Big Hill Formation

Big Hill Formation
Stratigraphic range: Late Ordovician
Jointed limestone from the Big Hill Formation (Upper Peninsula of Michigan)
TypeFormation
Unit ofRichmond Group (geology)
UnderliesManitoulin Dolomite
OverliesStonington Formation
Lithology
Primarylimestone
Location
Region Michigan
Country United States

The Big Hill Formation is a geologic formation in Michigan. It preserves fossils dating back to the Ordovician period. A fossiliferous site on the Stonington Peninsula (in Delta County) includes a dolomite bed of the Big Hill Formation which has abundant and well-preserved fossils. The most common fossils are soft-bodied medusae (jellyfish), followed by linguloid brachiopods, algae, and arthropods (namely chasmataspidids, leperditid ostracods, and eurypterids). This site is considered a Konservat-Lagerstätte, and is commonly referred to as the Big Hill Lagerstätte or Big Hill Biota.[1][2]

  1. ^ Lamsdell, James C.; LoDuca, Steven T.; Gunderson, Gerald O.; Meyer, Ronald C.; Briggs, Derek E. G. (2017). "A new Lagerstätte from the Late Ordovician Big Hill Formation, Upper Peninsula, Michigan". Journal of the Geological Society. 174 (1): 18–22. doi:10.1144/jgs2016-059. ISSN 0016-7649. S2CID 85551499.
  2. ^ Lamsdell, James C.; Gunderson, Gerald O.; Meyer, Ronald C. (2019-01-08). "A common arthropod from the Late Ordovician Big Hill Lagerstätte (Michigan) reveals an unexpected ecological diversity within Chasmataspidida". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 19 (1): 8. doi:10.1186/s12862-018-1329-4. ISSN 1471-2148. PMC 6325806. PMID 30621579.