Problematic Hill (MOTT 3921) (Triassic of the United States)

Where: Garza County, Texas (33.1° N, 101.4° W: paleocoordinates 7.8° N, 41.5° W)

• coordinate stated in text

When: Cooper Canyon Formation, Norian (228.0 - 208.5 Ma)

• Middle unit

Environment/lithology: fluvial; siltstone and sandstone

• Measured section is 19.6 m.

•0 -> 3.4 m: Moderate reddish brown (10R 4/6) siltstone with large pale greenish yellow (10Y 8/2) reduction mottling, mostly in a random pattern, some mottles more elongate and criss- crossing. One discontinuous layer of very fine to fine-grained horizontal planar bedded and ripple cross-laminated sandstone about 10 cm thick, reduced color, about 1.9 m up. About .65 m above that is a discontinuous matrix-supported pebble conglomerate (reworked sedimentary rock clasts) about 20-30 cm thick. Overbank deposits with sheet sand and small channel deposits. Sample Problematic Hill-1 comes from near the base of the unit.

•3.4 -> 7.46 m: Moderate reddish brown (10R 4/6) siltstone with pale greenish yellow (10Y 8/2) elongate horizontal reduction mottling mostly associated with numerous very thin (mostly 1 cm thick or less) layers of very fine to fine-grained sandstone, mostly of which are horizontal, although some steeply dips and faint random reduction mottling is present above it. One sandstone about 3.7 m above the base of the unit thickens to a more prominent unit westward through the drainage, and can be traced for some distance. A thicker sandstone unit (about 5 cm thick) of the same kind marks the top of the unit. A layer of matrix- supported pebble conglomerate (as in unit 1) about 15 cm thick sits about 2.45 meters above the base of the unit. Overbank deposits with sheet sands and small channel deposits.

•7.46 -> 11.56 m: Moderate reddish brown (10R 4/6) siltstone with pale greenish yellow (10Y 8/2) very faint, horizontally oriented reduction mottling, with a thicker reduced band below the base of unit 4. Mudstone sample Problematic Hill-2 comes from about a meter below the top of the unit.

•11.56 -> 13.21m: Somewhat friable, coarse to very coarse-grained clast-supported sandstone with horizontal planar bedding, planar cross bedding, and some trough cross bedding, with some interbedded slightly mottled fine-grained sandstone. Float indicates a bone bed is probably located either about the level of this sandstone or higher up. This unit is very similar to the Kirkpatrick Ranch sandstone, and may be equivalent.

•13.21 -> 14.51 m: Friable very fine-grained moderate reddish brown (10R 4/6) sandstone, with a couple more resistant thin, fine-grained, horizontal planar-bedded, pale greenish yellow (10Y 8/2) sandstone.

•14.51 -> 16.91 m: Resistant, horizontal planar bedded, fine to medium-grained, moderate reddish brown (10R 4/6) sandstone with sparse, usually horizontal pale greenish yellow (10Y 8/2) mottling.

•16.91 -> 19.61 m: Moderate reddish brown (10R 4/6) siltstone, with a few interbedded layers of sandstone near the base, one coarse grained and mottled pale greenish yellow (10Y 8/2), the others medium-grained. Top of hill has patches of sandstone and conglomerate, now mostly weathered away. This unit can be faintly traced to the east, and merges with the UU Ranch sandstone. Mudstone sample Problematic Hill-3 comes from about 1 m above the base of the unit.

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: J. W. Martz. 2008. Lithostratigraphy, chemostratigraphy, and vertebrate biostratigraphy of the Dockum Group (Upper Triassic), of southern Garza County, West Texas. Unpublished PhD thesis, Texas Tech University. 1-504 [R. Butler/R. Butler/R. Butler]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 218151: authorized by Bryan Gee, entered by Bryan Gee on 19.02.2021

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Reptilia
 Phytosauria -
"Parasuchia indet." = Phytosauria
"Parasuchia indet." = Phytosauria Jaeger 1828 phytosaur
TTU P-11883, quadrate
 Pseudosuchia - Stagonolepididae
Paratypothoracisini indet. Parker 2007 aetosaur
TTU P-11885, lateral osteoderm