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Lower Cambrian Trace Fossils from the Buen Formation of Central North Greenland: Preliminary Observations Ian D

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Lower Cambrian Trace Fossils from the Buen Formation of Central North Greenland: Preliminary Observations Ian D Lower Cambrian trace fossils from the Buen Formation of central North Greenland: preliminary observations Ian D. Bryant and Ran K. Pickerill The trace fossils Cruziana cf. C. stromnessi (Trewin, 1976), Curvolithus Fritsch, 1908, Hormosiroidea Schaffer, 1928, Monomorphichnus cf. M. bilinearis Crimes, 1970, Monomorphichnus lineatus Crimes et al., 1977, cf. Palaeobullia Gotzinger & Becker, 1932, Palaeophycus tubularis Hall, 1847, Phycodes pedum Seilacher, 1955, Psam­ michnites Toreli, 1870, Rusophycus Hall, 1852, Skolithos Haldeman, 1840 and cf. Zoophycos Massalongo, 1855 are recorded and briefly described from the Lower Cambrian Buen Formation, central North Greenland. Interbedded sandstones, silt­ stones and shales of the Buen Formation were deposited in a tide and storm­ dominated shallow marine shelf environment. Ichnofaunal diversity is low in mono­ lithologic cross-bedded sandstones, which characterise the basal portion of the se­ quence, and considerably higher in heterolithologic sandstones, siltstones and shales, which occur higher in the sequence. I. D. B., Kon.lShell Exploratie Produktie Laboratorium, Postbus 60, 2280 AB Rij­ swijk (ZH), Nederland. Present address: Shell, BP & Todd ail Services Ltd., Private Bag, New Plymouth, New Zealand. R. K. P., Department of Geology, University ofNew Brunswick, Fredericton, N.B., Canada, E3B 5A3. Seilacher (1956) was the first to recognise that trace This paper briefly describes aseleetion of trace fossils fossils could provide an important tool in correlating collected by I. D. B., as part of field work carried out by sparsely fossiliferous Precambrian to Lower Cambrian the Geological Survey of Greenland in 1984, from the sequences and potentially playan important role in the Buen Formation (middle to late Early Cambrian) ex­ establishment of the Precambrian-Cambrian boundary posed in the land area south of Nares Land, central on a global basis. Since then, more detailed analyses of North Greenland (fig. 1). Rusophycus marginatus Berg­ Precambrian and Cambrian ichnofaunas have been un­ str6m & Peel, 1988, reported by Bergstr6m & Peel dertaken from almost every continent apart from Ant­ (1988) from Peary Land, represents the only ichnospe­ arctica (see Crimes, 1987; Narbonne et al., 1987 for eies described previously from the Buen Formation. reviews). However, as noted by those authors, Pre­ However, Hurst & Peel (1979) illustrated Skolithos Hal­ cambrian and Lower Cambrian trace fossils are poorly demann, 1840 from Wulff Land and Peel & Christie known from Greenland. Cowie & Spencer (1970) de­ (1982) and Peel et al. (1982) also recorded its occur­ scribed aseleetion of Lower Cambrian trace fossils from renee in the stratigraphically equivalent Humboldt For­ the Bastion and Ella Island Formations of North-East mation of western North Greenland and the Dallas Greenland based on a few slabs collected during a re­ Bugt Formation of Inglefield Land. connaissance survey. Pickerill & Peel (1990) described a The present material comprises seven collections, significantly larger amount of material from the Bastion each carrying a Geological Survey of Greenland collec­ Formation and provided a taxonomic re-assessment of tion number (GGU prefix, Grønlands Geologiske Un­ the previous collections. Bergstr6m & Peel (1988) have dersøgeise). Figured specimens also bear a specimen also described several additional arthropod-produced number prefixed by MGUH and are housed in the trace fossils from the Lower Cambrian Dallas Bugt, Geological Museum, University of Copenhagen. In Buen and Humboldt Formations of northern Green­ view of the limited amount of available material, the land. To date, however, these are the only detailed trace fossils are not described using any rigorous or reports on Lower Cambrian trace fossils from Green­ formal taxonomic treatment. Rather, brief descriptions land. are given of the trace fossils present in individual sam- Rapp. Grønlands geol. Unders. 147. 44-{j2 (1990) © GGU, Copenhagen 1990 45 4S' 83' ;"~-' , , '~/', -, , ~:-,,~-' , " p e a r y L a n d 82 2 o ~_/--_:---- , 8" , , " Wandel Valley Formation (Ordovicianj OrdOvician U Tavsens Iskappe Group 40 km M c BrønJund Fjord Group ;;" .. Buen Formation E m l) L Portfjeld Formation Fig. 1. Distribution af the Ruen Formation in North Greenland and gcographic location af IOCJlitics l and 2 as discusscd in thc (exl. ples, which afe discussed stratigraphically. Examplcs of lian in northern Peary Land, in association with a di­ all ichnotaxa are figllfcd for future comparalive pur­ verse assemhlagc of poorly skeletised fossils (Conway poses. Morris el 11/" 1987; Blaker, 1988), Olenellids (Poulsen, 1974) and an undescribcd ncvadiid (J. S. Peel, personal Straligraphy communicatioll. 1989) occur in the upper part of the formation in southern Peary Land. indicaling thar the Cambrian shclf stratigraphy in North Grccnlancl is Buen Formation is af middle ro late Early Cam brian in reviewed by Peel (1982) and Higgins el al. (in press a, age. Overlying carbonates and siliciC!astics of the Brøn­ b). and describccl in detail by Tneson & Peel (in press). lund Fjord and Tavsens (skappe Groups yield trilobitc­ In southern <lreas af central North Greenland. carban­ dominated faunas of late Earl)' Cambri'ln ro earliesl aies ()f the Portfjeld Formation unconformably overlie Ordovician age. Protcrozoic clastics and carbonalcs. Tile formation At locality l. in lhe l::wd area south af Nares Land yields spira!!)' coiJed cyanobactcri<:l suggestive nf an (fig. J), lhe Bucn Formation comprises cross-bedded carly Carnbrian age (PeeL 1988) but fossils capable af glauconitic sandstones interbcdded with lhinly hedded providing a more precise age are lacking. Silicic!astic sandstones, siltstoncs and shales which pass upwards sediments af the overlying Buen Fonnation have into siltstoncs and shales (fig. 2). Dt:tailed palaeo-envi­ yielded Ilcvadiid trilobites near thc base of the forma- 1"01lt11ental interpretation af tbe succession is bcyond rhe 46 150 "" /' " = ";< / '"-<" ---- / ==.=" "" ~ ~ ~ "'--,'" -.- ~.-: c -."-,- 25 ... --~ - .- -" -- ~ --.-,----- ~ ---- ~ '" yy '" _316938 .,:316934 /l. -316935 '1 ')," -.-'" -' ;< ,:.-:..~,," ..,. -.-.-~ ~ ~ --.--. ......... : = ~ " --- .. 50 ..,.._ .... _. '-- 11 125 -=::::""~ ~':'-=-= ..,. ,fi """ ---~ ..,." 5 ---- 11' = J" =", =5 = scope of this manuscripr. Nevertheless, the overall fin­ gression af the North Greenland platform (I. D. Bryan! ing-upward succession is interpreted to represent tidal <lnd.l. R. !neson, unpublished information). and storm-dolllinatcd dcposition in a shallaw marine Almosl all the collections described here were made shelf environment during the Early Cambrian (raIlS- from a 250 m long scction recorded from fresh expo- 47 Lithology ! l Sand ' :- , -,' Hele,ol.IIl1C Sand ~~;~ :::I:hate :'"'.,. ... Sedimeolary structl,res LafIlC-&Cale 1'0"111> c,oU-bodding La'9" 50Ø"- trouul> C'O""-Dfldllinp .... ,Ih lIownclimDlnll loresel I..m.n... .:,.. __.- Medium-SCale troulln --:..,..:..'" '6' C'OU-oflddmg ..:.,.....:.., Medium-5e.~ olana' ./// cross·l)e(lc!.ng H"mmo=lo.~ r'0 c,oss·bedolnll Oelormeo 'L crass-bflOdlJlIo1 ~ Current 'illllle laminat'Oll I b LøJlticlIlR. IRmination Wavy lamlnal,on ..... ,..- "'" 11 ~ --- " ~ Fløse. 11ImtnilllOn " -- .-:- "" Degfee ol b,Ofllrbahon --'-'- - , s .ss ""ooefille -.---• - .,..-. .. -- - Olreetional fcaturcs ..:..;.-- , .- "" C,OSS-Iaml"'ation Wave ,illple C'esls .. 316939 Sample locat,ons '50.l'-~'I-~-;-~-;--, --:,..:... 5 ~ Fig. 2. Scclion through part of fhe Buen • Formation. measured in an unnamed ~ " / land area south of Nares Land (fig. 1, "" '00 locality I). The oase of the seclion is 5 locatcd 1-2 m al10vc the base or the for­ W Illation. Samples discussed in tlle tcxt '" are indicafcd by GGU mlkctiOIl IlUlll­ "", hers. sures adjacclll lU an unnamed glacier in an unnamed ~tratigr(lphically in vertical and bedding plane cxpo~ land arca south of Narcs Land (fig. I. iocality I). This ~urcs. A single dcscribed specimcn of the ichnogenus cf. sl'.rlion (fig. 2) <lfforded the oPPorlunity to log Ihe slrata ZooplzycOJ Ma~~alongo. 1855 was collccted by J. S. Peel bcd by bed and to examine thc containcd ichnofaunas from an OUlcrop of tlle Buen Formation 150 km IO the 48 east, at the western end of Øvre Midsommersø, Peary massive to ripple-Iaminated, glauconitic and micaceous Land (fig. 1, locality 2), where it occurs together with sandstone. The undersurface of the bed preserves a cf. Palaeobullia. This specimen is included within this polygonal network of ridges, probably as aresult of report as the ichnogenus was not recognised in the main synaeresis although an origin as desiccation cracks can­ section under consideration; its presence obviously in­ not be ruled out. Evidence of biogenic activity is present creases the overall diversity of the trace fossils within on the upper surface, which possesses gently curving, the Buen Formation. internally structureless, smooth epichnial unbranched ridges that vary between 4 and 9 mm in diameter and Ichnology are of variable length. In section the ridges are seen to result from flattened tubes running sub-horizontally Very few trace fossils are preserved in the lower part through the sediment; their variable thickness in plan of the formation, presumably on account of the pres­ view results from their varying intersection with the ence of predominant medium to coarse-grained cross­ bedding plane. Burrow fill is similar in grain size to the bedded sandstones (fig. 2). Such sandstones were de­ enclosing sediment.
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