Nahanni Formation

Last updated
Nahanni Formation
Stratigraphic range: Givetian
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
Type Geological formation
Underlies Fort Simpson Formation
Horn River Formation
Overlies Headless Formation
Thicknessup to 137 metres (450 ft) [1]
Lithology
Primary Limestone
Location
Coordinates 61°03′0″N123°37′0″W / 61.05000°N 123.61667°W / 61.05000; -123.61667 (Nahanni Formation)
Region WCSB
CountryFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Type section
Named for Nahanni Butte
Named byC.O. Hage
Year defined1945

The Nahanni Formation is a stratigraphical unit of Givetian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.

Contents

It takes the name from Nahanni Butte, a prominent ridge at the confluence of the South Nahanni River and Liard River, and was first described in outcrop on the south face of the mountain by C.O. Hage in 1945. [2]

Lithology

The Nahanni Formation is composed of dolomitic limestone. [1]

Petroleum geology

gas is produced from the Nahanni Formation in the Mackenzie River Valley.

Paleontology

The Nahanni Formation contains paleofauna composed of corals, brachiopods and trilobites.

Distribution

The Nahanni Formation reaches a maximum thickness of 137 metres (450 ft) at Nahanni Butte, and has typical thickness of 60 metres (200 ft). It occurs from the Franklin Mountains in the north to north-eastern British Columbia in the south. [1]

Relationship to other units

The Nahanni Formation is conformably overlain by the Fort Simpson Formation in the west and by the Horn River Formation in the east. It overlays the Headless Formation diachronically and transitionally, with younger deposits occurring in the west. [1]

It is equivalent to the upper part of the Hume Formation in the Mackenzie River area, as well as the Lonely Bay Formation, Pine Point Formation and Little Buffalo Formation in the Great Slave Lake area. In northern Alberta it corresponds to the Keg River Formation.

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The Slave Point Formation is a stratigraphical unit of Middle Devonian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.

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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.

The Sulphur Mountain Formation is a geologic formation of Early to Middle Triassic age. It is present on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the foothills and Rocky Mountains of western Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. It includes marine fossils from the time shortly after the Permian-Triassic extinction event.

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.

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units. "Formation" . Retrieved 2010-02-01.
  2. Hage, C.O., 1945. Geological reconnaissance along the lower Liard River, British Columbia, Yukon and Northwest Territories. Geol. Surv. Can., Paper 45-22.