A New Ohio Geological Survey Bulletin Explores the Late

THE LATE FAMENNIAN CLEVELAND MEMBER
OF THE OHIO SHALE IN NORTHERN OHIO;
BULLETIN-74
Matthew Erenpreiss
OUTLINE
 Background
 Chapter
 Field
Overviews
Sites
 Moving
Forward
BACKGROUND AND CONTENT

Bulletin 74 (B-74)
First came to the Survey in 2007
 Envisioned by Joe Hannibal at the Cleveland
Museum of Natural History
 A One Stop Shop; Everything you need to know about
the Cleveland Member of the Ohio Shale
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10 Chapters
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Intro and History
Stratigraphy
Cone-in-Cone and Concretions
Palaeontological Investigations
Vertebrate Fauna
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Invertebrate and Plants
Algal Cysts
Depositional Geochemistry
Petroleum Geochemistry
Field Trip
HISTORICAL STUDIES
WRITTEN BY: JOSEPH T. HANNIBAL

History of Names
Cleveland Shale was first used by John S. Newberry
in an 1870 report
 In 1874 Newberry notes the best exposure in East
Cleveland along Doan Brook (Accepted Type Section)
 Orton, In 1888 was the first to Group the Huron,
Cleveland, and Chagrin Members into the Ohio Shale
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Cleveland Member
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Olmstead Bed (Lower Part of Cleveland Member)
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Black Shale containing beds of blue shale, thin grey
sandstones, and thin calcareous beds of Cone-in-Cone
Skinners Run bed (Adheres to base of Cleveland)
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Pyritic bed – Lag deposit with a concentration of fossils
STRATIGRAPHY AND
DEPOSITION OF THE
CLEVELAND MEMBER
WRITTEN BY: GORDON C. BAIRD
Berea Sandstone
 Bedford Shale

Red Bedford
 Grey Bedford
 (Bluestone)
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Cleveland Member
Olmsted Bed
 Skinners Run bed
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Chagrin Member
Baird and others, 2013
CLEVELAND MEMBER
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Cleveland Member, Olmstead Bed, Skinners Run bed
CONE-IN-CONE AND CONCRETIONS
WRITTEN BY: EVAN E. SCOTT AND DOUG W. DUNN
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Carbonate structures are found throughout the
Cleveland Member and are one of the most conspicuous
elements
Cone-In-Cone
Nested cones often composed of fibrous calcite separated by
argillaceous sheaths
 Proposed Genesis includes lithostatic pressure, gaseous
escape, crystallization, and dewatering. Most agree a change
in pressure is an important aspect
 Fossils can sometimes be found on top or below cone in cone
layer
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Concretions
Concretions within the Cleveland can be almost spherical to
circular-to-oval discs
 Cleveland Member concretions tend to be dolomitic
 Have yielded a lot of fossil material (Arthrodires and Sharks)
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Field Stop 4, 5, and 7
PALEONTOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS
WRITTEN BY: JOSEPH T. HANNIBAL
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The Cleveland Member of the Ohio Shale has
been studied by geologists and palaeontologists
since the mid-1800s primarily for its variety of
fossil fish, including world-famous Dunkleosteus
terrelli.
Notable Geologists and Paleontologists:
John S. Newberry – Ohio’s 2nd State Geologist
 Charles Whittlesey – Ohio Geologist
 Herman Herzer – Discovered Dinichthys
 Jay Terrell – Dunkleosteus Terrelli
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Field Stop 3
VERTEBRATE FAUNA
WRITTEN BY: ROBERT K. CARR AND GARY L. JACKSON
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The Cleveland Member is world-famous for its vertebrate
fossils
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Evidence of 65 vertebrate taxa exists
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28 placoderms
32 chondrichthyans (Sharks)
5 osteichthyans
Placoderms are the most famous of the vertebrates
Sharks represent the largest variety of vertebrate species
Osteichthyans are less common and usually only disarticulated
scales or dermal bones
Field Stop 3
INVERTEBRATES AND PLANTS
WRITTEN BY: JOSEPH T. HANNIBAL
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Invertebrates
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The most common invertebrates are inarticulate
brachiopods
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Other invertebrates include arthropods such as
Concavicaris.
Plants
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The Cleveland Member contains a number of types of
fossil plants and invertebrates.
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Lingula and Orbiculoidea.
Not Very Abundant
Most fossil plants found in the Cleveland Member consist
of flattened, carbonized specimens.
Field Stop 3
ALGAL CYSTS
WRITTEN BY: WILMER C. STOWE

Based on the counts of 500 palynomorphs, 200 were
algal cysts and these were divided as follows
Tasmanites – 43%
 Leiophaeidia – 30.6%
 Fusiform Algae – 14.2%
 Unidentifiable algae – 12%
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Each are described and discussed
Some may be seen with the naked eye in bedding
planes of core but other are only visible under
magnification
GEOCHEMISTRY – DEPOSITION AND ACCUMULATION
WRITTEN BY: SUSAN M. RIMMER, HAROLD D. ROWE, SARAH J. HAWKINS,
AND HENRY FRANCIS
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Two transects, one traversing the outcrop belt in
Kentucky and one along the outcrop belt from
Kentucky to Northern Ohio
Compare the redox conditions from the distal area to
a close proximity to the Catskill Delta
Carbon – Sulfur – Iron Relationships
 Trace Metal Enrichment Ratios using the following
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Molybdenum
Vanadium
Zinc
Copper
Nickel
Chromium
Cobalt
ORGANIC GEOCHEMISTRY
WRITTEN BY: JOHN L. WICKS AND CHRIS D. LAUGHREY
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47 samples were taken from the Site 5 Outcrop at the
Rocky River Reservation

1” diameter x 6” core barrel was used to extract samples
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41 sample taken from Core OHLO-2
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Geochemical (TOC, Source Rock Eval) and XRD on core
and outcrop samples
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Data was correlated and compared with other downhole
data
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Discussion of the petroleum potential of the Cleveland
Member
FIELD TRIP GUIDE
WRITTEN BY: MATTHEW S. ERENPREISS AND AARON L. EVELSIZOR
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7 Noteworthy Locations of Northern Ohio
Guide will cross reference information provided
in the chapters
Intended to be a 2 day trip
Start in Euclid (East of Cleveland) moving
westward towards Vermillion in Lorain County
LOCATIONS OF FIELD SITES
EUCLID CREEK RESERVATION; SITE 1
EUCLID CREEK RESERVATION METROPARK
SITE 1

Welsh Woods, Wooden Marker #7, and Kelly Picnic Area
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Chagrin, Cleveland (Olmstead Bed & Skinners Run), Bedford
Cleveland (CLVD)
Chagrin (CGRN)
CLVD
CGRN
BDFD
CLVD
OSTD
CGRN
TRAVEL TO SITE 2; DOAN BROOK
DOAN BROOK, AMBLER PARK
SITE 2
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Cleveland Member Type Section
Cleveland
Member
Cleveland
Member
CLVD
CGRN
TRAVEL TO SITE 3 CMNH
CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
SITE 3

Vertebrate, Invertebrates, and Plants
Bothrodendron:
A club moss that grew up to
120 feet tall and often had a trunk
two feet or more in diameter.
Crinoid
Cephalaspida:
Jawless fish
Titanichthys:
Jawbone of a
Titanichthys. A marine
placoderm similar to the
Dunkleosteus.
Above: Cladoselache:
Devonian Shark
Left: Dunkleosteus terrelli:
Famous Devonian Placoderm
TRAVEL TO BROOKLYN HEIGHTS VILLAGE PARK
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS VILLAGE PARK WEST CREEK
SITE 4

Chagrin, Cleveland (Skinners Run)
CGRN
SKRN
CLVD
SKRN
TRAVEL TO ROCKY RIVER; FORT HILL
ROCKY RIVER RESERVATION METROPARK
SITE 5
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Cleveland Member & Olmstead Bed
Cone-in-Cone
Geochemistry and Mineralogy
Cleveland Member (Olmstead Bed)
CLVD
OSTD
TRAVEL TO SHELL COVE PARK
SHELL COVE PARK
SITE 6
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Lake Erie Shore Exposure
Near Location of the discovery of Dunkleosteus Terrelli
Cleveland Member
TRAVEL TO MILL HOLLOW BACON WOODS
MILL HOLLOW BACON WOODS
SITE 7
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Mineralogy and Concretions
BDFD
CLVD
BONUS STOP AT LAKE VIEW CEMETERY
WRITTEN BY: JOSEPH T. HANNIBAL
Gravesite of John S. Newberry, Charles Whittlesey,
and President James A. Garfield
 Their geologic contributions and explanation of the
significance in their final resting place
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MOVING FORWARD
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We plan to finish writing and compiling the text
within the coming months
All the text and figures will be edited and
compiled throughout the year
Stay tuned to the Ohio Geological Survey’s
website for any updates or news
www.OhioGeology.com
THANK YOU
QUESTIONS?