Chatsworth Formation facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chatsworth FormationStratigraphic range: Campanian & Maestrichtian epochs of Cretaceous |
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|---|---|
| Type | Formation |
| Location | |
| Region | Los Angeles County and Ventura County, California |
| Country | United States |
| Extent | Simi Hills, Santa Susana Mountains |
The Chatsworth Formation is a special layer of sandstone rock found in southern California. This rock layer formed during the Cretaceous Period, which was the time of the dinosaurs! You can find it in the Simi Hills and the western part of the Santa Susana Mountains.
This rock formation stretches across western Los Angeles County and eastern Ventura County. The Chatsworth Formation can be very thick, sometimes more than 610 meters (about 2,000 feet) deep!
Ancient Life in the Rocks
The Chatsworth Formation is a type of sedimentary rock. This means it was made from sand and mud that settled at the bottom of an ancient sea. Because of how it formed, it has preserved amazing fossils!
These fossils tell us about life from the Middle Campanian to Early Maestrichtian times. These are specific parts of the Late Cretaceous period. Scientists have found many different kinds of molluscs here. Molluscs are sea creatures, often with shells, like snails or clams.
Some of the most common types of ancient molluscs found in the Chatsworth Formation include:
- Biplica (a type of ringiculid snail)
- Gyrodes and Euspira (types of naticid snails)
- Atira (a type of trocid snail)
- Anchuras and Lispodesthes (types of aporrhaid snails)
- Turritella (a tall, spiral-shelled snail)
- Perissitys (a type of perissityid snail)
These fossils help scientists learn about what the ancient seas were like in California millions of years ago!
