Muskiki Formation

Last updated
Muskiki Formation
Stratigraphic range: Late Cretaceous
Muskiki Shale.JPG
Muskiki_Shale
Type Geological formation
Unit of Smoky Group
Underlies Bad Heart Formation
Overlies Cardium Formation
Thicknessup to 99 metres (320 ft) [1]
Lithology
Primary Shale
Other Sandstone
Location
Coordinates 52°47′47″N116°53′33″W / 52.79637°N 116.89245°W / 52.79637; -116.89245 (Muskiki Formation)
RegionFlag of Alberta.svg  Alberta
CountryFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Type section
Named forMuskiki Lake
Named byD.F. Stott, 1963

The Muskiki Formation is a stratigraphical unit of Late Cretaceous age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.

Contents

The formation is named after Muskiki Lake and Muskiki Creek, a tributary of the Cardinal River, and was first described in an outcrop along the Thistle Creek, north of Muskiki Lake, in the Bighorn Range, by D.F. Stott in 1963. [2] The name is of Cree origin ("maskihkîy"), [3] meaning medicine.

Lithology

The Muskiki Formation is composed of shale with pebbly mudstone. Poorly sorted sandstone and concretionary beds also occur. In the western areal it becomes more silty. [1]

Distribution

The Muskiki Formation is 99 metres (320 ft) thick at its type locality at Thistle Creek. It thins out towards the south and east. It occurs in the Canadian Rockies foothills from the Highwood River in the south to the Berland River, north of the Athabasca River and into north-eastern British Columbia. [1]

Relationship to other units

The Muskiki Formationis is part of the Smoky Group. It is conformably underlain by the Cardium Formation and conformably overlain by the Bad Heart Formation. [1]

The Kaskapau Formation in northern Alberta replaces the upper Blackstone Formation, the Cardium Formation, and the Muskiki Formation. [4] Where the Kaskapau Formation includes post Cardium beds, the Muskiki is considered a member of the Wapiabi Formation.

Related Research Articles

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

The Kaskapau Formation is a geological formation in North America whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous.

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

The Nikanassin Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Late Jurassic (Portlandian) to Early Cretaceous (Barremian) age. It is present along the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in western Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. Its name was first proposed by D.B. Dowling in 1909 (Coal Fields South of Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountain, Alberta Page 140 paragraph 4 " to this it is proposed to give the name Nikanassin, from the Cree word meaning outer range" Also it is noted on the map by D.B. Dowling.(Geological Survey of Canada. Incorrect info follows: It was named by B.R. MacKay in 1929 for the Nikanassin Range of the front-central ranges of the Canadian Rockies. Mackay did not designate a type locality for the formation, although he described outcrops near the hamlet of Brûlé, north of the Yellowhead Highway outside of Jasper National Park.

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

The Cadomin Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Early Cretaceous age in the western part of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. It is extends from southeastern British Columbia through western Alberta to northeastern British Columbia, and it contains significant reservoirs of natural gas in some areas. It was named after the mining town of Cadomin, which is an acronym of "Canadian Dominion Mining".

Gething Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Lower Cretaceous (Aptian) age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. It is present in northeastern British Columbia and western Alberta, and includes economically important coal deposits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardium Formation</span> Stratigraphic range in western Canada

The Cardium Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Late Cretaceous age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. It takes the name from the fossilized heart-shaped cockle shells in the family Cardiidae present. It was first described along the Bow River banks by James Hector in 1895. It is present throughout western Alberta and in northeastern British Columbia, and it is a major source of petroleum and natural gas.

Bullhead Group is a stratigraphic unit of Lower Cretaceous age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin of northeastern British Columbia and western Alberta. It was first defined by F.H. McLearn in 1918 as the Bullhead Mountain Formation, but later was upgraded to group status. It consists of the Cadomin and Gething Formations, although some early workers included the Bluesky Formation and others in the group.

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

The Fernie Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Jurassic age. It is present in the western part of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in western Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. It takes its name from the town of Fernie, British Columbia, and was first defined by W.W. Leach in 1914.

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

The Peace River Formation is a stratigraphical unit of middle Albian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.

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

The Smoky Group is a stratigraphical unit of Late Cretaceous age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.

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

The Rundle Group is a stratigraphical unit of Mississippian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.

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

The Dunvegan Formation is a stratigraphical unit of Cenomanian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.

The Alberta Group is a stratigraphical unit of Cenomanian to early Campanian age in the Lewis overthrust in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.

The Doig Formation is a geologic formation of middle Triassic age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. It takes the name from Doig River, a tributary of the Beatton River, and was first described in the Texaco N.F.A. Buick Creek No. 7 well by J.H. Armitage in 1962..

The Minnes Group, originally named the Minnes Formation, is a geologic unit of latest Jurassic to earliest Cretaceous age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. It is present in the northern foothills of the Canadian Rockies and the adjacent plains in northeastern British Columbia and west-central Alberta. Its strata include natural gas reservoirs and minor coal deposits. Fossil dinosaur tracks have been described from one of its formations.

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 Boulder Creek Formation is a geologic formation in northeastern British Columbia. It was named for a tributary to Commotion Creek in the Pine Pass area by E.M. Spieker in 1921. At one time considered to be a member of the Commotion Formation, it was elevated to formation status by D.F. Stott in 1982.

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units. "Muskiki Formation" . Retrieved 2009-03-05.
  2. Stott, D.F., 1963. The Cretaceous Alberta Group and equivalent rocks, Rocky Mountain Foothills, Alberta Geological Survurvey, Canada, Memoir 317
  3. Cree Dictionaty. "maskihkîy".
  4. Lexicon of Canadian Geological Units. "Kaskapau Formation". Archived from the original on 2013-01-11. Retrieved 2009-02-06.