Ellis Group, Geological formation in Alberta, United States and Canada
Ellis Group is a geological formation made of marine shale and sandstone layers that stretch across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Montana, and Wyoming. The rock layers are between 80 and 150 meters thick, with the Sawtooth Formation section containing valuable oil deposits.
The formation was first documented in 1893 by geologist A.C. Peale near Rocky Creek Canyon and named after Fort Ellis in Montana. This discovery helped establish understanding of the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin geology.
The Ellis Group formations contribute to the understanding of North American geology through their preserved marine fossils and sedimentary structures.
This formation spans a large area and shows different features depending on where you look at it. Access to study sites varies by location since the rock layers appear in multiple provinces and states.
The rock layers change westward into Fernie Group shales and eastward into Vanguard and Shaunavon Formations with different compositions. This shift reveals how ancient marine environments transformed across different regions.
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