Strontium isotope stratigraphy and age estimates for the Leisey Shell Pit faunas, Hillsborough County, Florida

Authors

Douglas S. Jones, University of Florida
Paul A. Mueller, University of Florida
Teresa Acosta
Robert Duncan Shuster, University of Nebraska at OmahaFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1995

Publication Title

Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History

Volume

37

Issue

1

First Page

93

Last Page

105

Abstract

The vertebrate fauna of the Leisey Shell Pit near Tampa Bay, Florida, represents one of the more significant lrvingtonian mammalian faunas of North America. The fossil vertebrates occur in thin bone beds bounded above and below by massive shell beds containing a rich invertebrate ( chiefly molluscan) fauna. Debate has arisen concerning the precise age of the faunas at Leisey. Although generally agreed to be Pleistocene, estimates based upon vertebrate biostratigraphy suggest a somewhat older age than do estimates based upon molluscan biostratigraphy. To help resolve this controvefliy, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios were determined on molluscan shells throughout the section. These ratios were then correlated to the global sea water ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr curve for age detennination. The Sr isotopes support an early Pleistocene age for the vertebrate fauna and suggest a complex history for the shell accumulations.

Recommended Citation

Jones, Douglas S.; Mueller, Paul A.; Acosta, Teresa; and Shuster, Robert Duncan, "Strontium isotope stratigraphy and age estimates for the Leisey Shell Pit faunas, Hillsborough County, Florida" (1995). Geography and Geology Faculty Publications. 57.
https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/geoggeolfacpub/57