DOCSLIB.ORG

Cretaceous Ammonite Distributions and the Opening of the South Atlantic

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Cretaceous Ammonite Distributions and the Opening of the South Atlantic Cretaceous ammonite distributions and the opening of the South Atlantic WILLIAM JAMES KENNEDY & MICHAEL COOPER SUMMARY Analysis of distribution patterns of middle to absence of early Turonian marine deposits in late Cretaceous ammonites along the line of Southern Africa), but such evidence as is the opening S. Atlantic suggest that open available also suggests continued connection. marine connections, if not actual rifting, Palaeobiogeographic evidence is thus corn- developed during early upper Albian times, patible with sea floor spreading and palaeo- and extended continuously to the close of the magnetic data, rather than in conflict, as Cenomanian. Evidence of early Turonian previouslysuggested. distributions is equivocal (due largely to an PALAEOMAONETIC and sea floor spreading data (Creer et al. I965; Amaral et al. I966; McDougaU & Ruegg I966; Saito et al. x966; Siedner & Miller x968; Maxwell et al. I97o; Valencio & Vilas I97o ) have suggested to recent authors that initial rifling between Africa and S. America began in early or mid- Cretaceous times, while the recovery of chalks and nannofossil oozes of Albian to Cenomanian date from the Walvis Ridge (Pastouret & Goslin I974) confirms this view. In contrast, studies of distribution patterns of Cretaceous marine invertebrates, notably ammonites, from coastal basins flanking the south Atlantic (Beurlen I96I , Reyment i969-72 , Reyment & Tait I972, Cooper x972-I974) are held to indicate that a continuous marine connection between N. and S. Atlantic areas was not established until the close of the early Turonian. We would suggest on the basis of recent work on mid to late Cretaceous faunas from Angola (Cooper I972-I974) , Zululand and Natal (South Africa) (Kennedy & Klinger I97I , in press) that faunal distributions rather confirm a far earlier open marine N.-S. connection, although this may have been no more than flooding of a downwarped area of continental crust rather than an actual oceanic rift. The S. African and Angolan ammonite faunas (Fig. i) discussed here may have reached these areas either via the shelf seas flanking the western Indian Ocean, via the line of the Atlantic, or via a so-called trans-Saharan seaway (Reyment & Tait I972 ). Reyment & Tait (i972) concluded that Africa and South America remained connected during early middle Albian times, on the basis of the geographic restriction of the oxytropiceratid subgenus Venezoliceras. We can confirm this view on the basis of rich Oxytropidoceras faunas of early middle Albian date from Dombe Grande, south of Benguella (Angola), which show little resemblance to the equally rich contemporaneous Oxytropidoceras faunas from Texas (Young x966 ). In contrast, the associated douvilliceratids D. mammillatum (Schlotheim) and D. orbigni Hyatt are forms well known from S. Africa and Madagascar Jl geol. 8oc. Lond. vol. x3x, x975, PP. 283-288, x fig. Printed in Northern Ireland. Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/jgs/article-pdf/131/3/283/4884980/gsjgs.131.3.0283.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 284 W. J. Kennedy & M. Cooper (Collignon I963) , appearing to be migrants to Angola via the Cape Seaway (Dingle & Klinger i97i , Jones I972, Dingle x972). Evidence of a continued barrier between northern and southern proto Atlantic (latter term used in the sense of the opening Mesozoic ocean, rather than the Palaeozoic seaway of Tuzo Wilson et al.) areas during early upper Albian times may also be indicated by the distribution of the essentially endemic south Atlantic genera Elobiceras, Neokentroceras and Angolaites, well known from Angola, Brazil and Nigeria (Reyrnent & Tait I972; Howarth I965; Spath I922; Haas z942), with records from Madagascar (Collingnon I963) again suggesting an open Cape Seaway. These taxa occur, however, in upper Albian faunas (approximately H. varicosum subzone) from Lobito and Hanha, Angola (Cooper x973; Haas I942) which have long been considered to have close affinities with those of N. Africa, Europe and S. Africa. We would add that a whole series of mortoniceratids are also known to be common to areas of trans-Pecos Texas, Chihuahua, northern Coahuila (Mexico) and Angola at this time, e.g. Mortoniceras (Boeseites) roemeri (Haas), M. (B.) perarmata Haas, M. (B.) proteus (Haas), M. (B.) el. howelli (Haas), M. (B.) of. barbouri (Haas) and Prohysteroceras cf. hanhaense Haas (Young i968 ). Equally strong evidence of an open southern proto Atlantic seaway at a slightly j olorado,~,~l A ~'~Texas / Venezuela Postulat~ Angola Barrier' FIG. I. Location of principal Cretaceous faunas discussed in text, and possible migration routes of South i:iiii Atlantic faunas. A: proto-Atlantic, B: trans-Saharan, C C: Cape. Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/jgs/article-pdf/131/3/283/4884980/gsjgs.131.3.0283.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 Cretaceous ammonite distributions and the opening of the South Atlantic 285 later date (approximately C. auritus subzone) is given by the strong similarities between faunas from the La Puya Member of the Penas Altas Formation in the Venezuelan Andes and contemporary deposits in West and South Africa and Madagascar (Renz 1968). The following species are common to Venezuela and E. Africa (Zululand, Mozambique, and Madagascar)" Mortoniceras (Mortoniceras) pricei (Spath), M. (M.) pricei var. intermedium Spath, M. (M.) africanum (Spath), M. (M.) arietiforme andranofotsyense (Collignon), M. (M.) cf. recticostatum (Spath), M. (Deiradoceras) prerostratum (Spath), M. (D.) devonense Spath, M. (D.) mokara- haense (Collignon), M. (D.) cf. exile (Van Hoepen), M. (Rusoceras) nothum (Van Hoepen), Hysteroceras carinatum Spath, H. orbignyi (Spath), Puzosia (Anapuzosia) saintoursi Collignon, Bhimaites aontzyensis Collignon, B. stoliczkai (Kossmat) and Oxytropidoceras (Venezoliceras) madagascariense Collignon. Species common to Vene- zuela and Angola include Hysteroceras orbignyi (Spath), H. orbignyi evolutum Haas, H. carinatum Spath, H. carinatum aft. robusteocostatum Haas, H. choffati Spath and Mortoniceras (Mortoniceras) arietiforme arietiforme (Spath). This leaves little doubt that there was free faunal migration between the E. coast of Africa and Venezuela during the low upper Albian. Uppermost Albian (dispar Zone) faunas are rather poorly known from Brazil and Nigeria (Reyment & Tait 1972, Reyment 1955) but we now have extensive faunas of this date from Egito in Angola and from Zululand. Occurrence ofhetero- morph species such as Anisoceras perarmatum Pictet & Campiche, A. arrogans (Giebel) (=A. campichei Spath) and A. jacobi Breistroffer (=A. picteti Spath) together with Mortoniceras (Durnovarites) from Texas, N. Mexico and Africa down to Angola and to Zululand confirm a continued seaway. Particularly convincing is the distribution of Stoliczkaia of the africana (Pervinqui6re) group, known from England, Texas, Switzerland, N. Africa (Algeria and Tunisia), Nigeria, Brazil (although said to be of Cenomanian age) (Reyment & Tait i972), Angola and Zululand. Absence of records of this species group from the Middle East, Mada- gascar and S. India strongly suggests migration along a southern proto Atlantic seaway. Cenomanian faunas recently recorded from Angola (Cooper 1972) again support an open connection" forms such as Stomoham#es aft. simplex (d'Orbigny), Anisoceras plicatile (J. Sowerby), Turrilites costatus Lamarck, T. acutus Passy, Forbesiceras obtectum (Sharpe), Calycoceras coleroonense percostata Collignon, C. annulatum Collignon, Euomphaloceras cunningtoni meridionale (Stoliczka) and Acan- thoceras cf. tunetana Pervinqui6re (Cooper x972) showing strong links with NW. European and N. African faunas in many respects, but also include Malagasy and Zululand species. Latest Cenomanian faunas from Angola, correlative with the N. American Sciponoceras gracile Zone and the European Metoicoceras gourdoni-geslinianum Zones, again support continued connection and free interchange with Europe and N. America. Ammonites from Salinas, Angola (Cooper 1972) including Metoico- ceras whitei Hyatt, Sciponocerasgracile (Shumard), Kanabiceras septemseriatum (Cragin) Calycoceras naviculare (Mantell) and Pseudocalycoceras of the angolaense (Spath)- dentonense (Moreman) group from an assemblage identical with that known in Texas (Moreman 1927, 1942) and the U.S. Western Interior (Cobban & Scott Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/jgs/article-pdf/131/3/283/4884980/gsjgs.131.3.0283.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 286 W. J. Kennedy & M. Cooper I972 ) and Europe (Kennedy i97i , Juignet et al. I973) , and also repre- sented by sparse assemblages from Nigeria (Reyment x955) and Morocco (Collignon x966 ) (Metoicocerus ornatum Moreman of these authors is a synonym of M. whitei). The species Austiniceras dibleyi Spath is in fact only known from S. England and Angola (Kennedy x97 I). Considerable weight has been placed upon early Turonian distributions, with a suggestion of a northern Selwynoceras association typifying northern S. America, Mexico, Texas and parts of W. Europe and with the area of the southern proto Atlantic typified by a vascoceratid association with links across the Sahara to the Middle East. The Angolan Turonian is poorly understood, although one of us (Cooper I972 ) has described a condensed Turonian to Coniacian sequence yielding the ammonite genera Mammites, Proplacenticeras, Subprionocyclus, Baculites, Mesopuzosia, Hauericeras, Puebloites, Gaudryceras, Anagaudryceras, Damesites, Kossmati- ceras, Subtissotia ? and Hypophylloceras. It is arguable that absence of such
Load more

Recommended publications
  • ALBIAN AMMONITES of POLAND (Plates 1—25)
    PALAEONTOLOGIA POLQNICA mm ■'Ъ-Ь POL T S H ACADEMY OF SCIENCES INSTITUTE OF PALEOBIOLOGY PALAEONTOLOGIA POLONICA—No. 50, 1990 t h e a l b ia w AMMONITES OF POLAND (AMQNITY ALBU POLS К I) BY RYSZARD MARCINOWSKI AND JOST WIEDMANN (WITH 27 TEXT-FIGURES, 7 TABLES AND 25 PLATES) WARSZAWA —KRAKÔW 1990 PANSTWOWE WYDAWNICTWO NAUKOWE KEDAKTOR — EDITOR JOZEP KA2MIERCZAK 2ASTEPCA HEDAKTOHA _ ASSISTANT EDITOR m AôDAlenA BÛRSUK-BIALYNICKA Adres Redakcjl — Address of the Editorial Office Zaklad Paleobiologij Polska Akademia Nauk 02-089 Warszawa, AI. 2w irki i Wigury 93 KOREKTA Zespol © Copyright by Panstwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe Warszawa — Krakôw 1990 ISBN 83-01-09176-2 ISSN 0078-8562 Panstwowe Wydawnielwo Naukowe — Oddzial w Krakowie Wydanie 1, Naklad 670 + 65 cgz. Ark. wyd. 15. Ark. druk. 6 + 25 wkladek + 5 wklejek. Papier offset, sat. Ill kl. 120 g. Oddano do skiadania w sierpniu 1988 r. Podpisano do druku w pazdzierniku 1990 r. Druk ukoriczono w listopadzie 1990 r. Zara. 475/87 Drukarnia Uniwersytetu Jagielloriskiego w Krakowie In Memory of Professor Edward Passendorfer (1894— 1984) RYSZARD MARCINOWSKI and JOST WIEDMANN THE ALBIAN AMMONITES OF POLAND (Plates 1—25) MARCINOWSKI, R. and WIEDMANN, J.: The Albian ammonites of Poland. Palaeonlologia Polonica, 50, 3—94, 1990. Taxonomic and ecological analysis of the ammonite assemblages, as well as their general paleogeographical setting, indicate that the Albian deposits in the Polish part of the Central European Basin accumulated under shallow or extremely shallow marine conditions, while those of the High-Tatra Swell were deposited in an open sea environment. The Boreal character of the ammonite faunas in the epicontinental area of Poland and the Tethyan character of those in the Tatra Mountains are evident in the composition of the analyzed assemblages.
    [Show full text]
  • 12. Lower Cretaceous Ammonites from the South Atlantic Leg 40 (Dsdp), Their Stratigraphic Value and Sedimentologic Properties
    12. LOWER CRETACEOUS AMMONITES FROM THE SOUTH ATLANTIC LEG 40 (DSDP), THEIR STRATIGRAPHIC VALUE AND SEDIMENTOLOGIC PROPERTIES Jost Wiedmann and Joachim Neugebauer, Geol.-palaont. Institut der Universitat Tubingen, BRD ABSTRACT Eleven ammonites have been cored during Leg 40. They were found concentrated in the lower parts of the drilled section at Sites 363 (Walvis Ridge) and 364 (Angola Basin), and permit recognition of upper Albian, middle Albian, and upper Aptian. So far, no lower Albian could be recognized. A high ammonite density can be assumed for the South Atlantic Mid-Cretaceous. In contrast to data available so far, the Walvis Ridge associations consisting of phylloceratids and desmoceratids show more open- basin relationships than those of the Angola Basin, which are composed of mortoniceratids, desmoceratids, and heteromorphs. Paleobiogeographically, the South Atlantic fauna can be related to the well-known onshore faunas of Angola, South Africa, and Madagascar as well as to the European Mid-Cretaceous. This means that the opening of the South Atlantic and its connection with the North Atlantic occurred earlier as was generally presumed, i.e., in the middle Albian. Records of lower Aptian ammonite faunas from Gabon and Brazil remain doubtful. High rates of sedimentation prevailed especially in the Aptian and Albian, in connection with the early deepening of the South Atlantic basins. The mode of preservation of the ammonites suggests that they were deposited on the outer shelf or on the upper continental slope and were predominantly buried under sediments of slightly reducing conditions. In spite of a certain variability of the depositional environment, the ammonites show a uniform and particular mode of preservation.
    [Show full text]
  • Mollusca of the Cretaceous Bald Hills Formation of California
    MOLLUSCA OF THE CRETACEOUS BALD HILLS FORMATION OF CALIFORNIA M. A. MURPHY AND P. U. RODDA Reprinted from JOURNAL OF PALEONTOLOGY Vol. 34, No. 5, September, 1960 JOURNAL OF PALEONTOLOGY, V. 34, NO. 5, P. 835-858, PLS. 101-107, 2 TEXT-FIGS., SEPTEMBER, 1960 MOLLUSCA OF THE CRETACEOUS BALD HILLS FORMATION OF CALIFORNIA PART I MICHAEL A. MURPHY AND PETER U. RODDA1 University of California, Riverside, and Bureau of Economic Geology, Austin, Texas ABSTRACT—A well preserved molluscan fauna has been collected from previously undescribed Cretaceous rocks in the northwestern Sacramento Valley, California. The fossils occur in the Bald Hills formation, a 1000-foot to 1900-foot thick south- east dipping conglomerate, graywacke, and mudstone unit which ranges in age from Late Albian to Late Cenomanian. The gastropod and cephalopod elements of this fauna number thirty-two species, seventeen of which are new. New species described are: Solariella Stewarti, Tessarolax trinalis, Gyrodes allisoni, Gyrodes greeni, Ampullina stantoni, Ampullina mona, Euspira popenoei, Euspira marianus, Paleosephaea sacramentica, Clinura anassa, Acteon sullivanae, Cylichia andersoni, Marietta (Marietta) fricki, Turritites (Turritites) dilleri, Puzosia puma, Puzosia sullivanae, Eogunnarites matsumotoi. INTRODUCTION unit. The formation as presently recognized has been traced from the Igo-Cottonwood LARGE number of well preserved Cre- A taceous mollusks has been collected road south-southwest to Roaring River and from previously undescribed rocks in the supports the relatively high ridges of the northwestern Sacramento Valley, Shasta Bald Hills from which it derives its name. County, California. This paper describes The conglomerate units in this part of the and discusses the cephalopod and gastropod section on Dry Creek in Tehama County elements of this fauna and defines the Bald probably should be included in the forma- Hills formation, the unit in which they oc- tion but detailed mapping in that area is not cur.
    [Show full text]
  • Cretaceous Ammonites from the Lower Part of the Matanuska Formation Southern Alaska
    Cretaceous Ammonites From the Lower Part of The Matanuska Formation Southern Alaska By DAVID L. JONES With a STRATIGRAPHIC SUMMARY By ARTHUR GRANT2 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 547 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1967 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY William T. Pecora, Director Library of Congress catalog-card No. GS 66-286 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price $1.25 (paper cover) CONTENTS Page Abstract-----------__-------------------------------- 1 Stratigraphic summary of the lower part of the Matanuska Introduction--------------------------------------- 1 Formation-Continued Mid-Cretaceous faunal sequence in southern Alaska- - - - .. 2 Unit B, sandstone of Cenomanian age-- _---------- 3 Unit C, strata of Cenomanian to Santonian(?) age--- Cenomanian - - - - - - _ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4 Unit Gl, lutite of Cenomanian to Coniacian or Stratigraphic summary of the lower part of the Matanuska Santonian age-____----------------------- Formation, by Arthur Grants -------_______--------- Unit G2, composite sequence of Coniacian and Unit A, strata of Albian age ...................... Santonian(?) age .......................... Limestone Hills area- - ----____-------------- Regional correlation of the lower part of the Matanuska North front of the Chugach Mountains--- - - - - - Forrnation_____---------------------------------- Matanuska Valley---------_-____---------
    [Show full text]
  • Albian and Cenomanian Ammonites of the Eastern Margin of the Lut Block (East Iran)
    Carnets Geol. 16 (25) Albian and Cenomanian ammonites of the eastern margin of the Lut block (East Iran) Javad SHARIFI 1 Seyed Naser RAISOSSADAT 2, 3 Maryam MORTAZAVI MEHRIZI 4 Maryam MOTAMEDALSHARIATI 5 Abstract: Upper Albian and Lower Cenomanian ammonites occur on the eastern margin of the Lut block in eastern Iran. The ammonite assemblages described herein are from the Nimbolook and Kerch sections located west of Qayen. The following taxa are described: Mantelliceras mantelli (J. SOWERBY, 1814), Mantelliceras saxbii (SHARPE, 1857), Mantelliceras sp. 1, Mantelliceras sp. 2, Mantelliceras sp. 3, Sharpeiceras laticlavium (SHARPE, 1855), Sharpeiceras schlueteri (HYATT, 1903), Puzosia (Puzosia) mayoriana (ORBIGNY, 1841), Hyphoplites costosus C.W. WRIGHT & E.V. WRIGHT, 1949, Mortoniceras (Mortoniceras) cf. fallax (BREISTROFFER, 1940), Mantelliceras cf. mantelli (J. SOWERBY, 1814), Caly- coceras (Gentoniceras) aff. gentoni (BRONGNIART, 1822), Idiohamites fremonti (MARCOU, 1858), Mariella (Mariella) sp., Mariella (Mariella) dorsetensis (SPATH, 1926), and Turrilites costatus LAMARCK, 1801. The ammonite assemblages clearly indicate a late Albian-middle Cenomanian age for the Nimbolook section and late Albian-early Cenomanian age for the Kerch section. Key-words: • Albian; • Cenomanian; • Cretaceous; • ammonites; • systematic paleontology; • biostratigraphy; • Qayen; • Lut block; • Iran. Citation: SHARIFI J., RAISOSSADAT S.N., MORTAZAVI MEHRIZI M. & MOTAMEDALSHARIATI M. (2016).- Albian and Cenomanian ammonites of the Eastern margin of the Lut block (East Iran).- Carnets Geol., Madrid, vol. 16, no. 25, p. 591-613. Résumé : Ammonites albiennes et cénomaniennes de la bordure orientale du bloc de Lut (E Iran).- Des ammonites de l'Albien supérieur et du Cénomanien inférieur sont présentes sur la bordure orientale du bloc de Lut dans la partie orientale de l'Iran.
    [Show full text]
  • 2. Note on Pachydesmoceras, a Cretaceous Ammonite Genus By
    No. 1] Proc. Japan Acad., 63, Ser. B (1987) 5 2. Note on Pachydesmoceras, a Cretaceous Ammonite Genus By Tatsuro MATSUMOTO (Communicated by Teiichi KoBAYASHI, M. J. A., Jan. 12, 1987) The genus Pachydesmoceras is widespread in the Cretaceous deposits of various regions of the world. When Spath (1922) established this genus under the Puzosiinae of the Desmoceratidae, he designated the specimen of Desmoceras (Puzosia) denisonianum (Stoliczka) illustrated by Kossmat (1898, pl. 15, figs. 5a, b) from southern India as genotype. Since a genus should be established on a species and not on a particular specimen, the type species of Pachydesmoceras is Ammonites denisonianus Stoliczka, 1865. In this paper I give concisely a revised definition of P. deniso nianum ( Stoliczka) , with a result that the illustrated specimens of Kossmat represent another species. This is based on my study of the type specimens kept in the Geological Survey of India (GSI.), Calcutta, and supported also by subsequent collections from Japan and Madagascar. Palaeontological descriptions. 1. Pachydesmoceras denisonianum (Stoliczka) Lectotype (designated herein) :-GSI. 208, figured by Stoliczka, 1865 (pl. 66a), from the Ootatoor [Uttatur] Group, northeast of Odium, southern India. Diagnosis :-Shell large, with low to moderate ratio of whorl expansion and involution of 0.3 to 0.4; umbilicus moderate to fairly wide. Whorls thickly ovoid or subcircular in cross-section in more or less late growth-stages, with convex flanks and subrounded umbilical shoulder. Shell in earlier growth-stages similar to Puzosia in shape but provided with long ribs which arise at or near the umbilical rim; periodic constrictions or flares of normal frequency.
    [Show full text]
  • Early Cretaceous (Albian) Ammonites from the Chitina Valley and Talkeetna Mountains, Alaska
    Early Cretaceous (Albian) Ammonites From the Chitina Valley and Talkeetna Mountains, Alaska GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 354-D Early Cretaceous (Albian) Ammonites From the Chitina Valley and Talkeetna Mountains, Alaska By RALPH W. IMLAY SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 354-D The Early Cretaceous (Albian) ammonites in southern Alaska have strong affinities with those in California and Oregon but are in part of Boreal and Eurasian origin UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1960 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FRED A. SEATON, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D.C. - Price SO cents (paper cover) CONTENTS Ammonite faunules and correlations Continued Abstract..________________________________________ 87 Bretrericeras breweri and B. cf. B. hulenense faunule__ 91 Introduction _______________________________________ 87 Frebnhliceros singulare faunule____________________ 92 Biologic analysis____________________________________ 87 Other Albian faunules.__________________________ 93 Stratigraphic summary ______________________________ 88 Comparisons with other faunas_______________________ 93 Talkeetna Mountains ___________________________ 88 Geographic distribution._____________________________ 93 Chitina Valley__________________________________ 88 Summary of results _________________________________ 93 Ammonite faunules and correlations.__________________
    [Show full text]
  • CENOMANIAN CEPHALOPODS from the GLAUCONITIC LIMESTONE SOUTHEAST of ESFAHAN, IRAN Boreal Middle Cretaceous Ammonite Faunas Have L
    ACT A PAL A EON T 0 LOG ICA POLONICA Vol. 24 1919 No. J W. J. KENNEDY, M. R. CHAHIDA AND M. A. DJAFARIAN CENOMANIAN CEPHALOPODS FROM THE GLAUCONITIC LIMESTONE SOUTHEAST OF ESFAHAN, IRAN KENNEDY W. J., CHAHIDA M. R. and DJAFARIAN M. A.: Cenomanian cepha­ lopods from the Glauconitic Limestone southeast of Esfahan, Iran. Acta Palaeont Polonica, 24, I, 3-50, April 20, 1979. The Glauconitic Limestone of the area southeast of Esfahan yields a rich Ceno­ manian cephalopod fauna of Boreal aspect, including species of Anglonautllus, Stomohamites, Sciponoceras, Idiohamites, Ostllngoceras. Mariella, Hypoturrllites. Turrllites, Scaphites, Puzosia, Austiniceras, Hyphoplltes, Schloenbachia. Mantelll­ ceras, Sharpeiceras and Acompsoceras, most of which represent new records for the area. The age of this fauna Is unequivocally Lower Cenomanian, and can be correlated in detail at a distance of 5000 km with parts of the northwest European Hypoturrll!tes carcitanens!s and Mante!liceras saxbit Zones. The material studied includes none of the Upper Albian, Middle and Upper Cenomanian elements re­ corded from the unit by previous workers. The fauna Is numerically dominated by acanthoceratids, in marked contrast to the Schloenbachia-dominated faunas of northwestern Europe. This suggests the area lay In the southern parts of the Boreal Realm, where Schloenbachia Is known to become progressively scarcer, as Is supported by proximity to the Zagros line marking the juncture of Asian and Arabian plates. Key w 0 r d s: Boreal Ammonites, Esfahan, Lower Cenomanian, Glauconitic Li­ mestone. W. J. Kennedy, Geological Co!lections. University Museum. Parks Road. England; M. R. Chahida and M. A.
    [Show full text]
  • 27. Stratigraphic Comparison Around the Sea O F Japan
    No. 5] Proc. Japan Acad., 60, Ser. B (1984) 99 27. Stratigraphic Comparison around the Sea of Japan By Teiichi KOBAYASHI,M. J. A. (Communicated, May 12, 1984) The upper Palaeozoic and Mesozoic formations and fossils of Japan are closely related to those of South Primorye, U.S.S.R., but later in the Cretaceous period South Korea was connected to West Japan at the Tsushima basin. Such a change took place by the drift- ing of the Japanese Islands from the continental side for more than twice. This is my prediction in 1935 here reconsidered with reference to additional data accumulated during a half century since then. 1) The Cambrian formation discovered in the Hanka block by Kropathkin in 1949 yields Lower and Middle Cambrian archaeo- cyathids, but no trilobite. Its basal conglomerate overlies a thick Pro- terozoic complex the older part of which is 830 myr. The archaeo- cyathids show that the sea was extended toward Tr,ansbikalia, but probably disconnected from Korea where Cambrian trilobites are abundant but no archaeocyathids. 2) No Upper Cambrian and Ordovician record is as yet found in either the Hanka-Suifung area or the Sikhota Alin, but the thick Tamginska series of the area contains a Silurian flora. Therefore the Chichibu geosyncline of Japan was connected with the Mongolian geosyncline through this area. The Silurian coralline fossils in the Kyeomipo limestone conglomerate in North Korea are telling a temporal marine ingression from the Japan sea side. 3) The thick Devonian formation of the Hanka area is rich in volcanic and pyroclastic rocks, showing the intrageosynclinal volcanism.
    [Show full text]
  • Preliminary Notes on the Cretaceous Ammonite Faunas of East Greenland by L
    MEDDELELSER Oi\l GR0NLANI) UDGIVNE AF KOMMISSIONKN FOR VIDKNSKABELIGE UNDFRS0GKLSKR I GR0NLANI) Bi>. 132 • Nr. 4 DE DANSKE EKSPEDITIONER TIL 0 STGR0 NLAND 1936-38 Under L edelse af L auge Koch PRELIMINARY NOTES ON THE CRETACEOUS AMMONITE FAUNAS OF EAST GREENLAND BY L. F. SPATH D.Sr.., F. R.S. K0 BENHAVN C. A. REITZELS FORLAG BIANCO LUNOS BOGTRYKKKKI 1946 retaceous ammonites have long been known from East Greenland C but the list of the few, more or less isolated finds is not impressive. Thus Toula’s (1874) widely-quoted Amm. payeri, first referred to the genus Perisphinctes, was subsequently considered to be a form of Sim- birskites and was held to demonstrate the presence of marine Hauterivian deposits. This is almost certainly incorrect, as mentioned below. Again one of Ravn’s (1912) two ammonites was misidentified as a Neocomian “Garnieria”, whereas in reality it represents the inner whorls of an Aptian genus (Sanmartinoceras). A few additional species were recorded by Koch (1929, 1931), Rosenkrantz (1930, 1934), Frebold (1935) and Maync (1940), again mostly of Aptian age. The purpose of the present note is not only to amplify these records but to announce the discovery of entirely new ammonite assemblages of Cretaceous age. The new collections were made during the 1936—1938 expedition to East Greenland under the leadership of Dr. Lauge Koch, and the collectors of the material now before me were two competent Swiss geologists. One of them, Dr. Hans Stauber, worked in Traill Island and Geographical Society Island. The other, Dr. Wolf Maync, collected in the northern area, from Clavering Island up to Kuhn Island.
    [Show full text]
  • Upper Albian and Cenomanian (Cretaceous) Ammonites from the Debarsu Formation (Yazd Block, Central Iran)
    Acta Geologica Polonica, Vol. 63 (2013), No. 4, pp. 489–513 DOI: 10.2478/agp-2013-0021 Upper Albian and Cenomanian (Cretaceous) ammonites from the Debarsu Formation (Yazd Block, Central Iran) MARKUS WILMSEN1, MARISA STORM2, FRANZ THEODOR FÜRSICH3 AND MAHMOUD REZA MAJIDIFARD4 1Senckenberg Naturhistorische Sammlungen Dresden, Museum für Mineralogie und Geologie, Sektion Paläozoologie, Königsbrücker Landstr. 159, D-01109 Dresden, Germany. E-mail: [email protected] 2Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3AN, United Kingdom 3GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Fachgruppe PaläoUmwelt, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Loewenichstr. 28, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany. 4Geological Survey of Iran, Box 131851-1494, Tehran, Iran. ABSTRACT: Wilmsen, M., Storm, M., Fürsich, F.T. and Majidifard, M.R. 2013. Upper Albian and Cenomanian (Cretaceous) am- monites from the Debarsu Formation (Yazd Block, Central Iran). Acta Geologica Polonica, 63 (4), 489–513. Warszawa. New ammonite faunas consisting of 13 taxa provide the first reliable biostratigraphic dating of the Debarsu Forma- tion of the Yazd Block, west-central Iran, indicating several levels in the Upper Albian and Lower Cenomanian, while a foraminiferal assemblage places the top of the Formation in the Middle Turonian. Among the identified ammonite taxa, Acompsoceras renevieri (Sharpe, 1857) is recorded from Iran for the first time. The upper part of the lower Up- per Albian is proved by the occurrences of mortoniceratines of the Mortoniceras (M.) inflatum Zone in the lower- most part of the Debarsu Formation. For the upper Upper Albian (traditional Stoliczkaia dispar Zone), the M. (Sub- schloenbachia) rostratum and M. (S.) perinflatum zones are proved by their index taxa.
    [Show full text]
  • Coastal Organisms Trapped in 99-Million-Year-Old Amber
    Vol.33 No.2 2019 Science Watch Earth Sciences Coastal Organisms Trapped in 99-Million-Year-Old Amber ost amber inclusions are organisms that lived The ammonite, a kind of sea animal, was trapped in in the forest. It is very rare to find sea life 99-million-year-old amber from northern Myanmar. The Mtrapped in amber. However, an international amber is 33 mm long, 9.5 mm wide, 29 mm high and weighs research group led by Prof. WANG Bo from the Nanjing 6.08 g. Besides the ammonite, the amber also encases a Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese diverse assemblage of organisms that today live on land or in Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS) reported the first known the sea, including at least 40 individual animals. ammonite trapped in amber in a study in PNAS published Of the terrestrial fauna found in the amber, mites are on May 13. the most abundant. Also present are spiders, millipedes, Fig 1. Amber piece showing most large inclusions. (Image by NIGPAS) Bulletin of the Chinese Academy of Sciences 123 BCAS Vol.33 No.2 2019 Earth Sciences cockroaches, beetles, flies and wasps, most of which would have lived on the forest floor. Of the marine fauna, in addition to the ammonite itself, sea snails and sea slaters are present. The slaters are like those living on the seashore today. The researchers used X-ray micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) to obtain high-resolution three- dimensional images of the ammonite including its convoluted sutures, which are important for identifying ammonites.
    [Show full text]