Paleocene Foraminifera of the Gulf Coastal Region of the United States and Adjacent Areas
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Paleocene Foraminifera of the Gulf Coastal Region of the United States and Adjacent Areas By JOSEPH A. CUSHMAN GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 232 Descriptions and illustrations of smaller Foraminifera from the Gulf Coastal Region, Cuba, Central America, Haiti, and Trinidad UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1951 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Oscar L. Chapman, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. E. Wrather, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. - Price $1.75 (paper cover) CONTENTS Page Page Abstract______--------------------_-----__----_-___ 1 Systematic descriptions—Continued Introduction.___--_----___-________________-______- 1 Lagenidae _____________________-_____---------_ 13 List of loealities____-----------_-_-_-_-_-__--_-_-_-_ 1 Polymorphinidae-__-________--_-_------—— ____ 32 Systematic descriptions____-__-_-_-___-_-___.-____-_- 3 Nonionidae-___————————— ----- ———— ______ 37 Rhizamminidae_______-_-._--- —— -._ — ___ 3 Heterohelicidae___._ —.._- — _ — — _ — — — 37 Ammodiscidae-,—- — ---- — — _ — — ____ 4 Buliminidae————--_-- — — — — — — — 39 T ., ... Ellipsoidimdae.-------------------------------- 45 Lituohdae__-__--------------_-------------_--- 4 ,, /..., ,_ _ , .., _ Rotaliidae____--_------_----_------------------ 47 Textulariidae—-— — __ — ___ — — — — — - 5 Amphisteginidae—— — — — — — — — — — — 56 Verneuilinidae— ______________ __ _ __________ 8 CM_idulinidae_____ _________ __._...._ — ... — _. 56 Valvulinidae__------------_-_-_____-___---__--- 9 Chilostomellidae— _____________________________ 58 Miliolidae-—---------------------------------- 10 Globigerinidae—------------------------------- 60 Ophthalmidiidae.-- _________________ ——________ 12 Globorotaliidae-_-_ ___--_ ____________________ 61 Trochamminidae- _______________________________ 12 Anomalinidae __________-______--_-__-------_--- 62 Placopsilinidae __--_-_-_-_--_---___-_-__-_-_____ 12 Index.________________________-_---_____-_---_---_ 69 ILLUSTRATIONS PLATE 1. Rhizamminidae, Ammodiscidae, Lituolidae, Textulariidae_________________________________________ Following index 2. Textulariidae, Verneuilinidae, Valvulinidae, Miliolidae__________________________________________ d^ 3. Miliolidae, Ophthalmidiidae, Trochamminidae, Placopsilinidae, Lagenidae__________________________ do 4-8. Lagenidae__________________________________________________________________________________ do 9. Lagenidae, Polymorphinidae, Buliminidae_____________________________________________________ do 10. Polymorphinidae-___________________________________________________________________________ do 11. Nonionidae, Heterohelicidae, Buliminidae---___________________________________________________ do 12. Buliminidae, Ellipsoidinidae-__________________________________________________________________ do 13. Lagenidae, Ellipsoidinidae, Rotaliidae__________________________________________________________ do 14-15. Rotaliidae._________________________________________________________________________________ do 16. Rotaliidae, Cassidulinidae, Chilostomellidae_____________________________________________________ do 17. Chilostomellidae, Globigerinidae, Globorotaliidae, Anomalinidae______-__-_____-_______-L-_______-_ do 18-19. Anomalinidae-______________________________________________________________________________ do- 20. Rotaliidae, Anomalinidae-____________________________________________________________________ do 21. Valvulinidae, Lagenidae, Anomalinidae___-________-_______________________________________-___- do 22. Anomalinidae-_________________________________-______________--____•______________-_______-- do 23. Rotaliidae, Anomalinidae-_____________-______________ v __________-_____-_____-________________ do 24. Rotaliidae, Cassidulinidae, Globorotaliidae_-_-_-_______________-_________________-_____.________ do TABLES Page TABLE 1. Distribution of Paleocene Rhizamminidae, Ammodiscidae, Lituolidae, Textulariidae, Verneuilinidae, Miliolida-?, Ophthalmidiidae, Trochamminidae, and Placopsilinidae__ _______________________________________________ 12 2. Distribution of Paleocene Lagenidae__________________________________________________________________.._ 28 3. Distribution of Paleocene Polymorphinidae, Nonionidae, Heterohelicidae, Buliminidae, and EUipsoidinidae____. _ 44 4. Distribution of Paleocene Rotaliidae, Amphisteginidae, Cassidulinidae, Chilostomellidae, Globigerinidae, Globoro taliidae, and Anomalinidae--_________________________________________________________________________ 60 m PALEOCENE FORAMINIFERA OF THE GULF COASTAL REGION OF THE UNITED STATES AND ADJACENT AREAS By JOSEPH A. CUSIIMAN l ABSTRACT U. S. National Museum, have added much to the faunas This paper describes and figures the Foraminifera from the from Arkansas. Paleocene of the Gulf Coastal Plain of the United States. The I wish to express my thanks to the many persons who- collections are largely from Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Ala have collected material at my suggestion, to I ~. John, bama, and Tennessee. Records from related areas of Trinidad, B. Reeside, Jr., for his help as chief of the Paleontology Cuba, Haiti, and Central America are also included. Many of and Stratigraphy Branch, and to Miss Ruth Todd f OF the species are excellent index fossils for study of the Paleocene. About 280 species and varieties are recorded and nearly all are her careful work in helping to prepare material, typing,, illustrated. and in publishing several joint papers which have; added to the known faunas. INTRODUCTION Some controversy exists as to what fossil material LIST OF LOCALITIES 2 should be included in the Paleocene. In this report, ALABAMA well samples from Florida have been left out where the PORTERS CREEK FORMATION, MATTHEWS LANDING MARL. distribution of the species indicates latest Cretaceous MEMBER rather than Paleocene age. Likewise, outcrop samples were left out where late Cretaceous species of Foraminif 1. Road cut on east slope to a branch in SW 14 sec- era, evidently redeposited, were associated with mega- 12, T. 11 N., R. 9 E., Wilcox County, Air, F. S, fossils that definitely indicate Paleocene age. In the MacNeil. situation of well samples where the only fossils present 2. Road cut just south of Dixoii Creek, sec. 23, T. 13 are Foraminifera the age relations may also be ob N., R. 6. E., Wilcox County, Ala, F. S. I lacNeiL scured by the presence of redeposited fossils. To make 3. Foot of hill on south slope to Wolf Creek, probably the fauna more nearly complete, records from the West in SE^NE^ sec. 20, T. 11 N., R. 12 E, Butler Indies region and Central America have been included. County, Ala. F. S. MacNeil. Although many of the species of Foraminifera in the 4. On Alabama Highway 96, 10.2 miles northeast of Paleocene are found also in the Upper Cretaceous and Kimbrough, Wilcox County, Ala. C. G. Lalicker. numerous others extend upward into the Wilcox group 5. On Alabama Highway 96, 9.2 miles northeast of of the Eocene, many species remain that are excellent Kimbrough, Wilcox County, Ala. C. G. Lalicker. index fossils for the Paleocene. Many of these are 6. North part of sec. 12, T. 12 N., R. 6 E., at Matthews very striking in their characters and should not be Landing, 9 miles west and 2 miles north of Cam- confused with species from other series or formations. den, Wilcox County, Ala. C. G. Laliclrer. The work by Mrs. Helen JTeaime Plummer "Foram 7. Naheola Landing on Tombigbee River, Choctaw inifera of the Midway formation in Texas" (Texas County, Ala. T. W. Vaughan. U. S. G. S. 5647. Univ. Bull 2644, 1926 (1927), pp. 1-206, pis. 1-15, text NAHEOLA FORMATION, COAL BLUFF MARL MEMBER figs. 1-13, table) is the pioneer work on this group. Later papers have been published on the Paleocene of 8. Creek bottom just west of the intersection of Cale other regions which have added much to the original donia, about 14 mile south of the center of sec. fauna and undoubtedly many more species will be found 29, T. 11 N., R. 10 E., Wilcox County, Ala. F. S. as work progresses in different regions. MacNeil. Many members of the U. S. Geological Survey have CLAYTON FORMATION, CHALYBEATE LIMESTONE MEMBER very kindly collected material for this work and a num ber of others have helped much. Their names will be 9. Chalk overlying Ostrea pulaskensis zone, U. S. found in the list of localities given here. Also, the Highway 80, south of Sucarnoochee Creek, y2 collections of Dr. W. H. Deaderick, bequeathed to the mile southwest of Livingston, Sumter County, Ala. L. W. Stephenson and W. H. Mor roe. 1 This report was received March 2, 1949. The author died on April 16, 1949. Its editorial preparation for publication has involved no sub 3 The localities are referred to by number in the individual descriptions stantial changes from the text as left by the author. and in the faunal tables. PALEOCENE FORAMINHFERA OP GULF COASTAL REGION CLAYTON FORMATION. ( HORIZON=BASE OF PORTERS CREEK of the SE14SW1/4SW1/4 sec. 11, T. 2 S., R. 15 W. CLAY OF WESTERN ALA.) Coll. first by R. A. Schmidt and J. A. Gardner. Additional material collected by M. Gordon and 10. Glauconite bed 1 to iy2 feet thick between hard M. W. Ellis. Midway loc. 4. limestone of the Clayton formation and overlying 20. West bank of Trace Creek, SEV4SY^V4 sec. 30, T. 2 fullers earth. Old fullers earth mine, sec. 23, S., R, 15 W., Saline County, Ark CoU. first by T. 10 N., R. 25 E., just east of Pratts, Barbour R. A. Schmidt and J. A. Gardner. Additional County, Ala.