Early Jurassic Insects from the Newark Supergroup, Northeastern United States

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Early Jurassic Insects from the Newark Supergroup, Northeastern United States 13 Early Jurassic Insects from the Newark Supergroup, Northeastern United States Phillip Huber, Nicholas G. McDonald, and Paul E. Olsen ossil insects from the Early Jurassic (Hettan- Lower Mesozoic sedimentary rocks and interbedded gian–Sinemurian) of the eastern United States basalts of the Newark Supergroup occupy a series of F comprise a small fauna that contains two elongate half-graben basins extending from South elytra-based genera of beetles, abundant larvae and an Carolina to Nova Scotia that formed in response to adult specimen that may belong to adephagan beetles, the crustal extension and rifting associated with the other larvae of unknown affinities, a blattoid, and sev- breakup of Pangea (figure 13.1). Strata of Jurassic age eral indeterminate specimens composed of isolated are restricted to the northern Newark Supergroup ba- segments and isolated appendages. Beetle elytra in- sins, which include the Culpeper, Gettysburg, Newark, clude the cupedid Liassocupes parvus Zeuner 1962 and Pomperaug, Hartford, Deerfield, and Fundy basins. the Holcoptera giebeli Giebel 1856. Mormolucoides ar- These Lower Jurassic (Hettangian–Sinemurian) sedi- ticulatus Hitchcock 1858 is interpreted as a coleopteran mentary rocks represent a broad suite of nonmarine that includes two morphs distinguished by relative size depositional facies, including prominent cyclic dark- and degree of sclerotization that represent different gray, laminated siltstones and shales that record de- stages of instar development. The blattoid is an isolated position in extensive lacustrine environments (Olsen wing that presently cannot be assigned to a family. 1986; Smoot 1991). The Newark Supergroup contains These specimens were obtained from playa and shal- well-documented palynomorph, megafloral, fish, and low lacustrine deposits of the Hartford, Deerfield, tetrapod records (Cornet 1977; Olsen, Schlische, and and Newark basins of the Newark Supergroup. Except Gore 1989; Cornet and Olsen 1990; McDonald 1992; for a single taxon of an aquatic hemipteran from the Lucas and Huber, chapter 11 in this volume), but most Middle Jurassic (Callovian) Todilto Formation of the of the invertebrate groups (mollusks, ostracodes, bran- southwestern United States, the fauna described in this chiopods, decapods, insects, trace fossils) have not re- chapter constitutes the only record of Jurassic insects ceived rigorous taxonomic analysis. However, studies from North America. of the mollusks (Good, Olsen, and McDonald 1994; Good and Huber 1995) and of Triassic age insects (Fraser et al. 1996; Fraser and Grimaldi, chapter 12 in this volume) are in progress. Early Jurassic Insects from the Newark Supergroup • 207 . The Newark Supergroup and details of the Hartford, Deerfield, and New- ark basins. (A) Location of the Newark Supergroup basins. (B) Generalized geologic map of the Hartford and Deerfield basins. (C) Generalized geologic map of the northern part of the Newark basin; HR, Horse Race, Montague and Gill, Massachusetts; G, outcrops with Mormolucoides (Olsen et al. 1992), Montague, Massachusetts; H, Holyoke Dam, Holyoke, Massachusetts; S, former K-F Quarry, Portland Formation, Suffield, Connecti- cut; C, Cromwell, Connecticut; D, Durham fish locality, Durham, Connecticut; R, Rose- land Quarry, Roseland, New Jersey. The first specimens of Mesozoic insects collected in ward C. Hitchcock, who named them Mormolucoides North America were abundant larvae discovered on articulatus (Hitchcock 1858) and in turn sent examples the banks of the Connecticut River during the 1850s of the larvae to Yale geologist James D. Dana for iden- by Roswell Field, a local farmer and naturalist of Gill, tification. Further collections were made at the site by Massachusetts. Field presented the specimens to Ed- other residents of the area, including Dexter Marsh 208 • Phillip Huber, Nicholas G. McDonald, and Paul E. Olsen and T. M. Stoughton, and by Yale paleontologist O. C. Systematic Paleontology Marsh, who visited the locality in April 1867. S. W. Phylum Arthropoda Loper of Wesleyan University discovered additional ex- Class Insecta amples of these larvae in slightly older beds in south- Order Coleoptera central Connecticut during the late nineteenth century. Suborder Archostemata Kolbe 1908 Renewed paleontological investigation of the Hart- Family cupedidae Lacordaire 1857 ford, Deerfield, and Newark basins has led us to new Genus Liassocupes Zeuner 1962 insect occurrences (figure 13.1) as well as to the redis- covery of the Mormolucoides locality (McDonald and Huber 1995). The most important of our new localities Liassocupes Zeuner 1962:167, pl. 27 (fig. 4) was the now infilled K-F Quarry (Portland Formation) Liassocupes (Zeuner 1962) Whalley 1985:66–167, in Suffield, Connecticut (LeTourneau and McDonald figs. 63–66 1985). Collecting efforts at this site from 1986 to 1992 Liassocupes (Zeuner 1962) Olsen 1995:169, fig. 7c yielded approximately 80 beetle elytra, a single blattoid wing, and several fragmentary abdominal segments Liassocupes (Zeuner 1962) Huber and McDonald and appendage elements of uncertain affinities. What 1996:49 we believe to be Roswell Field’s Mormolucoides beds Type species: Liassocupes parvus Zeuner 1962. were found in October 1991, and subsequent efforts Diagnosis (amended from Zeuner 1962): Cupedid yielded approximately 5,000 larvae, several elytra, and with rounded pronotum and elytra that possess a an adult beetle. Other larvae were discovered in 1996 punctate sculpture arranged in 8 to 12 rows defined by in Portland Formation outcrops below the Holyoke longitudinal veins. Dam in South Hadley, Massachusetts, and in the Distribution: Early Jurassic: Flatstones, Black Ven, Shuttle Meadow Formation at Durham, Connecticut Charmouth, Dorsetshire, United Kingdom (Sinemu- (probably Loper’s locality mentioned in Lull 1915, rian: obtusem zone); “Member A,” Towaco Formation, 1953). During the course of excavations for fossil fish Roseland Quarry, Essex County, New Jersey (Hettan- and dinosaur tracks at the Roseland Quarry in the gian). Newark basin (Towaco Formation), a single elytron was collected that represents the only North American Liassocupes parvus record of a Jurassic age cupedid beetle (Olsen 1995; Huber and McDonald 1996). The combined assem- Holotype: BMNH In64008, lower Lias, Dorsetshire, blages from the Hartford, Deerfield, and Newark ba- United Kingdom. sins, excepting a single species of aquatic Hemiptera Referred material: YPM 35964. from the Todilto Formation of New Mexico (Kirkland, Diagnosis: Elytra sculptured by 10 rows of longitudinal ם Denison, and Evans 1995), comprise the only Jurassic veins that segregate cells numbering 40 in each ver- insect fauna yet documented from North America. A tical row. Length: 3–7 mm. preliminary description of this fauna is provided in the rest of this chapter. Discussion Specimens discussed in this chapter are in the Brit- Liassocupes is an archostematan first established by ish Museum of Natural History (BMHN; London), Zeuner (1962), on the basis of elytral morphology, to Nicholas G. McDonald collection at the Westminster contain a single species, L. parvus. The holotype and School (NGM; Simsbury, Connecticut), Shepard and referred materials are part of the Jackson (BMNH) in- Hitchcock Ichnology Collections at the Pratt Museum sect collection obtained from the Black Ven at Char- of Natural History of Amherst College (PMNH; Am- mouth, Dorsetshire. At the time of Zeuner’s descrip- herst, Massachusetts), Virginia Museum of Natural tion, the holotype (BMNH In64008) was the only History (VMNH; Martinsville, Virginia), Wesleyan known specimen. Whalley (1985) described an addi- University, Department of Earth and Environmental tional specimen (BMNH In49210), an isolated elytron Sciences collections (WU; Middletown, Connecticut), that he referred to this species based on the character- and Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History (YPM; istic sculpture. The holotype of Liassocupes parvus is a New Haven, Connecticut). nearly complete (though poorly preserved) beetle in Early Jurassic Insects from the Newark Supergroup • 209 dorsal aspect that displays paired elytra missing their Liassocupes parvus and the other Dorset specimen, posterior margins. As Whalley noted, the head and YPM 35964 has a rounded posterior termination but thorax are detached from the elytra and rotated at a possesses a slightly flattened costal margin. The spec- slight angle, but they lack distinguishing characters imen is identical in all other respects to Liassocupes other than the rounded pronotum. The elytra display parvus, to which it is referred. cells that are ordered into 10 vertical rows segregated by primary and secondary venation. The other speci- Suborder ?Polyphaga Emery 1886 men (BMNH In49210), a complete elytron 4.8 mm in Family incertae sedis length with a rounded posterior end, indicates that Genus Holcoptera Handlirsch 1906–1908 each row contains approximately 40 spots. Whalley (1985) described two additional species (Harpalideous Carabidae) Brodie 1845:101, 124, and provisionally placed them in this genus. Liasso- pl. 6 (fig. 28) cupes maculatus is based on six specimens (holotype Harpalus Giebel 1856:63 BMNH In49577) and differs from L. parvus by a greater length of elytra (up to 12.2 mm) that bear 12 Holcoptera Handlirsch 1906–1908:453, pl. 41 vertical rows of cells and lack intermediate, raised sub- (fig. 64) costal striae. The elytra display flattened costal margins Holcoelytrum Handlirsch 1906–1908:453, pl. 41 and posteriorly terminate in a pointed apex. Liasso-
Recommended publications
  • History of Sunderland, 1899; History of Sunderland, Vol
    TOWN OF SUNDERLAND - A BRIEF HISTORY Sunderland, Massachusetts, is one of the southernmost towns in Franklin County. The community is situated in the eastern portion of the Connecticut River Valley in western Massachusetts. Sunderland was incorporated as a town in 1718. Before being incorporated, Sunderland was known as Swampfield, so named by its first settlers because of the swampland within the town. Settlement of the town originated on what is now North and South Main Streets, with forty designated house lots. Settlers were also assigned an equal percentage of swampland, pasture land, and wood lots. North and South Main Streets are scenic, broad avenues that appeal to our sensor of what a small New England town should be. In the late 1820’s, maple trees were planted on each side of the street, which has added to Sunderland’s beauty, especially as leaves change color, or after a snowfall. The houses are a pleasing mix of sizes and styles; in fact, Sunderland’s main street has examples of most of the architectural styles of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Mount Toby range is another source of beauty and historic background. A watchtower is at the peak along with a commanding view of the river valley. The north part of Mt. Toby is the home of the “Sunderland Cave.” It is not technically a cave, but huge slabs of tipped conglomerate rock. Caves are rare in this part of New England, which has made this one more widely known. Sunderland’s first Irish immigrants located their homes on Mt. Toby in the mid-nineteenth century, which were known as “paddy farms.” Trails are still evident, along with old stone walls marking boundary lines.
    [Show full text]
  • Diversity Partitioning During the Cambrian Radiation
    Diversity partitioning during the Cambrian radiation Lin Naa,1 and Wolfgang Kiesslinga,b aGeoZentrum Nordbayern, Paleobiology and Paleoenvironments, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany; and bMuseum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity at the Humboldt University Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany Edited by Douglas H. Erwin, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, and accepted by the Editorial Board March 10, 2015 (received for review January 2, 2015) The fossil record offers unique insights into the environmental and Results geographic partitioning of biodiversity during global diversifica- Raw gamma diversity exhibits a strong increase in the first three tions. We explored biodiversity patterns during the Cambrian Cambrian stages (informally referred to as early Cambrian in this radiation, the most dramatic radiation in Earth history. We as- work) (Fig. 1A). Gamma diversity dropped in Stage 4 and de- sessed how the overall increase in global diversity was partitioned clined further through the rest of the Cambrian. The pattern is between within-community (alpha) and between-community (beta) robust to sampling standardization (Fig. 1B) and insensitive to components and how beta diversity was partitioned among environ- including or excluding the archaeocyath sponges, which are po- ments and geographic regions. Changes in gamma diversity in the tentially oversplit (16). Alpha and beta diversity increased from Cambrian were chiefly driven by changes in beta diversity. The the Fortunian to Stage 3, and fluctuated erratically through the combined trajectories of alpha and beta diversity during the initial following stages (Fig. 2). Our estimate of alpha (and indirectly diversification suggest low competition and high predation within beta) diversity is based on the number of genera in published communities.
    [Show full text]
  • Triassic- Jurassic Stratigraphy Of
    Triassic- Jurassic Stratigraphy of the <JF C7 JL / Culpfeper and B arbour sville Basins, VirginiaC7 and Maryland/ ll.S. PAPER Triassic-Jurassic Stratigraphy of the Culpeper and Barboursville Basins, Virginia and Maryland By K.Y. LEE and AJ. FROELICH U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 1472 A clarification of the Triassic--Jurassic stratigraphic sequences, sedimentation, and depositional environments UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON: 1989 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MANUEL LUJAN, Jr., Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Lee, K.Y. Triassic-Jurassic stratigraphy of the Culpeper and Barboursville basins, Virginia and Maryland. (U.S. Geological Survey professional paper ; 1472) Bibliography: p. Supt. of Docs. no. : I 19.16:1472 1. Geology, Stratigraphic Triassic. 2. Geology, Stratigraphic Jurassic. 3. Geology Culpeper Basin (Va. and Md.) 4. Geology Virginia Barboursville Basin. I. Froelich, A.J. (Albert Joseph), 1929- II. Title. III. Series. QE676.L44 1989 551.7'62'09755 87-600318 For sale by the Books and Open-File Reports Section, U.S. Geological Survey, Federal Center, Box 25425, Denver, CO 80225 CONTENTS Page Page Abstract.......................................................................................................... 1 Stratigraphy Continued Introduction... ..........................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Periodic Report to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation And
    Periodic Report to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Submitted by Friends of Mohawk Trail State Forest Robert T. Leverett Gary A. Beluzo And Anthony W. D’Amato May 21, 2006 Friends of Mohawk Trail State Forest 52 Fairfield Avenue Holyoke, MA 01040 (413) 538-8631 [email protected] 1 Table of Contents Topic Page General Introduction 3 SECTION 1: Old Growth Inventory and Mapping 4 SECTION 2: Forest Reserve 8 SECTION 3: Update on Rucker Indexing Analysis 11 and Exemplary Forest Documentation SECTION 4: White Pine Volume Modeling, 31 Individual Profiles, and White pine Tree Dimensions Index (TDI) Lists SECTION 5: White Pine Stand Tagging, Inventorying, 47 and Growth Analysis SECTION 6: Activities and History of FMTSF 49 SECTION 7: Dendromorphometry 53 SECTION 8: Summary of Exemplary Trees and 56 Forest Features in MTSF and MSF Appendix I: Maps – Recommended Forest Reserves 60 2 General Introduction This report is presented to the Chief Forester for Massachusetts, James DiMaio; the Region 5 Supervisor, Robert Mellace; and the management forester within Region 5, Thomas Byron. Friends of Mohawk Trail State Forest (FMTSF) will also present copies of this report to the Eastern Native Tree Society (ENTS), Harvard Forest for inclusion in their archives, the Massachusetts Audubon Society, Board members of the FMTSF, and Dr. Lee Frelich, Director for the Center of Hardwood Ecology of the University of Minnesota. ENTS, Mass Audubon, Dr. David Orwig of Harvard Forest, and Dr. Lee Frelich have been important contributors to the research described in this report. On February 5, 2004, “Report on Forest Research at Mohawk Trail State Forest” was submitted to the then Department of Environmental Management (DEM) through William Rivers.
    [Show full text]
  • Lower Jurassic to Lower Middle Jurassic Succession at Kopy Sołtysie and Płaczliwa Skała in the Eastern Tatra Mts (Western
    Volumina Jurassica, 2013, Xi: 19–58 Lower Jurassic to lower Middle Jurassic succession at Kopy Sołtysie and Płaczliwa Skała in the eastern Tatra Mts (Western Carpathians) of Poland and Slovakia: stratigraphy, facies and ammonites Jolanta IWAŃCZUK1, Andrzej IWANOW1, Andrzej WIERZBOWSKI1 Key words: stratigraphy, Lower to Middle Jurassic, ammonites, microfacies, correlations, Tatra Mts, Western Carpathians. Abstract. The Lower Jurassic and the lower part of the Middle Jurassic deposits corresponding to the Sołtysia Marlstone Formation of the Lower Subtatric (Krížna) nappe in the Kopy Sołtysie mountain range of the High Tatra Mts and the Płaczliwa Skała (= Ždziarska Vidla) mountain of the Belianske Tatra Mts in the eastern part of the Tatra Mts in Poland and Slovakia are described. The work concentrates both on their lithological and facies development as well as their ammonite faunal content and their chronostratigraphy. These are basinal de- posits which show the dominant facies of the fleckenkalk-fleckenmergel type and reveal the succession of several palaeontological microfacies types from the spiculite microfacies (Sinemurian–Lower Pliensbachian, but locally also in the Bajocian), up to the radiolarian microfacies (Upper Pliensbachian and Toarcian, Bajocian–Bathonian), and locally the Bositra (filament) microfacies (Bajocian– Bathonian). In addition, there appear intercalations of detrital deposits – both bioclastic limestones and breccias – formed by downslope transport from elevated areas (junction of the Sinemurian and Pliensbachian, Upper Toarcian, and Bajocian). The uppermost Toarcian – lowermost Bajocian interval is represented by marly-shaly deposits with a marked admixture of siliciclastic material. The deposits are correlated with the coeval deposits of the Lower Subtatric nappe of the western part of the Tatra Mts (the Bobrowiec unit), as well as with the autochthonous-parachthonous Hightatric units, but also with those of the Czorsztyn and Niedzica successions of the Pieniny Klippen Belt, in Poland.
    [Show full text]
  • Appendix 3.Pdf
    A Geoconservation perspective on the trace fossil record associated with the end – Ordovician mass extinction and glaciation in the Welsh Basin Item Type Thesis or dissertation Authors Nicholls, Keith H. Citation Nicholls, K. (2019). A Geoconservation perspective on the trace fossil record associated with the end – Ordovician mass extinction and glaciation in the Welsh Basin. (Doctoral dissertation). University of Chester, United Kingdom. Publisher University of Chester Rights Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Download date 26/09/2021 02:37:15 Item License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10034/622234 International Chronostratigraphic Chart v2013/01 Erathem / Era System / Period Quaternary Neogene C e n o z o i c Paleogene Cretaceous M e s o z o i c Jurassic M e s o z o i c Jurassic Triassic Permian Carboniferous P a l Devonian e o z o i c P a l Devonian e o z o i c Silurian Ordovician s a n u a F y r Cambrian a n o i t u l o v E s ' i k s w o Ichnogeneric Diversity k p e 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 S 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 n 23 r e 25 d 27 o 29 M 31 33 35 37 39 T 41 43 i 45 47 m 49 e 51 53 55 57 59 61 63 65 67 69 71 73 75 77 79 81 83 85 87 89 91 93 Number of Ichnogenera (Treatise Part W) Ichnogeneric Diversity 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 n 23 r e 25 d 27 o 29 M 31 33 35 37 39 T 41 43 i 45 47 m 49 e 51 53 55 57 59 61 c i o 63 z 65 o e 67 a l 69 a 71 P 73 75 77 79 81 83 n 85 a i r 87 b 89 m 91 a 93 C Number of Ichnogenera (Treatise Part W)
    [Show full text]
  • The Geologic Time Scale Is the Eon
    Exploring Geologic Time Poster Illustrated Teacher's Guide #35-1145 Paper #35-1146 Laminated Background Geologic Time Scale Basics The history of the Earth covers a vast expanse of time, so scientists divide it into smaller sections that are associ- ated with particular events that have occurred in the past.The approximate time range of each time span is shown on the poster.The largest time span of the geologic time scale is the eon. It is an indefinitely long period of time that contains at least two eras. Geologic time is divided into two eons.The more ancient eon is called the Precambrian, and the more recent is the Phanerozoic. Each eon is subdivided into smaller spans called eras.The Precambrian eon is divided from most ancient into the Hadean era, Archean era, and Proterozoic era. See Figure 1. Precambrian Eon Proterozoic Era 2500 - 550 million years ago Archaean Era 3800 - 2500 million years ago Hadean Era 4600 - 3800 million years ago Figure 1. Eras of the Precambrian Eon Single-celled and simple multicelled organisms first developed during the Precambrian eon. There are many fos- sils from this time because the sea-dwelling creatures were trapped in sediments and preserved. The Phanerozoic eon is subdivided into three eras – the Paleozoic era, Mesozoic era, and Cenozoic era. An era is often divided into several smaller time spans called periods. For example, the Paleozoic era is divided into the Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous,and Permian periods. Paleozoic Era Permian Period 300 - 250 million years ago Carboniferous Period 350 - 300 million years ago Devonian Period 400 - 350 million years ago Silurian Period 450 - 400 million years ago Ordovician Period 500 - 450 million years ago Cambrian Period 550 - 500 million years ago Figure 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Mary Anning of Lyme Regis: 19Th Century Pioneer in British Palaeontology
    Headwaters Volume 26 Article 14 2009 Mary Anning of Lyme Regis: 19th Century Pioneer in British Palaeontology Larry E. Davis College of St. Benedict / St. John's University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/headwaters Part of the Geology Commons, and the Paleontology Commons Recommended Citation Davis, Larry E. (2009) "Mary Anning of Lyme Regis: 19th Century Pioneer in British Palaeontology," Headwaters: Vol. 26, 96-126. Available at: https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/headwaters/vol26/iss1/14 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@CSB/SJU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Headwaters by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@CSB/SJU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LARRY E. DAVIS Mary Anning of Lyme Regis 19th Century Pioneer in British Palaeontology Ludwig Leichhardt, a 19th century German explorer noted in a letter, “… we had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of the Princess of Palaeontology, Miss Anning. She is a strong, energetic spinster of about 28 years of age, tanned and masculine in expression …” (Aurousseau, 1968). Gideon Mantell, a 19th century British palaeontologist, made a less flattering remark when he wrote in his journal, “… sallied out in quest of Mary An- ning, the geological lioness … we found her in a little dirt shop with hundreds of specimens piled around her in the greatest disorder. She, the presiding Deity, a prim, pedantic vinegar looking female; shred, and rather satirical in her conversation” (Curwin, 1940). Who was Mary Anning, this Princess of Palaeontology and Geological Lioness (Fig.
    [Show full text]
  • Taconic Physiography
    Bulletin No. 272 ' Series B, Descriptive Geology, 74 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR . UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CHARLES D. WALCOTT, DIRECTOR 4 t TACONIC PHYSIOGRAPHY BY T. NELSON DALE WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1905 CONTENTS. Page. Letter of transinittal......................................._......--..... 7 Introduction..........I..................................................... 9 Literature...........:.......................... ........................... 9 Land form __._..___.._.___________..___._____......__..__...._..._--..-..... 18 Green Mountain Range ..................... .......................... 18 Taconic Range .............................'............:.............. 19 Transverse valleys._-_-_.-..._.-......-....___-..-___-_....--_.-.._-- 19 Longitudinal valleys ............................................. ^...... 20 Bensselaer Plateau .................................................... 20 Hudson-Champlain valley................ ..-,..-.-.--.----.-..-...... 21 The Taconic landscape..................................................... 21 The lakes............................................................ 22 Topographic types .............,.....:..............'.................... 23 Plateau type ...--....---....-.-.-.-.--....-...... --.---.-.-..-.--... 23 Taconic type ...-..........-........-----............--......----.-.-- 28 Hudson-Champlain type ......................"...............--....... 23 Rock material..........................'.......'..---..-.....-...-.--.-.-. 23 Harder rocks ....---...............-.-.....-.-...--.-.........
    [Show full text]
  • The Late Jurassic Tithonian, a Greenhouse Phase in the Middle Jurassic–Early Cretaceous ‘Cool’ Mode: Evidence from the Cyclic Adriatic Platform, Croatia
    Sedimentology (2007) 54, 317–337 doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3091.2006.00837.x The Late Jurassic Tithonian, a greenhouse phase in the Middle Jurassic–Early Cretaceous ‘cool’ mode: evidence from the cyclic Adriatic Platform, Croatia ANTUN HUSINEC* and J. FRED READ *Croatian Geological Survey, Sachsova 2, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, 4044 Derring Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA (E-mail: [email protected]) ABSTRACT Well-exposed Mesozoic sections of the Bahama-like Adriatic Platform along the Dalmatian coast (southern Croatia) reveal the detailed stacking patterns of cyclic facies within the rapidly subsiding Late Jurassic (Tithonian) shallow platform-interior (over 750 m thick, ca 5–6 Myr duration). Facies within parasequences include dasyclad-oncoid mudstone-wackestone-floatstone and skeletal-peloid wackestone-packstone (shallow lagoon), intraclast-peloid packstone and grainstone (shoal), radial-ooid grainstone (hypersaline shallow subtidal/intertidal shoals and ponds), lime mudstone (restricted lagoon), fenestral carbonates and microbial laminites (tidal flat). Parasequences in the overall transgressive Lower Tithonian sections are 1– 4Æ5 m thick, and dominated by subtidal facies, some of which are capped by very shallow-water grainstone-packstone or restricted lime mudstone; laminated tidal caps become common only towards the interior of the platform. Parasequences in the regressive Upper Tithonian are dominated by peritidal facies with distinctive basal oolite units and well-developed laminate caps. Maximum water depths of facies within parasequences (estimated from stratigraphic distance of the facies to the base of the tidal flat units capping parasequences) were generally <4 m, and facies show strongly overlapping depth ranges suggesting facies mosaics. Parasequences were formed by precessional (20 kyr) orbital forcing and form parasequence sets of 100 and 400 kyr eccentricity bundles.
    [Show full text]
  • A Comparison of the Dinosaur Communities from the Middle
    Preprints (www.preprints.org) | NOT PEER-REVIEWED | Posted: 31 July 2018 doi:10.20944/preprints201807.0610.v1 Peer-reviewed version available at Geosciences 2018, 8, 327; doi:10.3390/geosciences8090327 1 Review 2 A comparison of the dinosaur communities from 3 the Middle Jurassic of the Cleveland (Yorkshire) 4 and Hebrides (Skye) basins, based on their ichnites 5 6 Mike Romano 1*, Neil D. L. Clark 2 and Stephen L. Brusatte 3 7 1 Independent Researcher, 14 Green Lane, Dronfield, Sheffield S18 2LZ, England, United Kingdom; 8 [email protected] 9 2 Curator of Palaeontology, The Hunterian, University of Glasgow, University Avenue, Glasgow 10 G12 8QQ, Scotland, United Kingdom; [email protected] 11 3 Chancellor's Fellow in Vertebrate Palaeontology, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, 12 Grant Institute, The King's Buildings, James Hutton Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FE, Scotland, United Kingdom; 13 [email protected] 14 * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: 01246 417330 15 16 Abstract: 17 Despite the Hebrides and Cleveland basins being geographically close, research has not 18 previously been carried out to determine faunal similarities and assess the possibility of links 19 between the dinosaur populations. The palaeogeography of both areas during the Middle Jurassic 20 shows that there were no elevated landmasses being eroded to produce conglomeratic material in 21 the basins at that time. The low-lying landscape and connected shorelines may have provided 22 connectivity between the two dinosaur populations. 23 The dinosaur fauna of the Hebrides and Cleveland basins has been assessed based primarily 24 on the abundant ichnites found in both areas as well as their skeletal remains.
    [Show full text]
  • Autumn 2009 Free Issue No
    Autumn 2009 Free Issue no. 7 no. Issue A mini version of Tower Bridge and a brontosaurus Photo-montage by Tim Heap straddling the water were two of the more tongue-in- be rustic, constructed of timber, appreciably wider with cheek suggestions put to the design team visiting passing places, extended so as to avoid the mud, and to Charmouth on September 10th. Representatives from have an arched elevation similar to the current design. Dorset Engineering Consultancy, the Coastal Ranger team, and the artists, Sans facon, met with District and Parish According to Sans facon, the artists, they do not start from Councillors, adjacent businesses and over 40 locals eager to a preconceived aesthetic: their approach consists of share their thoughts and concerns regarding the understanding a context, from its physical and social replacement footbridge over the Char river. location to the uses and functions of the place. Rather than parachute in ideas or recipes from somewhere else, they People spoke of the natural beauty of the landscape, the aim to utilise and integrate their response ideas within the importance of the geology of the area and the need for a specific quality of the location. The Velator viewing platform new structure that will sit comfortably within its rural they created in Devon (www.sansfacon.co.uk/vel/vel.html) surroundings. The general consensus was that the bridge illustrates this by drawing inspiration from and responding directly to the site and its essence. They will be working in close collaboration with the engineers and the rest of the ‘Palaeontology in Charmouth’ team to develop a joint design.
    [Show full text]