Checklist of Mesozoic macrofossil localities in the Santa Cruz Mountains and vicinity

Elder, William P.; Miller, John W.

doi:10.3133/ofr89543

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 3 publications

(3 reference statements)

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“…Invertebrate megafossils and protistan microfossils are not common in the Pigeon Point Formation. However, gastropods, bivalves, ammonites, and foraminifers indicate a Campanian to Maastrichtian age of the unit (Branner and others, 1909;Hall and others, 1959;Clark and Brabb, 1978;Elder and Miller, 1989).…”

Section: Pigeon Point Formationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Late Cretaceous pollen from the Salinian(?) suspect terrane at Pigeon Point, San Mateo County, California

Frederiksen¹

1990

Open-File Report

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The Companion to Maastrichtian Pigeon Point Formation is confined to southwestern San Mateo County, California; the formation is spatially isolated from similar Upper Cretaceous sedimentary rocks. The basement on which the formation rests is not exposed, but the Pigeon Point block is thought by most authors to be part of the Salinian suspect terrane. Reconstructions based on paleomagnetic data have indicated that the Pigeon Point block originated at the continental margin and was then transported some 2,500 km northward since deposition of this formation, but other studies suggest that the Pigeon Point Formation instead may have originated well within the southwestern part of the North American continent.This report describes the flora from two samples of the Pigeon Point Formation; at least 16 angiosperm pollen species have been found, as well as several potentially significant species of spores and gymnosperm pollen. A comparison of this flora with those from Upper Cretaceous suspect terranes of California and British Columbia, and from autochthonous Upper Cretaceous sedimentary units in the Central Valley of California and the Western Interior region of New Mexico, shows that the Pigeon Point flora belongs to the continental margin floristic province, and the most similar known flora in that province is from an upper Campanian to lower Maastrichtian unit lying on the Salinian terrane in the La Panza Range of San Luis Obispo County. The Pigeon Point flora cannot be used to prove or disprove the hypothesis that the Pigeon Point Formation rests on Salinian basement, but the flora does suggest that when the formation was deposited, the Pigeon Point block did not lie at a latitude as far north as the present United States.

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Section: Pigeon Point Formationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Late Cretaceous pollen from the Salinian(?) suspect terrane at Pigeon Point, San Mateo County, California

Frederiksen¹

1990

Open-File Report

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“…The mean of six pebble counts from the Juncal Formation (table 6 and 1;McLaughlin and others, 1988;Brabb, 1989). Late Campanian fossils are reported from these rocks (Elder and Miller, 1989;Elder, 199Ib). The Cretaceous rocks structurally overlie the Franciscan assemblage.…”

Section: Conglomerate Compositionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…It is not clear if the basement under the Pigeon Point consists of granitic rocks of the Salinian block or of the Franciscan assemblage (subduction complex) of the Nacimiento block (Howell and Joyce, 1981). Fossils of Campanian or Maestrichtian age have been reported (Hall and others, 1959;Saul and Popenoe, 1962;Saul, 1983;Elder, 1989). Most recently, the sequence was considered upper Campanian (Elder,199la).…”

Section: Pigeon Pointmentioning

confidence: 98%

Place of origin of the Salinian Block, California, as based on clast compositions of Upper Cretaceous and lower Tertiary conglomerates

Seiders¹,

Cox²

1992

Professional Paper

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More than 250 pebble counts were done on conglomerates from the Salinian block and nearby terrane in California, Baja California, and Arizona. The regional pattern of conglomerate compositions suggests that the Salinian block originated adjacent to the Mojave block and is not an exotic terrane as interpreted from paleomagnetic results. Upper Cretaceous, Paleocene, and Eocene conglomerates in the Salinian block consist of two remotely derived detrital suites. The principal suite is rich in clasts of felsic volcanic rocks with subordinate amounts of granitic rocks and quartz sandstone. Granitic rocks are more abundant in lower Tertiary conglomerates of this suite. The second suite, only found locally near the base of the sequence, is rich in quartz sandstone. Both suites are very poor in chert. Conglomerates of the Salinian block contrast with those in regions which were located to the north and south before San Andreas fault displacement. Cretaceous and lower Tertiary conglomerates in the Diablo and Temblor Ranges to the north and Cretaceous conglomerates in the Peninsular Ranges to the south are richer in chert than are Salinian block conglomerates. Lower Tertiary conglomerates both to the north and south are poorer in granitic rocks than are Salinian conglomerates. Salinian conglomerates are compositionally similar to conglomerates in native North America in areas bordering directly on the western part of the Mojave block. Although there are no remotely derived Upper Cretaceous conglomerates in the western Mojave region instead only locally derived basal conglomerates conglomerates in the overlying and onlapping Paleocene sequence are similar to the principal Cretaceous conglomerate suite of the Salinian block. Paleocene conglomerates in the Tehachapi and El Paso Mountains and in the San Gabriel Mountains are very similar to Paleocene conglomerates of the Salinian block. An Eocene conglomerate in the San Emigdio Mountains, located at the south end of the San Joaquin Valley and near the western Mojave, is similar to Eocene conglomerates in the Salinian block. Jurassic or Cretaceous conglomerates composed of volcanic rocks and chert in the lower half of the McCoy Mountains Formation of southeastern California and adjacent Arizona are very similar to conglomerates in the Winterhaven Formation in extreme southeastern California. This supports other evidence indi-Manuscript approved for publication February 19, 1992. PLACE OF ORIGIN OF THE SALINIAN BLOCK AS BASED ON CLAST COMPOSITIONS OF CONGLOMERATES are found to be compositional mismatches and on this basis should no longer be used as reference points in estimating fault displacements. 122°M ETHODS AND DEFINITIONS 118° 114°1 10°C OLORADO.

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“…Macrofossils are typically rare in the Pigeon Point Formation but are locally abundant in the shelf facies. Of the approximately 66 species known from the Pigeon Point Formation and the 50 species known from the Upper Cretaceous rocks near Lorna Prieta, only 8 to 10 species are common to both areas (Elder and Miller, 1989). Only one species is present at both areas but not known from elsewhere-the crab Archaeopus antennatus Rathbun, 1908.…”

Section: E6mentioning

confidence: 99%

Shorter contributions to paleontology and stratigraphy

1991

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Checklist of Mesozoic macrofossil localities in the Santa Cruz Mountains and vicinity

Cited by 5 publications

References 3 publications

Late Cretaceous pollen from the Salinian(?) suspect terrane at Pigeon Point, San Mateo County, California

Late Cretaceous pollen from the Salinian(?) suspect terrane at Pigeon Point, San Mateo County, California

Place of origin of the Salinian Block, California, as based on clast compositions of Upper Cretaceous and lower Tertiary conglomerates

Shorter contributions to paleontology and stratigraphy

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