The Polecat Bench Formation is a
geologic formation
A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exp ...
in
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...
.
[
] It preserves
fossils
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...
dating back to the
Paleogene
The Paleogene ( ; British English, also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene; informally Lower Tertiary or Early Tertiary) is a geologic period, geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period million yea ...
period
Period may refer to:
Common uses
* Era, a length or span of time
* Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Period (music), a concept in musical composition
* Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...
.
[D. E. Russell. 1967. Le Paleocene continental d'Amerique du nord. Memoires du Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle. Serie C., ''Sciences de la Terre'' 16(2):37-99] The
polyglyphanodontian
lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...
''
Chamops
''Chamops'' is an extinct genus of polyglyphanodontian lizard from the Late Cretaceous-Early Eocene of North America. Fossils have been found in the Hell Creek Formation, Judith River Formation and Polecat Bench Formation of Montana, the Milk Ri ...
'' is known from this formation.
See also
*
List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Montana
This article contains a list of fossil-bearing stratigraphic units in the state of Montana, U.S.
Sites
See also
* Paleontology in Montana
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Montana
Montana
Stratigraphic u ...
*
Paleontology in Montana
Paleontology in Montana refers to paleontological research occurring within or conducted by people from the U.S. state of Montana. The fossil record in Montana stretches all the way back to the Precambrian. During the Late Precambrian, western Mo ...
References
Paleogene Montana
Paleogene geology of Wyoming
Thanetian Stage
Ypresian Stage
{{Paleogene-stub