The Middle Devonian rugose coral Prismatophyllum conjunctum (Davis) and the age of the "Columbus" Limestone at Ingersoll, Ontario

WILLIAM A. OLIVER, JR. U.S. Geological Survey, Washington, D.C.

ABSTRACT

Prismatophyllum conjunctum (Davis) is a craspedophyllid coral that has the growth form of Prismatophyllum and an Erido- phyllum-Mltiz internal wall (aulos). This mix- ture of the characters of two distinct genera is interpreted as convergence because the aulos is independently developed in several stocks of corals. Specimens of P. conjunc- tum are not common but are known from four widely scattered sequences in Ken- tucky, Ohio, Ontario, and New York. These occurrences of approximately the same age, and other stratigraphic data, help resolve differing interpretations of the relationship of the central southwestern Ontario section to other Devonian sequences in eastern North America.

PALEONTOLOGY

The craspedophyllid genus Eridophyllum is characterized by a tubular structure (aulos) formed by deflection of the ma- jor septa near the axis of each corallite. In Eridophyllum, the aulos is generally well formed, circular in transverse section, and

Figure 1. Eridophyllum-type aulos in Prismatophyllum and Asterobillingsa. (A- C) P. conjuntum (Davis), USNM 312612; "Columbus" Limestone (Middle Devonian), Chemical Lime Co., Ltd., quarry, 2 km NE of Ingersoll, and 11 km SW of Woodstock, Ontario (USGS colln. 5038-SD, 1958); transverse thin sections, X2Vt and X10; longitudinal thin section, X5. (D-E) A; n. sp., GSC 66159; Stooping River Formation (Lower Devonian), Hudson Bay Lowlands, Ontario (GSC loc. 81460; section 22 of Sanford and Norris, 1975, appendix 1; listed as Eridophyllum"! n. sp.); longitudinal and transverse thin sections, X5 and X10.

Geological Society of America Bulletin, Part I, v. 92, p. 873-877, 5 figs., 1 table, November 1981.

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either complete or incomplete. An incom- basis alone. Eridophyllum s.s. is probably a naria prisma) a fragment of a corallum from plete aulos has an opening at the position valid genus, but cerioid and astreoid corals the Columbus Limestone in a well core of the cardinal septum. Typical Eridophyl- in the same family should be assigned to from Chillicothe, Ohio, 72 km south of lum is phaceloid (branching colonies), but Prismatophyllum and. Asterobillingsa, not Columbus. This is the southernmost known Stumm (1954, 1965) and Oliver (1976) to Eridophyllum as was done previously. occurrence of the formation. Oliver (1976, included compact cerioid colonies in the Phaceloid species of Eridophyllum may be p. 82, 108, PI. 108) discussed the specimen genus because of the presence of a well- polyphyletically derived from phaceloid and tentatively assigned it to P. conjunc- defined aulos. species of Cylindrophyllum, but such deri- tum. There are only 2 m of Columbus strata The genus Prismatophyllum is cerioid in vation would be hard to demonstrate and in the Chillicothe core and the coral came growth form but characteristically lacks the seems unlikely. from between 7.5 and 18 cm below the top aulos. Prismatophyllum and Eridophyllum Prismatophyllum conjunctum (Davis) is of the formation. The Columbus in the core are generally similar in other characters and a cerioid craspedophyllid that has a well- is bounded by unconformities, and Carman both belong to the Family Craspedophylli- developed aulos. Both Stumm (1965) and identified it as representing Zone H (see dae although Oliver recognized two subfam- Oliver (1976) referred the species to Erido- Oliver, 1976, p. 12, for review of Columbus ilies on the basis of presence or absence of phyllum, but it is here reassigned. The stratigraphy). The presence of P. conjunc- the aulos. The family includes several other recent recognition of a specimen from r.ear tum supports a correlation with the upper genera, and both Eridophyllum and Pris- Woodstock, Ontario (Fig. 1), emphasizes part of the Columbus (Fig. 2) even though matophyllum include several species. Oliver its apparent stratigraphic significance and the apparent basis for Carman's correlation (1976) recently reviewed the family and its prompts the present article. was mistaken. genera. 3. A single specimen is known from the Several kinds of aulos are known in BIOSTRATIGRAPHY Moorehouse Member of the Onondaga rugose corals. The Eridophyllum-type, Limestone at Stafford, New York (Oliver, formed by deflection of the axial ends of the Oliver (1976) discussed the known distri- 1976, p. 107-108, PI. 107). The specimen major septa, is not common but is known in bution of Prismatophyllum conjunctum was found 45 cm above the Acinophyllum- other genera and families. Within the cras- (as Eridophyllum). A new occurrence with Eridophyllum bed in the basal part of the pedophyllids, the aulos is present in unde- significant stratigraphic implications is dis- known range of Paraspirifer acuminatus scribed astreoid species of Asterobillingsa cussed here, after a brief summary of the (Figs. 2, 3). (cited as Eridophyllum? n. sp. by Oliver in three previously known occurrences. Three 4. The new specimen is a fragment from Sanford and Norris, 1975, pt. II, p. 67; here- of the four occurrences are shown on Figure the "Columbus" Limestone in the Chemical in Fig. ID, E) as well as in phaceloid and 2. Lime Co., Ltd., quarry, 2 km northeast of cerioid (Fig. 1A-C) forms. In the closely 1. The species was originally described Ingersoll, Woodstock area, Ontario (Fig. 2). related Zaphrentidae, one specimen of He- from "above the coral zone" at the Falls of The following correlations are supported by liophyllum has a distinct Eridophyllum-type the Ohio River, Louisville, Kentucky. The the new occurrence but are not dependent aulos (Oliver, 1976). In short, it is apparent exact position is riot certain, but both upon it. that the Eridophyllum-type aulos evolved Stumm (1965) and Oliver (1976) concluded independently in several stocks of related that it is from the upper half of the Jeffer- ONTARIO-OHIO CORRELATIONS and unrelated corals, and there is no reason sonville Limestone in the Brevispirifer to to assign a craspedophyllid coral that has Paraspirifer zones. The "Columbus" Limestone at Ingersoll such a structure to Eridophyllum on that 2. Carman (1955) illustrated (as Hexago- was first recognized and described as a unit

Figure 2. Correlation of Woodstock area sequence with sequences in central Ohio (left) and western New York (right). Horizontal lines are approximate time lines; thickness is not shown. Note that the sequences from Chillicothe to Windsor are along a south-north line; those from Windsor to Stafford are approximately west-east. Capital letters indicate the Columbus Limestone zones of Stauffer. T.B. is the Tioga Bentonite Bed. The "Dundee" of Sandford (see text) is a fades that is older to the east where it passes into the Moorehouse and Seneca members of the Onondaga Limestone.

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by Ehlers and Stumm (1951). They assigned Seneca Member 5 m of gray, sandy, brown-weathering lime- 110'- stone to Zone H of the Columbus Lime- TB stone on the basis of its relatively rich, Known range of rather distinctive fauna (Ehlers and Stumm, Paraspirifer acuminatiis 1951, p. 1882). Zone H, the uppermost part of the Columbus in Ohio, outcrops from 100'- south of Columbus to Sandusky on Lake Erie (Fig. 2). Ehlers and Stumm clearly in- terpreted the Ingersoll beds as a northern tongue of uppermost Columbus, and Oliver (1976) agreed with their interpretation. A succession of Eridophyllum species in the 90'- Columbus Limestone at Columbus is topped by E. seriale, which is limited to Zone H (Oliver, 1976, p. 12) and is present through- out the extent of the zone. E. seriale is also Moorehouse Member common in the "Columbus" at Ingersoll. 80'- The newly recognized occurrence of Pris- matophyllum conjunctum further supports the correlation because this species is known only from upper Columbus and equivalent beds (see occurrences above). pc 70'- Further evidence comes from the brachi- opods, principally Paraspirifer acuminatus, characteristic of Zone H in Ohio and pres- ent at Ingersoll. A new list of corals and brachiopods (the latter identified by J. T. -ea Dutro, Jr.) from USGS collection 5038-SD 60' co O (Table 1) is somewhat different from that of Ehlers and Stumm. The fauna indicates that parts of Zones G and H are probably represented. Of the listed species, only E.

Known range of seriale is thought to be limited to Zone H. 50'- "large" Amphigenia Most of the other corals and brachiopods are known from Zone H and one or more lower zones, but Brevispirifer gregarious is limited to Zones F and G and indicates that one or both of these zones is also present. 40'- The occurrence of a single specimen ques- tionably identified as "Acrospirifer" macro- thyris is anomalous (Ohio range is Zones C-E) because there is no other indication that the lower Columbus is represented at Clarence Member Ingersoll. 30'— Sanford (1968, p. 983-985) rejected the Columbus age assignment of the Ingersoll unit. He interpreted it as a local facies of the upper Lucas Formation (Detroit River Group) and preferred to call it the Ander- 20'- don Limestone. The Anderdon is a Michi- gan Basin unit of approximately the same

Figure 3. Composite columnar section of the Onondaga 10'- Limestone in western New York. The Acinophyllum- Eridophyllum bed with a concentration of E. seriale is Edgecliff Member -— labeled A-E; the position of Prismatophyllum conjunctum is marked by the arrow and Pc; and the known range of Bois Blanc Formation Known range of "small" Amphigenia Paraspirifer acuminatus is shown. The Tioga Bentonite Bed 0'- (TB) is at the base of the Seneca Member. Figure from Akron and Bertie Oliver (1967). Formations

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TABLE 1. FOSSILS FROM "COLUMBUS" age as Zone H (Fig. 2), but it lacks the as a whole, the sequences are time-equi- LIMESTONE AT INGERSOLL ONTARIO Columbus fauna of the Ingersoll unit. Why valent facies of each other (Fig. 2; also see (USGS COLLECTION 5038-SD) Sanford rejected the Zone H age of the beds Liberty and Bottom, 1971, Table IV, p. 56). The Woodstock, Ontario, area is on the Corals and whether he considered them to be older or younger than Zone H are not clear. eastern margin of the Michigan Basin. To Autacophytluml sp. the west, the Windsor area (Fig. 2) is well Bethanyphyllum sp. into the Michigan Basin. Central Ohio, to Cystiphyltoides sp. ONTARIO-NEW YORK the south, and the Niagara Peninsula and Eridophyllum seriate Milne-Edwards and Haime Heliophyllum halli Milne-Edwards and Haime CORRELATIONS New York, to the east, are in the Ap- H. sp. cf. H. Haiti palachian Basin where the facies are dif- ffi sp. B Disagreements over the correlation of the ferent. The Woodstock area stratigraphic ffl sp. C Woodstock area sequence with the section sequence contains an alternation of Ap- Heterophrentis sp. palachian and Michigan units. The Am- Prismaiophyllum conjunctum (Davis) in western New York are more clearly un- Siphonophrentis sp. derstood. Figure 4, based on Sanford herstburg Formation (lower Detroit River Group) has an Edgecliff fauna and facies. Brachiopods (Identified by J. T. Dutro, Jr.) (1968), has been repeated in several later papers (e.g., Winder and Sanford, 1972; To the northwest, in Bruce County, Ontar- Rhipidomella sp. cf. R. ¡¡via (Billings) Sanford and Norris, 1975). Two key points io, the Formosa facies is probably the same Megaslrophia concava (Hall) are (1) Sanford separated the Edgecliff age but is more like the Michigan Basin in Megaslrophia sp. cf. M. hemisphaericus (Hall) lithology, and the fauna is less rich. These Strophodonta demissa (Conrad) Member from higher Onondaga uni'.s in interpretations and the correlation of the Brevispirifer gregarius (Hall) western New York by a time gap into w hich "Acrospirifer" macrothyris (Hall) he correlated the Lucas (including the underlying Bois Blanc Formation seem Paraspirifer acuminatus (Conrad) Anderdon-"Columbus") of the Woodstock to be generally accepted (Oliver, 1960, Spinatrypa spinosa (Hall) area, and (2) he correlated the Dundee with 1966, 1967, 1968, 1976; Sanford, 1968; Nudeospira concinna (Hall) Winder and Sanford, 1972; Fagerstrom, Cranaena harmonia (Hall) the upper members of the Onondaga rather than with the overlying Marcellus as had 1971). Oliver (1976, p. 12) correlated these Molluscs commonly been done in the past (for exam- units with Columbus Limestone Zone C/D Bellerophontacean steinkern, indet. ple, Cooper and others, 1942). Sanford's on the basis of contained coral faunas. Zone Euomphalid steinkern, indet. interpretations were based on subsurface C/D is recognized in central Ohio and in Conocardium cuneus (Conrad) tracing of the Dundee into the Moorehouse several core sections along the south shore and Seneca Members of the Onondaga in of Lake Erie (Oliver, 1976, p. 13-14, Fig. 7). the Niagara Peninsula (1968). Apparently, For post-Edgecliff correlations, the Co- Woodstock Area the mid-Onondaga unconformity was based Western New York lumbus Zone H fauna, including Paraspi- Ontario on correlation of the Amherstburg with the rifer acuminatus, Eridophyllum seriate, lower Onondaga and the Dundee with the Marcellus Shale Prismaiophyllum conjunctum, and other upper Onondaga. As this left the interven- species, is of prime importance. This W/////////Mfà Seneca M. ing Lucas without a Niagara Peninsula or assemblage is present in the Anderson- (Tioga) New York equivalent, an unconformity was Dundee Ls. "Columbus" beds of the Woodstock area Moorehouse M. postulated. and also in the upper half of the Moore- 'ìi/iììi/iii/iiìììi/ìììih The concept of a mid-Onondaga uncon- house Member of the Onondaga Limestone "Columbus' Ls. Limeston e formity had been stated earlier by Ehlers in western New York (Fig. 3). P. acumi- Lucas Fm. and others (1951) (see Fig. 5), but they natus and E. seriale are limited to the River . correlated the Dundee with the New York upper Columbus Limestone (Zones G-H)

Onondag a Hi Marcellus, thus matching the upper Onon- in central and central-northern Ohio; P. Amherstburg Fm. Edgecliff M. Detroi t daga with an unconformity between the conjunctum also occurs in probable upper innnnnnunmmiiuminmmimmm, Detroi t River Group (Lucas-Anderdon) Columbus farther south. These units are Bois Blanc Fm. Bois Blanc Fm. and the Dundee. all of the same age (Fig. 2), although Unconformities of various magnitudes of somewhat different facies. probably do exist in the sequences under Given these points of correlation, the Figure 4. Woodstock area-western New discussion, but there is ample evidence that, Lucas must be interpreted as the age equi- York correlation according to Sanford (1968) (see text for discussion and refer- ences). Northern Michigan New York

Dundee Marcellus

Paraspirifer Zone Figure 5. Michigan Basin-western New York correlations according to Ehlers and others (1951). Figure from Oliver (1967). Detroit River

Bois Blanc Onondag a Amphigenia Zone

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valent of the middle part of the Columbus including the Amherstburg Formation, oir 360, 163 p. (Zones E-lower G) and the lower Moore- Lucas Formation, and "Columbus" Lime- Oliver, W. A., Jr., 1960, Coral faunas in the Onondaga Limestone of New York: U.S. house and upper Clarence members of the stone (by whatever name it is called), is the Geological Survey Professional Paper 400-B, Onondaga, as shown on Figure 2. time equivalent of the' Edgecliff to Moore- p. 172-174. The Dundee (or Delaware) Limestone house members of the Onondaga Limestone 1966, The Bois Blanc and Onondaga forma- does pass into the upper Moorehouse and in the Niagara Peninsula and western New tions in western New York and adjacent Seneca members, but is not wholly age York, and of the Columbus Limestone, Ontario: New York State Geological Associa- Zones C-H, of central Ohio (Fig. 2). The tion Guidebook, 38th Annual Meeting (Buf- equivalent, as suggested by Sanford. These falo), p. 32-43. units together form a lithic facies that is Onondaga and Columbus faunal sequences 1967, Stratigraphy of the Bois Blanc Forma- younger to the west. In Ohio outcrops and are well enough, known to recognize the tion in New York: U.S. Geological Survey in the Michigan Basin, the Dundee (Dela- approximate relative age of two key units, Professional Paper 584-A, 8 p. ware) Limestone is of Seneca and Marcellus Amherstburg and "Columbus," of the 1968, Succession of rugose coral faunas in the Lower and Middle Devonian of eastern age. Eastward in core sections in northern Woodstock area. This makes the suggested North America, in Oswald, D. H., ed., Inter- Ohio the lower part of the Delaware des- correlations extremely probable and neces- national Symposium on the Devonian Sys- cends to equivalence with the Moorehouse sitates the rejection of the mid-Onondaga tem Proceedings 2, Calgary, Alberta, 1967: Member (Oliver, 1976, Fig. 7) as it does in unconformity suggested by Ehlers and oth- Alberta Society of Petroleum Geologists, the parallel series of sections north of Lake ers (1951), and later by Sanford (1968). p. 733-744. 1976, Noncystimorph colonial rugose corals Erie. of the Onesquethaw and lower Cazenovia Nomenclatural differences should not be ACKNOWLEDGMENTS stages (Lower and Middle Devonian) in New allowed to interfere with the understanding York and adjacent areas: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 869, 156 p. of the time relationships. In the Niagara I am indebted to J. M. Berdan, U.S. Geo- Sanford, B. V., 1968, Devonian of Ontario and Peninsula, use of New York nomenclature logical Survey; T. E. Bolton, Geological Michigan, in Oswald, D. H., ed., Interna- is appropriate as the outcropping units are Survey of Canada, Ottawa; J. T. Dutro, Jr., tional Symposium on the Devonian System, Onondaga facies and can be directly traced. U.S. Geological Survey; and J. E. Sorauf, Proceedings 1, Calgary, Alberta, 1967; Al- South of Lake Erie, in the Ohio subsurface, State University of New York, Binghamton, berta Society of Petroleum Geologists, p. 973-999. correlation with the Columbus outcrop is New York, for thorough reviews and good Sanford, B. V., and Norris, A. W„ 1975, Devon- possible and use of Ohio nomenclature is suggestions, most of which were adopted in ian stratigraphy of the Hudson Platform: appropriate. The Woodstock area, Ontario, the final draft of the paper. Thin sections Geological Survey of Canada Memoir 379, is on the arch that separates the Appalach- and photographs were prepared by W. C. 372 p. ian and Michigan Basins; facies are mixed, Pinckney, Jr. Stumm, E. C., 1954, Four new species of rugose but Michigan Basin nomenclature is tradi- corals of the Middle Devonian Genus Erid- ophyllum from New York, Michigan and tional and works very well. REFERENCES CITED Ohio: University of Michigan Museum Pale- Telford (1976a, 1976b) has followed this ontology Contributions, v. 12, no. 1, p. 1-11. 1965, Silurian and Devonian corals of the procedure in the mapping program of the Carman, J. E., 1955, Revision of the Chillicothe Falls of the Ohio: Geological Society of Ontario Division of Mines. The Simcoe test-core section: The Ohio Journal of America Memoir 93, 184 p. Science, v. 55, no. 2, p. 65-72. map area (Telford, 1976a) is in the western Telford, P. G., 1976a, Paleozoic geology of the Cooper, G. A., and others, 1942, Correlation of part of the Niagara Peninsula and includes Cambridge and Simcoe areas, southern the Devonian sedimentary formations of Ontario: Ontario Division of Mines Miscel- the westernmost known outcrops of the North America: Geological Society of Amer- laneous Paper 67, p. 153-155. Onondaga facies, and Onondaga terminol- ica Bulletin 53, p. 1729-1794. 1976b, Paleozoic geology of the Woodstock- ogy is used. In the Woodstock map area, Ehlers, G. M., and Stumm, E. C„ 1951, Middle Grand Bend area, southern Ontario: Ontario Devonian Columbus Limestone near Inger- Telford (1976b) used Michigan Basin ter- Division of Mines Miscellaneous Paper 67, soll, Ontario, Canada: American Associa- minology. Between the area of Hagarsville p. 156-158. tion of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 35, Winder, C. G., and Sandford, B. V., 1972, Strati- in the northeast corner of the Simcoe map p. 1879-1888. graphy and paleontology of the Paleozoic area and the Woodstock area, no outcrops Ehlers, G. M., Stumm, E. C., and Kesling, R. V., rocks of southern Ontario: Twenty-Fourth 1951, Devonian rocks of southeastern Michi- of Onondaga-age rocks are known. This International Geology Congress, Guidebook gan and northwestern Ohio: Ann Arbor, outcrop gap is an additional basis for to Field Excursion A45-C45, 74 p. Michigan, Edwards Brothers, 40 p. changing from Appalachian to Michigan Fagerstrom, J. A., 1971, Brachiopods of the nomenclature as described. Detroit River Group (Devonian) from south- . western Ontario and adjacent areas of MANUSCRIPT RECEIVED BY THE SOCIETY Michigan and Ohio: Geological Survey of CONCLUSIONS NOVEMBER 12, 1980 Canada Bulletin 204, 112 p. Liberty, B. A., and Bolton, T. E., 1971, Paleo- REVISED MANUSCRIPT RECEIVED The Detroit River Group in the Wood- zoic geology of the Bruce Peninsula area, MARCH 18, 1981 stock area of central southwestern Ontario, Ontario: Geological Survey of Canada Mem- MANUSCRIPT ACCEPTED APRIL 2, 1981

Printed in U.S.A.

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