Paleontological Investigations in the Vicinity of Montgomery Landing, Red River Waterway.

• Main Authors: Schiebout,Judith A., van den Bold,Willem
• Other Authors: LOUISIANA STATE UNIV BATON ROUGE
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1982
• Subjects: Geology; Geochemistry and Mineralogy; *WATERWAYS; *PALEONTOLOGY; NATURAL RESOURCES; HISTORY; SAMPLING; LABORATORY PROCEDURES; Red River Waterway; toothed whale
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA127111; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA127111

Field work at Montgomery Landing took place between August, 1979 and August, 1980, and consisted of collecting 138 samples at 2 kg each, spaced at 30 cm intervals along ten selected section lines. In addition, several large bulk samples were taken and the anterior third part of a toothed whale was recovered. Paleontological investigation of the samples includes the study of nannofossils, foraminifera, ostracodes, corals, bryozoa, mollusks, crabs, echinoderms, otoliths and other vertebrate remains including one of the finest Eocene whale skulls known to science. Biostratigraphic study confirms assignment of these beds to the early Jacksonian (late Eocene). Biofacies studies suggest that they were deposited on a flat, shallow continental shelf during a slow transgression of the sea. Local variation and diversity of the faunas is caused mainly by changes in the influx of terrigenous and organic matter in suspension. In view of the fact that part of the locality will become inundated, and the rest of the outcrop will deteriorte soon through weathering and vegetation cover, it is recommended that research and educational use of the site be facilitated while it is accessible through dissemination of data on the site.