Ferris Formation
Geologic formation in Wyoming
title: "Ferris Formation" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["geologic-formations-of-wyoming", "upper-cretaceous-series-of-north-america", "paleogene-united-states", "maastrichtian-stage-of-north-america", "danian-stage", "cretaceous–paleogene-boundary", "mudstone-formations-of-the-united-states", "sandstone-formations-of-the-united-states", "fluvial-deposits", "deltaic-deposits", "tidal-deposits", "fossiliferous-stratigraphic-units-of-north-america", "paleontology-in-wyoming"] description: "Geologic formation in Wyoming" topic_path: "philosophy" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferris_Formation" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Geologic formation in Wyoming ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox rockunit"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Ferris Formation |
| type | Geological formation |
| age | Maastrichtian-Danian |
| ~ | |
| period | Danian |
| prilithology | Mudstone |
| otherlithology | Sandstone |
| region | Wyoming |
| country | United States |
| coordinates | |
| paleocoordinates | |
| underlies | Hanna Formation |
| overlies | Medicine Bow Formation |
| thickness | 600 - |
| extent | Hanna Basin |
| map | {{Location map+ |
| relief | 1 |
| width | 250 |
| float | center |
| lat_deg | 41.8 |
| lon_deg | -106.6 |
| mark | Green-orange pog.svg |
| marksize | 12 |
| :: |
| name = Ferris Formation | image = | caption = | type = Geological formation | age = Maastrichtian-Danian ~ | period = Danian | prilithology = Mudstone | otherlithology = Sandstone | namedfor = | namedby = | region = Wyoming | country = United States | coordinates = | paleocoordinates = | unitof = | subunits = | underlies = Hanna Formation | overlies = Medicine Bow Formation | thickness = 600 - | extent = Hanna Basin | area = | map = {{Location map+ | United States#Wyoming | relief = 1 | width = 250 | float = center | places = | lat_deg = 41.8 | lon_deg = -106.6 | mark = Green-orange pog.svg | marksize = 12 | map_caption =
The Ferris Formation is a Late Cretaceous (~66 Ma) to Paleocene (66-63 Ma), fluvial-deltaic geological formation in southern Wyoming. It contains a variety of trace and body fossils, preserved in sandy fluvial channel deposits and overbank units. Dinosaur remains are fragmentary, but include Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus, dromaeosaurids, Paronychodon, Richardoestesia, Edmontosaurus, Edmontonia, Ankylosaurus, and Pachycephalosaurus.
Some of the fluvial channels contain evidence of tidal influence and brackish water, in the form of tidal facies, shark teeth, and shrimp burrows. This demonstrates that the western shoreline of the Western Interior Sea was still within a few hundred kilometers even during the latest Cretaceous. The local K-T boundary is contained within a sandy channel deposit made up of stacked bars. Reworked Cretaceous fossils are preserved at the base of the channel complex, associated with mud rip-up clasts, and Paleocene mammal fossils are preserved in the upper portion of the bar.
The Ferris Formation is up to 2000 m thick in the Hanna Basin and represents a rapid accumulation of predominantly fine-grained sediment on a broad delta. The delta previously fed the deepwater Lewis Shale and shallow marine Fox Hills Formation. The Ferris followed behind as a system of lagoons, bays, and delta plain environments.
Vertebrate paleofauna
In addition to a variety of dinosaurs, the following taxa are known from the Ferris Formation:
- Myledaphus
- Lissodus
- Cretorectolobus
- Phylodus
- Amia
- Lepisosteus
- Basilemys
- Adocus
- Leptochamops
- Brachychampsa and a variety of Cretaceous and Paleocene multituberculates, marsupial, and placentals.
Ornithischians
::data[format=table]
| Ornithischians of the Ferris Formation | Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ankylosaurus | Indeterminate | [[File:Ankylosaurus magniventris reconstruction.png | center | ||||
| Nodosauridae | Indeterminate | ||||||
| Stygimoloch | S. spinifer | [[File:Stygimoloch NT small.jpg | center | ||||
| Thescelosaurus | Indeterminate | [[File:Thescelosaurus filamented.jpg | center | ||||
| Triceratops | Indeterminate | Ferris remains previously attributed to Triceratops have been subsequently identified as indeterminate chasmosaurine fossils | |||||
| :: |
Saurischians
::data[format=table]
| Saurischians of the Ferris Formation | Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ornithomimus | O. sp. | [[File:"Ornithomimus" sp. by Tom Parker.png | center | ||||
| Tyrannosaurus | T. rex | [[File:Tyrannosaurus-rex-Profile-steveoc86.png | center | ||||
| :: |
References
Bibliography
References
- Wroblewski, 1995
- Lillegraven & Eberle, 1999
- "3.12 Wyoming, United States; 9. Ferris Formation," in Weishampel et al., 2004, p.585
- Listed as "''Edmontonia'' cf. ''rugosidens''" in "3.12 Wyoming, United States; 9. Ferris Formation," in Weishampel et al., 2004, p.585
- Listed as "''Ornithomimus'' cf. ''velox''" in "3.12 Wyoming, United States; 9. Ferris Formation," in Weishampel et al., 2004, p.585
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