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Genozoic Mammal Horizons of Western North America

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Genozoic Mammal Horizons of Western North America DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR 361 GENOZOIC MAMMAL HORIZONS OF WESTERN NORTH AMERICA BY HENRY FAIRFIELD OSBORN WITH FAUNAL LISTS OF THE TERTIARY MAMMALIA OF THE WEST WILLIAM D1LLER MATTHEW WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1909 CONTENTS. Page. INTRODUCTION ........................................................... 7 Formations and zones................................................. 7 Life zones........................................................ 7 Geologic formations...........................'..................... 7 '. Correlation................................................................. 8 Bibliography........................................................... 9 CHAPTER I. General geologic and climatic history of the Tertiary............ 19 The Mountain Region................................................. 19 The Plains Region..................................................... 20 Resemblances and contrasts between Mountain and Plains regions........ 21 Resemblances..................................................... 21 Contrasts.......................................................... 21 Geologic history of Mountain basin deposits of the Eocene and Oligocene. 24 Geologic history of the Great Plains deposits of the .Oligocene to lower Pleistocene.......................................................... 26 Extent............................................................ 26 History of opinion as to mode of deposition.......................... 26 Summary.......................................................... .28 CHAPTER II. Time correlation of mammal-bearing horizons................... 29 The two grand problems............................................... 29 American correlation............................................... 29 American and Eurasiatic correlation................................. 29 Methods of correlation.............'.................................... 30 Bases............................................................. 30 Sources of error.................................................... 30 Preliminary correlation of the Eocene and Oligocene Mountain deposits... 31 Preliminary correlation of the Oligocene to lower Pleistocene Mountain and Plains deposits...................i.................................. 31 CHAPTER III. Western American Cenozoic horizons......................... 33 Eocene................................................................ 33 I. First faunal phase.............................................. 33 Post-Cretaceous or basal Eocene (e"tage Thane"tien)................ 33 1. Puerco formation; Poiymastodon zone..................... 33 2. Torrejon formation; Pantolambda zone................... 34 II. Second faunal phase............................................ 35 Lower Eocene (6tages Sparnacien, Yprdsien).................... 36 3. Wasatch formation; Coryphodon zone...................... 36 3a. Wasatch of the Bighorn basin .......................... 41 III. Third faunal phase............................................ 42 Lower to middle Eocene (etages Ypr<§sien, Lut^tien infdrieur)..... 43 4. Wind River formation; Lambdotherium and Bathyopsis zones.................................................... 43 4a. Huerfano formation; Lambdotherium and ? Uintatherium zones.................................................... 48 3 91406 4 CONTENTS. CHAPTER III. Western American Cenozoic horizons Continued. ' Page. Eocene Continued. III. Third faunal phase Continued. Middle Eocene (Stages Lute"tien supe"rieur, Bartonien)........... 50 5. Bridger formation; Orohippus and Uintatherium zones..... 50 Middle to upper Eocene (<§tage Bartonien)...................... 53 Later Eocene deposits of Washakie basin; Uintatherium and Eobasileus zones......................................... 53 Upper Eocene (Stages Bartonien in part, Ludien (Ligurien) in part)........................................................ 54 7. Later Eocene deposits of Uinta basin; Uintatherium, Eobasileus, and Diplacodon zones.......................... 54 Oligocene............................................................. 57 IV. Fourth faunal phase. .^....................................\.... .57 Lower Oligocene, White River group of Hayden (etage Sannoisien [Tongrien infe"rieur])........ =................................. 60 8. Chadron formation; Titanotherium zone.................. 60 Middle Oligocene (e"tage Stampien [Tongrien sup6rieur]).......... 62 9. Lower part of Brule clay; Oreodonzone and " Metamynodon sandstones".............................................. 62 Upper Oligocene,. first phase................................... 63 10. Upper part of Bfule clay; Leptauchenia zone and "Pro- toceras sandstones"...................................... 63 Oregon Cenozoic formations................................. 64 R6sum6 of the Oregon deposits as a whole............... 64 John Day formation.................................... 64 Upper Oligocene, second phase................................. 67 11. Middle part of John Day formation; Diceratherium zone (also upper part of John Day, transitional)................ 67 Upper Oligocene, latest phase.................................. 68 12. Upper part of John Day formation; Promerycochoerus zone.. 68 Miocene.............................................................. 70 IV. Fourth faunal phase Continued ............................... 70 Lower Miocene (Stages Aquitanien, Burdigalien)................ 70 13. Arikaree formation; Promerycochoerus zone............... 70 General features......................................... 70 Westerly section....................................... 73 A. Lower division................................. 73 (a) Gering formation........................... 73 (6) Monroe Creek formation............ ....... 73 (c) Harrison formation, Hatcher................. 73 (d) Harrison formation, Agate Spring quarry.... 74 B. Upper division.................................. 74 (e) Upper part of Harrison formation........... 74 Easterly section....................................... 74 A. Lower part of Rosebud.......................... 75 B. Upper part of Rosebud.....:................... 75 V. Fifth faunal phase........ '.'.".................................... 76 Middle Miocene (Stages Helvetien, Sarmatien, Tortonien)........ 76 Faunal changes........................................... 76 14. Deep River sequence; Ticholeptus zone................. 76 Upper Miocene (e"tage Pontien).................................. 79 15. Ogalalla formation (in part); Procamelus zone........... 79 : - CONTENTS. 5 . CHAPTER III. Western American Cenozoic horizons Continued. Page. * Miocene Continued. £! V. Fifth faunal phase Continued. Last phase of Miocene of first phase 0- Pliocene (6tages Pontien, Messinien).................................................. 80 \ 16. Ogalalla formation (in part); Peraceras zone............. 80 \ 16a. Rattlesnake formation of John Day Valley, Oregon...... 81 i Pliocene............................................................... 81 ' VI. Sixth faunal phase............................................ 82 Middle Pliocene or second phase (e"tage Astien).................. 82 17. Blanco formation; Glyptotherium zone.................... 82 '* Upper Pliocene or lower Pleistocene............................ 83 18. Elephas imperator zone.................................. 83 Pleistocene............................................................ 84 \ VII. Seventh faunal phase.......................................... 84 * Lower Pleistocene (preglacial)................................... 84 ^ 19. Equus zone............................................ 85 i Middle Pleistocene (glacial)..................................... 86 / General characters.......................................... 86 Early phases....................... ...................... 87 I Subsequent phases......................................... 88 > Late phase................................................ 90 i Conclusion. ............................................................. 90 APPENDIX. Faunal lists of the Tertiary Mammalia of the West, by W. D. ? Matthew................................................................ 91 ' INDEX. ................................................................... 121 ILLUSTRATIONS. Page, PLATE I. Map of the United States, showing general Mountain and Great Plains regions, also location of the principal formations, sections, and deposits considered in this paper.........."....................... 7 II. Oligocene and Miocene exposures in South Dakota, northwestern Nebraska, and eastern Wyoming ................................. 60 III. Idealized bird's-eye view of the great Badlands of South Dakota, showing channel and overflow deposits in the Oligocene and lower Miocene....................................................... 64 FIG. 1. Composite section of the Tertiary deposits of the West................ 23 .2. Map of southwestern Wyoming and northern Utah, showing partial areas of the Wasatch, Wind River, Bridger, and Uinta formations.... 37 3. Composite columnar section of the Wasatch formation of Bighorn Basin.. 38 4. Columnar section showing the relations of the typical Wasatch section, including the Knight formation, to the overlying and underlying formations........................................................ 39 5. Columnar section of the Wind River basin, based on the descriptions of Hayden and Loomis.............................................. 44 6.
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