Fairmead landfillGeology
All three mid to late Pleistocene formations of the eastern San Joaquin Valley occur at Fairmead Landfill; Turlock Lake Formation, Riverbank Formation and Modesto Formation. At the site, fossils occur in the upper unit of the Turlock Lake Formation.
Geologic Map
Geologic map of Fairmead Landfill and surrounding area, based on Marchand (1976). The lower unit of the Modesto Formation (yellow) and the middle unit of the Riverbank Formation (dark blue) occur surficially at the site. Excavation for new expansion cells since 1993 has occurred in the southern half of the landfill.
Stratigraphic column of a portion of the south wall of the 1993 expansion cell at Fairmead Landfill.
Publication
In 1996, Robert G. Dundas, Randall B. Smith and Kenneth L. Verosub published a preliminary account of the Fairmead Landfill fossil locality, including discussion of the geology, age, and fauna. Click on the link below to view the paper.
Dundas et al. 1996