Scollard Formation facts for kids

The Scollard Formation is a special set of rock layers found in southwestern Alberta, Canada. These rocks were formed during a very long time, from the end of the Cretaceous Period to the beginning of the Paleocene Epoch. This means they hold clues about a huge event in Earth's history: the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event, which is when the dinosaurs disappeared! The Scollard Formation is famous for its amazing fossils and also for its important coal deposits, especially in an area called the Ardley coal zone.

Quick facts for kids Scollard Formation Stratigraphic range: Maastrichtian-Danian ~70–65Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scollard Formation exposed along the Red Deer River, Alberta. The Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton on display at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology of Palaeontology was excavated in the center of image.
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Edmonton Group
Sub-units	Ardley coal zone
Underlies	Paskapoo Formation
Overlies	Battle Formation
Thickness	Up to 300 metres (980 ft)
Lithology
Primary	Sandstone, siltstone, shale
Other	Coal, bentonite
Location
Coordinates	51°56′19″N 112°55′37″W / 51.93861°N 112.92694°W / 51.93861; -112.92694 (Scollard Formation)
Approximate paleocoordinates	62°48′N 86°12′W / 62.8°N 86.2°W / 62.8; -86.2
Region	Alberta
Country	Canada
Extent	Western Canada Sedimentary Basin
Type section
Named for	Scollard Canyon at Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park
Named by	Irish, E.J.W
Year defined	1970

What Are Scollard Rocks Made Of?

The Scollard Formation is mostly made of sandstone and siltstone. You can also find layers of mudstone and, higher up, thick layers of coal. There's even a small amount of a special clay called bentonite.

These rocks were formed from bits of rock and dirt that washed down from the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Ancient rivers carried these materials eastward, dropping them off in river channels and on wide floodplains, which are flat areas next to rivers that sometimes flood.

How Old Are the Scollard Rocks?

The K-Pg boundary in the Scollard Formation. The coals are earliest Paleocene in age, lighter shales below are Maastrichtian. The lighter rock at the very base of the dark coals represents the K-Pg boundary.

The Scollard Formation is divided into two main parts. The lower part formed during the very end of the Maastrichtian Age, which was the last part of the Cretaceous Period. This is when dinosaurs were still roaming the Earth.

The upper part of the Scollard Formation, which contains the Ardley coal zone, is from the early Danian Age. This is the first part of the Paleocene Epoch, right after the dinosaurs went extinct.

The K-Pg Boundary

The line between the Cretaceous and Paleocene periods is called the K-Pg boundary. In the Scollard Formation, this important boundary is found at the bottom of the lowest coal layer in the Ardley coal zone. Scientists know this because they've found clues like dinosaur fossils below this line and different plant fossils above it. They've also found a special layer of iridium, a rare metal, which is a sign of the asteroid impact that caused the K-Pg extinction.

Where Can You Find the Scollard Formation?

You can find the Scollard Formation deep underground across much of southwestern Alberta. It also pops out of the ground along the banks of the Red Deer River near Trochu.

The rock layers are thicker in the west, closer to the Canadian Rockies, where they can be over 300 metres (980 ft) thick. As you go east, they get thinner, sometimes less than 100 metres (330 ft) thick.

What About Coal in the Scollard Formation?

Metasequoia occidentalis, a type of tree fossil found in the upper Scollard Formation.

The Ardley coal zone in the Scollard Formation has very thick layers of coal, some more than 7 metres (20 ft) thick! This coal is found close to the surface in an area between Red Deer and Edmonton.

This coal is used to power electric generating stations. It's dug up from mines and then burned to make electricity.

What Fossils Are Found in the Scollard Formation?

The Scollard Formation is a treasure chest of fossils! It has remains of animals, especially dinosaurs and, less often, early mammals. It also has many different kinds of plant fossils.

Because the Scollard Formation covers the K-Pg boundary, the lower layers show us what life was like for the last dinosaurs. The upper layers, however, show us the beginning of the "Age of Mammals" after the big extinction event.

Ancient Plants

In the upper, early Paleocene part of the Scollard Formation, scientists have found fossils of many plants. These include different types of ferns, conifers like Metasequoia (a type of redwood), and flowering plants like Platanus (similar to modern sycamore trees).

Dinosaur Discoveries

The Scollard Formation is famous for its dinosaur fossils. Here are some of the dinosaurs found in these rocks:

Meat-Eating Dinosaurs (Theropods)

Theropods
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Description	Images
cf. Dromaeosaurus	Indeterminate			Teeth	A dromaeosaurid	Dromaeosaurus Saurornitholestes Troodon Tyrannosaurus
cf. Paronychodon	Indeterminate
cf. Richardoestesia	cf. R. gilmorei
	cf. R. isosceles
cf. Saurornitholestes	cf. S. langstoni
Troodon	Indeterminate
Tyrannosaurus	T. rex

Plant-Eating Dinosaurs (Ornithischians)

Ornithischians
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Description	Images
Ankylosaurus	A magniventris					Ankylosaurus Edmontosaurus Leptoceratops Pachycephalosaurus Thescelosaurus Triceratops
Edmontosaurus	E. annectens
Leptoceratops	L. gracilis
Pachycephalosaurus	Indeterminate
Thescelosaurus	T. edmontonensis				Referred to Thescelosaurus sp.
Triceratops	T. prorsus

Images for kids

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  Ankylosaurus skull