The Carrara Formation is a geologic formation in California and Nevada. It preserves fossils dating back to the Cambrian period.
The Carrara Formation is primarily composed of olive-gray and greenish-gray siltstones and shales, as well as medium-gray limestone in the lower half of the formation, with medium-gray to yellowish-brown silty limestone and limy limestone in the upper half of the formation. The lower half also contains quartzite rocks, similar to that seen in the underlying Zabriskie Quartzite. In other areas of the lower half, there are olive-gray, greenish-gray or dusky-yellow siltstones and sandy siltstones, along with small amounts of sandstone and limestone. The upper half also contains fine to medium-grained quartzites, white in colour, forming a distinctive band. In other areas of the formation, it instead consists of inter-stratified siltstones, shales and very fine to medium-grained quartzite.
The Carrara Formation contains in total nice Members, which are as follows, in ascending age:
The Carrara Formation contains an abundance of arthropods, like the spiny Bristolia, as well as ichnotaxon like Skolithos, a type of burrow trace fossil. It also contains some examples of Archaeocyatha, a clade of sponges that went extinct during this time.