Mechanics of Appalachian Folding as Illustrated by Sequatchie Anticline, Tennessee and Alabama

Abstract

ABSTRACT There is controversy as to whether the folds of the Appalachian Valley and Ridge province reach to the crystalline basement and are controlled by it, or whether they are independent of the basement, all the deformation having taken place within the overlying sediments. The Sequatchie anticline of Tennessee and Alabama has been cited as evidence by proponents of both schools of thought. The theory of the second school, as developed by Rich, requires transverse faults at each end of the fold. These faults are present, though their significance has been overlooked. Further application of the theory to the Sequatchie anticline suggests the presence of two windows comparable with the oil-bearing windows of Lee County, Virginia.