Late Cretaceous Marine Shales

Unit Name: Brazeau Formation
Unit Type: Lithostratigraphic

Rank: Formation
Status: Formal
Usage: Currently in use
Age Interval: Late Cretaceous (99.6 - 65.5 ma)
Province/Territory: Alberta; British Columbia
Originator: Malloch, 1911.
Type Locality:
Section measured on the southernmost branch of Wapiabi Creek in the Bighorn Basin of the central
Foothills, Alberta (5227'N, 11635'W).
Distribution:
Malloch (1911) indicated the type section to be about 520 m (1,706 ft) thick in the Bighorn Coal
Basin. However, the section there is not a true thickness because the top has been erosionally
truncated. Recently a complete, 950 m (3116 ft) thick section of the Brazeau Formation was measured
and described by Jerzykiewicz (1985) and Jerzykiewicz and Sweet (1988) along Blackstone River
between 52 deg 44'N, 116 deg 15'W and 5242'40"N, 11619'W, which now serves as a supplemental
reference section. The Brazeau Formation occurs within the Foothills between the Kakwa River
valley in the northwest to the Bow River valley in the southeast.
Lithology:
A nonmarine succession of interbedded mudstone, siltstone and fine-grained sandstone with
subordinate, but prominent coarser grained sandstone layers. Chert-pebble conglomerate occurs in the
lower part of the formation. Thin coal beds, coaly shale and numerous thin bentonites occur in the
upper part of the formation. The sandstone is grey to greenish grey, and usually has a salt-and-pepper
appearance due to chert and lignitic fragments. The mudstone is greenish grey to dark grey; some
organic-rich mudstones are almost black. Fluvial fining-upward cycles are most common, but a
variety of lacustrine facies, including offshore rhythmites are also present.
Relationship:
The Brazeau Formation overlies the marine Wapiabi Formation and is overlain by the nonmarine
Entrance Conglomerate, which occurs at the base of the Coalspur Formation. The Brazeau is
correlative to the Belly River, Bearpaw and St. Mary River formations of the southern foothills.
History:
The name Brazeau was first introduced by Malloch (1911) for 520 m (1716 ft) of "...alternating beds
of black and brown shales, with greenish grey sandstones containing pebbles of chert..." which he
observed above the marine Wapiabi Formation in the Bighorn Basin. The formation was included in
the Saunders Group by Allan and Rutherford (1923). MacKay (1930, p. 486) later extended the name
Brazeau to the Coal Valley area, where he applied it to the entire estimated thickness of 3330 m (9812
ft) of post-Wapiabi strata including the coal beds. Later MacKay (1943, p. 3) modified his ideas on
the Brazeau Formation and limited it to an interval of about 1425 m (4674 ft) of strata above the
Wapiabi Formation and below a quartzite cobblestone conglomerate at the base of the Edmonton
Formation which he observed about 275 m (902 ft) below the lowest coal seam. Lang (1947, p. 32)
used the name Brazeau for the interval from the top of the Wapiabi Formation up to the base of a
prominent conglomerate bed which he named the Entrance Conglomerate. The Brazeau Formation
has subsequently been utilized in mapping by Douglas (1958b), Irish (1965b), Ollerenshaw (1966),
and in regional stratigraphic studies (Jerzykiewicz and McLean, 1980).
References:
Allan, John Andrew and Rutherford, Ralph L., 1923. Saunders Creek and Nordegg coal basins,
Alberta, Canada; Research Council of Alberta, Geological Survey Division, Report No. 6.
Douglas, R.J.W., 1958b. Chungo Creek map-area, Alberta (report and geologic map 6-1958) (Scale: 1
in. to 1 mile); Geological Survey of Canada, Paper No. 58-3, 45 p.
Irish, E.J.W., 1965b. Geology of the Rocky Mountain Foothills, Alberta; Geological Survey of
Canada, Memoir 334.
Jerzykiewicz, T. and McLean, J.R., 1980. Lithostratigraphic and sedimentological framework of coalbearing Upper Cretaceous-lower Tertiary strata, Coal Valley area, central Alberta Foothills;
Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 79-12.
Jerzykiewicz, T. and Sweet, A.R., 1988. Sedimentological and palynological evidence of regional
climatic changes in the Campanian to Paleocene sediments of the Rocky Mountain Foothills, Canada.
Sed. Geol., vol. 59, pp. 29-76.
Jerzykiewicz, T., 1985. Stratigraphy of the Saunders Group in the central Alberta Foothills - a
progress report; Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 85-1B, pp. 247- 258.
Lang, A.H., 1947. Brule and Entrance map-areas, Alberta; Geological Survey of Canada, Memoir
244.
Mackay, B.R., 1930. Stratigraphy and structure of bituminous coal fields in the vicinity of Jasper
Park, Alberta. Can. Inst. Min. and Metall., Trans., v. 33, p. 473-509.
Mackay, B.R., 1943. Wawa Creek, Alberta. Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 43-10.
Malloch, G.S., 1911. Bighorn Coal Basin, Alberta; Geological Survey of Canada, Memoir 9, 78 p.
Ollerenshaw, N.C., 1966. Geology, Burnt Timber Creek, West of Fifth Meridian, Alberta; Geological
Survey of Canada, Preliminary Map 11-1965, Scale: 1:63 360 = 1 inch to 1 mile, NTS 82O/11.
Source: CSPG Lexicon of Canadian Stratigraphy, Volume 4, western Canada, including eastern
British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba; D.J. Glass (editor)
Contributor: T.T.Z. Jerzykiewicz
Entry Reviewed: Yes
Name Set: Lithostratigraphic Lexicon
LastChange: 20 Jul 2009
Unit Name: Wapiabi Formation

Rank: Formation
Status: Formal
Age Interval: Campanian (83.5 - 70.6 ma)
Age Justification: Characterized by several zones of the ammonite Scaphites. The ammonites,
generally not abundant, are associated with species of Inoceramus. The zones range from latest
Turonian to Santonian, and the upper part of the formation is probably Campanian. Contains several
foraminiferal assemblages, including agglutinated fauna, a distinctive foraminiferal and ostracode
unit, and a pelagic microfauna of the upper or First White Speckled Shale of the Colorado Group of
the plains (Wall and Germundson, 1963). The presence of Manicorpus calvus suggests a Campanian
age (Jerzykiewicz and Norris, 1994).
Province/Territory: Alberta
Type Locality:
Although Malloch measured a section on Wapiabi Creek, much of the formation is not exposed there.
Stott (1963, p. 18) outlined a type section on Thistle Creek, on the west flank of syncline in Sec. 17,
Twp. 44, Rge. 20W5M, Alberta.
Distribution:
Extends along the foothills from the International Boundary to the Muskeg River. Occurs along the
front ranges and extends eastward beneath the plains. Thickness ranges from 640.1 m (2100 ft) at the
type locality to 319 m (1046 ft) at the Highwood River and in the order of 487.7 m (1600 ft) near the
Smoky River.
Locality Data:
Thickness(m): Minimum 319, Maximum 640.1.
Lithology:
Dark grey to black marine shales, which in some parts contain abundant sideritic concretions, minor
siltstone, sandstone and limestone. Throughout most of the foothills a unit of fine grained sandstone
occurs near the top, i.e., the Chungo Member. The formation is divided into seven members by the
presence of concretions, calcareous shale and sandstone; from the base upwards these are the
Muskiki, Marshybank, Dowling, Thistle, Hanson, Chungo and Nomad.
Relationship:
Parent: Alberta Group. Overlies the Cardium Formation conformably or with only slight
disconformity. The upper beds are gradational into the overlying Belly River Formation in the south
and the Brazeau Formation in the central foothills. The unit passes eastward into shales of the upper
Colorado Group and Lea Park Formation, to the north into the Puskwaskau, Bad Heart and Muskiki
formations.
References:
Jerzykiewicz, T. and Norris, D.K., 1994, Stratigraphy, structure and syntectonic sedimentation of the
Campanian 'Belly River' clastic wedge in the southern Canadian Cordillera, Cretaceous Research, v.
15, p. 367-399.
Stott, D.F., 1963. The Cretaceous Alberta Group and equivalent rocks, Rocky Mountain Foothills,
Alberta. Geol. Surv. Can., Memoir 317.
Wall, J.H. and Germundson, R.K., 1963. Microfaunas, megafaunas, and rock-stratigraphic units in the
Alberta Group (Cretaceous) of the Rocky Mountain Foothills; Bull. Can. Petrol. Geol., vol. 11, no. 4.
Contributor: D.F. Stott; P.H. Davenport
Entry Reviewed: No
LastChange: 17 Mar 2010
Unit Name: Cardium Formation

Rank: Formation
Status: Formal
Age Interval: Late Cretaceous (99.6 - 65.5 ma)
Age Justification: Ammonites comparable with Scaphites mariasensis Cobban and S.
impendicostatus from the lower subzone of Scaphites preventricusus Zone occur in the upper beds of
the Cardium Formation in the southern foothills. Wall and Germundson (1963) described the
foraminiferal content.
Originator: James Hector, as reported in Whiteaves, 1895; Cairnes, 1907.
Type Locality:
Cairnes (1907) described a generalized section on the Bow River near the mouth of Old Fort Creek,
but as sections along the Bow are faulted or mostly inaccessible Stott (1963) designated a type
section, originally described by Malloch (1911), on the more southerly of the two main branches of
Wapiabi Creek, in Twp. 41, Rge. 18W5M (5237'30"N, 1160'30"W), Alberta.
Distribution:
Extends from the Drywood River, near the International Boundary along the foothills into
northeastern British Columbia near Dawson Creek (Stott, 1963, 1967b). It extends from the front
range eastward across the foothills belt into the plains. The formation is a major oil producer in the
Pembina field southwest of Edmonton. The formation grades laterally eastward into shale. It ranges in
thickness from a minimum of 22.6 m at Drywood River to a maximum of 108.8 m at Ram River in
the central foothills. Near Wapiti River in northeastern British Columbia the thickness is 41.8 m.
Locality Data:
Thickness(m): Minimum 22.6, Maximum 108.8.
Lithology:
The Cardium Formation is characterized by its fine-grained, marine sandstone. Six distinctive
members are recognized in the central foothills (Stott, 1963). Three massive sandstone units are
separated by marine and nonmarine shale. The basal sandstone is the Ram Member; the middle one,
Cardinal, and the upper one, Sturrock. The lower shaly interval contains two members; the nonmarine
Moosehound Member and the partly equivalent, partly overlying, marine Kiska Member. The shale
between the Cardinal and Sturrock members is named the Leyland Member. In the subsurface of the
Garrington-Caroline area, Alberta Walker (1983) proposed the names Raven River Member and
Burnstick Member for two sandstone units within the lower part of the Cardium Formation. He also
defined (1985) another sandstone within the Ricinus Field as the Ricinus Member. Krause and Nelson
(1984) divided the Cardium of the Pembina Field into the Pembina River and Cardium Zone
members.
Relationship:
The Cardium Formation belongs to the Alberta and Smoky groups. The lower contact of the Cardium
is drawn at the base of thickly bedded sandstone lying on strata of the Blackstone Formation in the
southern and central foothills, and of the approximately equivalent Kaskapau Formation in
northeastern British Columbia. A transition zone from shale through interbedded shale and thinly
bedded sandstone to massive sandstone is almost always present. The upper contact with the
overlying Wapiabi Formation is sharp and well-defined, but presumably conformable.
History:
The term "Cardium Shales" was used by Dr. James Hector to identify beds from which fossil
collections were made during the Palliser explorations (Whiteaves, 1895, p. 110). Cairnes (1907, p.
29) restricted the use of the term Cardium to the succession of sandstone within the shale series on
Bow River. Rutherford (1927, p. 25) raised the unit to formation status.
References:
Cairnes, D.D., 1907. Moose Mountain District of southern Alberta; Geological Survey of Canada,
Separate Report 968, 55 p.
Krause, F.F. and Nelson, D.A., 1984. Storm event sedimentaton: Lithofacies associations in the
Cardium Formation, Pembina area, west-central Alberta, Canada. In: Mesozoic of middle North
America; Stott, D.F. and Glass, D.J. (Eds ). Can. Soc. Petrol. Geol. Memoir 9, p. 485-511.
Rutherford, R.L., 1927. Geology along Bow River between Cochrane and Kananaskis, Alberta; Res.
Counc. Alberta, Rept. 17.
Stott, D.F., 1967b. The Cretaceous Smoky Group, Rocky Mountain Foothills, Alberta and British
Columbia; Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 132.
Whiteaves, J.F., 1895. Some of the Cretaceous fossils collected during Captain Palliser's explorations
in British North America in 1857-60. Proc. and Trans., Roy. Soc. Can., 2nd Ser., vol. 1, pp. 110.
Contributor: D.F. Stott; G.E. McCune
Entry Reviewed: No
LastChange: 18 Sep 2009
Unit Name: Blackstone Formation

Rank: Formation
Status: Formal
Age Interval: Cenomanian - Turonian (99.6 - 89.3 ma)
Age Justification: Contains ammonites and pelecypods from the Zones of Dunveganoceras to
Prionocyclus woollgari of Cenomanian and Turonian age. Foraminifera were described by Wall and
Germundson (1963), who identified Albian Miliammina manitobensis from basal beds in the type
region, and Cenomanian and Turonian assemblages, including a lower pelagic microfauna of
Hedbergella and Heterohelix.
Type Locality:
Bighorn River, central foothills Sec. 30, Twp. 39, Rge. 17W5M, Alberta (Stott, 1963).
Distribution:
The formation is recognized along the foothills from the International Boundary to Athabasca River.
It increases in thickness from 79.9 m (262 ft) at Lynx Creek in the Carbondale map-area to 426.7 m
(1,400 ft) at Thistle Creek, a tributary of Brazeau River. It decreases in thickness from west to east
across the foothills.
Locality Data:
Thickness(m): Maximum 426.7.
Lithology:
Consists mainly of dark grey to black marine mudstone and siltstone with minor beds of argillaceous
limestone, sandstone, bentonite, and some sideritic concretions. The formation contains more silt in
westernmost exposures along the foothills. It is divided into four members: the Sunkay consists of
shale, siltstone and thin coarse sandstone; Vimy consists of calcareous shale and siltstone; Haven of
rusty weathering shale; and the Opabin of concretionary mudstone.
Relationship:
The Blackstone Formation belongs to the Alberta Group (Stott, 1963). Regional relationships, distinct
boundaries lack of interbedding with the underlying Blairmore and Luscar Groups basal pebble beds,
and local unconformities indicate that the basal Blackstone contact is disconformable. It is equivalent
to the lower part of the Colorado Shale to the east, and to the north the pre-Cardium part of the
Kaskapau, Dunvegan and Shaftsbury formations. To the south it grades into the lower part of the
Marias River Shale and upper Blackleaf Member. A layer of coarse gritty sandstone in the Sunkay
Member probably represents the Fish Scale Marker Horizon.
References:
Contributor: D.F. Stott
Entry Reviewed: Yes
LastChange: 13 Feb 2009
Unit Name: Blairmore Group

Rank: Group
Status: Formal
Age Interval: Early Cretaceous (145.5 - 99.6 ma)
Originator: Leach, 1914.
Type Locality:
No type section was designated. A section on Ma Butte, 14 km (8.75 mi) northeast of Blairmore,
Alberta, mentioned by Leach (1912) and described by Norris (1964) is the principal reference section,
although the lower part of the group is no longer well exposed. The group has been divided into four
formations in the type area: Cadomin, Gladstone, Beaver Mines and Ma Butte, all of which are
defined by type sections.
Distribution:
The thickness at the Ma Butte section is 635 m (2,083 ft) (Norris, 1964). The maximum reported
thickness, in the Fernie Basin is estimated at 2,000 m (6,560 ft). A distinct west to east thinning
occurs, with thicknesses of about 300 m (984 ft) reported from the easternmost foothills. To the
northwest, along the foothills thicknesses of 400 to 600 m (1,312 to 1,968 ft) prevail. Use of the name
Blairmore is confined to the Fernie Basin and the Alberta Foothills between the International
Boundary and the Smoky River.
Lithology:
The basal unit, the Cadomin Formation is typically a very resistant, siliceous pebble conglomerate,
but includes beds of quartzose sandstone and, in some sections, particularly in the eastern foothills is
entirely quartzose sandstone. The lower part of the overlying redefined Gladstone Formation is a
series of interbedded grey mudstone to sandstone, the proportions of which are very variable.
Sandstones, which rarely exceed fine grain size often exhibit a distinct upward decrease in grain size.
The upper Gladstone Formation is characterized by dark grey, argillaceous limestone and fossiliferous
calcareous shale. North of the Clearwater River (52 N) limestone beds are rare or absent. The Beaver
Mines Formation in the south, and the Mountain Park Formation in the north are composed of
interbedded mudstone to very fine-grained sandstone with subordinate, but prominent coarser and
thicker sandstone units with abrupt bases and fining-upward grain size. Conglomerate beds are a
minor constituent. The Malcolm Creek Formation, confined to the area north of Waiparous Creek (51
deg 20'N) consists of the marine mudstone Moosebar Member, overlain by the prominent sandstone
dominated Torrens Member and the coal bearing Grande Cache Member. The Ma Butte Formation
consists of mudstone to very fine-grained sandstone, with subordinate coarser sandstone and
conglomerate beds. Tuffaceous mudstones are common in the upper part of the formation in the type
area, but disappear to the northwest along the foothills. The entire formation is absent north of the
Clearwater River. Shades of red and green, often mottled, are very common south of the Bow River.
Grey predominates to the north, except in the Mountain Park Formation, where greenish grey is the
dominant color in more southerly sections and is more prominent upward. The proportion of the
section with a prominently greenish color decreases northward and is confined to a subdued shade of
greenish grey in the uppermost part of the formation in the Smoky River region.
Relationship:
The Blairmore Group overlies the Kootenay Group disconformably. It is overlain gradationally by the
Crowsnest Formation in the type area and as far north as about 50 deg 05'N. To the northwest the
Blackstone Formation rests abruptly and disconformably on the Blairmore Group. The group is
equivalent to the Bullhead Group and lower part of the Fort St. John Group in northeastern British
Columbia, and to the Mannville Group in the Alberta Plains. Correlatives in northwestern Montana
are: the Cut Bank Sandstone with the Cadomin Formation; the lower Kootenai Formation, including
the Draney Limestone with the Beaver Mines Formation; and the lower Blackleaf Formation with the
Ma Butte Formation.
History:
Leach (1914) included in his Blairmore Formation all of the strata between a prominent conglomerate
bed (now the Cadomin Formation) and the Crowsnest Volcanics. Rose (1917) included the
conglomerate bed in the Blairmore Formation. Douglas (1950) elevated Blairmore to group status.
Mellon (1967) included the Crowsnest Volcanics as a member of the Blairmore Group, but because
this is contrary to the work of all other geologists in the type area Norris (1978) and McLean (1980)
reverted to the definition of Rose (1917). South of 51 N the Pocaterra Creek Member, found below
the Cadomin Formation in some areas is included in the Blairmore Group. Use of the Blairmore
Group traditionally has been confined to the southern Alberta Foothills as far north as the North
Saskatchewan River. Similarities in lithology but differences in nomenclature to the north suggest that
extension of the name Blairmore Group to the vicinity of the Smoky River would emphasize the
elements of continuity in lower Cretaceous stratigraphy in the foothills (McLean, 1980).
References:
Douglas, R.J.W., 1950. Callum Creek, Langford Creek and Gap map-areas, Alberta. Geological
Survey of Canada, Memoir 255.
Leach, W.W., 1912. Geology of the Blairmore Map-area, Alberta; Geological Survey of Canada,
Summary Report 1911, pp. 192-200.
Leach, W.W., 1914. Blairmore map-area, Alberta; Geological Survey of Canada, Summary Report
1912, p. 234. with Map 107A, Blairmore, Alberta, Scale: 1 inch to 2 miles.
McLean, J.R., 1980. Lithostratigraphy of the Lower Cretaceous coal-bearing sequence, Foothills of
Alberta; Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 80-29.
Mellon, G.B., 1967. Stratigraphy and petrography of the Lower Cretaceous Blairmore and Mannville
groups, Alberta Foothills and Plains; Res. Counc. Alberta, Bulletin 21.
Norris, D K., 1978. "Ma Butte, Coleman (Lower Cretaceous)", in, Field guide to rock formations of
southern Alberta, Ollerenshaw, N.C. and Hills, L.V. (Eds.); Can. Soc. Petrol. Geol., p. 66-69.
Norris, D.K., 1964. The Lower Cretaceous of the southeastern Canadian Cordillera; Bulletin of
Canadian Petroleum Geology, vol. 12, Field Conf. Guidebook issue, pp. 512-535.
Rose, Bruce, 1917. Crowsnest coal field, Albenta; Geological Survey of Canada, Summary Report
1916, pp. 107-114.
Contributor: J.R. McLean
Entry Reviewed: Yes
Unit Name: Kootenay Group

Rank: Group
Status: Formal
Age Interval: Late Jurassic - Late Cretaceous (161.2 - 65.5 ma)
Originator: Dawson, G.M., 1886; emended by Cairnes, D.D., 1908, Norris, D.K., and Gibson D.W,
1979
Type Locality:
None designated; there are excellent exposures in the Highwood Pass-Mist Mountain and Mount
Allan areas of Alberta (Gibson, 1979).
Distribution:
Occurs throughout the Rocky Mountain Foothills and parts of the eastern front ranges of southwestern
Alberta and southeastern British Columbia, between the United States border and North
Saskatchewan River. The group attains a composite maximum measured thickness of 1,335 m (4,379
ft), thinning to zero toward the east.
Lithology:
Comprises three formations which, in ascending order are: Morrissey - massive, cliff forming,
predominantly sandstone; Mist Mountain - interbedded sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, shale and thin
to thick seams of bituminous to semianthracite coal; Elk - interbedded sandstone, siltstone, mudstone,
shale and locally thick beds of chert-pebble conglomerate and thin seams of high volatile bituminous
coal. The Morrissey Formation comprises two members: a lower, Weary Ridge - orange-brown to
brownish grey weathering, very fine- to coarse-grained sandstone; and Moose Mountain - wellindurated, cliff forming, medium grey weathering, fine- to coarse-grained sandstone, with rare
mudstone and coal.
Relationship:
The Kootenay Group conformably overlies the Upper Jurassic Fernie Formation, and in most areas is
disconformably overlain by Lower Cretaceous strata of the Blairmore Group. In some western areas it
may possibly be overlain conformably by the Pocaterra Creek Member of the Blairmore Group
(Gibson, 1979, 1985; Ricketts and Sweet, 1984). The Kootenay Group grades laterally into the
Nikanassin Formation in the vicinity of the North Saskatchewan River. It may correlate with part of
the upper Morrison Formation of the United States.
History:
Originally named 'Kootanie Series' by Dawson (1886), later modified and renamed Kootenay
Formation by Cairnes (1908, 1914) to include the stratigraphic interval between the Blairmore Group
(Dakota Formation) and the Fernie Formation. Newmarch (1953) later recognized a three fold
subdivision of the Kootenay in the Fernie area and defined an upper unit at the top of the Kootenay
succession as the Elk Formation, while retaining the name Kootenay for the lower two units. In the
Coleman-Blairmore area of Alberta Norris (1959) subdivided the Kootenay Formation into four
members and assigned the type section to Grassy Mountain. Recently Gibson (1979, 1985) subdivided
strata between the Jurassic Fernie Formation and the Lower Cretaceous Blairmore Group into 3
formations, a lower, Morrissey, a middle, Mist Mountain and an upper, Elk. Accordingly the
Kootenay Formation was elevated to group status. The name Kootenay Formation was incorrectly
applied by some early workers for coal-bearing strata now included within the Blairmore Group. The
name Kootenai Formation of Montana is used for strata equivalent to the Blairmore Group.
Other Citations:
Cairnes, 1908; Dawson, 1886; Gibson, 1979, 1985; Newmarch, 1953; Norris, 1959; Ricketts and
Sweet, 1984.
Contributor: D.W. Gibson
Entry Reviewed: Yes
LastChange: 30 Oct 2007
Unit Name: Fernie Group

Rank: Group
Status: Formal
Age Interval: Jurassic (199.6 - 145.5 ma)

Originator: Henderson, 1944.
Type Locality:
Fernie area, southeastern British Columbia; no specific locality designated. In no single section are all
units within the Fernie Formation exposed. Some of the more complete and representative sections in
southwestern Alberta are at Daisy Creek (grid reference 894139, Blairmore 1:50,000 topographic
sheet, 82G/9); above Burns' Mine on Sheep River (grid reference 516065, Mount Rae 1:50,000
topographic sheet, 82 J/10W); and in Pigeon Creek on Mount Allan (grid reference 271498, Canmore
1:50,000 topographic sheet, 82 O/3E).
Distribution:
Due to the recessive weathering character and the unusually deformed nature of the dominant shales
of the Fernie Formation measured thickness vary considerably. Apparently undisturbed sections in
southern Alberta have thicknesses of 138 m (453 ft) at Daisy Creek, 227 m (745 ft) above Burns'
Mine on Sheep River, 402 m (1,319 ft) in Pigeon Creek on Mount Allan, but only 67 m (220 ft) in
Canyon Creek, in the Moose Mountain area (grid reference 577396, Bragg Creek, 1:50,000
topographic sheet, 82 J/15). In none of these sections are all of the recognized subdivisions of the
Fernie present. Outcrops of the Fernie Formation occur from southeastern British Columbia
throughout the foothills and front ranges of Alberta, and into the foothills north of the Peace River in
northeastern British Columbia. Thickness generally decreases toward the east and northeast, the zero
edge being along a line trending northwest through Calgary, in southernmost Alberta Jurassic rocks
extend farther east and the Fernie Formation grades into the subsurface Jurassic units of the Williston
Basin to the east and southeast. Throughout the lower and middle parts of the Fernie many units
exhibit coarser facies toward the east, from which direction they were derived, but, approaching the
top of the formation coarser detritus to the west indicates a shift in source direction to the west and
south (Hamblin and Walker, 1979).
Lithology:
Predominantly brownish, medium to dark grey and black shales; some massive with conchoidal
fracture, others laminated and highly fractured or papery, recessive. Interbedded units include dark
phosphatic sandstones and limestones, and black, cherty limestones in the lower parts; resistant, wellbedded siltstones, sandstones and black, oolitic limestones; coquinas and concretionary bands in the
middle parts; and, in the upper parts glauconitic sands, concretionary bands and brown weathering
siltstones and sandstones. Five shallowing-upwards depositional cycles are recognized within the
formation (Stronach, 1984).
Relationship:
In more westerly sections the Fernie Formation rests disconformably on Triassic units; farther east it
overlies upper Paleozoic units, indicating a significant hiatus with erosion prior to deposition of the
first Jurassic sediments. Rocks belonging to the basal Hettangian Stage of the Jurassic have only been
recognized by fossils at one locality: Black Bear Ridge, north of Williston Lake in northeastern
British Columbia (Tozer, 1982, p. 387). Elsewhere the basal Fernie strata are Sinemurian and
occasionally Toarcian in age. The Passage Beds, representing the uppermost unit in the Fernie are
overlain conformably by the Weary Ridge Member of the Morrissey Formation (Kootenay Group) in
southern areas; Gibson (1979) placed this contact at the base of the first continuous sandstone devoid
of interbedded siltstones and shales which typify the underlying Passage Beds of the Fernie. A similar
relationship exists between the Passage Beds and the overlying Nikanassin Formation in the foothills
of central-northern Alberta and also in northeastern British Columbia with the overlying Monteith
Formation (Minnes Group).
History:
This unit was designated as the "Fernie Shales" on a map of the Crowsnest coal fields by McEvoy and
Leach (1902) and again in a report on the Blairmore-Frank coalfields by Leach (1903). Lithological
descriptions and recognition of the Jurassic age of the Fernie first appeared in Leach (1912), and he
later introduced the term "Fernie formation" on a map legend (1914, p. 234). The first use of the term
"Fernie Group" was by Henderson (1944, p. 2), and the Fernie has subsequently been described as
"formation" or "group" by various authors, though never formally defined in either sense. Numerous
subdivisions have been established within the Fernie, but very few have been properly defined as
lithostratigraphic units. Indeed, many of these informally named subdivisions (variously called
"members" and "beds") have come to be defined as much by biostratigraphic as lithologic characters
and now often incorporate a variety of rock types in their lateral extensions. The formational status of
this unit should be retained, as few of the "members" and "beds" within it can be mapped as
"formations", should the Fernie be raised to group status. Commonly used subdivisions of the Fernie
Formation which are indexed in this volume are (from base to top, approximately); Nordegg Member
("Black chert member"), Oxytoma Bed, Red Deer Member, Poker Chip Shale ("Paper Shale"), Lille
Member, Rock Creek Member ("Belemnite zone"), Highwood Member, Pigeon Creek Member,
Corbula munda Beds, Gryphaea Bed, Grey Beds, Green Beds, Ribbon Creek Member and Passage
Beds.
Other Citations:
Frebold, 1957; Gibson, 1979; Hall, 1984; Hamblin and Walker, 1979; Henderson, 1944; McEvoy and
Leach, 1902; Leach, 1903, 1912, 1914; Poulton, 1984; Stott, 1967; Stronach, 1984; Tozer, 1982.
References:
Henderson, J.F., 1944. Tay River map-area, Alberta (Summary Account) (Report and Map);
Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 44-26, 5 p. + Preliminary Map 44-26A, Tay River, West of Fifth
Meridian, Alberta, Scale: 2 inches to 1 mile.
Contributor: R.L. Hall
Entry Reviewed: Yes
LastChange: 23 Dec 2008
Unit Name: Sulphur Mountain Formation

Rank: Formation
Status: Formal
Age Interval: Early Triassic (251 - 245 ma)
Originator: Mountjoy, 1960; emended by Gibson, 1968.
Type Locality:
Designated by Warren (1945) in the Spray River Gorge, at the south end of Sulphur Mountain, Banff
National Park, Alberta. The section (described by Gibson, 1968) begins in the first intermittent stream
gully downstream from the junction of Goat Creek and Spray Rivers and terminates at the south end
of the Spray River Gorge. NTS 82O/4, Banff.
Distribution:
The Sulphur Mountain Formation occurs throughout the Rocky Mountain Foothills and eastern front
ranges between the United States border and the Pine River of northeastern British Columbia. The
recorded thickness ranges from 87 m (285 ft) near Picklejar Lakes south of Bow River, Alberta to 557
m (1,827 ft) on West Burnt River, south of Pine River, northeastern British Columbia (Gibson, 1968,
1974).
Locality Data:
Thickness(m): Minimum 87, Maximum 557.
Lithology:
Dark grey to rusty brown weathering siltstone, silty dolostone and silty, carbonaceous shale divisible
into four members which, in ascending order are the Phroso Siltstone, Vega Siltstone (including
Mackenzie Dolomite lentil), Whistler and Llama (Gibson, 1968).
Relationship:
The unit is conformably overlain by pale grey to yellow to buff weathering sandstone, dolostone and
intraformational and/or solution breccia of the Whitehorse Formation or laterally equivalent Charlie
Lake Formation; it disconformably overlies sandstone, chert and cherty dolostone of the Permian
Ishbel Group or Fantasque Formation, or the Mississippian Rundle Group. In some eastern exposures
it is disconformably overlain by the Jurassic Fernie Formation. The Sulphur Mountain Formation is
laterally equivalent to the Grayling, Toad and Liard formations of the Sikanni Chief, Peace and Pine
River areas of the northeastern British Columbia Foothills; the Montney, Doig, and Halfway
formations of the subsurface Peace River Plains of Alberta and British Columbia (Gibson, 1975).
History:
Originally named by Warren (1945) as the Sulphur Mountain Member of the Spray River Formation,
and subsequently raised to formation status by Mountjoy (1960) and Manko (1960) in the Jasper and
Rock Lake areas of Alberta. The type section was amended to include additional younger strata by
Gibson (1968).
Other Citations:
Gibson, 1968, 1974, 1975; Manko, 1960; Mountjoy, 1960; Warren, 1945.
References:
Gibson, D.W., 1968. Triassic stratigraphy between the Athabasca and Smoky Rivers of Alberta;
Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 67-65.
Gibson, D.W., 1974, Triassic Rocks of the Southern Canadian Rocky Mountains, Geological Survey
of Canada, Bulletin 230.
Gibson, D.W., 1975. Triassic rocks of the Rocky Mountain Foothills and Front ranges of northeastern
British Columbia and west-central Alberta; Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 247, 42 p.
Manko, E.M., 1960. The Triassic of the Rock Lake area. In: Rock Lake Ellion, R.H.J. (Ed.).
Edmonton Geol. Soc., 2nd Ann. Field Trip Guidebook, p. 24-42.
Mountjoy, E.W., 1960. Structure and stratigraphy of the Miette and adjacent areas, eastern Jasper
National Park, Alberta; University of Toronto, Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, 249 p. + 23 plates in map
folder.
Warren, P.S., 1945. Triassic faunas in the Canadian Rockies. Am. J. Sci, v. 243.
Contributor: D.W. Gibson
Entry Reviewed: Yes
Unit Name: Rundle Group

Rank: Group
Status: Formal
Age Interval: Middle Mississippian - Late Mississippian (345.3 - 318.1 ma)
Originator: Douglas, 1953b.
Type Locality:
North end of Mount Rundle, Banff National Park, Alberta.
Distribution:
The Rundle Group is 698 m (2,288 ft) at the type section, 741 m (2,431 ft) on Tunnel Mountain and
549 m (1,800 ft) in the Mount Head area. The thickness is less in most sections of the front ranges and
foothills, the unit thinning eastward and erosional absent over much of eastern Alberta. The lower part
is present over a large part of the southern Alberta Plains area.
Lithology:
(Warren, 1927): "The Rundle Formation consists of thick-bedded to massive, light grey to dark grey,
coarse grained limestone alternating with beds of dark grey to black, fine grained limestone with or
without chert nodules. The chert nodules are more characteristically developed in the fine grained
beds and are more common in the lower part of the formation. The coarser grained beds do not, as a
rule, contain chert nodules. Some of the lighter colored beds are very coarse grained, containing many
fragments of crinoid columns and brachiopods; they probably represent shallow water conditions of
deposition. The limestone weathers grey, the finer grained beds assuming a much darker grey than the
coarser grained beds. The alternation of these two types of beds produces a very distinct banding of
light and dark grey where a section of the formation is well exposed." The light colored, coarse
grained beds constitute the echinoderm (crinoidal) limestones characteristic of the Livingstone
Formation, occupying the lower part of the Rundle Group, in contrast to limestones and dolomites,
with local shales, sandstones and siltstones of the Mount Head Formation representing the upper
Rundle section.
Relationship:
The Rundle conformably overlies the Banff Formation and is disconformably overlain by the Rocky
Mountain Formation in the front ranges. It is generally unconformably overlain by the Jurassic Fernie
Formation in the foothills, and by Lower Cretaceous strata eastward in the plains. In the mountain
sections the Rundle comprises the Mount Head and underlying Livingstone Formations; easterly, in
the foothills and plains the Mount Head is missing by erosion and the differentiated Turner ValleyShunda-Pekisko sequence, equivalent of the Livingstone represents the Rundle Group. The Rundle
Group equates to the Debolt and Prophet formations to the northwest, and to the Mission Canyon of
southern Saskatchewan, northeastern Montana and North Dakota.
History:
Because of the subdivision of the group into smaller units, and with the elevation to group status the
term Rundle is not now commonly used to define surface or subsurface sections. Because of
significant usage in prior literature, and the validity of the group status in summarizing a major
carbonate interval the term will always remain historically important for western Canada geology.
Other Citations:
Beach, 1943; Beales, 1950; Douglas, 1950, 1953; Douglas and Harker, 1958; Kindle, 1924; Macauley
et al., 1964; McQueen and Bamber, 1967; Moore, 1958; Warren, 1937.
References:
Douglas, R.J.W., 1953b. Carboniferous stratigraphy in the southern Foothills of Alberta; Alberta Soc.
Petrol. Geol., 3rd Ann. Field Conf. Guidebook, p. 66-88.
Contributor: G. Macauley; D.G. Penner
Entry Reviewed: Yes
Unit Name: Banff Formation

Rank: Formation
Status: Formal
Age Interval: late Famennian - Tournaisian (364.3 - 345.3 ma)

Age Justification: Biostratigraphy.
Province/Territory: Alberta; British Columbia; Northwest Territories
Originator: Kindle, 1924b; Warren, 1927.
Type Locality:
Northwest end of Mount Rundle, near Banff; 51 09'54"N, 115 31'08"W; NTS 82O/4, southwestern
Alberta (Warren, 1927; Macqueen and Bamber, 1967).
Distribution:
The Banff extends from the United States border in southern Alberta and southeastern British
Columbia into southwestern District of Mackenzie (Macauley et al., 1964). At its structurally
thickened stratotype it is 366 to 411 m (1,201 to 1,348 ft) thick (Macqueen and Bamber, 1967). The
southern Banff thins slowly northeastward below the Rundle Group, ranging from more than 400 m
(1,312 ft) in the Rocky Mountains to about 150 m (492 ft) on the plains. In the Peace River
Embayment and farther northward the formation thins slowly below the Rundle from more than 450
m (1,476 ft) in the southwest to about 300 m (984 ft) in the northeast. Thinning is accompanied by a
decrease in the proportions of chert and shale and a corresponding increase in that of limestone,
siltstone and sandstone. Northeastward of the subcrop edge of the Rundle the Band is rapidly
truncated beneath Mesozoic strata.
Locality Data:
Lithology:
The Banff Formation was partly divided into a lower, middle and upper member by Clark (1949) and
members A to F by (Richards et al., in press). In general the formation comprises a lower succession
of shale and marlstone grading upward and eastward into spiculite, bedded chert and carbonates that
pass into interbedded sandstone, siltstone, and shale. Member A, forming the basal Banff ranges in
thickness from <8 m (26 ft) in southwestern Alberta to about 490 m (1,607 ft) in the northwest. The
member consists of black to dark grey shale with subordinate turbiditic sandstone and silty to cherty
carbonates. Member B, extending from southern Alberta into northeastern British Columbia
gradationally overlies member A and ranges from 50 to 250 m (164 to 820 ft) in thickness. Member
B, partly equivalent to the informal Clark's Member of Sikabonyi and Rodgers (1959) constitutes the
middle Banff or most of the lower and middle Banff. Lower and southwestern facies are laminated to
rhythmically bedded, cherty to argillaceous dark grey spiculite, siltstone, dolostone, lime mudstone
and wackestone. These deposits grade upward and northeastward into medium bedded, cherty, dark
grey, bryozoan-pelmatozoan lime packstone to wackestone. The latter pass into massive to crossstratified, medium to light grey lime grainstone which is medium- to very thick-bedded. Member C is
widely distributed on the interior Plains and in the eastern Cordillera from southern Alberta to eastcentral British Columbia. Normally less than 100 m (328 ft) thick, medium bedded member C
gradationally overlies and passes southwestward into the more resistant upper member B.
Southwestern occurrences of member C comprise medium grey, cherty, skeletal lime wackestone and
packstone with subordinate shale, marlstone and dolostone. These deposits pass northeastward into
medium grey, algal-peloid lime wackestone and fenestral, cryptalgal carbonates associated with shale,
silty dolostone and anhydrite. Member D is present on the plains from southern Alberta into
northeastern British Columbia and occurs locally in the Foothills of Alberta. It gradationally overlies
member B or C and ranges in thickness from <40 m (131 ft) in the south to >135 m (443 ft) in the
northwest. The thin- to medium-bedded member comprises interbedded light olive grey siltstone, silty
to sandy carbonates, sandstone and dark grey to greenish grey shale. Small scale cross-bedding is
common in eastern and upper member D. Member E, present in the eastern Cordillera of southwestern
Alberta and the western part of the southern plains, generally conformably overlies member B and
passes northeastward into the basal Pekisko Formation. This medium to thick bedded member is
generally greater than 30 m (98 ft) thick. It contains rhythmically bedded turbidite-like beds, and
consists of dark grey cherty, spiculitic, skeletal lime packstone and wackestone. Member F,
correlative with the middle to upper Pekisko Formation and the basal Shunda Formation, overlies
member E and occurs in the same areas. This medium- to thick-bedded member, less resistant and
more argillaceous than member E comprises marlstone, rhythmically interbedded with dark grey
dolostone and cherty, pelmatozoan wackestone to packstone. The member, generally more than 130 m
(426 ft) thick in the northeast, thickens southwestward in the eastern front ranges. Most of the Banff is
undivided in the southernmost interior plains and in the southernmost Rocky Mountains. The
undivided Banff overlies member A and consists of dark grey, laminated to thin-bedded spicular chert
and cherty lime mudstone to wackestone that grade upward into medium-bedded chert and cherty
bryozoan-pelmatozoan limestone.
Relationship:
The Banff unconformably overlies the Palliser Formation in the central Rocky Mountains and
commonly the Wabamun and older strata in the Peace River Embayment of west-central Alberta
(Richards and Higgins, 1988; Richards, 1989). To the south the Banff generally unconformably
overlies the Exshaw, but to the north the basal Banff becomes older northward as the Exshaw passes
laterally into it. The Pekisko and Livingstone formations overlie the Banff (Macqueen et al., 1972;
Chatellier, 1988) except in northeastern British Columbia, where an unnamed correlative of the
Shunda Formation commonly overlies it. The Banff/Pekisko contact is erosional except on the
southern interior plains and in the southeastern Cordillera, where it is gradational. Members E and F
of the Banff pass laterally into the Pekisko Formation toward the northeast in the southeastern
Cordillera (Moore, 1958; Richards, 1989). Basinward (generally southwestward) of the southwestern
limit of the Pekisko the Livingstone overlies the Banff and passes basinward into it. The southern
Banff is lithologically and stratigraphically equivalent to the Lodgepole Formation. Their arbitrary
nomenclatural boundary lies along the Sweetgrass Arch in southeastern Alberta and along the 49th
parallel. In northeastern British Columbia the Banff passes southwestward into the Besa River
Formation (Bamber and Mamet, 1978). Northeast of the subcrop edge of the overlying Rundle Group
Mesozoic strata unconformably overlie the Banff.
History:
The name Banff series was introduced by McConnell (1887) for a thick succession of Devonian to
Triassic strata near Banff, Alberta. Kindle (1924) restricted the Banff to include only the lower Banff
shales of McConnell and called that unit the Banff Formation. Kindle (1924) and Warren (1927)
included in the basal type Banff Formation a black shale unit and overlying siltstone unit that jointly
constitute the Exshaw Formation. Warren (1937) restricted the Banff by designating the black shale
unit the Exshaw Formation. Clark (1949) and Macqueen and Sandberg (1970) further restricted the
Banff by placing the siltstone unit into the Exshaw.
References:
Bamber, E.W. and Mamet, B.L., 1978. Carboniferous biostratigraphy and correlation, northeastern
British Columbia and southwestern District of Mackenzie; Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin
266, 65 p.
Clark, Leslie M., 1949. Geology of Rocky Mountain Front Ranges near Bow River, Alberta;
American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), AAPG Bulletin, vol. 33, no. 4 (April), pp.
614-633.
Kindle, E.M., 1924b. Standard Paleozoic section of Rocky Mountains near Banff, Alberta; PanAmerican Geologist, vol. 42, no. 2 (September), pp. 113-124.
Macauley, G., Penner, D.G., Procter, R.M., and Tisdall, W.H., 1964. Carboniferous; In: Geological
history of western Canada, McCrossan, R.G. and Glaister, R.P. (Eds.), p. 89-102. Alberta Soc. Petrol.
Geol.
Macqueen, R.W. and Bamber, E.W., 1967. "Stratigraphy of Banff Formation and lower Rundle Group
(Mississippian), southwestern Alberta (Report, 3 plates and 9 figures)"; Geological Survey of Canada,
Paper 67-47, 37 p. (including 3 plates).
Macqueen, R.W., Bamber, E.W., and Mamet, B.L., 1972. Lower Carboniferous stratigraphy and
sedimentology of the southern Canadian Rocky Mountains. 24th Internat. Geol. Congress, Montreal,
Quebec, Guidebook, Field Excursion C17.
Moore, P.F., 1958. Late Paleozoic stratigraphy in the Rocky Mountains and foothills of Alberta - a
critical historical review; in, Jurassic and Carbonifenous of western Canada; Goodman, A.J. (Ed.).
Amer. Assoc. Petrol Geol., p. 145-176.
Richards, B.C. and Higgins, A.C., 1988. Devanian-Carboniferous boundary beds of the Palliser and
Exshaw formations at Jura Creek, Rocky Mountains, southwestern Alberta. In: Devonian of the
World; McMillan, N.J., Embry, A.F. and Glass, D.J. (Eds.). Can. Soc. Petrol. Geol., Memoir 14, v. 2,
p. 399-412.
Richards, B.C., 1989. Uppermost Devonian and Lower Carboniferous stratigraphy, sedimentation and
diagenesis, southwestern District of Mackenzie and southeastern Yukon Territory (NTS 95B, C, F and
G). Geol. Surv Can., Bulletin 390.
Warren, P.S., 1927. Banff area, Alberta; Geological Survey of Canada, Memoir 153.
Contributor: B.C. Richards
Entry Reviewed: Yes
LastChange: 24 Jun 2009
Unit Name: Palliser Formation

Rank: Formation
Status: Formal
Age Interval: Famennian (374.5 - 359.2 ma)
Age Justification: Meijer and Johnston (1994) subdivided the Palliser Formation into four sections:
lower Moro member, upper Moro member, lower Costigan member and upper Costigan member. The
upper Moro includes brachiopods of the Lower Famennian. It also contains Famennian conodonts
including Palmatolepsis wolskaja. The upper Costigan is charcterized by Upper Famennian
brachiopods (Meijer and Johnston, 1994).
Originator: Beach, 1943
Type Locality:
Meijer and Johnston (1994) designated the "Devil's Gap" section of Shimer (1926) south of Mount
Costigan as the type section. The section extends from the northwestern end of West lake eastward to
the gully at the western end of Middle lake.
Distribution:
The thickness varies from approximately 240 m (787 ft) in the foothills to about 280 m (918 ft) in the
front ranges, and to more than 450 m (1,476 ft) in the main ranges, with 580 m (1,902 ft) measured at
Sunwapta Pass (Severson, 1950). The Palliser is present throughout the Rocky Mountains and
foothills of Alberta. Southwest of the Peace River Arch, in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia
the Palliser was markedly truncated prior to deposition of the overlying shale (H. Geldsetzer, pers.
comm.). The type section designated by Meijer and Johnston (1994) is 255 metres thick.
Locality Data:
Lithology:
The Palliser consists of fine-grained, fossiliferous, dark grey to black limestones in the uppermost 3 to
35 m (10 to 115 ft) (upper Costigan Member of deWit and McLaren, 1950). The remainder of the
formation (Morro Member of deWit and McLaren) is composed of massive beds of grey mottled,
dolomitic limestone characterized by irregular branching tracery standing out in relief on weathered
surfaces. In the foothills subsurface anhydrite beds with dolomite occur in the lowermost Palliser (and
Alexo equivalent) and, to a less widespread extent in the upper part, beneath the thin, capping
fossiliferous limestones. In outcrop dissolution of these beds explains the breccias of the Costigan
Member. In addition, in the subsurface the middle Palliser is typically dolomitic, with porosity often
developed in a position analogous to that of the Crossfield Member of the Stettler Formation in the
plains.
Fossils:
Brachiopods of the Lower Famennian, Famennian conodonts including Palmatolepsis and Upper
Famennian brachiopods of the Gastrodetoechia Zone (Meijer and Johnston, 1994).
Relationship:
The Palliser conformably overlies light grey siltstone and arenaceous dolomite of the upper Alexo
Formation (Sassenach Formation) and is disconformably overlain by black shales of the Exshaw
Formation. It correlates with the Wabamun Group of the Alberta Plains area and with the middle part
of the Three Forks Formation of Saskatchewan and Montana. Northwestward it correlates to the
Tetcho and Kotcho formations, which lose identity westward in the shales of the Besa River
Formation in northeastern British Columbia.
History:
Beach (1943) stated that the Palliser was equivalent to "Lower Band Limestones of McConnell (1887)
and Minnewanka Formation (upper part)" of Shimer (1926). The term Palliser had early application in
the subsurface of the foothills (Beach, 1943) and even in the Peace River Arch area (de Mille, 1958);
it is presently used interchangeably with the term Wabamun in foothills wells.
Remark:
DeWit and McLaren (1950) subdivides the Palliser Formation into two members. See Morro Member
and Costigan Member.
References:
Beach, H.H., 1943. Moose Mountain and Morley map-areas, Alberta; Geological Survey of Canada,
Memoir 236, 74 p.
DeMille, G., 1958. Pre-Mississippian history of the Peace River Arch; Journal of the Alberta Society
of Petroleum Geologists, vol. 6, pp. 61-81.
DeWit, R.W., and McLaren, D.J. 1950. Devonian Sections in the Rocky Mountains between
Crowsnest Pass and Jasper, Alberta. Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 50-23.
McConnell, R.G., 1887. Report on the Geological Structure of a Portion of the Rocky Mountains
Accompanied by a Section Measured Near the 51st parallel; Geological Survey of Canada, Annual
Report 1891 (new series) 1886, Volume II, Part D, pp. 1-41 with Map section 248.
Meijer-Drees, N.C. and Johnston, D.I. 1994. Type Section and conodonts biostratigraphy of the Upper
Devonian Palliser Formation, southwestern Alberta. Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology. 42:1. P
55-62.
Severson, John Louis, 1950. Devonian stratigraphy, Sunwapta Pass area, Alberta, Canada; American
Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), AAPG Bulletin, vol. 34, no. 9 (September), pp. 18261849.
Shimer, H.W, 1926. Upper Paleozoic faunas of the Lake Minnewanka section, near Banff, Alberta.
Geol. Sun. Can., Bulletin 42, Geol. Ser., no. 45, p. 1-84.
Contributor: L.S. Eliuk; M. T. Adamson
Entry Reviewed: No

Late Cretaceous Marine Shales

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Late Cretaceous Marine Shales

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Unit Name: Brazeau Formation

Unit Type: Lithostratigraphic

Unit Name: Wapiabi Formation

Unit Name: Cardium Formation

Unit Name: Blackstone Formation

Unit Name: Blairmore Group

Unit Name: Kootenay Group

Unit Name: Fernie Group

Age Interval: Jurassic (199.6 - 145.5 ma)

Unit Name: Sulphur Mountain Formation

Unit Name: Rundle Group

Unit Name: Banff Formation

Age Interval: late Famennian - Tournaisian (364.3 - 345.3 ma)

Unit Name: Palliser Formation

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