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Wind River Formation

{{Short description|Geologic formation in Wyoming, United States}}

{{Infobox rockunit

| name = Wind River Formation

| image =

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| type = Geological formation

| age = Paleogene

| period = Paleogene

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| region = Wyoming

| country = United States

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File:Hell's Half Acre WY.jpg

The Wind River Formation is a geologic formation in Wyoming in the Wind River Basin. It preserves fossils dating back to the Paleogene period. A recent study by Stanford suggests that fracking has contaminated the entire ground water resource in the basin.{{Cite web|url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fracking-can-contaminate-drinking-water/|title = Fracking Can Contaminate Drinking Water|website = Scientific American}}

Fossil content

=Mammals=

==Apatotheres==

class="wikitable" align="center"
colspan="6" align="center" | Apatotheres reported from the Wind River Formation
GenusSpeciesPresence

!Material

NotesImages
Apatemys

|A. bellulus

| Lost Cabin Member.{{Cite journal |last1=Bown |first1=T. |last2=Schankler |first2=David M. |date=1982 |title=A review of the Proteutheria and Insectivora of the Willwood Formation (Lower Eocene), Bighorn Basin, Wyoming |doi=10.3133/B1523|s2cid=127861247 |doi-access=free }}

|

| Also found in the Willwood Formation.

|

==Cimolestans==

class="wikitable" align="center"
colspan="6" align="center" | Cimolestans reported from the Wind River Formation
GenusSpeciesPresence

!Material

NotesImages
rowspan=2| Palaeosinopa

|P. incerta

|Lost Cabin Member.

|

|A pantolestid also known from the Willwood and San Jose formations .

|

P. sp.

| Lost Cabin Member.

|

|A pantolestid.

|

==Leptictids==

class="wikitable" align="center"
colspan="6" align="center" | Leptictids reported from the Wind River Formation
GenusSpeciesPresence

!Material

NotesImages
Palaeictops

|P. bicuspis

| Lost Cabin Member.

|

| Also known from the Willwood Formation.

|

==Primatomorphs==

class="wikitable" align="center"
colspan="6" align="center" | Primatomorphs reported from the Wind River Formation
GenusSpeciesPresence

!Material

NotesImages
Absarokius

|A. sp.

| Cottonwood Creek, Lysite Member.{{Cite journal |last=Johnson |first=Edward |date=2005-06-01 |title=A New Early Eocene Mammalian Fauna from the Great Divide Basin, Southwestern Wyoming: Vertebrate Paleontology, Paleoclimatology, and Biostratigraphy |url=https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/4413 |journal=Masters Theses}}

|

| An omomyid.

|

Arapajovius

|A. cf. gazini

|

|

|

|

Copelemur

|C. feretutus

|Lysite Member.

|"ACM 4326, an isolated right M1".

|A notharctine.

|

==Rodents==

class="wikitable" align="center"
colspan="6" align="center" | Rodents reported from the Wind River Formation
GenusSpeciesPresence

!Material

NotesImages
Paramys

|P. sp.

| Lost Cabin Member.

|"ACM 327, a right mandible with M1 through M3 and partial P4".

|

|

==Ungulates==

class="wikitable" align="center"
colspan="6" align="center" | Ungulates reported from the Wind River Formation
GenusSpeciesPresence

!Material

NotesImages
Diacodexis

|D. secans

|

|AMNH 4899 (left and right P4-M3).

| A dichobunid.

|

=Reptiles=

==Squamates==

class="wikitable" align="center"
colspan="6" align="center" | Squamates reported from the Wind River Formation
GenusSpeciesPresence

!Material

NotesImages
Ototriton

|O. solidus

|Lysite Member.{{Cite journal |last=Hembree |first=Daniel I. |date=April 30, 2007 |title=Phylogenetic revision of Rhineuridae (Reptilia: Squamata: Amphisbaenia) from the Eocene to Miocene of North America |journal=The University of Kansas Paleontological Contributions |language=en |issue=15 |pages=1–20|doi=10.17161/PCNS.1808.3763 |s2cid=59354440 |doi-access=free |hdl=1808/3763 |hdl-access=free }}

|ACM 3539.

|A worm lizard.

|

Protorhineura

|P. hatcherii

|

|

|A worm lizard also known from the Brule & White River formations.

|

Spathorhynchus

|S. fossorium

|

|

|A worm lizard also known from the Bridger Formation.

|

=Invertebrates=

==Insects==

class="wikitable" align="center"
colspan="6" align="center" | Insects reported from the Wind River Formation
GenusSpeciesPresence

!Material

NotesImages
Phyllocnistis

|

| Near Dubois, Wyoming.

|Mine on a leaflet impression of Cedrela.{{Cite journal |last1=Hickey |first1=Leo J. |last2=Hodges |first2=Ronald W. |date=1975-08-29 |title=Lepidopteran Leaf Mine from the Early Eocene Wind River Formation of Northwestern Wyoming |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.189.4204.718 |journal=Science |volume=189 |issue=4204 |pages=718–720 |doi=10.1126/science.189.4204.718 |bibcode=1975Sci...189..718H |issn=0036-8075|url-access=subscription }}

|

|

=Plants=

class="wikitable" align="center"
colspan="6" align="center" | Plants reported from the Wind River Formation
GenusSpeciesPresence

!Material

NotesImages
Cedrela

|

| Near Dubois, Wyoming.

|Leaflet impression.

|

|

See also

{{Portal|Earth sciences|Paleontology}}

References

{{Reflist}}

  • {{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}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Paleogene geology of Wyoming

Category:Geologic formations of Wyoming

{{Wyoming-geologic-formation-stub}}

{{Paleogene-stub}}