Student Scholars Day

Lithologies of Sedimentary Structures in the Upper Ordovician Kope Formation, Northern Kentucky

Kirkhof Center KC66

Sedimentary structures form under a variety of environmental conditions including seismic events and storm deposits. Structures thought to have formed by these two conditions, Kinneyia and gutter casts, are in Ordovician strata of the Kope Formation in northern Kentucky. We hypothesize these structures are composed of different lithologies; gutter casts will differ from Kinneyia, and both structures will differ from the rest of the formation. We will analyze thin sections using point counts to quantitatively determine composition. Initial, non-quantitative observations of thin sections show Kinneyia to be fine grained and contain quartz. In hand sample, the bases of gutter casts have fragments of crinoids, interpreted to be lag deposits, and a fining upward sequence. In thin section, the samples appear largely fine grained with a variety of fossils. The rest of the formation tends to be coarser grained, quartz poor, and contains echinoids and bryozoans.