MGS Loc. 74b - Chickasawhay River [Mint Spring Fm]: Rupelian, Mississippi

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Bivalvia - Pholadida - Pholadidae
Jouannetia triquetra
A category
100+ valves collected
Bivalvia - Cardiida - Veneridae
Chione craspedonta
1 individual
R category
Bivalvia - Cardiida - Chamidae
Chama mississippiensis Conrad 1848
1 individual
R category
Bivalvia - Carditida - Crassatellidae
Crassatella lirasculpta n. sp. Dockery 1982
11 category
C category
Bivalvia - Ostreida - Ostreidae
Lopha vicksburgensis (Conrad 1848)
4 individuals
R category
Ostrea paroxis Lesueur 1829
40 category
C category
Bivalvia - Ostreida - Pteriidae
Pteria argentea (Conrad 1848)
1 individual
R category
Bivalvia - Pectinida - Pectinidae
Pecten poulsoni Morton 1834
34 category
C category
Bivalvia - Pectinida - Spondylidae
Spondylus filiaris Dall 1916
2 individuals
R category
unclassified
Amonia microstriata n. sp.
1 individual
R category
Bivalvia - Arcida - Glycymerididae
Glycymeris suwannensis Mansfield 1937
1 individual
R category
Glycymeris intercostata (Gabb 1860)
1 individual
R category
Scaphopoda - Dentaliida - Dentaliidae
Dentalium varicostata n. sp.
MacNeil and Dockery 1984
Gastropoda - Turritellidae
Turritella boycensis n. sp.
MacNeil and Dockery 1984
Gastropoda - Vermetidae
Serpulorbis sp. Sasso 1827
MacNeil and Dockery 1984
Gastropoda - Ranellidae
Sassia conradiana
MacNeil and Dockery 1984
Sassia conradiana menthafons
see common names

Geography
Country:United States State/province:Mississippi County:Wayne
Coordinates: 31.0° North, 88.7° West (view map)
Paleocoordinates:31.3° North, 82.3° West
Basis of coordinate:based on nearby landmark
Geographic resolution:outcrop
Time
Period: Paleogene Epoch: Oligocene
Stage: Rupelian 10 m.y. bin: Cenozoic 4
*Period:Early/Lower Tertiary *Epoch:Early/Lower Oligocene
*International age/stage:Early/Lower Rupelian - Early/Lower Rupelian
Key time interval: Rupelian
Age range of interval: 33.9 - 27.82 m.y. ago
* legacy (obsolete) database fields
Stratigraphy
Formation:Mint Spring
Stratigraphic resolution:formation
Stratigraphy comments: The Mint Spring formation consists of fossiliferous sands that lie disconformably above the estuarine clays and sands of the Forest Hill Formation. This contact is characterized by shell gravels that are largely comprised of the bivalve Callista,by lithified clay clasts bored by the bivalve Jouannetia , and by shark and ray teeth. Lithified clay clasts are especially common at the base of the Mint Spring Formationalong the Chicasawhay River in Wayne county. Here clay clasts are numerous enough to have produced a cobble bottom on the Mint Spring sea floor. These clasts formed a hard substrate utilized by a variety of encrusting organisms. The sands of the Mint Spring Formation are moderately clean and often show cross-bedding. These sands indicate a near-shore shelf enviromentand have macrofauna dominated by bivalves. This marine sand facies has well-preserved fossils at the type locality at the Mint Spring Bayou, at localities 99-101 in Rankin County, and at localities 89-90 in Smith County. In Wayne County, at localities 74b, 75b, and 117b, the Mint Spring Formation is only one to two feet in thickness,is very calcareous, and slightly indurated.
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology: lithified sandy,calcareous claystone
Secondary lithology: conglomerate
Includes fossils?Y
Includes fossils?Y
Environment:offshore Tectonic setting:passive margin
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body,original aragonite,original calcite
Size of fossils:mesofossils
Collection methods and comments
Collection excludes:all microfossils,some macrofossils,difficult macrofossils
Collection methods:bulk,mechanical,field collection
Reason for describing collection:taxonomic analysis
Collection method comments: bivalves only
Taxonomic list comments:abundances denoted by catagories. R=rare, 1-09 specimens found. C= common, 10-99 specimens found. A= Abundant, 100+ specimens found. 1 specimen = 1 valve. Categories are listed in the comments field, absolute abundances are given in the abundance field.
Since taxa with greater than 99 specimens were not counted with absolute abundances, these were reported with category "A" for abundant.
Metadata
Database number:5820
Authorizer:L. Ivany Enterer:S. DeLong
Modifier:A. Hendy Research group:GCP,marine invertebrate
Created:1999-12-07 11:21:11 Last modified:2014-08-21 11:50:20
Access level:the public Released:1999-12-07 11:21:11
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:

323. D. T. Dockery. 1982. Lower Oligocene Bivalvia of the Vicksburg Group in Mississippi. Mississippi Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Geology 123:1-261 [L. Ivany/S. DeLong/M. Uhen]

Secondary references:

447 F. S. MacNeil and D. T. Dockery. 1984. Lower Oligocene Gastropoda, Scaphopoda, and Cephalopoda of the Vicksburg Group in Mississippi. Mississippi Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Geology Bulletin 124:1-415 [L. Ivany/E. Kowalski/P. Wagner]