| Cairn Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Frasnian ~ | |
 | |
| Type | Formation |
| Unit of | Fairholme Group |
| Underlies | Southesk Formation |
| Overlies | Flume Formation |
| Thickness | Up to 180 m (590 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Dolomite |
| Other | Limestone, chert |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 52°38′N 116°58′W / 52.633°N 116.967°W |
| Approximate paleocoordinates | 13°30′S 44°24′W / 13.5°S 44.4°W |
| Region |  Alberta |
| Country |  Canada |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Cairn River, Alberta |
| Named by | D.J. McLaren |
| Year defined | 1955[1] |
  Cairn Formation (Canada)  Cairn Formation (Alberta) | |
The Cairn Formation is a geologic formation of Late Devonian (Frasnian) age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin.[2] It was named for the Cairn River near its junction with the Southesk River in Jasper National Park by D.J. McLaren in 1955.[1]
The Cairn Formation is stratigraphically equivalent to the Leduc Formation, which is a major oil-producing formation in central Alberta. Like the Leduc Formation, it was deposited in reef environments and is highly fossiliferous.[3][4] Extensive outcrops of the Cairn Formation near Canmore, Alberta are a popular field trip destination for those wishing to learn about Devonian reefs. They are also popular with rock climbers who enjoy the challenges presented by their extremely irregular surfaces.
- ^ a b McLaren, D.J. 1955. Devonian formations in the Alberta Rocky Mountains between the Bow and Athabasca Rivers. Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 35.
- ^ 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 12: Devonian Woodbend-Winterburn strata of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin". Archived from the original on 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Shields, M.J. and Geldsetzer, H.H.J. 1992. The MacKenzie margin, Southesk-Cairn carbonate complex: depositional history, stratal geometry and comparison with other Late Devonian platform-margins. Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology, vol. 40, no. 3, p. 274-293.
- ^ Bloy, G.R., Hunter, I.G. and Leggett, S.R. 1984. Depositional environments of the Devonian Cairn Formation, Rocky Mountain front ranges, Canmore, Alberta. Carbonates in subsurface and outcrop: 1984 CSPG Core Conference, Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, p. 148.