The Williamsburg Formation is a
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
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 ...
consisting of sandy
shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of Clay mineral, clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g., Kaolinite, kaolin, aluminium, Al2Silicon, Si2Oxygen, O5(hydroxide, OH)4) and tiny f ...
and clayey
sand
Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...
.
[Williamsburg Formation]
at Fossilworks
Fossilworks was a portal which provides query, download, and analysis tools to facilitate access to the Paleobiology Database, a large relational database assembled by hundreds of paleontologists from around the world.
History
Fossilworks was cr ...
.org It is a member of the
Black Mingo Group
The Black Mingo Group is a geologic group in South Carolina composed of dark grey to black clays, shales, laminated sandy shales, and yellow-red sands. The group's name comes from Black Mingo Creek where outcrops of the group are exposed. The bot ...
and overlays the
Rhems Formation. 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 ...
, among others
coprolite
A coprolite (also known as a coprolith) is fossilized feces. Coprolites are classified as trace fossils as opposed to body fossils, as they give evidence for the animal's behaviour (in this case, diet) rather than morphology. The name ...
s, dating back to the
Paleogene
The Paleogene Period ( ; also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene) is a geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the Neogene Period Ma. It is the fir ...
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 ...
.
Fossil content
The following fossils were reported from the formation:
[
]
Mammals
* '' Ectoganus gliriformis''
* '' E. lobdelli''
* '' Mingotherium holtae''
Reptiles
* '' Agomphus pectoralis''
* '' A. aff. alabamensis''
* '' Osteopygis emarginatus''
* '' Trionyx virginiana''
* '' Adocus sp.''
* '' ?Bothremys sp.''
* Chelonioidea indet.
* Cheloniidae indet.
* Pelomedusoides indet.
* Taphrosphyini indet.
* Toxochelyinae indet.
;Crocodylians
* '' Bottosaurus sp.''
* '' Hyposaurus sp.''
* '' Thoracosaurus sp.''
* Eusuchia indet.
;Snakes
* '' Palaeophis sp.''
See also
* List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in South Carolina
This article contains a list of fossil-bearing stratigraphic units in the state of South Carolina, U.S.
Sites
See also
* Paleontology in South Carolina
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fossiliferous stratigraphic units in South Carolina
Sout ...
* Paleontology in South Carolina
The location of the state of South Carolina
Paleontology in South Carolina refers to paleontological research occurring within or conducted by people from the U.S. state of South Carolina.
Evidence suggests that at least part of South Carolina ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
* {{citation , last1=Van Nieuwenhuise , first1=Don , last2=Colquhoun , first2=Donald , title=The Paleocene-lower Eocene Black Mingo Group of the east-central coastal plain of South Carolina , journal=South Carolina Geology , year=1982 , volume=26 , issue=2 , pages=47–67 , url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314162569 , accessdate=2018-06-26
Paleogene geology of South Carolina
Paleocene Series of North America
Thanetian Stage
Clarkforkian
Shale formations of the United States
Sandstone formations of the United States
Phosphorite formations
Shallow marine deposits
Fossiliferous stratigraphic units of North America
Paleontology in South Carolina
Geologic formations of South Carolina