USGS 20432a - Courbaril Member, Point Courbaril (Pliocene of Trinidad and Tobago)

Where: Trinidad and Tobago (10.2° N, 61.6° W: paleocoordinates 10.2° N, 60.9° W)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Courbaril Member (Morne l'Enfer Formation), Early/Lower Pliocene (5.3 - 3.6 Ma)

• Collection is from the Courbaril Sand and Clay Member of the Upper Morne l'Enfer Formation. The Courbaril fauna is considered to be of early Pliocene age and is probably slightly older than the Matura fauna.

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: shoreface; poorly lithified sandstone and claystone

• The assemblage as a whole points to a nearshore environment, with some brackish influence (compared with Melajo Clay assemblages).
• Poor reporting of lithologies. Named as the "Courbaril Sand and Clay Member", so these lithologies are assigned.

Size class: macrofossils

Reposited in the PRI, USNM

Collection methods: quarrying,

• All material descibed in this report is reposited in the Naturhistorisches Mueum, Basel, or the USNM. Additional material collection from this unit is found at PRI.

Primary reference: P. Jung. 1969. Miocene and Pliocene mollusks from Trinidad. Bulletins of American Paleontology 55(247):293-697 [A. Miller/A. Hendy]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 60644: authorized by Austin Hendy, entered by Austin Hendy on 19.05.2006

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Exhaustive for Mollusca. Crab claws, corals, fish teeth, and scarce foraminifera also exist in the unit, though are not listed. Van de Bold (1963) also lists ostracords from several localities.
Gastropoda
 Cerithioidea - Cerithiidae
Cerithium harrisi cerith snail
 Neogastropoda - Muricidae
"Thais (Stramonita) cf. haemastoma" = Stramonita haemostoma, "Cymia brightoniana" = Cymia (Cymia) brightoniana, Chicoreus (Triplex) cornurectus
"Thais (Stramonita) cf. haemastoma" = Stramonita haemostoma Linnaeus 1767 murex snail
"Cymia brightoniana" = Cymia (Cymia) brightoniana Maury 1925 murex snail
Chicoreus (Triplex) cornurectus Guppy 1876 murex snail
Bivalvia
 Arcida - Arcidae
Anadara (Cunearca) filicata, "Arca (aff. Arca) imbricata" = Lamarcka imbricata
"Arca (aff. Arca) imbricata" = Lamarcka imbricata Bruguière 1789 clam
 Mytilida - Mytilidae
Brachidontes (Brachidontes) sp. Swainson 1840 mussel
 Pholadida - Corbulidae
 Cardiida - Veneridae
Cyclinella aff. tenuis Récluz 1852 venus clam
"Chione (Lirophora) sanctidavidis" = Lirophora venus clam
Dosinia (Dosinia) sp. Scopoli 1777 venus clam
Chione (Nioche) veatchiana Maury 1912 venus clam
 Cardiida - Cardiidae
Trigoniocardia (Trigoniocardia) maturensis, "Trachycardium (Dallocardia) sanctidavidis" = Dallocardia, "Laevicardium laevigatum" = Laevicardium serratum
"Trachycardium (Dallocardia) sanctidavidis" = Dallocardia cockle
"Laevicardium laevigatum" = Laevicardium serratum Linnaeus 1758 cockle
 Cardiida - Donacidae
 Cardiida - Tellinidae
Strigilla (Strigilla) carnaria Linnaeus 1758 tellin clam
Eurytellina punicea Born 1778 tellin clam
"Moerella (Moerella) elinguis" = Tellina (Moerella) tellin clam
 Cardiida - Semelidae
Semele purpurascens Gmelin 1791 clam
Semele proficua Pulteney 1799 clam
Semele aff. anteriocosta Vokes 1938 clam
Abra cf. aequalis Say 1822 abra
 Carditida - Carditidae
"Carditamera (Bryssomera) aff. affinis" = Carditamera affinis
"Carditamera (Bryssomera) aff. affinis" = Carditamera affinis Sowerby 1823 clam
Scaphopoda
 Dentaliida - Dentaliidae