Stratigraphy and Paleontology of Mid-Cretaceous Rocks in Minnesota and Contiguous Areas
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Stratigraphy and Paleontology of Mid-Cretaceous Rocks in Minnesota and Contiguous Areas GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 1253 Stratigraphy and Paleontology of Mid-Cretaceous Rocks in Minnesota and Contiguous Areas By WILLIAM A. COBBAN and E. A. MEREWETHER Molluscan Fossil Record from the Northeastern Part of the Upper Cretaceous Seaway, Western Interior By WILLIAM A. COBBAN Lower Upper Cretaceous Strata in Minnesota and Adjacent Areas-Time-Stratigraphic Correlations. and Structural Attitudes By E. A. M EREWETHER GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 1 2 53 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON 1983 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR JAMES G. WATT, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Cobban, William Aubrey, 1916 Stratigraphy and paleontology of mid-Cretaceous rocks in Minnesota and contiguous areas. (Geological Survey Professional Paper 1253) Bibliography: 52 p. Supt. of Docs. no.: I 19.16 A. Molluscan fossil record from the northeastern part of the Upper Cretaceous seaway, Western Interior by William A. Cobban. B. Lower Upper Cretaceous strata in Minnesota and adjacent areas-time-stratigraphic correlations and structural attitudes by E. A. Merewether. I. Mollusks, Fossil-Middle West. 2. Geology, Stratigraphic-Cretaceous. 3. Geology-Middle West. 4. Paleontology-Cretaceous. 5. Paleontology-Middle West. I. Merewether, E. A. (Edward Allen), 1930. II. Title. III. Series. QE687.C6 551.7'7'09776 81--607803 AACR2 For sale by the Distribution Branch, U.S. Geological Survey 604 South Pickett Street, Alexandria, VA 22304 CONTENTS [Letters designate chapters] Page (A) Molluscan fossil record from the northeastern part of the Upper Cretaceous seaway, Western Interior ----------------------------------------------------------------- (B) Lower Upper Cretaceous strata in Minnesota and adjacent areas-time-stratigraphic cor relations and structural attitudes --------------------------------------------------- 27 Molluscan Fossil Record from the Northeastern Part of the Upper Cretaceous Seaway, Western Interior By WILLIAM A. COBBAN STRATIGRAPHY. AND PALEONTOLOGY OF MID-CRETACEOUS ROCKS IN MINNESOTA AND CONTIGUOUS AREAS GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 1253-A Bivalves) ammonites) and a belemnite) from Cretaceous bedrock and from glacial deposits, represent at least 77 molluscan faunal zones of Cenomanian to Santonian age that are present or were present in Minnesota) eastern North and South Dakota, northeastern Nebraska, and Iowa CONTENTS Page Abstract ---- --- --- - -- - -- -- --- -- -- -- -- -- - -- -- ---- -- --- -- --- -- - -- -- -- --- -- - -- --- -- --- -- - 1 Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Acknowledgments --------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 Important molluscan fossils ------------------------------------------------------------ 3 Bivalves -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 Family Inoceramidae - -- -- - -- --- -- --- -- -- -- --- - -- - -- - -- --- -- ---- -- --- -- - -- ---- - 3 Genus Inoceramus--------------------------------------------------------- 3 Genus Mytiloides -------------------------------------------------------- - 6 Genus Platyceramus ------------------------------------------------------- 7 Genus Volviceramus ------------------------------------------------------- 7 Family Margaritiferidae-------------------------------------------------------- 7 Genus Margaritifera ------------------------------------------------------- 7 Family Unionidae ------------------------------------------------------------- 8 Genus Unio --------------------------------------------------------------- 8 Family Laternulidae ----------------------------------------------------------- 8 Genus Anatimya - --- - -- -- -- -- -- - -- --- -- -- -- -- - -- - -- --- -- -- -- - -- -- --- --- -- - 8 Ammonites ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 Family Scaphitidae------------------------------------------------------------ 8 Genus Scaphites - -- --- -- ---- -- ---- -- - -- -- ----- -- -- --- -- -- --- --- -- -- ---- --- 8 Genus Otoscaphites ------------------------------------------------------- 11 Family Engonoceratidae --- -- ------ - -- --- -- --- --- - -- -- -- - --- --- -- --- -- -- -- -- -- - 11 Genus Metengonoceras----------------------------------------------------- 11 Family Placenticeratidae------------------------------------------------------- 11 Genus Proplacenticeras ---------------------------------------------------- 11 Family Acanthoceratidae------------------------------------------------ ~------ 12 Genus Dunveganoceras -------------------------------------------- -------- 12 Genus Metoicoceras ------------------------------------------------------- 14 Genus Watinoceras -------------------------------------------------------- 15 Family Collignoniceratidae ----------------------------------------------------- 16 Genus Collignoniceras ----------------------------------------------------- 16 Genus Subprionocyclus ---------------------------------------------------- 18 Genus Prionocyclus-------------------------------------------------------- 19 Belemnite ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 20 Family Belemnitellidae ---- --- - --- -- -- --- -- ---- -- - -- -- - -- - -- -- --- - -- --- -- - -- --- 20 Genus Actinocamax ------------------------------------------------------- 20 References cited - -- -- -- -- --- -- - -- - ---- -- --- --- -- -- -- -- - --- -- --- - -- ---- -- -- --- -- ---- -- -- 21 Index -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23 III IV CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates follow index of chapter A] PLATE 1. Turonian mollusks. 2. Cenomanian and Turonian bivalves. 3. Inoceramus. 4. Cenomanian bivalves. 5. Turonian ammonites. 6. Dunveganoceras and Metengonoceras. 7. Proplacenticeras, Metengonoceras, and Actinocamax. 8. Cenomanian, Turonian, and Coniacian mollusks. 9-11. Dunveganoceras. 12. Metoicoceras and Dunveganoceras. 13. Metoicoceras. 14. Cenomanian and Turonian mollusks. 15. Cenomanian, Turonian, and Coniacian mollusks. Page FIGURE 1. Index map of important fossil.collections---------------------------------------- 2 2. Whorl section of Dunveganoceras pondi --------------------------------------- 13 3. Whorl section of Dunveganoceras hagei---------------------------------------- 14 4. Whorl section of Dunveganoceras hagei ---------------------------------------- 14 5. Map showing Localities of Actinocamax --------------------------------------- 20 STRATIGRAPHY AND PALEONTOLOGY OF MID-CRETACEOUS ROCKS IN MINNESOTA AND CONTIGUOUS AREAS MOLLUSCAN FOSSIL RECORD FROM THE NORTHEASTERN PART OF THE UPPER CRETACEOUS SEAWAY, WESTERN INTERIOR By WILLIAM A. CoBBAN ABSTRACT from beds now assigned to the Dakota Sandstone and Carlile Shale, respectively. Additional mollusks were Molluscan fossils are locally abundant at outcrops of Upper treated in later reports by Meek and Hayden (1857, Cretaceous rocks in eastern North and South Dakota, northeastern Nebraska, northwestern Iowa, and western and northern Minnesota. 1860), Meek (1871, 1873, 1876), and White (1894). Much Other Cretaceous mollusks have been found in the glacial deposits in later, Bergquist (1944) described a large assemblage of Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois. Cretaceous mollusks from the Mesabi Range, northern The oldest well dated marine mollusks are of earliest late Cenoma Minnesota (fig. 1). Since the completion of Bergquist's nian age and occur in northwestern Iowa. Mollusks of marginal marine work, no new systematic papers concerning Cretaceous and nonmarine environments in northwestern Iowa and south-central Minnesota are probably of slightly younger late Cenomanian age. The molluscan fossils in the northeastern part of the seaway youngest mollusks treated in this report are bivalves of Santonian age have been published. The mollusks collected by J. N. found in the Niobrara Formation in eastern North and South Dakota. Nicollet, "near the confluence of the Sioux and Missouri The collections indicate the presence or former presence of the fol rivers, in a thick stratum of clay" (Morton, 1842, p. 212), lowing ammonite zones in the northeastern part of the Western Interior are from the Pierre Shale and Fox Hills Formation at seaway: localities along the Missouri River in central and north Santonian { Scaphites depressus-Clioscaphites choteauensis central South Dakota, northwest of the area of the pres ent report. Scaphites ventrocosus Coniacian { Scaphites preventricosus The oldest well dated molluscan fossils in the region investigated are from the top of the Dakota Formation Scaphites corvensis and basal part of the overlying Graneros Shale at Sioux Scaphites whitfieldi Prionocyclus hyatti City, Iowa, where Dunueganoceras pondi Haas of earliest Turonian Subprionocyclus percarinatus late Cenomanian age (in terms of a threefold division for Collignoniceras woollgari the Cenomanian) was collected. The youngest molluscan Watinoceras coloradoense fossils are from the Niobrara Formation of eastern North and South Dakota, where fragments of Platyceramus Dunueganoceras albertense Cenomanian { Dunueganoceras pondi platinus (Logan) of Santonian age were found. Younger mollusks of Campanian age, derived from the Pierre Shale, have been found in the glacial drift in Minnesota and Iowa, but these are not included in this report. With the exception