The Verulam Formation is a
geologic formation and
Lagerstätte in
Ontario, Canada. It preserves
fossils
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...
dating back to the
Katian stage of the
Ordovician period, or
Shermanian to
Chatfieldian in the regional stratigraphy.
[Verulam Formation]
/ref>
Description
The Verulam Formation belongs to the Simcoe Group and overlies the Bobcaygeon Formation
The Bobcaygeon Formation is a geologic formation in Ontario. It preserves fossils dating back to the Ordovician period.
See also
* List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Ontario
This is a list of stratigraphic units in Ontario bearin ...
. Both the Bobcaygeon and Verulam Formations are composed of bioclastic wackestones, grainstones, and packstones interbedded with calcareous shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especial ...
s and siltstones. The Verulam contains more shale than the underlying Bobcaygeon Formation. Several hardgrounds have been documented in detail from the upper Bobcaygeon and lower Verulam. The paleoenvironments in which the Bobcaygeon and Verulam Formations were deposited have been interpreted as a proximal carbonate shelf that ranged in depth and proximity from shoal
In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. It ...
to shallow shelf in the Bobcaygeon and from deep shelf to shoal or shallow shelf in the Verulam Formation.[Carden Quarry]
at Fossilworks
Fossilworks is a portal which provides query, download, and analysis tools to facilitate access to the Paleobiology Database
The Paleobiology Database is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals ...
.org
Fossil content
The Verulam Formation and the underlying Bobcaygeon Formation
The Bobcaygeon Formation is a geologic formation in Ontario. It preserves fossils dating back to the Ordovician period.
See also
* List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Ontario
This is a list of stratigraphic units in Ontario bearin ...
have provided many fossils. Both formations form the Brechin Lagerstätte, a Lagerstätte of excellent preservation of numerous exceptionally preserved crinoid specimens with arms, stems, and attachment structures intact.[Cole et al., 2018] Also ostracods, trilobites, bivalve
Bivalvia (), in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class of marine and freshwater molluscs that have laterally compressed bodies enclosed by a shell consisting of two hinged parts. As a group, bival ...
s, gastropod
The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda ().
This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...
s, cephalopod
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda (Greek plural , ; "head-feet") such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head ...
s and other fossils were found in the formation.[Waddington, 1980]
;Crinoids
* '' Glyptocrinus ramulosus''
* '' Isotomocrinus tenuis''
* '' Cleiocrinus regius''
* '' Priscillacrinus elegans''
* '' Abludoglyptocrinus steinheimerae''[Cole et al., 2020]
* '' Pararchaeocrinus kiddi''[Wright et al., 2019]
* '' Cupulocrinus humilis''
* '' Praecupulocrinus conjugans''
* '' Praecupulocrinus? sp.''
* ''Iocrinus trentonensis
''Iocrinus'' is an extinct genus of crinoid (sea lilies and feather stars). It is an early form of crinoid, from the Ordovician rock of North America, England, and Gilwern Hill, Powys in Wales.
Selected species
* ''Iocrinus brithdirensis' ...
''
* '' Eustenocrinus springeri''
* '' Cremacrinus guttenbergensis''
* '' C. inaequalis''
* '' Daedalocrinus bellevillensis''
* '' Anomalocrinus astrictus''
* '' Protaxocrinus laevis''
* '' Plicodendrocrinus proboscidiatus''
* '' Simcoecrinus mahalaki''
* '' Dendrocrinus simcoensis''
* '' Grenprisia billingsi''
* '' Grenprisia springeri''
* '' Illemocrinus amphiatus''
* '' Porocrinus conicus''
* '' Carabocrinus vancortlandti''
* '' Carabocrinus radiatus''
* '' Hybocrinus tumidus''
* '' Hybocystites problematicus''
* '' Konieckicrinus brechinensis''
* '' K. josephi''
* '' Reteocrinus alveolatus''
* '' R. stellaris''
* '' Archaeocrinus maraensis''
* '' A. sundayae''
;Trilobites
* '' Encrinurus cybeleformis''
* '' Erratencrinurus vigilans''
* '' Flexicalymene senaria''
* '' Isotelus gigas''
* '' Ceraurinus marginatus''
* '' Ceraurus pleurexanthemus''
* '' cf. Achatella achates''
* '' Bathyurus (Raymondites) ingalli''
* '' Amphilichas sp.''
* '' Bumastoides sp.''
* '' Calyptaulax sp.''
* '' Ceraurus sp.''
* '' Encrinuroides sp.''
* '' Flexicalymene sp.''
* '' Hemiarges sp.''
* '' Isotelus sp.''
;Edrioasteroidea
* '' Thresherodiscus ramosus''[Sumrall & Gahn, 2006]
* '' Cryptogoleus chapmani''
* '' Isorophusella sp.''
;Ostracods
* '' Thomasatia sp.''
* '' Bassleratia sp.''
* '' Eoleperditia sp.''
;Strophomenata
* '' Sowerbyella sp.''
* '' Rafinesquina sp.''
* '' Oepikina sp.''
;Rhynchonellata
* '' Anazyga sp.''
* '' Zygospira sp.''
* '' Rhynchotrema sp.''
* '' Resserella sp.''
* '' Dinorthis sp.''
* '' Hesperorthis sp.''
* '' Platystrophia sp.''
* '' Plectorthis sp.''
;Bivalves
* '' Cyrtodonta subangulata''
* '' Clionychia undata''
* '' Plaesiomys subcircularis''[Sproat & Jin, 2013]
* '' Ambonychia cf. orbicularis''
* '' Ctenodonta cf. simulatrix''
* '' Ambonychia sp.''
* '' Ctenodonta sp.''
* '' Nuculites sp.''
* '' Tancrediopsis sp.''
;Gastropods
* '' Bucania halli''
* '' Hormotoma gracilis''
* '' Sinuites cancellatus''
* '' Eotomaria dryope''
* '' Alaskadiscus disculus''
* '' Cyrtostropha salteri canadensis''
* '' Fusispira elongata''
* '' F. angusta''
* '' Pterotheca sp.''
* '' Liospira sp.''
* '' Lophospira sp.''
* '' Hormotoma sp.''
* '' Subulites sp.''
* '' Fusispira sp.''
;Cephalopods
* '' Endoceras cf. proteiforme''
* '' Actinoceras sp.''
* '' Endoceras sp.''
;Stenolaemata
* '' Mesotrypa angularis''
* '' M. quebecensis''
* '' M. whiteavesi''
* '' Homotrypa minnesotensis''
* '' Prasopora grandis''
* '' P. insularis''
* '' P. simulatrix''
* '' Eridotrypa aedilis''
* '' Pachydictya sp.''
* '' Stictoporella sp.''
* '' Hallopora sp.''
* '' Mesotrypa sp.''
* '' Prasopora sp.''
* '' Rhinidictya sp.''
* '' Batostoma sp.''
* '' Hallopora multitabulata''
;Scyphozoa
* '' Climacoconus sp.''
;Rhombifera
* '' Glyptocystites sp.''
;Chlorophyceae
* '' Ischadites sp.''
See also
* List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Ontario
This is a list of stratigraphic units in Ontario bearing fossils.
See also
References
*
{{Lists of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Canada
Geology of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territo ...
* Arnheim Formation
The Arnheim Formation is a geologic formation in Ohio. It preserves fossils
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, sh ...
, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of Ohio
* San Benito Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of Bolivia
* Late Ordovician glaciation
* Ordovician meteor event
* Taconic orogeny
References
Bibliography
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* {{cite LSA , first=A.E , last=Wilson , year=1946 , title=Echinodermata of the Ottawa Formation of the Ottawa-St. Lawrence lowland , journal= Geological Survey of Canada Bulletin , volume=4 , pages=1-61
Geologic formations of Ontario
Ordovician System of North America
Ordovician Ontario
Limestone formations
Deep marine deposits
Open marine deposits
Shallow marine deposits
Fossiliferous stratigraphic units of North America
Paleontology in Ontario