Palliser Formation
| Palliser Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: | |
The type section of the cliff-forming Palliser Formation near Lake Minnewanka | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Sub-units | Costigan Member Morro Member |
| Underlies | Exshaw Formation |
| Overlies | Alexo Formation |
| Thickness | up to 580 metres (1,900 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Limestone, dolomite |
| Other | Anhydrite |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 51°15′9″N 115°17′51″W / 51.25250°N 115.29750°W |
| Region | Canadian Rockies |
| Country | Canada |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Palliser Range |
| Named by | H.H. Beach, 1943 |
The Palliser Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Late Devonian (Famennian) age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. It is a thick sequence of limestone and dolomitic limestone that is present in the Canadian Rockies and foothills of western Alberta. Tall cliffs formed of the Palliser Formation can be seen throughout Banff and Jasper National Parks.
The formation was named for the Palliser Range in Banff National Park (which in turn took its name from John Palliser, the leader of the 1850s Palliser Expedition), by H.H. Beach in 1943. The type locality was defined in 1994 in the "Devil's Gap" section south of Mount Costigan of the Palliser Range, north of Lake Minnewanka.