Belly River Group: Difference between revisions

| type = [[GeologicalGroup formation(stratigraphy)|Group]]

The '''Belly River FormationGroup''' is a [[Stratigraphy|stratigraphical]] unit of [[Late Cretaceous]] [[Geochronology|age]] in the [[Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin]].

It takes the name from the [[Belly River]], a tributary of the [[Oldman River]] in [[southern Alberta]], and was first described in outcrop on the banks of the [[Oldman River]] (at the time considered part of the Belly River) and [[Bow River]] by [[George Mercer Dawson]] in 1883.<ref>Dawson, G.M., 1883. Preliminary report on the geology of the Bow and Belly river region, Northwest Territory, with special reference to the coal deposits. [[Geological Survey of Canada]], Report of Progress for 1880-81-82, Part B.</ref>

The Belly River FormationGroup is composed of very fine grained [[sandstone]] with coarse grained beds and minor [[bentonite]], [[coal]], green [[shale]], and [[Concretion|concretionary beds]].<ref name=lexicon>

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|author=[[Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units ]]

|accessdateaccess-date=2009-03-01}}

[[Natural gas|Gas]] is produced from the Belly River FormationGroup in the [[Deep Basin]], in west-[[central Alberta]] and in the [[Canadian Rockies]] foothills.

Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.<ref name="cretaceousdistribution">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}}.</ref>

The Belly River FormationGroup reaches a maximum thickness of {{convert|1300|m|ft|-1}} in its western reaches, and thins out eastward to about {{convert|350|m|ft|-1}} in the Canadian Plains. It is found throughout [[southern Alberta]], and as far east as eastern [[Saskatchewan]]. From south to north, it is present from the [[United States]] border to the [[Wapiti River]] region, south of the [[Peace River Country]].<ref name=lexicon/>

The Belly River FormationGroup is conformably overlain by the [[Bearpaw Formation]] and gradually overlies the [[Wapiabi Formation]], the [[Colorado Group]] shale or the [[Lea Park Formation]] shale.<ref name=lexicon/>

[[Category:StratigraphyGeologic groups of Alberta]]

[[Category:CretaceousUpper paleontologicalCretaceous sitesSeries of North America]]