Texas Fossils: An Amateur Collector's HandbookMatthews, William Henry
Science
Texas Fossils: An Amateur Collector's Handbook
Matthews, William Henry
Paleontology -- Texas
Although some of the Ordovician formations are fossiliferous, they are
seldom collected by amateur paleontologists because they are exposed in
relatively inaccessible places and the fossils are usually poorly
preserved. Ordovician fossils reported from Texas include sponges,
corals, brachiopods, gastropods, cephalopods, and trilobites. In
addition, the Marathon formation of the Marathon uplift contains large
numbers of well-preserved graptolites (fig. 24, p. 86).
Silurian
The Silurian of Texas is poorly represented in surface exposures, and
only one formation, the Fusselman, has been described. The Fusselman
crops out in the El Paso and Van Horn regions where it is a white
dolomitic limestone. Fossils are not abundant in this formation, but
brachiopods and corals have been collected at a few localities.
Devonian
Devonian rocks are best developed in Trans-Pecos Texas, especially in
the Marathon, El Paso, and Van Horn regions. In addition to the
Trans-Pecos exposures, there are minor outcrops of Devonian rocks in the
Llano uplift of central Texas.
Fossils are rare and fragmental in the Trans-Pecos exposures and consist
primarily of radiolarians and brachiopods. The Devonian rocks of central
Texas are predominantly calcareous and, although the material is usually
poorly preserved, many fossils have been collected from them. These
include bryozoans, corals, brachiopods, gastropods, and trilobites.
Conodonts and fragments of primitive armored fishes (Pl. 37) have also
been reported.
Mississippian
Mississippian rocks are exposed in the Llano region and in the Hueco
Mountains of the Trans-Pecos area. The Trans-Pecos rocks primarily
contain brachiopods with some bryozoans and gastropods.
The central Texas Mississippian rocks are much more fossiliferous and
some of the material is well preserved. Fossils reported from this area
include brachiopods (Pl. 17), crinoids, gastropods, cephalopods,
trilobites, and ostracodes.
Pennsylvanian
Pennsylvanian rocks are well represented in Texas and are exposed in the
Llano uplift, north-central Texas, and Trans-Pecos Texas.
In Trans-Pecos Texas fossiliferous rocks crop out in the Hueco and
Diablo Mountains. Fossils found in this area are algae, fusulinids,
corals, brachiopods, pelecypods, gastropods, cephalopods, and crinoids.
There is also a thick section of Pennsylvanian rocks in the Marathon
uplift, but only one formation, the Gaptank, is very fossiliferous. It
contains many fossils including fusulinids, sponges, corals, bryozoans,
brachiopods, gastropods, pelecypods, cephalopods, and crinoids.
Certain Pennsylvanian strata in the Llano region are very fossiliferous,
and the material is well preserved. The more abundant forms are
fusulinids, corals, brachiopods, gastropods, pelecypods, cephalopods,
and crinoids.
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