Geology and Biology of North Atlantic Deep-Sea Cores
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If :you do not need this publication after it has served your purpose, please return it to the Geological Surve:y, using the official mailing label at the end II UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGY AND BIOLOGY OF NORTH ATLANTIC DEEP-SEA CORES Part 5. MOLLUSCA Part 6. ECHINODERMATA Part 7. MISCELLANEOUS FOSSILS AND SIGNIFICANCE OF FAUNAL DISTRIBUTION GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 196-D UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Harold L. Ickes, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. C. Mendenhall, Director Professional Paper 196-D GEOLOGY AND BIOLOGY OF NORTH ATLANTIC DEEP-SEA CORES BETWEEN NEWFOUNDLAND AND IRELAND PART 5. MOLLUSCA By HARALD A. REHDER PART 6. ECHINODERMATA By AusTIN H. CLARK PART 7. MISCELLANEOUS FOSSILS AND SIGNIFICANCE OF FAUNAL DISTRIBUTION By LLOYD G. HENBEST UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1942 For sale by the Supel"intendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. - ---- Price 30 cents CONTENTS Page .Page Outline of the complete report _______________________ _ v- Association of the species on the present ocean Summary of the complete ~eport _____________________ _ VI bottom---------------~---------------------- 116 Foreword, by C. S. Piggot_ _________________________ _ "1 Relation of species to distance below top of core ___ _ 117 General introduction, by W. H. Bradley ______________ _ XIII Part. 7. Miscellaneous fossils and significance of faunal Significance of the investigation _________________ _ XIII distribution, by Lloyd (}. HenbesL _________ _ 119 Location of the core stations ____________________ _ XIV Introduction __________________________________ _ 119 Personnel and composition of the report __________ _ XIV Methods of preparation and study _______________ _ 119' Methods of sampling and examination ____________ _ XIV Notes on the groups of fossils ___________________ . 120 Part 5. Mollusca, by Harald A. Rehder ______________ _ 107 Barnacles _________________________________ _ 120 Introduction __________________________________ _ 107 Brachiopoda ______________________________ _ 120 Description of species __________________________ _ 107 Bryozoa __________________________________ _ 120 Pelecypoda _______________________________ _ 107 Diatomaceae ______________________________ _ 121 ctastropoda _______________________________ _ 108 Echinodermata ____________________________ _ 121 Archaeogastropoda ________________ ~----- 108 Foraminifera ______________________________ _ 121 Pteropoda ____________________________ _ 108 Otoliths __________________________________ _ 122 Miscellaneous pelecypods and gastropods _____ _ 108 Ostracoda _________________________________ _ 122 Significance of Mollusca ________________________ _ 108 Pteropoda ________________________________ _ 122 Part 6. Echinodermata, by Austin H. Clark ___________ _ 111 Radiolaria ________________________________ _ 123 Introduction __________________________________ _ 111 Shell-boring organism _______- _______________ _ ·123 Species represented in the cores __________________ _ 111 Siliceous sponge spicules ____________________ _ 123 Annotated list of species ________________________ _ 111 Miscellaneous _____________________________ _ 123 Occurrence of species by cores ___________________ _ 115 Use of fossils as indicators of depth ______________ _ 124 Relative frequency of the species ____________ _ 115 Significance of distribution relative to hypotheses of Distribution of species by cores ______________ _ 116 extreme changes in ocean leveL _______________ _ 125 Bathymetric anomalies ________ ~ ________________ _ 116 Index------------------------------------~-------- XVII ILLUSTRATIONS Page PLATE 1. Bathymetric chart of a part of the North Atlantic Ocean showing the location of the core stations______________ xv 2. Longitudinal sections of the air-dried cores_______________________________________________________________ xv 20. Chart showing the distribution of the species of echinoderms in the cores____________________________________ 114 21. Chart showing the distribution and relative abundance of the miscellaneous organisms in the cores______________ 122 22-23. Miscellaneous fossils from the North Atlantic deep-sea cores____________________________________________ 131-133 FIGURE 1. Profile across the North Atlantic Ocean bottom along the line of the numbered core stations___________________ xrv TABLES TABLE 1. Geographic location, length of cores, and depth of the water from which they were taken______________________ XIV 19. Distribution of fragments of Ophiocten sericeum in the cores________________________________________________ 112 20. Distribution of fragments of Echinus affinis in the cores ___________________ ,_______________________________ 112 21. Distribution of fragments of Plexechinus hirsutus in the cores______________________________________________ 113 22. Distribution of fragments of Urechinus naresianus inthe cores_____________________________________________ 113 23. Distribution of fragments of Pourtalesia miranda in the cores______________________________________________ 114 24. Distribution of fragments of Aeropsis rostrata in the cores_________________________________________________ 114 25. Distribution of fragments of Aceste bellidifera in the cores__________________________________________________ 115 26. Distribution of fragments of Hemiaster expergitus in the cores _____________________________________________ .. 115 27. Distribution of the echinoderm species represented in the cores_____________________________________________ 116 28. Number of samples containing echinoderm remains and number of species represented_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 116 29. Relation of echinoderm species to distance below the top of the core_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 117 III OUTLINE OF THE COMPLETE REPORT Foreword, by C. S. Piggot. Gener~l introduction, by W. H. Bradley. PART 1. Lithology and geologic interpretations, by M. N. Bramlette and W. H. Bradley. 2. Foraminifera, by Joseph A. Cushman and Lloyd G. Henbest. 3. Diatomaceae, by Kenneth E. Lohman. 4. Ostracoda, by Willis L. Tressler. 5. Mollusca, by Harald A. Rehder. 6. Echinodermata, by Austin H. Clark. 7. Miscellaneous fossils and significance of faunal distribution, by Lloyd G. Henbest. 8. Organic matter content, by Parker D. Trask, H. Whitman Patnode, Jesse LeRoy Stimson, and John R. Gay. 9. Selenium content and chemical analyses, by Glen Edgington and H. G. Byers. v -.- .. ~ ~-· ·, ;r,; SUMMARY OF THE REPORT ln May and June 1936 Dr. C. S. Piggot of the Geophysical zone has been identified. Other glacial marine deposits are Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, took a series recognizable but their correlation is less certain. of 11 deep-sea cores in the North Atlantic Ocean between the Three interpretations are offered as possible explanations of N ewfounqland bankf! and the banks off the Irish coast. These the four glacial marine zones. The first is that each glacial cores were taken from the Western Union Telegraph Co.'s cable marine zone represents a distinct glacial stage of the Pleistocene ship Lord Kehin with the explosive type of sounding device and that each zone of foraminiferal marl separating two glacial which Dr. Piggot designed. In the· fall of that year he invited a marine zones represents an interglacial stage. This inte~preta group of geologists of the United States Geological Survpy to tion seems least probable of the three. The second interpretation study the cores and prepare a report. Biologists of the United is that the upper two glacial marine zones and the intervening States National Museum, the University of Buffalo, and chem sediment may correspond to the bipartite Wisconsin stage, ists of the United States Department of Agriculture cooperated whereas the lower two represent distinct glacial stages of the in the investigation and contributed to the report. Pleistocene separated from each other and from the zone repre The westernmost core of the series (No. 3) was taken in the senting the Wisconsin stage by sediments that represent inter blue mud zone, but all the others were taken in parts of the ocean glacial epochs no greater in length than postglacial time. This where the bottom is blanketed with globigerina ooze. The interpretation seems to imply too short a time for most of the shortest cores are No. 8, taken on the mid-Atlantic ridge in 1,280 Pleistocene epoch. The third interpretation, which is favored meters of wat.er, and No. 11, taken where the c01e bit struck by the authors, is that each of the four glacial marine zones volcanic rock. The cores range in length from 0.34 to 2.93 represents only a substage of the Wisconsin stage. This implies meters and average 2.35 meters. They were taken at depths that the North Atlantic at approximately 50° north latitude for ranging from 1,280 to 4,820 meters. comparatively long periods of time alternately contained an Lithology and geologic interpretaticns.-In about 20 representa abundance of drift ice and then was quite, or nearly free of ice, tive samples from each core the percentages of calcium carbonate, while on land a continental ice sheet persisted, though it alter clay and silt, and sand were determined and plotted, and the nately waned and grew. relative abundance of Foraminifera, coccoliths,· a11d diatoms was In the four cores in which the postglacial sediments are estimated. Material between these guide samples was examined thickest the pelagic Foraminifera, according