The Davis Spring Formation was named for Upper Davis Spring, about 3 kilometers southeast of its type section in the SE1/4 Sec. 20, T. 16 N., R. 51 E. in the northern Antelope Range (Hose and others, 1982).

Late Devonian through early Mississippian (?) (Famennian through Kinderhookian) conodonts have been recovered from the Davis Spring Formation. Hose and others (1983) suggest a Kinderhookian age assignment for the Davis Spring Formation. The range of conodonts and its position above the Upper and Middle Devonian Fenstermaker Wash Formation and below the Lower Mississippian Kinkead Spring Limestone suggests an Upper Devonian assignment is permissible for the Davis Spring. It is unconformably overlain by the Antelope Range Formation or the Kinkead Spring Limestone. The Davis Spring has been mapped as a portion of the Nevada Group.

Detailed lithologic description is sorely lacking for the Davis Spring Formation. In general the unit is described as a very fine-grained, light brown, finely laminated dolomite and siliceous siltstone with interbedded finely laminated chert (Hose and others, 1982; Hose, 1983).

The Davis Spring is about 400 feet thick at its type section (Hose and others, 1982).

The Davis Spring has only been described to date in the northern Antelope Range with a total exposure of half a square mile. Hose and others (1982) indicate there are no time-lithologic equivalents to the east of the Antelope Range.

The depositional setting and importance of the Davis Spring are poorly understood. The finely laminated, non-bioturbated fabric of the Davis Spring suggests a relatively deep and quiet setting probably along the outer shelf or inner slope.