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zone it affords a correlation of the sandstone of Tuskoola Mountain with
shales low in the Kaskapau formation on Smoky River, and is of early
Turonian age. A lower part of the Favel formation (Wickenden, 1945)
on the Manitoba escarpment and at least a part of Division C (Hume and
Link, 1945), the Little Bear formation (Stewart, 1945) of Mackenzie River
Valley, may be of this time.

The late T'uronian zone of Prionotropis has not yet been recognized in
northeastern British Columbia on the basis of faunal evidence. Unfos-
siliferous beds of this age, may, however, occur in the Upper Cretaceous
succession in British Columbia, as, for example, in the higher part of the
section on Tuskoola Mountain and vicinity; in the Smoky group, east of the
Alaska Highway, on Sikanni Chief and other rivers; and in the lower part
of the Kotaneelee formation in the basin of Liard River. In the central
Great Plains of the United States interior, the Prionotropis fauna occurs
in the Carlile shale.

In northeastern British Columbia the Scaphites ventricosus fauna has
been found in the Kotaneelee formation only in the basin of Liard River,
and allows a correlation of a middle part of this formation with the upper-
most part of the Blackstone and all of the Bad Heart formation on Smoky
River; with the upper part of the Bighorn formation and with the lower
part of the Wapiabi formation in the central and southern Foothills; and
with the lower part of the Boyne member, and possibly all or part of the
Morden member of the Vermilion formation on the Manitoba escarpment.
In the United States interior, this fauna occurs in the upper part of the
Colorado shale of northern Montana and in the Niobrara formation of
Wyoming and of the Great Plains (Reeside, 1923). This fauna is correlated
with the Coniacian stage of the Upper Cretaceous of Europe.

The fauna, with Inoceramus of the lobatus species group, is known in
northeastern British Columbia as yet only from the upper beds of the
Kotaneelee formation. It permits a correlation of these beds with the
upper part of the Wapiabi formation of the Alberta group of the central
and southern Foothills; with the upper part of the Boyne member on the
Manitoba escarpment; with the Telegraph Creek formation of Montana;
and with part of the Cody shale of northern Wyoming (Reeside, 1923).
It is of Santonian and perhaps early Campanian age, in the European
chronology, based chiefly on the close resemblance, or even identity, of the
Inoceranvus to species of the I. lobatus-steenstrupi-cardissoides group.

WAPITI GROUP
Definition

The Wapiti conformably overlies the Smoky group and consists mostly
of non-marine, thick-bedded sandstones, flagey, shaly sandstones, shales,
and clays. Coal seams occur at some horizons, and plant remains and
non-marine shells have been collected. A thin, basal zone of marine strata
has been reported. Dawson gave the name in 1881 to the beds he called
the ‘Upper sandstones and shales’ of Pine River and Peace River V: alleys.
The group was first described on W apiti River and on the lower part of
Smoky River, but its total thickness is unknown.

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