Age:

Mississippian

Type designation:

Type locality: The Renault Limestone was named by Stuart Weller (1913, p. 120, 122) for exposures in Renault Township, Monroe County, Illinois, but he designated no type section (Burger, 1970; Carr and Gray, 1986).

Characteristic section:

Swann (1963, p. 79) noted a representative section on the south side of Dry Fork in the type area (SE¼SW¼ sec. 23, T. 4 S., R. 9 W.) (Carr and Gray, 1986).

History of usage:

As presently defined in Illinois, the Renault Limestone is commonly about 8 ft (2.4 m) thick (Atherton and others, 1975, p. 144) and consists of two members, a lower, relatively pure limestone (Levias Limestone Member) and an upper sandy limestone (Shetlerville Limestone Member) (Carr and Gray, 1986).

In Indiana, Droste and Carpenter (1990) reduced the rank of the Renault Formation to that of a member of the Paoli Limestone. They noted that in the Indiana outcrop belt the Renault Member is equivalent to rocks of the Shetlerville Member of the Paoli Limestone. Droste and Carpenter (1990, p. 34) abandoned the stratigraphic name “Shetlerville” in Indiana.

Description:

In Indiana, the Renault Member is a light- to medium-gray or brown wackestone and mudstone interbedded with thin gray to greenish-gray calcareous and fossiliferous shale (Droste and Carpenter, 1990). Biofragmental and oolitic packstone lenses are moderately abundant (Droste and Carpenter, 1990). Droste and Carpenter (1990) note that in Gibson and Posey Counties in southwestern Indiana a few of the limestones are slightly to very dolomitic, and fine-grained sandstone lenses are found near the middle of the unit. The member ranges from less than 10 ft (3 m) in the north to a maximum of 26 ft (7.9 m) in Posey County (Droste and Carpenter, 1990, p. 33, fig. 22).

Distribution: In Martin and Daviess Counties, the Renault Member is thin or missing under the West Baden clastic belt (Droste and Carpenter, 1990, p. 33, fig. 22).

Economic Importance:

Petroleum production: The following petroleum fields have produced oil from the Yankeetown and Renault Members (Mississippian) in Indiana: Arda, Bicknell, Bufkin West, Caborn Consolidated, Chrisney North, College Consolidated, Darmstadt, Darmstadt North, Dickeyville, Douglas, Fleener Consolidated, Folsomville, Folsomville East, Ford South, Fort Branch, Fort Branch North, Fort Branch West, Francisco Consolidated, Francisco South Consolidated, Gentryville Consolidated, Gentryville South, Glezen, Glezen West, Griffin Consolidated, Heilman, Heilman East, Heilman South, Huntingburg, Huntingburg South, Jasper, Jordan, Lake Mills, Lamar South Consolidated, Lamott Consolidated, Lincoln Park, Mariah Hill, Martin, Mauck, Maunie Central, Mineral City, Monroe City Consolidated, Mt. Vernon Consolidated, Mumford Hills, Mumford Hills East, Newtonville Consolidated, Noxid, Odon, Oliver North, Owensville Consolidated, Owensville North Consolidated, Patoka East Consolidated, Point, Poseyville, Princeton North Consolidated, Rapture, Rockport Consolidated, Rockport East Consolidated, St. James, Solitude South, Spencer Consolidated, Springfield Consolidated, Stewartsville Consolidated, Stewartsville South, Survant, Sweezer, Turner Chapel, Union-Bowman Consolidated, Veale East, Vienna South, Wadesville West, Warrenton, Warrenton East, Welborn Consolidated, West Hovey, Wheatland, and Wheatonville Consolidated (Cazee 2004).

Regional Indiana usage:

Illinois Basin (COSUNA 11)
Supergroup: none
Group: Blue River Group
Formation: Paoli Limestone
Member: Renault Member
Illinois Basin Margin (COSUNA 12)
Supergroup: none
Group: Blue River Group
Formation: Paoli Limestone
Member: Renault Member

Misc/Abandoned Names:

Shetlerville Member

Geologic Map Unit Designation:

Mpr

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:

Atherton, Elwood, Collinson, Charles, and Lineback, J. A., 1975, Mississippian System, in Willman, H. B., Atherton, Elwood, Buschbach, T. C., Collinson, Charles, Frye, J. C., Hopkins, M. E., Lineback, J. A., and Simon, J. A., Handbook of Illinois stratigraphy: Illinois State Geological Survey Bulletin 95, p. 123–163.

Burger, A. M., 1970, Renault Formation, 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. 139–140.

Carr, D. D., and Gray, H. H., 1986, Renault Formation, 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. 123–124.

Cazee, J. T., 2004, Petroleum exploration, development, and production in Indiana during 2002: Indiana Geological Survey, Mineral Economic Series 49, 50 p.

Droste, J. B., and Carpenter, G. L., 1990, Subsurface stratigraphy of the Blue River Group (Mississippian) in Indiana: Indiana Geological Survey Bulletin 62, 45 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.

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.

Swann, D. H., 1963, Classification of Genevievian and Chesterian (Late Mississippian) rocks of Illinois: Illinois State Geological Survey Report of Investigations 216, 91 p.

Weller, Stuart, 1913, Stratigraphy of the Chester Group in southwestern Illinois: Illinois State Academy of Science Transactions, v. 6, p. 118–129.