Named as basal member of Fox Hills Formation for exposures north of town of Fairpoint, Meade Co, SD, Williston basin. Overlies upper unit of Pierre Shale. Contact with Pierre is arbitrary because it is representative of a gradual change from marine (Pierre) to continental (Fox Hills) strata. Type section of Fairpoint is in NE1/4 NW1/4 NE1/4 sec 13, T9N, R10E (lower contact) to NW1/4 NW1/4 NE1/4 sec 16, T9N, R11E (upper contact) where member is 167 ft thick. Lower contact at type placed at base of 2 in layer of fine-grained, subangular, calcareous-cemented, salt-and-pepper sandstone. Consists of: a lower, very fine to fine grained, gray to brown sand and gray silty shale; a middle, gray to brown, silty to fine-grained sand interbedded with some gray shale and rust-colored, calcareous, iron-stained siltstone; and an upper coal and black clay shale called Stoneville coal facies (same as Stoneville Coal Member of Fox Hills Sandstone of Searight, 1934) in this report. Overlain disconformably by White Owl Creek Member (new) of Fox Hills. Geologic map of eastern Meade Co. Columnar sections. Type section measured. Fossils: clams, snails, sharks teeth, crab, plants. Correlates in part with Colgate and Bullhead Members and perhaps to Trail City and Timber Lake Members. Maestrichtian, Late Cretaceous age.

Source: GNU records (USGS DDS-6; Denver GNULEX).