Outcrop and Hand Sample Photos and Videos

Click on the image to enlarge.

This is a shale / mudstone which is part of the Unicoi Formation.  This rock, plus the Unicoi 2 and Unicoi 3 samples (see next pages), plus some sandstones, are all present in one glorious section of roadcut along Rt. 21 north of Independence, VA.  The Unicoi Formation is roughly equivalent to the Chilhowee Group of Skyline Drive and the Shenandoah Valley.

Thin Section Photos and Videos

Click on the image to make it larger. 1st = plane polarized light; 2nd = cross-polarized light.

I didn’t make thin section close-ups for this one.  It is very fine-grained.  The laminate bedding of the mudstone is clearly

Entire thin section scan. 1st = ppl; 2nd = xpl. Click on the image to make it larger.