Wood Canyon Formation

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Wood Canyon Formation
Stratigraphic range: 540–532.83  Ma
Type Geologic formation
Sub-units'Upper', 'Middle' and 'Lower' Members [1]
Underlies Zabriskie Quartzite Formation
Overlies Sterling Quartzite Formation
Thickness0–2,500 feet (0–762 m)
Lithology
Primary Sandstone
Other Limestone, Siltstone, Quartzite, Shale, Dolostone, Conglomerate
Location
Region Mojave Desert, California and Nevada
Country United States

The Wood Canyon Formation is a geologic formation in the northern Mojave Desert of Inyo County, California and Nye County and Clark County, Nevada. [2] [3]

Contents

It can be seen in the Panamint Range and Funeral Mountains adjoining Death Valley, within Death Valley National Park; and in the Spring Mountains in Clark County. [2]

Geology

The 570+ million years old formation underlies the Zabriskie Quartzite Formation, and overlies the Stirling Quartzite Formation. [2] [4]

It has three unnamed Members, simply known as 'Upper', 'Middle', and 'Lower', that mainly consist of limestone, conglomerate rocks and dolostone respectively, with sandstone and siltstones found within the 'Upper' and 'Lower' Members, with the latter itself further containing quartzite and shales. [1] [2] The 'Upper' and 'Middle' Members are Cambrian in age, including the upper rocks of the 'Lower Member', whilst the rest of the 'Lower' Member is Ediacaran in age. [1]

Paleobiota

The Wood Canyon Formation spans from the late Ediacaran period of the Neoproterozoic Era into the Lower Cambrian Period of the Paleozoic Era. [2] [3] [5] As for the fossils and biota found within the formation, the Cambrian strata is home to olenellid trilobites and archaeocyathid sponges, [2] whilst the Ediacaran strata contains petalonamid forms like Pteridinium and ichnotaxon traces like Helminthoidichnites . [1]

Color key
Taxon Reclassified taxonTaxon falsely reported as presentDubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon
Notes
Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited.

Cambrian

All the organisms and trace fossils from the Cambrian sections of the formation.

Arthropoda

GenusSpeciesNotesImages
Olenellidae indet. [2]
  • Unapplicable
Redlichiid trilobite arthropods.
Olenellus fowleri CRF.jpeg
Nevadia (?) [2]
  • N. gracile (?)
Redlichiid trilobite arthropods, from the family Nevadiidae. Misslabelled as Nevadella gracile, tentative assignment.
NevadiaSp.jpg

Brachiopoda

GenusSpeciesNotesImages
Kutorgina (?) [2]
  • Kutorgina sp. (?)
Rhynchonelliform brachiopods, tentative assignment.
Kutorgina cingulata.png

Porifera (Sponges)

GenusSpeciesNotesImages
Archaeocyatha indet. [2]
  • Unapplicable
Marine reef-building sponges.
Branching archaeocyath.jpg

Echinodermata

GenusSpeciesNotesImages
Helicoplacus [6]
  • H. gilberti
Oblong echinoderm.
Helicoplacus USNM.jpg

Petalonamae

GenusSpeciesNotesImages
Swartpuntia [7]
  • S. germsi
Sessile frondose organism, although assignment has been questioned based on the possibility that know specimens could be referred to other known Cambrian frondose organisms. [8]
Swartpuntiagermsi.png

incertae sedis

GenusSpeciesNotesImages
Tirasiana (?) [7]
  • T. disciformis (?)
Discoidal organism, tentative assignment. Possibly junior synonym of Aspidella.

Ichnogenera

GenusSpeciesNotesImages
Bergaueria [9]
  • Bergaueria isp.
Resting place of Cnidarians.
Bergaueria radiata.png
Conichnus [9]
  • Conichnus isp.
Burrows.
Cruziana [10]
  • C. pectinata
  • C. tenella
Burrows.
Cruziana2.jpg
Dolopichnus [9]
  • Dolopichnus isp.
Burrows.
Didymaulichnus [10]
  • D. miettensis
Burrows.
Psammichnites [10]
  • P. gigas
Burrows.
Rusophycus [10]
  • Rusophycus isp.
Burrows.
RusophycusOrdovician.jpg
Skolithos [2] [10]
  • S. linearis
Burrows.
Skolithos.jpg
Treptichnus [11]
  • T. pedum
Burrows.
Treptichnus pedum.png
Zoophycos [12]
  • Zoophycos isp.
Feeding trace of polychaete worms.
ZoophycosMississippian.jpg

Ediacaran

All the organisms and trace fossils from the Ediacaran sections of the formation.

Petalonamae

GenusSpeciesNotesImages
Charnia (?) [1]
  • Charnia sp. (?)
Sessile frondose organism, tentative assignment.
Charnia masoni LEIUG 2328.png
Ernietta [13] [14]
  • E. plateauensis
Sessile bag-like frondose organism. Reclassified as Tulaneia.
Ernietta plateauensis 1.jpg
Pteridinium [1]
  • Pteridinium sp.
Frondose organism.
Pteridinium simplex Namibia.JPG
Swartpuntia [13]
  • S. germsi
Sessile frondose organism, assignment has been questioned due to poor preservation. [8]
Swartpuntiagermsi.png
Tulaneia [15]
  • T. amabilia
Sessile bag-like frondose organism.

incertae sedis

GenusSpeciesNotesImages
Archaeichnium [13]
  • A. haughtoni
Tubular organism. A recent 2017 suggests reported specimens may instead be poorly preserved Gaojiashania specimens, [14] although future studies do not note this.
Costatubus [16]
  • C. bibendi
Tubular fossil, first occurrence in this formation and new species. A study done in the same year discovered some of the first remains of cloudinomorph soft-tissue material within the tubes, resembling bilaterian-like through-guts, which would also make them the oldest known guts in the fossil record. [17]
Cloundina [13]
  • Cloundina sp.
Tubular organism. A recent 2017 suggests reported specimens may instead be poorly preserved Gaojiashania specimens, [14] although future studies do not note this.
Cloudina NT.jpg
Conotubus [14]
  • Conotubus sp.
Tubular organism.
Corumbella [13] [14]
  • Corumbella sp.
Tubular organism.
Corumbella werneri 001A.jpg
Gaojiashania [14]
  • Gaojiashania sp.
Tubular organism.
Saarina [16]
  • S. hagadorni
Tubular fossil, first occurrence in this formation and new species. A study done in the same year discovered some of the first remains of cloudinomorph soft-tissue material within the tubes, resembling bilaterian-like through-guts, which would also make them the oldest known guts in the fossil record. [17]
Saarina.jpg
Nimbia (?) [13]
  • N. occlusa (?)
Discoid organism, tentative assignment.
Nimbia.jpg
Onuphionella [13]
  • Onuphionella sp.
Tubular organism, first known occurrence in Ediacaran aged rock. A recent 2017 suggests reported specimens may instead be poorly preserved Gaojiashania specimens, [14] although future studies do not note this.

Ichnogenera

GenusSpeciesNotesImages
Helminthoidichnites [10]
  • Helminthoidichnites isp.
Burrows.
Palaeophycus [10]
  • Palaeophycus isp.
Burrows.
Planolites [10]
  • Planolites isp.
Burrows.
Bilobate trails [10]
  • ???
Trails, bears similarities with the ichnogenus Scolicia .

Undescribed

GenusSpeciesNotesImages
Conical calcareous fossils [13]
  • Unapplicable
Calcareous fossils that are conical in shape, although their poor preservation hinders any proper assignments. They have been suggested to represent the well-known and common organism Cloudina , the small shelly fossil Wyattia , or even a new genus.
Enigmatic tubular fossils [14]
  • Unapplicable
Various pyritized tubular forms ranging from 0.3 to 7 cm in length and 1 to 5 mm in diameter.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Evans, Scott D.; Smith, Emily F.; Vayda, Prescott; Nelson, Lyle L.; Xiao, Shuhai (October 2024). "The Ediacara Biota of the Wood Canyon formation: Latest Precambrian macrofossils and sedimentary structures from the southern Great Basin". Global and Planetary Change. 241: 104547. Bibcode:2024GPC...24104547E. doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2024.104547.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Hunt, C B; Mabey, D (1966). "Stratigraphy and structure, Death Valley, California". Geological Survey Professional Paper. Bibcode:1966usgs.rept...12H. doi:10.3133/pp494A.
  3. 1 2 Digital-desert.com: "Death Valley Geology - Wood Canyon Formation"
  4. ↑ Springer.com: "Tidal Deposits in the Zabriskie Quartzite (Cambrian), Eastern California and Western Nevada"; John J. Barnes, George deVries Klein.
  5. ↑ Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database" . Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  6. ↑ Durham, J. W. (1993). "Observations on the Early Cambrian Helicoplacoid Echinoderms". Journal of Paleontology. 67 (4): 590–604. Bibcode:1993JPal...67..590D. doi:10.1017/S0022336000024938. ISSN   0022-3360. JSTOR   1305933.
  7. 1 2 Hagadorn, James W.; Fedo, Christopher M.; Waggoner, Ben M. (2000). "Early Cambrian Ediacaran-Type Fossils from California". Journal of Paleontology. 74 (4): 731–740. doi:10.1666/0022-3360(2000)074<0731:ECETFF>2.0.CO;2. ISSN   0022-3360. JSTOR   1306951.
  8. 1 2 Runnegar, Bruce; Gehling, James G.; Jensen, Sören; Saltzman, Matthew R. (October 2024). "Ediacaran paleobiology and biostratigraphy of the Nama Group, Namibia, with emphasis on the erniettomorphs, tubular and trace fossils, and a new sponge, Arimasia germsi n. gen. n. sp". Journal of Paleontology. 98 (S94): 1–59. Bibcode:2024JPal...98S...1R. doi: 10.1017/jpa.2023.81 .
  9. 1 2 3 Mata, Scott A.; Corsetti, Cara L.; Corsetti, Frank A.; Awramik, Stanley M.; Bottjer, David J. (2012). "Lower Cambrian Anemone Burrows from the Upper Member of the Wood Canyon Formation, Death Valley Region, United States: Paleoecological and Paleoenvironmental Significance". PALAIOS. 27 (9/10): 595–607. Bibcode:2012Palai..27..594M. doi:10.2110/palo.2012.p12-016r. ISSN   0883-1351. JSTOR   23362118.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Jensen, S; Droser, M; Heim, N. "Trace fossils and ichnofabrics of the Lower Cambrian Wood Canyon Formation, southwest Death Valley area". ResearchGate. Pacific Section SEPM. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  11. ↑ Corsetti, Frank A.; Hagadorn, James W. (2000). "Precambrian-Cambrian transition: Death Valley, United States". Geology. 28 (4): 299. Bibcode:2000Geo....28..299C. doi:10.1130/0091-7613(2000)28<299:PTDVUS>2.0.CO;2.
  12. ↑ Sappenfield, Aaron; Droser, Mary; Kennedy, Martin; Mckenzie, Ryan (November 2012). "The oldest Zoophycos and implications for Early Cambrian deposit feeding". Geological Magazine. 149 (6): 1118–1123. Bibcode:2012GeoM..149.1118S. doi:10.1017/S0016756812000313.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Hagadorn, James W.; Waggoner, Ben (2000). "Ediacaran Fossils from the Southwestern Great Basin, United States". Journal of Paleontology. 74 (2): 349–359. Bibcode:2000JPal...74..349H. doi:10.1666/0022-3360(2000)074<0349:EFFTSG>2.0.CO;2. ISSN   0022-3360. JSTOR   1306912.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Smith, E. F.; Nelson, L. L.; Tweedt, S. M.; Zeng, H.; Workman, J. B. (12 July 2017). "A cosmopolitan late Ediacaran biotic assemblage: new fossils from Nevada and Namibia support a global biostratigraphic link". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 284 (1858): 20170934. Bibcode:2017RSPSB.284....1S. doi:10.1098/rspb.2017.0934. PMC   5524506 . PMID   28701565.
  15. ↑ Runnegar, Bruce; Horodyski, Robert J.; Gehling, James G.; Jensen, Sören; Bengtson, Stefan; Peterson, Kevin J.; Saltzman, Matthew R.; Vendrasco, Michael J. (November 2024). "Tulaneia amabilia n. gen. n. sp.: a new erniettomorph from the Wood Canyon Formation, Nevada and the age of the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition in the Great Basin". Journal of Paleontology. 98 (6): 929–951. Bibcode:2024JPal...98..929R. doi: 10.1017/jpa.2024.45 .
  16. 1 2 Selly, Tara; Schiffbauer, James D.; Jacquet, Sarah M.; Smith, Emily F.; Nelson, Lyle L.; Andreasen, Brock D.; Huntley, John Warren; Strange, Michael A.; O’Neil, Gretchen R.; Thater, Casey A.; Bykova, Natalia; Steiner, Michael; Yang, Ben; Cai, Yaoping (16 February 2020). "A new cloudinid fossil assemblage from the terminal Ediacaran of Nevada, USA". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 18 (4): 357–379. Bibcode:2020JSPal..18..357S. doi:10.1080/14772019.2019.1623333.
  17. 1 2 Schiffbauer, James D.; Selly, Tara; Jacquet, Sarah M.; Merz, Rachel A.; Nelson, Lyle L.; Strange, Michael A.; Cai, Yaoping; Smith, Emily F. (10 January 2020). "Discovery of bilaterian-type through-guts in cloudinomorphs from the terminal Ediacaran Period". Nature Communications. 11 (1): 205. Bibcode:2020NatCo..11..205S. doi:10.1038/s41467-019-13882-z. PMC   6954273 . PMID   31924764.
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