Date of Thesis
Spring 2026
Description
The Upper Devonian Lock Haven Formation in north-central Pennsylvania preserves evidence of significant climactic and evolutionary transitions, including the fin-to-limb transition and initial arborescence. The formation contains abundant sedimentary features, palynomorphs, trace fossils, and fish body fossils, making it crucial for reconstructing these paleoenvironments. However, integrated studies on the Lock Haven Formation are rare. This study characterizes the depositional environments, ichnology, paleontology, and age of the Lock Haven Formation. A recent exposure at the Insinger-Ward West Burlington Quarry reveals three middle to early late Famennian lithofacies associations (FAs). FA1 consists of red sandstone, shale, and mudstone containing rhizoliths (deeply penetrating roots up to 2 m deep), trace fossils (Lockeia, Scoyenia), and body fossils (Lingula, Holoptychius, Bothriolepis). This association represents a tide-dominated, partly vegetated coastal plain environment, supported by terrestrial kerogen and low-diversity terrestrial miospore assemblages with a minor marine component. FA2 is heterolithic grey mudstone, sandstone, and shale with various bedding features (flaser, wavy, lenticular), ripples, and aquatic trace fossils. It includes channel-bar deposits and records bidirectional tidal currents and minor wave influence in subtidal to intertidal flats, bars, and channels. FA3 is heterolithic olive-grey mudstone and red-grey sandstone characterized by planar laminae, hummocky-swaley bedding, acritarchs, and trace fossils (Teichichnus, Fucusopsis). This association records tidal and wave processes in subtidal bar environments. Collectively, these data provide the first detailed characterization of Famennian shoreline environments in north-central Pennsylvania. Additionally, salinity differences, which segregated sarcopterygians from arthrodires, were a driver of evolution in the fin-to-limb transition in Devonian fishes and early tetrapods.
Keywords
Transitional depositional environments, coastal environments, tidal environments, palynology
Access Type
Honors Thesis
Degree Type
Bachelor of Science
Major
Geology & Environmental Geosciences
Minor, Emphasis, or Concentration
Music
First Advisor
Jeffrey Trop
Recommended Citation
Harman, Michael, "Sedimentology, Paleontology, and Depositional Environments of the Upper Devonian Lock Haven Formation in West Burlington Quarry, North-Central Pa" (2026). Honors Theses. 775.
https://digitalcommons.bucknell.edu/honors_theses/775