A Brief Summary of the Studies of Rock-Forming Calcareous Algae in Japan
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE STUDIES OF ROCK-FORMING CALCAREOUS ALGAE IN JAPAN HISA KATSU Y ABE Emeritus Professor, Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, T6hoku University, Sendai, )apan ABSTRACT stone of Naha, Okinawa-zima, RyukyG. Islands ( HEYDLICH, 1900, p. 1, PL. 7, FIGS. 1, The r61e of calcareous algae is great in the cons truction of limestone formations. This note gives 2), and the other by A. Karpinsky who a retrospect of the studies pursued in Japan on the described Mizzia of the Permian fusulinid fossil algal floras taking part in the constitution of limestone of Akasaka, Huha-gun, Gihu Pre various limestones in different ages of the Japanese fecture (KARPINSKY, 1910, pp. 257-272, Islands and the islands of the Japanese possession in the pre-war time. I n short, the algae of the PL. 3). Yabe also cited many localities of corallinaceae and Halimeda are dominant in the fossil Corallinaceae in his note on the geolo Cenozoic limestones, Petrophyton in the Lower gical and geographical distribution of higher Cretaceous Orbitolina calc-psammite, algae of the foraminifera in the japanese Tertiary (YABE, Dasycladaceae and of the Porostromata, besides Solenopora, in the Upper Jurassic Torinosu limestone, 1920, p. 1 et seq.). algae of the Dasycladaceae, especially Mizzia, in Since the foundation of the Institute of the Permian fusulinid limestones 'and Solenopora in Geology and Palaeontology in the Tohoku a Gotlandian limestone. Some remarks are added University, Sendai, this line of researches regarding Collenia and Girvanella limestones, and also two interesting finds of Margaritina and Triplo was pursued rather subsidiarily by some of the porella in some Permian limestones of China. staff-members and students, until in late years one of the graduates, K. Ishizima, commenced his special studies. He already HE first attempt to study rock-foml issued many papers in this connection in ing calcareous algae in japan was which the following forms were described T undertaken about half a century ago (ISHIJIMA, 1923-1943). by K. Nishiwada in the Geological Institute of the University of Tokyo under Prof. M. LIST OF THE FOSSIL CALCAREOUS Yokoyama. The material he then dealt with ALGAE DESCRIBED BY ISHIJIMA is the nullipore limestone of the Sagara dis trict, Sizuoka Prefecture, where there are two Early Holocene: Raised coral reef solitary hills entirely built of nullipores which Amphiroa howei Ishijima Isigaki-zim3. he identified with Lithothamnium ramossis Plio-Pleistocene: RyGkyG limestone simum Reuss from the Leithakalk of the Vienna basin, Austria (NISHIWADA, 1894, Corallina ) sp. TaiJ<6zan A mpillroa complexa Ishij ima Sy6k6zan p. 236, PL. 29, FIGS. 1-4). For a long time A. cylindriCCt Isltijima Sy6k6zan, since, the studies of algal remains have been K6t6syo, neglected, although similar or allied objects Sirakawa are common in the Tertiary and later lime A. elegans lsltijima Taik6zan A cf ephedraea ( Lamx.) stones of HonsyG. (the main Island of japan) .-\rescl1. Wanai as well as of the Bonin Islands, Ryukyu .4. foliacea Ishijima Kawahira Islands, Borodino Islands and Formosa .4. fonnosana Ishijima Taik6zan (Taiwan), all in japanese possession in the A. fragilissim:t Ishijima Sy6k6zan, Kawahira pre-war time. In the meantime, there ap .4 hayasakai Ishijima Zyunk6si peared three papers with the descriptions .~. howei Ishijima [(6t6syo of fossil algae in some of these limestones: .~. kotobukiana lshijima Kotobukiyama one by R. B, Newton and R. Holland who .4. kotobukiana wanaiensis Ishijima Wanai illustrated Lithothamnium ramossissimum A longissima Ishijima Sirakawa from FOm1osa and Iriomote-zima, RyukyQ .4. rigida Lamouroux K6t6svo Islands, in association of Nephrolepidina A. shirakawaensis Sirakawa (NEWTON & HOLLAND, 1902, p. 17, PL. I, A. taiwanica Ishijima K6t6syo .~. tenuis Ishijiroa Sirakawa, FIG. 8); one by F. Heydlich who described K6t6syo Lithohamniscum nahaense nov" from a lime- A. verrucosa Kutzing K6t6syo 44+ THE PALAEOBOTANIST A wanaiensis Ishijima Wanai S6yJ<6zan. Okayama-gun, Takao Prefecture A. spp. Sirakawa, Wanai, Kotobukiyama. Takao Tint6zan, Zyunk6si, K6syun-gun, Takao Prefecture Zyunk6si Nank6-Taik6, Tait6 district A rchaeolithothamnium hanzawai Payapaya, Tait6 district lshijima T6sato Tint6zan, Kansirei, Sirakawa-sy6, Sinei-gun, Lithothamnium bandanum Tainan Prefecture Foslie Taik6zan Lithophyllum moluccana Foslie Kotobukiyama Ishijima re-examined "Lithothamnium L. sp. Itoman ramossissimum" of Nishiwada from Megami A rthrocardia weberi Ishij ima Kotobukiyama and Ogamiyama; it is not a Lithothamnium Lirhoporella australis Ishijima !toman, Kita- Dait6-zima s.s., but a Lithophyllum and now named L. crassa Ishijima Near Ota-ana by him Lithophyllunt nishiwadai (ISHI]IMA, L. formosana Ishijima Kotobukiyama 1943 a, 71-73, TEXT-FIG. 7). The true generic L. hayasakai Ishijima North of Odake position of " Lithothamniscw/'n nahaense Heyd L parvus Jshijima Kasari L.ryii.!lyiiensis Ishijima North of Odake, lich " is still uncertain. T6sato A good amount of calcareous algae, mostly Corallinaceae, takes part in the constitution J\liocene -Nephrolepidin{/. and related limestones of the Middle Eocene nummulitic tuff, Upper Corallina elliptica Ishijima Ogamiyama, Eocene Orthophragmina limestone and Aqui Megamiyarna tanian Eulepidina limestone of Ogasawara Jania lemoini Ishijima Kuboi zima (Bonin Islands); these are not yet A rchaeolithothamnium kuboiensis Ishijima Kuboi studied. A. megamiensis Ishijima Megamiyama The fossils of the Corallinaceae, so common A. taiwanensis Ishijima Payapaya in the Cenozoic deposits, are rare in the A. sp. Nank6-Taik6 Mesozoic of Japan, just as in the other parts Lithopnrella quadritica Ishijima Megamiyama Mesophyllum yabei Ishijima Kayanuma of the world; yet they are occasionally found in thin sections of the Lower Creta Upper Oligocene ( Aquitanian) - Spiroclvpetts ceous Orbitolina calc-psammite of the Miyako limestone district in the Kitakami mountainland, and A rchaelithothamnium pseudo- of the Upper Jurassic Torinosu limestone nummulitic!lm lshijima K6t6syo of the Sakawa basin in Sikoku and the Soma Upper Eocene - Pellatispim limestone district in the Abukuma mountainland; these remains are conventionally assigned A rchaeolithothamnium kobamazimaellsis Ishijima Sakota to Lithothamniw/'n by Yabe and Toyama (YABE & TOYAMA, 1928, pp. 150, 151, PL. 19, FIGS. 5,6; PL. 23, FIG. 1 ). LOCALITIES The Upper Jurassic Torinosu limestone HonsyiJ (main island ), Japan contains many problematical fossils; one of Ogamiyama near Sagara, Haibara-gun, Sizuoka them, Nipponophycus ramosus Yabe & Prefecture Toyama, has slender branching cylindrical Megamiyama near Sagara, Haibara-gun, Sizuoka Prefecture thallus, with a thick calcified wall, traversed Kuboi, Oisi-mura, Minami-Turu-gun, Yamanasi radially by numerous fine canals, around Prefecture the axial hollow; it somewhat recalls Furcel Kayanuma near Matuda, Asigara-kami-gun, laria of the Rhodophyceae; but its true Kanagawa Prefecture KyiJsyu nature is unknown. I t occurs also in the Kasari, Kasari-mura, Amami-Osima Lower Cretaceous Orbitolina limestone of the Ryilkyu Islands Soratigawa, Hokkaido, and Orbitolina calc T6sato, lsigaki-zima psammite of the Miyako district (YABE & Kawahira. Isigaki-zima Sirakawa, south-west of Nisihara, Simaziri-gun, TOYAMA, 1928, pp. 142, 143, PL. 18, FIGS. Okinawa-zima 1-6; PL. 19, FIGS. 1-4; PL. 23, FIGS. 2, 3). Kear Ota-ana, Sinto-mura, Simaziri-gun, Okinawa- The Solenoporaceae, another group of the zima Floridae, is represented by the two genera !toman, Simaziri-gun, Okinawa-zima North of Odake, Kobama-zima Solenopora and Petrophyton in the Mesozoic Sakota, Kobama-zima rocks. The former has one species, Soleno Wanai, Okinoerabu-zima pora (Metasolenopora) rothpletzi Yabe in Kita-Dait6-zima ( North Borodino Island) the Torinosu limestone of Sikoku (YABE, Taiwan ( Formosa) K6t6syo ( Botel Tobago) 1912, pp. 2-6, PL. 1, FIGS. 2-5 ), and the latter Taik6zan, Okayama-gun. Takao Prefecture two species, one, P. miyakoense Yabe, in the VASE - STUDIES OF ROCK-FORMING CALCAREOUS ALGAE IN JAPAN 44S Lower Cretaceous calc-psammite of the is the commonest fossil, almost pure accu Miyako district (YABE, 1912, pp. 6-8, PL. 2, mulation of its tests forming Mizzia limestone FIGS. 1-8; TEXT-FIG. 4), and the other, P. at several places in HonsyG. At first A. tenue Yabe & Toyama, in the Lower Creta Karpinsky described Mizzia, d. velebitana ceous limestone of Sakamoto, Yatusiro-gun, Schubert, M. japonica, nov" and Stolleyella KylisyG (YABE & TOYAMA, 1928, p. 142, yabei, nov., from Neoschwagen:na limestone PL. 20, FIGS. 1, 2). of Akasaka; the two forms of M'izzia are Solenopora is also reported by T. Sugi now usually regarded to be specifically in yama from the Gotlandian of the Kitakami distinguishable from each other and identical mountainland, where its remains form Soleno with M. velebitana, and the last one is also pora limestone which occupies a definite transferred by Pia to the same genus ( KAR horizon in the uppermost part of his Kawauti PINSKY, 1910, pp. 257-272, Pc 3, FIGS. 1-13 ; series; the gen us has a wide geological range PIA, 1920, pp. 23, 24, PL. 1, FIGS. 4-6). from the Ordovician to the Jurassic in Y. Ozawa once stated the separate occur Europe. rence of M. velebitana and M. japonica in Lime-secreting species of Chara is not different horizons of the fusulinicl limestones living in japan; likewise there is no fossil of of Akasaka (OZAWA, 1927, p. 134); but it calcareous Charophyta hitherto known. Cal needs