The Manitou Limestone is a geologic formation in Colorado. It preserves fossils dating back to the Ordovician period.

Manitou Limestone Formation
Stratigraphic range: Lower-Middle Ordovician
~470–468 Ma
TypeGeological formation
Sub-unitsManitou Dolomite, Manitou Limestone
UnderliesHarding Sandstone
OverliesSawatch Formation
Lithology
PrimaryLimestone, dolomite
Othersandstone
Location
Regionsouthern Colorado
CountryUnited States
Type section
Named forManitou Springs, El Paso County, Colorado

Depositional Environment

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Because the rocks of the Manitou Dolomites are mostly indeterminate carbonates, the exact depositional environment is unknown. However it was likely shallow water, either lagoon or near-shore, and the many jumbled fossils of trilobite spines and brachiopods suggest that the paleoenvironment may have been prone to storms.

Paleontology

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The limestones and dolomites of the Manitou Formation, contain cast/mold-preserved Ordovician-aged marine fossils, including cystoid stems, brachiopods, and trilobites such as Manitouella (Leiostegium?) and Kainella.

See also

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References

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  • Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Retrieved 17 December 2021.