The Old Church Formation is a geologic formation in Virginia and possibly Maryland. It preserves fossils dating back to the Oligocene epoch of the Paleogene period. It rarely exposes on land and is under-studied. However, deposits from this period are rare and the Old Church Formation likely contains many scientifically significant taxa. Ward (1985) recommended placing this formation in the Chesapeake Group.[1]
| Old Church Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Oligocene | |
 Xenorophid(?) Cetacean tooth from the Old Church formation of Virginia | |
| Type | Formation |
| Unit of | Trent Supergroup |
| Underlies | Calvert Formation, Popes Creek Sand |
| Overlies | Pamunkey Group, Piney Point Formation |
| Location | |
| Region | Virginia, Maryland |
| Country | United States |
Species
editSome of the species known from the Old Church Formation are included below. Further study will likely reveal a more diverse fauna.[2]
Chondrichthyans
editCetaceans
edit- Xenorophidae sp.
- Micromysticetus sp.[3]
- cf. Ankylorhiza sp.[3]
- cf. Xenorophus sloani[3]
- aff. Coronodon sp.[3]
- aff. Cotylocara sp. and Echovenator sp.[3]
- aff. Eosqualodon sp.[3]
Chelonians
edit- Mercenaria gardnerae
- Anomia ruffini
- "Pectin" seabeensis
- "Pectin" sp.
- Lucina sp.
- Plicatula sp.
- Epitonium sp.
- Panopea sp.
- Cyclocardia sp.
- Astarte sp.
- Pycnodonte sp.
- Isognomon sp.
- "Cardium" sp.
- Bicorbula idonea
- Macrocallista sp.
- Diadora sp.
- Ecphora sp.
- Trophon sp.
- Calypttaea sp.
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b Ward, Lauck W. (1985). "Stratigraphy and characteristic mollusks of the Pamunkey Group (lower Tertiary) and the Old Church Formation of the Chesapeake Group; Virginia Coastal Plain". Professional Paper. doi:10.3133/pp1346. ISSN 2330-7102.
- ^ Weems, Robert (2014). "Paleogene chelonians from Maryland and Virginia" (PDF). PaleoBios. 31 (1).
- ^ a b c d e f Weems, Robert E; Boessnecker, Robert W; Sanders, Albert E (2022). "Cetacean remains from the Lower Oligocene Old Church Formation of Virginia". The Mosasaur. 12: 29–44.
- Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Retrieved 17 December 2021.
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