Frontier Formation

Frontier Formation
Stratigraphic range: Cenomanian-Coniacian
Frontier Formation in Utah (Dinosaur National Monument)
TypeGeological formation
Sub-unitsTorchlight Sandstone Member, Peay Sandstone Member
UnderliesCody Shale
OverliesMowry Shale, Thermopolis Shale
Lithology
PrimarySandstone
OtherShale
Location
RegionNorth America
CountryUnited States
Extentsee text
Type section
Named byW. C. Knight, 1902[1]
Giant concretions in the Frontier Formation, northern end of the San Rafael Swell, Emery County, Utah.

The Frontier Formation is a sedimentary geological formation whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous. The formation's extents are: northwest Colorado, southeast Idaho, southern Montana, northern Utah, and western Wyoming. It occurs in many sedimentary basins and uplifted areas.

The formation is described by W.G. Pierce as thick, lenticular, grey sandstone, gray shale, carbonaceous shale, and bentonite.[2]

Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.[3]

  1. ^ W.C. Knight, 1902, Eng. and Min. Jour., v. 73, p. 721
  2. ^ Pierce, W.G., 1997, Geologic map of the Cody 1 degree x 2 degrees quadrangle, northwestern Wyoming: U.S. Geological Survey, Miscellaneous Geologic Investigations Map I-2500, scale 1:250000.
  3. ^ Weishampel, David B; et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution (Late Cretaceous, North America)." In: Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 574-588. ISBN 0-520-24209-2.