Map of the Mississippian-Pennsylvanian Unconformity in Indiana
| Status | Start Date | End Date | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Jan 1, 2023 | Dec 31, 2025 |
Clay, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Fountain, Gibson, Greene, Knox, Martin, Orange, Owen, Parke, Perry, Pike, Posey, Putnam, Sullivan, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, Warren, Warrick |
| Director: | Kilauren Driscoll |
| Other Researchers: | Valerie Beckham-Feller, Matthew Johnson, Jennifer Lanman, Robin Rupp, Don Tripp, Kristen Wilkins |
| Funding: |
Indiana University - Indiana Geological & Water Survey |
| Issue: | The Mississippian-Pennsylvanian unconformity is an important surface that truncates the Mississippian Buffalo Wallow Group in the south and to the northwest the surface cuts down through the underlying Stephensport, West Baden, Blue River, Sanders, and Borden Groups. Because this surface truncates underlying Mississippian units, the unconformity will be key in current and subsequent STATEMAP efforts for the new few years. |
| Objective: | Working maps (circa 1980s) of the Mississippian-Pennsylvanian unconformity have been scanned for Clay, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Knox, Martin, Owen, Pike, Sullivan, and Vigo counties. Many of these maps were approved by Stan Keller. We will search inventory in Marching 100 for additional maps. Data and contours from these maps, as well as the new field data, will be incorporated into a new ArcGIS Pro layer. |
| Approach: | We will digitize and georeference old maps and trace contours into ArcGIS Pro. Data will also be QC'd from PDMS and well log data. Newly identified Basal Pennsylvanian picks from the field will also be added to this database. |
| Products: | The final product will be a ArcGIS Pro layer. |
| Benefits: | The regional nature of this unconformity means that bedrock STATEMAP efforts will encounter this surface for the next few years. Creating this surface layer will optimize mapping effort moving forward and create a digital layer that can be referenced in the future. This digital layer will improve paleogeographic and sediment routing interpretations as we better characterize Sub-Pennsylvanian topography in the subsurface of Indiana. |