Punchbowl Formation
| Punchbowl Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Mid-Late Miocene (Clarendonian-Hemphillian) ~ | |
 Outcrop of the tilted formation at the eponymous Devil's Punchbowl | |
| Type | Formation |
| Underlies | Crowder Formation[1] |
| Overlies | Paradise Springs Formation |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Conglomerate, sandstone |
| Other | Mudstone |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 34°00′N 118°12′W / 34.0°N 118.2°W |
| Approximate paleocoordinates | 33°24′N 114°24′W / 33.4°N 114.4°W |
| Region | Los Angeles County, California |
| Country |  United States |
| Extent | San Gabriel Mountains |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Devil's Punchbowl |
| Named by | Noble |
| Year defined | 1953 |
  Punchbowl Formation (the United States)  Punchbowl Formation (California) | |
The Punchbowl Formation is a sedimentary sandstone geologic formation in the northern San Gabriel Mountains, above the Antelope Valley in Los Angeles County, southern California.[2][3]
Geology
The sandstone beds of the formation are exposed in the walls of the Devil's Punchbowl, a scenic gorge within the Devil's Punchbowl Natural Area, an L.A. County park within the Angeles National Forest. Three separate faults have folded and uplifted the formation in view.[2] The Devil's Punchbowl is a large plunging sandstone syncline, where the edges of the formation have been folded upward, and the center has dipped. It was formed by the Punchbowl Fault, which is near the San Andreas Fault to the north.
The Punchbowl Formation crops out in the Punchbowl Block and comprises approximately 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) of fluvial and alluvial conglomerates, sandstones, and minor mudstones, which accumulated during the middle-late Miocene. A distinct basal member is middle Miocene in age. The underlying Paradise Springs and Vasquez Formations were formerly interpreted as either part of the basal Punchbowl Formation, or deposits in a fault-bounded sliver along the Punchbowl Fault that originated in a separate basin.[4]
The Devil's Punchbowl drainage flows into Sandrock Creek, a tributary of Big Rock Creek, which disappears into the Mojave Desert.[2]
Fossil content
The uplifted formation preserves fossils dating back to the Neogene period of the Cenozoic geologic era,[3] formed during the lower Pliocene to upper Miocene Ages (~5-10 million years ago).[2][5]
Mammals
Artiodactyls
Perissodactyls
Carnivora
Rodents
Reptiles
Turtles
Gallery
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Formation at Devil's Punchbowl
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Formation in the Angeles National Forest
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Formation at Sturtevant Falls
See also
References
- ^ Thomas W. Dibblee (1967). "Areal geology of the western Mojave Desert, California" (PDF). Geological Survey Professional Paper. 522: 49. doi:10.3133/PP522. ISSN 0096-0446. Wikidata Q57842316.
- ^ a b c d UCB−Seismo.berkeley.edu: Field Guide to the Punchbowl Fault Zone at the Devil's Punchbowl Natural Area . accessed 7.7.2015
- ^ a b Punchbowl Formation at Fossilworks.org
- ^ Coffey et al., 2019, p.480
- ^ L.A. County: "Geological History", with images
- ^ a b c d Pagnac, 2006
- ^ Liter & Prothero, 2003
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Woodburne & Golz, 1972
- ^ a b c Wagner & Reynolds, 1983
- ^ Woodburne, 2005
Bibliography
- Template:Cite LSA
- Template:Cite LSA
- Template:Cite LSA
- Template:Cite LSA
- Template:Cite LSA
- Template:Cite LSA
External links
- Geologic formations of California
- Miocene Series of North America
- Miocene California
- Langhian
- Serravallian
- Tortonian
- Clarendonian
- Hemphillian
- Conglomerate formations
- Sandstone formations of the United States
- Alluvial deposits
- Fluvial deposits
- Paleontology in California
- Geology of Los Angeles County, California
- San Gabriel Mountains
- Angeles National Forest