Geology of Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
The geology of Oklahoma is characterized by Carboniferous
rocks in the east, Permian
rocks in the center and towards the west, and a cover of Tertiary
deposits in the pan handle to the west. Cretaceous
sediments are found in the south east. There are also some areas with older outcrops dating back to Cambrian
, and even one area of Precambrian
igneous rocks.
U.S. Geological Survey
Oklahoma - Digital Geologic Map Database http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2003/ofr-03-247/OK_map.pdf (19 MB).
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
rocks in the east, Permian
Permian
The PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Sir R. I. Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian...
rocks in the center and towards the west, and a cover of Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
deposits in the pan handle to the west. Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
sediments are found in the south east. There are also some areas with older outcrops dating back to Cambrian
Cambrian
The Cambrian is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting from Mya ; it is succeeded by the Ordovician. Its subdivisions, and indeed its base, are somewhat in flux. The period was established by Adam Sedgwick, who named it after Cambria, the Latin name for Wales, where Britain's...
, and even one area of Precambrian
Precambrian
The Precambrian is the name which describes the large span of time in Earth's history before the current Phanerozoic Eon, and is a Supereon divided into several eons of the geologic time scale...
igneous rocks.
Source
Oklahoma Geological SurveyU.S. Geological Survey
Oklahoma - Digital Geologic Map Database http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2003/ofr-03-247/OK_map.pdf (19 MB).