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Chapter 23: the Paleozoic

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Chapter 23: the Paleozoic 2323 TheThe What You’ll Learn • How the Appalachian and Ouachita PPaleozoicaleozoic Mountains formed. • When and on what scale three mass extinctions occurred. EraEra • Why coal is common in Pennsylvanian-aged rocks. • How the development of seeds and eggs affected the evolution of life. Why It’s Important The tectonic setting of eastern North America provided a hospitable environment not only for a wide variety of animals and plants, but also for the vast swamps that ulti- mately formed the rich coal deposits of eastern North America. To find out more about the Paleozoic Era, visit the Earth Science Web Site at earthgeu.com 600 Otter Creek Wilderness, Monongahela National Forest, WV DDiscoveryiscovery LLabab Where is oil found? Many sedimentary rocks contain 2. Using a dropper, slowly squeeze oil and water in the pore spaces three to five drops per minute, between their grains. For example, as of water or oil, for ten minutes. you will learn later in this chapter, Infer In your science journal, there is abundant oil in the Paleozoic- sketch a cross-section of the rock aged, sedimentary rocks of West or brick. Include both before and Texas. In this activity, you will after you added the water to it. observe how oil or water can be Include in your sketches what stored in solid rock. the inside of the brick might 1. Place an unglazed brick or sand- look like. Infer what happened stone sample on your table. to the water. 23.123.1 The Early Paleozoic OBJECTIVES Clues from the Paleozoic Era help us to understand how the diversity • Describe the Cambrian of life developed. Today, the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern paleogeography of United States border a tectonically calm coastline. But this area was Laurentia. much different in the past. The Paleozoic story explains how early life-forms moved from water to land, why the Appalachians exist, • Discuss the concept of and why they contain the vast coal deposits that fueled the industrial a passive margin. revolution. The Paleozoic portion of the geologic time scale is shown • Describe the Cambrian in Figure 23-1 on page 602. fauna. CONTINENTAL SETTING VOCABULARY Geologists refer to the ancient geographic setting of an area as its paleogeography. The supercontinent Rodinia, was present at the paleogeography end of the Proterozoic. By the Cambrian, the ancient North passive margin American continent of Laurentia had split off from Rodinia, was transgression located near the equator, and was surrounded by ocean. In addition, regression it was almost completely covered by a shallow, tropical sea. Burgess Shale Throughout the Cambrian Period, there was no plate tectonic activity on Laurentia. There were no collisional tectonic events, so there were no mountain ranges actively forming at that time. The edge of a continent is called a margin; when there is no tectonic activity 23.1 The Early Paleozoic 601 245 M.Y.B.P. along a margin, it is called a passive margin. Laurentia Permian Period was completely surrounded by passive margins through- 290 M.Y.B.P. out the Cambrian Period. Pennsylvanian Period 323 M.Y.B.P. Mississippian Period Characteristic Sediments The paleogeographic 362 M.Y.B.P. setting of Laurentia, as shown in Figure 23-2, set the Devonian Period 408 M.Y.B.P. stage for a characteristic pattern of sandstone-shale- Silurian Period limestone deposits that represent increasing water depth Paleozoic Era 439 M.Y.B.P. from shore. The exposed land surface was flat, and the Ordovician Period 510 M.Y.B.P. floor of the shallow sea that covered Laurentia dipped Cambrian Period gently away from the shoreline. On land, the exposed 540 M.Y.B.P. Precambrian rocks were deeply eroded. Large, sandy Figure 23-1 The Paleozoic beaches formed as fragments of quartz were weathered Era spans 290 million years and is divided into seven from the rocks of the Precambrian Shield and transported to periods. The rocks of the Laurentia’s shoreline. Clay-sized sediments were carried by strong Paleozoic Era, tell of the tides and deposited in slightly deeper water. Carbonate sediment great changes in both the accumulated in even deeper water as organisms whose skeletons were tectonic setting and the composed of calcium carbonate died and fell to the seafloor. Over life-forms that developed during that era. time, the sand that had been deposited on the beaches became sand- stone, the clay-sized sediments compacted to form shale, and the car- bonate sediment became limestone. The most famous location where the sandstone-shale-limestone deposits of the Cambrian are exposed is the Grand Canyon. This sequence is shown in Figure 23-3. E qu at or Present day Hudson Bay Canadian Shield Laurentia Transcontinental Figure 23-2 Laurentia was Arch positioned at the equator during the Early Paleozoic. Strong, tropical storms, much like today’s hurri- canes, contributed to ero- sion and formation of sandy beaches. Corals thrived in the warm ocean waters and ultimately contributed to the formation of limestone. 602 CHAPTER 23 The Paleozoic Era CHANGES IN SEA LEVEL The sandstone-shale-limestone sequence deposited during the Cambrian was a side-by-side, or lateral, sequence from shallow to C deeper water. Why, then, are the layers of sandstone, shale, and lime- B stone stacked one on top of the other in the Grand Canyon? The sediments themselves reflect the energy of the water and often, the A water depth. Thus, any changes in sediments may indicate changes in sea level. A transgression occurs when sea level rises and the shoreline moves further inland. Think of a sandy beach. In water slightly deeper than that at the beach, there is clay-rich sediment, and beyond this, in even deeper water, is carbonate-rich sediment. As sea level rises, the water floods inland and the shoreline moves inland. The beach is now located where dry land had been. The area of slightly deeper water where clay-sized sediments are deposited also moves shoreward on top of the old beach. The result of the trans- Figure 23-3 This sequence gression is deeper-water deposits overlying shallower-water deposits, of rocks is evidence of a rise in sea level during the Cam- as shown in Figure 23-4. brian. The beach environ- A regression occurs when sea level falls and causes the shoreline to ment that existed during move seaward. This results in shallow-water deposits overlying deeper- the Cambrian is preserved water deposits. A stacked sequence of limestone-shale-sandstone in the Tapeats Sandstone (A). Slightly deeper water is evidence of a regression. As sea level rises or falls, sediments that are is represented by the Bright lateral to each other become stacked one on top of another. Angel Shale (B). The fossil- iferous Muav Limestone represents the deepest, off- shore environment (C). Original shoreline position Sandstone Shale Limestone A Figure 23-4 Time 1—sand Time 1 is deposited at the shore- line and shale and lime- stone are deposited farther out (A). Time 2—sea level has risen, the shoreline has B moved inland and shale is deposited at the original Time 2 shoreline position (B). Time 3—sea level has risen again and limestone is deposited at the original shoreline position. The C result is a sedimentary sequence of sandstone– Time 3 shale–limestone (C). 23.1 The Early Paleozoic 603 A B C Figure 23-5 The Burgess Shale fauna were found in You have learned that these distinct sequences of rock are the result an isolated quarry near of changes in sea level. While sea level was changing throughout the the town of Field, British Paleozoic, so were the types of plants and animals that lived in the seas. Columbia. The unusual organisms lived a quiet life in the absence of predators EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE (A). Waptia fieldensis was There was such an increase in diversity and abundance of life-forms an arthropod (B). Canadia near the beginning of the Cambrian Period that some call this the spinosa was a polychaete or bristle worm (C). Cambrian “explosion.” Organisms representing all but one of the major marine groups appeared at this time. The development of min- eralized skeletons or hard parts also mark the Cambrian explosion. Some of the best fossilized Cambrian organisms come from the Burgess Shale, in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. A spectacular array of soft-bodied organisms, as well as organisms with hard parts, are preserved. This deposit includes wormlike animals of unknown affinity and many other animals that do not fit into any living phylum, as shown in Figure 23-5. 1. What was the paleogeography of have on the sediments that are currently Laurentia during the Cambrian? being deposited in the oceans and at 2. What is a passive margin? sea level. 3. Briefly describe the significance of the SKILL REVIEW Cambrian fauna. 6. Communicating In your science journal, 4. Describe how sedimentary sequences explain the relationship between the change when sea level lowers. meanings of the words Cambrian explo- 5. Thinking Critically If there were a major sion and the explosion of an object. For ice age today, explain the effect it would more help, refer to the Skill Handbook. 604 CHAPTER 23 The Paleozoic Era earthgeu.com/self_check_quiz 23.223.2 The Middle Paleozoic The passive margin that existed around Laurentia continued into the OBJECTIVES Early Ordovician Period. The paleogeography of Laurentia, as shown • Describe the Middle in Figure 23-6A, was still equatorial, with the paleo-equator running Paleozoic paleogeography. from approximately modern-day New Mexico through Minnesota. • Explain the concept of SEA LEVEL CHANGES AGAIN an active margin and the Sea level rose during the Early Ordovician and, once again, a beach formation of a clastic environment covered much of Laurentia’s margins.
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