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Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOLUME 119, NUMBER 1 Cfjarles; ». anb ifllarj> 'Vm\ OTalcott l^esiearcf) Jfunb CAMBRIAN STRATIGRAPHY AND PALEONTOLOGY NEAR CABORCA, NORTHWESTERN SONORA, MEXICO (With 31 Plates) BY G. ARTHUR COOPER A. R. V. ARELLANO J. HARLAN JOHNSON VLADIMIR J. OKULITCH ALEXANDER STOYANOW CHRISTINA LOCHMAN (Publication 4085) CITY OF WASHINGTON PUBLISHED BY THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION AUGUST 6, 1952 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOLUME 119, NUMBER 1 Cljarless ©. anb JHarj> "^aux OTalcott i^esiearci) Jfunb CAMBRIAN STRATIGRAPHY AND PALEONTOLOGY NEAR CABORCA, NORTHWESTERN SONORA, MEXICO (With 31 Plates) BY G. ARTHUR COOPER A. R. V. ARELLANO J. HARLAN JOHNSON VLADIMIR J. OKULITCH ALEXANDER STOYANOW CHRISTINA LOCHMAN (Publication 4085) CITY OF WASHINGTON PUBLISHED BY THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION AUGUST 6, 1952 Z^t Botb (g>afttntov< (pr<et« BALTIMORE, MO., U. S. A. CONTENTS Page Introduction and Stratigraphy, by G. Arthur Cooper and A. R. V. Arellano i Localities 2 Proveedora Hills (locality 8oi ) 2 Canedo Hill (locality 812) 9 Prieto Hill (locality 809) 10 Difuntos Hills (locality 802) 12 Buelna Hills (locality 807) 12 Lista Blanca (locality 811) 13 Arrojos Hills (locality 800) 13 Additional localities of Cambrian rocks 15 Summary of Cambrian stratigraphy and correlation between localities . 16 Localities and faunal lists 18 GiRVANELLA, by J. Harlan Johnson 24 Systematic description 24 References 25 Pleospongia, by Vladimir J. OkuHtch 2."] List of species 2^ Systematic description 28 References 34 Brachiopoda, by G. Arthur Cooper 36 Introduction 36 Description 37 References 48 The Original Collection of Cambrian Trilobites from Sonora, by Alexander Stoj'^anow 49 Introduction 49 Description 50 References 59 Trilobites, by Christina Lochman 60 Introduction 60 Structure 62 Ecology 65 Collection and preparation of Cambrian fossils 66 Identification of trilobites 70 Discussion of the faunas 70 Lower Cambrian faunas 70 Composition 70 Correlation 71 Middle Cambrian faunas 73 Faunal zones TZ Composition 76 Correlation 78 iii iv SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. II9 Page Systematic descriptions 81 Lower Cambrian faunas 81 Middle Cambrian faunas 109 References I59 Explanation of Plates 163 Index 181 ILLUSTRATIONS Plates (All plates following page i8o.) 1. North end of the Arrojos Hills and Proveedora Hills. 2. Aerial view of the Proveedora Hills. 3. Difuntos Hills, north end of the Arrojos Hills, and pleosponge reef. 4. Puerto Blanco formation, Prieto Hill; Cafiedo Hill; Buelna and Cerro Prieto formations, Proveedora Hills. 5. Lista Blanca; West Buelna Hill; Girvanella on slope of Prieto Hill. 6. Girvanella. 7. Ethmophyllum cooperi Okulitch, new species, E. americanum Okulitch, new species, and Ajacicyathus ncvadensis (Okulitch). 8. Syringocnema species and Ethmophylluin whitneyi Meek. 9. Coscinocyatlms species, Protopharetra species, Cambrocyathus cf. C. occi- dentalis Okulitch, Ethmophylluin cooperi Okulitch, new species, Ajacicya- thus nevadensis (Okulitch), A. rimonski Okulitch, and Syringocnema species. 10. Archaeocyathus yavorskii (Vologdin). 11. Dictyonina minutipuncta Cooper, new species, Paterina species, and Sco- lithtis tubes. 12. Acrothele concava Cooper, new species, Dictyonina species, Pegmatreta rara Cooper, new species, and Obolella mexicana Cooper, new species. 13. Micrometre species, Lingulella proveedorensis Cooper, new species, Pegma- treta arellanoi Cooper, new species, Wimanella species, Diraphora arro- josensis Cooper, new species, and Nisusia species. 14. Sonoraspis torresi Stoyanow, new species, S. gomesi Stoyanow, new species, and Amecephalus cf. A. piochensis (Walcott), incertae sedis. 15. Problematica I and H, Orthotheca buelna Lochman, new species, Scenella cf. S. reticulata Billings, Hyolithes aff. H. pvinceps Billings, and Sal- terella mexicana Lochman, new species. 16. Salterella cf. 5". pulchella Billings, Hyolithes whitei Resser, and Salterella mexicana Lochman, new species. 17. Salterella mexicana Lochman, new species, and Salterella, species undeter- mined. 18. Wanneria mexicana prima Lochman, new species and new variety, Olenellus (Fremontia) fremonti Walcott, and O. (Olenellus) truemani Walcott. 19. Wanneria walcottana buelnacnsis Lochman, new variety, Wanneria? species undetermined, and Paedeumias pucrtoblancoensis Lochman, new species. 20. Sombrerella mexicana Lochman, new species, Onchocephaliis mexicanus Lochman, new species, and O. buclnaensis Lochman, new species. 21. Bonnia sonora Lochman, new species, Antagmiis solitarius Lochman, new species, Genus and species undetermined i, Antagmus buttsi (Resser), Proveedoria starquistae Lochman, and Strotocephalus arrojosensis Loch- man, new species. V vi SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. II9 22. Ptarmigania bispinosa Lochman, new species, and Mexicaspis difuntosensis Lochman, new species. 23. Albertella provecdora Lochman, new species, A. aft'. A. proveedora Loch- man, new species, and Mexicaspis stenopyge Lochman. 24. Mexicella mexicana Lochman, Pachyaspis, species undetermined, and Ko- chaspis aff. K. celer (Walcott). 25. Glossopleura leona Lochman, new species. Genus and species undetermined 2, Kochaspis? species undetermined, Pachyaspis dehorra Lochman, new species, and Kochaspis cooperi Lochman, new species. 26. Kootenia exilaxata Deiss and Pachyaspis isabella Lochman, new species. 27. Alokistocarella mexicana Lochman, new species, Alokistocare althea Wal- cott, A. cf. A. modcstum Lochman, new species, A. modestnm Lochman, new species, and Hyolithes sonora Lochman, new species. 28. Chancelloria eras Walcott, Problematicum III, Kistocare corbini Lochman, Helcionella, species undetermined, and Kistocare tontoensis (Resser). 29. Athabaskia bela (Walcott), Caborcella arrojosensis Lochman, Arellanella sonora Lochman, new species, A. aff. A. sonora Lochman, new species, and A. caborcajia Lochman. 30. Inglefieldia imperfecta Lochman, new species, and Zacanthoides aff. Z. holopygus Resser. 31. Athabaskia minor (Resser), Cf. Middle Cambrian trilobites, Parehmania, species undetermined. Genus and species undetermined 3, Glossopleura species =zSonoraspis torresi Stoyanow, G. species = Sonoraspis gomezi Stoyanow, Glossopleura species. Figures Page 1. Map showing location of Cambrian sections by locality numbers 3 2. Topographic map showing the Proveedora Hills and collecting local- ities following page 4 3. Topographic map of the Arrojos Hills showing collecting localities following page 4 strati- 4. Cross section of the Proveedora Hills showing formations and graphic position of collections 5 5. Columnar sections showing sequence in the Proveedora Hills and com- paring Arrojos formation of the Arrojos Hills with same formation in the Proveedora Hills 6 6. Columnar sections of the Proveedora Hills and Arrojos Hills compared. 8 il 7. Columnar sections of Prieto Hill and the Buelna Hills compared 8. Diagram showing nomenclature of parts of a trilobite 62 9. Cambrian trilobite appendage 64 Charts 1. Correlation of Mexican Cambrian formations 79 2. Known stratigraphic range of Mexican Middle Cambrian trilobite genera 80 Cf)arle£{ B. anb Jflarp ¥^aux Halcott a^ejfearcfj Jfunb CAMBRIAN STRATIGRAPHY AND PALEON- TOLOGY NEAR CABORCA, NORTH- WESTERN SONORA, MEXICO INTRODUCTION AND STRATIGRAPHY By G. ARTHUR COOPER United States National Museum, Washington, D. C. AND A. R. V. ARELLANO Institiiio Geologico de Mexico, Mexico, D. F. (Plates 1-5) Prior to 1941 Cambrian rocks were unknown in Mexico. But in that year Isauro G. Gomez L. and L. Torres, while making investiga- tions for Petroleos Mexicanos, discovered trilobites in the Arrojos Hills 12 miles west-southwest of Caborca. The Mexican geologists sent their specimens to Dr. Alexander Stoyanow, University of Ari- zona, who identified them as Middle Cambrian trilobites. The pub- lished report of this discovery stimulated interest in Mexico and in the Smithsonian Institution, long a leader in Cambrian stratigraphy and paleontology. The Smithsonian Institution therefore sent G. A. Cooper, representing its staff, and Ing. Alberto Arellano, representing the Instituto Geologico de Mexico, to Caborca, Sonora, to investigate the reported Cambrian and other Paleozoic deposits. Happily, these geologists easily located the trilobite beds in the Arrojos Hills, but in addition they found several other areas exposing Cambrian rocks, especially one long and unbroken sequence 6 miles west of Caborca. Here Lower Cambrian rocks, as well as the previously reported Mid- dle Cambrian, are well exposed. Several weeks in 1943 and 1944 were devoted to investigations of these rocks and making collections of fossils. The collection of fossils obtained from the vicinity of Caborca is a very fine one and consists of numerous kinds of animals. In the in- terest of accuracy and to lend utmost authority to this report on the Mexican Cambrian it seemed best to invite specialists to describe the SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS, VOL. 119, NO. 1 2 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. II9 various groups. Accordingly, Dr. J. Harlan Johnson, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colo., was invited to describe the peculiar algae known as Girvanella; Dr. Vladimir J. Okulitch, authority on the Pleo- spongia, contributed the chapter on these interesting and bizarre animals ; G. A. Cooper, who has long been interested in the Brachi- opoda, prepared the discussion of this group ; Dr. Alexander Stoya- now, University of Arizona, who was the first to announce the dis- covery of Cambrian in this portion of
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