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PERMIAN PELECYPODS IN THE LOWER QUARTERMASTER FORMATION, TEXAS

Robert Roth Humble Oil & Refining

Norman D. Newell University of Wisconsin - Madison

Benjamin H. Burma University of Nebraska-Lincoln

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Roth, Robert; Newell, Norman D.; and Burma, Benjamin H., "PERMIAN PELECYPODS IN THE LOWER QUARTERMASTER FORMATION, TEXAS" (1941). Papers in the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. 320. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/geosciencefacpub/320

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Papers in the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. JOURNALOF PALEONTOLOGY,VOL. 15, No. 3, PP. 312-317, PL. 45, MAY, 1941

PERMIAN PELECYPODS IN THE LOWER QUARTERMASTER FORMATION, TEXAS ROBERT ROTH Humble Oil and Refining Company, Wichita Falls, Texas NORMAN D. NEWELL AND BENJAMIN H. BURMA University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

ABSTRACT-The age of the Quartermasterformation of Oklahoma and Texas has been the subject of some controversy,being variouslygiven as late Permianor Trias- sic (?). Fossils have not been reportedfrom these beds until the present discovery of a faunule in the lower part of the Doxey shale at the base of the Quartermaster. Three species are recognized, Naticopsis transversus (Beede), Schizodus oklahomensis Beede, and Myalina acutirostris,n. sp. These forms characterize the recently de- scribed Whitehorsefauna and indicate close relationshipof the enclosing beds with the Whitehorseformation, even though the Quartermasterfossils occur more than a thousand feet above the lowest fossiliferous horizon of the Whitehorse. If the Whitehorse is Guadalupian (late Permian) in age, then the fossiliferous Quarter- master beds probably are also to be correlated with some part of the Guadalupian or perhaps Ochoa of western Texas.

THE QUARTERMASTER formation, consist- semble some of the Triassic formations of ing of reddish silty shales and friable the Rocky Mountain region, but except for sandstones, lies at the top of the Permian the absence of anhydrite beds the Quarter- red beds in Oklahoma, Kansas, and the master also is very similar to the underlying Texas Panhandle. In recent years there has Whitehorse sandstone of probable Guadalup- been a growing tendency among Mid- ian (late Permian) age. Continent geologists to class part or all of An age younger than Triassic has not been the Quartermaster with the Triassic system entertained because the Quartermaster is on the grounds that a regional hiatus sepa- overlain unconformably by the Dockum rates the Quartermaster from the under- group of undoubted Upper Triassic age. lying Cloud Chief. There is considerable Heretofore fossils have not been known disagreement regarding the position and from the Quartermaster beds.1 Therefore significance of an unconformity in this our discovery of a fossiliferous horizon in the general part of the column (Green, 1937, p. lower part of the Quartermaster has impor- 1528; Evans, in Green, pp. 1529-1533), but tant bearing on the age of the enclosing even if an important regional hiatus at the rocks and the location of the Permo-Triassic base of the Quartermaster could be demon- boundary within the region. strated it would not necessarily imply that The purpose of this paper is to present the these beds should be excluded from the se- faunal evidence for the age of the fossilifer- quence below. ous beds in the lower Quartermaster. As a result of the studies by one of us along the east side of the Permian Basin, it STRATIGRAPHY seems probable that there are several breaks, The nomenclature and classification of at least locally, within the Whitehorse- the Quartermaster and underlying beds Quartermaster sequence. One of these is at summarized in the following table essentially the base of the Dozier lens of the White- follows that adopted by Green (1937, pp. horse, another at the top of the Cloud Chief, 1525-1529), except that Green does not and one at the top of the Doxey shale. In recognize the usefulness of the Custer as a addition, although unrecognized in the field stratigraphic unit. by us, must be noted the unconformity at 1 Fossils cited from the Quartermaster by the base (or in) the Doxey described by Beede are now known to have come from the Evans (1937, ibid.). lower part of the Whitehorse formation (see Lithologically the Quartermaster beds re- Newell, 1940, p. 263). 312 PERMIAN PELECYPODS IN TEXAS 313

Upper red beds in Oklahoma and due consideration to the possibility that our Northern Texas fossils are from Day Creek equivalents Major unconformity. rather than the Doxey shale. Custer group. The Day Creek dolomite was first de- Quartermasterformation. scribed in Kansas F. W. Elk City sandstone. by Cragin (1896). Doxey shale. The "Hackberry" shales of Kansas, which Day Creek dolomite. overlie the Day Creek dolomite are classed Whitehorse formation. as Quartermaster by Noel Evans (1931). Cloud Chief gypsum. The Whitehorse formation of Kansas under- Rush Springs sandstone. Marlow member. lies the Day Creek dolomite, but since Major unconformity. evaporites are not known to occur at the outcrop in the Whitehorse of Kansas it has The fossiliferous horizon occurs near the been impossible to identify its subdivisions base of the Doxey shale, therefore in the that far north. Much difficulty has been ex- lowermost part of the Quartermaster, more perienced by field geologists in attempting than a thousand feet above the fossiliferous to trace the Day Creek dolomite southward beds in the lower part of the Whitehorse into Oklahoma. Evans and Green are now formation. The Doxey shale is a highly dis- agreed that this dolomite may be traced as tinctive unit over wide areas and can be far south as northern Dewey County, Okla- readily recognized in the subsurface as well homa before it loses its identity. Massive as at the outcrop, so that lithologic cor- beds of anhydrite wedge into the section relations generally can readily be made. beneath the Day Creek dolomite in northern One of the more conspicuous characteris- Oklahoma. These evaporites are included in tics is the presence within the Doxey shale the Cloud Chief member at the top of the of magenta-colored shales, which attain a Whitehorse formation. Since Dewey County thickness of as much as a foot. The texture Oklahoma is 160 miles from our fossil of these shales is "greasy," like talc or locality in Briscoe County, Texas, and since kaolin. They are well laminated and com- the Day Creek dolomite does not litho- monly contain very dark greenish-brown logically resemble the fossiliferous dolomite biotite. They may have originated as water- in Briscoe County, it does not seem advis- laid volcanic ash. Shales of this color do not able at this time to correlate the two hori- occur below the Doxey except in the Mar- zons, even though they are possibly of nearly low, where they are associated with the the same age. The Alibates and Rustler Relay Creek dolomites. The similar shales in dolomites and anhydrites possibly also the Marlow are but a few inches thick and occur in this zone. have long been known to field geologists as On the 13th of April, 1940, a thin fossil- "pink" shales. So far as is known the upper iferous dolomite was discovered in the lower Triassic Dockum group, which overlies the Doxey shale in Briscoe County, Texas, ap- Quartermaster, does not contain shales of proximately at the center of section 63, this color or physical aspect. In the Pan- block E-2, D. & S. F. R. R. Survey. handle of Texas pale magenta-colored shales The following section was measured at occur just above the Alibates dolomite the outcrop and shows the general strati- wherever the Doxey has not been removed graphic relationships of the pale magenta- by pre-Dockum erosion. In the Permian colored shales to the Quartermaster. The Basin area of west Texas pale magenta- section was measured just southwest of the colored shales have been recognized as far southwest corner of section 63 in the above south as the Big Lake oil field in Reagan block and survey. where occur above the County, they just section Rustler dolomites and A Surface of Quartermasterbeds, anhydrites. pos- Briscoe County, Texas sible correlation is thus suggested between Feet the Rustler and Alibates dolomites. Dockum beds. Since the fossiliferous horizon in the Unconformity. formation. beds is Quartermaster Quartermaster probably near the Elk City sandstone Day Creek horizon, it is necessary to give 1. Sandstone,soft, micaceous,red- 314 R. ROTH, N. D. NEWELL AND B. H. BURMA

Feet Feet dish-orange, with polished light-gray to cream-colored grains, locally cross-bedded;lo- where fresh, with a few thin cal shale conglomerateat base, salmon-coloredlaminae, arena- commonly leached gray, with ceous, has thin shale pebble dark greenish-drab mica, and conglomerate at base; just very large, frosted sand grains. 67.3 above the dolomite there local- Doxey shale ly is about 18 inches of leached 2. Sandstone, orange, polished anhydrite containingbiscuits of grains,very fine except for local selenite up to 2 inches in diam- grits, interbedded with several eter, together with the dolomite beds of pale magenta-colored very local ...... 2.0 shale; the whole is very thin 12. Shale, pale magenta-colored; bedded, locally rippled...... 48.0 grits, light reddish-brown,up- 3. Sandstone and terra-cotta per part contains a splendid de- shale, orange...... 10.4 velopment of worm tubes. Be- 4. Sandstone, orange, polished tween the worm tube bed and grains,with some pale magenta- the dolomite above, there are colored shale and grits as some thin dolomitic grits, frac- "shells," locally rippled, with ture planes coated with mala- some bench-formingbeds..... 68.0 chite ...... 2.0 5. Gritty, micaceous sandstone, 13. Shale, terra-cotta, variable, orange, polished grains, soft... 1.1 contains some orange sand- 6. Sandstone,brilliant orange-red, stone with polished grains, soft 6.0 grains polished or coarse and frosted, soft, some largergrains Total Doxey shale...... 231.0 of acid composed feldspar.... 4.0 Whitehorseformation 7. Shale, terra-cotta, micaceous, with some 2- to 4-inch beds of Cloud Chief member 14. Anhydrite,white, massive, lam- pale greenish-gray shale; the with and top of this unit contains a zone inated, pink gray of sandstone bands, makes prominentmark- leached, polished, er lentil) ...... 15.0 with some large frosted grains; (Saddlehorse some large sand grains of dark- Where the Creek dolomite is absent gray siliceous material, proba- Day bly chert; the whole thin- the top of the Cloud Chief is drawn at the bedded and soft...... 46.5 top of the highest massive anhydrite. Since 8. Shale, upper part cream col- the contact between the Doxey and the ored, unctuous; lower part pale Cloud Chief is based a in magenta-colored, with some upon change leached zones, contains some lithology one might define the contact as biotite; very persistent; the being at the base of the lowest pale magenta magenta bed is capped by a shale, or bed 12. The magenta shale could one-inch bed of light-gray to white dolomite encrusted with not disappear because of solution. However silica on the upper surface; a we prefer to adhere to the definition in similar dolomite and shade oc- general usage. The contact between the curat about the same positionin Doxey and the Cloud Chief is very easily the SW cor. sec. 27, T. 10 N., seen where the surface relief is and R. 17 W., Okla...... 1.0 high, 9. Shale, terra-cotta; and sand- good clean exposures are formed. Where the stone with gritty beds, orange, relief is comparatively low the separation is with polished grains, locally not so obvious, because the whole section cross-laminated and rippled; due to the solution of entire interval cut by dikes and slumps badly evapo- sills of gypsum. The name rites. Bessie silt has been applied to The above section is relatively constant this bed...... 40.0 over the area so far as it is exposed. The 10. Sandstone, leached, consists of Dockum truncates or quartzgrains, frosted, medium- overlap locally part sized; sporadic at the outcrop, all of the Quartermaster. Beds in the Doxey but more or less widespreadin and underlying Cloud Chief locally are badly the subsurface. A similar bed slumped due to solution so that the rocks usually occurs just above the in various directions to 30?. Rustler dolomite in the Per- dip up mian Basin...... 2.0+ The fossiliferous dolomite is very local in 11. Dolomite, oolitic, fossiliferous, distribution. Special attention is called to PERMIAN PELECYPODS IN TEXAS 315

the beds 10 and 11 in the outcrop section. One minute fragment referred to Nati- The magenta shales in beds 8 and 12 are copsis transversus (Beede), also a Whitehorse sufficiently uniform and persistent that the species, is the only representative of the intervening section can be recognized and gastropods. studied over a considerable area. It appears The evidence of the fossils, although in- that beds 10 and 11 occur as a local lens deed scanty, strongly suggests a Permian in the sedimentary sequence. age for the beds in which they occur, and indicates that these beds are genetically re- FOSSILS lated to the underlying Whitehorse. The of the fossils in our col- preservation DESCRIPTION OF SPECIES lection is extraordinarily good compared Genus MYALINADe Koninck with most red-beds faunas. Instead of being MYALINA ACUTIROSTRIS preserved as molds, as are the majority of fossils from the El Reno and Whitehorse Newell and Burma, n. sp. Plate 11-15 formations, the shells at hand largely ap- 45, figures pear to be silicified, so that details of in- Myalina sp. NEWELL,1940, Geol. Soc. Am., Bull., vol. 1. teriors and exteriors are fairly well shown 51, p. 286, pi. 2, fig. without recourse to artificial casts. The Shell relatively small for a Myalina, matrix in which the shells occur is a light- oblique, subrhombic; surface of both valves gray oolitic and sandy magnesian limestone. relatively smooth; beaks slender, extended When treated with dilute hydrochloric acid anteriorly; with a relatively long hinge about parts of the rock effervesce freely, whereas 0.6 to 0.7 as long as the greatest shell length other parts effervesce only feebly. As the and about equal to the shell height; postero- fossils are corroded somewhat even by weak dorsal angle decreasing during growth from acid, presumably they are incompletely very broadly obtuse to about 110? in the silicified. most mature individual (holotype); umbonal Although the rock in places virtually is a ridge arcuate in juveniles, tending to become cpquina, the variety of shells is surprisingly relatively straight at about 45? to the hinge small. Representatives of only three species margin (umbonal angle); ventral extremity have been recognized, all three being previ- of the shell tends to be narrowly rounded ously known only in the Whitehorse forma- and placed well back of the center of the tion (see Newell, et al, 1940). The most shell. Shell measurements2 Specimen 1 2 3 4 5 Length (mm.) 7.5 12.5 20 25 16 Height (mm.) 6.5 9.0 15 19 11 Convexity (mm.) 1.5+ 2.5+ 2.5+ 3? 2.5+ Hinge length (mm.) 5.0 9.0 15.0 20 11.5 Umbonal angle 60? 60? 550 45? 46? Posterodorsalangle 128? 115? 120? 110? abundant form is Schizodus oklahomensis Remarks.-This species rather closely Beede. Specimens of this species show con- simulates the group of Pennsylvanian Mya- siderable variation in form, and in general linas generally called M. perattenuata and are small for the species. Comparison of very possibly is derived from the older Quartermaster specimens with those from species. Current studies on late Paleozoic the Whitehorse formation suggests that the Myalinas by one of the authors indicates former are not fully mature. Many of the that the perattenuata group is in fact a Quartermaster specimens essentially are like genetic series which for stratigraphic pur- juveniles from the Whitehorse. poses profitably can be regarded as a useful A new species of Myalina, represented in genus or subgenus. The present species ap- our collection half a dozen by specimens, 2 All from the local- also occurs in the Whitehorse specimens Quartermaster but is exceed- ity, left valves, except no. 5, which is a right ingly rare there. valve from the Whitehorse formation. 316 R. ROTH, N. D. NEWELL AND B. H. BURMA

pears to differ from the Pennsylvanian forms costa, which extends from the beaks to the in lacking an umbonal septum and in having center of the posterior margin; surface in a nearly, or relatively straight anteroventral some unworn specimens ornamented by con- margin. spicuous and uniform concentric ridges (fila) The type specimens are 20846 (holotype) which are least prominent on the middle of and 20843-20846 at the University of the shell surface, fila spaced about 10 in 5 Wisconsin, and 16326 at Yale University. mm. near the ventral margin of mature valves; internal characters well shown by Genus SCHIZODUS De Verneuil (King) the specimens and in full accord with the SCHIZODUSOKLAHOMENSIS Beede previously described Whitehorse material. Plate 45, figures 1-9 Schizodus? oklahomensis BEEDE, 1907, Kansas Shell measurements3 Univ., Sci. Bull., vol. 4, p. 157, p1. 7, fig. 6. Length Height Convexity Schizodus oklahomensis NEWELL,1940, Geol. Soc. Specimen (mm.) (mm.) (mm.) America, Bull., vol. 51, p. 291, pl. 1, figs. 1-6. 1 (R) 18.0 14.0 4.0 2 (L) 8.5 6.5 2.5+ Valves a little longer than high; beaks 3 (R) 12.0 9.0 3+ orthogyre to slightly opisthogyre, and situ- 4 (L) 11.0 8.0 3+ ated approximately one-third of shell length 5 (R) 8.0 6.0 2+ behind anterior front ex- 6 (L) 7.5 5.5 2+ margin; margin 7 (R) 7.0 5.0 tended very slightly, so that the outline is a 8 (L) 5.5 6.5 2+ little too convex to be described accurately 9 (R) 12.0 9+ 3+ as semicircular; ventral margin evenly con- vex, terminating posteriorly in a rounded Remarks.-Two features are noteworthy angle of 80? to 90? where the rear margin about the collection of Schizodus specimens Most of of the shell presents in some specimens a from the Quartermaster horizon. are immature or truncated appearance; posterior margin the specimens obviously from the straight to slightly convex, merging with stunted and are very like juveniles environ- the hinge line in a rounded and broadly Whitehorse. Perhaps the prevailing these obtuse angle; a subdued ridge extends from ment of life conditions did not permit other the beaks to the posteroventral angle of the shells to grow to full maturity. The orna- margin, being slightly concave dorsally in fact of interest is that the concentric distinc- mature specimens, nearly straight in juve- mentation believed to be especially area area) behind niles; posterior (siphonal 3 All specimens from the Quartermasterlocal- the ridge approximately bisected in mature ity except no. 1, which is from the Dozier lens of and well-preserved specimens by an obscure the Whitehorse.

EXPLANATIONOF PLATE45 FIGS. 1-9-Schizodus oklahomensis Beede. All specimens except fig. I from the Quartermaster fossil locality, Briscoe County, Texas. 1, Rubber cast of a mature right valve, showing well the form and ornamentation thought to be distinctive of the species, X2, from the Dozier lens of the Whitehorseformation, three miles west of Estelline, Hall County, Texas; hypotype 20807, Univ. Wisconsin. 2, A small left valve, somewhat less ornate than ordinary for the species, X2; hypotype 20847, Univ. Wisconsin. 3a-b, Views of a right valve, somewhat larger than ordinary for the Quartermastercollection, X2; hypotypes 20848, Univ. Wis- consin. 4, A typical left valve of medium size, X2; hypotype 20849, Univ. Wisconsin. 5-7, Small right valves showing variation in ornamentation, X2; hypotypes 20850-20852, Univ. Wisconsin.8, 9, Well-preservedleft and right valves showing dentition of the species, X5; hypotypes 20853-20854, Univ. Wisconsin. (p. 316) 10-Naticopsis transversus (Beede). Small fragmentary hypotype from the Quartermaster locality in Briscoe County, Texas, X7; 20855, Univ. Wisconsin. (p. 317) 11-15-Myalina acutirostris,Newell and Burma, n. sp. All specimens but fig. 11 from the quartermasterin Briscoe County, Texas; all magnifications X2. 11, Rubber cast of right valve, from the Whitehorse formation, southwestern CollingsworthCounty, Texas; para- type 16326, Peabody Mus. Yale Univ. 12-14, A graded series of left valves showing onto- genetic change in form; topoparatypes 20843-20845, Univ. Wisconsin. 15, The largest specimen,a left valve, in which growthlines exhibit progressivedecrease in the angle between cardinaland posteriormargins; the holotype, 20846, Univ. Wisconsin. (p. 315) JOURNAL OF PALEONTOLOGY, VOL. 15 PLATE 45

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Roth, Newell, and Burma,Permian Mollusks PERMIAN PELECYPODS IN TEXAS 317 tive of this species is very poorly shown by necessarily is somewhat tentative in ab- some individuals. Many specimens are sence of more complete material. However, nearly smooth over the more convex part of the form and ornamentation of our specimen the shell near the middle of the outer surface are very like those of the typical material but most of the shells exhibit the concentric from the Whitehorse formation, and there is ridges at the front and rear margins. Perhaps no other known Permian species with which these shells are somewhat worn, but we it might be confused. doubt it. The specimen is No. 20855 at the Uni- The specimens are numbered 20807, versity of Wisconsin. 20847-20854 at the University of Wisconsin. REFERENCES Genus NATICOPSIS M'Coy NATICOPSIS TRANSVERSUS (Beede) CRAGIN,F. W., 1896, Permiansystem in Kansas: Colorado vol. 6. Plate 45, figure 10 CollegeStudies, EVANS, NOEL, 1931, Stratigraphy of Permian Naticella transversaBEEDE, 1907, Kansas Univ., beds of northwestern Oklahoma: Am. Assoc. Sci. Bull., vol. 4, p. 171, pl. 8, figs. 1, la. PetroleumGeologists, Bull., vol. 15, pp. 405-440. Naticopsis transversus KNIGHT, 1940, in NEWELL, GREEN, DARSIE A., 1937, Major divisions of Per- Geol. Soc. America, Bull., vol. 51, p. 312, pl. 7, mian in Oklahoma and southern Kansas: figs. 1-7; pl. 6, figs. 2a-c. idem, vol. 21, pp. 1525-1529. Discussion by Noel 1529-1533. Only one fragment of this form, measur- Evans, pp. NEWELL,NORMAN D., 1940, Invertebrate fauna ing about 2 mm. in diameter, occurs in our of the late Permian Whitehorse sandstone: collection. The identification of the species Geol.Soc. America,Bull., vol. 51, pp. 261-336.

MANUSCRIPT RECEIVED BY THE EDITOR AUGUST 8, 1940.