Where: Trinidad and Tobago (10.6° N, 61.1° W: paleocoordinates 10.5° N, 59.6° W)
• coordinate based on nearby landmark
• outcrop-level geographic resolution
When: Melajo Clay Member (Springvale Formation), Late/Upper Miocene (11.6 - 5.3 Ma)
• The Melajo Clay Member of the Springvale Formation is correlated with the Savaneta Glaconitic Sandstone Member of the Springvale Formation, although part of it may be younger. The Melajo fauna is late Miocene in age. The Melajo Clay rests transgressively on the phyllites of the Northern Range with a basal conglomerate of about 1 m thickness. The conglomerate graes into a 1.5 m thick limestone, which is overlain by a bed of sand of about 1 m thickness. Above the sand is the Melajo Clay. The total thickness of the Melajo Clay is about 200 ft. It is unconformably overlain by Pleistocene sand and gravel deposits.
• bed-level stratigraphic resolution
Environment/lithology: offshore; unlithified, yellow, blue, silty claystone and unlithified, coarse-grained sandstone
Size class: macrofossils
Reposited in the PRI, USNM
Collection methods: quarrying,
• All material descibed in this report is reposited in the Naturhistorisches Mueum, Basel, or the USNM. Additional material collection from this unit is found at PRI.
Primary reference: P. Jung. 1969. Miocene and Pliocene mollusks from Trinidad. Bulletins of American Paleontology 55(247):293-697 [A. Miller/A. Hendy]more details
Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis
PaleoDB collection 60402: authorized by Austin Hendy, entered by Austin Hendy on 14.05.2006
Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)
Taxonomic list
Scaphopoda | |
Dentalium (Dentalium) divulgatum tusk shell | |
Gastropoda | |
"Calliostoma olssoni" = Calliostoma (Elmerlinia) olssoni
"Calliostoma olssoni" = Calliostoma (Elmerlinia) olssoni Maury 1925 top snail | |
"Nerita (Nerita) exuvioides" = Nerita (Theliostyla) exuvioides, "Neritina (Vitta) cf. virginia" = Neritina virginea
"Nerita (Nerita) exuvioides" = Nerita (Theliostyla) exuvioides Trechmann 1935 snail
"Neritina (Vitta) cf. virginia" = Neritina virginea Linnaeus 1758 snail | |
Turritella (Broderiptella) aff. mimetes, Turritella (Broderiptella) planigyrata, Turritella (Broderiptella) bifastigata
Turritella (Broderiptella) aff. mimetes Brown and Pilsbry 1911 turret shell
Turritella (Broderiptella) planigyrata Guppy 1867 turret shell | |
"Crepidula (Crepidula) cf. maculosa" = Crepidula maculosa
"Crepidula (Crepidula) cf. maculosa" = Crepidula maculosa Conrad 1846 slipper shell | |
Polinices stanislasmeunieri, "Natica (Naticarius) canrena" = Naticarius canrena
Polinices stanislasmeunieri Maury 1917 moon snail
"Natica (Naticarius) canrena" = Naticarius canrena Linnaeus 1758 moon snail | |
Gordanops baranoanus Anderson 1929 snail | |
Agladrillia ? lassula snail | |
"Bullata maiae" = Closia (Bullata)
"Bullata maiae" = Closia (Bullata) volute | |
Eupleura lehneri Jung 1969 murex snail | |
Bivalvia | |
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) cf. maturensis" = Argopecten
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) cf. maturensis" = Argopecten calico scallop | |
Anomia simplex d'Orbigny 1845 jingle | |
Lopha messor oyster | |
Noetia (Noetia) sheldoniana Maury 1912 clam | |
"Anadara (Scapharca) placata" = Scapharca, Anadara (Anadara) inaequilateralis, Anadara (Cunearca) filicata
"Anadara (Scapharca) placata" = Scapharca clam
Anadara (Anadara) inaequilateralis Maury 1917 ark | |
Trigoniocardia (Trigoniocardia) maturensis, "Trachycardium (Dallocardia) sanctidavidis" = Dallocardia
"Trachycardium (Dallocardia) sanctidavidis" = Dallocardia cockle | |
"Eurytellina melajoensis" = Tellina (Eurytellina), Merisca trinidadensis
"Eurytellina melajoensis" = Tellina (Eurytellina) tellin clam
Merisca trinidadensis tellin clam | |
"Chione (Lirophora) caroniana" = Lirophora, Dosinia (Dosinia) sp., Pitar (Lamelliconcha) circinatus, Pitar (Lamelliconcha) labreanus
"Chione (Lirophora) caroniana" = Lirophora venus clam
Dosinia (Dosinia) sp. Scopoli 1777 venus clam
Pitar (Lamelliconcha) circinatus venus clam
Pitar (Lamelliconcha) labreanus venus clam | |
Tenuicorbula melajoensis Jung 1969 clam | |
"Eucrassatella trinitaria" = Eucrassatella (Hybolophus) trinitaria
"Eucrassatella trinitaria" = Eucrassatella (Hybolophus) trinitaria Maury 1925 clam |