Ever Heard Of This Quarry In California?

[PaleoDad]

I’d really appreciate any help on this: I just bought a couple of fossil specimens that were described as: Middle Miocene, Monterey Shale Formation. Tranquillon Peak ashfall grading into regular sediments. Rezner Quarry in Tempesquet Canyon, Santa Barbara County, California.

The fossils were collected in 1999.

I’m trying to find out anything more about the locality. Has anyone ever heard of this quarry? Does anyone know where it is? Does anyone have any suggestions for contacting someone who might know more?

I’m not looking to collect there (I live hundreds of miles away!); I would just be grateful for any additional information.

Thanks a lot!

[piranha]

Please attach some photos of the fossils in question so we can best assist you. Thanks!

[PaleoDad]

Thanks. Here's one of the fossils -- front and back. These are the best photos I have.

Thanks again.

[RichW9090]

Crab carapace.

[PaleoDad]

Thanks. I was hoping someone knows something about the quarry where it was found (see original question above).

Thanks again.

[Oxytropidoceras]

Unfortunately, I cannot find anything about Rezner Quarry.

The below papers mention the Monterey formation and

Tepusquet Canyon, Santa Barbara County, California.

Hennessy, J., and L. P. Knauth, 2006, Isotopic variations in

dolomite concretions from the Monterey Formation, California.

Journal of Sedimentary Research. vol. 55, no. 1, pp. 120-130.

http://jsedres.sepmonline.org/content/55/1/120.short

Malone, M. J., P. A. Baker, and S. J. Burns, 1996,

Hydrothermal dolomitization and recrystallization of

dolomite breccias from the Miocene Monterey Formation,

Tepusquet area, California. Journal of Sedimentary

Research. vol. 66, no. 5, pp. 976-990.

http://jsedres.sepmonline.org/content/66/5/976.short

Warheit, K. I., 1992, A Review of the Fossil Seabirds

from the Tertiary of the North Pacific: Plate Tectonics,

Paleoceanography, and Faunal Change. Paleobiology,

vol. 18, no. 4 (Autumn, 1992), pp. 401-424.

http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/2400827

Geologic maps that include Tepusquet Canyon are:

Hall, C. A., Jr., 1978, Geologic map of Twitchell Dam

and parts of Santa Maria and Tepusquet Canyon

quadrangles, Santa Barbara County, California.

USGS Miscellaneous Field Studies Map no. 933

http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/mf933

http://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Prodesc/proddesc_6771.htm

Vedder, J. G., D. G. Howell, H. McLean, R. G. Stanley,

and T. J. Wiley, 1991, Preliminary geologic map of

Tepusquet Canyon and Manzanita Mtn. quadrangles,

California. USGS Open-File Report no. 91-109.

http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/ofr91109

http://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Prodesc/proddesc_18064.htm

First, crabs described as being from Rezner Quarry

in Tempesquet Canyon are often for sale on eBay.

You should contact the venders selling them for

information about where it is located.

Second, contact information for the California Geological

Survey can be found at “California Geological Survey

- Programs and Offices” at http://www.consrv.ca.gov/cgs/Pages/contactUs.aspx .

I would contact the librarian at the “Geological Survey

Library” using the email address on that web page. He or

she might be able find either a reference that or person who

can provide infromation about the Rezner Quarry.

Third, the August 2008 “Ore-Cutts” newsletter at

http://www.omsinc.org/archives/Ore-Cutts_Aug08.pdf states:

“This gritty yellow zone, sometimes up to 15 feet, denotes a

catastrophic volcanic ash fall that has been chemically linked

to Tranquillon Peak, an extinct volcano near Lompoc, CA.”

Sounds like the author of this article is familiar with the

geology of the “Tranquillon Peak ashfall” and might be

able to provide you more information about it and, possibly,

the quarry containing it.

The Orcutt Mineral Society is at http://www.omsinc.org/

Fourth, the Tranquillon volcanics are described starting

on page 33 in:

Dibblee, T.W., Jr., 1950, Geology of southwestern Santa

Barbara County, California, Point Arguello, Lompoc, Point

Conception, Los Olivos, and Gaviota Quadrangles, California

Division of Mines Bulletin 150.

It can be found online at:

https://archive.org/details/geologyofsouthwe00dibbrich

https://ia600301.us.archive.org/15/items/geologyofsouthwe00dibbrich/geologyofsouthwe00dibbrich.pdf

Finally, the USGS Tepusquet Canyon 7.5-minute quadrangle

shows a major quarry on Tepusquet Canyon. It is a logical

suspect for Rezner Quarry. According to the "Soil Survey of

Northern Santa Barbara Area" (USDA) by Gordon E. Shipman,

it is where flagstones are quarried from the Monterey Formation.

The DRG of the USGS Tepusquet Canyon 7.5 minute

quadrangle can be found at http://libremap.org/data/state/california/drg/ .

and https://ia600506.us.archive.org/19/items/usgs_drg_ca_34120_h2/o34120h2.tif

Yours,

Paul H.

Edited January 4, 2014 by Oxytropidoceras

[PaleoDad]

Thanks a lot! That is very helpful; really appreciate all your research!

[siteseer]

I've never heard of that quarry (I've prospected for fossils in that county) and the name doesn't appear in any of the technical publications I have that might mention a quarry in that area. It could be just an informal, local name so it would not appear on any maps or in any technical articles. It could also be a new name for an old quarry.if ownership switched hands recently. You can try contacting the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.

I’d really appreciate any help on this: I just bought a couple of fossil specimens that were described as: Middle Miocene, Monterey Shale Formation. Tranquillon Peak ashfall grading into regular sediments. Rezner Quarry in Tempesquet Canyon, Santa Barbara County, California.

The fossils were collected in 1999.

I’m trying to find out anything more about the locality. Has anyone ever heard of this quarry? Does anyone know where it is? Does anyone have any suggestions for contacting someone who might know more?

I’m not looking to collect there (I live hundreds of miles away!); I would just be grateful for any additional information.

Thanks a lot!

[PaleoDad]

Thanks a lot. That's a great idea...

[AncientEarth]

That is similar to a crab we are finding in our local shale as well, I am pretty sure it is not yet described. I've not found much about Portunids in general in reference to the Monterey Frm.

Check the spelling you got from the seller on eBay, she is notorious for misspellings. It'll help you find the local - "Tepusquet Canyon" for starters.

Now following that trend, if I had to guess, maybe "Rezneck" could be a geologist Resnick, G. S. who did survey work in that region in the mid to late 1990s... but that could also be a bit of a stretch. I just recall seeing his name on stuff in and around Lompoc/Santa Maria.

Paul, great resources and links you provided.

[PaleoDad]

Thanks, AncientEarth. This is also very, very helpful.