Willard Shale Explained

Willard Formation Willard Shale
Type:	Formation
Age:	(Virgilian stage)
Period:	Late Carboniferous
Prilithology:	Argillaceous shale
Otherlithology:	Thin arenaceous shales, sand
Namedfor:	Willard, Kansas
Namedby:	Beede^[1]
Year Ts:	1898
Region:	Kansas
Country:	United States
Unitof:	Wabaunsee Group
Underlies:	Zeandale Limestone
Overlies:	Emporia Limestone

The Willard Formation, also referred to as Willard Shale, is a Late-Carboniferous geologic formation in Kansas, extending into Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Oklahoma.^{[2] [3]}

The full face of the formation is exposed for easy access on the north bank of Deep Creek at the public park, Pillsbury Crossing, in southeast Riley County, Kansas,^[4] about 25mile west of the type location at Willard, Kansas.^[1]

See also

• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Kansas
• Paleontology in Kansas

Notes and References

1. Book: Jewett, John M. . The Geology of Riley and Geary Counties, Kansas, Kansas Geological Survey Bulletin 39 . University of Kansas Publications, State Geological Survey of Kansas . 1941 . The Willard formation, named from a village in Shawnee County, Kansas, was differentiated by Beede in 1898. In some reports of the Kansas Geological Survey an error in correlation of units appears, but the Willard is now recognized as the shale between the Elmont and Tarkio limestones. .
2. Web site: Geologic Unit: Willard. Geolex – Significant Publications . National Geologic Database . . 2024-06-02 .
3. 7, TEXT-FIGURE 4 . Stratigraphy . 10 . P. H. Heckel . 1–2 . Pennsylvanian stratigraphy of Northern Midcontinent Shelf and biostratigraphic correlation of cyclothems . 2024-06-02 . 2013 .
4. Book: Jewett, John M. . The Geology of Riley and Geary Counties, Kansas, Kansas Geological Survey Bulletin 39 . University of Kansas Publications, State Geological Survey of Kansas . 1941 . Distribution--This shale is exposed in a small area on both sides of Deep Creek in southeastern Riley County. It can easily be seen at Pillsbury Crossing .... .