Earth:Bermont Formation
| Bermont Formation Stratigraphic range: Middle Pleistocene | |
|---|---|
 A fossil Banded Tulip (Cinctura lilium) from the Bermont Formation | |
| Type | Formation |
| Sub-units | Belle Glade, Okeelanta, and Holey Land |
| Underlies | Fort Thompson Formation |
| Overlies | Caloosahatchee Formation |
| Thickness | 0.6 - 9.0 meters |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | limestone, sand |
| Other | phosphate |
| Location | |
| Region | Florida |
| Country | United States |
The Bermont Formation is a geologic formation in Florida. It preserves mostly invertebrate fossils that date back to the Middle Pleistocene. Most of the fossils preserved are extant mollusk shells. It is mined commercially along with similar formations, to produce shell fill for construction.
A lot of our information on the Bermont Formation comes from commercial mining operations. Due to the nature of Florida's flat landscape, paleontologists rely on commercial interest in mining to gain access to otherwise inaccessible specimens for study. Such is the case with the Bermont Formation's bone bed in the Leisey shell pit.
As is the case with some other formations, UV can sometimes be used to bring out hidden pigmentation in some fossil shells. This is especially useful in telling the difference between some species, which would otherwise be indistinguishable.
Environment of Deposition
The original environment of the deposits has been interpreted as being that of a shallow coastal marine reef, to open brackish waters, with a maximum depth of less than 15 meters. Currently, it is estimated that 10 - 20% of its mollusk species are extinct.
Index Taxa
Index taxa in the Bermont formation currently include Strombus mayacensis, Vasum floridanum, Fusinus watermani, Fasciolaria okeechobeensis, and Miltha carmenae.
See also
- List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Florida
References
- ((Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database)). "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?action=home.
- ROGER W. PORTELL and B. ALEX KITTLE Database. "Florida Fossil Invertebrates Database". http://floridapaleosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/FFI-13.pdf.
- Hendricks, J. R. (2015). "Glowing Seashells: Diversity of Fossilized Coloration Patterns on Coral Reef-Associated Cone Snail (Gastropoda: Conidae) Shells from the Neogene of the Dominican Republic Database". PLOS ONE 10 (4): e0120924. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0120924. PMID 25830769.
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