Peace River Formation

Last updated
Peace River Formation
Stratigraphic range: Middle Albian
Cadotte MBR.JPG
Sand grains from the Cadotte Member sandstone
Type Geological formation
Unit of Fort St. John Group
Sub-unitsPaddy Member, Cadotte Member, Harmon Member
Underlies Shaftesbury Formation
Overlies Spirit River Formation
Thicknessup to 60 feet (20 m) [1]
Lithology
Primary Greywacke, sandstone, shale
Other coal
Location
Coordinates 56°12′N117°20′W / 56.200°N 117.333°W / 56.200; -117.333 (Peace River Formation)
Region Peace River Country
CountryFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Type section
Named for Peace River
Named byMcConnell, 1893.

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

Contents

It takes the name from the Peace River, and was first described on the banks of the river, downstream from the Smoky River confluence to the mouth of the Notikewin River by McConnell in 1893.

Lithology

The Peace River Formation consists of greywacke, coal, coarse to fine marine sandstone and dark, fissile, non-calcareous shale.

Hydrocarbon production

Gas is produced from the Cadotte Member in northern-western Alberta.

Distribution

The Peace River Formation is 60 feet (20 m) thick on average. The formation has different extents at different stages, with the Paddy Member present only in the Peace River Country in northern Alberta south of Clear Hills, while the Cadotte Member and the Harmon Member occur in both Alberta and north-eastern British Columbia.

Physiography

The Peace River Lowland, a landform region in the Alberta Plateau, is a gently rolling lowland without clearly defined outer boundaries extending east of the Rocky Mountains on both sides of the Peace River and sloping downward to the north and east. The higher hills in the foothills east of the Rockies in northeastern British Columbia have elevations of about 1000 m and the plains west of Lake Athabasca are about 300 m above sea level. [2] The lowland's Quaternary sediments of the former lake bottom of Glacial Lake Peace are underlain by Upper and Lower Cretaceous sedimentary rocks mainly shales of the Shaftesbury formation and sandstones of the Dunvegan and Peace River formations. [3] The Peace River and its immediate tributaries have incised almost 200 meters into the sediments and into the Cretaceous bedrock in the western section but only about 70 meters in the east side further north around Fort Vermilion.

On the basis of topography and landscape pattern, the area may be subdivided into four local physiographic units: the Peace River Lowland, Otter Lakes Upland, Utikuma Lake Upland, and Clear Hills Upland.

The Peace River Lowland is located in the central part of the area and is dissected by the Peace River. The Otter Lakes Upland in the northeast is a southern extension of the Buffalo Head Hills. It has a rugged moraine topography with steep slopes and isolated hills. Elevations above sea level range from 1,900 feet (580 m) to 2,600 feet (790 m). The Utikuma Lake Upland in the southeast also ranges from 1,900 feet (580 m) to 2,700 feet (820 m). The Clear Hills Upland in the west ranges from 1,900 feet (580 m) to 2,700 feet (820 m). [4]

Relationship to other units

The Peace River Formation is a sub-division of the Fort St. John Group. It is conformably overlain by the Shaftesbury Formation shale and is conformably underlain by the Spirit River Formation.

It is equivalent to the Commotion Formation in British Columbia and to the Scatter Formation in the Liard River area. It correlates to the Buckinghorse Formation in north-eastern British Columbia.

Subdivisions

The Peace River Formation is composed of the following subdivisions from base to top:

Sub-unit Age LithologyMax
Thickness
Reference
Paddy Member Early Cretaceous greywacke, coal 40 feet (10 m) [5]
Cadotte Membermiddle Albian coarse to fine marine sandstone 52 feet (20 m) [6]
Harmon Membermiddle Albian dark, fissile, non-calcareous shale 34 feet (10 m) [7]

The Harmon Member correlates with the Hulcross Shale of the Commotion Formation in British Columbia and the shale member of the Scatter Formation in the Liard River area. The Cadotte Member correlates with the lower part of the Boulder Creek Member of the Commotion Formation and to the sum of the sandy member of the Scatter Formation and the base of the Lepine Formation.

In eastern and central Alberta, the Harmon Member can be correlated to the Joli Fou Formation, and the Cadotte Members with the Viking Formation.

Related Research Articles

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The Fort St. John Group is a stratigraphic unit of Lower Cretaceous age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. It takes the name from the city of Fort St. John, British Columbia and was first defined by George Mercer Dawson in 1881.

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

The Spirit 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>

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

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunvegan Formation</span> Stratigraphical unit in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin

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

The Schooler Creek Group is a stratigraphic unit of Middle to Late Triassic age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. It is present in northeastern British Columbia. It was named for Schooler Creek, a left tributary of Williston Lake, and was first described in two oil wells northwest of Fort St. John, by F.H. McLearn in 1921. Exposures along Williston Lake serve as a type locality in outcrop.

The Baldonnel Formation is a stratigraphical unit of Carnian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.

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

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

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

The Viking Formation is a stratigraphical unit of Cretaceous age 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 Fort Simpson Formation is a stratigraphical unit of Devonian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.

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The Tetcho Formation is a stratigraphical unit of Famennian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.

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

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

The Cadotte River is a tributary of the Peace River in Northern Alberta, Canada.

The Hulcross Formation is a geologic formation in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in northeastern British Columbia that was deposited in marine environments during the late Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous period. At one time considered to be a member of the Commotion Formation, it was elevated to formation status by D.F. Stott in 1982. It preserves ammonites and other fossils.

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.

References

  1. Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units. "Peace River Formation". Archived from the original on 2012-07-08. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
  2. "Peace River Lowland". Archived from the original on August 27, 2006. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
  3. Morgan, A. James; Paulen, Roger C.; Froese, Corey R. (2008). "Ancestral buried valleys of the Peace River: Effects on the Town of Peace River" (PDF). ags.gov.ab.ca. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-01-09.
  4. "Canada Land Inventory - EcoInformatics International". geostrategis.com. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  5. Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units. "Paddy Member" . Retrieved 2009-02-11.
  6. Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units. "Cadotte Member". Archived from the original on 2012-07-31. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
  7. Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units. "Harmon Member" . Retrieved 2009-02-11.