Lower Devonian (Lochkovian) Brachiopods, Paleoecology, and Biostratigraphy of the Canadian Arctic Islands
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AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Roy Edward Smithfor the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Geology presented on March 12, 1976 Title: LOWER DEVONIAN (LOCHKOVIAN) BRACHIOPODS, PALEOECOLOGY, AND BIOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE CANADIAN ARCTIC ISLANDS I _ Abstract approved: Redacted for Privacy J. ohnson Collections from measured sections of Early Devonian, Lochkovian, age rocks from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago were examined with emphasis on the paleontology and paleoecology of the contained brachiopod faunas.The brachiopods offer a reliable basis for correlation of Lochkovian age strata in the Arctic but supple- mentary data from conodonts, fishes, graptolites, and trilobites are invaluable. The Lochkovian age Arctic brachiopods are both numerous and diverse and possess a marked Old World provincial aspect.Correla- tive faunas are found in the Yukon Territory, Nevada, Bohemia, Podolia, and the Urals. On Bail lie Hamilton Island, Lochkovian age strataexhibit a series of successive communities produced by an overall upward shallowing trend which is a direct result of active tectonismof the Boothia Uplift.The Communities from deepest to shallowest, in ascending order are:Graptolite Community, Notoparmella- Arctispira Community, Iridistrophia-Mesodouvillina-Schizophoria Community, Gypidula-Atrypa-Schizophoria Community, Coral Community, and Ostracode Community. Sections from Prince of Wales Island also show shallowing trends, but there, sections are of lesser stratigraphic thickness and community succession is not as well developed or evident as in the rocks on Bail lie Hamilton Island. The Boothia Uplift was the dominant factor in controlling type and amount of sediment deposited during Lochkovian times in adja- cent regions of the Arctic Islands.Carbonate rocks of that age are unusually thick because of Boothia-derived clastic influx.The uplift destroyed the lagoonal, semi-restricted environment occupied by the Silurian Atrypella Community (Read Bay Formation) and initiated new environments conducive for the radicallydifferent Lochkovian age communities. Lochkovian age carbonaterocks exhibit a wide range of lithologies ranging from lime muds tones tograins tones to dolomites.The environments of deposition range from deep subtidal to intertidal-supratidal. New brachiopod taxa include:Isorthis bistria n. sp., Protocortezorthis quadriforma n. sp., Protocortezorthis carinatus n. sp., Dalejina devonensis n. sp.,Schizophoria fossula fossula n. sp., n. subsp., Schizophoria fossulatransversiforma n. sp., n. subsp., Schizophoria protonevadaensis n. sp., Gypidula pelagica pyraforma n. subsp., Gypidula dyerensis n. sp., Leptaena nassi- chuki n. sp., Iridistrophia johnsoni n. sp., Iridistrophia thorsteins- soni n. sp., Barbaestrophia bieleri n. sp., Mesodouvillina mus- culusvarius n. sp., Mesodouvillina tuberosa n. sp., Mesododouvil- lina equicosta n. sp., Asymmetrochonetes spinalonga n. gen., n. sp., Machaeraria obesa n. sp., Ancillotoechia gutta rotunda n. subsp., Ancillotoechia magnaplica n. sp., Ancillotoechia plicaminor n. sp., "Tadschikia" crassiforma crassiforma n. sp., n. subsp., "Tadschikia" crassiforma producta n. sp., n. subsp., Linguopugnoides uyenoi n. sp., Notoparmella costalata n. sp., Arctispira canadensis n. gen., n. sp., Coelospira exilicosta exilicosta n. sp., n. subsp., Coelospira exilicosta orbita n. sp., n. subsp., Cyrtina maclennani n. sp., Acanthospirifer macdonaldi n. sp., Acanthospirifer norfordi n. sp. Q Copyright 1976 Roy Edward Smith Lower Devonian (Lochkovian) Brachiopods, Paleoecology, and Biostratigraphy of the Canadian Arctic Islands by Roy Edward Smith A THESIS submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Completed March 1976 Commencement June 1976 APPROVED: Redacted for Privacy A o iate Professorf G ology ci rge of major Redacted for Privacy He/ad of Department of Geology Redacted for Privacy Dean of Graduate School Date thesis is presented March 12,1976 Typed by Mary Jo Stratton forRoy Edward Smith ACKNOWLEDGMENTS When one reaches this level in one's education, it is difficult to acknowledge all those who have helped in some way or another along the way. There are those who, through their advice, guidance, and friendship contributed to this paper even before it was begun. These people, largely educators, aided me greatly in the earlier years of my education. Among these are S.R. Hrynewich, and Drs. L.V. Hills and S. J. Nelson. To my friend, advisor, and professor, J. G. Johnson, I extend my heartfelt thanks for his help, expressed in so many ways. During my tutelage under him, I no doubt caused him, at certain times, undue stress and aggravation.Better examples of a working professor-student relationship are difficult to find. Various professors in the Department of Geology, Oregon State University, Drs. K. F. Oles, A. R. Niem, H. E. En lows, and A. J. Boucot, gave freely of their time and advice during the course of this work as well as on the resulting manuscript. To them I am very grateful. Miss Claudia DuBois, Department of Geology, O.S. U., spent many hours in carefully running conodont-bearing samples through heavy liquids as well as picking and mounting conodonts that we obtained.She also expended a great deal of time and effort on the plates of illustrated fossils.Her assistance was invaluable and I am indebted to her for it. Dr. R. Thorsteinsson of the Geological Survey of Canada is largely responsible for the initiation of this project and I am grateful for all his assistance in the years I have known him. To Drs. T. T. Uyeno, A. R. Ormis ton, D. C. MacGregor, and M. J. Copeland I extend my sincere thanks for their identifica- tion of conodonts, trilobites, spores, and ostracodes, respectively. I would also like to extend my thanks to Dr. D. G. Perry for his advice and informative discussions during the latter part of the thesis work. Linda Haygarth and Barbara Priest were responsible for draft- ing of the figures in the text and to them I extend my thanks. Pilots Lee Kristjanson, Al Boles, and D. DeBlicquey are to be commended for their assistance to the author during field work in the Arctic. Mr. R. Leonhardt served as an able and congenial field assistant during the summer of 1973. I would like to acknowledge grants from the Geological Society of America (Penrose Research Grant) and Elf Oil Limited which helped to defray expenses during the course of the thesis work. The Geological Survey of Canada provided funds for wages and operational costs during field work in the summer of 1973. Last, but by no means least, I would like to thank my wife, Joan, and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. A.D. McLennan,without whose financial and moral assistance this project would not have been completed. FRONTISPIECE Summertime, Western Prince of Wales Island R. Thorsteinsson, "Pope" of the Arctic TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION 1 Previous Work 1 Location and Accessibility 2 Purpose and Methods of Investigation 3 Geologic Setting 12 BIOSTRATIGRAPHY 16 Prince of Wales Island 16 Bail lie Hamilton Island 39 Cape Phillips Formation 39 Devon Island 45 Bathurst Island 46 CORRELATION 48 PALEOGEOGRAPHY 56 COMMUNITIES 63 Data Collection and Organization 67 Community Character ization 70 Notoparmella-.A rctis pir a Community 71 Ir id is trophia-Mesodouvillina-Schizophoria Community 72 Gyp idula- .A trypa-Schizophoria Community 73 C oral Community 73 Ostracode Community 74 Community Model 74 Hebetoechia Community 79 Schizophoria-Howellella Community 80 Mesodouvillina-Ancillotoechia Community 82 Plicog ypa- A trypa Community 84 Ancillotoechia-Cyrtina Community 85 SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY 88 Lingula sp. 88 Orbiculoidea sp. 89 Crania sp. 89 Page Skenidioides robertsensis Johnson, Boucot, and Murphy 90 Skenidioides sp. 92 Isorthis bistria n. sp. 94 Tyersella sp. 97 Protocortezorthis quadriforma n. sp. 100 Protocortezorthis carinatus n. sp. 103 Cortezorthis sp. 106 Dalejina devonensis n. sp. 107 Schizophoria fossula fossula no sp., n. subsp. 111 Schizophoria fossula transversiforma n. sp., n. subsp. 114 Schizophoria protonevadaensis n. sp. 117 Salopina submurifer Johnson, Boucot, and Murphy 120 Grayina magnifica (Kozlowski) 123 Gypidula pelagica (Barrande) 124 Gypidula pelagica pyraforma n. subsp. 126 Gypidula dyerensis n. sp. 128 Plicogypa cf. P. kayseri (Peetz) 130 Plicogypa thorsteinssoni (Johnson) 131 Carinagypa careopleura Johnson 134 Leptaena nassichuki n. sp. 137 Leptaena sp. 139 Iridistrophia johnsoni n. sp. 141 Iridistrophia thorsteinssoni n. sp. 144 Eoschuchertella sp. 146 Barbaestrophia bieleri n. sp. 148 Strophonella cf. S. plasi Havlicek 150 Mesodouvillina sp.1 153 Mesodouvillina sp. 2 155 Mesodouvillina musculusvarius n. sp. 157 Mesodouvillina tuberosa n. ap. 159 Mesodouvillina equicosta n. sp. 162 Cymostrophia cf. C. golem Havlicek 165 Cymostrophia sp. 166 "Brachyprion" cf. "B." mirabilis Johnson 168 Asymmetrochonetes spinalonga n. gen., n. sp. 170 Machaeraria obesa n, sp. 173 Ancillotoechia gutta gutta Johnson, Boucot, and Murphy 176 Ancillotoechia gutta rotunda n. subsp. 179 Ancillotoechia magnaplica n. sp. 180 Ancillotoechia plicaminor n. sp. 183 "Uncinulus" sp. 189 Hebetoechia ornatrix Havlicek 195 Page "Tadschikia" crassiforma crassiforma n. sp., n. subsp. 202 "Tadschikia" crassiforma producta n. sp., n. subsp. 209 Linguopugnoides uyenoi n. sp. 212 Atrypa nieczlawiensis Kozlowski 216 Atrypa sp. 1 217 Atrypa sp. 2 218 Spirigerina sp. 218 Dubaria thetis (Barrande) 220 Notoparmella gilli Johnson 224 Notoparmella cosalata n. sp. 225 Arctispira