U.S. Geological Survey Home AASG Logo USGS HOME CONTACT USGS SEARCH USGS
National Geologic Map Database
Map showing publication footprint
  • Usage in publication:
    • Soldiers Delight ultramafic complex
  • Modifications:
    • Overview
    • Revised
  • AAPG geologic province:
    • Piedmont-Blue Ridge province
Publication:

Gates, A.E., Muller, P.D., and Valentino, D.W., 1991, Terranes and tectonics of the Maryland and southeast Pennsylvania Piedmont, IN Schultz, Art, and Compton-Gooding, Ellen, eds., Geologic evolution of the eastern United States; Field trip guidebook NE-SE GSA 1991: Virginia Museum of Natural History Guidebook, Joint meeting of Geological Society of America, Northeastern Section and Southeastern Section, no. 2, p. 1-27.


Summary:

Liberty Complex of the Potomac terrane in MD consists of three units: the Soldiers Delight ultramafic complex, the Morgan Run Formation, and the Sykesville Formation. Soldiers Delight is composed of metamorphosed ultramafic rocks with lesser amounts of metagabbro and metapelite. Primarily a serpentinite with variable amounts of chlorite and actinolite. May be related to small ultramafic bodies in the Morgan Run.

Source: GNU records (USGS DDS-6; Reston GNULEX).


Map showing publication footprint
  • Usage in publication:
    • Soldiers Delight Ultramafite*
  • Modifications:
    • Named
    • Reference
  • Dominant lithology:
    • Serpentinite
  • AAPG geologic province:
    • Piedmont-Blue Ridge province
Publication:

Drake, A.A., Jr., 1994, The Soldiers Delight Ultramafite in the Maryland Piedmont, IN Drake, A.A., Jr., and Pavlides, Louis, Stratigraphic notes, 1993: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin, 2076-A, 14 p.


Summary:

Named for Soldiers Delight area, Reisterstown 7.5-min quad, Baltimore Co., northeastern MD. Previously called Soldiers Delight belt of serpentinite by other workers. Reference localities are two quarries along Piney Run, and outcrops and quarries along South Branch of Patapsco River in Sykesville 7.5-min quad. Mapped as a tadpole-shaped body along western margin of Baltimore terrane from Soldiers Delight to just northeast of Tridelphia Reservoir. Has been mapped in Reisterstown, Sykesville, Woodbine, and Sandy Spring quads. Outcrops are small and not abundant. Consists of ultramafite almost completely altered to serpentinite (probably originally peridotite, dunite, pyroxenite). Lies tectonically between Late Proterozoic and (or) Early Cambrian Loch Raven Schist and Early Cambrian Sykesville Formation. Other ultramafic rocks in Appalachian Piedmont are considered to be Late Proterozoic and (or) Early Cambrian because deformed bodies of this rock type occur within Lower Cambrian sedimentary melanges. Therefore, Soldiers Delight is considered Late Proterozoic and (or) Early Cambrian in age. Report contains geologic map and geochemical data.

Source: GNU records (USGS DDS-6; Reston GNULEX).


For more information, please contact Nancy Stamm, Geologic Names Committee Secretary.

Asterisk (*) indicates published by U.S. Geological Survey authors.

"No current usage" (†) implies that a name has been abandoned or has fallen into disuse. Former usage and, if known, replacement name given in parentheses ( ).

Slash (/) indicates name conflicts with nomenclatural guidelines (CSN, 1933; ACSN, 1961, 1970; NACSN, 1983, 2005, 2021). May be explained within brackets ([ ]).