Note on the Age of the Chipola Formation (Miocene) of Northwestern Florida

Abstract

In recent years the Chipola Formation of northwestern Florida has been generally accepted as uppermost lower Miocene (Burdigalian) in age. However in the Chipola five species of Muricinae (Mollusca:  Gastropoda) first appear which are most closely related to species described from the Helvetian of western Europe. Therefore the question is raised as to whether a younger age assignment for the Chipola and its correlatives is in order.