Mid-Cretaceous Step-Wise Demise of the Carbonate Platform Biota in The
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Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 245 (2007) 462–482 www.elsevier.com/locate/palaeo Mid-Cretaceous step-wise demise of the carbonate platform biota in the Northwest Pacific and establishment of the North Pacific biotic province ⁎ Yasuhiro Iba a, , Shin-ichi Sano b a Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan b Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, Katsuyama, Fukui 911-8601, Japan Received 9 March 2006; received in revised form 6 July 2006; accepted 14 September 2006 Abstract The global spatiotemporal distribution of the Cretaceous carbonate platform biota, which is characterized by “tropical” Mesogean (= Cretaceous Tethys) taxa, is an important aspect of Earth's paleobiogeography. All available records of this biota in the Northwest Pacific (Japan and Sakhalin Island) are summarized in order to elucidate its stratigraphic distribution patterns and faunal changes, with special attention given to the biota of the Late Aptian–Early Albian. This carbonate platform biota flourished from the Berriasian to Early Albian interval in the Northwest Pacific, indicating that the Northwest Pacific clearly belonged to the Tethyan biotic realm at that time. A step-wise demise of the carbonate platform biota transpired in the latest Aptian to middle Albian interval. Mesogean key taxa (rudists and dasycladacean algae), some Mesogean indicators (hermatypic corals and stromatoporoids) and nerineacean gastropods disappeared at the Late Aptian to Early Albian transition. Following this event, other Mesogean indicators (orbitolinid foraminifers and calcareous red algae) and coated grains disappeared at the Early to middle Albian transition. There is no record of carbonate platform biota in the Northwest Pacific during the long interval between the Middle Albian and Paleocene. The step-wise demise of the carbonate platform biota in the latest Aptian–middle Albian interval strongly implies a “vicariance event”, which separated the North Pacific from the Tethyan biotic realm and established the North Pacific biotic province. © 2006 Published by Elsevier B.V. Keywords: Aptian; Albian; Mesogean; Tethys; North Pacific; Provincialism; Vicariance event 1. Introduction (1992a,b) re-appraised the Mesogean (= Cretaceous Tethys) concept (Douvillé, 1900), based on new infor- Understanding the carbonate platform biota is impor- mation about the geographic distribution of original tant for reconstructing global paleobiogeography and reference taxa. He reviewed the distribution of organisms paleoclimate throughout Earth history. Its presence has that characterize the biota on Cretaceous carbonate long been recognized as a clear indicator of a tropical/ platforms, and provided important criteria for recognizing subtropical climate (e.g., Kiessling et al., 2002). Masse the Tethyan biotic realm during the Cretaceous. Paleobiogeographic and paleoclimatic conditions in ⁎ Corresponding author. Fax: +81 3 5841 4555. the Northwest Pacific have attracted much attention as a E-mail address: [email protected] (Y. Iba). means of evaluating the Cretaceous “greenhouse” Earth. 0031-0182/$ - see front matter © 2006 Published by Elsevier B.V. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2006.09.008 Y. Iba, S. Sano / Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 245 (2007) 462–482 463 Similarities between the Early Cretaceous marine in the Northwest Pacific, in order to elucidate their molluscs of Japan and those of the “Tethyan” or spatiotemporal patterns and faunal and floral changes. In “North Tethyan” biotic realm (e.g., Hayami, 1965a,b; addition, new bio- and lithostratigraphic data about the Kase, 1984; Tashiro, 1993; Ichise et al., 2002) and, in Late Aptian and Early Albian biota are a special focus, some cases, with the “boreal” or “sub-boreal” biotic because they directly relate to the decline of this biota in realm (e.g., Obata and Matsukawa, 1988; Matsukawa the region. Finally, these Northwest Pacific events are and Obata, 1993), have been noted previously. The Late compared with other bioevents elsewhere in the Pacific Cretaceous marine molluscan faunas in the North and in other regions. Overall, this study attempts to Pacific contain many endemic taxa, and Jeletzy (1971) rationalize the establishment of the North Pacific biotic proposed a North Pacific biotic province, based on province. differences in faunal composition with other biopro- vinces. Unfortunately, these studies were conducted 2. Cretaceous carbonate platform biota and its without providing concrete definitions of the several records in the Northwest Pacific biotic provinces, and are currently difficult to use in discussions of paleobiogeography and paleoclimate. Masse (1992a,b) reviewed the distribution of organ- The carbonate platform biota has been reported from isms that characterize the biota on Cretaceous carbonate several Cretaceous localities in Japan and Sakhalin, platforms, and divided them into two groups: (1) Meso- which were located in the Northwest Pacific at that time. gean key taxa and (2) additional Mesogean indicators. The The taxonomy and spatiotemporal distribution of this former includes a typical infralittoral warm-water associ- regional Cretaceous biota has not yet been elucidated. ation: rudists, dictyoconine foraminifers and dasyclada- However, biotic provincialism and/or bioevents can be cean algae. The latter include infralittoral–circalittoral discussed more precisely from the spatiotemporal warm-water association: hermatypic colonial hexacorals, pattern of the carbonate platform biota of this area stromatoporoids, larger foraminifers (including the Orbi- than from the other marine biota. The present study tolina group) and calcareous red algae. These two groups brings together all available information on the of carbonate platform biota, along with coated grains Cretaceous carbonate platform biota and coated grains indicative of “tropical” shallow-water environments, are Fig. 1. A, locality map of carbonate platform biota in the Northwest Pacific region. B, Early Cretaceous paleomap showing all localities in A. Map for the Early Cretaceous based on Yamakita and Otoh (2000), Metcalfe (1999), and Barron et al. (1981). Details of each locality are shown in Table 1. Stars indicate Late Aptian–Early Albian key localities (Hokkaido) with carbonate platform biota discussed in this study. 464 Y. Iba, S. Sano / Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 245 (2007) 462–482 most important for recognizing the Tethyan biotic realm Mesogean key taxa and indicators, along with during the Cretaceous (Masse, 1992a,b). additional carbonate platform biota (nerineacean gastro- The carbonate platform biota and coated grains are pods), persisted in the Northwest Pacific during the known from 26 localities in Cretaceous fore- and intra- Berriasian to Early Albian. Rudists (Mesogean key taxa) arc basins of the Japanese Islands and Sakhalin Island are reported from the Barremian, Lower Aptian and (Far East Russia), which were both located along the Upper Aptian, dasycladacean algae (Mesogean key eastern margin of continental Asia before the Miocene taxa) in the Upper Aptian, and hermatypic hexacorals opening of the Japan Sea (Fig. 1; e.g., Yamakita and are abundant in the Berriasian to Barremian. Orbitoli- Otoh, 2000; Tazawa, 2004). Localities including this ninae foraminifers flourished in the Northwest Pacific biota are distributed from Kyushu (southwestern Japan) during the latest Hauterivian (?) to Early Albian, and the to Sakhalin Island (Far East Russia), mainly along the Mesorbitolina group in particular was abundant in the Pacific Coast, or Outer Zone of Southwest Japan (Fig. Late Aptian and Early Albian. Calcareous algae existed 1). The litho- and biofacies of carbonate platform biota- continuously during the Berriasian to Early Albian bearing strata at each locality are summarized in Table 1. interval, and Calcareous red algae (e.g., Solenopora- The ages of the Northwest Pacific carbonate platform ceae) abundantly in the Upper Aptian. In addition to the biota-bearing strata were re-examined for this investiga- Mesogean key taxa and indicators, nerineacean gastro- tion, based on recent stratigraphic studies and new finds pods (e.g., Nerinea, Adiozoptyxis), which were the of ammonites and microfossils (Table 1). The carbonate gastropods most characteristic of the Tethyan realm platform biota flourished in the Berriasian to Early (Sohl, 1987), were present continuously during the Albian interval in the Northwest Pacific. One locality is Berriasian to Late Aptian. Coated grains, which also known for the Berriasian, one for the Valanginian (?), indicate shallow-marine tropical/subtropical environ- three for the Hauterivian, six for the Barremian, five for ments (Nelson, 1988), were present continuously during the Early Aptian, four for the Late Aptian, and four for the Berriasian to Early Albian. the Early Albian (see Table 1 for detail). In Barremian Remains of the carbonate platform biota in the and Late Aptian times, relatively larger-scale carbonate Northwest Pacific are abundant in small-scale shallow- platforms developed at several localities (e.g., Locs. 7 marine carbonates, which are generally several meters and 19). In contrast, occurrences of the carbonate both in thickness and lateral continuity. These strata are platform biota and coated grains have not yet been not of seamount origin, but were deposited in shallow- recognized in throughout the post-Early Albian Creta- marine