Fukagawa: Zanclean, Japan

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Osteichthyes - Cetacea - Balaenidae
1 specimen
Balaenula sp HUES 10003
see common names

Geography
Country:Japan State/province:Hokkaido County:Fukagawa
Coordinates: 43.7° North, 142.1° East (view map)
Paleocoordinates:43.5° North, 140.9° East (Wright 2013)
Basis of coordinate:estimated from map
Time
Period: Neogene Epoch: Pliocene
Stage: Zanclean 10 m.y. bin: Cenozoic 6
Key time interval: Zanclean
Age range of interval: 5.333 - 3.6 m.y. ago
Age estimate: minimum 4.1 ± 0.6 Ma (fission track)
Stratigraphy
Geological group:Fukagawa Formation:Chichibubetsu
Stratigraphic resolution:formation
Stratigraphy comments: early Pliocene; a.k.a. Chichibubetsu Formation

The Chippubetsu Formation, which forms part of the Fukagawa Group exposed in Hokkaido, Japan [80]. The specimen was found in a horizon below a tuff level (“T2”) likely correlative with the S1 tuff of the Takikawa Formation [81], which has been dated to 4.1 ± 0.6 Ma based on fission-track dating [82]. The age of the base of the Chippubetsu Formation is currently unknown. However, the lower part of this formation has been correlated with the upper part of the Horokaoshirarika Formation based on palynological data [80], with the latter falling into the Neodenticula kamtschatica diatom zone [83], dated to ca. 6.4–3.5 Ma [84]. Together, these estimates imply an approximate age range of 6.4–4.1 Ma. (Marx & Fordyce, 2015)
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology: not reported
Environment:transition zone/lower shoreface
Geology comments: transitional to beach, regression
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body,original phosphate
Size of fossils:macrofossils
Collection methods and comments
Reason for describing collection:general faunal/floral analysis
Metadata
Database number:97629
Authorizer:M. Uhen Enterer:M. Uhen
Modifier:P. Wagner Research group:vertebrate
Created:2010-08-16 08:45:18 Last modified:2025-11-11 13:55:10
Access level:the public Released:2010-08-16 08:45:18
Creative Commons license:CC0
Reference information

Primary reference:

33319. T. Kimura. 2009. Review of the fossil balaenids from Japan with a re-description of Eubalaena shinshuensis (Mammalia, Cetacea, Mysticeti). Quaderni del Museo di Storia Naturale di Livorno 22:3-21 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]

Secondary references:

55050 F. G. Marx and R. E. Fordyce. 2015. Baleen boom and bust: a synthesis of mysticete phylogeny, diversity and disparity. Royal Society Open Science 2:140434 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]