Geology and ground-water resources of Catoosa County, Georgia

__ ,
IC 28
GEORGIA STATE DIVISION OF CONSERVATION
DEPARTMENT OF MINES, MINING AND GEOLOGY GARLAND PEYTON, Director

THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Information Circular 28

GEOLOGY AND GROUND-WATER RESOURCES OF
CATOOSA COUNTY, GEORGIA

By
Charles W. Cressler
U. S. Geological Survey

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Prepared in cooperation with the U. S. Geological Survey
ATLANTA 1963

GEORGIA STATE DIVISION OF CONSERVATION
DEPARTMENT OF MINES, MINING AND GEOLOGY GARLAND PEYTON, Director
THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Information Circular 28
GEOLOGY AND GROUND-WATER RESOURCES
OF
CATOOSA COUNTY, GEORGIA
By Charles W. Cressler
U.S. Geological Survey
Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey
ATLANTA
1963

CONTENTS

Page

Abstract -------------------------------------------------------------------________.____________________. _._______________________________________________________________ 3

Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------____________________________________________-------------------------------------- 3

Location, purpose and scope ------------------------------ ___ _____ ______ --------------------------------------------------------

3

Methods of investigation ------------------------------------------------------- ____ _______________ Acknowledgments ________________ _ __ ____ _

____________________________ 3 3

Previous investigations ------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_________________ 3

Industry and agricuiture ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ____ _. _____________ 5

Transportation

5

Well and spring numbering system _________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5

Physical geography ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------- 5 Physiography ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Drainage -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Climate ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5
Geology and ground water ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ____ ------------------------- _______ ________ 5 Geologic history ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5 Structural setting ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 Hydrologic cycle ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 Source and occurrence of ground water ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _______ ___ ______ 6 Description and water-bearing character of geologic formations ________ _____________________________ __________ ___ _ 7
Cambrian ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 Rome Formation ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------- 7 Conasauga Formation _________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10
Cambrian and Ordovician ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 Knox Group ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 Copper Ridge DoIomite ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 Chepultepec Dolomite ---------------------------------------------------------- .________ ------------------------------------- 11 Longview Limestone --------------------------------------------------------- __ ________________________________ .. ___________ 11
Ordovician ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- 13 Chickamauga Limestone ------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ______ 13
Silurian ____----------------------------------------____________________________--------------------------------------_______________________________ ._____ 15 Red Mountain Formation -------------------------------------------------------------- ________________ __ ____________ _____ __ _____ 15
Devonian and Mississippian _______________________----------------------------------------- ____________________________________ ____ ______ 16
Chattanooga Shale ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------- ______ 16 Mississippian --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------____ 16
Fort Payne Chert ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 Floyd Shale ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------..------------ 17 PennsyIvanian --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17 Lookout Sandstone ___________________________------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17

Artesian water ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------- 17

Water-level fluctuations ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 17

Utilization ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _____ ------------------------------------. __ __ 17

Summary of ground water --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19

Selected references ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19

1

TABLES

Page

Table 1. Geologic formations and their water-bearing properties, Catoosa County, Ga. _______

8

2. Chemical analyses, in parts per million, of ground water, Catoosa County, Ga. ______ ___

9

3. Chemical analyses, in parts per million, of water from Catoosa Springs, Catoosa County, Ga. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10

4. Chemical determinations of ground water, Catoosa County, Ga._______________________________________________ 12

5. Measurements of spring flow in Catoosa County, Ga.______________________________________________________________ 13

6. Chemical analyses of ground water from wells in Chickamauga Valley, Catoosa County, Ga. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15

ILLUSTRATIONS Page
Figure 1. Map of Georgia showing Catoosa County and areas described in previous reports_____ 4 2. Geology, well and spring locations, and geologic section of Catoosa County, Ga. ___________________________ ----------------------------------------____________ ______________________ Pocket
3. Artesian conditions in sandstone aquifer, Catoosa County, Ga. -------------------------------------- 7 4. Map of Rabbit Valley showing water-table contours, January 17-27, 1958 ____________________ 14
5. Comparison of precipitation and water-level fluctuations in wells in Catoosa and Walker Counties ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 18
6. Comparison of precipitation and water-level fluctuations in wells in Catoosa County ____ 18

2

GEOLOGY AND GROUND-WATER RESOURCES OF
CATOOSA COUNTY, GEORGIA
by Charles W. Cressler

ABSTRACT
Catoosa County, in the Valley and Ridge province of Georgia, is underlain by rocks ranging in age from Early Cambrian to Pennsylvanian. Inventory of more than 500 wells indicates that all of the geologic formations except the Chattanooga Shale and the Lookout Sandstone yield sufficient water to wells for domestic and farm use. Most wells are between 50 and 150 feet deep, but some are deeper than 200 feet, particularly in the Knox Group.
The largest sustained pumpage, 50 gpm (gallons per minute), was from a 265-foot well in the Chickamauga Limestone, but many wells in the Knox Group, the Conasauga Formation, and the Floyd Shale probably could supply 50 gpm or more.
Ground water in the county ranges in total hardness from about 50 to 800 ppm (parts per million) and the mineral constituents in the water vary considerably within each formation. The iron content generally is less than 0.02 ppm.
Eight unused springs that discharge more than 11 million gallons per day from the Knox Group form the best source for industrial water supply in the county. The spring water ranges in total hardness from about 80 to 150 ppm. The iron content in most of the spring water is less than 0.02ppm.
INTRODUCTION
Location, Purpose, and Scope
Catoosa County occupies an area of 167 square miles in northwest Georgia (Fig. 1). It is bounded on the east, south, and west by Whitfield and Walker Counties, Ga., and on the north by Hamilton County, Tenn. Ringgold, the county seat, is on U.S. Highway 41 about 17 miles southeast of Chattanooga, Tenn.
The ground-water resources of Catoosa County were investigated by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Georgia Department of Mines, Mining, and Geology as part of a statewide program designed to appraise Georgia's water resources. The amount of ground water being used, and the quantity, quality, and availability of ground water in the county were studied. The investigation was made under the general supervision of P. E. LaMoreaux, former chief, Ground Water Branch, and under the direct supervision of J. T. Callahan, district geologist.
Methods of Investigation
During the investigation more than 500 drilled and dug wells were inventoried to obtain infor-

mation about the range in depth of wells and depth to water and to determine the quantity and the quality of the ground water.
Springs of significant size were inventoried and their rate of flow measured or estimated. Water temperature was measured and the reliability, fluctuation, and water quality were learned where possible. The larger springs were measured during wet and dry seasons for the period of the investigation to determine the range of flow.
Water samples from 13 wells and 7 springs were analyzed in the Quality of Water Branch Laboratory, Ocala, Fla. Partial analyses for chloride and total hardness were made by the writer of water from additional wells and springs.
Recording gages were installed on two wells to obtain a continuous water-level record. A network of 18 wells was established in which waterlevel measurements were made about once a month.
Geology was mapped on the Tennessee Valley Authority 71;2-minute quadrangle series and the thickness of the Knox Group was measured using a Brunton compass and a 500-foot steel tape.
Acknowledgments
The writer wishes to express his appreciation to the well owners of Catoosa County for their cooperation and to the well drillers and operators who furnished information and collected well cuttings, especially Mr. Pete Kittle.
Dr. A. T. Allen and Mr. R. J. Martin of the Geology Department of Emory University were helpful on problems concerning geology. The unpublished geologic map of Catoosa County by Dr. Allen and others of Emory University was of great assistance. Mr. Mack G. Croft helped measure the thickness of the Knox Group.
The U.S. Park Service permitted the installation of recording gages on wells in Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.
Previous Investigations
The earliest detailed geologic investigations in the area were made by C. W. Hayes (1891) of the U.S. Geological Survey. Butts (1948), also of the U.S. Geological Survey, made the most recent general study of the area. Other works on the Paleozoic rocks in the area were published by several authors as Georgia Geological Survey Bulletins and are listed in detail by Butts (1948). Allen and Lester (1957) reported on the Middle and Upper Ordovician Limestone.

3

CATOOSA COUNTY

EXPLANATION



Area described in this report

~ Areas described in previous reports

N

t

..... 25

0

25

-~-~-t===~

50 MILES

Figure I.-Map of Georgia showing Catoosa County and areas described in previous reports.

4

Industry and Agriculture
Industrial development in Catoosa County is limited primarily to carpet and furniture manuturing, milk processing, and lumbering.
Agriculture in the county is characterized by part time and residential farming. More than half of the agricultural income of the county is from poultry products, and facilities are available for growing more than 4 million broilers per year. Dairying ranked second as a source of cash income for Catoosa County farmers in 1954, accounting for nearly 21 percent of the total (Catoosa County Agricultural Development Board, 1958).
Soils of the county are derived mostly from limestone and are only moderately productive. The county is divided by undulating valleys and ridges, which extend its entire length. The valleys are adapted to cotton, corn, small grains, and pastures. The lower ridges are used to grow truck, hog, and pasture crops, and the rougher terrane is used mostly for growing timber.
Transportation
Catoosa County is served by a good network of all-weather roads. U.S. Highway 41 crosses in a southeast-northwest direction, giving Ringgold, the county seat, direct access to Chattanooga, Tenn. U.S. Highway 27 passes along the west side of the county and Georgia Highway 2 serves as an east-west connecting link between the two main arteries. Georgia Highway 151 traverses the county in a north-south direction, passing through Ringgold. Many miles of paved roads and good quality secondary roads make all but the remotest areas easily accessible. The Louisville and Nashville Railroad serves the county through its facilities at Ringgold and Graysville.
Well and Spring Numbering System
Wells in Catoosa County are numbered consecutively in each 7%-minute quadrangle. A well number is preceded by the first letter, or letters, of the name of the quadrangle in which it is located-ER, East Ridge; R, Ringgold; NG, Nickajack Gap; TH, Tunnel Hill; K, Kensington; and FO, Fort Oglethorpe. Springs are listed in the same manner as wells except that spring numbers are preceded by "S" - for example ER-S8.

Whiteoak Mountain and Taylor Ridge the valleys ridges are wide and the ridges are rounded.
Lowland areas are 700 to 800 feet above sea level. Ridges rise 100 to 300 feet above the valley floors. The most prominent topographic features in the county are Whiteoak Mountain and Taylor Ridge which rise more than 1,300 feet above sea level.
Drainage
Catoosa County lies in the Tennessee River basin and is drained by South Chickamauga Creek, which flows northward and joins the Tennessee River about 4 miles above Chattanooga, Tenn.
The county has four main drainage areas: (1) the valleys and ridges east of Whiteoak Mountain and Taylor Ridge which are drained by Tiger and East Chickamauga Creeks; (2) Rabbit and Wood Station Valleys together with Peavine Ridge, which are drained by the Little Chickamauga Creek system; (3) Peavine Valley, drained by Peavine Creek and; (4) Chickamauga Valley, drained by West Chickamauga Creek and Black Branch.
Rivers of the Valley and Ridge province have an average annual runoff of 20 to 25 inches depending upon the location. In valleys, the streams meander along flood plains but where they have cut through ridges the stream channels are shallow and contain many rapids.
Climate
Catoosa County has a mild climate with an average January temperature of 41 F and an average July temperature of 78F. The frost free season averages 212 days. The average annual precipitation is about 52 inches.
Precipitation in the county has two well marked peaks - one in winter and the other in midsummer- separated by periods of lighter rain in the spring and autumn. Autumn is the driest season of the year.
The amount of rainfall varies from year to year and the amounts for the wettest years are nearly double those of the driest years. Almost half of the rainfall amounts to one inch or more within 24 hours. Severe droughts seldom occur oftener than once every 10 to 15 years (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1941, p. 828).
GEOLOGY AND GROUND WATER

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
Physiography
Catoosa County is in the Valley and Ridge province of Georgia, a part of the Appalachian Valley (Butts, 1948, p. 3), which is a comparatively narrow belt of generally low-lying country extending from Canada to northern Alabama.
The terrane of the Valley and Ridge province is composed of valleys, separated by steep or by well rounded ridges. The part of the county east of Whiteoak Mountain and Taylor Ridge is characterized by long, discontinuous, steep-sided ridges separated by narrow valleys. West of

Geologic History
The Paleozoic rocks of the Valley and Ridge province comprise more than 20,000 feet of strata laid down between Early Cambrian and Pennsylvanian time.
The sediments of Lower Cambrian through Lower Ordovician were washed off land areas to the northwest and deposited on the floor of a shallow sea (Rodgers, 1953, p. 60). Sediments of Middle Ordovician through Pennsylvanian were derived from land areas to the southeast or east (Rodgers, 1953, p. 92). Younger sediments buried older sediments and the resulting pressure compacted the sediments into rock.

5

Marine fossils are fairly abundant in the rocks of Lower Ordovician through Mississippian age but nonmarine fossils are found in the Pennsylvanian strata.
Structural Setting
The geologic formations underlying Catoosa County were flat until compressional forces from the southeast deformed them into giant folds.
As shown in the geologic section (Fig. 2), the rocks of the county west of Sand Mountain are included in a large wave-like fold (the top of which has been eroded) that brought the rocks up across an axis in Peavine Valley and down beneath Chickamauga Valley, and up again to form Missionary Ridge. Faulting broke and distorted the fold somewhat at Boynton Ridge and western Peavine Valley.
East of Sand Mountain older rocks were thrust over and now overlie younger rocks. The stratigraphic displacement along this fault contact is about 9,000 feet. Two other faults of considerable displacement brought younger rocks down into contact with older rocks. The formations east of Sand Mountain generally are distorted, but the more competent layers have a general east dip.
Hydrologic Cycle
The earth's moisture is involved in a continuous circulation, from the oceans to the land and back to the oceans. Water from the oceans evaporates into the atmosphere and is carried by winds to land areas. The moisture condenses and falls to earth as precipitation.
Precipitation feeds lakes and rivers and is the source of water in the underground reservoirs. Rivers carry some of the water back to the oceans. Evaporation from the rivers, land, and oceans, puts water back into the atmosphere, from which it again falls to earth as precipitation. The exchange goes on continuously. Water travels endlessly from earth to atmosphere and back to earth in what is called the hydrologic cycle.
In one phase of the hydrologic cycle water travels beneath the earth's surface giving us one of our most valuable natural resources - ground water.
Source and Occurrence of Ground Water
Underground reservoirs of water store the largest amount of fresh water in the nation far more than all surface reservoirs and lakes, including the Great Lakes. Public interest in ground water is growing along with the interest in stream regulation and development, in weather modification, and in conversion of salt water to fresh water. Such interest arises from the nationwide trend which indicates that our water needs for industry, irrigation, and municipal use will more than double our present usage in 25 years (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1955, p. 63).
The selection of ground water as a source of supply instead of surface water is often made for one or more of the following reasons (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1955, p. 63):

1. Ground water can be obtained on or near the property where it is to be used, whereas surface water may require long pipelines.
2. Yields from wells and springs fluctuate less than stream flow.
3. Ground water may be obtained in areas where stream and lake waters have been appropriated by other users.
4. Ground water is more uniform in temperature and mineral content than surface water, and is generally free of turbidity and bacterial pollution.
The subsurface water of Catoosa County is derived from precipitation. Water falling on the ground either runs off the surface to a stream, evaporates back into the atmosphere, or soaks into the ground. Of the water that soaks into the ground, some remains near the surface clinging to soil particles, to be evaporated or used by plants, but much of it passes downward into the zone of saturation. The zone of saturation is that part of the earth below land surface in which all the pore spaces and openings are filled with water. This water is called ground water. The upper surface of the zone of saturation is called the water table except where that surface is formed by an impermeable body of rock.
The water table is seldom flat but is generally a subdued replica of the topography of the land. The depth of the water table below land surface in Catoosa County varies with the amount of precipitation. During wet periods the water table is nearer the surface than during dry periods.
The size and number of rock openings in the zone of saturation determine the amount of water that can be stored there. Rocks such as cemented sandstone, shale, and compact limestone initially contain little open space in which to store ground water. Weathering and the forces of deformation produce secondary openings in the form of fractures, joints, and solution cavities that enable the rocks to store vast quantities of ground water. Limestone and dolomite are the most important ground-water reservoirs in Catoosa County.
In some areas of the county water occurs under artesian conditions. Ground water under natural pressure is called artesian water. For a well to be artesian, its water must rise above the water-bearing layer, but not all artesian wells flow at the land surface. Figure 3 shows a sandstone unit cropping out on a hill. Covering the sandstone on its downslope side is an impervious layer that confines the water in the sandstone. Being confined, the water is under pressure. If a well is drilled into the sandstone as shown, water will rise in the well and may flow at the land surface.
Practically all wells in Catoosa County derive water from ground water that exists under watertable conditions.
Ground water moves in response to gravity just as surface water does, though more slowly because it loses energy by friction while passing through the small openings in the rock. The direction of movement is down the hydraulic gra-

6

Figure 3.- Artesian conditions in sandstone aquifer, Catoosa County, Go.

dient (downhill) toward the point of lowest level in any given area.
A geologic formation, group of formations, or part of a formation that is water bearing is called an aquifer (Meinzer, 1923, p. 30). The geologic formations and their water-bearing properties are summarized in table 1.
Descriptions and Water-Bearing Character of Geologic Formations
Cambrian Rome Formation
The Rome Formation of Early Cambrian age is the oldest formation exposed in Catoosa County. The Rome underlies two parallel northeasttrending belts in the eastern part of the county. One belt includes Sugartown, Keith, and Salem. The other belt lies close to the eastern boundary of the county (Fig. 2).
The Rome Formation consists almost entirely of sandstone, siltstone, and claystone. A few beds of limestone and calcareous siltstone also occur. The lower part of the Rome is dominantly red claystone and siltstone. This distinctive part was named the Apison Shale by Hayes (1894), who considered it a separate formation. Above the lower red strata are 1,500 to 2,000 feet of alter-

nating layers of varicolored sandstone, siltstone, and claystone. Passing upward, the proportion of sandstone gradually decreases so that toward the top it is almost absent. The claystone and siltstone beds are green, yellow, brown, or red. For the most part they are fissile and are correctly termed shale. The sandstone is fine grained and green, red, brown, dark gray, or nearly white. Ripple marks on the sandstone may indicate that it is a shallow water deposit.
Folding, particularly in the more clayey and silty parts, is a striking feature of the formation. In nearly all exposures, the strata are steeply tilted or vertical. Even the thick sandstone beds have been severely folded. Where the sandstone is steeply inclined it forms low knobby ridges. The shale underlies valleys.
The thickness of the Rome Formation, including the Apison Shale Member, was estimated by Hayes (1894) to be between 4,000 and 5,000 feet. The thickness in Catoosa County is uncertain because repetition caused by folding and faulting makes accurate measurement virtually impossible and the base of the formation is not exposed.
The Rome Formation furnishes as much as 20 gpm (gallons per minute) to wells for domestic and farm purposes. The water-bearing properties

7

Table 1. Geologic formations and their water-bearing properties, Catoosa County, Ga.

System Pennsylvanian
Mississippian

I

Formation

Lookout Sandstone

Floyd Shale

Thickness

(feet) I

Lithology

~ Massive-bedded, conglomeratic sandstone; shale.
Shale; includes thick

i

units of limestone,

siltstone, and

sandstone.

Fort Payne Chert

Mississippian and Devonian
Silurian

Chattanooga Shale
Red Mountain Formation

Ordovician

Chickamauga Limestone

Longview Dolomite

P<
I~

~ Chepultepec

0.:

Dolomite

~

Copper Ridge

Dolomite

Cambrian

Conasauga Formation

400 15
1,000

Bedded chert, shale,
I and limestone.
Shale, black, hard
I
I Sandstone and shale

1,4002,300
350

I Limestone, clayey and silty, and siltstone.
I
I Thick-bedded limestone and dolomite

800+ 2,500
1,5004,000

Thick-bedded dolomite; little limestone.
Thick to massive-bedded dolomite; some thinbedded dolomite at base.
Impure limestone, calcareous siltstone, and claystone.

Rome Formation

4,0005,000

Shale and sandstone.

I
I

i

Water-bearing characteristics
Not an aquifer
Yields from limestone are greater than needed for farm and home use. Yields from shale and sandstone are smaller, though usually adequate.
More than adequate for rural needs.
Not an aquifer.
Moderate amounts of water; much has high iron content; aquifer little used because of rough terrain.
Wells yield as much as 50 gpm; sulfur water common; wells reliable and shallow.
Wells yield as much as 50 gpm or more; water of good chemical quality; best aquifer for large supplies of water. Springs discharge several million gallons per day.
Yields 5 to 20 gpm or more from limestone cavities; shale areas yield less; dug wells supply farms and homes.
Fair to poor aquifer; locally yields small to moderate quantities of water to wells; a few wells yield as much as 20 gpm.

of the Rome vary from place to place, depending on the predominance of sandstone or shale. The largest supplies are obtained from wells drilled along the edges of sandstone ridges. Areas underlain by shale generally yield small supplies, although some wells 200 feet deep or more yield as much as 20 gpm for short periods of pumpage (Table 1).
Nearly all wells in the Rome Formation are less than 100 feet deep and many are less than 50 feet deep. The majority of the deeper wells furnish more water than is needed for domestic or farm use and never go dry. Many dug wells and shallow drilled wells pump dry after heavy use but usually refill in a few hours or overnight. One 80-foot well, R-136, in a predominantly shale area, was bailed at 15 gpm for one hour and had no measurable drawdown of the water level. A 205-foot well, R-144, drilled in shale was bailed at 17 gpm for one hour with a drawdown of 100 feet,

Many wells were reported to have been completely dry during drilling until they struck water-filled cavities. Water is also obtained in what local drillers call "rotten rock" in which drilling is quite easy. The "rotten rock" is described as being very porous and it occurs at depths greater than 200 feet.
Rock from a 200-foot well drilled in a shale area of the Rome was a dark greenish gray shale which effervesced in weak hydrochloric acid; pale pink and white calcite filled small fractures in the shale. Many people reported a "lot of lime" in their water. Therefore, it appears that shale of the Rome Formation contains more calcium carbonate than surface exposures indicate.
Analysis data of water from wells in the Rome showed a range in hardness of 108 to 203 ppm (parts per million). Water containing iron in solution is common in the formation. Several people reported that their wells had to be abandoned because of excessive amounts of iron in the

8

Table 2. Chemical analyses, in parts per million, of ground water, Catoosa County, Ga. (Analyses by U.S. Geological Survey)
Water-bearing formations: Mfp, Fort Payne Chert; Srm, Red Mountain Formation; Oc, Chickamauga Limestone; OBk, Knox Group; Be, Conasauga Formation; Br, Rome Formation.

Well No.

Owner

Date of collection

Hardness
u - -as-Ca-C0-3 -
0
00
~
";":': :c :a~ o
u~

TH-1 K. R. Bandy

8-26-58 Mfp 11 0.49 46 6.1 2.0 0.8 149 18 2.0

R-112 J. E. Bowman

8-25-58 Srm 24 .01 53 7.3 5.7 1.2 171 24 6.5

R-55 M.A. Wells

5- 1-58 Oc 12 .03 45 13 36 6.3 328 42 34

ER-68 Maggie Williams 5- 5-58 Oc 15 .01 18 9.5 162 6.5 450 76 5.0

NG-34 Mt. Pisgah Baptist 9- 2-58 OBk 9.2 .02 39 18

.7 .4 205

.8 1.5

F0-1 Post Ice & Coal

5- 5-58 OBk 8. 7 .01 55 12 2.9 1.0 217 11 4.5

ER-31 W. M. Hill, Jr.

9- 2-58 OBk 10 .00 40 18

.6 .4 186 8.8 4.0

NG-31 Ira Warren

9- 2-58 OBk 8.6 .02 29 13 1.7 .3 147

.2 2.5

NG-68 H. A. Wells

9- 2-58 OBk 9.3 .05 31 18

1.0 1.0 177

.0 .0

ER-83 S. H. Bonds

5- 7-58 Be 18 .01 79 3.6 6.4 1.4 280 9.2 3.0

TH-5 Sam Greeson

8-25-58 Br 9.4 .02 68 5.0 1.5 .2 216 6.2 4.5

R-114 Handy White

5- 1-58 Br 30 .01 28 6.8 6.4 1.4 108 20 5.0

ER-29 Wes Tudor

6-29-59 Oc 10 .07 32 12 195 4.3 498 84 32

Spring No.

NG-S8 H. R. Andrews (Leitz Spring)

5- 5-58 Bc1 7.3 .01 29 12

.6 .4 155

ER-S1 J. R. Graham

9-25-58 Bc1 7.4 .01 43 5.5 .8 .6 161

ER-S2 Graysville Springs 8-25-58 OBk 9.1 .02 27 12

.6 .6 136

ER-S13 Dr. F. Johnson (Blue Spring)

8-28-58 Oc 1 6.5 .00 37 12

.8 .2 167

ER-S6 Ellis Spring

5- 7-58 OBk 7.6 .15 20 9.0 1.2 .7 110

NG-S12 Yates Spring

5- 2-58 Oc1 9.5 .01 26 10

.5 .5 129

ER-S16 Poplar Spring

8-20-58 OBk 6.9 .00 26 13

1.0 .1 141

.2 1.5
.8 2.5 .8 .5 2.7 1.5
1.2 2.0 1.2 1.5
.4 1.5

0.2 0.3 160 140

.2 .8 219 162

.2 2.8 393 166

1.5 3.2 525

84

.1 .4 169 172

.1 2.9 209 186

.1 18 202 174

.0 7.4 125 124

.1 .6 152 148

.1 .2 265 212

.1 6.5 213 190

.3 .5 146

98

1.0 1.6 630 130

.1 .1 129 122

.1 .0 138 130 .1 .3 112 117 .3 .5 136 142

.1 1.6 92

87

.0 1.3 110 106

.1 .7 116 118

18 275 7.4 4 22 342 7.2 5
0 682 7.7 0 66 0 832 8.1 0 G1 4 313 7.5 2 8 362 7.4 1 G1 22 335 7.7 3 4 245 7.4 6 3 281 7.9 0 0 432 7.9 2 57 13 365 7.6 6 10 226 7.2 0 62 0 999 8.0 5
0 232 7.8 1 60
0 248 7.9 3 60 6 213 7.2 6 60 5 260 7.7 2 61
0 170 7.6 2 58 0 209 7.5 0 59 4 220 7.6 3 59

1Springs discharge from indicated formation, but water is from the Knox Group.

water. Water from well TH-5 had an iron content of 0.02 ppm (Table 2).
Springs in the Rome are small and are not important sources of water, although a few near sandstone ridges furnish water to houses. Water from several of these springs is highly mineralized as illustrated by the analyses of water from Catoosa Springs listed in Table 3.
Conasauga Formation
The Conasauga Formation of Middle and Late Cambrian age underlies Peavine Valley and a narrow valley just east of Smith Chapel on the east side of the county. Exposures of the formation are numerous in Peavine Valley.
The Conasauga in Catoosa County consists of clayey and silty limestone, calcareous siltstone, and claystone. The bulk of the formation is a mixture of siltstone, claystone, and limestone interbedded in varying proportions. The upper 300 feet or so of the formation is a limestone unit consisting of massive bedded gray limestone. The Conasauga contains enough silt and clay so that it weathers to a shale.
In many outcrops the siltstone contains enough calcium carbonate to give it the appearance of limestone. However, after dissolving a piece of the rock in acid it becomes apparent that lime is a minor constituent, and this accounts for the small reduction in volume that the rock undergoes upon weathering.
Tight folding and poor exposure make accurate measurement of the Conasauga impossible. The

Table 3. Chemical analyses, in parts per million, of water from Catoosa Springs, Catoosa County, Ga.1
(from McCallie, 1908, p. 272)

Constituents determined

Epsom Coffee Buffalo Lithia Cosmetic

Springs Springs Springs

Springs

Silica (Si02)
Sulfate (SO) Carbon dioxide
(C02) Phosphorus (P) Chloride (Cl) Iron (Fe) Aluminum (AI)
Calcium (Ca) Magnesium (Mg) Sodium (Na) Potassium (K)
Probable Combinations Potassium chloride Potassium sulphate Sodium chloride Sodium sulphate Sodium phosphate Magnesium sulphate Calcium sulphate Calcium carbonate Aluminum sulphate Ferrous carbonate Silica

18 760
123 trace
7 2
.1 290 38
4.4 3.3
9.3
3.5 4.3 trace 190 848 112 3.8 4.2 18

31 730
138 trace
6 2.1
.5 304 48
8.3 13.2
12 7.1
36 trace 241 711 213
3.3 4.3 31

70 915
181
5 2.4
.5 345 55
5.6 14.1
10 2
42
281 924 182
3.3 6.5 70

17 840
126
5 .4 .3 292 36 2.2 6.6
4.8
4.3 13
180 971
15 2 1.1 17

Dissolved solids 1,193 1,259 1,521 1,208

Free carbon dioxide

73

45 101

59

1Catoosa Springs includes four separate springs within an area of about two acres.

thickness was estimated by Hayes (1894) at
1,500 to 4,000 feet. The Conasauga in Peavine Valley forms a folded
asymmetric anticline, steeper on the west side. Faulting on the west side of Peavine Valley may
have removed part of the formation because the upper limestone unit is not exposed, whereas it is well exposed on the opposite side of the valley.
The Conasauga exposed in the belt on the east
side of the county is highly folded but the beds appear to have a general east dip.
The Conasauga Formation is a fairly productive aquifer. Most wells penetrating the Cona-
sauga are less than 100 feet deep and furnish ample water for domestic and farm purposes. Many wells show practically no drawdown when
bailed at 20 gpm for several hours. Solution openings are common in the forma-
tion, especially in the upper limestone unit. The openings store ground water and yield large
quantities to wells. One well just across the line in Walker County penetrated a 9-foot cavity at a depth of 65 feet. The well was bailed at 20 gpm for an hour and the drawdown of the water
level was only 3 feet. Wells penetrating large solution cavities or sev-
eral large joints may appear to be exceptionally good wells capable of supplying an abundance of
water. However, experience has shown that some wells are not as good as they first appear. A 235foot well at Emory University Geology Field
Camp, in the southern part of Peavine Valley, gave a large yield when first drilled. The water was obtained from joints at less than 100 feet, but drilling was continued to provide room for storage. At first, the well was pumped freely and yielded many gallons per minute, but after several hours it was pumped dry. Despite attempts
to further develop the well, it would yield only about 2 gpm.
A well tapping joint or solution openings may at first yield large quantities of stored water, but once the openings are emptied, they may be slow to refill.
The majority of drilled wells in the Conasauga are less than 100 feet deep, but some wells as deep as 250 feet yield excellent supplies. As a general rule, it is probably better to drill no deeper than 150 feet in the Conasauga when attempting to find water because the number of interconnected rock openings are fewer at greater depths and the chances of finding water are re-
duced. The selection of a new well site, particularly in an east-west direction (across the strike
of the layers) and preferably downhill would improve the chances of reaching water at a shal-
low depth, but when economically feasible, drilling to 250 feet may result in a good yield.
Analysis of water from a 94-foot well in the Conasauga gave a hardness of 212 ppm. Iron and sulfur are uncommon in water from the formation.
Dug wells in the residuum of the Conasauga Formation yield water throughout the year provided they are deep -enough. Most of the dug wells are from 20 to 40 feet deep. Their yield is usually adequate for household and farm needs.

10

The thick limestone unit at the top of the Conasauga Formation is quite soluble, and solution openings are common on the rock surfaces. Numerous sinkholes along the outcrop indicate the presence of many hidden solution openings in the limestone. Several large caves occur in the limestone on the west slope of Peavine Ridge and in one cave deep water is visible all year. The limestone probably would yield abundant water to wells. Unfortunately it underlies steep slopes that restrict its use as an aquifer.
In some areas the Conasauga is covered by a thick mantle of overburden; in other areas the bare bedrock is exposed. Wells in both covered and uncovered areas seem to be equally productive and reliable. The presence or absence of overburden apparently has no affect on the development of solution openings in the rock.
Cambrian and Ordovician
Knox Group
In Georgia the Knox Group of Late Cambrian and Early Ordovician age includes rocks that in Alabama, Tennessee, and Virginia have been separated into the following formations named in ascending order: Copper Ridge Dolomite, Chepultepec Dolomite or Limestone, and Longview Limestone. In Tennessee the Newala Limestone is included in the Knox Group (Butts, 1948, p. 16). In this report, however, the Newala Limestone is not included in the Knox but is included in the overlying Chickamauga Limestone because the Newala and Chickamauga are lithologically similar.
The largest exposures of the Knox Group in Catoosa County are Peavine Ridge, which is more than 2 miles wide, and Boynton Ridge, about half a mile wide. The Knox also is exposed just north of Salem and forms a ridge at Lees Chapel and at the eastern boundary of the county. A small strip of Knox extends into Wood Station Valley from Walker County; it forms the eastern slope of Missionary Ridge, which cuts across the northwest corner of the county above Fort Oglethorpe.
Copper Ridge Dolomite. - The Copper Ridge Dolomite in Catoosa County forms the lower half or so of the Knox Group. The lower 200 feet of the formation is mainly light-gray, thin-bedded (less than 1 foot) dolomite but the lower half of the formation is dominantly thick-bedded (up to 3 feet) brownish-gray dolomite which has an asphaltic odor on fresh breaks. Many light and dark layers of thinly laminated chert and chert interbedded with dolomite are common. The upper half of the Copper Ridge is mostly light-gray dolomite and some light-brownish-gray dolomite. Bedded chert is common in the upper half. The Copper Ridge is about 2,500 feet thick.
Upon weathering the Copper Ridge yields a very distinctive chert. It is dense, tough, porcelaneous, and usually white or light gray. The chert generally has rough, uneven surfaces in contrast to the smooth straight surfaces of chert from the Longview Dolomite.

Chepultepec Dolomite. - The Chepultepec Dolomite is about 800 feet thick and consists of dolomite and a few beds of limestone. Most of the dolomite is light gray, but some is brownish gray, light olive gray, or light red. Bedding ranges in thickness from less than 1 inch to more than 10 feet. Several layers of chert as much as 10 feet thick are present but chert in thin beds and nodules is very common all through the section. One or more thin sandstone beds that have a matrix of chert occur at or near the base of the formation.
Chert weathered from the Chepultepec is different from the chert of the formations above and below. The Chepultepec has chert which is largely porous, rather than compact, and much of it has the appearance of "worm eaten wood." The light weight chert contains many cavities which preserve the rhombic outlines of individual dolomite crystals. Chert on the surface usually is soft and yellowish or yellowish white. Both blocky and nodular forms are common but the abundance of cavernous pieces is outstanding. Most of the chert is dull rather than porcelaneous.
Thin-bedded chert which crushes easily under the blow of a hammer is common to the Chepultepec. In contrast, chert from the Copper Ridge and Longview formations is relatively hard and when struck flies apart in sharp, jagged pieces.
Fossils are fairly common in the Chepultepec, particularly in cavernous chert. Oolitic chert with small white oolites is characteristic of the Chepultepec.
Longview Limestone. - The Longview Limestone in Catoosa County is composed of about 350 feet of cherty dolomite and limestone. The middle and upper sections of the formation are made up of limestone and some dolomite. The lower part is dominantly limestone.
The limestone and dolomite of the Longview is light gray and light olive gray and contains many
layers and nodules of chert. Reddish-colored chert layers and nodules are very distinctive.
Chert weathered from the Longview is hard and brittle and is cut by numerous joints that cause it to weather into small pieces with smooth straight surfaces. Chert nodules are abundant in the residuum. Quartzite pebbles with white interior are common in the residuum overlying the upper part of the Longview.
The Knox Group is one of the better aquifers in Catoosa County. Potentially it probably is the best aquifer. Not only does it supply large quantities of water to wells, but it yields water to the largest springs in the county. Some wells in the Knox are reported to yield more than 150,000 gpd (gallons per day) and it is probable that greater yields could be obtained by installing larger pumps on the wells. Eight of the largest springs in the county, which have their catchment areas in the Knox, flowed at a combined rate of more than 11 mgd (million gallons per day) during October 1958, which was a period of relatively low flow.
The thick blanket of chert and clay that overlies the Knox Group serves to absorb and hold

11

precipitation, allowing it to filter downward slow-
ly into the rock openings below. In ridge areas the overburden is as much as 200 feet thick. Many
shallow wells drilled into the overburden furnish enough water for rural domestic needs. Because water moves slowly through the chert and clay, the wells do not refill fast enough to sustain large
withdrawals. During periods of drought a few of the wells in the overburden go dry.
Dug wells are also common in the overburden of the Knox, mainly as a carryover from the past. The wells range in depth from 20 to more than 50 feet, and most of them yield a few gallons of water per day. Many dug wells are being replaced
by drilled wells. In order to obtain a large yield from a well in
the Knox it is necessary to drill through the overburden into the bedrock. Wells that penetrate bedrock generally are very dependable, and many can be pumped at a rate of more than 20 gpm for long periods without failing. On the basis of
small drawdowns that occurred in many deep wells that were bailed or pumped at 12 to 20 gpm, it seems probable that sustained yields of 30 to 50 gpm could be obtained, although no pumps of
such capacity were found on any well. Although the dolomite of the Knox Group is
somewhat less soluble than limestone, the Knox

has extensive solution openings. Numerous small caves have openings at the surface and are commonly associated with springs. Large caves also exist at depth. Well ER-146 penetrated a dry cave at a depth of 180 feet. Air would suck or blow through the well with considerable force for hours at a time, indicating that the cave was quite large. Solution openings are important because they act as storage resorvoirs in rock that otherwise is almost nonporous. Water collects in the openings and can move freely into wells.
Bedding plane openings in the dolomite of the Knox Group commonly are enlarged by solution to the extent that considerable quantities of water flow along them. In wet weather, water flows out of bedding planes on dolomite surfaces exposed in quarries and road cuts. Water in bedding planes is an important source for wells that do not strike joints or large solution openings in the rock.
Analyses of water from wells in the Knox showed a hardness ranging from 128 to 194 ppm and generally little iron. Only in the small valley south of Ellis Spring was iron reported to be a problem; two wells were abandoned because of the high iron content of the water.
The principal springs discharging water from the Knox Group are in valley bottoms adjacent

Well No.
ER-68
NG-11 NG-10 ER-70 ER-31

Table 4. Chemical determinations of ground water, Catoosa County, Ga. (Analyses by author)

Owner or name
Maggie Williams
Maude Owens Tom Napier G. R. Gaskin W. M. Hill, Jr.

Date of collection
September 29, 1958
September 29, 1958 September 29, 1958 September 29, 1958 October 15, 1958

Water-bearing formation
Chickamauga Limestone do. do. do.
Knox Group

Parts per million

Total hardness

Chloride (Cl)

52

5

764

90

287

340

22

174

4

Spring No.

ER-SlO

W. M. Hill, Jr.

October 15, 1958

Chickamauga

140

1.4

Limestone1

NG-S6

W. E. Waters

October 15, 1958

Conasauga

120

.4

Formation1

ER-S1

J. R. Graham

October 15, 1958

do.

130

.8

ER-S16

Poplar spring

October 3, 1959

Knox Group

129

1.4

ER-S6

Ellis spring south opening

October 3, 1959

do.

116

.8

ER-S6

Ellis spring east opening

October 3, 1959

do.

116

.8

ER-S6

Ellis spring west opening

October 3, 1959

do.

115

.8

ER-S10

W. M. Hill, Jr.

October 3, 1959

Chickamauga

132

1.6

Limestone1

ER-S13

Blue Spring

September 29, 1959

do.

137

.4

'Springs discharge from indicated formations but water is from the Knox Group.
12

to Knox ridges. Yates Spring (NG-S12) and Leitz Spring (NG-S8) are on opposite sides of Peavine Ridge. Blue Spring (ER-S13) and Hills Spring (ER-S10) are in the valley west of Boynton Ridge. The four springs have their openings in the formation overlying or underlying the Knox. Water issues from solution channels in limestone or dolomite level with the valley floor.
Topography seems to have been the dominant influence on the location of the spring outlets, which are located at the junction of the water table with the land surface, rather than at faults or formational contacts. Hills Spring may issue water under artesian pressure.
Most small springs in the Knox discharge in valleys or along stream courses within the Knox ridges.
Analyses of spring water from the Knox Group showed a ran~e in hardness from 87 to 129 ppm (Tables 3 and 4). The iron content ranged from 0.0 to 0.15 ppm.
Springs discharging water from the Knox Group are the largest and most important source of ground water in the county. Eight springs with catchment areas in the Knox discharged about 11 mgd during October 1958 (Table 5). This total is based on measurements made October 8 and 9, which is in the annual low-flow period. The discharg-e of several unmeasured springs in the Knox probably would increase the total to at least 12 mgd during the low-flow period.
The low-flow period of spring discharge corresponds to the annual period of lowest precipitation and lowest ground-water levels. During the wet months of each year spring discharge increases somewhat, with small springs nearly doubling in amount of discharge. Unusually wet peri-

Table 5. Measurements of spring flow in Catoosa County, Georgia.
(1950-51 measurements by S. M. Herrick; 1958 measurements by author)

Name of spring and number
Yates (NG-S12)
Litz (Beaumont) (NG-S8)
Blue (ER-S13)
Ellis
Graysville
Poplar (ER-S16)
Waters (NG-S6)
Hills (ER-S10)

Date of measurement

Discharge (gallons per day)

November 30, 1950 June 11, 1958 October 8, 1958
November 30, 1950 June 10, 1958 October 9, 1958
November 30, 1950 October 9, 1958
January 17, 1951 August 8, 1958 October 9, 1958
December 1, 1950 October 9, 1958
October 9, 1958

7,700,000 8,200,000 7,500,000
300,000 440,000 250,000
1,200,000 1,000,000
560,000 990,000 800,000
540,000 440,000
90,000

October 9, 1958

230,000

October 9, 1958

720,000

ods and periods of drought probably affect the rate of spring discharge, but records are not available to indicate how great the affect might be.
Ordovician
Chickamauga Limestone
In Catoosa County the Chickamauga Limestone of Lower, Middle, and Upper Ordovician age represents two distinct lithologic types and two different depositional environments (Allen and Lester, 1957, p. 5). The strata cropping out east of Whiteoak Mountain and Taylor Ridge are nearshore sediments ; those to the west are offshore sediments.
The near-shore sediments consist of about 2,300 feet of sandy siltstone, claystone, and a little limestone. Exposures in Catoosa County are limited to a narrow belt east of Dick Ridge in the southern part of the county.
The offshore sediments consist of 1,400 to 2.100 feet of limestone much of which contains silt and clay. Calcareous siltstone and claystone are interbedded with the limestone, particularly in the lower and upper parts. Bedding ranges from very thin to massive. Chert in layers and nodules is present in some parts of the formation. The offshore sediments underlie Rabbit Valley, Wood Station Valley, and Chickamauga Valley.
The Chickamauga Limestone contains numerous ioints and solution cavities that store large auantities of ground water. Because it underlies denf<ely populated Rabbit Valley, Wood Station Valley, and Chickamaug-a Valley, the formation is an important aquifer in Catoosa County.
The ChickamaUim Limestone yields water to drilled wells in all areas of the county except parts of Rabbit Vallev. At some places on the east side of Rabbit Valley, north of Ring-gold, water is difficult to obtain by drilling. Wells as deep as 500 feet are reported to have been completely dry. On one man's property, 4 out of 6 holes were dry and 2 yieli!ed "sulfur water"; the dry holes were 90. 150. 170 and 500 feet deep and the "sulfur water" yielding wells were 60 to 150 feet deep.
Well drillers reported difficulty in getting a good well after drilling through a layer of what they called "red shale" apparently a redilish siltstone common to the lower part of the Chickamauga. A well that is dry when it reaches the siltstone probably will continue to be dry or will yield only a small amount of sulfur water at greater depths. Difficulty in finding water is experienced only in areas where the siltstone is near the surface.
Drillers report that limestone near the top of the Chickamauga Formation also has a high incidence of dry holes. The limestone is located along the steep slopes of Whiteoak Mountain and Taylor Ridge where surface runoff is great. The limestone is overlain by shale which retards the downward movement of ground water. The high rate of runoff and the lack of percolation from above probably has resulted in the development of relatively few solution openings that can supply water to wells.

13

N
\
1,000
Datum is mean sea !eve I Contour interval 10 feet
Figure 4.- Mop of Rabbit Volley showing watertable contours, January 17-27, 1958

Except in the above mentioned areas, practically all wells in the Chickamauga yield ample
water for farm and home needs. Figures are
not available to indicate the maximum rate at which wells in the Chickamauga can be pumped over long periods, but many wells equipped with pumps of 10 gpm capacity have never failed.
The only record of pumpage from a well in the Chickamauga Limestone was obtained from Nance and Son Dairy, Ringgold. An 8-inch well,
drilled in 1956 to a depth of 256 feet, was tested at 65 gpm. In actual use the well was pumped continuously 10 hours a day at a rate of 50 gpm
until the summer of 1957, when it pumped dry. Since that time the well has been used only 6 hours a day and to date (1959) it has not failed.
In water analyzed from the Chickamauga Limestone, hardness ranged from 52 to 764 ppm and chloride ranged from 5 to 90 ppm. Water con-
taining hydrogen sulfide is fairly common in the formation, though wells yielding "sulfur water"
generally are concentrated in small scattered areas.
Springs in the Chickamauga are small and un-
important except for a few that are used for domestic supplies. The largest springs discharge only a few gallons per minute. Many of the springs go dry during the summer months.
In Rabbit Valley the beds of Chickamauga Limestone dip about 15 E. The valley floor slopes gently westward toward South Chickamauga Creek and surface drainage is in the same general direction. A water-table map of Rabbit
Valley based on measurements taken in open wells indicates that the water table slopes westward toward South Chickamauga Creek (Fig. 4). Also, ground water reportedly enters freshly drilled wells from the east side. Water in two wells (R-72 and R-73) became muddy during the drilling of a well more than 1,000 feet to the east. Thus, it appears that at depths domestic wells normally reach, ground water moves through rock openings from east to west across the strike
of the bedding, and the amount of water moving downdip along bedding planes seem to be minor.
In Chickamauga Valley where the beds of lime-
stone form a syncline, water from several wells was known to have a salty taste or to have a laxative effect making the water unfit for human or animal consumption. Analysis of water collected from one of the wells in 1909 is listed below (McCallie, 1913, p. 32). The well was known as the Bagwell Well and is now owned by J. L. Ivey.

Bagwell Well

(J. M. McCandless, analyst)
Constituents

Parts per million

Silica (Si0 2 ) __________ ---------------------------------------

45

Chloride (Cl) ------------------------------------------------ 40,000

Sulfate (SO4 ) ------------------------------------------------ 1,520

Carbon dioxide (C02 ) ----------------------------------

84

Sodiurn (Na) ------------------------------------------------ 21,400

Potassium (K) ---------------------------------------------- 176

Calcium (Ca) ----------------------------------------------- 2,380

Magnesium (Mg) ---------------------------------------- 1,460

14

Bagwell Well - continued

Constituents

Parts per million

Bromine (Br) ------------------------------------------------ 379

Iodine (I) ------------------------------------------------------ 19 Lithiurn (Li) _________________ ------------------------------- 29

Iron (Fe) ------------------------------------------------------ 23

AIuminurn (AI) -------------------------------------------- 11

Probable combinations
Potassiurn chloride -------------------------------------- 335 Sodium chloride -------------------------------------------- 54,800 Lithium sulphate ------------------------------------------ 225 Magnesium chloride ____________________________________ 5,260 Magnesium bromide ___________________________________ 494

Calcium chloride -----------------------------------------Calcium sulphate --------------------------------------Calcium carbonate ______________________________________ Sodium iodide ------------------------- ____________________ Ferric oxide and alumina ____________________________
Silica -------------------------------------------------------------

4,830 1,880
192 23 53
45

Dissolved solids________________ 68,137

The sandstone of the Red Mountain ranges in grain size from very fine to coarse and is in beds ranging from less than l-inch to more than 10
feet thick. On fresh exposures the sandstone is commonly calcareous and gray to nearly white upon weathering it turns brown or maroon. '

(I:>) appop[:J

lrt:::>-

0 cY:l

0 0

lQ r-t~

<cO0

C'l ..;t~

0 0 <0
<0~

0 0
00 0

cY:l

lt:>

r-t

voms

0
0

r-t

In 1931 additional water samples were collected in Chickamauga Valley from four wells known

atmoq~":J
wnp[l!:J

to yield salt water. Analyses of this water, from

unpublished records of the Georgia Department of Mines, Mining, and Geology, are shown in Table

atl!qd[ns

wnpp:~:J

0

6.

From the results of the analyses it was be-

lieved that brine of commercial quality might be obtained from the syncline underlying Chicka-
mauga Valley. Two test holes, one 2,200 feet deep (ER-51) and the other 550 feet deep (ER-

.

apJ~D[q;)
wnpre::>

0

"1>.

52) were drilled on the property of J. L. Ivey in

search of brine. According to Garland Peyton, Director, Georgia Department of Mines, Mining,

a:-.euoq.lt!:J wnJsauBew

0

and Geology, the results of the tests were dis-

appointing. No other exploratory work has been done in the area.

apJo[q;)

wn!sau~e:w

0

The 2,200-foot brine test hole was reported by

Mr. Ivey to have yielded combustible gas for

about 3 weeks. Well ER-47, about 0.5 mile north-

east of the test well reportedly issued large quan-

0

tities of gas for several days. The volume of

gas was so large that when it ignited, a nearby

building was threatened. Several other wells

drilled in the Chickamauga Limestone through-

0

out the county are claimed to have given off gas

or to have a gasoline odor.

On June 29, 1959 a water sample was taken

0

from well ER-29 that appears to be the J. P.

0 lt:>

Clark well of table 6. Analysis data showed a

, r::-

chlorine content of 32 ppm and a dissolved solids

content of 630 ppm. The owner reports that dur-

ing the dry summer months water from this well

becomes too salty to drink.

Silurian
Red Mountain Formation
The Red Mountain Formation of Silurian age makes up Whiteoak Mountain, Taylor Ridge, Dick Ridge, and two small ridges northeast of Ringgold. The formation is composed mainly of interbedded sandstone and shale. A few beds of limestone and fossil iron ore occur.
15

Shale of the Red Mountain is in layers ranging from 0.1-inch to more than 4 inches thick. Unbroken shale units more than 10 feet thick are common. Where freshly exposed most of the shale is gray, but it is ferruginous and weathers quickly to different shades of brown.
Sandstone dominates the lower part of the formation. Passing upward, shale is present in increasing amounts and constitutes the bulk of the middle section. Sandstone is abundant in the upper part of the formation.
No measurement of the Red Mountain was made in Catoosa County, but a section was measured along Georgia Highway 143, where it crosses Taylor Ridge in Walker County, about 6 miles south of the Catoosa County line. The thickness there is about 1,050 feet.
The Red Mountain Formation makes up such steep and rugged terrane that it is poorly developed as an aquifer. Nearly all the homes on the formation use city water or water from small springs.
A few wells on the east slope of Dick Ridge derive water from the Red Mountain. Yields are adequate for farm and home needs, but heavy use causes some of the wells to pump dry temporarily.
Analysis of water from one well shows a hardness of 184 ppm, an iron content of 0.01 ppm, and a chloride content of 6.5 ppm.
A 1,625-foot oil-test well (R-77) that penetrated part of the Red Mountain Formation yielded water under artesian pressure. Sulfur water flowed from the well for a time, but the flow decreased and finally stopped. The owner of the well reported that gas was struck eight times during drilling and that "oil" appeared on the bit several times.
Artesian conditions may exist generally beneath the east side of Whiteoak Mountain and Taylor Ridge. The depth required to obtain a flowing well, however, probably would be fairly great because it is necessary to drill beneath the jointed upper rock strata to reach water under hydrostatic pressure.
The cost of drilling a flowing well for domestic or farm purposes probably would be too great. Also, a deep well might yield highly mineralized water.
Devonian and Mississippian
Chattanooga Shale
In Catoosa County the Chattanooga Shale, of Devonian and Mississippian age, is a highly fissile black shale that has a thickness of about 15 feet. In weathered exposures the shale is brown. The Chattanooga is a reliable datum from which to identify and measure the formations above and below (Butts, 1948, p. 40).
In the upper part of the Chattanooga Shale is a layer of greenish clay about 1-foot to 2.5 feet thick, containing phosphatic nodules which range from 0.5-inch to 2 inches in diameter. According to Butts (1948, p. 40) the clay is the same as the Maury Formation of Tennessee.
The Chattanooga is an incompetent formation. In nearly all exposures it is highly contorted,

whereas the Red Mountain Formation below and the Fort Payne Chert above were little affected by deforming forces. Slickensides indicate that movement generally was parallel to the dip of the strata.
The Chattanooga Shale is not an aquifer in Catoosa County. The formation is nearly impermeable except along joints. One well just across the county line in Walker County penetrated the Chattanooga and yields water having a very high iron content. An "oily scum" reportedly collects when the water is heated.
In some areas the Chattanooga may act as a confining layer to produce artesian conditions, although this could not be verified from inventoried wells.
Mississippian
The Mississippian System in Catoosa County includes two principal formations: the Fort Payne Chert below, and the Floyd Shale above (Butts, 1948, p. 41).
Fort Payne Chert
The Fort Payne Chert crops out along the east slope of Whiteoak Mountain and Taylor Ridge and around the edges of Houston Valley.
In Catoosa County the Fort Payne Chert consists of about 400 feet of bedded chert, calcareous shale, and cherty limestone. The bedded chert usually occurs at the base of the formation and overlies the Chattanooga Shale, but due east of Ringgold, the chert is absent and a dark-colored shale, known as the Lavender Shale (Butts, 1948, p. 43), overlies the Chattanooga. The bedded chert is dense, brittle, gray to black and evenly bedded. The beds range in thickness from less than 2 inches to more than 1 foot and are irregularly furrowed along the bedding surface, causing an uneven contact. The uneven contacts appear to have resulted from solution by ground water. Small quartz geodes, 0.25 inch to 2.5 inches in diameter are common in the chert, particularly in the lower part. Abundant fossils in the Fort Payne Chert make it easily distinguishable from the chert of other formations.
Drilled wells in the Fort Payne Chert are less than 100 feet deep and yield ample water for farm and home use and large broiler houses. The wells are very dependable.
Analysis of water from one well showed a hardness of 158 ppm and an iron content of 0.49 ppm.
Dug wells in the residuum overlying the Fort Payne yield water low in calcium and magnesium content and in quantities large enough to meet most rural needs. The dug wells seldom fail during droughts.
Numerous small springs issue from the Fort Payne and a few are used for domestic supply.
In Alabama the Fort Payne is an excellent aquifer, yielding as much as 1,000 gpm to shallow drilled wells. The formation may prove to be an equally productive aquifer in Catoosa County.

16

Floyd Shale
The Floyd Shale is exposed in a broad belt east of Whiteoak Mountain and Taylor Ridge, and in Houston Valley.
In Houston Valley the Floyd Shale consists of light-gray to black fossiliferous shale. The black shale of the Floyd is similar in appearance to the Chattanooga Shale except that the Floyd locally contains abundant fossils.
East of Whiteoak Mountain and Taylor Ridge the Floyd Shale is partly shale, but it also includes thick units of limestone, sandstone, and siltstone. According to Allen and Lester (1953, p. 193) about 600 feet of limestone are included in the Floyd shale, along with a 350-foot unit of sandstone and siltstone.
The limestone is thick-bedded, bluish gray to dark gray, and fine to coarse crystalline. The lower limestone is chert-bearing.
The sandstone in the Floyd is fine to medium grained and light gray. The sandstone is interbedded with light gray siltstone, and the two form a resistant unit that makes up Cherokee Ridge.
The thickness of the Floyd Shale is about 1,400 feet.
The Floyd Shale in Houston Valley probably would supply a few gallons of water per minute to wells. Only two wells were inventoried, one dug well and one drilled well without a pump. Both wells yielded a satisfactory supply for home use.
The Floyd Shale east of Whiteoak Mountain and Taylor Ridge contains thick limestone units which supply large quantities of water to wells from solution openings. Most wells are less than 100 feet deep and supply more than enough water for broiler production and household needs. The wells are very dependable and well owners reported that their pumps could be left running over night without pumping the wells dry. The pumps have a capacity of 5 to 10 gpm.
No wells were inventoried in the sandstone and shale of the Floyd.
Water from the Floyd Shale was not analyzed for mineral content. However, water from the limestone units probably is hard and of a quality similar to water from the Chickamauga Limestone. Water from the sandstone and siltstone may be similar to water from the Rome or Red Mountain formations.

position, the Lookout Sandstone is not used as an aquifer in Catoosa County.
ARTESIAN WATER
In many reports concerning the Paleozoic area, mention is made of the possibility of obtaining flowing artesian wells. However, flowing wells are rare in Catoosa County; only 4 such wells are reported. Well R-77, just east of Whiteoak Mountain, is 1,625 feet deep and flowed for a time. Well R-60, more than 1,200 feet deep in Rabbit Valley is said to have flowed. Well F0-1, drilled 310 feet deep just east of Missionary Ridge in Fort Oglethorpe, struck a cavity and issued water at a rate of 150,000 gpd. A 2,200foot well near the center of Chickamauga Valley, ER-51, flowed for about three weeks after being drilled. The four wells are located so that they tap water from deeply buried rock strata which extend to the surface in nearby ridges and have their interconnected openings filled with water to a height above the tops of the wells.
WATER-LEVEL FLUCTUATIONS
Continuous water-level records were obtained from two wells to determine the amount of fluctuation in the ground-water level that occurs during the seasonal variations in rainfall. The maximum fluctuation during the period of record was about 14 feet (Fig. 5).
The water table was highest during April and May, and lowest in November, December, and January when precipitation was light.
Monthly water-level measurements in several wells throughout the county showed seasonal fluctuations in most wells to be about 10 feet, though one well varied nearly 25 feet (Fig. 6).
Long-term variations in ground-water levels result from cyclic variations in the amount of rainfall extending over several years. Water levels are higher than usual during abnormally wet periods, but are lower than usual during extended droughts. A gradual rise in the water level may occur for several years to be followed by a gradual lowering for several years.
The present investigation did not show evidence that a permanent lowering of the water table has occurred in Catoosa County. Dug wells throughout the county were reported to have about the same depth of water as when first dug many years ago.

Pennsylvanian
Lookout Sandstone
The Lookout Sandstone of Pennsylvania Age forms the caprock on Sand Mountain, about 3 miles northeast of Ringgold. The Lookout Sandstone includes two members, the Gizzard Member below consisting of gray shales and finegrained sandstone, and the Sewanee Member above above consisting of massive conglomeratic cliff-forming sandstone. The thickness of the formation in Catoosa County was not determined.
Because of its limited extent and topographic

UTILIZATION
Present use of ground water in Catoosa County is limited mainly to supplying farm and rural household needs, broiler houses, and dairies. More than 9,000 rural residents use 20 million gallons per month. Stock usage accounts for an additional 10 or so million gallons, making the total ground water used in the county about 30 million gallons per month. Practically all of this water comes from wells, but the amount is minor in comparison to what can be developed. During 1959 about 20 million gallons of water per month

17

Depth 42 fllf

' "'----J . ~~ ~I"'-

~

,.--------------'-.f---------------...r-~---

------------.1

~ 8

Fort Oglethorpl Ouodrang1e Wolklr County

~ 10
~
IZ ~
; 14

Depth 73 '"'

,; 16
5;18

J\J--~ _J ' --

...........
.

----

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~

1958

1959

Figure f:?.-Comporison of precipitation and water-lev-el fluctuations in wells in Catoosa and Walker Counties. (precipitation records from U.S. Weather Sta.tion at ChickamauQa
and Chattanooga Notional Military Pork)

1

ER-51

l

R-105

I
" c
0

1-=====~------------~R-~11~8--------------- --~------::========::~=-----------------------

: 1-

ER-131

-

~

0 .0 0

~
1:
c
~
!'!
~ -so

. 3

u c

c

f I

o.

a~ :

Apr.

(2.89)

(3.04)

(7.05)

May

June

July

(2.56) --~~5;~~

(1;)--~0~~~
-r--------r~-1.----

(5.95)

(3.26)

(4.72)

(4.43)

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jon.

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

1958

1959

Figure 6-Comparison of precipitation and water-level fluctuations in wells in Catoosa County (precipitation records from U.S. Weather Station at Chickamauga and Chattanooga Notional Military Park).

was distributed by commercial pipeline to the residents of Ringgold, Fort Oglethorpe, and other areas of the county1 The commercial water is surface water from the Tennessee River and South Chickamauga Creek.
1This figure does not include the county's population adjacent to and in Rossville because water is supplied directly from Chattanooga, Tenn.

About 50 million gallons of surface water and ground water were used in Catoosa County during 1959.
Springs in the Knox Group discharged at the rate of more than 300 million gallons per month during their annual low-flow period in 1958, and nearly all the water went unused except to main-

18

tain stream flow. Drilled wells in most parts of the county are widely scattered and vast areas have no wells, indicating that a considerable increase in ground-water withdrawals above present levels is possible without depleting the ground-water reservoirs.
Water from springs together with water from increased well development should be capable of meeting the county's total water requirements for years to come.
SUMMARY OF GROUND WATER
In nearly all of Catoosa County except the high ridges, dug and drilled wells supply water for farm and home use. In some locations dug wells yield enough water for a house with bathroom and washing machine and for farms with several thousand chickens. In general, however, a drilled well is needed to supply a fully equipped modern home or farm. A few drilled wells in the Knox Group, the Chickamauga Limestone, and the Floyd Shale will yield 50 gpm or more, though the maximum yield of these wells is unknown because they are equipped with small pumps.
Most drilled wells in the county are less than 100 feet deep, although in some areas the depth averages nearly 150 feet. In ridges of the Knox Group, many wells are drilled through 200 feet of chert and clay in order to reach bedrock. Wells in the chert and clay yield less water than wells in bedrock, but the water is soft and is preferred by many people in the county.
The hardness of well water in the county ranges from about 50 to 800 ppm, but generally is less than 250 ppm. Water from the residual material overlying a formation generally is softer than water from the bedrock of the formation. Water from the residuum of the Red Mountain and Rome formations is likely to contain objectionable quantities of iron. Water containing hydrogen sulfide is common in areas underlain by the Chickamauga Limestone, and the high chloride content of the water has been a problem in central Chickamauga Valley.

The largest ground-water supplies in Catoosa County are the springs that discharge water from the Knox Group. The springs range in size from less than 100,000 gpd to more than 8 mgd. Eight of these springs discharged more than 11 mgd during October 1958 and most of the water was unused. Spring water is the best source of industrial supply in the county.
The hardness of the spring water collected from 12 locations ranged from 87 to 147 ppm. The iron content of most of this water was less than 0.02 ppm.
Selected References
Allen, A. T., and Lester, J. G., 1953, Ecological significance of a Mississippian blastoid: Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 60, no. 2, p. 190-199.
--1957, Zonation of the Middle and Upper Ordovician strata in northwestern Georgia: Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 66, 110 p.
Butts, Charles, 1948, Geology and mineral resources of the Paleozoic area in northwest Georgia: Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 54, 176 p.
Catoosa County Agricultural Development Board, 1958, Forward through unity in Catoosa County, Georgia - Report of the Catoosa County Agricultural Board: Catoosa County, Georgia, 15 p.
Hayes, C. W., 1891, The overthrust faults of the southern Appalachians: Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., v. 2, p. 141-154.
--1894, Ringgold Atlas Sheet (Georgia-Tennessee): U.S. Geol. Survey Geol. Atlas, Folio 2.
McCallie, S.W., 1908, A preliminary report on the underground water of Georgia: Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, 370 p.
--1913, A preliminary report on the mineral springs of Georgia: Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 20, 190 p.
Meinzer, 0. E., 1923, Outline of ground-water hydrology with definitions: U.S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 494, 71 p.
Rodgers, John, compiler, 1953, Geologic map of east Tennessee with explanatory test: Tennessee Dept. Conserv., Geol. Survey Div. Bull. 58, part II, 168 p.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1941, Climate and Man, the yearbook of Agriculture: Washington, U.S. Govt. Printing Office, 1248 p.
--1955, Water, the yearbook of Agriculture: Washington, U.S. Govt. Printing Office, 751 p.

19

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WHITF IELD COUNTY
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Qu adra ng le co verage of Catoosa

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Dashed where approximate l y located; queried whe re doubt ful.
-- - + - - U, uplh rown side; D, downth ro wn side. T, upper plat e

A symmetr ic ant icline

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2 MILES I

Sho w ing

trace

of

axial

plane

and

bea r ing and plunge

of

axis .

Approximat ely located . Short arrow indicates steeper

limb .
~ -+--

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__j_
Strike and dip of beds Beds r ight side up

Bose mop com pi I ed from U.S. Geological Survey and Tennesse e Volley Authority 7fminule-quodrongles.
Geology by Charles W. Cressler, 1958-60

Horizontal beds . 24
. 3 Drilled well
Dug we ll
~
Spring

A Missiona ry
/ Ridge

Chickamauga Volley

Boynton Ridge
I

Peovin e Volley
I

Peovine Ridge
I

O.k

Whiteoak
Mountain
I

Sand Mountain
IPu/

r

SEA
LEVEL

Figure 2.-Map showing geo logy and we ll and spn ng locat ions, Catoosa County, Georgia .