Whitemud Formation

The Whitemud Formation is a geologic formation of Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. it is present through the plains of southern Saskatchewan, southeastern Alberta and south-central Alberta. Named by N.B. Davis in 1918, the formation is characterized by white kaolinitic clay and is a source of high-quality refractory clay. The type locality has been designated as Dempster's clay pit northwest of Eastend, Saskatchewan.

Whitemud Formation
Stratigraphic range:
TypeGeological formation
Unit ofEdmonton Group
UnderliesFrenchman Formation and Battle Formation
OverliesEastend Formation, Horseshoe Canyon Formation and St. Mary River Formation
ThicknessUp to 23 metres (75 ft)
Lithology
PrimarySandstone, siltstone, clay
Othershale, lignite
Location
Region Saskatchewan  Alberta
Country Canada
Type section
Named byN.B. Davis, 1918

Although fossils are generally lacking in the Whitemud Formation, in southern Saskatchewan the Whitemud contains coprolites (fossilized feces) and fossilized intestines of fish.

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