Middle Devonian Rugose Corals of the Central Great Basin GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 799 Middle Devonian Rugose Corals of the Central Great Basin ByC.W.MERRIAM GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 799 A stratigraphic-paleontologic study of middle Middle Devonian rugose corals and their use in geologic correlation UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1973 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ROGERS C. B. MORTON, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY V. E. McKelvey, Director Library of Congress catalog-card No. 73-600112 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, B.C. 20402 - Price $1.85 (paper cover) Stock Number 2401-02374 CONTENTS Page Page Abstract .........................................-.............. -........... ..........-.. 1 Great Basin Middle Devonian Rugosa and their bearing Introduction.............................................. .....-.......................... 1 upon geologic correlation with distant regions Con. Purpose and scope .............................................................. 1 Correlation with rugose coral deposits of the Rhine History of investigation........................................ ........... 2 Valley, Germany ............................................................ 20 Acknowledgments................................................................ 2 Middle Devonian rugose corals of eastern North Great Basin Devonian coral zones .......................................... 3 America compared with those of the Great Basin .... 21 Facies belts of the central Great Basin Devonian .......... 3 Classification of Great Basin Middle Devonian rugose Rugose corals and stratigraphy of Middle Devonian coral corals in coral zones F and G ................................................ 22 zones F and G in the central Great Basin .......................... 7 Systematic and descriptive paleontology .............................. 23 Rugose corals and stratigraphy of Middle Devonian Subfamily Siphonophrentinae, new subfamily of zones F and G in the Antelope-Roberts Mountains Streptelasmatidae ....._............................. ............. 23 facies belt.................................................................... ..... 7 Genus Siphonophrentis O'Connell .................................. 23 Reference section and coral zone F at Lone Mounts in 7 Genus Cystiphylloides Chapman ...................................... 24 Strata of Middle Devonian coral zone F and possibL Genus Zonophyllum Wedekind ........................................ 25 zone G in the Roberts Mountains ................................ 10 Genus Digonophyllum Wedekind .................................... 26 Middle Devonian rocks of coral zone F in the Subgenus Mochlophyllum Wedekind....................... 27 northern Antelope Range .............................................. 11 Genus Mesophyllum Schliiter .......................................... 28 Middle Devonian strata of coral zone F in the Subgenus Lekanophyllum Wedekind ............ ........ 29 southern Fish Creek Range ................................... 11 Genus Acanthophyllum Dybowski .................................. 29 Cockalorum Wash Formation .................................. 14 Genus Paracanthus, new genus ........................................ 32 Middle Devonian strata of the Hot Creek Range ........ 15 Genus Cyathophyllum Goldfuss ...................................... 32 Middle Devonian rugose corals of the Diamond Subgenus Morauophyllum Kettnerova................... 33 Mountains belt .................................................. ............ 15 Subgenus Orthocyathus, new subgenus................... 34 Great Basin Devonian coral zone G .................................. 17 Genus Keriophyllum Wedekind ...................................... 35 Middle Devonian strata of Bare Mountain, southern Genus Sociophyllum Birenheide ...................................... 36 Nye County, Nev. ..............N................................................... 17 Genus Utaratuia Crickmay .............................................. 37 Great Basin Middle Devonian Rugosa and their bearing Genus Tabulophyllum Fenton and Fenton .................... 38 upon geologic correlation with distant regions........... 17 Genus Australophyllum Stumrn ...................................... 39 Distribution and correlation value of Rugosa ................ 18 Genus Hexagonaria Giirich .............................................. 39 Correlation with rugose coral deposits of western Canada ...................................................................... 18 Genus Taimyrophyllum Chernychev .............................. 44 Hume Formation ........................................................ 18 Genus Lyrielasma Hill .............................................^.......^ 45 Horn Plateau Formation .......................................... 19 Locality register .......................................................................... 45 Rugose corals and correlation with Middle Devonian Selected references .................................................................... 47 strata of southeastern Alaska ........................................ 19 Index .............................................................................................. 51 ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates follow index] PLATE 1. Cystiphylloides, Zonophyllum, Mesophyllum, and Siphonophrentis. 2. Acanthophyllum and Digonophyllum. 3. Digonophyllum and Mesophyllum. 4. Cyathophyllum, Keriophyllum?, Acanthophyllum, and Paracanthus. 5. Keriophyllum and Cyathophyllum. 6. Cyathophyllum, Paracanthus, and Tabulophyllum. 7. Cyathophyllum and Lyrielasma. 8. Utaratuia, Australophyllum, and Sociophyllum. 9. Taimyrophyllum. 10. Taimyrophyllum. 11. Hexagonaria. 12. Hexagonaria. 13. Hexagonaria. 14. Hexagonaria. Ill IV CONTENTS Page FIGURE 1. Map of Nevada showing distribution of Middle Devonian rocks containing Rugosa of coral zones F and G .......... 2 2. Generalized correlation diagram showing Great Basin Devonian coral zones A through I in relation to Devonian stratigraphic units of the central Great Basin .............................................................................................. 4 3. Diagram showing characteristic rugose coral genera and their stratigraphic ranges in Great Basin Devonian coral zones ......................................................................................................................................................... 5 4. Map showing Devonian facies belts and Middle Devonian rugose coral-collection sites in the central Great Basin 6 5. Geologic map of northeastern part of Lone Mountain, Eureka County, Nev., showing principal collection sites for coral zone F in unit 4 of the Nevada Formation .............................................................................................. 9 6. Geologic sketch map of the southernmost part of the Fish Creek Range, Cockalorum Wash quadrangle, showing distribution and structural relations of Cockalorum Wash Formation, which contains faunas of Middle Devonian coral zone F ............................................................................. ............. ................................... 12 7. Columnar correlation diagram showing relations of Devonian rocks of the southern Diamond Mountains to those of the Sulphur Spring Range, Lone Mountain, and the Cockalorum Wash area ........................................ 16 TABLE Page TABLE 1. Rugose corals of Middle Devonian coral zones F and G and their areas of occurrence MIDDLE DEVONIAN RUGOSE CORALS OF THE CENTRAL GREAT BASIN By C. W. MERRIAM ABSTRACT and Acanthophyllurn. Great Basin coral zone G lacks the dis­ Great Basin Middle Devonian rugose corals here described tinctive colonial Rugosa of coral zone F. and illustrated comprise 20 genera and subgenera of coral zones Middle Devonian strata of southeastern Alaska include the F and G. The entire Devonian column of this province is sub­ Stringocephalus zone and contain Digonophyllidae and Pteno­ divided on the basis of Rugosa into nine zones, A through I in phyllidae similar to those of Great Basin coral zones F and G. ascending stratigraphic order. Of these genera and subgenera, The middle Middle Devonian coral-bearing formations of east­ 13 have not been found in the lower Middle Devonian below ern North America have fewer paleontologic ties with the Great coral zone F; none of them are recognized above coral zone G Basin than do those of southeastern Alaska, western Canada, and the Stringocephalus zone. A coral evolutionary burst in and Europe. Great Basin coral zone D is separated from that of zone F by Great Basin coral zone G at the bottom of the Stringo­ a barren zone (coral zone E) with few Rugosa. The final cephalus zone is correlative with the Rhine Valley Givetian. Devonian burst of Rugosa, that of the Phillipsastraeidae in Coral zone F below the Stringocephalus zone is considered later Upper Devonian coral zone I, is separated from zone G by Eifelian, approximately correlative with the Junkerberg another interval of sparse Rugosa in coral zone H, wherein the Schichten of the Eifel district, Germany. stromatoporoids predominate. Most of the described Rugosa, those of middle Devonian INTRODUCTION coral zone F (unit 4 of the Nevada Formation at Lone Moun­ tain), occur in the Antelope-Roberts Mountains facies belt. Middle Devonian rugose corals of the Great Basin This belt is distinguished on the basis of lithology and faunas are best known