Kentucky Interagency Groundwater Monitoring Network Proposal
Quaternary; 2 mya; sand, clay, gravel
Quaternary and Tertiary; 1-5 mya; gravel and sand
Tertiary; 30 mya; clay and sand
Tertiary and Cretaceous; 60-70 mya; sand and clay
Cretaceous; 85-95 mya; gravel and sand
Geology of Kentucky
Pennsylvanian; 290-325 mya; shale, sandstone and coal
Mississippian; 325-360 mya; shale, limestone and sandstone
Devonian; 360-410 mya; shale and limestone
Silurian; 410-440 mya; dolomite and shale
Ordovician; 440-510 mya; limestone, dolomite, shale
Cambrian; 510-570 mya;
dolomite, sandstone and shale
Precambrian; >570 mya;
(igneous and metamorphic rock)
A
B
A
B
B'
A'
A'
Kentucky's Eastern Coal Field is located within the Appalachian Basin and the
Western Coal Field is located within the Illinois Basin. The Bluegrass Region
and eastern Mississppian Plateaus (or eastern Pennyroyal) are situated on the
Cincinnati Arch. Because of the arch, surface rocks were eroded away and the
Bluegrass Region therefore has the oldest rocks in the state (see cross section
A-A'). Kentucky does not have a single homogenous aquifer as do some other
states, but rather several heterogeneous aquifers.View entire presentation