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SINEMURIAN (EARLY JURASSIC) STRATIGRAPHY AT LAST CREEK, BRITISH COLUMBIA AND FIVE CARD DRAW, NEVADA: PALEONTOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS by PENGFEI HOU M.Sc., China University of Petroleum (Beijing), 2012 B.Sc., China University of Geosciences (Beijing), 2009 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Geological Sciences) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) August 2014 © Pengfei Hou, 2014 ABSTRACT Over 400 ammonite specimens were collected from the Last Creek Formation in Last Creek, British Columbia and the Sunrise Formation in Five Card Draw, Nevada. A detailed taxonomic study from the Involutum Zone to the lower part of the Harbledownense Zone of the Sinemurian is presented. At least 38 species are identified and described, distributed amongst 15 genera and 5 families. Three species are introduced as new: Tipperoceras n. sp. A, Tmaegoceras obesus n. sp., Arnioceras n. sp. A. Also, Echioceratidae gen. et sp. indet. is tentatively introduced as a new species and genus. The following zones of the current Sinemurian zonation for western North America (Taylor et al., 2001) can be recognized, based on the stratigraphical distribution of the taxa identified, namely the Involutum, Leslei, Carinatum and Harbledownense zones in ascending order. The Jamesi Zone placed between the last two by Taylor et al. (2001) cannot be recognized in the study areas in either Canada or the United States and therefore it is removed from the current zonation scheme. A revised zonation and definition of the zones, with precise correlation to the primary standard northwest European zonation, are provided. The transgressive and regressive events in both Last Creek and Five Card Draw are calibrated with the revised Sinemurian zonation. Their relationships with eustatic changes as well as ammonite biodiversity and faunal turnover are also investigated. The Early Sinemurian transgression proposed by Hallam (1981, 1988) is well represented in both the Last Creek and Five Card Draw sections, and co-occurs with ammonite diversity maxima and a possible global positive CIE (carbon isotope excursion). The mid-Late Sinemurian regression and Late Sinemurian transgression are represented by facies and palebathymetric changes in Five Card Draw. The contrast in paleobiodiversity and faunal turnover as well as in carbon and osmium isotope profiles of the two study areas suggest significant differences in depositional environment, relative connection to the open ocean, and differences in terrestrial sediment input. ii PREFACE This thesis is a combination of both unpublished and published materials. I was responsible for all related field and lab work for Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7 with the supervision of Dr. Paul L. Smith. These chapters will be modified and submitted for publication. Dr. Paul L. Smith will provide guidance with the structure of the article and the writing process. My field work in 2012 and 2013 was assisted by Paul. L. Smith, Andrew Caruthers, Sara Porter and Kate Gordanier-Smith. Chapter 5 Geochemistry is modified from the following journal article listed in Appendix C. Porter, S. J., Smith, P. L., Caruthers, A. H., Hou, P., Gröcke, D. R., Selby, D., 2014. New high resolution geochemistry of Lower Jurassic marine sections in western North America: a global positive carbon isotope excursion in the Sinemurian? Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 397, p. 19-31. This article is the result of the collaboration between the Paleontology Laboratory in UBC led and funded by Paul L. Smith and Durham Geochemistry Center at University of Durham (UK) partially funded by Darren R. Gröcke. I wrote the ‘Biochronology’ section in this article and drew Figs. 3 & 4, and partially Figs. 5, 6 & 8. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................ii PREFACE ..................................................................................................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... x LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................... xiv LIST OF PLATES ......................................................................................................... xv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................... xvi DEDICATION ........................................................................................................... xviii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 1 1.1 Purpose of Study ............................................................................................... 1 1.2 Introduction to study areas ................................................................................ 3 1.3 Previous work ................................................................................................... 4 1.4 Methods ............................................................................................................ 5 CHAPTER 2 GENERAL GEOLOGY ....................................................................... 7 2.1 General Geology of Last Creek, British Columbia ............................................. 7 2.1.1 Tectonics .................................................................................................... 7 2.1.2 Stratigraphy................................................................................................ 9 2.2 General Geology of Five Card Draw, Nevada .................................................. 11 2.2.1 Tectonics .................................................................................................. 11 2.2.2 Stratigraphy.............................................................................................. 11 CHAPTER 3 BIOSTRATIGRAPHY AND BIOCHRONOLOGY ........................... 18 iv 3.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 18 3.2 Sinemurian Zonation of Western North America ............................................. 19 3.2.1 Abandonment of the Jamesi Zone ............................................................. 22 3.2.2 Revised definitions of the zones ............................................................... 23 3.3 Biostratigraphy of Measured Sections ............................................................. 25 3.3.1 Last Creek, British Columbia ................................................................... 25 3.3.2 Five Card Draw, Nevada .......................................................................... 29 3.4 Correlation and Biochronology ....................................................................... 33 3.4.1 Correlation between Last Creek and Five Card Draw ............................... 33 3.4.2 Correlation with Northwest Europe .......................................................... 34 CHAPTER 4 SEA LEVEL CHANGE AND AMMONITES .................................... 37 4.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 37 4.2 Sea level change in study areas ........................................................................ 39 4.2.1 Last Creek, British Columbia ................................................................... 39 4.2.2. Five Card Draw, Nevada .......................................................................... 46 4.3 Sea level change and ammonoid diversity ....................................................... 51 CHAPTER 5 GEOCHEMISTRY ............................................................................ 56 5.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 56 5.2 Analytical results............................................................................................. 58 13 5.2.1 Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and δ Corg .................................................. 58 5.2.2 Rhenium and osmium abundance and isotope data ................................... 60 5.3 Discussion ....................................................................................................... 62 5.3.1 Comparing carbon isotope profiles from Five Card Draw and Last Creek . 62 v 5.3.2 Comparing Five Card Draw to Last Creek: restricted vs. open-ocean? ...... 63 5.3.3 A global carbon isotope excursion at Last Creek? ..................................... 67 5.4 Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 70 CHAPTER 6 SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY .................................................. 72 6.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 72 6.2 Measurements and Abbreviations .................................................................... 73 6.3 Systematic descriptions ................................................................................... 74 Family PLEUROACANTHITIDAE Hyatt, 1900 ....................................................... 74 Subfamily FUCINITINAE Venturi & Ferri, 2001 .....................................................