Leon County, Florida paleontological sites explained

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 .
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: 30.5655°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: 30.3°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: 30.3°N -84.2°W

• Tallahassee Waterworks Sites. Locations were just south of the center of Tallahassee. Time period: ~23.03–15.99 Ma.

Coordinates: 30.4°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

• 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.

Notes and References

1. [John Alroy|Alroy, John]
2. 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.
3. 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