Bishop Cap Formation
Geologic formation in New Mexico and Texas, US
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bishop Cap Formation is a geologic formation in the Franklin Mountains of southern New Mexico and western Texas and the Hueco Mountains of western Texas. It preserves fossils dating back to the Moscovian to Kasimovian Ages of the early Pennsylvanian.[1][2]
| Bishop Cap Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: | |
| Type | Formation |
| Underlies | Panther Seep Formation |
| Overlies | Berino Formation |
| Thickness | 180 m (590 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Shale |
| Other | Limestone |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 31°58′0″N 106°31′30″W |
| Region | New Mexico Texas |
| Country | United States |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Bishop Cap (mountain) |
| Named by | L.A. Nelson |
| Year defined | 1937 |
  Bishop Cap Formation (the United States)  Bishop Cap Formation (Texas) | |
Description
The formation consists of brown to gray shale alternating with thin ray ledges of limestone. Shale makes up 65 to 75 percent of the formation. The total thickness is up to 180 meters (590 ft).[3] The formation rests on the Berino Formation[4] and is overlain by the Panther Seep Formation.[3]
Fossils
The formation is highly fossiliferous, with a fauna dominated by snails, brachiopods (Neospirifer, Crurithyris, Mesolobus),[5] and clams, but is less diverse than the underlying Berino Formation.[1] The lower beds contain the fusulinids Wedekindellina euthysepta and Fusulina distenta.[1] Opercula of cephalopods (possibly Liroceras) have been found in the formation, as have shells of Bellerophon, Phestia, and Euphemites.[5]
