Dinosaur Park Formation
The Dinosaur Park Formation is the uppermost member of the Belly River Group (also known as the Judith River Group), a major geologic unit in southern Alberta. It was deposited during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous, between about 76.5 and 74.4 million years ago. It was deposited in alluvial and coastal plain environments, and it is bounded by the nonmarine Oldman Formation below it and the marine Bearpaw Formation above it.
| Dinosaur Park Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Late Cretaceous, Campanian, | |
Dinosaur Park Formation exposed along the Red Deer River in Dinosaur Provincial Park, southeastern Alberta, Canada. | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Unit of | Belly River Group |
| Underlies | Bearpaw Formation |
| Overlies | Oldman Formation |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone (lower) Mudstone and siltstone (upper) |
| Other | Bentonite and coal |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 49.2°N 110.4°W |
| Approximate paleocoordinates | 56.4°N 75.8°W |
| Region | Alberta |
| Country | Canada |
| Extent | Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Dinosaur Provincial Park |
| Named by | Eberth, D.A. and Hamblin, A.P. |
| Year defined | 1993 |
Dinosaur Park Formation (Canada) Dinosaur Park Formation (Alberta) | |
The Dinosaur Park Formation contains dense concentrations of dinosaur skeletons, both articulated and disarticulated, which are often found with preserved remains of soft tissues. Remains of other animals such as fish, turtles, and crocodilians, as well as plant remains, are also abundant. The formation has been named after Dinosaur Provincial Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the formation is well exposed in the badlands that flank the Red Deer River.