Stratigraphy, sedimentology, coal geology and depositional environments of the lower cretaceous gething formation, northeastern British Columbia and West-Central Alberta

Стратиграфия, седиментология, угольная геология и условия осадконакопления нижнемеловой формации Гетхинг на северо-востоке Британской Колумбии и в западно-центральной части Альберты.

The Aptian to Early Albian Gething Formation comprises a nonmarine to marine sequence of interstratified conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone, mudstone and coal, and ranges from 18 m to approximately 1100 m thick. In the Burnt-Sukunka rivers area and part of the Monkman-Stony Lake area, the formation is subdivided into three lithostratigraphic units which, in ascending order, are the Gaylard (new), Bullmoose (new) and Chamberlain (now formally defined and revised) members. South and southeast of this area, the Bullmoose Member, a marine tongue, thins and can no longer be recognized, so that subdivision of the Gething succession is no longer possible. South of Kakwa River, the Gething grades laterally into strata of the Gladstone Formation of the Luscar Group. North of the Burnt-Sukunka rivers area, both Chamberlain and Bullmoose strata grade laterally into marine siltstone, mudstone and rare sandstone of the Moosebar Formation. Accordingly, the total Gething Formation in this region, including the type section at Peace River Canyon, is correlative with only the Gaylard Member of the Burnt-Sukunka rivers area to the south.
Coal of potential importance occurs in the Chamberlain (medium volatile bituminous) and Gaylard (high volatile A bituminous to semi-anthracite) members and undifferentiated Gething Formation (high to medium volatile bituminous) south of the Monkman-Stony Lake area.
The analysis of sedimentary facies, facies relationships and petrographic data, megafossil, microfossil and microfloral assemblages, and sedimentary and biogenic structures suggests that most strata of the Gething Formation were deposited in a deltaic coastal plain or paralic depositional environment.