Mount Hawk Formation
| Mount Hawk Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: | |
| Type | Formation |
| Unit of | Fairholme Group |
| Underlies | Sassenach Formation, Alexo Formation or Southesk Formation |
| Overlies | Perdrix Formation or Borsato Formation |
| Thickness | Up to about 200 m (650 feet)[1] |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Limestone |
| Other | Mudstone |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 53°10′00″N 117°55′00″W / 53.16667°N 117.91667°W |
| Region |  Alberta |
| Country |  Canada |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Hawk Mountain |
| Named by | R. de Wit and D.J. McLaren, 1950.[2] |
The Mount Hawk 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. 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.[1][2]
The Mount Hawk Formation is fossiliferous and includes remains of brachiopods, corals, and other marine animals.
Lithology and deposition
The Mount Hawk Formation was deposited in a marine basin surrounding the carbonate buildups (reefs) of the Southesk Formation. It can be divided into two informal units. The lower unit consists of thin-bedded argillaceous limestone interbedded with calcareous shale. It grades into the upper unit, which consists of thin- to medium-bedded limestone with minor thin interbeds of argillaceous limestone.[1]
Distribution and thickness
The Mount Hawk Formation is recognized in the Rocky Mountains and foothills of Alberta from the Canada-United States border northward to at least the Smoky River are of west-central Alberta, a distance of more than 650 km (400 mi). It ranges in thickness from about 65 to 200 m (201 to 655 ft).[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Glass, D.J. (editor) 1997. Lexicon of Canadian Stratigraphy, vol. 4, Western Canada including eastern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba, p. 819-821. Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, Calgary, 1423 p. on CD-ROM. ISBN 0-920230-23-7.
- ^ a b de Wit, R. and McLaren, D.J. 1950. Devonian sections in the Rocky Mountains between Crowsnest Pass and Jasper, Alberta. Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 50-23.
- Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Archived from the original on 31 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
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