Bermont Formation

{{short description|Fossiliferous geologic formation in South Florida}}

{{Infobox rockunit

| name = Bermont Formation

| image = Bermont tulip.jpg

| caption = A fossil Banded Tulip (Cinctura lilium) from the Bermont Formation

| type = Formation

| age = Middle Pleistocene

| prilithology = limestone, sand

| otherlithology = phosphate

| namedfor =

| namedby =

| region = Florida

| country = United States

| coordinates =

| unitof =

| subunits = Belle Glade, Okeelanta, and Holey Land

| underlies = Fort Thompson Formation

| overlies = Caloosahatchee Formation

| thickness = 0.6 - 9.0 meters

| extent =

| area =

| map =

| map_caption =

}}

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.

File:UV tulip.jpg ) under a UV flashlight]]

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.

References

{{cite web|title= Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database|author= ((Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database))|url= https://www.fossilworks.org|access-date= 17 December 2021}}
{{cite web|title= Florida Fossil Invertebrates Database|author= ROGER W. PORTELL and B. ALEX KITTLE Database|url= http://floridapaleosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/FFI-13.pdf|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170322015404/http://floridapaleosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/FFI-13.pdf|url-status= live|archive-date= 2017-03-22}}
{{cite web|title= OVERVIEW OF THE GEOLOGY AND VERTEBRATE BIOCHRONOLOGY OF THE LEISEY SHELL PIT LOCAL FAUNA, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FLORIDA Database|url= https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/60814733/Morgan_and_Hulbert_1995_Leisey_Shell_Pit_fauna_and_review_of_Florida_Pleistocene_biochronology.pdf?1570381466=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DOverview_of_the_geology_and_vertebrate_b.pdf&Expires=1614483244&Signature=Qz2S-939FMiKTl4WjzBn4JF9eSN~tODXSKQChqAfhne0pEqueOjkaZ09yi5jE-qizV4w7Kcvs6grvYduePhnac6kPZ9M70fTOv43dw2RIo6lJaOxXS~TTP~S4neFB6Ibl8MbHwbvD4R6gZgg0ik6nquQ~Tndct24rTK9NSOs8n70bg8MhrC4E3ymKrnM3nV~mShI3qXI6mFXUf6rsvhRgA~-Ir4TPSV9DYgwuMCHsWWCmBpRtgg-70sB7vg4-UlpP98cqFtVInPUVfwNK7ngPZoEnithSbounJhO3x~vwfV9EQgkZGqx-BAY3J3~ugcR07KfgBO9REHwWjVbUNg8Jw__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA}}{{dead link|date=May 2021}}{{cbignore}}
{{cite journal|title=Glowing Seashells: Diversity of Fossilized Coloration Patterns on Coral Reef-Associated Cone Snail (Gastropoda: Conidae) Shells from the Neogene of the Dominican Republic Database|year = 2015|doi = 10.1371/journal.pone.0120924|pmid = 25830769|last1 = Hendricks|first1 = J. R.|journal = PLOS ONE|volume = 10|issue = 4|pages = e0120924|pmc = 4382297|doi-access = free}}

Category:Geologic formations of Florida

Bermont Formation

Environment of Deposition

Index Taxa

See also

References