Wood Canyon Formation

The Wood Canyon Formation is a geologic formation in the northern Mojave Desert of Inyo County, California and Nye County and Clark County, Nevada. Digital-desert.com: "Death Valley Geology - Wood Canyon Formation"

It can be seen in the Panamint Range and Funeral Mountains adjoining Death Valley, within Death Valley National Park; and in the Spring Mountains in Clark County.

Geology The 570+ million years old formation underlies the Zabriskie Quartzite Formation, and overlies the Stirling Quartzite. Springer.com: "Tidal Deposits in the Zabriskie Quartzite (Cambrian), Eastern California and Western Nevada"; John J. Barnes, George deVries Klein.

It has three unnamed members, simply known as 'Upper', 'Middle', and 'Lower', that mainly consist of limestone, conglomerate rocks and dolostone respectively, with sandstone and siltstones found within the 'Upper' and 'Lower' members, with the latter itself further containing quartzite and shales. The 'Upper' and 'Middle' members are Cambrian in age, including the upper rocks of the 'Lower' member, whilst the rest of the 'Lower' member is Ediacaran in age.

Paleobiota The Wood Canyon Formation spans from the late Ediacaran period of the Neoproterozoic Era into the Lower Cambrian Period of the Paleozoic Era. As for the fossils and biota found within the formation, the Cambrian strata is home to olenellid trilobites and archaeocyathid sponges, whilst the Ediacaran strata contains petalonamid forms like Pteridinium and ichnotaxon traces like Helminthoidichnites.

Cambrian All the organisms and trace fossils from the Cambrian sections of the formation.

Arthropoda

GenusSpeciesNotesImagesOlenellidae indet. UnapplicableRedlichiid trilobite arthropods.Nevadia (?)N. gracile (?)Redlichiid trilobite arthropods, from the family Nevadiidae. Misslabelled as Nevadella gracile, tentative assignment. Some studies also note this to possibly be Judomia.

Lophotrochozoa

GenusSpeciesNotesImagesKutorgina (?)Kutorgina sp. (?)Rhynchonelliform brachiopods, tentative assignment.Hyolithes (?)Hyolithes sp. (?)Lophotrochozoan Hyolith, tentative assignment.

Porifera (Sponges)

GenusSpeciesNotesImagesCordilleracyathus (?) Cordilleracyathus (?)sp.Archeocyathid sponge.Archaeocyathus (?) Archaeocyathus (?)sp.Archeocyathid sponge.

Echinodermata

GenusSpeciesNotesImagesHelicoplacusH. gilbertiOblong echinoderm.

Petalonamae

GenusSpeciesNotesImagesSwartpuntiaS. germsiSessile frondose organism, although assignment has been questioned based on the possibility that known specimens could be referred to other known Cambrian frondose organisms.

incertae sedis

GenusSpeciesNotesImagesHarlaniellaH. confusaRibbon-like organism.Tirasiana (?)T. disciformis (?)Discoidal organism, tentative assignment. Possibly junior synonym of Aspidella.

Ichnogenera

GenusSpeciesNotesImagesBergaueriaBergaueria isp.Resting place of Cnidarians.ConichnusConichnus isp.Burrows.CruzianaC. pectinata C. tenellaBurrows.DolopichnusDolopichnus isp.Burrows.DidymaulichnusD. miettensisBurrows.PsammichnitesP. gigasBurrows.RusophycusRusophycus isp.Burrows.SkolithosS. linearisBurrows.TreptichnusT. pedumBurrows.ZoophycosZoophycos isp.Feeding trace of polychaete worms.

Ediacaran All the organisms and trace fossils from the Ediacaran sections of the formation.

Petalonamae

GenusSpeciesNotesImagesCharnia (?)Charnia sp. (?)Sessile frondose organism, tentative assignment.ErniettaE. plateauensisSessile bag-like frondose organism. Reclassified as Tulaneia.PteridiniumPteridinium sp.Frondose organism.SwartpuntiaS. germsiSessile frondose organism, assignment has been questioned due to poor preservation.TulaneiaT. amabiliaSessile bag-like frondose organism.

incertae sedis

GenusSpeciesNotesImagesArchaeichniumA. haughtoniTubular organism. A recent 2017 suggests reported specimens may instead be poorly preserved Gaojiashania specimens, although future studies do not note this. CostatubusC. bibendiTubular fossil, first occurrence in this formation and new species. A study done in the same year discovered some of the first remains of cloudinomorph soft-tissue material within the tubes, resembling bilaterian-like through-guts, which would also make them the oldest known guts in the fossil record.CloundinaCloundina sp.Tubular organism. A recent 2017 suggests reported specimens may instead be poorly preserved Gaojiashania specimens, although future studies do not note this.ConotubusConotubus sp.Tubular organism.CorumbellaCorumbella sp.Tubular organism.GaojiashaniaGaojiashania sp.Tubular organism.SaarinaS. hagadorniTubular fossil, first occurrence in this formation and new species. A study done in the same year discovered some of the first remains of cloudinomorph soft-tissue material within the tubes, resembling bilaterian-like through-guts, which would also make them the oldest known guts in the fossil record.Nimbia (?)N. occlusa (?)Discoid organism, tentative assignment.OnuphionellaOnuphionella sp.Tubular organism, first known occurrence in Ediacaran aged rock. A recent 2017 suggests reported specimens may instead be poorly preserved Gaojiashania specimens, although future studies do not note this.

Ichnogenera

GenusSpeciesNotesImagesHelminthoidichnitesHelminthoidichnites isp.Burrows.PalaeophycusPalaeophycus isp.Burrows.PlanolitesPlanolites isp.Burrows.Bilobate trails???Trails, bears similarities with the ichnogenus Scolicia.

Undescribed

GenusSpeciesNotesImagesConical calcareous fossils UnapplicableCalcareous fossils that are conical in shape, although their poor preservation hinders any proper assignments. They have been suggested to represent the well-known and common organism Cloudina, the small shelly fossil Wyattia, or even a new genus.Enigmatic tubular fossils UnapplicableVarious pyritized tubular forms ranging from 0.3 to 7 cm in length and 1 to 5 mm in diameter.

Wood Canyon Formation

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