Port Kennedy Bone Cave
Encyclopedia
The Port Kennedy Bone Cave is a limestone
cave in Port Kennedy
, Pennsylvania
, USA
. The Bone Cave "contained one of the most important middle Pleistocene
(Irvingtonian
, approximately 750,000 years ago) fossil deposits in North America".
The fossils in the cave were investigated by noted 19th century palaeontologists Edward Drinker Cope
, Henry C. Mercer
, and Charles M. Wheatley
. Some of the fossils, such as an unnamed member of Genus Dicælus are unique to this cave and have not been identified elsewhere.
The cave was originally discovered by limestone miners in the 19th century. The cave was later filled in with asbestos
-bearing industrial refuse and the cave's location was lost. The land is now part of the Valley Forge National Historical Park
. In 2005, the National Park Service
and geologists rediscovered the cave.
It has been rumored that the quarry near where the cave is located near holds a crashed locomotive, which was used in the shooting of a now lost silent film in 1915, The Valley of Lost Hope.
These included:
remains were found.
Others included:
Megalonyx
Arvicola
Mylodon
Sciurus
Jaculus
Others
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
cave in Port Kennedy
Port Kennedy, Pennsylvania
Port Kennedy was an industrial village located where U.S. Route 422 now crosses the Schuylkill River in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States of America...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Bone Cave "contained one of the most important middle Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
(Irvingtonian
Irvingtonian
The Irvingtonian North American Stage on the geologic timescale is the North American faunal stage according to the North American Land Mammal Ages chronology , typically set from 1,800,000 to 300,000 years BP, a period of . It is usually considered to overlap the Lower Pleistocene and Middle...
, approximately 750,000 years ago) fossil deposits in North America".
The fossils in the cave were investigated by noted 19th century palaeontologists Edward Drinker Cope
Edward Drinker Cope
Edward Drinker Cope was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist, as well as a noted herpetologist and ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker family, Cope distinguished himself as a child prodigy interested in science; he published his first scientific paper at the age of nineteen...
, Henry C. Mercer
Henry Chapman Mercer
Henry Chapman Mercer was an American archeologist, artifact collector, tile-maker and designer of three distinctive poured concrete structures: Fonthill, his home, the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, and the Mercer Museum.-Early life and education:Henry Mercer was born in Doylestown,...
, and Charles M. Wheatley
Charles M. Wheatley
Charles Moore Wheatley was a noted English-American miner and palaeontologist of the 19th century...
. Some of the fossils, such as an unnamed member of Genus Dicælus are unique to this cave and have not been identified elsewhere.
The cave was originally discovered by limestone miners in the 19th century. The cave was later filled in with asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
-bearing industrial refuse and the cave's location was lost. The land is now part of the Valley Forge National Historical Park
Valley Forge National Historical Park
Valley Forge National Historical Park is the site where the Continental Army spent the winter of 1777–1778 near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, during the American Revolutionary War. The National Historical Park preserves the site and interprets the history of the Valley Forge encampment. ...
. In 2005, the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
and geologists rediscovered the cave.
It has been rumored that the quarry near where the cave is located near holds a crashed locomotive, which was used in the shooting of a now lost silent film in 1915, The Valley of Lost Hope.
Insect
Numerous insect remains were found imbedded in clay masses in the cave.These included:
- Cychrus Wheatleyi
- Cymindis aurora
- Cymindis punetulatus
- Dicælus alutaceus
- Phanæus antiquus
- Aphodius precursor
Vertebrate
Mastodon americanusAmerican mastodon
The American mastodon is an extinct North American proboscidean that lived from about 3.7 million years ago until about 10,000 BC. It was the last surviving member of the mastodon family. Fossil finds range from present-day Alaska and New England in the north, to Florida, southern...
remains were found.
Others included:
Megalonyx
Megalonyx
Megalonyx is an extinct genus of giant ground sloths of the family Megalonychidae endemic to North America from the Hemphillian of the Late Miocene through to the Rancholabrean of the Pleistocene, living from ~10.3 Mya—11,000 years ago, existing for approximately .-Taxonomy:The generic name...
- Megalonyx wheatleyi (sp. nov.) (2)
- Megalonyx jeffersoniiMegalonyx jeffersoniiMegalonyx jeffersonii, or Jefferson's ground sloth, is an extinct species of giant ground sloth that lived from the Illinoian Stage during the Middle Pleistocene through to the Rancholabrean of the Late Pleistocene . Its closest living relatives are the two-toed tree sloths of the genus...
(14) - Megalonyx loxodon (sp. nov.)
- Megalonyx dissimilis
- Megalonyx sphenodon
- Megalonyx tortulus
Arvicola
Arvicola
The water voles are large voles in the genus Arvicola. They are found in both aquatic and dry habitat through Europe and much of northern Asia...
- Arvicola sigmodus (sp. nov.) (2)
- Arvicola speothen (sp. nov.)
- Arvicola tetradelta (sp. nov.)
- Arvicola didelta (sp. nov.)
- Arvicola involuta (sp. nov.)
- Arvicola hiatidens (sp. nov.)
Mylodon
Mylodon
Mylodon is an extinct genus of giant ground sloth that lived in the Patagonia area of South America until roughly 10,000 years ago.Mylodon weighed about and stood up to tall when raised up on its hind legs. Preserved dung has shown it was a herbivore. It had very thick hide and had osteoderms...
- Mylodon harlani
Sciurus
Sciurus
The genus Sciurus contains most of the common, bushy-tailed squirrels in North America, Europe, temperate Asia, Central America and South America.-Species:There are 30 species.Genus Sciurus - Tree squirrels*Subgenus Sciurus...
- Sciurus calycinus
Jaculus
Jaculus (rodent)
The genus Jaculus is a member of the Dipodinae subfamily of dipodoid rodents . Jaculus species are distributed in desert and semi-arid regions across northern Africa, the Sahara, the Horn of Africa, Arabia, the Middle East, and Central Asia....
- Jaculus hudsonius
Others
- HesperomysHesperomysHesperomys is an obsolete genus of American rodents. It was initially broadly defined to include most of the cricetid rodents of the Americas, except the Arvicolinae, but later became restricted to the members of the modern genus Calomys; the latter name has been in use for this genus instead of...
- ErethizonNorth American PorcupineThe North American Porcupine , also known as Canadian Porcupine or Common Porcupine, is a large rodent in the New World porcupine family. The Beaver is the only rodent larger than the North American Porcupine found in North America...
cloacinum (sp. nov.)
- LepusHareHares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
sylvaticusEastern CottontailThe eastern cottontail is a New World cottontail rabbit, a member of the family Leporidae. It is one of the most common rabbit species in North America.-Distribution:... - Praotherium palatinum (sp. nov.) nomen dubiumNomen dubiumIn zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
- VespertilioVespertilioVespertilio is a genus of bats in the Vespertilionidae family. Species within this genus are:*Parti-coloured bat *Asian Parti-colored Bat -References:...
- UrsusUrsus (genus)Ursus is a genus in the family Ursidae that includes the widely distributed brown bears, the polar bear, and black bears. The name is derived from the Latin ursus, meaning bear.-Species and subspecies of Ursus:...
pristinus
- TapirTapirA Tapir is a large browsing mammal, similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile snout. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia. There are four species of Tapirs: the Brazilian Tapir, the Malayan Tapir, Baird's Tapir and the Mountain...
us americanus - TapirTapirA Tapir is a large browsing mammal, similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile snout. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia. There are four species of Tapirs: the Brazilian Tapir, the Malayan Tapir, Baird's Tapir and the Mountain...
us haysii/Tapirus copei
- EquusEquusEquus may refer to:* Equus , a genus of animals including horses, donkeys, zebras and onagers* Equus , a play by Peter Shaffer* Equus , a film adaptation of the Peter Shaffer play...
- BosBosBos is the genus of wild and domestic cattle. Bos can be divided into four subgenera: Bos, Bibos, Novibos, and Poephagus, but these divisions are controversial. The genus has five extant species...