Fencepost limestone

Fencepost limestone
Stratigraphic range: Turonian ~93.9–93.9 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Limestone endpost with leaner, an icon of Kansas
Type	Geological marker bed
Unit of	Greenhorn Formation
Underlies	Carlile Formation
Overlies	Uppermost beds of the Greenhorn Formation
Thickness	9–14 inches (0.23–0.36 m)
Lithology
Primary	Chalky limestone (coccolithic)
Other	Microsparry calcite matrix Inoceramus shells and fragments Yellow, orange, or brown stainings and nodules of Limonite
Location
Country	United States
Extent	Outcrops from the Nebraska border near Mahaska, Kansas, about 200 miles southwest to a few miles from Dodge City, Kansas.[1] Recorded in well logs throughout the High Plains.[2]
Type section
Named for	Use as stone fenceposts
Named by	F. W. Cragin[3][4]
Year defined	1896

Fencepost limestone, Post Rock limestone, or Stone Post is a stone bed in the Great Plains notable for its historic use as fencing and construction material in north-central Kansas resulting in unique cultural expression. The source of this stone is the topmost layer of the Greenhorn Limestone formation. It is a regional marker bed as well as a valued construction material of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Kansas. This stone was very suitable for early construction in treeless settlements and it adds a notable rust orange tint to the region's many historic stone buildings. But the most famous use is seen in the countless miles of stone posts lining country roads and highways. This status gives rise to such regional appellations as Stone Post Country,^[5] Post Rock Scenic Byway, and The Post Rock Capital of Kansas.^[6] This rustic quality finds Fencepost limestone still used in Kansas landscaping today.