Sassenach Formation

Sassenach Formation
Stratigraphic range: early Famennian
TypeFormation
UnderliesPalliser Formation
OverliesMount Hawk Formation, Southesk Formation
ThicknessUp to about 245 metres (800 ft)[1]
Lithology
PrimaryMudstone, siltstone
OtherLimestone, dolomite
Location
Coordinates53°10′00″N 118°14′00″W / 53.16667°N 118.23333°W / 53.16667; -118.23333 (Sassenach Formation)
RegionAlberta
CountryCanada
Type section
Named forMount Sassenach
Named byD.J. McLaren and E.W. Mountjoy, 1962.[2]

The Sassenach Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Late Devonian (early Famennian) 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 mudstone, siltstone, and silty carbonate rocks, and was named for Mount Sassenach in Jasper National Park by D. J. McLaren and E. W. Mountjoy in 1962.[1][2]

The Sassenach Formation was deposited near the beginning of the Fammenian stage of the Devonian, following the Frasnian–Fammenian extinction event.[3][4] It includes fossil conodonts.[5]

  1. ^ a b 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.
  2. ^ a b McLaren, D.J. and Mountjoy, E.W. 1962. Alexo equivalents in the Jasper region. Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 62-23.
  3. ^ Geldsetzer, H.H.J., Goodfellow, W.D., McLaren, D.J. and Orchard, M.J. 1987. Sulfur-isotope anomaly associated with the Frasnian-Famennian extinction, Medicine Lake, Alberta. Geology, vol. 15, no. 5, p. 393-396.
  4. ^ Wang, K., Geldsetzer, H.H.J., Goodfellow, W.D. and Krouse, H.R. 1996. Carbon and sulfur isotope anomalies across the Frasnian-Famennian extinction boundary, Alberta, Canada. Geology, vol. 24, no. 2, p. 187-191.
  5. ^ Wang, K. and Geldsetzer, H.H.J. 1995. Late Devonian conodonts define the precise horizon of the Frasnian-Famennian boundary at Cinquefoil Mountain, Jasper, Alberta. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, vol. 31, p. 1825-1834.