A PRELIMINARY SURVEY OF MARINE ZONES IN THE PENNSYLVANIAN SEDIMENTS OF
EASTERN KENTUCKY
CHESNUT, Donald, Kentucky Geological Survey, University of
Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506

Field work in the Eastern Kentucky coal field has revealed several
marine zones in addition to the seven marine zones (now known to be
five) reported by W. C. Morse in 1931. Criteria for establishing
marine environments include the occurrence of fauna known to reflect
marine conditions. These fauna include the brachiopod Lingula, and
cephalopod Pseudorthoceras, and the pelecypod Anthraconaia; all are
indicative of marginal marine to marine environments. These fauna or
faunal assemblages are found more often in claystones or siltstones
than limestones. The occurrence of bioturbated zones, calcium
carbonate concretions, and calcite-cemented sandstone is also
indicative of marine conditions, but this evidence must be used
cautiously.
	Examination of 250 geologic quadrangle map lithologic columns
indicates that as many as 50 different marine zones may be scattered
throughout the exposed Pennsylvanian rocks of Eastern Kentucky.
Marine indications occur above the major coal beds; other occurrences
are discontinuous. This implies that open shallow marine conditions
were conrnon, and since there is no stratigraphic clustering of marine
zones, these environments nay be distributed more evenly in the column
than previously thought.
As research continues, hopefully it will provide additional
depositional and environmental paleobiotic information.