Biostratigraphy And Lower Permian Fusulinidae Of The Upper Delta River Area, East Central Alaska Range Item Type Thesis Authors Petocz, Ronald George Download date 04/10/2021 06:19:15 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/9207 I This diasertction has been microfilmed exac tly u received 6 9 - 1 7 ,0 5 8 PETOCZ, Ron. Id George, 1941- BIOSTRATICRAPHY AND LOWER PERMIAN FUSUL1NIDA E OF THE UPPER DELTA RIVER ARE. , EAST CENTRAL ALASKA RANGE. University o- Alaska, Ph.D., 1968 Geology University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan (c) RQ> ALP GEORGE PETOCZ 1 9 6 9 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. BIOSTRATIGRAPHY AND LOWER PERMIAN FUSULINIDAE OF THE UPPER DELTA RIVER AREA, EAST CENTRAL ALASKA RANGE DISSERTATION Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By Ronald George Petocz, B.S College, Alaska M a y , 1969 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. BIOSTRATIGRAPHY AND LOWER PERMIAN FUSULINIDAE OF THE UPPER DELTA RIVER AREA, EAST CENTRAL ALASKA RANGE APPROVED: ■n n LT uL Chnrmaairmann , (p i. r i c A M Department Head APPROVED: DATE: Dean of the College of Earth Science and Mineral Industry Vice President for Research and Advanced Study Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT A Lower Permian fusulinid fauna was found in rocks of Mankomen age within a fault block in the Upper Delta River area , east central Alaska Range. Three members of the Mankomen Formation are recognized and de­ scribed from this area. They are, in stratigraphic order: a lower Tuffaceous Sandstone Member, an Alternating Limestone-Shale Member, and a Lime­ stone Member. Additional sedimentary rocks occur still higher in the section but are as yet unmapped. The section exposed in this area represents the youngest known Upper Paleozoic sediments known in the Alaska Range. Eighteen species of fusulinids belonging to three genera were de­ scribed from the Alternating Limestone-Shale Member and Limestone Member. They are: Pseudofusulinella valkenburghae n. sp. , P_. c f. P_. parvula Skinner T- and W ilde, P. sp. A, Eoparafusulina mendenhalli n. sp. , E_. waddelli n. sp. , Schwaqerina pseudokaragasensis n. sp. , S_. c f. S_. emaciata (Beede) , S. sp. A, S. rowetti n. sp ., S_. callosa (Rauser-Chemousova) , S_. whartoni n. sp. , S. heineri n. sp. , S_. moffiti n. sp., S_. sp. B, S_. sp. C, S_. rainyensis n. sp ., S_. mankomenensis n. sp ., and S^ hyperborea (Salter). This fauna was divided into six assemblage zones on the basis of the fusulinid species. Collectively, the zones indicate a Lower Permian age, ranging from late Asselian to middle Artinskian when compared to the zonation of Permian sec­ tions in the western Urals, U.S.S.R. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The fusulinids from the Lower Permian of the Alaska Range belong to the Boreal faunal realm that includes the geosynclinal seas of the Alaskan Cordilleran, Franklinian, and Uralian geosynclines. Faunal evidence in­ dicates temporary marine connections between Alaska and the Pacific north­ west, and between the Urlian and Tethyan regions. Correlations are suggested between the Alaska Range section and the following regions: southeastern Alaska; northeastern Alaska; north­ western Yukon Territory; Grinnell Peninsula, Arctic Archipelago, northwest Greenland, Spitsbergen; and the Ural region of the U .S.S.R. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS P age ABSTRACT .........................................................................................................................................iii INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 1 Acknowledgments ...................................................................... 1 GENERAL GEOLOGY OF THE EAST CENTRAL ALASKA R A N G E ................................4 GEOLOGY OF THE UPPER DELTA RIVER A R E A ............................................................... 7 Description of Major Rock Units ...................................................................... 7 Igneous Rocks ........................................................................................... 7 Triassic (?) Amphitheater B a sa lt ................................... 7 Mesozoic Gabbros ...................................................................... 7 PerTnia'n Sedimentary Rocks: Mankomen Formation .... 9 Tuffaceous Sandstone M em ber ........................................10 Alternating Limestone-Shale Member ..........................11 Limestone Member ....................................................................14 Undifferentiated Graywackes and Limestone.. 15 S tr u c tu r e .................................. 18 G e n e r a l ..............................................................................................................18 Structural Correlation and H istory .................................................. 20 Comparison with the i'ype Mankomen Formation ....................................21 DISCUSSION OF FUSULINID ASSEMBLAGES................................................................ 25 Assemblage Zone A ............................................................... 25 Assemblage Zone ...B ............................................................... 25 Assemblage Zone ...C ............................................................... 27 Assemblage Zone ...D ............................................................... 27 Assemblage Zone E .............................................................. 2 8 Assemblage Zone ...F ............................................................... 28 BIOGEOGRAPHIC RELATIONS ................................................................................................31 CORRELATION OF THE UPPER DELTA RIVER S E C T IO N ........................................... 35 Kuiu Island, Alaska ................................................................ 35 Northeastern Alaska and Northwestern Yukon Territory ....................................................................35 Grinnell Peninsula, Arctic Archipelago ...................... 36 Northeast G reenland .............................................................37 Spitsbergen ....................................................................... 38 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Page PALEONTOLOGY ..........................................................................................................................40 M e t h o d s .......................................................................................40 S t a t i s t i c s ................................................................................... 41 R e p o s it o r y ....................................................................................46 SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY.............................................................................................. 47 Pseudofusulinella sp. A .......................................................................................47 Pseudofusulinella valkenburghae Petocz, n. sp .................................... 52 Pseudofusulinella cf. P_. parvula Skinner and W ild e ......................... 59 Schwaqerina cf. S_. emaciata (Beede) .................... 63 Schwagerina pseudokaragasensis Petocz, n. sp ................................... 70 Schwaqerina sp . A ..................................................................................................77 Schwaqerina rowetti Petocz , n. sp .................................................................84 Schwaqerina callosa (Rauser-Chernousova) ..............................................91 Schwagerina whartoni Petocz , n. sp ............................................................. 98 Schwaqerina heineri Petocz, n. sp .............................................................. 105 Schwaqerina moffiti Petocz, n. sp ...............................................................112 Schwaqerina sp. B ............................................................................................... 119 Schwagerina sp. C ............................................................................................... 12 3 Schwagerina rainyensis Petocz, n. sp .......................................................127 Schwaqerina mankomenensis Petocz, n. sp ........................................... 133 Schwaqerina hyperborea (Salter) ................................................................... 141 Eoparafusulina mendenhalli Petocz, n. sp .............................................. 149 Eoparafusulina waddelli Petocz, n. sp ......................................................159 PLATES .............................................................................................................................................167 REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................. 188 APPENDIX ......................................................................................................................................196