Prairie Evaporite Formation
| Prairie Evaporite Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: | |
Blue halite from the Prairie Evaporite Formation | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Unit of | Elk Point Group |
| Sub-units | Up to 6 members |
| Underlies | Watt Mountain Formation and Dawson Bay Formation |
| Overlies | Keg River Formation and Winnipegosis Formation |
| Thickness | Up to 300 metres (980 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Halite, anhydrite |
| Other | dolomite, mudstone |
| Location | |
| Region | Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, North Dakota, Montana |
| Country | Canada, United States |
| Type section | |
| Named by | A.D. Baillie (1953) |
The Prairie Evaporite Formation, also known as the Prairie Formation, is a geologic formation of Middle Devonian (Givetian) age that consists primarily of halite (rock salt) and other evaporite minerals. It is present beneath the plains of northern and eastern Alberta, southern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba in Canada, and it extends into northwestern North Dakota and northeastern Montana in the United States.
The formation is a major source of potash, most of which is used for fertilizer production. Salt is also produced from the formation, and solution caverns are created in its thick salt beds for natural gas storage.