Evolution of the Jurassic Tethyan Foraminifera K
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Stratigraphy and Geological Correlation, Vol. 2, No. I, 1994, pp. 80 - 87. Translated from Stratigrafiya. Geologicheskaya Korretyatsiya, Vol. 2, No. 1, 1994, pp. 86-94. Original Russian Text Copyright © 1994 by Kuznetsova. English Translation Copyright © 1994 by Interperiodica Publishing (Russia). Evolution of the Jurassic Tethyan Foraminifera K. I. Kuznetsova Geobgical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pyzhevskii per. 7, Moscow, 109017 Russb Received January 31,1993 Abstract - The evolution of foraminiferal assemblages that inhabited the East Mediterranean basins during the Jurassic is discussed using the analysis of the material obtained during my work in Syria from 1986 to 1991 and of the Jurassic foraminifera collections from the adjacent countries, the Crimea, Caucasus, and southwest ern Europe. Analysis of the taxonomic composition of the assemblages and their changes through time and space revealed stages of the foraminifera development related to sea basin dynamics in the Jurassic. Faunal assemblages differing in composition and structure are confined to different facies-ecological environments and structural zones. The time range of some stages is nearly equal to the stratigraphic unit of age (stage). According to the biological peculiarities of the fauna, i.e., the dominant morphotypes, rates of evolution, tolerance, inten sity of speciation, distribution areas, degree of endemism, two large stages (megaphases) of the Tethyan fora miniferal evolution are recognized: the early-middle Jurassic and late Jurassic-early Cretaceous. The evolution of foraminifera, like any other group of appear in the Jurassic, are rare, but they occur in the organisms, is a multicomponent process, rates and trends deposits of three of the seven studied stages. of which depend on a number of factors: biological In a biogeographic sense, these assemblages contain peculiarities of a group under discussion, its dependence tropical Tethyan endemics, widespread subtropical forms, on a complex of abiotic factors, species migrations, and and cosmopolites occurring outside of the Tethys in the others. Boreal realm (boreal-cosmopolitan elements) (Fig. 1). Most of these factors are unstable during even the Bearing in mind the foresaid, I have distinguished smallest stage in foraminiferal evolution, a zone, in this the main stages of the Jurassic foraminiferal evolution case. The wider the studied distribution area of the in Syria and the adjacent Mediterranean regions. group and the longer the analyzed period of its evolu tion, the more complex and reliable its evolutionary The first stage corresponding to the lower Jurassic, patterns. which cannot be divided into stages in Syria, is distin guishable in fauna from Morocco and southwestern The vast areas of the Mesozoic Tethys ocean inhab France. The stage is characterized by the occurrence of ited by the diverse and abundant Jurassic biota includ representatives of the Orbitopsellidae family restricted ing foraminifera are of exceptional interest for such in distribution by the tropical Tethyan area. Associated studies. Pseudocyclammina, Lituosepta, Haurania, and Pfen- Using my own abundant materials, mostly from derina, which are also endemics, have a wider strati Syria, partly from Israel, Crimea, Caucasus, and Western graphic distribution and are recorded in the middle and Europe, as well as publications on the other Tethyan partly upper Jurassic of the East Mediterranean. regions, such as the Fiench-Spanish Pyrenees, Algeria, In Syria, the lower Jurassic sediments were depos Morocco, Sinai, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Iraq, I attempted ited in shallow, sometimes brackish-water basins, as to consider the Jurassic foraminiferal evolution in indicated by an impoverished composition of foramin the Tethys. iferal assemblages and by the presence of fresh-water Analysis of the foraminiferal assemblages included ostracodes. In die Crimea, this time was characterized studies on their taxonomic composition, facies and eco by a deposition of Tavriya Series lacking foraminifers. logical dependence, distribution area sizes of both the The second stage spans the stratigraphic interval of assemblages and principal components (mainly at the the Aalenian-lower Bajocian and is characterized in generic level), and morphological peculiarities of dom Syria by a predominance of boreal-cosmopolitan ele inant groups. ments (Epistomina, Lenticulina, and Citharina) and According to the dominant groups, the Jurassic less abundant Tethyan endemics (Timidonella). In Tethyan foraminifera belong to the cyclamminid-pfen- southwestern Syria, these assemblages were formed derinid type of Protozoa, (Gordon, 1970; Basov et al., under conditions of the mid-littoral zone. In southwest 1972; Basov, 1974; Kuznetsova and Gorbachik, 1985), ern Europe, identical assemblages existed in similar which inhabited the tropical and subtropical basins. settings (Pellissie et al., 1984). Ecologically, these are benthic forms, i.e., facies- The third stage corresponds in time to the Bajocian. controlled organisms. Planktonic foraminifera, which Secreting benthic foraminifera retain their predomi- STRATIGRAPHY AND GEOLOGICAL CO] Families, genera, and species Agglutinated and secreted Tethyan, Subtethyan, of foraminifera benthic foraminifera, and boreal-cosmopolitan forms and planktonic species EVOLUTION OFTHE JURASSIC TETHYAN FOl I o< 0 5 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90100% Open Shallow- Lagoon sea water E22 i ESI 2 |o~ol4 S S 5 Fig. 1. Relations between different taxonomic, ecological, and paleobiogeographic components in the Jurassic foraminiferal thanatocoenoses of Syria and the basin dynamics. 1 - families; 2 - genera; 3 - species; 4 - agglutinated benthic foraminifera; 5 - secretory benthic foraminifera; 6 - planktonic foraminifera; 7 - boreal-cosmopolitan forms; 8 - Sub tethyan forms; 9 - Tethyan forms. oo Morocco, Sinai, theand correlationsouthwestern of thesethe Syria, Bajocianassemblagesrevealing deposits over in theAlgeria, Mediterraneannanceinthe assemblages, andTethyanthe elements enablesare a common stage in faunaevolution. still ofsecondary importance. The wide distribution of The planktonic increaseforaminifera sharply inabundance andtaxonomic diversity. ( were ofminor importance. Here theTethyan endemicswestern Syria, southwestern France, and Algeria they to predominate in ingsouthern basin. The boreal-cosmopolitanand southwestern elementswhich evolvedcontinueSyria, in different parts ofthe rapidly expandoccurrence of transgression. Inthe Mediterranean, various itis marked by the foraminiferal assemblages, general their composition from Mediterranean.the typesBathonian Two ofassemblages, faunas, inheriting in ofthe marine transgression and an increaseddifferenti ning, or in the middle ofthe Bathonian stage (Fig. 2). foraminiferal assemblages were renewed at the genus Sinai, and northern Africa, but in central and north are typical of this stage. Southwestern Syria and the ation of facies-ecological environments in spans the theCallovian, whenEast there was some contraction level. Eighteen genera originated at either the begin Globuligerina) Thefourth Fig. 2. Stratigraphic range ofsome foraminiferal genera (the tropical and subtropical types ofthe Tethyan fauna). 1 - 1 The fifth stage h Kf n j2bj j2* jf jb» one or two species; 2 -three - live species; Foraminifera 1 1Timidonella 2 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 10 12 13 14 1 2 Paleopfenderina ( appear for the first time. The Syrian Bathonian 1 1 i 3N T Pfenderellar n 4 Satorina of the foraminiferal development 5 Sanderella ) 6 Dhrumella stage 1 Haurania corresponds to awide Conoglobigerina 8 Amijiella 9 Paracoskinolina Tropical 10 Kilianina 3 - 3 more than five species. 11 Praekurnubia 12 Kurnubia and 13 Meyendorffina 14 Protopeneroplis 5 5 16 17 18 Morocco were occupied by the shallow-waterNorthwestern Tethyan Syria, the French-Spanishmediolittoral Pyrenes, zonesand and the carbonate platform areas. nated by the boreal-cosmopolitan elements. Here less Sinai Peninsula were areas of terrigenous-carbonate Alveosepta Crimea and Caucasus. dant The boreal-cosmopolitanplanktonic endemics.elementsforaminifera Transitional appeared type in assemblages the with abun abundant Tethyan forms inhabited the shallow-water sedimentation, which preserved assemblages domi advanced in species diversity. tantoTethyan elements9:1ratio is, , varyingslightly in increase sharply in importance; and the planktonic for reaches its maximum; the Oxfordian. the The taxonomicsecreting diversityrelated to ofthebenthic expansionthis groupof the formsmarine transgressionin in the Mediterranean foraminiferal assemblages, is the central part of teristicSyria (the duringPalmyrides). New the tion.The environmentaltaxa uniformitywide seems charactobe transgressionassemblages are thatcharacterized byreaches a differentuniform parts composiofthe basin. In the remote regions, the aminifera continue to develop. The boreal-cosmopoli sus, Syria, and Israel. These taxa existed till the end 15 Paravalvulina ( Everticyclammina 16 Pseudomarssonella The sixth stage, 17 Riyadhella 1 1 ■ 18 Redmondoides ) appear) and spreadoverthe Crimea, Cauca 19 19 22 24 26 19 Steinekella 20 20 23 25 20 Labyrinthine 21 , , 21 Bramkampella marked by significant changes Choffatella, Mesoendothyra, 22 Pseudocyclammina 23 Everticyclammina 24 Choffatella 25 Mesoendothyra Subtropical 26 Alveosepta 27 27 29 31 33 27 Torinosuella 28 28 3 28 Stomatostoecha 29 Melathrokerion 0 0 32 30 Anchispirocyclina