The area of the Richards Creek showing is underlain by Triassic Toad River Formation carbonaceous and calcareous siltstone and shales unconformably overlying Permian Fantasque Formation strata. A thick phosphatic interval is exposed along a south flowing tributary of Richards Creek within the middle strata of the Toad River Formation. Phosphate-bearing rocks occur over a 290 metre stratigraphic interval. Phosphate nodules occur in several beds over an interval of 220 metres. Nodular phosphate is the dominant form with nodules comprising 5 to 40 per cent in beds which they occur. These nodules are typically black, ovoid to spherical and vary in diameter from 1 to 3 centimetres. Thin beds of pelletal phosphate are also present in the middle portion of the phosphatic sequence. The pellets occur in a carbonate-rich matrix, with 10 to 20 per cent of the pellets containing either a quartz or carbonate core.