Copies of this guide and nine related articles are available for 15$ as volumes 37 and 38 (a single issue) of South Carolina Geology from the South Carolina Geological Survey, 5 Geology Road, Columbia, South Carolina, 29210.
GEOLOGY OF THE WESTERN PART OF THE CAROLINA TERRANE IN NORTHWESTERN SOUTH CAROLINA: 1995 CAROLINA GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY FIELD TRIP
Allen J. Dennis adennis@univscvm.csd.sc.edu
(Stops 1-2, 4-8, 10-12), Department of Biology and Geology, University of South Carolina-Aiken, Aiken, SC 29801-6309
J. Robert Butler (Stops 3-4), Department of Geology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Garihan, J.M., Ranson, W.A., and Kenneth A. Sargent (Stop 9), Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Furman University, Greenville, SC 29613
SATURDAY ROAD LOG
Begins at intersection of Main and Pine, downtown Spartanburg.
Travel south and east on US 176. Go 7.7 (7.7) miles and turn left onto Quarry Road. Go 1.0 miles (8.7) and turn left into STOP 1 (Vulcan Materials Pacolet Quarry).
Turn right out of quarry and go 1.0 (9.7) miles to US 176. Turn left onto US 176. Go 8.1 (17.8) miles and turn left onto Forest St. (S-44-12). At 0.8 (18.6) mile continue/bear right on Forest St. At 0.3 (18.9) mile, turn right on SC 9. At 1.1 (20.0) miles continue straight on SC 9. At 7.6 (27.6) miles turn right onto Hyder Road. Continue down 0.5 (28.1) mile to end of road. Park and walk west about 100 m into old quarry STOP 2 (Hyder Bald Rock Quarry).
Drive 0.4 (28.5) back out and turn right onto SC 9. Cross Broad River at 5.8 (34.3) miles. Turn right onto Chester bypass at 14.0 (48.3) miles. At 3.7 (52.0) miles, turn right and rejoin SC 9. Turn left onto Meador St (S-12-74) at 3.6 (55.6) miles, and at 0.1 (55.7) mile park left off into grassy field. Walk down to rail siding: STOP 3 (Chester metagabbro).
Return to SC 9 0.1 (55.8) and turn right onto it. At 3.5 (59.3) miles turn left onto 72/121/9 bypass. At 3.0 (62.3) miles turn left onto 72/121. At 1.4 (63.7) miles, Chester State Park. At 9.4 (73.1) miles turn right (S-12-25) for Woods Ferry Recreation Area. At 5.6 (78.7) miles turn left onto road to Woods Ferry Rec. Area. At 0.2 (78.9) mile, Fire Tower, Leeds Hunt Camp on left. At 1.1 (80.0) miles turn left onto Forest Rd 304. At 0.5 (80.5) miles bear right and continue 1.0 (81.5) mile to Neal Shoals, park. STOP 4 (Charlotte Belt intrusive complex).
Return to S-12-25 (2.8/84.3) miles. Turn right onto S-12-25 and after 5.6 (89.9) miles, turn right onto 121/72. At 5.1 (95.0) miles, bear right on 215. At 8.7 (113.7) miles, bear left on 215. At 3.0 (116.7) miles, bear left, continue on 215. At 3.1 (119.8) miles, turn left. At 3.4 (123.2) miles, bear right on S-44-23 Mudbridge Road. At 6.1 (129.3) miles, turn right on S-44-12. At 0.5 (129.8) mile, turn left onto Lancaster Road. Stop at Log House at 0.4 mile (130.2). Follow track behind house to STOP 5 (McClure Creek mafic metavolcanic rocks intruded by foliated biotite porphyry granodiorite).
Return to S-44-12 (0.4/130.6 miles). Turn left and park 0.4 (131.0) mile at gate on left for McClure Creek Hunt Club. Walk down track and turn right at second deer stand and follow hill down to creek: STOP 6 (Undeformed, unmetamorphosed diorite containing foliated xenoliths and equant mafic enclaves).
Continue straight on S-44-12 and turn right onto S-44-12 at 0.7 (131.7) miles, crossing Fairforest Creek. At 0.2 (131.9) mile park at McClure Creek Hunt Club gate: STOP 7 (Mean Crossroads metadiorite-diorite gneiss).
Turn around and follow S-44-12, turning left after crossing Fairforest Creek and continuing to follow S-44-12, past Lancaster and Mudbridge Roads, to its intersection with 215 (3.8/135.7 miles). Turn left on 215 and continue for 2.8 (138.5) miles to S-44-25. At 1.1 (139.6) miles, turn left on S-44-33; at 1.9 (141.5) miles turn right onto S-44-210. At 0.7 (142.2) miles, begins abundant gabbro outcrop, and at 0.3 (142.5) miles felsic intrusive rocks. STOP 8: Buffalo gabbro and associated felsic rocks.
Return to intersection with 215 (4.0/146.5), and turn left. Follow 215 to 56 at Pauline, and continue on 56 to Spartanburg, Routes 9 and 176.
END OF SATURDAY ROAD LOG.
SUNDAY ROAD LOG.
Sunday Road Log begins Exit 44 (SC 49) on I-26 south of Spartanburg.
Follow SC 49 south and west to Laurens (6.4 miles to I-385 intersection). At 2.6 (9.0) miles turn left onto US 221. At 1.5 (10.5) miles turn right onto US 76.
The following three sentences trace the 76 bypass around Laurens to where SC 252 separates from US 76 west of Laurens. Bear right at 0.8 (11.3) mile, and turn left at 0.2 (11.5). Turn right at 1.2 (12.7) miles, and left onto SC 252 at 1.4 (14.1) miles. At 9.4 (23.5) miles, turn left onto Poplar Springs Road (S-30-64). At 1.2 (24.7) miles turn left onto Gilbert Road. Continue 0.95 (25.7) miles to the end of the gravel road. Park in the yard of the log home of Gerald and Diane Mitchell, and walk downhill about 300 m south of the house. STOP 9: Masters Kiln and marbles.
Retrace route back to SC 49 - I-26 intersection (25.7/51.4 miles). Continue on SC 49 3.1 (54.5) miles to Cross Anchor. Turn right at Cross Anchor onto SC 56. At 1.8 (56.3) miles bear right onto Horseshoe Falls Road. At 1.4 (57.7) miles cross bridge over Cedar Shoals Creek and 0.3 (58.0) miles park for STOP 10: Inner Piedmont gneisses at Cedar Shoals.
Retrace route to SC 56 and continue north (1.7/59.7 miles). At 5.0 (64.7) miles turn right onto Blackstock Road (S-42-115, Woodsmen Sportsmen Club sign). At 0.8 (65.5) mile, just past bridge over Hackers Creek, pull off at gate on left hand side of road, and hike about 300 m northeast to STOP 11: Hackers Creek folded mylonite.
Return to SC 56 and turn right (0.8/66.3 miles). At 1.7 (68.0) miles fork right onto S-42-511 (Shealton Road), and right onto Toal Road at 0.3 (68.3) miles. Park either at bridge (0.5/68.5 miles) or at gate near Westvaco property line (0.3 mile past bridge/68.8). Stay on Westvaco property and proceed south to STOP 12: metavolcanic rock outcrops on Dutchman Creek.
Return to SC 56 (not bearing left onto Shealton Road, but continuing straight on Toal), and turn right, proceeding north to Spartanburg and SC 9.
END OF TRIP
References Cited
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