Plum Point, Zone 10 (Miocene of the United States)

Where: Calvert County, Maryland (38.6° N, 76.5° W: paleocoordinates 38.8° N, 73.2° W)

• coordinate estimated from map

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Plum Point Member (Calvert Formation), Langhian (16.0 - 13.8 Ma)

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: estuary or bay; yellow, sandy claystone

• quiet water, soft bottom; variable to high amounts and diversity of molluscs; embayment
• yellowish sandy clay

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: G. B. Shattuck. 1904. Geological and paleontological relations, with a review of earlier investigations. Maryland Geological Survey Miocene Text xxxiii-clv [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 70818: authorized by Mark Uhen, entered by Mark Uhen on 09.04.2007, edited by Evangelos Vlachos and Margot Nelson

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Mammalia
 Cetacea - Eurhinodelphinidae
Xiphiacetus bossi1 Kellogg 1925 toothed whale
Eurhinodelphis sp.3 Van Beneden and Gervais 1880 toothed whale
 Carnivora - Phocidae
"Leptophoca lenis" = Leptophoca proxima2
"Leptophoca lenis" = Leptophoca proxima2 Van Beneden 1876 seal
Reptilia
 Testudines - Cheloniidae
Procolpochelys grandaeva4 Leidy 1861 sea turtle
Fused dentaries (USNM 442385), collected on beach by George Fonger, probably from SZ 10, 11, or 12
 Testudines - Dermochelyidae
Psephophorus polygonus4 von Meyer 1847 leatherback
Patches of dermal shield plates (USNM 358053), collected by George Fonger and Mr. Miron
 Testudines - Podocnemididae
Bairdemys miocenica4 Collins and Lynn 1936 sideneck turtle
CMM-V-1765, second or third neural element. Collected from the Calvert Cliffs by James Kaltenbach about 1.2 km (0.75 mile) south of Plum Point Road in SZ 10, Plum Point Member, Calvert Formation (basal Middle Miocene)
Aves
 Columbiformes - Columbidae
Columbidae indet.5 Illiger 1811 dove
 Suliformes - Sulidae
"Moris sp." = Morus5, "Sula avita n. sp." = Morus avitus5
"Moris sp." = Morus5 Vieillot 1816 gannet
"Sula avita n. sp." = Morus avitus5 Wetmore 1938 gannet