Kananaskis Formation

The Kananaskis Formation is a geologic formation that is present on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the southern Canadian Rockies of western Alberta.^[2] Named after the Kananaskis Range near Banff,^[3] it was deposited during the Late Pennsylvanian sub-period of the Carboniferous period.^[1][3] Some of its strata host fossils of marine invertebrates.^[1]

Kananaskis Formation
Stratigraphic range: Late Pennsylvanian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Type	Formation
Unit of	Spray Lakes Group
Underlies	Ishbel Group
Overlies	Tunnel Mountain Formation
Thickness	up to about 55 metres (180 ft)
Lithology
Primary	Limestone, dolomite
Other	Chert, quartzite
Location
Coordinates	50°48′24.1″N 115°15′47.9″W
Region	Alberta
Country	Canada
Type section
Named for	Kananaskis Range
Named by	A. McGugan and J.E. Rapson, 1961[1]

Lithology

The Kananaskis Formation consists primarily of pale grey weathering, thick- and thin-bedded silty limestone and dolomite, with beds and nodules of chert, chert breccias and conglomerates, and quartzites.^[1][3]

Paleontology

Fusulinids, spiriferid brachiopods, gastropods, and sponge spicules have been described from some of the beds in the Kananaskis Formation.^[1][4]

Thickness, distribution, and relationship to other units

The Kananaskis Formation has a maximum thickness of about 55 metres (180 feet) at its type section on the west flank of Mount Chester in the Kananaskis Range. It is present in the southern Canadian Rockies of western Alberta from the Kananaskis area south to the Canada–United States border. It conformably to unconformably overlies the Tunnel Mountain Formation and is unconformably overlain by the Ishbel Group.^[3]

See also

• Earth sciences portal
• Canada portal
• Paleontology portal

• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Alberta