Volgian and Santonian–Campanian Radiolarian Events of the Russian Arctic and Pacific Rim
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Volgian and Santonian–Campanian radiolarian events of the Russian Arctic and Pacific Rim VALENTINA S. VISHNEVSKAYA and GENRIETTA E. KOZLOVA Vishnevskaya, V.S. and Kozlova, G.E. 2012. Volgian and Santonian–Campanian radiolarian events from the Russian Arctic and Pacific Rim. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 57 (4): 773–790. Radiolarians are widely distributed in two siliceous intervals that coincide with the Tithonian–Berriasian and Santonian– Campanian boundaries in the Mesozoic of the Russian Arctic and Pacific Rim. The first level is rich in organic matter and typical of Jurassic–Cretaceous boundary strata from the Russian North European Margin (Barents−Pechora, Volga−Urals, and Siberian hydrocarbon provinces, as well as western Kamchatka). Abundant and diverse representatives of the family Parvicingulidae provide a basis for establishing the new genus Spinicingula (uppermost Middle Volgian–Lower Berriasian); another new genus, Quasicrolanium (Upper Volgian–Upper Berriasian) is also described. A Santonian– Campanian siliceous interval with radiolarians is documented from the margins of northern Asia (eastern Polar Ural, Kara Basin, Kamchatka). The Boreal genus Prunobrachium makes its first appearance at the Santonian–Campanian boundary and reaches an acme in Campanian strata. Radiolarian data can be used for basin biostratigraphy and correlation, as well as palaeogeographical interpretation of these hydrocarbon−rich facies. The Arctic and northern Pacific rims are well cor− related on the basis of parvicingulids, while in Sakhalin these are absent and calibrations are based on Unitary Associa− tions zones of the Tethys. In addition to the two new genera noted above, five new species (Parvicingula alata, Parvicingula papulata, Spinicingula ceratina, Lithostrobus borealis, and Spongurus arcticus) are erected, while 60 radiolarian species typical of the Russian Arctic and Pacific rims are illustrated. Key words: Radiolaria, events, new taxa, organic−rich cherts, Cretaceous, northern Russia. Valentina S. Vishnevskaya [[email protected]], Geological Institute, Pyzhevsky lane 7, Moscow 119017, Russia; Genrietta E. Kozlova [[email protected]], VNIGRI, Litejnyj pr., 39, Sankt−Peterburg 191104, Russia. Received 9 July 2011, accepted 18 December 2011, available online 24 February 2012. Copyright © 2012 V.S. Vishnevskaya and G.E. Kozlova . This is an open−access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Introduction lected Eurasian basins (Blueford and Gonzales 1993) did not show any of the giant or subgiant fields of the Russian Arctic, There are four highly siliceous and organic−rich suites in exclusive of the western Siberian sedimentary basin, which Russia, which are unique and of great economic importance is predominantly located in Siberia, but not in the Arctic. The due to their high content of organic matter. The rocks of the North Sea, Norwegian Sea, and Barents Sea areas were not Domanik (Upper Devonian), Bazhenovo (Upper Jurassic represented either. and Lower Cretaceous), Kuma (Paleogene) and Maikop Radiolarian biostratigraphy is vital for hydrocarbon ex− (Neogene) suites are rich in siliceous tests of Radiolaria and ploration in these regions, because these biota often are the sponge spicules. Studies of radiolarians of Bazhenovo suite only fossils present. Because radiolarian assemblages are have allowed the compilation of provincial zonal schemes abundant and diverse, they can easily be used to constrain the and correlation with other regions. A good example and il− age of core samples from drill sites in these hydrocarbon−rich lustration of the use of radiolarians as a tool in evaluating successions. Recently, the Upper Jurassic and Lower Creta− stratigraphical and palaeoenvironmental aspects of hydro− ceous Bazhenov oil−producing sequence of western Siberia carbon−rich sedimentary basins, is a special issue of Micro− and the Kimmeridgian and Volgian bituminous beds of paleontology entitled “Radiolaria of giant and subgiant fields northern Russia have attracted special attention (Hantzper− in Asia” which was published in 1993. In that volume, the gue et al. 1998; Zakharov 2006). Similar highly bituminous emphasis was on the Asian part of the Eurasian continent; in deposits are known along the Barents Sea margin and in the consequence, the main oil and gas provinces of northern Eu− Volga−pre−Ural Basin, from Kara Sea, the Laptevs Sea mar− rope were not included. Moreover, the generalised map of se− gin and also from the Norwegian and North Seas. The origin Acta Palaeontol. Pol. 57 (4): 773–790, 2012 http://dx.doi.org/10.4202/app.2011.0040 774 ACTA PALAEONTOLOGICA POLONICA 57 (4), 2012 30° 50° 70° 90° 110° 130° 150° BEAUFORT SEA 170° 10° CHUKCHI SEA ARCTIC OCEAN 5B NORWEGIAN SEA 10° SEA 170° EAST SIBERIAN BARENTS SEA 5A LAPTEV SEA 2A KARA SEA 30° 1 2 4 3A 150° 3 40° 6 4A 60° 80° 100° 120° 140° Fig. 1. Location of some radiolarian−bearing source rocks in the Russian Arctic and along the Pacific margins; localities A and B correspond to Fig. 2. 1, Mezen Basin, Pesha section. 2, southeastern Barents−Pechora Basin: 2, Narjan−Mar, borehole 5; 2A, Kolguev, borehole 140. 3. Volga−Pre−Ural Basin: 3, Shilovka section; 3A, Gorodicshe section, Uljanovsk region. 4, Northern and western Siberian basins: 4, Polar Ural, borehole 22; 4A, Upper Salym, bore− hole 17. 5, western Kamchatka and Chukotka: 5, Palana section; 5A, Omgon; 5B, Semiglawaya Mountains. 6, Sakhalin. of the Volgian siliceous combustible shaly sequence is of Here we consider two siliceous intervals: the Volgian and great importance, so as is subject of constant discussions. the Campanian. Because siliceous bituminous rocks of the Typically, these deposits, rich in organic matter, are non−cal− Russian Arctic and along the Ural margin are part of the con− careous, hydrophobic and distinguished by higher radioac− cept of the Volgian Stage (i.e., the Bazhenovo productive ho− tivity among country rocks. Previously it has been shown rizon and others), the stratigraphic correlation of the Boreal that the Volgian combustible shaly sequences of the Bazhe− Volgian Stage with its counterpart in the Tethyan province nov suite of western Siberia and the Norwegian continental needs to be considered. Based on the views accepted by the shelf of the Barents Sea are essentially enriched relative to Interdepartmental Stratigraphic Committee of Russia (Zha− common clay rocks by organophilic elements which accom− moida and Prozorovskaya 1997), the Upper Volgian Sub− pany sapropelic organic matter: V ten times higher than nor− stage corresponds to the lower Berriasian (Lower Creta− mal, Ni six times, Cu and Zn two to three times as much as ceous), while the Middle Volgian Substage equates with the the average of Recent oceans; 60% of U, Mo, As, Sb of their Tithonian (Upper Jurassic). Thus, the Volgian siliceous in− quantity in present−day oceans (Gavshin and Zakharov terval is the highest interest with regard to the position of the 1991). It has also been noted that deposits of that kind occur Jurassic–Cretaceous boundary, which is situated between the at different stratigraphic levels in the major oil and gas bas− Middle and Upper Volgian. ins; within the Persian Gulf in the Callovian and Oxfordian, Institutional abbreviations.—GIN, Geological Institute, in the North Sea in the Kimmeridgian (Galimov 1986). For Moscow, Russia; VNIGRI, All−Russia Petroleum Research this reason, it is important to determine the chronostrati− Exploration Institute, Sankt−Peterburg, Russia. graphic position of these deposits as precisely as possible within the Volgian in the Boreal Realm, as well as to try to lo− cate its equivalents in the Tethyan Realm. Radiolarian bio− Historical background stratigraphy offers the best means to make such important chronostratigraphic correlations, because these biota are The Mesozoic radiolarians of the Russian Arctic Margin common in these oil shale sequences. In addition, radiolarian were first studied by Kozlova and Gorbovetz (1966) and biostratigraphy is well established for this time interval in the Kozlova (1971, 1983, 1994b). Three different radiolarian as− Tethyan Realm (Baumgartner et al. 1995; De Wever et al. semblages were introduced for the Jurassic (Lower Kimme− 2001) as well as in the present day California (Pessagno ridgian, Middle Volgian and Upper Volgian) of the Timan− 1977; Hull 1997; De Wever et al. 2001). Pechora region (Kozlova 1971, 1994b) and the Middle Vol− VISHNEVSKAYA AND KOZLOVA—RADIOLARIANS IN THE RUSSIAN ARCTIC 775 organic 4 marine clay basalt detritus 90 sandstone tuff sponge phosphatic siltstone concretion 3 pebble 50 location of 57 marl glauconite samples cp2 6 bituminous ammonite 5 K ap-al limestone 7-1 1 shale and belemnite cp1 Kcp2 134/01 Buchia chert pyrite Kst2 st peat, foraminifera: K br-ap jasper a, benthic; JK 1 lignite b, planktonic 3 1 cn 150 tripoli trace of radiolaria fossils Kbr 0 5B 1 5A 60 2A 3A 35 4A v-g 61 2880 v 460 syzranicus ian 0.5 Volg- v h-b 1 Kv1 4-1 2 v nodiger 0.1-0.5 G2 218 subditus 0-0.2 Kbs1 603-5 1 bs bs 603-6 Kbs1 102-1 v3 v 140 fulgens 0.5-0.8 tt -bs 125.0 5 3 2 114 v J3v 1-2 nikitini 0.3-0.5 Jtt Jtt3 2 Volgian 3 v3 3 v1 ox-km virgatus Upper Jurassic 0.8-1 km J2k zarajs- 2900 Jk2 k-tt 234 kens 6-9 G1 v2 2 1 480 2912 panderi pavlovi Volgian 2 0.5-2.5 0 pseudo- 146.0 scythica sokolovi 1 3.5-6 klimovi Volgian eudoxus 2 Kimm. 12-18 cymodoce 1 Kimm. Fig. 2. Correlation of Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous sequences from the Barents−Pechora region of the Arctic to Sakhalin in the far east of the Pacific Mar− gin. Localities: 1, Mezen Basin, Pesha section. 2, southeastern Barents−Pechora Basin: 2, Narjan−Mar, borehole 5; 2A, Kolguev, borehole 140. 3, Volga−Pre−Ural Basin: 3, Shilovka section; 3A, Gorodicshe section, Uljanovsk region.