Event Title
"Episodic Starvation" Versus "Storm Winnowing" of Shelly Interbeds: A Depositional Model for the Fairview Formation, Upper Ordivician of Northern Kentucky
Presentation Type
Poster/Portfolio
Presenter Major(s)
Geology
Mentor Information
Patricia Videtich, videticp@gvsu.edu
Department
Geology
Location
Kirkhof Center KC30
Start Date
13-4-2011 3:00 PM
End Date
13-4-2011 4:00 PM
Keywords
Physical Science
Abstract
The Upper Ordovician Fairview Formation, part of the Cincinnati Arch region, overlies the Kope Formation. Our samples were collected from northern Kentucky and will be analyzed using three hand samples and thin sections. Methods include a series of six point counts using a petrographic microscope, sample classification and fossil identification. In the literature opposing models have been proposed for shelly interbeds in mud in the Fairview Formation. The "storm winnowing model" proposes that the development of the shelly interbeds can be attributed to storm reworking. Alternatively, the "episodic starvation model" suggests that the shelly interbeds form over long periods of time with low rates of sedimentation of fine sediments. This is coupled with brief periods of high sedimentation rates, which deposits the mud. After deposition, storms erode the shell beds and mud layers. We will use our results to determine which model of deposition our data best supports.
"Episodic Starvation" Versus "Storm Winnowing" of Shelly Interbeds: A Depositional Model for the Fairview Formation, Upper Ordivician of Northern Kentucky
Kirkhof Center KC30
The Upper Ordovician Fairview Formation, part of the Cincinnati Arch region, overlies the Kope Formation. Our samples were collected from northern Kentucky and will be analyzed using three hand samples and thin sections. Methods include a series of six point counts using a petrographic microscope, sample classification and fossil identification. In the literature opposing models have been proposed for shelly interbeds in mud in the Fairview Formation. The "storm winnowing model" proposes that the development of the shelly interbeds can be attributed to storm reworking. Alternatively, the "episodic starvation model" suggests that the shelly interbeds form over long periods of time with low rates of sedimentation of fine sediments. This is coupled with brief periods of high sedimentation rates, which deposits the mud. After deposition, storms erode the shell beds and mud layers. We will use our results to determine which model of deposition our data best supports.