The Mount Wilson Formation is a

stratigraphic Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers ( strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks. Stratigraphy has three related subfields: lithostr ...

unit of

Late Ordovician The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years from the end of the Cambrian Period million years ago (Mya) to the start of the Silurian Period Mya. T ...

age. It is present on the western edge of the

Western Canada Sedimentary Basin The Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) underlies of Western Canada including southwestern Manitoba, southern Saskatchewan, Alberta, northeastern British Columbia and the southwest corner of the Northwest Territories. This vast sedimentary ...

in the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

and

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

. It consists of

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica ( silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical ...

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

, and was named for the Mount Wilson in

Banff National Park Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 as Rocky Mountains Park. Located in Alberta's Rocky Mountains, west of Calgary, Banff encompasses of mountainous terrain, with many glaciers and ice fields, dense conif ...

by C.D. Walcott in 1923.Norford, B.S. 1969. Ordovician and Silurian stratigraphy of the southern Rocky Mountains. Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 176.

Lithology and thickness

The Mount Wilson Formation consists of light grey to white, thin- to thick- bedded

that is well-cemented by clear quartz. It reaches a thickness of about 450 m (1476 feet) south of

Golden, British Columbia Golden is a town in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, west of Calgary, Alberta, and east of Vancouver. History In 1807, David Thompsonrenowned fur trader, surveyor, and map-makerwas tasked by the North West Company to open a trading rout ...

Distribution and relationship to other units

The Mount Wilson Formation is present in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta and British Columbia. It rests conformably on the

Owen Creek Formation The Owen Creek Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Middle Ordovician age. It is present on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta and British Columbia. Slind, O.L., Andrews, G.D., Murray, ...

in the eastern main ranges and on the

Glenogle Formation The Glenogle Formation or Glenogle Shale is a stratigraphic unit of Ordovician (Arenigian to early Caradocian) age. It is present on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in southeastern British Columbia. Slind, O.L., Andrews ...

in the western main ranges, and is overlain by the

Beaverfoot Formation The Beaverfoot Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Late Ordovician ( Ashgill age) to Early Silurian ( Llandovery) age. It is present on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia and A ...

References

{{Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, Canadian Rockies=yes Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin Geologic formations of British Columbia Geologic formations of Alberta Sandstone formations of Canada