Hall Lake Formation | |
---|---|
Stratigraphic range: Late Cretaceous, Campanian–Maastrichtian ~ | |
Type | Geological formation |
Unit of | McRae Group |
Underlies | Jose Creek Member [1] |
Overlies | "Quaternary-Tertiary basalt flows and alluvium" |
Lithology | |
Primary | Mudstone, "shale", sandstone |
Location | |
Coordinates | 33°12′N107°06′W / 33.2°N 107.1°W |
Approximate paleocoordinates | 40°30′N81°06′W / 40.5°N 81.1°W |
Region | New Mexico |
Country | United States |
The Hall Lake Formation, formerly called the Hall Lake Member, is a geological formation in Sierra County, New Mexico preserving Lancian fauna, most notably dinosaurs. It is regarded as a member of the McRae Group, including the Elephant Butte and Staton-LaPoint locales. [2]
While most estimates place it firmly within the Lancian fauna, specifically using taxa such as Compsemys as index fossils to recover a Campanian-Maastrichtian age, [3] Lozinsky et al. (1984) note the presence of basalt flows and alluvium dating to the Quaternary-Tertiary.
It overlooks the Jose Creek Member and is composed of purple and maroon shales. When they meet, it is marked by a basal conglomerate or a color distinction where conglomerate is absent. Various Cenozoic units overly the formation. Where some choose to classify these layers as a member of the McRae Formation, [4] others classify it as a distinct formation in a group of formations. [5]
Color key
| Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; |
Genus | Species | Locality | Material | Notes | References | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tyrannosauridae | indet. | Staton-LaPoint |
| Lozinsky et al. (1984) call it indeterminate | [4] | |
Tyrannosaurus | T. mcraeensis | Elephant Butte (upper) |
| [6] | ||
Alamosaurus | sp. | upper |
| Tentative referral | [5] [4] | |
Sauropoda | Possibly from the Jose Creek Member | [7] | ||||
Theropoda |
Color key
| Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; |
Taxon | Locality | Material | Notes | References | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Triceratops sp. | 2 miles south of Elephant Butte |
| This genus, Torosaurus or a novel taxon | [2] [4] | |
Sierraceratops turneri | Elephant Butte (lower) |
| [5] | ||
Ceratopsidae | Elephant Butte (upper) |
| A new genus similar to Torosaurus is said to exist above the base of the formation | [3] | |
Elephant Butte (lower) | Indeterminate, in abundance | ||||
Torosaurus sp. | Elephant Butte (upper)? | ||||
Hadrosauridae | cannot be determined | Indeterminate and of unknown origins due to faulting or Quaternary cover | |||
Ankylosauria |
| Possibly from the Jose Creek Member, near identical from UNM-FKK-001P of the Kirtland Formation | [7] [4] |
Taxon | Locality | Material | Notes | References |
---|---|---|---|---|
Testudinata | Elephant Butte (upper) | [2] | ||
Crocodylia | ||||
Compsemys | Index fossils suggesting a Lancian age | [3] | ||
Bothremydidae |
Genus | Species | Locality | Notes | References |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tracheophyta | indet. | 2 miles south of Elephant Butte | [2] | |
Sabalites | sp. | Possibly from the Jose Creek Member | [7] | |
Sequoia | ||||
Sabal | ||||
Araucarites | ||||
Viburnum | ||||
Cinnamomum | ||||
Exnelumbites | ||||
Phyllites | ||||
Ficus | ||||
Salix |
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