Battle Formation

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Battle Formation
Stratigraphic range: Maastrichtian
~67.2–66.9  Ma
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Type Geological formation
Unit of Edmonton Group
Sub-unitsKneehills Tuff
Underlies Scollard Formation
Overlies Whitemud Formation, Wapiti Formation
Thickness14 metres (46 ft)
Lithology
Primary Mudstone, clay
Other Siltstone, sandstone
Location
Region Alberta
CountryCanada
Type section
Named byG.M. Furnival, 1955 [2]

The Battle Formation is a geologic formation of Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. [3] It is present throughout much of the central Alberta plains, where it is an important stratigraphic marker in the nonmarine Upper Cretaceous sequence. [4] It was formally named by G.M. Furnival in 1942 [2] and given formation status by E.J.W. Irish in 1970. [5] [6]

Contents

Stratigraphy

The Battle Formation forms part of the Edmonton Group. A marker bed called the Kneehills Tuff is present in the upper part of the formation. [6]

Lithology

The Battle Formation is easily recognized in outcrop and in geophysical well logs. [4] It consists of distinctive mauve-grey to purplish brown mudstones with minor siltstone and rare sandstone. The mudstones contain a large component of volcanic ash that has been altered to bentonitic and montmorillonitic clay, and they form a porous, popcorn-like crust upon weathering. The Kneehills Tuff bed consists of brown-grey, hard siliceous rock. [4] [6]

Thickness and Distribution

The Battle Formation is reaches thicknesses of up to about 14 m (46 ft), but in some areas it was partially or completely removed by erosion prior to or during the deposition of the overlying Scollard Formation. [4] [6] The Kneehills Tuff occurs as one bed about 15 cm (5.9 in) to 25 cm (9.8 in) thick, or as two or three beds each about 5 cm (2.0 in) to 8 cm (3.1 in) thick in the upper part of the Battle. [6]

Relationship to Other Units

The Battle Formation unconformably overlies the Whitemud Formation. It is overlain by the Scollard Formation and the contact is erosional in some areas where basal Scollard paleochannels have cut into or eroded through the Battle. In other areas the contact may be conformable. [4] In the southern Alberta plains it is overlain, apparently conformably, by the Willow Creek Formation, and in Saskatchewan it is overlain by the Frenchman Formation. [6]

The Battle Formation is equivalent to part of the St. Mary River Formation in the southern Alberta plains and is correlative with part of the Brazeau Formation in the foothills of the Alberta Rockies. It is correlated with the part of the Fox Hills Formation in Montana and North Dakota. [6]

Paleontology

The Battle Formation is thought to have been deposited in sediment-starved lacustrine and marsh environments. [4] It is poorly fossiliferous, but arthropods including insects and arachnids preserved in amber, [7] spores, bone fragments, algal remains and carbonized wood have been reported. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scollard Formation</span> Upper Cretaceous to lower Palaeocene stratigraphic unit of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin

The Scollard Formation is an Upper Cretaceous to lower Palaeocene stratigraphic unit of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in southwestern Alberta. Its deposition spanned the time interval from latest Cretaceous to early Paleocene, and it includes sediments that were deposited before, during, and after the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event. It is significant for its fossil record, and it includes the economically important coal deposits of the Ardley coal zone.

The Frenchman Formation is stratigraphic unit of Late Cretaceous age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. It is present in southern Saskatchewan and the Cypress Hills of southeastern Alberta. The formation was defined by G.M. Furnival in 1942 from observations of outcrops along the Frenchman River, between Ravenscrag and Highway 37. It contains the youngest of dinosaur genera, much like the Hell Creek Formation in the United States.

The Wapiti Formation is a geological formation of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in northwestern Alberta, and northeastern British Columbia, Canada. Its deposition spanned the time interval from the lower Campanian through to the upper Maastrichtian, between approximately 80 and 68 Ma. It was named by G.M. Dawson in 1881, presumably for exposures along the lower part of the Wapiti River and downstream along the Smoky River in Alberta.

The Willow Creek Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Late Cretaceous to Early Paleocene age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin of southwestern Alberta. It was first described by George Mercer Dawson in 1883 along the Willow Creek, a tributary of the Oldman River. Williams and Dyer defined the type section in 1930 at the mouth of Willow Creek, east of Fort Macleod.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmonton Group</span> Stratigraphic unit in central Alberta, Canada

Within the earth science of geology, the Edmonton Group is a Late Cretaceous to early Paleocene stratigraphic unit of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the central Alberta plains. It was first described as the Edmonton Formation by Joseph Burr Tyrrell in 1887 based on outcrops along the North Saskatchewan River in and near the city of Edmonton. E.J.W. Irish later elevated the formation to group status and it was subdivided into four separate formations. In ascending order, they are the Horseshoe Canyon, Whitemud, Battle and Scollard Formations. The Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary occurs within the Scollard Formation, based on dinosaurian and microfloral evidence, as well as the presence of the terminal Cretaceous iridium anomaly.

The Ravenscrag Formation is a stratigraphic unit of early Paleocene age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. It was named for the settlement of Ravenscrag, Saskatchewan, and was first described from outcrops at Ravenscrag Butte near the Frenchman River by N.B. Davis in 1918.

The Gravelbourg Formation is a stratigraphical unit of Bajocian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.

The Eastend Formation is a stratigraphical unit of Maastrichtian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. It takes its name from the town of Eastend, Saskatchewan, and was first described in outcrop around the settlement by L.S. Russell in 1932. The type locality was later defined south-west of the town by W.O. Kupsch in 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morrissey Formation</span>

The Morrissey Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Late Jurassic (Portlandian) age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. It is named for outcrops on Morrissey Ridge, 16 kilometres (10 mi) southeast of Fernie, British Columbia, and is present in southeastern British Columbia and southwestern Alberta.

The Coalspur Formation is an Upper Cretaceous to lower Palaeocene stratigraphic unit of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the foothills of southwestern Alberta. Its deposition spanned the time interval from latest Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) to early Palaeocene, and it includes sediments that were deposited before, during, and after the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event. It includes the economically important coal deposits of the Coalspur Coal Zone, as well as nonmarine plant and animal fossils.

The Blairmore Group, originally named the Blairmore Formation, is a geologic unit of Early Cretaceous age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin that is present in southwestern Alberta and southeastern British Columbia. It is subdivided into four formations: Cadomin Formation, Gladstone, Beaver Mines and Ma Butte, all of which are defined by type sections, most of which contain plant fossils. In some areas the Blairmore contains significant reservoirs of natural gas.

The Beattie Peaks Formation is a geologic formation of Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin that consists primarily of marine mudstone. It is present in the northern foothills of the Canadian Rockies and the adjacent plains in northeastern British Columbia.

The Monach Formation is a geologic formation of Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin that consists primarily of sandstone. It is present in the northern foothills of the Canadian Rockies and the adjacent plains in northeastern British Columbia.

The Monteith Formation is a geologic formation of Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin that consists primarily of sandstone. It is present in the northern foothills of the Canadian Rockies and the adjacent plains in northeastern British Columbia and west-central Alberta.

The Beaver Mines Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Early Cretaceous (Albian) age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin that is present in southwestern Alberta and southeastern British Columbia, Canada. It was established by G.B. Mellon in 1967 who named it for the hamlet of Beaver Mines, Alberta. It contains a variety of plant fossils.

The Whitemud Formation is a geologic formation of Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. it is present through the plains of southern Saskatchewan, southeastern Alberta and south-central Alberta. Named by N.B. Davis in 1918, the formation is characterized by white kaolinitic clay and is a source of high-quality refractory clay. The type locality has been designated as Dempster's clay pit northwest of Eastend, Saskatchewan.

The Gorman Creek Formation is a geologic formation of Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin that consists primarily of nonmarine sediments. It is present in the northern foothills of the Canadian Rockies and the adjacent plains in northeastern British Columbia. Plant fossils and dinosaur tracks have been described from its strata.

The Bickford Formation is a geologic formation of Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin that consists primarily of nonmarine sediments. It is present in the northern foothills of the Canadian Rockies in northeastern British Columbia.

The Gladstone Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Early Cretaceous (Aptian) age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. It is present in the foothills of southwestern Alberta and is named for outcrops along Gladstone Creek, a tributary of the Castle River south of the Crowsnest Pass.

The Ma Butte Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Early Cretaceous (Albian) age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. It was named for Ma Butte, a mountain north of Coleman, Alberta, by J.R. McLean in 1980. It is present in the foothills of southwestern Alberta and it contains plant fossils.

References

  1. ↑ Eberth, David A.; Kamo, Sandra L. (October 2019). "First high-precision U–Pb CA–ID–TIMS age for the Battle Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Red Deer River valley, Alberta, Canada: implications for ages, correlations, and dinosaur biostratigraphy of the Scollard, Frenchman, and Hell Creek formations". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 56 (10): 1041–1051. Bibcode:2019CaJES..56.1041E. doi:10.1139/cjes-2018-0098. ISSN   0008-4077.
  2. 1 2 Furnival, G.M. 1942. Cypress Lake, Saskatchewan. Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 42-5
  3. ↑ "The Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, Chapter 24: Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary strata of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin". Compiled by Mossop, G.D. and Shetsen, I., Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists. 1994. Archived from the original on 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2016-06-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hathway, B. 2011. Late Maastrichtians paleovalley systems in west-central Alberta: Mapping the Battle Formation in the subsurface. Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology, vol. 59, no. 3, p. 195-206.
  5. ↑ Irish, E.J.W. 1970. The Edmonton Group of south-central Alberta. Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology, vol. 18, p. 125-155.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Glass, D.J. (editor) 1997. Lexicon of Canadian Stratigraphy, vol. 4, Western Canada including eastern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba. Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, Calgary, 1423 p. on CD-ROM. ISBN   0-920230-23-7.
  7. ↑ Loewen, Elyssa J.T.; Balkwill, Micheala A.; Mattioli, Júlia; Cockx, Pierre; Caicedo, Maria Velez; Muehlenbachs, Karlis; Tappert, Ralf; Borkent, Art; Libke, Caelan; Engel, Michael S.; Somers, Christopher; McKellar, Ryan C. (April 2024). "New Canadian amber deposit fills gap in fossil record near end-Cretaceous mass extinction". Current Biology. 34 (8): 1762–1771.e3. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.001.
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