Temblor Formation Explained

Temblor Formation
Type:	Geologic formation
Age:	Late Oligocene-Mid Miocene ~
Period:	Miocene
Prilithology:	Shale, sandstone
Namedfor:	Temblor Ranch, McKittrick district, Kern County
Namedby:	Anderson
Year Ts:	1905
Region:	Western San Joaquin Valley, Kern County, California
Country:	United States
Subunits:	Agua Sandstone Member, Buttonbed Sandstone Member, Carneros Sandstone Member, Cymric Shale Member, Devilwater Siltstone, Gould Shale, Media Shale Member, Round Mountain Silt, Santos Shale Member, Wygal Sandstone Member
Underlies:	Monterey Formation

The Temblor Formation is a geologic formation in California. It preserves fossils dating back from the Late Oligocene to the Middle Miocene of the Neogene period. It is notable for the famous Sharktooth Hill deposit (otherwise known as Ernst Quarry).^[1]

Fossils

Vertebrates

Cartilagenous fishes

Sharks

• Carcharias
• Cephaloscyllium
• Cetorhinus
• †Carcharocles megalodon ^[2]
• †Galeocerdo aduncus
• †Hemipristis serra
• Heterodontus
• Hexanchus
• †Isurus desori
• †Isurus hastalis
• †Isurus planus^[3]
• Megachasma
• Notorhynchus
• †Parotodus benedenii
• Scyliorhinus
• Squalus
• Squatina

Rays and skates

• Dasyatis
• Myliobatis

Reptiles

• Pacifichelys
• †Chelonia californiensis
• †Syllomus aegyptiacus

Birds

• †Diomedea californica
  • †D. milleri
• †Fulmarus miocaenus
• †Hadrogyps aigialerus
• †Megalodytes morejohni^[4]
• †Morus vagabundus^[4]
• †Osteodontornis orri^[4]
• †Pandion homalopteron^[4]
• †Presbychen abavus^[4]
• †Puffinus inceptor^[4]
  • †P. milleri^[4]
  • †P. priscus^[4]

Mammals

• †Allodesmus kernensis
• †Bouromeryx americanus
• †Hypohippus
• †Miotapirus
• †Paleoparadoxia tabatai
• †Paratomarctus temerarius
• †Pelagiarctos thomasi^[5]
• †Aulophyseter morricei
• †Oedolithax mira
• †Loxolithax sinuosa
• †Parietobalaena securis

See also

• • List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in California
• Paleontology in California

External links

• Web site: Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database. ((Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database)). 17 December 2021.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Vast Bed of Ancient Bones and Shark Teeth Explained . LiveScience . By Charles Q. Choi.
2. Boessenecker, Ehret, D, Long, D, Churchill, M, Martin, E, Boessenecker, S. The Early Pliocene extinction of the mega-toothed shark Otodus megalodon: a view from the eastern north Pacific. PeerJ. 2019 Feb 13;7:e6088. doi: 10.7717/peerj.6088. eCollection 2019.
3. Malchow, A. 2009. MIOCENE SHARK TOOTH HILL LOCALITY, KERN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Geological Society of America North-Central Section - 43rd Annual Meeting (2-3 April 2009)
4. Stegall, J. 2016. Fossil Birds of the Mojave Desert & Environs. Murturango Press, Ridgecrest, California.
5. L. G. Barnes. 1988. A new fossil pinniped (Mammalia: Otariidae) from the middle Miocene Sharktooth Hill Bonebed, California. Contributions in Science 396:1-11