Mississippian Fossils, Chainman Shale, Northern Needle Range (Carboniferous to of the United States)

Where: Millard County, Utah (38.7° N, 114.0° W: paleocoordinates 2.7° N, 43.0° W)

• coordinate estimated from map

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Chesterian to Chesterian (339.4 - 318.1 Ma)

• The upper chert-bearing units of the Joana Limestone forms the lower contact. For field mapping purposes, the intention has been to draw the upper boundary just above the uppermost shale units, at the base of red weathering sandy limestones of the Illipah Formation.

Environment/lithology: gray, carbonaceous shale and black, gray limestone

• The Chainman Shale is composed of soft, fissile, carbonaceous black shales, interbedded with thin to medium bedded, dark grey to black limestones. Upon fracture, the limetones emit a slight to moderate hydrocarbon odor. Frequently liqiud and solid hydrocarbons are found in fossils and in the nuclei of concretions. In the lower part of the formation two sandstone units contain "dead" oil which can be observed with the aid of a hand lens. Minor amounts of black and brown chert occur in the upper units.

Primary reference: W. J. Gould. 1959. Geology of the Northern Needle Range Millard County, Utah. Brigham Young University Research Studies, Geology Series 6(5):1-47 [T. Olszewski/M. Gibson/L. Fall]more details

PaleoDB collection 13362: authorized by Tom Olszewski, entered by Melissa Gibson on 10.03.2002, edited by Pete Wagner

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

unclassified
  -
Cephalopoda
 Goniatitida - Cravenoceratidae
Cravenoceras sp. Bisat 1928 ammonite
Gastropoda
 Bellerophontida -
Bellerophontoidea indet. M'Coy 1851 snail
Strophomenata
 Orthotetida - Derbyiidae
Derbyia sp. Waagen 1884
 Strophomenida - Rugosochonetidae
"Chonetes granulifer" = Neochonetes granulifer
"Chonetes granulifer" = Neochonetes granulifer Owen 1852
 Productida - Productidae
"Dictyoclostus americanus" = Reticulatia americana Dunbar and Condra 1932
Dictyoclostus inflatus McChesney 1860
 Productida - Productellidae
"Dictyoclostus portlockianus" = Antiquatonia portlockianus
"Dictyoclostus portlockianus" = Antiquatonia portlockianus Norwood and Pratten 1855
 Productida - Linoproductidae
Stenolaemata
 Cryptostomata - Fenestellidae
Fenestella sp. Lonsdale 1839
 Rhabdomesida - Rhomboporidae
Rhombopora sp. Meek 1872
Trilobita
 Proetida - Phillipsiidae
Phillipsia sp. Portlock 1843 trilobite