Yazoo Clay

Yazoo Clay
Type Formation
Unit of Jackson Group
Sub-units North Twistwood Creek Member, Cocoa Sand Member, Pachuta Marl Member, and Shubuta Member
Overlies Moodys Branch Formation
Lithology
Primary clay
Other sand, marl
Location
Region  Alabama,  Louisiana, and  Mississippi
Country United States
Type section
Named for Yazoo River

Yazoo Clay is a clay geologic formation in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. It was named after a bluff along the Yazoo River at Yazoo City, Mississippi[1] It contains is a type of clay known as montmorillonite, making it a poor foundation material due to the fact that moisture causes extreme changes in volume. Sand, pyrite, and marl have all been noted in the formation. It preserves fossils from the Eocene, including the prehistoric cetacean Basilosaurus [1].

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Monroe, Watson H. (1954). "Geology of the Jackson Area Mississippi" (PDF). United States Geological Survey Bulletin. 986: 56–62. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  • Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  • Hosman, R.L. (1996). "Regional Stratigraphy and Subsurface Geology of Cenozoic Deposits, Gulf Coastal Plain, South-Central United States" (PDF). United States Geological Survey Professional Paper. 1416-G: G22.
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