Quaternary geology of southeast Texas

185 Pages·011.471 MB·English

by  Bernard, Hugh Allen

■^uaeehhaht geologt oi southeast texas
Dissertation
Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the
Louisiana state University and
Agricultural and Mechanical College
in partial fulfillm ent of the
requirements for the degree of
Doctor of philosophy
in
The Departaaent of Geology
By
Hugh Allen Bernard
B* 3«f Louisiana state University, 1938
M. 3-t Louisiana State University, 1940
June, 1950
UMI Number: DP69330
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I
The w riter la indebted particul&xly to Dr. Harold k* ?lsk,
f&WKfr Professor of Geology at Louisiana state m iveratty, and to
BS% ©rover 8* Murray, Profeasor of ctratigr&phi© Geology at Louisiana
State University, for counsel and valuable time devoted to discussions,
field trip e, and critical review of the manuscript. Dr* H* V* Howe,
D irectorof the school of Geology.fitad Dr. 1* 3> Bussell, Dean of the
Gradis&te s^iool, Louisiana state Univerai ty, have given maeh ti$e in
tnfcariaal Sis cues ion concerning pertinent problem conn© cted with this
report. S r. Bales J. LeBlene, Research Geologist, shell Oil Company,
Houston, Texas, offered much of his valuable time in Identifying and
correlating the Beemt and pi eistoesne sediments encountered In bridge
bearings alcaag the Heches and Sabine rivers* Dr* W. Armstrong Price,
Oemenltlng Geologist, Corpus C hrisil, Texas, offered valuable c riti­
cism and furnished information which he gathered in connection with
a research project conducted for the Geological society of i*aeri®4*
Mr* «T. A* Gall beau and Mr* Ihomas M iller ably assisted the w riter in
the field sapping daring the summer of 1947* Mr. G* L* Cox, former
graduate student at the Louisiana State University, gave th© writer
invaluable assistance during a field trip In June of 1948.
Mr. H. 8* Luber, TJ. 3. Geological survey, furnished the
w riter with topographic naps not available for normal distribution*
Major Yorroll C* Holiday, Headquarters Pourth Army? Gap tain h* T*
McGee, D istrict war Plans Officer, eighth Haval D istrict; and Mr*
3 1 8 ,n<°
,
L < ? d O c/ u
A O
*> 4 3 4 2 5 6
Itarar B* Pi®*, XI* 3* Department of Agriculture, assisted in making
available to th© w riter, photographs of & classified nature.,
Mr* 2>» G* Ayeocfe, 3ua oil Company; Mr- Morgan J. Davis, Chief
08el«gi«% and Manager, Suable Oil and Refining Company; Mr., Jmma p*
taw , Bridge Bagiseer, Texas state Highway Department; Major Fioyd W*
Bough, C&ief, Geodetic Division, xj* s*, Army Map aarrie©; l&v R*. John­
ses, Aasistaa* Superintendent, Missouri Pacific lines; Mr. R. K. K lllaer,
Bivieic® Bagiaeer, Texas State Highway Department; Mr. 0. S# Kirkpatrick
Chief mmtme&9 Missouri Pacific Lines; Mr. w. J. Lank, Div iaicaa Engin­
eer, Kansas City southern Railway Oos^any; Mr. jas&s ®* LaRue, Explora­
tion Department, Humble o il and Refining Company; Mr* G. B* Matthews,
taw ed Superintendent, at. Louis-southwestern Railway Lines; Captain
W. J. P hillips, xr* S. Army Map Service; Mr. w. 1* Rochester, Chief
Engineer, Gulf, Colorado and Sente Fe Railway company; Mr. l . F* salie-
bury, Chief Engineer, Kansas City southern and Louisiana aM Arkansas
Railway Company; Mr* K. V. schroeder, sun Gil cos^sny; QomisaMor m l
JU smith, U. 3* Ceast and Geodetic survey; and Mr. J* G* stands, lOpo-
graphie Branch, TJ. 3. Geological .Survey, furnished available established
elevations md railway profiles.
Wall log data were obtained through the courtesy of Mr, Morgan
J. Davis, Chief Geologist and Manager, Humble Oil Company; Mr. W. L.
Broadhurst, Groundwater Division, V* S. Geological survey; and Mr, R.
L# Denham, Mr. H. 1. Dele 11 an and Mr* Joe rostrora of Exploration De­
partment, Humble Oil and Refining Company. Logs of core tests for
bridge dara sites were obtained from Mr. N# R* Lent and Mr* H* L*
Lehmsan, Louisiana Apartment of Highways; and Mr. 0. R. Fields and
ill
I B * h». Itenssa. of the U. 3* Anny Engineers.
The author is particularly indebted to his brother, Captain
Parol D* Bernard, U. 3. Marine Corps, for piloting the aircraft in a
flight ever southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana* He also arranged
to hare the oblique aerial photographs taktax.
The w riter gratefully acknowledges the time spent by Mr. Merlin
ferret, fom erly of the Phillips Petroleum Company, in drafting some
©f the aecaaptetying erosa-aoct ions and profiles* Mr. c* L* Gox, Mr*
D. V. Hebert and Mr* J* A* Guilbean assisted in locating the walls on
the structural maps*
Mr. iasies Cunningham, former state Geologist of Louisiana,
provided the altim eter used in connection with this survey* Ackaow-
lodgements are also made to Mr* G* 0* Coignet, Louisiana Geological
3arvey, for furnishing the w riter with advanced copies of the geolo­
gical and structural naps of Beauregard and Allen parishes, which were
prepared by Dr. ?>‘. €. Holland. Mr. Coignet drafted the cross-section
across the Sabine River.
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tahlb of cqhtmts
Fag©
absteiot . * . . . ........................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
FORX??Oei)................................................................................................ . . . 5
wm oM vsim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
PHYSIOGRAPHY . .10
Introduction, • .10
Coastal M arsh.................................................. . . . ,13
A llarial Tailsys *• .......................... . .16
SatiM HiTer sad flood plain. . . . . . . . . . . .16
Heches River and flood plain. . . . . . . . . . . .25
iJ&gelina River and flood plain. ............................. .26
gpa ternary terraces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
mths&s of field mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Age . . .42
Correlation and terminology. . . . . . . . . . . .49
Deeeyville Terrace................................ *59
prairie Terrace. . . . . . . .................. . . . . . .71
Montgomery Terrace .............................. 81
Baatley Terrace .88
W U liana Terrace .....................- . . . . . . . .96
Piugjle bounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Pock Marks ..................... 108
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Fag©
.......................... . * . . m
smTicauPBT
Tertiary System...................................................... I ll
ternary System « * . * . » • . . « . . * . • * • • * 112
Pleistocene series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Williana flomatioa . 115
Baatley formation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Boatgc®espy f onaatiaEu . • 122
^
•. .
Prairi© formation. ........................ 12$ 7
Reseat series . 151
Early Reseat ( ? ) « « * . * • » ................................151
SeesyvHle bsds* . • • * « . » * « . . • 151
Late Reseat . . * 154
Modem e!3r.Tlius» . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
STRUCTURE . . .............................................................................. 135
Major structural features# ..............................135
Golf Coast GeosyncLine .......................... 135
Minor structural features . . . » 135
southeast Texas fracture pattern . . . . . . . . . 135
OrigJ* of the fracture pattern . . . . . . . . . . 140
BIEL I0GRiipHY . . . 145
AUTOHIOG&AiOT.................................................................... l65
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m usm rcoN s
page
Geologic map of southeast Tems (in pod©t)
Ge&er&liaed surface structure of
terraced surfaces of southeast Texas (in pocket)
Sfestc& m& of lower Sftfria# aiver
Synonym of formations and terraces
appertaining to the Quaternary of
southeast Texas . . . . . . . . . * 48
Geologic sections of Kewfeon s$&
Grmige count lea, Texas and Beauregard
and Calcasieu parishes, Louisiana * 48
Geologic section along Orange, Texas-
Tooaey* Louisiana highway project « 132
Aerial view of Coastal Marsh and aabia©
Pass Beach fan in southeast Jefferson
Ooanty . . 15
Aerial view of Coastal Marsh, saline River
floodplain and Prairie Terrace south of
Orange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Aerial view of Sabine River floodplain and
Dw^yviHB and Prairie terraces north of
Orange ♦ . * * .......................... 19
Sketch maps and profiles showing hypothe­
tical relations between an advancing
alluvial cane and the meander patterns in
the swamp and marsh sections of the flood-
plaias of the smaller streams along the
Louiaiana-Texas coast • .............................. J54
Figaro page
5* Map of lower course of the Trinity Hirer . * * • 26
6% C*eaa-**eetion show lug hypothetical
structural relatione in an area of
active delta! e sedimentation 56
7* Aerial view of Trinity Rives* floodplain,
the coastwise prairie Terrace, and the
fluviatile Bewsyville Terrace in the
vicinity of Barton and Liberty, liberty
County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
8« Tentative outline of quaternary history
of southeast Texas 46
9* Aerial view of prairie and Deweyvills
terraces and Sabine River floodplain in
the vicinity of Deweyville, Newton county. * • * 60
1Q« Aerial view of Sabine River floodplain
and the Deweyville and Prairie terraces
between Orange, Texas and Toomey, La* * • • • * « 64
11* Aerial view of ssbine River floodplain
and the Beweyville and Prairie terraces
south of peweyville* Newton County . . . * * * • 64
12* Aerial view of safe in© River floodplain
and the Deweyvllle and prairie terraces
in the vicinity of Starks, Calcasieu
Parish, Louisiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 7
15* Aerial view of Angelina River floodplain
and the Prairie and Montgomery terraces
cast of Bevel port, Jasper county . . . . . . . . 67
14* Aerial view of the live Oak Ridge (?)
beach accretions cm. the Prairie Terrace
in north Orange County. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
15* Aerial view of lawhorn Woods (Live Oak
Ridge (?)) beach accretions on the
Prairie Terrace near Fannett, Jefferson
County. . . .......................................................... 77
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