Fossil and Recent Calcareous Algae from Guam
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Fossil and Recent Calcareous Algae From Guam GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 403-G Fossil and Recent Calcareous Alo:ae From Guam By J. HARLAN JOHNSON GEOLOGY AND HYDROLOGY OF GUAM, MARIANA ISLANDS GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 403-G Of the 82 species-groups listed or described, 2O are new; discussion includes stratigraphic distribution and correlation with Saipan floras UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1964 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEW ART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 CONTENTS Systematic descriptions Continued Abstract.__________________________________________ Gl Phyllum Rhodophyta Continued Introduction _______________________________________ 1 Family Corallinaceae Continued Acknowledgments_ _ _ __--_---____-_-_______________ 1 Subfamily Melobesioideae Continued Classification of calcareous algae._____________________ 1 Genus Goniolithon Foslie, 1900______ G24 Stratigraphic distribution of Guam algae_____________ 1 Genus Aethesolithon Johnson, n. gen___ 27 Eocene and Oligocene, Tertiary &_________________ 2 Genus Lithoporella Foslie, 1909_______ 28 Lower Miocene, Tertiary e_______________________ 3 Genus Dermatolithon Foslie, 1899_____ 29 Lower Miocene, Tertiary/_______________________ 4 Genus Melobesia Lamouroux, 1812____ 30 Upper Miocene and Pliocene, Tertiary g_ __________ 4 Subfamily Corallinoideae (articulate coral Pliocene and Pleistocene.__-_--__--_-___-______-_ 4 line algae) ___________________________ 30 Correlation ________________________________________ 5 Genus Calliarthron Manza, 1937------ 31 Localities __________________________________________ 6 Genus Amphiroa Lamouroux, 1812____ 31 Systematic descriptions._____________________________ 9 Genus Corallina Linnaeus, 1758_______ 34 Phyllum Rhodophyta (red algae)_________________ 9 Genus Arthrocardia Decaisne, 1842, Family Corallinaceae (coralline algae)_________ 9 emend. Areschoug, 1850_ __________ 36 Subfamily Melobesioideae (crustose coral Genus Jania Lamouroux, 1812_______ 36 line algae) ________________________ __. _ 9 Chlorophyta (green algae)______________---_--__- 36 Genus Archaeolithothamnium Rothpletz, Family Dasycladaceae______________---____-- 36 1891____________________________ 9 Genus Cymopolia Lamouroux, 1816___ 36 Genus Lithothamnium Philippi, 1837-__ 10 Family Codiaceae________________----__----- 37 Genus Mesophyllum Lemoine, 1928____ 14 Genus Halimeda Lamouroux _________ 37 Genus Lithophyllum Philippi, 1837____ 16 References cited._______________________---_-___---- 37 Genus Porolithon Foslie, 1909________ 23 Index ____________-______--_---_-___--_-_---_------ 39 ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates follow Index] PLATE 1. Miocene Lithothamnium. PLATE 11. Miocene Amphiroa and Corallina. 2. Miocene Lithothamnium and Mesophyllum. 12. Eocene Cymopolia; Miocene Jania, Halimeda, Corallina, and Lithophyllum; Pliocene and Pleis 3. Miocene Mesophyllum and Lithophyllum. tocene Halimeda; and Pleistocene Amphiroa. 4-7. Miocene Lithophyllum. 13. Recent Lithophyllum and Goniolithon. 8. Miocene Goniolithon. 14. Recent Lithophyllum. 9. Miocene Aethesolithon n. gen. 15. Recent Goniolithon and Lithophyllum. 10. Miocene Dermatolithon, Lithoporella, Melobesia, Page Archaeolithothamnium, and Aethesolithon; and FIGURE 1. Map of Guam showing sample-collecting Pliocene and Pleistocene Dermatolithon. localities of calcareous algae ___________ G7 TABLES Page Page TABLE 1. Genera of calcareous algae found in the TABLES 7-10. Measurements, in microns, and distribu Cenozoic deposits of Guam ___________ G2 tion of species of 2-4. Stratigraphic distribution of 7. Archaeolithothamnium from Guam___ G10 2. Fossil algae of Guam ______________ 2 8. Lithothamnium from Guam_________ 11 3. Eocene algae on Guam and Saipan-_ 5 9. Lithophyllum from Guam_ _________ 16 4. Miocene algae on Guam and Saipan. _ 5 5. Algae of the Mariana Limestone on Guam 10. Goniolithon from Guam.___________ 24 and Saipan _________________________ 11. Detailed measurements, in microns, 6. Field and permanent catalog numbers for of species of Aethesolithon from fossil algae from Guam_______________ Guam_ ___________-___-----_ 27 GEOLOGY AND HYDROLOGY OF GUAM, MARIANA ISLANDS FOSSIL AND RECENT CALCAREOUS ALGAE FROM GUAM By J. HAELAN JOHNSON ABSTRACT Species illustrated in the recent U.S. Geological Eighty-two species of calcareous algae belonging to 16 genera Survey Professional Papers on Bikini CProf. Paper 260) are described and 68 are named specifically. Of these, 1 genus and Saipan (Prof. Paper 280) are not illustrated in this Aethesolithon, and 20 species are described as new. report unless they show additional features. Remains of calcareous algae occur in all the Cenozoic lime stones of Guam. Locally the algae are sufficiently abundant to ACKNOWLEDGMENTS be considered as rock builders. Each formation has a distinctive flora. The algal floras are similar to those found in beds of similar Mr. A. P. Bronson, manager of "Shells of Micro age on Saipan. nesia," the aquarium and curio store on Guam, greatly The evidence indicates that fossil algae are useful as environ mental indicators and also for dating the strata. assisted the author in excursions to the modern reef and helped him obtain many excellent specimens. H. S. INTRODUCTION Ladd made valuable suggestions on the arrangement The term "calcareous algae" has been applied to and preparation of the manuscript. The Colorado those algae that have developed the ability to secrete or School of Mines supplied the laboratory and photo deposit calcium carbonate within or around their tissues. graphic studies for the work. Remains of such algae have been found in appreciable numbers in most of the limestones of Cenozoic age that CLASSIFICATION OF CALCAREOUS ALGAE' have been studied on Guam. At some localities, algae Recent algae are classified into several broad groups occur in sufficient abundance to be important contribu on the basis of the structure and physiology of the tors to the building of the limestones. plants and the basic chemical ingredients of their The geological work on Guam furnished an oppor normal pigments. Only four of these contain mem tunity to study a large series of specimens of algae from bers that have developed the ability to secrete or deposit rocks that have been dated by means of Foraminifera, calcium carbonate. These are the Rhodophyta or red which increases our knowledge of the stratigraphic algae, the Phaeophyta or brown algae, the Chlorophyta distribution of these fossils. or green algae, and the Cyanophyta or blue-green This study is based on a collection of large thin sec algae. The Rhodophyta and Chlorophyta include tions of limestone obtained from localities on Guam, most of the lime-secreting and lime-depositing algae representing material collected by the various members which form readily identifiable fossils. They include of the Guam field party from June 1952 to October 1954, all the forms discussed from Guam. Table 1 shows the as part of the Pacific Geological Mapping Program of classification used in this report. A previous report the U.S. Geological Survey and Corps of Engineers discusses terminology, structure, and a key for identi of the U.S. Army. Additional material was obtained fication of fossil algae (Johnson, 1957, p. 210, 216). by the author on visits made to the island in 1949, 1951, and 1952. The thin sections have an average area of STRATIGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF GUAM ALGAE 3 square inches and show many unoriented sections of The characteristic features of each formation are fragments of fossil algae. Selected specimens exhibit summarized in the following paragraphs followed by a ing the structure necessary for identification were photo list showing the algal flora of each. Table 2 shows the graphed and studied. stratigraphic distribution of the various species. Gl G2 GEOLOGY AND HYDROLOGY OF GUAM, MARIANA ISLANDS TABLE 1. Genera of calcareous algae found in the Cenozoic fragments in the breccia contain calcareous algae and deposits of Guam Foraminifera. Although a part of the formation con Phylum Family Subfamily Genera tains Foraminifera 01 Tertiary c age, the limestone fragments contained a fauna of Tertiary b age only Archaeolithotham nium (Cole, 1963). Rhodophyta (red Corallinaceae __ Melobesioideae Lithothamnium algae). (crustose coral Mesophyllum Algal flora of the Alutom Formation lines). Lithophyllum Porolithon Archaeolithothamnium saipanense Johnson Otmiolithon Aethesolithon Lithothamnium cf. L. aggregatum Lemoine n. gen. Lithoporella crispithallus Johnson Dermatolithon marianae Johnson Melobesia Corallinoideae Calliarthron tagpotchaenses Johnson (articulate cor Amphiroa allines) . Corallina sp. A Johnson Arthrocardia Lithophyllum sp. A Johnson Jania Chlorophyta Dasycladaceae Cymopolia Lithoporella melobesioides Foslie (green algae) . Codlaceae Halimeda Dermatolithon niiida Johnson Arihrocardial sp. EOCENE AND OLIGOCENE, TERTIARY b Corallina matansa Johnson prisca Johnson Alutom Formation. This formation is a series of Janial sp. volcanic lava flows, reworked tuffaceous sandstone and Cymopolia cf. C. pacifica Johnson shale, and volcanic breccia. Scarce limestone beds in Perforating algae the formation and abundant limestone pebbles and Halimedal sp. TABLE 2. Stratigraphic distribution of the fossil algae of Guam Formation or member Eocene and Miocene Miocene and Pliocene Pliocene and Recent Oligocene Pleistocene