The Red Peak 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 ...
belonging to the Chugwater Group. 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
Triassic
The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 Mya. The Triassic is the first and shortest period ...
period
Period may refer to:
Common uses
* Era, a length or span of time
* Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Period (music), a concept in musical composition
* Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...
.
It is composed of siltstone, claystone, and very fine grained sandstone that is reddish orange; some grayish red, reddish purple, and minor amounts of light greenish gray also occur. Strata are thinly laminated to thin bedded, commonly ripple laminated; upper part forms cliffs and ledges, lower part poorly exposed. The Red Peak is 168–177 m (550–580 feet) thick.
[Maughan, E.K. 1972. Geologic map of the Wedding of the Waters Quandrangle, Hot Springs County, Wyoming. US Geological Survey Map GQ-1042.]
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
*
Triassic geology of Wyoming
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