Catskill Formation

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Catskill Formation
Stratigraphic range: Late Devonian (Late Famennian)
File:Catskill1.jpg
Outcrop of the Irish Valley Member of the Catskill Formation along the Horseshoe Curve, Blair County, Pennsylvania
Typesedimentary
UnderliesRockwell Formation, Huntley Mountain Formation, Pocono Formation, Spechty Kopf Formation
OverliesForeknobs Formation, Lock Haven Formation, Trimmers Rock Formation
ThicknessUp to 10,000 ft (3,000 m)
Lithology
PrimarySandstone
OtherSiltstone, shale
Location
RegionAppalachian Mountains
CountryUnited States
ExtentPennsylvania, New York (state)
Type section
Named forCatskill Mountains, New York

The Devonian Catskill Formation or the Catskill Clastic Wedge is a unit of mostly terrestrial sedimentary rock found in Pennsylvania and New York. Minor marine layers exist in this thick rock unit (up to 10,000 feet (3,000 m)). It is equivalent to the Hampshire Formation of Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia.

The Catskill is the largest bedrock unit of the Upper Devonian in northeast Pennsylvania and the Catskill region of New York, from which its name is derived. The Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania are largely underlain by this unit as well. The rocks of the Catskill are a clastic wedge of predominantly red sandstone, indicating a large-scale terrestrial deposition during the Acadian orogeny. Many beds are cyclical in nature, preserving the record of a dynamic environment during its approximately 20 million years of deposition.

The Catskill Formation preserves a highly diverse paleobiota, including many early sarcopterygians (especially tetrapodomorphs), providing important evidence about the evolution of terrestrial vertebrates. The formation also provides important fossils about the evolution of land plants.[1]

Geology

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Depositional environment

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File:Catskill-slab-new.jpg
Cut slab of the Catskill Formation from the Coleman Quarry of the Endless Mountain Stone Company, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, showing mud clasts within sandstone
File:Meandering catskill MCR1.JPG
Point bar deposits in the Catskill Formation (Devonian) near North Bend, PA.

During the Devonian period, the Catskill Delta was formed by a series of river deltas and otherwise marshy terrain. This terrain was sandwiched between the epicontinental Kaskaskia Sea in central North America and the now-vanished Acadian Mountains. Erosion brought sediment from the mountain westwards into the sea, forming the deltas.

Eventually, the Delta formation was buried and transformed into sandstone, which was then revealed in places when the Catskill and Appalachian Mountains were formed at a later date. This transformation and uncovering is the primary reason why the Catskill Delta is notable in the present. Western Pennsylvania's petroleum was formed as a consequence. This was the first major oil region to be developed.

The Catskill was once considered to be related to the Old Red Sandstone, but in actuality, the two are only coincidentally similar. Both formed at approximately the same time, and under similar conditions: to the north of the Acadian Mountains were the Caledonian Mountains, and a similar region of marsh and river delta formed there.

Glacial erosion

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Though both mountain ranges were formed during the Acadian orogeny, the Catskill Mountains, unlike the Appalachian Mountains underwent glacial erosion.[2] Much of what formed the Catskills as they stand today is a result of the Wisconsin glaciation which ended only about 12,000 years ago.[3]

There are many signs of the Glacial period event which carved the current day Catskill Mountains.

These markers include:

Members

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Eastern Pennsylvania

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Towamensing, Walcksville, Beaverdam Run, Long Run, Packerton, Poplar Gap, Sawmill Run, Berry Run, Clarks Ferry, and Duncannon.

Central Pennsylvania

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Irish Valley, Sherman Creek, Buddys Run, Clarks Ferry, and Duncannon.

File:Geologic cross section of Devonian strata from New York to Alabama.svg
Geologic cross section of upper to middle Devonian strata from Cherry Valley, New York, south-southwest across the Allegheny Plateau and then along the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians to Tennessee. The Catskill Formation is at the top.[4]

Paleobiota

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Color key
Taxon Reclassified taxon Taxon falsely reported as present Dubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon
Notes
Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited.

Plants

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Plantae
Name Species Locality Material Notes Images
Taeniocrada sp Catskill Formatiom, Potter County >80 Specimens
Barinophyton citrulliforme Catskill Formation, Potter County, Pennsylvania >20 specimens
cf. obscurum Catskill Formation, Potter County, Pennsylvania
ssp. Catskill Formation, Potter County, Pennsylvania >100 Specimens
Protobarinophyton P. pennsylvanicum Catskill Formation, Potter County, Pennsylvania 2 Specimens of megaspore The genus these spore are attached to belong to an early group of land plants from the Silurian.
Rhacophyton
Lycopsida Indeterminate Catskill Formation, Potter County, Pennsylvania 8 Specimens
Archaeopteris A.ssp Catskill Formation, Potter County, Pennsylvania >160 Specimens One of the earliest known large "tree" like plants to take root

Invertebrates

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Protostomes
Name Species Locality Material Notes Images
Lingula sp Catskill Formation, Potter County, Pennsylvania 1 Specimen
Gigantocharinus G.szatmaryi Red Hill Locality, Clinton County, Pennsylvainia Holotype consists of an extremely well preserved exoskeleton and a few impressions. The genus has helped begin bridging the gap between its family's missing record from the Middle Devonian to the Late Carboniferous.[5]
Orsadesmus O.rubecollus Red Hill Locality, Clinton County, Pennsylvainia Holotype is an impression of the exoskeleton The species was described alongside the Quebec genus Zanclodesmus, forming a new family within the broad flat keeled members of the order Archidesmida.[6]
Hallipterus H.excelcior Catskill Formation, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania
Adelophthalmus A.ssp Catskill Formation, Potter County, Pennsylvania 1 Specimen It was described in 2002 by W. E. Stein (2002) as an indeterminate Eurypterid, it was then redescribed as an indeterminate species of Adelophthalmus in 2022 by R. E. Plotnick (2022).[7]

Placoderms

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Placoderms of the Catskill Formation
Genus Species Presence Material Notes Images
Bothriolepis B. sp. Mansfield, Tioga County, Pennsylvania Abundant material, including mass mortality of hatchlings.[8] A bothriolepidid. Species unknown, though sometimes referred to as B. nitida.[9] File:Bothriolepis canadensis (2024).png
Groenlandaspis G. pennsylvanica[9] A groenlandaspidid. File:Groenlandaspis pennsylvanica.JPG
Phyllolepis P. rossimontina A phyllolepidid. File:Phyllolepis12DB.jpg
P. thomsoni[10] Articulated skeleton.
Turrisaspis T. elektor[9] A groenlandaspidid. File:Turrisaspis elektor.jpg

Acanthodians

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Acanthodians of the Catskill Formation
Genus Species Presence Material Notes Images
Gyracanthus G. cf. sherwoodi[9] A gyracanthid. File:Gyracanthus NT small cropped.png

Chondrichthyans

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Chondrichthyans of the Catskill Formation
Genus Species Presence Material Notes Images
Ageleodus A. pectinatus Red Hill Locality, Clinton County, Pennsylvainia Teeth A holocephalan of uncertain affinities. File:Ageleodus pectinatus.jpg
Ctenacanthus C. sp. A ctenacanthiform elasmobranch.[9] File:Ctenacanthus concinnus.png

Actinopterygians

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Actinopterygians of the Catskill Formation
Genus Species Presence Material Notes Images
Limnomis L. delaneyi Red Hill, Clinton County, Pennsylvania Holotype is a compressed skull. An early ray-finned fish.[11]

Sarcopterygians

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Sarcopterygians of the Catskill Formation
Genus Species Presence Material Notes Images
Apatorhynchus A. opistheretmus Apatorhynchus-type locality, Tioga County, Pennsylvania Holotype is a partial skull, 1 specimen. A lungfish of uncertain affinities.[12]
Densignathus D. rowei A stegocephalian tetrapodomorph.[13]
Eusthenodon E. bourdoni[14] A tristichopterid tetrapodomorph. File:Eusthenodon DB15 flipped.jpg
E. leganihanne[15]
Hyneria H. lindae Red Hill Site, Clinton County, Pennsylvainia Holotype is a disarticulated skull and 3D body fossil. A tristichopterid tetrapodomorph. File:Hyneria (cropped) 2.jpg
Hynerpeton H. bassetti A stegocephalian tetrapodomorph.[16] File:Hynerpeton BW.jpg
Langlieria L. radiata A tristichopterid tetrapodomorph. Originally identified as Holoptychius.[17] File:Langleria.jpg
L. smalingi[18] Irish Valley Member
Megalichthys M. mullisoni A megalichthyid tetrapodomorph.[19] File:Megalichthys hibberti (cropped).jpg
Sauripterus S. taylori Sherman Creek Locality, Lycoming County, Pennsylvainia The Holotype is an articulated limb and 3 scales, there are 3 individuals. A rhizodontid tetrapodomorph.[20] File:Sauripterus22DB.jpg
Soederberghia S. groenlandica Catskill Formation, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania A rhynchodipterid lungfish.[12]
Sterropterygion S. brandei An indeterminate osteolepiform tetrapodomorph.[19]

References

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  7. ^ https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/8D4FFD7640A6FD82C65E1D4DD896855D/S0022336022000841a.pdf/eurypterids_from_the_price_formation_of_virginia_first_eurypterids_from_the_mississippian_of_north_america.pdf [bare URL PDF]
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  20. ^ T.A. Stewart,J.B. Lemberg,N.K. Taft,I. Yoo,E.B. Daeschler,& N.H. Shubin, Fin ray patterns at the fin-to-limb transition, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 117 (3) 1612-1620,(2020). Marcus C. Davis, Shubin, N., & Daeschler, E. B. (2004). A New Specimen of Sauripterus taylori (Sarcopterygii, Osteichthyes) from the Famennian Catskill Formation of North America. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 24(1), 26–40.
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