Bladen Formation
Bladen Formation | |
---|---|
Stratigraphic range: Middle Campanian ~ | |
Type | Formation |
Unit of | Black Creek Group |
Underlies | Donoho Creek Formation, Peedee Formation |
Overlies | Tar Heel/Coachman Formation |
Lithology | |
Primary | Sandstone, siltstone |
Location | |
Region | North Carolina South Carolina |
Country | United States |
Type section | |
Named for | Bladen County, North Carolina |
The Bladen Formation is a geologic formation from the Late Cretaceous (middle Campanian) of North Carolina and South Carolina, USA. It is known for a plethora of terrestrial and aquatic vertebrate fossils, including dinosaurs and mosasaurs.[1] It appears to be roughly concurrent with the Tuscaloosa Formation of Alabama.[2]
Unlike many other Cretaceous geologic formations from eastern North America, which were deposited in entirely marine environments, the Bladen Formation appears to have been deposited in a former river delta in an estuarine habitat, allowing for a mixture of freshwater, terrestrial, and marine fauna.[3] An important locality is the former Bladen County landfill annex in Elizabethtown, North Carolina, which contains the richest known fauna from the formation.[4][5] Another notable locality is near Quinby in Florence County, South Carolina, which also appears to have been deposited in a nonmarine environment with minor marine influence.[6]
It is deposited as a thin layer over the Tar Heel/Coachman Formation, which is often confused with. In North Carolina, it underlies the Maastrichtian-aged Peedee Formation, while in South Carolina it underlies the slightly younger Campanian-aged Donoho Creek Formation.[7]
Vertebrate paleobiota
Based on Crane (2011), Schwimmer et al (2015) and the Paleobiology Database:[3][6][8]
Cartilaginous fish
Based on Crane (2011) and Case et al (2019):[3][9]
The chondrichthyan biota closely resembles that of the Aguja Formation from Texas.[9]
Hybodonts
Hybodonts of the Bladen Formation | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Notes | Images | |
Lonchidion | L. babulskii | Elizabethtown, NC | A lonchidiid. | ||
Meristodonoides | M. novojerseyensis | Elizabethtown, NC | A hybodontid. | ||
M. sp. |
Sharks
Sharks of the Bladen Formation | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Notes | Images | |
Archaeolamna | A. kopingensis | Elizabethtown, NC | An archaeolamnid mackerel shark. | ||
Cantioscyllium | C. clementsi | Elizabethtown, NC | A nurse shark. Type locality of this species. | ||
Cretalamna | C. appendiculata | Elizabethtown, NC | A megatooth shark. | ||
C. sp. | |||||
Cretorectolobus | C. sp. | Elizabethtown, NC | A wobbegong. | ||
Galeorhinus | G. sp. | Elizabethtown, NC | A relative of the school shark. | ||
Plicatoscyllium | P. globidens | Elizabethtown, NC | A nurse shark. | ||
Protolamna | P. borodini | Elizabethtown, NC | An eoptolamnid mackerel shark. | ||
Scapanorhynchus | S. texanus | Elizabethtown, NC | A goblin shark. | ||
Squalicorax | S. kaupi | Elizabethtown, NC | A crow shark. | ||
S. cf. S. pristodontus | |||||
Squatina | S. sp. | Elizabethtown, NC | An angelshark. Sometimes assigned to the dubious species S. hassei.[9] |
Rays
Rays of the Bladen Formation | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Notes | Images | |
Anoxypristis | A. sp. | Elizabethtown, NC | A sawfish. | ||
Borodinopristis | B. schwimmeri | Elizabethtown, NC | A sclerorhynchid sawskate. Type locality of B. shannoni.[10] | ||
B. shannoni | |||||
Brachyrhizodus | B. wichitaensis | Elizabethtown, NC | An eagle ray. | ||
Dasyatis | D. cf. commercensis | Elizabethtown, NC | A whiptail stingray. | ||
Ischyrhiza | I. avonicola | Elizabethtown, NC | A sclerorhynchid sawskate. | ||
I. mira | |||||
Onchopristis | O. sp. | Elizabethtown, NC | An onchopristid sawskate. | ||
Ptychotrygon | P. triangularis | Elizabethtown, NC | A ptychotrygonid sawskate. | ||
P. vermiculata | |||||
Protoplatyrhina | P. sp. | Elizabethtown, NC | A hypsobatid ray.[11] | ||
Pseudohypolophus | P. ellipsis | Elizabethtown, NC | A guitarfish. | ||
Rhinobatos | R. casieri | Elizabethtown, NC | A guitarfish. | ||
Rhombodus | R. binkhorsti | Elizabethtown, NC | A rhombodontid ray. | ||
R. laevis | |||||
Schizorhiza | S. sp. | Elizabethtown, NC | A schizorhizid sawskate. |
Bony fish
Bony fish of the Bladen Formation | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Notes | Images | |
Albula | A. sp. | Elizabethtown, NC | A bonefish. | ||
Anomoeodus | A. phaseolus | Elizabethtown, NC | A pycnodontid pycnodont. | ||
Cylindracanthus | C. sp | Elizabethtown, NC | A fish of uncertain affinities. | ||
Enchodus | E. cf. petrosus | Elizabethtown, NC | An enchodontid aulopiform. | ||
Hadrodus | H. priscus | Elizabethtown, NC | A hadrodontid fish (considered a pycnodont or a semionotiform) | ||
Lepisosteus | L. sp. | Elizabethtown, NC | A gar. | ||
Paralbula | P. casei | Elizabethtown, NC | A phyllodontid elopomorph. | ||
Protosphyraena | P. sp. | Elizabethtown, NC | A pachycormid. | ||
Xiphactinus | X. vetus | Elizabethtown, NC | An ichthyodectid ichthyodectiform. |
Amphibians
Amphibians of the Bladen Formation | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Notes | Images | ||
Albanerpetontidae indet. | Elizabethtown, NC | An albanerpetontid.[12][13] |
Reptiles
Dinosaurs
Based on Brownstein (2018):[14]
Dinosaurs of the Bladen Formation | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Notes | Images | ||
"Coelosaurus" (="Ornithomimus") | "C." sp. | Elizabethtown, NC | An ornithomimosaur. | |||
Hadrosauridae indet. | Elizabethtown, NC | A hadrosaur. | ||||
Tyrannosauroidea indet. | Elizabethtown, NC | A tyrannosauroid. |
Crocodylomorphs
Crocodylomorphs of the Bladen Formation | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Notes | Images | ||
Borealosuchus | B. sp. | Elizabethtown, NC
Quinby, SC |
A eusuchian. | |||
Deinosuchus | D. rugosus | Elizabethtown, NC
Quinby, SC |
An alligatoroid, one of the largest known crocodilians. | |||
Gavialoidea indet. | Quinby, SC | A gavialoid. |
Turtles
Turtles of the Bladen Formation | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Notes | Images | ||
Bothremys | B. sp. | Elizabethtown, NC | A bothremydid side-necked turtle. | |||
Chedighaii | C. sp. | Elizabethtown, NC | A bothremydid side-necked turtle. | |||
Euclastes | E. wielandi | Quinby, SC | A pancheloniid sea turtle. | |||
"Trionyx" | "T." halophilus | Quinby, SC | A stem-softshell turtle, likely not an actual member of the genus Trionyx. Species names are nomina dubia. | |||
"T." priscus | Quinby, SC | |||||
"T." sp. | Elizabethtown, NC |
Plesiosaurs
Plesiosaurs of the Bladen Formation | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Notes | Images | ||
Elasmosauridae indet. | Elizabethtown, NC
Quinby, SC |
An elasmosaurid. |
Squamates
Squamates of the Bladen Formation | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Notes | Images | ||
Coniophis | C. sp. | Elizabethtown, NC | An aquatic snake.[15] | |||
Tylosaurus | T. sp. | Elizabethtown, NC | A tylosaurine mosasaur. |
Mammals
Mammals of the Bladen Formation | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Notes | Images | ||
Cimolomys | C. sp. | Elizabethtown, NC | A multituberculate. |
See also
References
- ^ Various Contributors to the NCSM, et al. 2020. "NCSM Collection: Paleontology Database."
- ^ "Geolex — Bladen publications". ngmdb.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
- ^ a b c Crane, Cynthia Danielle (2011). VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY AND TAPHONOMY OF THE LATE CRETACEOUS (CAMPANIAN) BLADEN FORMATION, BLADEN COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA (Thesis).
- ^ "PBDB Collection". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
- ^ Crane, Cynthia Danielle (2011). Vertebrate paleontology and taphonomy of the late Cretaceous (Campanian) Bladen Formation, Bladen County, North Carolina (Thesis).
- ^ a b Schwimmer, David R.; Sanders, Albert E.; Erickson, Bruce R.; Weems, Robert E. (2015). "A Late Cretaceous Dinosaur and Reptile Assemblage from South Carolina, Usa". Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. 105 (2): i–157. ISSN 0065-9746.
- ^ "Geolex — Bladen publications". ngmdb.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
- ^ "PBDB Collection". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
- ^ a b c Case, Gerald R.; Cook, Todd D.; Kightlinger, Taylor (2019-07-31). "A description of a middle Campanian euselachian assemblage from the Bladen Formation of North Carolina, USA". Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology. 7: 69–82. doi:10.18435/vamp29345. ISSN 2292-1389.
- ^ Case, Gerard R.; Cook, Todd D.; Wilson, Mark V.H.; Borodin, Paul D. (2012). "A new species of the sclerorhynchid sawfish Borodinopristis from the Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) of North Carolina, USA". Historical Biology. 24 (6): 592–597. doi:10.1080/08912963.2012.663367. ISSN 0891-2963.
- ^ "Protoplatyrhina sp. | Shark-References". shark-references.com. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
- ^ "PBDB Collection". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
- ^ Gardner, James D.; DeMar, David G. (2013-12-01). "Mesozoic and Palaeocene lissamphibian assemblages of North America: a comprehensive review". Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments. 93 (4): 459–515. doi:10.1007/s12549-013-0130-z. ISSN 1867-1608.
- ^ Center~chasethedinosaur@gmail.com, Chase D. Brownstein~Stamford Museum & Nature (2018-02-08). "The biogeography and ecology of the Cretaceous non-avian dinosaurs of Appalachia". Palaeontologia Electronica. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
- ^ "PBDB Collection". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2024-11-13.