Fairholme Group

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Fairholme Group
Stratigraphic range: Frasnian
Type Group
Sub-units Mount Hawk Formation
Southesk Formation
Perdrix Formation
Cairn Formation
Maligne Formation
Flume Formation
Borsato Formation
Hollebeke Formation
Underlies Sassenach Formation, Alexo Formation, Crowfoot Formation, or Palliser Formation
Overlies Beaverhill Lake Group, Yahatinda Formation, or pre-Devonian Formations
ThicknessUp to about 730 m (2400 feet) [1]
Lithology
Primary Limestone, dolomite
Other Mudstone, siltstone
Location
Coordinates 51°05′00″N115°07′00″W / 51.08333°N 115.11667°W / 51.08333; -115.11667 (Fairholme Group)
RegionFlag of Alberta.svg  Alberta
Flag of British Columbia.svg  British Columbia
CountryFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Type section
Named for Fairholme Range
Named byH.H. Beach [2]
Year defined1943

The Fairholme Group is a stratigraphic unit of Late Devonian (Frasnian) age. It is present on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the Rocky Mountains and foothills of Alberta and British Columbia. It was named for the Fairholme Range near Exshaw in the Canadian Rockies by H.H. Beach in 1943. [1] [2]

Contents

The formations of the Fairholme Group include fossils of marine animals such as stromatoporoids, corals, brachiopods, crinoids, and conodonts.

Lithology

The Fairholme Group was deposited in marine environments and can be subdivided into three gross lithologic units: [1]

Distribution and thickness

The Fairholme Group is present in the Canadian Rockies from the Kakwa Lakes area of northeastern British Columbia, south through Alberta to the Flathead River region of southeastern British Columbia, as well as in the subsurface beneath the immediately adjacent plains to the east. Where fully developed, the group reaches thicknesses from about 300 to 728 m (980 to 2400 feet). [1]

Relationship to other units

The Fairholm Group overlies the Beaverhill Lake Group in the southern Alberta plains, and unconformably overlies the Middle Devonian Yahatinda Formation or pre-Devonian formations in the mountains. It is overlain by the Crowfoot Formation in the plains, and the Sassenach, Alexo or, rarely, the Palliser Formation in the mountains. It is equivalent to the Woodbend Group and the lower part of the Winterburn Group of the plains. [1] [3]

Related Research Articles

The Muskeg Formation is a geologic formation of Middle Devonian (Givetian) age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. It extends from the plains of northwestern Alberta to northeastern British Columbia, and includes important petroleum and natural gas reservoirs in the Zama lake and Rainbow Lake areas of northwestern Alberta.

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

The Palliser Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Late Devonian (Famennian) age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. It is a thick sequence of limestone and dolomitic limestone that is present in the Canadian Rockies and foothills of western Alberta. Tall cliffs formed of the Palliser Formation can be seen throughout Banff and Jasper National Parks.

The Beaverhill Lake Group is a geologic unit of Middle Devonian to Late Devonian age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin that is present in the southwestern Northwest Territories, northeastern British Columbia and Alberta. It was named by the geological staff of Imperial Oil in 1950 for Beaverhill Lake, Alberta, based on the core from a well that they had drilled southeast of the lake, near Ryley, Alberta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elk Point Group</span>

The Elk Point Group is a stratigraphic unit of Early to Middle Devonian age in the Western Canada and Williston sedimentary basins. It underlies a large area that extends from the southern boundary of the Northwest Territories in Canada to North Dakota in the United States. It has been subdivided into numerous formations, number of which host major petroleum and natural gas reservoirs.

The Woodbend Group is a stratigraphical unit of Frasnian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.

The Winterburn Group is a stratigraphical unit of Frasnian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ishbel Group</span>

The Ishbel Group is a stratigraphic unit of Permian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. It is present in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta and British Columbia. First defined by A. McGugan in 1963, it is named for Mount Ishbel of the Sawback Range in Banff National Park, and parts of the group were first described in the vicinity of the mountain at Ranger Canyon and Johnston Canyon.

The Liard Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Middle Triassic to Late Triassic age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin that is present in northeastern British Columbia. It takes its name from the Liard River, and was first described from outcrops on the southern bank of that river, near Hell Gate Rapids in the Grand Canyon of the Liard, by E.D. Kindle in 1946.

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

The Cathedral Formation is a stratigraphic unit in the southern Canadian Rockies of Alberta and British Columbia, on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. It is a thick sequence of carbonate rocks of Middle Cambrian age. It was named for Cathedral Mountain in Yoho National Park by Charles Doolittle Walcott, the discoverer of the Burgess shale fossils.

The Alexo Formation a stratigraphic unit of Late Devonian age. It is present on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the central Rocky Mountains and foothills of Alberta. The formation consists primarily of dolomite. It is locally fossiliferous and includes remains of marine animals such as brachiopods and conodonts.

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

The Cairn Formation is a geologic formation of Late Devonian (Frasnian) age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. It was named for the Cairn River near its junction with the Southesk River in Jasper National Park by D.J. McLaren in 1955.

The Mount Hawk Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Late Devonian age. It is present on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the Rocky Mountains and foothills of Alberta. It consists primarily of limestone and mudstone, and was named for Hawk Mountain in Jasper National Park by R. de Wit and D.J. McLaren in 1950.

The Flume Formation is a geologic formation in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in Alberta, Canada. It was deposited as an extensive carbonate platform along the western edge of the basin during Late Devonian (Frasnian) time and the reefs of the Cairn Formation subsequently developed on it.

The Simla Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Late Devonian age. It is present on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the Rocky Mountains and foothills of west-central Alberta and east-central British Columbia. It consists primarily of carbonate rocks and siltstone, and was named for Mount Simla in northern Jasper National Park by D. J. McLaren and E. W. Mountjoy in 1962.

The Southesk Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Late Devonian age. It is present on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the Rocky Mountains and foothills of Alberta and southeastern British Columbia. It was named for the Southesk River in Jasper National Park by D.J. McLaren in 1955.

The Beaverfoot Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Late Ordovician to Early Silurian (Llandovery) age. It is present on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia and Alberta, and the Purcell Mountains of British Columbia. It consists of carbonate rocks, and was named for the Beaverfoot Range at Pedley Pass southeast of Golden, British Columbia by L.D. Burling in 1922.

Toad Formation, Grayling Formation, and Toad-Grayling Formation are obsolete names for the strata of the Early to Middle Triassic Doig and Montney Formations. They were applied in the foothills and Rocky Mountains of northeastern British Columbia, on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. Although the names are considered obsolete, their usage persists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eldon Formation</span> Geologic formation in Canada

The Eldon Formation is a stratigraphic unit that is present on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the southern Canadian Rockies of southwestern Alberta and southeastern British Columbia. It is a thick sequence of massive, cliff-forming limestones and dolomites that was named for Eldon Switch on the Canadian Pacific Railway near Castle Mountain in Banff National Park by Charles Doolittle Walcott, who discovered the Burgess Shale fossils. The Eldon Formation was deposited during Middle Cambrian time, and it includes fossil stromatolites. The Eldon forms the scenic cliffs at the top of Castle Mountain, and can also be seen at Mount Yamnuska and other mountains in Banff and Yoho National Parks.

The Sassenach Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Late Devonian age. It is present on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the Rocky Mountains and foothills of Alberta. It consists primarily of mudstone, siltstone, and silty carbonate rocks, and was named for Mount Sassenach in Jasper National Park by D. J. McLaren and E. W. Mountjoy in 1962.

The Hollebeke Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Late Devonian (Frasnian) age. It is present on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the southern Rocky Mountains of Alberta and British Columbia. It consists of carbonate rocks, and was named for Mount Hollebeke in the Flathead Range near North Kootenay Pass by R.A. Price in 1965.

References

  1. 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, p. 433-444. Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, Calgary, 1423 p. on CD-ROM. ISBN   0-920230-23-7.
  2. 1 2 Beach, H.H. 1943. Moose Mountain and Morley map-areas, Alberta. Geological Survey of Canada, Memoir 236.
  3. Alberta Geological Survey. "Alberta Table of Formations, May 2019" (PDF). Alberta Energy Regulator. Retrieved 24 March 2020.

See also