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). The habitat of some of these faunal elements, as for anamniotic stegocephalians, is debated; although some of these have traditionally been interpreted as freshwater inhabitants, some may have been euryhaline. 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).
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 According to thesis
Vertebrates VertebratesGenusSpeciesNotesImagesOrthacanthus O. platypternusElasmobranch in order Xenacanthida.Expleuracanthus E. cf. E. parallelusXenacanthus IndeterminateHamiltonichthysH. mapesiA Hybodont elasmobranch.PetalodusIndeterminateA petalodont holocephalian.Acanthodes A. bridgeiAn acanthodiform acanthodian.Elonichthys IndeterminateA palaeonisciform actinopterygian. "Feroniscus" "F. hamiltoni"/"F. hamiltonensis" A palaeonisciform actinopterygian, nomen nudum (Only described in thesis). Gnathorhiza IndeterminateA lungfish.Sagenodus S. cf. copeanusEoscopus E. lockardiAn amphibamiform temnospondyl.Euconcordia E. cunninghamiA captorhinid.Spinoaequalis S. schultzeiAn early semi-aquatic diapsid.Archaeovenator A. hamiltonensisA varanopid.Eocasea E. martiniA caseid synapsid.Ianthasaurus I. cf. I. hardestii/hardestiorumAn edaphosaurid synapsid.?Lupeosaurus Indeterminate
Arthropods ArthropodsGenusSpeciesNotesImagesProthelyphonusIndeterminateA whip scorpion.ArchaeoctonusA. cf. A. glaberA scorpion. Multiple papers misspelled as Archaeoctonous.Adelophthalmus A. cf. A. mazonensisAn adelophthalmid eurypterid.Amphissites IndeterminateOstracod.GeisinaGutschickiaBairdiaPseudobythocyprisCarbonita Darwinula ParomylacrisA roachoid.OedischiaAn orthopteran.Meganeura Meganisopteran.TitanophasmaCarrizopteryxA palaeodictyopteran.
Mollusks MollusksGenusSpeciesNotesImagesAnthraconaiaIndeterminateMyalinid bivalve.MyalinellaM. meekiPermophorusIndeterminateA cardiid bivalve.Phestia IndeterminateA nuculanid bivalve.Schizodus IndeterminateA trigoniid bivalve.Bellerophon IndeterminateBellerophontid gastropod.Euphemites Indeterminate
Other animals Other animalsGenusSpeciesNotesImagesStreptognathodus IndeterminateAn ozarkodinid conodont.ApographiocrinusA. cf. calycinusDendrocrinid crinoid.Delocrinus D. cf. vulatusPlaxocrinusP. cf. crassidiscusSerpula IndeterminateAnnelid in order Canalipalpata.Spirorbis IndeterminatePunctospiriferIndeterminateSpiriferid brachiopod.Neospirifer IndeterminateJuresania IndeterminateProductid brachiopod.AntiquatoniaIndeterminateKozlowskiaIndeterminateNeochonetesIndeterminate
Lycophytes and ferns Lycophytes and fernsGenusSpeciesNotesImagesSigillaria S. brardiiA tree-like lycophyte.Asterophyllites A. equisetiformis, A. longiformisEquisetid fern.Annularia A. mucronataPaleostachyaP. sp.
Seed ferns Seed fernsGenusSpeciesNotesImagesSphenopteris S. cf. S. germanicaA seed fern."Callipteris"C. conferta, C. flabellifora, C. scheibeiA seed fern in order Peltaspermales.Cyclopteris IndeterminateSeed plant in order Medullosales.Neuropteris N. sp. (two species)OdontopterisIndeterminateTrigonocarpusIndeterminateA seed fern seed.
Gymnosperms GymnospermsGenusSpeciesNotesImagesCordaites C. principalisGymnosperm in order Cordaitales.CordaianthusC. cf. pitcairniaeSamaropsis S. fluitansEmporiaE. cryptica, E. lockardii, E. royaliiConifer in order Voltziales.HanskerpiaH. hamiltonensisBartheliaB. furcataGomphostrobusIndeterminateConifer in order Voltziales, stem and leaf.Walchia W. hypnoides, W. piniformis, W. schneideriConifer in order Voltziales, leaves.WalchianathusIndeterminateConifer in order Voltziales, male cone.WalchiastrobusIndeterminateConifer in order Voltziales, female cone.
Spores and Pollen GymnospermsGenusSpeciesNotesImagesLeiotriletesL. sp.Spore microfossils.CalamosporaC. sp.TriletesT. sp.AcanthoriletesA. teretriangulatusNuskoisporitesN. triangulorisPollen microfossils.PotoniesporitesP. gtranulatus, P. neglectusSulcatisporitesS. splendens, S. sp.ProtohaploxypinusP. samoilocichiiStriatopodocarpitesS. sp (Two species)HamiapollenitesH. perisporites, H. succatusStriatoabititesS. multistriatus, S. sp.AlisporitesA. indarraensis, A. gracilis, A. nuthalensisFalcisporitesF. zapfeiLimitisporitesL. sp.LueckisporitesL. vickkiaeStriatitesS. splendensVittatinaV. cf. V. subsuccata, V. cf. V. verrucosa
Fuslinids FuslinidsGenusSpeciesNotesImagesGlobivalvulinaIndeterminateFusulinid in family Biseriamminidae.DunbarinellaD. ervinensisFusulinid in family Schwagerinidae.Triticites T. cullomensis, T. plummeri, T. ventricosus
References
External links Hamilton Quarry is managed by the Johnston Geology Museum at Emporia State University. The Surficial Geology of the Hamilton Quarry Area, Kansas Geological Survey (KGS) Open-file Report 2005-13.