Surficial geologic mapping of the Starkville 7.5-Minute United States Geological Survey Quadrangle 33088D-7 in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi

Author

Jonathan Leard, Mississippi State UniversityFollow

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9427-0575

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Skarke, Adam

Committee Member

Schmitz, Darrel W.

Committee Member

Dockery, David T., III

Date of Degree

12-9-2022

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Geology

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Department of Geosciences

Abstract

The Starkville Quadrangle is a hotspot for geological research. The Late Cretaceous is represented by the Demopolis Formation in the northeast corner of the quadrangle, followed by the Ripley Formation, and the Prairie Bluff Formation. The K-Pg boundary is exposed in the quadrangle, and the remarkable paleontology is of global importance. The Clayton Formation is the first Paleocene unit. Where the Clayton Formation channel sands are in contact with the underlying Prairie Bluff Formation, springs occur. Springs were a rare source of water in the Black Prairie and spurred the settlement of the area over 10,000 years ago. The Paleocene Porters Creek Formation occurs in the southwest corner of the Quadrangle. Quaternary streams left Holocene to Pleistocene alluvium and terraces overlying the subcrop. This project provides a modern geologic map and stratigraphic framework as a background for future research in the Starkville Quadrangle.

Recommended Citation

Leard, Jonathan, "Surficial geologic mapping of the Starkville 7.5-Minute United States Geological Survey Quadrangle 33088D-7 in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi" (2022). Theses and Dissertations. 5707.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/5707