Elk Formation
| Elk Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Unit of | Kootenay Group |
| Underlies | Cadomin Formation |
| Overlies | Mist Mountain Formation |
| Thickness | Maximum 590 metres (1,940 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone, conglomerate |
| Other | Siltstone, mudstone, coal |
| Location | |
| Region | British Columbia Alberta |
| Country | Canada |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Elk River coal mine east of Fernie, British Columbia |
| Named by | C.B. Newmarch, 1953 |
The Elk Formation is a stratigraphic unit of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin that is present in southeastern British Columbia and southwestern Alberta. It is probably of Early Cretaceous age, but in some areas its strata could be as old as Late Jurassic. It includes minor thin coal beds and was named for outcrops near the now-abandoned Elk River coal mine east of Fernie, British Columbia.