Frenchman Formation

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Frenchman Formation
Stratigraphic range: Upper Cretaceous
TypeGeological formation
UnderliesRavenscrag Formation
OverliesBattle Formation, Whitemud Formation, Eastend Formation, Bearpaw Formation
Thicknessup to 113 meters (371 ft)[1]
Lithology
PrimarySandstone
OtherClaystone, conglomerate
Location
Coordinates49°29′27″N 108°54′17″W / 49.49073°N 108.90467°W / 49.49073; -108.90467 (Frenchman Formation)
RegionWestern Canada Sedimentary Basin:
Alberta
Saskatchewan
CountryCanada
Type section
Named forFrenchman River
Named byFurnival, 1942

The Frenchman Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Late Cretaceous (late Maastrichtian) age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. It is present in southern Saskatchewan and the Cypress Hills of southeastern Alberta. The formation was defined by G.M. Furnival in 1942[2] from observations of outcrops along the Frenchman River, between Ravenscrag and Highway 37. It contains the youngest of dinosaur genera, much like the Hell Creek Formation in the United States.

Lithology

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The Frenchman Formation consists of olive-green to brown, fine- to coarse-grained, cross-bedded sandstone with interbedded claystone bands and minor beds and lenses of intraformational clay-clast conglomerate.[1] A conglomerate layer with well-rounded quartzite pebbles is present above the basal unconformity in some areas.[3]

Thickness and distribution

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The Frenchman Formation is present in southwestern Saskatchewan and the Cypress Hills area of southeastern Alberta. Its maximum reported thickness is about 113 m.[3]

Age

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The Frenchman Formation is of latest Maastrichtian age, and the top of the formation coincides with the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, as evidenced by biostratigraphic changes and, in some areas, the presence of the terminal Cretaceous iridium anomaly.[4] The only Triceratops species from the Frenchman & Scollard formations is T. prorsus. Because T. prorsus is constrained to latest Maastrichtian based off the stratigraphy of the Hell Creek formation, this further constrains the Frenchman formation to that time. [5]

Relationship to other units

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Although some early workers included the Frenchman Formation in the overlying Ravenscrag Formation, the two are separated by the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary and are now treated separately. The contact is abrupt but conformable, and occurs at the base of the No. 1 or Ferris coal seam of the Ravenscrag Formation.[3]

The Frenchman is separated from the underlying formations by an erosional unconformity, and depending on the depth of the erosion, the Frenchman rests on the Whitemud Formation, the Battle Formation, the Eastend Formation, or the Bearpaw Formation.[3] It is equivalent in age to the lower part of the Scollard Formation, the lower part of the Willow Creek Formation, the lower part of the Coalspur Formation in Alberta, and the Hell Creek Formation in Montana and North Dakota.

Paleontology

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Mammals and birds

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J.E. Storer described fossil mammals from the Gryde locality in the Frenchman Formation, including Parectypodus and Alphadon.[6] A bone (the humeral end of the left coracoid) of a bird attributed to the genus Cimolopteryx has also been described from the Gryde locality.[7]

Dinosaurs

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Dinosaurs reported from the Frenchman Formation
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Images
Ankylosaurus A. magniventris An ankylosaurine ankylosaurid
cf. Anzu[8] cf. A. sp. Two manual unguals Claws from a large caenagnathid, tentatively referred to Anzu based on size
?Dromaeosaurus[9] ?D. sp. Scotty site Three teeth Large size teeth,3cm in length.

Edmontosaurus

E. annectens

"Complete skull, [three or four] partial skulls."[10]

A hadrosaurid[11]

E. saskatchewanensis

Junior synonym of E. annectens[11]

Leptorhynchos[12]

L. sp.

A partial skeleton

A caenagnathid theropod

Ornithomimus[13]

Ornithomimus sp.

Sphaerotholus[14] cf. S. buchholtzae "nearly complete left postorbital" The first pachycephalosaurid reported from the Frenchman Formation

Thescelosaurus

T. assiniboiensis

Nearly complete skeleton

Torosaurus

T. sp.

Frill A large chasmosaurine ceratopsian distinct from Triceratops. Fossils have also been unearthed in the Scollard Formation.[15][16]

Triceratops[15]

T. prorsus

Redpath, Saskatchewan Nearly Complete Skull, one other partial skull Being one of the most popular Dinosaurs, they are widely known.

Tyrannosaurus

T. rex

Nearly complete skeleton "Scotty", possibly the largest T. rex ever discovered, is from the Frenchman Formation

Plants

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Two megafloral assemblages were collected from Grasslands National Park and the Chambery Coulee site. The differences in floral composition as well as evidence of forest fires indicated these two localities represented an ecological succession in a fire-disturbed environment, with burned mature forests being colonised by pioneer shrubs and then a subsequent reestablishment of coniferous and hardwood forest. Leaf analysis estimated mean annual temperatures of 12–14 °C (54–57 °F) in a largely deciduous mixed forest of temperate climate.[17][18]

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
Acer-like Indeterminate GNP[17]
Alnus A. sp. GNP[17]
Araucarites A. sp. Chambery Coulee[17] Cone
Betula B. sp. GNP[17]
Cercidiphyllum C. sp. Chambery Coulee, GNP[17]
Cinnamomum-like Indeterminate Chambery Coulee, GNP[17] Likely not Cinnamomum.
Ficus? Indeterminate Chambery Coulee, GNP[17] Likely not in Moraceae.
Ginkgo G. sp. Chambery Coulee[17]
Juglans J. sp. Chambery Coulee[17] Seeds
Macginitiea M. sp. Chambery Coulee, GNP[17]
Magnolia M. sp. Chambery Coulee, GNP[17]
Marmarthia M. sp. Chambery Coulee[17] A Lauraceae, similar to Lindera.[19]
Menispermites M. sp. Chambery Coulee[17] Belongs to Menispermaceae.
Metasequoia M. sp. Chambery Coulee[17]
Parataxodium? Indeterminate Chambery Coulee[17] In need of revision.[20]
Platanus P. sp. Chambery Coulee, GNP[17]
Populus P. sp. Chambery Coulee, GNP[17]
Protophyllocladus P. sp. Chambery Coulee[17] Belongs to Podocarpaceae, similar to Phyllocladus.
Pseudoctenis P. sp. Chambery Coulee[17]
Quercus Q. sp. Chambery Coulee[17]
Rhus R. sp. Chambery Coulee, GNP[17]
Sabalites S. sp. Chambery Coulee[17]
Salix S. sp. Chambery Coulee, GNP[17]
Sapindus S. sp. GNP[17]
Sassafras S. sp. GNP[17]
Sequoia S. sp. Chambery Coulee[17]
Taxodium? T?. sp. Chambery Coulee[17]
Zelkova Z. sp. Chambery Coulee[17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Lexicon of Canadian Geological Units. "Frenchman Formation". Archived from the original on February 22, 2013. Retrieved 2010-01-17.
  2. ^ Furnival, G.M., 1942. Preliminary Map, Cypress Lake, Saskatchewan; Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 42-5, contains Preliminary Map 42-5, Cypress Lake, West of Third Meridian, Saskatchewan, Scale: 1 inch to 2 miles.
  3. ^ a b c d Glass, D.J., editor, 1997. Lexicon of Canadian Stratigraphy, vol. 4, Western Canada. Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, Calgary, Alberta, 1423 p. on CD-ROM, ISBN 0-920230-23-7.
  4. ^ Lerbekmo, John F.; Sweet, Arthur R.; St. Louis, Robert M. (1987). "The relationship between the iridium anomaly and palynological floral events at three Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary localities in western Canada". Geological Society of America Bulletin. 99 (3): 325–330. Bibcode:1987GSAB...99..325L. doi:10.1130/0016-7606(1987)99<325:TRBTIA>2.0.CO;2.
  5. ^ Mallon, Jordan C.; Roloson, Mathew; Bamforth, Emily L.; Scannella, John B.; Ryan, Michael J. (2025-07). "The Canadian fossil record supports anagenesis in Triceratops (Ornithischia, Ceratopsia)". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 62 (7): 1222–1236. doi:10.1139/cjes-2024-0170. ISSN 0008-4077. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ Storer, John E. (30 September 1991). "The mammals of the Gryde Local Fauna, Frenchman Formation (Maastrichtian: Lancian), Saskatchewan". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 11 (3): 350–369. Bibcode:1991JVPal..11..350S. doi:10.1080/02724634.1991.10011403.
  7. ^ Tokaryk, Tim T.; James, Paul C. (December 1989). "Cimolopteryx sp. (Aves, Charadriiformes) from the Frenchman Formation (Maastrichtian), Saskatchewan". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 26 (12): 2729–2730. Bibcode:1989CaJES..26.2729T. doi:10.1139/e89-233.
  8. ^ Bell, Phil R.; Currie, Philip J.; Russell, Dale A. (January 2015). "Large caenagnathids (Dinosauria, Oviraptorosauria) from the uppermost Cretaceous of western Canada". Cretaceous Research. 52: 101–107. Bibcode:2015CrRes..52..101B. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2014.09.006.
  9. ^ Tokaryk, Tim T. "The fauna from the Tyrannosaurus rex excavation, Frenchman Formation (Late Maastrichtian), Saskatchewan". Saskatchewan Geological Survey.
  10. ^ "Table 20.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 440.
  11. ^ a b Campione, N.E. and Evans, D.C. (2011). "Cranial Growth and Variation in Edmontosaurs (Dinosauria: Hadrosauridae): Implications for Latest Cretaceous Megaherbivore Diversity in North America." PLoS ONE, 6(9): e25186. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0025186
  12. ^ Funston, Gregory; Currie, Philip; Burns, Michael (2015). "New elmisaurine specimens from North America and their relationship to the Mongolian Elmisaurus rarus". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. doi:10.4202/app.00129.2014. ISSN 0567-7920.
  13. ^ Boyd, Clint A. "PBDB". doi:10.1111/J.1096-3642.2011.00735.X.
  14. ^ Mallon, Jordan C.; Evans, David C.; Tokaryk, Tim T.; Currie, Margaret L. (2015-09-01). "First pachycephalosaurid (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Frenchman Formation (upper Maastrichtian) of Saskatchewan, Canada". Cretaceous Research. 56: 426–431. Bibcode:2015CrRes..56..426M. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2015.06.005. ISSN 0195-6671.
  15. ^ a b Tokaryk, T. 1986. Ceratopsian dinosaurs from the Frenchman Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Saskatchewan. Canadian Field-Naturalist 100:192–196.
  16. ^ Mallon, Jordan C; Holmes, Robert B; Bamforth, Emily L; Schumann, Dirk (2022). "The record of Torosaurus (Ornithischia: Ceratopsidae) in Canada and its taxonomic implications". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 195 (1): 157–171. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab120. ISSN 0024-4082.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac Bamforth, Emily L.; Button, Christine L.; Larsson, Hans C.E. (May 2014). "Paleoclimate estimates and fire ecology immediately prior to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction in the Frenchman Formation (66Ma), Saskatchewan, Canada". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 401: 96–110. Bibcode:2014PPP...401...96B. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2014.02.020.
  18. ^ McIver, Elisabeth E (February 2002). "The paleoenvironment of Tyrannosaurus rex from southwestern Saskatchewan, Canada". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 39 (2): 207–221. Bibcode:2002CaJES..39..207M. doi:10.1139/e01-073.
  19. ^ Peppe, Daniel J.; Erickson, J. Mark; Hickey, Leo J. (May 2007). "Fossil Leaf Species from the Fox Hills Formation (Upper Cretaceous: North Dakota, USA) and Their Paleogeographic Significance". Journal of Paleontology. 81 (3): 550–567. Bibcode:2007JPal...81..550P. doi:10.1666/05067.1.
  20. ^ Rothwell, Gar W.; Stockey, Ruth A.; Smith, Selena Y. (December 2020). "Revisiting the Late Cretaceous Parataxodium wigginsii flora from the North Slope of Alaska, a high-latitude temperate forest". Cretaceous Research. 116 104592. Bibcode:2020CrRes.11604592R. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104592.