THE MICRO-VERTEBRATE MARINE FAUNA FROM THE CARLILE SHALE (LATE CRETACEOUS; TURONIAN) OF MILBANK, SD

The Late Cretaceous Carlile shale is exposed sporadically in the granite quarries of eastern South Dakota near Milbank. These exposures have yielded a rich suite of vertebrate material that includes both terrestrial and marine faunas. As part of the collection and preparation process for the specimens some matrix was softened with acetic acid before removal and was found to contain abundant micro-vertebrate fossils. These include small limb and jaw elements of terrestrial reptiles, coprolites and a large assemblage of marine fishes. This study represents the first attempt to identify micro-vertebrates from this location as well as to interpret the taphonomic and paleoenvironmental record of this fauna.