LEIDSE GEOLOGISCHE MEDEDELINGEN Vol. 31, 1965, pp. 241-260, separate published 15-5-1966 Late Palaeozoic calcareous algae in the Pisuerga basin (N-Palencia, Spain) BY L. Rácz Abstract The rock-builders in the of the limestone calcareous algae were important deposition many members of the Pisuerga Basin. Systematic descriptions are given of 12 species. The following Psuedo-species are new: Clavaporella reinae, Clavaphysoporella endoi, Epimastopora camasobresensis, epimastopora?impera and Vermiporella hispanica. The associations in the Basin be classified into six distintive algal Pisuerga may zones, one ofwhich canbe subdivided into two subzones. Many ofthese zonesare readily comparable with those distinguished elswhere in the Cantabrian Mountains and can be directly correlated with the foraminiferal faunas associated with them. While five of these zones contain associa- tions of the contains both Carboniferous and definitely Carboniferous algal floras, uppermost Permian elements. A brief discussion of ecological aspects is made. Contents INTRODUCTION 243 STRUCTURAL UNITS AND STRATIGRAPHY 243 CALCAREOUS ALGAE IN THE PISUERGA BASIN AND IN THE AREA BETWEEN RIO BERNESGA AND RIO PORMA 245 Biostratigraphic classification and location 245 Calcareous Algal Zone I 246 Calcareous Algal Zone II 246 Calcareous Algal Zone III 246 Calcareous Algal Zone IV 246 Calcareous Algal Zone V 247 Calcareous Algal Zone VI 247 Calcareous algae as facies indicators 249 SYSTEMATIC DESCRIPTIONS 252 Rhodophycophyta Family Uncertain Genus Ungdarella 252 * Dept. of Stratigraphy and Palaeontology, Leiden University. Present adress: B.I.P.M. Carel v. Bylandtlaan 30, The Hague (Netherlands). 242 L. Racz Chloro phycophyta Family Dasycladaceae Genus Clavaporella 253 Genus Clavaphysoporella 254 Genus Epimastopora 254 Genus Gyroporella 255 Genus Pseudoepimastopora 256 Genus Vermiporella 257 Family Codiaceae Genus Anchicodium 257 Genus Eugonophyllum 258 Genus Ivanovia 258 Schyzophyta Section Porostromata Genus Girvanella 259 Genus Ottonosia 259 REFERENCES 260 Algae in the Pisuerga Basin 243 INTRODUCTION The Pisuerga Basin is one of the most intensively studied areas of the Cantabrian- Asturian Mountains. Papers have been published on the sedimentology, tectonics, of the full references de Sitter and palaentology and stratigraphy region (for see Boschma, 1966). Little attention, however, had been given to the limestonebuilding algae. The only exceptions are the publications of Nederlof (1959), Van Ginkel (1960), Brouwer and van Ginkel (1964) where they have received some attentions, and also those of Frets (1965), and de Sitter and Boschma (1966) in which the role been discussed in detail. of algae in sedimentation has some The material, which forms the basis of this study, was obtained from Dr. A. his collection of C. van Ginkel (Leiden), who kindly made available to the author thin sections. Material was also generously donated by Mr. D. C. Frets. STRUCTURAL UNITS AND STRATIGRAPHY The Pisuerga Basin can be subdivided into four principal structural units. These are the Casavegas and Redondo synclines situated in the north of the area, the Castilleria area around the summits of the Sierra Corisa, and a fourth unit to the south of the region. In this latter area most of the limestones are reefoid in and hence have been called "reef limestones". appearence The composition of all the units is variable. They contain mainly limestones, coal It is from the shales and sandstones with locally occuring seams. apparent literature (Wagner 1955, 1959; Wagner and Wagner-Gentis 1963; Nederlof 1959; de Sitter 1962; de Sitter and Boschma 1966; Brouwer and van Ginkel 1964; van Ginkel that there is the 1965) not as yet complete agreement on litho-stratigraphic the individual limestone terminology. There is, however, general agreement on members, which have been namsd after local features. The material on which the obtained from the limestone members present work has been based, was following (%• 1): A. The area south of the Sierra Corisa Limestone Member (reef limestones) Orbó limestone Loc. * Arbejal limestone Loc. P 63 Rabanal limestone Loc. P 23 Perapertú limestone Loc. P 70 Muda limestone Loc. P 76 B. The Castilleria area Vanes limestone Loc. P 36 Sierra Corisa limestone Loc. P 22 C. Casavegas syncline Urbaneja limestone loc. P 2 Lores limestone Loc. P 10 Maldrigo limestone Loc. P 7 Camasobres limestone Loc. P 4 * Locality numbers of van Ginkel (1965). 244 L. Racz D. Redondo syncline Abismo limestone Loc. P 73 Agujas limestone Loc. P 72 Caloca = Albas limestone Loc. P 3 Piedrasluengas limestone Loc. P 1 Fig. 1. Limestone locality map (de Sitter & Boschma, 1966) The fusulinid faunas of these limestones have been classified by van Ginkel (1965) in zones: Algae in the Pisuerga Basin 245 Protriticites zone (not sub-divided) Fusulinella zone subzone B3 subzone B2 subzone Bl subzone A Profusulinella zone subzone B subzone A Millerella zone (not sub-divided) These faunas can be compared with similar ones in the Russian Carboniferous type where occur in levels from Bashkirian to Kasimovian. sequences they ranging in the from the The algal floras described present paper are same samples as the fusulinids. Therefore direct correlation with the fusulinid zones is possible. Thus the the biostratigraphic subdivision of the calcareous algae is based primarily on foraminiferal zonation (fig. 2). Fig. 2. Zonal subdivision of the late Palaeozoic Foraminifers and Calcareous Algae in Northern Spain CALCAREOUS ALGAE IN THE PISUERGA BASIN AND IN THE AREA BETWEEN THE RIO BERNESGA AND THE RIO PORMA Biostratigraphic classification and zonation Basin The sequence in the Pisuerga (prov. Palencia) represents a more complete section of Upper Carboniferous deposits than that in the Bernesga-Porma area members of have (prov. León)), 80 km to the west. The limestone the latter area 246 L. Racz the three of fourth yielded floras representing zones and part the (Rácz, 1964). In six be Palencia, however, as many as algal zones can recognized. Calcareous !• The of the de Algal Zone upper part Escapa (Caliza Montaña) Formation in the Bernesga-Porma area is included in this zone (Rácz, 1964). The characteristic microflora of this both zone (in the Bernesga-Porma area and the rather is distinctive its Pisuerga Basin) although poor, sufficiently to permit separation from the algal assemblage of Zone 11. Ungdarella uralica Maslov is the most important in Zone I. It with species Algal occurs together some long-ranging forms as Donezella lutugini Maslov and Girvanella sp. These have only been found in the Pisuerga Basin in the Muda Limestone Member. Calcareous 11. The characteristic association of this is Algal %pne algal zone present in both the and the Basin. Bernesga-Porma area Pisuerga Commonly occuring species are Epimastopora bodoniensis RÁcz, Donezella lunaensis RÁcz, Beresella hermineae RÁcz, Anthracoporella cf. spectabilis Pia and Mellporella anthracoporellaformis RÁcz. This association has been found in the and very completely developed Perapertú Arbejal limestones, and partly represented in the Rabanal limestone. However, Archaeolitho- which is of phyllum johnsoni RÁcz, locally importance as a rock builder in the San Emiliano Formation (Bernesga-Porma area), has not been found in the Pisuerga Region. Calcareous Algal Zone HI- Dvinella comata Chvorova and Amorfia jalinki RÁcz also occur commonly in the Pisuerga Basin and the Bernesga-Porma area. However two Ivanovia tenuissima Chvorova and Korde which species, Ungdarella conservata occur in the Pisuerga Basin, have not been found in León. These two species are often important rock-building elements. Uraloporella sieswerdai RÁcz and Epimastopora rolloensis RÁcz the other which form of the on hand, locally an important part algal association in the have been found in the Basin. Bernesga-Porma area, not Pisuerga The algal association characteristic of Zone 111 has been found in the Piedrasluengas limestone, the Albas limestone and the Orbó limestone. The Rabanal limestone to yields a mixed association of algae belonging both Zones II and 111. Therefore it is that the Rabanal limestones intermediate between probable represents an position the Perapertú limestones and the Piederasluengas limestones. Thus demostrating the continuity ofthe reef growth in this area during the deposition ofthe Ruesga Group fact of sediments. The that no difference in age could be determined, on the basis algae, between the Piedrasluengas and the Albas limestones, demonstrates that the hiatus, as indicated by the Curavacas conglomerate unconformity between these further two limestones, represents a very small time interval. The same conclusion is supported by the foraminiferalevidence (van Ginkel, 1965). The limestones from the lower part of the Lois-Ciguera Formation (Lena in considered the Formation, van Ginkel, 1965) the Bernesga-Porma area are by present author to belang to Zone III. Calcareous Algal Z,one IV. — The Calcareous Algal Zone IV is incomplete in the Bernesga-Porma area (Rácz, 1964), but in the Pisuerga Basin sedimentation was continuous. The be subdivided into Pisuerga Basin material shows that Zone IV can Subzones IV A and IV B. The lower Subzone IV A is characterized by the presence of Komia abundans Korde, Eugonophyllum mulderi RÁcz, Epimastopora camasobresensis sp. nov. Macroporella ginkeli RÁcz and Zaporella cantabriensis RÁcz. This association has been found in the Camasobres limestone and in the lower ofthe limestone. part Agujas Algae in the Pisuerga Basin