Woodbine Formation
| Woodbine Formation Stratigraphic range: Late Cretaceous: 95 million years | |
|---|---|
 Cross section of Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex geologic formations | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Underlies | Eagle Ford Shale |
| Overlies | Washita Group |
| Area | Texas to Mississippi Embayment |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone |
| Other | Siltstone, mudstone, clay |
| Location | |
| Region | North America |
| Country | United States of America |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Woodbine, Texas[1] |
| Named by | R. T. Hill[1] |
 Geologic map of Dallas, with Woodbine at left. | |
The Woodbine Formation is a geological formation in east Texas whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous in the Upper Cenomanian stage. It is the producing formation of the giant East Texas Oil Field (also known as the "Black Giant") from which over 5.42 billion barrels of oil have been produced.[2] The Woodbine overlies the Buda Limestone and underlies the Eagle Ford Formation and Austin Chalk. In some areas, the Woodbine is differentiated into the Lewisville Sandstone, Dexter Sandstone, Maness Shale, and/or Pepper Shale sub-units.[3] The Woodbine and Eagle Ford sand units are collectively referred to as the "Eaglebine" oil and gas play in parts of East Texas.
Dinosaur and crocodilian remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.[4]
The Woodbine Formation was first mapped and named by Robert T. Hill, known as the "Father of Texas Geology", for the small town of Woodbine, Texas in 1905.[1] The stratigraphic units represent an ancient river system that sprawled across what is the present-day Texas Coastal Plain and into the Western Interior Seaway.[1]
The Arlington Archosaur Site is a location in Arlington, Texas that currently excavates fossils from the Woodbine Formation. It became available to access by the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) in spring of 2008. UTA and the Dallas Paleontological Society have excavated at the site up to present day, where work continues.[5]
Vertebrate paleofauna
- Protohadros byrdi: "Partial skull, teeth, partial postcranium."[6] Found in Flower Mound, Texas in the early 1990s.
- Dallasaurus turneri: Full skeleton
- Woodbinesuchus byersmauricei: Lower jaw and a variety of postcranial elements, such as vertebrae, limb bones, shoulder and hip bones, and bony armor.[7]
- Unnamed theropod[8]
Other fossils
Also identified in the formation have been ancient lungfish, fish, turtles, and sharks, as well as coprolites containing bones.[8]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 Arlington Archosaur Site Geological History
- ↑ Dokur, M., and Hentz, T.F., (2012). Reservoir Characterization of the Upper Cretaceous Woodbine Group in Northeast Texas Field, Texas. AAPG Search and Discovery Article #20152.
- ↑ Ambrose, W.A., Hentz, T.F., Bonnaffe, F, Loucks, R.G., Brown, L.F. Jr., Wang, F.P., and Potter, E.C., (2009). Sequence-stratigraphic controls on complex reservoir architecture of highstand fluvial-dominated deltatic and lowstand valley-fill deposits in the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Woodbine Group, East Texas field: Regional and local perspectives. AAPG Bulletin, v. 93, no. 2, pp. 231-269.
- ↑ Weishampel, David B; et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution (Late Cretaceous, North America)." In: Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 574-588. ISBN 0-520-24209-2.
- ↑ About Arlington Archosaur Site
- ↑ "Table 19.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 417.
- ↑ Lee, Yuong–Nam (1997). "The Archosauria from the Woodbine Formation (Cenomanian) in Texas". Journal of Paleontology 71 (6): 1147–1156
- 1 2 Fossils at AAS