ANALYSIS OF UPPER MISSISSIPPIAN OSTRACODES FROM THE BLUEFIELD FORMATION IN MERCER COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA

Ostracodes found throughout the Carboniferous period are important biostratigraphic markers and paleoenvironmental indicators due to their abundance and high species variation. The Bluefield Formation is the lithologically variable basal unit of the Mauch Chunk Group (Chesterian, upper Mississippian) comprised primarily of calcareous shale with intermittent sequences of limestone and sandstone. The formation, which extends from southeastern West Virginia through southeastern Kentucky, represents a near-shore deltaic system formed during the transition from a transgressive marine depositional environment, to regressive deltaic deposits. Ostracode samples were collected from the Bluefield Formation in Mercer County West Virginia for taxonomic and biofacies analysis. Ostracodes found in the Bluefield Formation will be correlated with species found elsewhere within the Mauch Chunk Group to get a better understanding of taxonomic diversity throughout upper Mississippian age stratigraphy in the Appalachian Basin. Additionally, analysis of both freshwater and saltwater ostracode species will allow for higher resolution interpretation of depositional packages in the Bluefield Formation.