Geologic units in Prairie county, Montana

Tongue River Member of Fort Union Formation (Tertiary) at surface, covers 67 % of this area

Yellowish orange sandstone, sandy and silty carbonaceous shale, and coal. Alluvial plain. Thickness as much as 300 m (984 ft).

Gravel (Quaternary) at surface, covers 11 % of this area

Variable deposits that range from pebble to boulder size and include sand, silt, and clay. Dominantly alluvial terrace, abandoned channel and floodplain, remnant alluvial fan, and local glacial outwash.

Lebo Member of Fort Union Formation (Tertiary) at surface, covers 9 % of this area

Dark gray carbonaceous shale, bentonitic claystone, sandstone, and coal. Alluvial plain. Thickness as much as 185 m (607 ft).

Alluvium (Quaternary) at surface, covers 6 % of this area

Gravel, sand, silt, and clay deposits of stream and river channels, and floodplains.

Ludlow Member of Fort Union Formation (Tertiary) at surface, covers 3 % of this area

Gray and brown shale, siltstone, silty or bentonitic claystone, sandstone, and coal. Alluvial plain with marine-influenced tongues. Thickness as much as 230 m (755 ft).

Tullock Member of Fort Union Formation (Tertiary) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Yellow sandstone interbedded with subordinate grayish brown and black shale and thin beds of coal. Alluvial plain. Thickness as much as 180 m (590 ft).

Gravel (Tertiary) at surface, covers 0.9 % of this area

Variable deposits that range from pebble to boulder size and include sand, silt, and clay. Dominantly alluvial terrace, abandoned channel and floodplain, remnant alluvial fan, and local glacial outwash.

Gravel (Quaternary and Tertiary) at surface, covers 0.7 % of this area

Variable deposits that range from pebble to boulder size and include sand, silt, and clay. Dominantly alluvial terrace, abandoned channel and floodplain, remnant alluvial fan, and local glacial outwash.

Timber Lake and Trail City Members of Fox Hills Formation (Cretaceous) at surface, covers 0.4 % of this area

Timber Lake Member (Kftt): Yellowish orange to gray, fine- to medium grained, noncalcareous, hummocky-bedded sandstone. Thickness 15–22 m (50–72 ft). Trail City Member (Kftc): Yellowish orange, wavy-bedded siltstone and black shale with calcareous concretion zone. Thickness 10 m (33 ft).

Pierre Formation (Cretaceous) at surface, covers 0.4 % of this area

Dark gray, partly silty shale with abundant bentonite beds and zones of gray, calcareous concretions. Marine. Thickness as much as650 m (2,133 ft). Only upper 50 m (164 ft) exposed.

Hell Creek Formation (Cretaceous) at surface, covers 0.3 % of this area

Light gray, bentonitic claystone that alternates with gray to brown sandstone interbedded with carbonaceous shale. Laterally equivalent to Lance Formation. Fluvial and flood plain. Thickness as much as 335 m (1,100 ft).