Beartooth Butte Formation

{{Infobox rockunit

| name = Beartooth Butte Formation

| image = Cosmaspis transversa (Beartooth Butte Formation, Lower Devonian; Cottonwood Canyon, east of Lovell, Wyoming, USA) 4 (33446628334).jpg

| caption = Fossil fish from the Beartooth Butte Formation

| type = Formation

| age = Lochkovian-Emsian
~{{fossil range|419|394}}

| period = Pragian

| prilithology = Mudstone, sandstone

| otherlithology = Shale, limestone

| namedfor = Beartooth Butte

| namedby =

| region = Wyoming

| country = {{USA}}

| coordinates = {{coord|44|57|N|109|37|W|display=inline,title}}

| paleocoordinates = {{coord|28.2|S|47.1|W|display=inline}}

| unitof =

| subunits = Cottonwood Canyon Member

| underlies =

| overlies =

| thickness =

| extent =

| area =

| map = {{Location map+ | United States#Wyoming

| relief = 1

| width = 250

| float = center

| places =

{{Location map~ | United States#Wyoming

| lat_deg = 44.95

| lon_deg = -109.61

| mark = Gold pog.svg

| marksize = 10

}}

}}

| map_caption =

}}

The Beartooth Butte Formation is a geologic formation in Wyoming. It preserves fossils dating back to the Devonian period.[https://paleobiodb.org/classic/displayStrata?geological_group=&formation=Beartooth%20Butte&group_formation_member=Beartooth%20Butte Beartooth Butte Formation] at Fossilworks.org

Description

The formation contains a basal limestone conglomerate overlain by evenly bedded red or gray limestones (more accurately, limy mudstones) and calcareous shales. It is a lenticular, channel-fill deposit which is some {{convert|2500|ft|m}} wide and {{convert|250|ft|m}} thick at maximum. Most collections are from the talus slope. Stable oxygen and isotope data (Poulson in Fiorillo, 2000) indicate that the Beartooth Butte Formation was deposited in an estuarine environment, with the Cottonwood Canyon section being slightly less saline than the type section.

Fossil content

See also

References

{{reflist|2}}

= Bibliography =