Lucas, S.G. and Zeigler, K.E., eds., 2005, The Nonmarine Permian, New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin No. 30. 282 AN ANNOTATED CORRELATION CHART FOR CONTINENTAL LATE PENNSYLVANIAN AND PERMIAN BASINS AND THE MARINE SCALE MARCO ROSCHER AND JÖRG W. SCHNEIDER TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Cottastraße 2, D-09596 Freiberg, Germany; [email protected] Abstract—Late Pennsylvanian and Permian continental deposits of 20 basins in a west-east traverse from North America via France, Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, Morocco and the Ukraina are correlated by a com- pilation of biostratigraphic data and isotopic ages. Included is the correlation to the Karoo Basin in southern Africa. The biostratigraphy is based mostly on insect and amphibian biozones, which give the most reliable data up to now. Additionally, information from macro- and microfloristic investigations have been used for some basins. Reliable biostratigraphic data, derived from bio(chrono)species, are well accessible in most of the ba- sins, particularly in the Pennsylvanian and lower half of the Cisuralian. For this part a time resolution down to 0.5 Ma is obtained from morphogenetic lineages of blattid insects and evolutionary lineages of aquatic amphib- ians. Late Cisuralian, Guadalupian and Lopingian sediments are mostly discontinuously developed in the over- whelming number of basins. Terrestrially-adapted amphibians and reptiles became more important for this time span. Correlations to the global marine standard scale are based on isotopic ages from volcanites of the conti- nental basins. But, they are not unambiguous, because tectonic reactivations in the European Variscides and multiple Mesozoic thermal events have upset the geochronologic systems. Only cross correlation in conjunction with biostratigraphic data enable the best fitting of isotopic ages for the time being. To overcome these prob- lems, future investigations should focus on the Permian mixed marine/continental deposits of the North Ameri- can Midcontinent Basin and of the Volga-Kama region of Tatarstan in Eastern Europe. INTRODUCTION river systems, whereas semi-aquatic amphibians could migrate between different drainage systems as “pond-hoppers.” Very wide rivers and The stratigraphic correlation of Late Pennsylvanian and Permian high mountain ranges could form barriers for terrestrially-adapted am- continental basins is confronted with a series of methodical problems phibians and reptiles. In contrast, actively flying insects and the minute (Schneider, 1998, 2001). The often limited extent of most basins, and eggs of conchostracans could be widely distributed by air currents, pro- the influence of tectonic and volcanic processes as well as climatic viding the base for inter-regional, high-resolution biostratigraphy. Tet- fluctuations results in irregular lithofacies patterns and prevented the rapod tracks are most common in red beds. Since tetrapod footprints deposition of regionally extensive key beds. Although lithostratigraphic reflect evolutionary changes in taxonomic levels above genera and fami- correlation of local sections provides a useful tool for intra-basinal cor- lies only, the time resolution of footprint associations is generally low relations, simple lithostratigraphic comparisons generally fail to corre- (Lucas, 1998; Voigt, 2005). late the sections between basins. To cope with these changing environ- The most intricate problems are correlations between pure con- ments, different biostratigraphic tools are used for diverse environments tinental profiles or basins with the marine standard scale (e.g., Schneider and different litho- and biofacies patterns as well. The classical macro- et al., 1995b). Up to now, such correlations are based nearly exclu- and microfloristic methods are basically ecostratigraphy, because the sively on isotopic ages (Schneider et al., 1995a; Menning 1995; Menning distribution of plants in space and time is primarily governed by cli- et al., 2000, 2003; Lützner et al., 2003). Attempts for direct nonma- mate and the resulting environments of different extent – interregional rine-marine biostratigraphic correlations have been made in the last to local. Plant biostratigraphy works well inside climatic belts or biomes several years (Schneider et al., 1991, 1995b), but real progress has that display large-scale, balanced biotopes. This is the case during the been at the horizon only recently, when nearshore marine profiles have late Palaeozoic Mississippian and partly the Pennsylvanian up to the delivered conodonts and insect remains together (Schneider et al., 2004). end of the Moscovian. From the Moscovian onward into the Permian, In the following, the actual state of the art for continental-continental interference between the vanishing late Palaeozoic glacial ages, the and continental-marine correlations will be demonstrated for the most decreasing marine transgressions, the general warming and possibly important and best investigated European basins in relation to two mixed the phases of enhanced volcanism (Schneider et al. 1995a, 2006, in marine/continental basins (Lucero Basin, New Mexico; Donetsk Ba- press) generate strong differentiation of the vegetation on regional to sin, Ukraine) and to the Karoo Basin in southern Africa. local scales, which restrict the application of plant biostratigraphy (Broutin et al., 1990; DiMichele et al., 1996; Kerp, 1996). Because of EXPLANATIONS OF THE CORRELATION CHART these problems, additional biostratigraphic methods have been devel- The correlations in Figures 1 and 2 are based mainly on tetrapod oped: zonations based on amphibians (e.g. Boy, 1987; Werneburg, 1996, 1999; Werneburg and Schneider, 2006, in press), conchostracans (Mar- and insect bio-zones or lineage-zones (e.g. Werneburg, 1996; Werneburg and Schneider, 2006, in press; Schneider, 1982; Schneider et al., 2003), tens, 1983 ff.), blattid insects (cockroaches) (Schneider, 1982; Schneider et al., 2003), freshwater shark teeth (e.g., Schneider et al., 2000) and because of the above discussed constraints and limitations in the appli- cations of nonmarine biostratigraphic methods. The relatively closely on tetrapod footprint associations (e.g. Haubold, 1973; Boy and Fichter, 1982; Gand, 1985; Lucas, 1998). The application of these tools, how- spaced sequence of amphian and insect bearing horizons in the Thuringian Forest Basin has been used for the development of these ever, is constrained by biological and physiogeographical factors, too (Schneider, 1989; Boy and Schindler, 2000), because different groups methods as well as for cross checking these methods against each other and additionally against isotopic ages (Lützner et al. 2003; Lützner et of organisms have distinct migration potentials. For instance, the dis- persal of exclusively aquatic animals, such as fishes, is restricted to al. 2005, in press.). Because of the comparatively large amount of bio- stratigraphic data and isotopic ages, the profile of the Thuringian For- 283 FIGURE 1. Correlation chart of late Late Pennsylvanian and Permian continental basins - New Mexico, France, Germany. est Basin acts together with the profiles of the Saale Basin, the Saar Desmoinesian, fusulinids (Wengerd, 1959b, 1959a) Nahe Basin, the North German Basin and (newly) the Lodève Basin as reference sections for the continental European late Pennsylvanian and · Gray Mesa Formation (upper part): late Desmoinesian, Permian. In contrast to most of the European basins, the macro- and fusulinids (Wengerd, 1959b, 1959a) microflora is consequently investigated and revised only in the Czech basins during the last decades. Therefore, paleobotanical data nearly · Atrasado Formation: Missourian, fusulinids (Wengerd, exclusively from there were partially considered for correlations. For 1959b, 1959a; Martin, 1971) numerical ages of the global scale we use the data published by Menning and the German Stratigraphic Commission (2002); for the Carbonifer- · Bursum Formation: Virgilian to Wolfcampian (Krainer ous/Permian boundary the 299 Ma age given by Ramezani et al. (2003) et al., 2001; Lucas and Krainer, 2004); Virgilian, conodonts is adopted. (Orchard et al., 2004); Stephanian C to Lower Rotliegend, The French terms Autunian, Saxonian and Thuringian, often used blattid insects (Schneider et al., 2004), as well as based in Europe to designate so called West European chronostratigraphic on spiloblattinid fragments latest Gzhelian/Early Asselian stages, are in reality lithostratigraphic units only (e.g. Schneider, 2001; (Schneider, herein); ?latest Pennsylvanian to Early Per- comp. Broutin et al., 1999). They are equivalents of German mian, tetrapod skeleton remains, Eryops sp., lithostratigraphic units as follow (table 1 and 2, left columns): Autunian Trimerorachis sp., Edaphosaurus sp., Sphenacodon sp., is equivalent to the German Lower Rotliegend, Saxonian (type area Dimetrodon cf. milleri, caseids (Harris et al., 2004) Sachsen(=Saxony)-Anhalt in Germany) is equivalent to the Upper Rotliegend, Thuringian (type area Thuringia in Germany) is equiva- lent to the Zechstein. French Massif Central The following compilation is based on the direct knowledge of Lodève Basin the basins by the senior author, J.W.S. as well as the cooperation of the “Freiberg team” of biostratigraphers, especially R. Werneburg, and data · Graissesac Formation: 295.5 ± 5.1 Ma (U/Pb) from the cited literature as well. (Bruguier et al., 2003); Stephanian C macroflora (Galtier United States in Lopez et al., 2005) New Mexico-Lucero