Mall Bay Formation
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| Mall Bay Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Ediacaran [1] | |
| Type | Formation |
| Unit of | Conception Group |
| Underlies | Gaskiers Formation[2] |
| Thickness | 1000 m (3,280 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Siliciclastic siltstones |
| Other | Mudstone, Sandstone |
| Location | |
| Region | Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Country | Canada |
| File:Mall Bay Formation map.svg Outcrop distribution on Avalon peninsula, Newfoundland | |
The Mall Bay Formation is an Ediacaran formation, cropping out in Newfoundland and possibly elsewhere. It is part of the Conception Group, underlying the Gaskiers Formation.[2][1]
A recent study has found that this formation preserves evidence that the Gaskiers glaciation, which had previously been restricted to the Gaskiers Formation and only lasting roughly 1 million years, had actually begun a lot earlier than originally thought. This has been inferred through the discovery of glacial deposits like dropstones and clasts some 500 m below the Gaskiers base, giving the Gaskiers glaciation a duration of somewhere between 1.05 Ma to 4.8 Ma, up from the previous estimate of 350 ka to 1.6 Ma.[1]
