DOCSLIB.ORG

Mesocyparis Rosanovii</Emphasis> Sp. Nov

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Mesocyparis Rosanovii</Emphasis> Sp. Nov ISSN 0031-0301, Paleontological Journal, 2006, Vol. 40, No. 3, pp. 328–338. © Pleiades Publishing, Inc., 2006. Original Russian Text © T.M. Kodrul, M.V. Tekleva, V.A. Krassilov, 2006, published in Paleontologicheskii Zhurnal, 2006, No. 3, pp. 93–102. A New Conifer Species, Mesocyparis rosanovii sp. nov. (Cupressaceae, Coniferales), and Transberingian Floristic Connections T. M. Kodrula, M. V. Teklevab, and V. A. Krassilovc aGeological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pyzhevskii per. 7, Moscow, 109017 Russia e-mail: [email protected] bPaleontological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Profsoyuznaya 123, Moscow, 117997 Russia cInstitute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel 31905, Haifa, Israel Received October 25, 2005 Abstract—A new species, Mesocyparis rosanovii sp. nov. from the Lower Paleocene of the Amur Region, Rus- sia, is characterized by a combination of advanced and primitive features: mixed opposite-alternate branching of vegetative shoots, leafy microsporophylls, as well as a relatively high number of sporangia per microsporo- phyll and seeds per cone scale. The Late Cretaceous–Early Paleogene genus Mesocyparis McIver et Basinger, which obviously embraces a natural group of closely related species, was a significant component of the vege- tation in the middle and high latitudes of eastern Asia and western North America. The range of the genus tes- tifies to terrestrial Transberingian connections between the continents during the Cretaceous warming phases. DOI: 10.1134/S0031030106030142 Key words: conifers, Cupressaceae, Paleocene, Amur Region, Beringia, phytogeography. INTRODUCTION from each other, which would have virtually excluded the possibility of migration. The problem of floristic exchanges between eastern In this context, phytogeographic relations between Asia and western regions of North America has long Asia and North America should be revised using mod- attracted the attention of phytogeographers. If in the ern paleobotanical methods. The similarity between the geological past such exchanges occurred through Ber- Paleocene floras of the western United States and Can- ingia (land mass that repeatedly appeared on the Berin- ada, on the one hand, and the Chukchi Peninsula, gian shelf), they show that a land bridge for migration Sakhalin Island, and the Amur Region, on the other of terrestrial organisms existed during this geological hand, was noted by many researchers. The Paleocene epoch, and, therefore, should be taken into account in flora of Tsagayan (Amur Region) shares more than a tectonic reconstructions. The floristic connections via half of its species with the floras of North America Beringia are also important in the context of paleocli- (Krishtofovich, 1939; Krassilov, 1976a). However, a matology, since even during the period of existence of significant proportion of these species are artificial taxa the land bridge the climate at high latitudes impeded the that remain unstudied in morphological detail. There- migration of thermophilic species. The exception to fore, taxonomic revision of this major East Asiatic fos- this rule were periods of warm polar climate, during sil flora and the analysis of the resulting phytogeo- which plants of temperate and even subtropical zones graphic concepts are highly necessary. might have reached Beringia. Along with other charac- To accomplish such a revision, we are going to teristics, mass Transberingian migrations that included study, in the first place, the well-preserved plant thermophiles can serve as indicators of such periods. remains from the newly found localities of the Amur Region, the richest of which are outcropped in the One of the warm polar periods took place during the Arkhara-Boguchan open-pit coal mine. Among fossil Campanian of the Late Cretaceous (Jenkyns et al., plants collected from this locality, coniferous shoots 2004), when the floras of Alaska and northeastern Rus- and cones that belong to the family Cupressaceae and sia had many elements in common (Krassilov, 1975, were previously included in the morphological group 1976a, 1976b, 1979). After the cooling at the Creta- Cupressinocladus interruptus (Newberry) Schweitzer ceous/Paleogene boundary, the global Late Paleocene stand out because of their good preservation. The appli- warming also might have favored Transberingian cation of light and electron microscopy allows these migrations. However, some tectonic reconstructions remains to be classified in terms of the natural system claim that in the Late Cretaceous and Early Paleogene and to be compared with recently described closely Asian and American parts of Beringia were still remote related species of North America and northeastern Russia. 328 A NEW CONIFER SPECIES, MESOCYPARIS ROSANOVII SP. NOV. 329 MATERIAL AND METHODS branches at least twice as long as on ultimate branches. The material comes from the coal-bearing deposits Facial and lateral leaves approximately equal in length; of Early Paleocene age that are exposed in the open-pit facial leaves flatly adpressed, thickened along midline, coal mines of the Arkhara-Boguchan brown coal field, typically keeled, apices acute to acuminate, thickened; 15 km southeast of Arkhara in the Amur Region lateral leaves folded, decurrent, free portion narrowly (49°18′52.3″ N, 130°12′42.7″ E). Plant remains occur spreading, acute, clasping facial leaves or subtending in bluish gray clays that overlie the coal layer “Nizhnii” branches of higher order. Leaves of axes bearing seed (Akhmetiev et al., 2002; Markevich et al., 2004). The cones of one type, decurrent, distally free, falcate. cupressaceous shoots and cones are preserved as Leaves amphistomatic, stomata in irregular bands on impressions with coaly compressions. Pollen cones are abaxial side of facial leaves, mostly oblique to midline. either attached to the shoots or preserved detached, Stomata mono- or (rarely) amphicyclic, with typically associating with the vegetative shoots. Isolated five subsidiary cells, which are indistinctly differenti- microsporophylls of disintegrated pollen cones fre- ated into polar and lateral cells, often contiguous. Tri- quently occur scattered on the bedding plane. Seed chomes as irregularly developed small pits on subsid- cones are partly preserved as casts of inner cavities iary and ordinary cells. between the scales. The compressions were macerated Pollen cones up to 7 mm long, 1–4 mm in diameter, with concentrated nitric acid. We also succeeded in terminal on ultimate branchlets, consisting of three to extracting pollen grains from sporangia. five decussate pairs of peltate microsporophylls. Peltae The remains of shoots and cones were studied mor- of microsporophylls leafy, 1–2.2 mm long, 0.5–2 mm phologically using a Leica MZ6 stereomicroscope. The wide; larger (proximal) pelta with stomata. Sporangia macerated cuticles were studied in transmitted light abaxial, two to five at base of peltae, globose to obo- vate, 0.4–0.5 mm long, 0.35–0.45 mm in diameter. Pol- under an Axioplan 2 compound microscope. Leaf cuti- µ cles, microsporophylls, and inner casts of seed scales len about 20 m in diameter, spherical to slightly ellip- were mounted on SEM stubs and covered with gold for tical, irregularly gemmate, with leptomatic germinal study under a CAMSCAN SEM. Photographs were area of reduced ectexine discernible under TEM. made using Leica DFC 320 and Nikon Coolpix 8700 Seed cones erect, globose to oblong, 3.5–5 mm digital cameras. long, 3–4 mm in diameter, borne on short stalks in one Pollen grains were prepared for transmission elec- to six opposite pairs in two side rows or decussate over tron microscopy after Meyer-Melikian and Tel’nova fertile zones of penultimate axes, which is leafy above. (1990). Ultrathin sections were made with a ultramicro- Fertile cone scales four in two decussate pairs, approx- tome (LKB-3). Some of the sections obtained were imately equal in size, woody, subpeltate, umbo subapi- additionally stained with lead citrate. Ultramicrographs cal with prominent, erect point. Seeds three to five per were obtained using a TEM (Jeol 100 B). scale, inverted on short funiculus, bilaterally winged. The collection of several hundred vegetative shoots, Description (Figs. 1–3). Vegetative shoots are pollen and seed cones, and microsporophylls with spo- plagiotropic; ultimate branchlets are prostrate in one rangia is housed in the Geological Institute of the Rus- plane, leafy, mostly opposite or, more rarely, alternate. sian Academy of Sciences (GIN), no. 4867. Most shoot remains bear branches of two or three orders. The branches may be attached oppositely or alternately. Ultimate branchlets are often present only SYSTEMATIC PALEOBOTANY on the acroscopic side facing the shoot apex (Fig. 1a). Family Cupressaceae Richard ex Bartling, 1830 Leaves of vegetative shoots are scaly, decussate, and dimorphic: facial and lateral. Genus Mesocyparis McIver et Basinger, 1987 Mesocyparis rosanovii Kodrul, Tekleva et Krassilov, sp. nov. The axes of the first order 4–10 cm long bear up to 16 branches, which are borne in the axils of lateral Plate 11, figs. 1–6, Plate 12, figs. 1–8 leaves at an angle of 20°–45° and at intervals of 0.5– Etymology. In honor of Prof. A.Yu. Rozanov, 0.7 cm and are up to 2.5 cm long. Facial leaves on thick acknowledging his contribution to the development of axes are 4–6 mm long and 0.8–1 mm wide, flatly paleobotanical research at the Paleontological Institute adpressed, linear, slightly expanded in the upper por- of the Russian Academy of Sciences. tion, with an acute
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Mannville Group of Saskatchewan
    Saskatchewan Report 223 Industry and Resources Saskatchewan Geological Survey Jura-Cretaceous Success Formation and Lower Cretaceous Mannville Group of Saskatchewan J.E. Christopher 2003 19 48 Printed under the authority of the Minister of Industry and Resources Although the Department of Industry and Resources has exercised all reasonable care in the compilation, interpretation, and production of this report, it is not possible to ensure total accuracy, and all persons who rely on the information contained herein do so at their own risk. The Department of Industry and Resources and the Government of Saskatchewan do not accept liability for any errors, omissions or inaccuracies that may be included in, or derived from, this report. Cover: Clearwater River Valley at Contact Rapids (1.5 km south of latitude 56º45'; latitude 109º30'), Saskatchewan. View towards the north. Scarp of Middle Devonian Methy dolomite at right. Dolomite underlies the Lower Cretaceous McMurray Formation outcrops recessed in the valley walls. Photo by J.E. Christopher. Additional copies of this digital report may be obtained by contacting: Saskatchewan Industry and Resources Publications 2101 Scarth Street, 3rd floor Regina, SK S4P 3V7 (306) 787-2528 FAX: (306) 787-2527 E-mail: [email protected] Recommended Citation: Christopher, J.E. (2003): Jura-Cretaceous Success Formation and Lower Cretaceous Mannville Group of Saskatchewan; Sask. Industry and Resources, Report 223, CD-ROM. Editors: C.F. Gilboy C.T. Harper D.F. Paterson RnD Technical Production: E.H. Nickel M.E. Opseth Production Editor: C.L. Brown Saskatchewan Industry and Resources ii Report 223 Foreword This report, the first on CD to be released by the Petroleum Geology Branch, describes the geology of the Success Formation and the Mannville Group wherever these units are present in Saskatchewan.
    [Show full text]
  • TGI Strat Column 2009.Cdr
    STRATIGRAPHIC CORRELATION CHART TGI II: Williston Basin Architecture and Hydrocarbon Potential in Eastern Saskatchewan and Western Manitoba EASTERN MANITOBA PERIOD MANITOBA SUBSURFACE SASKATCHEWAN OUTCROP ERA glacial drift glacial drift glacial drift Quaternary Wood Mountain Formation Peace Garden Peace Garden Member Tertiary Member Ravenscrag Formation CENOZOIC Formation Goodlands Member Formation Goodlands Member Turtle Mountain Turtle Mountain Turtle Frenchman Formation Whitemud Formation Boissevain Formation Boissevain Formation Eastend Formation Coulter Member Coulter Member Bearpaw Formation Odanah Member Belly River “marker” Odanah Member Belly River Formation “lower” Odanah Member Millwood Member Lea Park Formation Millwood Member MONTANA GROUP Pembina Member Pembina Member Pierre Shale Pierre Shale Milk River Formation Gammon Ferruginous Member Gammon Ferruginous Member Niobrara Formation Chalky Unit Boyne Member Boyne Member Boyne Calcareous Shale Unit Member Carlile Morden Member Carlile upper Formation Morden Member Formation Morden Member Carlile Formation Assiniboine Marco Calcarenite Assiniboine Member Member CRETACEOUS Second White Specks Laurier Limestone Beds Favel Favel Keld Keld Member Member Formation Formation Belle Fourche Formation Belle Fourche Member MESOZOIC COLORADO GROUP Belle Fourche Member upper Fish Scale Formation Fish Scale Zone upper Base of Fish Scale marker Base of Fish Scale marker Westgate Formation Westgate Member lower Westgate Member Newcastle Formation Newcastle Member lower Viking Sandstone
    [Show full text]
  • From the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) Kanguk Formation of Axel Heiberg Island, Nunavut, Canada, and Its Ecological and Geographical Implications MATTHEW J
    ARCTIC VOL. 67, NO. 1 (MARCH 2014) P. 1 – 9 A Hadrosaurid (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) Kanguk Formation of Axel Heiberg Island, Nunavut, Canada, and Its Ecological and Geographical Implications MATTHEW J. VAVREK,1 LEN V. HILLS2 and PHILIP J. CURRIE3 (Received 1 October 2012; accepted in revised form 30 May 2013) ABSTRACT. A hadrosaurid vertebra was recovered during a palynological survey of the Upper Cretaceous Kanguk Formation in the eastern Canadian Arctic. This vertebra represents the farthest north record of any non-avian dinosaur to date. Although highly abraded, the fossil nonetheless represents an interesting biogeographic data point. During the Campanian, when this vertebra was deposited, the eastern Canadian Arctic was likely isolated both from western North America by the Western Interior Seaway and from more southern regions of eastern North America by the Hudson Seaway. This fossil suggests that large-bodied hadrosaurid dinosaurs may have inhabited a large polar insular landmass during the Late Cretaceous, where they would have lived year-round, unable to migrate to more southern regions during winters. It is possible that the resident herbivorous dinosaurs could have fed on non-deciduous conifers, as well as other woody twigs and stems, during the long, dark winter months when most deciduous plant species had lost their leaves. Key words: Appalachia, Arctic, Campanian, dinosaur, Laramidia, palaeobiogeography RÉSUMÉ. La vertèbre d’un hadrosauridé a été retrouvée pendant l’étude palynologique de la formation Kanguk remontant au Crétacé supérieur, dans l’est de l’Arctique canadien. Il s’agit de la vertèbre appartenant à un dinosaure non avien qui a été recueillie la plus au nord jusqu’à maintenant.
    [Show full text]
  • A High-Latitude Gondwanan Lagerstätte
    University of Birmingham A high-latitude Gondwanan lagerstätte : the Permian permineralised peat biota of the Prince Charles Mountains, Antarctica Slater, Ben J.; Mcloughlin, Stephen; Hilton, Jason DOI: 10.1016/j.gr.2014.01.004 License: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC BY) Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Citation for published version (Harvard): Slater, BJ, Mcloughlin, S & Hilton, J 2014, 'A high-latitude Gondwanan lagerstätte : the Permian permineralised peat biota of the Prince Charles Mountains, Antarctica', Gondwana Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2014.01.004 Link to publication on Research at Birmingham portal Publisher Rights Statement: Eligibility for repository : checked 03/06/2014 General rights Unless a licence is specified above, all rights (including copyright and moral rights) in this document are retained by the authors and/or the copyright holders. The express permission of the copyright holder must be obtained for any use of this material other than for purposes permitted by law. •Users may freely distribute the URL that is used to identify this publication. •Users may download and/or print one copy of the publication from the University of Birmingham research portal for the purpose of private study or non-commercial research. •User may use extracts from the document in line with the concept of ‘fair dealing’ under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (?) •Users may not further distribute the material nor use it for the purposes of commercial gain. Where a licence is displayed above, please note the terms and conditions of the licence govern your use of this document.
    [Show full text]
  • Petroleum Geology of Canada
    CANADA DEPARTMENT OF MINES AND RESOURCES MINES AND GEOLOGY BRANCH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY ECONOMIC GEOLOGY SERIES No. 14 PETROLEUM GEOLOGY OF CANADA BY G. S. Hume Geologist for Oil Controller for Canada OTI'AWA EDMOND CLOUTIER P RINTER TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY 1944 Price, 25 cents CANADA DEPARTMENT OF MINES AND RESOURCES MINES AND GEOLOGY BRANCH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY ECONOMIC GEOLOGY SERIES No. 14 PETROLEUM GEOLOGY OF CANADA BY G. S. Hume Geologist for Oil Con troller for Can ada OTTAWA EDMOND CLOUTIER Pfl !NTER TO THE KTKG 'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY 1944 Price. 25 cents CONTENTS PAGE Introduction ... .. ............. .. ........... ... .............. ...... 1 Hudson Bay Lo\Yland ........................... .... .. .. ... .. ...... 5 Gaspe, Quebec ......... .. .. .. ... .......... .. ..... ..................... ... 7 New Brunswick. .. ... ..... .. .. .... ..... .... .. .. .. .. .... .. .... 10 Prince Edward Island .. ..... .. ................................. .. .. .... .. 15 Nova Scotia. ..... .................. 15 Ontario........ ........ .... ....... ... ........... .. ..... ... ....... 17 The Interior Plains ........................................ ...... .. .... ........ 21 General statement.... .. ....... ............ ........ 21 Southern Alberta . ... ........... ....... .. .. .. .. .. ... ........... 25 East-ccn tral Alberta . ... .... ... .. .. .. .. ..... .... .. .... ..... 27 Northwest Alberta-Peace River area ..... ................ .... .. .... .. ... 30 Athabaska bituminous sands. ...... ..... ... ... 30 Foothills of south
    [Show full text]
  • Bedrock Geology of Alberta
    Alberta Geological Survey Map 600 Legend Bedrock Geology of Alberta Southwestern Plains Southeastern Plains Central Plains Northwestern Plains Northeastern Plains NEOGENE (± PALEOGENE) NEOGENE ND DEL BONITA GRAVELS: pebble gravel with some cobbles; minor thin beds and lenses NH HAND HILLS FORMATION: gravel and sand, locally cemented into conglomerate; gravel of sand; pebbles consist primarily of quartzite and argillite with minor amounts of sandstone, composed of mainly quartzite and sandstone with minor amounts of chert, arkose, and coal; fluvial amygdaloidal basalt, and diabase; age poorly constrained; fluvial PALEOGENE PALEOGENE PALEOGENE (± NEOGENE) PALEOGENE (± NEOGENE) UPLAND GRAVEL: gravel composed of mainly white quartzite cobbles and pebbles with lesser amounts of UPLAND GRAVEL: gravel capping the Clear Hills, Halverson Ridge, and Caribou Mountains; predominantly .C CYPRESS HILLS FORMATION: gravel and sand, locally cemented to conglomerate; mainly quartzite .G .G and sandstone clasts with minor chert and quartz component; fluvial black chert pebbles; sand matrix; minor thin beds and lenses of sand; includes gravel in the Swan Hills area; white quartzite cobbles and pebbles with lesser amounts of black chert pebbles; quartzite boulders occur in the age poorly constrained; fluvial Clear Hills and Halverson Ridge gravels; sand matrix; ages poorly constrained; extents poorly defined; fluvial .PH PORCUPINE HILLS FORMATION: olive-brown mudstone interbedded with fine- to coarse-grained, .R RAVENSCRAG FORMATION: grey to buff mudstone
    [Show full text]
  • RI7120100316.Pdf
    ..-­ "" .. ­ ~. ------­ TIGRAPHIC NAMES DAKOTA ") "­ ........ / \ ~ / / / ---­ \ \ / \ \ } '­ ) "­ I / \ ) \ /' /" /''' , \ .­ ./ "­ "1 /' ,.­ ) ~ / "-­ ~ "­ \. " LEXICON OF STRATIGRAPHIC NAMES j ft OF NORTH DAKOTA i by Joanne Lerud REPORT OF INVESTIGATION NO. 71 NORTH DAKOTA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Don L. Halvorson, State Geologist 1982 Printed by Kaye's Inc., Fargo, ND 58102 1982 ...:. CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION 1 LEXICON . 2 REFERENCES 113 APPENDIX A--NAMED LIGNITE BEDS IN NORTH DAKOTA 115 APPENDIX B--PLEISTOCENE AND HOLOCENE STRATIGRAPHIC NAMES 129 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY--PLEISTOCENE AND HOLOCENE STRATIGRAPHIC TERMINOLOGY . 137 ILLUSTRATIONS Plate 1. North Dakota Stratigraphic Column . (in pocket) INTRODUCTION This lexicon is a modified version of a master's thesis completed at the University of North Dakota entitled, "Lexicon of Bedrock Stratigraphic Names of North Dakota" by Joanne Van Ornum Groenewold (now Joanne V. Lerud). In the thesis she attempted to include all terms previously applied to these strata in North Dakota together with a history of the unit, age, area of extent, lithology, thickness, relationships to other units, characteristic fossils, econ­ 0mic significance, depositional environment, and references to type sections. An attempt to show accepted North Dakota usage was presented by a system of capitalization and underlining. The thesis was entirely a literature search with the information provided for each entry being an edited sum of available information for that term. The lexicons of geologic names of the United States by M. Grace Wilmarth (USGS Bulletin 896) and G. C. Keroher (USGS Bulletins 1200 and 1350) were used extensively for the historical summaries. South Dakota Geological Survey Bulletin 14, entitled, "A guide to the Stratigraphy of South Dakota," by Allen F. Agnew and Paul C.
    [Show full text]
  • Assessment of Major Aquifers Along Line 3 Enbridge Line 3 Replacement Program
    Enbridge Pipelines Inc. Attachment 1 to IR 2.2.a to NEB IR No. 2 Application for the Line 3 Replacement Program Filed June 26, 2015 OH-002-2015 File OF-Fac-Oil-E101-2014-11 02 Page 1 of 18 ASSESSMENT OF MAJOR AQUIFERS ALONG LINE 3 ENBRIDGE LINE 3 REPLACEMENT PROGRAM Prepared for: Enbridge Pipelines Inc. Edmonton, Alberta Prepared by: Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure Edmonton, Alberta June 2015 EE263562 Enbridge Pipelines Inc. Attachment 1 to IR 2.2.a to NEB IR No. 2 Application for the Line 3 Replacement Program Filed June 26, 2015 OH-002-2015 File OF-Fac-Oil-E101-2014-11 02 Page 2 of 18 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Enbridge Pipelines Inc. retained Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure to undertake an assessment of the major aquifers along their Line 3 replacement pipeline route from Hardisty, Alberta to Gretna, Manitoba. The Assessment consisted of a desk top review incorporating data from available provincial and municipal reports available in the public domain. The information collected was used to identifying the approximate aerial extent of major aquifers along the pipeline right-of-way (ROW). For the purposes of this assessment, a “major” aquifer was defined as a saturated regional geological unit, or interbedded units within a formation or group, with bulk hydraulic conductivities and sufficient thickness(es) to support sustained yields, and is currently being used for domestic, industrial or agricultural water purposes. Information regarding the groundwater usage and pertinent characteristics of aquifers (including geology, aquifer yields, hydraulic conductivity or transmissivity, water quality, and type/number of users) along Line 3 in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are described.
    [Show full text]
  • CO2 Sequestration and Coalbed-Methane Potential of Lower Mannville Group (Lower Cretaceous) Coals, Southern Saskatchewan – Preliminary Investigations
    CO2 Sequestration and Coalbed-Methane Potential of Lower Mannville Group (Lower Cretaceous) Coals, Southern Saskatchewan – Preliminary Investigations S.L. Bend 1 and M.C. Frank 1 Bend, S.L. and Frank, M.C. (2004): CO2 sequestration and coalbed-methane potential of lower Mannville Group (Lower Cretaceous) coals, southern Saskatchewan – preliminary investigations; in Summary of Investigations 2004, Volume 1, Saskatchewan Geological Survey, Sask. Industry Resources, Misc. Rep. 2004-4.1, CD-ROM, Paper A-12, 17p. Abstract The long-term storage of CO2 within deep non-mineable coal seams is widely considered to be a viable means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Recent studies have also shown that injection of CO2 into coal seams can enhance the production of coalbed methane (CBM), a more environmentally friendly fuel than oil. The Lower Cretaceous Mannville Group (Aptian-Albian) of southern Saskatchewan contains coals of sub- bituminous rank occurring within the Cantuar Formation. Because of their low economic importance, these coals have received only minimal attention in the past, and little is known of their distribution and character. A major project was recently initiated to assess the CO2 sequestration and CBM potential of the Mannville coals. Analysis of geophysical well logs, core, and drill cuttings was performed along with coal petrography in order to identify areas of the thickest, most extensive coal deposits, and to determine their petrographic characteristics. This report presents some preliminary data on coals of the lower Mannville Group interval (Dina to General Petroleums members). To date, regions of thick (up to 5.5 m), laterally continuous (up to 65 km) coal in the lower Mannville Group have been identified in four principal areas: Winter-Senlac, Kerrobert Paleovalley, Unity-Kindersley embayments, and the Empress Basin.
    [Show full text]
  • A Tribute to Loris Shano Russell, 1904-1998
    A Tribute to Loris Shano Russell, 1904-1998 KEVIN L. SEYMOUR Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2C6 Canada; e-mail: [email protected] Seymour, Kevin L. 2004. A tribute to Loris Shano Russell. 1904-1998. Canadian Field-Naturalist 118(3): 451-464. It was somewhat daunting to try to write the story radio operation, or administration. He was unfailingly of a man as accomplished as Loris Shano Russell. On polite and dignified, and always came to work wearing one hand, it is relatively easy to record or list the jacket and tie; about the worst name he ever called numerous publications and awards. On the other hand, anyone in public was “stuffed shirt”, a phrase he it is much harder to see through all of the accom- reserved for H. F. Osborn. plishments in order to glimpse something of the man Loris died in July 1998, in his 95th year, and was himself. I got to know Loris only later in his life, as predeceased by his beloved wife Grace, in March 1998. the one tasked with arranging his weekly visits to the Their partnership of 60 years is the stuff of legends. Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), and so in this report They did everything together, from hosting museum I have relied on many who knew him earlier, in par- dignitaries at their home, to attending antique markets, ticular, John E. Storer. to working in the dirt and the heat in the badlands of Russell’s accomplishments were many. He was one Alberta collecting fossils (Figure 1).
    [Show full text]
  • Cryptic Diversity of a Glossopteris Forest: the Permian Prince Charles Mountains Floras, Antarctica
    CRYPTIC DIVERSITY OF A GLOSSOPTERIS FOREST: THE PERMIAN PRINCE CHARLES MOUNTAINS FLORAS, ANTARCTICA by Ben James Slater A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences College of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Birmingham September 2013 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT The Toploje Member chert is a Roadian to Wordian autochthonous– parautochthonous silicified peat preserved within the Lambert Graben, East Antarctica. It preserves a remarkable sample of terrestrial life from high-latitude central Gondwana prior to the Capitanian mass extinction event from both mega- and microfossil evidence that includes cryptic components rarely seen in other fossil assemblages. The peat layer is dominated by glossopterid and cordaitalean gymnosperms and contains sparse herbaceous lycophytes, together with a broad array of dispersed organs of ferns and other gymnosperms. The peat also hosts a wide range of fungal morphotypes, Peronosporomycetes, rare arthropod remains and a diverse coprolite assemblage. The fungal and invertebrate-plant interactions associated with various organs of the Glossopteris plant reveal the cryptic presence of a ‘component community’ of invertebrate herbivores and fungal saprotrophs centred around the Glossopteris organism, and demonstrate that a multitude of ecological interactions were well developed by the Middle Permian in high-latitude forest mires.
    [Show full text]
  • Floristic Composition and Variation in Late Paleocene to Early Eocene Floras in North America
    Floristic composition and variation in late Paleocene to early Eocene floras in North America KATHLEEN B. PIGG & MELANIE L. DEVORE The late Paleocene and early Eocene megafossil floras in North America are found primarily in the Williston, Green River, Powder River, Bighorn, and Alberta Basins of the northern Rocky Mountains and Western Interior. A few rare sites occur in the Mississippi Embayment of the Southeast. In contrast to the abrupt floristic changes seen at the K/T boundary, these floras document a gradual transition in species turnover, or, in the case of the Bighorn Basin, a long-term decrease in taxonomic diversity. This gradual transition is also in marked contrast to the rapid speciation among mam- mals of the early Eocene. Both preservation, and ability to place these floras within a temporal scale, determine how use- ful they are in assessing floristic changes across the Paleocene-Eocene transition. In some regions such as the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming precise stratigraphic control has allowed for documentation of paleoclimate change at a highly resolved temporal scale. At others, such as the Almont flora of the Williston Basin in North Dakota, exceptional preser- vation has provided the basis for describing individual taxa with the precision necessary to better understand their evolu- tionary and biogeographical histories. This study examines well-known plant taxa in the late Paleocene and early Eocene in the context of their depositional settings and temporal and spatial distribution. Integration of paleoecological and tax- onomic studies is critical to understanding the evolutionary and depositional history of early Paleocene vegetation of North America.
    [Show full text]