| Horn River Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: | |
 Drill cuttings sample seen through microscope | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Sub-units | Muskwa Member, Otter Park Member, Evie Member |
| Underlies | Fort Simpson Formation |
| Overlies | Pine Point Formation |
| Thickness | up to 320 metres (1,050 ft)[1] |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Shale |
| Other | Limestone |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 61°44′00″N 117°45′00″W / 61.73333°N 117.75000°W |
| Region |  British Columbia,  Northwest Territories |
| Country |  Canada |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Horn River |
| Named by | Whittaker, 1922 |
  Horn River Formation (Canada) | |
The Horn River Formation (also Horn River Shale) is a stratigraphic unit of Devonian (early Givetian to late Frasnian) age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.[2]
It is a thick sequence of marine sediments that was first described in outcrop on the banks of the Horn River, a tributary of the Mackenzie River, in the Northwest Territories (at the time District of Mackenzie) by Whittaker in 1922,[3] and it takes its name from that river. In 1963 it was redefined in the subsurface of the Fort Nelson area of British Columbia (well Fort Nelson a-95-J/94-J-10) by F.F. Gray and J.R. Kassube.[4] It is significant for its shale gas resources.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
lexiconwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Mossop, G.D.; Shetsen, I. (compilers) (1994). "The Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, Chapter 11: Devonian Beaverhill Lake Group of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin". Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists. Retrieved 2013-09-07.
- ^ Whittaker, E.J., 1922. Mackenzie River District between Great Slave Lake and Simpson. Geological Survey of Canada Summary Report 1921, Part B, p. 45-56.
- ^ Gray, F.F. and Kassube, J R., 1963. Geology and stratigraphy of Clarke Lake gas field, northeastern British Columbia. American Association of Petroleum Geologists, v. 47, p. 467-483.