Slade and Paragon Formations - new stratigraphic nomenclature for Mississippian rocks along the Cumberland Escarpment in Kentucky.

The names Slade Formation and Paragon Formation are given herein to Mississippian rocks of east-central and north-eastern Kentucky that were formerly named Newman Limestone and Pennington Formation. The names Newman and Pennington are excluded from the Cumberland Escarpment outcrop belt in Kentucky and are retained only for the Pine Mountain and Cumberland Mountain outcrop belts of southeasternmost Kentucky, eastern Tennessee, and southwestern Virginia. The Slade Formation, mostly carbonate rocks, is divided into 12 members and 1 bed. The Renfro Member of the Borden Formation, and the St. Louis Limestone Member, the Ste. Genevieve Limestone Member, and the Cave Branch Bed of the Newman Limestone are reassigned to the Slade Formation. Additional members of the Slade designated herein are the Warix Run (calcarenite), Mill Knob (calcilutite, calcarenite, and dolostone), Rosslyn (calcarenite), Armstrong Hill (calcilutite), Holly Fork (dolostone), Tygarts Creek (calcarenite), Ramey Creek (limestone and shale), Maddox Branch (shale), and Poppin Rock (calcarenite). The Paragron Formation, mostly shale, is divided into four informal members, a lower dark shale member, a clastic or dolostone member, a limestone member, and an upper shale member. -Authors