Mall Bay Formation

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]

Key Information

Mall Bay Formation
Stratigraphic range: Ediacaran 608–580 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N [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
Outcrop distribution on Avalon peninsula, Newfoundland
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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]

1. ^ ^{a b c} Fitzgerald, Danielle M.; Narbonne, Guy M.; Pufahl, Peir K.; Dalrymple, Robert W. (June 2024). "The Mall Bay Formation (Ediacaran) and the protracted onset of the Gaskiers glaciation in Newfoundland, Canada". Precambrian Research. 405 107369. doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2024.107369.
2. ^ ^{a b} A.G. Liu; D. McIlroy (September 2014). "Horizontal Surface Traces from the Fermeuse Formation, Ferryland (Newfoundland, Canada), and their Place within the Late Ediacaran Ichnological Revolution" (PDF). Geological Association of Canada - Special Paper (9).^{[dead link]}

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