The Pleistocene of North America: and its vertebrated animals from the states east of the Mississippi River and from the Canadian provinces east of longitude 95°Hay, Oliver Perry
Science
The Pleistocene of North America: and its vertebrated animals from the states east of the Mississippi River and from the Canadian provinces east of longitude 95°
Hay, Oliver Perry
Paleontology -- North America; Paleontology -- Pleistocene; Vertebrates, Fossil
The Patoka Quadrangle, described in Folio No. 105 of the U. S.
Geological Survey, published in 1904, covers nearly the whole of Gibson
County. An examination of this folio shows how complicated are the later
geological features of the region. It is fair to suppose that a well
from 30 to 40 feet in depth was dug, especially at that time, in the
higher parts of the county, where the elevation is somewhere near 500
feet above sea-level. Here such a well would probably go through the
rather scattering Wisconsin deposits of various kinds or through the
loess referred to the Iowan stage, reaching perhaps the Sangamon; or
through later Illinoian or early Sangamon lake deposits and Illinoian
glacial accumulations into pre-Illinoian deposits. The folio cited notes
(p. 3) the presence of deposits supposed to belong to the beginning of
the Illinoian stage. These contained zones of black muck and other
organic materials; and in places were found logs and what were thought
by the well-diggers to be “black-oak” leaves. All these might have been
of Aftonian age; and in deposits of that time might have been found the
jaw of _Mylohyus nasutus_.
This species has been reported from a number of other localities; but
the remains have been of so imperfect character that the identifications
may have been erroneous. Professor Cope reported in 1869 (Proc. Amer.
Philos. Soc., vol. XI, p. 176) that he had found several molars and
canine teeth of this animal in cave breccia in Wythe County, Virginia.
The breccia appeared to be very old, and in them were found a species of
_Megalonyx_, _Equus complicatus?_, _Tapirus haysii_, _Ursus amplidens_,
and many other extinct species.
Cope in 1899 (Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., vol. XI, p. 263) announced
this species from the Port Kennedy cave in southeastern Pennsylvania. In
this case there were found only a canine and 4 molars; hence not too
much reliance must be placed on the identification. A large majority of
the numerous species found in the Port Kennedy cave are extinct. Among
these are species of _Megalonyx_, a mylodon, a bear, 2 species of
saber-tooth tigers, a tapir, 1 or 2 species of horse, and 3 species of
peccaries. One can hardly doubt that the animals belonged to the early
part of the Pleistocene. The indications are that the known examples of
_Mylohyus nasutus_ belonged to the first half of the Pleistocene; that
is, to the Sangamon stage or to the Aftonian.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account