Age:

Pennsylvanian

Type designation:

Type section: The name “Houchin Creek Coal” was first used by Fuller and Ashley (1902, p. 2) for the coal that is prominent along Houchin Creek in southeastern Pike County, Indiana (Burger and Wier, 1970; Burger and others, 1986). Burger and Wier (1970, p. 74) included this coal as a member of the Petersburg Formation and designated the exposure in the SE¼NE¼SW¼ sec. 3, T. 3 S., R. 7 W., as the type section.

Reference core: A reference core from Indiana Geological Survey drill hole 306 (Indiana Geological Survey Petroleum Database Management System No. 115871) contains the Houchin Creek Coal Member from 26.8 to 27.2 ft (8.2 to 8.3 m) (Hasenmueller and Ault, 1991, p. 6). The drill hole is located in the SE¼NE¼NW¼ sec. 2, T. 2 S., R. 7 W., near the type section of the Survant Coal Member of the Linton Formation in Pike County, Indiana (Hasenmueller and Ault, 1991, fig. 1).

History of usage:

This unit had previously been designated as Coal IVa by Ashley (1899, p. 90) (Burger and Wier, 1970; Burger and others, 1986).

Description:

The Houchin Creek Coal Member is a bright-banded coal that ranges from 0.2 to 3.6 ft (0.06 to 1.1 m) in thickness (Burger and Wier, 1970; Burger and others, 1986).

Distribution: Outcrops are present in the area extending from west of Newport, Vermillion County, to east of Boonville, Warrick County (Burger and Wier, 1970; Burger and others, 1986).

Boundaries:

The coal is underlain by a thin underclay and overlain by a black fissile shale and the Stendal Limestone Member (Burger and Wier, 1970; Burger and others, 1986).

Correlations:

The term “Houchin Creek” has been extended to Illinois and Kentucky by Jacobson and others (1985) to replace the names Summum (No. 4) Coal Member and Ruff Coal (W. Ky. No. 8b) (Burger and others, 1986).

Regional Indiana usage:

Illinois Basin (COSUNA 11)
Supergroup: none
Group: Carbondale Group
Formation: Petersburg Formation
Member: Houchin Creek Coal Member
Illinois Basin Margin (COSUNA 12)
Supergroup: none
Group: Carbondale Group
Formation: Petersburg Formation
Member: Houchin Creek Coal Member

Misc/Abandoned Names:

Coal IVa, Houchin Creek Coal Member (IVa)

Geologic Map Unit Designation:

*pbhc

Note: Hansen (1991, p. 52) in Suggestions to authors of the reports of the United States Geological Survey noted that letter symbols for map units are considered to be unique to each geologic map and that adjacent maps do not necessarily need to use the same symbols for the same map unit. Therefore, map unit abbreviations in the Indiana Geologic Names Information System should be regarded simply as recommendations.

COSUNA areas and regional terminology

Names for geologic units vary across Indiana. The Midwestern Basin and Arches Region COSUNA chart (Shaver, 1984) was developed to strategically document such variations in terminology. The geologic map (below left) is derived from this chart and provides an index to the five defined COSUNA regions in Indiana. The regions are generally based on regional bedrock outcrop patterns and major structural features in Indiana. (Click the maps below to view more detailed maps of COSUNA regions and major structural features in Indiana.)

COSUNA areas and numbers that approximate regional bedrock outcrop patterns and major structural features in Indiana.

Major tectonic features that affect bedrock geology in Indiana.

References:

Ashley, G. H., 1899, The coal deposits of Indiana: Indiana Department of Geology and Natural Resources Annual Report 23, p. 1–1,573.

Burger, A. M., and Wier, C. E., 1970, Houchin Creek Coal Member (Iva), in Shaver, R. H., Burger, A. M., Gates, G. R., Gray, H. H., Hutchison, H. C., Keller, S. J., Patton, J. B., Rexroad, C. B., Smith, N. M., Wayne, W. J., and Wier, C. E., Compendium of rock-unit stratigraphy in Indiana: Indiana Geological Survey Bulletin 43, p. 74–75.

Burger, A. M., Wier, C. E., and Eggert, D. L., 1986, Houchin Creek Coal Member, in Shaver, R. H., Ault, C. H., Burger, A. M., Carr, D. D., Droste, J. B., Eggert, D. L., Gray, H. H., Harper, Denver, Hasenmueller, N. R., Hasenmueller, W. A., Horowitz, A. S., Hutchison, H. C., Keith, B. D., Keller, S. J., Patton, J. B., Rexroad, C. B., and Wier, C. E., Compendium of Paleozoic rock-unit stratigraphy in Indiana–a revision: Indiana Geological Survey Bulletin 59, p. 61.

Fuller, M. L., and Ashley, G. H., 1902, Description of the Ditney quadrangle: U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Atlas, Folio 84, 8 p.

Hansen, W. R., 1991, Suggestions to authors of the reports of the United States Geological Survey (7^th ed.): Washington, D.C., U.S. Geological Survey, 289 p.

Hasenmueller, W. A., and Ault, C. H., 1991, Reference core and correlation of key beds in the Petersburg and Linton Formations (Pennsylvanian) in Indiana: Indiana Geological Survey Occasional Paper 57, 8 p.

Jacobson, R. J., Trask, C. B., Ault, C. H., Carr, D. D., Gray, H. H., Hasenmueller, W. A., Williams, D., and Williamson, A. D., 1985, Unifying nomenclature in the Pennsylvanian System of the Illinois Basin: Illinois State Academy of Science Transactions, v. 78, p. 1–11.

Shaver, R. H., coordinator, 1984, Midwestern basin and arches region–correlation of stratigraphic units in North America (COSUNA): American Association of Petroleum Geologists Correlation Chart Series.