Joli Fou Formation

The Joli Fou Formation is a stratigraphical unit of middle Albian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. It takes the name from the Joli Fou Rapids on the Athabasca River, and was first described in an outcrop along the river, 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) downstream from Joli Fou Rapids, by RTD Wickenden in 1949.[2]

Joli Fou Formation Stratigraphic range: Middle Albian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Colorado Group
Underlies	Viking Formation
Overlies	Mannville Group
Thickness	up to 61 metres (200 ft)[1]
Lithology
Primary	Shale
Other	Sandstone
Location
Coordinates	56.044°N 112.585°W / 56.044; -112.585 (Joli Fou Formation)
Region	Alberta,  Saskatchewan
Country	Canada
Type section
Named for	Joli Fou Rapids
Named by	Wickenden, 1949

Lithology

The Joli Fou Formation is composed of shale with minor sandstone lenses. The shale is non-calcareous, dark grey, while the sandstone lenses are fine to minor medium grained, quartzose or micaceous. In central Saskatchewan, the unit contains glauconitic sandstone and mudstone interbeds. [1]

Distribution

The Joli Fou Formation is 33 meters (108 ft) thick at its type section, and reaches up to 61 meters (200 ft) in southern Saskatchewan. It occurs throughout the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, from the Rocky Mountain Foothills to south-central Saskatchewan.[1]

Relationship to other units

The Joli Fou Formation is the basal (oldest) formation of the Colorado Group. It is overlain by the Viking Formation (disconformably in south-eastern Saskatchewan) and conformably underlain by the upper Mannville Group[1] (Grand Rapids Formation in north-eastern Alberta, Pelican Formation in southern Alberta).

It is equivalent to the lower Ashville Formation in southern Manitoba, the Skull Creek Shale in North Dakota and parts of the Blackleaf Formation in northern Montana.

In south-eastern Alberta, the base of the Formation contains the Cessford Sand marker, consisting of sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.

The Joli Fou Formation was previously referred to as the Pelican Shale, but renamed in 1949 to avoid confusion with the overlying Pelican Sandstone beds.

References

1. Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units. "Joli Fou Formation". Retrieved 2009-10-05.
2. Wickenden, R.T.D., 1949. Some Cretaceous sections along the Athabasca River from the mouth of Calling River to below Grand Rapids, Alberta (Report and Figure); Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 49-15, 31 p. and Figure 1, Sketch map of area along Athabasca River in Alberta, showing positions of bedrock outcrops and geological sections examined, Scale: 1 Inch to 4 Miles