Bell Canyon Formation

The Bell Canyon Formation is a geologic formation found in the Delaware Basin of southeastern New Mexico and western Texas. It contains fossils characteristic of the Guadalupian Age of the Permian Period.^[1]

Bell Canyon Formation
Stratigraphic range: Guadalupian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Type	Formation
Unit of	Delaware Mountain Group
Underlies	Castile Formation
Overlies	Cherry Canyon Formation
Thickness	200–300 m (660–980 ft)
Lithology
Primary	Sandstone, siltstone
Other	Limestone
Location
Coordinates	31.9359°N 104.7237°W / 31.9359; -104.7237
Region	New Mexico Texas
Country	United States
Type section
Named for	Bell Canyon
Named by	DeFord and Lloyd
Year defined	1940
Bell Canyon Formation (the United States) Show map of the United States Bell Canyon Formation (Texas) Show map of Texas

Description

The formation consists mostly of marine sandstone and siltstone, but with five interfingering tongues of gray limestone. These extend from the Capitan reef into what was then deep, anoxic water 300–500 meters (980–1,640 ft) deep of the Permian Basin. Total thickness of the formation is 200–300 meters (660–980 ft).^[2]

Fossils

The formation's Lamar Limestone Member of Guadalupe Mountains National Park has produced fossil holocephalan teeth.^[3]

History of investigation

The unit was first designated as a formation by DeFord and Lloyd in 1940, who raised the Delaware Mountain Formation to group rank and designed its previously informal members as formations.^[4][5]