Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

This site is currently in beta, and your feedback is helping shape its ongoing development.

Database for the geologic map of the South Boston 30' x 60' Quadrangle, Virginia and North Carolina

Published by U.S. Geological Survey | Department of the Interior | Metadata Last Checked: January 27, 2026 | Last Modified: 2022-03-16T00:00:00Z
The 1:100,000-scale geologic map of the South Boston 30' x 60' quadrangle, Virginia and North Carolina, provides geologic information for the Piedmont along the I-85 and U.S. Route 58 corridors and in the Roanoke River watershed, which includes the John H. Kerr Reservoir and Lake Gaston. The Raleigh terrane (located on the eastern side of the map) contains Neoproterozoic to early Paleozoic(?) polydeformed, amphibolite-facies gneisses and schists. The Carolina slate belt of the Carolina terrane (located in the central part of the map) contains Neoproterozoic metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks at greenschist facies. Although locally complicated, the slate-belt structure mapped across the South Boston map area is generally a broad, complex anticlinorium of the Hyco Formation (here called the Chase City anticlinorium) and is flanked to the west and east by synclinoria, which are cored by the overlying Aaron and Virgilina Formations. The western flank of the Carolina terrane (located in the western-central part of the map) contains similar rocks at higher metamorphic grade. This terrane includes epidote-amphibolite-facies to amphibolite-facies gneisses of the Neoproterozoic Country Line complex, which extends north-northeastward across the map. The Milton terrane (located on the western side of the map) contains Ordovician amphibolite-facies metavolcanic and metasedimentary gneisses of the Cunningham complex. Crosscutting relations and fabrics in mafic to felsic plutonic rocks constrain the timing of Neoproterozoic to late Paleozoic deformations across the Piedmont. In the eastern part of the map, a 5- to 9-kilometer-wide band of tectonic elements that contains two late Paleozoic mylonite zones (Nutbush Creek and Lake Gordon) and syntectonic granite (Buggs Island pluton) separates the Raleigh and Carolina terranes. Amphibolite-facies, infrastructural metaigneous and metasedimentary rocks east of the Lake Gordon mylonite zone are generally assigned to the Raleigh terrane. In the western part of the map area, a 5- to 8-kilometer-wide band of late Paleozoic tectonic elements includes the Hyco and Clover shear zones, syntectonic granitic sheets, and amphibolite-facies gneisses along the western margin of the Carolina terrane at its boundary with the Milton terrane. This band of tectonic elements is also the locus for early Mesozoic extensional faults associated with the early Mesozoic Scottsburg, Randolph, and Roanoke Creek rift basins. The map shows fluvial terrace deposits of sand and gravel on hills and slopes near the Roanoke and Dan Rivers. The terrace deposits that are highest in altitude are the oldest. Saprolite regolith is spatially associated with geologic source units and is not shown separately on the map. Mineral resources in the area include gneiss and granite quarried for crushed stone, tungsten-bearing vein deposits of the Hamme district, and copper and gold deposits of the Virgilina district. Surface-water resources are abundant and include rivers, tributaries, the John H. Kerr Reservoir, and Lake Gaston. Groundwater flow is concentrated in saprolite regolith, along fractures in the crystalline bedrock, and along fractures and bedding-plane partings in the Mesozoic rift basins.

Find Related Datasets

Click any tag below to search for similar datasets

30 x 60 minute Aaron Formation Aarons Creek Alkaline basalt Allen Creek Alluvium Amphibolite Argillite Armistead Branch Ashcake Creek Augen gneiss Averett Bagleys Mills Banister Lake Banister River Barnes Junction Basalt Baskerville Bears Element Creek Beaver Pond Beaver Pond Creek Beech Creek Bethel Hill Big Hounds Creek Big Juniper Creek Biotite gneiss Birch Creek Bishops Corner Black Walnut Creek Blackridge Blackstone Creek Blanes Millpond Bluestone Creek Bluestone Otter Creek Bluewing Creek Bowes Branch Boydton Bracey Brodnax Brunswick County Buckham Creek Buckhorn Creek Buckskin Creek Buffalo Creek Buffalo Junction Buffalo Springs Buggs Island Burton Branch Butcher Creek Cambrian Cargills Creek Carolina slate belt Carolina terrane Castle Creek Castle Heights Cataclasite Catawba Creek Cedar Creek Cenozoic Charlotte County Chase City Christie Clarksville Clarkton Clays Mill Clover Clover Creek Cluster Springs Coleman Creek Colluvium Conglomerate Connor Lake Cotton Creek Couches Creek Country Line complex Cox Creek Crooked Creek Crupper Run Crystal Hill Cub Creek Cunningham complex Dacite Dan River Devils Branch Devonian Diabase Difficult Creek Diorite Dixon Millpond Dockery Creek Drakes Branch Dryburg Dudley Dundas Ellis Creek Esnon Evans Creek Farmers Branch Felsic gneiss Finchley Finnewood Creek Finneywood Flat Creek Flat Rock Creek Forksville Formosa Fort Mitchell Gabbro Gibson Creek Gilliams Branch Gneiss Goodell Creek Granite Granitic gneiss Granodiorite Granville County Grassy Creek Great Creek Greenschist Gregory Corner Hagood Creek Halifax Halifax County Harmony Hawtree Creek Hitesburg Holocene Horsepen Creek Horseshoe Lake Hughs Lake Hunting Creek Hyco Formation Hyco River Island Creek Island Creek Reservoir Jeffress Johnson Creek Jurassic Kenbridge Kerr Reservoir Kettle Creek Kettlesticks Creek Kits Creek La Crosse Lake Gaston Lake Gordon Langford Pond Lawsons Creek Layton Creek Lennig Little Genito Creek Little Horsepen Creek Little Johnson Creek Little Juniper Creek Little Temble Creek Long Branch Lunenburg Lunenburg County Lyle Creek Marengo Mason Creek Mayo Mayo Creek Mayo Reservoir Mecklenburg County Mesozoic Metabasalt Metamorphic rock Metamorphic suite of South Hill Metasedimentary rock Metavolcanic rock Middle Meherrin River Mikes Creek Miles Creek Mill Branch Milton terrane Mines Creek Miocene Miry Creek Mississippian Mitchell Creek Monzodiorite Monzonite Moody Creek Mossingford Mount Laurel Mountain Creek Mylonite Nathalie Nelson Neogene Neoproterozoic North Carolina North Meherrin River North View Nutbush Creek Nutbush Creek mylonite zone Omega Ontario Ordovician Orthogneiss Otter Creek Paleozoic Palmer Crossroads Palmer Springs Panhandle Creek Parham Creek Pennsylvanian Permian Person County Peter Creek Philbeck Crossroads Phyllonite Piney Creek Piney Grove Plantersville Pleistocene Pliocene Poplar Creek Public Fork Quartz diorite Quartz monzonite Quartzite Quaternary Rabat Raleigh terrane Randolph Ready Creek Red Bank Red Oak Redlawn Reedy Creek Reeses Creek Rehoboth Reynolds Creek Rhyolite Riverdale Roanoke Creek Roanoke River Rocky Branch Sand Sandy Creek Saxe Schist Scotts Crossroad Scottsburg Seay Creek Shiny Rock Siddon Siltstone Silurian Sinai Skipwith Smith Creek South Boston South Hill South Meherrin River Spanish Grove Stokes Creek Stony Creek Taylors Creek Temble Creek Terrace The Ridge Tonalite Triassic Tungsten Twittys Creek USGS:6218e3eed34ec739b2dd2d8f Union Level Vance County Vance pluton Victoria Virgilina Virgilina Formation Virginia Wallace Branch Warren County Wightman Winn Creek Wolf Trap Creek Wylliesburg abandoned mines and quarries bedrock geologic units copper earth sciences folding (geologic) foliation (geologic) fracture (geologic) geologic contacts geologic maps geologic processes geologic structure geologic time periods geologic time scales geology geoscientificInformation geospatial datasets information product types inlandWaters lithology maps and atlases metamorphic rocks metamorphism (geological) mining and quarrying place sedimentary rocks sedimentation society stratum structural geology structure surficial geologic units unconsolidated deposits utilitiesCommunication

data.gov

An official website of the GSA's Technology Transformation Services

Looking for U.S. government information and services?
Visit USA.gov