| Bladen Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Middle Campanian ~ | |
| Type | Formation |
| Unit of | Black Creek Group |
| Underlies | Donoho Creek Formation, Peedee Formation |
| Overlies | Tar Heel/Coachman Formation |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone, siltstone |
| Location | |
| Region |  North Carolina  South Carolina |
| Country |  United States |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Bladen County, North Carolina |
The Bladen Formation is a geologic formation from the Late Cretaceous (middle Campanian) of North Carolina and South Carolina, USA. It is known for a plethora of terrestrial and aquatic vertebrate fossils, including dinosaurs and mosasaurs.[1] It appears to be roughly concurrent with the Tuscaloosa Formation of Alabama.[2]
Unlike many other Cretaceous geologic formations from eastern North America, which were deposited in entirely marine environments, the Bladen Formation appears to have been deposited in a former river delta in an estuarine habitat, allowing for a mixture of freshwater, terrestrial, and marine fauna.[3] An important locality is the former Bladen County landfill annex in Elizabethtown, North Carolina, which contains the richest known fauna from the formation.[4][5] Another notable locality is near Quinby in Florence County, South Carolina, which also appears to have been deposited in a nonmarine environment with minor marine influence.[6]
It is deposited as a thin layer over the Tar Heel/Coachman Formation, which is often confused with. In North Carolina, it underlies the Maastrichtian-aged Peedee Formation, while in South Carolina it underlies the slightly younger Campanian-aged Donoho Creek Formation.[7]
- ^ Various Contributors to the NCSM, et al. 2020. "NCSM Collection: Paleontology Database."
- ^ "Geolex — Bladen publications". ngmdb.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
- ^ Crane, Cynthia Danielle (2011). VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY AND TAPHONOMY OF THE LATE CRETACEOUS (CAMPANIAN) BLADEN FORMATION, BLADEN COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA (Thesis).
- ^ "PBDB Collection". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
- ^ Crane, Cynthia Danielle (2011). Vertebrate paleontology and taphonomy of the late Cretaceous (Campanian) Bladen Formation, Bladen County, North Carolina (Thesis).
- ^ Schwimmer, David R.; Sanders, Albert E.; Erickson, Bruce R.; Weems, Robert E. (2015). "A Late Cretaceous Dinosaur and Reptile Assemblage from South Carolina, Usa". Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. 105 (2): i–157. ISSN 0065-9746.
- ^ "Geolex — Bladen publications". ngmdb.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-13.