Big Multi Quarry
Basic information
Sample name: Big Multi Quarry
Sample aka: UCMP loc. V76134; CM loc. 2433
Reference: P. Wilf, K. C. Beard, K. Sian Davies-Vollum, and J. W. Norejko. 1998. Portrait of a late Paleocene (early Clarkforkian) terrestrial ecosystem: Big Multi Quarry and associated strata, Washakie Basin, southwestern Wyoming. Palaios 13(6):514-532 [ER 4110]
Geography
Country: United States
State: Wyoming
County: Sweetwater
Coordinate: 41.55° N, -108.56° W
Latlng basis: based on nearby landmark
Scale: quarry
Formation: Fort Union
Time interval: Late Palaeocene
Zone: Clarkforkian
Ma: 56.8
Age basis: AEO
Geography comments: "near the settlement of Bitter Creek... in the northwestern Washakie Basin" (no further details are given: coordinate is based on Bitter Creek)
"in the uppermost part of of the Fort Union Formation", with the Wasatch contact being "approximately 80 m above... The vertebrate-bearing horizon is laterally continuous and traceable for at least 100 m"
"in the uppermost part of of the Fort Union Formation", with the Wasatch contact being "approximately 80 m above... The vertebrate-bearing horizon is laterally continuous and traceable for at least 100 m"
Environment
Lithology: mudstone
Taphonomic context: overbank deposit, paleosol
Habitat comments: "in a 0.5-m-thick, purple-gray, blocky mudstone": the lithology implies "a low-energy depositional environment" that is within a floodplain, and the colour implies "wet, oxygenated paleosols"
Methods
Life forms: carnivores, primates, rodents, ungulates, other large mammals, other small mammals
Sampling methods: quarry, screenwash
Sample size: 1672 specimens
Years: 1976, 1992 - 1997
Museum: UCMP, Carnegie Museum
Net or trap nights: 0
Basal area status: not applicable
Sampling comments: "discovered in 1976 by a field party from the University of California Museum of Paleontology... under the direction of Dr. Donald E. Savage... In 1992, field parties from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CM) resumed work at Big Multi Quarry, which has now been excavated intensively for six consecutive field seasons"
"The most complete specimens were invariably collected by small-scale quarrying" but "virtually all fossiliferous rock was screen-washed subsequent to initial quarrying. Some specimens were also obtained by surface-prospecting"
an earlier and much less complete faunal list was published by Rose (1981)
"The most complete specimens were invariably collected by small-scale quarrying" but "virtually all fossiliferous rock was screen-washed subsequent to initial quarrying. Some specimens were also obtained by surface-prospecting"
an earlier and much less complete faunal list was published by Rose (1981)
Metadata
Sample no: 4538
Contributor no: John Alroy
Enterer: John Alroy
Modifier no: John Alroy
Created: 2024-12-02 10:08:54
Modified: 2024-12-03 08:31:23
Abundance distribution
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts. Values are logged.
Statistics
41 species
2 singletons
total count 1672
geometric series index: 49.5
Fisher's α: 7.594
geometric series k: 0.8644
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.9183
Shannon's H: 2.9283
Good's u: 0.9988
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