Date of Award
1975
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Geology
First Advisor
L. Clayton
Abstract
Seven lithostratigraphic units (formations} composed dominantly of glacial sediment have been recognized in northeastern North Dakota. Three formations, the Falconer Formation (Harris and others, 1974}, the Dahlen, and Gardar Formations (Salomon, 1975). Have been previously recognized. Four formations, the Hansboro, Vang, Tiber and Cando Formations are newly recognized. Uncorrelated units of glacial sediment are described but not named. The formations are differentiated and correlated primarily by the proportion of crystalline (igneous and metamorphic rock fragments), carbonate, and shale grains in the coarse sand fraction (1 to 2 mm) of the glacial sediment. The proportion of shale grains was. Found to be the most useful criterion. Although all the formations are variable over the area of study, their shale con tent can be generally characterized as follows: Cando Formation!> moderate to abundant; Tiber Formation, moderate; Vang Formation, sparse; Gardar Formation, abundant to very abundant; Dahlen Formation, moderate to abundant, Hansboro Formation, sparse to very sparse; and Falconer Formation sparse to very sparse. Thesa terms are defined as follows: very abundant, 80%-100%; abundant, 60%-80%; moderate, 40%-60%; sparse, 20%-40%; very sparse, 0%-20%. All the formations except the Tiber Formation generally contain more crystalline than carbonate grains. The distribution of the formations in the area of study can be summarized as follows: Cando Formation, widespread in the west, patchy in the east; Tiber Formation, alisent in the west, patchy in the east; Vang Formation, patchy over the entire area; Gardar Formation fairly widespread over the entire area; Dahlen Formation, widespread over the entire area; Hansboro Formation wide spread in the west, absent in the east, and Falconer Formation, absent in the west, widespread in the Red River Valley.
Recommended Citation
Hobbs, Howard, "Glacial Stratigraphy of northeastern North Dakota" (1975). Theses and Dissertations. 139.
https://commons.und.edu/theses/139