imported>Volcanoguy: removed Category:Shale formations of Canada; added Category:Shale groups of Canada using HotCat

2025-06-04T19:44:31Z

removed Category:Shale formations of Canada; added Category:Shale groups of Canada using HotCat

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{{Short description|Stratigraphical unit of Late Cretaceous age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin}}
{{Infobox Rockunit
| name = Belly River Formation
| image = Oldman river-Alberta.JPG
| caption = Belly River beds exposed along the [[Oldman River]]
| type = [[Group (stratigraphy)|Group]]
| age = {{Fossil range|Santonian|Campanian|[[Santonian]] to [[Campanian]]}}
| period = Late Cretaceous
| prilithology = [[Sandstone]], [[Shale]]
| otherlithology = [[Conglomerate (geology)|Conglomerate]], [[Coal]], [[Bentonite]]
| namedfor = [[Belly River]]
| namedby = [[George Mercer Dawson]], 1883
| region = [[Alberta]]
| country = [[Canada]]
| coordinates = {{coord|49.63161|-112.87537|name=Belly River Formation}}
| unitof =
| subunits =
| underlies = [[Bearpaw Formation]]
| overlies = [[Wapiabi Formation]]
| thickness = up to {{convert|1300|m|ft|-1}}<ref name=lexicon/>
| extent =
| area =
| map =
| map_caption =
}}

The '''Belly River Group''' is a [[stratigraphic unit]] of [[Late Cretaceous]] [[Geochronology|age]] in the [[Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin]].

It takes the name from the [[Belly River]], a tributary of the [[Oldman River]] in [[southern Alberta]], and was first described in outcrop on the banks of the Oldman River (at the time considered part of the Belly River) and [[Bow River]] by [[George Mercer Dawson]] in 1883.<ref>Dawson, G.M., 1883. Preliminary report on the geology of the Bow and Belly river region, Northwest Territory, with special reference to the coal deposits. [[Geological Survey of Canada]], Report of Progress for 1880-81-82, Part B.</ref>

==Lithology==
The Belly River Group is composed of very fine grained [[sandstone]] with coarse grained beds and minor [[bentonite]], [[coal]], green [[shale]], and [[Concretion|concretionary beds]].<ref name=lexicon>
{{Cite web
|url=http://cgkn1.cgkn.net/weblex/weblex_litho_detail_e.pl?00053:001144
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712022103/http://cgkn1.cgkn.net/weblex/weblex_litho_detail_e.pl?00053:001144
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=2012-07-12
|title=Belly River Formation
|author=[[Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units]]
|access-date=2009-03-01
}}
</ref>

===Hydrocarbon production===
[[Natural gas|Gas]] is produced from the Belly River Group in the [[Deep Basin]], in west-[[central Alberta]] and in the [[Canadian Rockies]] foothills.

==Paleofauna==
Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.<ref name="cretaceousdistribution">Weishampel, David B; et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution (Late Cretaceous, North America)." In: Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 574-588. {{ISBN|0-520-24209-2}}.</ref>

{| class="wikitable" align="center" 
|-
! colspan="7" align="center" |'''[[Dinosaur]]s reported from the Belly River Group'''
|-
! Genus
! Species
! Location
! Stratigraphic position
! Material
! Description
! Images
|-
|
''[[Montanoceratops]]''<ref name="cretaceousdistribution" />
|
Indeterminate<ref name="cretaceousdistribution" />
|
|
|
|
| rowspan="99" |
[[File:Montanoceratops BW.jpg|thumb|center|150px|''[[Montanoceratops]]'']]
|-
|}

==Distribution==
The Belly River Group reaches a maximum thickness of {{convert|1300|m|ft|-1}} in its western reaches, and thins out eastward to about {{convert|350|m|ft|-1}} in the Canadian Plains. It is found throughout [[southern Alberta]], and as far east as eastern [[Saskatchewan]]. From south to north, it is present from the [[United States]] border to the [[Wapiti River]] region, south of the [[Peace River Country]].<ref name=lexicon/>

==Relationship to other units==
The Belly River Group is conformably overlain by the [[Bearpaw Formation]] and gradually overlies the [[Wapiabi Formation]], the [[Colorado Group]] shale or the [[Lea Park Formation]] shale.<ref name=lexicon/>

It is equivalent to the [[Milk River Formation]] and [[Pakowki Formation]]. The Belly River has group status in the [[Canadian Rockies]] foothills and is replaced by the [[Oldman Formation]] ([[Judith River Formation]] in Montana) and [[Foremost Formation]] in [[southern Alberta]].

==See also==
* [[List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin| Northeast_Plains=yes|Central_Plains=yes|South AB=yes|Canadian Rockies=yes}}

[[Category:Geologic groups of Alberta]]
[[Category:Upper Cretaceous Series of North America]]
[[Category:Cretaceous Alberta]]
[[Category:Coal groups]]
[[Category:Conglomerate groups]]
[[Category:Shale groups of Canada]]
[[Category:Sandstone groups of Canada]]

{{Canada-geologic-formation-stub}}
{{Canada-geology-stub}}

Belly River Group - Revision history

imported>Volcanoguy: removed Category:Shale formations of Canada; added Category:Shale groups of Canada using HotCat