Kay and Crawford (1964) named the Wildcat Peak Formation for exposures on Wildcat Peak, the highest point in the northern Toquima Range. The type section is considered to be in Sec. 32, T. 14 N., R. 46 E., between the 8800-foot contour and the top of the ridge on the south side of Mill Canyon (McKee, 1976b).

Abundant brachiopods, corals, and bryozoans from the lower limestones of the Wildcat Peak Formation at the type section are considered Early Pennsylvanian (Atokan) in age with sponges and fusulinids from a section at Ikes Canyon giving Late Pennsylvanian ages (Kay and Crawford, 1964; McKee, 1976b). Laule (1978) felt the formation was Early Permian (Wolfcampian) in age on the basis of fusulinids, brachiopods, and pelmatazoans in the type section within the Toquima Range. The Wildcat Peak Formation probably represents Upper Pennsylvanian and Lower Permian ages. The top of the formation is cut off by thrusting, and internal folding and tilting is locally evident within the unit. The Wildcat Peak Formation is probably correlative with the Antler Peak Limestone.

The Wildcat Peak is composed of brown to reddish weathering limestone and sandy to conglomeratic limestone. At the type section, the base of the formation is an angular unconformity with considerable relief (3 feet over a distance of 100 feet) and contains some angular clasts of the underlying Vinini Formation (Kay and Crawford, 1964; McKee, 1976b).

The lower portion of the Wildcat Peak is about 150 to 175 feet of massive to thick-bedded, gray to brown weathering, arenaceous and fossiliferous limestone, with abundant poorly preserved crinoids, corals, brachiopods, sponges and fusulinids (Kay and Crawford, 1964; McKee, 1976b; Laule, 1978). The base of the lower portion is commonly about 15 feet of unsorted, thin to medium-bedded conglomerate (Laule, 1978). The middle portion of the formation is about 600 to 650 feet of brown to reddish weathering, sandy to conglomeratic limestone containing angular to subrounded pebbles and cobbles of chert and limestone up to 2 feet across. Lenses of pure sandstone, conglomerate, or limestone are present within the middle member, and are both graded and cross-bedded (Kay and Crawford, 1964; Laule, 1978). The upper portion of the Wildcat Peak is about 150 feet of light-gray limestone, with lesser amounts of lenses rich in sand or chert and limestone pebbles that locally show festoon cross-beds and sole markings (McKee, 1976; Laule, 1978).

All the units within the Wildcat Peak Formation are lenticular and facies changes are rapid. Sections a few hundred feet apart are considerably different both in thickness and sequence (Kay and Crawford, 1964; McKee, 1976).

The Wildcat Peak Formation is about 900 feet thick at the type section in the Toquima Range (McKee, 1976b; Laule, 1978).

The Wildcat Peak Formation is only exposed in the northern Toquima Range within the evaluation area.

Laule (1978) felt that sedimentary structures and lithology reflect nearshore marine deposition for the lower portion of the Wildcat Peak Formation, followed by a shallowing upward sequence of transgressive shelf facies in the middle portion of the unit, and a regressive inner-shelf tidal facies in the upper portion of the unit.