Pysht (M6373) (Miocene of the United States)

Also known as USGS M6373

Where: Clallam County, Washington (48.2° N, 122.1° W: paleocoordinates 48.0° N, 115.5° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Clallam Formation, Early/Lower Miocene (23.0 - 16.0 Ma)

• Exposure of 1-m-thick fossil bed. The Clallam Formation is a predominantly marine sandstone with minor conglomerate and siltstone exposed along the Strait of Juan de Fuca in northwestern Washington. Marine molluscs occur throughout the 600 to 800 m thick formation but are especially abundant in the lowermost 240 m. Pillarian Stage afe, a provincial time stratigraphic unit of late early Miocene age.

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: offshore; lithified sandstone

• All Clallam Formation assemblages represent inner sublittoral depths (less than about 100 m). Qualitative analysis of these assemblages indicates a gradual shallowing during deposition of the formation. The highest strata in the formation contain coal and are presumably non-marine.
• Sandstone with minor conglomerate and siltstone.

Size class: macrofossils

Preservation: mold/impression

Reposited in the UW

Collection methods: quarrying,

• Collections held at USGS, Menlo Park; Washington University, Seattle; Stanford University

Primary reference: W.O. Addicott. 1976. Molluscan paleontology of the lower Miocene Clallam Formation, northwestern Washington. United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 976:1-44 [A. Miller/A. Hendy/A. Hendy]more details

Purpose of describing collection: biostratigraphic analysis

PaleoDB collection 37574: authorized by Austin Hendy, entered by Austin Hendy on 17.03.2004

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Only molluscan taxa listed.
Scaphopoda
 Dentaliida - Dentaliidae
Dentalium schencki Moore 1963 tusk shell
Bivalvia
 Thraciida - Thraciidae
"Thracia trapezoides" = Thracia (Homoeodesma) trapezoides
"Thracia trapezoides" = Thracia (Homoeodesma) trapezoides Conrad 1849 clam
 Cardiida - Cardiidae
"? Clinocardium aff. nuttallii" = Clinocardium (Clinocardium) nuttallii
"? Clinocardium aff. nuttallii" = Clinocardium (Clinocardium) nuttallii Conrad 1837 cockle
[entered as Clinocardium nuttalli]
 Cardiida - Tellinidae
Macoma albaria Conrad 1849 tellin clam
Macoma astori Dall 1909 tellin clam
Macoma sookensis Clark and Arnold 1923 tellin clam
 Cardiida - Veneridae
Katherinella angustifrons Conrad 1849 venus clam
"Securella ensifera" = Chione (Securella) ensifera Dall 1909 venus clam
 Solenida - Solenidae
"Solen conradi" = Solena (Plectosolen) conradi
"Solen conradi" = Solena (Plectosolen) conradi Dall 1900 clam
 Nuculanida - Nuculanidae
Nuculana calkinsi pointed nut clam
Gastropoda
 Neotaenioglossa - Calyptraeidae
Crepidula princeps Conrad 1855 slipper shell
 Neogastropoda - Siphonaliidae
Bruclarkia yaquinana Anderson and Martin 1914 snail
 Neogastropoda - Turridae
Ophiodermella olympicensis Addicott 1976 turrid
 Cerithioidea - Turritellidae
Turritella oregonensis Conrad 1849 turret shell