Saline Valley Formation

The Saline Valley Formation is a geologic formation in the Mojave Desert, in Inyo County, California, primarily within the White and Inyo Mountains.
It is located in the Saline Valley of northwestern Death Valley National Park, from which it gets its name from.
It preserves fossils dating back to the Cambrian period.

Geology

The Saline Valley Formation is mainly composed of fine to medium-grained quartzite, sandy limestone and shale.

Members

The formation only has two members, which are as follows, in ascending age:

Lower Member: This can be found in the type area of the formation, which lies within the southeastern sections of the White and Inyo Mountains, and is around thick. It is primarily composed of fine to medium grained quartzites, quartzitic sandstones, sandstones and limestones, which cap the top of the member, and contains fine to coarse quartz grains, which are rounded. This limestone cap can get up to within the Andrews Mountain area, and becomes a sandy limestone. The quartzite layers found within this member are considered to be tongues from the Zabriskie Quartzite
Upper Member: This member can reach up to thick, and is dominated by gray limestones and greenish-gray shales. In the basal sections of the member, it is primarily composed of medium-gray sandstones and quartzitic sandstone.

In other areas of the formation, predominately in the Andrews Mountain section, the members contain more platy siltstone and fine-grained quartzitic sandstone, which are more finely textured than other sections.

Paleobiota

The Saline Valley Formation contains a small number of ichnogenera, like the movement traces Cruziana, as well as a range of trilobites.

Arthropoda

Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Olenellus	O. clarki	Olenellid trilobite, previously described as Paedeumias.
Wanneria	Wanneria sp.	Olenellid trilobite.
Ogygopsis	Ogygopsis sp.	Dorypygid trilobite.
Bonnia	Bonnia sp.	Dorypygid trilobite.
Olenoides	Olenoides sp.	Dorypygid trilobite.
Goldfieldia	Goldfieldia sp.	Corynexochid trilobite.
Zacanthopsis	Zacanthopsis sp.	Corynexochid trilobite.
Bristolia	Bristolia sp.	Biceratopsid trilobite.
Syspacephalus	Syspacephalus sp.	Ptychoparid trilobite.

Lophotrochozoa

Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Hyolithida	???	Lophotrochozoan hyoliths.

Ichnogenera

Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Cruziana	Cruziana sp.	Trails.
Teichichnus	Teichichnus sp.	Feeding trace.