Earth:Makah Formation
From HandWiki
| Makah Formation Stratigraphic range: Late Eocene to Early Oligocene | |
|---|---|
 Fossil of Branchioplax from the Makah Formation | |
| Type | Formation |
| Unit of | Twin River Group |
| Underlies | Pysht Formation |
| Overlies | Hoko River Formation |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone, siltstone |
| Location | |
| Region | Washington (state) |
| Country | United States |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Makah Reservation |
| Named by | Snavely et al, 1980 |
The Makah Formation is a geologic formation in Washington (state). It was deposited during the late Paleogene period between the late Eocene and early Oligocene epoches, and preserves marine fossils dating to the early Oligocene. It outcrops at the northwestern edge of the Olympic Peninsula.[1][2] It appears to have been deposited in a deepwater environment, and the presence of glendonites suggests that water temperatures ranged near freezing at certain sites of deposition.[3]
Vertebrate paleobiota
The following fossil taxa are known:[2]
Mammals
| Mammals of the Makah Formation | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Presence | Material | Notes | Images |
| Fucaia | F. buelli | An aetiocetid baleen whale. | |||
| Mysticeti indet. | A baleen whale of uncertain affinities. | ||||
Birds
| Birds of the Makah Formation | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Presence | Material | Notes | Images |
| Galliformes indet. | Skull | A landfowl of uncertain affinities. | |||
| Klallamornis | K. buchanani | A plotopterid suliform. | File:Klallamornis.jpg | ||
| K. clarki | |||||
| Makahala | M. mirae | ||||
| ?Phalacrocoracoidea indet. | An indeterminate relative of cormorants and darters. | ||||
| Tonsala | T. hildegardae | A plotopterid suliform. | 
| ||
Ray-finned fish
| Ray-finned fish of the Makah Formation | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Presence | Material | Notes | Images |
| Coryphaenoides | C. richi | Scales, bones, and otolith | A grenadier. Type locality of species.[3] | frameless | |
See also
- List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Washington (state)
- Paleontology in Washington (state)
References
- ((Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database)). "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". https://www.fossilworks.org/.
- ↑ "Geolex — Makah publications". https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Geolex/UnitRefs/MakahRefs_5960.html.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "PBDB". https://paleobiodb.org/classic/displaySearchStrataResults?group_formation_member=Makah.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Schwarzhans, Werner W.; Moritz, Timo; Goedert, James L. (2026-02-11). "Coryphaenoides richi sp. nov. (Macrouridae, Teleostei) from the deep-marine, Oligocene Makah Formation of Washington State, U.S.A." (in en). Zitteliana 100: 31–38. doi:10.3897/zitteliana.100.182311. ISSN 2747-8106. https://zitteliana.pensoft.net/article/182311/.
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