| Geology of the County | ||
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In Lyon County, water is obtained from consolidated sedimentary rocks of Mississippian age and from unconsolidated sediments of Cretaceous and Quaternary age. Geologists call the oldest rocks found at the surface in Lyon County the Fort Payne Formation. The most common rocks in Lyon County are Mississippian limestones, which were deposited 350 million years ago in the bottom of a warm, shallow sea. During the latter part of the Cretaceous Period, 130 million years ago, the Gulf of Mexico inundated much of the southern United States and covered all of the Jackson Purchase Region and some of the Mississippian Plateaus with sands, clays, and gravels. These geological deposits are a marked contrast to the underlying older hard rocks, because most of the Cretaceous and younger sediments remain unconsolidated and soft. Over the last million years, unconsolidated Quaternary sediments have been deposited along the larger streams and rivers. Geologic Formations in the County Limestones For more information, see the definitions of geologic terms and rock descriptions, a geologic map of Lyon County, a summary of the geology of Kentucky, and a discussion of fossils and prehistoric life in Kentucky. Previous--Next--Back to "Groundwater Resources in Kentucky"
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