Beattie Peaks Formation

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Beattie Peaks Formation
Stratigraphic range: Valanginian
Type Formation
Unit of Minnes Group
Underlies Monach Formation
Overlies Monteith Formation
Thicknessmaximum 460 m (1,510 ft)
Lithology
Primary Mudstone
Other Siltstone, sandstone
Location
Coordinates 53°47′00″N122°35′00″W / 53.7833°N 122.5833°W / 53.7833; -122.5833 (Beattie Peaks Formation) Coordinates: 53°47′00″N122°35′00″W / 53.7833°N 122.5833°W / 53.7833; -122.5833 (Beattie Peaks Formation)
RegionFlag of British Columbia.svg  British Columbia
CountryFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Extent Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin
Type section
Named forBeattie Peaks
Named byW.H. Mathews
Year defined1947 [1]
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Beattie Peaks Formation (Canada)
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Beattie Peaks Formation (British Columbia)

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. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Lithology

The Beattie Peaks Formation consists primarily of dark grey to brownish grey or black mudstones that contain abundant organic matter and are extensively burrowed. Interbeds of argillaceous siltstone and fine-grained sandstone increase toward the top of the formation. [2] [4]

Environment of deposition

The Beattie Peaks Formation was deposited in marine and prodeltaic environments within the Western Interior Seaway. [2]

Paleontology and age

The age of the Beattie Peaks Formation has been determined from its fossil fauna, primarily species of the bivalve Buchia. The formation has also yielded other fossil bivalves, ammonites, and microfossils. Trace fossils made by burrowing organisms are common in its mudstones. [2]

Thickness and distribution

The Beattie Peaks Formation is present in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies and the adjacent plains in northeastern British Columbia, extending from the Prophet River to south of the Pine River. It reaches a maximum thickness of 460 m (1,510 ft) in the western foothills and thins eastward. [2]

Relationship to other units

The Beattie Peaks Formation is part of the Minnes Group. It was deposited conformably on the Monteith Formation and is conformably overlain by the Monach Formation, both of which also belong to the Minnes Group. To the south it grades into the lower part of the Gorman Creek Formation. [2] [3] [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Morrissey Formation

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

The Kootenay Group, originally called the Kootenay Formation, is a geologic unit of latest Jurassic to earliest Cretaceous age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin that is present in the southern and central Canadian Rockies and foothills. It includes economically important deposits of high-rank bituminous and semi-anthracite coal, as well as plant fossils and dinosaur trackways.

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 Luscar Group is a geologic unit of Early Cretaceous age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin that is present in the foothills of southwestern Alberta. It is subdivided into a series of formations, some of which contain economically significant coal deposits that have been mined near Cadomin and Luscar. Coal mining in those areas began in the early 1900s and continues near Luscar as of 2016.

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.

References

  1. Mathews, W.H. 1947. Geology and coal resources of the Carbon Creek, Mount Bickford map area. British Columbia Department of Mines, Bulletin 24, 27 p.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Stott, D.F. 1998. Fernie Formation and Minnes Group (Jurassic and lowermost Cretaceous), northern Rocky Mountain foothills, Alberta and British Columbia. Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 516.
  3. 1 2 Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists and Alberta Geological Survey (1994). "The Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, Chapter 18: Jurassic and Lowermost Cretaceous strata of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin". Compiled by Mossop, G.D. and Shetsen, I. Archived from the original on 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
  4. 1 2 3 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.