Horn River Basin
| Horn River Formation Stratigraphic range: Middle to Late Devonian |
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|---|---|
Drill cuttings sample seen through microscope
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| Type | Geological formation |
| Sub-units | Muskwa Member, Otter Park Member, Evie Member |
| Underlies | Fort Simpson Formation |
| Overlies | Pine Point Formation |
| Thickness | up to 320 metres (1,050 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Shale |
| Other | Limestone |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 61°44′00″N 117°45′00″W / 61.73333°N 117.75000°WCoordinates: 61°44′00″N 117°45′00″W / 61.73333°N 117.75000°W |
| Region |
 British Columbia,  Northwest Territories
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| Country |
 Canada
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| Type section | |
| Named for | Horn River |
| Named by | Whittaker, 1922 |
The Horn River Formation (also Horn River Shale) is a stratigraphic unit of Devonian (early Givetian to late Frasnian) age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.
It is a thick sequence of marine sediments that was first described in outcrop on the banks of the Horn River, a tributary of the Mackenzie River, in the Northwest Territories (at the time District of Mackenzie) by Whittaker in 1922, and it takes its name from that river. In 1963 it was redefined in the subsurface of the Fort Nelson area of British Columbia (well Fort Nelson a-95-J/94-J-10) by F.F. Gray and J.R. Kassube. It is significant for its shale gas resources.
The Horn River Formation is composed of dark siliceous and calcareous shale, and argillaceous bitumenous limestone.
The Horn River Formation is included in the Beaverhill Lake Group. It is subdivided into the following members, from top to base:
The Horn River Formation is present in the subsurface in northeastern British Columbia and extends to Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories, where it outcrops. It reaches a maximum thickness of 320 metres (1,050 ft) in the subsurface of the Fort Nelson area.
The Horn River Formation is overlain by the Fort Simpson Formation and underlain by the limestones of the Lonely Bay Formation, Nahanni Formation or Pine Point Formation. It is equivalent to the Slave Point Formation. In the Northwest Territories it includes the Muskwa Formation, and the Waterways Member of the Hay River Formation. It includes the pinnacle reefs of the Horn Plateau Formation.
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