The Bladen Formation is a geologic formation from the Late Cretaceous (middle Campanian) of North Carolina and South Carolina, USA. It is known for a plethora of terrestrial and aquatic vertebrate fossils, including dinosaurs and mosasaurs.[1] It appears to be roughly concurrent with the Tuscaloosa Formation of Alabama.[2]
Unlike many other Cretaceous geologic formations from eastern North America, which were deposited in entirely marine environments, the Bladen Formation appears to have been deposited in a former river delta in an estuarine habitat, allowing for a mixture of freshwater, terrestrial, and marine fauna.[3] An important locality is the former Bladen County landfill annex in Elizabethtown, North Carolina, which contains the richest known fauna from the formation.[4][5] Another notable locality is near Quinby in Florence County, South Carolina, which also appears to have been deposited in a nonmarine environment with minor marine influence.[6]
It is deposited as a thin layer over the Tar Heel/Coachman Formation, which is often confused with. In North Carolina, it underlies the Maastrichtian-aged Peedee Formation, while in South Carolina it underlies the slightly younger Campanian-aged Donoho Creek Formation.[7]
Vertebrate paleobiota
Based on Crane (2011), Schwimmer et al (2015) and the Paleobiology Database:[3][6][8]
Cartilaginous fish
Based on Crane (2011) and Case et al (2019):[3][9]
The chondrichthyan biota closely resembles that of the Aguja Formation from Texas.[9]
Hybodonts
Sharks
| Sharks of the Bladen Formation |
| Genus | Species | Location | Notes | Images |
| Archaeolamna | A. kopingensis | Elizabethtown, NC | An archaeolamnid mackerel shark. |  |
| Cantioscyllium | C. clementsi | Elizabethtown, NC | A nurse shark. Type locality of this species. | |
| Cretalamna | C. appendiculata | Elizabethtown, NC | A megatooth shark. |  |
| C. sp. |
| Cretorectolobus | C. sp. | Elizabethtown, NC | A wobbegong. | |
| Galeorhinus | G. sp. | Elizabethtown, NC | A relative of the school shark. |  |
| Plicatoscyllium | P. globidens | Elizabethtown, NC | A nurse shark. | |
| Protolamna | P. borodini | Elizabethtown, NC | An eoptolamnid mackerel shark. |  |
| Scapanorhynchus | S. texanus | Elizabethtown, NC | A goblin shark. |  |
| Squalicorax | S. kaupi | Elizabethtown, NC | A crow shark. |  |
| S. cf. S. pristodontus |
| Squatina | S. sp. | Elizabethtown, NC | An angelshark. Sometimes assigned to the dubious species S. hassei.[9] |  |
Rays
| Rays of the Bladen Formation |
| Genus | Species | Location | Notes | Images |
| Anoxypristis | A. sp. | Elizabethtown, NC | A sawfish. |  |
| Borodinopristis | B. schwimmeri | Elizabethtown, NC | A sclerorhynchid sawskate. Type locality of B. shannoni.[10] | |
| B. shannoni |
| Brachyrhizodus | B. wichitaensis | Elizabethtown, NC | An eagle ray. |  |
| Dasyatis | D. cf. commercensis | Elizabethtown, NC | A whiptail stingray. |  |
| Ischyrhiza | I. avonicola | Elizabethtown, NC | A sclerorhynchid sawskate. | _marrocanus_Arambourg_1935_-_Dalpiazia_stromeri_Checcia-Rispoli%252C_1933_7100.5122.jpg) |
| I. mira |
| Onchopristis | O. sp. | Elizabethtown, NC | An onchopristid sawskate. |  |
| Ptychotrygon | P. triangularis | Elizabethtown, NC | A ptychotrygonid sawskate. |  |
| P. vermiculata |
| Protoplatyrhina | P. sp. | Elizabethtown, NC | A hypsobatid ray.[11] | |
| Pseudohypolophus | P. ellipsis | Elizabethtown, NC | A guitarfish. | |
| Rhinobatos | R. casieri | Elizabethtown, NC | A guitarfish. |  |
| Rhombodus | R. binkhorsti | Elizabethtown, NC | A rhombodontid ray. |  |
| R. laevis |
| Schizorhiza | S. sp. | Elizabethtown, NC | A schizorhizid sawskate. |  |
Bony fish
Amphibians
Reptiles
Dinosaurs
Based on Brownstein (2018):[14]
Crocodylomorphs
Turtles
Plesiosaurs
Squamates
Mammals
See also
References
- ^ Various Contributors to the NCSM, et al. 2020. "NCSM Collection: Paleontology Database."
- ^ "Geolex — Bladen publications". ngmdb.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
- ^ a b c Crane, Cynthia Danielle (2011). VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY AND TAPHONOMY OF THE LATE CRETACEOUS (CAMPANIAN) BLADEN FORMATION, BLADEN COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA (Thesis).
- ^ "PBDB Collection". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
- ^ Crane, Cynthia Danielle (2011). Vertebrate paleontology and taphonomy of the late Cretaceous (Campanian) Bladen Formation, Bladen County, North Carolina (Thesis).
- ^ a b Schwimmer, David R.; Sanders, Albert E.; Erickson, Bruce R.; Weems, Robert E. (2015). "A Late Cretaceous Dinosaur and Reptile Assemblage from South Carolina, Usa". Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. 105 (2): i–157. ISSN 0065-9746. JSTOR 24398224.
- ^ "Geolex — Bladen publications". ngmdb.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
- ^ "PBDB Collection". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
- ^ a b c Case, Gerald R.; Cook, Todd D.; Kightlinger, Taylor (2019-07-31). "A description of a middle Campanian euselachian assemblage from the Bladen Formation of North Carolina, USA". Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology. 7: 69–82. doi:10.18435/vamp29345. ISSN 2292-1389.
- ^ Case, Gerard R.; Cook, Todd D.; Wilson, Mark V.H.; Borodin, Paul D. (2012). "A new species of the sclerorhynchid sawfish Borodinopristis from the Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) of North Carolina, USA". Historical Biology. 24 (6): 592–597. doi:10.1080/08912963.2012.663367. ISSN 0891-2963.
- ^ "Protoplatyrhina sp. | Shark-References". shark-references.com. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
- ^ "PBDB Collection". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
- ^ Gardner, James D.; DeMar, David G. (2013-12-01). "Mesozoic and Palaeocene lissamphibian assemblages of North America: a comprehensive review". Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments. 93 (4): 459–515. doi:10.1007/s12549-013-0130-z. ISSN 1867-1608.
- ^ Brownstein, Chase D. (2018-02-08). "The biogeography and ecology of the Cretaceous non-avian dinosaurs of Appalachia". Palaeontologia Electronica. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
- ^ "PBDB Collection". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
