The Beartooth Butte Formation is a
geologic formation
A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exp ...
in
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the sou ...
. It preserves
fossils
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
dating back to the
Devonian
The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, w ...
period.
[Beartooth Butte Formation]
at Fossilworks
Fossilworks is a portal which provides query, download, and analysis tools to facilitate access to the Paleobiology Database, a large relational database assembled by hundreds of paleontologists from around the world.
History
Fossilworks was cre ...
.org
Description
The formation contains a basal
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...
conglomerate overlain by evenly bedded red or gray limestones (more accurately, limy
mudstones) and
calcareous
Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines.
In zoology
''Calcareous'' is used as an a ...
shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especia ...
s. It is a lenticular, channel-fill deposit which is some wide and thick at maximum. Most collections are from the talus slope. Stable oxygen and isotope data (Poulson in Fiorillo, 2000) indicate that the Beartooth Butte Formation was deposited in an
estuarine
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environmen ...
environment, with the Cottonwood Canyon section being slightly less saline than the type section.
Fossil content
The following fossils have been reported from the formation:
[
;Fish
* '' Allocryptaspis ellipticus''
* '' A. flabelliformis''
* '' Anarthraspis chamberlini''
* '' A. montanus''
* '' Bryantolepis brachycephalus''
* '' B. cristatus''
* '' Bryantolepis major''
* '' B. obscurus''
* '' Bulbocanthus rugosus''
* '' Cardipeltis bryanti''
* '' C. richardoni''
* '' Cosmaspis transversa''
* '' Gosslingia americana''
* '' Lampraspis tuberculata''
* '' Machaeracanthus minor''
* '' Onchus penetrans''
* '' O. peracutus''
* '' Protaspis brevispina''
* '' P. mcgrewi''
* '' Psilophyton wyomingense''
* '' Uranolophus wyomingensis''
* '' Aethaspis sp.''
* '' Cephalaspis sp.''
* '' Simblaspis sp.''
;Insects
* '' Acanthoscorpio mucronatus''
* '' Branchioscorpio richardsoni''
* '' Hydroscorpius denisoni''
* '' Praearcturus sp.''
;Flora
* '' Psilophyton wyomingense''
* '' Drepanophycus devonicus''
* '' Euphyllophytina sp.''
* '' Gosslingia sp.''
;Invertebrates
* Brachiopoda indet.
]
See also
* List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Wyoming
This article contains a list of fossil-bearing stratigraphic units in the state of Wyoming, U.S.
Sites
See also
* Paleontology in Wyoming
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming ...
* Paleontology in Wyoming
Paleontology in Wyoming includes research into the prehistoric life of the U.S. state of Wyoming as well as investigations conducted by Wyomingite researchers and institutions into ancient life occurring elsewhere. The fossil record of the US stat ...
References
Bibliography
*
* {{cite LSA , first=E. N , last=Kjellesvig-Waering , year=1986 , title=A restudy of the fossil Scorpionida of the world , journal= Palaeontographica Americana , volume=55 , pages=1-287
Geologic formations of Wyoming
Devonian geology of Wyoming
Emsian Stage
Lochkovian Stage
Pragian Stage
Limestone formations
Mudstone formations
Sandstone formations
Shale formations
Shallow marine deposits
Devonian southern paleotemperate deposits
Devonian southern paleotropical deposits
Paleontology in Wyoming