The Tar Heel Formation, also known as the Coachman Formation in South Carolina, is a
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cre ...
(early to middle
Campanian
The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campa ...
-aged)
geologic formation
A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exp ...
in
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
and
South Carolina
South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
, USA. It preserves
fossils
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
, including
amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin. Examples of it have been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since the Neolithic times, and worked as a gemstone since antiquity."Amber" (2004). In Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen (eds.) ''Encyclopedia ...
dating back to the
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...
period
Period may refer to:
Common uses
* Period (punctuation)
* Era, a length or span of time
*Menstruation, commonly referred to as a "period"
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Period (music), a concept in musical composition
* Periodic sentence (o ...
. A locality known as Phoebus Landing, has been dated to 78.5-77.1 Ma, and the formation has been overall dated to the early Campanian based on fossil pollen.
Likely deposited in a nearshore coastal environment representing a
lower shoreface
Lower shoreface refers to the portion of the seafloor, and the sedimentary depositional environment, that lies below the everyday wave base.
Process
The wave base is the maximum depth at which a water wave's passage causes significant water ...
, it contains a high diversity of vertebrate remains. It has one of the most diverse dinosaur faunas known from the former landmass of
Appalachia
Appalachia ( ) is a geographic region located in the Appalachian Mountains#Regions, central and southern sections of the Appalachian Mountains in the east of North America. In the north, its boundaries stretch from the western Catskill Mountai ...
, the majority of which are known from two sites: Phoebus Landing along the
Cape Fear River
The Cape Fear River is a blackwater river in east-central North Carolina. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The river is formed at the confluence of the Haw River and the Deep River in the town of ...
in
Bladen County, North Carolina
Bladen County () , from the North Carolina Collection's website at the , as well as Stokes Quarry in
Darlington County, South Carolina
Darlington County is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 62,905. Its county seat is Darlington. Hartsville is the largest community in the county. Darlington County is home to the Darlingto ...
.
Fossil pollen grains suggest a
subtropical
The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...
to warm, moist temperate climate for the region, with an ecosystem largely dominated by
flowering plants
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
. The Tar Heel/Coachman Formation appears to be roughly concurrent with the
Marshalltown Formation
The Marshalltown Formation is a Late Cretaceous (Campanian)-aged geologic Formation (geology), formation in New Jersey and Delaware, US. Dinosaur remains diagnostic to the genus level are among the fossils that have been recovered from the format ...
of
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, which preserves a similar fauna.
Paleobiota
Cartilaginous fish
Based on the Paleobiology Database & Robb (1989):
Ray-finned fish
Based on the Paleobiology Database, Robb (1989) & Stringer ''et al'' (2018). Some species are known only from
otolith
An otolith (, ' ear + , ', a stone), also called otoconium, statolith, or statoconium, is a calcium carbonate structure in the saccule or utricle (ear), utricle of the inner ear, specifically in the vestibular system of vertebrates. The saccule ...
remains from Blue Banks & Auger Hole Landings, North Carolina, which are indicated:
Reptiles
Records from SC based on Schwimmer ''et al'' (2015):
Dinosaurs
= Ornithischians
=
Based mainly on Brownstein (2018):
An indeterminate
hadrosauroid
Hadrosauroidea is a clade or superfamily of ornithischian dinosaurs that includes the "duck-billed" dinosaurs, or Hadrosauridae, and all dinosaurs more closely related to them than to ''Iguanodon''. Their remains have been recovered in Asia, Euro ...
is known from Stokes Quarry, SC.
= Theropods
=
Indeterminate theropods, ornithomimosaurs, and maniraptorans are known from Stokes Quarry.