--> ABSTRACT: Core Analysis of Chattanooga Shale Structures West of Pine Mountain Fault, Whitley County, Kentucky, by Byron R. Kulander, Stuart L. Dean, James Kirr, and James Feiler; #91041 (2010)

Datapages, Inc.Print this page

Core Analysis of Chattanooga Shale Structures West of Pine Mountain Fault, Whitley County, Kentucky

Byron R. Kulander, Stuart L. Dean, James Kirr, James Feiler

A 100-ft oriented core from the Chandler 1 well in Whitley County, Kentucky, sampled the entire Chattanooga Shale section 10 mi west of the Pine Mountain fault. Cored slickenlined structures include 76 bedding-plane faults, four strike-slip faults, and 44 thrust faults. One interpreted kink band was encountered. Slickenline trends, fault geometry, interpreted paleo-stress fields, and chronology of structural evolution do not reflect the N30°W transposition direction of the Pine Mountain sheet (seated in Chattanooga Shale) or N60°E strike of the Pine Mountain fault. For example, 62% of 81 bedding-fault slickenline orientations trend N20°-90°W with N60°-70°W dominant. A secondary direction (32% of bedding slickenlines) strikes N40°-80°E with N60°-70°E dominant. Only 9% of bedding-fault slickenlines trend N25°-35°W. In addition, northwest-trending slickenlines formed first on four of five bedding faults containing both major trends. Thrust faults group into five mean attitudes. Four orientations (N31°W, 38°NE); N40°W, 36°SW; N15°E, 45°SE); and N46°1E, 42°NW) may define two conjugate shear sets that imply horizontal maximum compressive stress directions of N58°W and N54°E, respectively. The fifth trend (N88°W, 48°NE) may relate genetically to strike-slip faults oriented N20°W and N60°E that indicate horizontal maximum compressive stresses oriented N2°-18° E. Overprinted thrust-fault slickenlines and faults offsetting faults suggest that maximum compressive stresses first acted northwest-southeast, then northeast-southwest and, finally in a north-northeast-south-southwest direction. Furthermore, bedding faults preceded thrust faults. Differences between Pine Mountain sheet structures and those in the core may reflect local Chattanooga thickness variations or the absence of Chattanooga decollement structures.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91041©1987 AAPG Eastern Section Meeting, Columbus, Ohio, October 7-10, 1987.