The Eocene TaJJahatta Formation of 

Alabama and Georgia: Its Lithostratigraphy, 

Biostratigraphy, and Bearing on the Ag,e @f t 

The Claibornian Stage 

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1615 

The Eocene Tallahatta Formation of 

Alabama and Georgia: Its Lithostratigraphy, 

Biostratigraphy, and Bearing on the Age of 

The Claibornian Stage 

By laurel M. Bybell and Thomas G. Gibson 

U.S. GEOlOGICAl SURVEY BUllETIN 1615 
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

WILLIAM P. CLARK, Secretary 

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

Dallas L. Peck, Director 

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1985 

For sale by the 

Distribution Branch, Text Products Section 

U.S. Geological Survey 

604 South Pickett St. 

Alexandria, VA 22304 

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data 

Bybell, Laurel M. 

The Eocene Tallahatta Formation of Alabama and Georgia. 

<U.S. Geological Survey bulletin; 1615) 

Bibliography: p. 

Supt. of Docs. no.: I 19.3:1615 

1. Geology, Stratigraphic--Eocene. 2. Geology--Alabama. 3. Geology--

Georgia. I. Gibson, Thomas G. II. Title. III. Series. 

QE75.B9 no. 1615 557.3 s [551.7'84] 84-600098 [QE692.2] 
CONTENTS 

Abstract 1 

Introduction 1 

Purpose and scope 1 

Acknowledgments 2 

Lithostratigraphy 2 

Biostratigraphy 7 

Paleoenvironmental analysis 15 

The Tallahatta and the age of the Claibornian Stage 17 

Conclusions 18 

References cited 18 

PLATES 

[Plates follow references cited] 

1. Discoaster, Tribrachiatus, Helicosphaera, Rhabdosphaera, Transversopontis, Cyclococcolithus, and 

Reticulofenestra 

2. Reticulofenestra, Blackites, Chiasmolithus, Lophodolithus, Transversopontis, Ellipsolithus, Discoaster, 

Campylosphaera, and Zygrhablithus 

FIGURES 

1. Map showing localities in Alabama and western Georgia discussed in text 2 

2. Correlation chart showing age placements for the Tallahatta and other formations of late 

Paleocene to middle Eocene age in Alabama and Georgia 3 

3. Lithologic sections from five coreholes and from the outcrop section at Little Stave Creek showing 

facies changes across Alabama 5 

4-8. Charts showing occurrence of calcareous nannofossils: 

4. At Little Stave Creek, Clarke County, Ala. 8 

5. In corehole C178A in Monroe County, Ala. 9 

6. In corehole C177A in Covington County, Ala. 10 

7. In corehole C171A in Coffee County, Ala. 11 

8. In coreholes C166G and C167G in Early County, Ga. 12 

9. Composite range chart for calcareous nannofossils of the Tallahatta Formation 14 

10-12. Charts showing: 

TABLES 

10. Coastal onlap curve from Vail and Mitchum (1979) and showing eustatic sea-level curve from 

Vail and Hardenbol (1979) for the early and middle Eocene 15 

11. Tau values of modern foraminiferal assemblages from the northeastern Gulf of Mexico plotted 

versus sample depth on a log scale 16 

12. Tau values of foraminiferal assemblages from the Tallahatta Formation in corehole C171A, 

south of Elba, Ala. 17 

1. Locality information for outcrops and coreholes discussed in the text 4 

Contents Ill 

The Eocene Tallahatta Formation of Alabama and 

Georgia: Its lithostratigraphy, Biostratigraphy, and 

Bearing on the Age of the Claibornian Stage 

By Laurel M. By bell and Thomas G. Gibson 

Abstract 

Biostratigraphic determination of the Eocene age of the 

Tallahatta Formation has been difficult because few calcareous 

fossils are found in the formation. In western Alabama and 

eastern Mississippi, the Tallahatta consists of noncalcareous 

sand overlain by siliceous clay, silt, and quartz sand. In eastern 

Alabama and western Georgia, it consists predominantly of 

heavily leached, noncalcareous, coarse clastic deposits that were 

laid down in fluvial to shallow-marine environments. 

As part of this study, five continuous coreholes were drilled 

from western Alabama to western Georgia downdip (south) of the 

outcrop belt of the Tallahatta Formation. In addition, several of 

the farthest downdip outcrop sections were examined. These 

downdip deposits of inner neritic sand and clay contain 

calcareous nannofossils and limited numbers of planktonic 

foraminifers. The occurrence of these biostratigraphically useful 

groups, particularly in the continuous subsurface sections, made 

possible the reliable dating of the entire Tallahatta Formation. 

Fossiliferous sand at the base of the Tallahatta 

unconformably overlies carbonaceous clay and silt of the 

Hatchetigbee Formation. These lowest Tallahatta strata, 

considered to be the downdip equivalent of the outcropping 

Meridian Sand Member of the Tallahatta, contain calcareous 

nannofossils diagnostic of Zone NP12 of Martini ( 1971 ); over lying 

these strata are beds placed in Zone NP13. The upper Tallahatta 

beds are assigned to Zone NP14; no positive evidence for strata 

belonging to Zone NP15 was found. At many places, erosion 

surfaces separate the sediments belonging to each of the three 

calcareous nannofossil zones. On the basis of foraminiferal 

assemblages in the cored sections, the strata belonging to Zone 

NP12 and the lower part of Zone NP13 are judged as probably 

representing very shallow marine deposition; sediments in the 

upper part of Zone NP13 and in Zone NP14 probably were 

deposited in somewhat deeper water inner shelf environments. 

Zones NP12 and NP13 normally are considered to be of 

early Eocene age, whereas Zone NP14 normally is considered to 

straddle the early-middle Eocene boundary or to be entirely of 

middle Eocene age. Thus, most of the Tallahatta Formation, 

including those strata considered to represent the downdip 

equivalent of the basal Meridian Sand Member, is of early Eocene 

age. As the Tallahatta is the lowest formation of the Claiborne 

Group, the base of the Claibornian Stage is placed within the 

early Eocene. The Sabinian-Claibornian Stage boundary in 

Alabama and Georgia does not correspond to the early-middle 

Eocene boundary. 

INTRODUCTION 

Purpose and Scope 

The Tallahatta Formation, the basal unit of 

the Claiborne Group, crops out over a wide area 

from Mississippi to Georgia in the eastern Gulf 

Coastal Plain. In Mississippi and western Alabama, 

siliceous strata of the Tallahatta form prominent, 

steep outcrops. In eastern Alabama and western 

Georgia, coarse sand and gravel typical of the lower 

part of the Tallahatta in this area rest in 

conspicuous channels, which are cut into various 

Paleocene and Eocene units. Biostratigraphic 

information on the age of the Tallahatta has been 

very limited because most of the previously 

examined outcrops either lack calcareous fossils 

(mainly because of leaching) or contain sparse or 

difficult-to-remove specimens. 

To biostratigraphically date the entire 

formation, the most marine sections at the southern 

(downdip) extent of the Tallahatta outcrop belt were 

examined along the Chattahoochee and Pea Rivers 

and at Little Stave Creek. In addition, five 

coreholes (fig. 1) were drilled in Alabama and 

Georgia at, or just south of, the outcrop belt. These 

downdip core holes penetrated thicker, less 

weathered sections representing slightly deeper 

water sediments. Calcareous microfossils, including 

calcareous nannofossils and foraminifers, were 

present in significant numbers in portions of the 

cores. By combining calcareous nannofossil data 

from all the corehole and outcrop samples, the age 

of the entire Tallahatta Formation was determined 

for the first time. Diagnostic planktonic 

foraminifers were not present in most samples; 

benthonic foraminifers were more common, but 

they consisted mainly of relatively long-ranging 

Abstract 1 
a.. 

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i 

; r------ --~ 

I 

I 

I 

1 -,-.J 

;-\., 

I \ 

.I 

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EXPLANATION 

Tallahatta Creek 

2 Jackson 

3 Midway 

4 Peterman 

5 Walkers Creek 

10 Alberton 

11 Abbie Creek 

12 Columbia 

13 Coleman 

1- _.J 6 Prestwood Bridge 

14 Green Branch 

15 Factory Creek I 

I 

-----· ---- -~-' CLARKE 1 

1 l 

.69 L~ 

1 7 Elba ------- 8 Bucks Mill Creek 

\ 9 Pages Creek 

16 Hutchins Landing 

17 Odem Creek 

~~------~----------=---------~ --------------1 I 

A 3~~)~ B : I I : 

4 ,,) ~ r.J 

I 

I 

I 

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-1 

I 

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'------\ 

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A r- ____ J 

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________ ..J 

a c ~ 1 a A \. _________ j_ __ , 

- / : I // ~ ,, I 

MONROE / ,' / I ; j 

' .... , .... ___ ,.-L-------------------. ~ 

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1 :coviNGTON 1 )--··-------- --·-··-··-·· .... ··-··-··-··-··-·-·· 

{ 

., .. 

' -... '\, FLORIDA 

J 

I 

0 10 I I 

Miles 

Figure 1. Localities in Alabama and western Georgia discussed in text. Large round dots are thick fossiliferous sections in downdip 

locations; small squares are reference sections in more updip areas. 

species. These benthonic foraminiferal assemblages 

are useful, however, in paleoenvironmental 

interpretations. 

Acknowledgments 

We wish to thank Betsy Funk and Harry 

Dowsett for making all the foraminiferal and 

calcareous nannofossil preparations and drafting all 

the illustrations. We also wish to thank Harry for 

doing all the scanning electron microscope work. 

We thank David Govoni, who contributed many 

helpful suggestions throughout the preparation of 

the manuscript. We are grateful to James A. Miller 

and Joseph E. Hazel for their reviews of this paper. 

LITHOSTRATIGRAPHY 

The Tallahatta Formation in its type area in 

eastern Mississippi and western Alabama is 

dominated by siliceous claystone and siltstone 

(Toulmin, 1977), although several different 

lithologies were recognized by Smith and others 

(1894). The siliceous sediments contain significant 

amounts of cristobalite, as well as clinoptilolite and 

montmorillonite (Reynolds, 1966). In the earlier 

literature (for example, Smith and others, 1894), 

these siliceous sediments were called buhrstones 

because of their hardness and resistance to 

erosion, although little of the material was actually 

used for millstones (Thomas, 1942). 

In western Alabama and Mississippi, the 

Meridian Sand Member of the Tallahatta 

Formation is commonly found beneath the 

buhrstone and above the carbonaceous and 

laminated clay and silt of the Hatchetigbee 

Formation (fig. 2). The thickness of the Meridian 

Sand Member is variable and reaches a maximum 

of225 feet (Childress, 1973). The unit consists in 

2 Eocene Tallahatta Formation of Alabama and Georgia 
In ) ~ Planktonic E c ::;:, til 0 

s:::: ~ j N ..... 0 - foraminiferal Lithologic units in Alabama s:::: CJ Cll ·- CJ) 

tV 0 .. til 

lU til 

~ I 0. u 0 zones tV w iii 0 C) 0 c ::!l Cl) c (Blow (Stainforth and others, WEST EAST :i lU 

c 1969) 1975) 

p 1 1 Globigerinatheka w 

...J subconglobata 

NP15 Lisbon Formation 

47.5- 0 Q. 0 ::l 

- Hantkenina 0 

::E P10 ,_ 

r--- aragonensis 0 

w NP14 Q) 

r--- c z A carinina ,_ Tallahatta Formation w - P9 0 

pentacamerata .0 

50 () NP13 ~ 

0 Morozovella () 

w >- - P8 1-- - -------- -- ----------

...J aragonensis 

0: NP12 <( P7 Morozovella Meridian Sand Member "Meridian Sand Member" 

w formosa formosa 

52.5 NP11 Morozovella 

1

1111 lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllli - subbotinae Q. Bashi Formation -- Hatchetigbee Formation NP10 P6 ::l 

0 

w llllllllillllllllllllllllllllllllll/111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 

,_ 

z 0 w w Morozovella >< () I- NP9 1---- 0 0 <( 5:2 Tuscahoma Formation 55 w ...J velascoensis 

...J ·- P5 <( $ a. 

NP8 Planorotalites - Nanafalia Formation -- Baker Hill Formation P4 

NP7 pseudomenardii 

57.5-

Figure 2. Age placements for the Tallahatta and other formations of late Paleocene to middle Eocene age in Alabama and Georgia 

(zones and radiometric time scale from Vail and Hardenbol, 1979). 

outcrop of pale-colored, fine- to coarse-grained sand, 

which commonly contains quartz granules and clay 

clasts and is generally crossbedded. Thomas ( 1942) 

and Murray (1955) placed the Meridian Sand 

Member in the Wilcox Group. However, more 

recent studies in Mississippi (Priddy, 1961; Lusk, 

1963; Childress, 1973; and Gilliland, 1980) and in 

Alabama (MacNeil, 1946; Toulmin, 1977) have 

considered the Meridian to be the basal member of 

the Tallahatta Formation and thus the lowest unit 

of the Claiborne Group. The Tall aha tta has not 

been so intensively studied in eastern Alabama and 

western Georgia, but MacNeil (1946) considered 

the sand and gravel beds at the base of the 

Tallahatta Formation in this area to be a Meridian 

equivalent. MacNeil's view is supported by the 

lithostratigraphic and biostratigraphic data of the 

current study. 

The lithofacies observed in the Tallahatta are 

discussed in this paper from updip (north) to 

downdip (south) and from east (eastern Alabamawestern Georgia) to west (western AlabamaMississippi). Significant lithofacies changes are 

present in the updip-downdip (north-south) 

transects through the Tallahatta Formation. These 

facies changes are best seen in eastern Alabama 

along the deeply incised valleys of the 

Chattahoochee River and other nearby river 

systems. In updip areas in eastern Alabama, the 

Tallahatta commonly fills undulating channels cut 

into the top of the Hatchetigbee Formation. In 

western Georgia, these channels may be incised into 

the Hatchetigbee, Tuscahoma, or Baker Hill 

Formations as the intervening units pinch out. This 

channelized surface can range in relief from 5 to 20 

feet within an individual outcrop. Good updip 

exposures of this contact can be seen in Henry 

County, Ala. (locality 85, fig. 1 and table 1). The 

basal Tallahatta deposits occurring immediately 

above this unconformity range from gravelly coarse 

Lithostratigraphy 3 
Table 1. Locality information for outcrops and coreholes discussed in the text 

Location Description 

Loc. 8--ln Randolph County, Ga., a stream cut 500 feet 

north Georgia Highway 266, 1.6 miles west of Coleman 

(Coleman, Ga., 7!-min quadrangle); exposes lower beds of 

Tallahatta Formation and contact with underlying 

Hatchetigbee Formation. 

Loc. 69--In Clarke County, Ala., along Alabama Highway 69, 

on hill slope above Tallahatta Creek, sees. 19 and 20, T. 11 

N., R. 1 E (Marvin and Woods Bluff, Ala., 7!-min 

quadrangles); exposes Tallahatta Formation and 

underlying Hatchetigbee and overlying Lisbon Formations. 

Loc. 85--In Henry County, Ala., a roadcut on north side 

of County Highway 57, 320 feet east of Abbie Creek, NEl/4 

sec. 21, T. 6 N., R. 28 E. (Haleburg, Ala., 7t-min 

quadrangle); exposes lower beds of Tallahatta Formation 

and contact with underlying Hatchetigbee Formations. 

Loc. 94--In Early County, Ga., along north bank of Factory 

Creek, 1.1 miles east of juncture with Chattahoochee River 

(Columbia NE, Ga.-Ala., 7-min quadrangle); exposes lower 

beds ofTallahatta Formation. 

Loc. 191--In Coffee County, Ala., along east and west banks 

of Pea River, 0.3 mile below mouth of Bucks Mill Creek, 

SW1/4 sec. 21, T. 4 N., R. 20 E. (Ino, Ala., 7t-min 

quadrangle); exposes lower beds of Tallahatta Formation 

and contact with underlying Hatchetigbee Formation. 

Loc.192 --In Early County, Ga., along left (east) bank 

ofChattahoochee River, 0.2 mile south of Hutchins Landing 

(Columbia NE, Ga.-Ala., 7t-min quadrangle); exposes lower 

beds of Tallahatta Formation and contact with underlying 

Bashi Formation. 

Loc. A --In Monroe County, along Alabama Highway 47, about 

2 miles west of Midway, sees. 29 and 30, T. 9 N., R. 10 E. 

(Skinnerton, Ala., 7!-min quadrangle); exposes Tallahatta 

Formation and underlying Hatchetigbee and overlying 

Lisbon Formations. 

sand, commonly containing clay clasts as large as 6 

inches in dia1neter, to alternating coarse sand and 

clay layers t to 2 inches in thickness. The clay beds 

in these alternating sequences, such as those 

examined at Green's Branch in Randolph County, 

Ga. (Gibson, 1980b) (locality 8, fig. 1 and table 1), 

contain only pollen and spores; the absence of 

dinoflagellates suggests deposition in freshwater. 

At some updip localities in eastern Alabama, thick 

basal Tallahatta sand units contain massive 

bedding to large-scale crossbedding and 

occasionally contain Ophiomorpha; these 

characteriatics suggest brackish to shallow-marine 

depositional environments. The basal Tallahatta 

Location Description 

Little Stave Creek--In Clarke County, Ala., north of Jackson, 

small stream to west of U.S. Highway 43, sees. 19 and 20, T. 

7 N., R. 2 E. (Jackson, Ala., 7!-min quadrangle); exposes 

upper part of Tallahatta Formation and overlying Lisbon 

and higher formations. 

Corehole C166G--ln Early County, Ga., 1.7 miles northeast 

of Columbia, Ala., on north bank of Coheelee Creek, 160 

feet west of covered bridge (Columbia, Ga.-Ala., 7 !-min 

quadrangle); elevation at top of hole 115'; penetrated lower 

part of Lisbon and upper part ofTallahatta Formations. 

Corehole C167G--In Early County, Ga., on east bank of 

Chattahoochee River at boat launching ramp at mouth of 

Odem Creek (Columbia, Ga.-Ala., 7!-min quadrangle}; 

elevation at top of hole 107'; penetrated lower part of 

Tallahatta and upper part ofBashi Formations. 

CoreholeC171A--In Coffee County, Ala.,on south bank of 

Pages Creek, 0.1 mile west of Alberton, NEl/4 sec. 34, T. 4 

N., R. 19 E. (Opp East, Ala., 7!-min quadrangle}; elevation 

at top ofhole 155'; penetrated lower part ofTallahatta and 

Bashi and Hatchetigbee Formations. 

CoreholeC177A--In Covington County,Ala., on east bank of 

Conecuh River, 225 feet south of Prestwood Bridge, SWl/4 

sec. 14, T. 4 N., R. 15 E. <River Falls, Ala., 7!-min 

quadrangle); elevation at top ofhole 155'; penetrated lowest 

part of Lisbon Formation and most of Tallahatta 

Formation. 

Corehole C178A--In Monroe County, Ala., on north bank of 

Walkers Creek, 2.2 miles south of Peterman, SWl/4 sec. 22, 

T. 7 N., R. 8 'E. (Monroeville, Ala., 7t-min quadrangle}; 

elevation at top of hole 180'; penetrated Tallahatta, 

Hatchetigbee, and Bashi Formations. 

beds in eastern Alabama are considered the lateral 

equivalents of the Meridian Sand Member in 

western Alabama. 

Above these basal beds, the outcropping updip 

Tallahatta in eastern Alabama is composed largely 

of medium-grained sand and commonly reaches a 

thickness of 30 to 40 feet or more. The thick sand 

beds are heavily weathered because of their high 

permeability and their location high up on 

topographic divides. Several clay beds occur widely 

in the lower part of this interval. In eastern 

Alabama, a clay bed about 5 feet thick is overlain by 

several thinner clays that are approximately 6 

4 Eocene Tallahatta Formation of Alabama and Georgia 
inches thick and by medium- to coarse-grained, 

gravelly sand. 

Downdip in eastern Alabama and western-most 

Georgia, the basal Tallahatta gravel and sand units 

become finer grained and are composed mainly of 

fine- to medium-grained sand containing some 

siliceous clayey sand intervals that range from 5 to 

10 feet thick. These sediments are seen in outcrops 

in the western part of Early County, Ga., both along 

the Chattahoochee River (locality 192, fig. 1 and 

table 1) and Factory Creek (locality 94, fig. 1 and 

table 1), as well as along the Pea River in Coffee 

County, Ala. (locality 191, fig. 1 and table 1), and in 

the most downdip sections in coreholes C166G, 

C167G, and C171A (figs. 1 and 3, table 1), located a 

short distance south of the outcrop area. The sand 

contains sparse to abundant glauconite and 

scattered to abundant molluscan shells and 

occasionally is bound by a calcareous matrix. The 

lowest part of the section, presumed to be the 

Meridian Sand Member equivalent, is a clayey or 

silty, shelly sand typical of an inner neritic 

environment of deposition. This unit, which is 

sometimes partially indurated to form a calcareous 

sandstone and shows moldic porosity, serves locally 

as an artesian aquifer, confined below by the clay 

and silt of the Hatchetigbee Formation and above 

by clayey beds higher in the Tallahatta. These 

downdip sections of clayey, silty, fine sand are 

interpreted as a shallow-marine, inner neritic 

sequence on the basis of the foraminiferal and 

calcareous nannofossil assemblages that they 

contain. The Tallahatta Formation is about 100 

feet thick in eastern Alabama and western Georgia, 

as determined from the coreholes. Toulmin and 

LaMoreaux (1963) estimated the Tallahatta to be 

about 60 feet thick along the Chattahoochee River, 

but slumping of the thick sand sequences along the 

river banks impedes accurate measuring of the 

thickness of the formation in outcrop. 

Westward across Alabama, the Tallahatta 

Formation increases in thickness, and fossiliferous 

TALLAHA TT A FORMATION SECTIONS 

FEET 

0 

50 

100 

150 

LITTLE STAVE 

CREEK 

LISBON FM. 

WEST....._ 

C178A 

180FT 

----? 

-- C177A 

LISBON FM 

¢:.: 124FT 

e:· -~---

·. <?--~ 

-~--------

.:-<;?._-

. : : .;. -·:y;-::---

-_ •.•. _._._----;> 

: ·e--- :- NP14 . '? 

=(;>~-': 

·····_;;/ . 

. 9' .:.<1:: 

··•·;;-· -:v.--

EAST 

C171A C167G C166G 

LISBON FM. 

NP12 HATCHETIGBEE FM. 

EXPLANATION 

~~Clay 

k. ·.·.·-~~ Sand with clay 

lenses 

r~.--}}.\:1 Sand 

t~~·t.;J Shelly sand 

[§~§Silt 

F:i~--~,1 Calcareous sand 

~ Shellyclay 

Figure 3. Lithographic sections from five coreholes and from the outcrop section at Little Stave Creek showing facies changes across 

Alabama. Solid lines between sections indicate close biostratigraphic control; dashed lines indicate less control and suggested zonal 

boundaries. 

Lithostratigraphy 5 
clayey sand becomes a more significant component 

of the formation. Sections in coreholes C177 A and 

C178A and at the classic outcrop section at Little 

Stave Creek represent the most downdip Tallahatta 

sediments from which data were obtained in central 

and western Alabama (fig. 3). Clayey fine sand and 

silty clay are important components of the section, 

along with intervals of highly glauconitic sand. 

The strata in coreholes C177 A and C178A 

generally contain foraminiferal assemblages 

indicative of shallow-marine, inner neritic 

depositional environments. The basal part of the 

formation is sandier in places and is considered to 

be the downdip, more marine equivalent of the 

updip Meridian Sand Member. As no 

biostratigraphic control on the unfossiliferous 

Meridian Sand Member is available, this 

correlation is based on (1) the stratigraphic position 

of the sandier strata on the underlying 

Hatchetigbee Formation (corehole C178A, fig. 3) 

and (2) the presence both updip and downdip of a 

substantial unconformity separating the sandier 

strata from both underlying and overlying clay-rich 

beds. In contrast to the commonly carbonaceous, 

very fine grained sand, silt, and clay of the 

Hatchetigbee Formation, the lower Tallahatta sand 

in the coreholes is similar to the sand in the 

remainder of the Tallahatta Formation and in the 

overlying Lisbon Formation of the Claiborne Group 

in that it is coarser grained and more calcareous. 

These basal Tallahatta sandy beds thus mark the 

beginning of a genetically related sedimentary 

package characteristic of the entire Claiborne 

Group in Alabama and western Georgia. 

Murray (1955, p. 685) stated that 

the events most prominently impressed on the Coastal 

Plain Tertiary section are the major transgressions and 

regressions of the sea over the edge of the continent. It is 

logical that stages defined in the Coastal Plain should be 

geared to those cycles. Midway and Sabine stages are 

considered to include rocks deposited during the first two 

major Tertiary events of this nature in the Coastal Plain 

Province. 

An important part of the determination of these 

broad depositional cycles (and thus the stages) has 

been the recognition of the significance of the 

unconformities preserved in a section. A striking 

contact is seen at the base of the downdip Meridian 

equivalent. Here, medium-grained sand rests upon 

the carbonaceous clay found at the top of the 

Hatchetigbee Formation. In Mississippi outcrops, a 

prominent unconformity also is developed at the 

base of the Meridian (Lowe, 1933; Gilliland, 1980). 

A prominent erosional surface in updip exposures 

in eastern Alabama and western Georgia is present 

between the Hatchetigbee and the basal Meridian 

Sand Member of the Tallahatta (Gibson, 1980b). 

In the more complete cores used in this study, 

detectable disconformities sometimes separate 

sediments that represent each of the three 

calcareous nannofossil zones (Martini, 1971) in the 

Tallahatta Formation. The disconformity that 

exists in the cores between strata placed in 

calcareous nannofossil Zone NP12 and those placed 

in Zone NP13 (see the section Biostratigraphy for a 

detailed discussion of the floral zones) probably 

represents the disconformity found between the 

Meridian Sand Member and the remainder of the 

Tallahatta in updip areas. Therefore, the sand unit 

found above the clay of the Hatchetigbee Formation 

in Alabama, both updip and downdip, is placed in 

the Tallahatta Formation on lithologic grounds, 

stratigraphic position, and contact relations. This 

sand is thus considered to be the basal unit of the 

Claiborne Group. 

We are using Claiborne Group and Claibornian 

Stage in the sense of Toulmin (1977); in Alabama 

this includes the Tallahatta Formation with its 

basal Meridian Sand Member, the Lisbon 

Formation, and the Gosport Sand. The Wilcox 

Group and Sabinian Stage of Murray (1955) in 

Louisiana included the Carizzo Sand at the top. 

Murray and other authors, including Toulmin 

(1977), considered the Meridian Sand Member in 

Alabama and Mississippi to be equivalent to the 

Carrizzo, but no evidence has been presented to date 

to establish this correlation. 

U pdip (northern) sections in western Alabama, 

given in Jones (1967) (locality 69, fig. 1 and table 1) 

and Scott (1972) (locality A, fig. 1 and table 1), 

expose a variable thickness of from several feet to 

several tens of feet of massive to crossbedded sand, 

commonly gravelly at the base, which is generally 

referred to as the Meridian Sand Member. The best 

developed and thickest sections of the Meridian are 

found in eastern Mississippi, where the sand may 

be as thick as 225 feet and consists of massive to 

highly crossbedded, lignitic to nonlignitic sand 

(Thomas, 1942). 

Claystone and siltstone with large amounts of 

cristobalite dominate the middle part of the 

Tallahatta in central and western Alabama, as seen 

both in the coreholes downdip (fig. 3) and in updip 

outcrops (Toulmin, 1977). These siliceous beds 

continue into Mississippi where they are called the 

Basic City Shale Member of the Tallahatta 

(Toulmin, 1977). Sand, which is commonly 

glauconitic, is prominent in the downdip part of the 

upper Tallahatta both at Little Stave Creek 

(Bandy, 1949; Toulmin, 1962) and in corehole 

6 Eocene Tallahatta Formation of Alabama and Georgia 
C178A (fig. 3), although clayey intervals also are 

common. The dominance of sand in the upper part 

of the formation continues to the west, where the 

N eshoba Sand Member is the highest part of the 

Tallahatta in Mississippi (Toulmin, 1977). 

BIOSTRATIGRAPHY 

The previous scarcity of information on the age 

of the Tallahatta probably resulted from limited 

sampling and the sparseness of microfossils in 

many outcrops. The Tallahatta Formation 

customarily has been placed in the lower part of the 

middle Eocene, mainly on the basis of its molluscan 

assemblage (Toulmin, 1977). Bandy (1949, p. 7), 

studying the Foraminifera from Little Stave Creek, 

placed the Tallahatta in the middle Eocene. This 

placement was not based on foraminifers because, 

as he stated, "the hitherto unreported fauna from 

the Tallahatta cannot be compared with others, 

inasmuch as little foraminiferal work has been 

published upon the Lower Claiborne." Our 

examination of his species lists did not reveal any 

diagnostic species of planktonic foraminfers. In a 

study of calcareous nannofossils from California, 

Bramlette and Sullivan (1961) established several 

local biostratigraphic units for the Paleocene and 

Eocene. They considered at least part of the 

Tallahatta to be possibly assignable to their lowest 

middle Eocene Biostratigraphic Unit 4. However, 

they listed neither species nor localities for their 

Tallahatta samples. On the basis of their California 

samples, Bramlette and Sullivan (1961) reported 

that Biostratigraphic Unit 4 contained the FAD's 

(first appearance datum) of Discoaster sublodoensis 

(pl. 1, figs. 4 and 5), Lophodolithus mochlophorus 

(pl. 2, fig. 6), Blackites tenuis, Chiphragmalithus 

acanthodes, and Pemma basquense; we would place 

this unit within Zone NP14 of Martini (1971). Hay 

and others (1967) considered at least part of the 

Tallahatta to belong in their Discoaster lodoensis 

Zone (which is equivalent to Martini's Zone NP13), 

but they included Biostratigraphic Unit 4 of 

Bramlette and Sullivan in their overlying 

Discoaster sublodoensis Zone (equivalent to 

Martini's Zone NP14). Hay and Mohler (1967, p. 

1523) stated that "according to Bramlette and 

Sullivan (1961), samples from the Tallahatta 

Formation have a meager nannofossil assemblage 

that is similar to their Unit 4, which would be 

indicative of the Discoaster lodoensis Zone or 

higher." Hay and Mohler (1967) stated that they 

collected a sample from the Tallahatta Formation 

just below the Point "A" Dam, Covington County, 

Ala., but they gave no species list or age 

determination. In the current study, a sample from 

this locality also was collected and examined. In 

summary, the Tallahatta has been considered in 

past studies to belong in zones equivalent to Zones 

NP13 or NP14. 

In the current study, microfossils are sparse or 

absent in most updip sections, but both calcareous 

nannofossils and foraminifers are more abundant 

in the further downdip sediments exposed along the 

river sections and in the five coreholes examined for 

this study. Planktonic foraminifers are present in 

low percentages (commonly from 2-7 percent) in 

many samples and generally lack diagnostic species 

for correlation and dating. Calcareous nannofossils, 

however, are generally more abundant and diverse 

and much more useful in dating the Tallahatta. 

We examined 100 corehole and 58 outcrop 

samples for calcareous nannofossils from the 

freshest, most calcareous, and most marine 

intervals; of these, 49 samples were barren. Of the 

remaining 109 samples, many contained a diverse 

calcareous nannofossil assemblage, and we were 

able to place the Tallahatta Formation within 

calcareous nannofossil Zones NP12 to NP14 of 

Martini (1971) (figs. 4-8). Bybell (1975) examined 

the Tallahatta at Little Stave Creek, Ala., with a 

light microscope and placed the upper part of this 

formation in the Reticulofenestra umbilicaSphenolithus furcatolithoides Zone of Gartner 

(1971), which Gartner equated with the planktonic 

foraminiferal Zone P11 of Blow (1969). Bybell 

1975) also reported the occurrence of the calcareous 

nannofossil species Reticulofenestra umbilica from 

the Tallahatta at Little Stave Creek. The FAD of 

this species marks the base of the upper middle 

Eocene Reticulofenestra umbilica Zone of Bukry 

(1973, 1978). The species also has been used to 

approximate the base of Martini's Zone NP16 when 

Rhabdosphaera gladius is sparse or absent. 

Reexamination in the current study of these 

Tallahatta sediments from Little Stave Creek with 

the scanning electron microscope revealed that, 

instead of R. umbilica, the species actually present 

is Reticulofenestra dictyoda (pl. 2, figs. 1 and 2), a 

form that is similar toR. umbilica but which occurs 

in much older sediments. Dictyococcites bisectus and 

Lanternithus minutus,two species with their FAD's 

also in Zone NP16, were reported by Bybell (1975) 

from one Tallahatta sample. These occurrences 

could not be confirmed in the current study, and the 

presence in this sample is attributed to 

contamination. 

Discoaster sublodoensis (pl. 1, figs. 4 and 5), the 

FAD of which defines the base of Zone NP14, was 

common in the upper Tallahatta samples 

Biostratigraphy 7 
Little Stave Creek 

Formation 

Series 

Calcareous Nannofossil Zones 

(Martini,1971) 

8/ackites creber 

8/ackites scabrosus/spinosus 

8/ackites tenuis 

8raarudosphaera bige/owi 

Campy/osphaera de/a 

Cepekiella lumina 

Chiasmolithus bidens/solitus 

Chiasmolithus grandis 

Chiasmolithus titus 

Chiphragmalithus acanthodes 

Coccolithus crassipons 

Coccolithus eopelagicus 

Coccolithus pe/agicus 

Cruciplacolithus staurion 

Cyclococcolithus formosis 

Cyclococcolithus protoannu/us 

Discoaster barbadiensis 

Discoaster e/egans 

Discoaster lodoensis 

Discoaster mirus 

Discoaster sublodoensis 

Discolithina fimbriata 

Discolithina multipara 

Discolithina pectinata 

Discolithina wechesensis 

El/ipsolithus lajollaensis 

Goniolithus fluckigeri 

Helicosphaera lophota 

He/icosphaera seminulum 

Lanternithus minutus 

Lithostromation operosum 

Lithostromation simplex 

Lophodolithus mochlophorous 

Markalius inversus 

Micrantholithus vesper 

Neochiastozygus dubius 

Pemma basquense 

Pemma basquense crassum 

Pemma rotundum 

Reticulofenestra coenura 

Reticulofenestra dictyoda 

Rhabdosphaera inflata 

Sphenolithus moriformis 

Sphenolithus radians 

Thoracosphaera spp. 

Transversopontis pulcher 

Transversopontis pulcheroides 

Tribrachiatus inversus 

Zygrhablithus bijugatus 

PRESERVATION 

ABUNDANCE 

Tallahatta ~sbon 

lower Eocene l middle 

Eocene 

NP 14 

..... 

NP 

15? 

C'll • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 

~~~ ..... mOC'II~OC'II~C'IIM~~OM 

OMMMM~~~~~~~~~~ .......... 

•••••••••• 

:················ ~ ......... . m ••••• ••• z ••• • •••••• 

• • • •••••• ••••••••••••• •• • ••• • ••• ••• • ••••••••• •• • • •• •• •• •• •••••••••••••••• •••• ••••••••••••••• 

• • •••• • ••• •••• ••• •• ••• •• •• 

• • •• •••••••••• ••••• • 

•••••••• 

• • • •••••• 

• • 

••••• ••••••• • • 

••• • • • •••••• •••••••••••••• 

• •• 

• 

• • • • • •• ••••••••••• • • • • • ••• • • • •• • ••• • • • •• • ••••••• ••••••••••••••• •••••• •••• ••••••• ••• ••• • ••••••• •••••••••••• 

•••••••••• ••••••••••••••• •• •••••••••••••• 

GGGGGFGGFGFFFP FG 

CCAACCAACACC ACA 

8 Eocene Tallahatta Formation of Alabama and Georgia 

Figure 4. Occurrence of 

calcareous nannofossils at 

Little Stave Creek, Clarke 

County, Ala. Samples are 

listed by number of feet 

above the base of the 

Tallahatta exposed above the 

Jackson fault and can be 

related to columnar charts of 

Bandy 0949) or Toulmin 

(1962). Preservation: G, 

good; F, fair; P, poor . 

Abundance: A, abundant 

( 10-100 specimens per field of 

view at X 600); C, common 

0-10 specimens per field of 

view at X 600>; F, frequent (1 

specimen per 1-10 fields of 

view at X 600>; R, rare (1 

specimen per 10-100 fields of 

view at X 600). 
Corehole C178A 

Formation Tallahatta 

Series lower Eocene 

Calcareous Nannofossil Zones 

(Martini, 1971) 

NP 

10 NP 12 

8/ackites creber 

8/ackites scabrosus/spinosus 

8raarudosphaera bige/owi 

Campylosphaera de/a 

Cepekiella lumina 

Chiasmolithus bidens/solitus 

Chiasmolithus grandis 

Chiasmolithus titus 

Chiphragmalithus acanthodes 

Chiphragmalithus calathus 

Cocccolithus eope/agicus 

Coccolithus pe/agicus 

Cruciplacolithus spp. 

Cyclococcolithus formosus 

Discoaster elegans 

Discoaster limbatus 

Discoaster lodoensis 

Discoaster mirus 

Discoaster sublodoensis 

Discoasteroides kuepperi 

Discolithina fimbriata 

Discolithina multipara 

Discolithina pectinata 

Discolithina wechesensis 

Ellipsolithus lajollaensis 

Ellipsolithus mace/Ius 

Helicosphaera lophota 

Helicosphaera seminu/um 

Lithostromation simplex 

Lophodolithus mochophorous 

Lophodolithus nascens 

Marka/ius inversus 

Micrantholithus vesper 

Neochiastozygus sp. aft protenus 

Reticulofenestra coerna 

Reticu/ofenestra dictyoda 

Rhabdosphaera inflata 

Rhabdosphaera truncata 

Sphenolithus moriformis 

Sphenolithus radians 

Thoracosphaera spp. • 

Toweius occulatus 

Transversopontis pu/cher 

Transversopontis pu/cheroides 

Transversopontis ct. T. zigzag 

Tribrachiatus contortus • 

Tribrachiatus orthostylus 

Zygrhablithus bijugatus 

PRESERVATION P 

ABUNDANCE R 

z zzzz z 

w wwww w 

a: a:a:a:a: a: 

a: a:a:a:a: a: 

<( <(<(<(<( <( 

meemmmmem •• 

• • •• 

•• • •• 

•• 

• 

• 

•• 

• 

•• •• • •• •• 

•• 

G F 

C F 

• 

• 

•• 

••• • 

• •• •• 

••••• 

• 

••• 

• • • 

• 

• • •• 

•• 

•••• 

P F F F F 

F F F F F 

zzz 

www 

a: a: a: 

a: a: a: 

<(<(<( 

mmm 

• 

p 

R 

z 

w 

a: 

a: 

<( 

Ill • 

• 

• • • 

• • 

• • 

• • 

• • 

• 

• •• 

F P F 

R F F 

? 

BARREN 

NP14 

• ••• • • •• •• • ••• ••• •• •• 

••• • ••• • 

•••• 

• • •• •••• • •• •• ••• • ••• • 

• •• ••• • • 

••• 

•••• •••• •• 

•••• • • •• 

• • ••• • 

•••• 

F G F P 

c c c c 

Figure 5. Occurrence of calcareous nannofossils in core hole C 1 78A in Monroe County, Ala. Samples are listed by number 

offeet below ground level. See figure 4 for an explanation of abundance and preservation symbols. 

Biostratigraphy 9 
Formation 

Series 

Calcareous Nannofossil Zones 

( M a r tin i, 1 9 7 1 ) 

8/ackites creber 

z 

w 

a: 8/ackites scabrosus/spinosus ~ 

8raarudosphaera bige/owi m 

Campylosphaera de/a 

Cepekiel/a lumina 

Chiasmolithus bidens/solitus 

Chiasmolithus gigas 

Chiasmolithus grandis 

Chiasmolithus titus 

Coccolithus eope/agicus 

Coccolithus pe/agicus 

Cruciplacolithus sp. 

Cyc/ococcolithus formosus 

Cyc/ococcolithus protoannu/us 

Discoaster barbadiensis 

Discoaster elegans 

Discoaster lodoensis 

Discoaster mirus 

Discoaster sublodoensis 

Discoasteroides kuepperi 

Discolithina fimbriata 

Discolithina multipara 

Discolithina pectinata 

Discolithina wechesensis 

Helicosphaera lophota 

Helicosphaera seminulum 

Lithostromation operosum 

Lithostromation simplex 

Lophodolithus moch/ophorous 

Lophodolithus nascens 

Markalius inversus 

Micrantholithus vesper 

Neochiastozygus dubius 

Pemma basquense 

Pemma basquense crassum 

Pemma rotundum 

Pemma serratum 

Pemma spp. 

Reticulofenestra coenura 

Reticu/ofenestra dictyoda 

Rhabdosphaera inflata 

Sphenolithus moriformis 

Sphenolithus radians 

Thoracosphaera spp. 

Toweius occulatus 

Transversopontis pulcher 

Transversopontis pulcheroides 

Transversopontis ct. T. zigzag 

Tribrachiatus orthostylus 

Zygrhablithus bijugatus 

PRESERVATION 

ABUNDANCE 

Corehole C 17 7 A 

Tallahatta 

lower Eocene middle Eocene 

NP 12 

• 

• 

• 

• • • 

z 

w 

a: 

a: 

<t 

al 

•• 

••• 

•• 

••• 

• 

• • •• ••• • • 

••• • • 

P F F P P 

F F F F F 

zzz 

www 

a: a:: a: a: a:: a: <t<t<t 

alalal 

NP 

13 

• • ••• 

••••• 

••••••• 

•• •• • •• •• • ••••••• • • ••• •• 

• • • • ••• •••• ••••• •• •• ••• • • •• • • 

••••••• • • ••• • • 

•• • 

• 

• • •• • • •• 

••• •• • • •• •• •• •• • •• •• •• 

• • • 

NP 14 

• • 

• • • • 

• • 

• • •••••• 

• ••• 

••• • 

• ••• 

• • 

• • • 

•• • • ••• • • 

•••• • ••• • • • • ••• • 

• 

z 

w 

a: 

a: 

<t 

al 

• • 

• 

• • • 

• 

• • 

• • • 

• • 

• 

• • • • • 

• • 

• • 

• 

PPPGFFGPPPPFPPP F 

FFFCCFCFFCCCFFF F 

zz 

NP 

15 

a:: ~~· a: <t<t 

al al • 

• • • • 

• • • 

• • • 

• 

• 

• • • • • 

• • • • • • 

• • 

• • 

• 

• 

F 

A 

Figure 6. Occurrence of calcareous nannofossils in corehole C177 A in Covington County, Ala. Samples are listed by 

number below ground level. See figure 4 for an explanation of abundance and preservation symbols. 

10 Eocene Tallahatta Formation of Alabama and Georgia 
Corehole C171A 

Formation 

Series 

Calcareous Nannofossil Zones NP 10] 

(Martini, 1971) or 11 

8/ackites creber 

8/ackites scabrosus/spinosus 

8raarudosphaera bige/owi 

Campylosphaera de/a 

Cepekiella lumina 

Chiasmolithus bidens/ solitus 

Chiasmolithus expansus 

Chiasmolithus grandis 

Coccolithus eope/agicus 

Coccolithus pelagicus 

Cyc/ococcolithus formosis 

Discoaster barbadiensis 

Discoaster diastypus 

Discoaster elegans 

Discoaster limbatus 

Discoaster lodoensis 

Discoaster mirus 

Discoaster sublodoensis 

Discoasteroides kuepperi 

Discolithina fimbriata 

Discolitnina multipara 

Ellipsolithus bolli 

Ellipsolithus mace/Ius 

Helicosphaera lophota 

Helicosphaera seminulum 

Lophodolithus nascens 

Markalius inversus 

Neochiastozygus dubius 

Neochiastozygus aft protenus 

Sphenolithus moriformis 

Sphenolithus radians 

Thoracosphaera spp. 

Toweius craticulus 

Transversopontis pulcher 

Transversopontis pulcheroides 

Tribrachiatus orthostylus 

Zygodiscus sigmoides 

Zygrhablithus bijugatus 

PRESERVATION 

ABUNDANCE 

z z 

ww 

a: a: 

• a: a: 

< ~ 

ecam 

• • 

• • • 

• 

• • 

• • 

• • • • • • 

• • • 

F 

F 

Tallahatta 

lower Eocene 

NP 12 NP 13 NP 14 

• 

•• 

••• • 

••••• • • • •••••••• • • • 

z 

w 

a: 

a: 

< 

ca 

• • ••••••••••••••••• •••••• • • 

•••• 

• • ••• ••• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•• 

• 

•••••••••• •• •• • • • • • • 

•• •• ••••••• • • •• • • 

• • •••• • •••••••• 

• ••••• •• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

P P P P P F P F P P F F P P P P P 

F F F F F F F F C C C C C F C F F 

Figure 7. Occurrence of calcareous nannofossils in corehole Cl71A in Coffee County, Ala. Samples are listed by number 

of feet below ground level. See figure 4 for an explanation of abundance and preservation symbols. 

Biostratigraphy 11 
Corehole C166G 

For01ation Tallahatta 

Series flower Eocene 

middle 

Eocene 

Calcareous Nannofossil Zones 

(Martini.l971) 

8/ackites creber 

8/ackites scabrosus/spinosus 

Campy/osphaera de/a 

Chiasmolithus bidens/ solitus 

Chiasmolithus grandis 

Chiasmolithus titus 

Coccolithus eopelagicus 

Coccolithus occulatus 

Coccolithus pelagicus 

Cruciplacolithus staurion 

Cyclococcolithus formorus 

Discoaster barbadiensis 

Discoaster elegans 

Discoaster lodoensis 

Disc oaster mirus 

Discoaster sublodoensis 

Discoasteroides kuepperi 

Discolithina multipara 

Helicosphaera lophota 

Helicosphaera seminulum 

Markalius inversus 

Reticulofenestra coenura 

Rhabdosphaera inflata 

Sphenolithus radians 

Thoracosphaera spp. 

Transversopontis pulcher 

Transversopontis pulcheroldes 

Zygrhablithus bijugatus 

PRESERVATION 

ABUNDANCE 

C\1 

,.. ? 

a.. . z 

co ~ ,.. c.o ,.. ..... 

z 

w 

a: 

a: 

c( 

• m 

• 

• 

• • • 

• 

• • 

F 

c 

NP 

14 

;-(ou, 

..... coco 

• •• 

• • • 

••• 

••• • •• 

•• ••• 

• • • • • 

••• • • • • 

••• •• 

F P F 

CCC 

? 

~ ~ 

()() ..... ll)ll) 

• 

• • • • 

•• • •• • 

• 

• 

• •• 

p p 

C A 

C167G 

Tallahatta 

lower Eocene 

? NP 12 NP 

13 

BARREN • •• • • 

• •• ••••••• 

• ••• 

•••• 

• • • • • • 

• • • • • • •• • • •• • • 

F F p p p F p 

F c F F F cc 

Figure 8. Occurrence of calcareous nannofossils in corehole C166G and C167G in Early County, Ga. Samples are listed by number of 

feet below ground level. See figure 4 for an explanation of abundance and preservation symbols. 

12 Eocene Tallahatta Formation of Alabama and Georgia 
throughout the study area (figs. 4-8). Neither 

Nannotetrina fulgens (the FAD of which marks the 

base of Zone NP15) nor any other member of the 

genusNannotetrina was observed in any Tallahatta 

samples. The FAD of the genus N annotetrina was 

proposed by Perch-Nielsen (1977) to indicate the 

base of Zone NP15 in the absence of N. fulgens or 

when poor preservation made individual species of 

this genus indistinguishable. In the absence of 

Nannotetrina, the upper 31 feet of fossiliferous 

Tallahatta sediments exposed at Little Stave Creek 

would normally be placed within Zone NP14 (figs. 3 

and 4); the lower exposed 33 feet are barren of 

calcareous nannofossils. An additional 100 feet of 

subsurface Tallahatta, which were projected by 

Bandy (1949, p. 9) to occur in this area, were not 

sampled. 

Despite the absence of species of Nannotetrina, 

the uppermost Tallahatta at Little Stave Creek 

could still be in Zone NP15. The genus 

N annotetrina has been not reported to date 

anywhere in the eastern Gulf Coastal Plain, and its 

absence may be due to environmental rather than 

evolutionary factors. Because of this possibility, 

the ranges of the taxa C hias molithus gigas and 

Rhabdosphaera inflata (pl. 1, fig. 6) were examined 

in an attempt to more accurately date the 

uppermost Tallahatta. Because the LAD (last 

appearance datum) of R. inflata has been reported 

at the top of Zone NP14 (Romein, 1979) and the 

FAD of C. gigas has been reported at the base of 

Zone NP15 (Muller, 1979; Perch-Nielsen, 1977; 

Romein, 1979), these species could be used as 

possible alternative markers in place of 

Nannotetrina. However, Muller (1979) reported the 

LAD of R. inflata below the NP14-NP15 boundary, 

and Okada and Thierstein (1979) and Proto Decima 

and others (1975) reported the FAD of C. gigas 

above this boundary. At Little Stave Creek, which 

contains the best preserved calcareous nannofossils 

in the study area, the LAD of R. inflata occurs 

several feet below the top of the Tallahatta (fig. 4). 

The uppermost Tallahatta in corehole C177 A is 

barren of calcareous nannofossils (fig. 6). C. gigas 

is present in the basal Lisbon Formation in this 

core; however, the Tallahatta and Lisbon are 

separated by an unconformity here. C. gigas was 

not found in the poorly preserved basal Lisbon at 

Little Stave Creek. Because of these 

inconsistencies both in the published species ranges 

of R. inflata and C. gigas and in this study, one can 

state only that the uppermost 13 feet of Tallahatta 

at Little Stave Creek above the LAD of R. inflata 

may be in Zone NP15. Careful examination of 

upper Tallahatta and basal Lisbon from additional 

localities in the Gulf Coastal Plain may document 

the presence of Nannotetrina and (or) more 

accurately define the ranges of R. inflata and C. 

gigas and, thus, permit more precise placement of 

the NP14-NP15 boundary. Zone NP14 age 

sediments also were present in the upper Tallahatta 

from four coreholes across Alabama and into 

Georgia: C178A, C177A, C171A, and C166G (figs. 

5-8). 

Figure 9 is a composite range chart for Zones 

NP12 to NP14 based on all the Tallahatta sections 

in the study area. As seen in this figure, R. inflata, 

Chiphragmalithus acanthodes, and Ellipsolithus 

lajollaensis (pl. 2, fig. 8) occur only in the middle of 

Zone NP14 and are absent from the lowermost and 

uppermost part of this zone. Several other species 

also have their FAD's and LAD's within Zone 

NP 14, and these species can be used to finely 

subdivide this zone. This information can then be 

used to interpret an individual section or corehole. 

For example, in corehole C178A (figs. 3 and 5), the 

basal NP14 age sediments are presumed missing 

because the lowest fossiliferous NP14 sediments 

encountered in the section contain R. inflata, C. 

acanthodes, and Discolithina wechesensis. Corehole 

C177 A (figs. 3 and 6), in contrast, contains first the 

FAD of D. sublodoensis, followed by the FAD of R. 

inflata and then D. wechesensis, and most, if not all, 

of basal NP14 appears to be represented in this 

core. At Little Stave Creek, at least 5 feet of 

uppermost Tallahatta sediments lack R. inflata 

(figs. 3 and 4). This uppermost Tallahatta may be 

missing in coreholes C177A and C178A on the basis 

of the presence of R. inflata in each uppermost 

fossiliferous sample. The Tallahatta sample 

examined from just below the Point "A" Dam 

(locality given in Copeland, 1966), which is assumed 

to be essentially equivalent to the one Tallahatta 

sample listed in Hay and Mohler (1967), is placed in 

lower Zone NP14 on the basis of the presence of D. 

sublodoensis, the absence of R. inflata, and the 

presence of Lophodolithus mochlophorus and L. 

nascens (fig. 9). 

At Little Stave Creek, approximately 27 feet of 

nonfossiliferous Tallahatta sediments are exposed 

below the Zone NP14 material (figs. 3 and 4). 

About 30 miles to the east at corehole C178A, about 

50 feet of nonfossiliferous sediments are also below 

the Zone NP14 material (figs. 3 and 5). However, 

farther to the east in the most downdip coreholes 

(C177 A, C171A, and C167G), sediments directly 

underlying Zone NP14 material do contain 

calcareous nannofossils. They were placed in Zone 

NP13 (figs. 3, 6, and 8), on the basis of the absence 

of Tribrachiatus orthostylus (pl. 1, fig. 2) (LAD 

Biostratigraphy 13 
FORMATIO~shi Tallahatta ~on 

I 

lower middle SERIES I 

Eocene I Eocene 

~ 

I 

NP NP 1) 10 NP 12 NP 13 NP 14 15 

Campylosphaera de/a 

Cepekiella lumina 

Chiasmolithus bidens/solitus 

Coccolithus eopelagicus 

Coccolithus pe/agicus 

Discoaster e/egans 

Markalius inversus 

Micrantholithus vesper 

Sphenolithus moriformis 

Sphenolithus radians 

Thoracosphaera spp. 

Zygrhablithus bijugatus 

Discoaster lodoensis -- Trans versopontis pu/cheroides 

Chiphragmolithus calathus - Rhabdosphaera truncata - El/ipsolithus mace/Ius 

Helicosphaera seminulum 

Discoaster mirus 

Discolithina pectinata 

Cyclococcolithus formosis 

Toweius occulatus 

Helicosphaera lophota 

Reticulofenestra coerna 

Reticulofenestra dictyoda 

Tribrachiatus orthostylus 

8/ackites creber 

Discoaster barbadiensis 

Neochiastozygus dubius 

Discoaster sublodoensis 

Lithostromation operosum 

8/ackites scabrosus 

Chiasmolithus grandis 

Discolithina multipara 

Chiasmolithus titus 

Lithostromation simplex 

Lophodolithus mochlophorus 

Cruciplacolithus spp. 

Discolithina fimbriata 

Discoasteroides kuepperi 

Rhabdosphaera inflata 

Transversopontis cf. zigzag - Chiphragmalithus acanthodes - El/ipsolithus lajollaensis - Lophodolithus nascens 

Discolithina wechesensis 

8/ackites spinosus 

8/ackites tenuis 

Pemma basquense 

Cyclococcolithus protoannulus 

Pemma rotundum 

Cruciplacolithus staurion 

Transversopontis pulcher - Chiasmolithus gigas - Figure 9. Composite range chart for calcareous nannofossils of the Tallahatta Formation. The chart data were derl.ved 

from all the localities examined. Small portions of the underlying Bashi and overlying Lisbon Formations are includ~d to 

indicate which species continue below and above the Tallahatta. 

14 Eocene Tallahatta Formation of Alabama and Georgia 
marks the top of Zone NP12), the presence of 

Helicosphaera lophota (pl. 1, fig. 3) (FAD occurs at 

approximately the top of Zone NP12), and absence of 

D. sublodoensis. T. orthostylus has been reported 

above Zone NP12 elsewhere (Bukry, 1973; PerchNielsen, 1977), but this is assumed to be a result of 

reworking, on the basis of the observed resistance of 

this species to dissolution in the current study. 

Because of this possibility for reworking of T. 

orthostylus, Hazel and others (in press) have 

proposed substituting the FAD of H. lophota for the 

LAD of T. orthostylus to define the base of Zone 

NP13. In the Tallahatta Formation in Alabama, 

these two horizons are less than 1 foot apart (fig. 6). 

The lowest Tallahatta clayey sand, considered 

to be the downdip equivalent of the Meridian Sand 

Member, is found in all five coreholes. These beds 

were placed in Zone NP12 on the basis of the 

presence of both Discoaster lodoensis (pl. 1, fig. 1) 

(FAD marks the base of Zone NP12) and T. 

orthostylus (LAD marks the base of Zone NP13). H. 

lophota was present only in the uppermost sample 

of Zone NP12. 

As can be seen from the foregoing discussion, 

the Tallahatta Formation from western Alabama to 

western Georgia contains calcareous nannofossil 

Zones NP12, NP13, and NP14. Because the base of 

the middle Eocene is generally placed either at the 

base of Zone NP14 (Hardenbol and Berggren, 1978) 

or in the lower third of Zone NP14 (Haq, in press; 

Vail and Mitchum, 1979), most of the Tallahatta 

Formation must be considered to be early Eocene in 

age. 

Forty species of calcareous nannofossils 

representing 35 FAD's and 14 LAD's occur within 

the Tallahatta (fig. 9), an interval of 4 to 5 m.y. (fig. 

2). The first appearance in the eastern Gulf Coastal 

Plain within Zones NP12 to NP14 of a large 

number of new species supports the supposition that 

the early Eocene was a time when many new 

calcareous nannofossil species appeared worldwide 

(Haq, 1973, fig. 2). This apparently sudden and 

significant increase in calcareous nannofossil 

diversity could be associated with a global high 

temperature peak postulated by Haq and others 

(1977, p. 3871) and Haq (1981, p. 76) to have 

occurred at this time. 

PALEOENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS 

Several prominent erosional surfaces are 

present within the Tallahatta in most of the cores; 

these surfaces are characterized by a sharp 

lithologic change and by burrowing for as much as 3 

feet downward from the hiatus. The erosional 

surfaces correspond in several places to calcareous 

nannofossil zonal boundaries. This correspondence 

suggests that the surfaces may represent missing 

sediments and that the strata contained within one 

calcareous nannofossil zone may represent a 

complete transgressive-regressive cycle, the top of 

which was truncated during the onset of the 

succeeding cycle. 

Foraminiferal assemblages were used to 

determine any discernible environmental changes, 

particularly water depths, within these apparent 

cycles. Relative water depths, once determined 

from the foraminifers, could then be compared to 

global patterns of coastal onlap associated with sealevel fluctuations postulated by Vail and Mitchum 

(1979) (fig. 10). Relative water depth is 

...J 

<( (J)=:;! u.o CYCLES OF RELATIVE CHANGES OF SEA LEVEL (.)0: ::::l(J) OCJ EUSTATIC CHANGES OF SEA LEVEL 

~~(/) Om DERIVED FROM COASTAL ONLAP worn rn< 1-Zw o:u.w zrn Vail and Hardenbol (1979) 

EPOCH ~-Z <COZ 2o: Vail and Mitchum (1979) z:::SO UzO ...J< <(<N ....!zN =:!w --RISING FALLING ---- ....10: <(<( :::!:>- o..o Uz 1.0 0.5 300 200 100 METERS u. 

r-

~ l_ w P11 ...J 

Cl ,______ NP15 Cl 

w ~ P10 r---

z 

w P9 r---

NP14 ~ 

\ (J >- 1---- NP13 50 

~-------~----~~~~~= 0 ...J P8 1---

w a: 1---NP12 <( P7 PRESENT w NP11 SEA LEVEL--. 

P6 

NP10 

Figure 10. Coastal onlap curve from Vail and Mitchum <1979) and eustatic sea-level curve from Vail and Hardenbol (1979) for the 

early and middle Eocene. 

Paleoenvironmental Analysis 15 
derived from two parameters: (1) foraminiferal 

species diversity and (2) the percentage of 

planktonic specimens relative to the entire 

foraminiferal assemblage. The total species 

diversity is assumed to increase with increasing 

water depth (Gibson and Buzas, 1973), and the 

relative percentage of planktonic specimens also is 

assumed to increase with distance from shore or 

greater water depths (Grimsdale and van 

Morkhoven, 1955; Boltovskoy and Wright, 1976; 

Gibson, 1980a). A foraminiferal environmental 

index, tau, proposed by Gibson (1981), is the product 

of planktonic percentage times the total number of 

species in the sample. This index accentuates the 

difference between shallow and deeper marine 

waters by extending values over four orders of 

magnitude. Figure 11 is a plot using data from 

Parker (1954) on modern assemblages in the 

adjacent northeastern part of the Gulf of Mexico. 

Observe that the tau values increase gradually with 

increasing depth on this log-log plot with a steeper 

increase in the deepest samples. Although the tau 

values may vary from region to region because of 

differences in species diversity and (or) planktonic 

percentage, the tau value is thought to accurately 

reflect the depth similarities or differences, 

especially on an order of magnitude basis, within 

one depositional basin averaged over a relatively 

short period of time (a few millions of years). The 

plot of the tau value for corehole C171A and 

adjacent outcrops (fig. 12) shows a relatively low 

value in the lower Zone NP12 strata, with a 

considerable increase in value in upper NP12 

strata. This change presumably indicates a 

deepening of the waters in this area as a result of 

either a eustatic sea-level rise or subsidence, or 

10,000~------------------------------------------------------~ 

Northeast Gulf of Mexico 

• • • 

• •a• 

•••• 

10 50 100 

tau 

•• 

• 

•• 

• 

• 

•• • 

500 1,000 

• 

•• • 

• 

• •:. 

•• • •• 

• • • • 

••• 

• 

10,000 

Figure 11 . Tau values of modern foraminiferal assemblages from the northeastern Gulf of Mexico plotted versus sample depth on a log 

scale (date from Parker, 1954). Tau (Gibson, 1981) is the product of planktonic percentage times the total number of species in a 

sample. 

16 Eocene Tallahatta Formation of Alabama and Georgia 
both, during Zone NP12 time. A similar pattern in 

the rise in relative sea level was proposed by Vail 

and Hardenbol (1979) and Vail and Mitchum (1979) 

for this time interval. Compared to samples in the 

lower part of Zone NP12, those placed in Zone NP13 

have relatively high tau values, and some from 

Zone NP14 have even higher. These values suggest 

that water depths during deposition of Zone NP14 

age strata in this part of Alabama were as great or 

greater than those occurring during Zone NP13 and 

the upper part of Zone NP12. The coastal onlap 

curves of Vail and Mitchum (1979) and sea-level 

curves of Vail and Hardenbol (1979) (fig. 10) 

represented Zone NP13 as a time of higher sea-level 

stands than those of Zone NP12. The curves 

depicted Zone NP14 as a period of significant sealevel lowering, with depths lower than any 

observed for Zones NP12 or NP13. The tau values 

_J 

<( (/)= ua: z 

J: -W ~(/) 0 z u_C/) ow(/) - () o-w WOw t-

<( 0 

a.. 1-~Z ~~0 a:u.z ~ 

w z<CN <eOo a: 

:3a: UZN 0 --IZ u. a..o <(<( 

u. uz 

I 

w NP15 _J 

Cl P10 Cl 

-

~ 

NP14 

w 

I 

for the Tallahatta Formation in corehole C171A in 

central Alabama, however, indicate that, although 

sea level was considerably higher in Zone NP13 

time than in Zone NP12 time, a large drop in sea 

level during Zone NP14 time did not occur. This 

apparent deviation from global patterns may have 

resulted from localized structural activity in 

central Alabama, but only a detailed analysis of the 

relation between sea-level stand and fossil zones 

during this time interval elsewhere in the Gulf 

Coastal Plain can resolve this problem. 

THE TALLAHATTA AND THE AGE OF THE 

CLAIBORNIAN STAGE 

The Claiborne Group, as used in Alabama, 

consists (in ascending order) of the Tallahatta, 

Lisbon, and Gosport Formations (Toulmin, 1977). 

The Meridian Sand Member (as discussed in the 

COREHOLE C171A 

I 

1

1

0 

I I I 

100 

I 4QQ I 

I I 

• • 

• z pg TALLAHATTA --------------------------•------------- w 

() 

0 NP13 FORMATION 

w >-

_J 

a: P8 

<( 

w 

NP12 

P7 

• 

• 

--------------------------------.----------

• • 

• • • • • • I I I I 

0 2 4 6 10 

• 

I I 

20 40 

tau 

I I 

100 I I I I I 

400 1,000 

Figure 12. Tau values of foraminiferal assemblages from the Tallahatta Formation in corehole C171A, south of Elba, Ala. Tau 

(Gibson, 1981 l is the product of planktonic percentage times the total number of species in a sample. 

The Tallahatta and the Age of the Claibornian Stage 17 
section Lithostratigraphy) forms the basal portion 

of the updip Tallahatta Formation in parts of 

western Alabama and Mississippi and has been 

recognized in easternmost Alabama (MacNeil, 

1946). The limits of the Claiborne Group form the 

basis for the Claibornian Stage, so more accurate 

dating of the Tallahatta Formation by means of 

calcareous nannofossils has made possible a more 

accurate definition of the base of this stage. Zones 

NP12, NP13, and NP14 are recognized in the 

Tallahatta (see Lithostratigraphy). Zones NP12 

and NP13 are exclusively early Eocene in age, and 

Zone NP14 probably straddles the early-middle 

Eocene boundary. Therefore, the Claibornian 

Stage represents a significant amount of early 

Eocene time, and the lower boundary of the 

Claibornian Stage (the base of the Tallahatta) does 

not correspond to the early-middle Eocene 

boundary. The Sabinian-Claibornian Stage 

boundary occurs at approximately 52 m.y., while 

the early-middle Eocene boundary is approximately 

3 m.y. later (fig. 2). The underlying Bashi and 

Hatchetigbee Formations, the uppermost units of 

the Wilcox Group and the Sabinian Stage (Gibson, 

1983), were placed in the lowermost Eocene Zone 

NP10 (Gibson and Bybell, 1981) (fig. 2). Recently, 

in central Alabama, an additional depositional 

cycle was recognized in these formations that may 

represent Zone NP11 (Bybell, unpub. data). The 

large unconformity of at least 2.6 m.y., which 

Gibson and Bybell (1981) previously believed to 

exist in the eastern Gulf Coastal Plain between the 

Sabinian and Claibornian Stages (or the BashiHatchetigbee and Tallahatta Formations), was 

decreased through examination of additional 

material from more downdip localities (particularly 

from the coreholes) in the current study. This 

Sabinian-Claibornian separation now appears to be 

only about 1 m.y. in most localities examined 

(corehole C178A, outcrops along the Pea River, and 

along the Chattahoochee River) and perhaps less 

than 1 m.y. in central Alabama (C171A) where Zone 

NP12 age Tallahatta strata rest disconformably 

upon possible Zone NP11 age Bashi. 

CONCLUSIONS 

Detailed study of the lithologies, calcareous 

nannofossils, and planktonic and benthonic 

foraminifers of the Tallahatta Formation in the 

central Gulf Coastal Plain leads to the following 

conclusions: 

1. The Meridian Sand Member is considered to be 

the basal member of the Tallahatta 

Formation on the basis of lithologic 

association, superposition, and boundary 

relations. 

2. The Tallahatta in the study area is represented 

by calcareous nannofossil Zones NP12, 

NP13, and NP14, and most of the formation is 

thus early Eocene in age. 

3. The Sabinian-Claibornian boundary in Alabama 

occurs approximately 3 m.y. before the 

lower-middle Eocene boundary. 

4. It is now possible to more finely subdivide Zones 

NP12 to NP14 by using the detailed 

calcareous nannofossil composite range chart 

for the central Gulf Coastal Plain. 

5. The lower Eocene in the Gulf Coastal Plain represented a time of significant increase in 

calcareous nannofossil diversity, possibly 

associated with a high global temperature 

peak at this time. 

6. On the basis of the foraminiferal environmental 

index tau, during Zone NP12 time, relative 

sea level rose in the central Gulf Coastal 

Plain. Sea level was even higher in Zone 

NP13 time and continued to be high 

throughout Zone NP14 time. This contrasts 

with the coastal onlap curve of Vail and 

Mitchum (1979) that postulates a significant 

sea-level drop for Zone NP14. 

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Boltovskoy, Estoban, and Wright, Ramil, 1976, Recent Foraminifera: Dr. W. Junk, Publishers, The Hague, 515 p. 

Bramlette, M. N., and Sullivan, F. R., 1961, Coccolithophorids 

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__ 1978, Biostratigraphy of Cenozoic marine sediments by 

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Childress, S.C., 1973, Mississippi Geologic Names: Mississippi 

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Copeland, C. W., ed., 1966, Facies changes in the Alabama Tertiary: Alabama Geological Society, Fourth Annual Field 

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18 Eocene Tallahatta Formation of Alabama and Georgia 
Gartner, Stefan, 1971, Calcareous nannofossils from the 

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Paleontology, v. 8, p.101-121. 

Gibson, T. G., 1980~ Planktonic-benthonic foraminiferal ratios 

from the northeastern United States coast--

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___ 1980b, Facies changes oflower Paleogene strata, in Reinhardt, J uergen, and Gibson, T. G., Upper Cretaceous and 

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western Georgia and eastern Alabama, in Frey, R. W., ed., 

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__ 1981, Modern foraminiferal population characteristics 

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___ 19831 Revision of the Hatchetigbee and Bashi 

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Gibson, T. G., and Bybell, L. M., 1981, Facies changes in the 

Hatchetigbee Formation in Alabama-Georgia and the 

Wilcox-Claiborne Group unconformity: GulfCoast 

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301-306. 

Gilliland, W. A., 1980, Clarke County geology and mineral resources: Mississippi Geological Survey Bulletin 121,147 p. 

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Haq, B. U., 1973, Transgressions, climatic change and the diversity of calcareous nannoplankton: Marine Geology, v.15, p. 

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___ 1981, Paleogene paleoceanography: Early Cenozoic 

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__ 1984, Jurassic to Recent nannofossil biochronology: An 

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foraminiferal zonation and characteristics of index forms: 

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62, p.l- 425. 

Thomas, E. P., 1942, The Claiborne: Mississippi State Geological Survey Bulletin 48, 96 p. 

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southwestern Alabama, in Little Stave Creek-Salt 

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1962 Guidebook: New Orleans, La., Gulf Coast Association 

of Geological Societies, p.l-46. 

__ 1977, Stratigraphic distribution of Paleocene and Eocene 

fossils in the eastern Gulf Coast region: Alabama 

Geological Survey, Monograph 13, 602 p. 

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the Chattahoochee River, connecting link between Atlantic 

and Gulf Coastal Plains: American Association of 

Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 47, p. 385-404. 

Vail, P. R., and Hardenbol, Jan, 1979, Sea-level changes during 

the Tertiary: Oceanus, v. 22, no. 3, p. 71-79. 

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20 Eocene Tallahatta Formation of Alabama and Georgia 
PLATES 1 AND 2 

Contact photographs of the plates in this report are available, at cost, from the U.S. Geological Survey 

Library, Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225. 
Figure 1. 

2. 

3. 

4-5. 

6. 

7-8. 

9. 

10. 

11-12. 

PLATE 1 

Discoaster lodoensis Bramlette and Riedel (X 1,700). Corehole C171A 39'. 

Tribrachiatus orthostylus Shamrai ( X 3,900). Core hole C178A 178'. 

Helicosphaera lophota (Bramlette and Sullivan) Locker (X 4,900). Little Stave Creek 37'. 

Discoaster sublodoensis Bramlette and Sullivan. 

4. Proximal view (X 3,700). Little Stave Creek 37'. 

5. Distal view (X 5,700). Corehole C177A 136'. 

Rhabdosphaera inflata Bramlette and Sullivan (X 2,600). Little Stave Creek 39'. 

Transversopontis pulcheroides (Sullivan) Baldi-Beke. 

7. Distal view (X 7,800). Little Stave Creek 61'. 

8. Proximal view (X 6,200). Little Stave Creek 34'. 

Helicosphaera seminulum Bramlette and Sullivan (X 4,400). Little Stave Creek 39'. 

Cyclococcolithus formosus Kamptner (X 5,300). Little Stave Creek 39'. 

Reticulofenestra coenura (Reinhardt) Roth. 

11. Distal view (X 10,000). Little Stave Creek 50'. 

12. Proximal view (X 10,400). Little Stave Creek 61 '. 
1 2 3 

4 5 6 

8 9 

10 11 12 
PLATE 2 

Figure 1-2. Reticulofenestra dictyoda (Deflandre and Fert) Stradner and Edwards. 

1. Distal view (X 5900). Little Stave Creek 61 '. 

2. Proximal view (X 5100). Little Stave Creek 39'. 

3. Blackites creber (Deflandre) Stradner and Edwards (X 4800). Little Stave Creek 39'. 

4. Blackites scabrosus (Deflandre) Roth (X 2600). Little Stave Creek 39'. 

5. Chiasmolithus titus Gartner (X 5000). Corehole C177A 136'. 

6. Lophodolithus mochlophorus Deflandre (X 3200). Little Stave Creek 37'. 

7. Transversopontis fimbriatus (Bramlette and Sullivan) Locker 1968 (X 4100). Little Stave 

Creek 39'. 

8. Ellipsolithus lajollaensis Bukry and Percival (X 5900). Little Stave Creek 42'. 

9. Blackites spinosus (Deflandre and Fert) Hay and Towe (X 2900). Little Stave Creek 39'. 

10. Discoaster elegans Bramlette and Sullivan (X 2900). Little Stave Creek 37'. 

11. Campylosphaera dela (Bramlette and Sullivan). Hay and Mohler (X 5300). 

Corehole C171A 39'. 

12. Zygrhablithus bijugatus (Deflandre) Deflandre (X 5400). Little Stave Creek 61 '. 
1 2 3 

4 5 

7 8 9 

10 11 12