Leon County, Florida paleontological sites

The Leon County paleontological sites are assemblages of Early Miocene invertebrates and vertebrates of Leon County, Florida, United States.

Age

Era: Neogene.<br/> Period: Early Miocene. <br/> Faunal stage: Arikareean, ~23.1–21.9 Ma, calculates to a period of approximately .<br/> Geological Formation: Torreya Formation.

Sites

Leon County paleontological sites are represented by the following:

• Griscom Plantation Site. Located in Killearn Lakes Plantation, south-southeast of Lake Iamonia on the southeast most section of Luna Plantation during a well drilling operation. Time period: ~23.6–18.8 Ma. (AEO).

Coordinates:

• Seaboard Air Line Railroad Site. Location was south of the center of Tallahassee during a dredging operation for a roadway. Time period: ~21.7 Ma. (AEO, Alroy).

Coordinates:

• St. Marks River site. Located along the St. Marks River in southern Leon County. Time period: ~23.1–21.9 Ma. (AEO, Alroy).

Coordinates:

• Tallahassee Waterworks Sites. Locations were just south of the center of Tallahassee. Time period: ~23.03–15.99 Ma.

Coordinates:

• USGS 2302
• USGS 3423 aka J.C. Henderson's well
• USGS 395

Griscom Plantation Site = GPS. Seaboard Air Line Railroad = SALR. St. Marks River site = SMRS. Tallahassee Waterworks Site = TWWS.

Specimens

Invertebrates

• Anomia suwaneensis (bivalve) TWWS 3424
• Chlamys (scallop) TWWS 2302
• Ostrea normalis (oyster) SALR
• Lucina janus (bivalve) TWWS 2302
• Mercenaria langdoni TWWS 395
• Metis chipolana (bivalve) TWWS 2302
• Turritella alcida (seal snail) TWWS 2302

Fish

• Carcharhinidae (requiem shark) SALR
• Myliobatidae (eagle ray) SALR
• Pristis (sawfish) SALR
• Sciaenidae (croaker) SALR

Reptiles

• Alligatoridae (alligator) SALR
• Boidae (boa or constricting snake) SALR
• Crocodylidae (crocodile) SALR
• Emydidae (pond turtle) SALR
• Testudinidae (land tortoise) SALR

Birds

• Gruidae (crane) SALR
• Ciconiidae (stork) SALR

Mammals

• Anchitherium clarencei (horse) SALR
• Aphelops (rhinoceros) SALR
• Archaeohippus blackbergi (horse) SALR
• Camelidae (family of camel) GPS
• Floridatragulus (camel) SALR
• Menoceras (rhinoceros) SALR
• Moropus SMRS
• Osbornodon iamonensis (proto-dog) GPS
• Oxydactylus (camel)
• Parahippus (horse) SALR
• Parahippus leonensis (horse) GPS, SALR
• Prosynthetoceras texanus (deer-like ungulate) SALR
• Nothokemas floridanus (camel) SALR
• Proheteromys floridanus (rodent) SALR
• Ruminantia (unknown ruminant) GPS

References

• E. H. Sellards. 1916. Fossil vertebrates from Florida: A new Miocene fauna; new Pliocene species; the Pleistocene fauna. Florida State Geological Survey Annual Report 8:79–119.
• S. J. Olsen. 1964. The stratigraphic importance of a Lower Miocene vertebrate fauna from north Florida. Journal of Paleontology 38(3):477–482. Collected by S. J. Olsen, R. Cantwell, C. Cox.
• J. R. Gardner. 1947. The Molluscan Fauna of the Alum Bluff Group of Florida. United States Geological Survey Professional Paper (142A-H)1–709.