| Chalk Butte Formation | |
|---|---|
|  Stratigraphic range: Tortonian-Zanclean (Hemphillian) ~  | |
| Type | Formation | 
| Thickness | About 538 feet | 
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Tuffaceous sandstones, siltstones, conglomerates | 
| Other | Tuff, ash beds, freshwater limestone | 
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 43°36′N117°30′W / 43.6°N 117.5°W | 
| Approximate paleocoordinates | 44°18′N114°36′W / 44.3°N 114.6°W | 
| Region | Malheur County, Oregon | 
| Country | United States | 
| Type section | |
| Named for | Chalk Butte | 
The Chalk Butte Formation is a geologic formation in Oregon, which forms a part of the Idaho Group. [1] It preserves fossils dating back to the Neogene period. [2] It was proposed along with the Grassy Mountain Basalt Formation and the Kern Basin Formation as a division of the Idaho Group rocks in the Mitchell Butte Quadrangle. [3] The predominant rock types are tuffaceous sandstones, siltstones, and conglomerates with smaller amounts of tuff, ash beds, and freshwater limestone. [3] A partial section at the type location determined the formation to be about 538 feet thick. [3]
The following fossils have been reported from the formation: [2] [4]