Geological Observations on South AmericaDarwin, Charles
Science
Geological Observations on South America
Darwin, Charles
Beagle Expedition (1831-1836); Geology -- South America; Mollusks, Fossil -- South America; Paleontology
I obtained good sections of bed F only in Herradura Bay: it consists of
soft whitish sandstone, with ferruginous veins, some pebbles of
granite, and concretionary layers of hard calcareous sandstone. These
concretions are remarkable from the great number of large silicified
bones, apparently of cetaceous animals, which they contain; and
likewise of a shark’s teeth, closely resembling those of the Carcharias
megalodon. Shells of the following species, of which the gigantic
Oyster and Perna are the most conspicuous, are numerously embedded in
the concretions:—
1. Bulla ambigua, d’Orbigny “Voyage” Pal. 2. Monoceros Blainvillii,
d’Orbigny “Voyage” Pal. 3. Cardium auca, d’Orbigny “Voyage” Pal. 4.
Panopaea Coquimbensis, d’Orbigny “Voyage” Pal. 5. Perna Gaudichaudi,
d’Orbigny “Voyage” Pal. 6. Artemis ponderosa; Mr. Sowerby can find no
distinguishing character between this fossil and the recent A.
ponderosa; it is certainly an Artemis, as shown by the pallial
impression. 7. Ostrea Patagonica (?); Mr. Sowerby can point out no
distinguishing character between this species and that so eminently
characteristic of the great Patagonian formation; but he will not
pretend to affirm that they are identical. 8. Fragments of a Venus and
Natica.
The cliffs on one side of Herradura Bay are capped by a mass of
stratified shingle, containing a little calcareous matter, and I did
not doubt that it belonged to the same recent formation with the gravel
on the surrounding plains, also cemented by calcareous matter, until to
my surprise, I found in the midst of it, a single thin layer almost
entirely composed of the above gigantic oyster.
At a little distance inland, I obtained several sections of the bed E,
which, though different in appearance from the lower bed F, belongs to
the same formation: it consists of a highly ferruginous sandy mass,
almost composed, like the lowest bed at Port S. Julian, of fragments of
Balanidae; it includes some pebbles, and layers of yellowish-brown
mudstone. The embedded shells consist of:—
1. Monoceros Blainvillii, d’Orbigny “Voyage” Pal. 2. Monoceros
ambiguus, G.B. Sowerby. 3. Anomia alternans, G.B. Sowerby. 4. Pecten
rudis, G.B. Sowerby. 5. Perna Gaudichaudi, d’Orbigny “Voyage” Pal. 6.
Ostrea Patagonica (?), d’Orbigny “Voyage” Pal. 7. Ostrea, small
species, in imperfect state; it appeared to me like a small kind now
living in, but very rare in the bay. 8. Mytilus Chiloensis; Mr. Sowerby
can find no distinguishing character between this fossil, as far as its
not very perfect condition allows of comparison, and the recent
species. 9. Balanus Coquimbensis, G.B. Sowerby. 10. Balanus psittacus?
King. This appears to Mr. Sowerby and myself identical with a very
large and common species now living on the coast.
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