[7] The Phosphoria Formation was deposited under marine conditions in a foreland basin located between the Paleozoic continental margin and the North American cratonic shelf.

[6] The upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich marine water at that time stimulated the growth of plankton and nekton, resulting in the accumulation of organic matter on the sea floor.

That, coupled with low rates of clastic and carbonate sedimentation, led to the high phosphate and hydrocarbon content of the formation, as well as elevated levels of cadmium, chromium, copper, fluorine, molybdenum, nickel, rare earth elements, selenium, uranium, vanadium, and zinc.

[1] Fossils recovered from the Phosphoria Formation include brachiopods, sponge spicules, crinoid stems, conodont elements, and fish scales and bones.

[2][3][4][9] The Phosphoria phosphorite beds have been mined for phosphorus, which is used primarily for fertilizer production, in southeastern Idaho, northern Utah, western Wyoming, and southwestern Montana.