Kotaneelee Formation
Encyclopedia
The Kotaneelee Formation is a stratigraphical
unit of Late Cretaceous
age
in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin
.
It takes the name from the Kotaneelee River
, and was first described in outcrop in the river valley by C.O. Hage in 1945.
, sandstone
, conglomerate
.
and Liard River
valleys from the Beaver River to the Kotaneelee River
mouth.
and conformably overlays the Dunvegan Formation
.
It is equivalent to the Wapiabi Formation in Alberta
.
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy, a branch of geology, studies rock layers and layering . It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks....
unit of Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
age
Geochronology
Geochronology is the science of determining the age of rocks, fossils, and sediments, within a certain degree of uncertainty inherent to the method used. A variety of dating methods are used by geologists to achieve this, and schemes of classification and terminology have been proposed...
in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin
Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin
The Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin is a vast sedimentary basin underlying of Western Canada including southwestern Manitoba, southern Saskatchewan, Alberta, northeastern British Columbia and the southwest corner of the Northwest Territories. It consists of a massive wedge of sedimentary rock...
.
It takes the name from the Kotaneelee River
Kotaneelee River
The Kotaneelee River is a river in the Northwest territories of Canada. It is a tributary of the Liard River.It gives the name to the Kotaneelee Formation, a stratigraphical unit of the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.-Course:...
, and was first described in outcrop in the river valley by C.O. Hage in 1945.
Lithology
The Kotaneelee Formation is composed of marine shaleShale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
, sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, conglomerate
Conglomerate (company)
A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate structure , usually involving a parent company and several subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company...
.
Distribution
The Kotaneelee Formation has a thickness of 152 metres (498.7 ft) to 305 metres (1,000.7 ft) . It occurs in outcrop along the Petitot RiverPetitot River
Petitot is a river in northern Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. It is a tributary of the Liard River.Petitot River originates from Bistcho Lake in northwestern Alberta, and flows westwards along the northern borders of Alberta and British Columbia. It then passes in the Northwest Territories,...
and Liard River
Liard River
The Liard River flows through Yukon, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, Canada. Rising in the Saint Cyr Range of the Pelly Mountains in southeastern Yukon, it flows southeast through British Columbia, marking the northern end of the Rocky Mountains and then curving northeast back...
valleys from the Beaver River to the Kotaneelee River
Kotaneelee River
The Kotaneelee River is a river in the Northwest territories of Canada. It is a tributary of the Liard River.It gives the name to the Kotaneelee Formation, a stratigraphical unit of the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.-Course:...
mouth.
Relationship to other units
The Kotaneelee Formation is gradually overlain by the Wapiti GroupWapiti Group
The Wapiti Group is a stratigraphical unit of Cretaceous age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. It has formation status in Alberta and group status in British Columbia....
and conformably overlays the Dunvegan Formation
Dunvegan Formation
The Dunvegan Formation is a stratigraphical unit of Cenomanian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.It takes the name from the settlement of Dunvegan, Alberta, and was first described in an outcrop on Peace River near Dunvegan by George Mercer Dawson in 1881.-Lithology:The Dunvegan...
.
It is equivalent to the Wapiabi Formation in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
.