Buck Spring Quarries (B-2 horizon)
Basic information
Sample name: Buck Spring Quarries (B-2 horizon)
Sample aka: Locality K-6; CM loc. 1040
Reference: R. K. Stucky, L. Krishtalka, and A. D. Redline. 1990. Geology, vertebrate fauna, and paleoecology of the Buck Spring Quarries (early Eocene, Wind River Formation), Wyoming. Geological Society of America Special Paper 243:169-186 [ER 4125]
Geography
Country: United States
State: Wyoming
County: Natrona
Coordinate: 42.27° N, -107.49° W
Coordinate basis: estimated from map
Scale: outcrop
Formation: Wind River
Time interval: Early Eocene
Zone: Wasatchian
Ma: 52.1
Age basis: AEO
Geography comments: shown in Fig. 1 as approximately 8 miles east of Lysite and 12 miles WNW of Arminto: I have triangulated the coordinate based also on Fig. 4, which shows the site to be just north of Los Cabin Road
"Five of the six quarries occur within the B-2 horizon; the sixth is in the lower part of the B-1 horizon. Of the two major quarries, Q-1 is approximately one-half meter above Q-6. All excavated sites lie within 200 m of one another"
the B-2 horizon is "2.5 to 3.0 m" thick
from the Lost Cabin Member of the Wind River Formation
Lostcabinian, meaning latest Wasatchian
"Five of the six quarries occur within the B-2 horizon; the sixth is in the lower part of the B-1 horizon. Of the two major quarries, Q-1 is approximately one-half meter above Q-6. All excavated sites lie within 200 m of one another"
the B-2 horizon is "2.5 to 3.0 m" thick
from the Lost Cabin Member of the Wind River Formation
Lostcabinian, meaning latest Wasatchian
Environment
Lithology: limestone
Taphonomic context: lake deposit,carnivore accumulation
Habitat comments: "The B-2 horizon appears lithologically homogeneous in surface outcrop. However, the horizon is heterogeneous in test and quarry excavations and includes three basic lithologies: mudstone, sandstone, and limestone" but "Fossil vertebrates are extremely abundant in the limestones as well as in subjacent mudstones" and the limestones are discussed in detail
the environment of deposition was "in standing water and may represent the remnants of blue green algal mats... in small ponds and/or well-drained swamps"
"All quarry remains are exceptionally well preserved and include complete skulls and jaws, partial skeletons, skull, jaw and postcranial elements, and isolated teeth"
"predators appear to be responsible for accumulation of the majority of the fossil vertebrate materials" and there was "only minimal transport"
the environment of deposition was "in standing water and may represent the remnants of blue green algal mats... in small ponds and/or well-drained swamps"
"All quarry remains are exceptionally well preserved and include complete skulls and jaws, partial skeletons, skull, jaw and postcranial elements, and isolated teeth"
"predators appear to be responsible for accumulation of the majority of the fossil vertebrate materials" and there was "only minimal transport"
Methods
Life forms: bats,carnivores,primates,rodents,ungulates,other large mammals,other small mammals
Sampling methods: quarry
Sample size: 369 specimens
Years: 1984 - 1987
Museum: Carnegie Museum
Sampling comments: the B-2 horizon was discovered in 1984: later collecting years are not stated explicitly, but there were "excavations over the past four years" that I presume to mean 1984 - 1987
"extensive quarrying operations have been conducted at two sites in the B-2 horizon, Quarry-1 and Quarry-6 (Q-1, Q-6)"
there are also "reptiles, birds, amphibians, and fishes" including abundant "lizards", some of which are mentioned on p. 177
additional taxa described from the Buck Spring Quarries area include Hemiacodon casamissus (Beard et al. 1992) and cf. Palaeanodon sp. and Dipassalus oryctes (Rose et al. 1991), which might or might not correspond to Palaeanodonta indet. A
"extensive quarrying operations have been conducted at two sites in the B-2 horizon, Quarry-1 and Quarry-6 (Q-1, Q-6)"
there are also "reptiles, birds, amphibians, and fishes" including abundant "lizards", some of which are mentioned on p. 177
additional taxa described from the Buck Spring Quarries area include Hemiacodon casamissus (Beard et al. 1992) and cf. Palaeanodon sp. and Dipassalus oryctes (Rose et al. 1991), which might or might not correspond to Palaeanodonta indet. A
Metadata
Sample number: 4567
Contributor: John Alroy
Enterer: John Alroy
Modifier no: John Alroy
Created: 2024-12-07 02:35:07
Modified: 2024-12-11 10:21:34
Abundance distribution
54 species
17 singletons
total count 369
geometric series index: 101.3
Fisher's α: 17.425
geometric series k: 0.9323
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.9456
Shannon's H: 3.3253
Good's u: 0.9540
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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