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Black River Group
Stratigraphic range: Middle Ordovician to Late Ordovician Whiterockian-Mohawkian ~460–450 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Mudcracked limestone (Tyrone Limestone, Black River Group, Late Ordovician; Frankfort, Kentucky)
Type	Group
Sub-units	Coboconk Formation Deicke and Millbrig bentonite layers Gull River Formation Hatter Formation (PA) Isle La Motte Limestone (NY,VT) Linden Hall Limestone (PA) Pamelia Formation (NY) Pecatonica Formation (IN) Peery Limestone (VA,WV) Plattin Formation (IN) Selby Limestone (NY) Snyder Limestone (PA,VA,WV) Ward Cove Limestone (VA,WV) Wardell Formation (VA, WV) Witten Limestone (VA,WV) Shadow Lake Formation. New York Amsterdam Limestone Waterton Limestone Lowville Formation
Underlies	Lexington Limestone and Trenton Group
Overlies	St. Paul Group and Wells Creek Formation
Lithology
Primary	Limestone
Other	Dolomite, Mudstone
Location
Region	Indiana  Kentucky  Michigan  New York  Ohio  Pennsylvania  Tennessee  West Virginia  Ontario  Quebec
Country	United States  Canada

The Black River Group is a geologic group that covers three sedimentary basins in the Eastern and Midwestern United States. These include the Appalachian Basin, Illinois Basin and the Michigan Basin. It dates back to the Late Ordovician period. It is roughly equivalent to the Platteville Group in Illinois. In Kentucky and Tennessee it is also known as the High Bridge Group. In areas where this Geologic Unit thins it is also called the Black River Formation (undifferentiated). One example of this is over the Cincinnati Arch and Findley Arch. Large parts of the Black River have been dolomized (where the parent limestone CaCO₃ has been turned into dolomite CaMg(CO₃)_2.) This happed when there was interaction of hot saline brine and the limestone. This created hydrothermal dolomites that in some areas serve as petroleum reservoirs.

Description

The Black River Group is characterized by carbonates, primarily limestone. Some dolostones can be found in localized areas. Due to fracturing and porosity naturally occurring with in the formation it servers as a gas reservoir throughout its reach. It also serves as an oil reservoir in Michigan and North West Ohio.

Stratigraphy

The Black River Group is predominantly composed of carbonates. In addition clay minerals maybe found in differing amounts. Locally sand and silt maybe found in thin horizons especially in the eastern reaches of the unit. In addition there are K-bentonite beds. These were formed as a result of volcanic eruptions depositing layers of volcanic ash. The Black River Group was deposited during a time when large parts of North America were a passive cratonic margin. North America at the time was near the equator and was a tropical environment. Large parts of what is now North America were covered by the Iapetus Ocean. The Black River Group was formed during a time of transition time where Laurentia was subject to the beginnings of the Taconic Orogeny. During the Cambrian the Iapetus began to slowly close. As Laurentia moved towards an island arc that it would eventually collide with the crust folded downward. As this happened the carbonate deposition of the continental shelf gradually gave way to clastic deposits of a deep marine environment. As a result, there are more siliceous deposits to the east. The Taconic Orogeny occurred to the east and this formed a basin, but further west the crust buckled up into an arch. The result was the Cincinnati Arch. This arch was eroded back to late Ordovician aged rock. This split the basin of the Iapetus Ocean into three separate basins.

Subunits

Black River Formation

The Black River Formation is a geologic formation in Quebec, Canada and Michigan, United States. It preserves fossils dating back to the Ordovician period.

New York State

Amsterdam Limestone

The Amsterdam Limestone is a geologic formation in New York. It dates back to the Ordovician period. It is a unit of the Black River Group in Eastern New York.

Fossils

Cartersoceras noveboracense

Waterton Limestone

The Waterton Limestone is a geologic formation in New York. It dates back to the Ordovician period. It is a unit of the Black River Group in Eastern New York.

Lowville Formation

The Lowville Formation is a geologic formation in New York and Ontario. It preserves fossils dating back to the Ordovician period.

Energy production

The Black River Group acts as a reservoir for natural gas and petroleum. The reservoirs are associated with dolostones and. Gas and oil fields can be found in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and Tennessee.

See also

• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Quebec
• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Michigan

References

1. "Black River Group". igws.indiana.edu. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
2. "NGMDB Product Description Page". ngmdb.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
3. ^ "A Geologic Play Book for Trenton-Black River Appalachian Basin Exploration" (PDF). West Virginia Geological Survey.
4. ^ SELLECK, BRUCE W. SELLECK. "BLACK RIVER AND TRENTON GROUPS, NORTHWESTERN NEW YORK STATE". Researchgate.
5. ^ Patchen, Douglas G.; Hickman, John B.; Harris, David; Drahovzal, James A (June 2006). "A Geologic Play Book for Trenton-Black River Appalachian Basin Exploration". Researchgate.
6. Colquhoun, Ian; Vansickel, Bill. "TRENTON- BLACK RIVER HTD RESERVOIRS OF THE MICHIGAN BASIN" (PDF). Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Library.
7. Stith, David A. Stith (1979). "CHEMICAL COMPOSITIPN, STRATIGRAPHY, AND DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENTS OF THE BLACK RIVER GROUP (MIDDLE ORDOVICIAN), SOUTHWESTERN OHIO" (PDF). Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
8. "NYC Regional Geology". 2011-07-22. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
9. Prater, Jessica (2022-10-07). "The Cincinnati Arch". Cincinnati Museum Center. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
10. Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
11. "UNDERGROUND STORAGE OF NATURAL GAS IN INDIANA" (PDF). Scholar Works Indiana University.

v t e Chronostratigraphy of Michigan
Ph	Cz Q Pleistocene indet. Glacial till Mz J indet. Ionia Formation Pz C ⁋ Grand River Formation Saginaw Formation indet. Parma Sandstone M Bayport Limestone Coldwater Shale Marshall Sandstone Sunbury Shale D Upper indet. Antrim Shale Bedford Shale Berea Sandstone Ellsworth Shale Frasnian Squaw Bay Limestone Middle Givetian Squaw Bay Limestone Alpena Limestone Amherstburg Formation Anderdon Limestone Bell Shale Bois Blanc Formation Dundee Limestone Ferron Point Formation Long Lake Limestone Lucas Formation Rockport Quarry Limestone Rogers City Limestone Sylvania Sandstone Thunder Bay Limestone Lower Garden Island Formation S indet. Bertie Formation Byron Formation Bush Bay Formation Cordell Formation Hendricks Formation Lime Island Formation Pointe aux Chenes Formation Put-in-Bay Dolomite Raisin River Dolomite Rapson Creek Formation Rockview Formation Salina Group Schoolcraft Formation St. Ignace Dolomite Llandovery Cabot Head Shale Manitoulin Dolomite O Upper Sandbian Bill's Creek Shale Big Hill Formation Stonington Formation Middle Darriwilian Bill's Creek Shale Black River Formation Collingwood Shale Trenton Formation Lower Au Train Formation Є Munising Formation
pЄ	♇ Copper Harbor Conglomerate Freda Sandstone Jacobsville Sandstone Nonesuch Shale

• Ordovician Indiana
• Ordovician Michigan
• Ordovician Ohio
• Ordovician West Virginia