| Type | Geological formation |
| Age | Upper Cretaceous |
| Unit of | Selma Group |
| Sub-units | Cusseta Sand Member, McNairy Sand Member |
| Underlies | Prairie Bluff Chalk Formation |
| Overlies | Demopolis Chalk Formation |
| Thickness | 40 m (130 ft) to 175 m (570 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Location | |
| Named for | Ripley, Mississippi
|
| Region | Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee |
The Ripley Formation is a geological formation in North America found in the U.S. states of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The lithology is quite consistent throughout the layer. It consists mainly of glauconitic sandstone. It was formed by sediments deposited during the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous. It is a unit of the Selma Group and consists of the Cusseta Sand Member, McNairy Sand Member and an unnamed lower member.[1] It has not been extensively studied by vertebrate paleontologists, due to a lack of accessible exposures. Crocodile, dinosaur, and mosasaur fossil remains have been recovered from the Ripley Formation.[1]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ a b Kiernan, Caitlin R. (2002). "Stratigraphic distribution and habitat segregation of mosasaurs in the Upper Cretaceous of western and central Alabama, with an historical review of Alabama mosasaur discoveries". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 22 (1): 91-103. http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1671/0272-4634(2002)022%5B0091%3ASDAHSO%5D2.0.CO%3B2. Retrieved on 2009-02-02.