USGS# M4632 - Tejon Fm, Kern County (Eocene of the United States)

Where: Kern County, California (34.9° N, 118.8° W: paleocoordinates 34.5° N, 106.9° W)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Tejon Formation, Bartonian (41.3 - 38.0 Ma)

• From upper Tejon Formation, and most likely from "Tejon" stage, or possibly the "Transition" stage. Therefore a upper Middle Eocene=Narizian=Bartonian age is assigned to the collection, although it is possibly as old as Lutetian. The Tejon Formation unconformably overlies basement, and is unconformably overlain by the Tecuya Formation (Oligocene) in this section. About 65 m stratigraphically below top of undivided Tejon Formation. It is not specified which member of the Tejon Formation the collection is derrived.

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: coastal; lithified, shelly/skeletal sandstone

• Representative of sandy level bottom communities, and somewhat greater depths than the inner sublittoral zone (low tide to around 90 m).
• From cross-stratified well-sorted sandstone, with some shell debris. Appears to be mostly lithified from photos in publication. No detailed lithology or lithification comments mentioned in text.

Size class: macrofossils

Reposited in the USGS

Collection methods: quarrying,

• Collected by T.H. Nilson and W.O. Addicott. Collections likely to be reposited at USGS Menlo Park or USNM (not specified).

Primary reference: T. H. Nilsen. 1987. Stratigraphy and sedimentology of the Eocene Tejon Formation, western Tehachapi and San Emigdio mountains, California. United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 1268:1-110 [A. Miller/A. Hendy/R. McClees-Funinan]more details

Purpose of describing collection: biostratigraphic analysis

PaleoDB collection 52805: authorized by Austin Hendy, entered by Austin Hendy on 21.08.2005

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Identified by W.O. Addicott.
Gastropoda
 Neotaenioglossa - Calyptraeidae
Calyptraea sp. Lamarck 1799 slipper shell
 Cerithioidea - Turritellidae
Turritella sp. Lamarck 1799 turret shell
 Neogastropoda - Cancellariidae
Bonellitia paucivaricata Gabb 1864 snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Ficidae
"Ficopsis remondi" = Ficus remondii
"Ficopsis remondi" = Ficus remondii Gabb 1864 fig shell
 Sorbeoconcha - Strombidae
"? Ectinochilus sp." = Rimella
"? Ectinochilus sp." = Rimella Agassiz 1840 true conch
 Sorbeoconcha - Naticidae
Naticidae indet. Guilding 1834 moon snail
Bivalvia
 Solenida - Solenidae
? Solen sp. Linnaeus 1758 clam
 Pholadida - Corbulidae
Corbula sp. Bruguière 1789 clam
 Cardiida - Veneridae
Pitaria californiana Conrad 1855 venus clam
as "Pitar californiana"
"Macrocallista cf. hornii" = Callista (Costacallista) hornii Gabb 1864 venus clam
as "Macrocallista cf. horni"
 Cardiida - Mactridae
"Spisula merriami" = Mactromeris merriami, "Spisula cf. bisculpturata" = Mactromeris bisculpturata, "Spisula cf. acutirostrata" = Mactromeris acutirostrata
"Spisula merriami" = Mactromeris merriami Packard 1916 clam
"Spisula cf. bisculpturata" = Mactromeris bisculpturata Anderson and Hanna 1925 clam
"Spisula cf. acutirostrata" = Mactromeris acutirostrata Packard 1916 clam
 Cardiida - Cardiidae
Cardiidae indet. Lamarck 1809 cockle
 Cardiida - Semelidae
"Semele diabloi" = Semele diaboli
"Semele diabloi" = Semele diaboli Dickerson 1915 clam
 Cardiida - Tellinidae
"Tellina cf. jollaensis" = Tellina (Angulus) jollaensis, "Tellina cf. lebecki" = Tellina (Phyllodina) lebecki
"Tellina cf. jollaensis" = Tellina (Angulus) jollaensis Dickerson 1916 tellin clam
"Tellina cf. lebecki" = Tellina (Phyllodina) lebecki Anderson and Hanna 1925 tellin clam
 Mytilida - Crenellidae
? Musculus sp. Roding 1798 mussel
Possibly Brachydontes ornatus of other authors
 Mytilida - Mytilidae
Mytilus sp. Linnaeus 1758 mussel
or Modiolus fragment