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Foraminifera from the Arctic Slope of Alaska

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Foraminifera from the Arctic Slope of Alaska Foraminifera from the Arctic Slope of Alaska GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 236-C Prepared in cooperation 'with the U.S. Department of the Navy^ Office of Naval Petroleum and Oil Shale Reserves Foraminifera from the Arctic Slope of Alaska By HELEN TAPPAN Part 3, Cretaceous Foraminifera GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 236-C Description and illustrations of Cretaceous Foram­ inifera, ranging from Valanginian to Senonian in age, and the evidence they supply for correlation and interpretation of paleoecology and geologic history. Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of the Navy, Office of Naval Petroleum and Oil Shale Reserves UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1962 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D.C. OUTLINE OF THE REPORT General Introduction Part 1. Triassic Foraminifera 2. Jurassic Foraminifera 3. Cretaceous Foraminifera 4. Pleistocene Foraminifera CONTENTS Page Page Abstract-__________________________________________ 91 Foraminiferal studies in northern Alaska—Continued Introduction-____-__--__---_____-_-________________ 91 Source of material—Continued Stratigraphy of the Cretaceous of northern Alaska._____ 92 Subsurface material_________________________ 107 Early Lower Cretaceous formations _______________ 93 Test wells and core tests__-__-_-_-----__- 107 Okpikruak formation.--__--_-._______-___-_-_ 93 Arcon Point Barrow core test l_---__- 108 Fortress Mountain formation.___-_-___-_-____ 93 Avak test well !_.__.________----- 108 Torok formation..-_________________________ 93 East Topagoruk test well !______ — -- 108 Topagoruk formation--..-_____--__-____-___- 93 Fish Creek test well 1__-_______ 108 Nanushuk group______________________________ 94 Gubik test well 1_____________- 109 Tuktu formation__________________________ 94 Gubik test well 2_____________-_____ 109 Chandler formation.________________________ 95 Oumalik core test 2_________________ 109 Grandstand formation_______________________ 95 Oumalik core test ll_-______-_---_-~ 109 Ninuluk formation._________________________ 95 Oumalik test well l_________-_--__-_ 109 Kukpowruk formation.._____________________ 95 Sentinel Hill core test l_____-_--_--_ 109 Corwin formation.-__________________________ 96 Simpson core hole 3--_-_--__-_------ 109 Colville group-_________________________________ 96 Simpson core hole 8-__-_-------_---_ 109 Seabee formation.__________________________ 96 Simpson core hole 10________________ 109 Schrader Bluff formation.___________________ 97 Simpson core hole ll____-___-_----_- 109 Prince Creek formation..____________________ 97 Simpson core test 13_ ____-_--------- 109 Ignek formation._______--________-_-__-___--__- 97 Simpson core test 25________-__----_ 109 Foraminiferal studies in northern Alaska.______________ 98 Simpson core test 30_ ____-__-_----__ 109 Source of material- _____________________________ 98 Simpson test well !_________________ 109 Areas of outcrop, and locality register.________ 98 Skull Cliff core test 1_____________ 109 1945 field season__-_-_-__-___-_-__-_____ 99 South Barrow test well l_-___-____-_ 109 Chandler River area._______________ 99 South Barrow test well 2._-_-_---__- 109 Colville River area__________________ 99 South Barrow test well 3_-__-_------ 109 1946 field season_-________-_--_--__-__-_ 99 South Barrow test well 4____________ 110 Umiat area_-_-___-_--_--____-_____ 99 Square Lake test well l._____ —______ 110 Maybe Creek-Wolf Creek area.______ 99 Titaluk test well 1__________________ 110 Kurupa-Oolamnagavik Rivers area___ 99 Topagoruk test well !__________.____ 110 Sagavanirktok River area____________ 99 Umiat test well 1___-_----_--------_ 110 1947 field season_-__-_-_________________ 99 Umiat test well 2------------------- 110 Colville River area__________________ 99 Umiat test well 3------------------- 110 Ipnavik, Etivluk and Kurupa Rivers Umiat test well 8------------------- 110 area___________________________ 100 Umiat test well 9------------------- 110 Kigalik and Awuna Rivers area______ 101 Umiat test well ll_______-__-------- 110 Utukok Rivers and Corwin-Cape Beau­ Seismograph shot hole samples ___________ 110 fort area_ ____-__-__-__„__________ 103 1946 shot holes—-._____-._ — ———— HO Upper Ikpikpuk River area__________ 104 1948 shot holes-__-_---------- — --- 111 Colville River area, between Ninuluk 1949 shot holes--_-___----- —— __- 111 and Prince Creeks-_______________ 104 1953 shot holes--.-------.---------- 111 Nanushuk and Anaktuvuk Rivers area_ 105 Foraminiferal evidence for correlation of the Cretace­ 1948 field season____---_-_-_--__________ 105 ous of Alaska_______---_----_---------------- HI Chandler River area._______________ 105 Microfaunal zones-------------------------- HI Upper Colville River area__________ 106 Correlation with Canada-—__________-__---- 113 1949 field season________________________ 106 Lower Cretaceous___-------------------- 113 Carbon Creek and Titaluk anticlines__ 106 Upper Cretaceous----------------------- 113 Kokolik and Kukpowruk Rivers area__ 106 Correlation with conterminous United States.._ 115 Colville River area__________________ 106 Lower Cretaceous----------------------- 115 Kiruktagiak and Okokmilaga Rivers Upper Cretaceous_______________---__- 116 area___________________________ 106 Correlation with Europe-____________________ 116 1950 field season________________________ 107 Lower Cretaceous_________-__-_-----_- 116 Siksikpuk and Nanushuk Rivers area_ _ 107 Upper Cretaceous_____------------------ 117 Driftwood anticline—Utukok River re­ Problems in taxonomy and the species concept-____ 118 gion_ ___________________________ 107 Genetic and physiological criteria-____________ 118 1951-52 field season___________________ 107 Morphological criteria.____________--------_- 118 Chandler River area_ _______________ 107 Ecological criteria_____-----__--_------------ 120 Awuna River area__ ________________ 107 Evolutionary criteria.._-________-___-_---_-- 121 VI CONTENTS Foraminiferal studies in northern Alaska—Continued Page Foraminiferal studies in northern Alaska—Continued Page Biostratigraphical relations of the Cretaceous Fora- Systematic descriptions of Foraminifera—Continued minifera of Alaska_-____-_--_--______-________ 122 Lituolidae_______-___-_-_____-____-.____-__ 133 Limiting environmental factors.______________ 122 Textulariidae______-___________-_--_____ 139 Depth_ ______________________________ 122 Verneuilinidae. _____________________________ 142 Salinity_____________________________ 123 Valvulinidae_ ______________________________ 151 Substratum- ___________________________ 123 Trochamminidae. _ _ _______________________ 152 Food Supply_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-___-__ 123 Miliolida e. _ ______________________________ 157 Temperature. _-__-_-_---_____-_________ 123 Rzehakinidae___ _ _____-_____-_^-__-_______ 157 Turbulence and currents.________________ 123 Nodosariidae_ ______________________________ 161 Turbidity______________________!_____ 124 Glandulinidae______________________________ 182 Biofacies in the Cretaceous of Alaska__________ 124 Polymorphinidae_ __________________________ 182 Inland facies—Fluviatile environment_____ 126 Turrilinidae __ ____________________________ 184 Coastal facies—Supralittoral and littoral Caucasinidae__ _ ____________________________ 188 (intertidal) environment_______________ 126 Chilostomellidae_ ___________________________ 189 Offshore facies—Inner sublittoral environ­ Nonionidae-_______________________________ 190 ment ________________________________ 127 Alabaminidae_ _____________________________ 190 Offshore facies—Outer sublittoral environ­ Eponididae_ ______-_-_-___-______--___.____ 191 ment-. ______________________________ 127 Conorboididae_ _ __________________________ 191 Offshore facies—Open-sea environment- _ _ _ 127 Valvulineriidae_ ____________________________ 194 Asterigerinidae. ____________________________ 195 Systematic descriptions of Foraminifera___________ 128 Heterohelicidae_ ____________________________ 196 Rhizamminidae_ _ _ ________________________ 128 Rotaliporidae____ _ __________________________ 196 Saccamminidae_ ____________________________ 129 Gavelinellidae_ _ ____________________________ 197 Hyperamminidae_ ___-----_____-____________ 129 Anomalinidae_ _-__-__--____-___-__-________ 199 Ammodiscidae__ __________________________ 130 References-______-_-__-____--__-_______---___--____ 200 Reophacidae_ ______________________________ 132 Index. ______________________________________ 205 ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates 29-58 follow index] PLATE 29. Bathysiphon, Saccammina, Hyperamminoides, Glo- PLATE 51. Eponides mospira, Glomospirella 52. Conorboides 30. Ammodiscus, Reophax, Haplophragmoides 53. Conorbina, Eurycheilostoma 31. Haplophragmoides 54. Valvulineria, Eoeponidella 32. Ammobactdites, Vemeuilinoides 55. Heterohelix, Hedbergella, Globorotalites 33. Spiroplectammina, Textularia, Flabellammina, Uvi- 56. Gavelinella gerinammina 57. Gavelinella 34. Vemeuilinoides, Siphotextularia, Gaudryina 58. Gavelinella, Anomalinoides Page 35. Gaudryina, Gaudryinella FIGURE 10. Cretaceous strata of northern Alaska_______ 94 36. Gaudryina, Arenobulimina, Pseudoclavulina, Mili- 11. Index map of outcrop and seismic shothole ammina samples, Colville River region.-_________ 100 37. Miliammina, Quinqueloculina, Psamminopelta 12. Index map of outcrop and seismic shothole 38. Trochammina samples,
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