The White River Formation is a geologic formation of the Paleogene Period, in the northern Great Plains and central Rocky Mountains, within the United States.
White River Formation | |
---|---|
Stratigraphic range: Late Eocene-Early Oligocene (Chadronian-Whitneyan) ~ | |
Type | Formation |
Sub-units | Brule Formation, Chadron Formation[1] |
Overlies | Pierre Shale |
Thickness | 230–300 m (750–980 ft)[2] |
Lithology | |
Primary | Tuffaceous claystone, conglomerate[3] |
Location | |
Coordinates | 43°12′N 107°06′W / 43.2°N 107.1°W |
Approximate paleocoordinates | 44°48′N 98°24′W / 44.8°N 98.4°W |
Region | Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming |
Country | United States |
Extent | northern Great Plains & central Rocky Mountains |
Type section | |
Named for | White River (Missouri River tributary) |
It has been found in northeastern Colorado, Dawes County in western Nebraska, Badlands of western South Dakota, and Douglas area of southeastern Wyoming.[1]
Fossil record
editThe geologic formation preserves fossils dating back to the Eocene and Oligocene Epochs of the Paleogene Period, during the Cenozoic Era.[4] It contains the most complete Late Eocene−Priabonian and Early Oligocene−Rupelian vertebrate record in North America.[1][5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c DonaldProthero.com: "Eocene-Oligocene climatic change in North America: the White River Formation"
- ^ DouglasFossils.com: Paleontology and Geology of The White River Formation
- ^ USGS: White River Formation
- ^ Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln: "Preliminary Biostratigraphy of the White River Group (Chadron and Brule Formations) in the Vicinity of Chadron, Nebraska", by Eric Paul Gustafson, January 1986.