[3] It was named for Pika Peak near Lake Louise in Banff National Park by C.F.

[5] The Pika Formation consists primarily of dark-weathering, thin-bedded calcareous mudstone with thin dolomitized partings.

[1][3] The Pika was deposited in shallow marine environments along the western margin of the North American Craton during Middle Cambrian time.

[3][4][6][7] The Pika Formation is present in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta and British Columbia, from south of Mount Assiniboine to the Kakwa area in the north.

It thickens westward, reaching a maximum thickness of about 361 metres (1,184 feet) near the Chaba River, and thins to zero in the subsurface of the Alberta plains.