The Compton Limestone is a

geologic formation A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exp ...

in southwest

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. It preserves brachiopod and

echinoderm An echinoderm () is any member of the phylum Echinodermata (). The adults are recognisable by their (usually five-point) radial symmetry, and include starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, sand dollars, and sea cucumbers, as well as the sea ...

fossils A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...

of the Mississippian subperiod.The Stratigraphic Succession in Missouri, Missouri Geological Survey, Vol. XL 2nd series, 1961, pp 56-57 The Compton rests

unconformably An unconformity is a buried erosional or non-depositional surface separating two rock masses or strata of different ages, indicating that sediment deposition was not continuous. In general, the older layer was exposed to erosion for an interval o ...

on the

Cotter Dolomite Cotter may refer to: *Cotter pin (disambiguation), a pin or wedge used to fix parts rigidly together *Cotter (farmer), the Scots term for a peasant farmer formerly in the Scottish highlands *Cotter (surname), a surname (including a list of people w ...

of Ordovician age. The Compton was named for the community of Compton, Missouri, as the type sections were described for outcrops along the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...

and its tributary the

Compton Branch Compton Branch is a stream in Washington County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is a tributary of Hazel Creek. It is unknown why the name "Compton" was applied to this stream. See also *List of rivers of Missouri List of rivers in Missour ...

.Geologic Unit: Compton, type locality Geolex, USGS
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References

* Mississippian Missouri Carboniferous southern paleotemperate deposits {{Carboniferous-stub