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Chanac Formation
The Chanac Formation is a Cenozoic Era sandstone geologic formation in the southeastern San Joaquin Valley, within Kern County, California.USGS.gov: "The Kern River Formation, Southeastern San Joaquin Valley, California" Geological Survey Bulletin 1529-D; By J. Alan Bartow and Gardner M. Pittman; United States Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.; 1983 (with map on pg. D4). Geology The Kern River Series is divided into the lower Chanac Formation unit, and the upper Kern River Beds Formation unit, with the wedge of the |
Geological Formation
A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exposed in a geographical region (the stratigraphic column). It is the fundamental unit of lithostratigraphy, the study of strata or rock layers. A formation must be large enough that it can be mapped at the surface or traced in the subsurface. Formations are otherwise not defined by the thickness of their rock strata, which can vary widely. They are usually, but not universally, tabular in form. They may consist of a single lithology (rock type), or of alternating beds of two or more lithologies, or even a heterogeneous mixture of lithologies, so long as this distinguishes them from adjacent bodies of rock. The concept of a geologic formation goes back to the beginnings of modern scientific geology. The term was used by Abraham Gottlob Wer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carnivora
Carnivora is a Clade, monophyletic order of Placentalia, placental mammals consisting of the most recent common ancestor of all felidae, cat-like and canidae, dog-like animals, and all descendants of that ancestor. Members of this group are formally referred to as carnivorans, and have evolved to specialize in eating flesh. The order is the fifth largest order of mammals, comprising at least 279 species. Carnivorans live on every major landmass and in a variety of habitats, ranging from the cold polar regions to the hyper-arid region of the Sahara Desert to the open seas. They come in a very large array of different body plans in contrasting shapes and sizes. Carnivora can be divided into two subclades: the cat-like Feliformia and the dog-like Caniformia, which are differentiated based on the structure of their ear bones and cranial features. The feliforms include families such as the felidae, cats, the hyenas, the mongooses and the viverridae, civets. The majority of felifor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neogene California
The Neogene ( ), informally Upper Tertiary or Late Tertiary, is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period million years ago ( Mya) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period 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). During this period, mammals and birds continued to evolve into modern forms, while other groups of life remained relatively unchanged. The first humans (''Homo habilis'') appeared in Africa near the end of the period. Some continental movements took place, the most significant event being the connection of North and South America at the Isthmus of Panama, late in the Pliocene. This cut off the warm ocean currents from the Pacific to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paleontology In California
Paleontology in California refers to paleontologist research occurring within or conducted by people from the U.S. state of California. California contains rocks of almost every age from the Precambrian to the Recent. Precambrian fossils are present but rare in California. During the early Paleozoic, California was covered by a warm shallow sea inhabited by marine invertebrates such as ammonites, brachiopods, corals, and trilobites. During the Carboniferous and Permian periods, swamps covered areas of the state no longer submerged by the sea. During the Mesozoic, California continued to comprise both marine and terrestrial habitats. Local marine life included ammonites, marine reptiles, and oysters. On land, dinosaurs roamed among cycads and conifers. During the Cenozoic, sea levels rose and fell over time, so the state was home to a variety of ancient environments including shallow seas, estuaries and dry land. The state would come to be home to creatures such as camels, three-t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Fossiliferous Stratigraphic Units In California
This article contains a list of fossil-bearing stratigraphic units in the state of California, California, U.S. Sites See also * Paleontology in California References * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fossiliferous stratigraphic units in California Fossiliferous stratigraphic units of the United States, California Paleontology in California, Stratigraphic units Stratigraphy of California, Fossiliferous stratigraphic units California geography-related lists United States geology-related lists ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Epicyon Haydeni
''Epicyon'' ("more than a dog") is a large, extinct, canid genus of the subfamily Borophaginae ("bone-crushing dogs"), native to North America. ''Epicyon'' existed for about from the Hemingfordian age of the Early Miocene, to the Hemphillian of the Late Miocene. ''Epicyon'' is the largest known canid of all time, with the type species reaching 2.4 m (7.9 ft) in length, 90 cm (35 in) in shoulder height and approximately 100–125 kg (220–276 lb) in body mass. The largest known humerus specimen belonged to an individual weighing up to . Description ''Epicyon'' had a massive head and powerful jaws that were well adapted for bone-crushing, with enlarged fourth premolars like some hyenas, giving its skull a lion-like shape rather than having a skull similar in shape to that of a wolf; the adaptation would have allowed ''Epicyon'' to scavenge as well as hunt, giving it access to the nutritious marrow other contemporary carnivores couldn't access. ''Epic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Epicyon
''Epicyon'' ("more than a dog") is a large, extinct, canid genus of the subfamily Borophaginae ("bone-crushing dogs"), native to North America. ''Epicyon'' existed for about from the Hemingfordian age of the Early Miocene, to the Hemphillian of the Late Miocene. ''Epicyon'' is the largest known canid of all time, with the type species reaching 2.4 m (7.9 ft) in length, 90 cm (35 in) in shoulder height and approximately 100–125 kg (220–276 lb) in body mass. The largest known humerus specimen belonged to an individual weighing up to . Description ''Epicyon'' had a massive head and powerful jaws that were well adapted for bone-crushing, with enlarged fourth premolars like some hyenas, giving its skull a lion-like shape rather than having a skull similar in shape to that of a wolf; the adaptation would have allowed ''Epicyon'' to scavenge as well as hunt, giving it access to the nutritious marrow other contemporary carnivores couldn't access. ''Epic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dove Spring Formation
The Dove Spring Formation (formerly the Ricardo Formation) is a geologic formation in the western Mojave Desert of California. It preserves fossils dating back to the Miocene epoch of the Neogene period. Fossil content Mammals Bats Carnivorans Eulipotyphlans Lagomorphs Proboscideans Rodents Ungulates Reptiles Birds Squamates Testudines Amphibians Fish Plants See also * List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in California * Paleontology in California Paleontology in California refers to paleontologist research occurring within or conducted by people from the U.S. state of California. California contains rocks of almost every age from the Precambrian to the Recent. Precambrian fossils are pres ... References * Neogene California {{Neogene-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Green Valley Formation
The Green Valley Formation is a geologic formation in California. It preserves fossils dating back to the Neogene period. See also * List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in California * Paleontology in California Paleontology in California refers to paleontologist research occurring within or conducted by people from the U.S. state of California. California contains rocks of almost every age from the Precambrian to the Recent. Precambrian fossils are pres ... References * Neogene California {{Neogene-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Borophaginae
The extinct Borophaginae form one of three subfamilies found within the canid family. The other two canid subfamilies are the extinct Hesperocyoninae and extant Caninae. Borophaginae, called "bone-crushing dogs", were endemic to North America during the Oligocene to Pliocene and lived roughly 34—2.5 million years ago, existing for about . Origin The Borophaginae descended from the subfamily Hesperocyoninae. The earliest and most primitive borophagine is the genus ''Archaeocyon'', which is a small fox-sized animal mostly found in the fossil beds in western North America. The borophagines soon diversified into several major groups. They evolved to become considerably larger than their predecessors, and filled a wide range of niches in late Cenozoic North America, from small omnivores to powerful, bear-sized carnivores, such as ''Epicyon''. Species There are 66 identified borophagine species, including 18 new ones that range from the Orellan to Blancan ages. A phylogenetic anal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tejon Hills
The Tejon Hills are a low mountain range in the Transverse Ranges, in southern Kern County, California. The highest point of the hills is Comanche Mountain, at in elevation. They are completely within property owned by the Tejon Ranch corporation. A conservation easement is currently managed by the Tejon Ranch Conservancy. Geography The Tejon Hills run below the western face of the Tehachapi Mountains, along the edge of the San Joaquin Valley. They are approximately west of the town of Tehachapi, south of Arvin, and east of Wheeler Ridge, Interstate 5, and U.S. Route 99. Natural history They are formed of uplifted marine sediment deposits, unlike the adjacent Tehachapi Mountains of igneous Igneous rock (derived from the Latin word ''ignis'' meaning fire), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or ... materials related to the Sierra Nev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Borophagus Littoralis
''Borophagus littoralis'' ("coastal glutton") is an extinct species of the genus ''Borophagus'' of the subfamily ''Borophaginae'', a group of canids endemic to North America from the early Miocene epoch (23.3 Mya) through the Pliocene epoch (4.9 Mya). ''Borophagus littoralis'' existed for approximately . Overview ''Borophagus littoralis'' was named by Cope in 1892 and is considered synonymous with ''Osteoborus diabloensis''. ''Borophagus littoralis'', like other Borophaginae, are loosely known as "bone-crushing" or "hyena-like" dogs. Though not the most massive borophagine by size or weight, it had a more highly evolved capacity to crunch bone than earlier, larger genera such as ''Epicyon'', which seems to be an evolutionary trend of the group (Turner, 2004). During the Pliocene epoch, ''Borophagus'' began being displaced by ''Canis'' genera such as ''Canis edwardii'' and later by ''Canis dirus''. Early species of ''Borophagus'' were placed in the genus ''Osteoborus'' until rec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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