Late Devonian paleontology and paleoenvironments at Red Hill and other fossil sites in the Catskill Formation of north-central Pennsylvania
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Published:January 01, 2011
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CiteCitation
Edward B. Daeschler, Walter L. Cressler, III, 2011. "Late Devonian paleontology and paleoenvironments at Red Hill and other fossil sites in the Catskill Formation of north-central Pennsylvania", From the Shield to the Sea, Richard M. Ruffolo, Charles N. Ciampaglio
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Abstract
The stratified red beds of the Catskill Formation are conspicuous in road cut exposures on the Allegheny Plateau of north-central Pennsylvania. During this field trip we will visit and explore several fossil localities within the Catskill Formation. These sites have been central to recent investigations into the nature of Late Devonian continental ecosystems. By the Late Devonian, forests were widespread within seasonally well-watered depositional basins and the spread of plants on land from the late Silurian through the Devonian set the stage for the radiation of animals in both freshwater and terrestrial settings. A diverse assemblage of flora and fauna has been recovered from the Catskill Formation including progymnosperms, lycopsids, spermatophytes, zygopterid and stauripterid ferns, barinophytes, invertebrates and invertebrate traces, and vertebrates such as placoderms, acanthodians, chondrichthyans, actinopterygians, and a variety of sarcopterygians including early tetrapods. Since the early 1990s, highway construction projects along the Route 15 (Interstate 99) have provided a new opportunity for exploration of the Catskill Formation in Lycoming and Tioga counties. The faunas along Route 15 are dominated by Bothriolepis sp. and Holoptychius sp. and also include Sauripterus taylori and an assortment of other interesting records. The most productive Catskill site, and the source of early tetrapod remains, is Red Hill in Clinton County. Red Hill presents a diverse and unique flora and fauna that is distinct from Route 15 sites, and also provides a spectacular section of the alluvial plain deposits of the Duncannon Member of the Catskill Formation.
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Contents
From the Shield to the Sea

This volume features field guides and descriptions of eight of the geological field trips offered during the Joint Meeting of the Geological Society of America Northeastern and North-Central Sections held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in March 2011. From glaciers to gristmills, shales to slides, these timely and topical trips highlight the region's geology from eastern Ohio to the Central Appalachian Valley and Ridge and show how it has shaped the region—topographically, structurally, historically, industrially, and evolutionarily.
GeoRef
- Allegheny Plateau
- Arthropoda
- Catskill Formation
- Chordata
- Clinton County Pennsylvania
- Devonian
- faunal list
- faunal studies
- field trips
- floral list
- floral studies
- Invertebrata
- Lycoming County Pennsylvania
- Paleozoic
- Pennsylvania
- Plantae
- Red Hill
- road log
- Tioga County Pennsylvania
- United States
- Upper Devonian
- Vertebrata
- Duncannon Member