High Resolution Stratigraphy of Lower Mississippian Strata at Branson North, Missouri

The primary objectives of this study are to examine the Lower Mississippian rocks at Branson north, Taney County, Missouri, to (i) better understand the Lower Mississippian Subsystem and (ii) determine the sequence boundaries of the system. Additionally, this study aims to identify this location as a type section for the Lower Mississippian strata in North America. . The rocks included in this study are the Bachelor Formation, Compton Limestone, Northview Formation, Pierson Limestone, and Reeds Spring Formation. A total of 67 samples were collected from beds spanning from the bottom of the Compton Limestone to the lower 2 beds of the Reeds Spring Formation. Petrographic examination of these 67 beds determined formation boundaries, textures, and fossil content. Additionally, conodont recovery and identification analyses were performed on these samples along with selected samples from the 2 beds of the Bachelor Formation and bedsets of the Reeds Spring Formation. After detailed petrographic study and conodont recovery, the section was found to be continuous succession of deposition with no unconformities. The stratigraphic succession suggests that there are 5 major parasequence cycles from the bottom of the Compton Limestone to the top of the Pierson Limestone. The overall pattern of the parasequences shows a retrogradational pattern. Gamma ray data collected at the outcrop was compared to the texture of the outcrop to see if any inferences could be made from the gamma ray. There are gamma ray spikes in the Bachelor Formation and the Northview Formation where shale is present but these measurments give little to no indication of environment or rock texture in the rest of formations. The lack of information provided about the rocks by gamma ray justifies the in depth examination of these rocks on a bed to bed basis.Boone Pickens School of Geolog