Meanings
alternative Morrison formation
- geographyA sequence of Upper Jurassic sedimentary rock in the western United States, noted as the most fertile source of dinosaur fossils in North America.
Later it was given a member rank and assigned to the Morrison Formation[…].
1987, Lee A. Woodward, Geology and Mineral Resources of Sierra Nacimiento and Vicinity, New Mexico, New Mexico Bureau of Mines & Mineral Resources, page 342 more examples
The paleoecology of the Morrison Formation is still a matter of debate (compare Dodson and others 1980 and 1983 with Tidwell 1990).
1991, Brigham Young University Geology Studies, Volumes 37-38, Brigham Young University, page 65In all areas of Utah where it has been dated, the uppermost Morrison Formation is 148 Ma based on ^{₄₀}\!Ar/^{₃₉}\!Ar ages (Kowallis and others, 1988), placing it in the early Tithonian (Ogg, 2004).
2007, Central Utah: Diverse Geology of Dynamic Landscape, Utah Geological Association, page 82
Origin
Named after the town of Morrison, Colorado, where some of the first fossils in the formation were discovered by American geologist Arthur Lakes in 1877.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French formation de Morrison
- formation de Morrisongeological formation in North America
German Morrison-Formation
- Morrison-Formationgeological formation in North America
Italian Formazione Morrison
- Formazione Morrisongeological formation in North America
Cite this entry
Morrison Formation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Morrison%20Formation
“Morrison Formation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Morrison%20Formation. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Morrison Formation,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Morrison%20Formation.
Source: Morrison Formation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.