Named as lower member of Brule formation of White River group for exposures south of Scenic, Pennington Co, SD in the Williston basin. "Standard section" designated in SW1/4 sec 23, T3S, R13E 2.2 mi south of Scenic. Formerly called OREODON beds (Wortman). Divided in measured section into: 1) lower nodular zone, a 36 ft unit of pink-gray clay that weathers brown-gray, contains numerous clay-lime concretions which oxidize to rusty brown, and is highly fossiliferous; and 2) upper nodular zone, 123 ft of gray to cream clays that contain silt and clay-lime concretions, fossils rare. Overlies Chadron formation. Underlies Poleslide member (new) of Brule. Chadron-Brule, or Chadron-Scenic, contact easily identified. Outcrops between Big Badlands area of this report with northwest NE, where name Orella member applied to lower or OREODON part of Brule, cannot be made because outcrops not continuous. Oligocene age.

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

The Oligocene Brule Formation in the Williston basin and Sioux uplift includes Scenic Member (early late Oligocene), at base, and Poleslide Member (mid-late Oligocene), at top. Base of Scenic placed at top of paleosol on the prominent calcareous claystone breccia of the underlying Chadron. Scenic is a cliff-former characterized by alternating red siltstone and white sandstone and by paleosols. Poleslide has steep, runneled, orange and brown banded slopes, and paleosols studded with round, calcareous nodules. Sandstone in both members forms hoodoos. Each member has channel sandstones and numerous paleosols. Scenic is a near-stream deposit; Poleslide accumulated on a flat, featureless landscape with a savanna vegetation. The climate was semiarid in Brule time.

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