Abstract
The “Squaw Bay Formation,” a middle Devonian mixed carbonate-clastic unit located in the Michigan Basin, was named almost 100 years ago by Warthin and Cooper (1935) for a single, poorly exposed outcrop of condensed strata. Since then, the stratigraphic term has been used inconsistently in the subsurface where the unit is stratigraphically expanded, but should also be revised because it is a derogatory term for Native American women. The goal of this study is to aid in the renaming process for this formation by determining its variability and defining boundaries. To accomplish this, the current research combines lithostratigraphy, paleoecology, and geochemical analyses of the Krocker 1-17, State Chester Welch 18, and Paxton Quarry cores to provide background information needed to revise the formation.
The “Squaw Bay Formation” in core is composed of dominantly argillaceous limestone and calcareous shale and is characterized by a crinoid and brachiopod fauna. Further lithologic analysis was helpful in locating the contact, which is primarily a pyritized hardground, between the “Squaw Bay” and the underlying Traverse Group. Lithologic analysis could not, however, indicate a definitive location for the overlying transitional contact with the Norwood Member. Lithostratigraphic data and pXRF analysis both indicated a potential subdivision of the “Squaw Bay Formation” into two units while magnetic susceptibility analysis suggests a three-member subdivision. Future research on this formation, especially in geochemical fields, would likely be beneficial in determining the upper contact and decisively subdividing the formation.
Advisor
Judge, Shelley
Department
Earth Sciences; Geology
Recommended Citation
Wiesner, Ainsley, "An Analysis of Stratigraphic, Paleoecologic, and Geochemical Variability in the "Squaw Bay Formation," Michigan Basin" (2024). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 10957.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/10957
Disciplines
Earth Sciences | Geochemistry | Geology | Paleontology | Physical Sciences and Mathematics | Stratigraphy
Publication Date
2024
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2024 Ainsley Wiesner
