NEW BIOSTROMES DISCOVERED AT THE UPPER CRETACEOUS (CAMPANIAN) STONE BRIDGE FOSSIL SITE IN CAMDEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY

This report describes and analyzes two newly discovered biostromes, one calcareous and the
other concretions leached of calcareous content, found lower in section and downstream from the
historic biostrome investigated by previous studies of this Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Stone Bridge
fossil site in Cherry Hill Township, Camden County, New Jersey. The paleontology, taphonomy and
ecology of the overall site is reinterpreted and addresses the newly discovered biostromes. A faunal
assemblage of 129, many new to the site, was recovered with 23 exotic Paleozoic fossils, mostly corals,
collected from alluvium in the stream bed. Derived from bedrock geology and paleontology, the site
appears to be in the Englishtown Formation, however, lithology suggests that the site rests in the
Woodbury Formation consistent with conclusions of other site investigations. The bivalve suite is
dominated by Cyprimeria depressa at 61% of the class in a C. depressa-Turritellid association. Bivalve
trophic mode and relative abundance suggest that the historic biostrome was originally an ecological
community displaced by a light taphonomic process interpreted as a storm event. Recovering both
Cucullaea and Lucina assemblages together challenges Weller’s stratigraphic water depth proposition
that these assemblages do not overlap. Photographic plates of all good quality specimens are included.