Hamilton Quarry

Template:Infobox rockunit 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).<ref name="Cunningham et al. 1993a"></ref> 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,<ref name="Gray 1988">Template:Cite journal</ref> some may have been euryhaline.<ref name="Schultze et al. 1993">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Laurin 2024">Template:Cite journal</ref> This extraordinary mix of fossils suggests it was once an estuary.<ref name="Cunningham et al. 1993b"></ref> 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<ref>Template:Cite thesis</ref> Template:Paleobiota-key-compact

Vertebrates

Vertebrates
Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Orthacanthus	O. platypternus<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>	Elasmobranch in order Xenacanthida.	File:Orthacanths of USA.jpg
Expleuracanthus	E. cf. E. parallelus		File:Expleuracanthus1DB.jpg
Xenacanthus	Indeterminate		File:Xenacanth.png
Hamiltonichthys	H. mapesi	A Hybodont elasmobranch.	File:Hamiltonichthys mapesi.jpg
Petalodus	Indeterminate	A petalodont holocephalian.
Acanthodes	A. bridgei	An acanthodiform acanthodian.	File:Acanthodes bridgei.png
Elonichthys	Indeterminate	A palaeonisciform actinopterygian.
"Feroniscus"	"F. hamiltoni"/"F. hamiltonensis"	A palaeonisciform actinopterygian, nomen nudum (Only described in thesis).
Gnathorhiza	Indeterminate	A lungfish.	File:GnathorhizaDB.jpg
Sagenodus	S. cf. copeanus
Eoscopus	E. lockardi	An amphibamiform temnospondyl.	File:Eoscopus.JPG
Euconcordia	E. cunninghami<ref name="Müller & Reisz 2005">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Reisz et al. 2016">Template:Cite journal</ref>	A captorhinid.	File:Euconcordia skull.jpg
Spinoaequalis	S. schultzei<ref name="deBraga & Reisz 1995">Template:Cite journal</ref>	An early semi-aquatic diapsid.	File:Spinoaequalis schultzei reconstruction.jpg
Archaeovenator	A. hamiltonensis	A varanopid.	File:ArchaeovenatorDB.jpg
Eocasea	E. martini	A caseid synapsid.	File:Eocasea.png
Ianthasaurus	I. cf. I. hardestii/hardestiorum	An edaphosaurid synapsid.	File:Ianthasaurus223DB.jpg
?Lupeosaurus	Indeterminate

Arthropods

Arthropods
Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Prothelyphonus	Indeterminate	A whip scorpion.
Archaeoctonus<ref name="KW1986">Template:Cite journal</ref>	A. cf. A. glaber	A scorpion. Multiple papers misspelled as Archaeoctonous.<ref name="Cunningham et al. 1993a">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Cunningham et al. 1993b">Template:Cite journal</ref>
Adelophthalmus	A. cf. A. mazonensis	An adelophthalmid eurypterid.	File:The Eurypterida of New York (1912) (20618910349).jpg
Amphissites	Indeterminate	Ostracod.
Geisina
Gutschickia
Bairdia
Pseudobythocypris
Carbonita
Darwinula
Paromylacris		A roachoid.
Oedischia		An orthopteran.
Meganeura		Meganisopteran.	File:Meganeura.png
Titanophasma
Carrizopteryx		A palaeodictyopteran.

Mollusks

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

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

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

Seed ferns

Seed ferns
Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Sphenopteris	S. cf. S. germanica	A seed fern.	File:Sphenopteris - Plant Fossil from France.jpg
"Callipteris"	C. conferta, C. flabellifora, C. scheibei	A seed fern in order Peltaspermales.	File:Callipteris conferta.JPG
Cyclopteris	Indeterminate	Seed plant in order Medullosales.	File:Cyclopteris rhomboidea - Fossils in the Arppeanum - DSC05523.JPG
Neuropteris	N. sp. (two species)		File:Neuropteris PAMuseum.jpg
Odontopteris	Indeterminate		File:Odontopteris genuina (2).JPG
Trigonocarpus	Indeterminate	A seed fern seed.	File:Trigonocarpus.jpg

Gymnosperms

Gymnosperms
Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Cordaites	C. principalis	Gymnosperm in order Cordaitales.	File:Cordaites fossil cropped.png
Cordaianthus	C. cf. pitcairniae		File:Cordaianthus sp.JPG
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.	File:Walchia piniformis.jpg
Walchianathus	Indeterminate	Conifer in order Voltziales, male cone.
Walchiastrobus	Indeterminate	Conifer in order Voltziales, female cone.

Spores and Pollen

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

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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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.