzites are listed in table 1. The amount of quartzite available in Graham County is almost unlimited, 

and a quarry could be opened in this material at almost any convenient site in the central part of the 

county.

Mortar -bed material from the Ogallala formation 

has been used in the construction of a county road south 

of Penokee, apparently with satisfactory results. 

Fairly soft mortar beds can be crushed and worked 

into a water -bound macadam type of construction. The 

calcium carbonate cement resets under this treatment 

to bind the sand and gravel particles of the mortar 

bed and thus form a firm surface course for lighttraffic roads.

Some light-traffic roads in north-central Kansas 

have been metaled with crushed rock quarried from 

the hard limestone bed near the top of the Ogallala 

formation. Field observation indicates that the 

material performs satisfactorily when so used.

Mineral filler

Engineering and geologic characteristics

Material composed predominantly of silt-size 

mineral 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. S. E. Horner, of the State Highway Commission of Kansas, states in a letter dated 

January 4, 1947, that material will qualify for mineral 

filler if laboratory tests indicate a low coefficient of 

cementation.

Stratigraphic sources and performance 

characteristics""

W Sanborn formation. Two samples of mineral 

filler were obtained from the Sanborn formation (mf 1 

and mf 2); the' sample locations are mapped on plate 1, 

and the test characteristics are given in table 1. Test 

data indicate that the material probably is satisfactory 

for use as mineral filler but that the cementation factor 

might be excessive. It is probable that the samples 

were taken from the "B" zone of the soil profile, because the high-cementation factors undoubtedly are the 

result of impregnation of the silt with calcium carbonate 

deposited by percolating subsurface waters. Silt in 

the Sanborn formation taken from below the "B" zone 

should have a cementation factor within acceptable 

limits. This Stratigraphic unit is the principal source 

of mineral filler in Graham County, and because of the 

widespread availability of the silt, it was not thought 

necessary to map any more than these two prospects. 

Pits can be opened in the formation wherever it is 

desired to use the silt in engineering construction. 

It is recommended that the material be laboratorytested and its cementation factor determined prior to 

the development of a site.

(2) Terrace deposits. Two samples of silt from 

terrace deposits along the South Fork Solomon River 

(mf 3 and mf 4) were tested. The data are given in 

table 1, and the locations are mapped on plate 1. The 

test characteristics of these samples are similar to 

those of the mineral-filler samples from the Sanborn 

formation that were tested.

Volcanic ash

Engineering and geologic characteristics

Volcanic ash is sometimes classified as mineral filler, but in this report it is distinguished as a 

special type of mineral filler because it is suitable 

for certain uses to which the usual silty filler is not 

adapted. Volcanic ash consists predominantly of the 

fine, glasslike shards ejected during the explosive 

phase of a volcanic eruption. The ash may include 

clay- or silt-size particles of other origins and occasional thin seams of gravel and sand.

13
Stratigraphic sources and performance 

characteristics

Two deposits of impure volcanic ash were observed 

by the Graham County field party. One of these, in the 

NEiSWi sec. 11, T, 8 S., R. 25 W., is tentatively 

classified as belonging to the Sanborn formation; the 

other, in the NE^SWi sec. 15, T. 8 S., R. 25 W., is 

in the basal part of a high-level terrace deposit. Deposits of volcanic ash of both Ogallala and Sanborn 

age occur with some frequency in western Kansas, but 

volcanic ash is less common in terrace deposits than 

elsewhere.

It is entirely likely that ash deposits of commercial quality and quantity might be found in Graham 

County if an intensive program of field exploration 

were undertaken. The position of the volcanic ash 

within the Ogallala formation is variable, but in the 

Sanborn formation the ash generally is found in the 

basal part. Prospecting probably will be most profitable in the marginal parts of the mapped outcrop areas 

of the Sanborn where the base of the formation has 

been exposed.

Riprap 

Engineering and geologic characteristics

Riprap, as defined in this report, is any material 

suitable 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 

abrasion, slaking, or freeze-and-thaw. It is desirable 

that the material be in blocks having approximately 

rectangular faces 7 inches or more in width and that 

the specific gravity be 2 or higher.

Stratigraphic sources and performance 

characteristics

(1) Smoky Hill chalk member of the Niobrara 

formation. The silicified chalk in this Stratigraphic 

unit appears acceptable as riprap for earthen structures. Similar uses of the silicified chalk have been 

observed in other Kansas counties, and its performance is satisfactory. The presently known occurrences 

in Graham County are in .the Penokee and Morland areas.

(2) Ogallala formation. The quartzites of the 

Ogallala formation are acceptable as riprap on the 

basis of test characteristics (table 1) and field observation. The material is sound, its specific gravity is 

adequate, and its abrasion loss is relatively low. The 

upstream face of the Antelope Lake dam in the NE^ sec. 

9, T. 8 S., R. 25 W., was riprapped with quartzite 

blocks about 1937. The riprap was inspected in 1948 

and showed no indication of deterioration, either at 

the water line or on the freeboard of the dam. Quarries 

could be opened in quartzite ledges of the Ogallala in 

many parts of Graham County.

Mortar-bed ledges in the Ogallala formation 

vary in hardness; some are cemented firmly enough 

that they are satisfactory as riprap. One of the mortarbed samples tested (mb 2) has been accepted for this 

use by the State Highway Commission of Kansas. A 

small earthen dam constructed in 1935 in the SWiSWi 

sec. 28, T. 10 S., R. 22 W., was riprapped with

14

mortar-bed blocks measuring about a foot on a side 

and, when examined in 1947, showed no marked evidences of deterioration of the riprap blocks. Mortarbed ledges vary greatly in hardness within short distances, and a constant check of hardness will be necessary to assure acceptable rock.

The dense, hard limestone layer found near the . 

top of the Ogallala formation in the northwestern part 

of Graham County appears adequate for use as riprap, 

although no such use was observed in this county.

Structural stone

Engineering and geologic characteristics

Structural stone, as defined in this report, is 

any hard, dense rock material that can be quarried 

and produced to the desired size and shape. Materials 

fulfilling these requirements occur in the Smoky Hill 

chalk member of the Niobrara formation and in the 

Ogallala formation.

Stratigraphic sources and performance 

characteristics

(1) Smoky Hill chalk member of the Ntobrara 

formation. Test characteristics and field observations 

of the more massive beds of chalky limestone in the 

Smoky Hill member indicate that the limestone is 

acceptable for use as structural stone. No such use 

was observed in Graham County, but farm buildings 

observed elsewhere in Kansas indicate that the stone 

is satisfactory if it is not used in a place where it 

will be subjected to water saturation. The chalky 

limestone deteriorates rapidly in the presence of 

water, either by slaking or freeze-and-thaw.

The silicified chalks locally present in the Smoky 

Hill chalk member are potentially useful as structural 

stone. The material is unusually hard, however, and 

producing it to the desired size and shape may be an 

excessive cost factor. r) In addition, its brittleness 

may cause it to shatter too much during the quarrying 

operation. The chemical properties of the silicified 

chalk are probably similar to those of quartzite.

(2) Ogallala formation. Quartzites of the Ogallala 

formation were used in the construction of the city hall 

and the buildings in the city park of Hill City and in 

Antelope Lake Park. Field observations of these 

structures in 1947 and 1948 disclosed no evidences of 

surface deterioration or excessive reaction with the 

mortar, but it is possible, according to Mansfield 

Merriman, Bureau of Reclamation, United States 

Department of the Interior, that failure through mortar 

reaction may occur in structures or parts of structures 

immersed in water. Because of the hardness of the 

quartzite, the process of producing it to the desired 

size and shape may be costly.

Hard mortar-bed ledges in the Ogallala have been 

used as structural stone in other counties in western 

Kansas, as in the grade-school building at Traer, Norton 

County. Field observation indicates that the harder 

mortar-bed ledges perform satisfactorily when so used. 

It is recommended that a constant check be made of the 

quality of this stone because of rapid lateral.variations 

in mortar beds.
Stone quarried from the hard local limestone member have been accepted by the State Highway 

bed near the top of the Cgallala formation was used Commission of Kansas as calcareous binder. Although 

in the construction of the church in New Almelo, no one of them in Graham County was tested for this 

Norton County, Kans. The stone is not too pleasing use, the chalk appears to be acceptable because it is 

in appearance but has stood up very well for nearly soft and easily pulverized. The fact that the chalky 

50 years. limestones are relatively thin probably is not a serious

objection inasmuch as the shales interbedded with the 

Calcareous binder limestones also contain a high percentage of calcium

carbonate. 

Engineering and geologic characteristics

(2) Ogalla formation. Relatively soft ledges of

To be classified as calcareous binder the material mortar bed in the 6gallala formation at sites in other 

must be composed essentially of calcium carbonate and Kansas counties have been tested by the State Highway 

must be soft and easily pulverized. A variety of geologic Commission and accepted as calcareous binder. Field 

materials is included in this classification. observation indicates that similar beds in Graham County

probably are acceptable for this use. The mortar beds

Stratigraphic sources and performance contain a very high percentage of calcium carbonate, 

characteristics and some of them are sufficiently soft that they can be

pulverized easily. The material is widely distributed

(1) Smoky Hill chalk member jof the Niobrara throughout the mapped outcrop area of the Ogallala forf or mation. The chalk beds in the Smoky Hill chalk mation.

15 U»ri»*-0»|i«*ttat 8MUOB. HMklnftoB, p. c.

J!

O

1m

p

CJI

m

0) Q) H 0) N| H

Upper Cretaceous Pliooene Pleistocene and Recent

I

: sr

 H

U ^-s

h

«f D

i*!>g

^8 oll

I

m xTJO

CRETACEOUS TERTIARY QUATERNARY
SOUTHWEST QUARTER CIRCULAR 51 PLATE I

Base map enlarged photostatically from map 

compiled by the Soil Conservation Service, 

U. S. Department of Agriculture.
SOUTHEAST QUARTER CIRCULAR 51 PLATE I

Geologic contact

Operated pit or quarry

Prospect pit or quarry

Is

Limestone

Q 

Quartzite

mb

Mortar bed

fa

Fine aggregate

ma

Mixed aggregate

mf

Mineral filler

va

Volcanic ash

ma

Inclined letters indicate materials not tested

ma 4

Vertical letters indicate materials listed in table 1, 

and their sample number

15.0

Quantity of material available 

(in units of 1O.OOO cubic yards)

Federal U. S. Highway

State highway

Railway

City

Section line

Township corner

Permanent stream

Intermittent stream

Artificial lake

Line of cross section (on north-south road between sections 23 and 24, T. 8 S., R. 23 W., 

and sections 13 and 14, T. 9 S., R. 23 W.)

APPROXIMATE MEAN 

DECLINATION. 1847

Geology mapped by V. B. Coombs and C. W. Matthews in 1947.

MAP SHOWING CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND GEOLOGY OF GRAHAM COUNTY, KANSAS

Scale 4 Miles

1951
Table l.-Summary of materials tests

[Blank spaces indicate data not available]

o

Clossificotior moterio the 

Fine oggregote

Mixed oggrgate

V 

0

I

S

i

o

2

Quortzite

Number plotel on 

fal

fa 2

fo3

fa 4

fa 5

fa 6

fa 7

mol

ma 2

ma 3

ma4

maS

ma6

ma7

mfl

mf2

mf3

mf4

mbl

mb2

mb3

ql

q2

q3

q4

q5

q6

Location

fraction 1/4 

SW

SE

SW

NE

SW

NW

NE

E5

NW

SW

NW

si

NE

si

SW

NE

NE

J

SE

NW

SE

SE

NW

NW

NE

SW

SW

N S

SE

NW

NE

NE

NW

SE

NW,

NE

SW

S5

NW

SE

NE

NE

SE

SW

NE

"o

8

8

14

7

24

12

25

13

8

24

14

17

9

21

30

28

9

14

33

5

19

23

31

31

34

36

14

1

6

8

8

8

8

10

10

6

8

8

8

8

9

10

6

6

8

8

7

8

10

7

7

7

8

8

8

J

21

21

21

22

24

22

22

25

21

23

25

25

24

23

21

25

21

25

24

25

22

22

22

22

22

23

24

III*

en 3 X 3 LU cr c o

30,000

150,000

5,000

6.0OO

30,000

6,500

7.5OO

5.0OO

15,000

15,000

8,OOO

2O.OOO

2,000

9.000

150,000

I50.00O

I5O.OOO

I5O.OOO

800 tons

50O1ons

5,000

20.00O

50,OOO

50.OOO

3.00O

4.OOO

10,000

Average 

thickness

 § -

30

20

10

e

12

5

8-10

8-12

12

14

II

15

25

15+

10

15

6

6

6-8

4

6

5

10

5

4

Overburden 

(in feet)

2-10

0

1

1.5

0

0-5

1-3

5-8

0

O

0

0

0

2

2

2

0

O

O-8

0-5

1

O-IO

O-3

1

Accessibility

Goad

do

do

do

do

do

do

Fair

Good

Fair

Good

do

Poor

Good

do

do

do

Fair

do

Good

Fair

Good

do

do

do

do

Geologic formation

Ogallola

Dune sand

Sanborn

do

Alluvium

Sanborn

do

do

Alluvium

do

do

do

Sanborn

do

 do

do

Terroce deposit

do

Ogallala

do

do

do

do

do

do

do

do

£~0

11

SHCK 

USGS

do

do

SHCK

do

SHCK 

USGS

do

do

SHCK

do

do

do

do

do

SHCK 

USGS

do

do

do

SHCK

do

SHCK 

USGS

SHCK

do

CE

do

SHCK

do

"en 

*O

I

9-47

7-47

do

2-46

do

7-47

do

8-47

4-42

2-46

do

4-42

8-46

5-46

8-47

do

do

do

8-32

10-37

8-47

5-46

1-42

1-46

10-45

5-46

do

Sieve analysis

c

0

2

0

0

0

8

1

0

1

1

2

 E!

Q>~

1

2

1

1

0

0

2

9

3

3

2

5

3

8

h

3

2

2

3

2

1

10

13

9

8

6

17

5

0

o

"c

27

0

40

27

17

29

6

52

34

43

45

39

'59

38

0

O

6

0

o

cO 

a> o

94

95

97

96

93

91

96

93

97

98

96

99

100

93

5

4

61

14

1

5.3

Q64

2.61

3.0

5.4

4.74

3.29

5.72

1.5

2.5

0.26

5.2O

93.8

93.6

35.6

84.8

Description of the material 2

[ Fraction

C

F

C

F

C

F

C

F

C

F

C

F

IM

O

o

33

87

90

80

91

34

85

65

92

50

80

fe 

5

15

7

5

15

7

24

8

20

f

25

15

o 

o

?

2

2

1

Siliceous and

J2

0

e

"en 0

o 

CD

33

3

3

2

1

4

Tr

1

fr

5

TJ

a> 

.a

fe

15

Tr

II

25

Tr

[Carbonate 

I minerals

Tr

3

1

, 1 1 ftei

o en o o"5jc

4 15

3

Tr

2

2

15 2

1

2

calcareous particles.

Siliceous and calcareous particles.

Siliceous and calcareous particles.

Siliceous and calcareous particles.

Yellowish-gray silty clay.

Yellow silty clay.

Yellowish-gray silty clay-, some fine sand.

Dark brownish-gray silty clay.

Soft white limestone with streaks and specks.

White limestone.

Light-green sandstone with some coarse grains.

Fine-grained green sandstone

Chemical composition {%): Si02, 88.09; A^OS, 3.5; Fe203, 1.35; CaO, 0.69;MgO, 

1.08; No? 0, 1.01 -,K20, I.47-, undetermined. 0.4; HCI soluble. 4.9.

Chemical composition (%). Si02,97.lil J«203, .26,Fe 2 03 

termined, 0.02 -, HCI soluble, 3.62.

,04O6-,MgO, O.l;undeGreenish-gray coarse-grained sandstone.

Green coarse-grained sandstone.

Laboratory test data

C 

/eight per

footfcfry) ubic 

08.7

102.8

105.9

106.0

107.1

101.3

116.5

109.0

107

109

II 0.0

112.3

112. l

73.9

72.6

96.4

83.4

Specific gravity 

(saturated)

2.56

2.61

2.60

2.58

2.58

2.60

2.60

£59

2.62

2.60

2.62

2.61

2.62

2.56

2.58

2.57

2.61

2.59

2.35

2.24

2.32

2.33

2.34

233

2.38

2.41

2.42

Gradation 

foctor

2.78

1.89

3.19

2.85

2.24

2.68

2.16

3.35

3.39

3.31

402

3.05

Compressive 

strength 

ratio

 o

 o

1.00

0.92

1.42

1.34

1.06

1.30

1.02

1.65

1.24

1.09

1.08

1.16

1.55

1.47

en 

rO o"

0.99

0.92

1.38

1.16

1.12

1.31

0.98

1.81

1.15

1.1 1

1.10

1.21

1.40

1.39

o> ~= 

« £

V 0

o< t:

c a

0 ">

308

300

29.6

30.2

29.8

72.4

46.4

44.0

38.8

379

Soundness 3

(25 cycles)

0.94

0.65

0.85

0.86

0.87

0.92

0.99

0.95

OK

OK,

0.61

O87

OK

OK

OK

0.88

0.89

Toughness

3

5

6

6

9

7

Cementation

100+

100+

96

100+

Absorption

4.8

7.2

7 1

3.O7

1.8

2.0

1.05

1.52

1.58

o

S

Cl

Cl

Itst

Cl

Itst

Cl

Cl

Itst

Remarks

Overburden is silt ond thin mortar bed; fairly high percentage of llmonite nodules.

Gradation factor and compressive-strength ratios low.

Overburden is silt.

Average of II auger samples. Overburden is silt.

Average of II auger samples.

Overburden is silt of the Sanborn formation; 8% brown silts tone and 

fairly high percentages of mortar bed and quartzile fragments in coarse fraction

Overburden is silt of the Sanborn formation.

Overburden is silt of the Sanborn formation-, high percentage of mortarbed fragments in coarse fraction.

Average of 4 auger samples.

Average af 5 auger samples.

Accepted for use under sections 105, 1 06, lOO to 110, and 112, SHCK 

specifications. Probably Sanborn; location not certain.

Probably Sanborn; location not certain.

Cemetation factor high.

Overburden is "A" zone of soil profile; cementation factor high.

Overburden is "if. zone of soil profile; cementation factor high.

Overburden is "A" zone of soil profile; cementation factor high.

Deval abrasion loss, 12.4%; material not acceptable for bituminousmat surface.

Deval abrasion loss, 8.8 %; satisfactory for riprap under sec. 78, 

SHCK specifications.

Overburden is silt.

Acceptable under sec. 108, SHCK specification*.

Acceptable under sees. 68 to 71, 73, and 76, SHCK specifications.

Deval abrasion loss, 6.81%; classified as an opaline sandstone; 

sample locality probably same as q2 above.

Deval abrasion loss, 2.81 %.

Acceptable under sees. 108 to 112 and 114, SHCK specifications.

Acceptable under sees. 108 to M2 and 1 1 4, SHCK specifications.

1. SHCK, State Highway Commission of Kansas. SHCK and USGS, sieve analysis and 

laboratory tests by State Highway Commission of Kansas; sample collection and 

description of material by US. Geological Survey. CE,Corps of Engineers,U.S. Army.

2. C, coarse fraction, retained on Na. 4 sieve; F, fine fraction, passed through No. 4 

sieve; Tr, trace-, in terms of percent composition.

3. Loss ratio.

4. Cl, clear-, It st, light straw. I