Qara-ni-vokai, Viti Levu: Late/Upper Pleistocene, Fiji

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Reptilia - Theropoda - Sylviornithidae
Megavitiornis altirostris Worthy 2000
Reptilia - Theropoda - Columbidae
Natunaornis gigoura Worthy 2001
Worthy 2001
Reptilia - Theropoda - Rallidae
Vitirallus watlingi n. gen., n. sp. Worthy 2004
Worthy 2004
Reptilia - Theropoda - Megapodiidae
Megapodius amissus Worthy 2000
see common names

Geography
Country:Fiji
Coordinates: 18.2° South, 177.5° East (view map)
Paleocoordinates:18.2° South, 177.5° East
Basis of coordinate:stated in text
Geographic resolution:small collection
Time
Period:Quaternary Epoch:Pleistocene
Stage:Late/Upper Pleistocene 10 m.y. bin:Cenozoic 6
Key time interval:Late/Upper Pleistocene
Age range of interval:0.12900 - 0.01170 m.y. ago
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy comments: Cave infill. "Preliminary optically stimulated luminescent dates from voli Voli Cave indicate an age of 10,000-20,000 years ago for the fossiliferous clay (Anderson et al., 2001).
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology: unlithified claystone
Lithology description: "consolidated lateritic clay, which forms part of a once more extensive cave infill." Clay has internal slickensides.
Environment:cave
Geology comments: "fossils are buried in massive unstructured sediment so fluvial deposition is unlikely. The slickensides in the matrix indicate wetting and drying..."
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body
Degree of concentration:concentrated
Size of fossils:macrofossils
Spatial orientation:random
Preservation of anatomical detail:excellent
Disassociated major elements:many
Disassociated minor elements:some
Temporal resolution:time-averaged
Collection methods and comments
Collection methods:surface (float),field collection
Reason for describing collection:taxonomic analysis
Metadata
Database number:194724
Authorizer:M. Clapham Enterer:M. Clapham
Research group:vertebrate
Created:2018-06-27 23:12:35 Last modified:2018-06-27 23:12:35
Access level:the public Released:2018-06-27 23:12:35
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:
66168. T. H. Worthy. 2000. The fossil megapodes (Aves: Megapodiidae) of Fiji with descriptions of a new genus and two new species. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 30:337-364 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]

Secondary references:

66169 T. H. Worthy. 2001. A giant flightless pigeon gen. et sp. nov. and a new species of Ducula (Aves: Columbidae), from Quaternary deposits in Fiji. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 31:763-794 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]
66171 T. H. Worthy. 2004. The fossil rails (Aves: Rallidae) of Fiji with descriptions of a new genus and species. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 34:295-314 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]