Oriskany Formation Explained

Oriskany Sandstone
Type:	Formation
Age:	Eifelian
Period:	Eifelian
Prilithology:	Sandstone
Namedfor:	Oriskany Falls, New York
Region:	Appalachian Basin of eastern North America
Country:	United States
Underlies:	Bois Blanc Formation, Huntersville Chert, Needmore Shale, and Onondaga Formation
Overlies:	Helderberg Group and Shriver Chert

The Oriskany Sandstone is a Middle Devonian age unit of sedimentary rock found in eastern North America. The type locality of the unit is located at Oriskany Falls in New York.^[1] The Oriskany Sandstone extends throughout much of the Appalachian Basin.^{[2] [3] [4]}

The unit name usage by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is the Oriskany Sandstone.^[5] Butts (1940) stated that the Oriskany Sandstone "corresponds exactly with the Ridgely Sandstone" and that the rules of stratigraphic nomenclature dictate that the name Oriskany Sandstone should be applied to these strata.^[6]

Geographic extent

Appalachian Basin: New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky

Fossils

• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in West Virginia

Interpretation of depositional environment

shallow marine

Economic resources

Oil, gas, glass sand

Further reading

• Web site: Oriskany Formation. . United States Geological Survey. 2015-09-25.
• Web site: Oriskany Group including Ridgeley Sandstone and Shriver Chert. . United States Geological Survey. 2015-09-25.
• Web site: Oriskany Sandstone and Huntersville Chert. . United States Geological Survey. 2015-09-25.

Notes and References

1. Vanuxem, L., 1839, Third annual report of the geological survey of the Third District: New York Geological Survey, Annual Report 3, p. 241-285.
2. Ryder, R.T., Swezey, C.S., Crangle, R.D., Jr., and Trippi, M.T., 2008, Geologic cross section E-E’ through the central Appalachian Basin from the Findlay Arch, Wood County, Ohio, to the Valley and Ridge Province, Pendleton County, West Virginia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map SIM-2985, 2 sheets with 48-page pamphlet. https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/sim2985
3. Ryder, R.T., Crangle, R.D., Jr., Trippi, M.H., Swezey, C.S., Lentz, E.E., Rowan, E.L., and Hope, R.S., 2009, Geologic cross section D-D’ through the central Appalachian basin from the Findlay arch, Sandusky County, Ohio, to the Valley and Ridge province, Hardy County, West Virginia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map SIM-3067, 2 sheets with 52-page pamphlet. https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/sim3067
4. Ryder, R.T., Trippi, M.H., Swezey, C.S., Crangle, R.D., Jr., Hope, R.S., Rowan, E.L., and Lentz, E.E., 2012, Geologic cross section C-C’ through the central Appalachian basin from near the Findlay Arch, north-central Ohio, to the Valley and Ridge Province, Bedford County, south-central Pennsylvania: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map SIM-3172, 2 sheets with 70-page pamphlet. https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/sim3172
5. See unit names marked by an asterisk at Geolex
6. Butts, C., 1940, Geology of the Appalachian Valley in Virginia: Virginia Geological Survey Bulletin 52, pt. 1, 568p.