The Gun River 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
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
. 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 in ...
dating back to the early
Silurian
The Silurian ( ) is a geologic period and system spanning 24.6 million years from the end of the Ordovician Period, at million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Devonian Period, Mya. The Silurian is the shortest period of the Paleozo ...
period.
Description
The formation is divided into 4 members (from the base up): the Lachute, Innommée, Sandtop and Macgilvray members. The formation was deposited some 40–80 km offshore from the stable
Laurentia
Laurentia or the North American Craton is a large continental craton that forms the ancient geological core of North America. Many times in its past, Laurentia has been a separate continent, as it is now in the form of North America, although ...
n craton, underwater at depths of 30 to 60 meters.
Fossil content
Vertebrates
Invertebrates
See also
*
List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Quebec
This is a list of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Quebec, Canada.
References
*
{{Lists of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Canada
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accen ...
References
*
Silurian Quebec
Silurian southern paleotemperate deposits
Silurian southern paleotropical deposits
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