Controls on build-and-fill architecture of the Argentine limestone and associated strata in northeastern Kansas and development of a first-cut method for evaluating limestone aggregate durability

Missourian strata were studied in eastern Kansas to evaluate the build-and-fill controls on strata deposited in association with high-amplitude glacioeustatic sea-level fluctuations. Results from this study show that creation of relief in high-frequency glacioeustatic sequences can occur after falls in sea level, with deposition of lobate siliciclastics and erosion of preexisting strata. Intermediate sea-level positions after falls result in carbonate deposits that fill relief and even out topography.; In Kansas, many of these units are utilized for limestone aggregate. The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) uses physical tests to determine aggregate durability. This project tests a first-cut method for evaluating aggregate durability using spectral gamma ray scintillometry. A logistic model using Kmax measurements provides the best prediction of durability. Implementation of the first-cut test uses lithologic determinations in the field and an Excel add-in that calculates the probability of an aggregate passing or failing the KDOT physical tests.