Monteith Formation

Monteith Formation
Monteith Formation
Stratigraphic range: Valanginian
Type	Formation
Unit of	Minnes Group
Underlies	Beattie Peaks Formation
Overlies	Fernie Formation
Thickness	maximum 600 m (1,970 ft)
Lithology
Primary	Sandstone
Other	Siltstone, mudstone, coal
Location
Coordinates	55.7833°N 122.5833°W
Region	British Columbia; Alberta
Country	Canada
Extent	Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin
Type section
Named for	Mount Monteith
Named by	W.H. Mathews, 1947[1]
	Monteith Formation (Canada)

The Monteith Formation is a geologic formation of Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin that consists primarily of sandstone. It is present in the northern foothills of the Canadian Rockies and the adjacent plains in northeastern British Columbia and west-central Alberta.[2][3][4]

Lithology

The Monteith Formation consists primarily of fine-grained argillaceous sandstone with interbeds of siltstone, dark grey mudstone, shale, and minor coal beds. Coarser-grained quartzose sandstones and minor quartz-pebble and chert conglomerates are present in some areas.[2]

Environment of deposition

The Monteith Formation was deposited in marine and nonmarine environments within and adjacent to the Western Interior Seaway. Depositional settings ranged from marine to shoreline, deltaic, river channel, floodplain, and swamp environments.[2]

Paleontology and age

The age of the Monach Formation formations has been determined from its fossil fauna, primarily species of the bivalve Buchia.[2]

Thickness and distribution

The Monteith Formation is present in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies and the adjacent plains from the Prophet River in northeastern British Columbia to the Berland River in west-central Alberta. It attains a maximum thickness of 600 m (1,970 ft) in the foothills of British Columbia and thins eastward.[2][4]

Relationship to other units

The Monteith Formation is the basal formation of the Minnes Group. It was deposited conformably over the marine shales of the Fernie Formation and is conformably overlain by the Beattie Peaks Formation. To the south it grades into the Nikanassin Formation.[2][4]

References

Mathews, W.H. 1947. Geology and coal resources of the Carbon Creek, Mount Bickford map area. British Columbia Department of Mines, Bulletin 24, 27 p.
Stott, D.F. 1998. Fernie Formation and Minnes Group (Jurassic and lowermost Cretaceous), northern Rocky Mountain foothills, Alberta and British Columbia. Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 516.
Mossop, G.D. and Shetsen, I., (compilers), Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists and Alberta Geological Survey (1994). "The Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, Chapter 18: Jurassic and Lowermost Cretaceous strata of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin". Retrieved 2013-08-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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.