Allenby Formation

The Allenby formation is a sedimentary rock formation deposited during the early to early Middle Eocene.[2] It consists of conglomerates, sandstones with interbedded with shales and coal. The coal seams contain an abundance of insect, fish and plant fossils, known from the shales since 1877[3][4][5] but best known from the Princeton Chert.[1]

Allenby Formation Stratigraphic range: Ypresian 52.5–48 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Princeton Group
Sub-units	Princeton Chert, Vermillion Bluffs Shale
Area	300 km^2 (120 sq mi)[1]
Thickness	1,860–2,100 m (6,100–6,890 ft)[1]
Lithology
Primary	Shale, sandstone
Other	Coal–breccia, coal–chert
Location
Coordinates	49°22.6′N 120°32.8′W
Approximate paleocoordinates	53.1°N 107.5°W
Region	British Columbia
Country	Canada
Extent	Princeton Basin
Type section
Named for	Allenby, British Columbia
Named by	Shaw
Year defined	1952
Allenby Formation (Canada) Allenby Formation (British Columbia)

Fossil content

The following fossil genera and species have been described from the Allenby Formation:

Conifers, ferns, and ginkgos

Name	Authority	Year	Family	Notes	Images
Abies milleri[4]	Shorn & Wehr, 1986	2013	Pinaceae	Oldest true fir described
Azolla primaeva[6]	Arnold, 1955	1955	Salviniaceae	A mosquito fern
Ginkgo biloba[7][4]	Linnaeus	2002	Ginkgoaceae	A ginkgo
Ginkgo dissecta[7][4]	Mustoe, 2002	2002	Ginkgoaceae	A ginkgo
Metasequoia occidentalis[8][4]	(Newberry) Chaney	1951	Cupressaceae	A dawn redwood

Flowering plants

Name	Authority	Year	Family	Notes	Images
Acer rousei[9]	Wolfe & Tanai	1987	Sapindaceae	A maple
Acer stewarti[9]	Wolfe & Tanai	1987	Sapindaceae	A maple
Acer stonebergae[9]	Wolfe & Tanai	1987	Sapindaceae	A maple
Acer toradense[9]	Wolfe & Tanai	1987	Sapindaceae	A maple
Alnus parvifolia[4]	(Berry) Wolfe & Wehr	2013	Betulaceae	An Alder
Betula leopoldae[10][4]	Wolfe & Wehr	1987	Betulaceae	A birch
Fagopsis undulata[10]	(Knowlton) Wolfe & Wehr	2013	Fagaceae	A beech
Fothergilla dunthornei[11]	Radtke, Pigg, & Wehr	2005	Hamamelidaceae	A witch alder
Neviusia dunthornei[12]	DeVore, Moore, Pigg, & Wehr	2004	Rosaceae	A snow wreath
Orontium wolfei[13]	Bogner, Johnson, Kvaček & Upchurch	2007	Araceae	A golden-club
Palaeocarpinus stonebergae[14]	Pigg, Manchester, & Wehr	2003	Betulaceae	A betulaceous genus
Sassafras hesperia[4]	Berry	2013	Lauraceae	A laural genus
Stonebergia[15]	Wolfe & Wehr	1988	Rosaceae	A Sorbarieae genus
Tetracentron hopkinsii[16]	Pigg et al	2007	Trochodendraceae	A Tetracentron relative
Tsukada davidiifolia[4]	Wolfe & Wehr	2013	Nyssaceae	A dove-tree relative
Ulmus okanaganensis[17]	Denk & Dillhoff	2007	Ulmus	An elm

Animals

Name	Authority	Year	Family	Notes	Images
Aphrophora sp.	Scudder, 1895[18]	1895	Aphrophoridae	A spittlebug
Bracon sp.	Scudder, 1879[19]	1879	Braconidae	A braconid wasp
Cercopis grandescens	Scudder, 1895[18]	1895	Cercopidae	A froghopper
Cercopites torpescens	Scudder, 1895[18]	1895	Cercopidae	A froghopper
Coelidia columbiana	Scudder, 1879[19]	1879	Cicadellidae	A leafhopper
Cryptocephalites punctatus	Scudder, 1895[18]	1895	Chrysomelidae	A leaf beetle
Dawsonites veter	Scudder, 1895[18]	1895	Cercopidae	A froghopper
Dinokanaga wilsoni[20]	Archibald, 2005	2005	Dinopanorpidae	A scorpion fly
Elaterites sp.	Scudder, 1895[18]	1895	Elateridae	A click beetle
Enchophora sp.	Scudder, 1895[18]	1895	Fulgoridae	A fulgorid plant hopper
Eomerope simpkinsae[21]	Archibald & Rasnitsyn, 2018	2018	Eomeropidae	A scorpionfly
Eriocampa tulameenensis[22]	Rice, 1968	1968	Tenthredinidae	A sawfly
Libotonius blakeburnensis[23]	Wilson, 1977	1977	Libotoniidae	A percopsiform fish
Limonius impunctus	Scudder, 1895[18]	1895	Elateridae	a click beetle
Palaeoptysma venosa	Scudder, 1895[18]	1895	Aphrophoridae	A spittlebug
Palaphrodes sp.	Scudder, 1895[18]	1895	Aphrophoridae	A spittlebug
Palecphora sp.	Scudder, 1895[18]	1895	Cercopidae	A froghopper
Planophlebia gigantea	Scudder, 1879[19]	1879	Gerridae	A water strider
Plecia canadensis	Rice, 1959[24]	1959	Bibionidae	A marchfly
Plecia pictipennis	Rice, 1959[24]	1959	Bibionidae	A marchfly
Plecia pulchra	Rice, 1959[24]	1959	Bibionidae	A marchfly
Plecia reducta	Rice, 1959[24]	1959	Bibionidae	A marchfly
Plecia transitoria	Rice, 1959[24]	1959	Bibionidae	A marchfly
Plecia similkameena	Scudder, 1879[19]	1879	Bibionidae	A marchfly
Pseudosiobla campbelli[22]	Rice, 1968	1968	Tenthredinidae	A sawfly
Ptysmaphora fletcheri	Scudder, 1895[18]	1895	Aphrophoridae
Ricaniella antiquata	Scudder, 1895[18]	1895	Polystoechotidae
Stenecphora punctulata	Scudder, 1895[18]	1895	Cercopidae
Stenolocris venosa	Scudder, 1895[18]	1895	Cercopidae
Trogosus latidens[25][26]	Eberle, 2017	1935	Esthonychidae	A tillodontia species

References

1. Mustoe, G.E. (1 January 2011). "Cyclic sedimentation in the Eocene Allenby Formation of south-central British Columbia and the origin of the Princeton Chert fossil beds". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 48 (1): 25–43. doi:10.1139/E10-085.
2. Allenby Formation at Fossilworks.org
3. Penhallow, D.P. 1908. A report on Tertiary plants of British Columbia, collected by Lawrence M. Lambe in 1906 together with a discussion of previously recorded Tertiary floras. Canada Department of Mines, Geological Survey Branch, No. 1013. pp. 1–167.
4. Dillhoff, R.M.; Dillhoff, T.A.; Greenwood, D.R.; DeVore, M.L.; Pigg, K.B. (2013). "The Eocene Thomas Ranch flora, Allenby Formation, Princeton, British Columbia, Canada". Botany. 91 (8): 514–529. doi:10.1139/cjb-2012-0313.
5. Greenwood, D.R.; Pigg, K.B.; Basinger, J.F.; DeVore, M.L. (2016). "A review of paleobotanical studies of the Early Eocene Okanagan (Okanogan) Highlands floras of British Columbia, Canada, and Washington, U.S.A." Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 53 (6): 548–564. doi:10.1139/cjes-2015-0177.
6. Arnold, C. A. (1955). "A Tertiary Azolla from British Columbia" (PDF). Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan. 12 (4): 37–45.
7. Mustoe, G.E. (2002). "Eocene Ginkgo leaf fossils from the Pacific Northwest". Canadian Journal of Botany. 80 (10): 1078–1087. doi:10.1139/b02-097.
8. Chaney, R.W. (1951). "A revision of fossil Sequoia and Taxodium in western North America based on the recent discovery of Metasequoia". Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. 40 (3): 231.
9. Wolfe, J.A.; Tanai, T. (1987). "Systematics, Phylogeny, and Distribution of Acer (maples) in the Cenozoic of Western North America". Journal of the Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University. Series 4, Geology and Mineralogy. 22 (1): 23, 74, 75, 240, & plate 4.
10. Wolfe, J.A.; Wehr, W.C. (1987). "Middle Eocene dicotyledonous plants from Republic, northeastern Washington". United States Geological Survey Bulletin. 1597: 1–25.
11. Radtke, M.G.; Pigg, K.B.; Wehr, W.C. (2005). "Fossil Corylopsis and Fothergilla Leaves (Hamamelidaceae) from the Lower Eocene Flora of Republic, Washington, U.S.A., and Their Evolutionary and Biogeographic Significance". International Journal of Plant Sciences. 166 (2): 347–356. doi:10.1086/427483.
12. DeVore, M.L.; Moore, S.M.; Pigg, K.B.; Wehr, W.C. (2004). "Fossil Neviusia leaves (Rosaceae: Kerrieae) from the Lower Middle Eocene of Southern British Columbia". Rhodora. 12 (927): 197–209. JSTOR 23314752.
13. Bogner, J.; Johnson, K. R.; Kvacek, Z.; Upchurch, G. R. (2007). "New fossil leaves of Araceae from the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene of western North America" (PDF). Zitteliana. A (47): 133–147. ISSN 1612-412X.
14. Pigg, K.B.; Manchester S.R.; Wehr W.C. (2003). "Corylus, Carpinus, and Palaeocarpinus (Betulaceae) from the Middle Eocene Klondike Mountain and Allenby Formations of Northwestern North America". International Journal of Plant Sciences. 164 (5): 807–822. doi:10.1086/376816.
15. Wolfe, J.A.; Wehr, W.C. (1988). "Rosaceous Chamaebatiaria-like foliage from the Paleogene of western North America". Aliso. 12 (1): 177–200. doi:10.5642/aliso.19881201.14.
16. Manchester, S.; Pigg, K. B.; Kvaček, Z; DeVore, M. L.; Dillhoff, R. M. (2018). "Newly recognized diversity in Trochodendraceae from the Eocene of western North America". International Journal of Plant Sciences. 179 (8): 663–676. doi:10.1086/699282.
17. Denk, T.; Dillhoff, R.M. (2005). "Ulmus leaves and fruits from the Early-Middle Eocene of northwestern North America: systematics and implications for character evolution within Ulmaceae". Canadian Journal of Botany. 83 (12): 1663–1681. doi:10.1139/b05-122.
18. Scudder, S. H. 1895. Canadian fossil insects, myriapods and arachnids, 1. The Tertiary Hemiptera of British Columbia. Geological Survey of Canada Contributions to Canadian Palaeontology 2. 5–26.
19. Scudder, S. H. 1879. Appendix A. The fossil insects collected in 1877, by Mr. G.M. Dawson, in the interior of British Columbia. Geological Survey of Canada, Report of Progress for 1877-1878. 175–185.
20. Archibald, S.B. (2005). "New Dinopanorpidae (Insecta: Mecoptera) from the Eocene Okanagan Highlands (British Columbia, Canada and Washington State, USA)". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 42 (2): 119–136. doi:10.1139/e04-073.
21. Archibald, S. B.; Rasnitsyn, A. P. (2018). "Two new species of fossil Eomerope (Mecoptera: Eomeropidae) from the Ypresian Okanagan Highlands, far-western North America, and Eocene Holarctic dispersal of the genus". The Canadian Entomologist. 150: 393–403.
22. Rice, H.M.A. (1968). "Two Tertiary sawflies, (Hymenoptera - Tenthredinidae), from British Columbia". Geological Survey of Canada. 67 (59): 1–21.
23. Wilson, MVH (1977). "Middle Eocene freshwater fishes from British Columbia". Life Sciences Contributions, Royal Ontario Museum. 113: 1–66.
24. Rice, H. M. A. 1959. Fossil Bibionidae (Diptera) from British Columbia. Geological Survey of Canada Bulletin 55. 1–36.
25. Russell, L.S. 1935. A middle Eocene mammal from British Columbia. American Journal of Science, 29: 54–55.
26. Eberle, J.J., & Greenwood, D.R. (2017). An Eocene brontothere and tillodonts (Mammalia) from British Columbia, and their paleoenvironments. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 54(9): 981-992.

Bibliography

• Mayr, G.; S. B. Archibald; G. W. Kaiser, and R. W. Mathewes. 2019. Early Eocene (Ypresian) birds from the Okanagan Highlands, British Columbia (Canada) and Washington State (USA). Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 56. 803–813.