San Nicholas Island (SN-16) (Quaternary of the United States)

Also known as Vedder & Norris (1963) SN-16

Where: Ventura County, California (33.2° N, 119.5° W: paleocoordinates 33.2° N, 119.2° W)

• coordinate stated in text

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Unnamed Formation, Quaternary (2.6 - 0.0 Ma)

• Dune sand and fossiliferous marine terrace deposits of Quaternary age. These overlie Eocene strata. Fossils come from seven well-developed wave-cut platforms at altitudes of 25 to 990 feet. Several submerged terraces are present on the shelf adjacent to the island., the lowest being 400 ft below sea-level. Presumably all the terrace platforms on San Nicholas Island were cut later than the middle Pleistocene diastrophism recognized elsewhere in southern California. Terrace platforms are covered with a variety of sediments of marine and non-marine origin and range in thickness from a few inches to many feet.

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: coastal; pebbly, shelly/skeletal, conglomeratic, calcareous sandstone

• Higher emergent terraces may represent wave-abraded platforms that were eroded during eustatic changes in sea level combined with tectonic uplift. The lowest emergent terrace may have been cut during eustatic sea-level changes followed by very slight regional seaward warping. Presumably all the terrace platforms on San Nicholas Island were cut later than the middle Pleistocene diastrophism recognized elsewhere in southern California
• Generally comprise poorly sorted calcareous sand and gravel composed primarily of mollusc shell fragments, echinoid plates and spines, calcareous algae, and bryozoans.

Size class: macrofossils

Collection methods: quarrying,

• Collections made by Norris (1955). Earlier collections by Cooper (1894), and Howard (1955)

Primary reference: J. G. Vedder and R. M. Norris. 1963. Geology of San Nicolas Island, California. United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 369:1-65 [A. Miller/A. Hendy/P. Wagner]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 37934: authorized by Austin Hendy, entered by Austin Hendy on 27.03.2004

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Comprehensive for invertebrates
Gastropoda
 Lepetellida - Fissurellidae
Fissurella volcano Reeve 1849 snail
 Trochoidea - Trochidae
"Tegula funebralis" = Chlorostoma funebrale
"Tegula funebralis" = Chlorostoma funebrale Adams 1855 top snail
 Trochoidea - Phasianellidae
"Tricolia ? pulloides" = Eulithidium pulloides
"Tricolia ? pulloides" = Eulithidium pulloides Carpenter 1865 snail
 Trochoidea - Turbinidae
"Astraea gibberosa" = Pomaulax gibberosa
"Astraea gibberosa" = Pomaulax gibberosa Dillwyn 1817 red turban
 Patellida - Lottiidae
Acmaea mitra, "Acmaea digitalis" = Lottia digitalis, "Acmaea limatula" = Lottia limatula, "Acmaea scabra" = Lottia scabra
Acmaea mitra Eschscholtz 1833 limpet
"Acmaea digitalis" = Lottia digitalis Eschscholtz 1833 limpet
"Acmaea limatula" = Lottia limatula Carpenter 1864 limpet
"Acmaea scabra" = Lottia scabra Gould 1846 limpet
 Neotaenioglossa - Calyptraeidae
Crepidula onyx Sowerby 1824 slipper shell
Crepidula cf. excavata Broderip 1834 slipper shell
 Sorbeoconcha - Barleeiidae
Barleeia cf. subtenuis Carpenter 1864 snail
Barleeia cf. oldroydi Bartsch 1920 snail
""Diala" cf. marmorea" = Pseudodiala acuta Carpenter 1864 snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Caecidae
Fartulum cf. orcutti Dall in Orcutt 1885 snail
 Neogastropoda - Siphonaliidae
Calicantharus fortis Carpenter 1866 snail
 Neogastropoda -
"Mitromorpha cf. gracilior" = Cymakra gracilior
"Mitromorpha cf. gracilior" = Cymakra gracilior Tryon 1884 snail
 Neogastropoda - Olividae
"Olivella biplicata" = Callianax biplicata
"Olivella biplicata" = Callianax biplicata Sowerby 1825 olive snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Vermetidae
"Spiroglyphus lituellus" = Dendropoma lituella
"Spiroglyphus lituellus" = Dendropoma lituella Morch 1861 worm shell
Bivalvia
 Pectinida - Pectinoidae
"Pecten ? vogdesi" = Euvola vogdesi
"Pecten ? vogdesi" = Euvola vogdesi Arnold 1906 scallop
 Cardiida - Neoleptonidae
Bernardina bakeri Dall 1910 clam
 Cardiida - Lasaeidae
"Lasaea cf. cistula" = Lasaea adansoni
"Lasaea cf. cistula" = Lasaea adansoni Gmelin 1791 clam
 Cardiida - Semelidae
Cumingia californica Conrad 1837 clam
 Cardiida - Veneridae
"Transennella tantilla" = Nutricola tantilla
"Transennella tantilla" = Nutricola tantilla Gould 1853 venus clam
 Lucinida - Lucinidae
Epilucina californica Conrad 1837 clam
 Carditida - Carditidae
"Glans cf. subquadrata" = Glans carpenteri
"Glans cf. subquadrata" = Glans carpenteri Lamy 1922 clam
Thecostraca
 Balanomorpha - Balanidae
"Balanus cf. tintinnabulum" = Megabalanus tintinnabulum
"Balanus cf. tintinnabulum" = Megabalanus tintinnabulum Linnaeus 1758 barnacle
Subspecies: Balanus cf. tintinnabulum californicus
 Balanomorpha - Tetraclitidae
Tetraclita squamosa barnacle
Subspecies: Tetraclita squamosa rubescens