Snake Indian Formation

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Snake Indian Formation
Stratigraphic range: Middle Cambrian
~509–500  Ma
Type Formation
Underlies Eldon Formation, Titkana Formation
Overlies Gog Group
ThicknessUp to 610 metres (2000 ft) [1] [2]
Lithology
Primary Shale
Other Limestone, siltstone
Location
Coordinates 53°03′07″N118°11′57″W / 53.05194°N 118.19917°W / 53.05194; -118.19917 (Snake Indian Formation)
Region Canadian Rockies
CountryFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Type section
Named for Snake Indian River
Named byE.W. Montjoy and J.D. Aitken [1]

The Snake Indian Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Middle Cambrian age that is present on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the northern Canadian Rockies of Alberta and British Columbia. [3] It was named for Snake Indian River in Jasper National Park by E.W. Montjoy and J.D. Aitken in 1978. The type locality was established on Chetamon Mountain. [1]

Contents

Lithology and deposition

The Snake Indian Formation was deposited in shallow marine environments along the western shoreline of the North American Craton during Middle Cambrian time. It is a thick sequence of shale and calcareous shale with interbeds of limestone and siltstone. Mudcracks in the basal shales indicate that there were periods of subaerial exposure during the early stages of deposition. [1]

Distribution and stratigraphic relationships

The Snake Indian Formation is present in the northern Canadian Rockies of Alberta and British Columbia where it reaches thicknesses of up to about 610 metres (2000 ft). It unconformably overlies the Gog Group, and is conformably overlain by the Titkana Formation in the north and the Eldon Formation in the south. It is equivalent to the Mount Whyte, Cathedral, and Stephen Formations of the southern Canadian Rockies. [1] [2] [4]

Paleontology

The Snake Indian Formation is fossiliferous and includes the remains of several genera of Middle Cambrian trilobites, as well echinoderms, other marine invertebrates, and stromatolites. [1] [2]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gog Group</span> Stratigraphic unit in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin

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

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

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The Arctomys Formation is a stratigraphic unit of late Middle Cambrian age. It is present on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta and British Columbia. It was named for Arctomys Peak near Mount Erasmus in Banff National Park by Charles Doolittle Walcott in 1920. Outcrops of the Arctomys can be seen in Banff and Jasper National Parks.

The Titkana Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Middle Cambrian age that is present on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the northern Canadian Rockies of Alberta and British Columbia. It was named for Titkana Peak near Mount Robson by Charles Doolittle Walcott in 1913. The Titkana Formation is generally unfossiliferous.

The Earlie Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Middle Cambrian age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin that is present beneath the plains of Alberta and eastern Saskatchewan. It was named for Earlie Lake in the County of Vermilion River, Alberta, by D.C. Pugh in 1971, who described the type section based on data from an oil well drilled in that area.

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The Glenogle Formation or Glenogle Shale is a stratigraphic unit of Ordovician age. It is present on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in southeastern British Columbia. It consists primarily of black shale and was named for Glenogle Creek in the Kicking Horse River area by L.D. Burling in 1923.


The Owen Creek Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Middle Ordovician age. It is present on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta and British Columbia. It consists primarily of dolomite and was named for Owen Creek near Mount Wilson in Banff National Park by B.S. Norford in 1969.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Montjoy, E.W. and Aitken, J.D. 1978. Middle Cambrian Snake Indian Formation (new), Jasper Region, Alberta. Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology, vol. 26, no. 3, p. 343-361.
  2. 1 2 3 Glass, D.J. (editor) 1997. Lexicon of Canadian Stratigraphy, vol. 4, Western Canada including eastern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba. Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, Calgary, 1423 p. on CD-ROM. ISBN   0-920230-23-7.
  3. ↑ Slind, O.L., Andrews, G.D., Murray, D.L., Norford, B.S., Paterson, D.F., Salas, C.J., and Tawadros, E.E., Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists and Alberta Geological Survey (1994). "The Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (Mossop, G.D. and Shetsen, I., compilers), Chapter 8: Middle Cambrian and Early Ordovician Strata of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin" . Retrieved 2018-07-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ Alberta Geological Survey. "Alberta Table of Formations, May 2019" (PDF). Alberta Energy Regulator. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
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