Since the beginning of geological investigation of the Rocky Mountain Geosyncline (1) in southwest Alberta and in southeast British Columbia, the problem of the origin of the lower cretaceous sediments has repeatedly arisen. [...]

The Wasootch Creek area is representative of the Rocky Mountain Front Range of southern Alberta. It is underlain by rocks of the Middle Cambrian, Upper Devonian, Mississippian, Permain and Lower Triassic, of which carbonates constitute the largest part. The Cambrian formations are correlated with the Eldon, Pika and Arctomys of the Bow Valley region. The Ghost River or Arctomys formation has on one fault block been removed by pre-Devonian erosion. The area is bounded on the west by the Cascade Coal Basin and on the east by the McConnell fault. Between these two structures are several high angle, westward dipping, reverse faults named from west to east Lac des Arcs, Exshaw, Porcupine, and West McConnell. Mature disection of the fault blocks has produced excellent correlation of rock hardness with topography. The McConnell fault consists of two thrusts which merge at Kananaskis Gap. South of Kananaskis Gap the two thrusts are designated McConnell and West McConnell. / Science, Faculty of / Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of / Graduate

No description available.

The Nisku Formation in the Alberta subsurface consists of bank facies, reefal facies, and basinal/slope facies along the Outer Shelf. The bank facies was not previously recognized, and is here designated the Dismal Creek Member. Most buildups are coral-bearing mudmounds. / The Nisku Formation was affected by more than twenty diagenetic processes, most notably by dolomitization and anhydritization. The buildups were partially lithified in shallow phreatic environments, and some were subaerially exposed. Dolomitization took place at depths of about 300 to 1000 m by fluids that were derived mainly from the underlying Ireton Formation. Most of the anhydrites formed during the last stages of and/or after dolomitization. After oil emplacement, thermochemical redox reactions between hydrocarbons and sulfates resulted in partial removal of anhydrite in the deepest buildups, and the formation of 'dead' oil, sour gas, replacive calcite, saddle dolomite, celestite, and native sulfur. Diagenetic changes after maximum burial were very minor.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

A completely new Upper Cambrian formational nomenclature is proposed for the southern Rocky Mountains of Alberta. The formations designated as Upper Cambrian are: Corona, and Mount Synge, Dresbachian; Bison Creek, Franconian; and the Mistaya, Trempealeauan. Two additional formations are referred to the Middle Cambrian sequence immediately underlying the Upper Cambrian; the Chephren and the Waterfowl. These latter formations were previously included in the Arctomys formation considered to be Upper Cambrian in age. The lowest Lower Ordovician formation is designated as the Howse River formation. In addition to the above mentioned new formations, the Arctomys, Sullivan, Lyell, Mons, Bosworth, Paget, Sherbrooke, Tangle Ridge, and Sabine formations are discussed in detail. All are considered obsolete, except the Sabine formation, the use of which, it is recommended, be confined to the Canal Flats area, British Columbia. The limits of the Upper Cambrian series in Alberta are more precisely determined, and tentative correlation of the Upper Cambrian of Alberta, Montana, and British Columbia is outlined. Trilobite faunas from all the Upper Cambrian zones, except the Crepicephalus zone, are described and illustrated. The Cedaria zone faunas contain fifteen genera and eighteen species, among them Bolaspidelia wellsvillensis, Nixonella montanensis, several species of Arapahoia and Cedarina, and Kingstonia mucro. Abundant topotype material of K. mucro has made redefinition of this species possible. The Aphelaspis zone is recognized by the discovery of Aphelaspis walcotti, and one questionable species of Aphelaspis. The Franconian zones are represented by Irvingella major, Taenicephalus shumardi, Parabolinoides cordiIlerensis, Maustonia nasota, KendalIina eryon, Ptychaspis striata, Prosaukia lonqicornis and Prosaukia curvicostata, to mention only the more important index species. The Saukia zone of the Trempealeauan is represented by species of Eurekia, StenopiIus, Bynumiella. Hardyia and IlIaenurus. / Science, Faculty of / Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of / Graduate

The Indianhead Creek map-area is located directly north of the Clearwater River and encompasses a four mile length of the third range of the Alberta Rocky Mountains. The map-area contains one minor thrust fault, a portion of the Third Range thrust fault and a series of four large normal faults. The normal fault blocks are tilted to the south with the lower beds of each fault block being progressively truncated by the slightly northward dipping Third Range thrust fault. Two of these normal faults also cut through the Third Range thrust fault and continue into the underlying formations with a large loss in stratigraphic separation. Two hypotheses are proposed to explain the time relationships and causes of normal faulting. The first hypothesis states that the normal faulting and the tilting of the normal fault blocks occurred before the development of the Third Range thrust fault. Then during thrust faulting, the minor thrust and the progressive truncation of the lower beds of each normal fault block occurred. A recurrence of normal faulting took place after the completion of thrust faulting in which the Third Range thrust fault and the underlying formations were displaced. The second period of normal faulting developed along the planes of the previously existing normal faults. The second hypothesis states that the normal faulting, the tilting of the normal fault blocks, and the thrust faulting developed concurrently. A monoclinal fold in the plane of the Third Range thrust fault is proposed in order to explain the progressively southward truncation of the lower beds of the tilted normal fault blocks and the large loss in stratigraphic separation as two of the normal faults pass through the thrust fault. / Science, Faculty of / Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of / Graduate

No description available.