Salina Group
| Salina Group | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Homerian-Přídolí ~ | |
Halite (Salina Group, Silurian; Detroit Salt Company mine, Detroit, Michigan, USA) | |
| Type | Geological group |
| Unit of | Cayugan Series |
| Sub-units | Appalachian Basin & Michigan Basin
Illinois Basin
|
| Underlies | Helderberg Group |
| Overlies | Lockport Group & Bloomsburg Formation |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Dolomite & Shale |
| Other | Anhydrite, Limestone, Gypsum & Halite |
| Location | |
| Region | Appalachian Basin & Michigan Basin of eastern North America |
| Country | United States of America and Canada |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Salt found within the formation |
| Named by | James Dwight Dana |
The Salina Group or Salina Formation is a Late Silurian-age, stratigraphic unit of sedimentary rock that is found in Northeastern and Midwestern North America. Named for its Halite beds, the phrase "Salina Group" was first used as a descriptive term by James D. Dana in 1863.
The Salina is an extensive formation. It ranges from West Virginia up through Pennsylvania into Ohio and then Michigan in the United States, and from Pennsylvania into New York. It is also found in the Canadian province of Ontario. (See Figure 1.)
The thickness of the Salina Group varies greatly within the two basins, ranging from 84 feet in the southwestern corner of Michigan to an estimated 5,000 feet in that state's Gladwin County.
This formation is of economic importance for salt mining, oil reservoir creation, gypsum mining, and potential natural gas storage. Research has also been done on the viability of storing radioactive waste in the salt beds of the Salina.