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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Hall Lake Formation
The Hall Lake Formation, formerly called the Hall Lake Member, is a geological formation in Sierra County, New Mexico preserving Lancian fauna, most notably dinosaurs. It is regarded as a member of the McRae Group, including the Elephant Butte and Staton-LaPoint locales.

Description

While most estimates place it firmly within the Lancian fauna, specifically using taxa such as Compsemys as index fossils to recover a Campanian-Maastrichtian age, Lozinsky et al. (1984) note the presence of basalt flows and alluvium dating to the Quaternary-Tertiary.

It overlooks the Jose Creek Member and is composed of purple and maroon shales. When they meet, it is marked by a basal conglomerate or a color distinction where conglomerate is absent. Various Cenozoic units overly the formation. Where some choose to classify these layers as a member of the McRae Formation, others classify it as a distinct formation in a group of formations.

Fossil content

Dinosaurs

Saurischians

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.
Genus Species Locality Material Notes Images
Tyrannosauridae indet. Staton-LaPoint
  • TKM001, dorsal vertebral centrum
 Lozinsky et al. (1984) call it indeterminate
Tyrannosaurus T. mcraeensis Elephant Butte (upper)
  • NMMNH P-3698, a partial skull, lower jaw bones, teeth, and chevrons
Alamosaurus sp. upper
  • TKM007, a damaged humerus
 Tentative referral
Sauropoda Possibly from the Jose Creek Member
Theropoda

Ornithischians

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.
Taxon Locality Material Notes Images
Triceratops sp. 2 miles south of Elephant Butte
  • USNM 243, dorsal vertebral centrum
 This genus, Torosaurus or a novel taxon
Sierraceratops turneri Elephant Butte (lower)
  • Partial skeleton with skull
Ceratopsidae Elephant Butte (upper)
  • TKM002, a coranoid
  • TKM020, crest fragment
 A new genus similar to Torosaurus is said to exist above the base of the formation
Elephant Butte (lower) Indeterminate, in abundance
Torosaurus sp. Elephant Butte (upper)?
Hadrosauridae cannot be determined Indeterminate and of unknown origins due to faulting or Quaternary cover
Ankylosauria
  • TKM011, pyramidal bone fragment
 Possibly from the Jose Creek Member, near identical from UNM-FKK-001P of the Kirtland Formation

Reptiles

Taxon Locality Material Notes
Testudinata Elephant Butte (upper)
Crocodylia
Compsemys Index fossils suggesting a Lancian age
Bothremydidae

Plants

Genus Species Locality Material Notes
Araucarites A. sp.
Cinnamomum C. sp.
Exnelumbites E. morphotype 2 Leaves A member of Nelumbonaceae
Ficus F. sp.
Phyllites P. sp.
Sabal S. sp.
Sabalites S. sp.
Salix S. sp.
Sequoia S. sp.
Tracheophyta Indeterminate 2 miles south of Elephant Butte
Viburnum V. sp.

References

  1. ^ Amato, Jeffrey M.; Mack, Greg H.; Jonell, Tara N.; Seager, William R.; Upchurch, Garland R. (2017-05-11). "Onset of the Laramide orogeny and associated magmatism in southern New Mexico based on U-Pb geochronology". Geological Society of America Bulletin: B31629.1. doi:10.1130/B31629.1. ISSN 0016-7606.
  2. ^ Vigla Formation at Paleobiodb.org
  3. ^ Lucas, Spencer G.; Dalman, Sebastian; Lichtig, Asher J.; Elrick, Scott; Nelson, W. John; Krainer, Karl (2017). "Stratigraphy and Age of the Dinosaur-Dominated Fossil Assemblage of the Upper Cretaceous Hall Lake Member of the Mcrae Formation, Sierra County, New Mexico". New Mexico Geological Society Annual Spring Meeting. New Mexico Geological Society, 2017 Annual Spring Meeting, Proceedings Volume, Theme: "Uranium in New Mexico: The Resource and the Legacy". doi:10.56577/SM-2017.479.
  4. ^ Lozinsky, Richard P.; Hunt, Adrian P.; Wolberg, Donald L.; Lucas, Spencer G. (1984). "Late Cretaceous (Lancian) dinosaurs from the McRae Formation, Sierra County, New Mexico". New Mexico Geology. 6 (4): 72–77. doi:10.58799/NMG-v6n4.72. ISSN 2837-6420. S2CID 237011797.
  5. ^ Dalman, Sebastian G.; Lucas, Spencer G.; Jasinski, Steven E.; Longrich, Nicholas R. (2022). "Sierraceratops turneri, a new chasmosaurine ceratopsid from the Hall Lake Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of south-central New Mexico". Cretaceous Research. 130: 105034. Bibcode:2022CrRes.13005034D. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2021.105034. S2CID 244210664.
  6. ^ Dalman, Sebastian G.; Loewen, Mark A.; Pyron, R. Alexander; Jasinski, Steven E.; Malinzak, D. Edward; Lucas, Spencer G.; Fiorillo, Anthony R.; Currie, Philip J.; Longrich, Nicholas R. (2024-01-11). "A giant tyrannosaur from the Campanian–Maastrichtian of southern North America and the evolution of tyrannosaurid gigantism". Scientific Reports. 13 (1): 22124. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-47011-0. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 10784284. PMID 38212342.
  7. ^ "McRae, Sierra County, New Mexico, USA" at mindat.org
  8. ^ Estrada-Ruiz, Emilio; Upchurch, G. R.; Wolfe, J. A.; Cevallos-Ferriz, S. R. S. (2011-06-01). "Comparative Morphology of Fossil and Extant Leaves of Nelumbonaceae, Including a New Genus from the Late Cretaceous of Western North America". Systematic Botany. 36 (2): 337–351. doi:10.1600/036364411X569525. ISSN 0363-6445.
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