Beeman Formation
Geologic formation in New Mexico, US
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Beeman Formation is a geologic formation in the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico.[1][2] It preserves fossils dating back to the Kasimovian Age of the Pennsylvanian Period.[3]
| Beeman Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: | |
| Type | Formation |
| Underlies | Holder Formation |
| Overlies | Gobbler Formation |
| Thickness | 350–500 ft (110–150 m) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Shale |
| Other | Limestone, conglomerate |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 32.83°N 105.905°W |
| Region | New Mexico |
| Country | United States |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Beeman Canyon |
| Named by | L.C. Pray |
| Year defined | 1954 |
  Beeman Formation (the United States)  Beeman Formation (New Mexico) | |
Description
The Beeman Formation consists of cyclic[4] shale and argillaceous limestone with some conglomerate. The thickness is 350–500 ft (110–150 m).[5] The formation overlies the Gobbler Formation and is overlain by the Holder Formation.[1]
The formation is interpreted as cyclic deposition on a continental shelf following rejuvenation of the Pedernal uplift of the Ancestral Rocky Mountains.[4]
Fossils
The unit contains middle to upper Missourian (Kasimovian) fusulinids[5] and conodonts, including several species of the fusulinid Triticites and the conodont Idiognathodus symmetricus, related species, and species of Streptognathodus. These species indicate that the Beeman Formation is entirely Kasimovian in age.[3] The formation has a diverse coprofauna.[6] The formation has also produced a lacustrine fauna from one of its shell beds, including the horseshoe crab Euproops danae.[7]
