Age:

Mississippian

Type designation:

Type section: The Leesville Limestone was named as a member of the Harrodsburg Limestone by Stockdale (1929, p. 239). The type section is along the road at the site of two small abandoned quarries on the west bank of Guthrie Creek about 0.25 miles (0.4 m) east of the town of Leesville near the center of the NE¼ sec. 27, T. 5 N., R. 2 E., Lawrence County, Indiana (Rexroad, 1986).

History of usage:

Revised name: The adjective limestone was dropped from the name by Smith (1965).

Change in rank and assignment: The Leesville was reduced to bed rank by Nicoll and Rexroad (1975, p. 9) and assigned to the lowest part of their Harrodsburg Limestone.

Description:

The Leesville Bed is relatively pure bryozoan- and crinoid-rich calcarenite, 1 to 11 ft (0.3 to 3.4 m) thick, which forms the basal part of the Harrodsburg Limestone (Burger, 1970; Rexroad, 1986). Because it is more resistant to erosion than the underlying Ramp Creek Formation and the overlying Guthrie Creek Bed, it commonly forms ledges or waterfalls (Rexroad, 1986).

Distribution: The Leesville has been recognized along the Ohio River in Floyd County, Indiana, and northward into Monroe County, Indiana (Rexroad, 1986). Rexroad (1986) noted that the name “Leesville” was applied to the basal part of the Harrodsburg Limestone lying below lenses of the Guthrie Creek Bed, but that where these lenses are absent, the Leesville cannot be separated from the rest of the Harrodsburg. The name “Leesville” is not used in the subsurface (Rexroad, 1986).

Boundaries:

The Leesville Bed conformably overlies the Ramp Creek Formation (Rexroad, 1986).

Correlations:

See "Harrodsburg Limestone" webpage for correlation.

Regional Indiana usage:

Illinois Basin Margin (COSUNA 12)
Supergroup: none
Group: Sanders Group
Formation: Harrodsburg Limestone
Member: none
Bed: Leesville Bed
Cincinnati Arch (COSUNA 13)
Supergroup: none
Group: Sanders Group
Formation: Harrodsburg Limestone
Member: none
Bed: Leesville Bed

Misc/Abandoned Names:

None

Geologic Map Unit Designation:

Mhl

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:

Burger, A. M., 1970, Leesville Member, 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. 89–90.

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.

Nicoll, R. S., and Rexroad, C. B., 1975, Stratigraphy and conodont paleontology of the Sanders Group (Mississippian) in Indiana and adjacent Kentucky: Indiana Geological Survey Bulletin 51, 33 p.

Rexroad, C. B., 1986, Leesville Bed, 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. 76.

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.

Smith, N. M., 1965, The Sanders Group and subjacent Muldraugh Formation (Mississippian) in Indiana: Indiana Geological Survey Report of Progress 29, 20 p.

Stockdale, P. B., 1929, Stratigraphic units of the Harrodsburg Limestone: Indiana Academy of Science Proceedings for 1928, v. 38, p. 233–242.