Leon County, Florida paleontological sites
The Leon County paleontological sites are assemblages of Early Miocene invertebrates and vertebrates of Leon County, Florida, United States.
Age
Era: Neogene.
Period: Early Miocene.
Faunal stage: Arikareean, ~23.1–21.9 Ma, calculates to a period of approximately 1.2 million years.
Geological Formation: Torreya Formation.
Sites
Leon County paleontological sites are represented by the following:
- Griscom Plantation Site. Located in Killearn Lakes Plantation, south-southeast of Lake Iamonia on the southeast most section of Luna Plantation during a well drilling operation. Time period: ~23.6–18.8 Ma. (AEO).[1]
Coordinates: 30°33′56″N 84°12′58″W / 30.5655°N 84.2162°W
- Seaboard Air Line Railroad Site. Location was south of the center of Tallahassee during a dredging operation for a roadway.[2] Time period: ~21.7 Ma. (AEO, Alroy).
Coordinates: 30°18′N 84°12′W / 30.3°N 84.2°W
- St. Marks River site. Located along the St. Marks River in southern Leon County. Time period: ~23.1–21.9 Ma. (AEO, Alroy).[3]
Coordinates: 30°18′N 84°12′W / 30.3°N 84.2°W
- Tallahassee Waterworks Sites. Locations were just south of the center of Tallahassee. Time period: ~23.03–15.99 Ma.
Coordinates: 30°24′N 84°18′W / 30.4°N 84.3°W
- USGS 2302
- USGS 3423 aka J.C. Henderson's well
- USGS 395
Griscom Plantation Site = GPS. Seaboard Air Line Railroad = SALR. St. Marks River site = SMRS. Tallahassee Waterworks Site = TWWS.
Specimens
Invertebrates
- Anomia suwaneensis (bivalve) TWWS 3424
- Chlamys (scallop) TWWS 2302
- Ostrea normalis (oyster) SALR
- Lucina janus (bivalve) TWWS 2302
- Mercenaria langdoni TWWS 395
- Metis chipolana (bivalve) TWWS 2302
- Turritella alcida (seal snail) TWWS 2302
Fish
- Carcharhinidae (requiem shark) SALR
- Myliobatidae (eagle ray) SALR
- Pristis (sawfish) SALR
- Sciaenidae (croaker) SALR
Reptiles
- Alligatoridae (alligator) SALR
- Boidae (boa or constricting snake) SALR
- Crocodylidae (crocodile) SALR
- Emydidae (pond turtle) SALR
- Testudinidae (land tortoise) SALR
Birds
- Gruidae (crane) SALR
- Ciconiidae (stork) SALR
Mammals
- Anchitherium clarencei (horse) SALR
- Aphelops (rhinoceros) SALR
- Archaeohippus blackbergi (horse) SALR
- Camelidae (family of camel) GPS
- Floridatragulus (camel) SALR
- Menoceras (rhinoceros) SALR
- Moropus SMRS
- Osbornodon iamonensis (proto-dog) GPS
- Oxydactylus (camel)
- Parahippus (horse) SALR
- Parahippus leonensis (horse) GPS, SALR
- Prosynthetoceras texanus (deer-like ungulate) SALR
- Nothokemas floridanus (camel) SALR
- Proheteromys floridanus (rodent) SALR
- Ruminantia (unknown ruminant) GPS
References
- ^ Alroy, John, AEO estimate.
- ^ Collected by: S. J. Olsen, R. Cantwell, C. Cox. S. J. Olsen. 1964. The stratigraphic importance of a Lower Miocene vertebrate fauna from north Florida. Journal of Paleontology 38(3):477–482.
- ^ M. C. Coombs, R. M. Hunt, Jr., E. Stepleton, L. B. Albright, III, and T. J. Fremd. 2001. Stratigraphy, chronology, biogeography, and taxonomy of early Miocene small chalicotheres of North America. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 21(3):607–620
- E. H. Sellards. 1916. Fossil vertebrates from Florida: A new Miocene fauna; new Pliocene species; the Pleistocene fauna. Florida State Geological Survey Annual Report 8:79–119.
- S. J. Olsen. 1964. The stratigraphic importance of a Lower Miocene vertebrate fauna from north Florida. Journal of Paleontology 38(3):477–482. Collected by S. J. Olsen, R. Cantwell, C. Cox.
- J. R. Gardner. 1947. The Molluscan Fauna of the Alum Bluff Group of Florida. United States Geological Survey Professional Paper (142A-H)1–709.