DOCSLIB.ORG

Miocene Stratigraphy and Paleoenvironments of the Calvert Cliffs, Maryland

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Miocene Stratigraphy and Paleoenvironments of the Calvert Cliffs, Maryland Downloaded from fieldguides.gsapubs.org on October 16, 2015 OLD G The Geological Society of America Field Guide 40 2015 OPEN ACCESS Miocene stratigraphy and paleoenvironments of the Calvert Cliffs, Maryland Susan M. Kidwell Department of Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, 5734 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA David S. Powars Lucy E. Edwards 926A National Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia 20192, USA Peter R. Vogt Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA ABSTRACT Miocene strata exposed in the Calvert Cliffs, along the western shore of the Ches- apeake Bay, Maryland, have a long history of study owing to their rich fossil record, including a series of spectacular shell and bone beds. Owing to increasingly refi ned biostratigraphic age control, these outcrops continue to serve as important references for geological and paleontological analyses. The canonical Calvert, Choptank, and St. Marys Formations, fi rst described by Shattuck (1904), are generally interpreted as shallowing-up, from a fully marine open shelf to a variety of marginal marine, coastal environments. More detailed paleoenvironmental interpretation is challeng- ing, however, owing to pervasive bioturbation, which largely obliterates diagnostic physical sedimentary structures and mixes grain populations; most lithologic con- tacts, including regional unconformities, are burrowed fi rmgrounds at the scale of a single outcrop. This fi eld trip will visit a series of classic localities in the Calvert Cliffs to discuss the use of sedimentologic, ichnologic, taphonomic, and faunal evidence to infer environments under these challenging conditions, which are common to Creta- ceous and Cenozoic strata throughout the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plains. We will examine all of Shattuck’s (1904) original lithologic “zones” within the Plum Point Member of the Calvert Formation, the Choptank Formation, and the Little Cove Point Member of the St. Marys Formation, as well as view the channelized “upland gravels” that are probably the estuarine and fl uvial equivalents of the marine upper Miocene Eastover Formation in Virginia. The physical stratigraphic discussion will focus on the most controversial intervals within the succession, namely the uncon- formities that defi ne the bases of the Choptank and St. Marys Formations, where misunderstanding would mislead historical analysis. Kidwell, S.M., Powars, D.S., Edwards, L.E., and Vogt, P.R., 2015, Miocene stratigraphy and paleoenvironments of the Calvert Cliffs, Maryland, in Brezinski, D.K., Halka, J.P., and Ortt, R.A., Jr., eds., Tripping from the Fall Line: Field Excursions for the GSA Annual Meeting, Baltimore, 2015: Geological Society of America Field Guide 40, p. 231–279, doi:10.1130/2015.0040(08). For permission to copy, contact [email protected]. © 2015 The Geological Society of America. All rights reserved. Gold Open Access: This chapter is published under the terms of the CC-BY license and is available open access on www.gsapubs.org. 231 Downloaded from fieldguides.gsapubs.org on October 16, 2015 232 Kidwell et al. INTRODUCTION analysis since the late nineteenth century (Darton, 1891; Har- ris, 1893; Shattuck, 1904). This attention owes largely to their The Calvert Cliffs are a relatively continuous series of natu- abundant and diverse shallow-marine faunas, especially mol- ral, 25–35 m- (80–120 foot-) high outcrops along the western lusks and vertebrates, which are concentrated in a series of spec- shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Calvert County, Maryland (Fig. tacular shell and bone beds within otherwise fi ne-grained and 1). The Miocene strata exposed in these cliffs—the canonical unlithifi ed siliciclastic sediments (Fig. 2). These resources have Calvert, Choptank, and St. Marys Formations (Shattuck, 1902, made these formations targets for testing general evolutionary 1904)—have been the focus of paleontologic and stratigraphic and paleoecological principles (e.g., Kelley, 1983, 1988; Dietl et Figure 1. Location of fi eld-trip stops in the Calvert Cliffs, along the Chesapeake Bay shoreline of Calvert County, Mary- land. Map adapted from Vokes (1957 [1968]). Downloaded from fieldguides.gsapubs.org on October 16, 2015 Miocene stratigraphy and paleoenvironments of the Calvert Cliffs, Maryland 233 Formation Member Surface Lithology Shattuck EC DiatomDinocyst Subseries Zone estuarine facies of post-St. Marys ? Eastover (?) Fm. pSM strata Windmill SHATTUCK 24 DN9 Point “WP-0” ~8.7 Ma DN8 upper none Little Cove SHATTUCK St. Marys St. Point SM-2 22-23 Figure 2. Generalized stratigraphic col- DN8 umn for Miocene strata in Maryland, STOP 9 SM-1 upper Miocene lower showing the increment exposed at each fi eld stop in the Calvert Cliffs. Shattuck- SM-0 SHATTUCK 21 Zones are informal lithologic units with Conoy distinct faunal content established by SHATTUCK 20 VII DN7 STOP 8 Shattuck (1904) and are still a practical Boston 11.6 Ma SHATTUCK 19 basis for sampling. Current defi nitions Cliffs STOP 7 CT-1 of formations are very similar to those of Shattuck (1904), member names as St. Leonard SHATTUCK 18 VI DN6 Choptank explained in the text; the informal “Gov- Drumcliff SHATTUCK 17 ernor Run” sand is an incised valley fi ll STOP 6 “Governor Run” CT-0 SHATTUCK 16B comprising the yellow-weathering up- SHATTUCK 16A dip sand within Shattuck’s original Zone 16 (herein, denoted as Shattuck-Zone DN5b SHATTUCK 15 V 16B) but not the blue-gray interbedded silty sand and clay that he recognized PP-3 SHATTUCK 14 downdip (herein, 16A), which Gernant (1970) erected as the Calvert Beach middle Miocene SHATTUCK 13 DN5a Member for outcrops there. Surfaces STOP 5 in Calvert Cliffs exposed strata are regionally signifi cant disconformi- ties, numbered successively within host STOP 4 Plum Point PP-2 SHATTUCK 12 STOP 3 lithostratigraphic units, starting with III-IV 0 to denote the basal unconformity SHATTUCK 11 III STOP 2 DN4 (FH—Fairhaven, Kidwell et al., 2015; PP—Plum Point, Kidwell, 1984; CT— SHATTUCK 10 PP-1 16.0 Ma Choptank, Kidwell, 1984; SM—St. SHATTUCK 9 Marys, Kidwell, 1997; pSM—post– SHATTUCK 8 St. Marys, Kidwell, 1997; “ WP-0”— Calvert SHATTUCK 7 inferred for base of Windmill Point SHATTUCK 6 Member, Kidwell et al., 2012). East SHATTUCK 5 Coast (EC) Diatom Zones are those of PP-0 SHATTUCK 4 Andrews (1978) and Abbott (1978). STOP 1 DN3 Dinocyst zones of de Verteuil and Nor- II ris (1996), refi ned by new samples and calibrated to the GTS-2012 (Grad- SHATTUCK 3B stein and Ogg, 2012) by Kidwell et al. (2012). Chart adapted from Kidwell et lower Miocene lower al. (2012). Fairhaven 10 m FH-3 not recognized DN2b,c “FH-2” none SHATTUCK 3A I SHATTUCK 2 DN2a FH-1 SHATTUCK 1 FH-0 none 23.0 Ma Nanjemoy Formation (part) EXPLANATION dense shell in sand+gravel fine sand diatomaceous bedded sandy mud muddy sand deposits mud+sand Downloaded from fieldguides.gsapubs.org on October 16, 2015 234 Kidwell et al. al., 2002; Buzas and Hayek, 2005; Grey et al., 2006), as well as fraction of the original skeletal input is likely to have survived, but for building systematic and phylogenetic understanding of major taphonomic analysis indicates that most skeletal assemblages are animal groups. Strata are also rich in biostratigraphically valu- time-averaged accumulations, refl ecting the mixing of many suc- able microfossils, most particularly diatoms and dinofl agellates cessive generations in the seabed before permanent burial (for inter- (Abbott, 1978; Andrews, 1978; de Verteuil and Norris, 1996). pretation of shell and bone beds, see Kidwell, 1991; Brett, 1995; These refi ned zonations make the Calvert Cliffs critical reference Rogers and Kidwell, 2007). Owing to bioturbation, the mixed-grain material for both the Salisbury embayment and broader Balti- populations of the siliciclastic matrix must also be viewed as time- more Canyon trough, and also support analyses of general rela- averaged records of grain supply and water energy. tionships between climate and sea-level change and the tectonic These gross lithologic features—largely massive, burrow- and geomorphic evolution of the Atlantic margin (e.g., Pazzaglia, mottled sediments, having mixed grain sizes and more or less 1993; Miller and Sugarman, 1995; Browning et al., 2006; Miller abundantly preserved skeletal remains—imply that each bed is et al., 2013). The cliffs have consequently been a perennial desti- a historically complex entity, and place a premium on paleoeco- nation for professional, student, and amateur fi eld trips. The most logical inference from trace and body fossils, including tapho- widely available fi eld guides, with measured sections for indi- nomic insights from modes of fossil preservation and concen- vidual localities, include Glaser (1968), Gernant (1970), Gernant tration. These challenging conditions are common in Cretaceous et al. (1971), Blackwelder and Ward (1976), Ward and Powars to Cenozoic marine strata throughout the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf (1989, 2004), Ward (1992), and Ward and Andrews (2008). Coastal Plains. The Miocene section in Maryland is widely accepted as a Here, we focus on the present state of understanding of shallowing-upward succession, from fully marine, open shelf to paleoenvironments in the Calvert Cliffs succession, reviewing the freshwater-infl uenced tidal coastal settings, based largely on fos- stratigraphy as a context for environmental history. We include sil content. It also includes signals of relatively high productivity, sedimentologic, ichnologic, taphonomic, and molluscan paleo- such as diatomaceous sediments (especially in the Calvert Forma- ecological evidence. For consistency with previous stratigraphic tion) and relatively large-bodied mollusks and vertebrates, espe- publications, and because molluscan paleoecological inference cially whales and sharks. However, two basic conditions chal- relies on functional groups (life habits and feeding modes) that lenge paleoenvironmental interpretation at the next level of detail. are generally conserved within families, we retain the classic tax- (1) Physical sedimentary structures are extremely rare. Most onomy of Clark et al. (1904). For updated molluscan systematics, beds are massive, either homogeneous or burrow-mottled.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • DGS OFR46.Qxd
    State of Delaware DELAWARE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY John H. Talley, State Geologist REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS NO. 75 STRATIGRAPHY AND CORRELATION OF THE OLIGOCENE TO PLEISTOCENE SECTION AT BETHANY BEACH, DELAWARE by Peter P. McLaughlin1, Kenneth G. Miller2, James V. Browning2, Kelvin W. Ramsey1 Richard N. Benson1, Jaime L. Tomlinson1, and Peter J. Sugarman3 University of Delaware Newark, Delaware 1 Delaware Geological Survey 2008 2 Rutgers University 3 New Jersey Geological Survey State of Delaware DELAWARE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY John H. Talley, State Geologist REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS NO. 75 STRATIGRAPHY AND CORRELATION OF THE OLIGIOCENE TO PLEISTOCENE SECTION AT BETHANY BEACH, DELAWARE by Peter P. McLaughlin1, Kenneth G. Miller2, James V. Browning2, Kelvin W. Ramsey1, Richard N. Benson,1 Jaime L. Tomlinson,1 and Peter J. Sugarman3 University of Delaware Newark, Delaware 2008 1Delaware Geological Survey 2Rutgers University 3New Jersey Geological Survey Use of trade, product, or firm names in this report is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the Delaware Geological Survey. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACTG........................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTIONG................................................................................................................... 1 Previous WorkG.......................................................................................................... 2 AcknowledgmentsG.....................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology • Number 90
    SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO PALEOBIOLOGY • NUMBER 90 Geology and Paleontology of the Lee Creek Mine, North Carolina, III Clayton E. Ray and David J. Bohaska EDITORS ISSUED MAY 112001 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION Smithsonian Institution Press Washington, D.C. 2001 ABSTRACT Ray, Clayton E., and David J. Bohaska, editors. Geology and Paleontology of the Lee Creek Mine, North Carolina, III. Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology, number 90, 365 pages, 127 figures, 45 plates, 32 tables, 2001.—This volume on the geology and paleontology of the Lee Creek Mine is the third of four to be dedicated to the late Remington Kellogg. It includes a prodromus and six papers on nonmammalian vertebrate paleontology. The prodromus con­ tinues the historical theme of the introductions to volumes I and II, reviewing and resuscitat­ ing additional early reports of Atlantic Coastal Plain fossils. Harry L. Fierstine identifies five species of the billfish family Istiophoridae from some 500 bones collected in the Yorktown Formation. These include the only record of Makairapurdyi Fierstine, the first fossil record of the genus Tetrapturus, specifically T. albidus Poey, the second fossil record of Istiophorus platypterus (Shaw and Nodder) and Makaira indica (Cuvier), and the first fossil record of/. platypterus, M. indica, M. nigricans Lacepede, and T. albidus from fossil deposits bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Robert W. Purdy and five coauthors identify 104 taxa from 52 families of cartilaginous and bony fishes from the Pungo River and Yorktown formations. The 10 teleosts and 44 selachians from the Pungo River Formation indicate correlation with the Burdigalian and Langhian stages. The 37 cartilaginous and 40 bony fishes, mostly from the Sunken Meadow member of the Yorktown Formation, are compatible with assignment to the early Pliocene planktonic foraminiferal zones N18 or N19.
    [Show full text]
  • Università Di Pisa
    UNIVERSITÀ DI PISA Dottorato di ricerca in scienze della terra XIX Ciclo DISSERTAZIONE FINALE ANALISI SISTEMATICA, PALEOECOLOGICA E PALEOBIOGEOGRAFICA DELLA SELACIOFAUNA PLIO-PLEISTOCENICA DEL MEDITERRANEO Candidato Presidente della Scuola di Dottorato Stefano MARSILI Prof. Paolo Roberto FEDERICI Tutore Prof. Walter LANDINI Dipartimento di scienze della terra 2006 Indice INDICE ABSTRACT CAPITOLO 1 – INTRODUZIONE 1.1. Premessa. 1 1.2. Il Mediterraneo e l’attuale diversità del popolamento a squali. 4 CAPITOLO 2 – MATERIALI E METODI 7 CAPITOLO 3 – INQUADRAMENTO GEOLGICO E STRATIGRAFICO 3.1. Premessa. 15 3.2. Inquadramento geologico e stratigrafico delle sezioni campionate. 16 3.2.1. Le sezioni plioceniche della Romagna. 16 3.2.1.1. Sezione Rio Merli. 17 3.2.1.2. Sezione Rio dei Ronchi. 17 3.2.1.3. Sezione Rio Co di Sasso. 18 3.2.1.4. Sezione Rio Cugno. 19 3.2.2. Le sezioni pleistoceniche dell’Italia Meridionale. 19 3.2.2.1. La sezione di Fiumefreddo. 20 3.2.2.2. La sezione di Grammichele. 22 3.2.2.3. La sezione di Vallone Catrica. 23 3.2.2.4. La sezione di Archi. 23 3.3. Inquadramento geologico e stratigrafico dei bacini centrali del Tora-Fine, di Volterra e di Siena: premessa. 24 3.3.1. Bacino del Tora-Fine. 26 3.3.2. Bacino di Siena-Radicofani. 27 3.3.3. Bacino di Volterra. 29 3.4. Inquadramento geologico e stratigrafico delle principali località storiche. 30 3.4.1. Emilia Romagna. 30 3.4.2. Piemonte. 32 3.4.3. Liguria. 32 3.4.4. Basilicata.
    [Show full text]
  • Description of the Choptane Quadrangle
    DESCRIPTION OF THE CHOPTANE QUADRANGLE. By Benjamin Leroy Miller. INTRODUCTION. ment of water power, are located such important towns and dip. The oldest strata dip 50 to 60 feet to the mile in some cities as Trenton, Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore, Wash­ places, but the succeeding beds are progressively less steeply LOCATION AND AREA. ington, Fredericksburg, Richmond, Petersburg, Raleigh, Cam- inclined and in the youngest deposits a dip of more than a few The Choptank quadrangle lies between parallels 38° 30' and den, Columbia, Augusta, Macon, and Columbus. A line drawn feet to the mile is uncommon. 39° north latitude and meridians 76° and 76° 30' west through these places would approximately separate the Coastal longitude. It includes one-fourth of a square degree of the Plain from the Piedmont Plateau. TOPOGRAPHY. earth's surface and contains 931.51 square miles. From north The Coastal Plain is divided by the present shore line into RELIEF. to south it measures 34.5 miles and from east to west its mean two parts a submerged portion, known as the continental INTRODUCTION. width is 27 miles, as it is 27.1 miles wide along the southern shelf or continental platform, and a,n emerged portion, com­ and 26.9 miles along the northern border. monly called the Coastal Plain. In some places the line sepa­ The altitude of the land in the Choptank quadrangle ranges rating the two parts is marked by a sea cliff of moderate from sea level to 120 feet above. The highest point lies about 77 height, but commonly they grade into each other with scarcely 2 miles south of Annapolis on the western margin of the quad­ perceptible change and the only mark of separation is the shore rangle.
    [Show full text]
  • T Mare Imdurl with Eitkrtlx CMM Ortlx Fossil Club?
    • News from the CMM Paleontology Department • Paleo Training at the Smithsonian --... Spring Field Trips (including Lee Creek) • Article· Fossil Shark Teeth on Postage Stamps • Minutes of December meeting The Newsletter of Calvert Marine Museum Fossil Club Volume 17 • Numl:er 1 Febmary 2001 W1n'P Nurnkr 54 UIhtt areyou wing tn do tn g::t mare imdurl with eitkrtlx CMM ortlx Fossil Club? Keith Matlack, all that remained of this help behind the tables, answering questions, partial skull was recovered. showing the local fossils, and basically, be Jean Hooper has donated a recently entertaining! If you can help for even 1-2 discovered partial baleen whale skull from hours either day, contact Mike at 301-424• Little Cove Point Member of the St. Mary's 2602. If you come to help with the club's Formation. In light of the fact that cetacean booth, you get into the show for free (what remains are rare within this formation, this a deal!). specimen may well prove to be important indeed. With her usual humility, she hauled the bulky fossil into my office claiming that she would rather filld petrified wood than trip over whale skulls! If only I were so , unlucky! One of our long time members, Wally Ashby, of Scientists' ChiTs has written an FROM THE CURATOR Stephen Godfrey interesting article on Fossil Shark Teeth on Postage Stamps that is attached to this I am pleased to announce that Mr. Upcoming Events newsletter. Wally had written an earlier Scott Werts is the new Assistant to the article on Fossils on Postage Stamps a fe\\' Curator of Paleontology here at the Calvert Note! CMMFC Dues were due at the fIrst years back and it is great to see he is still Marine Museum.
    [Show full text]
  • Stratigraphic Revision of Upper Miocene and Lower Pliocene Beds of the Chesapeake Group, Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain
    Stratigraphic Revision of Upper Miocene and Lower Pliocene Beds of the Chesapeake Group, Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1482-D Stratigraphic Revision of Upper Miocene and Lower Pliocene Beds of the Chesapeake Group, Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain By LAUCK W. WARD and BLAKE W. BLACKWELDER CONTRIBUTIONS TO STRATIGRAPHY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1482-D UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON: 198.0 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR CECIL D. ANDRUS, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY H. William Menard Director Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Ward, Lauck W Stratigraphic revision of upper Miocene and lower Pliocene beds of the Chesapeake group-middle Atlantic Coastal Plain. (Contributions to stratigraphy) (Geological Survey bulletin ; 1482-D) Bibliography: p. Supt. of Docs. no. : I 19.3:1482-D 1. Geology, Stratigraphic-Miocene. 2. Geology, Stratigraphic-Pliocene. 3. Geology- Middle Atlantic States. I. Blackwelder, Blake W., joint author. II. Title. III. Series. IV. Series: United States. Geological Survey. Bulletin ; 1482-D. QE694.W37 551.7'87'0975 80-607052 For sale by Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 CONTENTS Page Abstract __ Dl Introduction 1 Acknowledgments ____________________________ 4 Discussion ____________________________________ 4 Chronology of depositional events ______________________ 7 Miocene Series _________________________________ g Eastover Formation ___________________________ 8 Definition and description ___________________
    [Show full text]
  • Evolutionary Paleoecology of the Maryland Miocene
    The Geology and Paleontology of Calvert Cliffs Calvert Formation, Calvert Cliffs, South of Plum Point, Maryland. Photo by S. Godfrey © CMM A Symposium to Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Calvert Marine Museum’s Fossil Club Program and Abstracts November 11, 2006 The Ecphora Miscellaneous Publications 1, 2006 2 Program Saturday, November 11, 2006 Presentation and Event Schedule 8:00-10:00 Registration/Museum Lobby 8:30-10:00 Coffee/Museum Lobby Galleries Open Presentation Uploading 8:30-10:00 Poster Session Set-up in Paleontology Gallery Posters will be up all day. 10:00-10:05 Doug Alves, Director, Calvert Marine Museum Welcome 10:05-10:10 Bruce Hargreaves, President of the CMMFC Welcome Induct Kathy Young as CMMFC Life Member 10:10-10:30 Peter Vogt & R. Eshelman Significance of Calvert Cliffs 10:30-11:00 Susan Kidwell Geology of Calvert Cliffs 11:00-11-15 Patricia Kelley Gastropod Predator-Prey Evolution 11:15-11-30 Coffee/Juice Break 11:30-11:45 Lauck Ward Mollusks 11:45-12:00 Bretton Kent Sharks 12:00-12:15 Michael Gottfried & L. Compagno C. carcharias and C. megalodon 12:15-12:30 Anna Jerve Lamnid Sharks 12:30-2:00 Lunch Break Afternoon Power Point Presentation Uploading 2:00-2:15 Roger Wood Turtles 2:15-2:30 Robert Weems Crocodiles 2:30-2:45 Storrs Olson Birds 2:45-3:00 Michael Habib Morphology of Pelagornis 3:00-3:15 Ralph Eshelman, B. Beatty & D. Domning Terrestrial Vertebrates 3:15-3:30 Coffee/Juice Break 3:30-3:45 Irina Koretsky Seals 3:45-4:00 Daryl Domning Sea Cows 4:00-4:15 Jennifer Gerholdt & S.
    [Show full text]
  • A Field Guide to the Fossils of Scientists' Cliffs
    A Field Guide to the Fossils of Scientists’ Cliffs A brief introduction to the geological history of the area, with descriptions of the common (and not so common) fossils found here. July 2004 Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................................ 0 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................... 3 1.1 BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 OBJECTIVES ...................................................................................................................................................... 4 1.3 SCOPE .............................................................................................................................................................. 4 1.5 APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS ................................................................................................................................. 5 1.6 DOCUMENT ORGANIZATION ............................................................................................................................... 5 2. GEOLOGY .............................................................................................................................................................. 7 2.1 NAMING ROCK/SOIL UNITS ...............................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Geology and Vertebrate Paleontology of Calvert Cliffs, Maryland, USA
    Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press smithsonian contributions to paleobiology • number 100 Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press The Geology and Vertebrate Paleontology of Calvert Cliffs, Maryland, USA Edited by Stephen J. Godfrey SERIES PUBLICATIONS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION Emphasis upon publication as a means of “diffusing knowledge” was expressed by the first Secretary of the Smithsonian. In his formal plan for the Institution, Joseph Henry outlined a program that included the follow- ing statement: “It is proposed to publish a series of reports, giving an account of the new discoveries in science, and of the changes made from year to year in all branches of knowledge.” This theme of basic research has been adhered to through the years by thousands of titles issued in series publications under the Smithsonian imprint, commencing with Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge in 1848 and continuing with the follow- ing active series: Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology Smithsonian Contributions to Botany Smithsonian Contributions to History and Technology Smithsonian Contributions to the Marine Sciences Smithsonian Contributions to Museum Conservation Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology In these series, the Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press (SISP) publishes small papers and full-scale mono- graphs that report on research and collections of the Institution’s museums and research centers. The Smith- sonian Contributions Series are distributed via exchange mailing lists to libraries, universities, and similar institutions throughout the world. Manuscripts intended for publication in the Contributions Series undergo substantive peer review and eval- uation by SISP’s Editorial Board, as well as evaluation by SISP for compliance with manuscript preparation guidelines (available at www.scholarlypress.si.edu).
    [Show full text]
  • North American Geology, Paleontology, Petrology, and Mineralogy
    Bulletin No. 271 Series G, Miscellaneous, 29 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CHARLES D. WALCOTT, DiKECTOR BIBLIOGRAPHY AND INDEX OF NORTH AMERICAN GEOLOGY, PALEONTOLOGY, PETROLOGY, AND MINERALOGY FOR THE YE.AR 19O4 BY FIRED BOTJGKHITOIISr WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1905 CONTENTS, Page Letter of transmittal...................................................... 5 Introduction..................'........................................... 7 List of publications examined ............................................. 9 Bibliography..................................... ........................ 15 Classified key to the index................................................ 135 Index................................................................... 143 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, Washington, J). <7., June 7, 1905. SIR: I transmit here with the manuscript of a bibliography and index of North American geology, paleontology, petrology, and mineralogy for the year 1904, and request that it be published as a bulletin of the Survey. Very respectfully, F. B. WEEKS. Hon. CHARLES D. WALCOTT, Director United States Geological Survey. 5 BIBLIOGRAPHY AND INDEX OF NORTH AMERICAN GEOLOGY, PALEONTOLOGY, PETROLOGY, AND MINERALOGY FOR THE YEAR 1904. By FRED BOUGIITON WEEKS. INTRODUCTION. The arrangement of the material of the Bibliography and Index for 1903 is similar to that adopted for the preceding annual bibliographies. Bulletins Nos. 130, 135, 146,149, 156, 162, 172
    [Show full text]
  • Quarterly Newsletter of the Calvert Marine Museum Fossil Club
    QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF THE CALVERT MARINE MUSEUM FOSSIL CLUB Volume 3, Number 1 Whole Number 7 Editor: Sandy Roberts Winter 1987 NEW FOSSIL PREPARATION LABORATORY AT CALVERT MARINE MUSEUM A new laboratory for the preparation of fossils has been set up in the former woodworking shop at the Calvert Marine Museum. The dis• placed carpenters, woodcarvers and modelmakers continue to ply their skills in a new building behind the museum. Large glass windows allow visitors to view a nearly complete skeleton of the rare porpoise Hadrodelphis, five additional porpoise skulls, two cetothere (baleen whale) skulls and the partially reassembled carapace of the leather• back turtle Psephophorus. The turtle, on loan from the Smithsonian, is estimated to be over six feet in length and may well be the largest fossil marine turtle ever taken from the Chesapeake formations. On weekends during the month of January Intern student Erik Vogt worked in the laboratory. Erik, a Freshman at Oberlin College, gained experience and course credits for cleaning and restoring the ribs of a sea cow found at Pope's Creek and the skull of a Eurhinodelphis from Parker Creek. CLUB ACTIVITIES Delaware Valley Fossil Club visit On Saturday and Sunday, October 25 and 26, the CW1 fossil club served as host to the Delaware Valley fossil club for several local field trips. After meeting Saturday morning at Matoaka Cottages and hunting there for awhile, both groups went to Chancellor's Point in the afternoon and then to a talk by shark expert Eugenie Clark at Jefferson Patterson park that evening. On Sunday, the more intrepid hunters braved mud and dampness to search at the Camp Roosevelt site.
    [Show full text]
  • Stratigraphic Modeling for Concealed Phosphate Deposits in Virginia's
    Stratigraphic Modeling for Concealed Phosphate Deposits in Virginia’s Coastal Plain Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy Division of Geology and Mineral Resources in cooperation with United States Geological Survey Mineral Resources External Research Program COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT: G10AP00054 FINAL TECHNICAL REPORT Aaron Cross and William L. Lassetter 2011 "Research supported by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Department of the Interior, under USGS award number G10AP00054. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Government." “Opportunities for new discoveries are good, and the increasing knowledge about the origin and occurrence of phosphate deposits should aid prospecting.” V. E. McKelvey, 1967 Abstract A study to outline an exploration program for phosphates beneath Virginia’s Coastal Plain was undertaken by the Virginia Division of Geology and Mineral Resources with funding support from the U.S. Geological Survey. An in-depth literature review highlighted the importance of two primary stages in the development of phosphate deposits in the geologic setting of the mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain. During stage one, primary phosphatic material was precipitated in the early Paleogene marine environment from nutrient-rich, oxygen-poor seawater. During stage two, primary phosphate deposits were exposed to weathering, reworked, and concentrated. The model presented here, at its simplest, advocates the concept of a genesis unit, the Paleocene-Eocene Pamunkey Group, bounded on top by an unconformity, which is overlain by the host unit, the Miocene Calvert Formation, whose base contains a lag deposit of phosphatic sand and gravel.
    [Show full text]