Ferns From the Chinle Formation (Upper Triassic) in the Fort Wingate Area, New Mexico GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 613-D Ferns From the Chinle Formation (Upper Triassic) in the Fort Wingate Area, New Mexico By SIDNEY R. ASH CONTRIBUTIONS TO PALEONTOLOGY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 613-D Revision ofJive Late Triassic ferns and a review of previous paleobotanical investigations in the Triassic formations of the Southwest UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1969 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR WALTER J. HICKEL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY William T. Pecora, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price ?1.00 (paper cover) CONTENTS Page Summary of pre-Cenozoic stratigraphy Continued !*w Abstract.__________________________________________ Dl Permian System_______-____----__-_-_-----____- D17 Introduction. ______________________________________ 1 Glorieta Sandstone___________-_----____-__ 17 Acknowledgments. _____________________________ 4 San Andres Limestone.____________________ 17 Previous investigations ______________________________ 4 Unconformity between the Permian and Triassic U.S. Army exploring expeditions..________________ 5 rocks._______-_-______-__--_--_-----_--_-_-__ 19 Washington expedition._____________________ 5 Triassic System_______________________________ 19 Sitgreaves expedition._______________________ 5 Moenkopi(?) Formation.____________________ 19 Whipple expedition _________________________ 5 Pre-Chinle unconformity,.___________________ 20 Ives expedition.____________________________ 6 Chinle Formation.__________________________ 20 Macomb expedition _________________________ 7 Shinarump Member_____________________ 20 Investigations between 1876 and 1917__-_-___-____ Lower red member._____ _____________ 20 Hegewald expedition._______________________ Petrified Forest Member_______________ 23 George F. Kunz____________________________ 9 Chinle flora.______________________________ 24 Frank Knowlton and William Fontaine______ 10 Stratigraphic distribution._______________________ 24 Lester F. Ward___________________________ 11 USGS paleobotany localities.____________________ 25 Paul Platen and E. C. Jeffrey______________ 13 Composition. ________________--_-----__--_-_-__ 25 Investigations since 1917________________________ 13 Correlation and age_____________________________ 25 H. E. Gregory and others__________________ 13 Systematic descriptions.____-____-_-_-_-_____--_-_-_- 27 E. W. Berry___________________________ 14 Pteridophyta_________-_---_----_-----------_-__ 27 Lyman H. Daugherty_______________________ 14 Filicales_________________ ______ 27 Family Osmundaceae.______---_--____-_- 27 M. V. Walker______________________________ 15 Family Cynepteridaceae Ash, n. fam______ 31 R. W. Brown______________________________ 15 Family Gleicheniaceae..______-__-____-_- 38 C. A. Arnold_______________________________ 16 Family Dipteridaceae_____-__--_-______- 41 R. A. Scott and others_ _____________________ 16 Unclassified ferns.______________________ 43 Present investigation._______________________________ 16 Index list of fossil ferns______________________________ 46 Summary of the pre-Cenozoic stratigraphy in the Fort Selected references.____-________-_-_-_-----_-__-_-_- 47 Wingate area, New Mexico____________________ 17 Index_____ ________--_-___-___----_-_-_-_---_-_--- 51 ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates follow index] PLATE 1. Todites fragilis Daugherty 2. Cynepteris lasiophora Ash, n. gen., n. sp. 3. Cynepteris lasiophora Ash, n. gen., n. sp. 4. Wingatea plumosa (Daugherty) Ash, n. gen., and Clathropteris walkeri Daugherty. 5. Cladophlebis daughertyi Ash, n. sp. FIGURE 1. Index map of part of the Southwestern United States and adjacent areas in Mexico.--------- D2 2. Index map of northeastern Arizona.__________________________--_-------_-------------. 3 3. Photograph of small pueblo constructed of petrified wood______________---__------_------. 4 4. Sketch of a scene in Lithodendron Creek, Ariz_________________--__------_-------------- 6 5. Photograph showing the southeast wall of Arroyo del Cobre, N. Mex________________---_. 7 6. Photograph showing northward view at Fort Wingate, N. Mex________-__-__-----_-------. 8 7. Photograph showing the east wall of Arroyo del Cobre, N. Mex______________---__-------. 10 8. Chart showing nomenclature and age assignments of the Chinle Formation..________________ 12 9. Composite stratigraphic sections of the lower part of the Chinle Formation.________________ 18 10. Photograph showing upper part of the Shinarump Member, Chinle Formation.______________ 21 11. Photograph showing a large channel-type deposit in the lower red member, Chinle Formation. 22 12. Photograph showing badland topography, lower red member, Chinle Formation.____________ 22 m IV CONTENTS FIGURES 13-19. Drawings: Page 13. Todites fragilis Daugherty_______________________________________________________________ D28 14. Todites fragilis Daugherty, fertile leaf_____________________________________________________ 29 15. Cynepteris lasiophora Ash, n. gen., n. sp__-_--_-___-__-_--.__---------_-_-___--__--___--__-_ 32 16. Cynepteris lasiophora Ash, n. gen., n. sp_____,__-__-__--_-_---_-_---______________________- 34 17. Wingatea plumosa (Daugherty) Ash, n. gen, n. comb-__--_-_--___-__-___-___-____-_____-____ 38 18. Clathropteris walkeri Daugherty__________________________________________________________ 40 19. Cladophlebis daughertyi Ash, n. sp____-_____-_--__--_----__------_--_--_-_--__-________-_- 44 TABLE Page TABLE 1. Comparison of the fern leaves in the lower red member of the Chinle Formation in the Fort Wingate area, New Mexico, with those in the lower part of the Petrified Forest Member of the Chinle Formation in Petrified Forest National Park, Ariz-__-_______________________--__---_--_----__-----__---__--- D23 CONTRIBUTIONS TO PALEONTOLOGY FERNS FROM THE CHINLE FORMATION (UPPER TRIASSIC) IN THE FORT WINGATE AREA, NEW MEXICO By SIDNEY K. ASH ABSTRACT on misidentifications, as detailed study of the specimens in Fossil plant remains apparently were first reported from the question has shown. The only unit that unquestionably centring Upper Triassic rocks in the Southwest in 1850 by Lt. James H. some of the same species is the Dockum Group in west Texas. Simpson, who had discovered petrified wood in them in eastern Arizona on September 5, 1849. Subsequently, similar petrified INTRODUCTION wood was found in the same stratigraphic unit at many places The Chinle Formation of Late Triassic age, which is in the Southwest, particularly in northeastern Arizona. The widely exposed in parts of the Southwestern United unit containing the wood was named the Chinle Formation by States, contains fossil leaves and fertile structures at Gregory in 1917 and was reported to contain Late Triassic several localities. Some of these fossils have been de­ vertebrates. Although fossil wood is abundant in the Chinle, leaf remains scribed previously, but recent work has shown that much are comparatively rare. A small, poorly preserved collection of remains to be learned about the flora. Not only have leaves was described by John S. Newberry in 1876 from the some undescribed species been found, but well-preserved lower part of what is now considered to be the Chinle Formation specimens of certain previously described forms have in Arroyo del Cobre, northern New Mexico. Only a few other been collected, making it possible through the applica­ leaves had been described before Lyman Daugherty published tion of specialized techniques to enlarge our knowledge his report (1941) on some collections obtained mostly from the of them greatly. lower part of the Petrified Forest Member of the Chinle For­ During the last few years some large collection? of mation in Petrified Forest National Park. His collections were leaf fossils have been made from the Chinle Formation larger and better preserved than any studied previously, and his comprehensive report is the principal reference on the near Fort Wingate in the Zuni Mountains of western Chinle flora. New Mexico (figs. 1,2). Before this, the most significant Recently, some new collections were made from the lower collection had been made in Petrified Forest National part of the Chinle in the lower red member near Fort Wingate, Park in eastern Arizona (fig. 2) during the 1930's. That N. Mex. and from some of Daugherty's old localities in the flora was studied by Lyman Daugherty, and his report Petrified Forest. Detailed redescriptions, based on some of this (1941) is the most significant publication about the new material and on the types described by Daugherty, are given of the fertile and sterile leaves of Todites fragilis Daugh­ Chinle flora. erty, Cynepteris lasiopJwra Ash, n. gen. and sp., Winffatea This is the second in a series of reports which describe plumosa (Daugherty) Ash, and Clatliropteris walkeri Daugh­ in detail members of the Chinle flora. A new female erty. The sterile leaf of Cladophlebis dauyliertyi Ash, n. sp., is bennettitalean fructification was described in the first also redescribed in detail. report (Ash, 1968). The present study is divided into Reinvestigation shows that the known Chinle niegaflora con­ two parts. The first part is a historical account of the sists of 40 species referrable to 37 genera. It includes species based on leaves, fructifications, and petrified stem material. One paleobotanical investigations in the Triassic formations species has been referred