Hell Creek Formation

Hell Creek Formation

      division of rocks in North America dating to the end of the Cretaceous Period some 66 million years ago. Named for exposures studied on Hell Creek, near Jordan, Montana, it occurs in eastern Montana and portions of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. The Hell Creek Formation is about 175 metres (575 feet) thick and consists of grayish sandstones (sandstone) and shales (shale) with interbedded lignites (lignite). It was deposited as coastal-plain sediments during the withdrawal of the shallow Cretaceous seas that covered much of the interior of western North America.

      Fossils in the formation include the remains of plants, dinosaurs, and many small Cretaceous mammals, including some early primates (primate). The rich dinosaur fauna includes theropods (theropod) (such as Tyrannosaurus (tyrannosaur)), pachycephalosaurs (Pachycephalosaurus), ornithopods (ornithopod), ankylosaurs (Ankylosaurus), and ceratopsians (ceratopsian) (such as Triceratops). Some outcrops in the Hell Creek Formation straddle the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary (dinosaur) and contain high concentrations of iridium, possible evidence of an asteroid impact at the end of the Cretaceous Period.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Hell-Creek-Formation — Die Hell Creek Formation, aufgeschlossen beim Ft. Peck Reservoir. Die Hell Creek Formation ist eine Abfolge von kontinentalen Sedimentgesteinen der späten Kreide und des frühen Paläozäns im Nordwesten der USA und eine wichtige Lagerstätte für… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Hell Creek Formation — The Hell Creek Formation is an intensely studied division of Upper Cretaceous to lower Paleocene rocks in North America, named for exposures studied along Hell Creek, near Jordan, Montana. The Hell Creek Formation occurs in badlands of eastern… …   Wikipedia

  • Hell Creek — Die Hell Creek Formation, aufgeschlossen beim Ft. Peck Reservoir. Die Hell Creek Formation ist eine Abfolge von kontinentalen Sedimentgesteinen der späten Kreide und des frühen Paläozäns im Nordwesten der USA und eine wichtige Lagerstätte für… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Formation de Hell Creek — La Formation de Hell Creek est bien visible dans les badlands près de Fort Peck Reservoir. La Formation de Hell Creek est une formation rocheuse intensément étudiée datant du Crétacé supérieur au début du Paléocène et portant le nom des zones d… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Formación Hell Creek — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda La Formación Riachuelo del Infierno o Formación Hell Creek es una división geológica sumamente estudiada, donde yacen fósiles y elementos del Cretácico Superior (entre hace 80 y 65 millones de años). Esta zona… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Formation de Bearpaw — La flèche montre la transition entre la Formation de Bearpaw, en dessous, et la Formation de Horseshoe Canyon, au dessus. La Formation de Bearpaw est une formation de roches sédimentaires située dans le nord ouest de l Amérique du Nord. Elle… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Lance Formation — The Lance (Creek) Formation is a division of Late Cretaceous rocks in the western United States. Named after Lance Creek, Wyoming, the microvertebrate fossils and dinosaurs represent important components of the latest Mesozoic vertebrate faunas.… …   Wikipedia

  • Bearpaw Formation — The Bearpaw Formation, also called the Bearpaw Shale, is a sedimentary rock formation found in northwestern North America. It is exposed in the U.S. state of Montana, as well as the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, east of the… …   Wikipedia

  • Scollard Formation — The Scollard Formation is an Upper Cretaceous to lower Palaeocene rock formation found in south central Alberta, Canada. tratigraphyThe Scollard outcrops extensively along the banks of the Red Deer River in the area of Trochu, where it is found… …   Wikipedia

  • Frenchman Formation — The Frenchman Formation is a division of Upper Cretaceous rocks found in Saskatchewan, Canada. More accurately described as Late Maastrichtian, these rocks contain the youngest of dinosaur genera, much like the Hell Creek Formation in the United… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”