Geology topics
Erwin J. Lyons
Publications and source records attributed to Erwin J. Lyons.
The Geology of the Upper Mississippi Valley Zinc-Lead District
The upper Mississippi Valley zinc-lead district includes the southwest part of Wisconsin, the northwest corner of Illinois, and a narrow fringe of Iowa extending from Bellevue to McGregor, just west of the Mississippi River. The total area of the district is 4,000 square miles. The entire district is drained by the Mississippi River and its tributaries. The central part is a rolling plain dissected to a depth of about 300 feet by the larger stream valleys. Marginal parts of the district are relatively hilly. Most of the district lies within the so-called "Driftless Area", but glacial deposits occur in the eastern, southeastern, and western fringes of the district.
Geology of the Cane Branch and Helton Branch watershed areas, McCreary County, Kentucky
Cane Branch and Helton Branch in McCreary County, Kentucky, are about 1.4 miles apart (fig. 1). Can Branch, which is about 2.1 miles long, emptied into Hughes Fork of Beaver Creek. Its watershed area of about 1.5 square miles lies largely in the Wiborf 7 1/2-minute quadrangle (SW/4 Cumberland Falls 15-minute quadrangle), but the downstream part of the area extends northward into the Hail 7 1/2-minute quadrangle (NW/4 Cumberland Falls 15-minute quadrangle). Helton Branch, which is about 1.1 miles long, has two tributaries and empties into Little Hurricane Fork of Beaver Creek. It drains an area of about 0.8 square mile of while about 0.5 square mile is in the Hail quadrangle and the remainder in the Wilborg quadrangle. The total relief in the Can Branch area is about 500 feet and in the Helton Branch area about 400 feet. Narrow, steep-sided to canyon-like valley and winding ridges, typical of the Pottsville escarpment region, are characteristic of both areas. Thick woods and dense undergrowth cover much of the two areas. Field mapping was done on U.S. Geological Survey 7 1/2-minute maps having a scale of 1:24,000 and a contour interval of 20 feet. Elevations of lithologic contacts were determined with a barometer and a hand level. Aerial photographs were used principally to trace the cliffs formed by sandstone and conglomerate ledges. Exposures, except for those of the cliff- and ledge-forming sandstone and conglomerates, are not abundant. The most complete stratigraphic sections (secs. 3 and 4, fig. 2) in the two areas are exposed in cuts of newly completed Forest Service roads, but the rick in the upper parts of the exposures is weathered. To supplement these sections, additional sections were measured in cuts along the railroad and main highways in nor near the watersheds.
Exploratory drilling in the Prairie du Chien Group of the Wisconsin zinc-lead district by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1949-1950
The U. S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey explored the Prairie du Chien group in the main productive area of the Wisconsin zinc-lead district during 1949-50. Eight properties--Crow Branch diggings, Leix, Harris, Spitzbarth, Kennedy, James, Raisbeck and Vinegar Hill Roaster--were explored using both diamond and churn drills. Twenty holes were drilled that totaled 8,582 feet in depth. The objectives of the exploration were to determine if the Prairie du Chien and other formations below the principal ore-bearing strata (Galena, Decorah, and Platteville formations) of the district are favorable for ore deposits, and to determine the type of ore deposits, if present. Lean deposits of sphalerite, marcasite, and pyrite were found in the Prairie du Chien on five properties--Crow Branch, Leix, Harris, Spitzbarth, and Vinegar Hill Roaster-and also in the Franconia sandstone on the Leix property. In the drilled area the sulfides in the Prairie du Chien group occur in certain more brittle or soluble dolomite beds that contain cavities formed by brecciation or solution.
Lead and zinc deposits of the Beetown area, Wisconsin
The Beetown area, in Grant County, Wisconsin, in the Northwestern part of the Upper Mississippi Valley zinc-lead district, lies in the western part of T. 4 N., R. 4 W., and the eastern part of T. 4 N., R. 5 W. The village of Beetown is at about its center. Recent geologic investigations in the area by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, indicate that further prospecting for both lead and zinc ore is justified. This brief preliminary paper discusses geologic features of the lead and the zinc deposits. It is one of several areas within the district chosen for detailed geologic study because surface indications and past production suggest that the area may contain undiscovered lead and zinc deposits. This report is based on field work that began in July 1947 and continued at intervals until September 1949.