Sedimentology and Stratigraphy

Knapp Formation (Glenn, 1903)

Lithology.  The type section of the Knapp Formation is reported to occur along the north-trending Fourmile Road, which connects the town of Knapp Creek to the city of Olean.  The type locality does not exist in the present day.  Careful examination of the roadside does not reveal the presence of a flat-pebble conglomerate.  Farther downsection on Fourmile Road, the contact between the Cattaraugus Formation red interbeds and the Oswayo Formation gray interbeds in observed.  An exposure of the Knapp Formation was found on top of Moore Ridge in the Olean quadrangle.  The conglomerate bed consisted of poorly cemented, white cloudy quartz clasts in a matrix of white coarse sand.  The exposure outcropped stratigraphically below outcrops of Olean Conglomerate that were exposed on the same ridge.  Underlying the friable exposure of the conglomerate was a gray interbedded section that was interpreted as being the top of the Oswayo.  The lithology of the exposure on Moore Ridge is an oligomict, quartz paraconglomerate; the matrix of coarse-grained sand was greater than 15%, allowing the outcrop to readily erode.  Clasts within the outcrop were large oblate quartz pebbles ranging from 0.5 to 2 centimeters in size.  Bedding observed in the outcrop was tabular cross-beds.

Ichnology.  No traces fossils were observed at the single outcrop of the Knapp Formation.

Interpreted Depositional Environment.  Due to the limited exposure the interpretation of the Knapp Formation is discussed with the interpretation of the Olean Conglomerate as the two units have similar lithological characteristic.

 

Knapp Formation

 

Poorly exposed in outcrop, the Knapp Fm. is another thick conglomerate, similar to both the Salamanca/Wolf Creek

conglomerate and the Olean conglomerate.  In the quarry exposure on top of Moore Ridge in the

Olean quadrangle, the clasts and the matrix are distinctive from the overlying Olean

Conglomerate by possessing a “dirtier” matrix and clasts

that are not all white cloudy quartz.

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