Waverly Dome
Location
Southeastern Morgan County (F-4)
References
Bell 1961, Buschbach and Bond 1974
Description
The Waverly Dome is an irregular asymmetrical dome elongated northwest to southeast. Its length is about 7 miles (11 km) and its width 3 to 4 miles (5 to 6.5 km). Closure of more than 100 feet (30 m) has been mapped on the top of the Galena (Trenton) Group and 68 feet (20.7 m) on top of the Cambrian Ironton-Galesville Sandstone. The enclosed area is about 11 square miles (28 km2). A gas storage field developed on the dome uses the St. Peter and Ironton-Galesville Sandstones as reservoirs.
The Waverly Dome is a prominent feature in an area of Illinois characterized by few large structures. Both the Cluff et al. (1981) map of the base of the New Albany Group and the Bristol and Buschbach (1973) map of the top of the Galena Group show the Waverly Dome as lying along a southeast-trending anticlinal nose that extends as far as Montgomery County. This trend is similar to that of many structures of western Illinois and adjacent parts of Missouri. Regional interpretation is rendered speculative, however, by a shortage of control points.
