Castle Hayne Limestone

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Castle Hayne Limestone
Stratigraphic range: Lutetian/early Bartonian, 45–40  Ma
O
S
D
C
P
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J
K
Pg
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Type Formation
Unit of Jackson Group
Sub-unitsNew Hanover Member, Comfort Member, Spring Garden Member
Lithology
Primary limestone
Other marl
Location
Region North Carolina
Country United States
Type section
Named for Castle Hayne, North Carolina

The Castle Hayne Limestone (also called the Castle Hayne Formation) is a middle Eocene-aged geologic formation in North Carolina, USA. [1] It consists of cobble to pebble sized clasts, usually rounded, coated with phosphate and glauconite in a limestone matrix. The formation has been dated to the middle Eocene, but its exact age remains uncertain; however, it is generally thought to date to the Lutetian or early Bartonian. [2]

Contents

Description

The Castle Hayne Formation is divided into three submembers: the New Hanover member, the Comfort Member, and the Spring Garden Member. [3] The New Hanover member is the oldest member and is characterizes by cobbles and pebbles, fine sand, glauconite, and phosphate in a fine limestone matrix. The most common fossils are shark and ray teeth. Index fossils place this member in the middle Eocene. The Comfort member lies above the New Hanover member. It contains bryozoa and sea urchin fossils and beds of glauconite and phosphate pebbles that mark breaks in deposition. The Comfort member was deposited in the late middle Eocene and is overlain by the Spring Garden member. The Spring Garden member is a siliceous rock cemented with calcite and containing detrital phosphate. Mollusc bivalves account for up to 75% of the composition in some areas and molds of molluscs shells filled with silica are common. Index fossils indicate this member was also deposited in the late middle Eocene.

Vertebrate paleobiota

Based on the Paleobiology Database: [4]

Cartilaginous fish

Sharks

Sharks of the Castle Hayne Limestone
GenusSpeciesMemberMaterialNotesImages
Anomotodon A. novusA goblin shark. Anomotodon novus.jpg
Brachycarcharias B. koertiA sand shark.
Macrorhizodus M. americanus (=Isurus americanus) [5] A lamnid mackerel shark. Macrorhizodus falcatus.jpg
Odontaspis O. sp.A sand shark. Odontaspis ferox (Smalltooth sand tiger).gif
Otodus O. angustidens A megatooth shark. 4-25 Angustidens.jpg
Striatolamia S. macrotaA sand shark. Odontaspididae - Striatolamia whitei.JPG

Rays

Rays of the Castle Hayne Limestone
GenusSpeciesMemberMaterialNotesImages
Dasyatidae indet.A whiptail stingray of uncertain affinities.
Myliobatis M. sp.An eagle ray. Myliobatis hamlyni.jpg
Pristis P. curvidens A sawfish. Pristis clavata 2.jpg
Rhinoptera R. sp.A cownose ray. Rhinoptera steindachneri.jpg

Ray-finned fish

Ray-finned fish of the Castle Hayne Limestone
GenusSpeciesMemberMaterialNotesImages
Carangidae indet.A jackfish.
Cylindracanthus C. sp.RostraA fish of uncertain affinities. Cylindracanthus rectus.jpg
Xiphiorhynchus X. antiquusA xiphiid billfish, related to modern swordfish. Xiphiorhynchus sp.JPG

Mammals

Cetaceans

Cetaceans of the Castle Hayne Limestone
GenusSpeciesMemberMaterialNotesImages
Crenatocetus C. rayiComfortA protocetid. Type locality for this genus. [6]
Cynthiacetus C. maxwelliA basilosaurid. Cynthiacetus maxwelli.png
Pachycetus P. wardiiA basilosaurid. Pachycetus paulsoni.png
?Remingtonocetidae indet.A tooth.A potential remingtonocetid. Possibly the first record of this family from North America, and provides evidence that this family had a trans-Atlantic distribution. [2]

Sirenians

Sirenians of the Castle Hayne Limestone
GenusSpeciesMemberNotesImages
Protosiren P. spA protosirenid sirenian. Protosiren remains.png

Invertebrate paleobiota

Molluscs

[7]

GeneraSpeciesNotesImages
Chione C. sp
A guide to the fossil invertebrate animals in the Department of geology and palaeontology in the British museum (Natural history) (1907) (14592753318).jpg
Crassatella C. wilcoxi

C. sp

A crassatellid bivalve.
Ensis E. sp
Ensis ensis-H.jpg
Flemingostrea F. sp
Giganostrea G. trigonalisAn extinct group of oyster.
Glyptoactis G. sp
Panopea P. spA close relative of the modern geoduck.
Hiatellidae - Panopea glycymeris.JPG
Pecten P. membranosusAn extinct bivalve that belonged to the same genus as most modern scallops.
Fossil scallop - fosil deniztaragi.jpg
Pholadomya P. sp
Pholadomyidae - Pholadomya scutata.JPG
Plicatula P. filamentosa
Venericardia V. sp

Cephalopods

GeneraSpeciesNotesImages
Anomalosaepia A. vernei

A. mariettani

A. alleni

A. andreane

A. sp

An extinct group of cuttlefish that was also found in Egypt and belonged to the family Anomalosaepiidae.
Aturia A. alabamensisBelongs in its own family: the Aturiidae.
Aturia eocene puglia.jpg
Beloptera B. spAnother extinct group of cuttlefish that was found in several localities in Europe.
Conchorhynchus C. furrusHas not been classified into any specific cephalopod group yet.
Eutrephoceras E. carolinensisFirst originated during the Cretaceous period.
Eutrephoceras dorbignyanum (Forbes in Darwin, 1846) - Strasbourg specimen.jpg
E. dorbignyanum, a related species.
Rhyncolites R. sp

R. minimus

R. aturensis

An extinct group of nautiloid that has not yet been classified into any specific family.

See also

References

  1. "Geolex — CastleHayne publications". ngmdb.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
  2. 1 2 Uhen, Mark D.; Peredo, Carlos Mauricio (2021). "The first possible remingtonocetid stem whale from North America" (PDF). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 66 (1): 77–83.
  3. Ward, Lauck W.; Lawrence, David R.; Blackwelder, Blake W. (1979). "Stratigraphic revision of the middle Eocene, Oligocene, and lower Miocene; Atlantic Coastal Plain of North Carolina" (PDF). U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin. 1457-F: 3–10. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  4. "PBDB Strata Results". Paleobiology Database . Retrieved 2024-11-16.
  5. "Macrorhizodus americanus | Shark-References". shark-references.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
  6. "PBDB Collection". Paleobiology Database . Retrieved 2024-11-16.
  7. "Online Collections | North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences". collections.naturalsciences.org. Retrieved 2016-03-15.[ permanent dead link ]