Petrology and Sedimentology of the Morrissey Formation (Kootenay Group), southeast British Columbia - Southwest Alberta

Abstract

<p> The Morrissey Formation of the Kootenay Group was mapped and sampled in three outcrops in southwestern Alberta and southeastern British Columbia; Burnt Ridge and Sparwood Ridge in British Columbia and Adanac Mine sight in Alberta. </p> <p> The lowest unit mapped was within the upper Fernie Formation (Passage beds) and consists of interbeds of sandstone and siltstone that were deposited as shallow water marine sediments. </p> <p> The Morrissey Formation conformably overlies the Fernie Formation and contains two members; the Weary Ridge Member and the Moose Mountain Member. The Weary Ridge Member consists of fine to medium grain, parallel and trough crossbedded sandstone, that was deposited as a delta-front-sand facies produced by coalescing of delta-sands from three to four delta complexes. The overlying Moose Mountain Member consists of high angle trough crossbedded, coarse grain, "salt and pepper" sandstone representing a distributary mouth bar environment. The Moose Mountain Member is unconventional in that the upper portion contains two units not seen in other sections. A marine trace fossil unit and a beach unit are both found within the upper portion of the member. These two units represent a transgression caused by channel switching and a regression and reworking of sediments into a beach respectively. </p> <p> Above the Morrissey Formation are the continental coals and fluvial systems of the Mist Mountain Formation. </p> <p> Petrographic studies on twenty five thin sections show two sedimentary sources for the Formation. The first source being chert rich Upper Paleozoic carbonates and the second source is Lower Paleozoic clastics that have previously been derived from a metamorphic complex of the Canadian Shield. The sandstones are cemented by quartz syntaxial overgrowths implying that there was a moderate degree of pressure solution, indicating a fairly high overburden pressure during diagenesis. </p>