Lower Permian Through Lower Trassic Paleontology, Stratigraphy, and Chemostratigraphy of the Bilk Creek Mountains of Humboldt County, Nevada
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LOWER PERMIAN THROUGH LOWER TRASSIC PALEONTOLOGY, STRATIGRAPHY, AND CHEMOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE BILK CREEK MOUNTAINS OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY, NEVADA Christopher Allen Klug A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE December 2007 Committee: Margaret M. Yacobucci, Advisor James E. Evans John R. Farver © 2007 Christopher Klug All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Margaret M. Yacobucci, Advisor The primary goal of this study was to use paleontological, geochemical ( C), and sedimentological data to determine if a complete Permian-Triassic boundary section is present at the Bilk Creek Mountains of northwestern Nevada. The Bilk Creek Mountains of northwestern Nevada contain a marine record deposited in a back-arc terrane environment, starting in the Lower Permian Bilk Creek Limestone and extending to the Middle Triassic Quinn River Formation. Field work through these units reveals changes in the marine benthic fauna through this interval, including across the Permian-Triassic boundary. Data collected from the Bilk Creek Limestone reveals a diverse benthic marine fauna, with brachiopods being the most abundant. Within the Bilk Creek Limestone, two different faunal signatures are apparent. The transition and separation of these groups are marked by the appearance and the abundance of Boreal brachiopods such as Spiriferella, Neospirifer, Stenoscisma, Muirwoodia transversa, Neophricodothyris sp., and Derbyia, replacing mid-latitude to Tethyan-derived brachiopods such as Crurithyris, Dielasma, Squamularia sp., and Rhynchopora. When the brachiopod faunas of the Bilk Creek were compared statistically with other known Early Permian rocks deposited along northwestern and western Pangea, analysis showed that the Bilk Creek brachiopod fauna was similar to that of the Eastern Klamath and Quesnellia terranes. This faunal transition to a more Boreal assemblage may mark the local onset of the Permian Chert Event iv (PCE). While previously thought to be strictly Early Permian, the Bilk Creek Limestone does contain Middle Permian brachiopod taxa as well. The overlying Permian Volcaniclastic Unit, thought previously to be unfossiliferous, does contain small quantities of articulate brachiopods. Approximately 54 meters of limestones, dolomites, shales, cherts, and volcanic ash within the overlying Quinn River Formation record deposition in deep marine conditions prior to the Permian-Triassic mass extinction event. Field observations and lab data reveal the presence of brachiopods, sponges, and rugose corals that then disappear with the onset of accumulations of cherts at the end-Guadalupian. The Permian-Triassic boundary was defined stratigraphically with the use of the distinctive Permo-Triassic negative C excursion, along with early Triassic fauna such as the brachiopod Lingula and the bivalve Claraia. With no evidence of unconformities within the Quinn River Formation, this unit appears to represent a continuous Permo- Triassic boundary section. v I would like to dedicate this thesis to my parents, who have always supported me through all my endeavors, my friend Rex Hanger who was instrumental in getting me started on research about the Permian, to my friend Josh Mathews for being my field assistant whenever I needed him, to all the friends who have lent an ear for those phone calls during the first year of graduate school, and finally to my friends who have lent me a couch to crash on when I visited Whitewater to blow off some steam. For this I am grateful to all of you. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my appreciation to Dr. Yacobucci for advising me through the problems that came up during the thesis process. I would also like to thank Josh Mathews for helping me at the field site and for being my second driver out to Nevada. I would also like to thank the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Department of Geology and Geography’s Field Study Class for their help with the trenching across the Quinn River Formation. I would like to express my thanks to Bowling Green State University’s Department of Geology for the use of laboratory space and supplies during the course of this study. I would also like to thank Chris Wright and Dr. Onasch for showing me how to use the department’s rock preparation equipment. And finally I would like to thank the Richard D. Hoare Research Scholarship and Explorers Foundation Exploratory Grant for funding my research. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER II. GEOLOGIC SETTING ................................................................................. 9 Regional Geologic Setting........................................................................................... 9 Stratigraphy & Depositional Environments ................................................................ 13 Bilk Creek Limestone (Pbc) ............................................................................ 13 Permian Volcaniclastic Unit (Psv) ................................................................. 14 Quinn River Formation (PTRqr) .................................................................... 14 CHAPTER III. METHODS AND MATERIALS ................................................................ 16 Data Collection Methods ........................................................................................... 16 Geological Field Methods .......................................................................................... 16 Laboratory Preparation .............................................................................................. 17 Fossils ............................................................................................................ 17 Rock Slabs ..................................................................................................... 18 Geochemical Preparation ............................................................................... 19 Analyses…….. ........................................................................................................... 20 Paleoecological Analyses .............................................................................. 20 Geochemical Analyses ................................................................................... 23 CHAPTER IV. SEDIMENTOLOGY & STRATIGRAPHY ............................................... 25 Measured Sections ..................................................................................................... 25 Bilk Creek Limestone (Pbc) .......................................................................... 25 viii Permian Volcaniclastic Unit (Psv) ................................................................. 26 Quinn River Formation (PTRqr) .................................................................... 28 Biostratigraphy ........................................................................................................... 36 Bilk Creek Limestone (Pbc) .......................................................................... 36 Quinn River Formation (PTRqr) .................................................................... 37 Chemostratigraphy ..................................................................................................... 42 CHAPTER V. PALEOECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS ........................................................... 48 Bilk Creek Limestone (Pbc) ...................................................................................... 48 Permian Volcaniclastic Unit (Psv) ............................................................................. 52 Quinn River Formation (PTRqr) ................................................................................ 52 CHAPTER VI. DISCUSSION .............................................................................................. 70 Brachiopods and the Age of the Bilk Creek Limestone ............................................ 70 The Bilk Creek Limestone-Permian Volcaniclastic Unit and the PCE ..................... 70 Permian Mass Extinction and the Quinn River Formation ........................................ 78 CHAPTER VII. CONCLUSIONS ......................................................................................... 80 REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................... 82 APPENDIX A. DESCRIPTION OF THE BILK CREEK LIMESTONE ............................ 88 APPENDIX B. DESCRIPTION OF THE PERMIAN VOLCANICLASTIC UNIT ........... 91 APPENDIX C. DESCRIPTION OF THE QUINN RIVER FORMATION ......................... 101 APPENDIX D. LOWER PERMIAN BRACHIOPOD TERRANE DATA ......................... 107 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 Extinction patterns for marine animals during the Permian-Triassic mass extinction .................................................................................................................. 3 2 Permian time scale, showing the different epochs and stages ................................... 4 3 Paleogeographic world map, showing late Permian Earth ........................................ 4 4 North America during the Early Permian (290 Ma) .................................................. 5 5 North America during the Middle Permian (275 Ma) ............................................... 6 6 North America during start of late Permian (260 Ma) ..............................................