PROJECT TITLE: THE SHALLOW MARINE TO TERRESTRIAL TRANSITION OF LATE DEVONIAN-EARLY MISSISSIPPIAN SEDIMENTARY ROCKS IN THE JERRYS RUN 7.5 QUADRANGLEPROJECT PERIOD: JUNE 1, 2024- MAY 31, 2025THIS PROJECT WILL SUPPORT REED PEACE, AN UNDERGRADUATE GEOLOGY STUDENT AT RADFORD UNIVERSITY IN CONDUCTING DETAILED MAPPING OF THE WOLF HILLS SYNCLINE IN WEST-CENTRAL ALLEGHANY COUNTY, VIRGINIA. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE IS TO PRODUCE A 1:24000 SCALE MAP OF THE STRUCTURE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AN EFFORT TO CLARIFY INCONSISTENCIES ACROSS BOUNDARIES AND SCALES WITH REGARD TO CHARACTERISTIC SEDIMENTARY ROCK TYPES IN THE LATEST DEVONIAN AND EARLY MISSISSIPPIAN UNITS OF THE AREA. THE PROJECT AIMS TO DISCRIMINATE MARGINAL MARINE VS. TERRESTRIAL ENVIRONMENTS CONTAINED WITHIN THE BRALLIER, FOREKNOBS, HAMPSHIRE, AND PRICE FORMATIONS IN THE JERRYS RUN 7.5 QUADRANGLE. ONE OUTCOME OF THE STUDY WILL BE TO DEFINITIVELY DETERMINE IF THE HAMPSHIRE FORMATION IS STILL PRESENT AT THIS LOCATION, OR IF IT HAS PINCHED OUT FURTHER TO THE NORTH OF I-64 AS INDICATED BY SOME MAPS IN WEST VIRGINIA. IT WILL FURTHER HELP FUTURE MAPPERS IN THEIR EFFORTS TO DETECT THE NATURE OF THE CONTACTS BETWEEN THESE UNITS, AS THEY ARE MORE SUBTLE IN THIS REGION THAN EXPRESSED IN THEIR CORRELATIVE EQUIVALENTS IN THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN APPALACHIANS. THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE VALUABLE MAPPING EXPERIENCE TO AN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT AT RADFORD UNIVERSITY, INCLUDING THE USE OF MODERN MAPPING TECHNIQUES AND INTEGRATION WITH A GIS DATABASE. WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF DR. RYAN SINCAVAGE, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF GEOLOGY AT RADFORD UNIVERSITY, DR. DAN DOCTOR, RESEARCH GEOLOGIST AT USGS, AND MR. ALEX GRAY, GEOLOGIST AT USGS, MR PEACE WILL USE HIGH PRECISION GPS UNITS TO MAP DETAILED OBSERVATIONS OF THE SEDIMENTARY UNITS EXPOSED IN THE MAP AREA. THESE OBSERVATIONS WILL BE MADE IN CONJUNCTION WITH LIDAR IMAGERY OF THE FIELD SITE. THESE HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGES HAVE SHOWN TO BE USEFUL IN IDENTIFYING AND TRACING KEY GEOLOGIC CONTACTS IN AREAS WITH THICK VEGETATION. DELIVERABLES FOR THE PROJECT WILL BE A 1:24000 SCALE GEOLOGIC BEDROCK MAP OF THE WOLF HILLS SYNCLINE WITHIN THE JERRYS RUN 7.5-MINUTE QUADRANGLE, AND A DETAILED MEASURED STRATIGRAPHIC SECTION TO COMPLEMENT THE MAP.