Luscar Group
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Stratigraphic range: Early Cretaceous |
|
|---|---|
| Type | Group |
| Sub-units | Cadomin Formation, Gladstone Formation, Moosebar Formation, Gates Formation |
| Underlies | Blackstone Formation, Shaftesbury Formation |
| Overlies | Nikanassin Formation, Minnes Group |
| Thickness | about 145 m (480 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone, siltstone, mudstone |
| Other | Coal, conglomerate |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 53°01′57″N 117°19′35″W / 53.03246°N 117.32652°WCoordinates: 53°01′57″N 117°19′35″W / 53.03246°N 117.32652°W |
| Region |
 Alberta
|
| Country |
 Canada
|
| Type section | |
| Named for | Luscar, Alberta |
| Named by | C.W. Langenberg and M.E. McMechan, 1985 |
The Luscar Group is a geologic unit of Early Cretaceous age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin that is present in the foothills of southwestern Alberta. It is subdivided into a series of formations, some of which contain economically significant coal deposits that have been mined near Cadomin and Luscar. Coal mining in those areas began in the early 1900s and continues near Luscar as of 2016.
The Luscar Group includes the conglomerate and quartzose sandstones of the Cadomin Formation at the base, and the overlying formations consist of variable amounts of sandstone, siltstone and mudstone. There are major coal seams in the Gates Formation, and minor coal, argillaceous limestone and calcareous shale in the Gladstone Formation. The Moosebar Formation consists primarily of mudstone and shale.
The strata encompassed by the Luscar Group were originally included in the Blairmore Group. However, the Blairmore Group strata in the mountains and foothills of southwestern Alberta are of primarily nonmarine origin and are not coal-bearing, while those in the central and northern foothills include thick coal seams and a marine shale unit. Those strata were therefore reassigned to the Luscar Group.
The type section for the Luscar Group consists of outcrops along the railroad tracks near the town of Cadomin.
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