hup gasss™** Mill HEi M Mff HRI ffi SMffl H UB i m; Mas IK III M URBANA - STATE OF ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION A. M. SHELTON, Director DIVISION OF THE STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY M. M. LEIGHTON, Chief REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS-NO. 8 PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE ECONOMIC MINERAL RESOURCES OF CALHOUN COUNTY BY J. E. LAMAR PRINTED BY AUTHORITY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS URBANA, ILLINOIS 1926 STATE OF ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION A. M. SHELTON. Director DIVISION OF THE STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY M. M. LEIGHTON. Chief Committee of the Board of Natural Resources and Conservation A. M. Shelton, Chairman Director of Registration and Education Kendric C. Babcock Representing the President of the Uni- versity of Illinois Edsox S. Bastin Geologist Schnepp & Barnes, Printers springfield, ill. 1926 45674 — 2500 PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE ECONOMIC MINERAL RESOURCES OE CALHOUN COUNTY By J. E. Lamar OUTLINE PAGE Introduction 5 Topography 5 Geologic structure 6 Stratigraphy 6 Economic mineral resources 6 Limestone 6 General statement 6 Uses of limestone 11 Method's of obtaining limestone 12 Choosing a quarry site 12 Limestone resources of Calhoun County 13 Limestone and shale for cement 13 Limestone for crushed stone 15 Road material 15 Concrete aggregate and ballast 15 High calcium limestone for flux, alkali works, high calcium lime, and agricultural limestone 15 Dolomite for flux, dolomitic lime, and agricultural limestone. ... 15 Building stone and decorative stone 15 Rip-rap 15 Shales for brick and tile 16 Clay for refractories, stoneware, sanitary ware, terra cotta, and brick and tile 16 Coal 19 Sand and gravel 19 Phosphates 20 Oil and gas 21 ILLUSTRATIONS I'll. USE 1. Map of Calhoun County showing lowlands and hill country 4 2. Graphs showing the 1923 production of limestone in the United States according to the major (A) and minor (B) uses 11 3. Abandoned fire clay pit at Golden Eagle 17 TABLES 1. Descriptive geology of Calhoun County 7 2. Partial analyses of shales and limestones from Calhoun County 14 3. Sieve analyses of the St. Peter sandstone at Dogtown Landing 20 3 ECONOMIC MINERAL RESOURCES OF CALHOUN COUNTY l< I2W. K.lW. Fig. 1. Map of Calhoun County showing lowlands and hill country INTRODUCTION Calhoun County is located in the western part of Illinois about 15 miles northwest of St. Louis, Missouri. On the north it is bounded by Pike County, on the east by Illinois River and on the south and west by Missis- sippi River. Hardin, with a population of about TOO, is the county seat and largest town in the county. Kampsville is next largest and has a popu- lation of about 425. Hamburg, Mosier, Brussels and Batchtown follow in order of size, each having approximately 300 inhabitants. In 1920, accord- ing to the U. S. Census reports, the total population of the county was 8,245. The hilly parts of Calhoun County have long been noted for their splendid apples and peaches, and the flats of Illinois and Mississippi rivers for their large crops of corn and other grain. For many years Calhoun County has been known as "the county without a railroad". At the present time, however, there is considerable interest in the possibility of the construction of a railroad in the county. This re- port has been prepared in order to acquaint prospective capital and the public at large with the mineral resources of the county and in response to requests from those interested in its development. It is based upon the observations of a reconnaissance field study, upon all available pertinent in- formation in the Survey files, and upon reports already published. 1 The topographic mapping of Calhoun County is now in progress and upon its completion the detailed study of the geology and economic resources will be undertaken. TOPOGRAPHY Calhoun County may be divided into two topographic units, the low- lands and the hill country. The former are the flood plain tracts adjoining Mississippi and Illinois rivers and vary in width from a few hundred feet to a maximum of about -A miles (fig. 1). Lying between the flood plains of the two rivers is the rock backbone or hill country which ranges from 2 to 9 miles in width, but over the southern three-fourths of the county averaging about 3 miles. It is topographically mature. The margin of the uplands is generally a bluff or scarp with rock commonly exposed in its upper portion, and much dissected by numerous valleys and gullies cutting back into the uplands. Where the rivers are close to or are eroding the bluffs, the latter are commonly precipitous and in places show almost con- 1 Kiev, Frank, Structural reconnaissance of the Mississippi Valley Area from Old Monroe, Missouri to Nauvoo, Illinois: Illinois State Geol. Survey Bull. 45, 1924. Krey, Frank, and Lamar, J. E., Limestone resources of Illinois: Illinois State Geol. Survey Bull. 4fi, 1925. Weller. Stuart, Geology of southern Calhoun County: Illinois Geol. Survey Bull. 4, p. 219, 1907. 5 6 ECONOMIC MINERAL KKSOCKCES OF CALHOUN COUNTY tinuous rock outcrops for 150 Eeet or more above the level of the flood plain. The southern part of the county, particularly that underlain by Penn- sylvania!] beds, is lower than the northern part, chiefly because the Penn- sylvanian rocks are less resistant to erosion than the older beds underlying the county elsewhere. GEOLOGIC STRUCTURE The most striking structural feature of Calhoun County is the great Cap-au-Gres fault which extends in the direction E. 5 S. across the county from Dogtown Landing in the SW. cor. sec. 29, T. 12 S., R. 2 W., to a point just south of the village of Meppen, and thence into Jersey County where it passes into a monoclinal fold. The upthrow side of the fault is on the north. On the west side of Calhoun County the relative displace- ment of the beds along the fault plane is about 700 feet; on the east side of the county the displacement is considerably less. In the vicinity of the fault plane the strata are bent to nearly vertical positions. However, at a relatively short distance away from the fault the beds become almost^ flat and, except for minor local flexures, have in general a gentle dip to the northeast. STRATIGRAPHY Because of the Cap-au-Gres fault and subsequent erosion a great many formations which would not normally outcrop in Calhoun County are exposed in a limited area. Considering the county as a whole the exposed formations range in age from lower ( (rdovician to Pennsylvania!!. Table 1 gives in such detail as the data at hand affords, the geologic sequence, litho- logic character, area of outcrop and approximate thickness of the forma- tions exposed in Calhoun County. ECONOMIC MINERAL RESOURCES The potential mineral resources of Calhoun County are limestone, dolo- mite, shale, sand, gravel, clay, coal, phosphates and oil and gas. Of thi the limestone resources seem to be the most valuable and the most ex- tensive. No economically valuable metallic mineral deposits are known to . exist in the county. Limestone general statement Limestone is an important member of the large -roup known as sedi- mentary rocks. As the name implies these rocks have keen formed by the.' consolidation of sediments, which in the case of limestones were calcareous muds, shells and other calcareous organic remains, either whole or frag- mentary. The chief force acting in this consolidation was pressure. 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C o 1 S|gsg| *!!§£.§ .7; ^ t" ^ ^~ £ o u «« ? £ VVj showed that in general the clay tested might he used for the manufacture of refractories intended for a moderate amount of service, and for mak- ing stoneware, terra cotta and sanitary ware. One sample possessed very refractory properties, high strength and low porosity and is of interest as a crucible body and glass house refractory clay. For the most part the samples tested were taken from the upper part of the clay deposit and the results are therefore suggestive rather than demon- strative of what the deposit as a whole might test. The wide variation shown between certain of the samples suggests that there may he two or more kinds of clay present and also indicates the importance of selective testing and the possible desirability of selective working of the various grades of clay in the deposit. The overburden on the clay consists of loess from 30 to 40 feet in thickness. Locally a thin bed of chert gravel overlies the clay. By picking a site topographically favorable it may he possihlc to work the clay hy the open pit method. 'Weller, Stuart, Geology of southern Calhoun County: Illinois State Geol. Survey Bull. 4, i>. I 1 :::'. 1006. ECONOMIC MINERAL RESOURCES OF CALHOUN COUNTY 17 A large part of the southern tip of Calhoun County is underlain hy the fire clay beneath No. 2 coal. This clay has been correlated with the Chel- tenham clay of the St. Louis district. The fact that the clay is overlain by the No. 2 coal which is about two feet thick adds materially to the value of the deposit, inasmuch as the coal bed may be worked with it at a comparatively small additional cost and will furnish at least a part of the fuel needed for burning the clay products. Except in very favorable topographic locations, the coal and clay will probably have to be mined. jdfflm?' Ik. *itffr ■ Fig. 3. Abandoned fire clay pit at Golden Eagle. In 1906, The Thomas Brick and Clay Company of St. Louis were operating a brick plant at Golden Eagle, capable of producing 25,000 to 30,000 brick daily, which were sold as St. Louis No. 1 fire brick. 5 The bricks were loaded into cars ferried from and to railroad connections at Grafton, Illinois or Peruque, Missouri. The operations have since been dis- continued (fig. 3). The upper 5 feet of the clay were worked. The results of tests made on a sample of the clay from a pile dug some years ago, but at the time of sampling still fresh and in good condition, are as follows : G 8 Parmelee, C. W. and Schroyer, C. R.: Further investigations of Illinois fire clays, Illinois State Geological Survey Bull. 38, pp. 349-350, 1922. 18 ECONOMIC MINERAL RESOURCES OF CALHOUN COUNTY RESULTS OF TESTS CALHOUN COUNTY Sample No. 58 (Abandoned plant at Golden Eagle) This is very hard grayish clay which contains much finely divided pyrite. Upon the addition of a suitable amount of water it develops a good but sticky degree of plasticity. It slakes very slowly. Water of plasticity per cent .34.4 Shrinkage water per <-en t 25.5 Pore water per cen t i g.9 Modulus of rupture jbs. per sq. in. 165.7 With 50 per cent standard sand — Modulus of rupture lbs. per sq. in. 124.6 Slaking test hours 5% Mesh Residue Character of Per cent residue .50 Pyrites, fine sand and 120. 150. 200. particles of sand .09 Mica and sand .12 Pyrites, sand, clay and organic material Drying shrinkage: — Per ei ill Linear ; wet length 10.05 Linear; dry length 11.6 Burning test: — Burning Color shrinkage Remarks 1'er cent 6.1 Tan 6.0 Buff 4.:! one Porosity Per cent 2 10.0 5 5.2 9 7.0 12 5.0 13 7.0 15 5.5 Small black core Black core, fine spots Buff exterior: bluestoned. Buff; bluestoned 5.0 2.6 2.8 Flashed Overturned Fusion test: — Cone iA deformed at cone 26. The cone has a vesicular structure. Summary This clay has a medium low strength and a medium low bonding strength. The drying shrinkage is medium high. The effect of the small residue of finely divided pyrite becomes evident at the higher temperatures, especially in Ihe fusion test. Washing the clay for some products will correct this. The poor oxidation conduct should be noted. The clay is on the border line between a non-refractory and a refractory material. The test piece has the appearance of having been over- fired at cone 15. Suggested uses: Architectural terra cotta, face brick. No information is at hand concerning clays in the flood plains of Mis- sissippi and Illinois rivers. It may he suggested, however, that in certain places deposits of clay suitable for making building brick and tile may ECONOMIC MINERAL RESOURCES OF CALHOUN COUNTY 19 be found in the flood plain deposits of these rivers. The same may be true of the loess on the uplands. Coal Although the strata of the Pennsylvanian system total about 120 feet in thickness in southern Calhoun County, they contain hut three beds of coal, only one of which is workable. This bed underlies practically the en- tire area of Pennsylvanian rocks and varies from 24. to 30 inches in thick- ness. It is too thin to he mined profitably except in limited quantities for local consumption or in connection with the fire clay previously mentioned. This was done at one time by the Thomas Brick and Clay Company at Golden Eagle where it was used for fuel in the brick kilns. It was also mined at one time for local consumption at Fruitland Landing near the center of sec. 6, T. 14 S., R. 1 W. It is reported that recently 22 inches of coal have been opened up in a drift mine about 3 miles southwest of Brussels. The coal is sold locally and is said to be of good quality. An analysis made in 1909 of the coal being mined in connection with the clay at Golden Eagle is as follows : Analysis of coal mined at Golden Eagle Air dried sample Sample as received Moisture free Air drying loss- Volatile matter -4.38. 6.53 39.87 41.47 12.13 5.19 11,738 10.62 38.13 39.65 11.60 4.96 11,224 42.67 Fixed carbon . Ash Sulphur 44.36 12.97 5.55 B. t. U 12.557 Sand and Gravel In southern Calhoun County, especially in the vicinity of Golden Eagle, the loess is underlain by a deposit of LaFayette 7 gravel composed of chert, vein quartz and quartzite pebbles. Because of the fact that this gravel is for the most part covered by loess its thickness is not known, but it is probable that in certain favorable topographic positions it may furnish small amounts of gravel and also that local concentrations of the gravel in stream beds may furnish limited amounts. It is also possible that de- posits of sand and gravel may be found in places in the flood plains of Illi- '• Weller, Stuart, Geology of southern Calhoun County, Illinois State Geological Survey Bull. 4, p. 231, 190G. 20 ECONOMIC MINERAL RESOURCES OF CALHOUN COUNTY nois and Mississippi rivers and some of the tributary valleys, but specific deposits of this type have not been reported. The St. Peter sandstone is at present, according to the data available, the most obvious source of sand in Calhoun County. It is more firmly cemented than the very friable St. Peter found elsewhere in Illinois, but it can readily be crushed. It contains a considerable amount of iron and is mottled or "stained yellow, red. and brown in places. Locally it is also calcareous. It is possible that the presence of the calcium carbonate and iron oxide in the sand is more or less a surficial phenomenon and that the sandstone may be more friable and contain less impurities when worked back a distance from the outcrop. The formation is about 150 feet thick. A sieve analysis of the lower 50 feet of the outcrop at Dogtown Landing is given in Table 3. Table 3.— Sieve analysis of the St. Peter sandstone at Dogtown Lmdmg — =T Cumulative Size of sieve Per cent retained per cent retained 28 1 1 35 3 4 48 19 23 65 36 59 100 35 94 150 5 99 200 1 too 270 Trace Pan Trace ... The sandstone at Dogtown Landing was at one time quarried, and the sand crushed and shipped to Alton, Illinois by barge, where it is reported to have been used for making glass. The St. Peter sandstone, despite the impurities of calcium carbonate and iron oxide, is a high silica sand and of value for use where the com- position of the grains is of prime importance and a small amount of im- purities permissible. The sand could doubtless be used tor making bottle glass, as sand blast sand, engine sand, friction sand, abrasive sand, building, plaster and mortar sand and for other similar uses. Phosphates The phosphate deposits of Calhoun County are not thought to be com- mercially valuable at the present time. Concerning them however, Weller tat "The phosphate bed immediately above the Maquoketa shale is worthy of further investigation and may prove to be of considerable economic importance. — i ' 8 Tdem, p. 233. ECONOMIC MINERAL RESOURCES OF CALHOUN COUNTY 21 although the tests so far made are not promising. It is at essentially the same geologic horizon as one of the phosphate beds so extensively worked in the south, and if it should prove to be of sufficient extent to be of economic value, it would become a valuable addition to the resources of the county." Lead Lead sulphide, commonly known as galena, has been found in small quantities but no deposits of commercial importance have been discovered. Oil and Gas The principal structure which might favor or cause the accumulation of oil or gas, is the Cap-au-Gres fault. It is possible that during the faulting certain reservoirs or beds containing oil may have been sealed off by abut- ment against some impervious shale formation or by clay gouge developed along the fault plane. However, the rock formations rise to the west, and in Missouri lower and lower formations are exposed successively on the south side of the fault down to the Kimmswick limestone. These out- cropping beds, which include practically all the potential oil horizons in Calhoun County, probably permitted any oil they may once have contained to escape unless there has been a slight reversal in the rise of the beds to the west. The evidence at hand is too meager to warrant any definite state- ments. Though the chances for obtaining oil or gas in the county do not seem very promising, the best area for testing is probably on the south side of the Cap-au-Gres fault just within the edge of the region of pronounced folding adjacent to and resulting from the fault. This locality, however, has not been included in the Geological Survey's recommended areas for testing:. 9 8 Krey, Frank, Structural reconnaissance of the Mississippi Valley area from Old Monroe, Missouri, to Nauvoo, Illinois: Illinois State Geological Survey Bull. 45, 1924. CHLIVS" LIBRARY BINDERS 507 3. Goodwin Urban*, I1L