Old Church Formation

{{Infobox rockunit

| name = Old Church Formation

| image = Old Church Tooth.jpg

| caption = Xenorophid(?) Cetacean tooth from the Old Church formation of Virginia

| type = Formation

| age = Oligocene

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| region = Virginia

| country = United States

| coordinates =

| unitof = Chesapeake Group

| subunits =

| underlies = Calvert Formation, Popes Creek Sand

| overlies = Pamunkey Group, Piney Point Formation

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The Old Church Formation is a geologic formation in Virginia and possibly Maryland. It preserves fossils dating back to the Oligocene epoch of the Paleogene period. It rarely exposes on land and is under-studied. However, deposits from this period are rare and the Old Church Formation likely contains many scientifically significant taxa.

Species

Some of the species known from the Old Church Formation are included below. Further study will likely reveal a more diverse fauna.{{Cite journal|last=Weems|first=Robert|date=2014|title=Paleogene chelonians from Maryland and Virginia|url=https://www.mdgeosociety.org/articles/Paleogene%20chelonians%20from%20Md%20and%20Va.pdf|journal=PaleoBios|volume=31|issue=1}}

=Chondrichthyans=

=Cetaceans=

Xenorophidae sp.
Micromysticetus sp.{{Cite journal |last=Weems |first=Robert E |last2=Boessnecker |first2=Robert W |last3=Sanders |first3=Albert E |date=2022 |title=Cetacean remains from the Lower Oligocene Old Church Formation of Virginia |journal=The Mosasaur |volume=12 |pages=29–44}}
cf. Ankylorhiza sp.
cf. Xenorophus sloani
aff. Coronodon sp.
aff. Cotylocara sp. and Echovenator sp.
aff. Eosqualodon sp.

=Chelonians=

=Invertebrates=

Source:{{Cite journal |last=Ward |first=Lauck W. |date=1985 |title=Stratigraphy and characteristic mollusks of the Pamunkey Group (lower Tertiary) and the Old Church Formation of the Chesapeake Group; Virginia Coastal Plain |journal=Professional Paper |doi=10.3133/pp1346 |issn=2330-7102 |doi-access=free}}

Mercenaria gardnerae
Anomia ruffini
"Pectin" seabeensis
"Pectin" sp.
Lucina sp.
Plicatula sp.
Epitonium sp.
Panopea sp.
Cyclocardia sp.
Astarte sp.
Pycnodonte sp.
Isognomon sp.
"Cardium" sp.
Bicorbula idonea
Macrocallista sp.
Diadora sp.
Ecphora sp.
Trophon sp.
Calypttaea sp.

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}}

Category:Geologic formations of Virginia