Age:

Pennsylvanian

Type designation:

Type area: A type section for the Busseron Sandstone Member was proposed by Wier (unpublished manuscripts; 1970) in the SW¼SE¼SE¼ sec. 7, T. 9 N., R. 8 W., Sullivan County, Indiana (Wier and Ault, 1986).

History of usage:

Named: The name “Busseron Sandstone” was first used by Cumings (1922, p. 529) for exposures of a sandstone and a sandy shale along Busseron Creek in Sullivan County, Indiana (Wier, 1970; Wier and Ault, 1986). Cumings placed this unit stratigraphically at the base of his Shelburn Group, noting that, in general, the Busseron Sandstone rested disconformably on Coal VII (Danville Coal Member) (Wier, 1970; Wier and Ault, 1986).

Revised rank: This sandstone was designated as the Busseron Sandstone Member of the Shelburn Formation by Wier (unpublished manuscripts; 1970).

Description:

The Busseron Sandstone Member is a gray to tan sandstone that is fine to medium grained and massive (Wier, 1970; Wier and Ault, 1986). The sandstone is interbedded in places with gray shale (Wier, 1970; Wier and Ault, 1986). The sandstone is thickest south of Sullivan County in southwestern Indiana (Wier, 1970; Wier and Ault, 1986). It is the basal member of the Shelburn Formation in most places, but in some places it unconformably overlies an unnamed gray shale that is also included in the Shelburn Formation (Wier, 1970; Wier and Ault, 1986). The member is variable in thickness, ranging from 48 to 77 ft (15 to 23 m) in Sullivan County (Wier, 1970; Wier and Ault, 1986).

Distribution: In parts of southeastern Gibson County, the Busseron sandstone fills erosional cutouts and rests on rocks having stratigraphic position somewhat below the Danville coal (Wier, 1970; Wier and Ault, 1986). Cores and geophysical logs from Posey County indicate that the Busseron is missing from many places where the basal part of the Shelburn Formation consists entirely of shale, sandy shales, or very thinly interbedded sandstone and shale (Wier and Ault, 1986).

Regional Indiana usage:

Illinois Basin (COSUNA 11)
Supergroup: none
Group: McLeansboro Group
Formation: Shelburn Formation
Member: Busseron Sandstone Member

Misc/Abandoned Names:

None

Geologic Map Unit Designation:

*shb

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:

Cumings, E. R., 1922, Nomenclature and description of the geological formations of Indiana, in Logan, W. N., Cumings, E. R., Malott, C. A., Visher, S. S., Tucker, W. M., Reeves, J. R., and Legge, H. W., Handbook of Indiana geology: Indiana Department of Conservation Publication No. 21, pt. 4, p. 403–570.

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.

Wier, C. E., 1970, Busseron Sandstone 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. 29–30.

Wier, C. E., and Ault, C. H., 1986, Busseron Sandstone 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. 25.