Jefferson County, Florida paleontological sites

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Jefferson County during the Miocene would have a shoreline dividing the county with land occupying the northern half. Jefferson County Florida exploding 600px.png
Jefferson County during the Miocene would have a shoreline dividing the county with land occupying the northern half.
Florida during the Miocene Interglacial Florida.png
Florida during the Miocene
Florida during the Pleistocene Florida 2.5mya.png
Florida during the Pleistocene

The Jefferson County, Florida paleontological sites are assemblages of Mid-Miocene to Late Pleistocene vertebrates from Jefferson County, Florida, United States.

The Miocene is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about 23.03 to 5.333 million years ago (Ma). The Miocene was named by Charles Lyell; its name comes from the Greek words μείων and καινός and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene is preceded by the Oligocene and is followed by the Pliocene.

The Late Pleistocene is a geochronological age of the Pleistocene Epoch and is associated with Upper Pleistocene stage rocks. The beginning of the stage is defined by the base of the Eemian interglacial phase before the final glacial episode of the Pleistocene 126,000 ± 5,000 years ago. Its end is defined at the end of the Younger Dryas, some 11,700 years ago. The age represents the end of the Pleistocene epoch and is followed by the Holocene epoch.

Jefferson County, Florida County in the United States

Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2010 census, the population was 14,761. Its county seat is Monticello.

Contents

Age

Era : Neogene
Period : Miocene to Pleistocene, ~23.03 Mya—11,000 years ago. (calculates to a period of approximately 22.92 million years).
Faunal stage : Clarendonian through early Rancholabrean

A geologic era is a subdivision of geologic time that divides an eon into smaller units of time. The Phanerozoic Eon is divided into three such time frames: the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic that represent the major stages in the macroscopic fossil record. These eras are separated by catastrophic extinction boundaries, the P-T boundary between the Paleozoic and the Mesozoic and the K-Pg boundary between the Mesozoic and the Cenozoic. There is evidence that catastrophic meteorite impacts played a role in demarcating the differences between the eras.

The Neogene is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period 23.03 million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period 2.58 Mya. The Neogene is sub-divided into two epochs, the earlier Miocene and the later Pliocene. Some geologists assert that the Neogene cannot be clearly delineated from the modern geological period, the Quaternary. The term "Neogene" was coined in 1853 by the Austrian palaeontologist Moritz Hörnes (1815–1868).

Sites

Ashville site (Miocene) Time period: ~13.5—12.7 Mya. [1]
Aucilla River site (Pleistocene) Time period: ~126,000—11,000 years ago. The Aucilla site specimens were discovered by amateur paleontologist Dr. Richard Ohmes of Bremerton, Washington in 1969. [2]
Coordinates: 30°06′N83°54′W / 30.1°N 83.9°W / 30.1; -83.9
Wacissa River site (Pleistocene) Time period: ~126,000—11,000 years ago. Collected by R. Alexon, B. Mathen, R. Gingery in October 1981; in shallow water. Specimens reposited in the Florida Museum of Natural History. [3]
Coordinates: 30°24′N83°54′W / 30.4°N 83.9°W / 30.4; -83.9

Bremerton, Washington City in Washington, United States

Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 41,500 according to the 2018 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap. Bremerton is connected to Downtown Seattle by two ferries: a 60-minute ferry that carries both vehicles and walk-on passengers, and a 28-minute fast ferry that carries passengers and a limited number of bicycles.

Florida Museum of Natural History natural history museum in Florida, United States

The Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH) is Florida's official state-sponsored and chartered natural-history museum. Its main facilities are located at 3215 Hull Road on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Ashland site = ASH. Aucilla River site = ARS. Wacissa River site = WRS.

Aucilla River river in Florida and Georgia, United States

The Aucilla River rises in Brooks County, Georgia, USA, close to Thomasville, and passes through the Big Bend region of Florida, emptying into the Gulf of Mexico at Apalachee Bay. Some early maps have it called the Ocilla River. The river is 89 miles (143 km) long and has a drainage basin of 747 square miles (1,930 km2). Tributaries include the Little Aucilla and Wacissa Rivers. In Florida, the Aucilla River forms the eastern border of Jefferson County, separating it from Madison County on the northern part, and from Taylor County to the south.

Wacissa River river in the United States of America

The Wacissa River is a large, spring-fed stream located in south-central Jefferson County, Florida. Its headwaters are located about a mile south of the town of Wacissa, where the river emerges crystal clear from a group of large limestone springs. From its headsprings, the river flows approximately 12 miles (19 km) south through a broad cypress swamp before breaking into numerous braided channels which join the Aucilla River a few miles further south. The river is managed by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission as part of the Aucilla Wildlife Management Area, and has been declared an Outstanding Florida Waterway by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Reptiles

Emydidae family of reptiles

Emydidae is a family of testudines (turtles) which includes close to 50 species in 10 genera. Members of this family are commonly called terrapins, pond turtles, or marsh turtles. Several species of Asian box turtle were formerly classified in the family; however, revised taxonomy has separated them to a different family. As currently defined, Emydidae is entirely a Western Hemisphere family, with the exception of two species of pond turtle.

<i>Geochelone</i> genus of reptiles

Geochelone is a genus of tortoises.

<i>Alligator</i> genus of large reptiles

An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. The two living species are the American alligator and the Chinese alligator. Additionally, several extinct species of alligator are known from fossil remains. Alligators first appeared during the Oligocene epoch about 37 million years ago.

Birds

Mammals

<i>Bison antiquus</i> species of mammal (fossil)

Bison antiquus, the ancient or antique bison, is an extinct species of bison that lived in North America until around 10,000 years ago. It was one of the most common large herbivores on the North American continent during the late Pleistocene, and is a direct ancestor of the living American bison.

<i>Camelops</i> genus of mammals

Camelops is an extinct genus of camel that lived in western North America from the middle Pliocene to the end of the Pleistocene. It shares a common ancestor with the Old World dromedary and Bactrian camel, as well as a more distant common ancestor with the New World alpaca, guanaco, llama, and vicuña. Its name is derived from the Ancient Greek κάμελος and ὄψ, i.e. "camel-face".

<i>Equus</i> (genus) genus of mammals

Equus is a genus of mammals in the family Equidae, which includes horses, donkeys, and zebras. Within Equidae, Equus is the only recognized extant genus, comprising seven living species. The term equine refers to any member of this genus, including horses. Like Equidae more broadly, Equus has numerous extinct species known only from fossils. The genus most likely originated in North America and spread quickly to the Old World. Equines are odd-toed ungulates with slender legs, long heads, relatively long necks, manes, and long tails. All species are herbivorous, and mostly grazers, with simpler digestive systems than ruminants, but able to subsist on lower-quality vegetation.

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References

  1. ↑ R. C. Hulbert. 1988. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum, Biological Sciences 33(3)
  2. ↑ Paleobiology Database Aucilla River collection
  3. ↑ Authority: S. D. Webb, J. T. Milanich, R. Alexon and J. S. Dunbar. 1984. A Bison antiquus kill site, Wacissa River, Jefferson County, Florida . American Antiquity 49(2):384-392
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