Permian outliers in Western Kentucky

Regional coalification and oil-maturation trends, along with lack of evidence for syndepositional tectonic activity in Gil 30, indicate that the Permian rocks preserved in Gil 30, and by extension the Grove Center graben, are likely representative of strata that once occupied much of the Illinois basin, probably in continuity with the Midcontinent. The Kentucky outliers, therefore, provide a link between the Midcontinent and Dunkard basins and may be important in addressing long-standing problems, such as the age of the Dunkard, and paleoclimate reconstructions.