Paleontology

Study of life in past geologic time based on fossil plants and animals.
This category is also used for paleozoology, phylogeny, and taphonomy.

21 results listed alphabetically [list by similarity]
2008-2017 Globigerinoides ruber Sediment Trap Data Collected from the Gulf of Mexico

This data release includes results of a high-resolution (1–2 weeks) and long-term sediment trap time series collected from the northern Gulf of Mexico. This dataset allows for a detailed assessment of the seasonal distribution, size, morphological variability and geochemistry of co-occurring pink and white chromotypes of the shallow-water foraminifera, Globigerinoides ruber. The flux of both chromotypes is highly correlated, and both represent mean annual conditions in the marine surface mixed layer. ...

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Benthic foraminiferal data from sedimentary cores collected in the Grand Bay (Mississippi) and Dauphin Island (Alabama) salt marshes

Microfossil (benthic foraminifera) data from coastal areas were collected from state and federally managed lands within the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Grand Bay, Mississippi/Alabama; federally managed lands of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge on Cedar Island and Little Dauphin Island, Alabama; and municipally managed land around Dauphin Island, Alabama. Samples were analyzed and quantified for foraminiferal census in order to document changes to ...

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Benthic foraminiferal data from sedimentary cores collected in the Grand Bay (Mississippi) and Dauphin Island (Alabama) salt marshes

Microfossil (benthic foraminifera) data from coastal areas were collected from state and federally managed lands within the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Grand Bay, Mississippi/Alabama; federally managed lands of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge on Cedar Island and Little Dauphin Island, Alabama; and municipally managed land around Dauphin Island, Alabama. Samples were analyzed and quantified for foraminiferal census in order to document changes to ...

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Benthic Foraminiferal Data from Surface Samples and Sedimentary Cores in the Grand Bay Estuary, Mississippi and Alabama

Microfossil (benthic foraminifera) samples were obtained from surficial grab (denoted with “G”) and push core (denoted with “M”) sediments collected in Grand Bay estuary, Mississippi and Alabama, to aid in the paleoenvironmental understanding of Grand Bay estuary. The data presented here were collected as part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Sea-level and Storm Impacts on Estuarine Environments and Shorelines (SSIEES) project, and Barrier Island Evolution Research (BIER) project. Sampling was ...

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Benthic foraminiferal data from the eastern Mississippi Sound salt marshes and estuaries

Microfossil (benthic foraminifera) and coordinate/elevation data were obtained from sediments collected in the coastal zones of Mississippi and Alabama, including marsh and estuarine environments of eastern Mississippi Sound and Mobile Bay, in order to develop a census for coastal environments and to aid in paleoenvironmental reconstruction. These data provide a baseline dataset for use in future wetland and estuarine change studies and assessments, both descriptive and predictive types. The data presented ...

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Benthic foraminiferal data from the eastern Mississippi Sound salt marshes and estuaries

Microfossil (benthic foraminifera) and coordinate/elevation data were obtained from sediments collected in the coastal zones of Mississippi and Alabama, including marsh and estuarine environments of eastern Mississippi Sound and Mobile Bay, in order to develop a census for coastal environments and to aid in paleoenvironmental reconstruction. These data provide a baseline dataset for use in future wetland and estuarine change studies and assessments, both descriptive and predictive types. The data presented ...

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Collections inventory for the U.S. Geological Survey Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Samples Repository (ver. 2.0, September 2023)

Since 2002, the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center’s Samples Repository supports research by providing secure storage for geological, biological, and geochemical samples; maintaining organization and an active inventory of these sample collections; and providing access to these collections for study and reuse. This collections inventory has been compiled, organized, and released as a searchable database to provide researchers and the general public with means to discover and request scientific ...

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Foraminifera biostratigraphy of sediment cores from the New England Mud Patch collected on USGS Field Activity 2016-001-FA

Variability in sediment properties with depth and the thickness of individual sedimentary layers are critical determinants of seabed acoustic response. The New England Mud Patch (NEMP), located south of Cape Cod, is an unusual feature on the U.S. Continental Shelf in that it is composed of fine-grained sediment layers containing a relatively-homogeneous mix of sand, silt, and clay-sized particles bounded by more typical sandy shelf sediments. The unique characteristics and nature of this deposit is due to ...

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Foraminiferal Mg/Ca data from IODP sediment core U1446

In 2019, the magnesium-to-calcium (Mg/Ca) ratios were measured in the tests of planktic foraminiferal species, Globigerinoides ruber (white variety), in a subset of samples from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) sediment core U1146 from the Bay of Bengal drilled November 2014 to January 2015. For further information regarding data collection and/or processing methods, refer to the associated journal article (Clemens and others, 2021).

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Globorotalia truncatulinoides Sediment Trap Data in the Gulf of Mexico

Modern observations of planktic foraminifera from sediment trap studies help to constrain the regional ecology of paleoceanographically valuable species. Results from a weekly-resolved sediment trap time series (2008–2014) in the northern Gulf of Mexico demonstrate that 92% of Globorotalia truncatulinoides flux occurs in winter (January, February, and March), and that encrusted and non-encrusted individuals represent calcification in distinct depth habitats. Individual foraminiferal analysis (IFA) of G. ...

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Globorotalia truncatulinoides Trace Element Geochemistry (Barium, Magnesium, Strontium, Manganese, and Calcium) from the Gulf of Mexico Sediment Trap

Observations of elevated barium-to-calcium ratio (Ba/Ca) in Globorotalia truncatulinoides have been attributed to contaminant phases, deep calcification depth and diagenetic processes. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists and their collaborators investigated intra- and inter-test Ba/Ca variability in the non-spinose planktic foraminifer, G. truncatulinoides, from a sediment trap time series (2009-2017) in the northern Gulf of Mexico (generally 27.5°N and 90.3°W) to gain insights into the environmental ...

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Gulf of Mexico Sediment Trap Foraminifera Data

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) deployed a sediment trap (McLane PARFLUX 78H) mooring in the northern Gulf of Mexico (27.5 °N and 90.3°W, water depth 1150 meters [m]) in January 2008 to collect seasonal time-series data on the flux and assemblage composition of planktic foraminifers. The trap was positioned in the water column at a depth of 700 m on the mooring cable to enable the collection of deeper dwelling species of planktic foraminifera. The trap contains 21 collection cups that were programmed to ...

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Holocene evolution of sea-surface temperature and salinity in the Gulf of Mexico

Stable oxygen and carbon isotope composition (δ18O and δ13C) and magnesium-to-calcium (Mg/Ca) ratios were measured in the tests of planktic foraminiferal species, Globigerinoides ruber (white variety), in a northwestern Gulf of Mexico (GoM) sediment core 2010-GB2-GC1 collected from the Garrison Basin (26.67°N, 93.92°W) at a water depth of 1776 meters (m), aboard the R/V Cape Hatteras in April 2010. These measurements are used to generate sub-centennial-scale reconstructions of sea surface temperature ...

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Normalized Foraminiferal Data for Chincoteague Bay and the Marshes of Assateague Island and the Adjacent Vicinity, Maryland and Virginia- Fall 2014

Foraminiferal samples were collected from Chincoteague Bay, Newport Bay, and Tom’s Cove as well as the marshes on the back-barrier side of Assateague Island and the Delmarva (Delaware-Maryland-Virginia) mainland by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers from the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in March, April (14CTB01), and October (14CTB02) 2014. Samples were also collected by the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) in July 2014 and shipped to the St. Petersburg ...

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Normalized Foraminiferal Data for Chincoteague Bay and the Marshes of Assateague Island and the Adjacent Vicinity, Maryland and Virginia-Spring 2014

Foraminiferal samples were collected from Chincoteague Bay, Newport Bay, and Tom’s Cove as well as the marshes on the back-barrier side of Assateague Island and the Delmarva (Delaware-Maryland-Virginia) mainland by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers from the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in March, April (14CTB01), and October (14CTB02) 2014. Samples were also collected by the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) in July 2014 and shipped to the St. Petersburg ...

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Raw and Normalized Foraminiferal Data for Chincoteague Bay and the Marshes of Assateague Island and the Adjacent Vicinity, Maryland and Virginia- July 2014

Foraminiferal samples were collected from Chincoteague Bay, Newport Bay, and Tom’s Cove as well as the marshes on the back-barrier side of Assateague Island and the Delmarva (Delaware-Maryland-Virginia) mainland by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers from the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in March, April (14CTB01), and October (14CTB02) 2014. Samples were also collected by the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) in July 2014 and shipped to the St. Petersburg ...

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Raw Foraminiferal Data for Chincoteague Bay and the Marshes of Assateague Island and the Adjacent Vicinity, Maryland and Virginia- Fall 2014

Foraminiferal samples were collected from Chincoteague Bay, Newport Bay, and Tom’s Cove as well as the marshes on the back-barrier side of Assateague Island and the Delmarva (Delaware-Maryland-Virginia) mainland by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers from the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in March, April (14CTB01), and October (14CTB02) 2014. Samples were also collected by the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) in July 2014 and shipped to the St. Petersburg ...

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Raw Foraminiferal Data for Chincoteague Bay and the Marshes of Assateague Island and the Adjacent Vicinity, Maryland and Virginia- Spring 2014

Foraminiferal samples were collected from Chincoteague Bay, Newport Bay, and Tom’s Cove as well as the marshes on the back-barrier side of Assateague Island and the Delmarva (Delaware-Maryland-Virginia) mainland by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers from the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in March, April (14CTB01), and October (14CTB02) 2014. Samples were also collected by the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) in July 2014 and shipped to the St. Petersburg ...

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Sediment Core Microfossil Data Collected from the Coastal Marsh of Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi, USA

To aid in geologic studies of sediment transport and environmental change in coastal marsh, 1-centimeter (cm) foraminiferal subsamples were taken from seven sediment push cores collected in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (GNDNERR), Mississippi, in October 2016. The push cores were collected along two, shore-perpendicular transects at 5, 15, 25, and 50 meters (m) from the shoreline, on opposite sides of Middle Bay during U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Field Activities Number (FAN) 2016-358 ...

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Surficial and Downcore Sedimentological and Foraminiferal Microfossil Data from St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, Florida

In October 2019, five marsh push cores (core names appended with M for marsh push core) and 18 surface sediment samples (top 1 cm of sediment) were collected from the estuary (sample name appended G for PONAR grab) near the mouth of the St. Marks River and some of the surrounding marshes (sample name appended with S for surface), along with elevation transects and peat augers (sample name appended with R or R50, depending on length, for Russian peat auger). The purpose of the study was to 1) evaluate peat ...

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usSEABED: Offshore Surficial-Sediment Database for Samples Collected within the United States Exclusive Economic Zone

Since the second half of the 20th century, there has been an increase in scientific interest, research effort, and information gathered on the geologic sedimentary character of the continental margins of the United States. Data and information from thousands of sources have increased our scientific understanding of the geologic origins of the margin surface but rarely have those data been combined into a unified database. Initially, usSEABED was created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation ...

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