Cephalopod Diversity Within a Concretionary Inverval of the Pierre Shale (Upper Cretaceous) in Dawes County, Northwestern Nebraska
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University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies Nebraska Academy of Sciences 1993 Cephalopod Diversity within a Concretionary Inverval of the Pierre Shale (Upper Cretaceous) in Dawes County, Northwestern Nebraska Darryl Tharalson Chadron State College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tnas Part of the Life Sciences Commons Tharalson, Darryl, "Cephalopod Diversity within a Concretionary Inverval of the Pierre Shale (Upper Cretaceous) in Dawes County, Northwestern Nebraska" (1993). Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies. 125. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tnas/125 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Nebraska Academy of Sciences at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societiesy b an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 1993. Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences, XX: 87-95 CEPHALOPOD DIVERSITY WITHIN A CONCRETIONARY INTERVAL OF THE PIERRE SHALE (UPPER CRETACEOUS) IN DAWES COUNTY, NORTHWESTERN NEBRASKA Darryl Tharalson Science Department Chadron State College Chadron, Nebraska 69337-2690 ABSTRACT reported to have been collected at Chadron, Nebraska. Dunham (1961a, b; because the content of these two A concretionary interval within the Pierre Shale, where works is essentially identical, only the 1961a report it outcrops across northern Dawes County, is characterized subsequently will be referred to in the body of this by a diversity of cephalopod taxa. The interval falls within the ammonite zones of Exiteloceras jenneyi to Baculites paper) included a rather detailed description of the cuneatus of the upper Campanian. Three or more of the Pierre Shale in the Chadron area as well as many ofthe following cephalopod taxa have been collected at each of the fossil localities described in this report; however, nei seventeen sites described herein: Eutrephoceras dekayi ther of his studies has been published. Tourtelot and (Morton); Baculites compressus Say; B. cuneatus Cobban; Rye (1969) analyzed oxygen and carbon isotopes present Didymoceras cheyennense (Meek and Hayden); Exiteloceras in a number of specimens of Baculites collected from jenneyi (Whitfield); Jeletzkyites nodosus (Owen); Placenticeras three localities in northern Dawes County. Cobban intercalare Meek; P. meeki Boehm; and Solenoceras cf. S. (1987) reported collecting a specimen of Rhaeboceras crassum (Whitfield). The interval that yields cephalopod Meek in 1965 from northeastern Dawes County. diversity comprises a stratigraphic thickness of about 15 to 20 meters and appears to occur roughly 300 meters above the base ofthe Pierre Shale in northeastern Dawes County. The Several of the cephalopod taxa that occur within fossils are present within calcareous concretions imbedded in the concretionary interval emphasized in this paper gray to olive-gray shale in the lower portion ofthe upper part have substantial biostratigraphic value. Thus, of the Pierre Shale in this area. The interval seemingly Exiteloceras jenneyi, Didymoceras cheyennense, correlates, at least in part, with the lower unnamed shale Baculites compressus, and B. cuneatus define succes member of the Pierre Shale in the Red Bird area in eastern sive ammonite zones for the upper Campanian in the Wyoming. U. S. western interior. In northern Dawes County, the fossiliferous concretionary interval of special interest t t t in the upper part of the Pierre Shale is sporadically exposed in a belt roughly 6 to 8 km wide that extends The Pierre Shale outcrops across some 900 sq. km from near the southwestern corner ofT33N, R49W in a (350 sq. mi.) in northern Dawes County, northwestern northeasterly direction into the eastern half of T35N, Nebraska (Fig. 1). Southernmost exposures occur near R49W (Fig. 1) and then northward a few km in Shan the city of Chadron and Pierre Shale constitutes bed non County, South Dakota. Across much of the west rock over most of the area northward into South Da ern two-thirds of northern Dawes County, the fossilif kota. However, thick, extensive, and well-developed erous concertionary interval is covered by strati exposures are almost nonexistent in this region of pre graphically higher portions of the upper part of the dominantly rolling, grass-covered hills. Pierre Shale. In addition to a description of cephalopod occurrence, this report includes a fairly detailed ac Very little has been published on the Pierre Shale count of Pierre Shale surficial stratigraphy in this area. and its macrofossil content in this area. Whitfield [In this regard, the earlier work of Dunham (1961a) has (1901) described an exceptionally well-preserved speci been particularly helpful.) men of Didymoceras stevensoni Whitfield, which was 87 88 D. Tharalson •. 49W. R.4IW. T.35N. US 385 T.34N. 38 ~~._3_2 __~~ __~~ ___________3_9·~ ____________-+_t T.33N. US 20 uno Figure 1. Map showing the locations ofCSC-Kp sites described in this paper where concretions in the upper part of the Pierre Shale in northeastern Dawes County have yielded cephalopod diversity. STRATIGRAPHY OF THE PIERRE SHALE DeGraw (1975) and Shurr (1984). The regional contact between the Pierre Shale and overlying Chadron For Meek and Hayden (1861: 419-424) proposed the mation (Oligocene) is a disconformity. The Pierre Shale name Fort Pierre Group for a sequence of dark shale remaining in northern Dawes County seems to be at exposed near the fur-trading post of Fort Pierre, which least 400 m thick, and outcrops consist of dark shale at that time was on the Missouri River floodplain some comprising several lithologic zones characterized by 6 km north of the present community of the same the presence or absence of bentonite beds and concre name. The name for the rock unit has subsequently tions as well as variations. in the nature of the shale been changed to Pierre Shale. The present thickness of (Fig. 2). the Pierre Shale in the type area is about 300 m (1,000 ft) (Crandell, 1958). Crandell (1958: 9) subdivided the Sharon Springs Member Pierre Shale for the type area in central South Dakota The Sharon Springs Member, whose type locality is into 8 members which are, in ascending order, the in western Kansas (Elias, 1931), constitutes the basal Sharon Springs, Gregory, Crow Creek, DeGrey, Pierre Shale in northern Dawes County. It consists Verendrye, Virgin Creek, Mobridge, and Elk Butte mem chiefly of relatively resistant (buttress-weathering) lami bers. He noted that all except the Sharon Springs nated, dark gray to black shale that includes much Member crop out in the Pierre area. bituminous material as well as abundant small scales and other fish fossils. It contains several bentonite At the few outcrops [e. g., in T35N, R47W, Sec. 30dc beds and concretionary layers and weathers to fissile, (see description of sites collected section for an explana silvery-gray flakes. Portions ofthe Sharon Springs are tion of the T-R locational format employed herein)] in locally exposed in extreme northeastern Dawes County northeastern Dawes County where I think I have ob on the western side of the Chadron Dome. The finest served the contact between the Niobrara Formation exposure of this member in the immediate area is just and Pierre Shale that contact appears to be gradational across the state line from Dawes County in Shannon and conformable. However because of the generally County, South Dakota, where relatively complete sec poor quality of such exposures, misinterpretation ofthe tions ofthe unit are exposed in buttes and along gullies boundary relationships is entirely possible. Thus it in T35N, R47W, Secs. 16 and 17. Moore (1954: 36) may be that the Niobrara-Pierre contact in this area reported finding a knife-edge contact of the Sharon actually is an unconformity as has been asserted (pri Springs Member and the underlying Fort Hays Lime marily on the basis of subsurface correlations) by, e.g., stone Member of the Niobrara Formation in Sec. 16, APprOXimatel Generalized I Lithologic and Biostratigraphic Thickness Section ti:t~ e (meters) Character ~ Shale Bentonite Concretion The Upper Part is mostly light olive gray, non calcareous shale. Baculiles grandis occurs in the upper 40 m. Medium to large septarian concretions are 100 ~ present at a numher onevels about 40 to [ eM Upper Part 100+ 60 m above the base. Medium to large calcareous concretions that o ~ commonly contain a diversity of ammonites and other molluscs occur in an interval about - ~ 10 to 30 m above the base (this is the interval I being emphasized in this report). \ = \ 00. The Middle Part is chiefly grayish, noncalcareous shale. \ Small reddish brown, sideritic concretions are \ C') common through a thickness of about 20 m just \ >§ =----::~ below the gumbo zone at the top ofthe Middle Part. if ~ ~-----= Medium to large calcareous concretions-usually Middle Part 300 devoid of macrofossils and commonly \ .g 1: I:--: septarian-occur at several horizons in the \ ~ Middle Part. ~ Abundant small, reddish, sideritic ironstone \ S· ~ concretions-often consisting of Baculiles S. casts-are abundant in the lower 25 m. \ \ '"~ ~ \ .,'" ~ ~ This member is predominantly hard, fissiie, carbonaceous, dark gray shale; typically \ containing abundant tiny, fragmental fish remains. \ ~ ~ Sharon Springs ~ 25 Numerous cream to