View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by UNL | Libraries University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies Nebraska Academy of Sciences 1981 Sedimentology of Norden Bridge and Egelhoff Fossil Quarries (Miocene) of North-Central Nebraska Carl F. Wellstead McGill University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tnas Part of the Life Sciences Commons Wellstead, Carl F., "Sedimentology of Norden Bridge and Egelhoff Fossil Quarries (Miocene) of North- Central Nebraska" (1981). Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies. 269. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tnas/269 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Nebraska Academy of Sciences at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societiesy b an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 1981. Transactions a/the Nebraska Academy a/Sciences, IX:67-85. SEDIMENTOLOGY OF NORDEN BRIDGE AND EGELHOFF FOSSIL QUARRIES (MIOCENE) OF NORTH-CENTRAL NEBRASKA Carl F. Wellstead Redpath Museum McGill University 859 Sherbrooke Street West Montreal, Quebec H3A 2K6 Canada Measured sections demonstrate the positions of the Norden Bridge 2.5 km northwest of Norden Bridge Quarry. Fossil vertebrates an, Egelhoff fossil quarries in the local stratigraphy and show Egelhoff from these quarries have been the subject of a series of papers QL ,rry to be topographically higher. The sections do not resolve the during the last 20 years (Smith, 1962; Klingener, 1968; reL live stratigraphic positions of the quarries. Descriptions of sedi­ me'lts at the two quarries demonstrate that coarser sediments exist at Undsay, 1972; Rich and Rasmussen, 1973; Storer, 1973; Nc,,jen Bridge Quarry. However, these coarse sediments, as well as the Holman, 1976). In addition to the principal descriptive and fOHl remains of large vertebrates, are limited to two particular beds at taxonomic purposes of these papers, they demonstrate that N(, jen Bridge Quarry, while three other beds comprise sediments the fossil vertebrate remains from the quarries are, in most eit"~r finer or statistically indistinguishable from those at Egelhoff cases, water-transported, isolated bones. Qu" rry. The association of large clasts and large bones suggests hy­ dr.)' lic sorting of these sedimentary particles and supports the sugges­ tio;. that the difference in fossil faunas between the two quarries is Remarkably for two such well publicized localities, no depositional. Evaluation of cross-strata sets at both quarries indicates stratigraphic section has been published marking their posi­ that local paleocurrents do not reflect the easterly regional dip of local tions in the regional stratigraphy. Holman (1973) and Chantell Tefl iary strata. (1971) reported that Egelhoff Quarry is topographically 7.7 m (25 ft) higher than Norden Bridge Quarry. Holman (1973) t t t suggested additionally that the quarries are temporally equiva­ lent. Similarities in their faunas (cf Tables I and II) support INTRODUCTION the temporal equivalency of the two sites; however, fossils of larger mammals such as perissodactyls and artiodactyls Leidy (1858) published the first report of fossil verte­ are much less common at Egelhoff Quarry and proboscideans bra,~s from the fluvial Tertiary rocks in the vicinity of Valen­ are entirely absent. Experimental work in taphonomy by tine Nebraska. Since then, discussions of these rocks have Voorhies (1969), Dodson (1973), and Korth (1979) suggests con inued, including considerable debate over the propriety that the difference in the size ranges of fossil vertebrates at of lcal stratigraphiC names, particularly use of the term the two quarries may be a depositional phenomenon, reflect­ "V~ ~ntine" regarding what is now agreed to be the Valentine ing a difference in competency between the currents deposit­ For. Ilation and its fossil faunas. These debates are now re­ ing the bones and sediments at the two sites. The observation solv:d to the satisfaction of most and are concisely reviewed by Holman (I 973) that sediment clast-size is greater at Norden by ~kinner , Skinner, and Gooris (1968). Bridge Quarry than at Egelhoff Quarry supports this sugges­ tion; however, this clast-size difference has not been demon­ ·\ttention of vertebrate paleontologists familiar with the strated quantitatively. Vak'ltine Formation has been focused upon the fossil quarries Withn the formation since Hibbard (1960) announced the The purpose of this paper is to present measured sections disc very of fossil vertebrates from the now well-known of the stratigraphy at the Egelhoff and Norden Bridge quarries Nor,' en Bridge Quarry (Fig. 1). In 1964 Morris Skinner dis­ and to illustrate sedimentological differences between them by cOve:ed another site, the Egelhoff Quarry, approximately means of description and a sieve analysis of sediments. Cross- 67 68 C. F. Wellstead strata and elongate bone orientations are evaluated as indica­ TABLE I. (Continued). tors of paleocurrent direction at the quarries. Order Squamata TABLE I. Fossil vertebrate taxa identified from Norden Bridge Quarry (from Falk, Osborn, Pepped, and Voorhies, Family Xenosauridae 1980). Nordenosaurns magnus - large extinct lizard Family Iguanidae Sceloporns sp. Leiocephalus sp. - undescribed species of extinct tropidurine Class Osteichthyes lizard Family Lepisosteidae Family Anguidae Lepisosteus sp. - garpike Gerrhonotus sp., cf G. mungerornm - extinct alligator lizard Family Amiidae Ophisaurns ventralis - eastern glass lizard Amia sp., cf A. calva - bowfin cf Peltosaurns - extinct lizard Family Ictaluridae Family Scincidae letalurns lambda - large extinct catfish Eumeces sp. - striped skink I. punctatus - channel catfish Family Amphisbaenidae Family Centrarchidae unidentified genus and species of worm lizard Lepomis sp., cf L. microlophus - sunfish Family Boidae Class Amphibia Charina prebottae - extinct rubber boa Order Urodela Family Colubridae Family Cryptobranchidae cf Thamnophis - garter snake cf Neonatrix e/ollg{lta - extinct water snake Andrias matthewi ~- Matthew's giant salamander Paleoheterodon tiheni - ancestral hognose snake Family Ambystomatidae Nebraskensis skinneri - archaic colubrid snake Ambystoma minshalli - extinct mole salamander Salvadora paleolineata - extinct patch-nose snake Lampropeltis similis - ex tinct small king snake Order Anura Elaphe nebraskensis - extinct rat snake Family Pelobatidae Scaphiopus (Scaphiopus) wardornm - extinct spade foot toad Qass Mammalia S. (Spea) sp., cf S. bombifrons - plains spade foot Order Insectivora Family Bufonidae Family Erinaceidae Bufo sp., cf B. hibbardi - extinct toad B. valentinensis - extinct toad Parvericius montanus - small extinct hedgehog B. kuhrei - extinct toad Untermannerix copiosus - medium-sized extinct hedgehog Metechinus amplior - large extinct hedgehog Family Hylidae Family Plesiosoricidae Acris sp., cf A. crepitans - cricket frog Pseudacris sp., cf P. clarki - spotted chorus frog Plesiosorex sp., cf P. donroosai - large extinct insectivore P. nordensis - extinct chorus frog Family Soricidae Hyla sp., cf H. gratiosa - barking tree frog H. sp., cf H. squirella - tree frog Alluvisorex sp. - extinct shrew H. sp., cf H. versicolor - gray tree frog Family Talpidae Family Ranidae Mystipterns sp. - extinct shrew-mole Rana sp., nr. R. pipiens - leopard frog Domninoides valentinensis - extinct mole Qass Reptilia Scalopoides sp. - extinct mole Order Testudinata Order Lagomorpha Family Emydidae Family Leporidae Chrysemys sp., cf C. picta - painted turtle Hypolagus sp. - archaic rabbit Family Testudinidae Family Ochotonidae Geochelone onhopygia - giant land tortoise Hesperolagomys sp. - archaic pika G. nordensis - midget land tortoise Order Rodentia Family Trionychidae Family Aplodontidae Trionyx sp. - softshell turtle Allomys sp., cf A. stirtoni - extinct sewellel Sedimentology of Norden Bridge and Egelhoff quarries 69 TABLE I. (Continued). TABLE I. (Continued). Family Mylagaulidae Family Equidae Mylagaulus sp. - horned rodent Hypochippus sp. - browsing horse sp. Family Sciuridae Archaeohippus Merychippus sp. - primitive grazing horse Tamias sp. - extinct chipmunk Calippus sp. - small grazing horse Family Castoridae Protohippus perditus - tridactyl grazing horse Monosaulax sp. A - large primitive beaver "Hipparion" sp. - tridactyl grazing horse M. sp. B - small primitive beaver Order Artiodactyla Family Eomyidae Family Tayassuidae Paradjidaumo stirtoni - extinct archaic rodent cf. Prosthennops - extinct peccary Family Zapodidae Family Merycoidodontidae Megasminthus tiheni - large archaic jumping mouse Plesiosminthus sp. - small archaic jumping mouse cf. Ustatochoerus sp. - oreodont Family Heteromyidae Family Cervidae Perognathus sp., cf, P. furlongi - extinct pocket mouse Cranioceras (Procranioceras) sp., cf, C. (P.) skinneri - extinct P. trojectioansrum - small extinct pocket mouse three-horned deer "Diprionomys" sp., cf, P. agrarius - archaic pocket mouse Blastomeryx sp. - small sabertoothed deer D. sp. - large extinct pocket mouse Family Camelidae Cupidinimus nebraskensis - small extinct pocket mouse Procamelus sp. - ancestral camel Family Cricetidae Protolabis sp. - small camel Copemys niobrarensis - extinct deer mouse Family Antilocapridae Tregomys sp. - extinct