The Cayugan Series contains a number of carbonate, shale and evaporite formations of the upper Silurian System of sedimentary strata in eastern North America.[1] It was formed during a period of marine transgression, and is near the end of the placid shallow marine environments of the Cambrian through Ordovician periods. The end of the Taconic orogeny marks the beginning of the Cayugan. A number of changes were taking place as the Iapetus Ocean was slowly shrinking. The north end of the sea had already closed. At the end of the Silurian and of the Cayugan Series, the Iapetus Ocean had entirely closed, leaving behind the Iapetus Suture. A result of being closed at one end was that fluctuations in sea level allowed for large parts of the Appalachian and Michigan basins to form large evaporite deposits. All of these deposits are found with in the Salina Group. While the Salina covers an area from New York to Illinois south into Kentucky and Tennessee, the evaporites are primarily found in western New York, western and central Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and north western West Virginia. As well as in the Michigan Basin.

Cayugan Series
Stratigraphic range: Gorstian-Přídolí
~427–419.2 Ma
TypeSeries
Unit ofTippecanoe sequence
Sub-unitsAkron Formation, Bertie Formation, Camillus Formation, Syracuse Formation and Vernon Shale
UnderliesLower Devonian
OverliesNiagaran Series
Lithology
PrimaryDolomite, Limestone
OtherShale, Halite, Anhydrite, Gypsum
Location
Region Indiana
 Illinois
 Ohio
 New York
 Pennsylvania
 West Virginia
Ontario
CountryUnited States
Canada
Type section
Named forCayuga, NY
Named byClarke and Schuchert, 1899

References

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  1. ^ Harold L. Alling (2), Louis I. Brig (1961). "Stratigraphy of Upper Silurian Cayugan Evaporites". AAPG Bulletin. 45. doi:10.1306/bc743673-16be-11d7-8645000102c1865d. ISSN 0149-1423.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)