Coalspur Formation

Coalspur Formation
Coalspur Formation
Stratigraphic range: Maastrichtian to Danian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Type	Formation
Unit of	Saunders Group
Sub-units	Coalspur coal zone,; Entrance conglomerate
Underlies	Paskapoo Formation
Overlies	Brazeau Formation
Thickness	Up to about 550 metres (1,800 ft)
Lithology
Primary	Sandstone, siltstone, shale
Other	Coal, conglomerate, bentonite
Location
Coordinates	53°00′N 116°48′W / 53.0°N 116.8°W
Approximate paleocoordinates	60°36′N 91°36′W / 60.6°N 91.6°W
Region	Alberta
Country	Canada
Extent	Western Canada Sedimentary Basin
Type section
Named for	Coalspur, Alberta
Named by	B.R. MacKay
Year defined	1949
	Coalspur Formation (Canada) Coalspur Formation (Alberta)

The Coalspur Formation is an Upper Cretaceous to lower Palaeocene stratigraphic unit of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the foothills of southwestern Alberta. Its deposition spanned the time interval from latest Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) to early Palaeocene, and it includes sediments that were deposited before, during, and after the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event. It includes the economically important coal deposits of the Coalspur Coal Zone, as well as nonmarine plant and animal fossils.

Geology

Lithology

The sediments of the Coalspur Formation were eroded from the Canadian Cordillera, and were transported eastward by river systems and deposited in fluvial channel and floodplain environments. The formation consists primarily of sandstones and siltstones, interbedded with mudstones and minor amounts of bentonite. Thick coal seams are present locally in the upper portion of the formation, especially in the Alberta Coal Branch area southeast of Hinton, Alberta. Near the Athabasca River the base consists primarily of conglomerate and is known as the Entrance Conglomerate.

Stratigraphy and age

The Coalspur Formation is part of the Saunders group. The K-Pg boundary has been identified within the formation at the base of the lowermost coal seam (the Mynheer seam), based on changes in the fossil pollen assemblage and the presence of an iridium anomaly. The boundary subdivides the Coalspur Formation into an upper member called the Coalspur coal zone which is of early Paleocene age, and an unnamed lower member of latest Cretaceous age.

Thickness and distribution

The Coalspur Formation is present in the Alberta foothills from south of the Wapiti River to the North Saskatchewan River. The formation is estimated to reach thicknesses of up to about 550 metres (1,800 ft), and the Coalspur coal zone is about 120 metres (390 ft) to 200 metres (660 ft) thick.

Relationship to other units

The Coalspur Formation rests abruptly on the Brazeau Formation and is overlain abruptly by the Paskapoo Formation. It is equivalent to the Scollard Formation of the west-central Alberta plains, the Willow Creek Formation in the southwestern plains, and part or all of the Ravenscrag Formation in Saskatchewan. The base of the Coalspur coal zone is equivalent to the base of the Ardley coal zone, which is also floored on the K-Pg boundary bed.

Paleobiota

Plant fossils and mammal remains have been described from the Coalspur Formation, but although the lower part of the formation is of Late Cretaceous age, no dinosaur remains have yet been reported. The best vertebrate fossils of the Coalspur Formation are from a railroad cut near the locality of Diss. This site may be from the Torrejonian 3 North American Land Mammal Age (NALMA).

Amphibia

Amphibians of the Duchesne River Formation
Genus / Taxon	Species	Notes	Images
Opisthotriton	O. kayi	A batrachosauroidid salamander

Mammalia

Unnamed "lipotyphlan" and "creodont" fossils have also been reported from the formation.

Carnivoramorpha

Carnivoramorphs of the Duchesne River Formation
Genus / Taxon	Species	Notes	Images
Simpsonictis	S. jaynanneae	A viverravid

"Condylarthra"

"Condylarths" (archaic ungulates) of the Duchesne River Formation
Genus / Taxon	Species	Notes	Images
Colpoclaenus	C. sp.	An arctocyonid
Promioclaenus	P. sp.	A hyopsodontid

Euarchonta

Euarchontans of the Duchesne River Formation
Genus / Taxon	Species	Notes	Images
Palaechthon	P. sp.	A palaechthonid plesiadapiform

Multituberculata

Multituberculates of the Duchesne River Formation
Genus / Taxon	Species	Notes	Images
Baiotomeus	B. sp.	A ptilodontid
Mimetodon	M. sp.	A neoplagiaulacid
Neoplagiaulax	N. nanophus	A neoplagiaulacid
Neoplagiaulax	N. cf. nelsoni	A neoplagiaulacid
Parectypodus	P. corystes	A neoplagiaulacid
Ptilodus	P. sp.	A ptilodontid

Palaeoryctida

Palaeoryctids of the Duchesne River Formation
Genus / Taxon	Species	Notes	Images
Pararyctes	P. sp.	A palaeoryctid

Pantolesta

Pantolestans of the Duchesne River Formation
Genus / Taxon	Species	Notes	Images
Aphronorus	A. sp.	A pentacodontid
Propalaeosinopa	P. sp.	A pantolestid

Resources

The Coalspur Formation includes seven major seams that range up to 22 metres (72 ft) in thickness. The coal is of sub-bituminous B to C rank, with a low sulphur content. It is mined in the Alberta Coal Branch area and shipped to electric power generating stations in Canada and abroad.

References

↑ Mackay, B.R. 1949. Coal areas of Alberta. Geological Survey of Canada, Atlas to accompany estimate of coal reserves for the Royal Commission on Coal.
1 2 Mossop, G.D. and Shetsen, I. (compilers), Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (1994). "The Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, Chapter 24: Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary strata of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin". Archived from the original on 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2016-06-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
1 2 3 4 Glass, D.J. (editor) 1997. Lexicon of Canadian Stratigraphy, vol. 4, Western Canada including eastern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba. Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, Calgary, 1423 p. on CD-ROM. ISBN 0-920230-23-7.
1 2 Jerzykiewicz, T. and Sweet, A.R. 1986. The Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary, central Alberta foothills. In: Stratigraphy. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, vol. 23, p. 1356-1374.
↑ Prior, G. J.; Hathaway, B.; Glombick, P.M.; Pana, D.I.; Banks, C.J.; Hay, D.C.; Schneider, C.L.; Grobe, M.; Elgr, R. & Weiss, J.A. (2013). "Bedrock Geology of Alberta. Alberta Geological Survey, Map 600". Archived from the original on 2016-06-26. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
↑ Alberta Geological Survey, 2013. "Alberta Table of Formations; Alberta Energy Regulator" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2016-06-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
↑ Langenberg, C.W., Berhane, H., Sweet, A.R., Marchioni, D. and Heamann, L.M. 2007. Regional correlations of the Ardley coal zone, Alberta. Alberta Geological Survey, Earth Sciences Report 2007-5, 21 p.
↑ Bell, W.A. 1949. Uppermost Cretaceous and Paleocene floras of western Canada. Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 13, 231 p.
1 2 Fox, Richard C. (1990-01-01), Bown, Thomas M.; Rose, Kenneth D. (eds.), "The succession of Paleocene mammals in western Canada", Dawn of the Age of Mammals in the northern part of the Rocky Mountain Interior, North America, vol. 243, Geological Society of America, p. 0, doi:10.1130/SPE243-p51, ISBN 978-0-8137-2243-6, retrieved 2026-09-06{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)
1 2 Lofgren, Donald L.; Lillegraven, Jason A.; Clemens, William A.; Gingerich, Philip D.; Williamson, Thomas E. (2004), "3. Paleocene Biochronology: The Puercan Through Clarkforkian Land Mammal Ages", in Woodburne, Michael O. (ed.), Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic Mammals of North America, Columbia University Press, pp. 43–105, doi:10.7312/wood13040-005, ISBN 978-0-231-13040-0, JSTOR 10.7312/wood13040.9, retrieved 2026-04-07
↑ Scott, Craig S. (2003). "Late Torrejonian (middle Paleocene) mammals from south central Alberta, Canada". Journal of Paleontology. 77 (4): 745–768. doi:10.1666/0022-3360(2003)077<0745:LTMPMF>2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0022-3360.
↑ Mossop, G.D. and Shetsen, I. (compilers), Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (1994). "The Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, Chapter 33: Coal Resources of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin". Archived from the original on 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2016-06-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Retrieved 17 December 2021.

[1] Mackay, B.R. 1949. Coal areas of Alberta. Geological Survey of Canada, Atlas to accompany estimate of coal reserves for the Royal Commission on Coal.

[Mossop24-2] 1 2 Mossop, G.D. and Shetsen, I. (compilers), Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (1994). "The Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, Chapter 24: Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary strata of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin". Archived from the original on 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2016-06-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[Glass-3] 1 2 3 4 Glass, D.J. (editor) 1997. Lexicon of Canadian Stratigraphy, vol. 4, Western Canada including eastern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba. Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, Calgary, 1423 p. on CD-ROM. ISBN 0-920230-23-7.

[J&S-4] 1 2 Jerzykiewicz, T. and Sweet, A.R. 1986. The Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary, central Alberta foothills. In: Stratigraphy. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, vol. 23, p. 1356-1374.

[Map600-5] Prior, G. J.; Hathaway, B.; Glombick, P.M.; Pana, D.I.; Banks, C.J.; Hay, D.C.; Schneider, C.L.; Grobe, M.; Elgr, R. & Weiss, J.A. (2013). "Bedrock Geology of Alberta. Alberta Geological Survey, Map 600". Archived from the original on 2016-06-26. Retrieved 2016-06-20.

[Table-6] Alberta Geological Survey, 2013. "Alberta Table of Formations; Alberta Energy Regulator" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2016-06-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

[7] Langenberg, C.W., Berhane, H., Sweet, A.R., Marchioni, D. and Heamann, L.M. 2007. Regional correlations of the Ardley coal zone, Alberta. Alberta Geological Survey, Earth Sciences Report 2007-5, 21 p.

[8] Bell, W.A. 1949. Uppermost Cretaceous and Paleocene floras of western Canada. Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 13, 231 p.

[Fox1990-9] 1 2 Fox, Richard C. (1990-01-01), Bown, Thomas M.; Rose, Kenneth D. (eds.), "The succession of Paleocene mammals in western Canada", Dawn of the Age of Mammals in the northern part of the Rocky Mountain Interior, North America, vol. 243, Geological Society of America, p. 0, doi:10.1130/SPE243-p51, ISBN 978-0-8137-2243-6, retrieved 2026-09-06{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)

[:1-10] 1 2 Lofgren, Donald L.; Lillegraven, Jason A.; Clemens, William A.; Gingerich, Philip D.; Williamson, Thomas E. (2004), "3. Paleocene Biochronology: The Puercan Through Clarkforkian Land Mammal Ages", in Woodburne, Michael O. (ed.), Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic Mammals of North America, Columbia University Press, pp. 43–105, doi:10.7312/wood13040-005, ISBN 978-0-231-13040-0, JSTOR 10.7312/wood13040.9, retrieved 2026-04-07

[11] Scott, Craig S. (2003). "Late Torrejonian (middle Paleocene) mammals from south central Alberta, Canada". Journal of Paleontology. 77 (4): 745–768. doi:10.1666/0022-3360(2003)077<0745:LTMPMF>2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0022-3360.

[Mossop33-12] Mossop, G.D. and Shetsen, I. (compilers), Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (1994). "The Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, Chapter 33: Coal Resources of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin". Archived from the original on 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2016-06-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)