Old Church Formation

Old Church Formation
Stratigraphic range: Oligocene
Xenorophid(?) Cetacean tooth from the Old Church formation of Virginia
TypeFormation
Unit ofChesapeake Group
UnderliesCalvert Formation, Popes Creek Sand
OverliesPamunkey Group, Piney Point Formation
Location
RegionVirginia
CountryUnited States

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.

Species

Some of the species known from the Old Church Formation are included below. Further study will likely reveal a more diverse fauna.[1]

Chondrichthyans

Cetaceans

Chelonians

Invertebrates[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Weems, Robert (2014). "Paleogene chelonians from Maryland and Virginia" (PDF). PaleoBios. 31 (1).
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.


Stub icon

This article about a specific stratigraphic formation in Virginia is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.