Kiowa Shale
| Kiowa Shale | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Albian around | |
| Type | Kansas: Formation |
| Sub-units | Longford |
| Underlies | Dakota Formation |
| Overlies |
|
| Lithology | |
| Primary | shale |
| Other | mudstone, lignite (with amber) |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Kiowa County, Kansas |
| Named by | Cragin, F.W., 1894 |
The Kiowa Formation or Kiowa Shale is a Cretaceous geologic formation in Kansas, diminishing to member status in Colorado and Oklahoma. In Colorado, the Kiowa Shale was classified as a member of the now abandoned Purgatoire Formation. In the vicinity of Longford, Kansas, the local Longford member comprises thinly bedded siltstone, clay, polished gravel, lignite, and sandstone suggests a river and estuary environment.
In other regions, the same strata is called Skull Creek Shale, named after its exposure in Skull Creek, in Wyoming.