English: Limestones & shales in the Ordovician of Kentucky, USA.

This outcrop is in the famous Cincinnatian Series of the tristate area of Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana. Rocks in the Cincinnatian were deposited in relatively shallow marine facies during the Late Ordovician. The Cincinnatian succession is mostly interbedded limestones and shales - all richly fossiliferous. Most of the limestones are event beds (= tempestites), deposited during ancient storms.

Seen here is a large Cincinnatian roadcut with benches in northern Kentucky. The light gray-colored, lowermost wall, above road level, is the top of the Kope Formation, which is shale-rich. The next three walls, above the first bench, is the Fairview Formation, which is about 50-50 limestone and shale. The top two walls is the Bellevue Limestone, which is limestone-rich. The Kope-Fairview-Bellevue is a coarsening-upward and shallowing-upward succession. A light-colored, relatively thick seismite horizon is present in the upper Fairview Formation at this site.

Stratigraphy: upper Kope Formation to Fairview Formation to Bellevue Limestone, upper Edenian Stage to Maysvillian Stage, lower to middle Cincinnatian Series, Upper Ordovician

Locality: Jersey Ridge outcrop (= Harsha Bridge South outcrop; = Maysville West outcrop) - western side of Rt. 62/Rt. 68 roadcut through Jersey Ridge, just south of the Harsha Bridge over the Ohio River, northern Kentucky, USA (~vicinity of 38° 40’ 27.27" North latitude, 83° 47' 53.11" West longitude)