Mohawk Valley Fossils

Key to symbols

The figures are chronostratigraphic cross sections of the valley, with the northwest on the left, and the southeast on the right. Superimposed on the cross section are the lithologic formations.

The solid black squares represent the sample location in the Standardized Stratigraphic cross section. The larger the square, the more individuals of the taxon were found at that location. The vertical position indicates the height in the outcrop, adjusted for the differences in sediment accumulation between the sections. All sections have been normalized to Section 1. The horizontal position indicates the distance from the Northwest corner of the Study Area.

The heavy vertical lines indicate the stratigraphic sections. At the top of each line, you will see the a number corresponding the numbers on the map. You will find that some samples do not lie on the vertical lines. The lines are plotted at the average distance down the valley of the section. The position of the samples is plotted in the same way, but with the sample location's distance, not the average of the stratigraphic section.

The red, horizontal lines indicate the position of bentonite beds. We treat these as isochronous surfaces; therefore, they plot as horizontal lines. As mentioned in the introduction, these beds have been geochemically fingerprinted and correlated by Delano at SUNY Albany. We have not corrected the correlations presented here on the basis of their work, as we are told that the correlations changed very little.

Thin lines separating areas of different colors are approximate lithologic boundaries, separating the formations.

In the lower right of each taxon's distribution-plot is a vertical and horizontal scale. Note that the horizontal scale is about 1,000 times more compressed than the vertical.