The shows of gas, as reported, occurred at random depths in a 2,900-foot stratigraphic interval. The gas-producing zones are not definitely traceable from one well to another. Some gas is reportedly from zones of low primary permeability, as observed from the Richards 1 well cuttings; fractures and joints probably greatly facilitated the flow of gas to the test holes. Shows of gas are restricted to the lower partly marine rocks of the Catskill and the upper, entirely marine part of the Trimmers Rock Formation. The cover, however, is probably too thin and too fractured by jointing to confine gas that might have been present prior to truncation of the "red" upper part of the Catskill Formation.
Gas was produced from seven of the wells; however, the total volume obtained was small (Grow, 1964, p. 80). At the time of the authors' fieldwork (1960), all the wells were shut in.
Sand and gravel are present as discontinuous bodies along the flood plain of the Susquehanna River and as terrace deposits adjacent to the river. Other sand and gravel deposits may be present on higher ground, but none were observed.
The glacial terrace deposits are made up largely of sand and gravel but contain small amounts of silt and clay. In contrast, the floodplain deposits contain larger amounts of sand, silt, and clay; and, in general, the gravel and pebble sizes are smaller than in the glacial terrace deposits.
In 1960 the flood-plain sand and gravel deposits were being mined at two places in the area for use in road building and for other construction purposes. No data on the annual production or on the estimated reserves of these deposits are available.
The following stratigraphic sections describe in detail one complete section of the exposed Pocono Formation and the lower part of the Pottsville Formation (powerline A) and six partial sections of the exposed Catskill Formation. All stratigraphic sections were measured within the Ransom quadrangle except powerline A and parts of powerlines B and C; these were measured just south of the Ransom quadrangle along or near the Susquehanna River. Figure 8 shows the stratigraphic relations of these sections and their locations. The sections are described downward, from youngest to oldest rocks, and are arranged in order of decreasing age. (See pl. 3 for a graphic composite section.)
FIGURE 8.-Location and designation of sections measured in the Ransom and Pittston quadrangles.
The powerline A section extends from top of Campbell Ledge, on east bank of the Susquehanna River about 111⁄2 miles south of Ransom quadrangle, northward along cliff face to base of the Pocono Formation, which caps the cliff just south of creek draining Falling Springs Reservoir.
Pottsville Formation:
Sharp Mountain Member:
47. Conglomerate, medium-light-gray; massive lenses; quartz
pebbles as much as 21⁄2 in. long, and some quartzite, silt-
stone, and chert pebbles in medium to very coarse sand
matrix; pebbles concentrated mostly in certain lenses;
large plant fossils; exposures fair. Thickness measure-
ment may not be exact because of folding and faulting, as
indicated by abundant slickensides__.
Campbell Ledge Shale Member:
46. Shale, dark-gray, micaceous, fissile; small pieces of plant
fossils and (reportedly) fossil insects; lenticular, thickness
ranges from 0 to 5 ft along 100 yd of outcrop; exposure fair;
shale unit locally underlain by lens of Pottsville conglom-
erate as much as 5 ft thick_.
Part of Pottsville Formation measured__
Pocono Formation:
Upper part:
45. Sandstone, light-brown, very fine to fine-grained, clayey,
poorly sorted, massive; forms wedge-shaped blocks 2 in.
thick on weathering; top contact sharp, basal contact
gradational
44. Siltstone; weathers light brown; finely micaceous, well ex-
posed; beds 4-2 in. thick; moderately crossbedded;
basal contact sharp-----
43. Sandstone, medium-light-gray, very fine grained, micaceous,
clayey, silty, poorly sorted; forms wedge-shaped blocks
2 in. thick on weathering; well exposed in rounded cliff____
42. Siltstone, greenish-gray to medium-light-gray; weathers light
brown; finely micaceous; beds 4-2 in. thick; moder-
ately crossbedded___
41. Claystone, greenish-gray, and siltstone in alternating beds;
upper 4 ft of unit is siltstone; grayish-brown claystone
lenses as much as 6 in. thick 1-2 ft above base; locally limy
near base_-_.
39. Sandstone, greenish-gray, very fine grained, silty, slightly
limy; limestone nodules in upper 1 ft; greenish-gray silt-
stone lens replaces sandstone in upper 3 ft. Small fault at
top of unit.___.
38. Claystone, greenish-gray, silty, subfissile, lenticular: limy
grayish-red nodules as much as 2 in. thick and 1 ft long in
upper 2 ft of unit; basal contact irregular..
Pocono Formation-Continued
Upper part-Continued
37. Siltstone, greenish-gray, very slightly limy, well-exposed,
massive; lenticular bed; grades laterally into adjacent
claystone units____
36. Claystone, greenish-gray, and alternating greenish-gray silt-
stone; laminae to beds 4 in. thick 2-5 ft above base; con-
torted greenish-gray claystone grades laterally to grayish-
brown claystone; ironstained limestone nodules as much as
1 in. thick and 3 in. long--
35. Sandstone, greenish-gray, very fine to fine-grained, well ex-
posed, massive; basal contact gradational__.
34. Siltstone, greenish-gray, clayey; beds 2-2 in. thick; grayish-
red ironstained limestone nodules as much as 2 in. thick and
6 in. long in upper 5 ft; basal contact covered (unit as-
sumedly rests on unit 33 equivalent) --
33. Sandstone, light-brown, medium-grained, nonlimy (leached?);
forms dip slope 100 ft long on southeast side of Campbell
Ledge----
light-olive-gray; greenish gray on slightly
weathered surface; fine to medium grained; limy; poorly
sorted; beds 3 in.-1 ft thick; limy lenses that weather
brown
31. Sandstone,
light-olive-gray, fine-grained; some medium
grains; clayey; micaceous; beds 2-4 in. thick; poorly cross-
bedded; well sorted; fairly quartzose; grades upward to
coarse-grained siltstone in upper 8 ft; basal contact
gradational
30. Sandstone, light-olive-gray, limy, fine-grained, well-sorted,
massive, well-exposed, slightly crossbedded; limy lenses as
much as 2 in. thick and 3 ft long, weather back to outcrop__
29. Sandstone, medium-light-gray, medium-grained, limy, massive,
well-sorted, crossbedded (limy layers parallel some cross-
beds); limestone nodules in basal 1 in_____
28. Siltstone, olive-gray, well-sorted, limy, subfissile____
27. Sandstone, light-gray, fine- to medium-grained (fine-grained
in upper 6 ft), limy, well sorted; in beds 1 ft thick; cross-
bedded; limy beds have brown pitted surfaces where weath-
ered; basal contact sharp, irregular____
26. Claystone, medium-light-gray, micaceous, limy, lenticular;
lenses 2 in. thick (and possibly a vertical dike) of limy fine-
to medium-grained sandstone; nearly continuous layer of
limestone nodules in upper 2 in; basal contact sharp------
25. Sandstone, medium-light-gray, fine-grained, partly micaceous,
limy beds 2 ft thick.
24. Sandstone, light-gray; weathers brownish gray; medium to
coarse grained; fine grained in upper 4 ft ; limy, micaceous;
beds 1-4 ft thick; well exposed subfriable where leached;
sandy (fine-grained) limestone nodules as much as 1 in. in
diameter in 3-ft-thick zone 6 ft above base of unit; nodules
weather back into outcrop; basal contact sharp-----
Pocono Formation-Continued
Upper part-Continued
23. Sandstone, medium-light-gray, medium-grained, limy; sub-
angular grains; beds 1-4 ft thick; very slightly crossbedded;
medium-gray clayey sandy siltstone lens locally replaces
sandstone in upper 10 in.; basal contact gradational____
22. Siltstone, light-olive-gray to medium-light-gray; weathers
brownish gray; slightly micaceous, limy, well sorted, mas-
sive. Basal 2 ft of unit is ironstained fine-grained (scat-
tered medium grains) limy sandstone that weathers to beds
6 in. thick; basal contact gradational_____.
21. Sandstone, light-gray, limy, fine-grained, well-sorted limestone
nodules in middle half of unit; upper third contains me-
dium sand; crossbedded in long sweeps; conchoidal fracture
on fresh quarry face; basal contact sharp_‒‒‒‒
20. Sandstone, medium-light-gray, very fine grained, limy, well-
sorted; angular to subangular grains; massive; basal con-
tact sharp----
19. Sandstone, light-olive-gray, fine-grained, limy; some beds con-
tain medium to coarse grains; conchoidal fracture; limy
siltstone lenses as much as 6 in. long in zone 4 ft thick 20 ft
above base; basal contact sharp-----
18. Sandstone, light-olive-gray, limy, micaceous, medium- to
coarse-grained, poorly sorted, massive, scattered quartz
granules; shale pebbles as much as 2 in. long in upper 2 ft
of unit; basal contact sharp_.
17. Sandstone, light-olive-gray, limy, very micaceous, coarse-
grained to very coarse grained, poorly sorted; angular to
subangular grains; quartz granules and pebbles scattered
throughout unit; discrete calcite grains in bed in middle of
unit; channeled into underlying unit__‒‒‒‒
16. Sandstone, light-gray; weathers light brown; locally mica-
ceous; medium to coarse grained; poorly sorted; siliceous;
angular to subangular grains; crossbedded in part; scat-
tered thin layers of conglomerate composed of subrounded
pebbles as much as 1 in. long of white quartz, green meta-
morphic rock with quartz veins, and quartzite; larger clay
pebbles, especially at base____
15. Conglomerate, light-gray; 20 percent subrounded white quartz
pebbles as much as 11⁄2 in. long; scattered pebbles of green
metamorphic rock with quartz veins; quartzite pebbles;
poorly sorted____
14. Sandstone, medium-light-gray, medium-grained to very coarse
grained, poorly sorted; angular to subangular grains; sili-
ceous; white quartz pebbles as much as 1 in. in diameter;
scattered black chert pebbles (weathered white); slightly
coarser grained in upper part of unit; slightly crossbedded
with large lenses---
13. Covered interval____.
12. Siltstone, greenish-gray, micaceous, clayey, moderately well
sorted; some fine sand; beds 16-1⁄2 in. thick; crossbedded__
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