Southesk Formation

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Southesk Formation
Stratigraphic range: late Frasnian
Type Formation
Unit of Fairholme Group
Sub-unitsRonde Member
Arcs Member
Grotto Member
Peechee Member
Underlies Sassenach Formation, Alexo Formation, Palliser Formation, or Crowfoot Formation
Overlies Cairn Formation, or Borsato Formation
ThicknessUp to about 300 m (1000 feet) [1]
Lithology
Primary Dolomite
Other Limestone
Location
Coordinates 52°38′00″N116°58′00″W / 52.63333°N 116.96667°W / 52.63333; -116.96667 (Saouthesk Formation)
RegionFlag of Alberta.svg  Alberta
Flag of British Columbia.svg  British Columbia
CountryFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Type section
Named forSouthesk River
Named byD.J. McLaren, 1955. [2]

The Southesk Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Late Devonian (late Frasnian) 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. [2]

Contents

The formation consists primarily of dolomite [1] and it preserves fossils of marine animals such as stromatoporoids and rugose corals. [2]

Lithology and thickness

The Southesk Formation was deposited in reefal environments. [3] It is commonly between 150 and 260 m (490 and 850 feet) thick, and reaches a maximum of about 300 m (1000 feet) in the Flathead area of southeastern British Columbia. [1] It has been subdivided into four members, shown in descending order below. [1]

Member LithologyMax. Thickness Fossils Reference
Ronde Memberlimestone & silty limestone; present only in limited areas55 m (180 ft)not fossiliferousGlass, p. 1006 [1]
Arcs Memberlight grey, medium-bedded, medium-crystalline dolomite74 m (240 ft)minor branching stromatoporoids, foraminifera, & algae Glass, p. 62 [1]
Grotto Memberthick- to thin-bedded, dark brown to grey, variably argillaceous dolomite67 m (220 ft)branching stromatoporoids; tabulate corals Glass, p. 533 [1]
Peechee Membermassive, light grey, medium- to coarse-crystalline dolomite; minor limestone & anhydrite 300 m (980 ft)bulbous & branching stromatoporoids; tabulate coralsGlass, p. 915 [1]

Distribution and relationship to other units

The Southesk Formation is discontinuously present in the Canadian Rockies from Jasper National Park to the Flathead area of southeastern British Columbia. It is also present in the subsurface beneath the adjacent plains to the east. It conformably overlies the Cairn Formation or, in the Crows Nest Pass area, the Borsato Formation. At its margins it may interfinger with the Perdrix and Mount Hawk Formations. In the mountains it is unconformably overlain by the Sassenach, the Alexo or, rarely, the Palliser Formation. It is overlain by the Crowfoot Formation in the plains. [1] [4]

See also

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<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 Perdrix Formation is a geologic formation of Late Devonian (Frasnian) age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. It named for Roche à Perdrix in Jasper National Park, Alberta, by P.E. Raymond in 1930. It includes fossils of marine animals.

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.

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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.

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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 Maligne 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 Rocky Mountains and foothills of Alberta and British Columbia. It consists primarily of argillaceous limestone and calcareous mudstone, and was named for the Maligne River in Jasper National Park by P.W. Taylor in 1957.

The Borsato 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 dolomite and was named for Mount Borsato in the Flathead Range near North Kootenay Pass by R.A. Price in 1965.

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 9 Glass, D.J. (editor) 1997. Lexicon of Canadian Stratigraphy, vol. 4, Western Canada including eastern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba, p. 1094. Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, Calgary, 1423 p. on CD-ROM. ISBN   0-920230-23-7.
  2. 1 2 3 Devonian formations in the Alberta Rocky Mountains between Bow and Athabasca rivers. Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 35.
  3. ↑ Weissenberger, J.A.W. and McIlreath, I.A. 1989. Southesk Cairn reef complex, Upper Devonian (Frasnian), Alberta. In: Reefs: Canada and adjacent areas, H.H.J. Geldsetzer, N.P. James and G.E. Tobbutt (eds.), Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, Memoir 13, p. 535-542.
  4. ↑ Alberta Geological Survey. "Alberta Table of Formations, May 2019" (PDF). Alberta Energy Regulator. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
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