DOCSLIB.ORG

Appendix G Paleontological Resources Assessment

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Appendix G Paleontological Resources Assessment Appendix G Paleontological Resources Assessment Paleontological Resource Assessment for the California Flats Solar Project, Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties, California Jessica L. DeBusk Prepared By Applied EarthWorks, Inc. 743 Pacific Street, Suite A San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Prepared For Element Power US, LLC 421 SW Sixth Avenue, Suite 1000 Portland, OR 97204 April 2013 draft SUMMARY OF FINDINGS At the request of Element Power US, LLC, parent company of California Flats Solar, LLC (the Applicant), Applied EarthWorks Inc. (Æ) performed a paleontological resource assessment for the California Flats Solar Project (Project) located southeast of Parkfield in Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties, California. The study consisted of a museum records search, a comprehensive literature and geologic map review, and a field survey. This report summarizes the methods and results of the paleontological resource assessment and provides Project-specific management recommendations. This assessment included a comprehensive review of published and unpublished literature and museum collections records maintained by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (LACM) and the University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP). The purpose of the literature review and museum records search was to identify the geologic units underlying the Project area and to determine whether or not previously recorded paleontological localities occur either within the Project boundaries or within the same geologic units elsewhere. The museum records search was followed by a field survey. The purpose of the field survey was to visually inspect the ground surface for exposed fossils and to evaluate geologic exposures for their potential to contain preserved fossil material at the subsurface. Using the results of museum records search and field survey, the paleontological resource potential of the Project area was determined in accordance with Society of Vertebrate Paleontology guidelines. Published mapping indicates that the Project area is underlain by eight individually mapped geologic units, spanning the Tertiary to the Quaternary periods. Museum records identified no previously recorded paleontological localities directly within Project boundaries; however, UCMP records indicate that at least 18 previously documented fossil localities have been reported from within the same geologic units underlying the Project area elsewhere in San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties. The LACM reported 15 nearby fossil localities from within the same geologic units underlying the Project area. No fossil localities were discovered during the course of the field survey. As a result of this study, the geologic units underlying the Project area are determined to have a paleontological resource potential (i.e., sensitivity) ranging from low to high. Units of high paleontological sensitivity include the Tertiary age Etchegoin, Monterey, and Temblor formations (and members thereof). Units of low paleontological sensitivity include Quaternary surficial alluvial deposits and landslide deposits. Quaternary age older surficial sediments may be sensitive for paleontological resources at depth or may overlie sensitive Tertiary age units. Therefore, this geologic unit is considered to have a paleontological sensitivity ranging from low to high (increasing with depth). Much of the Project area is underlain either at the surface or at depth by geologic units with a proven potential to yield significant paleontological resources, and the likelihood of impacting vertebrate fossils during construction is high. Therefore, paleontological resource monitoring during Project construction is recommended. In addition, prior to the start of construction all Paleontological Resource Assessment: California Flats Solar Project iii field personnel should receive a worker’s environmental training module on paleontological resources. By implementing these mitigation measures during Project development, adverse impacts to paleontological resources can be reduced to a less than significant level pursuant to the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act. iv Paleontological Resource Assessment: California Flats Solar Project CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................1 1.1 PROJECT LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION.......................................................1 1.2 PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION ..........................................................................1 1.3 REPORT ORGANIZATION ...................................................................................1 2 REGULATORY FRAMEWORK ....................................................................................5 2.1 FEDERAL................................................................................................................5 2.2 STATE .....................................................................................................................5 2.2.1 California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) ..........................................5 2.2.2 Public Resources Code ................................................................................5 2.3 LOCAL ....................................................................................................................5 2.3.1 Monterey County General Plan ...................................................................5 2.3.2 San Luis Obispo County General Plan ........................................................6 3 PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCE ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES .......................7 3.1 DEFINITION OF PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES AND SIGNIFICANCE CRITERIA ..................................................................................7 3.2 PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCE SENSITIVITY ...................................................................................7 4 METHODS .........................................................................................................................9 4.1 LITERATURE REVIEW AND RECORDS SEARCH ..........................................9 4.2 FIELDWORK ..........................................................................................................9 4.3 KEY PERSONNEL .................................................................................................9 5 GEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY ..........................................................................11 5.1 REGIONAL GEOLOGY .......................................................................................11 5.2 GEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY OF THE PROJECT AREA .....................11 5.2.1 Quaternary alluvial deposits ......................................................................12 5.2.2 Etchegoin Formation ..................................................................................12 5.2.3 Monterey Formation ..................................................................................16 5.2.4 Temblor Formation ....................................................................................16 6 ANALYSIS AND RESULTS ..........................................................................................17 6.1 MUSEUM RECORDS SEARCH RESULTS .......................................................17 6.2 FIELDWORK RESULTS ......................................................................................19 6.3 DETERMINATION OF PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCE POTENTIAL FOR GEOLOGIC UNITS WITHIN THE PROJECT AREA .....................................................................................................................23 7 CONCLUSIONS ..............................................................................................................27 Paleontological Resource Assessment: California Flats Solar Project v 8 MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................29 8.1 WORKER’S ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS TRAINING .........................29 8.2 PALEONTOLOGICAL MONITORING ..............................................................29 8.3 FOSSIL PREPARATION, CURATION, AND REPORTING .............................30 9 REFERENCES CITED ...................................................................................................31 FIGURES 1-1 Project vicinity in Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties, California .............................2 1-2 Project location on the U.S. Geological Survey Paso Robles 30-minute quadrangle ..........3 1-3 Aerial view of the Project area .............................................................................................4 5-1 Geologic units in the Project area (Map 1 of 3) .................................................................13 5-2 Geologic units in the Project area (Map 2 of 3) .................................................................14 5-3 Geologic units in the Project area (Map 3 of 3) .................................................................15 6-1 An outcrop of the Etchegoin Formation, looking north-northwest in the northwestern portion of the Project area north of Turkey Flat ....................................20 6-2 Looking northeast at an outcropping of the McClure Shale Member of the Monterey Formation in the central portion of the Project area east of Turkey Flat and northwest of Cottonwood Creek ........................................................20 6-3 An outcropping of the McClure Shale Member of the Monterey Formation in the central portion of the Project area, looking
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Aspects of the Functional Morphology in the Cranial and Cervical Skeleton of the Sabre-Toothed Cat Paramachairodus Ogygia (Kaup, 1832) (Felidae
    Blackwell Science, LtdOxford, UKZOJZoological Journal of the Linnean Society0024-4082The Lin- nean Society of London, 2005? 2005 1443 363377 Original Article FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY OF P. OGYGIAM. J. SALESA ET AL. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2005, 144, 363–377. With 11 figures Aspects of the functional morphology in the cranial and cervical skeleton of the sabre-toothed cat Paramachairodus ogygia (Kaup, 1832) (Felidae, Machairodontinae) from the Late Miocene of Spain: Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article-abstract/144/3/363/2627519 by guest on 18 May 2020 implications for the origins of the machairodont killing bite MANUEL J. SALESA1*, MAURICIO ANTÓN2, ALAN TURNER1 and JORGE MORALES2 1School of Biological & Earth Sciences, Byrom Street, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK 2Departamento de Palaeobiología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2. 28006 Madrid, Spain Received January 2004; accepted for publication March 2005 The skull and cervical anatomy of the sabre-toothed felid Paramachairodus ogygia (Kaup, 1832) is described in this paper, with special attention paid to its functional morphology. Because of the scarcity of fossil remains, the anatomy of this felid has been very poorly known. However, the recently discovered Miocene carnivore trap of Batallones-1, near Madrid, Spain, has yielded almost complete skeletons of this animal, which is now one of the best known machairodontines. Consequently, the machairodont adaptations of this primitive sabre-toothed felid can be assessed for the first time. Some characters, such as the morphology of the mastoid area, reveal an intermediate state between that of felines and machairodontines, while others, such as the flattened upper canines and verticalized mandibular symphysis, show clear machairodont affinities.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Full Article in PDF Format
    A new marine vertebrate assemblage from the Late Neogene Purisima Formation in Central California, part II: Pinnipeds and Cetaceans Robert W. BOESSENECKER Department of Geology, University of Otago, 360 Leith Walk, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, 9054 (New Zealand) and Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University 200 Traphagen Hall, Bozeman, MT, 59715 (USA) and University of California Museum of Paleontology 1101 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA, 94720 (USA) [email protected] Boessenecker R. W. 2013. — A new marine vertebrate assemblage from the Late Neogene Purisima Formation in Central California, part II: Pinnipeds and Cetaceans. Geodiversitas 35 (4): 815-940. http://dx.doi.org/g2013n4a5 ABSTRACT e newly discovered Upper Miocene to Upper Pliocene San Gregorio assem- blage of the Purisima Formation in Central California has yielded a diverse collection of 34 marine vertebrate taxa, including eight sharks, two bony fish, three marine birds (described in a previous study), and 21 marine mammals. Pinnipeds include the walrus Dusignathus sp., cf. D. seftoni, the fur seal Cal- lorhinus sp., cf. C. gilmorei, and indeterminate otariid bones. Baleen whales include dwarf mysticetes (Herpetocetus bramblei Whitmore & Barnes, 2008, Herpetocetus sp.), two right whales (cf. Eubalaena sp. 1, cf. Eubalaena sp. 2), at least three balaenopterids (“Balaenoptera” cortesi “var.” portisi Sacco, 1890, cf. Balaenoptera, Balaenopteridae gen. et sp. indet.) and a new species of rorqual (Balaenoptera bertae n. sp.) that exhibits a number of derived features that place it within the genus Balaenoptera. is new species of Balaenoptera is relatively small (estimated 61 cm bizygomatic width) and exhibits a comparatively nar- row vertex, an obliquely (but precipitously) sloping frontal adjacent to vertex, anteriorly directed and short zygomatic processes, and squamosal creases.
    [Show full text]
  • Reef-Coral Fauna of Carrizo Creek, Imperial County, California, and Its Significance
    THE REEF-CORAL FAUNA OF CARRIZO CREEK, IMPERIAL COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE . .By THOMAS WAYLAND VAUGHAN . INTRODUCTION. occur has been determined by Drs . Arnold and Dall to be lower Miocene . The following conclusions seem warranted : Knowledge of the existence of the unusually (1) There was water connection between the Atlantic and interesting coral fauna here discussed dates Pacific across Central America not much previous to the from the exploration of Coyote Mountain (also upper Oligocene or lower Miocene-that is, during the known as Carrizo Mountain) by H . W. Fair- upper Eocene or lower Oligocene . This conclusion is the same as that reached by Messrs. Hill and Dall, theirs, how- banks in the early nineties.' Dr. Fairbanks ever, being based upon a study of the fossil mollusks . (2) sent the specimens of corals he collected to During lower Miocene time the West Indian type of coral Prof. John C. Merriam, at the University of fauna extended westward into the Pacific, and it was sub- California, who in turn sent them to me . sequent to that time that the Pacific and Atlantic faunas There were in the collection representatives of have become so markedly differentiated . two species and one variety, which I described As it will be made evident on subsequent under the names Favia merriami, 2 Stephano- pages that this fauna is much younger than ctenia fairbanksi,3 and Stephanoccenia fair- lower Miocene, the inference as to the date of banksi var. columnaris .4 As the geologic hori- the interoceanic connection given in the fore- zon was not even approximately known at that going quotation must be modified .
    [Show full text]
  • Deep Sea Drilling Project Initial Reports Volume 13
    M. HAJOS 34.5. THE MEDITERRANEAN DIATOMS Marta Hajos, Hungarian Geological Institute, Budapest, Hungary INTRODUCTION species. The relevant information has been obtained from the references cited at the end of this chapter and from Ten washed samples taken at eight levels from the drill investigations of Hungarian fossiliferous localities. cores of the Mediterranean expedition of the Deep Sea The 175 taxa investigated belong primarily to the phyla Drilling Project were sent for study to the present writer by Chrysophyta and Bacillariophyta, and are accompanied in Paulian Dumitrica of the Geological Institute, Bucharest, subordinate numbers by representatives of Phytolitharia, Rumania. He had found these samples to be the richest Acritarcha, Radiolaria and Porifera. diatom-bearing sediments both in terms of species and The paleoecological assignments shown in Table 1 and individuals. the complete floral spectrum allow three paleo-ecological Two samples from Core 13 of Site 124—Balearic Rise1 divisions, representing three areas of the Mediterranean and were selected near levels of finely laminated dolomitic three different sedimentary facies, to be distinguished. marls with dark green to black interbeds. This dolomitic unit is part of the evaporite series cored in the deep Balearic Division 1 — Siliceous Dolomitic Marls of Site 124 Basin. All six samples from Sites 127 and 128 in the 2 Hellenic Trench of the Ionian Basin are from layers of The sediments of the two samples from Site 124 dark sapropelitic ooze, where the siliceous microfauna is (124-13-2, 89-90 cm and 124-13-2, 127-129 cm) were particularly abundant. The remaining two samples are from apparently deposited under the same ecological conditions.
    [Show full text]
  • University of Florida Thesis Or Dissertation Formatting
    UNDERSTANDING CARNIVORAN ECOMORPHOLOGY THROUGH DEEP TIME, WITH A CASE STUDY DURING THE CAT-GAP OF FLORIDA By SHARON ELIZABETH HOLTE A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2018 © 2018 Sharon Elizabeth Holte To Dr. Larry, thank you ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my family for encouraging me to pursue my interests. They have always believed in me and never doubted that I would reach my goals. I am eternally grateful to my mentors, Dr. Jim Mead and the late Dr. Larry Agenbroad, who have shaped me as a paleontologist and have provided me to the strength and knowledge to continue to grow as a scientist. I would like to thank my colleagues from the Florida Museum of Natural History who provided insight and open discussion on my research. In particular, I would like to thank Dr. Aldo Rincon for his help in researching procyonids. I am so grateful to Dr. Anne-Claire Fabre; without her understanding of R and knowledge of 3D morphometrics this project would have been an immense struggle. I would also to thank Rachel Short for the late-night work sessions and discussions. I am extremely grateful to my advisor Dr. David Steadman for his comments, feedback, and guidance through my time here at the University of Florida. I also thank my committee, Dr. Bruce MacFadden, Dr. Jon Bloch, Dr. Elizabeth Screaton, for their feedback and encouragement. I am grateful to the geosciences department at East Tennessee State University, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard for the loans of specimens.
    [Show full text]
  • Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology EDUCATOR's GUIDE
    Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology EDUCATOR’S GUIDE Dear Educator: This guide is recommended for educators of grades K-4 and is designed to help you prepare students for their Alf Museum visit, as well as to provide resources to enhance your classroom curriculum. This packet includes background information about the Alf Museum and the science of paleontology, a summary of our museum guidelines and what to expect, a pre-visit checklist, a series of content standard-aligned activities/exercises for classroom use before and/or after your visit, and a list of relevant terms and additional resources. Please complete and return the enclosed evaluation form to help us improve this guide to better serve your needs. Thank you! Paleontology: The Study of Ancient Life Paleontology is the study of ancient life. The history of past life on Earth is interpreted by scientists through the examination of fossils, the preserved remains of organisms which lived in the geologic past (more than 10,000 years ago). There are two main types of fossils: body fossils, the preserved remains of actual organisms (e.g. shells/hard parts, teeth, bones, leaves, etc.) and trace fossils, the preserved evidence of activity by organisms (e.g. footprints, burrows, fossil dung). Chances for fossil preservation are enhanced by (1) the presence of hard parts (since soft parts generally rot or are eaten, preventing preservation) and (2) rapid burial (preventing disturbance by bio- logical or physical actions). Many body fossils are skeletal remains (e.g. bones, teeth, shells, exoskel- etons). Most form when an animal or plant dies and then is buried by sediment (e.g.
    [Show full text]
  • Mio-Oligocene (Aquitanian) Foraminifera from the Goajira Peninsula, Colombia
    CUSHMAN FOUNDATION FOil FOHAMINIFEHAL HESEAHCH SPECIAL PUBLICATION NO.4 MIO-OLIGOCENE (AQUITANIAN) FORAMINIFERA FROM THE GOAJIRA PENINSULA, COLOMBIA BY LEHOY E. BECKEH and A. N. DUSENBURY, Jr. FEBIWAH\ 15. 19;)3 Prke $2.00 postpaid CONTENTS ABSTRACT Il\TRODlJCTION 5 List of Samples 5 Identification. 5 Ackn"wlcdgments 5 ECOLOGY 6 AGE 6 CORREIXfION 6 SYSTEMATIC DESCRIPTIONS OF SPECIES 8 BIBLIOGRAPHY 46 ·Pi/uranu '\ ft If (, \\ "\\ J ;/ •~... ~ CA$TILLETES ,," t/'" /J i'f~ MAP SHOWING COLLECTING LOCALITIES GOA.JIRA PENINSULA COLOMBIA o 2 4 8 10 12 I I I , I I ! " Ki Iometers ( 4- 1 MIO-OLIGOCENE (AQUITANIAK) FORAMINIFERA FROM THE GOAJIRA PENINSULA, COLOMBIAI LEROY E. BECKER ANlJ A. N. DUSENBURY, JR. Maracaibo, Venezuela 1 dentiiicatioll Tlw fonuninir"ntl rauna:-; at t'itlHl an;] ~illtlmaHa. Several comprehensive papers on the Tertiarv Fo­ ColomlJi::., have heen tliyidl'd illlo ;I~ genera Hnd 1:-17 I aminif"ra of northern South America and the Carib­ HIH:·cif"~. ~f'\'l'n IH'''W i->lWch-;o arE' (\ps(:ribed. The fon.t1lli­ njft:ral a~sell\llJagE's indicaip a ),llo-ulig"o('E'lH::' (Aquitanian) bean islands have been published recently. The writers ag'e and a Jnat'inp, Ol/f'H-:'W<I f-nvil'onnlPl1t IlptWPPH li)i) and have compared their Goajiran Foraminifera with those :JOt) talholllH in tlf1-pth, CnITt'latioll};, ha~H'(l on FOl'aminif­ appearing in the published literamre dealing primarily era, are :SUgg('sif>(l ht'l\vf'f'1l thf' '\iio-Oli).w('('nf' l,ed:-; or the with the Miocene and Oligocene of the Caribhean area.
    [Show full text]
  • Gastropoda:Muricidae
    The malacologicalsocietymalacological society of Japan Jeur. Malac,) fi re VENUS {Jap. - Vol, 5z No. 3 ( l99g): 2e9 223 Originand Biogeographic History of Ceratostoma (Gastropoda: Muricidae) Kazutaka AMANo and Geerat J. VERMEIJ of943ofGeoscience. Jbetsu Uhiversity oj' EZIucation. i2xmayashiki-1. Jbetsu, MigataDqpartmentPrellercture, -85i2 Japan, and Department of Geolegy and Center for Population Uitiversity Calijbrnia at Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616 USABiology Abstract: We examined the two Neogene species of the ocenebrine muricid gastropod genus Ceratostoma Herrmannsen, 1846, from Japan and North Korea, namely, C. makiyamai The (Hatai & Kotaka, 1952) and C. sp,, both from the early middle Miecene. genus Ceratostotna is divisible into fouT groups based on C. nuttalli (Conrad), C. virginiae (Maury), C, fotiatum (Gemelin), and C. rorijIuum (Adams & Reeve). Three Miocene species from Kamehatka assigned by Russian workers to Ceratostoma are difficult to evaluate owing to poor preservation. Purpura turris Nomland, from the Pliecene of California, which was assigned to Ceratostoma by earlicr authors, is here tentatively assigned to Crassilabrum Jousseaume, 1880, have arisen the the early Miocene, it The genus Ceratostoma may in Atlantic. By had reached California, and then spTead westward to northeast Asia by earLy middle Mio- Miocene ccne time. This pattern of east to west expansion during the early half of the also characterizes many other north-temperate marine genera, including the ocenebrine NiiceUa. Keywords: origin, biogeography, Ceratostoma, Muricidae Introduction muricid Ceratostoma liye in shallow Recent species of the ocenebrine gastropod genus waters on both sides of the temperate and boreal North Pacific. There are six living species: C nuttaUi (Conrad) from California and Baja California, C.
    [Show full text]
  • Qt53v080hx.Pdf
    UC Berkeley PaleoBios Title A new Early Pliocene record of the toothless walrus Valenictus (Carnivora, Odobenidae) from the Purisima Formation of Northern California Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/53v080hx Journal PaleoBios, 34(0) ISSN 0031-0298 Author Boessenecker, Robert W. Publication Date 2017-06-15 DOI 10.5070/P9341035289 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California PaleoBios 34:1-6, June 15, 2017 PaleoBios OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA MUSEUM OF PALEONTOLOGY Boessenecker, Robert W. (2017). A New Early Pliocene Record of the Toothless Walrus Valenictus (Carnivora, Odobenidae) from the Purisima Formation of Northern California. Cover photo: Life restoration of the extinct Pliocene walrus Valenictus and flightless auks (Mancalla) hauled out on the rocky shore of the uplifted Coast Ranges of California (top right); cliff exposures of the Purisima Formation near Santa Cruz, from where Valenictus was collected by Wayne Thompson (left); bivalves, chiefly Clinocardium meekianum, exposed in the Purisima Formation near the locality (bottom). Photo credit and original artwork: Robert W. Boessenecker. Citation: Boessenecker, Robert W. 2017. A New Early Pliocene Record of the Toothless Walrus Valenictus (Carnivora, Odobenidae) from the Puri- sima Formation of Northern California. PaleoBios, 34. ucmp_paleobios_35289 A New Early Pliocene Record of the Toothless Walrus Valenictus (Carnivora, Odobenidae) from the Purisima Formation of Northern California ROBERT W. BOESSENECKER1,2 1Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC 29424; [email protected] 2University of California Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 The walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) is a large tusked molluskivore that inhabits the Arctic and is the sole living member of the family Odobenidae.
    [Show full text]
  • The Taxonomic and Evolutionary History of Fossil and Modern Balaenopteroid Mysticetes
    Journal of Mammalian Evolution, Vol. 12, Nos. 1/2, June 2005 (C 2005) DOI: 10.1007/s10914-005-6944-3 The Taxonomic and Evolutionary History of Fossil and Modern Balaenopteroid Mysticetes Thomas A. Demer´ e,´ 1,4 Annalisa Berta,2 and Michael R. McGowen2,3 Balaenopteroids (Balaenopteridae + Eschrichtiidae) are a diverse lineage of living mysticetes, with seven to ten species divided between three genera (Megaptera, Balaenoptera and Eschrichtius). Extant members of the Balaenopteridae (Balaenoptera and Megaptera) are characterized by their engulfment feeding behavior, which is associated with a number of unique cranial, mandibular, and soft anatomical characters. The Eschrichtiidae employ suction feeding, which is associated with arched rostra and short, coarse baleen. The recognition of these and other characters in fossil balaenopteroids, when viewed in a phylogenetic framework, provides a means for assessing the evolutionary history of this clade, including its origin and diversification. The earliest fossil balaenopterids include incomplete crania from the early late Miocene (7–10 Ma) of the North Pacific Ocean Basin. Our preliminary phylogenetic results indicate that the basal taxon, “Megaptera” miocaena should be reassigned to a new genus based on its possession of primitive and derived characters. The late late Miocene (5–7 Ma) balaenopterid record, except for Parabalaenoptera baulinensis and Balaenoptera siberi, is largely undescribed and consists of fossil specimens from the North and South Pacific and North Atlantic Ocean basins. The Pliocene record (2–5 Ma) is very diverse and consists of numerous named, but problematic, taxa from Italy and Belgium, as well as unnamed taxa from the North and South Pacific and eastern North Atlantic Ocean basins.
    [Show full text]
  • 692 Association Round Table
    692 Association Round Table Chrons C19r and C20n, based on a 40Ar/39Ar date of 42.8J ± 0.24 Ma in rocks tracers, particularly when taking into account hydrothermal alteration and of normal polarity (contrary to Bottjer et 31., 1991, who correlated it with Chror. mantle metasomatism. Furthermore, Neogene arc systems show reorgan­ C18n based on questionable P13 Zone planktonic foraminifera). These ization in magmatic loci and microplates at time scales comparable to correlations contradict several sequence stratigraphic correlations of these typical uncertainties in absolute age determinations. strata May et al. (1984), May (1985) and May and Warme (1987) correlated the Friars/Stadium contact with nan no zone CP1 5b and foram zone P1 5 (about 36 Ma), but this clearly clearly conflicts with the date on the overlying Mission Critical stratigraphic, structural, and timing relations within the Valley Formation by at least 6 million years. western Sierra Nevada, California, and their bearing on models for origin of the Foothills terrane and the Great Valley basin Magnetic Stratigraphy of the Type Zemorrian Stage (Oligocene), Lower Temblor Formation, Temblor Range, Kern County, California SCHWEICKERT, RICHARD A., Department of Geological Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, NV RESSEGUIE, JENNIFER L., and DONALD R. PROTHERO, Department of Geology, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA Several models exist for Jurassic-Cretaceous evolution of the western Sierra Nevada, the adjacent Great Valley basin, and the Coast Range ophiolite, Kleinpell (1938) erected the Zemorrian stage based on benthic foraminifera as recently clarified by Dickinson and others (1996). To evaluate the models from the lower Temblor Formation in Zemorra Creek, southern Temblor Range, requires both an examination of critical stratigraphic and structural relations Kern County, California.
    [Show full text]
  • Supplementary Information
    Supplementary Information Substitution Rate Variation in a Robust Procellariiform Seabird Phylogeny is not Solely Explained by Body Mass, Flight Efficiency, Population Size or Life History Traits Andrea Estandía, R. Terry Chesser, Helen F. James, Max A. Levy, Joan Ferrer Obiol, Vincent Bretagnolle, Jacob González-Solís, Andreanna J. Welch This pdf file includes: Supplementary Information Text Figures S1-S7 SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION TEXT Fossil calibrations The fossil record of Procellariiformes is sparse when compared with other bird orders, especially its sister order Sphenisciformes (Ksepka & Clarke 2010, Olson 1985c). There are, however, some fossil Procellariiformes that are both robustly dated and identified and therefore suitable for fossil calibrations. Our justification of these fossils, below, follows best practices described by Parham et al. (2012) where possible. For all calibration points only a minimum age was set with no upper constraint specified, except for the root of the tree. 1. Node between Sphenisciformes/Procellariiformes Minimum age: 60.5 Ma Maximum age: 61.5 Ma Taxon and specimen: Waimanu manneringi (Slack et al. 2006); CM zfa35 (Canterbury Museum, Christchurch, New Zealand), holotype comprising thoracic vertebrae, caudal vertebrae, pelvis, femur, tibiotarsus, and tarsometatarsus. Locality: Basal Waipara Greensand, Waipara River, New Zealand. Phylogenetic justification: Waimanu has been resolved as the basal penguin taxon using morphological data (Slack et al. 2006), as well as combined morphological and molecular datasets (Ksepka et al. 2006, Clarke et al. 2007). Morphological and molecular phylogenies agree on the monophyly of Sphenisciformes and Procellariiformes (Livezey & Zusi 2007, Prum et al. 2015). Waimanu manneringi was previously used by Prum et al. (2015) to calibrate Sphenisiciformes, and see Ksepka & Clarke (2015) for a review of the utility of this fossil as a robust calibration point.
    [Show full text]