Stratigraphy, Tectonics, and Basin Evolution in the Anza-Borrego Desert Region

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Stratigraphy, Tectonics, and Basin Evolution in the Anza-Borrego Desert Region Anza - C05 Stratigraphy 10/28/05 3:21 PM Page 89 Stratigraphy, Tectonics, and 5Basin Evolution in the Anza-Borrego Desert Region The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious; It is the source of all true art and all science. Albert Einstein Rebecca Dorsey 89 Anza - C05 Stratigraphy 10/28/05 3:22 PM Page 90 Stratigraphy, Tectonics, and Basin Evolution in the Anza-Borrego Desert Region Southern Borrego Badlands Looking West. (Photograph by Rebecca Dorsey) Introduction The fossil record of past life is commonly preserved in ancient sedi- ments and sedimentary rocks. Sediments accumulate in subsiding basins that contain different kinds of depositional environments such as rivers, lakes, deltas, and marine seaways. These environments are friendly to life, and often support assemblages of plants and animals. Through integrative studies of stratigraphy, sedimentology, and paleontology, we can reconstruct ancient life communities and the environments in which they lived. Plate tectonic forces determine where sedimentary basins form, how long and how fast sediments accumulate, and how they may later be faulted, uplifted, and eroded at the surface. Climate also affects basins and sediments; precipitation, wind, and temperature variation affect surface processes such as erosion and soil formation. In the Salton Trough region of southern California, styles, rates, and environments of basin formation have evolved through time in response to complex changes in driving tectonic forces, fault interactions, and climate change. Because of the rich history of geologic research in Anza- Borrego Desert State Park and adjacent areas, it is impossible to summarize all of the knowledge on this subject in a few pages. This chapter presents a brief overview of existing knowledge about the regional stratigraphy, tectonic evolu- tion, and major sedimentary basins preserved in the Park, which have supported a great diversity of plants and animals during the past ~10 million years. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is located within a complex zone of strike-slip faulting and oblique crustal extension and compression that defines the tectonically active boundary between the North American plate and the 90 Fossil Treasures of the Anza-Borrego Desert Anza - C05 Stratigraphy 10/28/05 3:22 PM Page 91 Pacific plate in southern California (Figures 5.1, 5.2). The southern San 34˚N Andreas fault system, which SGP includes the San Andreas, San SA FZ S ? . Jacinto, and Elsinore faults, is a J R F Z . l broad zone of past and ongoing S Fig. 2 o al C to seismic activity that separates areas n B S belonging to the Pacific plate (Baja Z EF California and southern California) WSDF 33˚N T ro from areas located on North u . I g ila R America (mainland Mexico and the SD OAZ F h G Y U.S.). Long-term northwesterly M S L Z T S U. movement of the Pacific plate rela- F C S. P A. F Mex tive to North America has resulted LS ico in progressive right-lateral fault dis- C ∞ D D placements and related crustal 32˚N deformation during the past ~25 to E 30 million years, producing a com- A BF plicated network of faults, rotating crustal blocks, mountain ranges, and Gu WB sedimentary basins. The two plates lf o f are also diverging slightly in some 31˚N SF Ca areas, which has caused the Salton li S fo S r Trough and Gulf of California to P n km M ia F open up by oblique rifting and 0 50 100 extension during the past 10 to 15 117˚W 116˚W 115˚W 114˚W million years. These aspects of rela- tive plate motion and the develop- ment of geologic structures on a regional scale are known from landmark stud- Figure 5.1 Faults and Topography of the ies by Atwater (1970), Lonsdale (1989), Stock and Hodges (1989), Powell et al. Northern Gulf of California and (1993), DeMets (1995), Dickinson (1996), Atwater and Stock (1998), Axen and Salton Trough Region. Fletcher (1998), Oskin and Stock (2003), and others. Decorated thicker lines are detachment faults, tick marks on As described below, we now know that regional subsidence related to upper plate; plain lines are high- angle normal and strike-slip crustal extension and transtension (a combination of strike-slip movement and faults. Explanation: ABF, Agua oblique extension of a fault) produced a number of fault-bounded basins that Blanca fault; BSZ, Brawley filled with sediments from Miocene to Pleistocene time (Figures 5.2, 5.3, 5.4). Spreading zone; CDD, Cañada In the recent geologic past (last 1 to 2 million years) many of these basins have David detachment; CPF, Cerro been uplifted and eroded to reveal the diverse stratigraphic record of their tec- Prieto fault; E, Ensenada; IF, tonic, climatic, and paleontologic evolution. In the Salton Sea, fault-controlled Imperial fault; SAFZ, San Andreas fault zone; SD, San subsidence has continued to the present day, accumulating a thick section of Diego; SGP,San Gorgonio Pass; young sediments that are buried in the modern basin beneath the surface. SF, San Felipe; SJFZ, San Jacinto fault zone; SSPMF, Sierra San Pedro Martir fault;T,Tijuana; and WB,Wagner basin. (Shaded- relief map base courtesy of H. Magistrale) Stratigraphy, Tectonics, and Basin Evolution in the Anza-Borrego Desert Region 91 Anza - C05 Stratigraphy 10/28/05 3:22 PM Page 92 Prior Work Our understanding of geological events summarized below is based on decades of research by many scientists. This chapter does not present new data, it is simply an attempt to synthesize a vast body of existing knowledge and make it accessible to a broad audience. Some of the more influential studies of regional stratigraphy, basin evolution, and related structures in the western Salton Trough appear in papers and theses by: Axen and Fletcher (1998), Bartholomew (1968, 1970), Brown et al. (1991), Dean (1988, 1996), Dibblee (1954, 1984, 1996a, 1996b), Dronyk FAULTS ANTICLINE Plutonic and (1977), Feragen (1986), Frost et al. STRIKE-SLIPANTICLINES S SA Met. Rocks an F ta PREHISTORICDETACHMT (1996a, 1996b), Girty and Armitage R THRUST Plio-Quat. os ? SHORELINE 33° a Sediments (1989), Ingle (1974), Johnson et al. M 30' t 6 s Alluvium 9 (1983), Kerr (1982, 1984), Kerr and S CF A Kidwell (1991), Lough (1993, LT O N 1998), Merriam and Brady (1965), B Muffler and Doe (1968), Opdyke et C R C F A S W al. (1977), Quinn and Cronin (1984), E water A L 33° BB E surface Y -234' Remeika (1995), Remeika and 15' SFH Beske-Diehl (1996), Schultejann SF F Quat. (1984), Sharp (1982), Stinson Rhyolite F a J r a xt (1990), Stinson and Gastil (1996), c E Z in O E Ct VF Vallecito Mts Co Shore- F N Tarbet and Holman (1944), Wells F F R E Z line E (1987), Winker (1987), Winker and WP 33° Kidwell (1986, 1996), Woodard Fish SH Mesquite VCFCB Creek F Mts Basin (1963, 1974). This list is only a par- SM TBM F tial sampling of many theses, papers, and abstracts that have contributed to our understanding of this fascinat- 0 10 20 30 km EF IF 32° ing region. Interested readers are 45' 116°30' 116°15' 116° 115°45' 115°30' encouraged to explore the original literature upon which the following Figure 5.2 summary is based. Geologic Map of the Salton Trough Region. Explanation: BB, Borrego Badlands; CF, Clark fault; CCF, Coyote Creek fault; EF, Elsinore fault; ERF, Elmore Ranch fault; EVF, Earthquake Valley fault; VCFCB,Vallecito Creek-Fish Creek basin; IF, Imperial fault; SFF, San Felipe fault; SFH, San Felipe Hills; SHF, Superstition Hills fault; SMF, Superstition Mtn fault;TBM, Tierra Blanca Mts; and WP, Whale Peak. (Map compilation courtesy of L. Seeber) 92 Fossil Treasures of the Anza-Borrego Desert Anza - C05 Stratigraphy 10/28/05 3:22 PM Page 93 Compiled from Winker and Kidwell (1996) terrace gravels, alluvium, etc. PLEIS Qt, Qal ~0.9 Ma (p-mag) Hu. Hueso locally derived streams 2.3±0.4 Ma Ta. Tapiado Fm. (lacustrine) (ash date) Canebrake / Olla / Diablo Palm Spring Group kno w n fro m vertebrate paleo m a t e l y e C g i O l l a F m . ages also approx l o F m Diablo Fm. al (Colorado delta-plain); a n e b r ~ 4.5 k m o f d i p p i n g s t r a t a i a b Olla Fm. (local streams); D. and Canebrake Cgl. Ck (alluvial fans) E N E IC ~4.2 Ma (p-mag) PL O Jackson F ork Mbr. Camels Head Mbr. kno w n fro m micro-paleo ages also approxim ately Im perial Group (muddy tidal flats) Deguynos F m. Yuha Mbr. (delta front with oyster beds) coarsening-up, delta progradation Mud Hills Mbr. (pro-delta marine mudstone) sandy turbidites 5.3 Ma a n i (biostr.) upper megabreccia a t r sandy turbidites ~5.5-6.3 Ma La Fish Creek Gypsum (biostrS p.) l i t M t . lower megabreccia G r o u p ≤1 km Elephant Trees Cgl. 22-14 Ma (K-Ar)E N E IC MO ? Red Rock Fm. Alverson P z , M z Volcanics igneous and metamorphic rocks Figure 5.3 Generalized Stratigraphic Column for the Vallecito Creek-Fish Creek Stratigraphic Section. Paleomagnetic and ash dates are from Opdyke et al. (1977) and Johnson et al. (1983). Biostratigraphic age controls are from studies of Stump (1972), Downs and White (1968), Ingle (1974), Pappajohn (1980), Dean (1988), and McDougall (personal communication, cited in Winker and Kidwell, 1996).
Recommended publications
  • Calcium Isotopic Variation in Marine Evaporites and Carbonates: Applications To
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO Calcium Isotopic Variation in Marine Evaporites and Carbonates: Applications to Late Miocene Mediterranean Brine Chemistry and Late Cenozoic Calcium Cycling in the Oceans A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Earth Sciences by Tabitha Michele Hensley Committee in Charge: J. Douglas Macdougall, Chair Chris Charles Miriam Kastner Kurt Marti Jeff Severinghaus 2006 Copyright Tabitha Michele Hensley, 2006 All rights reserved ii The dissertation of Tabitha Michele Hensley is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm: _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ Chair University of California, San Diego 2006 iii To my parents, Eddy and Brenda Hensley iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page …………………………………………………………………. iii Dedication ……………………………………………………………………… iv Table of Contents ………………………………………………………………. v List of Figures ………………………………………………………………….. vii List of Tables …………………………………………………………………… viii Acknowledgements …………………………………………………………….. ix Vita, Publications and Fields of Study …………………………………………. xi Abstract ………………………………………………………………………… xiii Chapter I Introduction and Ca Isotope Background ………………………….. 1 1.1 Introduction ………………………………………………………… 1 1.2 Calcium Isotope Notation and Common Standards ………………… 3 1.3 Double Spiking
    [Show full text]
  • Geology of Hawk Canyon, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California
    GEOLOGY OF HAWK CANYON, ANZA-BORREGO DESERT STATE PARK, CALIFORNIA By Jeffrey D. Pepin Geological Sciences Department California State Polytechnic University Pomona, California 2011 Senior Thesis Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Science Geology Degree Table of Contents Abstract ...............................................................................................................................1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................2 Purpose and Objectives ....................................................................................................2 Regional Geology .............................................................................................................4 Field Site Description .......................................................................................................9 Discussion of Previous Work Done in Hawk Canyon ...................................................11 Observational Data ..........................................................................................................12 Field Techniques ............................................................................................................12 Global Positioning System (GPS) Data and Notes ........................................................14 Orientation Data by Structure ........................................................................................20 Lithology ........................................................................................................................21
    [Show full text]
  • Us Department of the Interior
    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Palynological Data from the Imperial and Palm Spring Formations, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California by R. Parley Fleming! U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 93-678 This report is preliminary and has not been reviewed for conformity with U.S. Geological Survey editorial standards (or with the North American Stratigraphic Code). Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. 1 Denver, Colorado 1993 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ...........................................................................................3 Acknowledgments ...................................................................................3 Regional Geology and Stratigraphy ................................................................3 Materials and Methods ...............................................................................4 Age Control ...........................................................................................4 Pliocene Palynology .................................................................................7 Reworked Cretaceous Pollen .......................................................................7 Implications of Reworked Pollen for Pliocene Climate ..........................................8 Conclusions ...........................................................................................9 References ...........................................................................................10
    [Show full text]
  • Right-Sljp Offset of the Eocene Ballena River Valley Across the Elsinore Fault Zone, Southern California
    http://dx.doi.org/10.7773/cm.v9i1.412 RIGHT-SLJP OFFSET OF THE EOCENE BALLENA RIVER VALLEY ACROSS THE ELSINORE FAULT ZONE, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Patrick L. Abbott Ronald P. Kies Dermis R. Kerr Department of GeologicaI Sciences San Diego State University San Diego, California 92182 U. S. A. ABSTRACT TWO small paleovalleys carved into granitic rocks of the Peninsular Ranges contain conglomerates similar to the Eocene Ballena Gravels farther west in San Diego County. These conglomerates are dominated by the distinctive, temporally restricted, Poway rhyolite clasts. The newly discovered fluvial conglomerates lie in the Vallecito Mountains east of the Elsinore fault zone. Extrapolation of the offset fluvial valley trends to the Elsinore fault suggests 37 kilometers (23 miles) of right slip. RESUMEN Dos valles pequeños paleolíticos, grabados en cuerpos graníticos de la Cor- dillera Peninsular, contienen conglomerados semejantes a las gravas de la Forma- ción Ballena del Eoceno, localizada al peste, en el Condado de San Diego. Este conglomerado es dominado por clastos riolíticos de la Formación Poway, los cuales son característicos y están temporalmente restringidos. Los conglomerados fluviales recientemente descubiertos, se encuentran en las Montanas del Vallecito, al este de la zona de la falla de Elsinore. Proyectando los rumbos de los conglome- rados fluviales y de las gravas a través de la falla de Elsinore, se observa un despla- zamiento de 37 km. (23 millas) en un sentido lateral-derecho. INTRODUCTION The Ballena Gravels (actually conglomerate ) were named by Fairbanks (1893) for a prominent, southwest-trending line of outcrops on the western flank of the batholithic Peninsular Ranges in San Diego County (figure 1).
    [Show full text]
  • Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Bibliography Compiled and Edited by Jim Dice
    Steele/Burnand Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center University of California, Irvine UCI – NATURE and UC Natural Reserve System California State Parks – Colorado Desert District Anza-Borrego Desert State Park & Anza-Borrego Foundation Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Bibliography Compiled and Edited by Jim Dice (revised 1/31/2019) A gaggle of geneticists in Borrego Palm Canyon – 1975. (L-R, Dr. Theodosius Dobzhansky, Dr. Steve Bryant, Dr. Richard Lewontin, Dr. Steve Jones, Dr. TimEDITOR’S Prout. Photo NOTE by Dr. John Moore, courtesy of Steve Jones) Editor’s Note The publications cited in this volume specifically mention and/or discuss Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, locations and/or features known to occur within the present-day boundaries of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, biological, geological, paleontological or anthropological specimens collected from localities within the present-day boundaries of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, or events that have occurred within those same boundaries. This compendium is not now, nor will it ever be complete (barring, of course, the end of the Earth or the Park). Many, many people have helped to corral the references contained herein (see below). Any errors of omission and comission are the fault of the editor – who would be grateful to have such errors and omissions pointed out! [[email protected]] ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As mentioned above, many many people have contributed to building this database of knowledge about Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. A quantum leap was taken somewhere in 2016-17 when Kevin Browne introduced me to Google Scholar – and we were off to the races. Elaine Tulving deserves a special mention for her assistance in dealing with formatting issues, keeping printers working, filing hard copies, ignoring occasional foul language – occasionally falling prey to it herself, and occasionally livening things up with an exclamation of “oh come on now, you just made that word up!” Bob Theriault assisted in many ways and now has a lifetime job, if he wants it, entering these references into Zotero.
    [Show full text]
  • Salton Sea Hydrological Modeling and Results
    TECHNICAL REPORT Salton Sea Hydrological Modeling and Results Prepared for Imperial Irrigation District October 2018 CH2M HILL 402 W. Broadway, Suite 1450 San Diego, CA 92101 Contents Section Page 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1-1 2 Description of Study Area .................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1 Background ...................................................................................................................... 2-1 2.2 Salton Sea Watershed ...................................................................................................... 2-2 3 SALSA2 Model Description .................................................................................................. 3-1 3.1.1 Time Step ............................................................................................................ 3-2 3.2 Air Quality Mitigation and Habitat Components Incorporated into SALSA2 ................... 3-2 3.3 Simulations of Water and Salt Balance ............................................................................ 3-4 3.3.1 Inflows ................................................................................................................. 3-4 3.3.2 Consumptive Use Demands and Deliveries ........................................................ 3-4 3.3.3 Salton Sea Evaporation ......................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Southern Exposures
    Searching for the Pliocene: Southern Exposures Robert E. Reynolds, editor California State University Desert Studies Center The 2012 Desert Research Symposium April 2012 Table of contents Searching for the Pliocene: Field trip guide to the southern exposures Field trip day 1 ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 5 Robert E. Reynolds, editor Field trip day 2 �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 19 George T. Jefferson, David Lynch, L. K. Murray, and R. E. Reynolds Basin thickness variations at the junction of the Eastern California Shear Zone and the San Bernardino Mountains, California: how thick could the Pliocene section be? ��������������������������������������������������������������� 31 Victoria Langenheim, Tammy L. Surko, Phillip A. Armstrong, Jonathan C. Matti The morphology and anatomy of a Miocene long-runout landslide, Old Dad Mountain, California: implications for rock avalanche mechanics �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 38 Kim M. Bishop The discovery of the California Blue Mine ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 44 Rick Kennedy Geomorphic evolution of the Morongo Valley, California ���������������������������������������������������������������������������� 45 Frank Jordan, Jr. New records
    [Show full text]
  • Baboquivari Peak Wilderness and Coyote Mountains Wilderness Wilderness Management Plan Environmental Assessment and Decision Record
    Baboquivari Peak Wilderness and Coyote Mountains Wilderness Wilderness Management Plan Environmental Assessment and Decision Record October 2012 Drawing by: Carlos Ponce The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is responsible for the balanced management of the public lands and resources and their various values so that they are considered in a combination that will best serve the needs of the American people. Management is based upon the principles of multiple use and sustained yield, a combination of uses that takes into account the long-term needs of future generations for renewable and nonrenewable resources. These resources include recreation, range, timber, minerals, watershed, fish and wildlife, wilderness and natural, scenic, scientific and cultural values. Cover Photo: A view of Baboquivari Peak Wilderness. All photographs in this document were taken within the Baboquivari Peak Wilderness and Coyote Mountains Wilderness. Final Baboquivari Peak Wilderness and Coyote Mountains Wilderness Wilderness Management Plan, Environmental Assessment, and Decision Record U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Pima County, Arizona Environmental Assessment No. AZ-420-2008-047 October 2012 Table of Contents Plan Summary.................................................................................................................................................... 6 Part I – Introduction.......................................................................................................................................... 8 Baboquivari
    [Show full text]
  • The Early Utilization and the Distribution of Agave in The
    University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository UNM Bulletins Scholarly Communication - Departments 1938 The ae rly utilization and the distribution of agave in the American southwest Edward Franklin Castetter Willis Harvey Bell Alvin Russell Grove Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/unm_bulletin Recommended Citation Castetter, Edward Franklin; Willis Harvey Bell; and Alvin Russell Grove. "The ae rly utilization and the distribution of agave in the American southwest." University of New Mexico biological series, v. 5, no. 4, University of New Mexico bulletin, whole no. 335, Ethnobiological studies in the American Southwest, 6 5, 4 (1938). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/unm_bulletin/31 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Scholarly Communication - Departments at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in UNM Bulletins by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. hlliig4 The University olNewMexico Bulletin 1 Ethnobiolbgical Studies in the American SouthweSt VI. \The Early Utilization and the Diftribution ofAgave in the American Southweft EDWARD F. CASTETTER, WILLIS H. BELL and ALVIN R. GROVE • .~ ~ r v~r4..f.2.,,",,~- A , ,-' "W'/ I))j j'A1' WJl\( ;JJ;,£~/:(Jcu~~/ HI" I' ~~fi!:~~e . M>rX~;;fre~ UNIVERSITY OF NEW ...//f ':iT' 1938 . Price 50 cents .':.W\~) e.s<:-f1} Qr~: rvJrl The University of New Mexico Vl5 . ,r Bulletin ~('J I 'j"' Ethnobiological Studies In the American Southwest VI. The Early Uttlization and the Distribution ofAgave in the American Southrzvest By EDWARD F. CASTETTER WILLIS H. BELL ALVIN R. GROVE THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO BULLETIN Whole Number 335 December 1, 1938 Biological Series, Vol.
    [Show full text]
  • Genetic Origins and Population Status of Desert Tortoises in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California: Initial Steps Towards Population Monitoring
    G ENETIC ORIGINS AND POPULATION STATUS OF DESERT TORTOISES IN A NZA-BORREGO DESERT STATE PARK, CALIFORNIA: INITIAL STEPS TOWARDS POPULATION MONITORING Jeffrey A. Manning, Ph.D. Environmental Scientist California Department of Parks and Recreation Colorado Desert District 200 Palm Canyon Drive Borrego Springs, California 92004 November 2018 Manning, J.A. 2018. Genetic origins and population status of desert tortoises in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California: initial steps towards population monitoring. California Department of Parks and Recreation, Colorado Desert District, Borrego Springs, California. 89 pages. i Genetic Origins and Population Status of Desert Tortoises in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California: Initial Steps Towards Population Monitoring Final Report Jeffrey A. Manning, Ph.D., Author / Principle Investigator California Department of Parks and Recreation Colorado Desert District 200 Palm Canyon Drive Borrego Springs, California 92004 November 2018 Manning, J.A. 201 8. Genetic origins and population status of desert tortoises in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California: initial steps towards population monitoring. California Department of Parks and Recreation, Colorado Desert District, Borrego Springs, California. 89 pages. i FOREWORD The Desert tortoise (Gopherus sp.) was formally reported to science in 1861, and became the official California state reptile in 1972. Recent studies reveal three species, the Mojave desert tortoise (G. agassizii), Sonoran Desert tortoise (G. morafkai), and Sinaloan desert tortoise (G. evgoodei) (Murphy et al. 2011, Edwards et al. 2016; Figure 1). Range-wide declines in the Mojave desert tortoise population led California to prohibit the collection of this species in 1961. Despite this, it was emergency listed as federally endangered and state listed as threatened in 1989, and subsequently listed as federally threatened in 1990 (Federal Register 55, No 63, 50 CFR Part 17).
    [Show full text]
  • The Pyramidellidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from the Miocene Cantaure Formation of Venezuela
    Cainozoic Research, 15(1-2), pp. 13-54, October 2015 13 The Pyramidellidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from the Miocene Cantaure Formation of Venezuela Bernard M. Landau1, 3 & Patrick I. LaFollette2 1 Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9517, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands; Instituto Dom Luiz da Universi- dade de Lisboa, Portugal and International Health Centres, Av. Infante de Henrique 7, Areias São João, P-8200-261 Albufeira, Portugal; [email protected] 2 Research Associate, Malacology Department, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Boul- evard, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.; [email protected] 3 corresponding author Received 18 June 2015, revised version accepted 15 July 2015 The Pyramidellidae Gray, 1840 present in the upper Burdigalian-lower Langhian, Lower-Middle Miocene, Cantaure Formation assemblage of Venezuela is described and discussed. Twenty-one species are recognised: 13 are described as new: Brachystomia cantaurana nov. sp., Goniodostomia bicarinata nov. sp., Iolaea miocenica nov. sp., Chrysallida cantaurana nov. sp., Kleinella pumila nov. sp., Parthenina martae nov. sp., Ividella guppyi nov. sp., Chemnitzia macsotayi nov. sp., Turbonilla paraguanensis nov. sp., Pyrgiscus caribbaeus nov. sp., Pyrgiscus silvai nov. sp., Eulimella dianeae nov. sp. and Iselica belliata nov. sp., three are left in open nomenclature. The state of knowledge of tropical American Neogene pyramidellids is rudimentary, but the assemblage is fairly typical at generic level to that of the tropical American Neogene today, with some species suggesting closer affinities with tropical American Pacific taxa. KEY WORDS: Pyramidellidae, Miocene, Cantaure, Venezuela, new species. Introduction Pyramidellidae. Of these projects, only Bartsch’s 1955 ‘The pyramidellid mollusks of the Pliocene deposits of Despite the enormous amount of research done by the North St.
    [Show full text]
  • Soleglad, Fet & Lowe: Hadrurus “Spadix” Subgroup 17
    Soleglad, Fet & Lowe: Hadrurus “spadix” Subgroup 17 Figures 31–33 Comparisons of Hadrurus obscurus and H. spadix, metasomal segments II–III, ventral view, showing diagnostic setation located between the ventromedian (VM) carinae. 31. H. obscurus, male (pale phenotype, segment II length = 8.44 mm, segment III length = 9.26 mm), Bird Spring Canyon Road, Kern Co., California, USA. 32. H. obscurus, female (dark phenotype, segment II length = 5.02 mm, segment III length = 5.70 mm), Bird Spring Canyon Road, Kern Co., California, USA. 33. H. spadix, female (segment II length = 7.87 mm, segment III length = 8.36 mm), Apex Mine in Curly Hollow Wash, Washington Co., Utah, USA. 19). However, to support our suspicion, we have ex- As stated above the positions and numbers of chelal amined two H. obscurus specimens collected from the internal trichobothria are essentially identical in Ha- same locality where one has a carapace pattern of H. drurus obscurus and H. spadix, while both numbers and spadix and the other a pattern typical of H. obscurus (see positions differ in H. anzaborrego (see Fig. 19). H. Fig. 20 for color closeup images of these carapaces, and anzaborrego has three internal accessory trichobothria Figs. 9–10 for overall comparison with “arizonensis” whereas the other two species have two. Statistics group species). Based on these data, we suggest here that involving over 250 samples show that these numerical these carapacial pattern differences are analogous to differences are observed in over 87 % of the specimens those exhibited by the dark and pale phenotypes of H. examined (Fig.
    [Show full text]