Precambrian faulting juxtaposed resistant and non-resistant rocks to form an erosional highland around which lower Paleozoic sediments were deposited. Pennsylvanian faulting along the trends of the ancient faults affected the extent of Early Pennsylvanian karsting and the thickness and distribution of succeeding marine deposits. Fault movement ceased in the Desmoinesian.

Clastic and carbonate sedimentation in the area is cyclic. The cycles were produced by shifting centers of detrital sedimentation superimposed upon sedimentation patterns caused by eustatic sea-level changes.

The depositional environments recognized in the area include distributary channels with their associated distributary-front and overbank-detrital environments, and very shallow-water, open-marine carbonate environments.

The detrital distributary systems in the study area produced fan-delta deposits.

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