White River Formation

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White River Formation
Stratigraphic range: Late Eocene-Early Oligocene (Chadronian-Whitneyan)
~37.2–30.8  Ma
White River Badlands of South Dakota panorama.jpg
White River Badlands in South Dakota
Type Formation
Sub-units Brule Formation,
Chadron Formation [1]
Overlies Pierre Shale
Thickness230–300 m (750–980 ft) [2]
Lithology
Primary Tuffaceous claystone, conglomerate [3]
Location
Coordinates 43°12′N107°06′W / 43.2°N 107.1°W / 43.2; -107.1
Approximate paleocoordinates 44°48′N98°24′W / 44.8°N 98.4°W / 44.8; -98.4
Region Colorado,
Nebraska,
South Dakota,
Wyoming
Country United States
Extentnorthern Great Plains and central Rocky Mountains
Type section
Named for White River
(Missouri River tributary)
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White River Formation (the United States)
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White River Formation (Wyoming)

The White River Formation is a geologic formation of the Paleogene Period, in the northern Great Plains and central Rocky Mountains, within the United States.

Contents

It has been found in northeastern Colorado, Dawes County in western Nebraska, Badlands of western South Dakota, and Douglas area of southeastern Wyoming. [1]

Fossil record

The geologic formation preserves fossils dating back to the Eocene and Oligocene Epochs of the Paleogene Period, during the Cenozoic Era. [4] It contains the most complete Late EocenePriabonian and Early OligoceneRupelian vertebrate record in North America. [1] [5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Evanoff, Emmett; Prothero, Donald R.; Lander, R.H. (1992). "Eocene-Oligocene Climatic Change in North America: The White River Formation near Douglas, East-Central Wyoming". Eocene-Oligocene Climatic and Biotic Evolution. pp. 116–130. doi:10.1515/9781400862924.116. ISBN   978-1-4008-6292-4.
  2. DouglasFossils.com: Paleontology and Geology of The White River Formation
  3. USGS: White River Formation
  4. Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database" . Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  5. Gustafson, Eric (January 1986). "Preliminary Biostratigraphy of the White River Group (Oligocene, Chadron and Brule Formations) in the Vicinity of Chadron, Nebraska". Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences. 14: 7–19.