Hamilton Quarry is a Late Carboniferous lagerstätte near Hamilton, Kansas, United States. It has a diverse assemblage of unusually well-preserved marine, euryhaline, freshwater, flying, and terrestrial fossils (invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants). This extraordinary mix of fossils suggests it was once an estuary. This type of Lagerstätte is considered a Konservat-Lagerstätte (or conservation lagerstätte), due to the quality the preservation of soft tissue (skin preservation).

Hamilton Quarry
Stratigraphic range: ~300–298 Ma
TypeLagerstätte
Location
Locationnear Hamilton, Kansas
Coordinates37°58′49″N 96°6′50″W / 37.98028°N 96.11389°W / 37.98028; -96.11389
CountryUnited States

The lagerstätte occurs within a paleovalley that was incised into the surrounding Carboniferous cyclothemic sequence during a time of low sea level and was then filled in during a subsequent transgression. The channel has a capping series of interbedded laminated limestones and mudstones for which are designated the Lagerstätte beds or ‘vertebrate horizon’. This facies contains a well-preserved mixed assemblage of terrestrial (conifers, insects, myriapods, reptiles), freshwater (ostracods), aquatic (amphibians, reptile), brackish or euryhaline (ostracods, eurypterids, microconchids, fish), and marine (brachiopods, echinoderms) fossils.

Paleobiota

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According to thesis[1]

Color key
Taxon Reclassified taxon Taxon falsely reported as present Dubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon
Notes
Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited.

Vertebrates

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Vertebrates
Genus Species Notes Images
Orthacanthus O. platypternus[2] Elasmobranch in order Xenacanthida.
 
Expleuracanthus E. cf. E. parallelus
 
Xenacanthus Indeterminate
 
Hamiltonichthys H. mapesi A Hybodont elasmobranch.
 
Petalodus Indeterminate A petalodont holocephalian.
Acanthodes A. bridgei An acanthodiform acanthodian.
 
Elonichthys Indeterminate A palaeonisciform actinopterygian.
"Feroniscus" "F. hamiltoni"/"F. hamiltonensis" A palaeonisciform actinopterygian, nomen nudum (Only described in thesis).
Gnathorhiza Indeterminate A lungfish.
 
Sagenodus S. cf. copeanus
Eoscopus E. lockardi An amphibamiform temnospondyl.
 
Euconcordia E. cunninghami A captorhinid.
 
Spinoaequalis S. schultzei An early semi-aquatic diapsid.
 
Archaeovenator A. hamiltonensis A varanopid.
 
Eocasea E. martini A caseid synapsid.
 
Ianthasaurus I. cf. I. hardestii/hardestiorum An edaphosaurid synapsid.
 
?Lupeosaurus Indeterminate

Arthropods

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Arthropods
Genus Species Notes Images
Prothelyphonus Indeterminate A whip scorpion.
Archaeoctonus[3] A. cf. A. glaber A scorpion. Multiple papers misspelled as Archaeoctonous.[4][5]
Adelophthalmus A. cf. A. mazonensis An adelophthalmid eurypterid.
 
Amphissites Indeterminate Ostracod.
Geisina
Gutschickia
Bairdia
Pseudobythocypris
Carbonita
Darwinula
Paromylacris A roachoid.
Oedischia An orthopteran.
Meganeura Meganisopteran.
 
Titanophasma
Carrizopteryx A palaeodictyopteran.

Mollusks

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Mollusks
Genus Species Notes Images
Anthraconaia Indeterminate Myalinid bivalve.
Myalinella M. meeki
Permophorus Indeterminate A cardiid bivalve.
Phestia Indeterminate A nuculanid bivalve.
Schizodus Indeterminate A trigoniid bivalve.
Bellerophon Indeterminate Bellerophontid gastropod.
Euphemites Indeterminate

Other animals

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Other animals
Genus Species Notes Images
Streptognathodus Indeterminate An ozarkodinid conodont.
Apographiocrinus A. cf. calycinus Dendrocrinid crinoid.
Delocrinus D. cf. vulatus
Plaxocrinus P. cf. crassidiscus
Serpula Indeterminate Annelid in order Canalipalpata.
Spirorbis Indeterminate
Punctospirifer Indeterminate Spiriferid brachiopod.
Neospirifer Indeterminate
Juresania Indeterminate Productid brachiopod.
Antiquatonia Indeterminate
Kozlowskia Indeterminate
Neochonetes Indeterminate

Lycophytes and ferns

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Lycophytes and ferns
Genus Species Notes Images
Sigillaria S. brardii A tree-like lycophyte.
 
Asterophyllites A. equisetiformis, A. longiformis Equisetid fern.
Annularia A. mucronata
 
Paleostachya P. sp.

Seed ferns

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Seed ferns
Genus Species Notes Images
Sphenopteris S. cf. S. germanica A seed fern.
 
"Callipteris" C. conferta, C. flabellifora, C. scheibei A seed fern in order Peltaspermales.
 
Cyclopteris Indeterminate Seed plant in order Medullosales.
 
Neuropteris N. sp. (two species)
 
Odontopteris Indeterminate
 
Trigonocarpus Indeterminate A seed fern seed.
 

Gymnosperms

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Gymnosperms
Genus Species Notes Images
Cordaites C. principalis Gymnosperm in order Cordaitales.
 
Cordaianthus C. cf. pitcairniae
 
Samaropsis S. fluitans
Emporia E. cryptica, E. lockardii, E. royalii Conifer in order Voltziales.
Hanskerpia H. hamiltonensis
Barthelia B. furcata
Gomphostrobus Indeterminate Conifer in order Voltziales, stem and leaf.
Walchia W. hypnoides, W. piniformis, W. schneideri Conifer in order Voltziales, leaves.
 
Walchianathus Indeterminate Conifer in order Voltziales, male cone.
Walchiastrobus Indeterminate Conifer in order Voltziales, female cone.

Spores and Pollen

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Gymnosperms
Genus Species Notes Images
Leiotriletes L. sp. Spore microfossils.
Calamospora C. sp.
Triletes T. sp.
Acanthoriletes A. teretriangulatus
Nuskoisporites N. trianguloris Pollen microfossils.
Potoniesporites P. gtranulatus, P. neglectus
Sulcatisporites S. splendens, S. sp.
Protohaploxypinus P. samoilocichii
Striatopodocarpites S. sp (Two species)
Hamiapollenites H. perisporites, H. succatus
Striatoabitites S. multistriatus, S. sp.
Alisporites A. indarraensis, A. gracilis, A. nuthalensis
Falcisporites F. zapfei
Limitisporites L. sp.
Lueckisporites L. vickkiae
Striatites S. splendens
Vittatina V. cf. V. subsuccata, V. cf. V. verrucosa

Fuslinids

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Fuslinids
Genus Species Notes Images
Globivalvulina Indeterminate Fusulinid in family Biseriamminidae.
Dunbarinella D. ervinensis Fusulinid in family Schwagerinidae.
Triticites T. cullomensis, T. plummeri, T. ventricosus

References

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  1. ^ Wehrbein, Randol (2017-05-12). Comparisons of Paleoenvironments, Taxa, and Taphonomy of the Late Carboniferous Garnett and Hamilton Quarry Localities, Eastern Kansas (Thesis thesis).
  2. ^ Beck, Kimberly; Soler-Gijon, Rodrigo; Carlucci, Jesse; Willis, Raymond (2014). "Morphology and histology of dorsal spines of the xenacanthid shark Orthacanthus platypternus from the Lower Permian of Texas, USA: palaeobiological and palaeoenvironmental implications". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. doi:10.4202/app.00126.2014. ISSN 0567-7920.
  3. ^ Kjellesvig-Waering, E. N. (1986). "A restudy of the fossil Scorpionida of the world". Palaeontographica Americana. 55: 1–287.
  4. ^ Cunningham, Christopher R. (1993). "Hamilton Fossil-Lagerstätte (Upper Pennsylvanian, Greenwood County, Kansas): Internal Stratigraphy and Addition to the Microfossil Assemblage". Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science. 96 (1/2): 131–139. doi:10.2307/3628324. ISSN 0022-8443. JSTOR 3628324.
  5. ^ Cunningham, Christopher R.; Feldman, Howard R.; Franseen, Evan K.; Gastaldo, Robert A.; Mapes, Gene; Maples, Christopher G.; Schultze, Hans-Peter (1993). "The Upper Carboniferous Hamilton Fossil-Lagerstätte in Kansas: a valley-fill, tidally influenced deposit". Lethaia. 26 (3): 225–236. doi:10.1111/j.1502-3931.1993.tb01524.x. ISSN 0024-1164.
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