Fox Hills Formation

The Fox Hills Formation is a Cretaceous geologic formation in the northwestern Great Plains of North America. It is present from Alberta on the north to Colorado in the south.

Fossil remains of dinosaurs, including tyrannosaurs, as well as large marine reptiles, such as mosasaurs, have been recovered from the formation.

Lithology

The Fox Hills Formation consists of marginal marine yellow to grey sandstone with shale interbeds. It was deposited as a regressive sequence of barrier islands during the retreat of the Western Interior Seaway in Late Cretaceous time. In its eastern extent, the formation is underlain by the marine Pierre Shale in the United States and by the equivalent Bearpaw Formation in Canada, while in western ranges in Montana and Wyoming it overlies the Lewis Shale. The Fox Hills is overlain by continental sediments of the Laramie Formation in Colorado and the Lance Formation in Wyoming, the latter being the equivalent of the overlying Hell Creek Formation in Montana.

Fossil content

Plants

Color key Taxon Reclassified taxon Taxon falsely reported as present Dubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon		Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited.

Taxa	Species	Locality	Material	Notes	Images
Marmarthia	M. johnsonii			Belongs to Lauraceae, similar to Lindera.
Mesocyparis	M. borealis			Belongs to Cupressaceae, similar to Thuja.
Nilssoniocladus	N. comtula			A Cycaceoid.
	N. yukonensis
Paloreodoxites	P. plicatus			Incertae sedis, a palm-like monocot.
Rhamnus	R. salicifolius			Similar to R. caroliniana.
Zingiberopsis	Z. magnifolia			Belongs to Zingiberaceae, related to Alpinia.

See also

• List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations
  • List of stratigraphic units with indeterminate dinosaur fossils

References

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