Proof of Concept Test to Determine the Viability of Building an Extensive Database for Resolution of Far-Field Effects of the Acadian and Alleghanian Orogenies

Kenneth S. Boling^1, , Robert D. Hatcher Jr¹, Peter J. Lemiszki² and Gary G. Bible³

¹Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996

²Tennessee Geological Survey, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, 3711 Middlebrook Pike, Knoxville, TN

³Cougar Dome, LLC, P. O. Box 133, Helenwood, TN 37755

Cite this paper:
Kenneth S. Boling, Robert D. Hatcher Jr, Peter J. Lemiszki and Gary G. Bible. Proof of Concept Test to Determine the Viability of Building an Extensive Database for Resolution of Far-Field Effects of the Acadian and Alleghanian Orogenies. Journal of Geosciences and Geomatics. 2020; 8(1):9-14. doi: 10.12691/jgg-8-1-2

Abstract

Several episodes of uplift have occurred along the Cincinnati arch. These periods of uplift are likely a result of several orogenic events although the exact timing of the uplift in relation to these orogenic events is not fully understood. One reason for this has been the lack of accessible structural data over this region. The southern end of the Cincinnati arch and the Nashville and Jessamine domes occur along the arch in Kentucky, Tennessee, and northern Alabama. These states have very different levels of data availability, but potentially enough to identify more subtle, second- and third-order folds and faults along and on the flanks of the arch. These structures may be the key to unraveling the pre-Devonian tectonic history of the two domes, and can be identified in structure contour maps with sufficient data. The goal of this study was to perform a preliminary assessment of the viability of constructing a complete series of structure contour maps of several geologic units across the region, using publicly available data. Thirty-two geologic quadrangle maps selected across the southern end of the Nashville dome in Tennessee were manually digitized utilizing ArcGIS™. The results from this initial study were then compared to the results produced using a less labor intensive method using basic GIS functions to generate data points. The results of this initial investigation seem promising, but methods of cross-verification to remove erroneous data points, the incorporation of subsurface data, and the incorporation of data sets from other states will be required to expand the coverage area. Automation of this process will need to be developed to allow further research to be performed.

Keywords:
structural Geology GIS applications Nashville dome Cincinnati arch

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