Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I, Part 15

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 930

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The structure contours of the Indiana quad- rangle are based on the position of the Upper Freeport coal, determined by its outerop and by the records of a number of diamond-drill and deep-well borings. Moreover, the roads within the quadrangle have been traversed and the positions of the different rocks noted. This information, taken in connection with the records of the drill holes, often gave val- uable data regarding the position of the U'pper Freeport coal horizon. But over much of the quadrangle the surface rocks are shale, sandy shale and shaly sandstone having little individuality, so that in many places informa- tion on which to draw structure contours is very meager. It is believed, however, that the main structural features of the quadrangle have been determined.

Chestnut Ridge Anticline .- The most per- sistent and pronounced fold within the quad- rangle is the Chestnut Ridge anticline. This is one of the strongly developed folds of the Allegheny Plateau and can be traced for miles. The axis of the anticline corresponds with the crest line of Chestnut Ridge and crosses the southeastern part of the Indiana quadrangle in a slightly curved line. From the Conemaugh river to the southern limit of the area under consideration the pitch of the Chestnut Ridge anticline is northward, caus- ing the elevation of the Upper Freeport coal along the axis to fall from a reported altitude of 2,300 feet on the Conemaugh river to 1,700 feet in the southern part of the Indiana quad- rangle. This descent of the axis continues for a short distance in the area under consid- eration and then rises, bringing the coal again above 1,700 feet on the road between Mechan- iesburg and Indiana. Northeastward the axis continues to rise, so that the coal occurs above 1,800 feet near the road between Indiana and

These structure contours, from the nature of the data on which they are based, cannot be made absolutely accurate, and this fact must be borne in mind. Nevertheless, the more facts used in their construction the more correctly can they be drawn. In the region Pike's Peak. Farther northeast the axis falls southwest of the Indiana quadrangle, in the again, until about halfway between Penn run and Twolick creek the coal on the axis is be- Connellsville basin, there is a great mass of

HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

low 1,600 feet. Thence the axis rises, and rises and flattens out. Along the axis of the where it leaves the quadrangle the Upper syncline on the Conemaugh river the elevation of the Upper Freeport coal horizon is about Freeport has an elevation of nearly 1,600 feet. The slope of the flanks of the Chestnut Ridge 300 feet above sea level, while south of the anticline is generally steeper on the west, and town of Indiana the position of this coal along the height of the fold is most pronounced in the same axis is over 1,000 feet. A mile south the southern part of the quadrangle. Here of Indiana there is a local rise of the Latrobe syncline, producing a small arch across the trend of the axis. North of the town the syncline pitches downward for a short dis- tance, only to rise again toward Crooked creek. In the region between Indiana and Crooked creek there is little to indicate the geologie structure, but northeast of the creek the Latrobe syncline is split in two by a southward-plunging anticline whose axis ex- tends along Rayne run. there is a rise of over 1,000 feet in the posi- tion of the Upper Freeport coal from the trough of the syncline west of Chestnut Ridge to the crest of the anticline at the top of the ridge. Toward the north this differ- ence in elevation deereases to 600 feet and less. On the eastern slope of the anticline there is an interval of from 400 to 700 feet between the coal at the crest of the arch and the coal at the base of the adjacent trough.

Brush Valley Syncline .- The syneline im- mediately east of the Chestnut Ridge anti- cline is marked by the valley of Brush creek and is called the Brush valley syncline. The exact position of the axis and the depth of this fold are not well known, but from the information at hand the relations seem to be as represented by the contours made. The Upper Freeport eoal lies beneath the surface

The axis of the eastern fork of the Latrobe syneline passes between Dixon and Rayne runs and rises northeastward, so that the Upper Freeport coal, which on the axis near Tanoma has an elevation of about 1,100 feet, on the same axis in the northeast corner of the quadrangle has an elevation of nearly 1,500 feet.

The western fork of the Latrobe syncline is in Brush valley within the Indiana quad- not well marked. Its axis passes east of rangle. This coal has an elevation of less Kelleysburg and rises northward gradually. than 1,200 feet in the middle of the basin north of Rico, and thenec southward grad- ually rises, with the axis of the fold, so as to outerop at an elevation of about 1,300 feet at the old Oberdorff mill on Brush creek, half a mile south of the quadrangle.

Richmond Anticline .- The axis of the anti- cline which divides the Latrobe syncline ex- tends from Rayne run northeastward between the towns of Deckers Point and Marion Center and is well marked near the town of Richmond, on Little Mahoning creek. This fold rises sharply northward, so that the Upper Freeport horizon, which at the mouth of Rayne run has an elevation of about 1,150 feet, on the highland northeast of the Indi- ana quadrangle is over 1,700 feet above the sea.

Nolo Anticline .- East of the Brush valley syneline, occupying the southeast corner of the quadrangle, is the northwestern flank of the Nolo anticline. This fold was so named by W. G. Platt because its axis passes near the town of Nolo. Within the Indiana quad- rangle the Nolo antieline is topographically Jacksonville Anticlinc .- In the southwest- ern part of the quadrangle the rocks of the western flank of the Latrobe syncline rise marked by Dias Ridge. The Upper Freeport coal is not brought to the surface within the quadrangle by this fold but by outerops in gradually westward to the crest of the next the valleys of Blackliek and Little Yellow

succeeding fold, the Jacksonville anticline. creeks, and by the occurrence of recognizable Consequently the Upper Freeport coal, which sandstone on the ridge it is known that the in the trough of the Latrobe syncline west of Upper Freeport horizon rises from approxi- mately 1,200 feet in the Brush valley syneline to over 1,800 feet on the Nolo antieline.

Latrobe Syncline .- West of Chestnut Ridge been called the Saltsburg anticline, but it is there is a well-marked syneline which has been named from the town of Latrobe, in Westmoreland county, where it is well devel- oped. This fold has been traeed from Indiana to Scottdale, and its southward continuation is known as the Uniontown basin. Between Blairsville and Indiana the Latrobe syncline

Graceton has an elevation of about 600 feet, on the crest of the Jacksonville anticline has an altitude of over 1,200 feet. This fold has thought desirable to refer to it here as the Jacksonville anticline. The fold is well devel- oped near the town of Jacksonville, on Ault- man's run, about two miles from the western edge of the Indiana quadrangle. The use of this local name seems preferable, because it is not yet known whether the fold is the

HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

same one that crosses the Conemaugh above sion is not plain. This anticline is important Saltsburg.

The so-called Indiana Anticline .- The northwest flank in the vicinity of Creekside.

structure here outlined is very different from what was formerly supposed, and this change of interpretation needs a word of explanation. The map of Indiana county issued by the Second Geological Survey of Pennsylvania shows the Indiana anticline extending in a straight line across the county and passing through the town of Indiana. This supposed fold has been thought to be continuous on the southwest with the Fayette anticline in Westmoreland county, and on the northeast with the Richmond anticline, but it has been determined that this interpretation is incor- rect. The Richmond and Fayette anticlines are not continuous. The former pitches southwestward and the latter pitches north- eastward, and the area between the Cone- maugh river and Crooked creek along the ex- tension of the axes of these folds is occupied chiefly by the Latrobe syncline. It is an odd coincidence that the axes of the Richmond and Fayette antielines fall in line with each other, and it is not surprising that these folds have been thought to be continuous, for in the intervening region surface exposures are poor and the structure can be deciphered only by detailed work. The present determination is fully proved by the records of about fifty diamond-drill holes lately put down by the Rochester and Pittsburg Coal and Iron Company.

McKee Run Anticline .- A low anticline which crosses McKee run and which, there- fore, may be called the MeKee run antieline. causes the Upper Freeport coal to outerop for a short distance along that run. This anti- eline was formerly supposed to be a continu- ation of the Jacksonville antieline, but dia- mond-drill records indicate that the axes of the Jacksonville and McKee run antielines do not coincide. The Jacksonville fold merges into the next syneline to the west about five miles west of Indiana, and the axis of the McKee run fold strikes into the north- west flank of the Latrobe syneline in the vicinity of Edgewood.

The MeKee run anticline is a low, gentle fold which makes itself apparent by bringing the Upper Freeport coal to the surface at an elevation of about 1.100 feet on MeKee run, and also on Crooked creek at approximately the same elevation. The axis crosses this creek about halfway between Chambersville and Gaibleton, but its northeastward exten.

because of the occurrence of gas along its

COAL

The mineral resources of the Indiana quad- rangle include coal, natural gas, clay, sand- stone, limestone, water and soils.

Coal is the most important of the mineral resources of the Indiana quadrangle, and for many years a number of small banks, to sup- ply local demands, have been in operation.

The Pittsburg coal outerops a short distance to the south, but is not present in the Indiana quadrangle because the rocks containing it have been eroded from the surface. There are a few hills in the southwest corner of the quadrangle that are just high enough to carry this coal if the Conemaugh formation had its usual thickness of 600 feet; but, as already stated, there is evidence of a local thickening of the Conemaugh, which would account for the absence of the Pittsburg coal.

The Pittsburg being absent, the coals of the Indiana quadrangle are limited to those which occur in the Conemaugh and Allegheny formations.

Country banks show the presence of coal of workable thickness in the Conemaugh in a few localities, but by far the most important coal beds belong to the Allegheny formation.

In this connection it may be observed that some misconceptions exist regarding the occurrence and names of coals in this forma- tion. The common opinion that the Allegheny coals are very regular is probably due partly to the fact that a number of generalized sec- tions have been published showing a definite number of coal beds, and that these sections have been wrongly assumed to have wide application.

The generalized sections of this formation in the Allegheny valley contain seven coals, which have been named Upper Freeport, Lower Freeport, Upper Kittanning, Middle Kittanning, Lower Kittanning, Clarion and Brookville, while in the sections representing the formation in the first basin west of the Allegheny Front these coals have been desig- nated by letters E, D'. D. C', C, B and A respectively. These coals are all found some- where, and the generalized sections are meant to show simply their relative positions. It is an error, however, to assume that all these coals must ocenr everywhere throughout the area in which the formation is found.

Some workers in the field, not thoroughly

HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

realizing the facts as to the distribution of the coal, have assumed that these seven coal beds are actually continuous over wide areas, and that wherever a coal is found in the Allegheny formation it must be correlated with one of the coals in the general section. But a careful consideration of the records of diamond drills that have pierced the entire formation or a study of complete natural ex- posures shows that often fewer than seven beds of coal occur in the Allegheny forma- tion, and that when neighboring sections are compared the coals in one cannot always be correlated with those of the other.

It is important to draw attention to these conditions, but at the same time it is by no means asserted that none of the coals of the Allegheny formation have a widespread and continuous distribution, for the Lower Kittan- ning in particular is remarkably persistent. When this variability is borne in mind it be- comes evident that it should not be lightly assumed that the presence of a bed of coal in one locality in the approximate strati- graphie position of a coal in another locality necessarily implies that the two coals are identical. Such identity appears to be tacitly assumed in the wide application of the same names for the coal beds of the Allegheny formation.

COALS IN THE ALLEGHENY FORMATION

The Allegheny coals of workable thickness within the Indiana quadrangle, so far as known, are the Upper Freeport, Lower Free- port and Lower Kittanning. The whole area of the quadrangle is indicated as underlain by workable coal except the valley portions below the outerops of Lower Kittanning coal.

UPPER FREEPORT COAL

Chestnut Ridge .- Chestnut Ridge is the most extensive of these areas, and numerous country banks have been opened on the coal.

The principal coal workings within the quadrangle are those of the Graceton Coke Company at Graceton. This company oper- ates two mines in the Upper Freeport coal and manufactures coke. The mines are lo- cated on the outerop, favorably for gravity drainage. The dip of the coal is regular, be- ing about eight and a half per cent toward the mouth of the mine. The coal averages 6 feet in thickness and is parted about 31/2 feet from the base by shale, which varies from 4 to 12 inches. The upper bench carries considerable sulphur and only the lower bench is used, after washing, for making coke.

The coke is bright, hard, and has well- developed cell structure. The entire product of the mines is used by one company in mak- ing steel, and the coke is said to have a good reputation.

A number of openings have been made on the Upper Freeport coal on Chestnut Ridge, in the southern part of the quadrangle, and measurements show that in this region there is little variation in the thickness of the coal.

Farther north there are fewer openings on the Upper Freeport coal. Where exploited in the vicinity of Evans hill the bed is re- ported to be of little value. This, however, appears to be only local, for on Twolick creek southeast of Indiana the banks of McHenry and Agey show that the coal is well developed.

Northward the Upper Freeport coal again decreases in thickness. In the several coal banks near Greenville there is further evi- dence of thinning. North of Greenville the Upper Freeport coal appears to be unimpor- tant within the quadrangle. It is incon- spicuous beneath the massive Mahoning sand- stone which forms the ridge north of Penn Run, and on the 1,600-foot hill about two miles north of Greenville the Upper Freeport has not been found. A sandstone thought to be the Mahoning caps this hill, and a thin

The Upper Freeport is the most important coal in the quadrangle. Numerous openings have been made along the outerop of this bed, and most of the drill holes which have bed of coal supposed to be the Lower Free- penetrated its horizon have struck coal. port occurs below the limestone on the hillside. Though it occurs generally throughout the The Areal Geology sheet may be misleading here because the boundary line between the Allegheny and Conemaugh formations com- monly marks the outcrop of the Upper Free- port coal, whereas here the boundary line, which is drawn at the supposed horizon of the Upper Freeport, does not mark the presence of the coal, but merely shows the line of separation of the two formations. area under consideration, it is not everywhere of equal importance, and locally it is either absent or becomes so thin as to be of little use. The Upper Freeport coal outcrops in six more or less distinct areas in the Indiana quadrangle. These areas are along Chestnut Ridge, on Dixon, Rayne and McKee runs, on Crooked ereek, and along the south branch of Plum creek. Diron and Rayne Runs .- In the valley of

HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

Dixon run the Upper Freeport coal is unim- portant. Probably this statement is true for most of the Rayne run area also, but there the stratigraphie position of the workable coal is not yet determined, as will be set forth more fully under the heading "Lower Freeport Coal." The uncertainty of the Upper Free- port in this region is indicated by the fact that a diamond-drill hole put down between Dixon and Rayne runs, one and a half miles northeast of Tanoma, shows no coal at this Freeport is the most important coal. horizon.

Crooked Creek .- Between Chambersville and Gaibleton the McKee run anticline canses the Upper Freeport coal to appear a few feet above water level for about one and one half miles along Crooked creek. The Mahoning sandstone is well developed and the Freeport limestone has been quarried at a few local- ities. Several small openings have been made on the coal in this region.

South Branch of Plum Creek .- Along the quadrangle. south branch of Plum creek and its tributary, Sugarcamp run, a coal is exposed which is LOWER FREEPORT COAL thought to be the Upper Freeport, although the Mahoning sandstone is not present. The The Lower Freeport coal is not persistent nor often very thick in the Indiana quad- rangle. Blossoms of this coal were noted at coal is underlain by limestone, and the deep wells in this vicinity strike the gas sand at the same distance below this coal as do the several localities and the bed was penetrated wells near Creekside, where the coal is known to be the Upper Freeport.

Openings have been made at several places northeastern part of the quadrangle, in the

along the outerop, which is not far above water level. In the Brown bank 33 inches of coal were measured. At the Parke and Trusal banks, on Sugarcamp run, the coal measures 3 feet, 5 or 6 inches, parted by a 1-ineh band of shale 5 inches from the base. W. G. Platt reports a thickness of 3 feet, 4 inches, including a 1-inch shale parting near the base, in the Marlin bank near the mouth of Sugarcamp run.

McKee Run .- On McKee run the Upper Freeport coal outerops near water level for about half a mile, and several banks have been opened within this distance.

In the Latrobe syncline south of Indiana the Upper Freeport has been rather carefully explored, and in general there seems to be a good body of coal. In the continuation of the basin northeast of Indiana not so much exploration has been carried on, but judging from the scanty information available the Upper Freeport seems to be variable in its oc- currence. It appears to thin out in the north- east part of the quadrangle, where the Lower

In Brush valley very little information exists concerning the character of the Upper Freeport. The indications are, however, that the coal decreases in thickness from its devel- opment of 6 feet on Chestnut Ridge, but not enough drilling has been done to thoroughly test the region.

Still less information exists concerning the underground development of the coal in the Eldersridge syncline within the Indiana

in several drill holes, but so far as known it attains workable dimensions only in the vieinity of Dixon and Rayne runs.

Dixon Run .- In the valley of Dixon run several coal banks have been opened on a coal which is supposed to be the Lower Freeport. The Mahoning sandstone is not conspicuous in this region, but the workable coal is over- lain by limestone, and farther up by a thin bed of coal, which are thought to be respec- tively the Upper Freeport limestone and coal. Moreover, in the adjacent valley of Buck run, which is just off the northeast edge of the quadrangle, a coal supposed to be the Lower Kittanning occurs about 160 feet below this bed. This interval corresponds very well with measurements made in other parts of the area under discussion, and affords corroborative evidence of the Lower Freeport age of the Dixon run coal.

Underground Occurrence of the Upper Freeport Coal .- Concerning the underground occurrenee and condition of the Upper Free- port coal within the Indiana quadrangle con- siderable information exists because of the This coal is mined by Ed Woodison on the top of the divide between ' Dixon and Buck runs, about a mile north of Twolick creek, where a measurement of 4 feet, 4 inches of coal was obtained. From this point the dip of the western flank of the Chestnut Ridge antieline carries the coal rapidly down nearly recent diamond-drill explorations carried on by the Rochester and Pittsburg Coal and Iron Company and by others. Through the cour- tesy of those in charge the depth of the Upper Freeport horizon is given to the pub- lic, but there is little available information as to the thickness and character of the eoal. to water level in the valley of Dixon run. In 5

HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

the banks along the run south of Dixonville the coal varies from 3 feet, 6 inches to 4 feet. At the Black bank, half a mile north of Dixonville, it measures from 4 feet, 2 inches to 4 feet, 4 inches.

Rayne Run .- In the valley of Rayne run a number of country coal banks have been opened, but whether this coal is the Upper or the Lower Freeport is uncertain. The Ma- honing sandstone, which, when present, serves as a guide to the identification of the Free- port coals, is not well developed in this region. Locally a limestone occurs beneath the main coal, which would tend to show that it is the

Upper Freeport, but, on the other hand, a thin coal outcrops from 20 to 40 feet above the main seam, which implies that the latter coal is the Lower Freeport. If this be so, the limestone would be the Lower Freeport in- stead of the Upper Freeport limestone, which usually is better developed.

This is an illustration of a difficulty that occasionally besets the correlation of coals. If the Mahoning were well developed here, or if both the Upper and the Lower Freeport lime- stones were present, or if there were a com- plete section connecting the coals under con- sideration with some definite horizon either above or below, there would be no doubt. Or if these questionahle coals were separated by a greater vertical interval the general geo- logic structure would throw important light on the subject. Again, the presence of fossils would be important. Occasionally cases of this kind arise, when the question must be left open for further light. It is tentatively assumed that the thin upper coal is the Upper Freeport. Fortunately the distance between the coals is so small that the resulting error in mapping, on either supposition, is not great.

At Botsford's bank, about half a mile north of Rayne post office, on the road to Marion Center, the coal measures 3 feet, 10 inches ; and on the farms of John Little and J. E. Manners, in the valley west of Botsford's bank, similar conditions prevail. That is, the main coal is almost directly underlain by limestone, and about 30 feet above is the out- crop of a thinner bed of coal with no sand- stone exposed. In the H. Edwards bank, on Crooked creek, a mile below Tanoma, there is a bed of coal which measures 3 feet, 2 inches; and in the Walker bank, on Crooked creek, about half a mile below Rayne run, the coal is reported to be 2 feet, 8 inches thick.

KITTANNING COALS

The Kittanning coals seem to be repre- sented in the Indiana quadrangle by only one principal bed. This is shown by the few diamond-drill records that give the thickness of the entire Allegheny formation, and field observations on the outerops confirm their testimony. The records, however, show the occasional presence of other thin coals belong- ing to the Kittanning group, and it is pos- sible that further drilling will reveal a greater thickness of these coals.

The principal Kittanning coal occurs about 200 feet below the Upper Freeport and is considered to be at the Lower Kittanning horizon. The occurrence of this coal at the surface is limited to the deeper valleys of the Chestnut Ridge region. This line has been checked by the location of several country banks, but in the intervals between local mines the outerop line is based on structure con- tours.

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Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I, Part 15

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co. Number of Pages: 930

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 930