First record of a fossil coral (Anthozoa) from Pleistocene deposits at Terra Ceia, North Carolina

Authors

  • Sam Heads
  • Steven J. Taylor

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21900/j.kentiana.n2.1160

Keywords:

Cnidaria, Zoantharia, Faviina, Faviicae, Quaternary, North Carolina Coastal Plain

Abstract

A fossil coral of the genus Solenastrea Milne Edwards & Haime (Anthozoa: Scleractinia: Faviidae) is reported from Pleistocene deposits exposed near the town of Terra Ceia in Beaufort County, North Carolina. The specimen is similar in gross and corallite morphology to Solenastrea hyades (Dana) which is common in Neogene and Quaternary sediments of North Carolina, but has been altered by vadose diagenesis, making confident assignment to species challenging. The specimen is the first coral recovered from the Terra Ceia locality which has, up to now, yielded only mollusks.

References

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Dana, J.D. 1846. Zoophytes. United States Exploring Expedition during the years 1838–1842. Lea & Blanchard, Philadelphia, 740 pp.

Miller, W. 1985. The Flanner Beach Formation (Middle Pleistocene) in Eastern North Carolina. Tulane Studies in Geology and Paleontology 18: 93–122.

Milne Edwards, H. & Haime, J. 1848. Note sure la classification de la deuxième tribu de la famille des Astréides. Comptes rendus hebdomadraires de séances de l’Académie des sciences, Paris 27: 490–497.

Milne Edwards, H. & Haime, J. 1849. Recherches sur les polypiers. Mémoire 4. Monographie des Astréides (1) (suite). Annales des Sciences Naturelles, Zoologie, Series 3 3: 95–197.

Milne Edwards, H. & Haime, J. 1857. Histoire naturelle des coralliaires ou polypes proprement dits 2. Classifi- cation et description des zoanthaires sclérodermés de la section des Madréporaires apores. Librairie Ency- clopédique de Roret, Paris, 631 pp.

Richards, H.G. 1966. Notes on five marine Pleistocene localities in northeastern North Carolina. South- eastern Geology 7: 135–139.

Vaughan, T.W. 1900. The Eocene and Lower Oligocene coral faunas of the United States with descriptions of a few doubtfully Cretaceous species. Monographs of the United States Geological Survey 39: 1–263.

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Published

2022-12-20

Issue

No. 2 (2022): First record of a fossil coral (Anthozoa) from Pleistocene deposits at Terra Ceia, North Carolina

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2022 Sam Heads; Steven J. Taylor

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