Wapiti Formation

Wapiti Formation
Stratigraphic range: Campanian–Maastrichtian
TypeGeological formation
Lithology
PrimarySandstone, siltstone, mudstone
Otherconglomerate, coal
Location
Region Alberta
Country Canada
Type section
Named forLower part of Wapiti River
Named byG.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]

Lithology

The Wapiti Formation consists of interbedded sandstones, siltstones, shales and mudstones, with thin conglomerates, coal seams and bentonite beds. The sandstones are typically thick, pale grey, crossbedded and bentonitic. The middle part contains less sandstones, more mudstones, and fewer and thinner coals. The upper part contains thicker lenticular sandstones and more coals.[3]

Depositional environment

The Wapiti Formation was deposited in inland fluvial and floodplain environments, with local areas of lacustrine sediments.[6] The sandstones were deposited mainly in fluvial channel environments, with siltstones, carbonaceous shales and coals accumulating in overbank settings.

Thickness and Distribution

The Wapiti Formation rests conformably on the marine shales of the Smoky Group. It is more than 1,300 m (4,300 ft) thick in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies in the west,[6] and it thins eastward to its erosional edge.[7] It is correlative with the entire sequence of the Belly River Group, Bearpaw Formation, Edmonton Group and Scollard Formation in south-central Alberta.[6] In most areas it is unconformably overlain by glacial and post-glacial sediments of Quaternary age, or exposed at surface. In a few upland areas it is unconformably overlain by Paleogene gravel deposits.[3]

Vertebrate paleofauna

Color key
Taxon Reclassified taxon Taxon falsely reported as present Dubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon
Notes
Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited.

Indeterminate ankylosaurids, albertosaurines, pachycephalosaurids, ornithomimids, and saurolophines are known from Alberta.[8][9] Corythosaurus is also known from the formation.[10] A caenagnathid is in the process of being described.

Dinosaurs of the Wapiti Formation
Genus Species Location Member Material Notes Images

cf. Albertosaurus[11]

Indeterminate

  • British Columbia
 Teeth

Bellatoripes

B. fredlundi

  • Alberta
  • Unit 4

Three trackways and an isolated print.

Footprints of large tyrannosaurids.

Boreonykus[12]

B. certekorum

  • Alberta
  • Unit 3
Boreonykus certekorum

Troodon[13]

Indeterminate

  • Alberta

Teeth; probable troodontid footprints are also known[14]

Edmontosaurus[15]

Edmontosaurus regalis

  • Alberta
  • Unit 4
Edmontosaurus regalis

Hadrosauridae nov. tax.[11]

sp. nov.

  • British Columbia
 A new taxon of hadrosaurid.

Pachyrhinosaurus[9]

P. lakustai

  • Alberta
Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai

Richardoestesia[8]

R. gilmorei

  • Alberta

Saurornitholestes[8]

S. sp.

  • Alberta

See also

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ a b c 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ a b c Mossop, G.D. and Shetsen, I., (compilers), Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (1994). "The Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, Chapter 24: Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary strata of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin". Archived from the original on 2013-07-21. Retrieved 2013-08-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Prior, G. J., Hathaway, B., Glombick, P.M., Pana, D.I., Banks, C.J., Hay, D.C., Schneider, C.L., Grobe, M., Elgr, R., and Weiss, J.A. (2013). "Bedrock Geology of Alberta. Alberta Geological Survey, Map 600". Retrieved 2013-08-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ a b c Fanti, Federico; Miyashita, Tetsuto (2009-05-01). "A high latitude vertebrate fossil assemblage from the Late Cretaceous of west-central Alberta, Canada: evidence for dinosaur nesting and vertebrate latitudinal gradient" (PDF). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 275 (1): 37–53. Bibcode:2009PPP...275...37F. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.02.007. ISSN 0031-0182.[dead link‍]
  9. ^ a b Currie, P.J., Langston, W., and Tanke, D.H. (2008). "A new species of Pachyrhinosaurus (Dinosauria, Ceratopsidae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada." pp. 1-108. In: Currie, P.J., Langston, W., and Tanke, D.H. 2008. A New Horned Dinosaur from an Upper Cretaceous Bone Bed in Alberta. NRC Research Press, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 144 pp. ISBN 978-0-660-19819-4
  10. ^ Campione, Nicolás; Bell, Phil R.; Fanti, Federico; Sullivan, Corvin; Vavrek, Matthew J. (2018). "A JUVENILE CORYTHOSAUR (LAMBEOSAURINAE) FROM THE WAPITI FORMATION OF WESTERN ALBERTA, CANADA". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Program and Abstracts. 38.
  11. ^ a b Reid, Ian J. (2016). "A review of dinosaurian body fossils from British Columbia, Canada". PeerJ Preprints. doi:10.7287/peerj.preprints.1369v3.
  12. ^ Bell, Phil R.; Currie, Philip J. (2016-01-02). "A high-latitude dromaeosaurid, Boreonykus certekorum, gen. et sp. nov. (Theropoda), from the upper Campanian Wapiti Formation, west-central Alberta". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 36 (1): e1034359. Bibcode:2016JVPal..36E4359B. doi:10.1080/02724634.2015.1034359. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 131680329.
  13. ^ F. Fanti and T. Miyashita. 2009. A high latitude vertebrate fossil assemblage from the Late Cretaceous of west-central Alberta, Canada: evidence for dinosaur nesting and vertebrate latitudinal gradient. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 275(1-4):37-53
  14. ^ a b N. J. Enriquez, N. E. Campione, C. Sullivan, M. Vavrek, R. L. Sissons, M. A. White and P. R. Bell. 2020. Probable deinonychosaur tracks from the Upper Cretaceous Wapiti Formation (upper Campanian) of Alberta, Canada. Geological Magazine (in press). doi:10.1017/S0016756820001247
  15. ^ Bell, Phil R.; Fanti, Federico; Acorn, John; Sissons, Robin S. (January 2013). "Fossil Mayfly Larvae (Ephemeroptera, cf. Heptageniidae) from the Late Cretaceous Wapiti Formation, Alberta, Canada" (PDF). Journal of Paleontology. 87 (1): 147–150. Bibcode:2013JPal...87..147B. doi:10.1666/12-058R.1. ISSN 0022-3360. S2CID 128944375.[dead link‍]