United States or Martinique ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Out of these three beds, I procured the following twelve species, of which the two first were exceedingly numerous in individuals, as were the Terebratulae and Turritellae in certain layers: Ostrea Patagonica, d'Orbigny, "Voyage, Pal." Pecten Paranensis, d'Orbigny, "Voyage, Pal." Pecten geminatus, G.B. Sowerby. 5. Fusus Patagonicus, G.B. Sowerby. 8. Fusus Noachinus, G.B. Sowerby. 9.
Hence there cannot be any doubt, highly curious though the fact be, that these several fossils, namely, the Hippurites, Gryphaea, Ostrea, Pecten, Turritella, Nautilus, two Terebratulae, and Spirifer all belong to the same formation, which would appear to form a passage between the oolitic and cretaceous systems of Europe.
On the other hand, the two Terebratulae and the Spirifer point, in the opinion both of M. d'Orbigny and Professor Forbes, to the oolitic series.
But as the ages rolled on, they got fewer and fewer, these Terebratulae; and now there are hardly any of them left; only six or seven sorts are left about these islands, which cling to stones in deep water; and the first time I dredged two of them out of Loch Fyne, I looked at them with awe, as on relics from another world, which had lasted on through unnumbered ages and changes, such as one's fancy could not grasp.
Hence M. d'Orbigny, not having himself examined this country, has concluded that there are here two distinct formations; but the Spirifer and T. aenigma were certainly included in the same bed with the Pecten and Ostrea, whence I extracted them; and the geologist M. Domeyko sent home the two Terebratulae with the other-named shells, from the same locality, without specifying that they came from different beds.
A series of this species collected at Guasco, has been examined by Professor E. Forbes, and he states that it is difficult to distinguish between some of the specimens and the T. hastata from the mountain limestone; and that it is equally difficult to draw a line between them and some Marlstone Terebratulae.
We find they contain not ammonites, but ampullaires, solens, and terebratulae. The greater part of these shells are mixed: the oysters and pectinites being sometimes arranged in families. The whole are easily detached, and their interior is filled with fossil madrepores and cellepores.
If these shells had been examined independently of the other collections, they would probably have been considered, from the characters of the two Terebratulae, and from the Spirifer, as oolitic; but considering that the first species, and according to Professor Forbes, the four first, are identical with those from Coquimbo, the two formations no doubt are the same, and may, as I have said, be provisionally called cretaceo-oolitic.
Word Of The Day