Unit Name: Waterfowl Formation
Unit Type: Lithostratigraphic
Rank: Formation
Status: Formal
Usage: Currently in use
Age Interval: Middle Cambrian - Late Cambrian (513 - 488.3 ma)
Age Justification: The sparse faunal data, generally of fragmental trilobite material from me upper Waterfowl is consistently of basal Dresbachian (lowermost Upper Cambrian). No faunal information is as yet available for the lower part of the formation, it is possible that the Middle-Upper Cambrian boundary may be present therein.
Province/Territory: Alberta

Originator: Greggs, 1962; Aitken and Greggs, 1967

Type Locality:
Originally proposed on Mount Murchison, but later referred to the southern slopes of Sullivan Peak, near Glacier Lake, in Banff National Park, Alberta. This is the location of Walcott's original Arctomys Formation, which included the Waterfowl in its upper units.

Distribution:
The Waterfowl is 166 m (544 ft) thick at the type locality and thickens westward to over 183 m (600 ft) at Mount Whiterose. At Tangle Ridge 138 m (453 ft) of Waterfowl beds are present. To the north the Waterfowl becomes indistinguishable from the Lyell Formation and forms the lower part of the Lynx Group.

Locality Data:
Thickness(m): Maximum 183, Typical 166.

Lithology:
The Waterfowl Formation consists of cliff forming, dense carbonate, generally limestone, but containing dolomite units in the front ranges. Calcareous siltstones and occasional fine-grained sandstones are also present.

Fossils:
Trilobites

Relationship:
The base of the Waterfowl is gradational with shales of the underlying Arctomys Formation; the contact is taken at the highest occurrence of brightly colored shale. The upper contact is placed at the abrupt change from thick-bedded carbonates to shales and interbedded siltstones of the Sullivan Formation; the succession appears to be conformable.

History:
The Waterfowl coincides with the upper part (1a) of Walcott's type Arctomys, and is continuous with the type section of the Arctomys.

References:
Aitken, J.D. and Greggs, R.G., 1967. Upper Cambrian formations, southern Rocky Mountains of Alberta, an interm report; Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 66-49, 91 p.
Greggs, R.G., 1962. Upper Cambrian biostratigraphy of the southern Rocky Mountains, Alberta; University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Ph.D. thesis, 256 p.

Source: CSPG Lexicon of Canadian Stratigraphy, Volume 4, western Canada, including eastern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba; D.J. Glass (editor)
Contributor: R.G. Greggs
Entry Reviewed: Yes
Name Set: Lithostratigraphic Lexicon
LastChange: 28 Mar 2014