Where: Alaska (61.7° N, 149.0° W: paleocoordinates 68.9° N, 122.1° W)

• coordinate estimated from map

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Chickaloon Formation, Thanetian (59.2 - 56.0 Ma)

• The Chickaloon Formation is exposed there and elsewhere throughout the east-west trending Matanuska Valley in south-central Alaska and overall comprises a ~1500 m thick sequence predominantly made up of sandstones, mudrocks, and coals of Late Paleocene/Early Eocene age (Flores and Stricker, 1993; Trop et al., 2003; Neff et al., 2011). Zircon fission track and K/Ar dates on ash partings in the upper Chickaloon Formation at the collection site provide age constraint, placing the Paleocene-Eocene boundary within the Chickaloon’s Premier Coal Zone (Triplehorn et al., 1984; Flores and Stricker, 1993) (fig. 2). The overlying Early Eocene Jonesville coal zone in the Chickaloon is in conformable contact with Eocene-age Wishbone Formation conglomerates exposed at the top of Wishbone Hill (Trop et al., 2003; Neff et al., 2011). The dispersed amber described in this study was recovered from a single horizon of coaly mudrock lithofacies [immediately below the Premier Coal Zone] in close proximity—but not attached to—permineralized cupressaceous (Metasequoia) wood (Williams et al., 2010).

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; amber

Size class: macrofossils

Reposited in the AMNH

Primary reference: D. A. Grimaldi, D. Sunderlin, G. A. Aaroe, M. R. Dempsky, N. E. Parker, G. Q. Tillery, J. G. White, P. Barden, P. C. Nascimbene and C. J. Williams. 2018. Biological inclusions in amber from the Paleogene Chickaloon Formation of Alaska. American Museum Novitates 3908:1-37 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 196713: authorized by Matthew Clapham, entered by Matthew Clapham on 01.10.2018

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)