| Wapiti Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone, siltstone, mudstone |
| Other | conglomerate, coal |
| Location | |
| Region |  Alberta |
| Country |  Canada |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Lower part of Wapiti River |
| Named by | G.M. Dawson, 1881.[1] |
The Wapiti Formation is a geological formation of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in northwestern Alberta, and northeastern British Columbia, Canada. Its deposition spanned the time interval from the lower Campanian through to the upper Maastrichtian, between approximately 80 and 68 Ma.[2] It was named by G.M. Dawson in 1881,[1] presumably for exposures along the lower part of the Wapiti River and downstream along the Smoky River in Alberta.[3]
Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the Cretaceous portion of the formation.[4] The Wapiti Formation does not produce many fossils due to its limited surface exposure and accessibility, although two Pachyrhinosaurus bone beds have been productive.[5]
- ^ a b Dawson, G.M. 1881. Report on the exploration from Simpson on the Pacific coast to Edmonton on the Saskatchewan River, embracing a portion of the northern part of Brisish Columbia and the Peace River country. Geological Survey of Canada, Report of Progress 1879-1880, Part B, p. 1-77.
- ^ Fowler, Denver Warwick (2017-11-22). "Revised geochronology, correlation, and dinosaur stratigraphic ranges of the Santonian-Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) formations of the Western Interior of North America". PLOS ONE. 12 (11): e0188426. Bibcode:2017PLoSO..1288426F. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0188426. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 5699823. PMID 29166406.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Ryan, M. J., and A. P. Russell, 2001, Dinosaurs of Alberta (exclusive of Aves), in: Mesozoic Vertebrate Life, edited by Tanke, D. H., and K. Carpenter, Indiana University Press, pp. 279–297 ISBN 978-0253339072