Pennsylvanian System

Type and reference sections and use of name: 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, Ind. This unit had previously been designated as Coal IVa by Ashley (1899, p. 90). Wier (1961, 1965) 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. The core from 26.8 to 27.2 feet (8.2 to 8.3 m) in Indiana Geological Survey drill hole 306, drilled near the type section, represents a reference section of this coal (Hasenmueller and Ault, in preparation).

Description: The Houchin Creek Coal Member is a bright-banded coal that ranges from 0.2 to 3.6 feet (0.06 to 1.1 m) in thickness. Outcrops are present in the area extending from west of Newport, Vermilion County, to east of Boonville, Warrick County. The coal is underlain by a thin underclay and overlain by a black fissile shale and the Stendal Limestone Member.

Correlation: 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).