| Tensleep Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Late Pennsylvanian-very Early Permian ~308–298 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N | |
 | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Underlies | Phosphoria & Chugwater Formations |
| Overlies | Sacajewea & Amsden Formations |
| Thickness | up to 535 feet (160 m) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone |
| Other | Limestone |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 42°36′N 108°12′W / 42.6°N 108.2°W / 42.6; -108.2 |
| Approximate paleocoordinates | 4°18′N 35°12′W / 4.3°N 35.2°W / 4.3; -35.2 |
| Region |  Wyoming |
| Country |  USA |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Ten Sleep, Wyoming |
| Named by | N.H. Darton |
| Year defined | 1904 |
  Tensleep Sandstone (the United States)Show map of the United States Tensleep Sandstone (Wyoming)Show map of Wyoming | |
The Tensleep Sandstone is a geological formation of Pennsylvanian to very early Permian age in Wyoming.
The formation is composed of fine- to medium-grained sandstone, light gray and yellowish gray; generally slightly to moderately calcareous; some dolomite and sandy dolomite beds; mostly thick to massive sets of low-angle, wedge-planar crossbeds of dunes. Forms cliffs 61-91m (200-300 feet) thick.
Trace fossils
In 1932 Edward Branson and Maurice Mehl reported the discovery of a fossil trackway in the formation. A new ichnospecies, Steganoposaurus belli, was erected for these footprints. The tracks were probably made by a web-footed animal slightly less than three feet long. This creature was originally presumed to be an amphibian, but the toe prints it left behind were pointed like a reptile's rather than round like an amphibians. The actual trackmaker may have been similar to the genus Hylonomus. The ichnogenus Tridentichnus are similar footprints preserved in the Supai Formation of Arizona.
References
- Darton, N.H., 1904, Comparison of the stratigraphy of the Black Hills, Bighorn Mountains, and Rocky Mountain Front Range: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 15, p. 379-448
- U.S. Geological Survey. "Geologic Unit: Tensleep". Retrieved 2014-12-23.
- Maughan, E.K. 1972. Geologic map of the Wedding of the Waters Quadrangle, Hot Springs County, Wyoming. US Geological Survey Map GQ-1042
- ^ "Western Traces in the 'Age of Amphibians'," Lockley and Hunt (1995); page 34.
- "Western Traces in the 'Age of Amphibians'," Lockley and Hunt (1995); page 35.
- "Western Traces in the 'Age of Amphibians'," Lockley and Hunt (1995); pages 34-35.
Bibliography
- Lockley, Martin and Hunt, Adrian. Dinosaur Tracks of Western North America. Columbia University Press. 1999.