History:

Originally named 'Kootanie Series' by Dawson (1886), later modified and renamed Kootenay Formation by Cairnes (1908, 1914) to include the stratigraphic interval between the Blairmore Group (Dakota Formation) and the Fernie Formation. Newmarch (1953) later recognized a three fold subdivision of the Kootenay in the Fernie area and defined an upper unit at the top of the Kootenay succession as the Elk Formation, while retaining the name Kootenay for the lower two units. In the Coleman-Blairmore area of Alberta Norris (1959b) subdivided the Kootenay Formation into four members and assigned the type section to Grassy Mountain. Recently Gibson (1979, 1985) subdivided strata between the Jurassic Fernie Formation and the Lower Cretaceous Blairmore Group into 3 formations, a lower, Morrissey, a middle, Mist Mountain and an upper, Elk. Accordingly the Kootenay Formation was elevated to group status. The name Kootenay Formation was incorrectly applied by some early workers for coal-bearing strata now included within the Blairmore Group. The name Kootenai Formation of Montana is used for strata equivalent to the Blairmore Group. (Taken from the Lex. entry for Kootenay Group, contributed by D.W. Gibson).

Remark:

Obsolete; see Kootenay Group.

References:

Cairnes, D.D., 1908. "Moose Mountain District, southern Alberta"; Geological Survey of Canada, Memoir 61 (reprinted 1914).

Cairnes, D.D., 1914. Yukon-Alaska International Boundary between Porcupine and Yukon rivers; Geological Survey of Canada, Memoir 67, 161 p.

Dawson, G.M. 1886a. Preliminary report on the physical and geological features of that portion of the Rocky Mountains, between latitudes 49 and 51 30'; Geological and Natural History Survey of Canada, Annual Report, v. 1, p. 1B-169B.

Gibson, D.W., 1979. The Morrissey and Mist Mountain Formations - newly defined lithostratigraphic units of the Jura-Cretaceous Kootenay Group, Alberta and British Columbia; Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology vol. 27, no. 2, (June), pp. 183-208.

Gibson, D.W., 1985. Stratigraphy, sedimentology and depositional environments of the coal bearing Jurassic-Cretaceous Kootenay Group, Alberta and British Columbia; Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 357, 108 p.

Newmarch, C.B., 1953. Geology of the Crowsnest Coal Basin, with special reference to the Fernie area; British Columbia Dept. Mines, Bull. 38.

Norris, D.K., 1959b. Type section of the Kootenay Formation, Grassy Mountain, Alberta; J. Alberta Soc. Petrol Geol., v. 7, p. 223-233.