Reed Dolomite

Reed Dolomite
Stratigraphic range: Ediacaran PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N [1]
Cymopterus cinerarius, growing on substrate within the Reed Dolomite
Type	Geological Formation
Underlies	Deep Spring Formation
Overlies	Wyman Formation
Thickness	0–1,600 ft (0–488 m)[1]
Lithology
Primary	Dolomite
Other	Quartzite, Sandstone
Location
Region	California, Nevada
Country	United States

The Reed Dolomite is an Ediacaran aged geologic formation in California, outcropping in the White and Inyo Mountains, as well as Esmeralda County, Nevada.^[1]

Geology

The Reed Dolomite, as its name suggests, is mainly composed of medium-gray, yellowish-gray, and pale-yellowish-brown medium to coarsely crystalline dolomite. Within these dolomites, oolites, pisolites and irregular pellets, which all may be algal in origin.^[1]

In part of the formation, there is a wedge of clastic material, known as the "Hines Tongue", which can get up to 800 ft (240 m). It contains a number of minerals, but is primarily composed of yellowish-gray or very-pale-orange evenly laminated quartzite and calcareous sandstone, some of which is very fine to fine, and fine to medium grained. There is also medium-gray to pale-yellowish-brown dolomite, limestone, sandy dolomite, and sandy limestone within the wedge. It is also inter-stratified with quartzite and calcareous sandstone. There are also small yellowish-gray to pale-yellowish-brown siltstone.^[1]

Paleobiota

The Reed Dolomite contains a number of algal structures, as well as the mollusc like fossils Wyattia, and ichnogenera such as the Skolithos burrows.^[1][2]

Color key Taxon Reclassified taxon Taxon falsely reported as present Dubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon		Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited.

incertae sedis

Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Wyattia[3][1]	W. reedensis	Mollusc-like fossil. May by synonymous with Cloudina, though this is tenuous at best.[4]
Cloudina[4]	C. hartmannae	Tubular fossil.

Flora

Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Possible Algal Structures[1]	???	Flattened, spherical structures, half an inch across.

Ichnogenera

Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Skolithos[2]	Skolithos sp.	Burrows.

References

1. Stewart, J. H. "Upper Precambrian and Lower Cambrian Strata, in the Southern Great Basin California and Nevada" (PDF). U.S. Geological Survery. Geological Survey Professional.
2. Peter Crimes, T. (March 1987). "Trace fossils and correlation of late Precambrian and early Cambrian strata". Geological Magazine. 124 (2): 97–119. doi:10.1017/S0016756800015922.
3. Taylor, Michael E. (1966). "Precambrian Mollusc-like Fossils from Inyo County, California". Science. 153 (3732): 198–201. ISSN 0036-8075.
4. Yang, Ben; Warren, Lucas V.; Steiner, Michael; Smith, Emily F.; Liu, Pengju (March 2022). "Taxonomic revision of Ediacaran tubular fossils: Cloudina , Sinotubulites and Conotubus". Journal of Paleontology. 96 (2): 256–273. doi:10.1017/jpa.2021.95. hdl:11449/222774.

• Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Retrieved 17 December 2021.