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Eldon Formation
Geologic formation in Canada / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Eldon Formation is a stratigraphic unit that is present on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the southern Canadian Rockies of southwestern Alberta and southeastern British Columbia.[3] It is a thick sequence of massive, cliff-forming limestones and dolomites that was named for Eldon Switch on the Canadian Pacific Railway near Castle Mountain in Banff National Park by Charles Doolittle Walcott,[1][2] who discovered the Burgess Shale fossils. The Eldon Formation was deposited during Middle Cambrian time, and it includes fossil stromatolites.[1] The Eldon forms the scenic cliffs at the top of Castle Mountain, and can also be seen at Mount Yamnuska and other mountains in Banff and Yoho National Parks.[4]
Quick Facts Type, Underlies ...
Eldon Formation | |
---|---|
Stratigraphic range: Middle Cambrian ~509–500 Ma | |
![]() The Eldon Formation forms the cliffs of Mount Yamnuska in Alberta | |
Type | Formation |
Underlies | Pika Formation |
Overlies | Stephen Formation, Snake Indian Formation |
Thickness | Up to 500 metres (1640 ft)[1] |
Lithology | |
Primary | Limestone, dolomite |
Other | Mudstone |
Location | |
Coordinates | 51°18′8.5″N 115°55′45″W |
Region | Canadian Rockies |
Country | ![]() |
Type section | |
Named for | Eldon Switch on the Canadian Pacific Railway in Banff National Park, Alberta |
Named by | Charles Doolittle Walcott in 1908[2] |
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