Biostratigraphy of Mississippian Lithostrotionoid Corals, Lisburne Group, Arctic Alaska - .-
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BIOSTRATIGRAPHY OF MISSISSIPPIAN LITHOSTROTIONOID CORALS, LISBURNE GROUP, ARCTIC ALASKA - .- - F~0~~1~~1~c~.-Panoramicview to the east, south of Cape Lewis, showing the outcrop of the south Cape Lewis section, 68A-9. Biostratigraphy of Mississippian Lithostrotionoid Corals, Lisburne Group, Arctic Alaska By AUGUSTUS K. ARMSTRONG CONTRIBUTIONS TOPALEONTOLOGY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 743-A Systematic fialeontologic studies of five new species of lithostrotionoid corals from described sections of the Lisburne Group UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON: 1972 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ROGERS C. B. MORTON, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY V. E. McKelvey, Director Library of Congress catalog-card No. 77-188160 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price 70 cents (paper cover) Stock Number 2401-2091 CONTENTS Page Systematic paleontology-Continued Pane Abstract ......................................... Family Lithostrotionidae d'orbigny, 1851-Con. Introduction ..................................... A~1 I Genus Lithostrotion Fleming, 1828-Con. Subgenus Siphonodendron McCoy, 1849- Stratigraphic sections ............................. Continued North Niak Creek section ...................... Lithostrotion (Siphonodendron) du- South Niak Creek section ...................... troi n. sp ------------------,--- South Cape Lewis section ...................... Lithostrotion (Siphonodendron) ig- West Sadlerochit Mountains section ------------ nekensis n. sp ------------------ Biostratigraphic. distribution of Lisburne Group litho- Genus Diphyphyllum Lonsdale, 1845 -------- strotionold corals ............................... Diphyphyllum nasorakensis n. sp ------- Systematic paleontology ........................... Family Lonsdaleiidae Chapman, 1893 ----------- Family Lithostrotionidae d'orbigny, 1851 -------- Genus Lithostrotionella Yabe and Hayasaka. Genus Lithostrotion Fleming, 1828 ---------- 1915 ................................ Subgenus Siphonodendron McCoy, 1849 -- Lithostrotionella niakensis n. sp --------- Lithostrotion (Siphonodendron) lis- References cited .................................. bumensis n. sp ----------------- 10 1 Index ............................................ ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates follow index1 FRONTISPIECE.Panoramic view to the east, south of Cape Lewis, showing the outcrop of the south Cape Lewis section, 68A-9. PLATE 1. Lithostrotion (Siphonodendron) lisburnensis n. sp. 2. Lithostrotion (Siphonodendron) lisburnensis n. sp. 3. Lithostrotion (Siphonodendron) dutroi n. sp. 4. Lithostrotion (Siphonodendron) dutroi n. sp. and Lithostrotionella niakensis n. sp. 5. Lithostrotion (Siphonodendron) ignekensis n. sp. 6. Diphyphyllum nasorakensis n. sp. 7. ~&hy~h~llurnnasorakensis n. sp. 8. Lithostrotionella niakensis n. sv. 9. Lithostrotionella niakensis n. sp. Page Index map of northern Alaska, showing location of coral collections and stratigraphic sections --------- A2 Chart showing stratigraphic distribution of colonial rugose corals ..................................... 3 Diagram showing stratigraphy and coral distribution in the north Niak Creek section, 68A-12, and the south Niak Creek section, 68A-13 .............................................................. Photograph of lithostrotionoid coral colonies at the base of section 68A-12 ............................ Photograph of the base of section 68A-13 .......................................................... Photograph of lithostrotionoid biostrome in section 68A-13 ......................................... Diagram showing stratigraphy and coral distribution in the south Cape Lewis section, 68A-9 ---------- Index map of section 68A-9 and location of type specimen of Diphyphyllum nasorakensis and paratypes of Lithostrotion (Siphonodendron) lisburnensis ................................................... Photographs of- 9. Section 68A-9, showing stratigraphic footage along line of traverse ......................... 10. A persistent Lithostrotion (Siphonodendron) sinuosum bed in section 68A-9 ------------------ 11. Cape Lewis and upper part of section 68A-9, showing Lithostrotionella biostrome at 880- to 900- foot level ........................................................................... 12. Large Thysanophyllum sp. corallum in biostromal beds 895 feet above the base of section 68A-9 - Diagram showing stratigraphy and coral distribution in the west Sadlerochit Mountains section, 69A-1 -- Index map of section 69A-1 and location of type specimens of Lithostrotion (Siphonodendron) ignekensis - Photograph of upper part of section 69A-1, showing stratigraphic footage along line of traverse -------- Diagrams showing corallite diameter and number of major septa in Lithostrotion (Siphonodendron) lis- burnensis n. sp .............................................................................. VI CONTENTS Page Sections of Lithostrotion (Siphonodendron) lisbumensis n. sp ....................................... A17 Diagrams showing corallite diameter and number of major septa in Lithostrotion (Siphonodendron) dutroi n. sp ....................................................................................... Sections of Lithostrotion (Siphonodendron) dutroi n. sp ............................................ Diagram showing corallite diameter and number of major septa in Lithostrotion (Siphonodendron) igne- kensis n. sp ................................................................................. Sections of Lithostrotion (Siphonodendron) ignekensis n. sp ......................................... Diagram showing corallite diameter and number of major septa in Diphyphyllum nasorakensis n. sp --- Sections of Diphyphyllum nasorakensis n. sp ....................................................... Diagrams showing corallite diameter and number of major septa in Lithostrotionella niakensis n. sp ---- Sections of Lithostrotionella niakensis n. sp ........................................................ CONTRIBUTIONS TO PALEONTOLOGY BIOSTRATIGRAPHY OF MISSISSIPPIAN LITHOSTROTIONOID CORALS, LISBURNE GROUP, ARCTIC ALASKA ABSTRACT lithostrotionoid corals on the microfossil zones chart The biostratigraphy of four measured sections of the Lis- shows the vertical distribution of the lithostrotion- burne Group is described: South Cape Lewis section, north oid corals within the Lisburne Group. Niak Creek section, and south Niak Creek section, all in northwestern Alaska; and the west Sadlerochit Mountains Armstrong's (1970b) study described the biostra- section, in northeastern Alaska. In addition, one new species tigraphy and the lithostrotionoid corals from the of coral is described from the well-documented Shainin Lake Meramec age parts (zones 13-15) of Sable and Du- section, in north-central Alaska. tro's (1961) Kogruk Formation of the DeLong Within the Lisburne Group carbonate rocks, lithostrotionoid Mountains and Campbell's (1967) Nasorak Forma- corals are known only in Meramec age or younger beds. They are represented by 16 taxa and abundant individuals in tion of the Cape Thompson area. The following taxa strata of Meramec and very earliest Chester age, but they are were reported : Lithostrotion (Siphonodendron) sin- rare in beds younger than earliest Chester. Middle and late uosum (Kelly), L. (S.) warreai Nelson, Lithostro- Chester age beds contain only three taxa of lithostrotionoid tion (Siphonodendron) sp. A, Lithostrotionella corals. banffensis (Warren), L. aff. L. banffensis (War- Five new species of lithostrotionoid corals are described from the Mississippian part of the Lisburne Group: Litho- ren), L. birdi Armstrong, L. mclareni (Sutherland), strotionella niakensis n. sp. and Lithostrotion (Siphonodend- Lithostrotionella sp. A, Lithostrotionella sp. B, Thy- ron) dutroi n. sp. from middle Meramec age beds, Lithostro- sanophyllum orientale Thomson, T. astraeiforme tion (Siphonodendron) lisbumensis n. sp. and Diphyphyllum (Warren), Thysanophyllum sp. A, Sciophyllum lam- nasorakensis n. sp. from late Meramec and earliest Chester barti Harker and McLaren, S. alaskaensis Arm- age beds, and Lithostrotion (Siphonodendron) ignekensis n. sp. from middle and late Chester age beds. strong, and Sciophyllum sp. A. The corals from the Lisburne Hills seacliffs were INTRODUCTION collected by J. Thomas Dutro, Jr., and myself in The most conspicuous macrofaunal elements in July and August 1968. I thank Irvin L. Tailleur, the much of the Lisburne Group carbonate rocks are 1968 field party chief, and Hillard N. Reiser, the the large colonial corals. The primary objective of 1969 field party chief, for their support of paleonto- this study is to describe five new species of litho- logic and stratigraphic field studies and their stimu- strotionoid corals and their stratigraphic ranges. lating discussions of regional geology and structural The system of microfossil assemblage zones devel- and stratigraphic problems. oped by Bernard L. Mamet has been applied to the I also thank the Naval Arctic Research Labora- Lisburne Group of arctic Alaska in a series of pa- tory (Barrow), Office of Naval Research, for their pers (Armstrong and others, 1970, 1971; Arm- support of my field activities. strong and Mamet, 1970). The use of these zones I am most grateful to Dr. Bernard L. Mamet, has permitted detailed correlation among the sur- University of Montreal, for his studies of the mi- face sections of the Lisburne Group shown in figure crofossils in the carbonate rock thin sections and 1 and between