rock, fossil & mineral collecting in trinidad and Tobago, Springvale Quarry

The Savanetta Glauconitic Sandstone Member of the Springvale Formation

At this location can be found as many as 145 species of bivalves and mulloucs. The type collection can be found at the Geological services Lab, at Petrotrin, Point-a-Pierre.

The outcrops are freely accessible, however beware of 'Cow Itch' vines .

Location : UTM Naparima Datum N-0672861 E-1147336

The Springvale Formation at this outcrop it is expressed as a shell bed that has been described as either a wakestone - packstone , a transgressive lag deposit or a glauconitic calcareous sandstone (Suter).
The outcrop is interpreted to represent a sequence boundary, with a transgressive lag deposit that consists of sandstone with abundant shell fragments. The shell material occurs in two ways either a complete shells or fine indeterminate fragments. The large shells are dominantly of two types, Oysters and Pecten, The oysters are all disarticulated and up to 15cm in size and 3cm thick. The Pecten however are commonly articulated and this suggests that they died in place while the oysters may have been reworked.

The gypsum crystals are associated with the underlying Manzanilla Formation, close to the lignite bands near the bottom of the hill.

Gypsum crystal	Location Map
Fragments of Pecten and other species	Internal mould of Turritella
	Oyster and Anadara shells

Photos by Curtis Archie

References

Guppy R.J.L., 1910, A collection of fossils from Springvale, near Couva, Trinidad., Agric. Soc. Trinidad and Tobago Paper 440. paged separately 1-15. Repr.Bull. Amer. Pal. V.8 N.35 p 158-166.

Guppy R.J.L., 1911, Fossils from Springvale near Couva, Trinidad, Second Report, Agric. Soc. Trinidad and Tobago Paper 454. P 1-10

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