Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 12-1981 The Paleoecology of Carbonaceous (Algal) Material in the Middle Devonian Rockport Quarry Limestone of the Northeastern Portion of Michegan's Lower Peninsula Jeffrey Dean Spruit Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons Recommended Citation Spruit, Jeffrey Dean, "The Paleoecology of Carbonaceous (Algal) Material in the Middle Devonian Rockport Quarry Limestone of the Northeastern Portion of Michegan's Lower Peninsula" (1981). Master's Theses. 1820. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/1820 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE PALEOECOLOGY OF CARBONACEOUS (ALGAL) MATERIAL IN THE MIDDLE DEVONIAN ROCKPORT QUARRY LIMESTONE OF THE NORTHEASTERN PORTION OF MICHEGAN'S LOWER PENINSULA Jeffrey Dean Spruit A Thesis Submitted, to the Faculty of the Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Department of Geology Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan December I98I Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE PALEOECOLOGY OF CARBONACEOUS (ALGAL) MATERIAL IN THE MIDDLE DEVONIAN ROCKPORT QUARRY LIMESTONE OF THE NORTHEASTERN PORTION OF MICHIGAN’S LOWER PENINSULA Jeffrey Dean Spruit, M.S. Western Michigan University, I98I The Rockport Quarry Limestone of the Lower Traverse Group represents a sequence of laterally contemporaneous carbonate platform sediments characterized in outcrop by four facies: (l) stromatoporoid biolithite, (2) organic-mud packstone, (3 ) biolithite-micrite transition, and (4) micrite. In facies (l), (2) and (3 ) dark brown 4-micron microspheres are found grouped or singly in wispy seams of brown carbonaceous material. Three species of filamentous blue-green algae were discovered in insol­ uble residues of facies (l) and (2 ). Numerous lamellar stromatoporoids and solitary corals occur with the carbonaceous-rich sediment in facies (l). Coalescing lenses of crinoid and bryozoan debris occur with the carbonaceous sediment in facies (2). Algal-laminated sediments* calcar­ eous red algae, and calcareous blue-green algae are present in facies (4), as well as two new foraminifers in facies (l) and (3 ). The size range and morphology of the non-nueleated microspheres suggest that they are coccoid blue-green algae. The kerogenous material composing the seams probably represents fossilized sheath material secreted by the algae. The carbonaceous seams, microspheres, and algal filaments are interpreted as subtidal algal mats that provided a firm substrate upon which stromatoporoids could grow. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Dr. William B. Harrison III for his invalu­ able guidance during the course of the study, his encouragement when difficulties were encountered, and his helpful suggestions toward the manuscript. Heart-felt thank you's also go to Dr. W. Thomas Straw for his thought-provoking debriefing concerning proposed hypotheses and Dr. John-G. Grace for their reading the manuscript} also, to Gary Furman and Steven Subocz for their assistance and companionship in the field, and last but not least, to my loving sister who with painstaking dedication turned chicken-scratch handwriting into a professionally typed manuscript. Jeffrey Dean Spruit 11 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. INFORMATION TO USERS This was produced from a copy of a document sent to us for microfilming. While the most advanced technological means to photograph and reproduce this document have beer, used, the quality is heavily dependent upon the quality of the material submitted. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help you understand markings or notations which may appear on this reproduction. 1. The sign or "target” for pages apparently lacking from the document photographed is "Missing Page(s)”. 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WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY, M . S . , 1'981 COPR. 1981 SPRUIT, JEFFREY DEAN University Microfilms International 300 N. ZEEB RD., ANN ARBOR. Ml 48106 © 1981 JEFFREY DEAN SPRUIT All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PLEASE NOTE: In all cases this material has been filmed in the best possible way from the available copy. Problems encountered with this document have been identified here with a check mark V . 1. Glossy photographs or pages______ 2. Colored illustrations, paper or print_____ 3. Photographs with dark background _____ 4. Illustrations are poor copy______ 5. Pages with black marks, not original copy______ 6. Print shows through as there is text on both sides of page_____ 7. Indistinct, broken or small print on several pages______ 8. Print exceeds margin requirements_____ 9. Tightly bound copy with print lost in spine_____ 10. Computer printout pages with indistinct print______ 11. 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TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................... ii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ............... iv INTRODUCTION........................... 1 PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS ............... 5 METHODOLOGY.......... 7 Field Methods ....................... 7 Laboratory Methods ........................................ 7 DESCRIPTION OF FACIES ........................................... 10 ORGANIC MATERIAL ............................................. 17 Biologic Affinity ......................................... 17 PALEOECOLOGY OF THE ALGAE AND ASSOCIATING ORGANISMS ................ 23 Stromatoporoid Biolithite Facies - Lower Unit .... ;........... 23 Organic-Mud Packstone Facies ..... 36 Coral Packstone Subfacies ....... 36 Crinoid-Bryozoan Subfacies .......................... 4l Stromatoporoid Biolithite Facies -Upper Unit .............. 43 Biolithite-Micrite Transition Facies ........................ 46 Micrite Facies ........................................... 55 Dense Subfacies ....................................... 55 Fenestral Subfacies ................................... 63 SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY ........................................ 68 DISCUSSION.................. .78 CONCLUSIONS ..... 82 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................... ....84 iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIS T OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1 Stratigraphic succession of Devonian strata in Michigan 2 Figure 2 Location Map 3 Figure 3 Major exposures of Rockport Quarry 4 Figure 4 Measured sections from Rockport Quarry 8 Table 1 Dissolution procedure 9 Table 2 Microsphere abundance chart 11 Figure 5 Total microspheres per facies and subfacies 13 Figure 6 Average amount of microspheres perfacies and