Leadville Limestone

The Leadville Limestone is a Mississippian geologic formation in the western United States.^[2] In Colorado, the upper part is oolitic limestone, while the lower part is primarily dolomite, and somewhat sandy beds indicate the bottom of the formation.

Leadville Limestone
Stratigraphic range: Carboniferous
Silver-replaced gastropod in fossiliferous limestone (Leadville Limestone; Aspen, Colorado)
Type	Formation
Sub-units	Castle Butte Member, Red Cliff Member, Yule Marble (informal)
Underlies	Molas Formation
Overlies	Chaffee Formation
Thickness	220 feet (Marble Quadrangle, CO)
Location
Region	Western U.S.
Country	United States
Extent	AZ, CO, NM, UT[1]
Type section
Named for	Leadville, Colorado

Outcrop in the Uncompahgre Gorge with key geological formations], including the Ouray Formation, Elbert Formation, and the Leadville Limestone

The formation is sparsely fossiliferous but contains many calcareous algae, Foraminifera (Endothyra), sponges, corals (Syringopora), Bryozoa, many brachiopods, gastropods (Bellerophon, Straparolus), Cephalopoda, fragments of ostracods, abundant fragments of crinoids, echinoid spines, and teeth of fish.^[3]

A metamorphic facies of this formation is known as the Yule Marble and has been quarried for construction materials.

See also

• Earth sciences portal
• Colorado portal
• Paleontology portal

• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Colorado
• Paleontology in Colorado