Mint Canyon Formation
| Mint Canyon Formation Stratigraphic range: Mid-Late Miocene (Barstovian-Clarendonian) ~ | |
|---|---|
| Type | Geologic formation |
| Underlies | & |
| Overlies | Tick Canyon Formation |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Conglomerate & sandstone |
| Other | Mudstone |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 34°30′N 118°30′W / 34.5°N 118.5°WCoordinates: 34°30′N 118°30′W / 34.5°N 118.5°W |
| Approximate paleocoordinates | 33°54′N 115°00′W / 33.9°N 115.0°W |
| Region | Los Angeles County, California |
| Country |  United States |
| Extent | Sierra Pelona Ridge, San Gabriel Mountains |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Mint Canyon |
| Named by | Kew |
| Year defined | 1923 |
  Mint Canyon Formation (the United States) | |
The Mint Canyon Formation (Tm) is a Miocene geologic formation in the Sierra Pelona Mountains of Los Angeles County, southern California.[1] The formation preserves fossils dating back to the Middle to Late Miocene (Barstovian and Clarendonian in NALMA classification).[2]
Geology[]
Mint Canyon is a fluvial landform in the Sierra Pelona range. It consists of terrestrial deposits from streams and lakes consisting mostly of sandstone and conglomerate with some claystone.[1][3]
The formation correlates with the Caliente Formation in the to the northwest and the lower Punchbowl Formation in the Punchbowl Block to the southeast.[4] The Mint Canyon Formation consists primarily of fluvial, alluvial, and lacustrine conglomerates, sandstones, and mudstones. The Mint Canyon Formation is overlain by the dominantly marine , which consists of shale, sandstone, and minor conglomerate.[5] In the Texas Canyon sub-basin, the formation is overlain by the .[6] The contact between the Mint Canyon and Castaic Formations is an angular unconformity in some places, and it is apparently conformable and gradational in others.[5]
Fossil content[]
The formation preserves vertebrate fossils dating back to the Middle Miocene subperiod of the Neogene period:[2]
Mammals[]
Artiodactyls[]
- ?Merycodus sp.[7]
- Camelidae indet.[8]
- Tayassuidae indet.[8]
Perissodactyls[]
- Hipparion cf. forcei[8]
- Hipparion sp.[7][8]
- ?Nannippus sp.[8]
- Equini indet.[9]
- Hipparionini indet.[9]
- Rhinocerotidae indet.[9]
Rodents[]
Proboscideans[]
Carnivora[]
See also[]
- Neogene Period in California
- List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in California
- Paleontology in California
- Diligencia Formation
- Plush Ranch Formation
References[]
- ^ a b Elsmerecanyon.com: "Tick Canyon Geology"
- ^ a b Mint Canyon Formation at Fossilworks.org
- ^ "Geologic Map of the Mint Canyon Quadrangle" (DF-57) by Thomas W. Dibblee, Jr., 1996.
- ^ Coffey et al., 2019, p.480
- ^ a b Coffey et al., 2019, p.481
- ^ Coffey et al., 2019, p.492
- ^ a b c Stirton, 1933
- ^ a b c d e f g Maxson, 1930
- ^ a b c Alroy, 2002
Bibliography[]
- ; , and . 2019. Stratigraphy, provenance, and tectonic significance of the Punchbowl block, San Gabriel Mountains, California, USA. Geosphere 15. 479–501.
- . 2002. Synonymies and reidentifications of North American fossil mammals, .. _.
- . 1933. Critical review of the Mint Canyon mammalian fauna and its correlative significance. American Journal of Science 226. _.
- . 1930. A Tertiary mammalian fauna from the Mint Canyon Formation of Southern California. 404. 77–112.
Further reading[]
- Geology of the Mint Canyon Area by William T. Holser, 1946
- Geologic formations of California
- Miocene Series of North America
- Miocene California
- Langhian
- Serravallian
- Tortonian
- Barstovian
- Clarendonian
- Conglomerate formations
- Mudstone formations
- Sandstone formations of the United States
- Alluvial deposits
- Fluvial deposits
- Lacustrine deposits
- Paleontology in California
- Geology of Los Angeles County, California
- Sierra Pelona Ridge