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{{Short description|Stratigraphic Group in Alberta, Canada}}
{{Infobox Rockunit
| name = Alberta Group
| type = [[Geological formation]]
| age = {{fossil range|Albian|Campanian|[[Albian]] to [[Campanian]]}}
| period = Cretaceous
| prilithology = [[Shale]], [[sandstone]]
| otherlithology = [[Siltstone]], [[siderite]], [[limestone]]
| namedfor = [[Alberta]]
| namedby = G.S. Hume, 1930
| region = [[Alberta]]
| country = [[Canada]]
| subunits = Wapiabi Formation, Chungo Member, [[Cardium Formation]], Blackstone Formation, Jumping Pound Member
| underlies = [[Belly River Formation]]
| overlies = [[Blairmore Group]], [[Luscar Group]], [[Crowsnest Formation]]
| thickness = up to {{convert|1219|ft|m|-1}}<ref name=lexicon>{{Cite web | url = http://cgkn1.cgkn.net/weblex/weblex_litho_detail_e.pl?00053:000184 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130221065708/http://cgkn1.cgkn.net/weblex/weblex_litho_detail_e.pl?00053:000184 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2013-02-21 | title = Alberta Group | author = [[Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units]] | accessdate = 2009-03-01 }}</ref>
}}
The '''Alberta Group''' is a [[stratigraphic unit]] of [[Cenomanian]] to early [[Campanian]] [[Geochronology|age]] in the [[Lewis Overthrust|Lewis overthrust]] in the [[Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin]].<ref>{{Cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=OrNKJXB0FfIC|title = Whence the Mountains?: Inquiries Into the Evolution of Orogenic Systems: a Volume in Honor of Raymond A. Price | last = | first = | publisher = Geological Society of America | year = 2007 | isbn = 978-0-8137-2433-1 | editor-last = Sears | editor-first = James W. | location = United States | pages = 171 | editor-last2 = Harms | editor-first2 = Tekla A. | editor-last3 = Evenchick | editor-first3 = Carol A. | via = Google Books}}</ref>

It takes the name from the province of [[Alberta]], and was first described in outcrops along the [[Highwood River]] in [[southern Alberta]] by G.S. Hume in 1930.<ref>Hume, G.S., 1930. The Highwood-Jumpingpound Anticline, with Notes on Turner Valley, New Black Diamond and Priddis Valley Structures, Alberta; [[Geological Survey of Canada]], Summary Report 1929, Part B, pp. 1-24.</ref>

==Lithology==
The Alberta Group is composed of silty [[shale]] for the most part. Two thick [[shale]] deposits (Blackstone Formation and Wapiabi Formation) are present above and below a [[sandstone]] sequence (the [[Cardium Formation]]). [[Siderite|Sideritic]] concretions and thin argillaceous [[limestone]] beds are present within the shale stacks.<ref name=lexicon/>

===Oil/gas production===
[[Natural gas|Gas]] is produced from the [[Cardium Formation]] in [[Yellowhead County]].

==Distribution==
The Alberta Group occurs along the [[Canadian Rockies]] foothills from the [[United States]]-[[Canada]] border to the [[Athabasca River]]. In its type locality along the [[Highwood River]] in [[Southern Alberta]], the group has a thickness of {{convert|610|ft|m|-1}}. It reaches a maximum of {{convert|1219|ft|m|-1}} north of the [[North Saskatchewan River]].<ref name=lexicon/>

==Relationship to other units==

The Alberta Group is conformably overlain by the [[Belly River Formation]] and rests [[unconformity|unconformably]] on deposits of the [[Blairmore Group]] and [[Luscar Group]] in the [[Canadian Rockies]] foothills and on the volcanic [[Crowsnest Formation]] in [[southern Alberta]]'s west. The group is equivalent with the [[Colorado Group]] and [[Lea Park Formation]] in southern Alberta's prairies, and with the [[Smoky Group]] in [[northern Alberta]] and north-east [[British Columbia]].<ref name=lexicon/>

The Wapiabi Formation is equivalent to the upper [[Colorado Group]] shales and [[Lea Park Formation]] in [[central Alberta]] and the sum of [[Puskwaskau Formation]], [[Bad Heart Formation]] and [[Muskiki Formation]] in the west part of [[northern Alberta]].<ref name=Wapiabi/>

===Subdivisions===
The Alberta Group has the following sub-divisions from top to base:
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! [[Geological unit|Sub-unit]] !! [[Geochronology|Age]] !! Lithology !! Max<br>Thickness !! Reference
|-
| Wapiabi Formation || [[Campanian]] || marine [[shale]], which [[siderite|sideritic]] concretions, [[siltstone]], [[sandstone]] and [[limestone]] <br>*contains the [[Chungo Member]] sandstone || {{convert|640|m|ft|-1|abbr=on}}
|<ref name=Wapiabi>{{Cite web | url = http://cgkn1.cgkn.net/weblex/weblex_litho_detail_e.pl?00053:016035 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130221064504/http://cgkn1.cgkn.net/weblex/weblex_litho_detail_e.pl?00053:016035 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2013-02-21 | title = Wapiabi | author = [[Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units]] | accessdate = 2009-03-01 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Cardium Formation]] || [[Turonian]] to [[Coniacian]] || marine [[sandstone]] || {{convert|108|m|ft|-1|abbr=on}}
|<ref name=Cardium>{{Cite web | url = http://cgkn1.cgkn.net/weblex/weblex_litho_detail_e.pl?00053:002448 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120707181825/http://cgkn1.cgkn.net/weblex/weblex_litho_detail_e.pl?00053:002448 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2012-07-07 | title = Cardium | author = [[Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units]] | accessdate=2009-03-01 }}</ref>
|-
| Blackstone Formation || [[Cenomanian]] to [[Turonian]] || marine [[shale]] and [[siltstone]] with minor [[limestone]], [[sandstone]] and [[bentonite]]<br>*contains the Jumping Pound Member sandstone||{{convert|426|m|ft|-1|abbr=on}}
|<ref name=Blackstone>{{Cite web | url = http://cgkn1.cgkn.net/weblex/weblex_litho_detail_e.pl?00053:001485 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130221065741/http://cgkn1.cgkn.net/weblex/weblex_litho_detail_e.pl?00053:001485 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2013-02-21 | title = Blackstone | author = [[Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units]] | accessdate = 2009-03-01 }}</ref>
|-
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin|Canadian Rockies=yes}}

[[Category:Geologic groups of Alberta]]
[[Category:Cretaceous Alberta]]
[[Category:Shale groups of Canada]]
[[Category:Sandstone groups of Canada]]
[[Category:Siltstone groups]]
[[Category:Limestone groups of Canada]]

Alberta Group - Revision history

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