Earth:Hamilton Quarry

Hamilton Quarry Stratigraphic range: ~300–298 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Type	Lagerstätte
Location
Location	near Hamilton, Kansas
Coordinates
Country	United States

Hamilton Quarry is a Late Carboniferous lagerstätte near Hamilton, Kansas , United States . It has a diverse assemblage of unusually well-preserved marine, euryhaline, freshwater, flying, and terrestrial fossils (invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants). This extraordinary mix of fossils suggests it was once an estuary. This type of Lagerstätte is considered a Konservat-Lagerstätte (or conservation lagerstätte), due to the quality the preservation of soft tissue (skin preservation).

The lagerstätte occurs within a paleovalley that was incised into the surrounding Carboniferous cyclothemic sequence during a time of low sea level and was then filled in during a subsequent transgression. The channel has a capping series of interbedded laminated limestones and mudstones for which are designated the Lagerstätte beds or ‘vertebrate horizon’. This facies contains a well-preserved mixed assemblage of terrestrial (conifers, insects, myriapods, reptiles), freshwater (ostracods), aquatic (amphibians, reptile), brackish or euryhaline (ostracods, eurypterids, microconchids, fish), and marine (brachiopods, echinoderms) fossils.

Paleobiota

According to thesis

Vertebrates

Vertebrates
Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Orthacanthus	Indeterminate	Elasmobranch in order Xenacanthida.
Expleuracanthus	E. cf. E. parallelus
Xenacanthus	Indeterminate
Hamiltonichthys	H. mapesi	A Hybodont elasmobranch.
Petalodus	Indeterminate	A petalodont holocephalian.
Acanthodes	A. bridgei	An acanthodiform acanthodian.
Elonichthys	Indeterminate	A palaeonisciform actinopterygian.
"Feroniscus"	"F. hamiltoni"/"F. hamiltonensis"	A palaeonisciform actinopterygian, nomen nudum (Only described in thesis).
Gnathorhiza	Indeterminate	A lungfish.
Sagenodus	S. cf. copeanus
Eoscopus	E. lockardi	An amphibamiform temnospondyl.
Euconcordia	E. cunninghami	A captorhinid.
Spinoaequalis	S. schultzei	An early semi-aquatic diapsid.
Archaeovenator	A. hamiltonensis	A varanopid.
Eocasea	E. martini	A caseid synapsid.
Ianthasaurus	I. cf. I. hardestii/hardestiorum	An edaphosaurid synapsid.
?Lupeosaurus	Indeterminate

Arthropods

Arthropods
Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Prothelyphonus	Indeterminate	A whip scorpion.
Archaeoctonus	A. cf. A. glaber	A scorpion. Multiple papers misspelled as Archaeoctonous.
Adelophthalmus	A. cf. A. mazonensis	An adelophthalmid eurypterid.
Amphissites	Indeterminate	Ostracod.
Geisina
Gutschickia
Bairdia
Pseudobythocypris
Carbonita
Darwinula
Paromylacris		A roachoid.
Oedischia		An orthopteran.
Meganeura		Meganisopteran.
Titanophasma
Carrizopteryx		A palaeodictyopteran.

Mollusks

Mollusks
Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Anthraconaia	Indeterminate	Myalinid bivalve.
Myalinella	M. meeki
Permophorus	Indeterminate	A cardiid bivalve.
Phestia	Indeterminate	A nuculanid bivalve.
Schizodus	Indeterminate	A trigoniid bivalve.
Bellerophon	Indeterminate	Bellerophontid gastropod.
Euphemites	Indeterminate

Other animals

Other animals
Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Streptognathodus	Indeterminate	An ozarkodinid conodont.
Apographiocrinus	A. cf. calycinus	Dendrocrinid crinoid.
Delocrinus	D. cf. vulatus
Plaxocrinus	P. cf. crassidiscus
Serpula	Indeterminate	Annelid in order Canalipalpata.
Spirorbis	Indeterminate
Punctospirifer	Indeterminate	Spiriferid brachiopod.
Neospirifer	Indeterminate
Juresania	Indeterminate	Productid brachiopod.
Antiquatonia	Indeterminate
Kozlowskia	Indeterminate
Neochonetes	Indeterminate

Lycophytes and ferns

Lycophytes and ferns
Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Sigillaria	S. brardii	A tree-like lycophyte.
Asterophyllites	A. equisetiformis, A. longiformis	Equisetid fern.
Annularia	A. mucronata
Paleostachya	P. sp.

Seed ferns

Seed ferns
Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Sphenopteris	S. cf. S. germanica	A seed fern.
"Callipteris"	C. conferta, C. flabellifora, C. scheibei	A seed fern in order Peltaspermales.
Cyclopteris	Indeterminate	Seed plant in order Medullosales.
Neuropteris	N. sp. (two species)
Odontopteris	Indeterminate
Trigonocarpus	Indeterminate	A seed fern seed.

Gymnosperms

Gymnosperms
Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Cordaites	C. principalis	Gymnosperm in order Cordaitales.
Cordaianthus	C. cf. pitcairniae
Samaropsis	S. fluitans
Emporia	E. cryptica, E. lockardii, E. royalii	Conifer in order Voltziales.
Hanskerpia	H. hamiltonensis
Barthelia	B. furcata
Gomphostrobus	Indeterminate	Conifer in order Voltziales, stem and leaf.
Walchia	W. hypnoides, W. piniformis, W. schneideri	Conifer in order Voltziales, leaves.
Walchianathus	Indeterminate	Conifer in order Voltziales, male cone.
Walchiastrobus	Indeterminate	Conifer in order Voltziales, female cone.

Spores and Pollen

Gymnosperms
Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Leiotriletes	L. sp.	Spore microfossils.
Calamospora	C. sp.
Triletes	T. sp.
Acanthoriletes	A. teretriangulatus
Nuskoisporites	N. trianguloris	Pollen microfossils.
Potoniesporites	P. gtranulatus, P. neglectus
Sulcatisporites	S. splendens, S. sp.
Protohaploxypinus	P. samoilocichii
Striatopodocarpites	S. sp (Two species)
Hamiapollenites	H. perisporites, H. succatus
Striatoabitites	S. multistriatus, S. sp.
Alisporites	A. indarraensis, A. gracilis, A. nuthalensis
Falcisporites	F. zapfei
Limitisporites	L. sp.
Lueckisporites	L. vickkiae
Striatites	S. splendens
Vittatina	V. cf. V. subsuccata, V. cf. V. verrucosa

Fuslinids

Fuslinids
Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Globivalvulina	Indeterminate	Fusulinid in family Biseriamminidae.
Dunbarinella	D. ervinensis	Fusulinid in family Schwagerinidae.
Triticites	T. cullomensis, T. plummeri, T. ventricosus

External links

• Hamilton Quarry is managed by the Johnston Geology Museum at Emporia State University.
• The Surficial Geology of the Hamilton Quarry Area, Kansas Geological Survey (KGS) Open-file Report 2005-13.