The formation contains a basal
limestone conglomerate overlain by evenly bedded red or gray limestones (more accurately, limy
mudstones) and
calcareous shales. It is a lenticular, channel-fill deposit which is some wide and thick at maximum. Most collections are from the talus slope. Stable oxygen and isotope data (Poulson in Fiorillo, 2000) indicate that the Beartooth Butte Formation was deposited in an
estuarine environment, with the Cottonwood Canyon section being slightly less saline than the type section. == Fossil content ==