Yates Formation

The Yates Formation is a geologic formation in southeast New Mexico and west Texas. It preserves fossils dating back to the late Guadalupian Age of the Permian period.^[1][2]

Yates Formation
Stratigraphic range: Guadalupian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Yates (yellow sandstone) and Tansill (white limestone) Yates Formation underlying the Tansill Formation
Type	Formation
Unit of	Artesia Group
Underlies	Tansill Formation
Overlies	Seven Rivers Formation
Thickness	266 feet (81 m)
Lithology
Primary	Sandstone
Location
Coordinates	32.40°N 104.29°W / 32.40; -104.29
Region	New Mexico
Country	United States
Type section
Named for	Yates oil field
Named by	Gester and Hawley
Year defined	1927
Yates Formation (the United States) Show map of the United States Yates Formation (New Mexico) Show map of New Mexico

Description

Yates Formation exposed on the side of Walnut Canyon along the main road, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico

The formation consists of sandstone, siltstone, and anhydrite. The sandstone is fine to very fine grained and contains scattered large rounded and frosted quartz grains. The formation overlies the Seven Rivers Formation and underlies the Tansill Formation. Its total thickness is 266 feet (81 m).^[2]

History of investigation

The unit was first identified in the subsurface at the Yates oil field of west Texas.^[1] It was first traced to surface outcrops in the Carlsbad, New Mexico area in 1938 and assigned as a member of the (now abandoned) Whitehorse Formation.^[3] Dickey raised the unit to formation rank in 1940, when the Whitehorse was raised to group rank.^[4] The unit was reassigned to the Artesia Group in 1962.^[2]

See also

• Earth sciences portal
• Paleontology portal

• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in New Mexico
• Paleontology in New Mexico