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White River Formation

Coordinates: 43°12′N 107°06′W / 43.2°N 107.1°W / 43.2; -107.1
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White River Formation
Stratigraphic range: Late Eocene-Early Oligocene (Chadronian-Whitneyan)
~37.2–30.8 Ma
White River Badlands in South Dakota
TypeFormation
Sub-unitsBrule Formation,
Chadron Formation[1]
OverliesPierre Shale
Thickness230–300 m (750–980 ft)[2]
Lithology
PrimaryTuffaceous claystone, conglomerate[3]
Location
Coordinates43°12′N 107°06′W / 43.2°N 107.1°W / 43.2; -107.1
Approximate paleocoordinates44°48′N 98°24′W / 44.8°N 98.4°W / 44.8; -98.4
RegionColorado,
Nebraska,
South Dakota,
Wyoming
Country United States
Extentnorthern Great Plains & central Rocky Mountains
Type section
Named forWhite River
(Missouri River tributary)
White River Formation is located in the United States
White River Formation
White River Formation (the United States)
White River Formation is located in Wyoming
White River Formation
White River Formation (Wyoming)

The White River Formation is a geologic formation of the Paleogene Period, in the northern Great Plains and central Rocky Mountains, within the United States.

It has been found in northeastern Colorado, Dawes County in western Nebraska, Badlands of western South Dakota, and Douglas area of southeastern Wyoming.[1]

Fossil record

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The geologic formation preserves fossils dating back to the Eocene and Oligocene Epochs of the Paleogene Period, during the Cenozoic Era.[4] It contains the most complete Late EocenePriabonian and Early OligoceneRupelian vertebrate record in North America.[1][5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c DonaldProthero.com: "Eocene-Oligocene climatic change in North America: the White River Formation"
  2. ^ DouglasFossils.com: Paleontology and Geology of The White River Formation
  3. ^ USGS: White River Formation
  4. ^ Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  5. ^ DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln: "Preliminary Biostratigraphy of the White River Group (Chadron and Brule Formations) in the Vicinity of Chadron, Nebraska", by Eric Paul Gustafson, January 1986.