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 60630: authorized by Austin Hendy, entered by Austin Hendy on 19.05.2006
Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)
Taxonomic list
Gastropoda | |
"Calliostoma olssoni" = Calliostoma (Elmerlinia) olssoni
"Calliostoma olssoni" = Calliostoma (Elmerlinia) olssoni Maury 1925 top snail | |
Turbonilla "sp. D" Risso 1826 snail
Turbonilla "sp. B" Risso 1826 snail | |
Carinodrillia meraca snail
Miraclathurella ralla snail | |
Epitonium (Asperiscala) rohri wentletrap | |
Calyptraea centralis Conrad 1841 slipper shell | |
Polinices stanislasmeunieri, "Natica (Naticarius) canrena" = Naticarius canrena
Polinices stanislasmeunieri Maury 1917 moon snail
"Natica (Naticarius) canrena" = Naticarius canrena Linnaeus 1758 moon snail | |
Glyphostoma sculptile snail | |
Strioterebrum aff. laevifasciola Maury 1917 auger snail | |
Polystira "sp. B" Woodring 1928 turrid | |
Agladrillia ? lassula snail | |
Nassarius (Uzita) trinitatensis Jung 1969 snail
Gordanops baranoanus Anderson 1929 snail | |
"Anachis (Costoanachis) obesa" = Parvanachis obesa
"Anachis (Costoanachis) obesa" = Parvanachis obesa Adams 1845 snail | |
"Olivella (Dactylidia) aff. mutica" = Olivella mutica, Olivella (Minioliva) fundarugata
"Olivella (Dactylidia) aff. mutica" = Olivella mutica Say 1822 olive snail
Olivella (Minioliva) fundarugata olive snail | |
Eupleura lehneri Jung 1969 murex snail | |
Cyclostremiscus (Ponocyclus) pentagonus Gabb 1873 snail | |
Niso grandis snail | |
Turritella (Broderiptella) planigyrata Guppy 1867 turret shell
Turritella (Broderiptella) aff. mimetes Brown and Pilsbry 1911 turret shell | |
Scaphopoda | |
Dentalium (Dentalium) divulgatum tusk shell | |
Bivalvia | |
"Nuculana (Saccella) ludificans" = Saccella
"Nuculana (Saccella) ludificans" = Saccella pointed nut clam | |
"Anadara (Scapharca) placata" = Scapharca
"Anadara (Scapharca) placata" = Scapharca clam | |
Caryocorbula (Caryocorbula) sp. Gardner 1926 clam | |
"Mactra (Micromactra) cf. maracaibensis" = Mactrotoma
"Mactra (Micromactra) cf. maracaibensis" = Mactrotoma surfclam | |
"Chione (Lirophora) caroniana" = Lirophora, Pitar (Lamelliconcha) circinatus
"Chione (Lirophora) caroniana" = Lirophora venus clam
Pitar (Lamelliconcha) circinatus venus clam | |
Temnoconcha aff. brasiliana, "Moerella (Moerella) elinguis" = Tellina (Moerella), "Eurytellina melajoensis" = Tellina (Eurytellina)
Temnoconcha aff. brasiliana tellin clam
"Moerella (Moerella) elinguis" = Tellina (Moerella) tellin clam
"Eurytellina melajoensis" = Tellina (Eurytellina) tellin clam | |
Crassinella guppyi Dall 1896 clam |