Field Trip Guidebooks

Geologic field trip guidebooks provide a wealth of information. The publications listed on this page were prepared for professional meetings regarding the geology of North Carolina. Some of these guidebooks are now out-of-print and are not scheduled for reprinting, however, we may have electronic versions of these out-of-print publications, please contact us for availability. Guidebooks with their titles hyperlinked below are available as hard-copy versions from the North Carolina Geological Survey's Geological Survey Shop. Note that the guidebooks prepared for annual meetings of the Carolina Geological Society are available in Adobe PDF format from their website.

By providing these publications, the North Carolina Geological Survey does not necessarily agree with the content, interpretations or conclusions of the authors; thus the North Carolina Geological Survey does not necessarily endorse new stratigraphic nomenclature, formation names, etc. that have not been peer-reviewed in formal publications, and may disagree with peer-reviewed stratigraphic nomenclature, formation names, etc. that have been reviewed by parties external to the North Carolina Geological Survey.

Carolina Geological Society Field Trip Guidebooks

See the Carolina Geological Society web site for field trip guidebooks from 2006 to present.

Hatcher, R.D., Jr., and Merschat, A.J.,(editors), 2005. Blue Ridge Geology Geotraverse East of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Western North Carolina. Carolina Geological Society: Durham.

An Adobe PDF document is available for this guidebook from the Carolina Geological Society

Stewart, K.G., Adams, M.G., and Trupe, C.H.(editors), 1997. Paleozoic Structure, Metamorphism, and Tectonics of the Blue Ridge of Western North Carolina. Carolina Geological Society: Durham.

An Adobe PDF document is available for this guidebook from the Carolina Geological Society
 

Stoddard, E. F., and Blake, D. E. (editors). 1994. Geology and field trip guide, western flank of the Raleigh metamorphic belt, North Carolina. Carolina Geological Society: Durham.

An Adobe PDF document is available for this guidebook from the Carolina Geological Society
 

Hatcher, R. D., and Davis, T.L., (editors), 1993. Studies of Inner Piedmont geology with a focus on the Columbus Promontory. Carolina Geological Society: Durham.

An Adobe PDF document for the text, and a geologic map (*.tif and *.pdf) are available from the Carolina Geological Society
 

This guidebook discusses structural and stratigraphic relationships in the western Inner Piedmont in the Columbus Promontory, in the Hendersonville-Tryon area, North Carolina.

Kish, S. A., (editor), 1991. Studies of Precambrian and Paleozoic stratigraphy in the western Blue Ridge. Carolina Geological Society: Durham.

An Adobe PDF document is available for this guidebook from the Carolina Geological Society
 

Wiener, L. S., and Merschat, C. E. 1990. Geology of Grenville-age Basement and Younger Cover Rocks in the West Central Blue Ridge, North Carolina. Carolina Geological Society: Durham.

An Adobe PDF document is available for this guidebook from the Carolina Geological Society
 

This field trip stops are selected to show: 1) the variable character of the high metamorphic grade, Grenville-age basement rocks; 2) relations at the faulted and folded basement-cover contact; and 3) the contrasting effects of Barrovian Paleozoic metamorphism on the basement and cover.

Owens, J. P., and Sohl, N. K., 1989. Campanian and Maastrichtian depositional systems of the Black Creek Group of the Carolinas.Carolina Geological Society: Durham.

An Adobe PDF document is available for this guidebook from the Carolina Geological Society
 

The authors of this report suggest that the Cretaceous units of North Carolina's Coastal Plain fit well into a deltaic shelf model of sedimentation. They disagree with previously advanced models such as that in which the Middendorf, Black Creek, and Peedee formations were interpreted as time-transgressive units representing a single cycle of marine transgression. The Black Creek Formation is also raised to Group Rank. Owens and Sohl propose that number of cycles of sedimentation can be recognized within the Cretaceous section; most of these cycles are separated by disconformities.

Hatcher, R. D., 1988 (editor). Structure of the Sauratown Mountains Window, North Carolina. Carolina Geological Society: Durham.

An Adobe PDF document for the text, and associated maps (*.tif and *.pdf) are available from the Carolina Geological Society
 

The authors confirm the basic ideas of Bryant and Reed, namely, (1) that the Brevard fault is unrelated to the Sauratown Mountains, the (2) the Stoney Ridge fault is a relatively minor structure -- despite impressive cataclasite that occurs along it -- and that the Inner Piedmont stratigraphy is the same as that in the Blue Ridge and probably the Smith River allochthon. Four papers are contained in the guidebook.

Lewis, S. E. 1983, (editor).Geologic investigations in the Blue Ridge of northwestern North Carolina. Carolina Geological Society: Durham. **OUT-OF-PRINT**

An Adobe PDF document is available for this guidebook from the Carolina Geological Society
 

Baum, G. R. and others, 1979 (editors).Structural and stratigraphic framework of the Coastal Plain for North Carolina. Carolina Geological Society in cooperation with the Atlantic Coastal Plain Geological Association: Durham.**OUT-OF-PRINT**

An Adobe PDF document is available for this guidebook from the Carolina Geological Society
 

Bain, G. L, and Harvey, B. W. (editors), 1977. Field guide to the geology of the Durham Triassic basin.Carolina Geological Society: Durham.**OUT-OF-PRINT**

An Adobe PDF document is available for this guidebook from the Carolina Geological Society
 

The field trip is designed to show the results of geophysical work, interrelationships of the different facies present in the basin and the refined stratigraphic concepts derived from them. The geophysical flavor of this field trip guidebook includes the following techniques: aeromagnetic mapping, sidelooking airborne radar (SLAR), Landsat photo-lineament interpretation, seismic profiling, electrical sounding and gravity mapping. The field trip is in the Durham-Wadesboro basin.

Kish, S.A., Merschat, C. E., Mohr, D. W., and Wiener, L. S. (editors), 1975.Guide to the geology of the Blue Ridge south of the Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina. Carolina Geological Society: Durham.**OUT-OF-PRINT**

An Adobe PDF document is available for this guidebook from the Carolina Geological Society
 

Daniels, Ronald B., and Gamble, E. E. 1972. Carolina Geological Society and Atlantic Coastal Plain GeologicalAssociation Guidebook. Carolina Geological Society in cooperation with the Atlantic Coastal Plain Geological Association: Durham.

An Adobe PDF document is available for this guidebook from the Carolina Geological Society

The geology of the Coastal Plain from the sounds near New Bern to the Piedmont within Wake County is discusses. The major purpose of the authors' work is to help decipher the relationship between the geology and geomorphology of the Coastal Plain and to determine their influence on the genesis and distributions of soils. Work concentrated on "surficials;" soil terminology is used extensively.

Rower, W. R. and Forrest, J. T., 1971. Stratigraphy and structure of the Murphy belt, North Carolina. Carolina Geological Society: Durham.

An Adobe PDF document is available for this guidebook from the Carolina Geological Society
 

This field trip guidebook presents the results of geologic mapping in seven quadrangles in the Murphy belt, North Carolina. The focus is stratigraphy and nomenclature.

Thayer, P. A., Kirstein, D. S., and Ingrahm, R.L. (editors), 1970. Stratigraphy,sedimentology and economic geology of the Dan River basin, NorthCarolina.Carolina Geological Society: Durham.

An Adobe PDF document is available for this guidebook from the Carolina Geological Society
 

Rankin, Douglas (editor), 1967.Guide to the geology of the Mount Rogers area, Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee.Carolina Geological Society: Durham. **OUT-OF-PRINT**

An Adobe PDF document is available for this guidebook from the Carolina Geological Society

This field trip is on the Blue Ridge and includes parts of Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. The area covered by the field trips extends from the unmetamorphosed Paleozoic rocks of the Valley and Ridge belt on the northwest, across the Unaka belt, and into the Precambrian crystalline rocks of the Blue Ridge belt. Rocks of this area include a thick mass of upper Precambrian stratified rocks, the Mount Rogers Group. The focus is structure and stratigraphy.

Legrand, H. E., and Bell, Henry III, 1966. Guidebook of excursion in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. Carolina Geological Society: Durham.

An Adobe PDF document is available for this guidebook from the Carolina Geological Society

This field trip is in the Piedmont Province of North Carolina in the vicinity of Concord, Cabarrus County. The field trip's topic include: 1) rock types and structures, 2) the syenite ring dike, 3) a widespread granite-diorite complex, 4) results of geochemical reconnaissance for ore deposits, 5) subsurface profiles of the weathered zone, of the water table, and of the water-bearing fracture zone, and 6) geomorphology.

Bain, G. L., Allen, E. P., Wilson, W. F., and Butler, J. R., 1964. Road log of the Chatham, Randolph, and Orange county areas, North Carolina.Carolina Geological Society: Durham.

An Adobe PDF document is available for this guidebook from the Carolina Geological Society
 

This field trip presents results of geologic mapping in Chatham, Orange, Durham, Randolph, and Person counties, North Carolina done as part of a groundwater study by the US Geological Survey. The field trip discusses stratigraphy, structure, and origin of the area.

Conley, J. F., 1962. Road log of the geology of Moore County, North Carolina. Carolina Geological Society: Durham.

An Adobe PDF document is available for this guidebook from the Carolina Geological Society
 

Bryant, Bruce, and Reed, John C. 1960. Road log of the Grandfather Mountain area, North Carolina. Carolina Geological Society: Durham. **OUT-OF-PRINT**

An Adobe PDF document is available for this guidebook from the Carolina Geological Society
 

The authors' geologic mapping in four quadrangles is the basis for this field trip on the geology, structure and stratigraphy of the Grandfather Mountain area, North Carolina.

Stromquist, Arvid A., and Conley, James F. 1959. Geology of the Albemarle and Denton quadrangles, North Carolina. Carolina Geological Society: Durham. **OUT-OF-PRINT**

An Adobe PDF document is available for this guidebook from the Carolina Geological Society
 

This field trip is an introduction to the structure and stratigraphy of the Carolina Slate Belt rocks in the central Piedmont of North Carolina.

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Geological Society of America Field Trip Guidebooks

Hoffman, C.W. (editor), 2001. Field Trip Guidebook, 50th Annual Meeting, Southeastern Section Geological Society of America. Raleigh, North Carolina.

This 50th annivsary field trip guidebook contains a diverse set of 9 trips ranging in location and topic from the Blue Ridge of northern Georgia and western North Carolina to the Piedmont of North Carolina and Virginia to the Coastal Plain of North Carolina.

Dennison, John, and Stewart, K.G., (editors). 1992. Geologic field guides to North Carolina and vicinity. Geological Society of America: Boulder, Colorado.

This comprehensive field trip guidebook includes thirteen field trip guides as part of the 1992 Southeastern Geological Society of America, Eastern Section; Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists; and Southeastern Section, The Paleontological Society 1992 meeting in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Burt, E.R. III (editor). 1977. Field guides for the Geological Society of America's Southeastern Section meeting, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Geological Society of America: Boulder, Colorado.

This field trip guidebook is the result of geologic mapping in the Asheboro 15-minute quadrangle. The report includes radiometric dates.

Parker, J. M., and Broadhurst, S.D., (editors). 1959. Guidebook for Piedmont field trip, featuring metamorphic facies in the Raleigh area, N.C. Geological Society of America: Boulder, Colorado.

This field trip guidebook on the metamorphic geology of the Raleigh area, Wake County, North Carolina. The field trip starts from Chapel Hill and runs eastward to Rolesville. The route crosses the Triassic sediments of the Durham basin and then traverses a metamorphic sequence into a large granitic pluton.

Stuckey, J. L., Parker, J.M. III, Mann, V.I., and Broadhurst, S.D., 1955. Piedmont field trip, April 9 -- Southeastern Section, Geological Society of America Guidebook Geological Society of America: Boulder, Colorado.

This field trip guidebook has six stops and features volcanic slate-belt rocks in portions of Orange and Chatham Counties, North Carolina.

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Association of American State Geologists Field Trip Guidebooks

Weiner, L. S. and Merschat, C. E. 1990. Guidebook to the central Blue Ridge of North Carolina and the Spruce Pine mining district. North Carolina Geological Survey: Raleigh. **OUT-OF-PRINT** PDF

This publication was prepared for the Association of American State Geologists' annual meeting held in Asheville, North Carolina, May, 1975. It was updated and published in 1977, and underwent additional revision and was reissued in 1990.

This publication provides a concise summary of the geologic history of the Blue Ridge of North Carolina, and summarizes the geology, economic geology and mineral beneficiation. The Spruce Pine district, the principle feldspar producing area in North America, covers approximately 300 square miles in the mountains of western North Carolina. Feldspar, muscovite mica, kaolin, quartz, and olivine provide the bulk of the mineral extracted from the region. Other minerals produced in much smaller amounts include anthophyllite asbestos, hallosite, chromite, vermiculite, kyanite, soapstone, columbite, and samarskite. The area is a favorite of many rock hounds; emerald and aquamarine are among the more unusual specimens found.

Weiner, L. S. and Merschat, C. E., 1975. Guidebook to the central Blue Ridge of North Carolina and the Spruce Pine mining district. North Carolina Geological Survey: Raleigh. **OUT-OF-PRINT** PDF

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Miscellaneous Field Trip Guidebooks

Clark, T. W. (editor), 1997.TRIBI: Triassic Basin Initiative -- Workshop and field trip in the Deep River Triassic basin, North Carolina.

**OUT-OF-PRINT**  PDF Abstracts with Programs and Field Trip Guidebook. Duke University: Raleigh.

This publication presents the abstracts of twelve abstracts on diverse topics in the Deep River basin, North Carolina. The report also contains descriptions of six field trip stops.

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