The Terrestrial Eocene-Oligocene Transition in North America

Cambridge University Press, 6/13/1996
EAN 9780521433877, ISBN10: 0521433878

Hardcover, 706 pages, 25.3 x 17.7 x 3.8 cm
Language: English

During the transition from the Eocene to the Oligocene epochs, the mild tropical climates of the Paleocene and early Eocene were replaced by modern climatic conditions and extremes, including glacial ice in Antarctica. The best terrestrial record of the Eocene-Oligocene transition is found in North America, including the spectacular cliffs and spires of the Big Badlands National Park, in South Dakota. The first part of this book summarises the latest information in dating and correlation of the strata of late middle Eocene through early Oligocene age in North America, including the latest insights from argon/argon dating and magnetic stratigraphy. The second part reviews almost all the important terrestrial reptiles and mammals found near the Eocene-Oligocene boundary in the White River chronofauna, from the turtles, snakes and lizards to the common rodents, carnivores, artiodactyls, and perissodactyls. This is the first comprehensive treatment of these rocks and fossils in over sixty years and will be an invaluable resource to vertebrate palaeontologists, geologists, mammalogists and evolutionary biologists.

Part I. The Chronostratigraphic Framework of the Uintan Through Arikareean
1. Magnetic stratigraphy and biostratigraphy of the middle Eocene Uinta Formation, Uinta Basin, Utah D. R. Prothero
2. Biostratigraphy and magnetic stratigraphy of the Bridgerian-Uintan Washakie Formation, Washakie Basin, Wyoming S. M. McCarroll, J. J. Flynn and W. D. Turnbull
3. Magnetic stratigraphy, sedimentology, and mammalian faunas of the early Uintan Washakie Formation, Sand Wash Basin, northwestern Colorado R. K. Stucky, D. R. Prothero, W. G. Lohr and J. R. Snyder
4. The Bridgerian-Uintan boundary and the 'Shoshonian Subage' of the Uintan S. L. Walsh
5. Middle Eocene mammalian faunas of San Diego County, California S. L. Walsh
6. Stratigraphy and magnetic stratigraphy of middle Eocene Friars Formation and Poway Group, San Diego County, California S. L. Walsh, D. R. Prothero and D. J. Lundquist
7. Magnetostratigraphy of the middle Eocene Coldwater Sandstone, central Ventura County, California D. R. Prothero and E. H. Vance, Jr.
8. Stratigraphy and paleomagnetism of the upper middle Eocene to lower Miocene (Uintan to Arikareean) Sespe Formation, Ventura County, California D. R. Prothero, J. L. Howard and T. H. H. Dozier
9. Magnetostratigraphy of the Eocene-Oligocene transition in Trans-Pecos Texas D. R. Prothero
10. Magnetostratigraphy of the Duchesnean part of the Galisteo Formation, New Mexico D. R. Prothero and S. G. Lucas
11. Stratigraphy and mammalian faunas of the Bridgerian–Duchesnean Clarno Formation, central Oregon C. B. Hanson
12. Eocene–Oligocene faunas of the Cypress Hills, Saskatchewan J. E. Storer
13. Magnetic stratigraphy of the White River Group in the High Plains D. R. Prothero
14. Magnetostratigraphy and biostratigraphy of the Eocene-Oligocene transition in western Montana A. R. Tabrum, D. R. Prothero and D. L. Garcia
15. The Whitneyan-Arikareean transition in the High Plains R. H. Tedford, J. B. Swinehart, C. C. Swisher III, D. R. Prothero, S. A. King and T. E. Tierney
Part II. Common Vertebrates of the White River Chronofauna
16. Testudines J. H. Hutchison
17. Squamata R. M. Sullivan and J. A. Holman
18. Ischyromyidae T. H. Heaton
19. Cylindrodontidae R. J. Emry and W. W. Korth
20. Castoridae X.-F. Xu
21. Canidae X.-M. Wang and R. H. Tedford
22. Nimravidae H. N. Bryant
23. Amphicyonidae R. M. Hunt, Jr
24. Small Arctoid and Feliform Carnivora J. A. Baskin and R. H. Tedford
25. Merycoidodontinae and Miniochoerinae M. S. Stevens and J. A. Stevens
26. Leptaucheniinae E. CoBabe
27. Leptomerycidae T. H. Heaton and R. J. Emry
Summary D. R. Prothero and R. J. Emry.

"...this book is an important resource for specialists." E. Delson, Choice