Late Devonian paleontology and paleoenvironments at Red Hill and other fossil sites in the Catskill Formation of north-central Pennsylvania

Abstract

The stratifi ed red beds of the Catskill Formation are conspicuous in road cut exposures on the Allegheny Plateau of north-central Pennsylvania. During this fi eld trip we will visit and explore several fossil localities within the Catskill Formation. These sites have been central to recent investigations into the nature of Late Devonian continental ecosystems. By the Late Devonian, forests were widespread within seasonally wellwatered depositional basins and the spread of plants on land from the late Silurian through the Devonian set the stage for the radiation of animals in both freshwater and terrestrial settings. A diverse assemblage of fl ora and fauna has been recovered from the Catskill Formation including progymnosperms, lycopsids, spermatophytes, zygopterid and stauripterid ferns, barinophytes, invertebrates and invertebrate traces, and vertebrates such as placoderms, acanthodians, chondrichthyans, actinopterygians, and a variety of sarcopterygians including early tetrapods. Since the early 1990s, highway construction projects along the Route 15 (Interstate 99) have provided a new opportunity for exploration of the Catskill Formation in Lycoming and Tioga counties. The faunas along Route 15 are dominated by Bothriolepis sp. and Holoptychius sp. and also include Sauripterus taylori and an assortment of other interesting records. The most productive Catskill site, and the source of early tetrapod remains, is Red Hill in Clinton County. Red Hill presents a diverse and unique fl ora and fauna that is distinct from Route 15 sites, and also provides a spectacular section of the alluvial plain deposits of the Duncannon Member of the Catskill Formation. *daeschler@ansp.org; wcressler@wcupa.edu Daeschler, E.B., and Cressler, W.L., III, 2011, Late Devonian paleontology and paleoenvironments at Red Hill and other fossil sites in the Catskill Formation of north-central Pennsylvania, in Ruffolo, R.M., and Ciampaglio, C.N., eds., [[volume title]]: Geological Society of America Field Guide 20, p. 1–16, doi: 10.1130/2011.0020(01). For permission to copy, contact editing@geosociety.org. ©2011 The Geological Society of America. All rights reserved. 2 Daeschler and Cressler FLD020-01 1st pgs page 2