Queen Formation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Queen Formation is a geologic formation in southeastern New Mexico and west Texas. It preserves fossils dating back to the late Guadalupian Epoch of the Permian period.[1][2]
| Queen Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: | |
| Type | Formation |
| Unit of | Artesia Group |
| Underlies | Seven Rivers Formation |
| Overlies | San Andres Formation |
| Thickness | 500 feet (150 m) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone |
| Other | dolomite, anhydrite |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 32.191°N 104.755°W |
| Region | New Mexico |
| Country | United States |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Queen Post Office |
| Named by | Blanchard and Davis |
| Year defined | 1929 |
  Queen Formation (the United States)  Queen Formation (New Mexico) | |
Description
The formation consists of up to 500 feet (150 m)[3] of mostly sandstone, with some interbedded dolomite and anhydrite. It rests on the San Andres Formation, from which it is separated by an erosional surface showing karst features.[4] The Queen Formation is overlain by the Seven Rivers Formation. The Queen Formation is part of the Artesia Group, which is interpreted as a sequence of shelf rocks of the Capitan reef.[1][5]
History of investigation
The unit was first named as the Queen sandstone of the upper San Andres Formation by Grant Blanchard and Morgan Davis in 1929.[3] In 1937, W.B. Lang assigned the Seven Rivers Member to the (now abandoned) Chalk Bluff Formation.[6] The unit was promoted to formation rank and assigned to the Whitehorse Group by Ronald DeFord and Russell Lloyd in 1940.[7] The formation was assigned to the Artesia Group by D.B. Tait and coinvestigators in 1962.[1]
