Within the earth science of geology , the Edmonton Group is a Late Cretaceous ( Campanian stage ) to early Paleocene stratigraphic unit of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the central Alberta plains. It was first described as the Edmonton Formation by Joseph Burr Tyrrell in 1887 based on outcrops along the North Saskatchewan River in and near the city of Edmonton . E.J.W. Irish later elevated the formation to group status and it was subdivided into four separate formations. In ascending order, they are the Horseshoe Canyon , Whitemud, Battle and Scollard Formations . The Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary occurs within the Scollard Formation, based on dinosaurian and microfloral evidence, as well as the presence of the terminal Cretaceous iridium anomaly .
15-983: The Edmonton Group is present in the central plains of Alberta. It consists of sedimentary rocks that were deposited in nonmarine to brackish water environments between the Canadian Rockies in the west and the Western Interior Seaway to the east. Its reaches a maximum thickness of 763 metres (2,503 ft) near the foothills of the Rockies in the west, and thins eastward to zero at its erosional edge east of Edmonton. The Edmonton Group consists of fine-grained sandstones , calcareous sandstones, siltstones , sandy shales and mudstones , bentonitic sandstones and shales, bentonite beds, ironstone concretions, carbonaceous shales and coal seams. Hard sandstones commonly cap mesas , buttes and plateaus where erosion has formed badlands topography, as
30-848: Is disconformably overlain by the Paskapoo Formation and conformably overlies the Bearpaw Formation or, where the Bearpaw is absent, the Belly River Formation . The Edmonton Group grades into the sequence of the Blood Reserve Formation , St. Mary River Formation and Willow Creek Formation in the southern Alberta plains; into the upper part of the Wapiti Group in the northern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia ; and into
45-660: Is a geographical region of the Canadian province of Alberta . It is the most urbanized area in Alberta and is one of Canada's four most populated urban regions. It consists of Statistics Canada Alberta census divisions No. 11 , No. 8 , and No. 6 . Measured from north to south, the region covers a distance of approximately 400 km (250 mi). As of the designations in the Canada 2021 Census of census metropolitan areas (CMAs) and census agglomerations (CAs) in Alberta,
60-787: Is the case for much of the Horseshoe Canyon Formation and the Scollard Formation. Coarse-grained sediments are rare in the Edmonton Group. Plant fossils are common in both the Late Cretaceous and early Paleocene portions of the Edmonton Group. Remains of Triceratops and other dinosaurs are found in the Late Cretaceous portion, especially the Horseshoe Canyon Formation and the lower part of the Scollard Formation. Molluscs such as Ostrea and Unio are found in both portions. The Edmonton Group
75-590: The Canada 2011 Census , the corridor's population had increased to 2,703,380 or 74.2% of the province's population. The population as of the Canada 2016 Census was 3,074,223. The following presents the historic population growth of the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor between 1996 and 2021 by its three census divisions. The Calgary–Edmonton Corridor is one of the fastest growing regions and wealthiest regions in Canada. A 2003 study by TD Bank Financial Group found
90-994: The Giants of the Prairies can be found in Central Alberta. Large mushrooms in Vilna , huge pumpkins in Smoky Lake , giant Perogy (Ukrainian dumpling) in Glendon , huge Kielbasa (Ukrainian garlic sausage) in Mundare , large Pysanka (Ukrainian easter egg) in Vegreville , a UFO Landing Pad in St. Paul and a giant mallard duck in Andrew . Central Alberta has a population of 240,368 (2004). Queen Elizabeth II Highway crosses
105-609: The Queen Elizabeth II Highway or QE2, is the busiest highway in Alberta and forms the central spine of the corridor. A Canadian Pacific Kansas City rail line, originally built by the Calgary and Edmonton Railway in 1891, roughly parallels the highway. The line has been used exclusively by freight trains since 1985, when Via Rail discontinued its Calgary–South Edmonton train service . There have been several proposal and studies for high-speed rail through
120-470: The corridor includes three of the province's four CMAs ( Calgary , Edmonton and Red Deer ) and two CAs ( Lacombe and Sylvan Lake ), in addition to four other CAs already included in the Calgary and Edmonton CMAs. The corridor is bordered by Edmonton and the surrounding area to the north, Red Deer in the middle, and Calgary and the surrounding area to the south. Alberta Highway 2 , also known as
135-1407: The other six regional health boards in 2008 to form Alberta Health Services. Post-secondary institutions in the region are Red Deer Polytechnic , Olds College , Lakeland College , Burman University and the University of Alberta Augustana Faculty (Camrose) . On a provincial level, central Alberta is represented in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta by MLA's elected in the ridings of Camrose , Drayton Valley-Devon , Drumheller-Stettler , Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville , Innisfail-Sylvan Lake , Lacombe-Ponoka , Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland , Leduc-Beaumont , Maskwacis-Wetaskiwin , Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills , Red Deer-North , Red Deer-South , Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre , Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright , and West Yellowhead . The region spreads across several census divisions : 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 14 and parts of divisions 11 , 12 and 13 . Cities Towns Villages Summer villages Improvement districts Municipal districts Special areas 52°N 113°W / 52°N 113°W / 52; -113 ( Central Alberta ) Calgary-Edmonton Corridor The Calgary–Edmonton Corridor
150-581: The province. Agriculture and energy are important to the area's economy. Central Alberta is bordered by the Canadian Rockies in the west, Southern Alberta and the Calgary Region to the south, Saskatchewan to the east and Northern Alberta to the north. It completely surrounds the Edmonton Capital Region and contains the central part of the heavily populated Calgary-Edmonton Corridor . The North Saskatchewan River crosses
165-405: The region . The corridor has two of Canada's five busiest airports: Calgary International and Edmonton International . The number of daily flights between these two airports number into the dozens, making it one of Canada's busiest commuter flight routes. In the Canada 2001 Census , the population of the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor was 2,149,586, representing 72.3% of Alberta's population. In
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#1732794320792180-606: The region from south to north, and the Yellowhead Highway from east to west. Other major highways include Highway 9 , Highway 21 , Veteran Memorial Highway , David Thomson Highway , Cowboy Trail , Grizzly Trail and Buffalo Trail . Poundmaker Trail runs through the north-east of the region. Health care in the region is overseen by Alberta Health Services . It was formerly served by Aspen Regional Health Authority , David Thompson Regional Health Authority and East Central Health before they were amalgamated with
195-1193: The region from west to east. Other rivers traversing the area are Red Deer River , Battle River , Athabasca River , Pembina River , Brazeau River , Beaver River . Tourist attractions in the region include: Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions , the Canadian Petroleum Discovery Centre in Leduc , Discovery Wildlife Park, Kerry Wood Nature Centre and Gaetz Lake Sanctuary in Red Deer , Nordegg Heritage Centre and Mine Site, Reynolds-Alberta Museum , Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site, Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village and Stephannson House Provincial Historic Site near Sylvan Lake . Major national, provincial, and municipal parks include Elk Island National Park , William A. Switzer Provincial Park , Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park , Big Knife Provincial Park , Pigeon Lake Provincial Park , and Sylvan Lake Park . A series of roadside attractions known as
210-830: The upper part of the Brazeau Formation and the Coalspur Formation in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies . It is equivalent to, but not contiguous with, the Eastend Formation , Whitemud Formation , Battle Formation and Frenchman Formation in the Cypress Hills of southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan ; and with the Fox Hills Formation in Saskatchewan. Formations that are stratigraphically equivalent in
225-711: The western United States are the Horsethief Formation in Montana ; the Fox Hills Formation and Lance Formation in Montana; and the Lennup Formation and Muteetse Formation in Wyoming . The formations of the Edmonton Group are: Central Alberta Central Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta . Central Alberta is the most densely populated rural area in
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