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Introduction
The Panther Mountain Formation is a Devonian stratigraphic unit found in the Catskills region of New York State. The unit consists mostly of shale, with subordinate siltstone and sandstone. The formation ranges from 600-1500 ft (180-460m) in thickness and is a formation within the Hamilton Group.

Geographic Distribution
The Panther Mountain Formation is found in select counties distributed from the Mohawk Valley to the Catskill mountains of New York. The formation can be found in outcrop in Ulster, Greene and Schoharie counties in New York State. The Panther Mountain formation is laterally equivalent with the Mahantango shale and sandstones, as well as the Mount Marion shale and sandstone.

Discovery and History
G.A. Cooper first discovered and named the Panther Mountain Formation in 1933. He suggested the name as a way to distinguish between the Skaneateles/Ludlowville formation and the over-riding Solsville/Portland Point members. The formation is located near Panther Mountain, and due to this proximity Cooper chose to name the formation accordingly.

Stratigraphic History
Sediments the make up the Panther Mountain Formation were derived from the erosion of the Taconian mountains. Sediment eroded from the uplifted mountain range, and were transported towards a marine environment. The formation is characterized by large amounts of fossils found within the layers, providing the evidence for a marine depositional setting. After deposition, these sediments were uplifted during "phase II" of the Acadian orogenic event.

Underlying and Overlying Formations
Features underlying this formation are the Cherry Valley Limestone and the Bakoven Shale, both Members of the Hamilton Group and subgroups of the Marcellus shale. Both of these formations are of Devonian age, and consist of limestones and black shales. Overlaying the Panther Mountain Formation is the Cooperstown shale and sandstone and the Plattekill shale and sandstone. Contacts between the Panther Mountain Formation and surrounding formations are well-defined and sharp.

Formation Characteristics
The Panther Mountain Formation consists of a combination of shale and sandstone. Due to the depositional setting of the Formation, a complex variation in clastic lithologies characterizes the stratigraphy. Generally, bluish- gray silty shales which are interbedded  with thin, clay rich sandstone layers as well as thicker-bedded brownish-gray fine grained sandstones. Concretionary layers an thin coquinites are common. Various fossil species appear in the Formation, including many forms of brachiopods, pelecypods, bryozoans and crinoids. Each of these ancient paleo-species indicates deposition in a marine setting. Aside from fossils, the Panther Mountain formation contains many distinctive features. Within fine grained sandstones, flow roll beds or storm rollers are common. Flow rolls beds are contorted structures, and range from 1- 8 ft in thickness. Where the beds appear in thin bedded siltstones, there is a resemblance to spheroidal weathering. Surrounding layers are undisturbed, and contacts between layers are well defined. Cross-stratified layering and ripple marks are common in sandstone and shale layers.