NORTH AMERICAN LAND MAMMAL DESIGNATION OF THE CENTENNIAL VERTEBRATE FOSSIL SITE WITHIN THE BRULE FORMATION (OLIGOCENE), WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH DAKOTA

White River sediments are abundant throughout the northeastern portion of Wind Cave National Park. Located within the southeastern flank of the Black Hills, these high-elevation deposits contain Oligocene fossil remains. In 2003, a paleontological site was discovered within the Park that was named the Centennial Site. Oligocene taxa such as, Subhyracodon sp., Mesohippus sp., Palaeolagus sp., Leptomeryx sp., Hyaenodon sp., and Merycoidodon sp., were discovered at the site that is composed of pinkish siltstones. The Centennial Site is positioned to the west and at similar elevation with the Klukas sites; a series of seven paleontological sites occurring in pink siltstones located 900 meters to the east of the Centennial Site. The Klukas sites were determined to be from the Orellan Land Mammal Age (Martin, 1994) and contain assemblages similar with that from the Centennial Site. The Klukas sites occur at 1,280 meters in elevation and the Centennial Site is located at an elevation of 1,213 meters. Preliminary analysis suggests that the Centennial Site is identical in age and depositional environment as the Klukas sites.