Detrital zircon microtextures and U-PB geochronology of Upper Jurassic to Paleocene strata in the distal North American Cordillera foreland basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finzel, E. S.

2017-07-01

Detrital zircon surface microtextures, geochronologic U-Pb data, and tectonic subsidence analysis from Upper Jurassic to Paleocene strata in the Black Hills of South Dakota reveal provenance variations in the distal portion of the Cordillera foreland basin in response to tectonic events along the outboard margin of western North America. During Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous time, nonmarine strata record initially low rates of tectonic subsidence that facilitated widespread recycling of older foreland basin strata in eolian and fluvial systems that dispersed sediment to the northeast, with minimal sediment derived from the thrust belt. By middle Cretaceous time, marine inundation reflects increased subsidence rates coincident with a change to eastern sediment sources. Lowstand Albian fluvial systems in the Black Hills may have been linked to fluvial systems upstream in the midcontinent and downstream in the Bighorn Basin in Wyoming. During latest Cretaceous time, tectonic uplift in the study area reflects dynamic processes related to Laramide low-angle subduction that, relative to other basins to the west, was more influential due to the greater distance from the thrust load. Provenance data from Maastrichtian and lower Paleocene strata indicate a change back to western sources that included the Idaho-Montana batholith and exhumed Belt Supergroup. This study provides a significant contribution to the growing database that is refining the tectonics and continental-scale sediment dispersal patterns in North America during Late Jurassic-early Paleocene time. In addition, it demonstrates the merit of using detrital zircon grain shape and surface microtextures to aid in provenance interpretations.

Pre-, syn-, and postcollisional stratigraphic framework and provenance of upper triassic-upper cretaceous strata in the northwestern talkeetna mountains, alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hampton, B.A.; Ridgway, K.D.; O'Neill, J. M.; Gehrels, G.E.; Schmidt, J.; Blodgett, R.B.

2007-01-01

Mesozoic strata of the northwestern Talkeetna Mountains are located in a regional suture zone between the allochthonous Wrangellia composite terrane and the former Mesozoic continental margin of North America (i.e., the Yukon-Tanana terrane). New geologic mapping, measured stratigraphic sections, and provenance data define a distinct three-part stratigraphy for these strata. The lowermost unit is greater than 290 m thick and consists of Upper Triassic-Lower Jurassic mafic lavas, fossiliferous limestone, and a volcaniclastic unit that collectively we informally refer to as the Honolulu Pass formation. The uppermost 75 m of the Honolulu Pass formation represent a condensed stratigraphic interval that records limited sedimentation over a period of up to ca. 25 m.y. during Early Jurassic time. The contact between the Honolulu Pass formation and the overlying Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous clastic marine strata of the Kahiltna assemblage represents a ca. 20 m.y. depositional hiatus that spans the Middle Jurassic and part of Late Jurassic time. The Kahiltna assemblage may to be up to 3000 m thick and contains detrital zircons that have a robust U-Pb peak probability age of 119.2 Ma (i.e., minimum crystallization age/maximum depositional age). These data suggest that the upper age of the Kahiltna assemblage may be a minimum of 10-15 m.y. younger than the previously reported upper age of Valanginian. Sandstone composition (Q-43% F-30% L-27%-Lv-71% Lm-18% Ls-11%) and U-Pb detrital zircon ages suggest that the Kahiltna assemblage received igneous detritus mainly from the active Chisana arc, remnant Chitina and Talkeetna arcs, and Permian-Triassic plutons (Alexander terrane) of the Wrangellia composite terrane. Other sources of detritus for the Kahiltna assemblage were Upper Triassic-Lower Jurassic plutons of the Taylor Mountains batholith and Devonian-Mississippian plutons; both of these source areas are part of the Yukon-Tanana terrane. The Kahiltna assemblage is overlain

Palaeoclimate evolution across the Cretaceous-Palaeogene boundary in the Nanxiong Basin (SE China) recorded by red strata and its correlation with marine records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Mingming; Liu, Xiuming; Wang, Wenyan

2018-03-01

The climate during the Cretaceous Period represented one of the greenhouse states of Earth's history. Significant transformation of climate patterns and a mass extinction event characterised by the disappearance of dinosaurs occurred across the Cretaceous-Palaeogene boundary. However, most records of this interval are derived from marine sediments. The continuous and well-exposed red strata of the Nanxiong Basin (SE China) provide ideal material to develop continental records. Considerable research into stratigraphic, palaeontological, chronologic, palaeoclimatic, and tectonic aspects has been carried out for the Datang profile, which is a type section of a non-marine Cretaceous-Palaeogene stratigraphic division in China. For this study, we reviewed previous work and found that (1) the existing chronological framework of the Datang profile is flawed; (2) precise palaeoclimatic reconstruction is lacking because of the limitations of sampling resolution (e.g. carbonate samples) and/or the lack of efficient proxies; and (3) comparisons of climate changes between marine and continental records are lacking. To resolve these problems, detailed field observations and sampling, as well as environmental magnetic and rare earth element (REE) measurements, were carried out. The results show that (1) more accurate ages of the Datang profile range from 72 to 62.8 Ma based on a combination of the most recently published radiometric, palaeontological, and palaeomagnetic ages; (2) there is considerable evidence of palaeosol generation, which indicates that the red strata formed in a long-term hot, oxidising environment that lacked underwater conditions; (3) haematite was the dominant magnetic mineral in the red strata, and the variation trend of magnetic susceptibility was consistent with the oxygen isotope records from deep-sea sediments, which indicates that the content of haematite was controlled by the global climate; and (4) the palaeoclimate changes from 72 to 62.8 Ma

Cretaceous rocks from southwestern Montana to southwestern Minnesota, northern Rocky Mountains, and Great Plains

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dyman, T.S.; Cobban, W.A.; Fox, J.E.; Hammond, R.H.; Nichols, D.J.; Perry, W.J.; Porter, K.W.; Rice, D.D.; Setterholm, D.R.; Shurr, G.W.; Tysdal, R.G.; Haley, J.C.; Campen, E.B.

1994-01-01

In Montana, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, and Minnesota, Cretaceous strata are preserved in the asymmetric Western Interior foreland basin. More than 5,200 m (17,000 ft) of Cretaceous strata are present in southwestern Montana, less than 300 m (1,000 ft) in eastern South Dakota. The asymmetry resulted from varying rates of subsidence due to tectonic and sediment loading. The strata consist primarily of sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, and shale. Conglomerate is locally abundant along the western margin, whereas carbonate is present in most areas of the eastern shelf. Sediment was deposited in both marine and nonmarine environments as the shoreline fluctuated during major tectonic and eustatic cycles.A discussion of Cretaceous strata from southwestern to east-central Montana, the Black Hills, eastern South Dakota, and southwestern Minnesota shows regional stratigraphy and facies relations, sequence, boundaries, and biostratigraphic and radiometric correlations. The thick Cretaceous strata in southwestern Montana typify nonmarine facies of the rapidly subsiding westernmost part of the basin. These strata include more than 3,000 m (10,000 ft) of synorogenic conglomerate of the Upper Cretaceous part of the Beaverhead Group. West of the Madison Range, sequence boundaries bracket the Kootenai (Aptian and Albian), the Blackleaf (Albian and Cenomanian), and the Frontier Formations (Cenomanian and Turonian); sequence boundaries are difficult to recognize because the rocks are dominantly non-marine. Cretaceous strata in east-central Montana (about 1,371 m; 4,500 ft thick) lie at the approximate depositional axis of the basin and are mostly marine terrigenous rocks. Chert-pebble zones in these rocks reflect stratigraphic breaks that may correlate with sequence boundaries to the east and west. Cretaceous rocks of the Black Hills region consist of a predominantly marine clastic sequence averaging approximately 1,524 m (5,000 ft) thick. The Cretaceous System in eastern South

Shallow magnetic inclinations in the Cretaceous Valle Group, Baja California: remagnetization, compaction, or terrane translation?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Douglas P.; Busby, Cathy J.

1993-10-01

Paleomagnetic data from Albian to Turonian sedimentary rocks on Cedros Island, Mexico (28.2° N, 115.2° W) support the interpretation that Cretaceous rocks of western Baja California have moved farther northward than the 3° of latitude assignable to Neogene oblique rifting in the Gulf of California. Averaged Cretaceous paleomagnetic results from Cedros Island support 20 ± 10° of northward displacement and 14 ± 7° of clockwise rotation with respect to cratonic North America. Positive field stability tests from the Vizcaino terrane substantiate a mid-Cretaceous age for the high-temperature characteristic remanent magnetization in mid-Cretaceous strata. Therefore coincidence of characteristic magnetization directions and the expected Quaternary axial dipole direction is not due to post mid-Cretaceous remagnetization. A slump test performed on internally coherent, intrabasinal slump blocks within a paleontologically dated olistostrome demonstrates a mid-Cretaceous age of magnetization in the Valle Group. The in situ high-temperature natural remanent magnetization directions markedly diverge from the expected Quaternary axial dipole, indicating that the characteristic, high-temperature magnetization was acquired prior to intrabasinal slumping. Early acquisition of the characteristic magnetization is also supported by a regional attitude test involving three localities in coherent mid-Cretaceous Valle Group strata. Paleomagnetic inclinations in mudstone are not different from those in sandstone, indicating that burial compaction did not bias the results toward shallow inclinations in the Vizcaino terrane.

Dinosaur trackways from the early Late Cretaceous of western Cameroon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Jeremy E.; Menkem, Elie Fosso; Djomeni, Adrien; Fowe, Paul Gustave; Ntamak-Nida, Marie-Joseph

2017-10-01

Dinosaur trackways have rarely been reported in Cretaceous strata across the African continent. To the exception of ichnological occurrences in Morocco, Tunisia, Niger and Cameroon, our knowledge on the composition of Cretaceous dinosaur faunas mostly relies on skeletal evidence. For the first time, we document several dinosaur trackways from the Cretaceous of the Mamfe Basin in western Cameroon. Small and medium-size tridactyl footprints as well as numerous large circular footprints are present on a single horizon showing mudcracks and ripple marks. The age of the locality is considered Cenomanian-Turonian and if confirmed, this ichnological assemblage could be younger than the dinosaur footprints reported from northern Cameroon, and coeval with or younger than skeletal remains reported from the Saharan region. These trackways were left in an adjacent subsiding basin along the southern shore of the Benue Trough during a time of high-sea stand when the Trans-Saharan Seaway was already disconnecting West Africa from the rest of the continent. We predict that other similar track sites may be occurring along the margin of the Benue Trough and may eventually permit to test hypotheses related to provincialism among African dinosaur faunas.

Structural implications of an offset Early Cretaceous shoreline in northern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, D.L.; Irwin, W.P.

1971-01-01

Recognition of a nonmarine to marine transition in sedimentary rocks at Glade Creek and Big Bar in the southern Klamath Mountains permits reconstruction of the approximate position of a north-trending Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) shoreline. At the southern end of the Klamath Mountains, the shoreline is displaced 60 mi or more to the east by a west-northwest-trending fault zone. South of this fault zone the shoreline is buried at a much lower level beneath late Cenozoic rocks in the Great Valley. This large displacement probably is the result of differential movement along a system of left-lateral tear faults in the upper plate of the Coast Range thrust. The westward bulge of the Klamath arc also may have resulted from this faulting, as the amount and direction of the bulge is comparable with the displacement of the Valanginian shoreline.Basal clastic strata at both Glade Creek and Big Bar contain abundant fresh-water or brackish-water clams, many of which consist of unabraded paired valves. These are conformably overlain by Valanginian marine strata containing Buchia crassicollis solida.The position of the Valanginian shoreline beneath the Great Valley cannot be directly observed because it is buried by thick late Cenozoic deposits. However, its approximate westernmost limit must lie between the outcrop belt of marine strata on the west side of the valley and drill holes to basement on the east side, in which equivalent strata are absent.Franciscan rocks containing Valanginian fossils occur 10 mi southwest of Glade Creek, but these are deep-water marine eugeosynclinal rocks that were deposited far to the west of the shoreline. The deformation responsible for the displacement of the Valanginian shoreline and juxtaposition of the Franciscan rocks and Klamath Mountain basement rocks involved eastward under-thrusting of the Franciscan beneath the Coast Range thrust contemporaneous with differential movement along tear faults within the upper plate.

Linkages Between Cretaceous Forearc and Retroarc Basin Development in Southern Tibet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orme, D. A.; Laskowski, A. K.

2015-12-01

Integrated provenance and subsidence analysis of forearc and retroarc foreland basin strata were used to reconstruct the evolution of the southern margin of Eurasia during the Early to Late Cretaceous. The Cretaceous-Eocene Xigaze forearc basin, preserved along ~600 km of the southern Lhasa terrane, formed between the Gangdese magmatic arc and accretionary complex as subduction of Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere accommodated the northward motion and subsequent collision of the Indian plate. Petrographic similarities between Xigaze forearc basin strata and Cretaceous-Eocene sedimentary rocks of the northern Lhasa terrane, interpreted as a retroarc foreland basin, were previously interpreted to record N-S trending river systems connecting the retro- and forearc regions during Cretaceous time. New sandstone petrographic and U-Pb detrital zircon provenance analysis of Xigaze forearc basin strata support this hypothesis. Qualitative and statistical provenance analysis using cumulative distribution functions and Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) tests show that the forearc basin was derived from either the same source region as or recycled from the foreland basin. Quartz-rich sandstones with abundant carbonate sedimentary lithic grains and rounded, cobble limestone clasts suggests a more distal source than the proximal Gangdese arc. Therefore, we interpret that the northern Lhasa terrane was a significant source of Xigaze forearc detritus and track spatial and temporal variability in the connection between the retro- and forearc basin systems during the Late Cretaceous. A tectonic subsidence curve for the Xigaze forearc basin shows a steep and "kinked" shape similar to other ancient and active forearc basins. Initial subsidence was likely driven by thermal relaxation of the forearc ophiolite after emplacement while additional periods of rapid subsidence likely result from periods of high flux magmatism in the Gangdese arc and changes in plate convergence rate. Comparison of the

Early Cretaceous to Paleocene North American Drainage Reorganization and Sediment Routing from Detrital Zircons: Significance to the Alberta Oil Sands and Gulf of Mexico Petroleum Provinces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blum, M. D.

2014-12-01

Detrital zircons (DZs) represent a powerful tool for reconstructing continental paleodrainage. This paper uses new DZ data from Lower Cretaceous strata of the Alberta foreland basin, and Upper Cretaceous and Cenozoic strata of the Gulf of Mexico passive margin, to reconstruct paleodrainage and sediment routing, and illustrate significance to giant hydrocarbon systems. DZ populations from the Lower Cretaceous Mannville Group of Alberta and Saskatchewan infer a continental-scale river system that routed sediment from the eastern 2/3rds of North America to the Boreal Sea. Aptian McMurray Formation fluvial sands were derived from a drainage sourced in the Appalachians that was similar in scale to the modern Amazon. Albian fluvial sandstones of the Clearwater and Grand Rapids Formations were derived from the same Appalachian-sourced drainage area, which had expanded to include tributaries from the Cordilleran arc of the northwest US and southwest Canada. DZ populations from the Gulf of Mexico coastal plain complement this view, showing that only the southern US and Appalachian-Ouachita cordillera was integrated with the Gulf through the Late Cretaceous. However, by the Paleocene, drainage from the US Western Cordillera to the Appalachians had been routed to the Gulf of Mexico, establishing the template for sediment routing that persists today. The paleodrainage reorganization and changes in sediment routing described above played key roles in establishment of the Alberta oil sands and Gulf of Mexico as giant petroleum provinces. Early Cretaceous routing of a continental-scale fluvial system to the Alberta foreland provided large and contiguous fluvial point-bar sand bodies that became economically viable reservoirs, whereas mid- to late Cretaceous drainage reorganization routed greatly increased sediment loads to the Gulf of Mexico, which loaded the shelf, matured source rocks, and drove the gravitational and salt tectonics that helped establish the working hydrocarbon

A New Hadrosauroid Dinosaur from the Early Late Cretaceous of Shanxi Province, China

PubMed Central

Wang, Run-Fu; You, Hai-Lu; Xu, Shi-Chao; Wang, Suo-Zhu; Yi, Jian; Xie, Li-Juan; Jia, Lei; Li, Ya-Xian

2013-01-01

Background The origin of hadrosaurid dinosaurs is far from clear, mainly due to the paucity of their early Late Cretaceous close relatives. Compared to numerous Early Cretaceous basal hadrosauroids, which are mainly from Eastern Asia, only six early Late Cretaceous (pre-Campanian) basal hadrosauroids have been found: three from Asia and three from North America. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we describe a new hadrosauroid dinosaur, Yunganglong datongensis gen. et sp. nov., from the early Late Cretaceous Zhumapu Formation of Shanxi Province in northern China. The new taxon is represented by an associated but disarticulated partial adult skeleton including the caudodorsal part of the skull. Cladistic analysis and comparative studies show that Yunganglong represents one of the most basal Late Cretaceous hadrosauroids and is diagnosed by a unique combination of features in its skull and femur. Conclusions/Significance The discovery of Yunganglong adds another record of basal Hadrosauroidea in the early Late Cretaceous, and helps to elucidate the origin and evolution of Hadrosauridae. PMID:24204734

A new hadrosauroid dinosaur from the early late cretaceous of Shanxi Province, China.

PubMed

Wang, Run-Fu; You, Hai-Lu; Xu, Shi-Chao; Wang, Suo-Zhu; Yi, Jian; Xie, Li-Juan; Jia, Lei; Li, Ya-Xian

2013-01-01

The origin of hadrosaurid dinosaurs is far from clear, mainly due to the paucity of their early Late Cretaceous close relatives. Compared to numerous Early Cretaceous basal hadrosauroids, which are mainly from Eastern Asia, only six early Late Cretaceous (pre-Campanian) basal hadrosauroids have been found: three from Asia and three from North America. Here we describe a new hadrosauroid dinosaur, Yunganglong datongensis gen. et sp. nov., from the early Late Cretaceous Zhumapu Formation of Shanxi Province in northern China. The new taxon is represented by an associated but disarticulated partial adult skeleton including the caudodorsal part of the skull. Cladistic analysis and comparative studies show that Yunganglong represents one of the most basal Late Cretaceous hadrosauroids and is diagnosed by a unique combination of features in its skull and femur. The discovery of Yunganglong adds another record of basal Hadrosauroidea in the early Late Cretaceous, and helps to elucidate the origin and evolution of Hadrosauridae.

Cretaceous-Eocene provenance connections between the Palawan Continental Terrane and the northern South China Sea margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Lei; Cao, Licheng; Qiao, Peijun; Zhang, Xiangtao; Li, Qianyu; van Hinsbergen, Douwe J. J.

2017-11-01

The plate kinematic history of the South China Sea opening is key to reconstructing how the Mesozoic configuration of Panthalassa and Tethyan subduction systems evolved into today's complex Southeast Asian tectonic collage. The South China Sea is currently flanked by the Palawan Continental Terrane in the south and South China in the north and the two blocks have long been assumed to be conjugate margins. However, the paleogeographic history of the Palawan Continental Terrane remains an issue of uncertainty and controversy, especially regarding the questions of where and when it was separated from South China. Here we employ detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology and heavy mineral analysis on Cretaceous and Eocene strata from the northern South China Sea and Palawan to constrain the Late Mesozoic-Early Cenozoic provenance and paleogeographic evolution of the region testing possible connection between the Palawan Continental Terrane and the northern South China Sea margin. In addition to a revision of the regional stratigraphic framework using the youngest zircon U-Pb ages, these analyses show that while the Upper Cretaceous strata from the Palawan Continental Terrane are characterized by a dominance of zircon with crystallization ages clustering around the Cretaceous, the Eocene strata feature a large range of zircon ages and a new mineral group of rutile, anatase, and monazite. On the one hand, this change of sediment compositions seems to exclude the possibility of a latest Cretaceous drift of the Palawan Continental Terrane in response to the Proto-South China Sea opening as previously inferred. On the other hand, the zircon age signatures of the Cretaceous-Eocene strata from the Palawan Continental Terrane are largely comparable to those of contemporary samples from the northeastern South China Sea region, suggesting a possible conjugate relationship between the Palawan Continental Terrane and the eastern Pearl River Mouth Basin. Thus, the Palawan Continental

Early Cretaceous ice rafting and climate zonation in Australia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Frakes, L.A.; Alley, N.F.; Deynoux, M.

1995-07-01

Lower Cretaceous (Valanginian to Albian) strata of the southwestern Eromanga and Carpentaria basins of central and northern Australia, respectively, provide evidence of strongly seasonal climates at high paleolatitudes. These include dispersed clasts (lonestones) in fine sediments and pseudomorphs of calcite after ikaite (glendonites), the latter being known to form only at temperatures below about 7{degrees}C. Rafting is regarded as the transport mechanism for clasts up to boulder size (lonestones) enclosed within dark mudrocks; this interpretation rests on rare occurrences of penetration by clasts into substrate layers. Driftwood and large floating algae are eliminated as possible rafts because fossil wood ismore » found mainly concentrated in nearshore areas of the basins and large algal masses have not been observed. Rafting by icebergs is considered unlikely in view of the global lack of tillites and related glacial deposits of this age. Our interpretation is that seasonal ice, formed in winter along stream courses and strandlines, incorporated clasts which, during the melt season, were dropped into muddy sediments in both basins. Eromanga fine-sediment and concentrations of large clasts and associated sand lenses, both lying above local erosion surfaces. In the Carpentaria Basin, local dumping of sediment from raft surfaces resulted in accumulation of pods of small clasts. Three zones can be identified for the Early Cretaceous climate of eastern Australia: (1) a very cold southern region, at latitudes above about 72{degrees} S, characterized by meteoric waters possibly originating as Antarctic glacial meltwaters; (2) a zone of strongly seasonal climates, with freezing winters and warm summers, between about 72{degrees} and 53{degrees} S.Lat.; and (3) a mid-latitude zone (below about 50{degrees} S. Lat.), where freezing temperatures were not common. 60 refs., 7 figs.« less

The origin and early evolution of metatherian mammals: the Cretaceous record.

PubMed

Williamson, Thomas E; Brusatte, Stephen L; Wilson, Gregory P

2014-01-01

Metatherians, which comprise marsupials and their closest fossil relatives, were one of the most dominant clades of mammals during the Cretaceous and are the most diverse clade of living mammals after Placentalia. Our understanding of this group has increased greatly over the past 20 years, with the discovery of new specimens and the application of new analytical tools. Here we provide a review of the phylogenetic relationships of metatherians with respect to other mammals, discuss the taxonomic definition and diagnosis of Metatheria, outline the Cretaceous history of major metatherian clades, describe the paleobiology, biogeography, and macroevolution of Cretaceous metatherians, and provide a physical and climatic background of Cretaceous metatherian faunas. Metatherians are a clade of boreosphendian mammals that must have originated by the Late Jurassic, but the first unequivocal metatherian fossil is from the Early Cretaceous of Asia. Metatherians have the distinctive tightly interlocking occlusal molar pattern of tribosphenic mammals, but differ from Eutheria in their dental formula and tooth replacement pattern, which may be related to the metatherian reproductive process which includes an extended period of lactation followed by birth of extremely altricial young. Metatherians were widespread over Laurasia during the Cretaceous, with members present in Asia, Europe, and North America by the early Late Cretaceous. In particular, they were taxonomically and morphologically diverse and relatively abundant in the Late Cretaceous of western North America, where they have been used to examine patterns of biogeography, macroevolution, diversification, and extinction through the Late Cretaceous and across the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary. Metatherian diversification patterns suggest that they were not strongly affected by a Cretaceous Terrestrial Revolution, but they clearly underwent a severe extinction across the K-Pg boundary.

A revised checklist of Nepticulidae fossils (Lepidoptera) indicates an Early Cretaceous origin.

PubMed

Doorenweerd, Camiel; Nieukerken, Erik J Van; Sohn, Jae-Cheon; Labandeira, Conrad C

2015-05-27

With phylogenetic knowledge of Lepidoptera rapidly increasing, catalysed by increasingly powerful molecular techniques, the demand for fossil calibration points to estimate an evolutionary timeframe for the order is becoming an increasingly pressing issue. The family Nepticulidae is a species rich, basal branch within the phylogeny of the Lepidoptera, characterized by larval leaf-mining habits, and thereby represents a potentially important lineage whose evolutionary history can be established more thoroughly with the potential use of fossil calibration points. Using our experience with extant global Nepticulidae, we discuss a list of characters that may be used to assign fossil leaf mines to Nepticulidae, and suggest useful methods for classifying relevant fossil material. We present a checklist of 79 records of Nepticulidae representing adult and leaf-mine fossils mentioned in literature, often with multiple exemplars constituting a single record. We provide our interpretation of these fossils. Two species now are included in the collective generic name Stigmellites: Stigmellites resupinata (Krassilov, 2008) comb. nov. (from Ophiheliconoma) and Stigmellites almeidae (Martins-Neto, 1989) comb. nov. (from Nepticula). Eleven records are for the first time attributed to Nepticulidae. After discarding several dubious records, including one possibly placing the family at a latest Jurassic position, we conclude that the oldest fossils likely attributable to Nepticulidae are several exemplars representing a variety of species from the Dakota Formation (USA). The relevant strata containing these earliest fossils are now dated at 102 Ma (million years ago) in age, corresponding to the latest Albian Stage of the Early Cretaceous. Integration of all records in the checklist shows that a continuous presence of nepticulid-like leaf mines preserved as compression-impression fossils and by amber entombment of adults have a fossil record extending to the latest Early Cretaceous.

A primitive therizinosauroid dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kirkland, J.I.; Zanno, L.E.; Sampson, S.D.; Clark, J.M.; DeBlieux, D.D.

2005-01-01

Therizinosauroids are an enigmatic group of dinosaurs known mostly from the Cretaceous period of Asia, whose derived members are characterized by elongate necks, laterally expanded pelves, small, leaf-shaped teeth, edentulous rostra and mandibular symphyses that probably bore keratinized beaks. Although more than a dozen therizinosauroid taxa are known, their relationships within Dinosauria have remained controversial because of fragmentary remains and an unusual suite of characters. The recently discovered 'feathered' therizinosauroid Beipiaosaurus from the Early Cretaceous of China helped to clarify the theropod affinities of the group. However, Beipiaosaurus is also poorly represented. Here we describe a new, primitive therizinosauroid from an extensive paucispecific bonebed at the base of the Cedar Mountain Formation (Early Cretaceous) of east-central Utah. This new taxon represents the most complete and most basal therizinosauroid yet discovered. Phylogenetic analysis of coelurosaurian theropods incorporating this taxon places it at the base of the clade Therizinosauroiden, indicating that this species documents the earliest known stage in the poorly understood transition from carnivory to herbivory within Therizinosauroidea. The taxon provides the first documentation, to our knowledge, of therizinosauroids in North America during the Early Cretaceous.

Late Cretaceous-Early Palaeogene tectonic development of SE Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morley, C. K.

2012-10-01

The Late Cretaceous-Early Palaeogene history of the continental core of SE Asia (Sundaland) marks the time prior to collision of India with Asia when SE Asia, from the Tethys in the west to the Palaeo-Pacific in the east, lay in the upper plate of subduction zones. In Myanmar and Sumatra, subduction was interrupted in the Aptian-Albian by a phase of arc accretion (Woyla and Mawgyi arcs) and in Java, eastern Borneo and Western Sulawesi by collision of continental fragments rifted from northern Australia. Subsequent resumption of subduction in the Myanmar-Thailand sector explains: 1) early creation of oceanic crust in the Andaman Sea in a supra-subduction zone setting ~ 95 Ma, 2) the belt of granite plutons of Late Cretaceous-Early Palaeogene age (starting ~ 88 Ma) in western Thailand and central Myanmar, and 3) amphibolite grade metamorphism between 70 and 80 Ma seen in gneissic outcrops in western and central Thailand, and 4) accretionary prism development in the Western Belt of Myanmar, until glancing collision with the NE corner of Greater India promoted ophiolite obduction, deformation and exhumation of marine sediments in the early Palaeogene. The Ranong strike-slip fault and other less well documented faults, were episodically active during the Late Cretaceous-Palaeogene time. N to NW directed subduction of the Palaeo-Pacific ocean below Southern China, Vietnam and Borneo created a major magmatic arc, associated with rift basins, metamorphic core complexes and strike-slip deformation which continued into the Late Cretaceous. The origin and timing of termination of subduction has recently been explained by collision of a large Luconia continental fragment either during the Late Cretaceous or Palaeogene. Evidence for such a collision is absent from the South China Sea well and seismic reflection record and here collision is discounted. Instead relocation of the subducting margin further west, possibly in response of back-arc extension (which created the Proto

The origin and early evolution of metatherian mammals: the Cretaceous record

PubMed Central

Williamson, Thomas E.; Brusatte, Stephen L.; Wilson, Gregory P.

2014-01-01

Abstract Metatherians, which comprise marsupials and their closest fossil relatives, were one of the most dominant clades of mammals during the Cretaceous and are the most diverse clade of living mammals after Placentalia. Our understanding of this group has increased greatly over the past 20 years, with the discovery of new specimens and the application of new analytical tools. Here we provide a review of the phylogenetic relationships of metatherians with respect to other mammals, discuss the taxonomic definition and diagnosis of Metatheria, outline the Cretaceous history of major metatherian clades, describe the paleobiology, biogeography, and macroevolution of Cretaceous metatherians, and provide a physical and climatic background of Cretaceous metatherian faunas. Metatherians are a clade of boreosphendian mammals that must have originated by the Late Jurassic, but the first unequivocal metatherian fossil is from the Early Cretaceous of Asia. Metatherians have the distinctive tightly interlocking occlusal molar pattern of tribosphenic mammals, but differ from Eutheria in their dental formula and tooth replacement pattern, which may be related to the metatherian reproductive process which includes an extended period of lactation followed by birth of extremely altricial young. Metatherians were widespread over Laurasia during the Cretaceous, with members present in Asia, Europe, and North America by the early Late Cretaceous. In particular, they were taxonomically and morphologically diverse and relatively abundant in the Late Cretaceous of western North America, where they have been used to examine patterns of biogeography, macroevolution, diversification, and extinction through the Late Cretaceous and across the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary. Metatherian diversification patterns suggest that they were not strongly affected by a Cretaceous Terrestrial Revolution, but they clearly underwent a severe extinction across the K-Pg boundary. PMID:25589872

A new dinosaur ichnotaxon from the Lower Cretaceous Patuxent Formation of Maryland and Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stanford, Ray; Weems, Robert E.; Lockley, Martin G.

2004-01-01

In recent years, numerous dinosaur footprints have been discovered on bedding surfaces within the Lower Cretaceous Patuxent Formation of Maryland and Virginia. Among these, distinctive small tracks that display a combination of small manus with five digit impressions and a relatively much larger pes with four toe impressions evidently were made by animals belonging to the ornithischian family Hypsilophodontidae. These tracks differ from any ornithischian ichnotaxon previously described. We here name them Hypsiloichnus marylandicus and provide a description of their diagnostic characteristics. Although hypsilophodontid skeletal remains have not been found in the Patuxent, their skeletal remains are known from Lower Cretaceous strata of similar age in both western North America and Europe. Therefore, it is not surprising to find that an Early Cretaceous representative of this family also existed in eastern North America.

A new Early Cretaceous eutherian mammal from the Sasayama Group, Hyogo, Japan

PubMed Central

Kusuhashi, Nao; Tsutsumi, Yukiyasu; Saegusa, Haruo; Horie, Kenji; Ikeda, Tadahiro; Yokoyama, Kazumi; Shiraishi, Kazuyuki

2013-01-01

We here describe a new Early Cretaceous (early Albian) eutherian mammal, Sasayamamylos kawaii gen. et sp. nov., from the ‘Lower Formation’ of the Sasayama Group, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Sasayamamylos kawaii is characterized by a robust dentary, a distinct angle on the ventral margin of the dentary at the posterior end of the mandibular symphysis, a lower dental formula of 3–4 : 1 : 4 : 3, a robust lower canine, a non-molariform lower ultimate premolar, and a secondarily reduced entoconid on the molars. To date, S. kawaii is the earliest known eutherian mammal possessing only four premolars, which demonstrates that the reduction in the premolar count in eutherians started in the late Early Cretaceous. The occurrence of S. kawaii implies that the relatively rapid diversification of eutherians in the mid-Cretaceous had already started by the early Albian. PMID:23536594

A new Early Cretaceous eutherian mammal from the Sasayama Group, Hyogo, Japan.

PubMed

Kusuhashi, Nao; Tsutsumi, Yukiyasu; Saegusa, Haruo; Horie, Kenji; Ikeda, Tadahiro; Yokoyama, Kazumi; Shiraishi, Kazuyuki

2013-05-22

We here describe a new Early Cretaceous (early Albian) eutherian mammal, Sasayamamylos kawaii gen. et sp. nov., from the 'Lower Formation' of the Sasayama Group, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Sasayamamylos kawaii is characterized by a robust dentary, a distinct angle on the ventral margin of the dentary at the posterior end of the mandibular symphysis, a lower dental formula of 3-4 : 1 : 4 : 3, a robust lower canine, a non-molariform lower ultimate premolar, and a secondarily reduced entoconid on the molars. To date, S. kawaii is the earliest known eutherian mammal possessing only four premolars, which demonstrates that the reduction in the premolar count in eutherians started in the late Early Cretaceous. The occurrence of S. kawaii implies that the relatively rapid diversification of eutherians in the mid-Cretaceous had already started by the early Albian.

Mid-Cretaceous carbon cycle perturbations and Oceanic Anoxic Events recorded in southern Tibet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiaolin; Chen, Kefan; Hu, Dongping; Sha, Jingeng

2016-12-01

The organic carbon isotope (δ13Corg) curve for ~1.7-km-thick mid-Cretaceous strata of the Chaqiela section in Gamba area, southern Tibet is presented in this study. C-isotopic chemostratigraphic correlation combined with biostratigraphic constraints show that the Chaqiela section spans early Aptian through early Campanian period, and that almost all of the carbon cycle perturbations and Oceanic Anoxic Events during the mid-Cretaceous period are well recorded in the continental margin area of the southeastern Tethys Ocean. Significantly, two levels of methane-derived authigenic carbonates were identified at the onset of OAE1b near the Aptian-Albian boundary. We suggest that an increase in methane release from gas hydrates, potentially driven by sea-level fall and bottom water temperature increase, may have contributed to the large negative δ13Corg excursions and global warming during OAE1b.

Early Cretaceous greenhouse pumped higher taxa diversification in spiders.

PubMed

Shao, Lili; Li, Shuqiang

2018-05-24

The Cretaceous experienced one of the most remarkable greenhouse periods in geological history. During this time, ecosystem reorganizations significantly impacted the diversification of many groups of organisms. The rise of angiosperms marked a major biome turnover. Notwithstanding, relatively little remains known about how the Cretaceous global ecosystem impacted the evolution of spiders, which constitute one of the most abundant groups of predators. Herein, we evaluate the transcriptomes of 91 taxa representing more than half of the spider families. We add 23 newly sequenced taxa to the existing database to obtain a robust phylogenomic assessment. Phylogenetic reconstructions using different datasets and methods obtain novel placements of some groups, especially in the Synspermiata and the group having a retrolateral tibial apophysis (RTA). Molecular analyses indicate an expansion of the RTA clade at the Early Cretaceous with a hunting predatory strategy shift. Fossil analyses show a 7-fold increase of diversification rate at the same period, but this likely owes to the first occurrences spider in amber deposits. Additional analyses of fossil abundance show an accumulation of spider lineages in the Early Cretaceous. We speculate that the establishment of a warm greenhouse climate pumped the diversification of spiders, in particular among webless forms tracking the abundance of insect prey. Our study offers a new pathway for future investigations of spider phylogeny and diversification. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Recent advances in the cretaceous stratigraphy of Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Ki-Hong; Suzuki, Kazuhiro; Park, Sun-Ok; Ishida, Keisuke; Uno, Koji

2003-06-01

A subrounded, accidental, zircon grain from a rhyolite sample of the Oknyobong Formation has shown an U-Pb CHIME isochron age, 187 Ma, implying its derivation from a Jurassic felsic igneous rock. Such a lower limit of the geologic age of the Oknyobong Formation, combined with its pre-Kyongsang upper limit, constrains that the Oknyobong Formation belongs to the Jasong Synthem (Late Jurassic-early Early Cretaceous) typified in North Korea. The Jaeryonggang Movement terminated the deposition of the Jasong Synthem and caused a shift of the depocenter from North Korea to the Kyongsang Basin, Southeast Korea. The Cretaceous-Paleocene Kyongsang Supergroup of the Kyongsang Basin is the stratotype of the Kyongsang Synthem, an unconformity-bounded unit in the Korean Peninsula. The unconformity at the base of the Yuchon Volcanic Group is a local expression of the interregionally recognizable mid-Albian tectonism; it subdivides the Kyongsang Synthem into the Lower Kyongsang Subsynthem (Barremian-Early Albian) and the Upper Kyongsang Subsynthem (Late Albian-Paleocene). The latter is unconformably overlain by Eocene and younger strata. The Late Permian to Early Jurassic radiolarian fossils from the chert pebbles of the Kumidong and the Kisadong conglomerates of the Aptian-Early Albian Hayang Group of the Kyongsang Basin are equivalent with those of the cherts that constitute the Jurassic accretionary prisms in Japan, the provenance of the chert pebbles in the Kyongsang Basin. Bimodal volcanisms throughout the history of the Kyongsang Basin is exemplified by the felsic Kusandong Tuff erupted abruptly and briefly in the Late Aptian when semi-coeval volcanisms were of intermediate and mafic compositions. The mean paleomagnetic direction shown by the Kusandong Tuff is in good agreement with the Early Cretaceous directions known from North China, South China and Siberia Blocks.

Fossil evidence of avian crops from the Early Cretaceous of China

PubMed Central

Zheng, Xiaoting; Martin, Larry D.; Zhou, Zhonghe; Burnham, David A.; Zhang, Fucheng; Miao, Desui

2011-01-01

The crop is characteristic of seed-eating birds today, yet little is known about its early history despite remarkable discoveries of many Mesozoic seed-eating birds in the past decade. Here we report the discovery of some early fossil evidence for the presence of a crop in birds. Two Early Cretaceous birds, the basal ornithurine Hongshanornis and a basal avian Sapeornis, demonstrate that an essentially modern avian digestive system formed early in avian evolution. The discovery of a crop in two phylogenetically remote lineages of Early Cretaceous birds and its absence in most intervening forms indicates that it was independently acquired as a specialized seed-eating adaptation. Finally, the reduction or loss of teeth in the forms showing seed-filled crops suggests that granivory was possibly one of the factors that resulted in the reduction of teeth in early birds. PMID:21896733

Reappraisal of Europe’s most complete Early Cretaceous plesiosaurian: Brancasaurus brancai Wegner, 1914 from the “Wealden facies” of Germany

PubMed Central

Hornung, Jahn J.; Kear, Benjamin P.

2016-01-01

The holotype of Brancasaurus brancai is one of the most historically famous and anatomically complete Early Cretaceous plesiosaurian fossils. It derived from the Gerdemann & Co. brickworks clay pit near Gronau (Westfalen) in North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Germany. Stratigraphically this locality formed part of the classic European “Wealden facies,” but is now more formally attributed to the upper-most strata of the Bückeberg Group (upper Berriasian). Since its initial description in 1914, the type skeleton of B. brancai has suffered damage both during, and after WWII. Sadly, these mishaps have resulted in the loss of substantial information, in particular many structures of the cranium and limb girdles, which are today only evidenced from published text and/or illustrations. This non-confirmable data has, however, proven crucial for determining the relationships of B. brancai within Plesiosauria: either as an early long-necked elasmosaurid, or a member of the controversial Early Cretaceous leptocleidid radiation. To evaluate these competing hypotheses and compile an updated osteological compendium, we undertook a comprehensive examination of the holotype as it is now preserved, and also assessed other Bückeberg Group plesiosaurian fossils to establish a morphological hypodigm. Phylogenetic simulations using the most species-rich datasets of Early Cretaceous plesiosaurians incorporating revised scores for B. brancai, together with a second recently named Bückeberg Group plesiosaurian Gronausaurus wegneri (Hampe, 2013), demonstrated that referral of these taxa to Leptocleididae was not unanimous, and that the topological stability of this clade is tenuous. In addition, the trait combinations manifested by B. brancai and G. wegneri were virtually identical. We therefore conclude that these monotypic individuals are ontogenetic morphs and G. wegneri is a junior synonym of B. brancai. Finally, anomalies detected in the diagnostic features for other �

Depletion of 13C in Cretaceous marine organic matter: Source, diagenetic, or environmental sigal?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dean, W.E.; Arthur, M.A.; Claypool, G.E.

1986-01-01

Geochemical studies of Cretaceous strata rich in organic carbon (OC) from Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) sites and several land sections reveal several consistent relationships among amount of OC, hydrocarbon generating potential of kerogen (measured by pyrolysis as the hydrogen index, HI), and the isotopic composition of the OC. First, there is a positive correlation between HI and OC in strata that contain more than about 1% OC. Second, percent OC and HI often are negatively correlated with carbon isotopic composition (?? 13C) of kerogen. The relationship between HI and OC indicates that as the amount of organic matter increases, this organic matter tends to be more lipid rich reflecting the marine source of the organic matter. Cretaceous samples that contain predominantly marine organic matter tend to be isotopically lighter than those that contain predominantly terrestrial organic matter. Average ?? 13C values for organic matter from most Cretaceous sites are between -26 and -28???, and values heavier than about -25??? occur at very few sites. Most of the ?? 13C values of Miocene to Holocene OC-rich strata and modern marine plankton are between -16 to -23???. Values of ??13C of modern terrestrial organic matter are mostly between -23 and -33???. The depletion of terrestial OC in 13C relative to marine planktonic OC is the basis for numerous statements in the literature that isotopically light Cretaceous organic matter is of terrestrial origin, even though other organic geochemical and(or) optical indicators show that the organic matter is mainly of marine origin. A difference of about 5??? in ?? 13C between modern and Cretaceous OC-rich marine strata suggests either that Cretaceous marine planktonic organic matter had the same isotopic signature as modern marine plankton and that signature has been changed by diagenesis, or that OC derived from Cretaceous marine plankton was isotopically lighter by about 5??? relative to modern plankton OC. Diagenesis does

Detrital Zircon Geochronology of Cretaceous and Paleogene Strata Across the South-Central Alaskan Convergent Margin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bradley, Dwight; Haeussler, Peter J.; O'Sullivan, Paul; Friedman, Rich; Till, Alison; Bradley, Dan; Trop, Jeff

2009-01-01

Ages of detrital zircons are reported from ten samples of Lower Cretaceous to Paleogene metasandstones and sandstones from the Chugach Mountains, Talkeetna Mountains, and western Alaska Range of south-central Alaska. Zircon ages are also reported from three igneous clasts from two conglomerates. The results bear on the regional geology, stratigraphy, tectonics, and mineral resource potential of the southern Alaska convergent margin. Chugach Mountains - The first detrital zircon data are reported here from the two main components of the Chugach accretionary complex - the inboard McHugh Complex and the outboard Valdez Group. Detrital zircons from sandstone and two conglomerate clasts of diorite were dated from the McHugh Complex near Anchorage. This now stands as the youngest known part of the McHugh Complex, with an inferred Turonian (Late Cretaceous) depositional age no older than 91-93 Ma. The zircon population has probability density peaks at 93 and 104 Ma and a smattering of Early Cretaceous and Jurassic grains, with nothing older than 191 Ma. The two diorite clasts yielded Jurassic U-Pb zircon ages of 179 and 181 Ma. Together, these findings suggest a Mesozoic arc as primary zircon source, the closest and most likely candidate being the Wrangellia composite terrane. The detrital zircon sample from the Valdez Group contains zircons as young as 69 and 77 Ma, consistent with the previously assigned Maastrichtian to Campanian (Late Cretaceous) depositional age. The zircon population has peaks at 78, 91, 148, and 163 Ma, minor peaks at 129, 177, 330, and 352 Ma, and no concordant zircons older than Devonian. A granite clast from a Valdez Group conglomerate yielded a Triassic U-Pb zircon age of 221 Ma. Like the McHugh Complex, the Valdez Group appears to have been derived almost entirely from Mesozoic arc sources, but a few Precambrian zircons are also present. Talkeetna Mountains - Detrital zircons ages were obtained from southernmost metasedimentary rocks of the

Impact of the terminal Cretaceous event on plant–insect associations

PubMed Central

Labandeira, Conrad C.; Johnson, Kirk R.; Wilf, Peter

2002-01-01

Evidence for a major extinction of insect herbivores is provided by presence–absence data for 51 plant–insect associations on 13,441 fossil plant specimens, spanning the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary in southwestern North Dakota. The most specialized associations, which were diverse and abundant during the latest Cretaceous, almost disappeared at the boundary and failed to recover in younger strata even while generalized associations regained their Cretaceous abundances. These results are consistent with a sudden ecological perturbation that precipitated a diversity bottleneck for insects and plants. PMID:11854501

The Early Cretaceous Sulfur Isotope Record: New Data, Revised Ages, and Updated Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kristall, B.; Hurtgen, M.; Sageman, B. B.; Jacobson, A. D.

2015-12-01

The Early Cretaceous is a time of significant transformation with the continued break-up of Pangea, the emplacement of several LIPs, and a climatic shift from a cool greenhouse to a warm greenhouse. The timing of these major events and their relationship to seawater geochemistry (as recorded in isotope records) is critical for understanding changes in global biogeochemical cycles during this time. Within this context, recent revisions to the Cretaceous portion of the geologic timescale necessitate a reevaluation of the Cretaceous S isotope record as recorded in marine barite (Paytan et al., 2004). We present a revised Early Cretaceous S isotope record and present new δ34Sbarite data that extend the record further back in time and provide more detail during two major S isotope shifts of the Early Cretaceous. The new data maintain the major ~5‰ negative shift but raise questions on the timing and structure of this perturbation. Furthermore, recently updated estimates for global rates of marine microbial sulfate reduction (MSR) (Bowles et al., 2014) and sulfate burial during the Phanerozoic (Halevy et al., 2012) require notable revisions in the fluxes and isotopic values used to model the global S cycle. We present a revised global S cycle box model and reconstruct the evolution of the Early Cretaceous S isotope record primarily through perturbations in volcanic and hydrothermal fluxes (e.g., submarine LIPs). Changes to the weathering and pyrite burial fluxes and the global integrated fractionation factor for MSR are also used to modulate, balance, and smooth the LIP-driven perturbation. The massive evaporite burial during the Late Aptian post dates the major -5‰ shift and has little affect on the modeled S isotope composition of seawater sulfate, despite causing a major drop in sulfate concentration. The S cycle box model is coupled to a Sr cycle box model to provide additional constraints on the magnitude and timing of perturbations within the S isotope record.

The Wandering Indian Plate and Its Changing Biogeography During the Late Cretaceous-Early Tertiary Period

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatterjee, Sankar; Scotese, Christopher

Palaeobiogeographic analysis of Indian tetrapods during the Late Cretaceous-Early Tertiary time has recognized that both vicariance and geodispersal have played important roles in producing biogeographic congruence. The biogeographic patterns show oscillating cycles of geodispersal (Late Cretaceous), followed by congruent episodes of vicariance and geodispersal (Early Eocene), followed by another geodispersal event (Middle Eocene). New biogeographic synthesis suggests that the Late Cretaceous Indian tetrapod fauna is cosmopolitan with both Gondwanan and Laurasian elements. Throughout most of the Cretaceous, India was separated from the rest of Gondwana, but in the latest Cretaceous it reestablished contact with Africa through Kohistan-Dras (K-D) volcanic arc, and maintained biotic link with South America via Ninetyeast Ridge-Kerguelen-Antarctica corridor. These two geodispersal routes allowed exchanges of "pan-Gondwana" terrestrial tetrapods from Africa, South America, and Madagascar. During that time India also maintained biotic connections with Laurasia across the Neotethys via Kohistan-Dras Arc and Africa. During the Palaeocene, India, welded to the K-D Arc, rafted like a "Noah's Ark" as an island continent and underwent rapid cladogenesis because of allopatric speciation. Although the Palaeocene fossil record is blank, Early Eocene tetrapods contain both endemic and cosmopolitan elements, but Middle Eocene faunas have strong Asian character. India collided with Asia in Early and Middle Eocene time and established a new northeast corridor for faunal migration to facilitate the bidirectional "Great Asian Interchange" dispersals.

Fossil evidence for a herbaceous diversification of early eudicot angiosperms during the Early Cretaceous

PubMed Central

Jud, Nathan A.

2015-01-01

Eudicot flowering plants comprise roughly 70% of land plant species diversity today, but their early evolution is not well understood. Fossil evidence has been largely restricted to their distinctive tricolpate pollen grains and this has limited our understanding of the ecological strategies that characterized their primary radiation. I describe megafossils of an Early Cretaceous eudicot from the Potomac Group in Maryland and Virginia, USA that are complete enough to allow reconstruction of important life-history traits. I draw on quantitative and qualitative analysis of functional traits, phylogenetic analysis and sedimentological evidence to reconstruct the biology of this extinct species. These plants were small and locally rare but widespread, fast-growing herbs. They had complex leaves and they were colonizers of bright, wet, disturbance-prone habitats. Other early eudicot megafossils appear to be herbaceous rather than woody, suggesting that this habit was characteristic of their primary radiation. A mostly herbaceous initial diversification of eudicots could simultaneously explain the heretofore sparse megafossil record as well as their rapid diversification during the Early Cretaceous because the angiosperm capacity for fast reproduction and fast evolution is best expressed in herbs. PMID:26336172

Fossil evidence for a herbaceous diversification of early eudicot angiosperms during the Early Cretaceous.

PubMed

Jud, Nathan A

2015-09-07

Eudicot flowering plants comprise roughly 70% of land plant species diversity today, but their early evolution is not well understood. Fossil evidence has been largely restricted to their distinctive tricolpate pollen grains and this has limited our understanding of the ecological strategies that characterized their primary radiation. I describe megafossils of an Early Cretaceous eudicot from the Potomac Group in Maryland and Virginia, USA that are complete enough to allow reconstruction of important life-history traits. I draw on quantitative and qualitative analysis of functional traits, phylogenetic analysis and sedimentological evidence to reconstruct the biology of this extinct species. These plants were small and locally rare but widespread, fast-growing herbs. They had complex leaves and they were colonizers of bright, wet, disturbance-prone habitats. Other early eudicot megafossils appear to be herbaceous rather than woody, suggesting that this habit was characteristic of their primary radiation. A mostly herbaceous initial diversification of eudicots could simultaneously explain the heretofore sparse megafossil record as well as their rapid diversification during the Early Cretaceous because the angiosperm capacity for fast reproduction and fast evolution is best expressed in herbs. © 2015 The Author(s).

Morphologically Specialized Termite Castes and Advanced Sociality in the Early Cretaceous.

PubMed

Engel, Michael S; Barden, Phillip; Riccio, Mark L; Grimaldi, David A

2016-02-22

A hallmark of animals that are eusocial, or those with advanced sociality, is reproductive specialization into worker and queen castes. In the most derived societies, these divisions are essentially fixed and in some arthropods, include further specialization--a tripartite system with a soldier caste that defends the colony. Eusociality has originated numerous times among insects but is believed to have appeared first in the termites (Isoptera), in the Early Cretaceous. However, all termites known from the Cretaceous have, until now, only been winged reproductives (alates and dealates); the earliest soldiers and definitive workers were known from just the Miocene (ca. 17-20 million years ago [mya]). Here, we report six termite species preserved in Early Cretaceous (ca. 100 mya) amber from Myanmar, one described as Krishnatermes yoddha gen. et sp. nov., comprising the worker/pseudergate, winged reproductive, and soldier, and a second species, Gigantotermes rex gen. et sp. nov., based on one of the largest soldier termites yet known. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that Krishnatermes are in the basal "Meiatermes-grade" of Cretaceous termites. Workers/pseudergates of another four species are briefly described, but not named. One of these workers/pseudergates reveals that ants--the most serious enemies of modern termites--lived in close proximity to termites in the Burmese paleofauna. These discoveries demonstrate the Mesozoic antiquity of specialized termite caste systems and corroborate that among all social species, termites probably had the original societies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Basin evolution during Cretaceous-Oligocene changes in sediment routing in the Eastern Precordillera, Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reat, Ellen J.; Fosdick, Julie C.

2018-07-01

The response of sedimentary basins to earliest onset of Andean contraction and lithospheric flexure in the southern Central Andes is debated and not well-resolved. The Upper Cretaceous to Oligocene strata of the Cuesta de Huaco anticline in the Argentine Precordillera record sedimentation, regional deformation, and climate patterns prior to the highly studied Oligocene-Miocene foreland basin phase. These deposits have recently been recognized as Cretaceous and Paleogene in age, prompting a re-evaluation of this depocenter as part of the early Andean system, prior to deposition of the aeolian foredeep sediments of the Oligocene Vallecito Formation. This work presents new data from the Argentine Precordillera fold-and-thrust belt at 30°S that sheds light on new reinterpretations of the timing of sedimentation for an important interval in Andean retroarc foreland basin history. We report the first Paleocene detrital radiometric ages from the Cuesta de Huaco 'red strata' of the pre-Oligocene Bermejo Basin. Detailed sedimentology and provenance data from the Cenomanian-Turonian Ciénaga del Río Huaco and Danian-Priabonian Puesto La Flecha formations reveal a Cenomanian-Turonian braided stream system that transitioned into a shallow freshwater lacustrine depocenter in Paleocene-Eocene time. During Late Cretaceous time, sediment in the braided river system was derived primarily from northeastern cratonic sources; during the Paleocene-Eocene, uplift and unroofing of the Andean arc and Frontal Cordillera resulted in an influx of western-derived sediment. We therefore suggest a revised timing of sedimentation for the transition to Andean retroarc foreland basin deposition.

Comparative burial and thermal history of lower Upper Cretaceous strata, Powder River basin, Wyoming

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nuccio, V.F.

1989-03-01

Burial histories were reconstructed for three localities in the Powder River basin (PRB), Wyoming. Thermal maturity of lower Upper Cretaceous source rocks was determined by vitrinite reflectance (R/sub m/) and time-temperature index (TTI) modeling, producing independent estimates for timing of the oil window (0.55-1.35% R/sub m/). In the northwestern PRB, lower Upper Cretaceous rocks were buried to about 12,500 ft and achieved a thermal maturity of 0.50% to 0.56% at maximum burial, 10 Ma, based on measured R/sub m/. TTI modeling suggests a slightly higher thermal maturity, with an R/sub m/ equivalent of approximately 0.75%, placing the source rocks atmore » the beginning of the oil window 30 Ma. In the southwestern PRB, lower Upper Cretaceous rocks have been buried to about 15,000 ft and achieved thermal maturities between 0.66% and 0.75% about 10 Ma based on measured R/sub m/; therefore, petroleum generation may have begun slightly earlier. TTI modeling estimates an R/sub m/ equivalent of 1.10%, placing the beginning of the oil window at 45 Ma. In the northeastern PRB, lower Upper Cretaceous rocks have been buried only to approximately 5500 ft. Measured R/sub m/ and TTI modeling indicate a thermal maturity for lower Upper Cretaceous rocks between 0.45% and 0.50% R/sub m/, too low for petroleum generation. The higher R/sub m/ values determined by the TTI models may be due to overestimation of maximum burial depth and/or paleogeothermal gradients. The two independent maturity indicators do, however, constrain fairly narrowly the onset of petroleum generation.« less

Warm Middle Jurassic-Early Cretaceous high-latitude sea-surface temperatures from the Southern Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenkyns, H. C.; Schouten-Huibers, L.; Schouten, S.; Sinninghe Damsté, J. S.

2012-02-01

Although a division of the Phanerozoic climatic modes of the Earth into "greenhouse" and "icehouse" phases is widely accepted, whether or not polar ice developed during the relatively warm Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods is still under debate. In particular, there is a range of isotopic and biotic evidence that favours the concept of discrete "cold snaps", marked particularly by migration of certain biota towards lower latitudes. Extension of the use of the palaeotemperature proxy TEX86 back to the Middle Jurassic indicates that relatively warm sea-surface conditions (26-30 °C) existed from this interval (∼160 Ma) to the Early Cretaceous (∼115 Ma) in the Southern Ocean, with a general warming trend through the Late Jurassic followed by a general cooling trend through the Early Cretaceous. The lowest sea-surface temperatures are recorded from around the Callovian-Oxfordian boundary, an interval identified in Europe as relatively cool, but do not fall below 25 °C. The early Aptian Oceanic Anoxic Event, identified on the basis of published biostratigraphy, total organic carbon and carbon-isotope stratigraphy, records an interval with the lowest, albeit fluctuating Early Cretaceous palaeotemperatures (∼26 °C), recalling similar phenomena recorded from Europe and the tropical Pacific Ocean. Extant belemnite δ18O data, assuming an isotopic composition of waters inhabited by these fossils of -1‰ SMOW, give palaeotemperatures throughout the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous interval that are consistently lower by ∼14 °C than does TEX86 and the molluscs likely record conditions below the thermocline. The long-term, warm climatic conditions indicated by the TEX86 data would only be compatible with the existence of continental ice if appreciable areas of high altitude existed on Antarctica, and/or in other polar regions, during the Mesozoic Era.

Cretaceous anuran and dinosaur footprints from the Patuxent Formation of Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Weems, R.E.; Bachman, J.M.

1997-01-01

Footprints of an anuran (gen. et sp. indet.), a theropod dinosaur (Megalosauropus sp.), and an ornithopod dinosaur (Amblydactylus sp.) have been recovered from the Lower Cretaceous Patuxent Formation in Stafford County, Virginia. These footprints are the first record of terrestrial vertebrates from Cretaceous strata in Virginia, and their discovery suggests that the scarcity of bones and teeth in the Patuxent probably is an artifact of preservation. The anuran trackway provides the oldest known direct evidence for hopping locomotion among these amphibians.

The Mid-Cretaceous Frontier Formation near the Moxa Arch, southwestern Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mereweather, E.A.; Blackmon, P.D.; Webb, J.C.

1984-01-01

The Frontier Formation in the Green River Basin of Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado, consists of sandstone, siltstone, and shale, and minor conglomerate, coal, and bentonite. These strata were deposited in several marine and nonmarine environments during early Late Cretaceous time. At north-trending outcrops along the eastern edge of the overthrust belt, the Frontier is of Cenomanian, Turonian, and early Coniacian age, and commonly is about 610 m (2,000 ft) thick. The formation in that area conformably overlies the Lower Cretaceous Aspen Shale and is divided into the following members, in ascending order: Chalk Creek, Coalville, Allen Hollow, Oyster Ridge Sandstone, and Dry Hollow. In west-trending outcrops on the northern flank of the Uinta Mountains in Utah, the Frontier is middle and late Turonian, and is about 60 m (200 ft) thick. These strata disconformably overlie the Lower Cretaceous Mowry Shale. In boreholes on the Moxa arch, the upper part of the Frontier is of middle Turonian to early Coniacian age and unconformably overlies the lower part of the formation, which is early Cenomanian at the south end and probably Cenomanian to early Turonian at the north end. The Frontier on the arch thickens northward from less than 100 m (328 ft) to more than 300 m (984 ft) and conformably overlies the Mowry. The marine and nonmarine Frontier near the Uinta Mountains, marine and mnmarine beds in the upper part of the formation on the Moxa arch and the largely nonmarine Dry Hollow Member at the top of the Frontier in the overthrust belt are similar in age. Older strata in the formation, which are represented by the disconformable basal contact of the Frontier near the Uinta Mountains, thicken northward along the Moxa arch and westward between the arch and the overthrust belt. The large changes in thickness of the Frontier in the Green River Basin were caused mainly by differential uplift and truncation of the lower part of the formation during the early to middle Turonian and

A complete skull of an early cretaceous sauropod and the evolution of advanced titanosaurians.

PubMed

Zaher, Hussam; Pol, Diego; Carvalho, Alberto B; Nascimento, Paulo M; Riccomini, Claudio; Larson, Peter; Juarez-Valieri, Rubén; Pires-Domingues, Ricardo; da Silva, Nelson Jorge; Campos, Diógenes de Almeida

2011-02-07

Advanced titanosaurian sauropods, such as nemegtosaurids and saltasaurids, were diverse and one of the most important groups of herbivores in the terrestrial biotas of the Late Cretaceous. However, little is known about their rise and diversification prior to the Late Cretaceous. Furthermore, the evolution of their highly-modified skull anatomy has been largely hindered by the scarcity of well-preserved cranial remains. A new sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil represents the earliest advanced titanosaurian known to date, demonstrating that the initial diversification of advanced titanosaurians was well under way at least 30 million years before their known radiation in the latest Cretaceous. The new taxon also preserves the most complete skull among titanosaurians, further revealing that their low and elongated diplodocid-like skull morphology appeared much earlier than previously thought.

Early cretaceous dinosaurs from the sahara.

PubMed

Sereno, P C; Wilson, J A; Larsson, H C; Dutheil, D B; Sues, H D

1994-10-14

A major question in Mesozoic biogeography is how the land-based dinosaurian radiation responded to fragmentation of Pangaea. A rich fossil record has been uncovered on northern continents that spans the Cretaceous, when continental isolation reached its peak. In contrast, dinosaur remains on southern continents are scarce. The discovery of dinosaurian skeletons from Lower Cretaceous beds in the southern Sahara shows that several lineages of tetanuran theropods and broad-toothed sauropods had a cosmopolitan distribution across Pangaea before the onset of continental fragmentation. The distinct dinosaurian faunas of Africa, South America, and Asiamerica arose during the Cretaceous by differential survival of once widespread lineages on land masses that were becoming increasingly isolated from one another.

A New Sail-Backed Styracosternan (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) from the Early Cretaceous of Morella, Spain.

PubMed

Gasulla, José Miguel; Escaso, Fernando; Narváez, Iván; Ortega, Francisco; Sanz, José Luis

2015-01-01

A new styracosternan ornithopod genus and species is here described based on a partial postcranial skeleton and an associated dentary tooth of a single specimen from the Arcillas de Morella Formation (Early Cretaceous, late Barremian) at the Morella locality, (Castellón, Spain). Morelladon beltrani gen. et sp. nov. is diagnosed by eight autapomorphic features. The set of autapomorphies includes: very elongated and vertical neural spines of the dorsal vertebrae, midline keel on ventral surface of the second to fourth sacral vertebrae restricted to the anterior half of the centrum, a posterodorsally inclined medial ridge on the postacetabular process of the ilium that meets its dorsal margin and distal end of the straight ischial shaft laterally expanded, among others. Phylogenetic analyses reveal that the new Iberian form is more closely related to its synchronic and sympatric contemporary European taxa Iguanodon bernissartensis and Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis, known from Western Europe, than to other Early Cretaceous Iberian styracosternans (Delapparentia turolensis and Proa valdearinnoensis). The recognition of Morelladon beltrani gen. et sp. nov. indicates that the Iberian Peninsula was home to a highly diverse medium to large bodied styracosternan assemblage during the Early Cretaceous.

Precious metals associated with Late Cretaceous-early Tertiary igneous rocks of southwestern Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bundtzen, Thomas K.; Miller, Marti L.; Goldfarb, Richard J.; Miller, Lance D.

1997-01-01

Placer gold and precious metal-bearing lode deposits of southwestern Alaska lie within a region 550 by 350 km, herein referred to as the Kuskokwim mineral belt. This mineral belt has yielded 100,240 kg (3.22 Moz) of gold, 12, 813 kg (412,000 oz) of silver, 1,377,412 kg (39,960 flasks) of mercury, and modest amounts of antimony and tungsten derived primarily from the late Cretaceous-early Tertiary igneous complexes of four major types: (1) alkali-calcic, comagmatic volcanic-plutonic complexes and isolated plutons, (2) calc-alkaline, meta-aluminous reduced plutons, (3) peraluminous alaskite or granite-porphyry sills and dike swarms, and (4) andesite-rhyolite subaerial volcanic rocks.About 80 percent of the 77 to 52 Ma intrusive and volcanic rocks intrude or overlie the middle to Upper Cretaceous Kuskokwim Group sedimentary and volcanic rocks, as well as the Paleozoic-Mesozoic rocks of the Nixon Fork, Innoko, Goodnews, and Ruby preaccretionary terranes.The major precious metal-bearing deposit types related to Late Cretaceous-early Tertiary igneous complexes of the Kuskokwim mineral belt are subdivided as follows: (1) plutonic-hosted copper-gold polymetallic stockwork, skarn, and vein deposits, (2) peraluminous granite-porphory-hosted gold polymetallic deposits, (3) plutonic-related, boron-enriched silver-tin polymetallic breccia pipes and replacement deposits, (4) gold and silver mineralization in epithermal systems, and (5) gold polymetallic heavy mineral placer deposits. Ten deposits genetically related to Late Cretaceous-early Tertiary intrusions contain minimum, inferred reserves amounting to 162,572 kg (5.23 Moz) of gold, 201,015 kg (6.46 Moz) silver, 12,160 metric tons (t) of tin, and 28,088 t of copper.The lodes occur in veins, stockworks, breccia pipes, and replacement deposits that formed in epithermal to mesothermal temperature-pressure conditions. Fluid inclusion, isotopic age, mineral assemblage, alteration assemblage, and structural data indicate that

Chapter 4: The Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary Composite Total Petroleum System, Wind River Basin, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, R.C.; Finn, Thomas M.; Kirschbaum, Mark A.; Roberts, Stephen B.; Roberts, Laura N.R.; Cook, Troy; Taylor, David J.

2007-01-01

The Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary Composite Total Petroleum System (TPS) of the Wind River Basin Province includes all strata from the base of the Lower Cretaceous Cloverly Formation to the base of the Waltman Shale Member of the Paleocene age Fort Union Formation and, where the Waltman is absent, includes strata as young as the Eocene Wind River Formation. Locally, Cretaceous-sourced gas migrated into strata as old as the Mississippian Madison Limestone, and in these areas the TPS extends stratigraphically downward to include these reservoirs. The extensive vertical migration of gases in highly fractured areas of the Wind River Basin led to the commingling of gases from several Upper Cretaceous and lower Tertiary sources, thus only two petroleum systems are recognized in these rocks, the Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary Composite TPS, the subject of this report, and the Waltman Shale TPS described by Roberts and others (Chapter 5, this CD-ROM). The Cretaceous-lower Tertiary Composite TPS was subdivided into (1) seven continuous gas assessment units (AU): (a) Frontier-Muddy Continuous Gas AU, (b) Cody Sandstone Continuous Gas AU, (c) Mesaverde--Meeteetse Sandstone Gas AU, (d) Lance-Fort Union Sandstone Gas AU, (e) Mesaverde Coalbed Gas AU, (f) Meeteetse Coalbed Gas AU, and (g) Fort Union Coalbed Gas AU; (2) one continuous oil assessement unit--- Cody Fractured Shale Continuous Oil AU; and (3) one conventional assessment Unit--- Cretaceous-Tertiary Conventional Oil and Gas AU. Estimates of undiscovered resources having the potential for additions to reserves were made for all but the Cody Fractured Shale Continuous Oil AU, which is considered hypothetical and was not quantitively assessed. The mean estimate of the total oil is 41.99 million barrels, mean estimate of gas is 2.39 trillion cubic feet, and mean estimate of natural gas liquids is 20.55 million barrels. For gas, 480.66 billion cubic feet (BCFG) is estimated for the Frontier-Muddy Continuous Gas AU, 115.34 BCFG for

Isotopic evidence for continental ice sheet in mid-latitude region in the supergreenhouse Early Cretaceous

PubMed Central

Yang, Wu-Bin; Niu, He-Cai; Sun, Wei-Dong; Shan, Qiang; Zheng, Yong-Fei; Li, Ning-Bo; Li, Cong-Ying; Arndt, Nicholas T.; Xu, Xing; Jiang, Yu-Hang; Yu, Xue-Yuan

2013-01-01

Cretaceous represents one of the hottest greenhouse periods in the Earth's history, but some recent studies suggest that small ice caps might be present in non-polar regions during certain periods in the Early Cretaceous. Here we report extremely negative δ18O values of −18.12‰ to −13.19‰ for early Aptian hydrothermal zircon from an A-type granite at Baerzhe in northeastern China. Given that A-type granite is anhydrous and that magmatic zircon of the Baerzhe granite has δ18O value close to mantle values, the extremely negative δ18O values for hydrothermal zircon are attributed to addition of meteoric water with extremely low δ18O, mostly likely transported by glaciers. Considering the paleoaltitude of the region, continental glaciation is suggested to occur in the early Aptian, indicating much larger temperature fluctuations than previously thought during the supergreenhouse Cretaceous. This may have impact on the evolution of major organism in the Jehol Group during this period. PMID:24061068

A nearly modern amphibious bird from the Early Cretaceous of northwestern China.

PubMed

You, Hai-Lu; Lamanna, Matthew C; Harris, Jerald D; Chiappe, Luis M; O'connor, Jingmai; Ji, Shu-An; Lü, Jun-Chang; Yuan, Chong-Xi; Li, Da-Qing; Zhang, Xing; Lacovara, Kenneth J; Dodson, Peter; Ji, Qiang

2006-06-16

Three-dimensional specimens of the volant fossil bird Gansus yumenensis from the Early Cretaceous Xiagou Formation of northwestern China demonstrate that this taxon possesses advanced anatomical features previously known only in Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic ornithuran birds. Phylogenetic analysis recovers Gansus within the Ornithurae, making it the oldest known member of the clade. The Xiagou Formation preserves the oldest known ornithuromorph-dominated avian assemblage. The anatomy of Gansus, like that of other non-neornithean (nonmodern) ornithuran birds, indicates specialization for an amphibious life-style, supporting the hypothesis that modern birds originated in aquatic or littoral niches.

Low ecological disparity in Early Cretaceous birds

PubMed Central

Mitchell, Jonathan S.; Makovicky, Peter J.

2014-01-01

Ecological divergence is thought to be coupled with evolutionary radiations, yet the strength of this coupling is unclear. When birds diversified ecologically has received much less attention than their hotly debated crown divergence time. Here, we quantify how accurately skeletal morphology can predict ecology in living and extinct birds, and show that the earliest known assemblage of birds (= pygostylians) from the Jehol Biota (≈ 125 Ma) was substantially impoverished ecologically. The Jehol avifauna has few representatives of highly preservable ecomorphs (e.g. aquatic forms) and a notable lack of ecomorphological overlap with the pterosaur assemblage (e.g. no large or aerially foraging pygostylians). Comparisons of the Jehol functional diversity with modern and subfossil avian assemblages show that taphonomic bias alone cannot explain the ecomorphological impoverishment. However, evolutionary simulations suggest that the constrained ecological diversity of the Early Cretaceous pygostylians is consistent with what is expected from a relatively young radiation. Regardless of the proximate biological explanation, the anomalously low functional diversity of the Jehol birds is evidence both for ecological vacancies in Cretaceous ecosystems, which were subsequently filled by the radiation of crown Aves, and for discordance between taxonomic richness and ecological diversity in the best-known Mesozoic ecosystem. PMID:24870044

Stratigraphy of mid-Cretaceous formations at drilling sites in Weston and Johnson counties, northeastern Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mereweather, E.A.

1980-01-01

The sedimentary rocks of early Late Cretaceous age in Weston County, Wyo., on the east flank of the Powder River Basin, are assigned, in ascending order, to the Belle Fourche Shale, Greenhorn Formation, and Carlile Shale. In Johnson County, on the west flank of the basin, the lower Upper Cretaceous strata are included in the Frontier Formation and the overlying Cody Shale. The Frontier Formation and some of the laterally equivalent strata in the Rocky Mountain region contain major resources of oil and gas. These rocks also include commercial deposits of bentonite. Outcrop sections, borehole logs, and core studies of the lower Upper Cretaceous rocks near Osage, in Weston County, and Kaycee, in Johnson County, supplement comparative studies of the fossils in the formations. Fossils of Cenomanian, Turonian, and Coniacian Age are abundant at these localities and form sequences of species which can be used for the zonation and correlation of strata throughout the region. The Belle Fourche Shale near Osage is about 115 m (meters) thick and consists mainly of noncalcareous shale, which was deposited in offshore-marine environments during Cenomanian time. These strata are overlain by calcareous shale and limestone of the Greenhorn Formation. In this area, the Greenhorn is about 85 m thick and accumulated in offshore, open-marine environments during the Cenomanian and early Turonian. The Carlile Shale overlies the Greenhorn and is composed of, from oldest to youngest, the Pool Creek Member, Turner Sandy Member, and Sage Breaks Member. In boreholes, the Pool Creek Member is about 23 m thick and consists largely of shale. The member was deposited in offshoremarine environments in Turonian time. These rocks are disconformably overlain by the Turner Sandy Member, a sequence about 50 m thick of interstratified shale, siltstone, and sandstone. The Turner accumulated during the Turonian in several shallow-marine environments. Conformably overlying the Turner is the slightly

Perinate and eggs of a giant caenagnathid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of central China

PubMed Central

Pu, Hanyong; Zelenitsky, Darla K.; Lü, Junchang; Currie, Philip J.; Carpenter, Kenneth; Xu, Li; Koppelhus, Eva B.; Jia, Songhai; Xiao, Le; Chuang, Huali; Li, Tianran; Kundrát, Martin; Shen, Caizhi

2017-01-01

The abundance of dinosaur eggs in Upper Cretaceous strata of Henan Province, China led to the collection and export of countless such fossils. One of these specimens, recently repatriated to China, is a partial clutch of large dinosaur eggs (Macroelongatoolithus) with a closely associated small theropod skeleton. Here we identify the specimen as an embryo and eggs of a new, large caenagnathid oviraptorosaur, Beibeilong sinensis. This specimen is the first known association between skeletal remains and eggs of caenagnathids. Caenagnathids and oviraptorids share similarities in their eggs and clutches, although the eggs of Beibeilong are significantly larger than those of oviraptorids and indicate an adult body size comparable to a gigantic caenagnathid. An abundance of Macroelongatoolithus eggs reported from Asia and North America contrasts with the dearth of giant caenagnathid skeletal remains. Regardless, the large caenagnathid-Macroelongatoolithus association revealed here suggests these dinosaurs were relatively common during the early Late Cretaceous. PMID:28486442

A total petroleum system of the Browse Basin, Australia; Late Jurassic, Early Cretaceous-Mesozoic

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bishop, M.G.

1999-01-01

The Browse Basin Province 3913, offshore northern Australia, contains one important petroleum system, Late Jurassic, Early Cretaceous-Mesozoic. It is comprised of Late Jurassic through Early Cretaceous source rocks deposited in restricted marine environments and various Mesozoic reservoir rocks deposited in deep-water fan to fluvial settings. Jurassic age intraformational shales and claystones and Cretaceous regional claystones seal the reservoirs. Since 1967, when exploration began in this 105,000 km2 area, fewer than 40 wells have been drilled and only one recent oil discovery is considered potentially commercial. Prior to the most recent oil discovery, on the eastern side of the basin, a giant gas field was discovered in 1971, under a modern reef on the west side of the basin. Several additional oil and gas discoveries and shows were made elsewhere. A portion of the Vulcan sub-basin lies within Province 3913 where a small field, confirmed in 1987, produced 18.8 million barrels of oil (MMBO) up to 1995 and has since been shut in.

Paleomagnetic tests for tectonic reconstructions of the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Woyla Group, Sumatra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Advokaat, Eldert; Bongers, Mayke; van Hinsbergen, Douwe; Rudyawan, Alfend; Marshal, Edo

2017-04-01

SE Asia consists of multiple continental blocks, volcanic arcs and suture zones representing remnants of closing ocean basins. The core of this mainland is called Sundaland, and was formed by accretion of continental and arc fragments during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic. The former positions of these blocks are still uncertain but reconstructions based on tectonostratigraphic, palaeobiogeographic, geological and palaeomagnetic studies indicate the continental terranes separated from the eastern margin of Gondwana. During the mid-Cretaceous, more continental and arc fragments accreted to Sundaland, including the intra-oceanic Woyla Arc now exposed on Sumatra. These continental fragments were derived from Australia, but the former position of the Woyla Arc is unconstrained. Interpretations on the former position of the Woyla Arc fall in two end-member groups. The first group interprets the Woyla Arc to be separated from West Sumatra by a small back-arc basin. This back arc basin opened in the Late Jurassic, and closed mid-Cretaceous, when the Woyla Arc collided with West Sumatra. The other group interprets the Woyla Arc to be derived from Gondwana, at a position close to the northern margin of Greater India in the Late Jurassic. Subsequently the Woyla Arc moved northwards and collided with West Sumatra in the mid-Cretaceous. Since these scenarios predict very different plate kinematic evolutions for the Neotethyan realm, we here aim to place paleomagnetic constraints on paleolatitudinal evolution of the Woyla Arc. The Woyla Arc consists mainly of basaltic to andesitic volcanics and dykes, and volcaniclastic shales and sandstones. Associated limestones with volcanic debris are interpreted as fringing reefs. This assemblage is interpreted as remnants of an Early Cretaceous intra-oceanic arc. West Sumatra exposes granites, surrounded by quartz sandstones, shales and volcanic tuffs. These sediments are in part metamorphosed. This assemblage is interpreted as a Jurassic-Early

EVOLUTION. A four-legged snake from the Early Cretaceous of Gondwana.

PubMed

Martill, David M; Tischlinger, Helmut; Longrich, Nicholas R

2015-07-24

Snakes are a remarkably diverse and successful group today, but their evolutionary origins are obscure. The discovery of snakes with two legs has shed light on the transition from lizards to snakes, but no snake has been described with four limbs, and the ecology of early snakes is poorly known. We describe a four-limbed snake from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian) Crato Formation of Brazil. The snake has a serpentiform body plan with an elongate trunk, short tail, and large ventral scales suggesting characteristic serpentine locomotion, yet retains small prehensile limbs. Skull and body proportions as well as reduced neural spines indicate fossorial adaptation, suggesting that snakes evolved from burrowing rather than marine ancestors. Hooked teeth, an intramandibular joint, a flexible spine capable of constricting prey, and the presence of vertebrate remains in the guts indicate that this species preyed on vertebrates and that snakes made the transition to carnivory early in their history. The structure of the limbs suggests that they were adapted for grasping, either to seize prey or as claspers during mating. Together with a diverse fauna of basal snakes from the Cretaceous of South America, Africa, and India, this snake suggests that crown Serpentes originated in Gondwana. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

New Crocodyliform specimens from Recôncavo-Tucano Basin (Early Cretaceous) of Bahia, Brazil.

PubMed

Souza, Rafael G DE; Campos, Diogenes A

2018-04-16

In 1940, L.I. Price and A. Oliveira recovered four crocodyliform specimens from the Early Cretaceous Bahia Supergroup (Recôncavo-Tucano Basin). In the present work, we describe four different fossil specimens: an osteoderm, a fibula, a tibia, and some autopodial bones. No further identification besides Mesoeucrocodylia was made due to their fragmentary nature and the reduced number of recognized synapomorphies for more inclusive clades. With exception of the fibula, all other specimens have at least one particular feature, which with new specimens could represent new species. The new specimens described here increase the known diversity of Early Cretaceous crocodyliforms from Brazil. This work highlights the great fossiliferous potential of Recôncavo-Tucano Basin with regard to crocodyliform remains.

Isotopic composition of low-latitude paleoprecipitation during the Early Cretaceous

USGS Publications Warehouse

Suarez, M.B.; Gonzalez, Luis A.; Ludvigson, Greg A.; Vega, F.J.; Alvarado-Ortega, J.

2009-01-01

The response of the hydrologic cycle in global greenhouse conditions is important to our understanding of future climate change and to the calibration of global climate models. Past greenhouse conditions, such as those of the Cretaceous, can be used to provide empirical data with which to evaluate climate models. Recent empirical studies have utilized pedogenic carbonates to estimate the isotopic composition of meteoric waters and calculate precipitation rates for the AptianAlbian. These studies were limited to data from mid(35??N) to high (75??N) paleolatitudes, and thus future improvements in accuracy will require more estimates of meteoric water compositions from numerous localities around the globe. This study provides data for tropical latitudes (18.5??N paleolatitude) from the Tlayua Formation, Puebla, Mexico. In addition, the study confirms a shallow nearshore depositional environment for the Tlayua Formation. Petrographic observations of fenestral fabrics, gypsum crystal molds, stromatolitic structures, and pedogenic matrix birefringence fabric support the interpretation that the strata represent deposition in a tidal flat environment. Carbonate isotopic data from limestones of the Tlayua Formation provide evidence of early meteoric diagenesis in the form of meteoric calcite lines. These trends in ??18O versus ??13C were used to calculate the mean ??18O value of meteoric water, which is estimated at -5.46 ?? 0.56??? (Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water [VSMOW]). Positive linear covariant trends in oxygen and carbon isotopic values from some horizons were used to estimate evaporative losses of vadose groundwater from tropical exposure surfaces during the Albian, and the resulting values range from 8% to 12%. However, the presence of evaporative mineral molds indicates more extensive evaporation. The added tropical data improve latitudinal coverage of paleoprecipitation ??18O estimates. The data presented here imply that earlier isotope mass balance models most

Changes to Cretaceous surface fire behaviour influenced the spread of the early angiosperms.

PubMed

Belcher, Claire M; Hudspith, Victoria A

2017-02-01

Angiosperms evolved and diversified during the Cretaceous period. Early angiosperms were short-stature weedy plants thought to have increased fire frequency and mortality in gymnosperm forest, aiding their own expansion. However, no explorations have considered whether the range of novel fuel types that diversified throughout the Cretaceous also altered fire behaviour, which should link more strongly to mortality than fire frequency alone. We measured ignitability and heat of combustion in analogue Cretaceous understorey fuels (conifer litter, ferns, weedy and shrubby angiosperms) and used these data to model palaeofire behaviour. Variations in ignition, driven by weedy angiosperms alone, were found to have been a less important feedback to changes in Cretaceous fire activity than previously estimated. Our model estimates suggest that fires in shrub and fern understories had significantly greater fireline intensities than those fuelled by conifer litter or weedy angiosperms, and whilst fern understories supported the most rapid fire spread, angiosperm shrubs delivered the largest amount of heat per unit area. The higher fireline intensities predicted by the models led to estimates of enhanced scorch of the gymnosperm canopy and a greater chance of transitioning to crown fires. Therefore, changes in fire behaviour driven by the addition of new Cretaceous fuel groups may have assisted the angiosperm expansion. © 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.

Modern mammal origins: evolutionary grades in the Early Cretaceous of North America.

PubMed

Jacobs, L L; Winkler, D A; Murry, P A

1989-07-01

Major groups of modern mammals have their origins in the Mesozoic Era, yet the mammalian fossil record is generally poor for that time interval. Fundamental morphological changes that led to modern mammals are often represented by small samples of isolated teeth. Fortunately, functional wear facets on teeth allow prediction of the morphology of occluding teeth that may be unrepresented by fossils. A major step in mammalian evolution occurred in the Early Cretaceous with the evolution of tribosphenic molars, which characterize marsupials and placentals, the two most abundant and diverse extant groups of mammals. A tooth from the Early Cretaceous (110 million years before present) of Texas tests previous predictions (based on lower molars) of the morphology of upper molars in early tribosphenic dentitions. The lingual cusp (protocone) is primitively without shear facets, as expected, but the cheek side of the tooth is derived (advanced) in having distinctive cusps along the margin. The tooth, although distressingly inadequate to define many features of the organism, demonstrates unexpected morphological diversity at a strategic stage of mammalian evolution and falsifies previous claims of the earliest occurrence of true marsupials.

Modern mammal origins: evolutionary grades in the Early Cretaceous of North America.

PubMed Central

Jacobs, L L; Winkler, D A; Murry, P A

1989-01-01

Major groups of modern mammals have their origins in the Mesozoic Era, yet the mammalian fossil record is generally poor for that time interval. Fundamental morphological changes that led to modern mammals are often represented by small samples of isolated teeth. Fortunately, functional wear facets on teeth allow prediction of the morphology of occluding teeth that may be unrepresented by fossils. A major step in mammalian evolution occurred in the Early Cretaceous with the evolution of tribosphenic molars, which characterize marsupials and placentals, the two most abundant and diverse extant groups of mammals. A tooth from the Early Cretaceous (110 million years before present) of Texas tests previous predictions (based on lower molars) of the morphology of upper molars in early tribosphenic dentitions. The lingual cusp (protocone) is primitively without shear facets, as expected, but the cheek side of the tooth is derived (advanced) in having distinctive cusps along the margin. The tooth, although distressingly inadequate to define many features of the organism, demonstrates unexpected morphological diversity at a strategic stage of mammalian evolution and falsifies previous claims of the earliest occurrence of true marsupials. Images PMID:2740336

Closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean as Constrained by Late Permian to Early Cretaceous Paleomagnetic Data from the Suture Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cogne, J.; Kravchinsky, V.; Gilder, S.; Hankard, F.

2005-12-01

The Paleozoic Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean separated the Siberian craton to the north from a landmass composed of Amuria, Tarim, Qaidam, Tibet and the North and South China blocks to the south. Based on a comparison of paleomagnetic data from the NCB with the Eurasian apparent polar wander path, this ocean closed by the beginning of the Cretaceous. We present here a review of recent paleomagnetic studies of Late Permian to Early Cretaceous formations from the Transbaikal area of south Siberia, coming from localities situated on both sides of the Mongol-Okhotsk suture zone. The main conclusions that we draw from these studies are as follows. (1) A Late Permian ~4500 km latitude difference indeed existed between Amuria and the Siberia blocks at 110°E longitude. (2) In Middle-Late Jurassic times, a 1700 to 2700 km paleolatitudinal gap still existed between the two blocks. This contradicts geological interpretations of a Middle Jurassic closure of the ocean at this longitude. (3) Consistency of Early Cretaceous paleolatitudes from both sides of the suture demonstrates the closure of the ocean at that time. Altogether, these suggest a quite fast closure between the Middle Jurassic and the Early Cretaceous, at about 15±11 cm/yr. Finally, all pre-Late Cretaceous paleomagnetic poles appear to be distributed along small-circles centered on site localities. We think this is due to continued deformation acting in the Mongol-Okhotsk suture region related to suturing. Conversely, the post-Early Cretaceous rotations may be related to Tertiary deformation under the effect of the India-Asia collision.

Post Cretaceous cooling trend documented in the gastropods (Turritella Sp.) from the Cenozoic startigraphic successions of India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banerjee, Y.; Ghosh, P.; Halder, K.; Malarkodi, N.; Pathak, P.

2017-12-01

The aftermath of the Himalyan orogeny and subsequent cooling is documented in the deep sea sedimentary record from the Oceanic realm (1). Here we attempt to reconstruct the temperature pattern based on marine gastropods i.e. Turritella sp. which became abundant during the post Cretaceous period and have successfully been used for the reconstruction of climate by measuring the stable isotopic composition (2,3,4). Well preserved specimens of Cretaceous Turritella from the Rajamundry Infratrappean beds and those from the Miocene, Holocene succession of Kutch, western India were analysed along with specimen from the modern time scale (also from Kutch). The Cretaceous, early to mid Miocene, early Holocene and modern shells recorded δ13C variability from 0.36 to 4.94‰, -1.83 to -4.83‰, -3.26 to 0.40‰, -1.47 to -4.70‰ respectively suggesting drop in the productivity during mid Miocene and subsequent period of rapid growth. The Variability in terms of δ18O ranges from -2.28 to -4.99‰, -2.66 to -7.06‰, -2.86 to 0.96‰, -1.05 to -3.23‰ for the Cretaceous, early to mid Miocene, early Holocene and modern shells respectively. Corbula sp. collected from the same strata with that of the early to mid Holocene Turritella showed a similar δ13C and δ18O values denoting similar environmental condition during deposition. Absence of any significant correlation between δ13C vs δ18O support equilibrium precipitation of shell growth bands. We used Epstein oxygen isotope thermometry to derive temperature from the oxygen isotope of carbonate and adopted water isotopic composition (1‰ for the Cretaceous and -0.7‰ for the Miocene) from the literature. Our observation captured an overall cooling trend from the Cretaceous to the Holocene time period (especially in between mid Miocene to Holocene) and a subsequent warming trend in modern time. Validation with other thermometry method will be displayed at the time of presentation. References: [1] Zachos et al., 2001

Molecular evidence of keratin and melanosomes in feathers of the Early Cretaceous bird Eoconfuciusornis.

PubMed

Pan, Yanhong; Zheng, Wenxia; Moyer, Alison E; O'Connor, Jingmai K; Wang, Min; Zheng, Xiaoting; Wang, Xiaoli; Schroeter, Elena R; Zhou, Zhonghe; Schweitzer, Mary H

2016-12-06

Microbodies associated with feathers of both nonavian dinosaurs and early birds were first identified as bacteria but have been reinterpreted as melanosomes. Whereas melanosomes in modern feathers are always surrounded by and embedded in keratin, melanosomes embedded in keratin in fossils has not been demonstrated. Here we provide multiple independent molecular analyses of both microbodies and the associated matrix recovered from feathers of a new specimen of the basal bird Eoconfuciusornis from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota of China. Our work represents the oldest ultrastructural and immunological recognition of avian beta-keratin from an Early Cretaceous (∼130-Ma) bird. We apply immunogold to identify protein epitopes at high resolution, by localizing antibody-antigen complexes to specific fossil ultrastructures. Retention of original keratinous proteins in the matrix surrounding electron-opaque microbodies supports their assignment as melanosomes and adds to the criteria employable to distinguish melanosomes from microbial bodies. Our work sheds new light on molecular preservation within normally labile tissues preserved in fossils.

Molecular evidence of keratin and melanosomes in feathers of the Early Cretaceous bird Eoconfuciusornis

PubMed Central

Pan, Yanhong; Zheng, Wenxia; Moyer, Alison E.; O’Connor, Jingmai K.; Zheng, Xiaoting; Wang, Xiaoli; Schroeter, Elena R.; Zhou, Zhonghe; Schweitzer, Mary H.

2016-01-01

Microbodies associated with feathers of both nonavian dinosaurs and early birds were first identified as bacteria but have been reinterpreted as melanosomes. Whereas melanosomes in modern feathers are always surrounded by and embedded in keratin, melanosomes embedded in keratin in fossils has not been demonstrated. Here we provide multiple independent molecular analyses of both microbodies and the associated matrix recovered from feathers of a new specimen of the basal bird Eoconfuciusornis from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota of China. Our work represents the oldest ultrastructural and immunological recognition of avian beta-keratin from an Early Cretaceous (∼130-Ma) bird. We apply immunogold to identify protein epitopes at high resolution, by localizing antibody–antigen complexes to specific fossil ultrastructures. Retention of original keratinous proteins in the matrix surrounding electron-opaque microbodies supports their assignment as melanosomes and adds to the criteria employable to distinguish melanosomes from microbial bodies. Our work sheds new light on molecular preservation within normally labile tissues preserved in fossils. PMID:27872291

Dolomitization in Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Platform Carbonates (Berdiga Formation), Ayralaksa Yayla (Trabzon), NE Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yıldız, Merve; Ziya Kırmacı, Mehmet; Kandemir, Raif

2017-04-01

ABSTRACT Pontides constitute an E-W trending orogenic mountain belt that extends about 1100 km along the northern side of Turkey from the immediate east of Istanbul to the Georgian border at the east. Tectono-stratigraphically, the Pontides are divided into three different parts: Eastern, Central, and Western Pontides. The Eastern Pontides, including the studied area, comprise an area of 500 km in length and 100 km in width, extending along the southeast coast of the Black Sea from the Kizilirmak and Yesilirmak Rivers in the vicinity of Samsun to the Little Caucasus. This area is bordered by the Eastern Black Sea basin to the north and the Ankara-Erzincan Neotethyan suture zone to the south. The Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous platform carbonates are widely exposed in E-W direction in the Eastern Pontides (NE Turkey). The Platform carbonates shows varying lithofacies changing from supratidal to platform margin reef laterally and vertically, and was buried until the end of Late Cretaceous. The studied Ayralaksa Yayla (Trabzon, NE Turkey) area comprises one of the best typical exposures of formation in northern zone of Eastern Pontides. In this area, the lower parts of the formation are pervasively dolomitized by fabric-destructive and fabric-preserving replacement dolomite which are Ca-rich and nonstoichiometric (Ca56-66Mg34-44). Replacement dolomites (Rd) are represented by D18O values of -19.0 to -4.2 (VPDB), D13C values of 4.4 to 2.1 \\permil (VPDB) and 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 0.70889 to 0.70636. Petrographic and geochemical data indicate that Rd dolomites are formed prior to compaction at shallow-moderate burial depths from Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous seawater and/or partly modified seawater as a result of water/rock interaction and they were recrystallized at elevated temperatures during subsequent burial. In the subsequent diagenetic process during the Late Cretaceous when the region became a magmatic arc, as a result of interaction with Early Jurassic volcanic

Chronostratigraphic cross section of Cretaceous formations in western Montana, western Wyoming, eastern Utah, northeastern Arizona, and northwestern New Mexico, U.S.A.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Merewether, E. Allen; McKinney, Kevin C.

2015-01-01

In this transect for time-stratigraphic units of the Cretaceous, lateral changes in lithologies, regional differences in thicknesses, and the abundance of associated disconformities possibly reflect local and regional tectonic events. Examples of evidence of those events follow: (1) Disconformities and the absence of strata of lowest Cretaceous age in western Montana, western Wyoming, and northern Utah indicate significant tectonism and erosion probably during the Late Jurassic and earliest Cretaceous; ( 2) stages of Upper Cretaceous deposition in the transect display major lateral changes in thickness, which probably reflect regional and local tectonism.

Biostratigraphic data from Upper Cretaceous formations-eastern Wyoming, central Colorado, and northeastern New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Merewether, E.A.; Cobban, W.A.; Obradovich, J.D.

2011-01-01

Lithological and paleontological studies of outcrops of Upper Cretaceous formations were conducted at 12 localities in eastern Wyoming, central Colorado, and northeastern New Mexico. The sequence extends upward from the top of the Mowry Shale, or age-equivalent rocks, through the Graneros Shale, Greenhorn Limestone, Carlile Shale, Niobrara Formation, Pierre Shale, and Fox Hills Sandstone, or age-equivalent formations, to the top of the Laramie Formation, or laterally equivalent formations. The strata are mainly siliciclastic and calcareous, with thicknesses ranging from about 3,300 ft in northeastern New Mexico to as much as 13,500 ft in eastern Wyoming. Deposition was mainly in marine environments and molluscan fossils of Cenomanian through Maastrichtian ages are common. Radiometric ages were determined from beds of bentonite that are associated with fossil zones. The Upper Cretaceous formations at the 12 study localities are herein divided into three informal time-stratigraphic units based on fossil content and contact relations with adjacent strata. The basal unit in most places extends from the base of the Graneros to the top of the Niobrara, generally to the horizon of the fossil Scaphites hippocrepis, and spans a period of about 14 million years. The middle unit generally extends from the top of the Niobrara to the approximate middle of the Pierre, the horizon of the fossil Baculites gregoryensis, and represents a period of about 5 million years. The upper unit includes strata between the middle of the Pierre and the top of the Upper Cretaceous Series, which is the top of the Laramie Formation or of laterally equivalent formations; it represents a period of deposition of as much as 11 million years. Comparisons of the collections of fossils from each outcrop with the complete sequence of Upper Cretaceous index fossils can indicate disconformable contacts and lacunae. Widespread disconformities have been found within the Carlile Shale and between the Carlile

Early Cretaceous Archaeamphora is not a carnivorous angiosperm

PubMed Central

Wong, William Oki; Dilcher, David Leonard; Labandeira, Conrad C.; Sun, Ge; Fleischmann, Andreas

2015-01-01

Archaeamphora longicervia H. Q. Li was described as an herbaceous, Sarraceniaceae-like pitcher plant from the mid Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Liaoning Province, northeastern China. Here, a re-investigation of A. longicervia specimens from the Yixian Formation provides new insights into its identity and the morphology of pitcher plants claimed by Li. We demonstrate that putative pitchers of Archaeamphora are insect-induced leaf galls that consist of three components: (1) an innermost larval chamber; (2) an intermediate zone of nutritive tissue; and (3) an outermost wall of sclerenchyma. Archaeamphora is not a carnivorous, Sarraceniaceae-like angiosperm, but represents insect-galled leaves of the previously reported gymnosperm Liaoningocladus boii G. Sun et al. from the Yixian Formation. PMID:25999978

Early Cretaceous Umkomasia from Mongolia: implications for homology of corystosperm cupules.

PubMed

Shi, Gongle; Leslie, Andrew B; Herendeen, Patrick S; Herrera, Fabiany; Ichinnorov, Niiden; Takahashi, Masamichi; Knopf, Patrick; Crane, Peter R

2016-06-01

Corystosperms, a key extinct group of Late Permian to Early Cretaceous plants, are important for understanding seed plant phylogeny, including the evolution of the angiosperm carpel and anatropous bitegmic ovule. Here, we describe a new species of corystosperm seed-bearing organ, Umkomasia mongolica sp. nov., based on hundreds of three-dimensionally preserved mesofossils from the Early Cretaceous of Mongolia. Individual seed-bearing units of U. mongolica consist of a bract subtending an axis that bifurcates, with each fork (cupule stalk) bearing a cupule near the tip. Each cupule is formed by the strongly reflexed cupule stalk and two lateral flaps that partially enclose an erect seed. The seed is borne at, or close to, the tip of the reflexed cupule stalk, with the micropyle oriented towards the stalk base. The corystosperm cupule is generally interpreted as a modified leaf that bears a seed on its abaxial surface. However, U. mongolica suggests that an earlier interpretation, in which the seed is borne directly on an axis (shoot), is equally likely. The 'axial' interpretation suggests a possible relationship of corystosperms to Ginkgo. It also suggests that the cupules of corystosperms may be less distinct from those of Caytonia than has previously been supposed. © 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.

Reworking of Cretaceous dinosaurs into Paleocene channel deposits, upper Hell Creek Formation, Montana

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lofgren, D.L.; Hotton, C.L.; Runkel, A.C.

1990-09-01

Dinosaur teeth from Paleocene channel fills have been interpreted as indicating dinosaur survival into the Paleocene. However, enormous potential for reworking exists because these records are restricted to large channel fills that are deeply incised into Cretaceous strata. Identification of reworked fossils is usually equivocal. This problem is illustrated by the Black Spring Coulee channel fill, a dinosaur-bearing Paleocene deposit in the upper Hell Creek Formation of eastern Montana. In this example, the reworked nature of well-preserved dinosaur bones is apparent only after detailed sedimentological and palynological analysis. Because of the potential for reworking, dinosaur remains derived from Paleocene fluvialmore » deposits should not be assigned a Paleocene age unless the (1) are found in floodplain deposits, (2) are articulated, (3) are in channels that do not incise Cretaceous strata, or (4) are demonstrably reworked from Paleocene deposits. To date, reports of Paleocene dinosaurs do not fulfill any of these criteria. Thus, the proposal that dinosaurs persisted into the Paleocene remains unsubstantiated.« less

Geology and sequence stratigraphy of undiscovered oil and gas resources in conventional and continuous petroleum systems in the Upper Cretaceous Eagle Ford Group and related strata, U.S. Gulf Coast Region

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dubiel, Russell F.; Pearson, Ofori N.; Pitman, Janet K.; Pearson, Krystal M.; Kinney, Scott A.

2012-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently assessed the technically recoverable undiscovered oil and gas onshore and in State waters of the Gulf Coast region of the United States. The USGS defined three assessment units (AUs) with potential undiscovered conventional and continuous oil and gas resources in Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian to Turonian) strata of the Eagle Ford Group and correlative rocks. The assessment is based on geologic elements of a total petroleum system, including hydrocarbon source rocks (source rock maturation, hydrocarbon generation and migration), reservoir rocks (sequence stratigraphy and petrophysical properties), and traps (formation, timing, and seals). Conventional oil and gas undiscovered resources are in updip sandstone reservoirs in the Upper Cretaceous Tuscaloosa and Woodbine Formations (or Groups) in Louisiana and Texas, respectively, whereas continuous oil and continuous gas undiscovered resources reside in the middip and downdip Upper Cretaceous Eagle Ford Shale in Texas and the Tuscaloosa marine shale in Louisiana. Conventional resources in the Tuscaloosa and Woodbine are included in the Eagle Ford Updip Sandstone Oil and Gas AU, in an area where the Eagle Ford Shale and Tuscaloosa marine shale display vitrinite reflectance (Ro) values less than 0.6%. The continuous Eagle Ford Shale Oil AU lies generally south of the conventional AU, is primarily updip of the Lower Cretaceous shelf edge, and is defined by thermal maturity values within shales of the Eagle Ford and Tuscaloosa that range from 0.6 to 1.2% Ro. Similarly, the Eagle Ford Shale Gas AU is defined downdip of the shelf edge where source rocks have Ro values greater than 1.2%. For undiscovered oil and gas resources, the USGS assessed means of: 1) 141 million barrels of oil (MMBO), 502 billion cubic feet of natural gas (BCFG), and 4 million barrels of natural gas liquids (MMBNGL) in the Eagle Ford Updip Sandstone Oil and Gas AU; 2) 853 MMBO, 1707 BCFG, and 34 MMBNGL in the

Vertebrate assemblages from the early Late Cretaceous of southeastern Morocco: An overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavin, L.; Tong, H.; Boudad, L.; Meister, C.; Piuz, A.; Tabouelle, J.; Aarab, M.; Amiot, R.; Buffetaut, E.; Dyke, G.; Hua, S.; Le Loeuff, J.

2010-07-01

Fossils of vertebrates have been found in great abundance in the continental and marine early Late Cretaceous sediments of Southeastern Morocco for more than 50 years. About 80 vertebrate taxa have so far been recorded from this region, many of which were recognised and diagnosed for the first time based on specimens recovered from these sediments. In this paper, we use published data together with new field data to present an updated overview of Moroccan early Late Cretaceous vertebrate assemblages. The Cretaceous series we have studied encompasses three Formations, the Ifezouane and Aoufous Formations, which are continental and deltaic in origin and are often grouped under the name "Kem Kem beds", and the Akrabou Formation which is marine in origin. New field observations allow us to place four recognised vertebrate clusters, corresponding to one compound assemblage and three assemblages, within a general temporal framework. In particular, two ammonite bioevents characterise the lower part of the Upper Cenomanian ( Calycoceras guerangeri Zone) at the base of the Akrabou Formation and the upper part of the Lower Turonian ( Mammites nodosoides Zone), that may extend into the Middle Turonian within the Akrabou Formation, and allow for more accurate dating of the marine sequence in the study area. We are not yet able to distinguish a specific assemblage that characterises the Ifezouane Formation when compared to the similar Aoufous Formation, and as a result we regard the oldest of the four vertebrate "assemblages" in this region to be the compound assemblage of the "Kem Kem beds". This well-known vertebrate assemblage comprises a mixture of terrestrial (and aerial), freshwater and brackish vertebrates. The archosaur component of this fauna appears to show an intriguingly high proportion of large-bodied carnivorous taxa, which may indicate a peculiar trophic chain, although collecting biases alter this palaeontological signal. A small and restricted assemblage, the

A reappraisal of Polyptychodon (Plesiosauria) from the Cretaceous of England

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Pliosauridae is a globally distributed clade of aquatic predatory amniotes whose fossil record spans from the Lower Jurassic to the Upper Cretaceous. However, the knowledge of pliosaurid interrelationships remains limited. In part, this is a consequence of a few key taxa awaiting detailed reassessment. Among them, the taxon Polyptychodon is of special importance. It was established on isolated teeth from the mid-Cretaceous strata of East and South East England and subsequently associated with numerous finds of near-cosmopolitan distribution. Here the taxon is reassessed based on the original dental material from England, with special focus on a large collection of late Albian material from the Cambridge Greensand near Cambridge. The dental material is reviewed here from historical and stratigraphic perspective, described in detail, and discussed in terms of its diagnostic nature. The considerable morphological variability observed in the teeth attributed to Polyptychodon, together with a wide stratigraphic range of the ascribed material, possibly exceeding 35 Ma (early Aptian to ?middle Santonian), suggests that the taxon is based on a multispecies assemblage, possibly incorporating members of different plesiosaur clades. Due to the absence of any autapomorphic characters or unique character combinations in the original material, Polyptychodon interruptus, the type species of Polyptychodon, is considered nomen dubium. From a global perspective, Polyptychodon is viewed as a wastebasket taxon whose material originating from different localities should be reconsidered separately. PMID:27190712

Post-early cretaceous landform evolution along the western margin of the banca~nnia trough, western nsw

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gibson, D.L.

2000-01-01

Previously undated post-Devonian sediments outcropping north of Fowlers Gap station near the western margin of the Bancannia Trough are shown by plant macro- and microfossil determinations to be of Early Cretaceous (most likely Neocomian and/or Aptian) age, and thus part of the Eromanga Basin. They are assigned to the previously defined Telephone Creek Formation. Study of the structural configuration of this unit and the unconformably underlying Devonian rocks suggests that the gross landscape architecture of the area results from post-Early Cretaceous monoclinal folding along blind faults at the western margin of the trough, combined with the effects of differential erosion. This study shows that, while landscape evolution in the area has been dynamic, the major changes that have occurred are on a geological rather than human timescale.

A small azhdarchoid pterosaur from the latest Cretaceous, the age of flying giants.

PubMed

Martin-Silverstone, Elizabeth; Witton, Mark P; Arbour, Victoria M; Currie, Philip J

2016-08-01

Pterosaur fossils from the Campanian-Maastrichtian of North America have been reported from the continental interior, but few have been described from the west coast. The first pterosaur from the Campanian Northumberland Formation (Nanaimo Group) of Hornby Island, British Columbia, is represented here by a humerus, dorsal vertebrae (including three fused notarial vertebrae), and other fragments. The elements have features typical of Azhdarchoidea, an identification consistent with dominance of this group in the latest Cretaceous. The new material is significant for its size and ontogenetic stage: the humerus and vertebrae indicate a wingspan of ca 1.5 m, but histological sections and bone fusions indicate the individual was approaching maturity at time of death. Pterosaurs of this size are exceedingly rare in Upper Cretaceous strata, a phenomenon commonly attributed to smaller pterosaurs becoming extinct in the Late Cretaceous as part of a reduction in pterosaur diversity and disparity. The absence of small juveniles of large species-which must have existed-in the fossil record is evidence of a preservational bias against small pterosaurs in the Late Cretaceous, and caution should be applied to any interpretation of latest Cretaceous pterosaur diversity and success.

15N/14N variations in Cretaceous Atlantic sedimentary sequences: implication for past changes in marine nitrogen biogeochemistry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rau, G.H.; Arthur, M.A.; Dean, W.E.

1987-01-01

At two locations in the Atlantic Ocean (DSDP Sites 367 and 530) early to middle Cretaceous organic-carbon-rich beds ("black shales") were found to have significantly lower ??15N values (lower 15N/14N ratios) than adjacent organic-carbon-poor beds (white limestones or green claystones). While these lithologies are of marine origin, the black strata in particular have ??15N values that are significantly lower than those previously found in the marine sediment record and most contemporary marine nitrogen pools. In contrast, black, organic-carbon-rich beds at a third site (DSDP Site 603) contain predominantly terrestrial organic matter and have C- and N-isotopic compositions similar to organic matter of modern terrestrial origin. The recurring 15N depletion in the marine-derived Cretaceous sequences prove that the nitrogen they contain is the end result of an episodic and atypical biogeochemistry. Existing isotopic and other data indicate that the low 15N relative abundance is the consequence of pelagic rather than post-depositional processes. Reduced ocean circulation, increased denitrification, and, hence, reduced euphotic zone nitrate availability may have led to Cretaceous phytoplankton assemblages that were periodically dominated by N2-fixing blue-green algae, a possible source of this sediment 15N-depletion. Lack of parallel isotopic shifts in Cretaceous terrestrially-derived nitrogen (Site 603) argues that the above change in nitrogen cycling during this period did not extend beyond the marine environment. ?? 1987.

Polyphase exhumation in the western Qinling Mountains, China: Rapid Early Cretaceous cooling along a lithospheric-scale tear fault and pulsed Cenozoic uplift

PubMed Central

Heberer, Bianca; Anzenbacher, Thomas; Neubauer, Franz; Genser, Johann; Dong, Yunpeng; Dunkl, István

2014-01-01

The western sector of the Qinling–Dabie orogenic belt plays a key role in both Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous “Yanshanian” intracontinental tectonics and Cenozoic lateral escape triggered by India–Asia collision. The Taibai granite in the northern Qinling Mountains is located at the westernmost tip of a Yanshanian granite belt. It consists of multiple intrusions, constrained by new Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous U–Pb zircon ages (156 ± 3 Ma and 124 ± 1 Ma). Applying various geochronometers (40Ar/39Ar on hornblende, biotite and K-feldspar, apatite fission-track, apatite [U–Th–Sm]/He) along a vertical profile of the Taibai Mountain refines the cooling and exhumation history. The new age constraints record the prolonged pre-Cenozoic intracontinental deformation as well as the cooling history mostly related to India–Asia collision. We detected rapid cooling for the Taibai granite from ca. 800 to 100 °C during Early Cretaceous (ca. 123 to 100 Ma) followed by a period of slow cooling from ca. 100 Ma to ca. 25 Ma, and pulsed exhumation of the low-relief Cretaceous peneplain during Cenozoic times. We interpret the Early Cretaceous rapid cooling and exhumation as a result from activity along the southern sinistral lithospheric scale tear fault of the recently postulated intracontinental subduction of the Archean/Palaeoproterozoic North China Block beneath the Alashan Block. A Late Oligocene to Early Miocene cooling phase might be triggered either by the lateral motion during India–Asia collision and/or the Pacific subduction zone. Late Miocene intensified cooling is ascribed to uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. PMID:27065503

Paleozoic strata of the Dyckman Mountain area, northeastern Medfra quadrangle, Alaska: A section in Geologic studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1998

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dumoulin, Julie A.; Bradley, Dwight C.; Harris, Anita G.

2000-01-01

Paleozoic rocks in the Dyckman Mountain area (northeastern Medfra quadrangle; Farewell terrane) include both shallowand deep-water lithologies deposited on and adjacent to a carbonate platform. Shallow-water strata, which were recognized by earlier workers but not previously studied in detail, consist of algal-laminated micrite and skeletal-peloidal wackestone, packstone, and lesser grainstone. These rocks are, at least in part, of Early and (or) Middle Devonian age but locally could be as old as Silurian; they accumulated in shallow subtidal to intertidal settings with periodically restricted water circulation. Deepwater facies, reported here for the first time, are thin, locally graded beds of micrite and calcisiltite and subordinate thick to massive beds of lime grainstone and conglomerate. Conodonts indicate an age of Silurian to Middle Devonian; the most tightly dated intervals are early Late Silurian (early to middle Ludlow). These strata formed as hemipelagic deposits, turbidites, and debris flows derived from shallow-water lithologies of the Nixon Fork subterrane. Rocks in the Dyckman Mountain area are part of a broader facies belt that is transitional between the Nixon Fork carbonate platform to the west and deeper water, basinal lithologies (Minchumina “terrane”) to the east. Transitional facies patterns are complex because of Paleozoic shifts in the position of the platform margin, Mesozoic shortening, and Late Cretaceous-Tertiary disruption by strike-slip faulting.

Reanalysis of Wupus agilis (Early Cretaceous) of Chongqing, China as a Large Avian Trace: Differentiating between Large Bird and Small Non-Avian Theropod Tracks

PubMed Central

Xing, Lida; Buckley, Lisa G.; McCrea, Richard T.; Lockley, Martin G.; Zhang, Jianping; Piñuela, Laura; Klein, Hendrik; Wang, Fengping

2015-01-01

Trace fossils provide the only records of Early Cretaceous birds from many parts of the world. The identification of traces from large avian track-makers is made difficult given their overall similarity in size and tridactyly in comparison with traces of small non-avian theropods. Reanalysis of Wupus agilis from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) Jiaguan Formation, one of a small but growing number of known avian-pterosaur track assemblages, of southeast China determines that these are the traces of a large avian track-maker, analogous to extant herons. Wupus, originally identified as the trace of a small non-avian theropod track-maker, is therefore similar in both footprint and trackway characteristics to the Early Cretaceous (Albian) large avian trace Limiavipes curriei from western Canada, and Wupus is reassigned to the ichnofamily Limiavipedidae. The reanalysis of Wupus reveals that it and Limiavipes are distinct from similar traces of small to medium-sized non-avian theropods (Irenichnites, Columbosauripus, Magnoavipes) based on their relatively large footprint length to pace length ratio and higher mean footprint splay, and that Wupus shares enough characters with Limiavipes to be reassigned to the ichnofamily Limiavipedidae. The ability to discern traces of large avians from those of small non-avian theropods provides more data on the diversity of Early Cretaceous birds. This analysis reveals that, despite the current lack of body fossils, large wading birds were globally distributed in both Laurasia and Gondwana during the Early Cretaceous. PMID:25993285

Tectonosedimentary framework of Upper Cretaceous -Neogene series in the Gulf of Tunis inferred from subsurface data: implications for petroleum exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhraief, Wissem; Dhahri, Ferid; Chalwati, Imen; Boukadi, Noureddine

2017-04-01

The objective and the main contribution of this issue are dedicated to using subsurface data to delineate a basin beneath the Gulf of Tunis and its neighbouring areas, and to investigate the potential of this area in terms of hydrocarbon resources. Available well data provided information about the subsurface geology beneath the Gulf of Tunis. 2D seismic data allowed delineation of the basin shape, strata geometries, and some potential promising subsurface structures in terms of hydrocarbon accumulation. Together with lithostratigraphic data obtained from drilled wells, seismic data permitted the construction of isochron and isobath maps of Upper Cretaceous-Neogene strata. Structural and lithostratigraphic interpretations indicate that the area is tectonically complex, and they highlight the tectonic control of strata deposition during the Cretaceous and Neogene. Tectonic activity related to the geodynamic evolution of the northern African margin appears to have been responsible for several thickness and facies variations, and to have played a significant role in the establishment and evolution of petroleum systems in northeastern Tunisia. As for petroleum systems in the basin, the Cretaceous series of the Bahloul, Mouelha and Fahdene formations are acknowledged to be the main source rocks. In addition, potential reservoirs (Fractured Abiod and Bou Dabbous carbonated formations) sealed by shaly and marly formations (Haria and Souar formations respectively) show favourable geometries of trap structures (anticlines, tilted blocks, unconformities, etc.) which make this area adequate for hydrocarbon accumulations.

An extraterrestrial trigger for the Early Cretaceous massive volcanism? Evidence from the paleo-Tethys Ocean.

PubMed

Tejada, M L G; Ravizza, G; Suzuki, K; Paquay, F S

2012-01-01

The Early Cretaceous Greater Ontong Java Event in the Pacific Ocean may have covered ca. 1% of the Earth's surface with volcanism. It has puzzled scientists trying to explain its origin by several mechanisms possible on Earth, leading others to propose an extraterrestrial trigger to explain this event. A large oceanic extraterrestrial impact causing such voluminous volcanism may have traces of its distal ejecta in sedimentary rocks around the basin, including the paleo-Tethys Ocean which was then contiguous with the Pacific Ocean. The contemporaneous marine sequence at central Italy, containing the sedimentary expression of a global oceanic anoxic event (OAE1a), may have recorded such ocurrence as indicated by two stratigraphic intervals with (187)Os/(188)Os indicative of meteoritic influence. Here we show, for the first time, that platinum group element abundances and inter-element ratios in this paleo-Tethyan marine sequence provide no evidence for an extraterrestrial trigger for the Early Cretaceous massive volcanism.

An extraterrestrial trigger for the Early Cretaceous massive volcanism? Evidence from the paleo-Tethys Ocean

PubMed Central

Tejada, M. L. G.; Ravizza, G.; Suzuki, K.; Paquay, F. S.

2012-01-01

The Early Cretaceous Greater Ontong Java Event in the Pacific Ocean may have covered ca. 1% of the Earth's surface with volcanism. It has puzzled scientists trying to explain its origin by several mechanisms possible on Earth, leading others to propose an extraterrestrial trigger to explain this event. A large oceanic extraterrestrial impact causing such voluminous volcanism may have traces of its distal ejecta in sedimentary rocks around the basin, including the paleo-Tethys Ocean which was then contiguous with the Pacific Ocean. The contemporaneous marine sequence at central Italy, containing the sedimentary expression of a global oceanic anoxic event (OAE1a), may have recorded such ocurrence as indicated by two stratigraphic intervals with 187Os/188Os indicative of meteoritic influence. Here we show, for the first time, that platinum group element abundances and inter-element ratios in this paleo-Tethyan marine sequence provide no evidence for an extraterrestrial trigger for the Early Cretaceous massive volcanism. PMID:22355780

Geology, age, and tectonic setting of the Cretaceous Sliderock Mountain Volcano, Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Du Bray, E.A.; Harlan, Stephen S.

1998-01-01

The Sliderock Mountain stratovolcano, part of the Upper Cretaceous continental magmatic arc in southwestern Montana, consists of volcaniclastic strata and basaltic andesite lava flows. An intrusive complex represents the volcano's solidified magma chamber. Compositional diversity within components of the volcano appears to reflect evolution via about 50 percent fractional crystallization involving clinopyroxene and plagioclase. 40Ar/39Ar indicate that the volcano was active about 78?1 Ma.

Devonian salt dissolution-collapse breccias flooring the Cretaceous Athabasca oil sands deposit and development of lower McMurray Formation sinkholes, northern Alberta Basin, Western Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broughton, Paul L.

2013-01-01

The sub-Cretaceous paleotopography underlying giant Lower Cretaceous Athabasca oil sands, northern Alberta, has an orthogonal lattice pattern of troughs up to 50 km long and 100 m deep between pairs of cross-cutting lineaments. These structures are interpreted to have been inherited from a similar pattern of dissolution collapse-subsidence troughs in the underlying Middle Devonian salt beds. Removal of more than 100 m of halite salt fragmented the overlying Upper Devonian strata into fault blocks and collapse breccias that subsided into the underlying dissolution troughs. The unusually low 1:2 to 1:3 thickness ratios of halite salts to the overlying strata resulted in the Upper Devonian strata collapse-subsidence into underlying salt dissolution troughs being more cataclysmic during the first phase of salt removal. The second phase of slower but complete salt removal between the earlier troughs resulted in a more gradual subsidence of the overlying strata. This obliterated the earlier pattern of giant cross-cutting dissolution troughs bounded by major lineaments. The collapse breccia fabrics underlying the earlier troughs differ from those from areas between the troughs. Collapse breccias underlying the large troughs often have crushed fabrics distributed in zones that rapidly pinched out between fault blocks. Breccias between troughs developed as giant mosaics of detached carbonate blocks that formed breccia pipe complexes. Multiple sinkholes up to 100 m deep aligned along multi-km linear valley trends that dissected the sub-Cretaceous paleotopography. These sinkhole trends formed orthogonal patterns inherited from underlying lattice of NW-SE and NE-SW salt structured lineaments. These cross-cutting sinkhole trends have a smaller 5 km scale reticulate pattern similar to the giant 50 km scale pattern of collapse-subsidence troughs. Other sinkholes developed as lower McMurray strata sagged when underlying Devonian fault blocks and breccia pipes differentially

A paleolatitude reconstruction of the South Armenian Block (Lesser Caucasus) for the Late Cretaceous: Constraints on the Tethyan realm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meijers, Maud J. M.; Smith, Brigitte; Kirscher, Uwe; Mensink, Marily; Sosson, Marc; Rolland, Yann; Grigoryan, Araik; Sahakyan, Lilit; Avagyan, Ara; Langereis, Cor; Müller, Carla

2015-03-01

The continental South Armenian Block - part of the Anatolide-Tauride South Armenian microplate - of Gondwana origin rifted from the African margin after the Triassic and collided with the Eurasian margin after the Late Cretaceous. During the Late Cretaceous, two northward dipping subduction zones were simultaneously active in the northern Neo-Tethys between the South Armenian Block in the south and the Eurasian margin in the north: oceanic subduction took place below the continental Eurasian margin and intra-oceanic subduction resulted in ophiolite obduction onto the South Armenian Block in the Late Cretaceous. The paleolatitude position of the South Armenian Block before its collision with Eurasia within paleogeographic reconstructions is poorly determined and limited to one study. This earlier study places the South Armenian Block at the African margin in the Early Jurassic. To reconstruct the paleolatitude history of the South Armenian Block, we sampled Upper Devonian-Permian and Cretaceous sedimentary rocks in Armenia. The sampled Paleozoic rocks have likely been remagnetized. Results from two out of three sites sampled in Upper Cretaceous strata pass fold tests and probably all three carry a primary paleomagnetic signal. The sampled sedimentary rocks were potentially affected by inclination shallowing. Therefore, two sites that consist of a large number of samples (> 100) were corrected for inclination shallowing using the elongation/inclination method. These are the first paleomagnetic data that quantify the South Armenian Block's position in the Tethys ocean between post-Triassic rifting from the African margin and post-Cretaceous collision with Eurasia. A locality sampled in Lower Campanian Eurasian margin sedimentary rocks and corrected for inclination shallowing, confirms that the corresponding paleolatitude falls on the Eurasian paleolatitude curve. The north-south distance between the South Armenian Block and the Eurasian margin just after Coniacian

Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology and stratigraphy of the Cretaceous Sanjiang Basin in NE China: Provenance record of an abrupt tectonic switch in the mode and nature of the NE Asian continental margin evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Feng-Qi; Chen, Han-Lin; Batt, Geoffrey E.; Dilek, Yildirim; A, Min-Na; Sun, Ming-Dao; Yang, Shu-Feng; Meng, Qi-An; Zhao, Xue-Qin

2015-12-01

The age spectra obtained from 505 spots of detrital zircon U-Pb ages of five representative sandstone samples from the Sanjiang Basin in NE China point to a significant change in its provenance during the Coniacian-Santonian. The predominant detrital source for the Sanjiang Basin during the early Cretaceous was the Zhangguangcai Range magmatic belt and Jiamusi Block along its western and southern periphery, whereas it changed in the late Cretaceous to its eastern periphery. The timing of these inferred changes in the detrital source regions and drainage patterns nearly coincide with the age of a regional unconformity in and across the basin. The time interval of non-deposition and unconformity development was coeval with a transitional period between an extensional tectonic regime in the early Cretaceous and a contractional deformation episode in the late Cretaceous. The Sanjiang Basin evolved during this time window from a backarc to a foreland basin. The migration of the coastal orogenic belt and the fold and thrust belt development farther inland during the late Cretaceous marked the onset of regional-scale shortening and surface uplift in the upper plate of a flat (or very shallow-dipping) subduction zone. The stratigraphic record, the detrital source and geochronology of the basinal strata, and the internal structure of the Sanjiang Basin present, therefore, an important record of a tectonic switch in the nature of continental margin evolution of Northeast Asia during the late Mesozoic.

New Evidence for opening of the Black Sea; U-Pb analysis of detrital zircons and paleocurrent measurements of the Early Cretaceous turbidites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akdoğan, Remziye; Okay, Aral I.; Sunal, Gürsel; Tari, Gabor; Kylander-Clark, Andrew R. C.

2015-04-01

Shelf to submarine turbidite fan deposits of the Early Cretaceous crop out over a large area along the southern coast of the Black Sea. Early Cretaceous turbidites have a thickness of over 2000 meters in the Central Pontides. The shelf of this turbidite basin, represented by shallow marine clastics and carbonates, crops out along the Black Sea coast between Zonguldak and Amasra. Paleocurrent directions in the Lower Cretaceous turbidites were measured in 90 localities using mostly flute and groove casts and to a lesser extend cross-beds. At the eastern part of the basin, the paleocurrents were from north to south. It is scattered in the west of the basin, however, the main paleocurrent directions were from the north. Detrital zircons were analyzed using LA-ICP-MS in eleven samples from the turbiditic sandstones and two samples from the shelf sandstones. Four samples are from the western part (two samples from shelf sediments), four samples from the central part and five samples from the eastern part of the Lower Cretaceous basin. 1085 of 1348 zircon analyses are concordant with rates of 95-105% and the zircon ages range between 141 ± 4 Ma (Berriasian) and 3469 ± 8 Ma (Paleoarchean). 22% of the detrital zircon ages are Paleoproterozoic, 20% Archean, 16% Carboniferous, 13% Neoproterozoic, 8% Permian, 6% Triassic, 5% Mesoproterozoic and 11% other ages. In the western part of the basin the Carboniferous zircons constitute the main population with a less dominant peak at Ordovician, Cambrian and Late Neoproterozoic. The zircons from the center of the basin show scattered distribution with dominant populations in the Triassic, Permian, Carboniferous, Silurian, Paleoproterozoic, Early Neoproterozoic-Late Mesoproterozoic, and minor peak at Late Neoarchean. On the other hand, zircons from the eastern most part of the basin, show dominant peaks in the Paleoproterozoic, Mesoarchean and Permian with minor peaks in Triassic, Carboniferous and Silurian. Anatolia and the Balkans

Upper Cretaceous and lower Eocene conglomerates of Western Transverse Ranges: evidence for tectonic rotation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reed, W.E.; Krause, R.G.F.

1989-04-01

Stratigraphic and paleomagnetic studies have suggested that the western Transverse Ranges (WTR) microplate is allochthonous, and may have experienced translational and rotational motions. Present paleocurrent directions from the Upper Cretaceous Jalama Formation of the Santa Ynez Mountains are north-directed; these forearc sediments (Great Valley sequence) contain magmatic arc-derived conglomerate clasts from the Peninsular Ranges in southern California. Paleocurrents in the lower Eocene Juncal and Cozy Dell Formations are south-directed. This juxtaposition is best explained by 90/degrees/ or more of clockwise rotation of the WTR microplate, so that Upper Cretaceous forearc sediments sourced from the Peninsular Ranges magmatic arc were depositedmore » by west-directed currents. Eocene sediments were derived from an uplifted portion of the western basin margin and deposited by east-directed currents. Franciscan olistoliths in the Upper Cretaceous sediments indicate deposition adjacent to an accretionary wedge; conglomeratic clasts recycled from the Upper Cretaceous sequence, and radiolarian cherts and ophiolitic boulders in the Eocene strata indicate derivation from an outer accretionary ridge.« less

A Glimpse at Late Mesozoic to Early Tertiary Offshore Stratigraphy from Wilkes Land, East Antarctica: Results of Strategic Dredging of the Mertz-Ninnis Trough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schrum, H.; Domack, E.; Desantis, L.; Leventer, A.; McMullen, K.; Escutia, C.

2004-12-01

As early as 1912 Sir Douglas Mawson demonstrated that pre-glacial sedimentary successions could be recovered by seafloor dredging of erosional troughs found offshore, East Antarctica. Since then, little systematic dredging has been undertaken in Antarctica despite indications of outcropping strata exposed along seaward flanks of glacially excavated troughs and the dire need to resolve the nature of preglacial and synglacial strata in this region. During cruise NB Palmer 01-01, three dredges were collected in echelon along the seaward flank of the Mertz-Ninnis Trough, parallel to the Mertz Ice Tongue, in water depths of 900 to 450 m. We combine biostratigraphic (palynologic) and lithologic analyses on sedimentary clasts with multi- and single-channel seismic reflection data collected by the WEGA cruise in 2000. 1359 pebble to cobble sized clasts were collected from three dredges. Of these 15% to 43%, within each dredge, were of sedimentary character, including carbonaceous sandstones with plant macrofossils, black sulfide-rich mudstones, siltstones, lignites, red quartz arenites, arkoses, and diamictites in various states of lithification. Palynomorphs were separated from these sedimentary rocks. We examined eleven individual lithologies, nine of which yielded useful palynological detritus. Of these samples, five yielded palynomorphs distinctive to the Paleogene (i.e. Nothofagus flemingii, Tricolporites spp., Proteacidites spp.); two samples contained only Lower Cretaceous palynomorphs, while three samples provided no stratigraphically useful palynomorph kerogen. We combine these results with multi-channel seismic and multibeam swath mapping to demonstrate that dredged materials represent seafloor outcrop or shallow subcrop of strata beneath a thin glacial till. Our stratigraphic model for these samples is consistent with 62 km of multichannel seismic reflection data (WEGA line W02) showing seaward dipping strata onlapping the basement to the southwest and partly

West-east lithostratigraphic cross section of Cretaceous rocks from central Utah to western Kansas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anna, Lawrence O.

2012-01-01

A west-east lithostratigraphic cross section of the Cretaceous rocks from central Utah to western Kansas was prepared as part of the former Western Interior Cretaceous (WIK) project, which was part of the Global Sedimentary Geology Program started in 1989. This transect is similar to that published by Dyman and others (1994) as a summary paper of the WIK project but extends further east and is more detailed. Stratigraphic control was provided by 32 geophysical logs and measured sections tied to ammonite and Inoceramus faunal zones. A variable datum was used, including the base of the Castlegate Sandstone for the western part of the section, and the fossil ammonite zone Baculites obtusus for the middle and eastern section. Lower Cretaceous units and the Frontier Formation and Mowry Shale are shown as undifferentiated units. Cretaceous strata along the transect range in thickness from more than 7,000 ft in the structural foredeep of the western overthrust belt in central Utah, to about 11,000 ft near the Colorado-Utah border as a result of considerable thickening of the Mesaverde Group, to less than 3,500 ft in the eastern Denver Basin, Kansas resulting in a condensed section. The basal Mancos Shale rises stepwise across the transect becoming progressively younger to the west as the Western Interior Seaway transgressed westward. The section illustrates large scale stratigraphic relations for most of the area covered by the seaway, from central Utah, Colorado, to west-central Kansas. These strata are predominantly continental and shoreline deposits near the Sevier thrust belt in Utah, prograding and regressive shorelines to the east with associated flooding surfaces, downlapping mudstones, and transgressive parasequences (shoreface) that correlate to condensed zones across the seaway in central Colorado and eastern Denver Basin.

Pinaceae-like reproductive morphology in Schizolepidopsis canicularis sp. nov. from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) of Mongolia.

PubMed

Leslie, Andrew B; Glasspool, Ian; Herendeen, Patrick S; Ichinnorov, Niiden; Knopf, Patrick; Takahashi, Masamichi; Crane, Peter R

2013-12-01

Seed cone scales assigned to the genus Schizolepidopsis are widespread in Late Triassic to Cretaceous Eurasian deposits. They have been linked to the conifer family Pinaceae based on associated vegetative remains, but their exact affinities are uncertain. Recently discovered material from the Early Cretaceous of Mongolia reveals important new information concerning Schizolepidopsis cone scales and seeds, and provides support for a relationship between the genus and extant Pinaceae. Specimens were collected from Early Cretaceous (probable Aptian-Albian) lignite deposits in central Mongolia. Lignite samples were disaggregated, cleaned in hydrofluoric acid, and washed in water. Specimens were selected for further study using light and electron microscopy. Schizolepidopsis canicularis seed cones consist of loosely arranged, bilobed ovulate scales subtended by a small bract. A single inverted seed with an elongate micropyle is borne on each lobe of the ovulate scale. Each seed has a wing formed by the separation of the adaxial surface of the ovulate scale. Schizolepidopsis canicularis produced winged seeds that formed in a manner that is unique to Pinaceae among extant conifers. We do not definitively place this species in Pinaceae pending more complete information concerning its pollen cones and vegetative remains. Nevertheless, this material suggests that Schizolepidopsis may be important for understanding the early evolution of Pinaceae, and may potentially help reconcile the appearance of the family in the fossil record with results based on phylogenetic analyses of molecular data.

Accumulation of organic matter in Cretaceous oxygen-deficient depositional environments in the central Pacific Ocean

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dean, W.E.; Claypool, G.E.; Thide, J.

1984-01-01

Complete records of organic-carbon-rich Cretaceous strata were continuouslycored on the flanks of the Mid-Pacific Mountains and southern Hess Rise in the central North Pacific Ocean during DSDP Leg 62. Organic-carbon-rich laminated silicified limestones were deposited in the western Mid-Pacific Mountains during the early Aptian, a time when that region was south of the equator and considerably shallower than at present. Organic-carbon-rich, laminated limestone on southern Hess Rise overlies volcanic basement and includes 136 m of stratigraphic section of late Albian to early Cenomanian age. This limestone unit was deposited rapidly as Hess Rise was passing under the equatorial high-productivity zone and was subsiding from shallow to intermediate depths. The association of volcanogenic components with organic-carbon-rich strata on Hess Rise in the Mid-Pacific Mountains is striking and suggests that there was a coincidence of mid-plate volcanic activity and the production and accumulation of organic matter at intermediate water depths in the tropical Pacific Ocean during the middle Cretaceous. Pyrolysis assays and analyses of extractable hydrocarbons indicate that the organic matter in the limestone on Hess Rise is composed mainly of lipid-rich kerogen derived from aquatic marine organisms and bacteria. Limestones from the Mid-Pacific Mountains generally contain low ratios of pyrolytic hydrocarbons to organic carbon and low hydrogen indices, suggesting that the organic matter may contain a significant proportion of land-derived material, possibly derived from numerous volcanic islands that must have existed before the area subsided. The organic carbon in all samples analyzed is isotopically light (??13C - 24 to - 29 per mil) relative to most modern rine organic carbon, and the lightest carbon is also the most lipid-rich. There is a positive linear correlation between sulfur and organic carbon in samples from Hess Rise and from the Mid-Pacific Mountains. The slopes

Peculiar macrophagous adaptations in a new Cretaceous pliosaurid

PubMed Central

Arkhangelsky, Maxim S.; Stenshin, Ilya M.; Uspensky, Gleb N.; Zverkov, Nikolay G.

2015-01-01

During the Middle and Late Jurassic, pliosaurid plesiosaurs evolved gigantic body size and a series of craniodental adaptations that have been linked to the occupation of an apex predator niche. Cretaceous pliosaurids (i.e. Brachaucheninae) depart from this morphology, being slightly smaller and lacking the macrophagous adaptations seen in earlier forms. However, the fossil record of Early Cretaceous pliosaurids is poor, concealing the evolution and ecological diversity of the group. Here, we report a new pliosaurid from the Late Hauterivian (Early Cretaceous) of Russia. Phylogenetic analyses using reduced consensus methods recover it as the basalmost brachauchenine. This pliosaurid is smaller than other derived pliosaurids, has tooth alveoli clustered in pairs and possesses trihedral teeth with complex serrated carinae. Maximum-likelihood ancestral state reconstruction suggests early brachauchenines retained trihedral teeth from their ancestors, but modified this feature in a unique way, convergent with macrophagous archosaurs or sphenacodontoids. Our findings indicate that Early Cretaceous marine reptile teeth with serrated carinae cannot be unequivocally assigned to metriorhynchoid crocodylomorphs. Furthermore, they extend the known diversity of dental adaptations seen in Sauropterygia, the longest lived clade of marine tetrapods. PMID:27019740

A temporary pond in the Early Cretaceous of southern England: palaeoclimatic implications of nonmarine "Purbeck-Wealden" ostracod faunas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horne, D. J.

2009-04-01

Excavation of the partial skeleton of an Iguanodon from the Upper Weald Clay (Barremian, Early Cretaceous) at Smokejacks Brickworks near Ockley, Surrey, UK included detailed sampling for micropalaeontological and palynological and studies (Nye et al., 2008). Rich and well-preserved non-marine assemblages of pollen and spores include early angiosperms as well as freshwater green algae. Taphonomic analyses show the ostracod assemblages to be autochthonous thanatocoenoses, indicative of local environment at the time of deposition. Using a palaeobiological approach, the ostracods and palynomorphs demonstrate temporary / ephemeral freshwater conditions at the time when the Iguanodon died and the carcase was buried. Ostracod "faunicycles" in "Purbeck-Wealden" deposits may represent salinity variations in non-marine water-bodies, influenced by the balance between precipitation and evaporation, and/or the relative abundance of permanent and temporary waterbodies in the landscape; many assemblages resulted from post-mortem mixing, perhaps during flood events (Horne, 2002). Faunal alternations may therefore reflect shifts of the boundary between warm temperate and paratropical climate in the Early Cretaceous of NW Europe. The previously rejected suggestion that such assemblage variations record Milankovitch cyclicity deserves to be reconsidered, as does the possibility that they reflect changes on sub-Milankovitch timescales. Climate variability may have influenced the differential evolutionary success of sexual, mixed and parthenogenetic reproductive strategies in nonmarine ostracods. Latitudinally restricted distribution patterns and wind dispersal of resting eggs offer potential for inferring global climate patterns from ostracod palaeobiogeography, although dispersal by large animals (e.g., crocodiles, pterosaurs) is likely to have confused any aeolian transport patterns. References Horne, D. J. 2002. Ostracod biostratigraphy and palaeoecology of the Purbeck Limestone

A gravid lizard from the Cretaceous of China and the early history of squamate viviparity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yuan; Evans, Susan E.

2011-09-01

Although viviparity is most often associated with mammals, roughly one fifth of extant squamate reptiles give birth to live young. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that the trait evolved more than 100 times within Squamata, a frequency greater than that of all other vertebrate clades combined. However, there is debate as to the antiquity of the trait and, until now, the only direct fossil evidence of squamate viviparity was in Late Cretaceous mosasauroids, specialised marine lizards without modern equivalents. Here, we document viviparity in a specimen of a more generalised lizard, Yabeinosaurus, from the Early Cretaceous of China. The gravid female contains more than 15 young at a level of skeletal development corresponding to that of late embryos of living viviparous lizards. This specimen documents the first occurrence of viviparity in a fossil reptile that was largely terrestrial in life, and extends the temporal distribution of the trait in squamates by at least 30 Ma. As Yabeinosaurus occupies a relatively basal position within crown-group squamates, it suggests that the anatomical and physiological preconditions for viviparity arose early within Squamata.

The conchostracan subgenus Orthestheria (Migransia) from the Tacuarembó Formation (Late Jurassic-?Early Cretaceous, Uruguay) with notes on its geological age

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yanbin, Shen; Gallego, Oscar F.; Martínez, Sergio

2004-04-01

Conchostracans from the Tacuarembó Formation s.s. of Uruguay are reassigned to the subgenus Orthestheria (Migransia) Chen and Shen. They show more similarities to genera of Late Jurassic age in the Congo Basin and China than to those of Early Cretaceous age. On the basis of the character of the conchostracans, we suggest that the Tacuarembó Formation is unlikely to be older than Late Jurassic. It is probably Kimmeridgian, but an Early Cretaceous age cannot be excluded. This finding is consistent with isotopic dating of the overlying basalts, as well as the age range of recently described fossil freshwater sharks.

Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous continental convergence and intracontinental orogenesis in East Asia: A synthesis of the Yanshan Revolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Shuwen; Zhang, Yueqiao; Zhang, Fuqin; Cui, Jianjun; Chen, Xuanhua; Zhang, Shuanhong; Miao, Laicheng; Li, Jianhua; Shi, Wei; Li, Zhenhong; Huang, Shiqi; Li, Hailong

2015-12-01

The basic tectonic framework of continental East Asia was produced by a series of nearly contemporaneous orogenic events in the late Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. Commonly, the Late Mesozoic orogenic processes were characterized by continent-continent collision, large-scale thrusting, strike-slip faulting and intense crustal shortening, crustal thickening, regional anatexis and metamorphism, followed by large-scale lithospheric extension, rifting and magmatism. To better understand the geological processes, this paper reviews and synthesizes existing multi-disciplinary geologic data related to sedimentation, tectonics, magmatism, metamorphism and geochemistry, and proposes a two-stage tectono-thermal evolutionary history of East Asia during the late Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous (ca. 170-120 Ma). In the first stage, three orogenic belts along the continental margins were formed coevally at ca. 170-135 Ma, i.e., the north Mongol-Okhotsk orogen, the east paleo-Pacific coastal orogen, and the west Bangong-Nujiang orogen. Tectonism related to the coastal orogen caused extensive intracontinental folding and thrusting that resulted in a depositional hiatus in the Late Jurassic, as well as crustal anatexis that generated syn-kinematic granites, adakites and migmatites. The lithosphere of the East Asian continent was thickened, reaching a maximum during the latest Jurassic or the earliest Cretaceous. In the second stage (ca. 135-120 Ma), delamination of the thickened lithosphere resulted in a remarkable (>120 km) lithospheric thinning and the development of mantle-derived magmatism, mineralization, metamorphic core complexes and rift basins. The Middle Jurassic-Early Cretaceous subduction of oceanic plates (paleo-Pacific, meso-Tethys, and Mongol-Okhotsk) and continent-continent collision (e.g. Lhasa and Qiangtang) along the East Asian continental margins produced broad coastal and intracontinental orogens. These significant tectonic activities, marked by

Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Eagle Ford Group and associated Cenomanian–Turonian Strata, U.S. Gulf Coast, Texas, 2018

USGS Publications Warehouse

Whidden, Katherine J.; Pitman, Janet K.; Pearson, Ofori N.; Paxton, Stanley T.; Kinney, Scott A.; Gianoutsos, Nicholas J.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Birdwell, Justin E.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Burke, Lauri A.; Dubiel, Russell F.; French, Katherine L.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Haines, Seth S.; Le, Phuong A.; Marra, Kristen R.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Woodall, Cheryl A.

2018-06-22

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 8.5 billion barrels of oil and 66 trillion cubic feet of gas in continuous accumulations in the Upper Cretaceous Eagle Ford Group and associated Cenomanian–Turonian strata in onshore lands of the U.S. Gulf Coast region, Texas.

Early Cretaceous bimodal volcanic rocks in the southern Lhasa terrane, south Tibet: Age, petrogenesis and tectonic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chao; Ding, Lin; Liu, Zhi-Chao; Zhang, Li-Yun; Yue, Ya-Hui

2017-01-01

Limited geochronological and geochemical data from Early Cretaceous igneous rocks of the Gangdese Belt have resulted in a dispute regarding the subduction history of Neo-Tethyan Ocean. To approach this issue, we performed detailed in-situ zircon U-Pb and Hf isotopic, whole-rock elemental and Sr-Nd isotopic analyses on Late Mesozoic volcanic rocks exposed in the Liqiongda area, southern Lhasa terrane. These volcanic rocks are calc-alkaline series, dominated by basalts, basaltic andesites, and subordinate rhyolites, with a bimodal suite. The LA-ICPMS zircon U-Pb dating results of the basaltic andesites and rhyolites indicate that these volcanic rocks erupted during the Early Cretaceous (137-130 Ma). The basaltic rocks are high-alumina (average > 17 wt.%), enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILEs) and light rare earth elements (LREEs), and depleted in high field strength elements (HFSEs), showing subduction-related characteristics. They display highly positive zircon εHf(t) values (+ 10.0 to + 16.3) and whole-rock εNd(t) values (+ 5.38 to + 7.47). The silicic suite is characterized by low Al2O3 (< 15.4 wt.%), Mg# (< 40), and TiO2 (< 0.3 wt.%) abundances; enriched and variable concentrations of LILEs and REEs; and strongly negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.08-0.19), as well as depleted Hf isotopic compositions (εHf(t) = + 4.9 to + 16.4) and Nd isotopic compositions (εNd(t) = + 5.26 to + 6.71). Consequently, we envision a process of basaltic magmas similar to that of MORB extracted from a source metasomatized by slab-derived components for the petrogenesis of mafic rocks, whereas the subsequent mafic magma underplating triggered partial melting of the juvenile crust to generate acidic magma. Our results confirm the presence of Early Cretaceous volcanism in the southern Lhasa terrane. Combined with the distribution of the contemporary magmatism, deformation style, and sedimentary characteristics in the Lhasa terrane, we favor the suggestion that the Neo

A basal thunnosaurian from Iraq reveals disparate phylogenetic origins for Cretaceous ichthyosaurs

PubMed Central

Fischer, Valentin; Appleby, Robert M.; Naish, Darren; Liston, Jeff; Riding, James B.; Brindley, Stephen; Godefroit, Pascal

2013-01-01

Cretaceous ichthyosaurs have typically been considered a small, homogeneous assemblage sharing a common Late Jurassic ancestor. Their low diversity and disparity have been interpreted as indicative of a decline leading to their Cenomanian extinction. We describe the first post-Triassic ichthyosaur from the Middle East, Malawania anachronus gen. et sp. nov. from the Early Cretaceous of Iraq, and re-evaluate the evolutionary history of parvipelvian ichthyosaurs via phylogenetic and cladogenesis rate analyses. Malawania represents a basal grade in thunnosaurian evolution that arose during a major Late Triassic radiation event and was previously thought to have gone extinct during the Early Jurassic. Its pectoral morphology appears surprisingly archaic, retaining a forefin architecture similar to that of its Early Jurassic relatives. After the initial latest Triassic radiation of early thunnosaurians, two subsequent large radiations produced lineages with Cretaceous representatives, but the radiation events themselves are pre-Cretaceous. Cretaceous ichthyosaurs therefore include distantly related lineages, with contrasting evolutionary histories, and appear more diverse and disparate than previously supposed. PMID:23676653

The emergence of modern type rain forests and mangroves and their traces in the palaeobotanical record during the Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohr, Barbara; Coiffard, Clément

2014-05-01

The origin of modern rain forests is still very poorly known. This ecosystem could have potentially fully evolved only after the development of relatively high numbers of flowering plant families adapted to rain forest conditions. During the early phase of angiosperm evolution in the early Cretaceous the palaeo-equatorial region was located in a seasonally dry climatic belt, so that during this phase, flowering plants often show adaptations to drought, rather than to continuously wet climate conditions. Therefore it is not surprising that except for the Nymphaeales, the most basal members of extant angiosperm families have members that do not necessarily occur in the continuously wet tropics today. However, during the late Early Cretaceous several clades emerged that later would give rise to families that are typically found today mostly in (shady) moist places in warmer regions. This is especially seen among the monocotyledons, a group of the mesangiosperms, that developed in many cases large leaves often with very specific venation patterns that make these leaves very unique and well recognizable. Especially members of three groups are here of interest: the arum family (Araceae), the palms (Arecaceae) and the Ginger and allies (Zingiberales). The earliest fossil of Araceae are restricted to low latitudes during the lower Cretaceous. Arecaceae and Zingiberales do not appear in the fossil record before the early late Cretaceous and occur at mid latitudes. During the Late Cretaceous, Araceae are represented at mid latitudes by non-tropical early diverging members and at low latitudes by derived rainforest members. Palms became widespread during the Late Cretataceous and also Nypa, a typical element of tropical to subtropical mangrove environments evolved during this time period. During the Paleocene Arecaceae appear to be restricted to lower latitudes as well as Zingiberales. All three groups are again widespread during the Eocene, reaching higher latitudes and

New Australian sauropods shed light on Cretaceous dinosaur palaeobiogeography

PubMed Central

Poropat, Stephen F.; Mannion, Philip D.; Upchurch, Paul; Hocknull, Scott A.; Kear, Benjamin P.; Kundrát, Martin; Tischler, Travis R.; Sloan, Trish; Sinapius, George H. K.; Elliott, Judy A.; Elliott, David A.

2016-01-01

Australian dinosaurs have played a rare but controversial role in the debate surrounding the effect of Gondwanan break-up on Cretaceous dinosaur distribution. Major spatiotemporal gaps in the Gondwanan Cretaceous fossil record, coupled with taxon incompleteness, have hindered research on this effect, especially in Australia. Here we report on two new sauropod specimens from the early Late Cretaceous of Queensland, Australia, that have important implications for Cretaceous dinosaur palaeobiogeography. Savannasaurus elliottorum gen. et sp. nov. comprises one of the most complete Cretaceous sauropod skeletons ever found in Australia, whereas a new specimen of Diamantinasaurus matildae includes the first ever cranial remains of an Australian sauropod. The results of a new phylogenetic analysis, in which both Savannasaurus and Diamantinasaurus are recovered within Titanosauria, were used as the basis for a quantitative palaeobiogeographical analysis of macronarian sauropods. Titanosaurs achieved a worldwide distribution by at least 125 million years ago, suggesting that mid-Cretaceous Australian sauropods represent remnants of clades which were widespread during the Early Cretaceous. These lineages would have entered Australasia via dispersal from South America, presumably across Antarctica. High latitude sauropod dispersal might have been facilitated by Albian–Turonian warming that lifted a palaeoclimatic dispersal barrier between Antarctica and South America. PMID:27763598

New Australian sauropods shed light on Cretaceous dinosaur palaeobiogeography.

PubMed

Poropat, Stephen F; Mannion, Philip D; Upchurch, Paul; Hocknull, Scott A; Kear, Benjamin P; Kundrát, Martin; Tischler, Travis R; Sloan, Trish; Sinapius, George H K; Elliott, Judy A; Elliott, David A

2016-10-20

Australian dinosaurs have played a rare but controversial role in the debate surrounding the effect of Gondwanan break-up on Cretaceous dinosaur distribution. Major spatiotemporal gaps in the Gondwanan Cretaceous fossil record, coupled with taxon incompleteness, have hindered research on this effect, especially in Australia. Here we report on two new sauropod specimens from the early Late Cretaceous of Queensland, Australia, that have important implications for Cretaceous dinosaur palaeobiogeography. Savannasaurus elliottorum gen. et sp. nov. comprises one of the most complete Cretaceous sauropod skeletons ever found in Australia, whereas a new specimen of Diamantinasaurus matildae includes the first ever cranial remains of an Australian sauropod. The results of a new phylogenetic analysis, in which both Savannasaurus and Diamantinasaurus are recovered within Titanosauria, were used as the basis for a quantitative palaeobiogeographical analysis of macronarian sauropods. Titanosaurs achieved a worldwide distribution by at least 125 million years ago, suggesting that mid-Cretaceous Australian sauropods represent remnants of clades which were widespread during the Early Cretaceous. These lineages would have entered Australasia via dispersal from South America, presumably across Antarctica. High latitude sauropod dispersal might have been facilitated by Albian-Turonian warming that lifted a palaeoclimatic dispersal barrier between Antarctica and South America.

Seismic analysis of clinoform depositional sequences and shelf-margin trajectories in Lower Cretaceous (Albian) strata, Alaska North Slope

USGS Publications Warehouse

Houseknecht, D.W.; Bird, K.J.; Schenk, C.J.

2009-01-01

Lower Cretaceous strata beneath the Alaska North Slope include clinoform depositional sequences that filled the western Colville foreland basin and overstepped the Beaufort rift shoulder. Analysis of Albian clinoform sequences with two-dimensional (2D) seismic data resulted in the recognition of seismic facies inferred to represent lowstand, transgressive and highstand systems tracts. These are stacked to produce shelf-margin trajectories that appear in low-resolution seismic data to alternate between aggradational and progradational. Higher-resolution seismic data reveal shelf-margin trajectories that are more complex, particularly in net-aggradational areas, where three patterns commonly are observed: (1) a negative (downward) step across the sequence boundary followed by mostly aggradation in the lowstand systems tract (LST), (2) a positive (upward) step across the sequence boundary followed by mostly progradation in the LST and (3) an upward backstep across a mass-failure d??collement. These different shelf-margin trajectories are interpreted as (1) fall of relative sea level below the shelf edge, (2) fall of relative sea level to above the shelf edge and (3) mass-failure removal of shelf-margin sediment. Lowstand shelf margins mapped using these criteria are oriented north-south in the foreland basin, indicating longitudinal filling from west to east. The shelf margins turn westward in the north, where the clinoform depositional system overstepped the rift shoulder, and turn eastward in the south, suggesting progradation of depositional systems from the ancestral Brooks Range into the foredeep. Lowstand shelf-margin orientations are consistently perpendicular to clinoform-foreset-dip directions. Although the Albian clinoform sequences of the Alaska North Slope are generally similar in stratal geometry to clinoform sequences elsewhere, they are significantly thicker. Clinoform-sequence thickness ranges from 600-1000 m in the north to 1700-2000 m in the south

Lower Cretaceous Puez key-section in the Dolomites - towards the mid-Cretaceous super-greenhouse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lukeneder, A.; Halásová, E.; Rehákova, D.; Józsa, Š.; Soták, J.; Kroh, A.; Jovane, L.; Florindo, F.; Sprovieri, M.; Giorgioni, M.; Lukeneder, S.

2012-04-01

Investigations on different fossil groups in addition to isotopic, paleomagnetic and geochemical analysis are combined to extract the Early Cretaceous history of environmental changes, as displayed by the sea level and climate changes. Results on biostratigraphy are integrated with other dating methods as magnetostraigraphy, correlation and cyclostratigraphy. The main investigation topics of the submitted project within the above-described framework are the biostratigraphic (Lukeneder and Aspmair, 2006, 2012), palaeoecological (Lukeneder, 2008, 2012), palaeobiogeographic, lithostratigraphic (Lukeneder, 2010, 2011), cyclostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic development of the Early Cretaceous in the Puez area. The main sections occur in expanded outcrops located on the southern margin of the Puez Plateau, within the area of the Puez-Geisler Natural Park, in the northern part of the Dolomites (South Tyrol, North Italy). The cephalopod, microfossil and nannofossil faunas and floras from the marly limestones to marls here indicates Hauterivian to Albian/Cenomanian age. Oxygen isotope values from the Lower Cretaceous Puez Formation show a decreasing trend throughout the log, from -1.5‰ in the Hauterivian to -4.5‰ in the Albian/Cenomanian. The decreasing values mirror an increasing trend in palaeotemperatures from ~ 15-18°C in the Hauterivian up to ~25-30 °C in the Albian/Cenomanian. The trend probably indicates the positive shift in temperature induced by the well known Mid Cretaceous Ocean warming (e.g., Super-Greenhouse). The cooperative project (FWF project P20018-N10; 22 international scientists): An integrative high resolution project. Macro- and microfossils, isotopes, litho-, cyclo-, magneto-and biostratigraphy as tools for investigating the Lower Cretaceous within the Dolomites (Southern Alps, Northern Italy) -The Puez area as a new key region of the Tethyan Realm), is on the way since 2008 by the Natural History Museum in Vienna and the 'Naturmuseum S�

Brittle Deformation in the Ordos Basin in response to the Mesozoic destruction of the North China Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Q.; Jiang, L.

2012-12-01

strata were developed in the beginning of Cretaceous. It seems that the western NCC experienced only uplift that recorded a weak N-S extension and E-W compression during the Early Cretaceous when the NCC experienced destruction. Conclusions: 1. The Cretaceous uplift ceased the "natural test of mechanical property" of the strata in the Ordos Basin. The difference in burying depth of the strata caused the vertical difference in joints development. 2. Joints in the interior of the Ordos Basin indicate a N-S extension and E-W compression with the sigma 1 vertical in the Early Cretaceous, as implying a regional uplift in the western NCC during its Mesozoic destruction.

Mesozoic­ and Cenozoic Tectono-depositional History of the Southwestern Chukchi Borderland: Implications of Pre-Brookian Passive-margin Slope Deposits for the Jurassic Extensional Deformation of the Amerasia Basin, Arctic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilhan, I.; Coakley, B.

2016-12-01

A stratigraphic framework for offshore northwest of Alaska has been developed from multi-channel seismic reflection data and direct seismic-well ties to the late 80's Crackerjack and Popcorn exploration wells along the late Cretaceous middle Brookian unconformity. This unconformity is characterized by downlap, onlap, and bi-directional onlap of the overlying upper Brookian strata in high accommodation, and erosional incision of the underlying lower Brookian strata in low accommodation. This surface links multiple basins across the southwestern Chukchi Borderland, Arctic Ocean. The lower Brookian strata are characterized by pinch out basin geometry in which parallel-continuous reflectors show north-northeasterly progressive onlap of the younger strata onto a lower Cretaceous unconformity. These strata are subdivided into Aptian-Albian and Upper Cretaceous sections along a middle Cretaceous unconformity. The north-northeasterly thinning-by-onlap is consistent across hundreds of kilometers along the southwestern Chukchi Borderland. While this suggests a south-southwesterly regional source of sediment and transport from the Early Cretaceous Arctic Alaska-Chukotka orogens, pre-Brookian clinoform strata, underlying the lower Cretaceous unconformity angularly, have been observed for the first time in southeastern margin of the Chukchi Abyssal Plain. This suggests a change in sediment source and transport direction between the pre-Brookian and the lower Brookian strata. Although the mechanism for the accommodation is not well understood, we interpret the pre-Brookian strata as passive-margin slope deposits due to the fact that we have not observed any evidence for upper crustal tectonic deformation or syn-tectonic "growth" strata in the area. Thus, this implies that depositional history of the southwestern Chukchi Borderland post-dates the accommodation. This interpretation puts a new substantial constrain on the pre-Valanginian clockwise rotation of the Chukchi Borderland

The early evolution of feathers: fossil evidence from Cretaceous amber of France

PubMed Central

Perrichot, Vincent; Marion, Loïc; Néraudeau, Didier; Vullo, Romain; Tafforeau, Paul

2008-01-01

The developmental stages of feathers are of major importance in the evolution of body covering and the origin of avian flight. Until now, there were significant gaps in knowledge of early morphologies in theoretical stages of feathers as well as in palaeontological material. Here we report fossil evidence of an intermediate and critical stage in the incremental evolution of feathers which has been predicted by developmental theories but hitherto undocumented by evidence from both the recent and the fossil records. Seven feathers have been found in an Early Cretaceous (Late Albian, ca 100 Myr) amber of western France, which display a flattened shaft composed by the still distinct and incompletely fused bases of the barbs forming two irregular vanes. Considering their remarkably primitive features, and since recent discoveries have yielded feathers of modern type in some derived theropod dinosaurs, the Albian feathers from France might have been derived either from an early bird or from a non-avian dinosaur. PMID:18285280

Small Theropod Teeth from the Late Cretaceous of the San Juan Basin, Northwestern New Mexico and Their Implications for Understanding Latest Cretaceous Dinosaur Evolution

PubMed Central

Williamson, Thomas E.; Brusatte, Stephen L.

2014-01-01

Studying the evolution and biogeographic distribution of dinosaurs during the latest Cretaceous is critical for better understanding the end-Cretaceous extinction event that killed off all non-avian dinosaurs. Western North America contains among the best records of Late Cretaceous terrestrial vertebrates in the world, but is biased against small-bodied dinosaurs. Isolated teeth are the primary evidence for understanding the diversity and evolution of small-bodied theropod dinosaurs during the Late Cretaceous, but few such specimens have been well documented from outside of the northern Rockies, making it difficult to assess Late Cretaceous dinosaur diversity and biogeographic patterns. We describe small theropod teeth from the San Juan Basin of northwestern New Mexico. These specimens were collected from strata spanning Santonian – Maastrichtian. We grouped isolated theropod teeth into several morphotypes, which we assigned to higher-level theropod clades based on possession of phylogenetic synapomorphies. We then used principal components analysis and discriminant function analyses to gauge whether the San Juan Basin teeth overlap with, or are quantitatively distinct from, similar tooth morphotypes from other geographic areas. The San Juan Basin contains a diverse record of small theropods. Late Campanian assemblages differ from approximately co-eval assemblages of the northern Rockies in being less diverse with only rare representatives of troodontids and a Dromaeosaurus-like taxon. We also provide evidence that erect and recurved morphs of a Richardoestesia-like taxon represent a single heterodont species. A late Maastrichtian assemblage is dominated by a distinct troodontid. The differences between northern and southern faunas based on isolated theropod teeth provide evidence for provinciality in the late Campanian and the late Maastrichtian of North America. However, there is no indication that major components of small-bodied theropod diversity were lost

Small theropod teeth from the Late Cretaceous of the San Juan Basin, northwestern New Mexico and their implications for understanding latest Cretaceous dinosaur evolution.

PubMed

Williamson, Thomas E; Brusatte, Stephen L

2014-01-01

Studying the evolution and biogeographic distribution of dinosaurs during the latest Cretaceous is critical for better understanding the end-Cretaceous extinction event that killed off all non-avian dinosaurs. Western North America contains among the best records of Late Cretaceous terrestrial vertebrates in the world, but is biased against small-bodied dinosaurs. Isolated teeth are the primary evidence for understanding the diversity and evolution of small-bodied theropod dinosaurs during the Late Cretaceous, but few such specimens have been well documented from outside of the northern Rockies, making it difficult to assess Late Cretaceous dinosaur diversity and biogeographic patterns. We describe small theropod teeth from the San Juan Basin of northwestern New Mexico. These specimens were collected from strata spanning Santonian - Maastrichtian. We grouped isolated theropod teeth into several morphotypes, which we assigned to higher-level theropod clades based on possession of phylogenetic synapomorphies. We then used principal components analysis and discriminant function analyses to gauge whether the San Juan Basin teeth overlap with, or are quantitatively distinct from, similar tooth morphotypes from other geographic areas. The San Juan Basin contains a diverse record of small theropods. Late Campanian assemblages differ from approximately coeval assemblages of the northern Rockies in being less diverse with only rare representatives of troodontids and a Dromaeosaurus-like taxon. We also provide evidence that erect and recurved morphs of a Richardoestesia-like taxon represent a single heterodont species. A late Maastrichtian assemblage is dominated by a distinct troodontid. The differences between northern and southern faunas based on isolated theropod teeth provide evidence for provinciality in the late Campanian and the late Maastrichtian of North America. However, there is no indication that major components of small-bodied theropod diversity were lost

CRETACEOUS CLIMATE SENSITIVITY STUDY USING DINOSAUR & PLANT PALEOBIOGEOGRAPHY

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goswami, A.; Main, D. J.; Noto, C. R.; Moore, T. L.; Scotese, C.

2009-12-01

The Early Cretaceous was characterized by cool poles and moderate global temperatures (~16° C). During the mid and late Cretaceous, long-term global warming (~20° - 22° C) was driven by increasing levels of CO2, rising sea level (lowering albedo) and the continuing breakup of Pangea. Paleoclimatic reconstructions for four time intervals during the Cretaceous: Middle Campanian (80 Ma), Cenomanian/Turonian (90 Ma), Early Albian (110 Ma) and Barremian-Hauterivian (130Ma) are presented here. These paleoclimate simulations were prepared using the Fast Ocean and Atmosphere Model (FOAM). The simulated results show the pattern of the pole-to-Equator temperature gradients, rainfall, surface run-off, the location of major rivers and deltas. In order to investigate the effect of potential dispersal routes on paleobiogeographic patterns, a time-slice series of maps from Early - Late Cretaceous were produced showing plots of dinosaur and plant fossil distributions. These Maps were created utilizing: 1) plant fossil localities from the GEON and Paleobiology (PBDB) databases; and 2) dinosaur fossil localities from an updated version of the Dinosauria (Weishampel, 2004) database. These results are compared to two different types of datasets, 1) Paleotemperature database for the Cretaceous and 2) locality data obtained from GEON, PBDB and Dinosauria database. Global latitudinal mean temperatures from both the model and the paelotemperature database were plotted on a series of latitudinal graphs along with the distributions of fossil plants and dinosaurs. It was found that most dinosaur localities through the Cretaceous tend to cluster within specific climate belts, or envelopes. Also, these Cretaceous maps show variance in biogeographic zonation of both plants and dinosaurs that is commensurate with reconstructed climate patterns and geography. These data are particularly useful for understanding the response of late Mesozoic ecosystems to geographic and climatic conditions that

Early environmental effects of the terminal Cretaceous impact

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gilmour, Iain; Wolbach, Wendy S.; Anders, Edward

1988-01-01

The environmental aftereffects of the terminal Cretaceous impact are examined on the basis of the carbon and nitrogen geochemistry in the basal layer of the K-T boundary clay at Woodside Creek, New Zealand. It is shown that organic carbon and nitrogen at this level are enriched by 15 and 20 times Cretaceous values, respectively. Also, it is found that the N abundances and, to a lesser extent, the organic C abundances are closely correlated with the Ir abundances. The changes in carbon and nitrogen content through the basal layer are outlined, focusing on the possible environmental conditions which could have caused enrichment. In addition, consideration is given to the soot and pyrotoxin content. Possible scenarios for the K-T event and the importance of selective extinction are discussed.

Early Cretaceous adakitic magmatism in central eastern China controlled by ridge subduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ling, M.; Luo, Z.; Sun, W.

2017-12-01

Early Cretaceous adakites are widely distributed in central eastern China, e.g., Lower Yangtze River Belt (LYRB), Dabie orogen and south Tan-Lu Fault (STLF) area. Adakite from the LYRB is closely associated with mineralization, while adakites from Dabie orogen and STLF are ore barren. Their origins, however, remain controversial. Detailed geochemical comparison between these adakites indicates that the LYRB adakite are formed by partial melting of oceanic crust, i.e., slab melting, whereas those from Dabie orogen and STLF (e.g., Guandian pluton) have origin of lower continental crust (LCC) 1,2. Base on the distribution of igneous rocks, e.g., adakite, A-type granite and Nb-enriched basalts, as well as other lines of evidence, ridge subduction of the Pacific and Izanagi plates was proposed to explain the genesis of Cretaceous magmatism and associated mineralization in the LYRB 1. Ridge subduction is a special plate tectonic process that can provide both physical erosion and thermal erosion 3. Flat subduction of a spreading ridge will result in strong physical subduction-related erosion, and trigger destruction (e.g., in the Dabie orogen) or delamination (e.g., in the STLF) of the thickened LCC. Subsequently, ridge subduction, accompanied by opening of a slab window, will facilitate partial melting of the LCC by thermal erosion. References: 1. Ling, M. X. et al. Cretaceous ridge subduction along the Lower Yangtze river belt, eastern China. Econ. Geol. 104, 303-321, doi:10.2113/gsecongeo.104.2.303 (2009). 2. Ling, M. X., Wang, F. Y., Ding, X., Zhou, J. B. & Sun, W. D. Different origins of adakites from the Dabie Mountains and the Lower Yangtze River Belt, eastern China: Geochemical constraints. International Geology Review 53, 727-740 (2011). 3. Ling, M. X. et al. Destruction of the North China Craton Induced by Ridge Subductions. Journal of Geology 121, 197-213 (2013).

Fossil evidence for Cretaceous escalation in angiosperm leaf vein evolution.

PubMed

Feild, Taylor S; Brodribb, Timothy J; Iglesias, Ari; Chatelet, David S; Baresch, Andres; Upchurch, Garland R; Gomez, Bernard; Mohr, Barbara A R; Coiffard, Clement; Kvacek, Jiri; Jaramillo, Carlos

2011-05-17

The flowering plants that dominate modern vegetation possess leaf gas exchange potentials that far exceed those of all other living or extinct plants. The great divide in maximal ability to exchange CO(2) for water between leaves of nonangiosperms and angiosperms forms the mechanistic foundation for speculation about how angiosperms drove sweeping ecological and biogeochemical change during the Cretaceous. However, there is no empirical evidence that angiosperms evolved highly photosynthetically active leaves during the Cretaceous. Using vein density (D(V)) measurements of fossil angiosperm leaves, we show that the leaf hydraulic capacities of angiosperms escalated several-fold during the Cretaceous. During the first 30 million years of angiosperm leaf evolution, angiosperm leaves exhibited uniformly low vein D(V) that overlapped the D(V) range of dominant Early Cretaceous ferns and gymnosperms. Fossil angiosperm vein densities reveal a subsequent biphasic increase in D(V). During the first mid-Cretaceous surge, angiosperm D(V) first surpassed the upper bound of D(V) limits for nonangiosperms. However, the upper limits of D(V) typical of modern megathermal rainforest trees first appear during a second wave of increased D(V) during the Cretaceous-Tertiary transition. Thus, our findings provide fossil evidence for the hypothesis that significant ecosystem change brought about by angiosperms lagged behind the Early Cretaceous taxonomic diversification of angiosperms.

Early to mid Cretaceous vegetation of northern Gondwana - the onset of angiosperm radiation and climatic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coiffard, Clément; Mohr, Barbara

2014-05-01

Early Cretaceous Northern Gondwana seems to be the cradle of many early flowering plants, especially mesangiosperms that include magnoliids and monocots and basal eudicots. So far our knowledge was based mostly on dispersed pollen and small flowering structures. New fossil finds from Brazil include more complete plants with attached roots, leaves and flowers. Taxonomic studies show that these fossils belonged to clades which are, based on macroscopic characters and molecular data, also considered to be rather basal, such as several members of Nymphaeales, Piperales, Laurales, Magnoliales, monocots (Araliaceae) and Ranunculales. Various parameters can be used in order to understand the physiology and habitat of these plants. Adaptations to climate and habitat are partly mirrored in their root anatomy (evidence of tap roots), leaf size and shape, leaf anatomy including presence of glands, and distribution of stomata. An important ecophysiolocical parameter is vein density as an indicator for the plants' cabability to pump water, and the stomatal pore index, representing the proportion of stomatal pore area on the leaf surface, which is related to the water vapor resistance of the leaf epidermis. During the mid-Cretaceous leaf vein density started to surpass that of gymnosperms, one factor that made angiosperms very successful in conquering many kinds of new environments. Using data on these parameters we deduce that during the late Early to mid Cretaceous angiosperms were already diverse, being represented as both herbs, with aquatic members, such as Nymphaeles, helophytes (e.g. some monocots) and plants that may have grown in shady locations. Other life forms included shrubs and perhaps already small trees (e.g. Magnoliales). These flowering plants occupied various habitats, ranging from xeric (e.g. some Magnoliales) to mesic and shady (e.g. Piperales) or aquatic (e.g. Araceae, Nymphaeales). Overall, it seems that several of these plants clearly exhibited some

Novel Insect Leaf-Mining after the End-Cretaceous Extinction and the Demise of Cretaceous Leaf Miners, Great Plains, USA

PubMed Central

Donovan, Michael P.; Wilf, Peter; Labandeira, Conrad C.; Johnson, Kirk R.; Peppe, Daniel J.

2014-01-01

Plant and associated insect-damage diversity in the western U.S.A. decreased significantly at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary and remained low until the late Paleocene. However, the Mexican Hat locality (ca. 65 Ma) in southeastern Montana, with a typical, low-diversity flora, uniquely exhibits high damage diversity on nearly all its host plants, when compared to all known local and regional early Paleocene sites. The same plant species show minimal damage elsewhere during the early Paleocene. We asked whether the high insect damage diversity at Mexican Hat was more likely related to the survival of Cretaceous insects from refugia or to an influx of novel Paleocene taxa. We compared damage on 1073 leaf fossils from Mexican Hat to over 9000 terminal Cretaceous leaf fossils from the Hell Creek Formation of nearby southwestern North Dakota and to over 9000 Paleocene leaf fossils from the Fort Union Formation in North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming. We described the entire insect-feeding ichnofauna at Mexican Hat and focused our analysis on leaf mines because they are typically host-specialized and preserve a number of diagnostic morphological characters. Nine mine damage types attributable to three of the four orders of leaf-mining insects are found at Mexican Hat, six of them so far unique to the site. We found no evidence linking any of the diverse Hell Creek mines with those found at Mexican Hat, nor for the survival of any Cretaceous leaf miners over the K-Pg boundary regionally, even on well-sampled, surviving plant families. Overall, our results strongly relate the high damage diversity on the depauperate Mexican Hat flora to an influx of novel insect herbivores during the early Paleocene, possibly caused by a transient warming event and range expansion, and indicate drastic extinction rather than survivorship of Cretaceous insect taxa from refugia. PMID:25058404

Early Cretaceous paleomagnetic and geochronologic results from the Tethyan Himalaya: Insights into the Neotethyan paleogeography and the India-Asia collision.

PubMed

Ma, Yiming; Yang, Tianshui; Bian, Weiwei; Jin, Jingjie; Zhang, Shihong; Wu, Huaichun; Li, Haiyan

2016-02-17

To better understand the Neotethyan paleogeography, a paleomagnetic and geochronological study has been performed on the Early Cretaceous Sangxiu Formation lava flows, which were dated from ~135.1 Ma to ~124.4 Ma, in the Tethyan Himalaya. The tilt-corrected site-mean characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) direction for 26 sites is Ds = 296.1°, Is = -65.7°, ks = 51.7, α95 = 4.0°, corresponding to a paleopole at 5.9°S, 308.0°E with A95 = 6.1°. Positive fold and reversal tests prove that the ChRM directions are prefolding primary magnetizations. These results, together with reliable Cretaceous-Paleocene paleomagnetic data observed from the Tethyan Himalaya and the Lhasa terrane, as well as the paleolatitude evolution indicated by the apparent polar wander paths (APWPs) of India, reveal that the Tethyan Himalaya was a part of Greater India during the Early Cretaceous (135.1-124.4 Ma) when the Neotethyan Ocean was up to ~6900 km, it rifted from India sometime after ~130 Ma, and that the India-Asia collision should be a dual-collision process including the first Tethyan Himalaya-Lhasa terrane collision at ~54.9 Ma and the final India-Tethyan Himalaya collision at ~36.7 Ma.

Similarity and Differences of Cretaceous Magmatism in the Arctic Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peyve, A. A.

2018-03-01

The paper considers Cretaceous magmatism at the continental margin of the Arctic Region. It is shown that Cretaceous igneous rocks of this region are rather heterogeneous in age, composition, and geodynamic formation setting. This differentiates them from rocks of typical large igneous provinces (LIPs). Local areas of magmatic activity, their substantial remoteness them from one another, and significant distinctions in age, composition of rocks, and formation conditions prevent us from unreservedly combining all occurrences of Cretaceous magmatism at the continental margin of the Arctic Region into a common igneous province. The stage of tholeiitic magmatism in the Svalbard Archipelago, Franz Josef Land, Arctic Canada, and the Alpha-Mendeleev Rise, which can be considered an LIP, began in the Early Cretaceous and continued for a long time, at least until the Campanian. The magmatism apparently had a plume source and was caused by extension during opening of the Canada Basin. Tholeiitic magmatism gave way to the alkaline magmatism stage from the Campanian to the onset of the Paleocene, related to continental rifting at the initial stage of formation of Eurasian Basin in the Arctic Region. No convincing evidence for a genetic link between Early Cretaceous tholeiitic and Late Cretaceous alkaline magmatism is known at present, nor for the alkaline magmatism belonging to a plume source.

Early-mid-Cretaceous evolution in Tethyan reef communities and sea level

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Scott, R.W.

1988-01-01

The replacement of corals by rudists in Early Cretaceous reefal communities spanned a 30-m.y. period when sea level rose and drowned continental shelves. During this time corals formed communities in the deeper parts of reefs and rudists occupied the shallow, high-energy habitats. By Aptian time rudists dominated reefs that fringed interior shelf basins and corals formed reefs with rudists on the outer shelf margins. By late Albian coral communities had virtually disappeared, presumably because of complex environmental changes and cycles of organic productivity. Two important events of eustatic sea level rise are represented by unconformities separating carbonate depositional sequences onmore » the Arabian platform that correlate with sequence boundaries on the Gulf Coast platform. Graphic correlation techniques test the synchroneity of these events. A composite standard time scale dates these sea level rises at 115.8 Ma and 94.6 Ma; a third, intra-Albian event at 104.3 Ma is present in many places and may also be eustatic. Associated with these sea level rises were apparent changes in ocean water chemistry as evidenced by changes in isotopes and trace elements, where diagenetic effects can be discounted. During this time the climate became more humid and atmospheric CO/sub 2/ increased. The concomitant environmental changes in the oceanic conditions presumably stressed the deeper coral communities on reefs. The emergence of rudists as reef contributors had a profound effect on Late Cretaceous depositional conditions and the development of hydrocarbon reservoirs.« less

Early-mid-Cretaceous evolution in Tethyan reef communities and sea level

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Scott, R.W.

1988-02-01

The replacement of corals by rudists in Early Cretaceous reefal communities spanned a 30-m.y. period when sea level rose and drowned continental shelves. During this time corals formed communities in the deeper parts of reefs and rudists occupied the shallow, high-energy habitats. By Aptian time rudists dominated reefs that fringed interior shelf basins and corals formed reefs with rudists on the outer shelf margins. By late Albian coral communities had virtually disappeared, presumably because of complex environmental changes and cycles of organic productivity. Two important events of eustatic sea level rise are represented by unconformities separating carbonate depositional sequences onmore » the Arabian platform that correlate with sequence boundaries on the Gulf Coast platform. Graphic correlation techniques test the synchroneity of these events. A composite standard time scale dates these sea level rises at 115.8 Ma and 94.6 Ma; a third, intra-Albian event at 104.3 Ma is present in many places and may also be eustatic. Associated with these sea level rises were apparent changes in ocean water chemistry as evidenced by changes in isotopes and trace elements, where diagenetic effects can be discounted. During this time the climate became more humid and atmospheric CO/sub 2/ increased. The concomitant environmental changes in the oceanic conditions presumably stressed the deeper coral communities on reefs. The emergence of rudists as reef contributors had a profound effect on Late Cretaceous depositional conditions and the development of hydrocarbon reservoirs.« less

Plant-arthropod interaction in the Early Cretaceous (Berriasian) of the Araripe Basin, Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pires, Etiene Fabbrin; Sommer, Margot Guerra

2009-02-01

Plant-arthropod interactions provide the first relevant data for addressing evidence of phytophagy for an assemblage of coniferous silicified woods from the pre-rift phase in the Araripe Basin, Brazil. A complex system of borings, sometimes filled with small, oval to hexagonal coprolites, allow inferences to be made about the activities of termites (Isoptera). Previous dendrological data indicated that the climate during the Early Cretaceous on the landmasses of the northern Afro-Brazilian Depression was dry and savanna like, where termite borings were common. Features of wood preservation demonstrate that the damage was probably caused by herbivores, not detritivores.

Upper Cretaceous subsurface stratigraphy and structure of coastal Georgia and South Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Valentine, Page C.

1982-01-01

Upper Cretaceous subsurface stratigraphy and structure of coastal Georgia and South Carolina is based on the study of 24 wells along two transects, one extending across the seaward-dipping sedimentary basin termed the 'Southeast Georgia Embayment' northeastward to the crest of the Cape Fear Arch, and the other alined east-west, parallel to the basin axis and including the COST GE-l well on the Outer Continental Shelf. A new biostratigraphic analysis, using calcareous nannofossils, of the Fripp Island, S.C., well and reinterpretations of the Clubhouse Crossroads corehole 1, South Carolina, and other wells in South Carolina, Georgia, and northernmost Florida have made possible the comparison and reevaluation of stratigraphic interpretations of the region made by G. S. Gohn and others in 1978 and 1980 and by P. M. Brown and others in 1979. The present study indicates that within the Upper Cretaceous section the stratigraphic units formerly assigned a Cenomanian (Eaglefordian and Woodbinian) age are Coniacian (Austinian) and Turonian (Eaglefordian) in age. A previously described hiatus encompassing Coniacian and Turonian time is not present. More likely, a hiatus is probably present in the upper Turonian, and major gaps in the record are present within the Cenomanian and between the Upper Cretaceous and the pre-Cretaceous basement. After an erosional episode in Cenomanian time that affected the section beneath eastern Georgia and South Carolina, Upper Cretaceous marine clastic and carbonate rocks were deposited on a regionally subsiding margin that extended to the present Blake Escarpment. In contrast, during Cenozoic time, especially in the Eocene, subsidence and sedimentation rates were uneven across the margin. A thick progradational sequence of carbonate rocks accumulated in the Southeast Georgia Embayment and also built the present Continental Shelf, whereas farther offshore a much thinner layer of sediments was deposited on the Blake Plateau. There is no general

New interpretation of the so-called Nubian strata in northeast Africa

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Klitzsch, E.H.; Squyres, C.H.

1988-08-01

Stratigraphical interpretation of the so-called Nubian Sandstone of Egypt and northern Sudan have led to new ideas on the structural and paleogeographical development of northeast Africa. The strata formerly comprised under the term Nubian Sandstone include sediments from Cambrian to Paleocene age. Based on field work and paleontological investigations during the last 10 years, these strata can be subdivided into three major cycles, each characterizing a certain structural situation of northeast Africa. The first or Paleozoic cycle comprises strata of Cambrian to Early Carboniferous age. These strata were deposited during a period of generally northern dip of northeast Africa; continentalmore » sediments transported northward interfinger with marine strata resulting from southward transgressions. Sediments of the second cycle were deposited during and after Gondwana and northern continents collided, which caused updoming of large areas of Egypt and bordering areas to the west and east. As a result, most of Egypt became subject to erosion; transgressions remained near the present northern edge of the continent, and purely continental deposition took place in northern Sudan and bordering areas in Chad and Libya. The resulting strata are similar to the Karroo of East Africa. Strata of the third cycle were deposited after Pangea began to disintegrate. Northeast Africa now had a generally northern dip again, and consequently deposition was controlled - as during the first cycle - by northward drainage and southward transgressions. This last cycle began during Late Jurassic time.« less

Exploring Early Angiosperm Fire Feedbacks using Coupled Experiments and Modelling Approaches to Estimate Cretaceous Palaeofire Behaviour

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belcher, Claire; Hudpsith, Victoria

2016-04-01

Using the fossil record we are typically limited to exploring linkages between palaeoecological changes and palaeofire activity by assessing the abundance of charcoals preserved in sediments. However, it is the behaviour of fires that primarily governs their ecological effects. Therefore, the ability to estimate variations in aspects of palaeofire behaviour such as palaeofire intensity and rate of spread would be of key benefit toward understanding the coupled evolutionary history of ecosystems and fire. The Cretaceous Period saw major diversification in land plants. Previously, conifers (gymnosperms) and ferns (pteridophytes) dominated Earth's ecosystems until flowering plants (angiosperms) appear in the fossil record of the Early Cretaceous (~135Ma). We have created surface fire behaviour estimates for a variety of angiosperm invasion scenarios and explored the influence of Cretaceous superambient atmospheric oxygen levels on the fire behaviour occurring in these new Cretaceous ecosystems. These estimates are then used to explore the hypothesis that the early spread of the angiosperms was promoted by the novel fire regimes that they created. In order to achieve this we tested the flammability of Mesozoic analogue fuel types in controlled laboratory experiments using an iCone calorimeter, which measured the ignitability as well as the effective heat of combustion of the fuels. We then used the BehavePlus fire behaviour modelling system to scale up our laboratory results to the ecosystem scale. Our results suggest that fire-angiosperm feedbacks may have occurred in two phases: The first phase being a result of weedy angiosperms providing an additional easily ignitable fuel that enhanced both the seasonality and frequency of surface fires. In the second phase, the addition of shrubby understory fuels likely expanded the number of ecosystems experiencing more intense surface fires, resulting in enhanced mortality and suppressed post-fire recruitment of gymnosperms

A large Cretaceous theropod from Patagonia, Argentina, and the evolution of carcharodontosaurids.

PubMed

Novas, Fernando E; de Valais, Silvina; Vickers-Rich, Pat; Rich, Tom

2005-05-01

The Cretaceous Carcharodontosauridae is the latest clade of carnosaurs, including the largest predatory dinosaurs yet recorded. Albeit spectacular for their size, the skeletal anatomy of these theropods remains poorly-known, and their diversity was until recently restricted to two Cenomanian species: the highly derived Giganotosaurus carolinii, from southern South America, and the incompletely known Carcharodontosaurus saharicus, from northern Africa. Here we describe an older and basal member of the group, Tyrannotitan chubutensis gen. et sp. nov., from Aptian strata of Patagonia, Argentina. The new taxon gives new insights into the systematics and evolution of carcharodontosaurids and offers a better understanding of the evolution of Southern theropod faunas. We suggest that carcharodontosaurids radiated in Gondwana sharing with spinosaurids the role of top-predators until their extinction in Cenomanian-Turonian times. During this interval, the diplodocoid sauropods and giant titanosaurians went extinct (probably as part of a global-scale crisis), and the smaller abelisaurid theropods took dominance, reigning until the end of the Cretaceous. Electronic Supplementary Material is available.

A large Cretaceous theropod from Patagonia, Argentina, and the evolution of carcharodontosaurids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novas, Fernando E.; Valais, Silvina; Vickers-Rich, Pat; Rich, Tom

2005-05-01

The Cretaceous Carcharodontosauridae is the latest clade of carnosaurs, including the largest predatory dinosaurs yet recorded. Albeit spectacular for their size, the skeletal anatomy of these theropods remains poorly-known, and their diversity was until recently restricted to two Cenomanian species: the highly derived Giganotosaurus carolinii, from southern South America, and the incompletely known Carcharodontosaurus saharicus, from northern Africa. Here we describe an older and basal member of the group, Tyrannotitan chubutensis gen. et sp. nov., from Aptian strata of Patagonia, Argentina. The new taxon gives new insights into the systematics and evolution of carcharodontosaurids and offers a better understanding of the evolution of Southern theropod faunas. We suggest that carcharodontosaurids radiated in Gondwana sharing with spinosaurids the role of top-predators until their extinction in Cenomanian Turonian times. During this interval, the diplodocoid sauropods and giant titanosaurians went extinct (probably as part of a global-scale crisis), and the smaller abelisaurid theropods took dominance, reigning until the end of the Cretaceous. Electronic Supplementary Material is available.

Relative sea level changes during the Cretaceous in Israel

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Flexer, A.; Rosenfeld, A.; Lipson-Benitah, S.

1986-11-01

Detailed lithologic, microfaunal, and biometric investigations, using relative abundances, diversity indexes, and duration charts of ostracods and foraminifera, allowed the recognition of sea level changes during the Cretaceous of Israel. Three major transgressive-regressive sedimentation cycles occur on the northwest margins of the Arabian craton. These cycles are the Neocomian-Aptian, which is mostly terrigenous sediments; the Albian-Turonian, which is basin marls and platform carbonates; and the Senonian, which is uniform marly chalks. The cycles are separated by two major regional unconformities, the Aptian-Albian and Turonian-Coniacian boundaries. The sedimentary cycles are related to regional tectonic and volcanic events and eustatic changes. Themore » paleodepth curve illustrates the gradual sea level rise, reaching its maximum during the Late Cretaceous, with conspicuous advances during the late Aptian, late Albian-Cenomanian, early Turonian, early Santonian, and early Campanian. Major lowstands occur at the Aptian-Albian, Cenomanian-Turonian, Turonian-Coniacian, and Campanian-Maastrichtian boundaries. This model for Israel agrees well with other regional and global sea level fluctuations. Four anoxic events (black shales) accompanying transgressions correspond to the Cretaceous oceanic record. They hypothesize the presence of mature oil shales in the present-day eastern Mediterranean basin close to allochthonous reef blocks detached from the Cretaceous platform. 11 figures.« less

Phylogenetic diversification of Early Cretaceous seed plants: The compound seed cone of Doylea tetrahedrasperma.

PubMed

Rothwell, Gar W; Stockey, Ruth A

2016-05-01

Discovery of cupulate ovules of Doylea tetrahedrasperma within a compact, compound seed cone highlights the rich diversity of fructification morphologies, pollination biologies, postpollination enclosure of seeds, and systematic diversity of Early Cretaceous gymnosperms. Specimens were studied using the cellulose acetate peel technique, three-dimensional reconstructions (in AVIZO), and morphological phylogenetic analyses (in TNT). Doylea tetrahedrasperma has bract/fertile short shoot complexes helically arranged within a compact, compound seed cone. Complexes diverge from the axis as a single unit and separate distally into a free bract tip and two sporophylls. Each sporophyll bears a single, abaxial seed, recurved toward the cone axis, that is enveloped after pollinaton by sporophyll tissue, forming a closed cupule. Ovules are pollinated by bisaccate grains captured by micropylar pollination horns. The unique combination of characters shown by D. tetrahedrasperma includes the presence of cupulate seeds borne in conifer-like compound seed cones, an ovuliferous scale analogue structurally equivalent to the ovulate stalk of Ginkgo biloba, gymnospermous pollination, and nearly complete enclosure of mature seeds. These features characterize the Doyleales ord. nov., clearly distinguish it from the seed fern order Corystospermales, and allow for recognition of another recently described Early Cretaceous seed plant as a second species in genus Doylea. A morphological phylogenetic analysis highlights systematic relationships of the Doyleales ord. nov. and emphasizes the explosive phylogenetic diversification of gymnosperms that was underway at the time when flowering plants may have originated and/or first began to radiate. © 2016 Botanical Society of America.

Late Cretaceous-Early Eocene Climate Change Linked to Tectonic Eevolution of Neo-Tethyan Subduction Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jagoutz, O. E.; Royden, L.; Macdonald, F. A.

2015-12-01

In this presentation we demonstrate that the two tectonic events in the late Cretaceous-Early Tertiary triggered the two distinct cooling events that followed the Cretaceous Thermal Maximum (CTM). During much of the Cretaceous time, the northern Neo Tethyan ocean was dominated by two east-west striking subduction system. Subduction underneath Eurasia formed a continental arc on the southern margin of Eurasia and intra oceanic subduction in the equatorial region of the Neo Tethys formed and intra oceanic arc. Beginning at ~85-90 Ma the western part of the TTSS collided southward with the Afro-Arabian continental margin, terminating subduction. This resulted in southward obduction of the peri-Arabian ophiolite belt, which extends for ~4000 km along strike and includes the Cypus, Semail and Zagros ophiolites. At the same time also the eastern part of the TTS collided northwards wit Eurasia. After this collisional event, only the central part of the subduction system remained active until it collided with the northern margin of the Indian continent at ~50-55 Ma. The collision of the arc with the Indian margin, over a length of ~3000 km, also resulted in the obduction of arc material and ophiolitic rocks. Remnants of these rocks are preserved today as the Kohistan-Ladakh arc and ophiolites of the Indus-Tsangpo suture zone of the Himalayas. Both of these collision events occurred in the equatorial region, near or within the ITCZ, where chemical weathering rates are high and are contemporaneous with the onset of the global cooling events that mark the end of the CTM and the EECO. The tectonic collision events resulted in a shut down of subduction zone magmatism, a major CO2 source and emplacement of highly weatherable basaltic rocks within the ITCZ (CO2 sink). In order to explore the effect of the events in the TTSS on atmospheric CO2, we model the potential contribution of subduction zone volcanism (source) and ophiolite obduction (sink) to the global atmospheric CO2

Stratigraphy and sedimentology of the Mid-Cretaceous deposits of the Yukon-Koyukuk Basin, west central Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nilsen, Tor H.

1989-11-01

The northeast trending Yukon-Koyukuk basin of west central Alaska consists of two subbasins, the Kobuk-Koyukuk subbasin to the north and east and the Lower Yukon subbasin to the southwest. The subbasins are separated by an arcuate Lower Cretaceous volcanic pile, the Hogatza trend, which is thought to be an accreted volcanic arc. The oldest part of the sedimentary fill of the subbasins consists of Valanginian to lower Albian(?) volcaniclastic rocks deposited on the flanks of the Hogatza trend. Following subsidence of the Hogatza trend, mid-Cretaceous clastic sedimentary strata of mainly Albian and Cenomanian age, and possibly as thick as 8000 m, were shed into the basin; these deposits were derived from surrounding uplands or borderlands in the Seward Peninsula to the west, the Brooks Range to the north, and the Ruby geanticline to the southeast. These mid-Cretaceous basin fill deposits can be divided into four main facies: (1) basin margin conglomerate facies, chiefly alluvial fan deposits that were transported basinward and rest in part unconformably on the surrounding uplands; (2) shelf facies, chiefly cross-stratified and hummocky cross-stratified sandstone deposited by wave-generated currents on a shelf that rimmed the basin on its western and northern margins; (3) deltaic facies, chiefly sandstone and shale deposited in delta plain and delta front environments on a large constructional delta that prograded westward from the eastern basin margin across both subbasins and across the subsided southern part of the Hogatza trend; and (4) turbidite facies, chiefly interbedded sandstone and shale deposited as elongate deep-sea fans and related deep-sea clastic systems by flows that transported sediment to the axial parts of both subbasins, northeastward in the Lower Yukon subbasin and eastward to southward in the Kobuk-Koyukuk subbasin. Sedimentation appears to have ended in the Santonian, followed by uplift, folding, and faulting of the basin fill. Less deformed

Migrated hydrocarbons in exposure of Maastrichtian nonmarine strata near Saddle Mountain, lower Cook Inlet, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

LePain, D.L.; Lillis, P.G.; Helmold, K.P.; Stanley, R.G.

2012-01-01

Magoon and others (1980) described an 83-meter- (272-foot-) thick succession of Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) conglomerate, sandstone, mudstone, and coal exposed on the south side of an unnamed drainage, approximately 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) east of Saddle Mountain in lower Cook Inlet (figs. 1 and 2). The initial significance of this exposure was that it was the first reported occurrence of nonmarine rocks of this age in outcrop in lower Cook Inlet, which helped constrain the Late Cretaceous paleogeography of the area and provided important information on the composition of latest Mesozoic sandstones in the basin. The Saddle Mountain section is thought to be an outcrop analog for Upper Cretaceous nonmarine strata penetrated in the OCS Y-0097 #1 (Raven) well, located approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the south–southeast in Federal waters (fig. 1). Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) drilled the Raven well in 1980 and encountered oil-stained rocks and moveable liquid hydrocarbons between the depths of 1,760 and 3,700 feet. Completion reports on file with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM; formerly Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, and prior to 2010, U.S. Minerals Management Service) either show flow rates of zero or do not mention flow rates. A fluid analysis report on file with BOEM suggests that a wireline tool sampled some oil beneath a 2,010-foot diesel cushion during the fl ow test of the 3,145–3,175 foot interval, but the recorded fl ow rate was still zero (Kirk Sherwood, written commun., January 9, 2012). Further delineation and evaluation of the apparent accumulation was never performed and the well was plugged and abandoned. As part of a 5-year comprehensive evaluation of the geology and petroleum systems of the Cook Inlet forearc basin, the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys obtained a research permit from the National Park Service to access the relatively poorly understood �

Early Cretaceous Shallow-Water Platform Carbonates of the Bolkar Mountains, Central Taurides - South Turkey: Facies Analysis and Depositional Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solak, Cemile; Taslı, Kemal; Koç, Hayati

2016-10-01

The study area comprises southern non-metamorphic part of the Bolkar Mountains which are situated in southern Turkey, eastern part of the Central Taurides. The studied five outcrops form geologically parts of the tectonostratigraphic units called as allochthonous Aladag Unit and autochthonous Geyikdagi Unit. The aim of this study is to describe microfacies and depositional environments of the Bolkar Mountains Early Cretaceous shallow- water platform carbonates. The Lower Cretaceous is represented by continuous thick- bedded to massive dolomite sequence ranging from 100 to 150 meters thick, which only contains locally laminated limestone intercalations in the Yüğlük section and thick to very thick-bedded uniform limestones ranging from approximately 50 to 120 meters, consist of mainly laminated- fenestral mudstone, peloidal-intraclastic grainstone-packstone, bioclastic packstone- wackestone, benthic foraminiferal-intraclastic grainstone-packstone, ostracod-fenestral wackestone-mudstone, dasycladacean algal packstone-wackestone and ooidal grainstone microfacies. Based on a combination sedimantological data, facies/microfacies and micropaleontological (predominantly dasycladacean algae and diverse benthic foraminifera) analysis, it is concluded that Early Cretaceous platform carbonates of the Bolkar Mountains reflect a tidally affected tidal-flat and restricted lagoon settings. During the Berriasian- Valanginian unfavourable facies for benthic foraminifera and dolomitization were predominate. In the Hauterivian-early Aptian, the effect of dolomitization largely disappeared and inner platform conditions still prevailed showing alternations of peritidal and lagoon facies, going from peritidal plains (representing various sub-environments including supratidal, intertidal area, tidal-intertidal ponds and ooid bars) dominated by ostracod and miliolids, to dasycladacean algae-rich restricted lagoons-subtidal. These environments show a transition in the vertical and

Soot and palynologic analysis of Manson impact-related strata (Upper Cretaceous) of Iowa and South Dakota, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Varricchio, D.J.; Raven, R.F.; Wolbach, W.S.; Elsik, W.C.; Witzke, B.J.

2009-01-01

The Campanian Manson impact structure of Iowa represents the best-preserved, large-diameter complex crater within the continental U.S. To assess the timing and potential mode of crater infilling and the possible presence of an impact event horizon, we analyzed samples from both within and distal to the impact structure for their elemental carbon, soot and palynomorphs. Within the impact structure, identifiable soot occurred in fragmented impact breccia and suevite but not in lower impact-melt breccia. Although most of this soot likely represents reworking of material from older Cretaceous marine shales, one high soot concentration occurs with melt material in a Keweenawan Shale-Phanerozoic clast breccia mix. This represents the first association of soot and impact-generated materials within an impact structure and the best sample candidate for Manson impact-generated soot. No palynomorphs occurred in the impact melt breccia. Overlying suevite (Keweenawan Shale clast breccia) of the central peak yielded sparse and thermally altered palynomorphs, indicating deposition prior to full cooling of the crater debris. Presence of easily degraded soot also argues for rapid backfilling of the crater. Distal samples from South Dakota represent the Sharon Springs and Crow Creek members of the Pierre Shale 230 km northwest of the Manson impact structure. Although containing shocked grains, the Crow Creek preserves no soot. In contrast, the Sharon Springs, generally considered as predating the Manson impact, has significant soot quantities. Palynomorphs differ markedly across the unconformity separating the two members with the Crow Creek containing more terrestrial forms, normapolles, and older reworked palynomorphs, consistent with a terrestrial impact to the east. Origin of the Sharon Springs soot remains unclear. Given soot occurrence within four of the five Cretaceous marine units sampled, the relatively shallow, anoxic bottom conditions of the Western Interior Cretaceous

Early Cretaceous MORB-type basalt and A-type rhyolite in northern Tibet: Evidence for ridge subduction in the Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Jian-Jun; Li, Cai; Sun, Zhen-Ming; Xu, Wei; Wang, Ming; Xie, Chao-Ming

2018-04-01

New zircon U-Pb ages, major- and trace-element data, and Hf isotopic compositions are presented for bimodal volcanic rocks of the Zhaga Formation (ZF) in the western-middle segment of the Bangong-Nujiang suture zone (BNSZ), northern Tibet. The genesis of these rocks is described, and implications for late-stage evolution of the Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan Ocean (BNTO) are considered. Detailed studies show that the ZF bimodal rocks, which occur as layers within a typical bathyal to abyssal flysch deposit, comprise MORB-type basalt that formed at a mid-ocean ridge, and low-K calc-alkaline A-type rhyolite derived from juvenile crust. The combination of MORB-type basalt, calc-alkaline A-type rhyolite, and bathyal to abyssal flysch deposits in the ZF leads us to propose that they formed as a result of ridge subduction. The A-type ZF rhyolites yield LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb ages of 118-112 Ma, indicating formation during the Early Cretaceous. Data from the present study, combined with regional geological data, indicate that the BNTO underwent conversion from ocean opening to ocean closure during the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous. The eastern segment of the BNTO closed during this period, while the western and western-middle segments were still at least partially open and active during the Early Cretaceous, accompanied by ridge subduction within the Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan Ocean.

An enigmatic crocodyliform tooth from the bauxites of western Hungary suggests hidden mesoeucrocodylian diversity in the Early Cretaceous European archipelago

PubMed Central

Rabi, Márton; Makádi, László

2015-01-01

Background. The Cretaceous of southern Europe was characterized by an archipelago setting with faunas of mixed composition of endemic, Laurasian and Gondwanan elements. However, little is known about the relative timing of these faunal influences. The Lower Cretaceous of East-Central Europe holds a great promise for understanding the biogeographic history of Cretaceous European biotas because of the former proximity of the area to Gondwana (as part of the Apulian microcontinent). However, East-Central European vertebrates are typically poorly known from this time period. Here, we report on a ziphodont crocodyliform tooth discovered in the Lower Cretaceous (Albian) Alsópere Bauxite Formation of Olaszfalu, western Hungary. Methods. The morphology of the tooth is described and compared with that of other similar Cretaceous crocodyliforms. Results. Based on the triangular, slightly distally curved, constricted and labiolingually flattened crown, the small, subequal-sized true serrations on the carinae mesially and distally, the longitudinal fluting labially, and the extended shelves along the carinae lingually the tooth is most similar to some peirosaurid, non-baurusuchian sebecosuchian, and uruguaysuchid notosuchians. In addition, the paralligatorid Wannchampsus also possesses similar anterior teeth, thus the Hungarian tooth is referred here to Mesoeucrocodylia indet. Discussion. Supposing a notosuchian affinity, this tooth is the earliest occurrence of the group in Europe and one of the earliest in Laurasia. In case of a paralligatorid relationship the Hungarian tooth would represent their first European record, further expanding their cosmopolitan distribution. In any case, the ziphodont tooth from the Albian bauxite deposit of western Hungary belongs to a group still unknown from the Early Cretaceous European archipelago and therefore implies a hidden diversity of crocodyliforms in the area. PMID:26339542

Jurassic and Cretaceous Hagiastridae from the Blake-Bahama Basin /Site 5A, JOIDES Leg I/ and the Great Valley Sequence, California Coast Ranges.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pessagno, E. A., Jr.

1971-01-01

Description of a total of 24 new species and four genuses of Jurassic and Cretaceous Hagiastridae found in the Great Valley Sequence of the California Coast Ranges. Also described are four new species from the late Jurassic strata of the Blake-Bahama Basin. Spumellariina with a spongy meshwork is included in the superfamily Spongodiscacea Haeckel.

Stratigraphy and structural setting of Upper Cretaceous Frontier Formation, western Centennial Mountains, southwestern Montana and southeastern Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dyman, T.S.; Tysdal, R.G.; Perry, W.J.; Nichols, D.J.; Obradovich, J.D.

2008-01-01

Stratigraphic, sedimentologic, and palynologic data were used to correlate the Frontier Formation of the western Centennial Mountains with time-equivalent rocks in the Lima Peaks area and other nearby areas in southwestern Montana. The stratigraphic interval studied is in the middle and upper parts (but not uppermost) of the formation based on a comparison of sandstone petrography, palynologic age data, and our interpretation of the structure using a seismic line along the frontal zone of the Centennial Mountains and the adjacent Centennial Valley. The Frontier Formation is comprised of sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, limestone, and silty shale in fluvial and coastal depositional settings. A distinctive characteristic of these strata in the western Centennial Mountains is the absence of conglomerate and conglomeratic sandstone beds. Absence of conglomerate beds may be due to lateral facies changes associated with fluvial systems, a distal fining of grain size, and the absence of both uppermost and lower Frontier rocks in the study area. Palynostratigraphic data indicate a Coniacian age for the Frontier Formation in the western Centennial Mountains. These data are supported by a geochronologic age from the middle part of the Frontier at Lima Peaks indicating a possible late Coniacian-early Santonian age (86.25 ?? 0.38 Ma) for the middle Frontier there. The Frontier Formation in the western Centennial Mountains is comparable in age and thickness to part of the Frontier at Lima Peaks. These rocks represent one of the thickest known sequences of Frontier strata in the Rocky Mountain region. Deposition was from about 95 to 86 Ma (middle Cenomanian to at least early Santonian), during which time, shoreface sandstone of the Telegraph Creek Formation and marine shale of the Cody Shale were deposited to the east in the area now occupied by the Madison Range in southwestern Montana. Frontier strata in the western Centennial Mountains are structurally isolated from other

Calibrating Late Cretaceous Terrestrial Cyclostratigraphy with High-precision U-Pb Zircon Geochronology: Qingshankou Formation of the Songliao Basin, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, T.; Ramezani, J.; Wang, C.

2015-12-01

A continuous succession of Late Cretaceous lacustrine strata has been recovered from the SK-I south (SK-Is) and SKI north (SK-In) boreholes in the long-lived Cretaceous Songliao Basin in Northeast China. Establishing a high-resolution chronostratigraphic framework is a prerequisite for integrating the Songliao record with the global marine Cretaceous. We present high-precision U-Pb zircon geochronology by the chemical abrasion isotope dilution thermal-ionization mass spectrometry method from multiple bentonite core samples from the Late Cretaceous Qingshankou Formation in order to assess the astrochronological model for the Songliao Basin cyclostratigraphy. Our results from the SK-Is core present major improvements in precision and accuracy over the previously published geochronology and allow a cycle-level calibration of the cyclostratigraphy. The resulting choronostratigraphy suggest a good first-order agreement between the radioisotope geochronology and the established astrochronological time scale over the corresponding interval. The dated bentonite beds near the 1780 m depth straddle a prominent oil shale layer of the Qingshankou Formation, which records a basin-wide lake anoxic event (LAE1), providing a direct age constraint for the LAE1. The latter appears to coincide in time with the Late Cretaceous (Turonian) global sea level change event Tu4 presently constrained at 91.8 Ma.

Early Cretaceous paleomagnetic and geochronologic results from the Tethyan Himalaya: Insights into the Neotethyan paleogeography and the India-Asia collision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Yiming; Yang, Tianshui; Bian, Weiwei; Jin, Jingjie; Zhang, Shihong; Wu, Huaichun; Li, Haiyan

2016-02-01

To better understand the Neotethyan paleogeography, a paleomagnetic and geochronological study has been performed on the Early Cretaceous Sangxiu Formation lava flows, which were dated from ~135.1 Ma to ~124.4 Ma, in the Tethyan Himalaya. The tilt-corrected site-mean characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) direction for 26 sites is Ds = 296.1°, Is = -65.7°, ks = 51.7, α95 = 4.0°, corresponding to a paleopole at 5.9°S, 308.0°E with A95 = 6.1°. Positive fold and reversal tests prove that the ChRM directions are prefolding primary magnetizations. These results, together with reliable Cretaceous-Paleocene paleomagnetic data observed from the Tethyan Himalaya and the Lhasa terrane, as well as the paleolatitude evolution indicated by the apparent polar wander paths (APWPs) of India, reveal that the Tethyan Himalaya was a part of Greater India during the Early Cretaceous (135.1-124.4 Ma) when the Neotethyan Ocean was up to ~6900 km, it rifted from India sometime after ~130 Ma, and that the India-Asia collision should be a dual-collision process including the first Tethyan Himalaya-Lhasa terrane collision at ~54.9 Ma and the final India-Tethyan Himalaya collision at ~36.7 Ma.

One hundred million year old ergot: psychotropic compounds in the Cretaceous?

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A fungal sclerotium similar to sclerotia of the genus Claviceps, commonly known as ergot, was found infecting a grass kernel in Early Cretaceous Myanmar amber. This represents the first fossil record of ergot dating as far back as the Cretaceous period. The fungus, described as Palaeoclaviceps para...

A Ceratopsian Dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Western North America, and the Biogeography of Neoceratopsia

PubMed Central

Farke, Andrew A.; Maxwell, W. Desmond; Cifelli, Richard L.; Wedel, Mathew J.

2014-01-01

The fossil record for neoceratopsian (horned) dinosaurs in the Lower Cretaceous of North America primarily comprises isolated teeth and postcrania of limited taxonomic resolution, hampering previous efforts to reconstruct the early evolution of this group in North America. An associated cranium and lower jaw from the Cloverly Formation (?middle–late Albian, between 104 and 109 million years old) of southern Montana is designated as the holotype for Aquilops americanus gen. et sp. nov. Aquilops americanus is distinguished by several autapomorphies, including a strongly hooked rostral bone with a midline boss and an elongate and sharply pointed antorbital fossa. The skull in the only known specimen is comparatively small, measuring 84 mm between the tips of the rostral and jugal. The taxon is interpreted as a basal neoceratopsian closely related to Early Cretaceous Asian taxa, such as Liaoceratops and Auroraceratops. Biogeographically, A. americanus probably originated via a dispersal from Asia into North America; the exact route of this dispersal is ambiguous, although a Beringian rather than European route seems more likely in light of the absence of ceratopsians in the Early Cretaceous of Europe. Other amniote clades show similar biogeographic patterns, supporting an intercontinental migratory event between Asia and North America during the late Early Cretaceous. The temporal and geographic distribution of Upper Cretaceous neoceratopsians (leptoceratopsids and ceratopsoids) suggests at least intermittent connections between North America and Asia through the early Late Cretaceous, likely followed by an interval of isolation and finally reconnection during the latest Cretaceous. PMID:25494182

USGS assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in Paleogene strata of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coastal plain and state waters

USGS Publications Warehouse

Warwick, Peter D.; Coleman, James; Hackley, Paul C.; Hayba, Daniel O.; Karlsen, Alexander W.; Rowan, Elisabeth L.; Swanson, Sharon M.; Kennan, Lorcan; Pindell, James; Rosen, Norman C.

2007-01-01

This report presents a review of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 2007 assessment of the undiscovered oil and gas resources in Paleogene strata underlying the U.S. Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain and state waters. Geochemical, geologic, geophysical, thermal maturation, burial history, and paleontologic studies have been combined with regional cross sections and data from previous USGS petroleum assessments have helped to define the major petroleum systems and assessment units. Accumulations of both conventional oil and gas and continuous coal-bed gas within these petroleum systems have been digitally mapped and evaluated, and undiscovered resources have been assessed following USGS methodology.The primary source intervals for oil and gas in Paleogene (and Cenozoic) reservoirs are coal and shale rich in organic matter within the Wilcox Group (Paleocene-Eocene) and Sparta Formation of the Claiborne Group (Eocene); in addition, Cretaceous and Jurassic source rocks probably have contributed substantial petroleum to Paleogene (and Cenozoic) reservoirs.For the purposes of the assessment, Paleogene strata have divided into the following four stratigraphic study intervals: (1) Wilcox Group (including the Midway Group and the basal Carrizo Sand of the Claiborne Group; Paleocene-Eocene); (2) Claiborne Group (Eocene); (3) Jackson and Vicksburg Groups (Eocene-Oligocene); and (4) the Frio-Anahuac Formations (Oligocene). Recent discoveries of coal-bed gas in Paleocene strata confirm a new petroleum system that was not recognized in previous USGS assessments. In total, 26 conventional Paleogene assessment units are defined. In addition, four Cretaceous-Paleogene continuous (coal-bed gas) assessment units are included in this report. Initial results of the assessment will be released as USGS Fact Sheets (not available at the time of this writing).Comprehensive reports for each assessment unit are planned to be released via the internet and distributed on CD-ROMs within the next year.

Geology and physiography of the continental margin north of Alaska and implications for the origin of the Canada Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grantz, Arthur; Eittreim, Stephen L.; Whitney, O.T.

1979-01-01

The continental margin north of Alaska is of Atlantic type. It began to form probably in Early Jurassic time but possibly in middle Early Cretaceous time, when the oceanic Canada Basin of the Arctic Ocean is thought to have opened by rifting about a pole of rotation near the Mackenzie Delta. Offsets of the rift along two fracture zones are thought to have divided the Alaskan margin into three sectors of contrasting structure and stratigraphy. In the Barter Island sector on the east and the Chukchi sector on the west the rift was closer to the present northern Alaska mainland than in the Barrow sector, which lies between them. In the Barter Island and Chukchi sectors the continental shelf is underlain by prisms of clastic sedimentary rocks that are inferred to include thick sections of Jurassic and Neocomian (lower Lower Cretaceous) strata of southern provenance. In the intervening Barrow sector the shelf is underlain by relatively thin sections of Jurassic and Neocomian strata derived from northern sources that now lie beneath the outer continental shelf. The rifted continental margin is overlain by a prograded prism of Albian (upper Lower Cretaceous) to Tertiary clastic sedimentary rocks that comprises the continental terrace of the western Beaufort and northern Chukchi Seas. On the south the prism is bounded by Barrow arch, which is a hingeline between the northward-tilted basement surface beneath the continental shelf of the western Beaufort Sea and the southward-tilted Arctic Platform of northern Alaska. The Arctic platform is overlain by shelf clastic and carbonate strata of Mississippian to Cretaceous age, and by Jurassic and Cretaceous clastic strata of the Colville foredeep. Both the Arctic platform and Colville foredeep sequences extend from northern Alaska beneath the northern Chukchi Sea. At Herald fault zone in the central Chukchi Sea they are overthrust by more strongly deformed Cretaceous to Paleozoic sedimentary rocks of Herald arch, which trends

The Hunt for Pristine Cretaceous Astronomical Rhythms at Demerara Rise (Cenomanian-Coniacian)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, C.; Meyers, S. R.

2014-12-01

Rhythmic Upper Cretaceous strata from Demerara Rise (ODP leg 207) preserve a strong astronomical signature, and this attribute has facilitated the development of continuous astrochronologies to refine the geologic time scale and calibrate Late Cretaceous biogeochemical events. While the mere identification of astronomical rhythms is a crucial first step in many deep-time paleoceanographic investigations, accurate evaluation of often subtle amplitude and frequency modulations are required to: (1) robustly constrain the linkage between climate and sedimentation, and (2) evaluate the plausibility of different theoretical astrodynamical models. The availability of a wide range of geophysical, lithologic and geochemical data from multiple sites drilled at Demerara Rise - when coupled with recent innovations in the statistical analysis of cyclostratigraphic data - provides an opportunity to hunt for the most pristine record of Cretaceous astronomical rhythms at a tropical Atlantic location. To do so, a statistical metric is developed to evaluate the "internal" consistency of hypothesized astronomical rhythms observed in each data set, particularly with regard to the expected astronomical amplitude modulations. In this presentation, we focus on how the new analysis yields refinements to the existing astrochronologies, provides constraints on the linkages between climate and sedimentation (including the deposition of organic carbon-rich sediments at Demerara Rise), and allows a quantitative evaluation of the continuity of deposition across sites at multiple temporal scales.

Provenance of Cretaceous-Pliocene Clastic Sediments in the Tachira Saddle, Western Venezuela, and Implications for Sediment Dispersal Patterns in the Northern Andes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomez, Ali Ricardo

Northwestern South America is highly deformed due to the transpressive plate boundary associated with complex interactions between the Caribbean plate, the South American plate, the Nazca plate and the Panama arc. Previous studies suggest that the Cenozoic uplift of the Merida Andes and Eastern Cordillera of Colombia affected sediment dispersal patterns in the region, shifting from a Paleocene foreland basin configuration to the modern isolated basins. Well-exposed Cretaceous to Pliocene strata in the Tachira Saddle provides a unique opportunity to test proposed sediment dispersal patterns in the region. U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology and supplementary XRD heavy mineral data are used together to document the provenance of the Tachira Saddle sediments and refine the sediment dispersal patterns in the region. Results from the U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology show that there are six age groups recorded in these samples. Two groups are related to the Precambrian Guyana shield terranes and Putumayo basement in the Eastern Cordillera, and four groups are related to different magmatic episodes occurring during the Andean orogenic process. The transition between the Cretaceous passive margin and the Paleocene foreland basin and the initial uplift of the Eastern Cordillera and the uplift of the Merida Andes by the Early Miocene were also recorded in the Tachira saddle detrital zircon signature.

Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous episodic development of the Bangong Meso-Tethyan subduction: Evidence from elemental and Sr-Nd isotopic geochemistry of arc magmatic rocks, Gaize region, central Tibet, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yu-Xiu; Li, Zhi-Wu; Yang, Wen-Guang; Zhu, Li-Dong; Jin, Xin; Zhou, Xiao-Yao; Tao, Gang; Zhang, Kai-Jun

2017-03-01

The Bangong Meso-Tethys plays a critical role in the development of the Tethyan realm and the initial elevation of the Tibetan Plateau. However, its precise subduction polarity, and history still remain unclear. In this study, we synthesize a report for the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous two-phase magmatic rocks in the Gaize region at the southern margin of the Qiangtang block located in central Tibet. These rocks formed during the Late Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous (161-142 Ma) and Early Cretaceous (128-106 Ma), peaking at 146 Ma and 118 Ma, respectively. The presence of inherited zircons indicates that an Archean component exists in sediments in the shallow Qiangtang crust, and has a complex tectonomagmatic history. Geochemical and Sr-Nd isotopic data show that the two-phase magmatic rocks exhibit characteristics of arc magmatism, which are rich in large-ion incompatible elements (LIIEs), but are strongly depleted in high field strength elements (HFSEs). The Late Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous magmatic rocks mixed and mingled among mantle-derived mafic magmas, subduction-related sediments, or crustally-derived felsic melts and fluids, formed by a northward and steep subduction of the Bangong Meso-Tethys ocean crust. The magmatic gap at 142-128 Ma marks a flat subduction of the Meso-Tethys. The Early Cretaceous magmatism experienced a magma MASH (melting, assimilation, storage, and homogenization) process among mantle-derived mafic magmas, or crustally-derived felsic melts and fluids, as a result of the Meso-Tethys oceanic slab roll-back, which triggered simultaneous back-arc rifting along the southern Qiangtang block margin.

Composition, Age, and Origin of Cretaceous Granitic Magmatism on the Eastern Chukchi Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luchitskaya, M. V.; Sokolov, S. D.; Pease, V.; Miller, E.; Belyatsky, B. V.

2018-05-01

New geochronological and isotopic geochemical data are given, which make it possible to recognize two types of granitic rocks on the eastern Chukchi Peninsula. Early Cretaceous Tkachen and Dolina granitic plutons with zircon ages (U-Pb SIMS) of 119-122 and 131-136 Ma are related to the first type. They cut through Devonian-Lower Carboniferous basement rocks and are overlain by the Aptian-Albian Etelkuyum Formation. Basal units of the latter contain fragments of granitic rocks. Late Cretaceous Provideniya and Rumilet granitic plutons, which contain zircons with ages of 94 and 85 Ma (U-Pb SIMS), respectively, belong to the second type. They cut through volcanic-sedimentary rocks of the Etelkuyum and Leurvaam formations pertaining to the Okhotsk-Chukotka Volcanic Belt. In petrographic and geochemical features, the Early Cretaceous granitic rocks of the Tkachen Pluton are commensurable with I-type granites, while Late Cretaceous granite of the Rumilet Pluton is comparable to A2-type granite. The Sr-Nd isotopic data provide evidence that from the Early Cretaceous Tkachen and Dolina plutons to the Late Cretaceous Provideniya and Rumilet plutons, the degree of crustal assimilation of suprasubduction mantle-derived melts increases up to partial melting of heterogeneous continental crust enriched in rubidium. An unconformity and various degrees of secondary alteration of volcanic-sedimentary rocks have been established in the Okhotsk-Chukotka Volcanic Belt, and this was apparently caused by transition of the tectonic setting from suprasubduction to a transform margin with local extension.

Controls on the accumulation of coal and on the development of anastomosed fluvial systems in the Cretaceous Dakota Formation of southern Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kirschbaum, M.A.; McCabe, P.J.

1992-01-01

Alluvial strata of the Cretaceous Dakota Formation of southern Utah are part of a transgressive systems tract associated with a foreland basin developed adjacent to the Sevier orogenic belt. These strata contain valley fill deposits, anastomosed channel systems and widespread coals. The coals constitute a relatively minor part of the Dakota Formation in terms of sediment volume, but may represent a substantial amount of the time represented by the formation. The coals are separated by clastic units up to 20 m thick. The mires developed during periods when clastic influx was reduced either by high rates of subsidence close to the thrust belt or by deflection of rivers by emergent thrusts. -from Authors

Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary plutonism and deformation in the Skagit Gneiss Complex, north Cascade Range, Washington and British Columbia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haugerud, R.A.; Van Der Heyden, P.; Tabor, R.W.; Stacey, J.S.; Zartman, R.E.

1991-01-01

The Skagit Gneiss Complex forms a more-or-less continuous terrane within the North Cascade Range. The complex comprises abundant plutons intruded at mid-crustal depths into a variety of metamorphosed supracrustal rocks of both oceanic and volcanic-arc origin. U-Pb zircon ages from gneissis plutons within and near the Skagit Gneiss Complex indicate magmatic crystallziations between 75 and 60 Ma. Deformation, recrystallization, and migmatization in part postdate intrusion of the 75-60 Ma plutons. This latest Cretaceous and earliest Tertiary plutonism and migmatization may reflect thermal relaxation following early Late Cretaceous orogeny. The complex was ductilely extended northwest-southeast shortly after intrusion of granite dikes at ~45 Ma, but before emplacement of the earliest (~34 Ma) plutons of the Cascade arc. -from Authors

First early Mesozoic amber in the Western Hemisphere

USGS Publications Warehouse

Litwin, R.J.; Ash, S.R.

1991-01-01

Detrital amber pebbles and granules have been discovered in Upper Triassic strata on the Colorado Plateau. Although amber previously has been reported from Pennsylvanian, Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Tertiary strata, we know of no other reported Triassic occurrence in North America or the Western Hemisphere. The new discovered occurrences of amber are at two localities in the lower part of the Petrified Forest Member of the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation in Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona. The paper coals and carbonaceous paper shales containing the amber also contain fossil palynomorph assemblages that indicate a late Carnian age for these occurrences. -Authors

Early Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystems in East Asia based on food-web and energy-flow models

USGS Publications Warehouse

Matsukawa, M.; Saiki, K.; Ito, M.; Obata, I.; Nichols, D.J.; Lockley, M.G.; Kukihara, R.; Shibata, K.

2006-01-01

In recent years, there has been global interest in the environments and ecosystems around the world. It is helpful to reconstruct past environments and ecosystems to help understand them in the present and the future. The present environments and ecosystems are an evolving continuum with those of the past and the future. This paper demonstrates the contribution of geology and paleontology to such continua. Using fossils, we can make an estimation of past population density as an ecosystem index based on food-web and energy-flow models. Late Mesozoic nonmarine deposits are distributed widely on the eastern Asian continent and contain various kinds of fossils such as fishes, amphibians, reptiles, dinosaurs, mammals, bivalves, gastropods, insects, ostracodes, conchostracans, terrestrial plants, and others. These fossil organisms are useful for late Mesozoic terrestrial ecosystem reconstruction using food-web and energy-flow models. We chose Early Cretaceous fluvio-lacustrine basins in the Choyr area, southeastern Mongolia, and the Tetori area, Japan, for these analyses and as a potential model for reconstruction of other similar basins in East Asia. The food-web models are restored based on taxa that occurred in these basins. They form four or five trophic levels in an energy pyramid consisting of rich primary producers at its base and smaller biotas higher in the food web. This is the general energy pyramid of a typical ecosystem. Concerning the population densities of vertebrate taxa in 1 km2 in these basins, some differences are recognized between Early Cretaceous and the present. For example, Cretaceous estimates suggest 2.3 to 4.8 times as many herbivores and 26.0 to 105.5 times the carnivore population. These differences are useful for the evaluation of past population densities of vertebrate taxa. Such differences may also be caused by the different metabolism of different taxa. Preservation may also be a factor, and we recognize that various problems occur in

The Chinese Cretaceous Continental Scientific Drilling Project in the Songliao Basin, NE China: Organic-rich source rock evaluation with geophysical logs from Borehole SK-2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, X.; Zou, C.

2017-12-01

The Cretaceous strata have been recognized as an important target of oil or gas exploration in the Songliao Basin, northeast China. The second borehole (SK-2) of the Chinese Cretaceous Continental Scientific Drilling Project in the Songliao Basin (CCSD-SK) is the first one to drill through the Cretaceous continental strata in the frame of ICDP. It was designed not only to solve multiple scientific problems (including the Cretaceous paleoenvironment and paleoclimate, as well as deep resources exploration of the Songliao Basin), but also to expect to achieve new breakthroughs in oil and gas exploration. Based on the project, various geophysical log data (including gamma, sonic, resistivity, density etc.) and core samples have been collected from Borehole SK-2. We do research on organic-rich source rocks estimation using various geophysical log data. Firstly, we comprehensively analyzed organic-rich source rocks' geophysical log response characteristics. Then, source rock's identification methods were constructed to identify organic-rich source rocks with geophysical logs. The main identification methods include cross-plot, multiple overlap and Decision Tree method. Finally, the technique and the CARBOLOG method were applied to evaluate total organic carbon (TOC) content from geophysical logs which provide continuous vertical profile estimations (Passey, 1990; Carpentier et al., 1991). The results show that source rocks are widely distributed in Borehole SK-2, over a large depth strata (985 5700m), including Nenjiang, Qingshankou, Denglouku, Yingcheng, Shahezi Formations. The organic-rich source rocks with higher TOC content occur in the Qingshankou (1647 1650m), Denglouku (2534 2887m) and Shahezi (3367 5697m) Formations. The highest TOC content in these formations can reach 10.31%, 6.58%, 12.79% respectively. The bed thickness of organic-rich source rocks in the these formations are totally up to 7.88m, 74.34m, 276.60m respectively. These organic-rich rocks in the

Oxidation state inherited from the magma source and implications for mineralization: Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous granitoids, Central Lhasa subterrane, Tibet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, MingJian; Qin, KeZhang; Li, GuangMing; Evans, Noreen J.; McInnes, Brent I. A.; Li, JinXiang; Zhao, JunXing

2018-03-01

Arc magmas are more oxidized than mid-ocean ridge basalts; however, there is continuing debate as to whether this higher oxidation state is inherited from the source magma or developed during late-stage magmatic differentiation processes. Well-constrained Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous arc-related intermediate to felsic rocks derived from distinct magma sources provide us with a good opportunity to resolve this enigma. A series of granitoids from the western Central Lhasa subterrane were analyzed for whole-rock magnetic susceptibility, Fe2O3/FeO ratios, and trace elements in zircon. Compared to Late Jurassic samples (1.8 ± 2.0 × 10-4 emu g-1 oe-1, Fe3+/Fetotal = 0.32 ± 0.07, zircon Ce4+/Ce3+* = 15.0 ± 13.4), Early Cretaceous rocks show higher whole-rock magnetic susceptibility (5.8 ± 2.5 × 10-4 emu g-1 oe-1), Fe3+/Fetotal ratios (0.43 ± 0.04), and zircon Ce4+/Ce3+* values (23.9 ± 22.3). In addition, positive correlations among whole-rock magnetic susceptibility, Fe3+/Fetotal ratios, and zircon Ce4+/Ce3+* reveal a slight increase in oxidation state from fO2 = QFM to NNO in the Late Jurassic to fO2 = ˜NNO in the Early Cretaceous. Obvious linear correlation between oxidation indices (whole-rock magnetic susceptibility, zircon Ce4+/Ce3+*) and source signatures (zircon ɛHf(t), TDM C ages) indicates that the oxidation state was predominantly inherited from the source with only a minor contribution from magmatic differentiation. Thus, the sources for both the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous rocks were probably influenced by mantle wedge-derived magma, contributing to the increased fO2. Compared to ore-forming rocks at giant porphyry Cu deposits, the relatively low oxidation state (QFM to NNO) and negative ɛHf(t) (-16 to 0) of the studied granitoids implies relative infertility. However, this study demonstrates two potential fast and effective indices ( fO2 and ɛHf(t)) to evaluate the fertility of granitoids for porphyry-style mineralization. In an

Early evolution of the angiosperm clade Asteraceae in the Cretaceous of Antarctica.

PubMed

Barreda, Viviana D; Palazzesi, Luis; Tellería, Maria C; Olivero, Eduardo B; Raine, J Ian; Forest, Félix

2015-09-01

The Asteraceae (sunflowers and daisies) are the most diverse family of flowering plants. Despite their prominent role in extant terrestrial ecosystems, the early evolutionary history of this family remains poorly understood. Here we report the discovery of a number of fossil pollen grains preserved in dinosaur-bearing deposits from the Late Cretaceous of Antarctica that drastically pushes back the timing of assumed origin of the family. Reliably dated to ∼76-66 Mya, these specimens are about 20 million years older than previously known records for the Asteraceae. Using a phylogenetic approach, we interpreted these fossil specimens as members of an extinct early diverging clade of the family, associated with subfamily Barnadesioideae. Based on a molecular phylogenetic tree calibrated using fossils, including the ones reported here, we estimated that the most recent common ancestor of the family lived at least 80 Mya in Gondwana, well before the thermal and biogeographical isolation of Antarctica. Most of the early diverging lineages of the family originated in a narrow time interval after the K/P boundary, 60-50 Mya, coinciding with a pronounced climatic warming during the Late Paleocene and Early Eocene, and the scene of a dramatic rise in flowering plant diversity. Our age estimates reduce earlier discrepancies between the age of the fossil record and previous molecular estimates for the origin of the family, bearing important implications in the evolution of flowering plants in general.

Early evolution of the angiosperm clade Asteraceae in the Cretaceous of Antarctica

PubMed Central

Barreda, Viviana D.; Palazzesi, Luis; Tellería, Maria C.; Olivero, Eduardo B.; Raine, J. Ian; Forest, Félix

2015-01-01

The Asteraceae (sunflowers and daisies) are the most diverse family of flowering plants. Despite their prominent role in extant terrestrial ecosystems, the early evolutionary history of this family remains poorly understood. Here we report the discovery of a number of fossil pollen grains preserved in dinosaur-bearing deposits from the Late Cretaceous of Antarctica that drastically pushes back the timing of assumed origin of the family. Reliably dated to ∼76–66 Mya, these specimens are about 20 million years older than previously known records for the Asteraceae. Using a phylogenetic approach, we interpreted these fossil specimens as members of an extinct early diverging clade of the family, associated with subfamily Barnadesioideae. Based on a molecular phylogenetic tree calibrated using fossils, including the ones reported here, we estimated that the most recent common ancestor of the family lived at least 80 Mya in Gondwana, well before the thermal and biogeographical isolation of Antarctica. Most of the early diverging lineages of the family originated in a narrow time interval after the K/P boundary, 60–50 Mya, coinciding with a pronounced climatic warming during the Late Paleocene and Early Eocene, and the scene of a dramatic rise in flowering plant diversity. Our age estimates reduce earlier discrepancies between the age of the fossil record and previous molecular estimates for the origin of the family, bearing important implications in the evolution of flowering plants in general. PMID:26261324

Tectonic evolution of the North Patagonian Andes (41°-44° S) through recognition of syntectonic strata

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Echaurren, A.; Folguera, A.; Gianni, G.; Orts, D.; Tassara, A.; Encinas, A.; Giménez, M.; Valencia, V.

2016-05-01

The North Patagonian fold-thrust belt (41°-44° S) is characterized by a low topography, reduced crustal thickness and a broad lateral development determined by a broken foreland system in the retroarc zone. This particular structural system has not been fully addressed in terms of the age and mechanisms that built this orogenic segment. Here, new field and seismic evidence of syntectonic strata constrain the timing of the main deformational stages, evaluating the prevailing crustal regime for the different mountain domains through time. Growth strata and progressive unconformities, controlled by extensional or compressive structures, were recognized in volcanic and sedimentary rocks from the cordilleran to the extra-Andean domain. These data were used to construct a balanced cross section, whose deep structure was investigated through a thermomechanical model that characterizes the upper plate rheology. Our results indicate two main compressive stages, interrupted by an extensional relaxation period. The first contractional stage in the mid-Cretaceous inverted Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous half graben systems, reactivating the western Cañadón Asfalto rift border ~ 500 km away from the trench, at a time of arc foreland expansion. For this stage, available thermochronological data reveal forearc cooling episodes, and global tectonic reconstructions indicate mid-ocean ridge collisions against the western edge of an upper plate with rapid trenchward displacement. Widespread synextensional volcanism is recognized throughout the Paleogene during plate reorganization; retroarc Paleocene--Eocene flare up activity is interpreted as product of a slab rollback, and fore-to-retroarc Oligocene slab/asthenospheric derived products as an expression of enhanced extension. The second stage of mountain growth occurred in Miocene time associated with Nazca Plate subduction, reaching nearly the same amplitude than the first compressive stage. Extensional weakening of the upper plate

Diverse dinosaur-dominated ichnofaunas from the Potomac Group (Lower Cretaceous) Maryland

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stanford, Ray; Lockley, Martin G.; Weems, Robert E.

2007-01-01

Until recently fossil footprints were virtually unknown from the Cretaceous of the eastern United States. The discovery of about 300 footprints in iron-rich siliciclastic facies of the Patuxent Formation (Potomac Group) of Aptian age is undoubtedly one of the most significant Early Cretaceous track discoveries since the Paluxy track discoveries in Texas in the 1930s. The Patuxent tracks include theropod, sauropod, ankylosaur and ornithopod dinosaur footprints, pterosaur tracks, and miscellaneous mammal and other vertebrate ichnites that collectively suggest a diversity of about 14 morphotypes. This is about twice the previous maximum estimate for any known Early Cretaceous vertebrate ichnofauna. Among the more distinctive forms are excellent examples of hypsilophodontid tracks and a surprisingly large mammal footprint. A remarkable feature of the Patuxent track assemblage is the high proportion of small tracks indicative of hatchlings, independently verified by the discovery of a hatchling-sized dinosaur. Such evidence suggests the proximity of nest sites. The preservation of such small tracks is very rare in the Cretaceous track record, and indeed throughout most of the Mesozoic.This unusual preservation not only provides us with a window into a diverse Early Cretaceous ecosystem, but it also suggests the potential of such facies to provide ichnological bonanzas. A remarkable feature of the assemblage is that it consists largely of reworked nodules and clasts that may have previously been reworked within the Patuxent Formation. Such unusual contexts of preservation should provide intriguing research opportunities for sedimentologists interested in the diagenesis and taphonomy of a unique track-bearing facies.

New type of kinematic indicator in bed-parallel veins, Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Vaca Muerta Formation, Argentina: E-W shortening during Late Cretaceous vein opening

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ukar, Estibalitz; Lopez, Ramiro G.; Gale, Julia F. W.; Laubach, Stephen E.; Manceda, Rene

2017-11-01

In the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Vaca Muerta Formation, previously unrecognized yet abundant structures constituting a new category of kinematic indicator occur within bed-parallel fibrous calcite veins (BPVs) in shale. Domal shapes result from localized shortening and thickening of BPVs and the intercalation of centimeter-thick, host-rock shale inclusions within fibrous calcite beef, forming thrust fault-bounded pop-up structures. Ellipsoidal and rounded structures show consistent orientations, lineaments of interlayered shale and fibrous calcite, and local centimeter-scale offset thrust faults that at least in some cases cut across the median line of the BPV and indicate E-W shortening. Continuity of crystal fibers shows the domal structures are contemporaneous with BPV formation and help establish timing of fibrous vein growth in the Late Cretaceous, when shortening directions were oriented E-W. Differences in the number of opening stages and the deformational style of the different BPVs indicate they may have opened at different times. The new domal kinematic indicators described in this study are small enough to be captured in core. When present in the subsurface, domal structures can be used to either infer paleostress orientation during the formation of BPVs or to orient core in cases where the paleostress is independently known.

Lead isotope compositions of Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary igneous rocks and sulfide minerals in Arizona: Implications for the sources of plutons and metals in porphyry copper deposits

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bouse, R.M.; Ruiz, J.; Titley, S.R.; Tosdal, R.M.; Wooden, J.L.

1999-01-01

Porphyry copper deposits in Arizona are genetically associated with Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary igneous complexes that consist of older intermediate volcanic rocks and younger intermediate to felsic intrusions. The igneous complexes and their associated porphyry copper deposits were emplaced into an Early Proterozoic basement characterized by different rocks, geologic histories, and isotopic compositions. Lead isotope compositions of the Proterozoic basement rocks define, from northwest to southeast, the Mojave, central Arizona, and southeastern Arizona provinces. Porphyry copper deposits are present in each Pb isotope province. Lead isotope compositions of Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary plutons, together with those of sulfide minerals in porphyry copper deposits and of Proterozoic country rocks, place important constraints on genesis of the magmatic suites and the porphyry copper deposits themselves. The range of age-corrected Pb isotope compositions of plutons in 12 Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary igneous complexes is 206Pb/204Pb = 17.34 to 22.66, 207Pb/204Pb = 15.43 to 15.96, and 208Pb/204Pb = 37.19 to 40.33. These Pb isotope compositions and calculated model Th/U are similar to those of the Proterozoic rocks in which the plutons were emplaced, thereby indicating that Pb in the younger rocks and ore deposits was inherited from the basement rocks and their sources. No Pb isotope differences distinguish Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary igneous complexes that contain large economic porphyry copper deposits from less rich or smaller deposits that have not been considered economic for mining. Lead isotope compositions of Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary plutons and sulfide minerals from 30 metallic mineral districts, furthermore, require that the southeastern Arizona Pb province be divided into two subprovinces. The northern subprovince has generally lower 206Pb/204Pb and higher model Th/U, and the southern subprovince has higher 206Pb/204Pb and

Cretaceous gastropods: contrasts between tethys and the temperate provinces.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sohl, N.F.

1987-01-01

During the Cretaceous Period, gastropod faunas show considerable differences in their evolution between the Tethyan Realm (tropical) and the Temperate Realms to the north and south. Like Holocene faunas, prosobranch, gastropods constitute the dominant part of Cretaceous marine snail faunas. Entomotaeneata and opisthobranchs usually form all of the remainder. In Tethyan faunas the Archaeogastropoda form a consistent high proportion of total taxa but less than the Mesogastropoda throughout the period. In contrast, the Temperate faunas beginning in Albian times show a decline in percentages of archaeogastropod taxa and a significant increase in the Neogastropoda, until they constitute over 50 percent of the taxa in some faunas. The neogastropods never attain high diversity in the Cretaceous of the Tethyan Realm and are judged to be of Temperate Realm origin. Cretaceous Tethyan gastropod faunas are closely allied to those of the 'corallien facies' of the Jurassic and begin the period evolutionarily mature and well diversified. Three categories of Tethyan gastropods are analyzed. The first group consists of those of Jurassic ancestry. The second group orginates mainly during the Barremian and Aptian, reaches a climax in diversification during middle Cretaceous time, and usually declines during the latest Cretaceous. The third group originates late in the Cretaceous and consists of taxa that manage to either survive the Cretaceous-Tertiary crisis or give rise to forms of prominence among Tertiary warm water faunas. Temperate Realm gastropod faunas are less diverse than those of Tethys during the Early Cretaceous. They show a steady increase in diversity, primarily among the Mesogastropoda and Neogastropoda. This trend culminates in latest Cretaceous times when the gastropod assemblages of the clastic provinces of the inner shelf contain an abundance of taxa outstripping that of any other part of the Cretaceous of either realm. Extinction at the Cretaceous

Measured sections and correlations of mid-Cretaceous rocks near the Lombard thrust of the Helena Salient in southwestern Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dyman, T.S.; Tysdal, R.G.; Porter, K.W.; Thompson, G.A.

1995-01-01

Two surface sections that generally characterize mid-Cretaceous strata in the central to southern part of the Helena salient of the Montana thrust belt (Figs. 1 and 2) are presented here. We have not published detailed descriptions of the lithic units of these sections, and the stratigraphic correlations are tentative. The sections are presented in this preliminary form because they may aid interpretations of seismic and borehole data of petroleum exploration companies active in the salient.

Exploring an analytic model of urban housing strata.

PubMed

Park, J H

1992-07-01

An analytic model of urban housing strata is developed which utilizes housing structure type, housing tenure type, floor size, physical quality, residential area, and number of rooms to calculate a housing deficit for each housing characteristic. The housing norm is subtracted from the actual housing conditions. Each housing deficit value is weighted according to the priority of the 6 variables and then summed as the housing strata score. Negative scores are below the norm and positive ones above. The model is applied to empirical data for Seoul, Korea. The findings were that 66% of the family sample showed negative scores (unsatisfactory housing conditions). Scores range from -22 to =or+ 18. Morris and Winter's "housing adjustment model" is used to explain housing behavior when there is a gap between housing conditions and the norm. Housing behavior is analyzed with multiple regression analysis of housing strata, social strata, and family life stage variables. Findings indicate that the establishment stage in the family life cycle is more likely to be associated with upper housing strata. From the way the model is set up only those in the establishment, childbearing, and child-rearing stage could get a positive deficit housing score. Size of household is not statistically significant, but upper housing strata are reflective of families with 2.5 members. Those with 3-4.5 members may be in the upper middle housing strata. Those with 5 children are in the lower middle housing strata. Housing strata are significantly related to housing structure type, tenure type, and size and number of rooms. The high rise apartment is likely to be in the upper, the row house and multifamily house in the lower housing, and the single detached house is distributed through all 4 strata. Home ownership is highest in the upper strata. The proportion of housing with 18 pyong and 2 rooms is higher in the lower strata, while housing with 19-32 pyong (63-106 sq. ms) and 3 rooms is higher in

Paleo­geographic implications of molluscan assemblages in the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Pigeon Point Formation, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Elder, William P.; Saul, LouElla

1993-01-01

The Pigeon Point Formation crops out along the San Mateo County coastline in a northern and southern sequence of folded and faulted strata. Correlation of the two sequences remains somewhat equivocal, although on the basis of biostratigraphy and a reversed magnetic interval both appear to have been deposited during the early to middle Campanian. Sedimentary structures suggest that the northern sequence was deposited by turbidity currents in a continental rise setting, whereas the southern sequence primarily reflects deposition in shelf and slope environments . Right-lateral offset on the San Andreas and subsidiary faults to the east of the Pigeon Point Formation can account for 100's of km of northward transport since its deposition. However, Champion and others (1984) suggested 2500 km of northward transport from a tropical setting of about 21°N. Molluscan assemblages in the formation argue strongly for a less tropical site of deposition. Relative abundances of warm and temperate taxa and the presence or absence of key species are similar to those of the Santa Ana Mountains Cretaceous section, and are indicative of a war

Palaeomagnetic time and space constraints of the Early Cretaceous Rhenodanubian Flysch zone (Eastern Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dallanave, Edoardo; Kirscher, Uwe; Hauck, Jürgen; Hesse, Reinhard; Bachtadse, Valerian; Wortmann, Ulrich Georg

2018-06-01

The Rhenodanubian Flysch zone (RDF) is a Lower Cretaceous-lower Palaeocene turbidite succession extending for ˜500 km from the Danube at Vienna to the Rhine Valley (Eastern Alps). It consists of calcareous and siliciclastic turbidite systems deposited in a trench abyssal plain. The age of deposition has been estimated through micropalaeontologic dating. However, palaeomagnetic studies constraining the age and the palaeolatitude of deposition of the RDF are still missing. Here, we present palaeomagnetic data from the Early Cretaceous Tristel and Rehbreingraben Formations of the RDF from two localities in the Bavarian Alps (Rehbrein Creek and Lainbach Valley, southern Germany), and from the stratigraphic equivalent of the Falknis Nappe (Liechtenstein). The quality of the palaeomagnetic signal has been assessed by either fold test (FT) or reversal test (RT). Sediments from the Falknis Nappe are characterized by a pervasive syntectonic magnetic overprint as tested by negative FT, and are thus excluded from the study. The sediments of the Rehbreingraben Formation at Rehbrein Creek, with positive RT, straddle magnetic polarity Chron M0r and the younger M΄-1r΄ reverse event, with an age of ˜127-123 Ma (late Barremian-early Aptian). At Lainbach Valley, no polarity reversals have been observed, but a positive FT gives confidence on the reliability of the data. The primary palaeomagnetic directions, after correction for inclination shallowing, allow to precisely constrain the depositional palaeolatitude of the Tristel and Rehbreingraben Formations around ˜28°N. In a palaeogeographic reconstruction of the Alpine Tethys at the Barremian/Aptian boundary, the RDF is located on the western margin of the Briançonnais terrain, which was separated from the European continent by the narrow Valais Ocean.

Diatom life cycles and ecology in the Cretaceous.

PubMed

Jewson, David H; Harwood, David M

2017-06-01

The earliest known diatom fossils with well-preserved siliceous frustules are from Lower Cretaceous neritic marine deposits in Antarctica. In this study, we analyzed the cell wall structure to establish whether their cell and life cycles were similar to modern forms. At least two filamentous species (Basilicostephanus ornatus and Archepyrgus melosiroides) had girdle band structures that functioned during cell division in a similar way to present day Aulacoseira species. Also, size analyses of cell diameter indicated that the cyclic process of size decline and size restoration used to time modern diatom life cycles was present in five species from the Lower Cretaceous (B. ornatus, A. melosiroides, Gladius antiquus, Ancylopyrgus reticulatus, Kreagra forfex) as well as two species from Upper Cretaceous deposits (Trinacria anissimowii and Eunotogramma fueloepi) from the Southwest Pacific. The results indicate that the "Diatom Sex Clock" was present from an early evolutionary stage. Other ecological adaptations included changes in mantle height and coiling. Overall, the results suggest that at least some of the species in these early assemblages are on a direct ancestral line to modern forms. © 2017 Phycological Society of America.

Organic Matter Production And Preservation During Transgression And Highstand Of The Niobrara Cyclothem, Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salacup, J. M.; Petsch, S. T.; Leckie, R.

2007-12-01

The Upper Cretaceous Niobrara cyclothem (upper Turonian-lower Campanian) is a second-order transgressive- regressive cycle of the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway reflecting interactions among eustatic sea level change, regional tectonic events, and sediment supply. These strata provide a unique window into Late Cretaceous sediment deposition and paleoceaonographic conditions in an epicontinental seaway. However, the response of organic matter production and burial to these forcings remains less than fully resolved. Geochemical analyses of the Montezuma Valley and Smoky Hill Members of the Mancos Shale at its principal reference section at Mesa Verde, Colorado, reveal potential relationships among organic matter abundance and composition, paleoceanographic conditions inferred from microfossils, and sea level change. These rock units represent transgression and early highstand of the Niobrara cyclothem. At Mesa Verde, the upper Smoky Hill coincides with the spatially-restricted but temporally-extended Oceanic Anoxic Event 3 of middle Coniacian to early Santonian age (~88.5-86.5 Ma). It is broadly characterized as dark-gray, foraminifer-rich calcareous shale, mudstone, and marlstone. Bulk geochemical properties, including %TOC, %CaCO3, and C/N, reflect changes in organic matter delivery and preservation, and are closely correlated to inferred water-depth and/or distance from shore. Proximity to the western paleo-shore appears to exercise a primary control over the composition of the identified biomarkers with secondary influence from redox-sensitive diagenetic processes and autochthonous microbial production, which in turn may reflect higher-order sea-level fluctuations. Changes in n-alkane, hopane, and sterane distributions are coincident with the second-order transgression of the seaway. Additionally, the presence in some samples of long-chain alkylcycloalkanes and alkylbenzenes may reflect the direct cyclization and aromatization of precursor algal and bacterial

Stratigraphy and depositional environments of Fox Hills Formation (Late Cretaceous), Williston basin

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Daly, D.J.

The Fox Hills Formation (Late Cretaceous, Maestrichtian) was investigated where it crops out along the southern flank of the Williston basin and in the subsurface over the central portion of the basin, using 300 well logs. The formation is conformable and gradational with the underlying Pierre formation and can be either conformable or unconformable with the overlying Hell Creek Formation. The Fox Hills Formation is younger, thicker, and stratigraphically more complex to the east and is comprised of marginal marine sediments deposited during the final Cretaceous regression. To the west, the Fox Hills Formation is an upward-coarsening unit generally 30more » to 45 m thick and usually contains three members: from the base, Trail City, Timber Lake, and Colgate. The lower Fox Hills (Trail City, Timber Lake) is generally dominated by hummocky bedding and contains a variety of trace fossils, most notably Ophiomorpha. The upper Fox Hills (Colgate), where present, is characterized by cross-bedding. To the east, including the type area, the section is generally 80 to 100 m thick and contains four members: from the base, Trail City, Timber Lake, Iron Lightning (Colgate and Bullhead lithofacies), and Linton. In contrast to the section in the west, this section is as much as three times thicker, contains abundant body fossils, generally lacks hummocky bedding, and contains the Bullhead and Linton strata. In the west, the strata represent lower shoreface deposits, predominantly of storm origin (lower Fox Hills), overlain by upper shoreface and fluvial deposits (upper Fox Hills). In the east, the lower Fox Hills contains deposits of the lower shoreface (Trail City) and a barrier bar complex (Timber Lake), overlain by the deltaic deposits of the upper Fox Hills (Iron Lightning, Linton).« less

Highly specialized mammalian skulls from the Late Cretaceous of South America.

PubMed

Rougier, Guillermo W; Apesteguía, Sebastián; Gaetano, Leandro C

2011-11-02

Dryolestoids are an extinct mammalian group belonging to the lineage leading to modern marsupials and placentals. Dryolestoids are known by teeth and jaws from the Jurassic period of North America and Europe, but they thrived in South America up to the end of the Mesozoic era and survived to the beginnings of the Cenozoic. Isolated teeth and jaws from the latest Cretaceous of South America provide mounting evidence that, at least in western Gondwana, dryolestoids developed into strongly endemic groups by the Late Cretaceous. However, the lack of pre-Late Cretaceous dryolestoid remains made study of their origin and early diversification intractable. Here we describe the first mammalian remains from the early Late Cretaceous of South America, including two partial skulls and jaws of a derived dryolestoid showing dental and cranial features unknown among any other group of Mesozoic mammals, such as single-rooted molars preceded by double-rooted premolars, combined with a very long muzzle, exceedingly long canines and evidence of highly specialized masticatory musculature. On one hand, the new mammal shares derived features of dryolestoids with forms from the Jurassic of Laurasia, whereas on the other hand, it is very specialized and highlights the endemic, diverse dryolestoid fauna from the Cretaceous of South America. Our specimens include only the second mammalian skull known for the Cretaceous of Gondwana, bridging a previous 60-million-year gap in the fossil record, and document the whole cranial morphology of a dryolestoid, revealing an unsuspected morphological and ecological diversity for non-tribosphenic mammals.

High Arctic paleoenvironmental and Paleoclimatic changes in the Mid-Cretaceous

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herrle, Jens; Schröder-Adams, Claudia; Selby, David; Du Vivier, Alice; Flögel, Sascha; McAnena, Alison; Davis, William; Pugh, Adam; Galloway, Jennifer; Hofmann, Peter; Wagner, Thomas

2014-05-01

the OAE2 period which shades a new light on temperature gradients during different climate states of the Cretaceous. In contrast, to the Late Cenomanian to Early Turonian the distinct occurrence of several widespread glendonite beds in the Late Aptian to Early Albian support cool bottom waters of about 0°C in the Arctic Sverdrup Basin, consistent with much lower TEX86-SST ~28°C, McAnena et al., 2013) and bottom water temperatures (6°C, Huber et al., 2011) in the low latitude North Atlantic. This supports the global character of the proposed Late Aptian cold snap (Kemper, 1987; Herrle & Mutterlose, 2003; Mutterlose et al. 2009; McAnena et al. 2013) and perhaps a northern hemisphere high-latitude intermediate bottom water source. References Du Vivier, A.C.D., Selby, D., Sageman, B.B., Jarvis, I., Gröcke, D.R., Voigt, S., 2014. Marine 187Os/188Os isotope stratigraphy reveals the interaction of volcanism and ocean circulation during Oceanic Anoxic Event 2. EPSL 389, 23-33. Föllmi, K.B., 2012. Early Cretaceous life, climate and anoxia. Cretaceous Research 35, 230-257. Hay, W.W., 2008. Evolving ideas about the Cretaceous climate and ocean circulation. Cretaceous Research 29, 725-753. Hay, W.W., 2011. Can humans force a return to a "Cretaceous" climate? Sedimentary Geology 235, 5-26. Herrle, J.O. , Mutterlose, J., 2003. Calcareous nannofossils from the Aptian - early Albian of SE France: Paleoecological and biostratigraphic implications. Cretaceous Research 24, 1-22. Huber, B.T., MacLeod, K.G., Gröcke, D.R., Kucera, M., 2011. Paleotemperature and paleosalinity inferences and chemostratigraphy across the Aptian/Albian boundary in the subtropical North Atlantic. Paleoceanography 26, PA4221 doi:10.1029/2011PA002178. McAnena, A., Flögel, S., Hofmann, P., Herrle, J.O., Griesand, A., Pross, J., Talbot, H.M., Rethemeyer, J., Wallmann, K., Wagner, T., 2013. Atlantic cooling associated with a marine biotic crisis during the mid-Cretaceous period. Nature Geoscience 6, 558

Rainfall seasonality on the Indian subcontinent during the Cretaceous greenhouse.

PubMed

Ghosh, Prosenjit; Prasanna, K; Banerjee, Yogaraj; Williams, Ian S; Gagan, Michael K; Chaudhuri, Atanu; Suwas, Satyam

2018-05-31

The Cretaceous greenhouse climate was accompanied by major changes in Earth's hydrological cycle, but seasonally resolved hydroclimatic reconstructions for this anomalously warm period are rare. We measured the δ 18 O and CO 2 clumped isotope Δ 47 of the seasonal growth bands in carbonate shells of the mollusc Villorita cyprinoides (Black Clam) growing in the Cochin estuary, in southern India. These tandem records accurately reconstruct seasonal changes in sea surface temperature (SST) and seawater δ 18 O, allowing us to document freshwater discharge into the estuary, and make inferences about rainfall amount. The same analytical approach was applied to well-preserved fossil remains of the Cretaceous (Early Maastrichtian) mollusc Phygraea (Phygraea) vesicularis from the nearby Kallankuruchchi Formation in the Cauvery Basin of southern India. The palaeoenvironmental record shows that, unlike present-day India, where summer rainfall predominates, most rainfall in Cretaceous India occurred in winter. During the Early Maastrichtian, the Indian plate was positioned at ~30°S latitude, where present-day rainfall and storm activity is also concentrated in winter. The good match of the Cretaceous climate and present-day climate at ~30°S suggests that the large-scale atmospheric circulation and seasonal hydroclimate patterns were similar to, although probably more intense than, those at present.

Early cretaceous platform-margin configuration and evolution in the central Oman mountains, Arabian peninsula

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pratt, B.R.; Smewing, J.D.

1993-02-01

The Hajar Supergroup (Middle Permian-Lower Cretaceous) of northeastern Oman records rifting and development of a passive margin along the edge of the Arabian platform facing Neo-Tethys. The Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous part, comprising the Sahtan, Kahmah, and Wasia groups, was deposited during the maximum extent of the broad epicontinental sea landward of this margin. These limestone units reach a total of 1500 m in thickness and correlate with the hydrocarbon reservoirs of the Arabian Peninsula. The trace of the Jurassic and Cretaceous margin in northeastern Oman followed a zigzag series of rift segments, resulting in promontories and reentrants that changedmore » in position through time in response to the configuration and differential motion of underlying rift blocks. Synsedimentary normal faulting occurred locally in the Middle Jurassic, whereas in the Late Jurassic, the margin was eroded from variable uplift of up to 300 m before subsiding to below storm wave base. This uplift may have been caused by compression from oceanic crust that obducted along the southeastern side of the platform. The Lower Cretaceous succession in the central Oman Mountains and adjacent subsurface began with regional drowning around the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary. The succession in the east (Saih Hatat) records a single regressive sequence, ending in the progradation of the shallow-water carbonate platform by the Cenomanian. However, the succession in the west (Jebel Akhdar and interior) is dominated by shallow-water carbonate facies, but punctuated by a second regional drowning in the late Aptian. A third, Late Cretaceous drowning terminated deposition of the Wasia Group in the Turonian and was caused by convergence of oceanic crust and foreland basic formation. The record of tectonic behavior of carbonate platforms has important implications for the development of hydrocarbon source rocks and porosity. 68 refs., 11 figs., 1 tab.« less

Structure and Evolution of the Central Andes of Peru

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzalez, L.; Pfiffner, O. A.

2009-04-01

Three major units make up the Andes in Peru: (1) The Western Cordillera consists of the Cretaceous Coastal Batholith intruding Jurassic to Cretaceous volcaniclastics (Casma group) in the west, and a fold-and-thrust belt of Mesozoic sediments in the east. Eocene and Miocene volcanics (Calipuy group and equivalents) overly all of these rock types. (2) The Central Highland contains a folded Paleozoic-Mesozoic sedimentary sequence overlain by thick Quaternary deposits. A major fault puts Neoproterozoic basement rocks of the Eastern Cordillera next to these units. (3) In the Eastern Cordillera, Late Paleozoic clastic successions unconformably overly folded Early Paleozoic sediments and a Neoproterozoic basement in the east. Permian (locally Triassic) granitoids intruded these units and were affected by folding and thrusting. In the core of the Eastern Cordillera, Early Cretaceous overly Early or Late Paleozoic strata. To the west, a thrust belt of Paleozoic to Cenozoic strata forms the transition to the foreland of the Brasilian shield. The most external part of this thrust belt involves Pliocene sediments and is referred to as Subandine zone. The Coastal Batholith is internally undeformed. The adjacent fold-and-thrust belt to the east is characterized by tight, nearly isoclinal upright folds with amplitudes of up to 1000 m. At the surface only Cretaceous rocks are observed. Using balancing techniques, a detachment horizon at the base of the Lowermost Cretaceous (Goyallarisquizga group - Oyon Formation) can be proposed. Further east, folds are more open, asymmetric and east verging, Jurassic sediments appear in the cores of the anticlines. The abrupt change in style from upright tight folding in the west to more open folding in the east is explained by a primary difference in the depositional sequence, most probably associated with synsedimentary faulting. The overlying volcanics of the Calipuy group and equivalents are, in turn, only slightly folded. In the Northern

Flight aerodynamics in enantiornithines: Information from a new Chinese Early Cretaceous bird

PubMed Central

Liu, Di; Serrano, Francisco; Habib, Michael; Zhang, Yuguang; Meng, Qinjing

2017-01-01

We describe an exquisitely preserved new avian fossil (BMNHC-PH-919) from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of eastern Inner Mongolia, China. Although morphologically similar to Cathayornithidae and other small-sized enantiornithines from China’s Jehol Biota, many morphological features indicate that it represents a new species, here named Junornis houi. The new fossil displays most of its plumage including a pair of elongated, rachis-dominated tail feathers similarly present in a variety of other enantiornithines. BMNHC-PH-919 represents the first record of a Jehol enantiornithine from Inner Mongolia, thus extending the known distribution of these birds into the eastern portion of this region. Furthermore, its well-preserved skeleton and wing outline provide insight into the aerodynamic performance of enantiornithines, suggesting that these birds had evolved bounding flight—a flight mode common to passeriforms and other small living birds—as early as 125 million years ago. PMID:29020077

Flight aerodynamics in enantiornithines: Information from a new Chinese Early Cretaceous bird.

PubMed

Liu, Di; Chiappe, Luis M; Serrano, Francisco; Habib, Michael; Zhang, Yuguang; Meng, Qinjing

2017-01-01

We describe an exquisitely preserved new avian fossil (BMNHC-PH-919) from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of eastern Inner Mongolia, China. Although morphologically similar to Cathayornithidae and other small-sized enantiornithines from China's Jehol Biota, many morphological features indicate that it represents a new species, here named Junornis houi. The new fossil displays most of its plumage including a pair of elongated, rachis-dominated tail feathers similarly present in a variety of other enantiornithines. BMNHC-PH-919 represents the first record of a Jehol enantiornithine from Inner Mongolia, thus extending the known distribution of these birds into the eastern portion of this region. Furthermore, its well-preserved skeleton and wing outline provide insight into the aerodynamic performance of enantiornithines, suggesting that these birds had evolved bounding flight-a flight mode common to passeriforms and other small living birds-as early as 125 million years ago.

Petroleum geology of the mid-Atlantic continental margin, offshore Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bayer, K.C.; Milici, R.C.

1989-01-01

The Baltimore Canyon Trough, a major sedimentary basin on the Atlantic continental shelf, contains up to 18 km of Mesozoic and Cenozoic strata. The basin has been studied extensively by multichannel common depth point (CDP) seismic reflection profiles and has been tested by drilling for hydrocarbon resources in several places. The Mesozoic and Cenozoic strata contained in the basin were deposited in littoral to bathyal depositional settings and contain immature to marginally mature oil-prone and gas-prone kerogen. The more deeply buried strata of Early Mesozoic age are more likely to be thermally mature than are the younger strata with respect to hydrocarbon generation, but contain terrestrially derived coaly organic matter that would be prone to yield gas, rather than oil. An analysis of available CDP seismic reflection data has indicated that there are several potential hydrocarbon plays in the area offshore of Virginia. These include: (1) Lower Mesozoic synrift basins that appear similar to those exposed in the Appalachian Piedmont, (2) a stratigraphic updip pinchout of strata of Early Mesozoic age in the offshore region near the coast, (3) a deeply buried paleoshelf edge, where seismic reflectors dip sharply seaward; and (4) a Cretaceous/Jurassic shelf edge beneath the present continental rise. Of these, the synrift basins and Cretaceous/Jurassic shelf edge are considered to be the best targets for exploration. ?? 1989.

Paleogeography and sedimentology of Upper Cretaceous turbidites, San Diego, California.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nilsen, T.H.; Abbott, P.L.

1981-01-01

Upper Cretaceous (Campanian and Maestrichtian) marine strata of the Rosario Group in the San Diego area include the Point Loma Formation and overlying Cabrillo Formation. Thes units contain 6 facies associations which define a deep-sea fan deposited by westward-flowing sediment gravity flows that transported sediments derived chiefly from batholithic and pre-batholithic metamorphic rocks of the Peninsular Ranges. The sedimentary basin initially deepened abruptly. The fan then prograded westward into the basin, with a retrogradational phase recorded in the uppermost part of the sequence. The fan was deposited along the eastern edge of a forearc basin similar to that of the Great Valley sequence in northern California. The western part of the fan appears to have been truncated by late Cenozoic strike-slip faulting.-from Authors

Late Cretaceous- Cenozoic history of deciduousness and the terminal Cretaceous event.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wolfe, J.A.

1987-01-01

Deciduousness in mesic, broad-leaved plants occurred in disturbed, middle-latitude environments during the Late Cretaceous. Only in polar environments in the Late Cretaceous was the deciduous element dominant, although of low diversity. The terminal Cretaceous event resulted in wide-spread selection for plants of deciduous habit and diversification of deciduous taxa, thus leaving a lasting imprint on Northern Hemisphere vegetation. Various environmental factors have played important roles in subsequent diversification of mesic, broad-leaved deciduous taxa and in origination and decline of broad-leaved deciduous forests. Low diversity and rarity of mesic deciduous plants in the post-Cretaceous of the Southern Hemisphere indicate that the inferred 'impact winter' of the terminal Cretaceous event had little effect on Southern Hemisphere vegetation and climate. -Author

Structural plays in Ellesmerian sequence and correlative strata of the National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moore, Thomas E.; Potter, Christopher J.

2003-01-01

Reservoirs in deformed rocks of the Ellesmerian sequence in southern NPRA are assigned to two hydrocarbon plays, the Thrust-Belt play and the Ellesmerian Structural play. The two plays differ in that the Thrust-Belt play consists of reservoirs located in allochthonous strata in the frontal part of the Brooks Range fold-and-thrust belt, whereas those of the Ellesmerian Structural play are located in autochthonous or parautochthonous strata at deeper structural levels north of the Thrust-Belt play. Together, these structural plays are expected to contain about 3.5 TCF of gas but less than 6 million barrels of oil. These two plays are analyzed using a two-stage deformational model. The first stage of deformation occurred during the Neocomian, when distal strata of the Ellesmerian sequence were imbricated and assembled into deformational wedges emplaced northward onto regionally south-dipping authochon at 140-120 Ma. In the mid-Cretaceous following cessation of the deformation, the Colville basin, the foreland basin to the orogen, was filled with a thick clastic succession. During the second stage of deformation at about 60 Ma (early Tertiary), the combined older orogenic belt-foreland basin system was involved in another episode of north-vergent contractional deformation that deformed pre-existing stratigraphic and structurally trapped reservoir units, formed new structural traps, and caused significant amounts of uplift, although the amount of shortening was relatively small in comparison to the first episode of deformation. Hydrocarbon generation from source strata (Shublik Formation, Kingak Shale, and Otuk Formation) and migration into stratigraphic traps occurred primarily by sedimentary burial principally between 100-90 Ma, between the times of the two episodes of deformation. Subsequent burial caused deep stratigraphic traps to become overmature, cracking oil to gas, and some new generation to begin progressively higher in the section. Structural disruption of

The Jurassic-early Cretaceous Ilo batholith of southern coastal Peru: geology, geochronology and geochemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boekhout, Flora; Sempere, Thierry; Spikings, Richard; Schaltegger, Urs

2010-05-01

The Ilo batholith (17°00 - 18°30 S) crops out in an area of about 20 by 100 km, along the coast of southern Peru. This batholith is emplaced into the ‘Chocolate‘ Formation of late Permian to middle Jurassic age, which consists of more than 1000 m of basaltic and andesitic lavas, with interbedded volcanic agglomerates and breccias. The Ilo Batholith is considered to be a rarely exposed fragment of the Jurassic arc in Peru. Our aim is to reconstruct the magmatic evolution of this batholith, and place it within the context of long-lasting magma genesis along the active Andean margin since the Paleozoic. Sampling for dating and geochemical analyses was carried out along several cross sections through the batholith that were exposed by post-intrusion eastward tilting of 20-30°. Sparse previous work postulates early to middle Jurassic and partially early Cretaceous emplacement, on the basis of conventional K/Ar and 40Ar/39Ar dating methods in the Ilo area. Twenty new U-Pb zircon ages (LA-ICP-MS and CA-ID-TIMS) accompanied by geochemical data suggests the Ilo batholith formed via the amalgamation of middle Jurassic and early Cretaceous, subduction-related plutons. Preliminary Hf isotope studies reveal a primitive mantle source for middle Jurassic intrusions. Additional Sr, Nd and Hf isotope analyses are planned to further resolve the source regions of different pulses of plutonic activity. We strongly suggest that batholith emplacement was at least partly coeval with the emplacement of the late Permian to middle Jurassic Chocolate Formation, which was deposited in an extensional tectonic regime. Our age results and geochemical signature fit into the scheme of episodic emplacement of huge amounts of subduction related magmatism that is observed throughout the whole Andean event, particularly during the middle Jurassic onset of the first Andean cycle (southern Peru, northern Chile and southern Argentina). Although the exact geodynamic setting remains to be precisely

Elemental and Sr-Nd isotopic geochemistry of Cretaceous to Early Paleogene granites and volcanic rocks in the Sikhote-Alin Orogenic Belt (Russian Far East): implications for the regional tectonic evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Pan; Jahn, Bor-ming; Xu, Bei

2017-09-01

The Sikhote-Alin Orogenic Belt in Russian Far East is an important Late Mesozoic to Early Cenozoic accretionary orogen related to the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate. This belt was generated by successive accretion of terranes made of accretionary prisms, turbidite basins and island arcs to the continental margin of northeastern Asia (represented by the Bureya-Jiamusi-Khanka Block) from Jurassic to Late Cretaceous. In order to study the tectonic and crustal evolution of this orogenic belt, we carried out zircon U-Pb dating, and whole-rock elemental and Sr-Nd isotopic analyses on granites and volcanic rocks from the Primorye region of southern Sikhote-Alin. Zircon dating revealed three episodes of granitoid emplacement: Permian, Early Cretaceous and Late Cretaceous to Early Paleogene. Felsic volcanic rocks (mainly rhyolite, dacite and ignimbrite) that overlay all tectonostratigraphic terranes were erupted during 80-57 Ma, postdating the accretionary process in the Sikhote-Alin belt. The Cretaceous-Paleogene magmatism represents the most intense tectonothermal event in the Sikhote-Alin belt. Whole-rock major and trace elemental data show arc-like affinity for granitoids and volcanic rocks, indicating that they were likely generated in a supra-subduction setting. Their initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios range from 0.7048 to 0.7114, and εNd(t) values vary from +1.7 to -3.8 (mostly < 0). Thus, the elemental and Sr-Nd isotopic data suggest that the felsic magmas were generated by partial melting of source rocks comprising mantle-derived juvenile component and recycled crustal component. In addition to the occurrence in the Sikhote-Alin orogenic belt, Cretaceous to Early Paleogene magmatic rocks are also widespread in NE China, southern Korean peninsula, Japanese islands and other areas of Russian Far East, particularly along the coastal regions of the Okhotsk and Bering Seas. These rocks constitute an extended magmatic belt along the continental margin of NE Asia. The

Patterns of megafloral change across the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in the Northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Kirk R.; Hickey, Leo J.

1988-01-01

The spatial and temporal distribution of vegetation in the terminal Cretaceous of Western Interior North America was a complex mosaic resulting from the interaction of factors including a shifting coastline, tectonic activity, a mild, possibly deteriorating climate, dinosaur herbivory, local facies effects, and a hypothesized bolide impact. In order to achieve sufficient resolution to analyze this vegetational pattern, over 100 megafloral collecting sites were established, yielding approximately 15,000 specimens, in Upper Cretaceous and lower Paleocene strata in the Williston, Powder River, and Bighorn basins in North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming. These localities were integrated into a lithostratigraphic framework that is based on detailed local reference sections and constrained by vertebrate and palynomorph biostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, and sedimentary facies analysis. A regional biostratigraphy based on well located and identified plant megafossils that can be used to address patterns of floral evolution, ecology, and extinction is the goal of this research. Results of the analyses are discussed.

Evolution of volcanically-induced palaeoenvironmental changes leading to the onset of OAE1a (early Aptian, Cretaceous)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keller, Christina E.; Hochuli, Peter A.; Giorgioni, Martino; Garcia, Therese I.; Bernasconi, Stefano M.; Weissert, Helmut

2010-05-01

During the Cretaceous, several major volcanic events occurred that initiated climate warming, altered marine circulation and increased marine productivity, which in turn often resulted in the widespread black shale deposits of the Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAE). In the sediments underlying the early Aptian OAE1a black shales, a prominent negative carbon isotope excursion is recorded. Its origin had long been controversial (e.g. Arthur, 2000; Jahren et al., 2001) before recent studies attributed it to the Ontong Java volcanism (Méhay et al., 2009; Tejada et al., 2009). Therefore the negative C-isotope excursion covers the interval between the time, when volcanic activity became important enough to be recorded in the C-isotope composition of the oceans to the onset of widespread anoxic conditions (OAE1a). We chose this interval at the locality of Pusiano (N-Italy) to study the effect of a volcanically-induced increase in pCO2 on the marine palaeoenvironment and to observe the evolving palaeoenvironmental conditions that finally led to OAE1a. The Pusiano section (Maiolica Formation) was deposited at the southern continental margin of the alpine Tethys Ocean and has been bio- and magnetostratigraphically dated by Channell et al. (1995). We selected 18 samples from 12 black shale horizons for palynofacies analyses. Palynofacies assemblages consist of several types of particulate organic matter, providing information on the origin of the organic matter (terrestrial/marine) and conditions during deposition (oxic/anoxic). We then linked the palynofacies results to high-resolution inorganic and organic C-isotope values and total organic carbon content measurements. The pelagic Pusiano section consists of repeated limestone-black shale couplets, which are interpreted to be the result of changes in oxygenation of bottom waters. Towards the end of the negative C-isotope excursion we observe enhanced preservation of the fragile amorphous organic matter resulting in increased

New Mid-Cretaceous (Latest Albian) Dinosaurs from Winton, Queensland, Australia

PubMed Central

Hocknull, Scott A.; White, Matt A.; Tischler, Travis R.; Cook, Alex G.; Calleja, Naomi D.; Sloan, Trish; Elliott, David A.

2009-01-01

Background Australia's dinosaurian fossil record is exceptionally poor compared to that of other similar-sized continents. Most taxa are known from fragmentary isolated remains with uncertain taxonomic and phylogenetic placement. A better understanding of the Australian dinosaurian record is crucial to understanding the global palaeobiogeography of dinosaurian groups, including groups previously considered to have had Gondwanan origins, such as the titanosaurs and carcharodontosaurids. Methodology/Principal Findings We describe three new dinosaurs from the late Early Cretaceous (latest Albian) Winton Formation of eastern Australia, including; Wintonotitan wattsi gen. et sp. nov., a basal titanosauriform; Diamantinasaurus matildae gen. et sp. nov., a derived lithostrotian titanosaur; and Australovenator wintonensis gen. et sp. nov., an allosauroid. We compare an isolated astragalus from the Early Cretaceous of southern Australia; formerly identified as Allosaurus sp., and conclude that it most-likely represents Australovenator sp. Conclusion/Significance The occurrence of Australovenator from the Aptian to latest Albian confirms the presence in Australia of allosauroids basal to the Carcharodontosauridae. These new taxa, along with the fragmentary remains of other taxa, indicate a diverse Early Cretaceous sauropod and theropod fauna in Australia, including plesiomorphic forms (e.g. Wintonotitan and Australovenator) and more derived forms (e.g. Diamantinasaurus). PMID:19584929

Paleogeography and the Late Cretaceous of the Western Interior of middle North America; coal distribution and sediment accumulation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Roberts, Laura N. Robinson; Kirschbaum, Mark A.

1995-01-01

A synthesis of Late Cretaceous paleogeography of the Western Interior from Mexico to southwestern Canada emphasizes the areal distribution of peat-forming environments during six biostratigraphically constrained time intervals. Isopach maps of strata for each interval reveal the locations and magnitude of major depocenters. The paleogeographic framework provides insight into the relative importance of tectonism, eustasy, and climate on the accumulation of thick peats and their preservation as coals. A total of 123 basin summaries and their data provide the ground truth for construction of the isopach and paleogeographic maps.

On the age of the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lena, Luis; Ramos, Victor; Pimentel, Marcio; Aguirre-Urreta, Beatriz; Naipauer, Maximiliano; Schaltegger, Urs

2017-04-01

Calibrating the geologic time is of utmost importance to understanding geological and biological processes throughout Earth history. The Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary has proven to be one of the most problematic boundaries to calibrate in the geologic time. The present definition of the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary still remains contentious mainly because of the dominant endemic nature of the flora and fauna in stratigraphic sections, which hinders an agreement on a GSSP. Consequently, an absolute and precise age for the boundary is yet to meet an agreement among the community. Additionally, integrating chemical, paleomagnetic or astronomical proxies to aid the definition of the boundary has also proven to be difficult because the boundary lacks any abrupt geochemical changes or recognizable geological events. However, the traditional Berriasella jacobi Subzone is disregarded as a primary marker and the use of calpionellids has been gaining momentum for defining the boundary. The Jurassic Cretaceous boundary in the Vaca Muerta Fm. in the Nuequen Basin of the Andes is a potential candidate for the boundary stratotype because of its high density of ammonites, nannofossils and interbedded datable horizons. Consequently, the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary is very well defined in the Vaca Muerta Fm. On the basis of both ammonites and nannofossils. Here we present new high-precision U-Pb age determinations from two volcanic ash beds that bracket the age of the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary: 1) ash bed LLT_14_9, with a 206Pb/238U age of 139.7 Ma, which is 2 meters above Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary based on the Argetiniceras noduliferum (Early Berriasian ) and Substeueroceras Koeneni (Late Tithonian) ammonites zone; and 2) bed LLT_14_10, with an age of 140.1 Ma, located 3m below the J-K boundary based on last occurrence of the nannofossils N. kamptneri minor and N. steinmanni minor. Therefore, we propose that the age of the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary should be close to 140

Mycophagous rove beetles highlight diverse mushrooms in the Cretaceous

PubMed Central

Cai, Chenyang; Leschen, Richard A. B.; Hibbett, David S; Xia, Fangyuan; Huang, Diying

2017-01-01

Agaricomycetes, or mushrooms, are familiar, conspicuous and morphologically diverse Fungi. Most Agaricomycete fruiting bodies are ephemeral, and their fossil record is limited. Here we report diverse gilled mushrooms (Agaricales) and mycophagous rove beetles (Staphylinidae) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, the latter belonging to Oxyporinae, modern members of which exhibit an obligate association with soft-textured mushrooms. The discovery of four mushroom forms, most with a complete intact cap containing distinct gills and a stalk, suggests evolutionary stasis of body form for ∼99 Myr and highlights the palaeodiversity of Agaricomycetes. The mouthparts of early oxyporines, including enlarged mandibles and greatly enlarged apical labial palpomeres with dense specialized sensory organs, match those of modern taxa and suggest that they had a mushroom feeding biology. Diverse and morphologically specialized oxyporines from the Early Cretaceous suggests the existence of diverse Agaricomycetes and a specialized trophic interaction and ecological community structure by this early date. PMID:28300055

New Age of Fishes initiated by the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sibert, Elizabeth C.; Norris, Richard D.

2015-07-01

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii) comprise nearly half of all modern vertebrate diversity, and are an ecologically and numerically dominant megafauna in most aquatic environments. Crown teleost fishes diversified relatively recently, during the Late Cretaceous and early Paleogene, although the exact timing and cause of their radiation and rise to ecological dominance is poorly constrained. Here we use microfossil teeth and shark dermal scales (ichthyoliths) preserved in deep-sea sediments to study the changes in the pelagic fish community in the latest Cretaceous and early Paleogene. We find that the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K/Pg) extinction event marked a profound change in the structure of ichthyolith communities around the globe: Whereas shark denticles outnumber ray-finned fish teeth in Cretaceous deep-sea sediments around the world, there is a dramatic increase in the proportion of ray-finned fish teeth to shark denticles in the Paleocene. There is also an increase in size and numerical abundance of ray-finned fish teeth at the boundary. These changes are sustained through at least the first 24 million years of the Cenozoic. This new fish community structure began at the K/Pg mass extinction, suggesting the extinction event played an important role in initiating the modern "age of fishes."

New Age of Fishes initiated by the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction.

PubMed

Sibert, Elizabeth C; Norris, Richard D

2015-07-14

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii) comprise nearly half of all modern vertebrate diversity, and are an ecologically and numerically dominant megafauna in most aquatic environments. Crown teleost fishes diversified relatively recently, during the Late Cretaceous and early Paleogene, although the exact timing and cause of their radiation and rise to ecological dominance is poorly constrained. Here we use microfossil teeth and shark dermal scales (ichthyoliths) preserved in deep-sea sediments to study the changes in the pelagic fish community in the latest Cretaceous and early Paleogene. We find that the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K/Pg) extinction event marked a profound change in the structure of ichthyolith communities around the globe: Whereas shark denticles outnumber ray-finned fish teeth in Cretaceous deep-sea sediments around the world, there is a dramatic increase in the proportion of ray-finned fish teeth to shark denticles in the Paleocene. There is also an increase in size and numerical abundance of ray-finned fish teeth at the boundary. These changes are sustained through at least the first 24 million years of the Cenozoic. This new fish community structure began at the K/Pg mass extinction, suggesting the extinction event played an important role in initiating the modern "age of fishes."

Publications - GMC 69 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Science.gov Websites

DGGS GMC 69 Publication Details Title: Magnetic properties of greigite-bearing Cretaceous strata, North , 1987, Magnetic properties of greigite-bearing Cretaceous strata, North Slope, Alaska (abstract only

High resolution chronology of late Cretaceous-early Tertiary events determined from 21,000 yr orbital-climatic cycles in marine sediments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herbert, Timothy D.; Dhondt, Steven

1988-01-01

A number of South Atlantic sites cored by the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) recovered late Cretaceous and early Tertiary sediments with alternating light-dark, high-low carbonate content. The sedimentary oscillations were turned into time series by digitizing color photographs of core segments at a resolution of about 5 points/cm. Spectral analysis of these records indicates prominent periodicity at 25 to 35 cm in the Cretaceous intervals, and about 15 cm in the early Tertiary sediments. The absolute period of the cycles that is determined from paleomagnetic calibration at two sites is 20,000 to 25,000 yr, and almost certainly corresponds to the period of the earth's precessional cycle. These sequences therefore contain an internal chronometer to measure events across the K/T extinction boundary at this scale of resolution. The orbital metronome was used to address several related questions: the position of the K/T boundary within magnetic chron 29R, the fluxes of biogenic and detrital material to the deep sea immediately before and after the K/T event, the duration of the Sr anomaly, and the level of background climatic variability in the latest Cretaceous time. The carbonate/color cycles that were analyzed contain primary records of ocean carbonate productivity and chemistry, as evidenced by bioturbational mixing of adjacent beds and the weak lithification of the rhythmic sequences. It was concluded that sedimentary sequences that contain orbital cyclicity are capable of providing resolution of dramatic events in earth history with much greater precision than obtainable through radiometric methods. The data show no evidence for a gradual climatic deterioration prior to the K/T extinction event, and argue for a geologically rapid revolution at this horizon.

Multi-stage metamorphism in the South Armenian Block during the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous: Tectonics over south-dipping subduction of Northern branch of Neotethys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hässig, M.; Rolland, Y.; Sahakyan, L.; Sosson, M.; Galoyan, G.; Avagyan, A.; Bosch, D.; Müller, C.

2015-04-01

The geologic evolution of the South Armenian Block (SAB) in the Mesozoic is reconstructed from a structural, metamorphic, and geochronologic study including U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar dating. The South Armenian Block Crystalline Basement (SABCB) outcrops solely in a narrow tectonic window, NW of Yerevan. The study of this zone provides key and unprecedented information concerning closing of the Northern Neotethys oceanic domain north of the Taurides-Anatolides platform from the Middle Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. The basement comprises of presumed Proterozoic orthogneiss overlain by metamorphosed pelites as well as intrusions of granodiorite and leucogranite during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. Structural, geochronological and petrological observations show a multiphased evolution of the northern margin of the SAB during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. A south-dipping subduction under the East Anatolian Platform-South Armenian Block (EAP-SAB) is proposed in order to suit recent findings pertaining emplacement of relatively hot subduction related granodiorite as well as the metamorphic evolution of the crystalline basement in the Lesser Caucasus area. The metamorphism is interpreted as evidencing: (1) M1 Barrovian MP-MT conditions (staurolite-kyanite) at c. 157-160 Ma and intrusion of dioritic magmas at c. 150-156 Ma, (2) near-adiabatic decompression is featured by partial melting and production of leucogranites at c. 153 Ma, followed by M2 HT-LP conditions (andalusite-K-feldspar). A phase of shearing and recrystallization is ascribed to doming at c. 130-150 Ma and cooling at 400 °C by c. 123 Ma (M3). Structural observations show (1) top to the north shearing during M1 and (2) radial extension during M2. The extensional event ends by emplacement of a thick detrital series along radial S, E and W-dipping normal faults. Further, the crystalline basement is unconformably covered by Upper Cretaceous-Paleocene series dated by nannofossils, evolving from

Flexural subsidence and basement tectonics of the Cretaceous Western Interior basin, United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pang, Ming; Nummedal, Dag

1995-02-01

The flexural subsidence history recorded in Cenomanian to early Campanian (97 to 80 Ma) strata in the Cretaceous U.S. Western Interior basin was studied with two-dimensional flexural backstripping techniques. Results indicate that the flexural subsidence resulting from thrust loading was superimposed on epeirogenic subsidence in the foreland basin. The flexural component exhibits significant spatial and temporal variations along both the strike and dip relative to the Sevier thrust belt. The greatest cumulative subsidence occurred in southwestern Wyoming and northern Utah. Concurrent subsidence in northwestern Montana and southern Utah was insignificant. Temporal trends in subsidence also show a distinct regional pattern. From the Cenomanian to late Turonian (97 to 90 Ma), subsidence rates were high in Utah and much lower in Wyoming and Montana. In contrast, during the Coniacian and Santonian (90 to 85 Ma) subsidence accelerated rapidly in Wyoming, increased slightly in Montana, and decreased in Utah. We suggest that these spatially and temporally varying subsidence patterns reflect the interplay of several geodynamic factors, including: (1) temporal and spatial variation in emplacement of the thrust loads, (2) segmentation of the basement into adjacent blocks with different rheological properties, (3) reactivation of basement fault trends, and (4) regional dynamic topographic effects.

Evolution of Cupido and Coahuila carbonate platforms, early Cretaceous, northeastern Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lehmann, Christoph; Osleger, David A.; Montañez, Isabel P.; Sliter, William V.; Arnaud Vanneau, Annie; Banner, Jay L.

1999-01-01

middle Albian time. Restriction of the platform interior dissipated by middle to late Albian time with the deposition of peloidal, miliolid-rich packstones and grainstones of the Aurora Formation. The Coahuila platform was drowned during latest Albian to early Cenomanian time, and the deep-water laminites of the Cuesta del Cura Formation were deposited.This study fills in a substantial gap in the Cretaceous paleogeography of the eastern Gulf of Mexico coast, improving regional correlations with adjacent hydrocarbon-rich platforms. The enhanced temporal relations and chronology of events recorded in the Cupido and Coahuila platforms significantly improve global correlations with coeval, economically important platforms worldwide, perhaps contributing to the determination of global versus regional controls on carbonate platform evolution during middle Cretaceous time.

Snakefly diversity in Early Cretaceous amber from Spain (Neuropterida, Raphidioptera)

PubMed Central

la Fuente, Ricardo Pérez-de; Peñalver, Enrique; Delclòs, Xavier; Engel, Michael S.

2012-01-01

Abstract The Albian amber from Spain presently harbors the greatest number and diversity of amber adult fossil snakeflies (Raphidioptera). Within Baissopteridae, Baissoptera? cretaceoelectra sp. n., from the Peñacerrada I outcrop (Moraza, Burgos), is the first amber inclusion belonging to the family and described from western Eurasia, thus substantially expanding the paleogeographical range of the family formerly known from the Cretaceous of Brazil and eastern Asia. Within the family Mesoraphidiidae, Necroraphidia arcuata gen. et sp. n. and Amarantoraphidia ventolina gen. et sp. n. are described from the El Soplao outcrop (Rábago, Cantabria), whereas Styporaphidia? hispanica sp. n. and Alavaraphidia imperterrita gen. et sp. n. are describedfrom Peñacerrada I. In addition, three morphospecies are recognized from fragmentary remains. The following combinations are restored: Yanoraphidia gaoi Ren, 1995, stat. rest., Mesoraphidia durlstonensis Jepson, Coram and Jarzembowski, 2009, stat. rest., and Mesoraphidia heteroneura Ren, 1997, stat. rest. The singularity of this rich paleodiversity could be due to the paleogeographic isolation of the Iberian territory and also the prevalence of wildfires during the Cretaceous. PMID:22787417

Upper Cretaceous molluscan record along a transect from Virden, New Mexico, to Del Rio, Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cobban, W.A.; Hook, S.C.; McKinney, K.C.

2008-01-01

Updated age assignments and new collections of molluscan fossils from lower Cenomanian through upper Campanian strata in Texas permit a much refined biostratigraphic correlation with the rocks of New Mexico and the Western Interior. Generic names of many Late Cretaceous ammonites and inoceramid bivalves from Texas are updated to permit this correlation. Strata correlated in the west-to-east transect include the lower Cenomanian Beartooth Quartzite and Sarten Sandstone of southwest New Mexico, and the Eagle Mountains Formation, Del Rio Clay, Buda Limestone, and. basal beds of the Chispa Summit, Ojinaga, and Boquillas Formations of the Texas-Mexico border area. Middle Cenomanian strata are lacking in southwestern New Mexico but are present in the lower parts of the Chispa Summit and Boquillas Formations in southwest Texas. Upper Cenomanian and lower Turonian rocks are present at many localities in New Mexico and Texas in the Mancos Shale and Chispa Summit, Ojinaga, and Boquillas Formations. Middle Turonian and younger rocks seem to be entirely nonmarine in southwestern New Mexico, but they are marine in the Rio Grande area in the Chispa. Summit, Ojinaga, and Boquillas Formations. The upper part of the Chispa Summit and Boquillas contain late Turonian fossils. Rocks of Coniacian and Santonian age are present high in the Chispa Summit, Ojinaga, and Boquillas Formations, and in the lower part of the Austin. The San Carlos, Aguja, Pen, and Austin Formations contain fossils of Campanian age. Fossils representing at least 38 Upper Cretaceous ammonite zones are present along the transect. Collections made in recent years in southwestern New Mexico and at Sierra de Cristo Rey just west of downtown El Paso, Texas, have been well treated and do not need revision. Taxonomic names and zonations published in the pre-1970 literature on the Rio Grande area of Texas have been updated. New fossil collections from the Big Bend National Park, Texas, allow for a much refined correlation

Reinterpreting the Early Cretaceous Sulfur Isotope Records: Implications for the Evolution of Seawater Chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mills, J. V.; Gomes, M. L.; Sageman, B. B.; Jacobson, A. D.; Hurtgen, M. T.

2013-12-01

The geologic record of the Cretaceous is punctuated by several periods of high organic carbon burial interpreted to represent global Ocean Anoxic Events (OAEs). In addition to the short-term (<1-Myr) changes in carbon (C) cycling associated with OAEs, evidence from a number of geochemical proxies has been interpreted to represent large-scale changes in ocean chemistry during the period. Specifically, the sulfur (S) isotope composition of early Cretaceous seawater sulfate as recorded in marine barite exhibits an ~5 permil shift in d34Ssulfate that persists for ~15Myr before returning to pre-excursion values. Superimposed upon this long-term shift in S-isotopes is OAE1a, the second major anoxic event recognized in the Cretaceous. Two hypotheses have been proposed to explain this S isotope perturbation: (1) massive evaporite deposition associated with rifting during the opening of the South Atlantic and a corresponding decrease in pyrite burial rates and (2) increased inputs of volcanic-derived S due to extensive LIP-volcanism. While there is geologic evidence for both evaporite deposition and enhanced hydrothermal activity, the relative influence of these potential driving factors remains largely unconstrained. Variation in the strontium (Sr) isotope composition of marine carbonates provides a tool for distinguishing between these influences. We examine the S isotope composition of carbonate-associated sulfate (CAS) spanning the Barremian through Aptian from Resolution Guyot (ODP Site 866) and compare the S isotope record to time equivalent records of carbon and strontium isotopes. Correlative changes in the C, S, and Sr cycles are observed: an ~5 permil shift in d34Ssulfate, which begins at the onset of OAE1a and continues after the positive d13Ccarb excursion, is accompanied by a contemporaneous, parallel shift in 87Sr/86Sr to unradiogenic values. The tight coupling observed between S and Sr throughout the interval is highly suggestive of a common driving mechanism

Tectonic evolution of the Yarlung suture zone, Lopu Range region, southern Tibet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laskowski, Andrew K.; Kapp, Paul; Ding, Lin; Campbell, Clay; Liu, XiaoHui

2017-01-01

The Lopu Range, located 600 km west of Lhasa, exposes a continental high-pressure metamorphic complex beneath India-Asia (Yarlung) suture zone assemblages. Geologic mapping, 14 detrital U-Pb zircon (n = 1895 ages), 11 igneous U-Pb zircon, and nine zircon (U-Th)/He samples reveal the structure, age, provenance, and time-temperature histories of Lopu Range rocks. A hornblende-plagioclase-epidote paragneiss block in ophiolitic mélange, deposited during Middle Jurassic time, records Late Jurassic or Early Cretaceous subduction initiation followed by Early Cretaceous fore-arc extension. A depositional contact between fore-arc strata (maximum depositional age 97 ± 1 Ma) and ophiolitic mélange indicates that the ophiolites were in a suprasubduction zone position prior to Late Cretaceous time. Five Gangdese arc granitoids that intrude subduction-accretion mélange yield U-Pb ages between 49 and 37 Ma, recording Eocene southward trench migration after collision initiation. The south dipping Great Counter Thrust system cuts older suture zone structures, placing fore-arc strata on the Kailas Formation, and sedimentary-matrix mélange on fore-arc strata during early Miocene time. The north-south, range-bounding Lopukangri and Rujiao faults comprise a horst that cuts the Great Counter Thrust system, recording the early Miocene ( 16 Ma) transition from north-south contraction to orogen-parallel (E-W) extension. Five early Miocene (17-15 Ma) U-Pb ages from leucogranite dikes and plutons record crustal melting during extension onset. Seven zircon (U-Th)/He ages from the horst block record 12-6 Ma tectonic exhumation. Jurassic—Eocene Yarlung suture zone tectonics, characterized by alternating episodes of contraction and extension, can be explained by cycles of slab rollback, breakoff, and shallow underthrusting—suggesting that subduction dynamics controlled deformation.

Mineralogy and diagenesis of low-permeability sandstones of Late Cretaceous age, Piceance Creek Basin, northwestern Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hansley, Paula L.; Johnson, Ronald C.

1980-01-01

This report presents preliminary results of a mineralogic and diagenetic study of some low-permeability sandstones from measured surface sections and cores obtained from drill holes in the Piceance Creek Basin of northwestern Colorado. A documentation of the mineralogy and diagenetic history will aid in the exploration for natural gas and in the development of recovery technology in these low-permability sandstones. These sandstones are in the nonmarine upper part of the Mesaverde Formation (or Group) of Late Cretaceous age and are separated from overlying lower Tertiary rocks by a major regional unconformity. Attention is focused on the sandstone units of the Ohio Creek Member, which directly underlies the unconformity; however, comparisons between the mineralogy of the Ohio Creek strata and that of the underlying sandstone units are made whenever possible. The Ohio Creek is a member of the Hunter Canyon Formation (Mesaverde Group) in the southwestern part of the basin, and the Mesaverde Formation in the southern and central parts of the basin. The detrital mineralogy is fairly constant throughout all of these nonrnarine Cretaceous sandstone units; however, in the southeastern part of the basin, there is an increase in percentage of feldspar, quartzite, and igneous rock fragments in sandstones of the Ohio Creek Member directly underlying the unconformity. In the southwestern part of the basin, sandstones of the Ohio Creek Member are very weathered and are almost-entirely comprised of quartz, chert, and kaolinite. A complex diagenetic history, partly related to the overlying unconformity, appears to be responsible for transforming these sandstones into potential gas reservoirs. The general diagenetic sequence for the entire Upper Cretaceous interval studied is interpreted to be (early to late): early(?) calcite cement, chlorite, quartz overgrowths, calcite cement, secondary porosity, analcime (surface only), kaolinite and illite, and late carbonate cements

Geochemical characteristics of Cretaceous carbonatites from Angola

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alberti, A.; Castorina, F.; Censi, P.; Comin-Chiaramonti, P.; Gomes, C. B.

1999-12-01

The Early Cretaceous (138-130 Ma) carbonatites and associated alkaline rocks of Angola belong to the Paraná-Angola-Etendeka Province and occur as ring complexes and other central-type intrusions along northeast trending tectonic lineaments, parallel to the trend of coeval Namibian alkaline complexes. Most of the Angolan carbonatite-alkaline bodies are located along the apical part of the Moçamedes Arch, a structure representing the African counterpart of the Ponta Grossa Arch in southern Brazil, where several alkaline-carbonatite complexes were also emplaced in the Early Cretaceous. Geochemical and isotopic (C, 0, Sr and Nd) characteristics determined for five carbonatitic occurrences indicate that: (1) the overall geochemical composition, including the OC isotopes, is within the range of the Early and Late Cretaceous Brazilian occurrences from the Paraná Basin; (2) the La versus {La}/{Yb} relationships are consistent with the exsolution of CO i2-rich melts from trachyphonolitic magmas; and (3) the {143Nd}/{144Nd} and {87Sr}/{86Sr} initial ratios are similar to the initial isotopic ratios (129 Ma) of alkaline complexes in northwest Namibia. In contrast, the Lupongola carbonatites have a distinctly different {143Nd}/{144Nd} initial ratio, suggesting a different source. The Angolan carbonatites have SrNd isotopic compositions ranging from bulk earth to time-integrated depleted sources. Since those from eastern Paraguay (at the western fringe of the Paraná-Angola-Etendeka Province) and Brazil appear to be related to mantle-derived melts with time-integrated enriched or B.E. isotopic characteristics, it is concluded that the carbonatites of the Paraná-Angola-Etendeka Province have compositionally distinct mantle sources. Such mantle heterogeneity is attributed to 'metasomatic processes', which would have occurred at ca 0.6-0.7 Ga (Angola, northwest Namibia and Brazil) and ca 1.8 Ga (eastern Paraguay), as suggested by Nd-model ages.

Identification of a New Hesperornithiform from the Cretaceous Niobrara Chalk and Implications for Ecologic Diversity among Early Diving Birds

PubMed Central

Bell, Alyssa; Chiappe, Luis M.

2015-01-01

The Smoky Hill Member of the Niobrara Chalk in Kansas (USA) has yielded the remains of numerous members of the Hesperornithiformes, toothed diving birds from the late Early to Late Cretaceous. This study presents a new taxon of hesperornithiform from the Smoky Hill Member, Fumicollis hoffmani, the holotype of which is among the more complete hesperornithiform skeletons. Fumicollis has a unique combination of primitive (e.g. proximal and distal ends of femur not expanded, elongate pre-acetabular ilium, small and pyramidal patella) and derived (e.g. dorsal ridge on metatarsal IV, plantarly-projected curve in the distal shaft of phalanx III:1) hesperornithiform characters, suggesting it was more specialized than small hesperornithiforms like Baptornis advenus but not as highly derived as the larger Hesperornis regalis. The identification of Fumicollis highlights once again the significant diversity of hesperornithiforms that existed in the Late Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway. This diversity points to the existence of a complex ecosystem, perhaps with a high degree of niche partitioning, as indicated by the varying degrees of diving specializations among these birds. PMID:26580402

Identification of a New Hesperornithiform from the Cretaceous Niobrara Chalk and Implications for Ecologic Diversity among Early Diving Birds.

PubMed

Bell, Alyssa; Chiappe, Luis M

2015-01-01

The Smoky Hill Member of the Niobrara Chalk in Kansas (USA) has yielded the remains of numerous members of the Hesperornithiformes, toothed diving birds from the late Early to Late Cretaceous. This study presents a new taxon of hesperornithiform from the Smoky Hill Member, Fumicollis hoffmani, the holotype of which is among the more complete hesperornithiform skeletons. Fumicollis has a unique combination of primitive (e.g. proximal and distal ends of femur not expanded, elongate pre-acetabular ilium, small and pyramidal patella) and derived (e.g. dorsal ridge on metatarsal IV, plantarly-projected curve in the distal shaft of phalanx III:1) hesperornithiform characters, suggesting it was more specialized than small hesperornithiforms like Baptornis advenus but not as highly derived as the larger Hesperornis regalis. The identification of Fumicollis highlights once again the significant diversity of hesperornithiforms that existed in the Late Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway. This diversity points to the existence of a complex ecosystem, perhaps with a high degree of niche partitioning, as indicated by the varying degrees of diving specializations among these birds.

Late Jurassic - Early Cretaceous convergent margins of Northeastern Asia with Northwestern Pacific and Proto-Arctic oceans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sokolov, Sergey; Luchitskaya, Marina; Tuchkova, Marianna; Moiseev, Artem; Ledneva, Galina

2013-04-01

Continental margin of Northeastern Asia includes many island arc terranes that differ in age and tectonic position. Two convergent margins are reconstructed for Late Jurassic - Early Cretaceous time: Uda-Murgal and Alazeya - Oloy island arc systems. A long tectonic zone composed of Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous volcanic and sedimentary rocks is recognized along the Asian continent margin from the Mongol-Okhotsk thrust-fold belt on the south to the Chukotka Peninsula on the north. This belt represents the Uda-Murgal arc, which was developed along the convergent margin between Northeastern Asia and Northwestern Meso-Pacific. Several segments are identified in this arc based upon the volcanic and sedimentary rock assemblages, their respective compositions and basement structures. The southern and central parts of the Uda-Murgal island arc system were a continental margin belt with heterogeneous basement represented by metamorphic rocks of the Siberian craton, the Verkhoyansk terrigenous complex of Siberian passive margin and the Koni-Taigonos late Paleozoic to early Mesozoic island arc with accreted oceanic terranes. At the present day latitude of the Pekulney and Chukotka segments there was an ensimatic island arc with relicts of the South Anyui oceanic basin in backarc basin. Alazeya-Oloy island arc systems consists of Paleozoic and Mesozoic complexes that belong to the convergent margin between Northeastern Asia and Proto-Artic Ocean. It separated structures of the North American and Siberian continents. The Siberian margin was active whereas the North American margin was passive. The Late Jurassic was characterized by termination of a spreading in the Proto-Arctic Ocean and transformation of the latter into the closing South Anyui turbidite basin. In the beginning the oceanic lithosphere and then the Chukotka microcontinent had been subducted beneath the Alazeya-Oloy volcanic belt

Palaeogeographic evolution of the central segment of the South Atlantic during Early Cretaceous times: palaeotopographic and geodynamic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaboureau, A. C.; Guillocheau, F.; Robin, C.; Rohais, S.; Moulin, M.; Aslanian, D.

2012-04-01

The tectonic and sedimentary evolution of the Early Cretaceous rift of the central segment of the South Atlantic Ocean is debated. Our objective is to better constraint the timing of its evolution by drawing palaeogeographic and deformation maps. Eight palaeogeographic and deformations maps were drawn from the Berriasian to the Middle-Late Aptian, based on a biostratigraphic (ostracodes and pollens) chart recalibrated on absolute ages (chemostratigraphy, interstratified volcanics, Re-Os dating of the organic matter). The central segment of the South Atlantic is composed of two domains that have a different history in terms of deformation and palaeogeography. The southern domain includes Namibe, Santos and Campos Basins. The northern domain extends from Espirito Santo and North Kwanza Basins, in the South, to Sergipe-Alagoas and North Gabon Basins to the North. Extension started in the northern domain during Late Berriasian (Congo-Camamu Basin to Sergipe-Alagoas-North Gabon Basins) and migrated southward. At that time, the southern domain was not a subsiding domain. This is time of emplacement of the Parana-Etendeka Trapp (Late Hauterivian-Early Barremian). Extension started in this southern domain during Early Barremian. The brittle extensional period is shorter in the South (5-6 Ma, Barremian to base Aptian) than in the North (19 to 20 Myr, Upper Berriasian to Base Aptian). From Late Berriasian to base Aptian, the northern domain evolves from a deep lake with lateral highs to a shallower one, organic-rich with no more highs. The lake migrates southward in two steps, until Valanginian at the border between the northern and southern domains, until Early Barremian, North of Walvis Ridge. The Sag phase is of Middle to Late Aptian age. In the southern domain, the transition between the brittle rift and the sag phase is continuous. In the northern domain, this transition corresponds to a hiatus of Early to Middle Aptian age, possible period of mantle exhumation. Marine

Late Cretaceous origin of the rice tribe provides evidence for early diversification in Poaceae.

PubMed

Prasad, V; Strömberg, C A E; Leaché, A D; Samant, B; Patnaik, R; Tang, L; Mohabey, D M; Ge, S; Sahni, A

2011-09-20

Rice and its relatives are a focal point in agricultural and evolutionary science, but a paucity of fossils has obscured their deep-time history. Previously described cuticles with silica bodies (phytoliths) from the Late Cretaceous period (67-65 Ma) of India indicate that, by the latest Cretaceous, the grass family (Poaceae) consisted of members of the modern subclades PACMAD (Panicoideae-Aristidoideae-Chloridoideae-Micrairoideae-Arundinoideae-Danthonioideae) and BEP (Bambusoideae-Ehrhartoideae-Pooideae), including a taxon with proposed affinities to Ehrhartoideae. Here we describe additional fossils and show that, based on phylogenetic analyses that combine molecular genetic data and epidermal and phytolith features across Poaceae, these can be assigned to the rice tribe, Oryzeae, of grass subfamily Ehrhartoideae. The new Oryzeae fossils suggest substantial diversification within Ehrhartoideae by the Late Cretaceous, pushing back the time of origin of Poaceae as a whole. These results, therefore, necessitate a re-evaluation of current models for grass evolution and palaeobiogeography.

Hydrocarbons related to early Cretaceous source rocks, reservoirs and seals, trapped in northeastern Neuqun basin, Argentina

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gulisano, C.; Minniti, S.; Rossi, G.

1996-08-01

The Jurassic-Cretaceous backarc Neuqun Basin, located in the west central part of Argentina, is currently the most prolific oil basin of the country. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate an Early Cretaceous to Tertiary petroleum system in the northeastern portion of the basin, where oil and gas occurrences (e.g., Puesto Hernandez, Chihuido de la Sierra Negra, El Trapial and Filo Morado oil fields, among others) provide 82 MMBO/yr comprising 67% of the basin oil production and 31% of Argentina. The source rocks are represented by two thick sections of basinal kerogen type I and II organic-rich shales,more » deposited during transgressive peaks (Agrio Formation), with TOC content up to 5.1%. Lowstand sandstones bodies, 10 to 100 m thick, are composed of eolian and fluvial facies with good reservoir conditions (Avil and Troncoso Sandstones). The seals are provided by the organic-rich shales resting sharply upon the Avil Sandstone and a widespread Aptian-Albian evaporitic event (Huitrin Formation) on top of the Troncoso reservoir. Tertiary structural traps (duplex anticlines) are developed in the outer foothills, whereas structural, combined and stratigraphic traps are present in the adjacent stable structural platform. Oil-to-source rock and oil-to-oil correlation by chromatographic and biomarker fingerprints, carbon isotopic composition and the geological evidences support the proposed oil system.« less

A long-lived Late Cretaceous-early Eocene extensional province in Anatolia? Structural evidence from the Ivriz Detachment, southern central Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gürer, Derya; Plunder, Alexis; Kirst, Frederik; Corfu, Fernando; Schmid, Stefan M.; van Hinsbergen, Douwe J. J.

2018-01-01

Central Anatolia exposes previously buried and metamorphosed, continent-derived rocks - the Kırşehir and Afyon zones - now covering an area of ∼300 × 400 km. So far, the exhumation history of these rocks has been poorly constrained. We show for the first time that the major, >120 km long, top-NE 'Ivriz' Detachment controlled the exhumation of the HP/LT metamorphic Afyon Zone in southern Central Anatolia. We date its activity at between the latest Cretaceous and early Eocene times. Combined with previously documented isolated extensional detachments found in the Kırşehir Block, our results suggest that a major province governed by extensional exhumation was active throughout Central Anatolia between ∼80 and ∼48 Ma. Although similar in dimension to the Aegean extensional province to the east, the Central Anatolian extensional province is considerably older and was controlled by a different extension direction. From this, we infer that the African slab(s) that subducted below Anatolia must have rolled back relative to the Aegean slab since at least the latest Cretaceous, suggesting that these regions were underlain by a segmented slab. Whether or not these early segments already corresponded to the modern Aegean, Antalya, and Cyprus slab segments remains open for debate, but slab segmentation must have occurred much earlier than previously thought.

Palaeomagnetism of lower cretaceous tuffs from Yukon-Kuskokwim delta region, western Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Globerman, B.R.; Coe, R.S.; Hoare, J.M.; Decker, J.

1983-01-01

During the past decade, the prescient arguments1-3 for the allochthoneity of large portions of southern Alaska have been corroborated by detailed geological and palaeomagnetic studies in south-central Alaska 4-9 the Alaska Peninsula10, Kodiak Island11,12 and the Prince William Sound area13 (Fig. 1). These investigations have demonstrated sizeable northward displacements for rocks of late Palaeozoic, Mesozoic, and early Tertiary age in those regions, with northward motion at times culminating in collision of the allochthonous terranes against the backstop of 'nuclear' Alaska14,15. A fundamental question is which parts of Alaska underwent significantly less latitudinal translation relative to the 'stable' North American continent, thereby serving as the 'accretionary nucleus' into which the displaced 'microplates'16 were eventually incorporated17,18? Here we present new palaeomagnetic results from tuffs and associated volcaniclastic rocks of early Cretaceous age from the Yukon-Kuskokwin delta region in western Alaska. These rocks were probably overprinted during the Cretaceous long normal polarity interval, although a remagnetization event as recent as Palaeocene cannot be ruled out. This overprint direction is not appreciably discordant from the expected late Cretaceous direction for cratonal North America. The implied absence of appreciable northward displacement for this region is consistent with the general late Mesozoic-early Tertiary tectonic pattern for Alaska, based on more definitive studies: little to no poleward displacement for central Alaska, though substantially more northward drift for the 'southern Alaska terranes' (comprising Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak Island, Prince William Sound area, and Matunuska Valley) since late Cretaceous to Palaeocene time. ?? 1983 Nature Publishing Group.

The late Cretaceous Arman flora of Magadan oblast, Northeastern Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herman, A. B.; Golovneva, L. B.; Shczepetov, S. V.; Grabovsky, A. A.

2016-12-01

The Arman flora from the volcanogenic-sedimentary beds of the Arman Formation is systematically studied using materials from the Arman River basin and the Nelkandya-Khasyn interfluve (Magadan oblast, Northeastern Russia). Seventy-three species of fossil plants belonging to 49 genera are described. They consist of liverworts, horsetails, ferns, seed ferns, cycadaleans, bennettitaleans, ginkgoaleans, czekanowskialeans, conifers, gymnosperms of uncertain systematic affinity, and angiosperms. The Arman flora shows a unique combination, with relatively ancient Early Cretaceous ferns and gymnosperms occurring alongside younger Late Cretaceous plants, primarily angiosperms. The similarity of the Arman flora to the Penzhina and Kaivayam floras of northwestern Kamchatka and the Tylpegyrgynai flora of the Pekul'nei Ridge allows the Arman flora to be dated as Turonian and Coniacian (Late Cretaceous), which is corroborated by isotopic (U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar) age determination for the plant-bearing layers.

Cosmic Genes in the Cretaceous-Tertiary transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallis, M. K.

2003-07-01

It is proposed that genes coding for Aib-polypeptides arose early on in the K/T transition, presumed from the Earth's accretion of interplanetary (comet) dust. Aib-fungi flourished because of the evolutionary advantage of novel antibiotics. The stress on Cretaceous biology led directly and indirectly to mass species extinctions, including many dinosaur species, in the epoch preceding the Chicxulub impact.

Early dolomitization in the Lower Cretaceous shallow-water carbonates of Southern Apennines (Italy): Clues about palaeoclimatic fluctuations in western Tethys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vinci, Francesco; Iannace, Alessandro; Parente, Mariano; Pirmez, Carlos; Torrieri, Stefano; Giorgioni, Maurizio

2017-12-01

A multidisciplinary study of the dolomitized bodies present in the Lower Cretaceous platform carbonates of Mt. Faito (Southern Apennines - Italy) was carried out in order to explore the connection between early dolomite formation and fluctuating climate conditions. The Berriasian-Aptian investigated succession is 466 m thick and mainly consists of shallow-water lagoonal limestones with frequent dolomite caps. The dolomitization intensity varies along the succession and reaches its peak in the upper Hauterivian-lower Barremian interval, where it is present a completely dolomitized interval about 100-m-thick. Field relations, petrography, mineralogy, and geochemistry of the analyzed dolomite bodies allowed identifying two populations of early dolomites, a fine-medium crystalline (FMdol) and a coarse crystalline dolomite (Cdol), both interpreted as the product of mesohaline water reflux. According to our interpretation, FMdol precipitated from concentrated brines in the very early stage of the reflux process, producing typical sedimentary features as dolomite caps. In the successive step of the process, the basin-ward 'latent' reflux precipitated Cdol from less concentrated brines. A peculiar feature of the studied succession is the great consistency between stratigraphic distribution of dolomite bodies and their geochemical signature. The completely dolomitized Hauterivian-Barremian interval, in fact, is characterized by geochemical values suggesting an origin from distinctly saltier brines. Considering that the observed near-surface dolomitization process is controlled by physical and chemical parameters reflecting the paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic conditions during dolomite formation, we propose that the stratigraphically controlled dolomitization intensity reflects periodic fluctuations in the salinity of dolomitizing fluid, in turn controlled by long-term climate oscillations. The present work highlights that the stratigraphic distribution of early

Environmental drivers of crocodyliform extinction across the Jurassic/Cretaceous transition

PubMed Central

Mannion, Philip D.; Upchurch, Paul

2016-01-01

Crocodyliforms have a much richer evolutionary history than represented by their extant descendants, including several independent marine and terrestrial radiations during the Mesozoic. However, heterogeneous sampling of their fossil record has obscured their macroevolutionary dynamics, and obfuscated attempts to reconcile external drivers of these patterns. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of crocodyliform biodiversity through the Jurassic/Cretaceous (J/K) transition using subsampling and phylogenetic approaches and apply maximum-likelihood methods to fit models of extrinsic variables to assess what mediated these patterns. A combination of fluctuations in sea-level and episodic perturbations to the carbon and sulfur cycles was primarily responsible for both a marine and non-marine crocodyliform biodiversity decline through the J/K boundary, primarily documented in Europe. This was tracked by high extinction rates at the boundary and suppressed origination rates throughout the Early Cretaceous. The diversification of Eusuchia and Notosuchia likely emanated from the easing of ecological pressure resulting from the biodiversity decline, which also culminated in the extinction of the marine thalattosuchians in the late Early Cretaceous. Through application of rigorous techniques for estimating biodiversity, our results demonstrate that it is possible to tease apart the complex array of controls on diversification patterns in major archosaur clades. PMID:26962137

A new lineage of Cretaceous jewel wasps (Chalcidoidea: Diversinitidae).

PubMed

Haas, Michael; Burks, Roger A; Krogmann, Lars

2018-01-01

Jewel wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) are extremely species-rich today, but have a sparse fossil record from the Cretaceous, the period of their early diversification. Three genera and three species, Diversinitus attenboroughi gen. & sp. n. , Burminata caputaeria gen. & sp. n. and Glabiala barbata gen. & sp. n. are described in the family Diversinitidae fam. n., from Lower Cretaceous Burmese amber. Placement in Chalcidoidea is supported by the presence of multiporous plate sensilla on the antennal flagellum and a laterally exposed prepectus. The new taxa can be excluded from all extant family level chalcidoid lineages by the presence of multiporous plate sensilla on the first flagellomere in both sexes and lack of any synapomorphies. Accordingly, a new family is proposed for the fossils and its probable phylogenetic position within Chalcidoidea is discussed. Morphological cladistic analyses of the new fossils within the Heraty et al. (2013) dataset did not resolve the phylogenetic placement of Diversinitidae, but indicated its monophyly. Phylogenetically relevant morphological characters of the new fossils are discussed with reference to Cretaceous and extant chalcidoid taxa. Along with mymarid fossils and a few species of uncertain phylogenetic placement, the newly described members of Diversinitidae are among the earliest known chalcidoids and advance our knowledge of their Cretaceous diversity.

Upper Cretaceous planktonic stratigraphy of the Göynük composite section, western Tethys (Bolu province, Turkey)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolfgring, Erik; Liu, Shasha; Wagreich, Michael; Böhm, Katharina; Omer Yilmaz, Ismail

2017-04-01

Upper Cretaceous strata exposed at Göynük (Mudurnu-Göynük basin, Bolu Province, Northwestern Anatolia, Turkey) provide a composite geological record from the Upper Santonian to the Maastrichtian. Deposits in this area originate from the Sakarya continent, therefore, a western Tethyan palaeogeographic setting with a palaeolatitude of a bit less than 30 degrees north can be reconstructed. Grey shales and clayey marls are exposed at Göynük and do frequently show volcanic intercalations in the oldest parts of the section, while the uppermost layers depict a more complete deeper-marine record. The pelagic palaeoenvironment, microfossil indicators point towards a distal slope setting, at the Göynük section comprises rich low-latitude planktonic foraminiferal and calcareous nannoplankton assemblages. Benthic foraminifera are scarce, however, some biostratigraphically indicative taxa were recovered. The three sections sampled for this study reveal a composite record from the Campanian Contusotruncana plummerae planktonic foraminifera Zone to the Maastrichtian Racemiguembelina fruticosa planktonic foraminifera Zone. The oldest sub section („GK-section") yields the „mid" Campanian Contusotruncana plummerae or Globotruncana ventricosa Zones and is followed by the „GC-section". The oldest strata in latter record the C. plummerae Zone, the Radotruncana calcarata Zone, Globotruncanita havanensis as well as the Globotruncana aegyptiaca Zone and are overlain by the youngest section examined in this study ("GS -section"). In the latter, we recognize the G. aegyptiaca Zone in the lowermost part, the upper Campanian/lower Maastrichtian Gansserina gansseri Zone, and the Maastrichtian Racemiguembelina fruticosa Zone. Nannofossil standard zones UC15b to UC18 are recorded within the composite section. The planktonic foraminiferal assemblages assessed in the Göynük area feature a well preserved, diverse plankton record that can be correlated to other western Tethyan

Petrogenesis and tectonic implications of Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks from Lingshan Island in the Sulu Orogenic Belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Yuanku; Santosh, M.; Li, Rihui; Xu, Yang; Hou, Fanghui

2018-07-01

The Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt in eastern China marks the boundary between the Yangtze Block and the North China Block. Here we investigate a suite of volcanic rocks from Lingshan Island in the Sulu belt comprising rhyolite, trachyte, trachyandesite and basaltic trachyandesite. We present petrological, geochemical and zircon Usbnd Pb ages and Hfsbnd O isotope data with a view to gain insights on the petrogenesis and tectonic implications. SHRIMP II analyses of zircon grains from the rhyolite yield 206Pb/238U age of 127.6 ± 1.3 Ma and LA-MC-ICP-MS dating show 126.3 ± 1.2 Ma and 127.3 ± 1.1 Ma, together constraining the eruption time as Early Cretaceous. LA-MC-ICP-MS analyses of zircon grains from the andesitic rocks yield 206Pb/238U ages of 129.0 ± 1.6 Ma, 129.8 ± 1.5 Ma and 130.9 ± 1.0 Ma. Geochemically, the rhyolite shows shoshonitic features with low MgO and Cr, but high Na2O + K2O. The zircon grains from these rocks yield negative εHf(t) values and low δ18O values, and these together with the presence of Neoproterozoic inherited zircons suggest that the magma source involved melting of the Yangtze crust. The andesitic rocks, including basaltic trachyandesite, trachyandesite and trachyte, show a wide range of SiO2, Mg# values, and Cr, enriched in LILE and LREE, depleted in HFSE (Nb, Ta and Ti), and have significantly negative zircon εHf(t) values, suggesting derivation from subcontinental lithosphere mantle that was metasomatized by felsic melts. Our results, integrated with those from previous studies suggest heterogeneous magma involving the mixing of mantle and crustal sources within an extensional setting in the Early Cretaceous.

Study on the Rule of Super Strata Movement and Subsidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Shunli; Yuan, Hongyong; Jiang, Fuxing; Chen, Tao; Wu, Peng

2018-01-01

The movement of key strata is related to the safety of the whole earth’s surface for coal mining under super strata. Based on the key strata theory, the paper comprehensively analyzes the characteristics of the subsidence before and after the instability of the super strata by studing through FLAC3D and microseismic dynamic monitoring of the surface rock movement observation. The stability of the super strata movement is analyzed according to the characteristic value of the subsidence. The subsidence law and quantitative indexes under the control of the super rock strata that provides basis for the prevention and control of surface risk, optimize mining area and face layout and reasonably set mining boundary around mining area. It provides basis for the even growth of mine safety production and regional public safety.

Late Cretaceous to Miocene phosphatic sediments in the Georges Bank Basin, U.S. North Atlantic outer continental shelf

USGS Publications Warehouse

Poppe, L.J.; Manheim, F. T.; Popenoe, P.

1992-01-01

Phosphorite and phosphatic sediments are present in the Georges Bank Basin in marine, Late Cretaceous to Miocene strata equivalent to the Dawson Canyon Formation and Banquereau Formation of offshore Nova Scotia. The Late Cretaceous to Paleocene phosphorite occurs predominantely as sand- and gravel-sized pellets and as cement in conglomeratic aggregates. The Eocene and Miocene phosphate occurs mainly as fine-very fine sand-size spheroidal-avoidal pellets in unconsolidated clayey silts. The older phosphorites form intraformational conglomerates that are the result of a winnowed finer-grained matrix, leaving lag deposits of phosphorite. We present evidence that most of the Eocene and Miocene phosphate is primary and formed during marine trangressions. Our observations extend the geographic and temporal limits of the major phosphogenic system of the Western North Atlantic northward and through time. However, compared to the well-known phosphorite deposits along the southeastern margin of the U.S.A., these northern deposits are not of commercial scale due to a high terrigenous input and the lack of a mechanism capable of driving persistant upwelling. ?? 1992.

Revision of middle Proterozoic Yellowjacket Formation, central Idaho, and revision of Cretaceous Slim Sam Formation, Elkhorn mountains area, Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tysdal, Russell G.

2000-01-01

The Yellowjacket Formation is restricted to the strata originally assigned to it by Ross (1934). The Yellowjacket, the conformably overlying Hoodoo Quartzite, and succeeding unnamed argillaceous quartzite unit form a genetically related sequence that lies in a structural block delimited on the northeast by the Iron Lake fault. Directly northeast of the fault, strata currently assigned by others to the lower subunit of the Yellowjacket are correlated with the Apple Creek Formation in the Lemhi Range. Mapping in the western part of the Lemhi Range shows that the Apple Creek Formation lies depositionally above the Big Creek Formation and that no rocks of the Yellowjacket-Hoodoo unnamed unit stratigraphic sequence are present. In contrast, in the area of the Yellowjacket mapped by Ross (1934) and the area directly northeast of the Iron Lake Fault, the Big Creek Formation is absent, even though it is 2,700 m thick in the Lemhi Range. These data indicate that the Iron Lake Fault juxtaposed the Yellowjacket-Hoodoo-unnamed unit sequence against non-Yellowjacket strata to the northeast. The Upper Cretaceous Slim Sam Formation of the Elkhorn Mountains area is revised. Strata of the lower part are correlated with the regionally recognized marine Telegraph Creek Formation and the overlying marine to marginal marine Eagle Sandstone. Only lower strata of the Eagle are present in the study area and they are preserved discontinously. The nonmarine volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks of the upper part of the Slim Sam as originally defined retain the name Slim Sam Formation. These rocks, mainly of sedimentary origin, are genetically related to the Elkhorn Mountains Volcanics. The lower contact of the Slim Sam (restricted) is unconformable above the Eagle Sandstone or more commonly above the Telegraph Creek Formation. The upper contact is conformable with the Elkhorn Mountains Volcanics.

New fossil ants in French Cretaceous amber (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perrichot, Vincent; Nel, André; Néraudeau, Didier; Lacau, Sébastien; Guyot, Thierry

2008-02-01

Recent studies on the ant phylogeny are mainly based on the molecular analyses of extant subfamilies and do not include the extinct, only Cretaceous subfamily Sphecomyrminae. However, the latter is of major importance for ant relationships, as it is considered the most basal subfamily. Therefore, each new discovery of a Mesozoic ant is of high interest for improving our understanding of their early history and basal relationships. In this paper, a new sphecomyrmine ant, allied to the Burmese amber genus Haidomyrmex, is described from mid-Cretaceous amber of France as Haidomyrmodes mammuthus gen. and sp. n. The diagnosis of the tribe Haidomyrmecini is emended based on the new type material, which includes a gyne (alate female) and two incomplete workers. The genus Sphecomyrmodes, hitherto known by a single species from Burmese amber, is also reported and a new species described as S. occidentalis sp. n. after two workers remarkably preserved in a single piece of Early Cenomanian French amber. The new fossils provide additional information on early ant diversity and relationships and demonstrate that the monophyly of the Sphecomyrminae, as currently defined, is still weakly supported.

Global research on the Cretaceous

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ginsburg, Robert N.

Cretaceous Resources, Events and Rhythms, a new international research effort on the global aspects of Cretaceous sedimentary geology, is underway. This Global Sedimentary Geology Project (GSGP) is organized by the Commission on Global Sedimentary Geology of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS). The GSGP secretariat is at the University of Miami, Florida (Fisher Island, Miami Beach, FL 33139, tel. 305-672-1840, RNGINSBURG/KOSMOS).Cretaceous time was selected for this pilot research project because Cretaceous sea levels and climates can provide a vision of Earth in its “greenhouse state,” because there is an established geochronology for the era's wide-spread deposits, and because there are extensive resources of hydrocarbons, coal, bauxite and other minerals in Cretaceous rocks.

Significance of the giant Lower Cretaceous paleoweathering event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thiry, Médard; Ricordel-Prognon, Caroline; Schmitt, Jean-Michel

2010-05-01

Weathering profiles typically develop at the interface with the atmosphere, and thus, record the fluctuations in the paleoatmosphere's chemistry and climatic conditions. Consequently they are one of the main archives to upgrade our understanding on paleoclimate and the Earth's environmental history. In this presentation, we will focus on the linking between paleoatmosphere compositions, weathering rates, and their impact on the subsequent sedimentary records. Distribution of the Lower Cretaceous lateritic weathering facies. During the Early Cretaceous, sea level drops and wide exondations lead to development of deep "lateritic" weathering profiles. Thick kaolinitic weathering profiles occured on the Hercynian basements and diverse kaolinitic and ferruginous weathering products covered the Jurassic limestone platforms. This major lateritic event is not restricted to Europe but also well know in North-America (up to Canada), South-America (down to Argentina), and in Australia. Moreover, recent paleomagnetic and radiometric datations revealed that numerous kaolinitic and ferruginous formations, which classically were ascribed to Tertiary ages, date back to the Lower Cretaceous period (Thiry et al., 2006). Additionally, the Bonherz iron ore deposits in the paleokarsts of the Jurassic limestone plateform of the Paris Basin also have to be reconsidered as of Cretaceous age, probably as well as the Tertiary age of the Swiss and Bavarian Jura Bonherz. Paleoclimatic interpretation. During a long time, the interpretation of these paleoweathering features has been a major palaeoclimatic argument. The spreading out of deep kaolinitic weathering profiles (from the Scandinavian and Canadian shields to southern Argentina and Australia, which was still situated close to Antarctica at that time) has lead to considerations, that during this period a warm and wet climate prevailed globally, with very little latitudinal differentiation. These paleoclimatic interpretations stand in

Paleomagnetism and Magnetostratigraphy of Upper Permian to Lower Triassic (?) Beaufort Group Strata at Bethulie, Karoo Basin, Free State Province, South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geissman, J. W.; Gastaldo, R. A.; Neveling, J.; Makubalo, S.

2017-12-01

A multifaceted approach to understand the timing of interpreted environmental changes during the Late Permian to possibly Early Triassic (?) time in the Beaufort Group strata of the Karoo Basin includes work to establish robust magnetic polarity records for sections previously interpreted to encompass end-Permian extinction events. Demonstrating the preservation of an early-acquired remanence (RM) in Karoo strata is required for a robust magnetostratigraphy. Yet, this is challenging due to thermochemical effects related to the Early Jurassic (ca. 183 Ma) Karoo Large Igneous Province (LIP), and the NE to SW increase in burial diagenesis attending Cape Fold Belt tectonism. Documentation of a primary RM in these strata, which appears to be preserved in some areas, requires careful laboratory- and field-based assessment. We report data from 53 sites collected at the well-studied Bethulie section, Free State Province, in which several <2 m wide Karoo LIP dikes crop out. We obtained 7-10+ independent samples per individual horizon to assess ChRM uniformity. Strata well-removed from dikes yield both normal and reverse polarity ChRM. It is always the case that the first-removed RM is a NNW seeking, moderate to steep negative-inclination ChRM (normal polarity); NRM intensities are typically 1 to 5 mA/m. Sites BT15 and BT21, which are located in strata lying some 4 m below the often-cited "event bed" interval inferred to be the terrestrial expression of the Permian/Triassic boundary, is dominated by a well-defined reverse RM with a normal overprint RM unblocked below 400oC, implying elevated temperatures (i.e., 100 to 250oC+) for ca. 1 Ma (+/-). Contact tests are positive but complicated. Host strata collected in distances equal to or less than 1-2 dike widths from the intrusions have been thermally remagnetized and demonstrate high NRM intensities (> 50 mA/m). Collectively, we interpret these data to indicate that any ChRM, with the exception of those from host strata in

Evidence of cretaceous to recent West African intertropical vegetation from continental sediment spore-pollen analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salard-Cheboldaeff, M.; Dejax, J.

The succession of spore-pollen assemblages during the Cretaceous and Tertiary, as defined in each of the basin from Senegal to Angola, gives the possibility to consider the intertropical African flora evolution for the past 120 M.a. During the Early Cretaceous, xeric-adapted gymnosperms and various ferns were predominant the flora which nevertheless comprises previously unknown early angiosperm pollen. During the Middle Cretaceous, gymnospers were gradually replaced by angiosperms; these became more and more abundant, along with the diversification of new genera and species. During the Paleocene, the radiation of the monocotyledons (mainly that of the palm-trees) as well as a greater diversification among the dicotyledons and ferms are noteworthy. Since gymnosperms had almost disappeared by the Eocene, the diversification of the dicotyledons went on until the neogene, when all extinct pollen types are already present. These important modifications of the vegetation reflect evolutionary trends as well as climatic changes during the Cretaceous: the climate, firstly hot, dry and perhaps arid, did probably induced salt deposition, and later became gradually more humid under oceanic influences which arose in connection with the Gondwana break-up.

Europatitan eastwoodi, a new sauropod from the lower Cretaceous of Iberia in the initial radiation of somphospondylans in Laurasia

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

The sauropod of El Oterillo II is a specimen that was excavated from the Castrillo de la Reina Formation (Burgos, Spain), late Barremian–early Aptian, in the 2000s but initially remained undescribed. A tooth and elements of the axial skeleton, and the scapular and pelvic girdle, represent it. It is one of the most complete titanosauriform sauropods from the Early Cretaceous of Europe and presents an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the radiation of this clade in the Early Cretaceous and study the paleobiogeographical relationships of Iberia with Gondwana and with other parts of Laurasia. The late Barremian–early Aptian is the time interval in the Cretaceous with the greatest diversity of sauropod taxa described in Iberia: two titanosauriforms, Tastavinsaurus and Europatitan; and a rebbachisaurid, Demandasaurus. The new sauropod Europatitan eastwoodi n. gen. n. sp. presents a series of autapomorphic characters in the presacral vertebrae and scapula that distinguish it from the other sauropods of the Early Cretaceous of Iberia. Our phylogenetic study locates Europatitan as the basalmost member of the Somphospondyli, clearly differentiated from other clades such as Brachiosauridae and Titanosauria, and distantly related to the contemporaneous Tastavinsaurus. Europatitan could be a representative of a Eurogondwanan fauna like Demandasaurus, the other sauropod described from the Castrillo de la Reina Formation. The presence of a sauropod fauna with marked Gondwananan affinities in the Aptian of Iberia reinforces the idea of faunal exchanges between this continental masses during the Early Cretaceous. Further specimens and more detailed analysis are needed to elucidate if this Aptian fauna is caused by the presence of previously unnoticed Aptian land bridges, or it represents a relict fauna from an earlier dispersal event. PMID:28674644

Leaf Assemblages across the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary in the Raton Basin, New Mexico and Colorado

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolfe, Jack A.; Upchurch, Garland R., Jr.

1987-08-01

Analyses of leaf megafossil and dispersed leaf cuticle assemblages indicate that major ecologic disruption and high rates of extinction occurred in plant communities at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in the Raton Basin. In diversity increase, the early Paleocene vegetational sequence mimics normal short-term ecologic succession, but on a far longer time scale. No difference can be detected between latest Cretaceous and early Paleocene temperatures, but precipitation markedly increased at the boundary. Higher survival rate of deciduous versus evergreen taxa supports occurrence of a brief cold interval (<1 year), as predicted in models of an “impact winter.”

Crustal implications of bedrock geology along the Trans-Alaska Crustal Transect (TACT) in the Brooks Range, northern Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moore, Thomas E.; Wallace, W.K.; Mull, C.G.; Adams, K.E.; Plafker, G.; Nokleberg, W.J.

1997-01-01

Geologic mapping of the Trans-Alaska Crustal Transect (TACT) project along the Dalton Highway in northern Alaska indicates that the Endicott Mountains allochthon and the Hammond terrane compose a combined allochthon that was thrust northward at least 90 km in the Early Cretaceous. The basal thrust of the combined allochthon climbs up section in the hanging wall from a ductile shear zone, in the south through lower Paleozoic rocks of the Hammond terrane and into Upper Devonian rocks of the Endicott Mountains allochthon at the Mount Doonerak antiform, culminating in Early Cretaceous shale in the northern foothills of the Brooks Range. Footwall rocks north of the Mount Doonerak antiform are everywhere parautochthonous Permian and Triassic shale of the North Slope terrane rather than Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous strata of the Colville Basin as shown in most other tectonic models of the central Brooks Range. Stratigraphic and structural relations suggest that this thrust was the basal detachment for Early Cretaceous deformation. Younger structures, such as the Tertiary Mount Doonerak antiform, deform the Early Cretaceous structures and are cored by thrusts that root at a depth of about 10 to 30 km along a deeper detachment than the Early Cretaceous detachment. The Brooks Range, therefore, exposes (1) an Early Cretaceous thin-skinned deformational belt developed during arc-continent collision and (2) a mainly Tertiary thick-skinned orogen that is probably the northward continuation of the Rocky Mountains erogenic belt. A down-to-the-south zone of both ductile and brittle normal faulting along the southern margin of the Brooks Range probably formed in the mid-Cretaceous by extensional exhumation of the Early Cretaceous contractional deformation. copyright. Published in 1997 by the American Geophysical Union.

Integrated palynology and sequence stratigraphy of the upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) strata, Rio Grande Embayment, Texas, using well, outcrop, and seismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahmoud, Salah El-Din Ragab

Numerous nomenclature problems surround the Campanian and Maastrichtian strata of the Rio Grande Embayment. Sellards et al. (1932) and Stephenson et al. (1942) placed the Upson Clay and San Miguel Formation in the Taylor Group (Campanian). These workers assigned the overlying Olmos Coal and the Escondido Formation to the Navarro Group (Maastrichtian). Pessagno (1969, p. 90--91) tentatively included the Upson Clay, the San Miguel Formation, the Olmos Coal, and the Escondido Formation in the Navarro Group, but noted that these strata are lithologically dissimilar to those of the type Navarro Group in Navarro County (northeast Texas). He (ibid, p. 91) suggested that "---Future workers should consider the possibility of excluding the entire sequence from the Navarro Group. It is perhaps more closely related to the Difunta Group of Mexico or deserves a group name of its own." Pessagno (1967; 1969, p. 91--92) utilized planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphic data to determine (1) that the Upson Clay and San Miguel Formation are assignable to the lower Maastrichtian and (2) that the Escondido Formation is assignable to the upper Maastrichtian. The present investigation attempts to build on the chronostratigraphic framework established by Pessagno (1967, 1969). Palynology is used for the first time in this report to generate biostratigraphic, chronostratigraphic, and paleoecological data for the Maastrichtian strata in the study area. New palynological data, integrated with existing planktonic foraminifera and megafossils, indicate that San Miguel Formation and Olmos Coal are of Maastrichtian age. Tying results with seismic data results in dating interpreted sequence boundaries to be within the time interval of 83 and 63 MA. Five seismic facies are delineated and a rate of sediment supply higher than the rate of subsidence during a prolonged progradational episode is suggested in the study area. Three-dimensional seismic data are interpreted in terms of the structure and

118-115 Ma magmatism in the Tethyan Himalaya igneous province: Constraints on Early Cretaceous rifting of the northern margin of Greater India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Sheng-Sheng; Fan, Wei-Ming; Shi, Ren-Deng; Liu, Xiao-Han; Zhou, Xue-Jun

2018-06-01

Understanding the dynamics of Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs) is critical to deciphering processes associated with rupturing continental lithosphere. Microcontinental calving, the rifting of microcontinents from mature continental rifted margins, is particularly poorly understood. Here we present new insights into these processes from geochronological and geochemical analyses of igneous rocks from the Tethyan Himalaya. Early Cretaceous mafic dikes are widely exposed in the eastern and western Tethyan Himalaya, but no such rocks have been reported from the central Tethyan Himalaya. Here we present an analysis of petrological, geochronological, geochemical, and Sr-Nd-Hf-Os isotopic data for bimodal magmatic rocks from the center-east Tethyan Himalaya. Zircon U-Pb dating yields six weighted-mean concordant 206Pb/238U ages of 118 ± 1.2 to 115 ± 1.3 Ma. Mafic rocks display MORB-like compositions with flat to depleted LREE trends, and positive εNd(t) (+2.76 to +5.39) and εHf(t) (+8.0 to +11.9) values. The negative Nb anomalies and relatively high 187Os/188Os ratios (0.15-0.19) of these rocks are related to variable degrees (up to 10%) of crustal contamination. Geochemical characteristics indicate that mafic rocks were generated by variable degrees (2-20%) of partial melting of spinel lherzolites in shallow depleted mantle. Felsic rocks are enriched in Th and LREE, with negative Nb anomalies and decoupling of Nd (εNd(t) = -13.39 to -12.78) and Hf (εHf(t) = -4.8 to -2.0), suggesting that they were derived mainly from garnet-bearing lower continental crust. The geochemical characteristics of the bimodal magmatic associations are comparable to those of associations that form in a continental rift setting. Results indicate that Early Cretaceous magmatism occurred across the whole Tethyan Himalaya, named here as the "Tethyan Himalaya igneous province". Separation of the Tethyan Himalaya from the Indian craton may have occurred during ongoing Early Cretaceous extension

Geospatial Database for Strata Objects Based on Land Administration Domain Model (ladm)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nasorudin, N. N.; Hassan, M. I.; Zulkifli, N. A.; Rahman, A. Abdul

2016-09-01

Recently in our country, the construction of buildings become more complex and it seems that strata objects database becomes more important in registering the real world as people now own and use multilevel of spaces. Furthermore, strata title was increasingly important and need to be well-managed. LADM is a standard model for land administration and it allows integrated 2D and 3D representation of spatial units. LADM also known as ISO 19152. The aim of this paper is to develop a strata objects database using LADM. This paper discusses the current 2D geospatial database and needs for 3D geospatial database in future. This paper also attempts to develop a strata objects database using a standard data model (LADM) and to analyze the developed strata objects database using LADM data model. The current cadastre system in Malaysia includes the strata title is discussed in this paper. The problems in the 2D geospatial database were listed and the needs for 3D geospatial database in future also is discussed. The processes to design a strata objects database are conceptual, logical and physical database design. The strata objects database will allow us to find the information on both non-spatial and spatial strata title information thus shows the location of the strata unit. This development of strata objects database may help to handle the strata title and information.

The origin of modern crocodyliforms: new evidence from the Cretaceous of Australia

PubMed Central

Salisbury, Steven W; Molnar, Ralph E; Frey, Eberhard; Willis, Paul M.A

2006-01-01

While the crocodyliform lineage extends back over 200 million years (Myr) to the Late Triassic, modern forms—members of Eusuchia—do not appear until the Cretaceous. Eusuchia includes the crown group Crocodylia, which comprises Crocodyloidea, Alligatoroidea and Gavialoidea. Fossils of non-crocodylian eusuchians are currently rare and, in most instances, fragmentary. Consequently, the transition from Neosuchia to Crocodylia has been one of the most poorly understood areas of crocodyliform evolution. Here we describe a new crocodyliform from the mid-Cretaceous (98–95 Myr ago; Albian–Cenomanian) Winton Formation of Queensland, Australia, as the most primitive member of Eusuchia. The anatomical changes associated with the emergence of this taxon indicate a pivotal shift in the feeding and locomotor behaviour of crocodyliforms—a shift that may be linked to the subsequent rapid diversification of Eusuchia 20 Myr later during the Late Cretaceous and Early Tertiary. While Laurasia (in particular North America) is the most likely ancestral area for Crocodylia, the biogeographic events associated with the origin of Eusuchia are more complex. Although the fossil evidence is limited, it now seems likely that at least part of the early history of Eusuchia transpired in Gondwana. PMID:16959633

Altered carbon cycling and coupled changes in Early Cretaceous weathering patterns: Evidence from integrated carbon isotope and sandstone records of the western Tethys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wortmann, Ulrich Georg; Herrle, Jens Olaf; Weissert, Helmut

2004-03-01

In this study we investigate if a major perturbation of the Early Cretaceous carbon cycle was accompanied by altered weathering and erosion rates. The large Aptian carbon isotope anomaly records the response of the biosphere to widespread volcanic activity and probably resulting changes in atmospheric pCO2 levels. Elevated pCO2 levels should also result in an accelerated hydrological cycle and increased silicate weathering, creating a negative feedback loop removing CO2 from the atmosphere. We propose to interpret the widespread occurrence of quartz sandstones in the Tethys-Atlantic seaway as a result of altered weathering and erosion rates in the wake of the Aptian carbon cycle excursion. We challenge the traditional notion that these are 'flysch' deposits associated with Early Cretaceous orogenic movements in the western Tethys. We propose that these sandstones were most likely part of a large conveyor belt system, acting along the Iberian and European margin of the Tethys seaway. Using chemostratigraphic correlations, we show that the activity of this system was only short-lived and coeval with changes in coastal ecology and the Aptian carbon cycle perturbations. We tentatively relate the existence of this system to a transient climate regime, characterized by fluctuating pCO2 levels.

Assessing the duration of drowning episodes during the Early Cretaceous

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godet, A.; Föllmi, K. B.

2013-12-01

Drowning unconformities are stratigraphic key surfaces in the history of carbonate platforms. They mostly consist in the deposition of deep marine facies on top of shallow marine limestones. Although large-scale depositional geometries mimic lowstand systems track architecture, these sedimentary turnovers are developed in relation with major sea level rise, inducing an increase in the rate of creation of accommodation space that outpaces the capacity of carbonate to keep up. This so-called paradox of carbonate platform drowning implies that other parameters than purely eustatic fluctuations are involved in the demise of shallow marine ecosystems. Worldwide and at different time during Earth history, in-depth studies of drowning unconformities revealed that changes in nutrient input, clastic delivery, temperature, or a combination of them may be responsible for a decrease in light penetration in the water column and the progressive suffocation and poisoning of photosynthetic carbonate producers. The examination of such case examples from various stratigraphic intervals and palaeogeographical settings thus helps in identifying and hierarchizing potential triggering mechanisms for drowning unconformities. This is complemented by new data from Early Cretaceous successions from the Helvetic Alps. During this time period, the Helvetic carbonate platform developed along the northern Tethyan margin using both photozoan and heterozoan communities. Phases of healthy production were interrupted by several drowning episodes. The latter are marked in the sedimentary record by condensation and associated phosphogenesis and glauconitisation. From the earliest Valanginian to the early to late Barremian, three drowning unconformities reflect the intermittent installation of a more humid climate and subsequent enhanced trophic conditions, which first induced a switch from photozoan to heterozoan communities and then to long-lasting drowning phases. The latter encompass several sea

Geomagnetic Reversals of the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous Captured in a North China Core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuhn, T.; Fu, R. R.; Kent, D. V.; Olsen, P. E.

2016-12-01

The Tuchengzi formation in North China nominally spans nearly 20 million years of the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous, an interval during which age calibration of the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale (GPTS) based on seafloor magnetic anomalies is poorly known. The overlying Yixian formation is of special paleontological interest due to an abundance of spectacularly preserved macrofossils of feathered non-avian dinosaurs, birds, mammals, and insects. Scarce fossils in the Tuchengzi, sparse accurate radiometric dates on both the Tuchengzi and overlying Yixian formation, and scant previous paleomagnetic studies on these formations motivated our application of magnetostratigraphy as a geochronological tool. We constructed a geomagnetic reversal sequence from the upper 142m of a 200m core extracted in Liaoning Province at Huangbanjigou spanning the lower Yixian Formation and the unconformably underlying Tuchengzi Formation. Thermal demagnetization up to 680°C in steps of 25-50°C revealed predominantly normal overprints consistent with the modern day field with unblocking temperatures between 125°C and as high as 550°C, as well as normal and reverse characteristic components with unblocking temperatures between 500°C and 680°C. Going up from the base of the core, there is a reverse polarity magnetozone >6m thick, followed by a 5m normal magnetozone, a 10m reverse magnetozone, a 25m normal magnetozone, and a 6m reverse magnetozone truncated by the Yixian-Tuchengzi unconformity. Above the unconformity, all 81m of core were normal. These results indicate that a meaningful polarity stratigraphy can be recovered from the Tuchengzi and Yixian formations that will be invaluable for correlations across the Tuchengzi and potentially the Yixian formations, which span thousands of square kilometers and vary in thickness by many hundreds of meters. The results also demonstrate that, in combination with accurate and precise radiometric dates, the Tuchengzi Formation has the

Coeval gravity-driven and thick-skinned extensional tectonics in the mid-Cretaceous of the western Pyrenees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bodego, Arantxa; Agirrezabala, Luis M.

2010-05-01

The Mesozoic Basque-Cantabrian Basin in the western Pyrenees constitutes a peri-cratonic basin originated by rifting related to the Cretaceous opening of the Bay of Biscay. During the mid-Cretaceous the basin experienced important extensional/transtensional tectonics, which controlled the deposition of thick sedimentary successions. Many extensional structures have been documented in the basin but their thin-skinned/thick-skinned character is an unresolved question. In this field-based study, we characterize contemporaneous thin-skinned and thick-skinned deformations that took place during the filling of the mid-Cretaceous Lasarte sub-basin, located in the northeastern margin of the Basque-Cantabrian Basin (western Pyrenees). Most of these extensional structures and associated growth strata are preserved and allow us to characterize and date different deformation phases. Moreover, verticalization and overturning of the successions during Tertiary compression allow mapping the geometry of the extensional structures at depth. The Lasarte sub-basin constitutes a triangular sag bordered by three major basement-involved faults, which trend N, E and NE, respectively. These trends, common in the Variscan fault pattern of Pyrenees, suggest that they are old faults reactivated during the mid-Cretaceous extension. Stratigraphy of the area shows very thin to absent Aptian-Albian (and older) deposits above the upward border blocks, whereas on the downward blocks (sub-basin interior) contemporaneous thick successions were deposited (up to 1500 m). The sub-basin fill is composed of different sedimentary systems (from alluvial to siliciclastic and carbonate platforms) affected by syndepositional extensional faults (and related folds). These faults die out in a southwestward dipping (~4°) detachment layer composed of Triassic evaporites and clays. A NE-SW cross-section of the sub-basin shows NW- to N-trending six planar and two listric extensional faults and associated folds

Chitinase genes (CHIAs) provide genomic footprints of a post-Cretaceous dietary radiation in placental mammals

PubMed Central

Emerling, Christopher A.

2018-01-01

The end-Cretaceous extinction led to a massive faunal turnover, with placental mammals radiating in the wake of nonavian dinosaurs. Fossils indicate that Cretaceous stem placentals were generally insectivorous, whereas their earliest Cenozoic descendants occupied a variety of dietary niches. It is hypothesized that this dietary radiation resulted from the opening of niche space, following the extinction of dinosaurian carnivores and herbivores. We provide the first genomic evidence for the occurrence and timing of this dietary radiation in placental mammals. By comparing the genomes of 107 placental mammals, we robustly infer that chitinase genes (CHIAs), encoding enzymes capable of digesting insect exoskeletal chitin, were present as five functional copies in the ancestor of all placental mammals, and the number of functional CHIAs in the genomes of extant species positively correlates with the percentage of invertebrates in their diets. The diverse repertoire of CHIAs in early placental mammals corroborates fossil evidence of insectivory in Cretaceous eutherians, with descendant lineages repeatedly losing CHIAs beginning at the Cretaceous/Paleogene (K/Pg) boundary as they radiated into noninsectivorous niches. Furthermore, the timing of gene loss suggests that interordinal diversification of placental mammals in the Cretaceous predates the dietary radiation in the early Cenozoic, helping to reconcile a long-standing debate between molecular timetrees and the fossil record. Our results demonstrate that placental mammal genomes, including humans, retain a molecular record of the post-K/Pg placental adaptive radiation in the form of numerous chitinase pseudogenes. PMID:29774238

Identification of canopy strata in Allegheny hardwood stands

Treesearch

David W. McGill; Stephen B. Jones; Christopher A. Nowak

1995-01-01

Allegheny hardwood stands typically develop vertical canopy layers, or strata, due to differential species-specific growth rates and tolerance to shade. Across the Allegheny Plateau, black cherry dominates the main canopy, while sugar maple, American beech, and red maple are relegated to subcanopy strata.

Paleobotany of Livingston Island: The first report of a Cretaceous fossil flora from Hannah Point

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leppe, M.; Michea, W.; Muñoz, C.; Palma-Heldt, S.; Fernandoy, F.

2007-01-01

This is the first report of a fossil flora from Hannah Point, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The fossiliferous content of an outcrop, located between two igneous rock units of Cretaceous age are mainly composed of leaf imprints and some fossil trunks. The leaf assemblage consists of 18 taxa of Pteridophyta, Pinophyta and one angiosperm. The plant assemblage can be compared to other Early Cretaceous floras from the South Shetland Islands, but several taxa have an evidently Late Cretaceous affinity. A Coniacian-Santonian age is the most probable age for the outcrops, supported by previous K/Ar isotopic studies of the basalts over and underlying the fossiliferous sequence

Equivalent radiolarian ages from ophiolitic terranes of Cyprus and Oman

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blome, Charles D.; Irwin, William P.

1985-01-01

Radiolarian biostratigraphy shows that umberiferous strata overlying the Troodos ophiolite in Cyprus are Turonian in age and are thus essentially contemporaneous with similar strata that overlie the Samail ophiolite in Oman. However, this radiolarian age is markedly older than Campanian isotopic ages measured on the underlying rocks of the Troodos ophiolite. The revised age for the umbers indicates that the Troodos lavas were formed no later than Turonian time. The presence of overlying autochthonous Maastrichtian chalks restricts the emplacement of the Troodos ophiolite to the Late Cretaceous (Santonian to early Maastrichtian).

Stratigraphy of Atlantic coastal margin of United States north of Cape Hatteras; brief survey

USGS Publications Warehouse

Perry, W.J.; Minard, J.P.; Weed, E.G.A.; Robbins, E.I.; Rhodehamel, E.C.

1975-01-01

A synthesis of studies of sea-floor outcrops of the sedimentary wedge beneath the northeastern United States continental shelf and slope and a reassessment of coastal plain Mesozoic stratigraphy, particularly of the coastal margin, provide insight for estimating the oil and gas potential and provide geologic control for marine seismic investigations of the Atlantic continental margin. The oldest strata known to crop out on the continental slope are late Campanian in age. The Cretaceous-Tertiary contact along the slope ranges from a water depth of 0.6 to 1.5 km south of Georges Bank to 1.8 km in Hudson Canyon. Few samples are available from Tertiary and Late Cretaceous outcrops along the slope. Sediments of the Potomac Group, chiefly of Early Cretaceous age, constitute a major deltaic sequence in the emerged coastal plain. This thick sequence lies under coastal Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, southeastern New Jersey, and the adjacent continental shelf. Marine sands associated with this deltaic sequence may be present seaward under the outer continental shelf. South of the Norfolk arch, under coastal North Carolina, carbonate rocks interfinger with Lower Cretaceous clastic strata. From all available data, Mesozoic correlations in coastal wells between coastal Virginia and Long Island have been revised. The Upper-Lower Cretaceous boundary is placed at the transition between Albian and Cenomanian floras. Potential hydrocarbon source beds are present along the coast in the subsurface sediments of Cretaceous age. Potential reservoir sandstones are abundant in this sequence.

Facies architecture and paleohydrology of a synrift succession in the Early Cretaceous Choyr Basin, southeastern Mongolia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ito, M.; Matsukawa, M.; Saito, T.; Nichols, D.J.

2006-01-01

The Choyr Basin is one of several Early Cretaceous rift basins in southwestern Mongolia that developed in specific regions between north-south trending fold-and-thrust belts. The eastern margin of the basin is defined by high-angle normal and/or strike-slip faults that trend north-to-south and northeast-to-southwest and by the overall geometry of the basin, which is interpreted to be a half graben. The sedimentary succession of the Choyr Basin documents one of the various types of tectono-sedimentary processes that were active in the rift basins of East Asia during Early Cretaceous time. The sedimentary infill of the Choyr Basin is newly defined as the Khalzan Uul and Khuren Dukh formations based on detailed mapping of lateral and vertical variations in component lithofacies assemblages. These two formations are heterotopic deposits and constitute a third-order fluvio-lacustrine sequence that can be divided into transgressive and highstand systems tracts. The lower part of the transgressive systems tract (TST) is characterized by sandy alluvial-fan and braided-river systems on the hanging wall along the western basin margin, and by a gravelly alluvial-fan system on the footwall along the eastern basin margin. The alluvial-fan and braided-river deposits along the western basin margin are fossiliferous and are interpreted to have developed in association with a perennial fluvial system. In contrast, alluvial-fan deposits along the eastern basin margin do not contain any distinct faunas or floras and are interpreted to have been influenced by a high-discharge ephemeral fluvial system associated with fluctuations in wetting and drying paleohydrologic processes. The lower part of the TST deposit fines upward to siltstone-dominated flood-plain and ephemeral-lake deposits that constitute the upper part of the TST and the lower part of the highstand systems tract (HST). These mudstone deposits eventually reduced the topographic irregularities typical of the early stage of

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Winn, R.D. Jr.; Steinmetz, J.C.; Kerekgyarto, W.L.

Lithological and compositional relationships, thicknesses, and palynological data from drilling cuttings from five wells in the Anza rift, Kenya, indicate active rifting during the Late Cretaceous and Eocene-Oligocene. The earlier rifting possibly started in the Santonian-Coniacian, primarily occurred in the Campanian, and probably extended into the Maastrichtian. Anza rift sedimentation was in lacustrine, lacustrine-deltaic, fluvial, and flood-basin environments. Inferred synrift intervals in wells are shalier, thicker, more compositionally immature, and more poorly sorted than Lower Cretaceous ( )-lower Upper Cretaceous and upper Oligocene( )-Miocene interrift deposits. Synrift sandstone is mostly feldspathic or arkosic wacke. Sandstone deposited in the Anza basinmore » during nonrift periods is mostly quartz arenite, and is coarser and has a high proportion of probable fluvial deposits relative to other facies. Volcanic debris is absent in sedimentary strata older than Pliocene-Holocene, although small Cretaceous intrusions are present in the basin. Cretaceous sandstone is cemented in places by laumontite, possibly recording Campanian extension. Early Cretaceous history of the Anza basin is poorly known because of the limited strata sampled; Jurassic units were not reached. Cretaceous rifting in the Anza basin was synchronous with rifting in Sudan and with the breakup and separation of South America and Africa; these events likely were related. Eocene-Oligocene extension in the Anza basin reflects different stresses. The transition from active rifting to passive subsidence in the Anza basin at the end of the Neogene, in turn, records a reconfigured response of east African plates to stresses and is correlated with formation of the East Africa rift.« less

The Strata-1 experiment on small body regolith segregation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fries, Marc; Abell, Paul; Brisset, Julie; Britt, Daniel; Colwell, Joshua; Dove, Adrienne; Durda, Dan; Graham, Lee; Hartzell, Christine; Hrovat, Kenneth; John, Kristen; Karrer, Dakotah; Leonard, Matthew; Love, Stanley; Morgan, Joseph; Poppin, Jayme; Rodriguez, Vincent; Sánchez-Lana, Paul; Scheeres, Dan; Whizin, Akbar

2018-01-01

The Strata-1 experiment studies the mixing and segregation dynamics of regolith on small bodies by exposing a suite of regolith simulants to the microgravity environment aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for one year. This will improve our understanding of regolith dynamics and properties on small asteroids, and may assist in interpreting analyses of samples from missions to small bodies such as OSIRIS-REx, Hayabusa-1 and -2, and future missions to small bodies. The Strata-1 experiment consists of four evacuated tubes partially filled with regolith simulants. The simulants are chosen to represent models of regolith covering a range of complexity and tailored to inform and improve computational studies. The four tubes are regularly imaged while moving in response to the ambient vibrational environment using dedicated cameras. The imagery is then downlinked to the Strata-1 science team about every two months. Analyses performed on the imagery includes evaluating the extent of the segregation of Strata-1 samples and comparing the observations to computational models. After Strata-1's return to Earth, x-ray tomography and optical microscopy will be used to study the post-flight simulant distribution. Strata-1 is also a pathfinder for the new "1E" ISS payload class, which is intended to simplify and accelerate emplacement of experiments on board ISS.

Revised nomenclature, definitions, and correlations for the Cretaceous formations in USGS-Clubhouse Crossroads #1, Dorchester County, South Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gohn, Gregory S.

1992-01-01

and definitions of the Cape Fear, Middendorf, Black Creek, and Peedee Formations originally used for the core by Gohn and others and Hazel and others are substantially changed herein. In addition, the Black Creek Formation of the core is raised in rank to become the Black Creek Group, which consists of two newly defined formations (Cane Acre and Coachman) and two newly recognized formations previously described in outcrop (Bladen and Donoho Creek). Four subsurface formations that are not known in outcrop are newly defined in the core (Beech Hill, Clubhouse, Shepherd Grove, and Caddin). The revised stratigraphy of the Cretaceous section in the Clubhouse Crossroads #1 core, from base to top, is as follows: Beech Hill Formation (Cenomanian?), Clubhouse Formation (late Cenomanian? and Turonian), Cape Fear Formation (late Turonian? to early Santonian), Middendorf Formation (middle Santonian), Shepherd Grove Formation (late Santonian and early Campanian), Caddin Formation (early Campanian), Cane Acre Formation (middle Campanian, Black Creek Group), Coachman Formation (middle to late Campanian, Black Creek Group), Bladen Formation (late Campanian, Black Creek Group), Donoho Creek Formation (early Maastrichtian, Black Creek Group), and Peedee Formation (late early Maastrichtian to middle or late Maastrichtian).

Petrogenesis of the late Early Cretaceous granodiorite - Quartz diorite from eastern Guangdong, SE China: Implications for tectono-magmatic evolution and porphyry Cu-Au-Mo mineralization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Lihui; Mao, Jingwen; Liu, Peng; Li, Yang

2018-04-01

Comprehensive petrological, zircon U-Pb dating, Hf-O isotopes, whole rock geochemistry and Sr-Nd isotopes data are presented for the Xinwei and Sanrao intrusions in the eastern Guangdong Province, Southeast (SE) China, with an aim to constrain the petrogenesis, tectono-magmatic evolution and evaluate the implication for porphyry Cu-Au-Mo mineralization. The Xinwei intrusion is composed of granodiorite and quartz diorite, whilst the Sanrao intrusion consists of granodiorite. Zircon U-Pb ages show that both intrusions were emplaced at ca. 106-102 Ma. All rocks are metaluminous to weakly peraluminous, high-K calc-alkaline in composition, and they are characterized by LREEs enrichment, depletion in Nb, Ta, P, and Ti, and strongly fractionated LREEs to HREEs. The initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios range from 0.7055 to 0.7059, and εNd(t) values range from -3.9 to -3.0. Together with the relatively high εHf(t) values (-3.2 to 3.3) and low δ18O values (4.9‰ to 6.6‰), these data suggest that the Xinwei and Sanrao intrusions were derived from a mixed source: including the mantle-derived mafic magmas and lower continental crustal magmas. Fractional crystallization played an important role in the magmatic evolution of the Xinwei and Sanrao intrusions. The elemental and isotopic compositions of the Xinwei and Sanrao intrusions, as well as the high water content and oxidation state of their parental magmas, are similar to those of the ore-bearing granodiorites of the Luoboling porphyry Cu-Mo deposit in the Fujian Province, neighbouring east to the Guangdong Province, indicating that the late Early Cretaceous granodioritic intrusions in the eastern Guangdong Province may also have Cu-Au-Mo mineralization potential. The late Early Cretaceous magmatic event is firstly reported in eastern Guangdong, and represents a positive response of large-scale lithosphere extension and thinning, triggered by the changing subduction direction of the Paleo-Pacific plate from oblique subduction to

Neodymium isotope evolution of NW Tethyan upper ocean waters throughout the Cretaceous

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pucéat, Emmanuelle; Lécuyer, Christophe; Reisberg, Laurie

2005-08-01

Neodymium isotope compositions of twenty-four fish teeth, nineteen from the NW Tethys and five from different locations within the Tethys, are interpreted to reflect the evolution of Tethyan upper ocean water composition during the Cretaceous and used to track changes in erosional inputs to the NW Tethys and in oceanic circulation throughout the Cretaceous. The rather high ɛNd (up to - 7.6) of the NW Tethyan upper ocean waters recorded from the Late Berriasian to the Early Aptian and the absence of negative excursions during this interval support the presence of a permanent westward flowing Tethys Circumglobal Current (TCC). This implies that temperature variations during this time period, inferred from the oxygen isotope analysis of fish tooth enamel, were not driven by changes in surface oceanic currents, but rather by global climatic changes. The results presented here represent a significant advance over previously published Cretaceous seawater Nd isotope records. Our newly acquired data now allow the identification of two stages of low ɛNd values in the NW Tethys, during the Early Albian-Middle Albian interval (down to - 10) and the Santonian-Early Campanian (down to - 11.4), which alternate with two stages of higher ɛNd values (up to - 9) during the Late Albian-Turonian interval and the Maastrichtian. Used in conjunction with the oxygen isotope record, the fluctuations of ɛNd values can be related to major climatic, oceanographic, and tectonic events that appeared in the western Tethyan domain.

Sequence stratigraphy, geodynamics, and detrital geothermochronology of Cretaceous foreland basin deposits, western interior U.S.A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Painter, Clayton S.

Three studies on Cordilleran foreland basin deposits in the western U.S.A. constitute this dissertation. These studies differ in scale, time and discipline. The first two studies include basin analysis, flexural modeling and detailed stratigraphic analysis of Upper Cretaceous depocenters and strata in the western U.S.A. The third study consists of detrital zircon U-Pb analysis (DZ U-Pb) and thermochronology, both zircon (U-Th)/He and apatite fission track (AFT), of Upper Jurassic to Upper Cretaceous foreland-basin conglomerates and sandstones. Five electronic supplementary files are a part of this dissertation and are available online; these include 3 raw data files (Appendix_A_raw_isopach_data.txt, Appendix_C_DZ_Data.xls, Appendix_C_U-Pb_apatite.xls), 1 oversized stratigraphic cross section (Appendix_B_figure_5.pdf), and 1 figure containing apatite U-Pb concordia plots (Appendix_C_Concordia.pdf). Appendix A is a combination of detailed isopach maps of the Upper Cretaceous Western Interior, flexural modeling and a comparison to dynamic subsidence models as applied to the region. Using these new isopach maps and modeling, I place the previously recognized but poorly constrained shift from flexural to non-flexural subsidence at 81 Ma. Appendix B is a detailed stratigraphic study of the Upper Cretaceous, (Campanian, ~76 Ma) Sego Sandstone Member of the Mesaverde Group in northwestern Colorado, an area where little research has been done on this formation. Appendix C is a geo-thermochronologic study to measure the lag time of Upper Jurassic to Upper Cretaceous conglomerates and sandstones in the Cordilleran foreland basin. The maximum depositional ages using DZ U-Pb match existing biostratigraphic age controls. AFT is an effective thermochronometer for Lower to Upper Cretaceous foreland stratigraphy and indicates that source material was exhumed from >4--5 km depth in the Cordilleran orogenic belt between 118 and 66 Ma, and zircon (U-Th)/He suggests that it was exhumed

Depositional environments and processes in Upper Cretaceous nonmarine and marine sediments, Ocean Point dinosaur locality, North Slope, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Phillips, R.L.

2003-01-01

A 178-m-thick stratigraphic section exposed along the lower Colville River in northern Alaska, near Ocean Point, represents the uppermost part of a 1500 m Upper Cretaceous stratigraphic section. Strata exposed at Ocean Point are assigned to the Prince Creek and Schrader Bluff formations. Three major depositional environments are identified consisting, in ascending order, of floodplain, interdistributary-bay, and shallow-marine shelf. Nonmarine strata, comprising the lower 140 m of this section, consist of fluvial distributaries, overbank sediments, tephra beds, organic-rich beds, and vertebrate remains. Tephras yield isotopic ages between 68 and 72.9 Ma, generally consistent with paleontologic ages of late Campanian-Maastrichtian determined from dinosaur remains, pollen, foraminifers, and ostracodes. Meandering low-energy rivers on a low-gradient, low-relief floodplain carried a suspended-sediment load. The rivers formed multistoried channel deposits (channels to 10 m deep) as well as solitary channel deposits (channels 2-5 m deep). Extensive overbank deposits resulting from episodic flooding formed fining-upward strata on the floodplain. The fining-upward strata are interbedded with tephra and beds of organic-rich sediment. Vertical-accretion deposits containing abundant roots indicate a sheet flood origin for many beds. Vertebrate and nonmarine invertebrate fossils along with plant debris were locally concentrated in the floodplain sediment. Deciduous conifers as well as abundant wetland plants, such as ferns, horsetails, and mosses, covered the coastal plain. Dinosaur skeletal remains have been found concentrated in floodplain sediments in organic-rich bone beds and as isolated bones in fluvial channel deposits in at least nine separate horizons within a 100-m-thick interval. Arenaceous foraminifers in some organic-rich beds and shallow fluvial distributaries indicate a lower coastal plain environment with marginal marine (bay) influence. Marginal marine strata

Evidence of reworked Cretaceous fossils and their bearing on the existence of Tertiary dinosaurs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eaton, J.G.; Kirkland, J.I.; Doi, K.

The Paleocene Shotgun fauna of Wyoming includes marine sharks as well as mammals. It has been suggested that the sharks were introduced from the Cannonball Sea. It is more likely that these sharks were reworked from a Cretaceous rock sequence that included both marine and terrestrial deposits as there is a mixture of marine and freshwater taxa. These taxa have not been recorded elsewhere after the Cretaceous and are not known from the Cannonball Formation. Early Eocene localities at Raven Ridge, Utah, similarly contain teeth of Cretaceous marine and freshwater fish, dinosaurs, and Eocene mammals. The Cretaceous teeth are wellmore » preserved, variably abraded, and serve to cast doubts on criteria recently used to claim that dinosaur teeth recovered from the Paleocene of Montana are not reworked. Another Eocene locality in the San Juan Basin has produced an Eocene mammalian fauna with diverse Cretaceous marine sharks. Neither the nature of preservation nor the degree of abrasion could be used to distinguish reworked from contemporaneous material. The mixed environments represented by the fish taxa and recognition of the extensive pre-Tertiary extinction of both marine and freshwater fish were employed to recognize reworked specimens.« less

Geoligical outline of the Lower Cretaceous Bahia Supergroup, Brazil

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fonseca, J.I.

1966-01-01

The report area encompasses about 41,200 sq km covered by over 6,000 m of Lower Cretaceous sediments deposited in fresh to brackish water environment. These sediments, the Bahia Supergroup, represent most of the sedimentary section of the Almada, Reconcavo, Tucano and Jatoba basins. The Reconcavo basin is a half-graben filled with Lower Cretaceous rocks which tilt regionally to the SE. The sediments deposited in this basin were distorted by 2 major periods of deformation. As the result of the application of these systems of tensional forces, the sediments were broken into a complicated system of normal faults. Most of themore » oil production in Brazil, about 91,000 bpd, comes from the Reconcavo basin. During a great part of the Early Cretaceous the Reconcavo and Almada basins probably were connected with the Alagoas-Sergipe basin by the continental shelf. The continental drift theory may explain the presence of these fresh water sediments in the coast line and in the continental shelf of the Bahia and Alagoas-Sergipe states. This offshore area is very prospective and may contribute, in the future, with substantial quantities of hydrocarbons. (14 refs.)« less

Biotic association and palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the "Loma del Pterodaustro" fossil site (Early Cretaceous, Argentina)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chiappe, L.; Rivarola, D.; Cione, A.; Fregenal-Martinez, M.; Sozzi, H.; Buatois, L.; Gallego, O.; Laza, J.; Romero, E.; Lopez-Arbarello, A.; Buscalioni, A.; Marsicano, C.; Adamonis, S.; Ortega, F.; McGehee, S.; Di, Iorio O.

1998-01-01

A sedimentological analysis of the basal section of the Early Cretaceous, lacustrine Lagarcito Formation at "Loma del Pterodaustro" (San Luis, Argentina) and a summary of its biological components are presented. Three sedimentological facies can be recognized in the basal sequence of the Lagarcito Formation. Fossil remains are particularly abundant in laminated claystones of a facies interpreted as deposits formed in offshore areas of the lake. The preservation of delicate structures allows recognition of these deposits as a Konservat Lagersta??tte. Up to now, rocks at "Loma del Pterodaustro" have yielded plants, conchostracans, semionotid and pleuropholid fishes, pterodactyloid pterosaurs, and a variety of invertebrate traces. The chronology of the Lagarcito Formation is discussed and it is concluded that this unit is of Albian age. The palaeoenvironment of deposition of the basal sequence of the Lagarcito Formation at "Loma del Pterodaustro" is interpreted as a perennial, shallow lake developed within an alluvial plain, under semiarid climatic conditions.

Inventory of Neoproterozoic and Paleozoic strata in Sonora, Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stewart, John H.; Poole, Forrest G.

2002-01-01

This compilation is an inventory of all known outcrops of Neoproterozoic and Paleozoic strata in Sonora, Mexico. We have not attempted an interpretation of the regional stratigraphic or structural setting of the strata. Brief summaries of the stratigraphic setting of the Sonora rocks are given in Poole and Hayes (1971), Rangin (1978), Stewart and others (1984, 1990), and Poole and Madrid (1986; 1988b). More specific information on the setting of strata of specific ages are given by Stewart and others (2002) for the Neoproterozoic and Cambrian; by Poole and others (1995a) for Ordovician shelf strata; by Poole and others (1995b) for Ordovician deep-water openbasin strata; by Poole and others (1997, 1998, 2000a) for Silurian strata; and by Poole and others (2000a) for Mississippian strata. Other reports that discuss regional aspects of Paleozoic stratigraphy include López-Ramos (1982), Peiffer-Rangin, (1979, 1988), Pérez-Ramos (1992), and Stewart and others (1997, 1999a). Structurally, the major Paleozoic feature of Sonora is the Sonora allochthon, consisting of deep-water (eugeoclinal) strata emplaced in the Permian over shelf (miogeoclinal) deposits (Poole and others, 1995a,b; Poole and Perry, 1997; 1998). The emplacement structure is generally considered to be a major Permian continental margin thrust fault that emplaced the deep-water rocks northward over shelf (miogeoclinal) deposits. An alternate interpretation has been presented by Stewart and others (2002). He proposed that the emplacement of the Sonora allochthon was along a major Permian transpressional structure that was primarily a strike-slip fault with only a minor thrust component . The Mojave-Sonora megashear has been proposed to disrupt Neoproterozoic and Paleozoic trends in Sonora. This feature is a hypothetical, left-lateral, northwest-striking fault extending across northern Sonora and the southwestern United States (Silver and Anderson, 1974; Anderson and Schmidt, 1983). It is proposed to have

The Sredne-Amursky basin: A migrating cretaceous depocenter for the Amur river, eastern Siberia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Light, M.; Maslanyj, M.; Davidson, K.

1993-09-01

Recently acquired seismic, well, and regional geological data imply favorable conditions for the accumulation of oil and gas in the 20,000 km[sup 2] Sredne-Amursky basin. Major graben and northeast-trending sinistral wrench-fault systems are recognized in the basin. Lower and Upper Cretaceous sediments are up to 9000 and 3000 m thick, respectively. Paleogeographic reconstructions imply that during the Late Triassic-Early Cretaceous the Sredne-Amursky basin was part of a narrow marine embayment (back-arc basin), which was open to the north. During the Cretaceous, the region was part of a foreland basin complicated by strike-slip, which produced subsidence related to transtension during obliquemore » collision of the Sikhote-Alin arc with Eurasian margin. Contemporaneous uplift also related to this collision migrated from south to north and may have sourced northward-directed deltas and alluvial fans, which fed northward into the closing back-arc basin between 130 and 85 Ma. The progradational clastic succession of the Berriasian-Albian and the Late Cretaceous fluvial, brackish water and paralic sediments within the basin may be analogous to the highly productive late Tertiary clastics of the Amur River delta in the northeast Sakhalin basin. Cretaceous-Tertiary lacustrine-deltaic sapropelic shales provide significant source and seal potential and potential reservoirs occur in the Cretaceous and Tertiary. Structural plays were developed during Cretaceous rifting and subsequent strike-slip deformation. If the full hydrocarbon potential of the Sredne-Amursky basin is to be realized, the regional appraisal suggests that exploration should be focused toward the identification of plays related to prograding Cretaceous deltaic depositional systems.« less

Assessment of Coalbed Gas Resources in Cretaceous and Tertiary Rocks on the North Slope, Alaska, 2006

USGS Publications Warehouse

Roberts, Steve; Barker, Charles E.; Bird, Kenneth J.; Charpentier, Ronald R.; Cook, Troy; Houseknecht, David W.; Klett, Timothy R.; Pollastro, Richard M.; Schenk, Christopher J.

2006-01-01

The North Slope of Alaska is a vast area of land north of the Brooks Range, extending from the Chukchi Sea eastward to the Canadian border. This Arctic region is known to contain extensive coal deposits; hypothetical coal resource estimates indicate that nearly 4 trillion short tons of coal are in Cretaceous and Tertiary rocks. Because of the large volume of coal, other studies have indicated that this region might also have potential for significant coalbed gas resources. The present study represents the first detailed assessment of undiscovered coalbed gas resources beneath the North Slope by the USGS. The assessment is based on the total petroleum system (TPS) concept. Geologic elements within a TPS relate to hydrocarbon source rocks (maturity, hydrocarbon generation, migration), the characteristics of reservoir rocks, and trap and seal formation. In the case of coalbed gas, the coal beds serve as both source rock and reservoir. The Brookian Coalbed Gas Composite TPS includes coal-bearing rocks in Cretaceous and Tertiary strata underlying the North Slope and adjacent Alaska State waters. Assessment units (AUs) within the TPS (from oldest to youngest) include the Nanushuk Formation Coalbed Gas AU, the Prince Creek and Tuluvak Formations Coalbed Gas AU, and the Sagavanirktok Formation Coalbed Gas AU.

Geologic assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources—Lower Cretaceous Albian to Upper Cretaceous Cenomanian carbonate rocks of the Fredericksburg and Washita Groups, United States Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain and State Waters

USGS Publications Warehouse

Swanson, Sharon M.; Enomoto, Catherine B.; Dennen, Kristin O.; Valentine, Brett J.; Cahan, Steven M.

2017-02-10

In 2010, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessed Lower Cretaceous Albian to Upper Cretaceous Cenomanian carbonate rocks of the Fredericksburg and Washita Groups and their equivalent units for technically recoverable, undiscovered hydrocarbon resources underlying onshore lands and State Waters of the Gulf Coast region of the United States. This assessment was based on a geologic model that incorporates the Upper Jurassic-Cretaceous-Tertiary Composite Total Petroleum System (TPS) of the Gulf of Mexico basin; the TPS was defined previously by the USGS assessment team in the assessment of undiscovered hydrocarbon resources in Tertiary strata of the Gulf Coast region in 2007. One conventional assessment unit (AU), which extends from south Texas to the Florida panhandle, was defined: the Fredericksburg-Buda Carbonate Platform-Reef Gas and Oil AU. The assessed stratigraphic interval includes the Edwards Limestone of the Fredericksburg Group and the Georgetown and Buda Limestones of the Washita Group. The following factors were evaluated to define the AU and estimate oil and gas resources: potential source rocks, hydrocarbon migration, reservoir porosity and permeability, traps and seals, structural features, paleoenvironments (back-reef lagoon, reef, and fore-reef environments), and the potential for water washing of hydrocarbons near outcrop areas.In Texas and Louisiana, the downdip boundary of the AU was defined as a line that extends 10 miles downdip of the Lower Cretaceous shelf margin to include potential reef-talus hydrocarbon reservoirs. In Mississippi, Alabama, and the panhandle area of Florida, where the Lower Cretaceous shelf margin extends offshore, the downdip boundary was defined by the offshore boundary of State Waters. Updip boundaries of the AU were drawn based on the updip extent of carbonate rocks within the assessed interval, the presence of basin-margin fault zones, and the presence of producing wells. Other factors evaluated were the middle

The stratigraphy of the southern Pab Range, Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, H. J.

The Cretaceous strata exposed in the southern Pab Range, southeast Baluchistan, Pakistan is investigated. It records the precollision deposition history of the Indo-Pakistani continental shelf. The strata comprise two depositional successions, namely, The Early to Late Cretaceous Sembar-Goru-Parh sequence and the Maestrichtian Mughal Kot-Pab sequence. The former began with deposition of black shales on the continental slope (Sembar Formation), succeeded by calcareous shale, marl and micstone of outer shelf origin (Goru Formation), and ended with inner shelf platform carbonates (Parh Limestone). These deep to shallow water lithofacies prograted westward over the continental shelf of the north-advancing Subcontinent. The Mughal Kot-Pab propagation contains the first significant influx of terrigenous sand reaching the western portion of the continental shelf. Deposition environments in the Mughal Kot Formation include inner shelf, prodelta, delta front and distributary channel. A thick succession of shoreface cycles comprises the Pab sandstone.

Late Cretaceous Extreme Polar Warmth recorded by Vertebrate Fossils from the High Canadian Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vandermark, D.; Tarduno, J. A.; Brinkman, D.

2006-12-01

A vertebrate fossil assemblage from Late Cretaceous (Coniacian-Turonian, ~92 to 86 Ma) rocks on Axel Heiberg Island in the High Canadian Arctic reflects what was once a diverse community of freshwater fishes and reptiles. Paleomagnetic data indicate a paleolatitude of ~71° N for the site; the fossils are from non-migratory fauna, so they can provide insight into Late Cretaceous polar climate. The fossil assemblage includes large (> 2.4 m long) champsosaurs (extinct crocodilelike reptiles). The presence of large champsosaurs suggests a mean annual temperature > 14 °C (and perhaps as great as 25 °C). Here we summarize findings and analyses following the discovery of the fossil-bearing strata in 1996. Examination of larger fish elements, isolated teeth and SEM studies of microstructures indicates the presence of lepisosteids, amiids and teleosts (Friedman et al., 2003) Interestingly, the only other known occurrence of amiids and lepisosteids, fossil or recent, are from intervals of extreme warmth during the Tertiary. Turtles present in the assemblage include Boreralochelys axelheibergensis, a generically indeterminate eucryptodire and a trioychid (Brinkman and Tarduno, 2005). The level of turtle diversity is also comparable to mid-latitude assemblages with a mean annual paleotemperature of at least 14 °C. A large portion of the champsosaur fossil assemblage is comprised of elements from subadults. This dominance of subadults is similar to that seen from low latitude sites. Because of the sensitivity of juveniles to ice formation, the make-up of the Arctic champsosaur population further indicates that the Late Cretaceous saw an interval of extreme warmth and low seasonality. We note the temporal coincidence of these fossils with volcanism at large igneous provinces (including high Arctic volcanism) and suggest that a pulse in volcanic carbon dioxide emissions helped cause the global warmth.

Early Evolution of Modern Birds Structured by Global Forest Collapse at the End-Cretaceous Mass Extinction.

PubMed

Field, Daniel J; Bercovici, Antoine; Berv, Jacob S; Dunn, Regan; Fastovsky, David E; Lyson, Tyler R; Vajda, Vivi; Gauthier, Jacques A

2018-06-04

The fossil record and recent molecular phylogenies support an extraordinary early-Cenozoic radiation of crown birds (Neornithes) after the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction [1-3]. However, questions remain regarding the mechanisms underlying the survival of the deepest lineages within crown birds across the K-Pg boundary, particularly since this global catastrophe eliminated even the closest stem-group relatives of Neornithes [4]. Here, ancestral state reconstructions of neornithine ecology reveal a strong bias toward taxa exhibiting predominantly non-arboreal lifestyles across the K-Pg, with multiple convergent transitions toward predominantly arboreal ecologies later in the Paleocene and Eocene. By contrast, ecomorphological inferences indicate predominantly arboreal lifestyles among enantiornithines, the most diverse and widespread Mesozoic avialans [5-7]. Global paleobotanical and palynological data show that the K-Pg Chicxulub impact triggered widespread destruction of forests [8, 9]. We suggest that ecological filtering due to the temporary loss of significant plant cover across the K-Pg boundary selected against any flying dinosaurs (Avialae [10]) committed to arboreal ecologies, resulting in a predominantly non-arboreal post-extinction neornithine avifauna composed of total-clade Palaeognathae, Galloanserae, and terrestrial total-clade Neoaves that rapidly diversified into the broad range of avian ecologies familiar today. The explanation proposed here provides a unifying hypothesis for the K-Pg-associated mass extinction of arboreal stem birds, as well as for the post-K-Pg radiation of arboreal crown birds. It also provides a baseline hypothesis to be further refined pending the discovery of additional neornithine fossils from the Latest Cretaceous and earliest Paleogene. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Giant Upper Cretaceous oysters from the Gulf coast and Caribbean

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sohl, Norman F.; Kauffman, Erle G.

1964-01-01

Two unusually massive ostreid species, representing the largest and youngest Mesozoic members of their respective lineages, occur in Upper Cretaceous sediment of the gulf coast and Caribbean areas. Their characteristics and significance, as well as the morphologic terminology of ostreids in general, are discussed. Crassostrea cusseta Sohl and Kauffman n. sp. is the largest known ostreid from Mesozoic rocks of North America; it occurs sporadically in the Cusseta Sand and rarely in the Blufftown Formation of the Chattahoochee River region in Georgia and Alabama. It is especially notable in that it lacks a detectable posterior adductor muscle scar on large adult shells. C. cusseta is the terminal Cretaceous member of the C. soleniscus lineage in gulf coast sediments; the lineage continues, however, with little basic modification, throughout the Cenozoic, being represented in the Eocene by C. gigantissima (Finch) and probably, in modern times, by C. virginica (Gmelin). The C. soleniscus lineage is the first typically modern crassostreid group recognized in the Mesozoic. Arctostrea aguilerae (Böse) occurs in Late Campanian and Early Maestrichtian sediments of Alabama, Mississippi, Texas(?), Mexico, and Cuba. The mature shell of this species is larger and more massive than that of any other known arctostreid. Arctostrea is well represented throughout the Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous of Europe, but in North America, despite the great numbers and diversity of Cretaceous oysters, only A. aguilerae and the Albian form A. carinata are known. The presence of A. aquilerae in both the Caribbean and gulf coast faunas is exceptional, as the Late Cretaceous faunas of these provinces are generally distinct and originated in different faunal realms.

Extreme Morphogenesis and Ecological Specialization among Cretaceous Basal Ants.

PubMed

Perrichot, Vincent; Wang, Bo; Engel, Michael S

2016-06-06

Ants comprise one lineage of the triumvirate of eusocial insects and experienced their early diversification within the Cretaceous [1-9]. Their ecological success is generally attributed to their remarkable social behavior. Not all ants cooperate in social hunting, however, and some of the most effective predatory ants are solitary hunters with powerful trap jaws [10]. Recent evolutionary studies predict that the early branching lineages of extant ants formed small colonies of ground-dwelling, solitary specialist predators [2, 5, 7, 11, 12], while some Cretaceous fossils suggest group recruitment and socially advanced behavior among stem-group ants [9]. We describe a trap-jaw ant from 99 million-year-old Burmese amber with head structures that presumably functioned as a highly specialized trap for large-bodied prey. These are a cephalic horn resulting from an extreme modification of the clypeus hitherto unseen among living and extinct ants and scythe-like mandibles that extend high above the head, both demonstrating the presence of exaggerated morphogenesis early among stem-group ants. The new ant belongs to the Haidomyrmecini, possibly the earliest ant lineage [9], and together these trap-jaw ants suggest that at least some of the earliest Formicidae were solitary specialist predators. With their peculiar adaptations, haidomyrmecines had a refined ecology shortly following the advent of ants. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evidence for Proterozoic and late Cretaceous-early Tertiary ore-forming events in the Coeur d'Alene district, Idaho and Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leach, D.L.; Hofstra, A.H.; Church, S.E.; Snee, L.W.; Vaughn, R.B.; Zartman, R.E.

1998-01-01

New 40Ar/39Ar age spectra on sericite and lead isotope data on tetrahedrite, siderite, galena, bournonite, and stibnite, together with previously published isotopic, geochemical, and geologic studies provide evidence for two major vein-forming events in the Coeur d'Alene district and surrounding area of the Belt basin. The data suggest that the zinc- and lead-rich veins (e.g., Bunker Hill and Star-Morning mines) formed in the Proterozoic (1.0 Ga), whereas the silver-rich veins (e.g., Silver belt mines), antimony veins (e.g., US Antimony mine), and gold-bearing quartz veins (Murry subdistrict) formed in Late Cretaceous to early Tertiary time.

Preliminary source rock evaluation and hydrocarbon generation potential of the early Cretaceous subsurface shales from Shabwah sub-basin in the Sabatayn Basin, Western Yemen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Matary, Adel M.; Hakimi, Mohammed Hail; Al Sofi, Sadam; Al-Nehmi, Yousif A.; Al-haj, Mohammed Ail; Al-Hmdani, Yousif A.; Al-Sarhi, Ahmed A.

2018-06-01

A conventional organic geochemical study has been performed on the shale samples collected from the early Cretaceous Saar Formation from the Shabwah oilfields in the Sabatayn Basin, Western Yemen. The results of this study were used to preliminary evaluate the potential source-rock of the shales in the Saar Formation. Organic matter richness, type, and petroleum generation potential of the analysed shales were assessed. Total organic carbon content and Rock- Eval pyrolysis results indicate that the shale intervals within the early Cretaceous Saar Formation have a wide variation in source rock generative potential and quality. The analysed shale samples have TOC content in the range of 0.50 and 5.12 wt% and generally can be considered as fair to good source rocks. The geochemical results of this study also indicate that the analysed shales in the Saar Formation are both oil- and gas-prone source rocks, containing Type II kerogen and mixed Types II-III gradient to Type III kerogen. This is consistent with Hydrogen Index (HI) values between 66 and 552 mg HC/g TOC. The temperature-sensitive parameters such as vitrinite reflectance (%VRo), Rock-Eval pyrolysis Tmax and PI reveal that the analysed shale samples are generally immature to early-mature for oil-window. Therefore, the organic matter has not been altered by thermal maturity thus petroleum has not yet generated. Therefore, exploration strategies should focus on the known deeper location of the Saar Formation in the Shabwah-sub-basin for predicting the kitchen area.

Two early eudicot fossil flowers from the Kamikitaba assemblage (Coniacian, Late Cretaceous) in northeastern Japan

DOE PAGES

Takahashi, Masamichi; Herendeen, Patrick S.; Xiao, Xianghui

2017-05-11

Two new fossil taxa referable to the basal eudicot grade are described from the Kamikitaba locality (ca. 89 MYBP, early Coniacian: Late Cretaceous) in the Ashizawa Formation (Asamigawa Member) of Futaba Group in northeastern Japan. These charcoalified mesofossils exhibit well-preserved three-dimensional structure and were analyzed using synchrotron-radiation X-ray microtomography (SRXTM) at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) to document the composition and internal structure. Cathiaria japonica sp. nov. is represented by infructescence segments that consist of an axis bearing three to four fruits. The capsular fruits are sessile and dehiscent and consist of a gynoecium subtended by a bract. No perianthmore » parts are present. The gynoecium is monocarpellate containing two pendulous seeds. The carpel is ascidiate in the lower half and conduplicate in the upper part, style is deflected abaxially with a dorsiventral suture and a large, obliquely decurrent stigma. Pollen grains are tricolpate with a reticulate exine. The morphological features of Cathiaria are consistent with an assignment to the Buxaceae s. l. (including Didymelaceae). Archaeostella verticillata gen. et sp. nov. is represented by flowers that are small, actinomorphic, pedicellate, bisexual, semi-inferior, and multicarpellate. The floral receptacle is cup shaped with a perigynous perianth consisting of several tepals inserted around the rim. The androecium comprises ca. 120 stamens with clear differentiation into anther and filament. The anthers are basifixed and tetrasporangiate. The gynoecium consists of a whorl of ten conduplicate, laterally connate but distally distinct carpels with a conspicuous dorsal bulge, including a central cavity. The styles are short, becoming recurved with a ventrally decurrent stigma. The fruit type is a follicle. Seeds are ca. 10 per carpel, marginal, pendulous from the broad, oblique summit of the locule. Seeds are small, spindle-shaped, with a chalazal extension

Two early eudicot fossil flowers from the Kamikitaba assemblage (Coniacian, Late Cretaceous) in northeastern Japan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Takahashi, Masamichi; Herendeen, Patrick S.; Xiao, Xianghui

Two new fossil taxa referable to the basal eudicot grade are described from the Kamikitaba locality (ca. 89 MYBP, early Coniacian: Late Cretaceous) in the Ashizawa Formation (Asamigawa Member) of Futaba Group in northeastern Japan. These charcoalified mesofossils exhibit well-preserved three-dimensional structure and were analyzed using synchrotron-radiation X-ray microtomography (SRXTM) at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) to document the composition and internal structure. Cathiaria japonica sp. nov. is represented by infructescence segments that consist of an axis bearing three to four fruits. The capsular fruits are sessile and dehiscent and consist of a gynoecium subtended by a bract. No perianthmore » parts are present. The gynoecium is monocarpellate containing two pendulous seeds. The carpel is ascidiate in the lower half and conduplicate in the upper part, style is deflected abaxially with a dorsiventral suture and a large, obliquely decurrent stigma. Pollen grains are tricolpate with a reticulate exine. The morphological features of Cathiaria are consistent with an assignment to the Buxaceae s. l. (including Didymelaceae). Archaeostella verticillata gen. et sp. nov. is represented by flowers that are small, actinomorphic, pedicellate, bisexual, semi-inferior, and multicarpellate. The floral receptacle is cup shaped with a perigynous perianth consisting of several tepals inserted around the rim. The androecium comprises ca. 120 stamens with clear differentiation into anther and filament. The anthers are basifixed and tetrasporangiate. The gynoecium consists of a whorl of ten conduplicate, laterally connate but distally distinct carpels with a conspicuous dorsal bulge, including a central cavity. The styles are short, becoming recurved with a ventrally decurrent stigma. The fruit type is a follicle. Seeds are ca. 10 per carpel, marginal, pendulous from the broad, oblique summit of the locule. Seeds are small, spindle-shaped, with a chalazal extension

Geological history of the Cretaceous ophiolitic complexes of northwestern South America (Colombian Andes)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bourgois, Jacques; Toussaint, Jean-François; Gonzalez, Humberto; Azema, Jacques; Calle, Bernardo; Desmet, Alain; Murcia, Luis A.; Acevedo, Alvaro P.; Parra, Eduardo; Tournon, Jean

1987-12-01

The Western Cordillera of Colombia was formed by intense alpine-type nappe-forming folding and thrusting. The Cretaceous (80-120 Ma B.P.) tholeiitic material of the Western Cordilleran nappes has been obducted onto the Paleozoic and Precambrian polymetamorphic micaschists and gneiss of the Central Cordillera. Near Yarumal, the Antioquia batholith (60-80 Ma B.P.) intrudes both obducted Cretaceous oceanic material and the polymetamorphic basement rock of the Central Cordillera. Therefore, nappe emplacement and obduction onto the Central Cordillera occurred during Late Senonian to Early Paleocene. The nappes travelled from northwest to southeast so that the highest unit, the Rio Calima nappe therefore has the most northwestern source, whereas the lowest units originated from a more southeastward direction. Sedimentological analysis of the volcanoclastic and sandy turbidite material from each unit suggests a marginal marine environment. During Cretaceous times the opening of this marginal sea, from now on called the "Colombia marginal basin", probably originated by detachment of a block from the South American continent related to the Farallon-South America plate convergence. In the Popayan area (southern Colombia), the Central Cordilleran basement exhibits glaucophane schist facies metamorphism. This high pressure low temperature metamorphism is of Early Cretaceous (125 Ma B.P.) age and is related to an undated metaophiolitic complex. The ophiolitic material originating from the Western Cordilleran is thrust over both the blueschist belt and the metaophiolitic complex. These data suggest that the "Occidente Colombiano" suffered at least two phases of ophiolitic obduction during Mesozoic time.

Chronology of Late Cretaceous igneous and hydrothermal events at the Golden Sunlight gold-silver breccia pipe, southwestern Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

DeWitt, Ed; Foord, Eugene E.; Zartman, Robert E.; Pearson, Robert C.; Foster, Fess

1996-01-01

Gold mineralization at the Golden Sunlight breccia pipe, southwestern Montana, is related to emplacement of Late Cretaceous alkali-calcic rhyolite and subsequent collapse of the Belt Supergroup wallrock and rhyolite in the pipe. The pipe is inferred to grade downward into an alkalic porphyry molybdenum system. The pipe is cut by alkalic to sub-alkalic lamprophyre dikes and sills, which locally contain high-grade gold where emplaced along late shear zones and vein systems. Determination of the emplacement age of the rhyolite is hampered by inherited lead or inherited Late Archean zircon from the source region of the rhyolite. An emplacement age of about 80 Ma for the rhyolite can be inferred if a basement age of 2,600 Ma is assumed. This Late Archean age is in agreement with basement ages determined in many parts of southwestern Montana. A 206 Pb- 238 U whole-rock date of 84 ? 18 Ma from altered and mineralized Belt Supergroup strata and rhyolite in the breccia pipe indicates hydrothermal alteration related to gold mineralization in Late Cretaceous time. Although sericite is a relatively widespread hydrothermal mineral, attempts to date the very fine grained material by the 40 Ar- 39 Ar method did not provide a spectra that could be interpreted unambiguously. A 40 Ar- 39 Ar plateau date of 76.9 ? 0.5 Ma from biotite phenocrysts in the lamprophyre indciates intrusion of mafic magma and attendant CO 2 metasomatism in the Late Cretaceous. Fission-track data from zircon in the rhyolite are permissive of slow uplift of the Belt Supergroup strata, 1U.S. Geological Survey, Box 25046, Denver Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225. 2Golden Sunlight Mines, Inc., 453 MT Highway 2 East, Whitehall, MT 59759. rhyolite, and lamprophyre between 55 and 50 Ma, but the data are not definitive. Rhyolitic welded tuff in the informally named units 7, 9, and 11 of the Elkhorn Mountains Volcanics is most similar in chemistry and age to the rhyolite at the Golden Sunlight mine. Trachybasalt in

Zircon U-Pb age of the Pescadero felsite: A late Cretaceous igneous event in the forearc, west-central California Coast Ranges

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ernst, W.G.; Martens, U.C.; McLaughlin, R.J.; Clark, J.C.; Moore, Diane E.

2011-01-01

Weathered felsite is associated with the late Campanian-Maastrichtian Pigeon Point Formation near Pescadero, California. Poorly exposed, its age and correlation are uncertain. Is it part of the Pigeon Point section west of the San Gregorio-Hosgri fault? Does it rest on Nacimiento block basement? Is it dextrally offset from the Oligocene Cambria Felsite, ~185 km to the southeast? Why is a calc-alkaline hypabyssal igneous rock intrusive into the outboard accretionary prism? To address these questions, we analyzed 43 oscillatory-zoned zircon crystals from three incipiently recrystallized pumpellyite ?? prehnite ?? laumontite-bearing Pescadero felsite samples by sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe-reverse geometry (SHRIMPRG) and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) techniques. Thirty-three zircons gave late Mesozoic U-Pb ages, with single-grain values ranging from 81 to 167 Ma; ten have pre-Mesozoic, chiefl y Proterozoic ages. A group of the four youngest Pescadero zircons yielded an apparent maximum igneous age of ca. 86-90 Ma. Refl ecting broad age scatter and presence of partly digested sandstone inclusions, we interpret the rest of the zircons (perhaps all) as xenocrysts. Twenty-three zircons were separated and analyzed from two samples of the similar Cambria Felsite, yielding a unimodal 27 Ma U-Pb age. Clearly, the origin of the Upper Oligocene Cambria Felsite is different from that of the Upper Cretaceous Pescadero felsite; these rocks are not correlated, and do not constrain displacement along the San Gregorio-Hosgri fault. Peak ages differ slightly, but relative probability curves for Mesozoic and pre-Mesozoic Pescadero zircons compare well, for example, with abundant U-Pb age data for detrital zircons from Franciscan metaclastic strata ~100 km to the east in the Diablo Range- San Francisco Bay area, San Joaquin Great Valley Group turbidites, Upper Cretaceous Nacimiento block Franciscan strata, and Upper Cretaceous

Aggradation of gravels in tidally influenced fluvial systems: Upper Albian (Lower Cretaceous) on the cratonic margin of the North American Western Interior foreland basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brenner, Richard L.; Ludvigson, Greg A.; Witzke, B.L.; Phillips, P.L.; White, T.S.; Ufnar, David F.; Gonzalez, Luis A.; Joeckel, R.M.; Goettemoeller, A.; Shirk, B.R.

2003-01-01

Alluvial conglomerates were widely distributed around the margin of the Early Cretaceous North American Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway (KWIS). Conglomerates, sandstones, and lesser amounts of mudstones of the upper Albian Nishnabotna Member of the Dakota Formation were deposited as fill-in valleys that were incised up to 80 m into upper Paleozoic strata. These paleovalleys extended southwestward across present-day northwestern Iowa into eastern Nebraska. Conglomerate samples from four localities in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska consist mostly of polycrystalline quartz with lesser amounts of microcrystalline (mostly chert), and monocrystalline quartz. Previous studies discovered that some chert pebbles contain Ordovician-Pennsylvanian invertebrate fossils. The chert clasts analyzed in this study were consistent with these findings. In addition, we found that non-chert clasts consist of metaquartzite, strained monocrystalline quartz and 'vein' quartz from probable Proterozic sources, indicating that parts of the fluvial system's sediment load must have travelled distances of 400-1200 km. The relative tectonic stability of this subcontinent dictated that stream gradients were relatively low with estimates ranging from 0.3 to 0.6 m/km. Considering the complex sedimentologic relationships that must have been involved, the ability of low-gradient easterly-sourced rivers to entrain gravel clasts was primarily a function of paleodischarge rather than a function of steep gradients. Oxygen isotopic evidence from Albian sphaerosiderite-bearing paleosols in the Dakota Formation and correlative units from Kansas to Alaska suggest that mid-latitude continental rainfall in the Albian was perhaps twice that of the modern climate system. Hydrologic fluxes may have been related to wet-dry climatic cycles on decade or longer scales that could account for the required water supply flux. Regardless of temporal scale, gravels were transported during 'high-energy' pulses, under

Early Cretaceous stratigraphy, paleontology, and sedimentary tectonics in Paris overthrust foredeep (western Wyoming and southeastern Idaho) compared with Quaternary features of indo-gangetic plain

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dorr, J.A. Jr.

1983-08-01

Fluviatile clastics of the nonmarine, early Cretaceous Gannett and Wayan groups were deposited on wet alluvial megafans and on intervening interfan piedmont slopes which declined eastward into more poorly drained lowlands from a western highland source area uplifted episodically by movements of the Paris overthrust. Lacustrine episodes of deposition intercalated Peterson and Draney limestones with Gannett fluvial clastics. Westward marine transgressions (Skull Creek, Mowry) intercalated mixed lacustrine and brackish facies (Smiths and Cokedale formations) into Wayan fluviatile clastics. Newly discovered fossil vertebrate and invertebrate materials (all fragmentary but identifiable) include: Gannett Group - large reptiles including turtles; Thomas Fork Formationmore » - freshwater gastropods and unionid pelecypods, gastroliths, two types of turtles, large reptilian fragments (dinosaur), and abundant dinosaur eggshell fragments; Wayan Formation - perennially aquatic snails, turtles, unidentifiable large reptiles, two types of crocodilians, an iguanodontid dinosaur (Tenontosaurus), an ankylosaurian dinosaur, a large ornithopod dinosaur, gastroliths, abundant and ubiquitous dinosaur eggshell fragments (numerous types and sizes), and miscellaneous unidentifiable small vertebrate bone fragments. A census of analogous modern reptile reproductive behaviors supports the conclusion that the Wayan, and probably also the Gannett, alluvial fan environments were used as upland breeding grounds by dinosaurs and perhaps other reptiles. Comparison of these Early Cretaceous data with observations on the tectonic setting, sedimentology, and biology of the Quaternary indo-gangetic plain suggests many close analogies between the two sedimentary tectonic settings.« less

Stratigraphic framework and evolution of the Cretaceous continental sequences of the Bauru, Sanfranciscana, and Parecis basins, Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batezelli, Alessandro; Ladeira, Francisco Sergio Bernardes

2016-01-01

With the breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana, the South American Plate has undergone an intense process of tectonic restructuring that led to the genesis of the interior basins that encompassed continental sedimentary sequences. The Brazilian Bauru, Sanfranciscana and Parecis basins during Late Cretaceous have had their evolution linked to this process of structuring and therefore have very similar sedimentary characteristics. The purpose of this study is to establish a detailed understanding of alluvial sedimentary processes and architecture within a stratigraphic sequence framework using the concept of the stratigraphic base level or the ratio between the accommodation space and sediment supply. The integration of the stratigraphic and facies data contributed to defining the stratigraphic architecture of the Bauru, Sanfranciscana and Parecis Basins, supporting a model for continental sequences that depicts qualitative changes in the sedimentation rate (S) and accommodation space (A) that occurred during the Cretaceous. This study discusses the origin of the unconformity surfaces (K-0, K-1 and K-1A) that separate Sequences 1, 2A and 2B and the sedimentary characteristics of the Bauru, Sanfranciscana and Parecis Basins from the Aptian to the Maastrichtian, comparing the results with other Cretaceous Brazilian basins. The lower Cretaceous Sequence 1 (Caiuá and Areado groups) is interpreted as a low-accommodation systems tract compound by fluvial and aeolian systems. The upper Cretaceous lacustrine, braided river-dominated alluvial fan and aeolian systems display characteristics of the evolution from high-to low-accommodation systems tracts (Sequences 2A and 2B). Unconformity K-0 is related to the origin of the Bauru Basin itself in the Early Cretaceous. In Sanfranciscana and Parecis basins, the unconformity K-0 marks the contact between aeolian deposits from Lower Cretaceous and Upper Cretaceous alluvial systems (Sequences 1 and 2). Unconformity K-1, which was

Sequence stratigraphy of the lower Upper Cretaceous Elbtal Group (Saxony, Germany): new data from Middle Cenomanian-Upper Turonian outcrops and boreholes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richardt, Nadine; Wilmsen, Markus

2013-04-01

The formations of the Saxonian Cretaceous have been combined in the so-called Elbtal Group. Their sedimentation took place in a terrestrial to neritic environment palaeogeographically located between the Mid-European Island (MEI) in the SW and the Lusatian Massif in the NE. The through extended from the narrow marine strait of Saxony into the broad Bohemian Cretaceous Basin (Czech Republic) further to the SE. Deposition has been dominated by marine siliciclastics that accumulated on a graded shelf with basically three main facies zones: the coarse-grained nearshore zone ("Küstensandsteinzone"), the transitional zone ("Faziesübergangszone") and the fine-grained marly offshore facies zone ("Plänerfazies"). In general, transgression proceeded in late Early Cenomanian times from the N. Relictic remains of these marine bioclastic conglomerates (Meißen Formation) only occur in the northwesternmost area of the basin around Meißen and are related to the highstand of the depositional sequence Cenomanian 3 (DS Ce 3). After a short stratigraphic gap, onlap continued in the Middle Cenomanian with the following Niederschöna Formation consisting of coarse-grained braided river deposits at the base grading via carbonaceous point-bar cycles of a meandering river system into bioturbated, partly cross-bedded estuarine sediments toward the top. These sediments record DS Ce 4 and are capped by a paleosol. Sedimentation of DS Ce 5 started with a renewed transgressional pulse initiating the Late Cenomanian. The strata consist of bioturbated, cross-bedded predominantly fine- to medium-grained quartz sandstones with some shell-rich horizons corresponding to the Oberhäslich Formation. The unconformably overlying DS Tu 1 comprises the uppermost Cenomanian Dölzschen Formation and the Lower Turonian part of the Schmilka Formation. The onset of this depositional sequence is marked by a major transgression ("plenus Transgression) drowning the remaining pre-transgression topography

Uplift of continental crustal blocks adjacent to the Rancheria Basin-Guasare area: the effects of Maastrichtian-Paleocene collision along the southern Caribbean plate boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bayona, G.; Montes, C.; Jaramillo, C.; Ojeda, G.; Cardona, A.; Pardo, A.; Lamus, F.

2007-05-01

In the Rancheria basin (RB) and Guasare area (GA), Maastrichtian-Paleocene synorogenic strata overlie the Aptian-Campanian carbonate platform. Nowadays, RB is bounded to the west by metamorphic-and-igneous cored Santa Marta massif, where Upper Cretaceous strata overlie unconformably pre-Cretaceous rocks. The eastern boundary of the RB is the Perija range that includes volcaniclastic and sedimentary rocks of Jurassic and Cretaceous age in the hanging-wall of a NW-verging, low-angle dipping thrust belt. The GA is on the eastern foothills of the Perija range and corresponds to the western boundary of the Maracaibo basin. Strata architecture, seismic reflectors, gravity, provenance, and paleocurrent analyses carried out in those basins constrain the timing and style of uplift of Santa Marta massif and Perija range, which are linked with tectonism along the southern Caribbean plate. Maastrichtian-Paleocene strata thicken eastward up to 2.2 km in the RB, and this succession includes (in stratigraphic order): foram-rich calcareous mudstone, oyster-pelecypod rich carbonate-siliciclastic strata, coal- bearing mudstones and feldspar-lithic-rich fluvial sandstones. Internal disconformities and truncations of seismic reflectors are identified to the west of the RB, but there are not major thrust faults at this part of the basin to explain such unconformities and truncations. In Early Paleocene, carbonates developed better to the west of the RB, whereas mixed carbonate-siliciclastic deposition continued toward the east of the RB. In early Late Paleocene, influx of terrigenous material (key grains=metamorphic, microcline and garnet fragments) derived from the Santa Marta massif increased to the west, but to the east of the RB and GA carbonate-siliciclastic and carbonate deposition continued, respectively. In mid-Late Paleocene, diachronous eastward advance of paralic/deltaic environments, tropical humid climate, and high subsidence rates favored production and preservation of

Integrated geophysical and geological study and petroleum appraisal of Cretaceous plays in the Western Gulf of Gabes, Tunisia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dkhaili, Noomen; Bey, Saloua; El Abed, Mahmoud; Gasmi, Mohamed; Inoubli, Mohamed Hedi

2015-09-01

An integrated study of available seismic and calibrated wells has been conducted in order to ascertain the structural development and petroleum potential of the Cretaceous Formations of the Western Gulf of Gabes. This study has resulted in an understanding of the controls of deep seated Tethyan tectonic lineaments by analysis of the Cretaceous deposits distribution. Three main unconformities have been identified in this area, unconformity U1 between the Jurassic and Cretaceous series, unconformity U2 separating Early from Late Cretaceous and known as the Austrian unconformity and the major unconformity U3 separating Cretaceous from Tertiary series. The seismic analysis and interpretation have confirmed the existence of several features dominated by an NE-SW extensive tectonic regime evidenced by deep listric faults, asymmetric horst and graben and tilted blocks structures. Indeed, the structural mapping of these unconformities, displays the presence of dominant NW-SE fault system (N140 to N160) bounding a large number of moderate sized basins. A strong inversion event related to the unconformity U3 can be demonstrated by the mapping of the unconformities consequence of the succession of several tectonic manifestations during the Cretaceous and post-Cretaceous periods. These tectonic events have resulted in the development of structural and stratigraphic traps further to the porosity and permeability enhancement of Cretaceous reservoirs.

Tectonic Mechanism for the Mid-Cretaceous - Early Paleogene Intraplate Magmatism from the Gulf of Mexico to Northwestern Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y.; Murphy, M. A.; Snow, J. E.; van Wijk, J.; Cannon, J. M.; Parsons, C.

2017-12-01

Tectonic mechanisms have remained controversial for a number of intraplate igneous suites of mid-Cretaceous - early Paleogene age across North America. They span the northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM), through Arkansas and Kansas in the US, to Saskatchewan and Northwestern Territories in Canada, resembling a belt that is located 1000+ km inboard from, and aligned sub-parallel to, the western margin of North America. The northern GoM magmatism is characterized by lamproites, carbonatites, nephelinites, with other alkaline rocks, whereas the rest igneous provinces are dominated by kimberlites. Their geochemical signatures, in general, point to a sub-lithospheric mantle origin. Hypotheses that explain the tectonic origin of these magmatic rocks include: (1) hotspots and mantle plumes, (2) edge-driven convection, (3) lithospheric reactivation, and (4) low-angle subduction. Evaluation based on our integration of published geological and geophysical data shows that contradictions exist in each model between observations and predictions. To explain this plate-scale phenomenon, we propose that the Farallon slab may have stagnated within or around the mantle transition zone during the Early Cretaceous, with its leading edge reaching ca. 1600 km inland beneath the North American plate. Dehydration and decarbonation of the slab produces sporadic, dense, low-degree partial melts at the mantle transition zone depths. As the slab descends into the lower mantle, Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities are induced at slab edges, causing passive upwelling that brings alkali-rich carbonate silicate melts to the base of the overriding plate. Subsequently, the North American lithosphere with varying thicknesses, discontinuities, and compositions interacts with the rising partial melts, generating a spectrum of igneous rocks. Fragments of the once-stagnated slab may still be detectable in the lower mantle beneath eastern US in seismic tomography models. This study highlights a profound plate

Molecular and Paleontological Evidence for a Post-Cretaceous Origin of Rodents

PubMed Central

Wu, Shaoyuan; Wu, Wenyu; Zhang, Fuchun; Ye, Jie; Ni, Xijun; Sun, Jimin; Edwards, Scott V.; Meng, Jin; Organ, Chris L.

2012-01-01

The timing of the origin and diversification of rodents remains controversial, due to conflicting results from molecular clocks and paleontological data. The fossil record tends to support an early Cenozoic origin of crown-group rodents. In contrast, most molecular studies place the origin and initial diversification of crown-Rodentia deep in the Cretaceous, although some molecular analyses have recovered estimated divergence times that are more compatible with the fossil record. Here we attempt to resolve this conflict by carrying out a molecular clock investigation based on a nine-gene sequence dataset and a novel set of seven fossil constraints, including two new rodent records (the earliest known representatives of Cardiocraniinae and Dipodinae). Our results indicate that rodents originated around 61.7–62.4 Ma, shortly after the Cretaceous/Paleogene (K/Pg) boundary, and diversified at the intraordinal level around 57.7–58.9 Ma. These estimates are broadly consistent with the paleontological record, but challenge previous molecular studies that place the origin and early diversification of rodents in the Cretaceous. This study demonstrates that, with reliable fossil constraints, the incompatibility between paleontological and molecular estimates of rodent divergence times can be eliminated using currently available tools and genetic markers. Similar conflicts between molecular and paleontological evidence bedevil attempts to establish the origination times of other placental groups. The example of the present study suggests that more reliable fossil calibration points may represent the key to resolving these controversies. PMID:23071573

Sequence stratigraphy, paleoclimate, and tectonics of coal-bearing strata

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jack C. Pashin; Robert A. Gastaldo

2004-07-15

The origin of coal-bearing strata has been debated vigorously for more than a century, and with the emergence of coalbed methane as a major energy resource and the possibility of sequestering greenhouse gas in coal, this debate has never been more relevant. This volume contains 10 chapters on coal-bearing strata of Carboniferous through Tertiary age and is based on a special session that was held at an AAPG Annual Meeting in New Orleans. Contributors have employed a multitude of approaches ranging from basin analysis to plant taphonomy to support a variety of views on the sequence stratigraphy, paleoclimate, and tectonicsmore » of coal-bearing strata.« less

Spatial biostratigraphy of NW Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shafique, Naseer Ahmed

2001-07-01

Mesozoic to Cenozoic biostratigraphy of NW Pakistan has been conducted in order to document the temporal and spatial relationship between different marine strata with the help of remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). These relationships were then used to help distinguish different tectonostratigraphic units in the Waziristan and the Kurram areas located at the northwestern margin of the Indo-Pakistani craton. Extensive biostratigraphic work in the Waziristan and Kurram areas enabled to distinguish five tectonostratigraphic units and two significant unconformities in the study area. Different foraminiferal zones from Early Jurassic to Middle Eocenewere developed, although due to random samples these zones are not continuous in the sedimentary record. However continuous biozonation from the Late Paleocene P4 to the Early Eocene P9 (Bolli, 1985) biozone was observed. It is observed that the Santonian stage is generally missing in the sedimentary sequence, and it is only found in the olistoliths. This implies that during the Campanian stage there was instability in the shelf due to ophiolite obduction, which caused the displacement of the Santonian strata. The absence of Early Paleocene (Zone P1--P3) microfauna is suggested by rapid subsidence of the NW Indian shelf beginning in the early Paleocene. Moreover, index fossils for the Palpha, P1a, b, c, d, P2 and P3 biozones are absent in the melange of the Thal area suggesting regional uplift during the Paleocene. The presence of Planorotalites pseudomenardii P4 zone microfauna above the unconformable Upper Cretaceous Kahi melange strata suggest the India-Asia collision age between 58 Ma--56 Ma. Foraminiferal biostratigraphy of upper Cretaceous olistoliths was conducted from the Mughal Kot gorge, Baluchistan, Pakistan in order to reveal the depositional history of Late Santonian aged (Dicarinella asymmetrica zone) olistoliths and associated upper Cretaceous to early Tertiary Indo-Pakistani shelf strata

Short-term dynamics of second-growth mixed mesophytic forest strata in West Virginia

Treesearch

Cynthia C. Huebner; Steven L. Stephenson; Harold S. Adams; Gary W. Miller

2007-01-01

The short-term dynamics of mixed mesophytic forest strata in West Virginia were examined using similarity analysis and linear correlation of shared ordination space. The overstory tree, understory tree, shrub/vine, and herb strata were stable over a six year interval, whereas the tree seedling and sapling strata were unstable. All strata but the shrub/vine and tree...

Cretaceous shelf-sea chalk deposits

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hattin, D.E.

1988-01-01

The word ''chalk'' is linked etymologically to the Cretaceous, but chalky facies neither dominate that system nor are confined to it. As used commonly, the term ''chalk'' refers to a variety of marine limestone that is white to light gray very fine grained, soft and friable, porous, and composed predominantly of calcitic skeletal remains, especially those derived from coccolithophores. No simple definition suffices to embrace all Cretaceous chalks, which include sandy, marly, shelly, phospatic, glauconitic, dolomitic, pyritic and organic-rich lithotypes. Most of the world's exposed Cretaceous chalk deposits were formed at shelf depths rather than in the deep sea. Cretaceousmore » shelf-sea chalks are developed most extensively in northern Europe, the U.S. Gulf Coastal Plain and Western Interior, and the Middle East, with lesser occurrences alo in Australia. Most Cretaceous shelf-sea chalks formed in the temperature zones, and in relatively deep water. Cretaceous chalks deposited on well-oxygenated sea floors are bioturbated and massive where deficient in terrigenous detritus, or bioturbated and rhythmically interbedded with argillaceous units where influx of terrigenous detritus varied systematically with climate changes. Accumulation of sufficient pelagic mud to form vast deposits of Cretaceous shelf-sea chalk required (1) sustained high productivity of calareous plankton, (2) extensive development of stable shelf and continental platform environments, (3) highstands of seal level, (4) deficiency of aragonitic skeletal material in chalk-forming sediments, and (5) low rates of terrigenous detrital influx. These conditions were met at different times in different places, even within the same general region.« less

The subduction-accretion history of the Bangong-Nujiang Ocean: Constraints from provenance and geochronology of the Mesozoic strata near Gaize, central Tibet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Shun; Ding, Lin; Guilmette, Carl; Fu, Jiajun; Xu, Qiang; Yue, Yahui; Henrique-Pinto, Renato

2017-04-01

The Mesozoic strata, within the Bangong-Nujiang suture zone in central Tibet, recorded critical information about the subduction-accretion processes of the Bangong-Nujiang Ocean prior to the Lhasa-Qiangtang collision. This paper reports detailed field observations, petrographic descriptions, sandstone detrital zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotopic analyses from an accretionary complex (preserved as Mugagangri Group) and the unconformably overlying Shamuluo Formation near Gaize. The youngest detrital zircon ages, together with other age constraints from literature, suggest that the Mugagangri Group was deposited during late Triassic-early Jurassic, while the Shamuluo Formation was deposited during late Jurassic-early Cretaceous. Based on the differences in lithology, age and provenance, the Mugagangri Group is subdivided into the upper, middle and lower subunits. These units are younging structurally downward/southward, consistent with models of progressive off-scrapping and accretion in a southward-facing subduction complex. The upper subunit, comprising mainly quartz-sandstone and siliceous mud/shale, was deposited in abyssal plain environment close to the Qiangtang passive margin during late Triassic, with sediments derived from the southern Qiangtang block. The middle and lower subunits comprise mainly lithic-quartz-sandstone and mud/shale, containing abundant ultramafic/ophiolitic fragments. The middle subunit, of late Triassic-early Jurassic age, records a transition in tectono-depositional setting from abyssal plain to trench-wedge basin, with sudden influx of sediments sourced from the central Qiangtang metamorphic belt and northern Qiangtang magmatic belt. The appearance of ultramafic/ophiolitic fragments in the middle subunit reflects the subduction initiation. The lower subunit was deposited in a trench-wedge basin during early Jurassic, with influx of Jurassic-aged zircons originating from the newly active southern Qiangtang magmatic arc. The lower subunit

The clasts of Cretaceous marls in the conglomerates of the Konradsheim Formation (Pöchlau quarry, Gresten Klippen Zone, Austria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ślączka, Andrzej; Gasiñski, M. Adam; Bąk, Marta; Wessely, Godfrid

2009-04-01

Investigations were carried out on foraminiferids and radiolaria from redeposited clasts within the conglomerates of the Konradsheim Formation (Gresten Klippen Zone) in the area of the Pöchlau hill, east of Maria Neustift. These shales and marls are of Middle to Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous age. In the latter clasts, foraminiferal assemblages with Tritaxia ex gr. gaultina as well as radiolaria species Angulobracchia portmanni Baumgartner, Dictyomitra communis (Squinabol), Hiscocapsa asseni (Tan), Pseudodictyomitra lodogaensis Pessagno, Pseudoeucyrtis hanni (Tan), Rhopalosyringium fossile (Squinabol) were found. In one block from the uppermost part of the sequence there is an assemblage with Caudammina (H) gigantea, Rotalipora appenninica and Globotruncana bulloides. However, the brecciated character of this block and occurrence near a fault suggest that it was probably wedged into the conglomerates of the Konradsheim Formation during tectonic movements. In pelitic siliceous limestones below the Konradsheim Limestone radiolarian assemblages of Middle Callovian to Early Tithonian age were found. They enable correlation with the Scheibbsbach Formation. In a marly sequence, above the conglomeratic limestone, the foraminiferal assemblages contain taxa from mid-Cretaceous up to Paleocene. The present biostratigraphic investigation confirmed the previous stratigraphic assignments and imply clearly that the sedimentation of deposits similar to the Konradsheim Formation also occurred at the end of the Early Cretaceous and deposition of conglomeratic limestones within the Gresten Klippen Zone, and especially within the Konradsheim Formation, was repeated several times during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous.

Hydrocarbon potential of Early Cretaceous lacustrine sediments from Bima Formation, Yola Sub-basin, Northern Benue Trough, NE Nigeria: Insight from organic geochemistry and petrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarki Yandoka, Babangida M.; Abdullah, Wan Hasiah; Abubakar, M. B.; Adegoke, Adebanji Kayode; Maigari, A. S.; Haruna, A. I.; Yaro, Usman Y.

2017-05-01

The Early Cretaceous lacustrine sediments from Bima Formation in the Yola Sub-basin, Northern Benue Trough, northeastern Nigeria were studied based on organic geochemistry and petrology. This is in other to provide information on hydrocarbon generation potential; organic matter type (quality), richness (quantity), origin/source inputs, redox conditions (preservation) and thermal maturation in relation to thermal effect of Tertiary volcanics. The total organic carbon (TOC) contents ranges from 0.38 to 0.86 wt % with extractable organic matter (EOM) below 1000 ppm and pyrolysis S2 yield values from 0.16 to 0.68 mg/g, suggesting poor to fair source rock richness. Based on kerogen pyrolysis and microscopy coupled with biomarker parameters, the organic matters contain Type I (lacustrine algae), Type III (terrestrially derived land-plants) and Type IV kerogens deposited in a mixed lacustrine-terrestrial environment under suboxic to relatively anoxic conditions. This suggest potential occurrence of Early Cretaceous lacustrine sediments (perhaps Lower Cretaceous petroleum system) in Yola Sub-basin of the Northern Benue Trough as present in the neighbouring basins of Chad, Niger and Sudan Republics that have both oil and gas generation potential within the same rift trend (WCARS). Vitrinite reflectance (%Ro) and Tmax values of the lacustrine shales ranges from 1.12 to 2.32 VRo% and 448-501 °C, respectively, indicating peak-late to post-maturity stage. This is supported by the presence of dark brown palynomorphs, amorphous organic matter and phytoclasts as well as inertinite macerals. Consequently, the organic matters in the lacustrine shales of Bima Formation in the Yola Sub-basin appeared as a source of oil (most likely even waxy) and gas prone at a relatively deeper part of the basin. However, the high thermal maturity enhanced the organic matters and most of the hydrocarbons that formed in the course of thermal maturation were likely expelled to the reservoir rock units

Petroleum system elements within the Late Cretaceous and Early Paleogene sediments of Nigeria's inland basins: An integrated sequence stratigraphic approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dim, Chidozie Izuchukwu Princeton; Onuoha, K. Mosto; Okeugo, Chukwudike Gabriel; Ozumba, Bertram Maduka

2017-06-01

Sequence stratigraphic studies have been carried out using subsurface well and 2D seismic data in the Late Cretaceous and Early Paleogene sediments of Anambra and proximal onshore section of Niger Delta Basin in the Southeastern Nigeria. The aim was to establish the stratigraphic framework for better understanding of the reservoir, source and seal rock presence and distribution in the basin. Thirteen stratigraphic bounding surfaces (consisting of six maximum flooding surfaces - MFSs and seven sequence boundaries - SBs) were recognized and calibrated using a newly modified chronostratigraphic chart. Stratigraphic surfaces were matched with corresponding foraminiferal and palynological biozones, aiding correlation across wells in this study. Well log sequence stratigraphic correlation reveals that stratal packages within the basin are segmented into six depositional sequences occurring from Late Cretaceous to Early Paleogene age. Generated gross depositional environment maps at various MFSs show that sediment packages deposited within shelfal to deep marine settings, reflect continuous rise and fall of sea levels within a regressive cycle. Each of these sequences consist of three system tracts (lowstand system tract - LST, transgressive system tract - TST and highstand system tract - HST) that are associated with mainly progradational and retrogradational sediment stacking patterns. Well correlation reveals that the sand and shale units of the LSTs, HSTs and TSTs, that constitute the reservoir and source/seal packages respectively are laterally continuous and thicken basinwards, due to structural influences. Result from interpretation of seismic section reveals the presence of hanging wall, footwall, horst block and collapsed crest structures. These structural features generally aid migration and offer entrapment mechanism for hydrocarbon accumulation. The combination of these reservoirs, sources, seals and trap elements form a good petroleum system that is viable

A lower Cretaceous (Valanginian) seed cone provides the earliest fossil record for Picea (Pinaceae).

PubMed

Klymiuk, Ashley A; Stockey, Ruth A

2012-06-01

Sequence analyses for Pinaceae have suggested that extant genera diverged in the late Mesozoic. While the fossil record indicates that Pinaceae was highly diverse during the Cretaceous, there are few records of living genera. This description of an anatomically preserved seed cone extends the fossil record for Picea A. Dietrich (Pinaceae) by ∼75 Ma. The specimen was collected from the Apple Bay locality of Vancouver Island (Lower Cretaceous, Valanginian) and is described from anatomical sections prepared using cellulose acetate peels. Cladistic analyses of fossil and extant pinaceous seed cones employed parsimony ratchet searches of an anatomical and morphological matrix. This new seed cone has a combination of characters shared only with the genus Picea A. Dietr. and is thus described as Picea burtonii Klymiuk et Stockey sp. nov. Bisaccate pollen attributable to Picea is found in the micropyles of several ovules, corroborating the designation of this cone as an early spruce. Cladistic analyses place P. burtonii with extant Picea and an Oligocene representative of the genus. Furthermore, our analyses indicate that Picea is sister to Cathaya Chun et Kuang, and P. burtonii helps to establish a minimum date for this node in hypotheses of conifer phylogeny. As an early member of the extant genus Picea, this seed cone extends the fossil record of Picea to the Valanginian Stage of the Early Cretaceous, ca. 136 Ma, thereby resolving a ghost lineage predicted by molecular divergence analyses, and offers new insight into the evolution of Pinaceae.

Evidence for high salinity of Early Cretaceous sea water from the Chesapeake Bay crater.

PubMed

Sanford, Ward E; Doughten, Michael W; Coplen, Tyler B; Hunt, Andrew G; Bullen, Thomas D

2013-11-14

High-salinity groundwater more than 1,000 metres deep in the Atlantic coastal plain of the USA has been documented in several locations, most recently within the 35-million-year-old Chesapeake Bay impact crater. Suggestions for the origin of increased salinity in the crater have included evaporite dissolution, osmosis and evaporation from heating associated with the bolide impact. Here we present chemical, isotopic and physical evidence that together indicate that groundwater in the Chesapeake crater is remnant Early Cretaceous North Atlantic (ECNA) sea water. We find that the sea water is probably 100-145 million years old and that it has an average salinity of about 70 per mil, which is twice that of modern sea water and consistent with the nearly closed ECNA basin. Previous evidence for temperature and salinity levels of ancient oceans have been estimated indirectly from geochemical, isotopic and palaeontological analyses of solid materials in deep sediment cores. In contrast, our study identifies ancient sea water in situ and provides a direct estimate of its age and salinity. Moreover, we suggest that it is likely that remnants of ECNA sea water persist in deep sediments at many locations along the Atlantic margin.

Mating and aggregative behaviors among basal hexapods in the Early Cretaceous.

PubMed

Sánchez-García, Alba; Peñalver, Enrique; Delclòs, Xavier; Engel, Michael S

2018-01-01

Among the many challenges in paleobiology is the inference and reconstruction of behaviors that rarely, if ever, leave a physical trace on the environment that is suitable for fossilization. Of particular significance are those behaviors tied to mating and courtship, individual interactions critical for species integrity and continuance, as well as those for dispersal, permitting the taxon to expand its distribution as well as access new habitats in the face of local or long-term environmental change. In this context, two recently discovered fossils from the Early Cretaceous amber of Spain (ca. 105 mya) give a detailed view of otherwise fleeting ethologies in Collembola. These occurrences are phylogenetically spaced across the class, and from species representing the two major clades of springtails-Symphypleona and Entomobryomorpha. Specifically, we report unique evidence from a symphypleonan male (Pseudosminthurides stoechus Sánchez-García & Engel, 2016) with modified antennae that may have functioned as a clasping organ for securing females during mating on water's surface, and from an aggregation of entomobryomorphan individuals (Proisotoma communis Sánchez-García & Engel, 2016) purportedly representing a swarming episode on the forest floor. We demonstrate that the mating behavioral repertoire in P. stoechus, which is associated with considerable morphological adaptations, likely implied elaborate courtship and maneuvering for guarantee sperm transfer in an epineustic species. These discoveries reveal significant behaviors consistent with modern counterparts and a generalized stasis for some ancient hexapod ethologies associated with complex mating and courtship and social or pre-social aggregations, so critical to specific constancy and dispersal.

Mating and aggregative behaviors among basal hexapods in the Early Cretaceous

PubMed Central

Sánchez-García, Alba; Peñalver, Enrique; Delclòs, Xavier

2018-01-01

Among the many challenges in paleobiology is the inference and reconstruction of behaviors that rarely, if ever, leave a physical trace on the environment that is suitable for fossilization. Of particular significance are those behaviors tied to mating and courtship, individual interactions critical for species integrity and continuance, as well as those for dispersal, permitting the taxon to expand its distribution as well as access new habitats in the face of local or long-term environmental change. In this context, two recently discovered fossils from the Early Cretaceous amber of Spain (ca. 105 mya) give a detailed view of otherwise fleeting ethologies in Collembola. These occurrences are phylogenetically spaced across the class, and from species representing the two major clades of springtails—Symphypleona and Entomobryomorpha. Specifically, we report unique evidence from a symphypleonan male (Pseudosminthurides stoechus Sánchez-García & Engel, 2016) with modified antennae that may have functioned as a clasping organ for securing females during mating on water’s surface, and from an aggregation of entomobryomorphan individuals (Proisotoma communis Sánchez-García & Engel, 2016) purportedly representing a swarming episode on the forest floor. We demonstrate that the mating behavioral repertoire in P. stoechus, which is associated with considerable morphological adaptations, likely implied elaborate courtship and maneuvering for guarantee sperm transfer in an epineustic species. These discoveries reveal significant behaviors consistent with modern counterparts and a generalized stasis for some ancient hexapod ethologies associated with complex mating and courtship and social or pre-social aggregations, so critical to specific constancy and dispersal. PMID:29466382

Ascaulocardium armatum (Morton 1833), new genus (Late Cretaceous): the ultimate variation on the bivalve paradigm.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pojeta, J.; Sohl, N.F.

1987-01-01

Cretaceous clavagellid pelecypods are a poorly known group, and have previously received little study. Ascaulocardium armatum is conchologically the most complex burrowing pelecypod known. From the study of living clavagellids, it is possible to interpret the various tubes extending outward from the adventitious crypt of A. armatum as devices for hydraulic burrowing and deposit feeding. The conchologically complex A. armatum occurs near the beginning of the history of the Clavagellidae, and does not seem to have given rise to any younger species. Ascaulocardium armatum is known only from the Upper Cretaceous rocks (Santonian-Maastrichtian) of the east Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plains of the United States of America, as is probably the genus Ascaulocardium. All known Cretaceous clavagellids are burrowing species having a free right valve, and this is the ancestral mode of life of the Clavagellidae. Clavagellids that have a boring habit are a more recent evolutionary development, as are burrowing species having both juvenile valves cemented to the crypt. Clavagellids probably evolved from Jurassic-Early Cretaceous pholadomyids. Almost all Cretaceous clavagellids occur outside the Tethyan Zoogeographic Realm; this distribution is in marked contrast to the modern distribution of the family. Living species mostly inhabit clear, shallow seas in subtropical to tropical shelf areas. - Authors

43 CFR 2806.32 - How does BLM determine the population strata served?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false How does BLM determine the population... does BLM determine the population strata served? (a) BLM determines the population strata served as follows: (1) If the site or facility is within a designated RMA, BLM will use the population strata of the...

43 CFR 2806.32 - How does BLM determine the population strata served?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false How does BLM determine the population... does BLM determine the population strata served? (a) BLM determines the population strata served as follows: (1) If the site or facility is within a designated RMA, BLM will use the population strata of the...

43 CFR 2806.32 - How does BLM determine the population strata served?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false How does BLM determine the population... does BLM determine the population strata served? (a) BLM determines the population strata served as follows: (1) If the site or facility is within a designated RMA, BLM will use the population strata of the...

43 CFR 2806.32 - How does BLM determine the population strata served?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false How does BLM determine the population... does BLM determine the population strata served? (a) BLM determines the population strata served as follows: (1) If the site or facility is within a designated RMA, BLM will use the population strata of the...

Eobowenia gen. nov. from the Early Cretaceous of Patagonia: indication for an early divergence of Bowenia?

PubMed

Coiro, Mario; Pott, Christian

2017-04-07

Even if they are considered the quintessential "living fossils", the fossil record of the extant genera of the Cycadales is quite poor, and only extends as far back as the Cenozoic. This lack of data represents a huge hindrance for the reconstruction of the recent history of this important group. Among extant genera, Bowenia (or cuticles resembling those of extant Bowenia) has been recorded in sediments from the Late Cretaceous and the Eocene of Australia, but its phylogenetic placement and the inference from molecular dating still imply a long ghost lineage for this genus. We re-examine the fossil foliage Almargemia incrassata from the Lower Cretaceous Anfiteatro de Ticó Formation in Patagonia, Argentina, in the light of a comparative cuticular analysis of extant Zamiaceae. We identify important differences with the other member of the genus, viz. A. dentata, and bring to light some interesting characters shared exclusively between A. incrassata and extant Bowenia. We interpret our results to necessitate the erection of the new genus Eobowenia to accommodate the fossil leaf earlier assigned as Almargemia incrassata. We then perfom phylogenetic analyses, including the first combined morphological and molecular analysis of the Cycadales, that indicate that the newly erected genus could be related to extant Bowenia. Eobowenia incrassata could represent an important clue for the understanding of evolution and biogeography of the extant genus Bowenia, as the presence of Eobowenia in Patagonia is yet another piece of the biogeographic puzzle that links southern South America with Australasia.

New Insights into Arctic Tectonics: Uranium-Lead, (Uranium-Thorium)/Helium, and Hafnium Isotopic Data from the Franklinian Basin, Canadian Arctic Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anfinson, Owen Anthony

are partially reset since deposition and experienced varying burial histories depending on stratigraphic and geographic location within the basin. AHe ages from Middle Devonian strata from the western margin of the basin indicate episodes of exhumation associated with clastic influxes of sediment into the Sverdrup Basin during the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous and Late Cretaceous.

Cretaceous polar climates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ziegler, A.M.; Horrell, M.A.; Lottes, A.L.

1988-02-01

The Cretaceous, like most Phanerozoic periods, was characterized by ice-free poles. Some still argue that the glaciers and sea ice were there, and that the tillites, etc, have been eroded or remain undiscovered. However, diverse floras, dense forests, and coal-forming cypress swamps, and dinosaurs, crocodilians, and lungfish are known from areas that were certainly at 75/degree/-80/degree/ north and south paleolatitude in the Cretaceous, implying that the coastal basins did not experience hard freezes. No deep marine connections to the North Pole existed in the Cretaceous, so oceanic polar heat transport can be discounted. However, the five north-south trending epeiric ormore » rift-related seaways that connected or nearly connected the Tethys to the Arctic would have dampened the seasonal temperature cycle, bring maritime climates deep into the North American and Eurasian continents and, more importantly, would have served as an energy source and channel for winter storms, much as the Gulf Stream does today. Cyclones have a natural tendency to move poleward, because of the increase in the Coriolis Parameter, and they transport both sensible and latent heat. The coastal regions of the relatively warm polar ocean in the Cretaceous would have received continuous precipitation during the winter because cyclones would be entering from as many as five directions. Coastal rainfall would also have been abundant in the summer but for a different reason; the land-sea temperature profile would reverse, with the warm land surface drawing in moisture, while clear ice-free conditions over the ocean would allow for solar warming.« less

Cretaceous polar climates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ziegler, A.M.; Horrell, M.A.; Lottes, A.L.

1988-01-01

The Cretaceous, like most Phanerozooic periods, was characterized by ice-free poles. Some still argue that the glacier and sea ice were there, and that the tillites, etc, have been eroded or remain undiscovered. However, diverse floras, dense forests, coal-forming cypress swamps, and dinosaurs, crocodilians, and lungfish are known from areas that were certainly at 75/sup 0/-80/sup 0/ north and south paleolatitude in the Cretaceous, implying that the coastal basins did not experience hard freezes. No deep marine connections to the North Pole existed in the Cretaceous, so oceanic polar heat transport can be discounted. However, the five north-south trending epeiricmore » or rift-related seaways that connected or nearly connected the Tethys to the Arctic would have dampened the seasonal temperature cycle, bringing maritime climates deep into the North American and Eurasian continents and, more importantly, would have served as an energy source and channel for winter storms, much as the Gulf Stream does today. Cyclones have a natural tendency to move poleward, because of the increase in the Coriolis Paramteter, and they transport both sensible and latent heat. The coastal regions of the relatively warm polar ocean in the Cretaceous would have received continuous precipitation during the winter because cyclones would be entering from as many as five directions. Coastal rainfall would also have been abundant in the summer but for a different reason; the land-sea temperature profile would reverse, with the warm land surface drawing in moisture, while clear ice-free conditions over the ocean would allow for solar warming.« less

Final results on the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary in the Gresten Klippenbelt (Austria): Macro-, micro-, nannofossils, isotopes, geochemistry, susceptibility, gamma-log and palaeomagnetic data as environmental proxies of the early Penninic Ocean history

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lukeneder, A.; Halásová, E.; Kroh, A.; Mayrhofer, S.; Pruner, P.; Reháková, D.; Schnabl, P.; Sprovieri, M.

2009-04-01

radioactivity of the rock and represents a direct function of its clay-mineral content. Higher radioactivity reflects a higher clay content. The gamma-log curve supports the biostratigraphic data very well. The gamma response becomes gradually weaker in the upper, undisturbed part of the section (Nu10-Nu0, Berriasian). The lower part (Nu18-Nu10, Tithonian) of the section shows the highest gamma responses. The gamma curve pattern at Nutzhof therefore shows decreasing values what corresponds well with decreasing values of susceptibility as well with the contrastingly, increasing values in carbonate content (from 50 per cent up to 95 per cent CaCo3) and increasing grey scale values (up to 250). The above reported results strongly suggest that the section mirrors a change of the depositional position of the Nutzhof section from a shallower into a deeper region, and a more stable environment on the European Helvetic shelf to slope during the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous time. References Hardenbol, J., Thierry, J., Farley, M. B., Jacquin, T., de Graciansky, P. C. & Vail, P. R. (1998): Mesozoic and Cenozoic sequence stratigraphy of European basins. - SEMP, Special Publications, 60, 1998. Tulsa. Henning, S., Weissert, H., Bulot, L. 1999. C-isotope stratigraphy, a calibration tool between ammonite- and magnethostratigraphy: the Valanginian-Hauterivian transition. Geologica Carpathica, 50 (1), 91-96. Kroh, A., Lukeneder, A. 2009. Crinoids from the Late Jurassic of the Nutzhof section (Lower Austria, Gresten Klippenbelt). - Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, Serie A, 110: 383-399. Lukeneder A. 2009. New biostratigraphic ammonite data from the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary at Nutzhof (Gresten Klippenbelt, Lower Austria) Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, Serie A, 110: 313-329. Pruner, P. Schnabl, P., Lukeneder A. 2009. Preliminary results of magnetostratigraphic investigations across the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary strata at Nutzhof, Austria. Annalen des

Large-scale removal of lithosphere underneath the North China Craton in the Early Cretaceous: Geochemical constraints from volcanic lavas in the Bohai Bay Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Jing; Liu, Zheng; Zhang, Shuai; Li, Xiaoguang; Qi, Jiafu

2017-11-01

Cratons are generally considered as the most stable tectonic units on the Earth. Rare magmatism, seismic activity, and intracrustal ductile deformation occur in them. However, several cratons experienced entirely different fates, including the North China Craton (NCC), and were subsequently destroyed. Geodynamic mechanisms and timing of the cratonic destruction are strongly debated. In this paper, we investigate a suite of Mesozoic intermediate to felsic volcanic rocks which are collected from boreholes in the Liaohe Depression of the Bohai Bay Basin the eastern NCC. These volcanic rocks have Precambrian basement-like Sr-Nd isotopic characteristics, consistent with derivation from the lower continental crust underneath the NCC. The Late Jurassic ( 165 Ma) intermediate volcanic rocks don't exhibit markedly negative Eu anomalies, which require a source beyond the plagioclase stability field. And the low heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) contents of these samples indicate that their source has garnet as residue. The Early Cretaceous ( 122 Ma) felsic volcanic rocks are depleted in HREEs but with remarkable Eu anomalies, suggesting that their source have both garnet and plagioclase. The crust thicknesses, estimated from the geochemistry of the intermediate and felsic rocks, are ≥ 50 km at 165 Ma and 30-50 km at 122 Ma, respectively. The crustal thinning is attributed to lithospheric delamination beneath the NCC. Our results combined with previous studies imply that the large-scale lithospheric removal occurred in the Early Cretaceous, between 140 and 120 Ma.

North American nonmarine climates and vegetation during the Late Cretaceous

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wolfe, J.A.; Upchurch, G.R.

1987-01-01

Analyses of physiognomy of Late Cretaceous leaf assemblages and of structural adaptations of Late Cretaceous dicotyledonous woods indicate that megathermal vegetation was an open-canopy, broad-leaved evergreen woodland that existed under low to moderate amounts of rainfall evenly distributed through the year, with a moderate increase at about 40-45??N. Many dicotyledons were probably large, massive trees, but the tallest trees were evergreen conifers. Megathermal climate extended up to paleolatitude 45-50??N. Mesothermal vegetation was at least partially an open, broad-leaved evergreen woodland (perhaps a mosaic of woodland and forest), but the evapotranspirational stress was less than in megathermal climate. Some dicotyledons were large trees, but most were shrubs or small trees; evergreen conifers were the major tree element. Some mild seasonality is evidenced in mesothermal woods; precipitational levels probably varied markedly from year to year. Northward of approximately paleolatitude 65??N, evergreen vegetation was replaced by predominantly deciduous vegetation. This replacement is presumably related primarily to seasonality of light. The southern part of the deciduous vegetation probably existed under mesothermal climate. Comparisons to leaf and wood assemblages from other continents are generally consistent with the vegetational-climatic patterns suggested from North American data. Limited data from equatorial regions suggest low rainfall. Late Cretaceous climates, except probably those of the Cenomanian, had only moderate change through time. Temperatures generally appear to have warmed into the Santonian, cooled slightly into the Campanian and more markedly into the Maastrichtian, and then returned to Santonian values by the late Maastrichtian. The early Eocene was probably warmer than any period of the Late Cretaceous. Latitudinal temperature gradients were lower than at present. For the Campanian and Maastrichtian, a gradient of about 0.3??C/1

Cretaceous Small Scavengers: Feeding Traces in Tetrapod Bones from Patagonia, Argentina

PubMed Central

de Valais, Silvina; Apesteguía, Sebastián; Garrido, Alberto C.

2012-01-01

Ecological relationships among fossil vertebrate groups are interpreted based on evidence of modification features and paleopathologies on fossil bones. Here we describe an ichnological assemblage composed of trace fossils on reptile bones, mainly sphenodontids, crocodyliforms and maniraptoran theropods. They all come from La Buitrera, an early Late Cretaceous locality in the Candeleros Formation of northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. This locality is significant because of the abundance of small to medium-sized vertebrates. The abundant ichnological record includes traces on bones, most of them attributable to tetrapods. These latter traces include tooth marks that provde evidence of feeding activities made during the sub-aerial exposure of tetrapod carcasses. Other traces are attributable to arthropods or roots. The totality of evidence provides an uncommon insight into paleoecological aspects of a Late Cretaceous southern ecosystem. PMID:22253800

Dinosaurs and the Cretaceous Terrestrial Revolution

PubMed Central

Lloyd, Graeme T; Davis, Katie E; Pisani, Davide; Tarver, James E; Ruta, Marcello; Sakamoto, Manabu; Hone, David W.E; Jennings, Rachel; Benton, Michael J

2008-01-01

The observed diversity of dinosaurs reached its highest peak during the mid- and Late Cretaceous, the 50 Myr that preceded their extinction, and yet this explosion of dinosaur diversity may be explained largely by sampling bias. It has long been debated whether dinosaurs were part of the Cretaceous Terrestrial Revolution (KTR), from 125–80 Myr ago, when flowering plants, herbivorous and social insects, squamates, birds and mammals all underwent a rapid expansion. Although an apparent explosion of dinosaur diversity occurred in the mid-Cretaceous, coinciding with the emergence of new groups (e.g. neoceratopsians, ankylosaurid ankylosaurs, hadrosaurids and pachycephalosaurs), results from the first quantitative study of diversification applied to a new supertree of dinosaurs show that this apparent burst in dinosaurian diversity in the last 18 Myr of the Cretaceous is a sampling artefact. Indeed, major diversification shifts occurred largely in the first one-third of the group's history. Despite the appearance of new clades of medium to large herbivores and carnivores later in dinosaur history, these new originations do not correspond to significant diversification shifts. Instead, the overall geometry of the Cretaceous part of the dinosaur tree does not depart from the null hypothesis of an equal rates model of lineage branching. Furthermore, we conclude that dinosaurs did not experience a progressive decline at the end of the Cretaceous, nor was their evolution driven directly by the KTR. PMID:18647715

New Ophthalmosaurid Ichthyosaurs from the European Lower Cretaceous Demonstrate Extensive Ichthyosaur Survival across the Jurassic–Cretaceous Boundary

PubMed Central

Fischer, Valentin; Maisch, Michael W.; Naish, Darren; Kosma, Ralf; Liston, Jeff; Joger, Ulrich; Krüger, Fritz J.; Pérez, Judith Pardo; Tainsh, Jessica

2012-01-01

Background Ichthyosauria is a diverse clade of marine amniotes that spanned most of the Mesozoic. Until recently, most authors interpreted the fossil record as showing that three major extinction events affected this group during its history: one during the latest Triassic, one at the Jurassic–Cretaceous boundary (JCB), and one (resulting in total extinction) at the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary. The JCB was believed to eradicate most of the peculiar morphotypes found in the Late Jurassic, in favor of apparently less specialized forms in the Cretaceous. However, the record of ichthyosaurs from the Berriasian–Barremian interval is extremely limited, and the effects of the end-Jurassic extinction event on ichthyosaurs remains poorly understood. Methodology/Principal Findings Based on new material from the Hauterivian of England and Germany and on abundant material from the Cambridge Greensand Formation, we name a new ophthalmosaurid, Acamptonectes densus gen. et sp. nov. This taxon shares numerous features with Ophthalmosaurus, a genus now restricted to the Callovian–Berriasian interval. Our phylogenetic analysis indicates that Ophthalmosauridae diverged early in its history into two markedly distinct clades, Ophthalmosaurinae and Platypterygiinae, both of which cross the JCB and persist to the late Albian at least. To evaluate the effect of the JCB extinction event on ichthyosaurs, we calculated cladogenesis, extinction, and survival rates for each stage of the Oxfordian–Barremian interval, under different scenarios. The extinction rate during the JCB never surpasses the background extinction rate for the Oxfordian–Barremian interval and the JCB records one of the highest survival rates of the interval. Conclusions/Significance There is currently no evidence that ichthyosaurs were affected by the JCB extinction event, in contrast to many other marine groups. Ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaurs remained diverse from their rapid radiation in the Middle Jurassic to

A revised inoceramid biozonation for the Upper Cretaceous based on high-resolution carbon isotope stratigraphy in northwestern Hokkaido, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayakawa, Tatsuya; Hirano, Hiromichi

2013-06-01

Hayakawa, T., Hirano, H. 2013. A revised inoceramid biozonation for the Upper Cretaceous based on high-resolution carbon isotope stratigraphy in northwestern Hokkaido, Japan. Acta Geologica Polonica, 63 (2), 239-263. Warszawa. Biostratigraphic correlations of inoceramid bivalves between the North Pacific and Euramerican provinces have been difficult because the inoceramid biostratigraphy of the Japanese strata has been based on endemic species of the northwest Pacific. In this study, carbon stable isotope fluctuations of terrestrial organic matter are assembled for the Upper Cretaceous Yezo Group in the Haboro and Obira areas, Hokkaido, Japan, in order to revise the chronology of the inoceramid biozonation in Japan. The carbon isotope curves are correlated with those of marine carbonates in English and German sections with the aid of age-diagnostic taxa. According to the correlations of the carbon isotope curves, 11 isotope events are recognised in the sections studied. As a result of these correlations, the chronology of the inoceramid biozones of the Northwest Pacific has been considerably revised. The revised inoceramid biozones suggest that the timing of the origination and extinction of the inoceramids in the North Pacific biotic province is different from the stage/substage boundaries defined by inoceramids, as used in Europe and North America.

Assessment of Aeolis Palus stratigraphic relationships based on bench-forming strata in the Kylie and the Kimberley regions of Gale crater, Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Rebecca M. E.; Malin, Michael C.; Stack, Kathryn M.; Rubin, David M.

2018-07-01

The stratigraphic context of rock layers is a critical piece of information needed for accurate reconstruction of their geologic history. Although sedimentary rocks are widespread in Gale crater, efforts to deduce stratigraphic relationships of rocks were challenging early in the Mars Science Laboratory mission because vertical bedrock exposures were relatively rare along the first ∼3 km the rover traversed across Aeolis Palus. Potential insights into the three-dimensional configuration of rock layers were made once the rover passed Dingo Gap, especially in the informally-named Kylie and Kimberley regions. Here, the terrain exhibits low relief ( < 10 m) cliffs, some of which are continuous over lengths > 75 m. Curiosity Mastcam and Navcam images show that the cliffs are capped by resistant, bench-forming rock layers corresponding to two facies: a poorly sorted, weakly stratified pebble conglomerate, and a massive, dark-toned, vuggy sandstone. In places, the inclination of the topographic surface (northward ∼2° to 3°) is similar to the apparent dip of the underlying strata, suggesting the presence of dip slopes in an area inferred to be generally flat-lying, conformable rock units. Further, we assessed potential strata correlations via plane-fitting exercises and a regional comparison to other capping strata. We speculate that bench-forming strata in the study region could be part of a widespread package of draping strata (the Siccar Point group) that post-dates deposition and exhumation of the lower strata of Mount Sharp.

Early Cretaceous Ductile Deformation of Marbles from the Western Hills of Beijing, North China Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, H.; Liu, J.

2017-12-01

During the Early Cretaceous tectonic lithosphere extension, the pre-mesozoic rocks from the Western Hills in the central part of the North China Craton suffered from weak metamorphism but intense shear deformation. The prominent features of the deformation structures are the coexisting layer-parallel shear zones and intrafolia folds, and the along-strike thickness variations of the marble layers from the highly sheared Mesoproterozoic Jing'eryu Formation. Platy marbles are well-developed in the thinner layers, while intrafolia folds are often observed in the thicker layers. Most folds are tight recumbent folds and their axial planes are parallel to the foliations and layerings of the marbles. The folds are A-type folds with hinges being always paralleling to the stretching lineations consistently oriented at 130°-310° directions throughout the entire area. SPO and microstructural analyses of the sheared marbles suggest that the thicker layers suffered from deformations homogeneously, while strain localization can be distinguished in the thinner layers. Calcite twin morphology and CPO analysis indicate that the deformation of marbles from both thinner and thicker layers happened at temperatures of 300 to 500°C. The above analysis suggests that marbles in the thicker layers experienced a progressive sequence of thermodynamic events: 1) regional metamorphism, 2) early ductile deformation dominated by relatively higher temperature conditions, during which all the mineral particles elongated and oriented limitedly and the calcite grains are deformed mainly by mechanical twinning, and 3) late superimposition of relatively lower temperature deformation and recrystallization, which superposed the early deformation, and made the calcites finely granulated, elongated and oriented by dynamical recrystallization along with other grains. Marbles from the thinner layers, however, experienced a similar, but different sequence of thermo-dynamic events, i.e. regional

New toothed flying reptile from Asia: close similarities between early Cretaceous pterosaur faunas from China and Brazil.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaolin; Kellner, Alexander W A; Jiang, Shunxing; Cheng, Xin

2012-04-01

Despite the great increase in pterosaur diversity in the last decades, particularly due to discoveries made in western Liaoning (China), very little is known regarding pterosaur biogeography. Here, we present the description of a new pterosaur from the Jiufotang Formation that adds significantly to our knowledge of pterosaur distribution and enhances the diversity of cranial anatomy found in those volant creatures. Guidraco venator gen. et sp. nov. has an unusual upward-directed frontal crest and large rostral teeth, some of which surpass the margins of the skull and lower jaw when occluded. The new species is closely related to a rare taxon from the Brazilian Crato Formation, posing an interesting paleobiogeographic problem and supporting the hypothesis that at least some early Cretaceous pterosaur clades, such as the Tapejaridae and the Anhangueridae, might have originated in Asia. The association of the new specimen with coprolites and the cranial morphology suggest that G. venator preyed on fish.

A new specimen of Manchurochelys manchoukuoensis from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota of Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, China and the phylogeny of Cretaceous basal eucryptodiran turtles

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Manchurochelys manchoukuoensis is an emblematic turtle from the Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Liaoning, China, a geological rock unit that is famous for yielding perfectly preserved skeletons of fossil vertebrates, including that of feathered dinosaurs. Manchurochelys manchoukuoensis was one of the first vertebrates described from this fauna, also known as the Jehol Biota. The holotype was lost during World War II and only one additional specimen has been described since. Manchurochelys manchoukuoensis is a critical taxon for unraveling the phylogenetic relationships of Cretaceous pancryptodires from Asia, a group that is considered to be of key importance for the origin of crown-group hidden-neck turtles (Cryptodira). Results A new specimen of Manchurochelys manchoukuoensis is described here from the Jiufotang Formation of Qilinshan, Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, China. This is the third specimen described and expands the range of this taxon from the Yixian Formation of the Fuxin-Yixian Basin in Liaoning to the Jiufotang Formation of the Chifeng-Yuanbaoshan Basin. A possible temporal extension of the range is less certain. The new finding adds to our understanding of the morphology of this taxon and invites a thorough revision of the phylogeny of Macrobaenidae, Sinemydidae, and closely allied forms. Conclusions Our comprehensive phylogenetic analyses of Cretaceous Asian pancryptodires yielded two main competing hypotheses: in the first these taxa form a paraphyletic grade, whereas in the second they form a monophyletic clade. The inclusion of problematic tree changing taxa, such as Panpleurodires (stem + crown side-neck turtles) has a major influence on the phylogenetic relationships of Sinemydidae and closely allied forms. Manchurochelys manchoukuoensis nests within Sinemydidae together with Sinemys spp. and Dracochelys bicuspis in the majority of our analyses. PMID:24707892

Paleoenvironments of the Jurassic and Cretaceous Oceans: Selected Highlights

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogg, J. G.

2007-12-01

There are many themes contributing to the sedimentation history of the Mesozoic oceans. This overview briefly examines the roles of the carbonate compensation depth (CCD) and the associated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, of the evolution of marine calcareous microplankton, of major transgressive and regressive trends, and of super-plume eruptions. Initiation of Atlantic seafloor spreading in the Middle Jurassic coincided with an elevated carbonate compensation depth (CCD) in the Pacific-Tethys mega-ocean. Organic-rich sediments that would become the oil wealth of regions from Saudi Arabia to the North Sea were deposited during a continued rise in CCD during the Oxfordian-early Kimmeridgian, which suggests a possible increase in carbon dioxide release by oceanic volcanic activity. Deep-sea deposits in near-equatorial settings are dominated by siliceous shales or cherts, which reflect the productivity of siliceous microfossils in the tropical surface waters. The end-Jurassic explosion in productivity by calcareous microplankton contributed to the lowering of the CCD and onset of the chalk ("creta") deposits that characterize the Tithonian and lower Cretaceous in all ocean basins. During the mid-Cretaceous, the eruption of enormous Pacific igneous provinces (Ontong Java Plateau and coeval edifices) increased carbon dioxide levels. The resulting rise in CCD terminated chalk deposition in the deep sea. The excess carbon was progressively removed in widespread black-shale deposits in the Atlantic basins and other regions - another major episode of oil source rock. A major long-term transgression during middle and late Cretaceous was accompanied by extensive chalk deposition on continental shelves and seaways while the oceanic CCD remained elevated. Pacific guyots document major oscillations (sequences) of global sea level superimposed on this broad highstand. The Cretaceous closed with a progressive sea-level regression and lowering of the CCD that again enabled

Short-term survival of ammonites in New Jersey after the end-Cretaceous bolide impact

USGS Publications Warehouse

Landman, Neil H.; Garb, Matthew P.; Rovelli, Remy; Ebel, Denton S.; Edwards, Lucy E.

2012-01-01

A section containing the Cretaceous/Paleogene (= Cretaceous/Tertiary) boundary in Monmouth County, New Jersey, preserves a record of ammonites extending from the end of the Cretaceous into possibly the beginning of the Danian. The section includes the upper part of the Tinton Formation and lower part of the Hornerstown Formation. The top of the Tinton Formation is represented by a richly fossiliferous unit (the Pinna Layer) that contains many bivalves in life position as well as ammonite jaws preserved inside body chambers. Ammonites include Pachydiscus (Neodesmoceras) mokotibensis, Sphenodiscus lobatus, Eubaculites carinatus, E. latecarinatus; Discoscaphites iris, D. sphaeroidalis; D. minardi, and D. jerseyensis. The Pinna Layer probably represents a relatively short interval of time lasting tens to hundreds of years; it is conformably overlain by the Burrowed Unit, which contains a single fragment of Discoscaphites sp. and several fragments of E. latecarinatus, as well as several isolated specimens of ammonite jaws including two of Eubaculites. Examination of the mode of preservation of the ammonites and jaws suggests that they were fossilized during deposition of the Burrowed Unit and were not reworked from older deposits. Based on the ammonites and dinoflagellates in the Pinna Layer and the Burrowed Unit, these strata traditionally would be assigned to the uppermost Maastrichtian, corresponding to calcareous nannofossil Subzone CC26b. However, a weak iridium anomaly (500–600 pg/g) is present at the base of the Pinna Layer, which presumably represents the record of the bolide impact. Correlation with the iridium layer at the Global Stratotype Section and Point at El Kef, Tunisia, would, therefore, imply that these assemblages are actually Danian, provided that the iridium anomaly is in place and the ammonites and dinoflagellates are not reworked. If the iridium anomaly is in place, or even if it has migrated downward from the top of the Pinna Layer, the

Contrasting basin architecture and rifting style of the Vøring Basin, offshore mid-Norway and the Faroe-Shetland Basin, offshore United Kingdom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schöpfer, Kateřina; Hinsch, Ralph

2017-04-01

The Vøring and the Faroe-Shetland basins are offshore deep sedimentary basins which are situated on the outer continental margin of the northeast Atlantic Ocean. Both basins are underlain by thinned continental crust whose structure is still debated. In particular the nature of the lower continental crust and the origin of high velocity bodies located at the base of the lower crust are a subject of discussion in recent literature. Regional interpretation of 2D and 3D seismic reflection data, combined with well data, suggest that both basins share several common features: (i) Pre-Cretaceous faults that are distributed across the entire basin width. (ii) Geometries of pre-Jurassic strata reflecting at least two extensional phases. (iii) Three common rift phases, Late Jurassic, Campanian-Maastrichtian and Palaeocene. (iv) Large pre-Cretaceous fault blocks that are buried by several kilometres of Cretaceous and Cenozoic strata. (iii). (v) Latest Cretaceous/Palaeocene inversion. (vi) Occurrence of partial mantle serpentinization during Early Cretaceous times, as proposed by other studies, seems improbable. The detailed analysis of the data, however, revealed significant differences between the two basins: (i) The Faroe-Shetland Basin was a fault-controlled basin during the Late Jurassic but also the Late Cretaceous extensional phase. In contrast, the Vøring Basin is dominated by the late Jurassic rifting and subsequent thermal subsidence. It exhibits only minor Late Cretaceous faults that are localised above intra-basinal and marginal highs. In addition, the Cretaceous strata in the Vøring Basin are folded. (ii) In the Vøring Basin, the locus of Late Cretaceous rifting shifted westwards, affecting mainly the western basin margin, whereas in the Faroe-Shetland Basin Late Cretaceous rifting was localised in the same area as the Late Jurassic phase, hence masking the original Jurassic geometries. (iii) Devono-Carboniferous and Aptian/Albian to Cenomanian rift phases

Biotic and environmental dynamics through the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous transition: evidence for protracted faunal and ecological turnover.

PubMed

Tennant, Jonathan P; Mannion, Philip D; Upchurch, Paul; Sutton, Mark D; Price, Gregory D

2017-05-01

The Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous interval represents a time of environmental upheaval and cataclysmic events, combined with disruptions to terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Historically, the Jurassic/Cretaceous (J/K) boundary was classified as one of eight mass extinctions. However, more recent research has largely overturned this view, revealing a much more complex pattern of biotic and abiotic dynamics than has previously been appreciated. Here, we present a synthesis of our current knowledge of Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous events, focusing particularly on events closest to the J/K boundary. We find evidence for a combination of short-term catastrophic events, large-scale tectonic processes and environmental perturbations, and major clade interactions that led to a seemingly dramatic faunal and ecological turnover in both the marine and terrestrial realms. This is coupled with a great reduction in global biodiversity which might in part be explained by poor sampling. Very few groups appear to have been entirely resilient to this J/K boundary 'event', which hints at a 'cascade model' of ecosystem changes driving faunal dynamics. Within terrestrial ecosystems, larger, more-specialised organisms, such as saurischian dinosaurs, appear to have suffered the most. Medium-sized tetanuran theropods declined, and were replaced by larger-bodied groups, and basal eusauropods were replaced by neosauropod faunas. The ascent of paravian theropods is emphasised by escalated competition with contemporary pterosaur groups, culminating in the explosive radiation of birds, although the timing of this is obfuscated by biases in sampling. Smaller, more ecologically diverse terrestrial non-archosaurs, such as lissamphibians and mammaliaforms, were comparatively resilient to extinctions, instead documenting the origination of many extant groups around the J/K boundary. In the marine realm, extinctions were focused on low-latitude, shallow marine shelf-dwelling faunas

Modelling the interactions between vegetation and climate from the Cretaceous to the Eocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loptson, Claire; Lunt, Dan; Francis, Jane

2013-04-01

The climates during the Cretaceous (~144 to 66 Ma) and the early Eocene (~56 to 48 Ma) were much warmer than the present day. Atmospheric CO2 levels for these past climates have a large uncertainty associated with them, but were possibly as high as 2000 to 3000 ppm for the early Eocene (Beerling and Royer, 2011; Lowenstein and Demicco, 2006) and maximum values are thought to range from 800 to 1800 ppm during the Cretaceous (Royer et al., 2012). Current modelling efforts have had great difficulty in replicating the shallow latitudinal temperature gradient indicated by proxy data for these time periods (e.g. Heinemann et al., 2009; Winguth et al., 2010; Shellito et al., 2009). Mechanisms that can result in such a low temperature gradient have not been found (Winguth et al., 2010; Beerling et al., 2011; Sloan and Morrill, 1998), but a contributing factor could be that not all climate feedbacks are included in these models. Vegetation feedbacks have been shown to be especially important (e.g. Otto-Bliesner and Upchurch, 1997; Bonan, 2008) so by including a more accurate representation of vegetation in the climate model, the model-data discrepancies may be reduced. A fully coupled atmosphere-ocean GCM, HadCM3L, coupled to a dynamic global vegetation model (TRIFFID), was used to simulate the climate and the predicted vegetation distributions for and the early Eocene and 12 different time slices representing different ages throughout the Cretaceous at 4x pre-industrial CO2. The only difference in the way these simulations were set up are different boundary conditions that are specific to that time period, e.g. different solar constants and paleogeographies. This allows a direct comparison between the time slices. We present the changes in climate, and therefore vegetation, during the Cretaceous due to changes in these boundary conditions alone, with a focus on Antarctica. Additional Eocene simulations were also carried out with a) fixed globally-uniform vegetation and b

Mid-Cretaceous aeolian desert systems in the Yunlong area of the Lanping Basin, China: Implications for palaeoatmosphere dynamics and paleoclimatic change in East Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Gaojie; Wu, Chihua; Rodríguez-López, Juan Pedro; Yi, Haisheng; Xia, Guoqing; Wagreich, Michael

2018-02-01

The mid-Cretaceous constitutes a period of worldwide atmospheric and oceanic change associated with slower thermohaline circulation and ocean anoxic events, possible polar glaciations and by a changing climate pattern becoming controlled by a zonal planetary wind system and an equatorial humid belt. During the mid-Cretaceous, the subtropical high-pressure arid climate belt of the planetary wind system controlled the palaeolatitude distribution of humid belts in Asia as well as the spatial distribution of rain belts over the massive continental blocks at mid-low latitudes in the southern and northern hemispheres. Additionally, the orographic effect of the Andean-type active continental margin in East Asia hindered the transportation of ocean moisture to inland regions. With rising temperatures and palaeoatmospheric conditions dominated by high pressure systems, desert climate environments expanded at the inland areas of East Asia including those accumulated in the mid-Cretaceous of the Simao Basin, the Sichuan Basin, and the Thailand's Khorat Basin, and leading the Late Cretaceous erg systems in the Xinjiang Basin and Jianghan Basin. This manuscript presents evidences that allow to reinterpret previously considered water-laid sediments to be accumulated as windblown deposits forming part of extensive erg (sandy desert) systems. Using a multidisciplinary approach including petrological, sedimentological and architectural observations, the mid-Cretaceous (Albian-Turonian) Nanxin Formation from the Yunlong region of Lanping Basin, formerly considered to aqueous deposits is here interpreted as representing aeolian deposits, showing local aeolian-fluvial interaction deposits. The palaeowind directions obtained from the analysis of aeolian dune cross-beddings indicates that inland deserts were compatible with a high-pressure cell (HPC) existing in the mid-low latitudes of East Asia during the mid-Cretaceous. Compared with the Early Cretaceous, the mid-Cretaceous had

Model for the prediction of subsurface strata movement due to underground mining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Jianwei; Liu, Fangyuan; Li, Siyuan

2017-12-01

The problem of ground control stability due to large underground mining operations is often associated with large movements and deformations of strata. It is a complicated problem, and can induce severe safety or environmental hazards either at the surface or in strata. Hence, knowing the subsurface strata movement characteristics, and making any subsidence predictions in advance, are desirable for mining engineers to estimate any damage likely to affect the ground surface or subsurface strata. Based on previous research findings, this paper broadly applies a surface subsidence prediction model based on the influence function method to subsurface strata, in order to predict subsurface stratum movement. A step-wise prediction model is proposed, to investigate the movement of underground strata. The model involves a dynamic iteration calculation process to derive the movements and deformations for each stratum layer; modifications to the influence method function are also made for more precise calculations. The critical subsidence parameters, incorporating stratum mechanical properties and the spatial relationship of interest at the mining level, are thoroughly considered, with the purpose of improving the reliability of input parameters. Such research efforts can be very helpful to mining engineers’ understanding of the moving behavior of all strata over underground excavations, and assist in making any damage mitigation plan. In order to check the reliability of the model, two methods are carried out and cross-validation applied. One is to use a borehole TV monitor recording to identify the progress of subsurface stratum bedding and caving in a coal mine, the other is to conduct physical modelling of the subsidence in underground strata. The results of these two methods are used to compare with theoretical results calculated by the proposed mathematical model. The testing results agree well with each other, and the acceptable accuracy and reliability of the

Evidence for high salinity of Early Cretaceous sea water from the Chesapeake Bay crater

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sanford, Ward E.; Doughten, Michael W.; Coplen, Tyler B.; Hunt, Andrew G.; Bullen, Thomas D.

2013-01-01

High salinity groundwater more than 1000 metres deep in the Atlantic Coastal Plain of the United States has been documented in several locations1,2, most recently within the 35 million-year-old Chesapeake Bay impact crater3,4,5. Suggestions for the origin of increased salinity in the crater have included evaporite dissolution6, osmosis6, and evaporation from heating7 associated with the bolide impact. Here we present chemical, isotopic and physical evidence that together indicate that groundwater in the Chesapeake crater is remnant Early Cretaceous North Atlantic (ECNA) seawater. We find that the seawater is likely 100-145 million years old and that it has an average salinity of about 70 per mil, which is twice that of modern seawater and consistent with the nearly closed ECNA basin8. Previous evidence for temperature and salinity levels of ancient oceans have been estimated indirectly from geochemical, isotopic and paleontological analyses of solid materials in deep sediment cores. In contrast, our study identifies ancient seawater in situ and provides a direct estimate of its age and salinity. Moreover, we suggest that it is likely that remnants of ECNA seawater persist in deep sediments at many locations along the Atlantic margin.

Cretaceous plutonic rocks in the Donner Lake-Cisco Grove area, northern Sierra Nevada, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kulow, Matthew J.; Hanson, Richard E.; Girty, Gary H.; Girty, Melissa S.; Harwood, David S.

1998-01-01

The northernmost occurrences of extensive, glaciated exposures of the Sierra Nevada batholith occur in the Donner Lake-Cisco Grove area of the northern Sierra Nevada. The plutonic rocks in this area, which are termed here the Castle Valley plutonic assemblage, crop out over an area of 225 km2 and for the most part are shown as a single undifferentiated mass on previously published geological maps. In the present work, the plutonic assemblage is divided into eight separate intrusive units or lithodemes, two of which each consist of two separate plutons. Compositions are dominantly granodiorite and tonalite, but diorite and granite form small plutons in places. Spectacular examples of comb layering and orbicular texture occur in the diorites. U-Pb zircon ages have been obtained for all but one of the main units and range from ~120 to 114 Ma, indicating that the entire assemblage was emplaced in a narrow time frame in the Early Cretaceous. This is consistent with abundant field evidence that many of the individual phases were intruded penecontemporaneously. The timing of emplacement correlates with onset of major Cretaceous plutonism in the main part of the Sierra Nevada batholith farther south. The emplacement ages also are similar to isotopic ages for gold-quartz mineralization in the Sierran foothills west of the study area, suggesting a direct genetic relationship between the voluminous Early Cretaceous plutonism and hydrothermal gold mineralization.

Nannofossils in 2011 El Hierro eruptive products reinstate plume model for Canary Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaczek, Kirsten; Troll, Valentin R.; Cachao, Mario; Ferreira, Jorge; Deegan, Frances M.; Carracedo, Juan Carlos; Soler, Vicente; Meade, Fiona C.; Burchardt, Steffi

2015-01-01

The origin and life cycle of ocean islands have been debated since the early days of Geology. In the case of the Canary archipelago, its proximity to the Atlas orogen led to initial fracture-controlled models for island genesis, while later workers cited a Miocene-Quaternary east-west age-progression to support an underlying mantle-plume. The recent discovery of submarine Cretaceous volcanic rocks near the westernmost island of El Hierro now questions this systematic age-progression within the archipelago. If a mantle-plume is indeed responsible for the Canaries, the onshore volcanic age-progression should be complemented by progressively younger pre-island sedimentary strata towards the west, however, direct age constraints for the westernmost pre-island sediments are lacking. Here we report on new age data obtained from calcareous nannofossils in sedimentary xenoliths erupted during the 2011 El Hierro events, which date the sub-island sedimentary rocks to between late Cretaceous and Pliocene in age. This age-range includes substantially younger pre-volcanic sedimentary rocks than the Jurassic to Miocene strata known from the older eastern islands and now reinstate the mantle-plume hypothesis as the most plausible explanation for Canary volcanism. The recently discovered Cretaceous submarine volcanic rocks in the region are, in turn, part of an older, fracture-related tectonic episode.

Nannofossils in 2011 El Hierro eruptive products reinstate plume model for Canary Islands.

PubMed

Zaczek, Kirsten; Troll, Valentin R; Cachao, Mario; Ferreira, Jorge; Deegan, Frances M; Carracedo, Juan Carlos; Soler, Vicente; Meade, Fiona C; Burchardt, Steffi

2015-01-22

The origin and life cycle of ocean islands have been debated since the early days of Geology. In the case of the Canary archipelago, its proximity to the Atlas orogen led to initial fracture-controlled models for island genesis, while later workers cited a Miocene-Quaternary east-west age-progression to support an underlying mantle-plume. The recent discovery of submarine Cretaceous volcanic rocks near the westernmost island of El Hierro now questions this systematic age-progression within the archipelago. If a mantle-plume is indeed responsible for the Canaries, the onshore volcanic age-progression should be complemented by progressively younger pre-island sedimentary strata towards the west, however, direct age constraints for the westernmost pre-island sediments are lacking. Here we report on new age data obtained from calcareous nannofossils in sedimentary xenoliths erupted during the 2011 El Hierro events, which date the sub-island sedimentary rocks to between late Cretaceous and Pliocene in age. This age-range includes substantially younger pre-volcanic sedimentary rocks than the Jurassic to Miocene strata known from the older eastern islands and now reinstate the mantle-plume hypothesis as the most plausible explanation for Canary volcanism. The recently discovered Cretaceous submarine volcanic rocks in the region are, in turn, part of an older, fracture-related tectonic episode.

Total petroleum systems of the Bonaparte Gulf Basin area, Australia; Jurassic, Early Cretaceous-Mesozoic; Keyling, Hyland Bay-Permian; Milligans-Carboniferous, Permian

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bishop, M.G.

1999-01-01

The Bonaparte Gulf Basin Province (USGS #3910) of northern Australia contains three important hydrocarbon source-rock intervals. The oldest source-rock interval and associated reservoir rocks is the Milligans-Carboniferous, Permian petroleum system. This petroleum system is located at the southern end of Joseph Bonaparte Gulf and includes both onshore and offshore areas within a northwest to southeast trending Paleozoic rift that was initiated in the Devonian. The Milligans Formation is a Carboniferous marine shale that sources accumulations of both oil and gas in Carboniferous and Permian deltaic, marine shelf carbonate, and shallow to deep marine sandstones. The second petroleum system in the Paleozoic rift is the Keyling, Hyland Bay-Permian. Source rocks include Lower Permian Keyling Formation delta-plain coals and marginal marine shales combined with Upper Permian Hyland Bay Formation prodelta shales. These source-rock intervals provide gas and condensate for fluvial, deltaic, and shallow marine sandstone reservoirs primarily within several members of the Hyland Bay Formation. The Keyling, Hyland Bay-Permian petroleum system is located in the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, north of the Milligans-Carboniferous, Permian petroleum system, and may extend northwest under the Vulcan graben sub-basin. The third and youngest petroleum system is the Jurassic, Early Cretaceous-Mesozoic system that is located seaward of Joseph Bonaparte Gulf on the Australian continental shelf, and trends southwest-northeast. Source-rock intervals in the Vulcan graben sub-basin include deltaic mudstones of the Middle Jurassic Plover Formation and organic-rich marine shales of the Upper Jurassic Vulcan Formation and Lower Cretaceous Echuca Shoals Formation. These intervals produce gas, oil, and condensate that accumulates in, shallow- to deep-marine sandstone reservoirs of the Challis and Vulcan Formations of Jurassic to Cretaceous age. Organic-rich, marginal marine claystones and coals of the

Sandstone units of the Lee Formation and related strata in eastern Kentucky

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rice, Charles L.

1984-01-01

Most of the Cumberland Plateau region of southeastern Kentucky is underlain by thick sequences of quartzose sandstone which are assigned for the most part to the Lee Formation. Much new information has been gathered about the Lee and related strata as a result of the cooperative mapping program of the U. S. Geological Survey and the Kentucky Geological Survey between 1960 and 1978. This report summarizes the age, lithology, distribution, sedimentary structures, and stratigraphic relations of the sandstone units of the Lee within and between each of three major outcrop belts in Kentucky: Cumberland Mountain, Pine Mountain, and the Pottsville Escarpment area. The Lee Formation generally has been regarded as Early Pennsylvanian in age and separated from Mississippian strata in Kentucky by an unconformity. However, lithostratigraphic units included in the formation as presently defined are broadly time-transgressive and range in age from Late Mississippian in parts of the Cumberland Mountain outcrop belt to Middle Pennsylvanian in the Pottsville Escarpment area. Members of the Lee intertongue with and grade into the underlying Pennington Formation and overlying Breathitt Formation. Sandstone and conglomeratic sandstone members of the Lee of Mississippian age found only in parts of the Cumberland overthrust sheet are closely associated with marine rocks; Pennsylvanian members are mostly associated with continental coal-bearing strata. Sandstone members of the Lee are mostly quartz rich and range from more than 90 percent to more than 99 percent quartz. They are relatively coarse grained, commonly pebbly, and in places conglomeratic. The units are southwest-trending linear or broadly lobate bodies. The Lee Formation is as much as 1,500 ft thick in the type area in Cumberland Mountain where it has been divided into eight members. The Pinnacle Overlook, Chadwell, White Rocks Sandstone, Middlesboro, Bee Rock Sandstone, and Naese Sandstone Members are mostly quartzose

Provenance of a large Lower Cretaceous turbidite submarine fan complex on the active Laurasian margin: Central Pontides, northern Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akdoğan, Remziye; Okay, Aral I.; Sunal, Gürsel; Tari, Gabor; Meinhold, Guido; Kylander-Clark, Andrew R. C.

2017-02-01

The Pontides formed the southern active margin of Laurasia during the Mesozoic. They became separated from mainland Laurasia during the Late Cretaceous, with the opening of the Black Sea as an oceanic back-arc basin. During the Early Cretaceous, a large submarine turbidite fan complex developed in the Central Pontides. The turbidites cover an area of 400 km by 90 km with a thickness of more than 2 km. We have investigated the provenance of these turbidites-the Çağlayan Formation-using paleocurrent measurements, U-Pb detrital zircon ages, REE abundances of dated zircons and geochemistry of detrital rutile grains. 1924 paleocurrent measurements from 96 outcrop stations indicate flow direction from northwest to southeast in the eastern part of the Çağlayan Basin and from north-northeast to west-southwest in the western part. 1194 detrital zircon ages from 13 Lower Cretaceous sandstone samples show different patterns in the eastern, central and western parts of the basin. The majority of the U-Pb detrital zircon ages in the eastern part of the basin are Archean and Paleoproterozoic (61% of all zircon ages, 337 grains); rocks of these ages are absent in the Pontides and present in the Ukrainian Shield, which indicates a source north of the Black Sea. In the western part of the basin the majority of the zircons are Carboniferous and Neoproterozoic (68%, 246 grains) implying more local sources within the Pontides. The detrital zircons from the central part show an age spectrum as mixture of zircons from western and eastern parts. Significantly, Jurassic and Early Cretaceous zircons make up less than 2% of the total zircon population, which implies lack of a coeval magmatic arc in the region. This is compatible with the absence of the Lower Cretaceous granites in the Pontides. Thus, although the Çağlayan Basin occupied a fore-arc position above the subduction zone, the arc was missing, probably due to flat subduction, and the basin was largely fed from the Ukrainian

Beginning of foreland subsidence in the Columbian-Sevier belts, southern Canada and northwest Montana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gillespie, Janice M.; Heller, Paul L.

1995-08-01

Subsidence analysis and geometry of Jurassic-Cretaceous foreland strata in northwestern Montana and southern Alberta and British Columbia suggest that loading by the fold-thrust belt in Canada began as much as 40 m.y. earlier than in Montana. In Canada, early foreland basin deposits are Late Jurassic age, thicken rapidly westward, and are restricted to a narrow belt within 30 km of the thrust belt. In western Montana, contemporaneous deposits are widespread and do not increase markedly in thickness toward the thrust belt. The unconformity overlying these deposits also changes from Canada, where it is angular, to a disconformity in western Montana near Great Falls. Between these two areas, foreland geometry is transitional over a distance of <250 km. Beyond the transition zone, early foreland basin geometries are broadly consistent, showing Late Jurassic foreland subsidence in southern Canada and Early Cretaceous initial subsidence in the United States.

Ichnology and paleosubstrates of Austin Chalk (Cretaceous) outcrops: Southern Dallas and Ellis Counties, Texas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dawson, W.C.; Reaser, D.F.

1991-03-01

Ichnofossils are abundant in outcrops of the Austin Chalk near Waxahachie, Texas (designated site of the Super-Conducting Super Collider). The abundance and diversity of ichnofossils in Austin strata contrast with the paucity of other macrofossils, except large inoceramids. The lower Austin Chalk (Coniacian) disconformably overlies the Eagle Ford Shale (Turonian). Planolites, Thalassinoides, and Chondrites are conspicuous in the lower Austin. Some lower Austin strata contain well-preserved burrows having menicus fillings. However, most lower Austin ichnofossils are poorly preserved and have compacted. The middle Austin Marl and upper Austin Chalk (Santonain) contain Planolites, Chondrites, Thalassinoides, and Pseudobilobites. Several thin, intensely burrowed,more » Fe-stained, horizons within the middle Austin represent omission surfaces having postomission Thalassinoides. The upper Austin disconformably underlies the Taylor Marl (Campanian). The Austin-Taylor contact is a Rhizocorallium-infested omission surface overlain by a condensed bed of phosphatic and pyritic bioclasts. Upper Austin occurrences of Rhizocorallium and Pseudobilobites are unique for North American Cretaceous chalks. Based on cross-cutting relationships and differences in morphology, diameter, and burrow-filling sediments, numerous ichnospecies of Thalassinoides are discernable throughout the Austin. Variations in preservation quality exhibited by successive generations of ichnofossils record progressive changes in substrate consistency. Earliest formed burrows have diffuse outlines representing an initial thixotropic (softground) Austin substrate. Subsequent generations of burrows have more distinct outlines recording a gradual increase in substrate firmness. Paleo-firmgrounds are common in Austin outcrops; evidence of hardgrounds is lacking. The Thalassinoides-dominated Austin ichnoassemblage represents an inner shelf paleoenvironment.« less

Stratigraphic and palaeoenvironmental summary of the south-east Georgia embayment: a correlation of exploratory wells

USGS Publications Warehouse

Poppe, Lawrence J.; Popenoe, Peter; Poag, C. Wylie; Swift, B. Ann

1995-01-01

A Continental Offshore Stratigraphic Test (COST) well and six exploratory wells have been drilled in the south-east Georgia embayment. The oldest rocks penetrated are weakly metamorphosed Lower Ordovician quartz arenites and Silurian shales and argillites in the Transco 1005-1 well and Upper Devonian argillites in the COST GE-1 well. These marine strata, which are equivalent to the Tippecanoe sequence in Florida, underlie the post-rift unconformity and represent part of a disjunct fragment of Gondwana that was sutured to the North American craton during the late Palaeozoic Alleghanian orogeny. The Palaeozoic strata are unconformably overlain by interbedded non-marine Jurassic (Bajocian and younger) sandstones and shales and marginal marine Lower Cretaceous sandstones, calcareous shales and carbonates, which contain scattered beds of coal and evaporite. Together, these rocks are stratigraphically equivalent to the onshore Fort Pierce and Cotton Valley(?) Formations and rocks of the Lower Cretaceous Comanchean Provincial Series. The abundance of carbonates and evaporites in this interval, which reflects marine influences within the embayment, increases upwards, eastwards and southwards. The Upper Cretaceous part of the section is composed mainly of neritic calcareous shales and shaley limestones stratigraphically equivalent to the primarily marginal marine facies of the onshore Atkinson, Cape Fear and Middendorf Formations and Black Creek Group, and to limestones and shales of the Lawson Limestone and Peedee Formations. Cenozoic strata are primarily semiconsolidated marine carbonates. Palaeocene to middle Eocene strata are commonly cherty; middle Miocene to Pliocene strata are massive and locally phosphatic and glauconitic; Quaternary sediments are dominated by unconsolidated carbonate sands. The effects of eustatic changes and shifts in the palaeocirculation are recorded in the Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary strata.

Extensive Gravity Sliding of Late Jurassic-Cretaceous Age along the Northern Yucatan Margin of the Gulf of Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steier, A.; Mann, P.

2017-12-01

salt movement off the north-central Yucatan had ceased and was capped by the post-sliding Cretaceous-Paleocene boundary deposit (KPBD); and 3) a 150 km length of the southwestern margin with the largest thicknesses of salt; smaller salt rollers are less common as large diapirs are frequent and extensively deform the late Mesozoic section as well as overlying younger strata.

Marine vs. local control on seawater Nd-isotope ratios at the northwest coast of Africa during the late Cretaceous-early Eocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kocsis, L.; Gheerbrant, E.; Mouflih, M.; Cappetta, H.; Ulianov, A.; Chiaradia, M.

2013-12-01

At the northwest corner of Africa excellent conditions existed for phosphate formation (i.e., stable upwelling system) during the late Cretaceous-early Eocene. This is probably in relation to stable tectonic evolution of shallow epicontinental basins at a passive continental margin and to their paleogeographic situation between the Atlantic and Tethys marine realms. To better comprehend paleoceanic conditions in this area, radiogenic isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd) and trace element compositions of fossil biogenic apatite are investigated from Maastrichtian to Ypresian shallow marine phosphorite deposits in Morocco (Ouled Abdoun and Ganntour Basins). Rare earth elements (REE) distributions in the fossils are compatible with early diagenetic marine pore fluid represented by negative Ce-anomaly and heavy REE enrichment. An overall shift in Ce-anomaly is apparent with gradually lower values in younger fossils along three distinct assemblages that correspond to Maastrichtian, Danian-Thanetian and Ypresian periods. The temporal change can be interpreted as presence of gradually more oxygenated seawater in the basins. Strontium isotopic ratios of the fossils follow the global Sr-evolution curve. However, the latest Cretaceous and the oldest Paleocene fossils yielded slightly higher ratios than the global ocean, which could reflect minor diagenetic alteration. Neodymium isotopic ratios are quite even along the phosphate series with ɛNd(t) values ranges from -6.8 to -5.8. These values are higher than those reported for average North Atlantic deep water and Tethyan seawater (e.g., Stille et al., 1996; Thomas et al., 2003). For the origin of the stable, high 143Nd/144Nd we propose three main hypotheses: (1) contribution of continental Nd-source, (2) locally controlled deep water Nd-isotope ratios near the coast from where upwelling originated in the area and (3) possible surface marine water contribution from the Pacific across the Atlantic. Stille, P., Steinmann

An atmospheric pCO2 reconstruction across the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary from leaf megafossils

PubMed Central

Beerling, D. J.; Lomax, B. H.; Royer, D. L.; Upchurch, G. R.; Kump, L. R.

2002-01-01

The end-Cretaceous mass extinctions, 65 million years ago, profoundly influenced the course of biotic evolution. These extinctions coincided with a major extraterrestrial impact event and massive volcanism in India. Determining the relative importance of each event as a driver of environmental and biotic change across the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary (KTB) crucially depends on constraining the mass of CO2 injected into the atmospheric carbon reservoir. Using the inverse relationship between atmospheric CO2 and the stomatal index of land plant leaves, we reconstruct Late Cretaceous-Early Tertiary atmospheric CO2 concentration (pCO2) levels with special emphasis on providing a pCO2 estimate directly above the KTB. Our record shows stable Late Cretaceous/Early Tertiary background pCO2 levels of 350–500 ppm by volume, but with a marked increase to at least 2,300 ppm by volume within 10,000 years of the KTB. Numerical simulations with a global biogeochemical carbon cycle model indicate that CO2 outgassing during the eruption of the Deccan Trap basalts fails to fully account for the inferred pCO2 increase. Instead, we calculate that the postboundary pCO2 rise is most consistent with the instantaneous transfer of ≈4,600 Gt C from the lithic to the atmospheric reservoir by a large extraterrestrial bolide impact. A resultant climatic forcing of +12 W⋅m−2 would have been sufficient to warm the Earth's surface by ≈7.5°C, in the absence of counter forcing by sulfate aerosols. This finding reinforces previous evidence for major climatic warming after the KTB impact and implies that severe and abrupt global warming during the earliest Paleocene was an important factor in biotic extinction at the KTB. PMID:12060729

Geologic models and evaluation of undiscovered conventional and continuous oil and gas resources: Upper Cretaceous Austin Chalk

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pearson, Krystal

2012-01-01

The Upper Cretaceous Austin Chalk forms a low-permeability, onshore Gulf of Mexico reservoir that produces oil and gas from major fractures oriented parallel to the underlying Lower Cretaceous shelf edge. Horizontal drilling links these fracture systems to create an interconnected network that drains the reservoir. Field and well locations along the production trend are controlled by fracture networks. Highly fractured chalk is present along both regional and local fault zones. Fractures are also genetically linked to movement of the underlying Jurassic Louann Salt with tensile fractures forming downdip of salt-related structures creating the most effective reservoirs. Undiscovered accumulations should also be associated with structure-controlled fracture systems because much of the Austin that overlies the Lower Cretaceous shelf edge remains unexplored. The Upper Cretaceous Eagle Ford Shale is the primary source rock for Austin Chalk hydrocarbons. This transgressive marine shale varies in thickness and lithology across the study area and contains both oil- and gas-prone kerogen. The Eagle Ford began generating oil and gas in the early Miocene, and vertical migration through fractures was sufficient to charge the Austin reservoirs.

Faulting at Thebes Gap, Mo. -Ill. : Implications for New Madrid tectonism

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harrison, R.W.; Schultz, A.P.

1992-01-01

Recent geologic mapping in the Thebes Gap area has identified numerous NNE- and NE-striking faults having a long-lived and complex structural history. The faults are located in an area of moderate recent seismicity at the northern margin of the Mississippi embayment, approximately 45 km north of the New Madrid seismic zone. Earliest deformation occurred along dextral strike-slip faults constrained as post-Devonian and pre-Cretaceous. Uplift and erosion of all Carboniferous strata suggest that this faulting is related to development of the Pascola arch (Ouachita orogeny). This early deformation is characterized by strongly faulted and folded Ordovician through Devonian rocks overlain inmore » places with angular unconformity by undeformed Cretaceous strata. Elsewhere, younger deformation involves Paleozoic, Cretaceous, Paleocene, and Eocene formations. These units have experienced both minor high-angle normal faulting and major, dextral strike-slip faulting. Quaternary-Tertiary Mounds Gravel is also involved in the latest episode of strike-slip deformation. Enechelon north-south folds, antithetic R[prime] shears, and drag folds indicate right-lateral motion. Characteristic positive and negative flower structures are commonly revealed in cross section. Right-stepping fault strands have produced pull-apart basins where Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Cretaceous, and Tertiary units are downdropped several hundreds of meters and occur in chaotic orientations. Similar fault orientations and kinematics, as well as recent seismicity and close proximity, clearly suggest a structural relationship between deformation at Thebes Gap and tectonism associated with the New Madrid area.« less

Island life in the Cretaceous - faunal composition, biogeography, evolution, and extinction of land-living vertebrates on the Late Cretaceous European archipelago

PubMed Central

Csiki-Sava, Zoltán; Buffetaut, Eric; Ősi, Attila; Pereda-Suberbiola, Xabier; Brusatte, Stephen L.

2015-01-01

Abstract The Late Cretaceous was a time of tremendous global change, as the final stages of the Age of Dinosaurs were shaped by climate and sea level fluctuations and witness to marked paleogeographic and faunal changes, before the end-Cretaceous bolide impact. The terrestrial fossil record of Late Cretaceous Europe is becoming increasingly better understood, based largely on intensive fieldwork over the past two decades, promising new insights into latest Cretaceous faunal evolution. We review the terrestrial Late Cretaceous record from Europe and discuss its importance for understanding the paleogeography, ecology, evolution, and extinction of land-dwelling vertebrates. We review the major Late Cretaceous faunas from Austria, Hungary, France, Spain, Portugal, and Romania, as well as more fragmentary records from elsewhere in Europe. We discuss the paleogeographic background and history of assembly of these faunas, and argue that they are comprised of an endemic ‘core’ supplemented with various immigration waves. These faunas lived on an island archipelago, and we describe how this insular setting led to ecological peculiarities such as low diversity, a preponderance of primitive taxa, and marked changes in morphology (particularly body size dwarfing). We conclude by discussing the importance of the European record in understanding the end-Cretaceous extinction and show that there is no clear evidence that dinosaurs or other groups were undergoing long-term declines in Europe prior to the bolide impact. PMID:25610343

Osmium Isotopic Composition of the Sumbar Cretaceous- Tertiary Boundary, Turkmenia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meisel, T.; Krahenbuhl, U.; Nazarov, M. A.

1992-07-01

., Barsukova L. D., Koselov G. M., Nizhegorodova I. V. and Amanniyazov K. N. (1988) The Cretaceous- Paleogene boundary in southern Turkmenia and its geochemical characteristics. Int. Geol. Rev. 30, 121-135. Esser B. K. and Turekian K. K. (1989) Osmium isotopic composition of the Raton Basin Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary interval. 70, 717. Kraehenbuehl U., Geissbuehler M., Buehler F. and Eberhardt P. (1988) The measurement of osmium isotopes in samples from a Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) section of the Raton Basin, USA. Meteoritics 23, 282. Lichte F. E., Wilson S. M., Brooks R. R., Reeves R. D., Holzbecher J. and Ryan D. E. (1986) New method for the measurement of osmium isotopes applied to a New Zealand Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary shale. Nature 322, 816-817. Luck J. M. and Turekian K. K. (1983) Osmium-^187/Osmium-^186 in manganese nodules and the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary. Science 222, 613- 615. Turekian K. K. (1982) Potential of ^187Os/^186Os as a cosmic versus terrestrial indicator in high iridium layers of sedimentary strata. Geol. Bull. Am. Spec. Pap. 190, 243-249.

Mid-Mesozoic (Mid-Jurassic to Early Cretaceous) evolution of the Georges Bank Basin, U.S. North Atlantic outer continental shelf: Sedimentology of the Conoco 145-1 well

USGS Publications Warehouse

Poppe, L.J.; Poag, C.W.; Stanton, R.W.

1992-01-01

The Conoco 145-1 exploratory well, located in the southeastern portion of the Georges Bank Basin, was drilled to a total depth of 4303 m below the sea floor. The oldest sedimentary rocks sampled are of Middle Jurassic age (Late Bathonian-Callovian). A dolomite-limestone-evaporite sequence dominates the section below 3917 m; limestone is the predominant lithology in the intervals of 3271-3774 m, 2274-3158 m, and 1548-1981 m. Siliciclastics dominate the remainder of the drilled section. Calcite tightly cements most of the rocks below 1548 m; dolomite, silica, siderite, and diagenetic clay cements are locally important. Restricted inner marine environments, representing lagoonal and tidal flat conditions, prevailed at the wellsite during much of the deposition recorded by the Callovian-Bathonian age Iroquois Formation. These environments gave way to a carbonate platform, which formed part of the > 5,000 km long Bahama-Grand Banks gigaplatform that lasted through the end of the Late Jurassic (encompassing the uppermost portion of the Iroquois Formation and the Scatarie Limestone and Bacarro Limestone Members of the Abenaki Formation). The absence of a skeletal-reef association and the dominance of muddy limestone fabrics are evidence that the 145-1 wellsite was located on the platform interior. Major periods of siticiclastic deposition interrupted carbonate deposition, and they are recorded by stratigraphic equivalents of the Mohican Formation, Misaine Shale Member of the Abenaki Formation, and the Mohawk and Mic Mac Formations. A series of sustained prograding delta systems, the earliest of which is preserved as the Missisauga Formation, buried the carbonate platform following its drowning in the Early Cretaceous (Berriasian-Valanginian). The sparser, primarily allochthonous lignite content and better-sorted, glauconite-bearing sands of the Missisauga strata at the 145-1 wellsite suggest that shallow marine or barrier-bar environments were more prevalent than the low

Polychronous (Early Cretaceous to Palaeogene) emplacement of the Mundwara alkaline complex, Rajasthan, India: 40Ar/39Ar geochronology, petrochemistry and geodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pande, Kanchan; Cucciniello, Ciro; Sheth, Hetu; Vijayan, Anjali; Sharma, Kamal Kant; Purohit, Ritesh; Jagadeesan, K. C.; Shinde, Sapna

2017-07-01

The Mundwara alkaline plutonic complex (Rajasthan, north-western India) is considered a part of the Late Cretaceous-Palaeogene Deccan Traps flood basalt province, based on geochronological data (mainly 40Ar/39Ar, on whole rocks, biotite and hornblende). We have studied the petrology and mineral chemistry of some Mundwara mafic rocks containing mica and amphibole. Geothermobarometry indicates emplacement of the complex at middle to upper crustal levels. We have obtained new 40Ar/39Ar ages of 80-84 Ma on biotite separates from mafic rocks and 102-110 Ma on whole-rock nepheline syenites. There is no evidence for excess 40Ar. The combined results show that some of the constituent intrusions of the Mundwara complex are of Deccan age, but others are older and unrelated to the Deccan Traps. The Mundwara alkaline complex is thus polychronous and similar to many alkaline complexes around the world that show recurrent magmatism, sometimes over hundreds of millions of years. The primary biotite and amphibole in Mundwara mafic rocks indicate hydrous parental magmas, derived from hydrated mantle peridotite at relatively low temperatures, thus ruling out a mantle plume. This hydration and metasomatism of the Rajasthan lithospheric mantle may have occurred during Jurassic subduction under Gondwanaland, or Precambrian subduction events. Low-degree decompression melting of this old, enriched lithospheric mantle, due to periodic diffuse lithospheric extension, gradually built the Mundwara complex from the Early Cretaceous to Palaeogene time.

Implications of diapir-derived detritus and gypsic paleosols in Lower Triassic strata near the Castle Valley salt wall, Paradox Basin, Utah

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawton, Timothy F.; Buck, Brenda J.

2006-10-01

Gypsum-bearing growth strata and sedimentary facies of the Moenkopi Formation on the crest and NE flank of the Castle Valley salt wall in the Paradox Basin record salt rise, evaporite exposure, and salt-withdrawal subsidence during the Early Triassic. Detrital gypsum and dolomite clasts derived from the middle Pennsylvanian Paradox Formation were deposited in strata within a few kilometers of the salt wall and indicate that salt rise rates roughly balanced sediment accumulation, resulting in long-term exposure of mobile evaporite. Deposition took place primarily in flood-basin or inland sabkha settings that alternated between shallow subaqueous and subaerial conditions in a hyperarid climate. Matrix-supported and clast-supported conglomerates with gypsum fragments represent debris-flow deposits and reworked debris-flow deposits, respectively, interbedded with flood-basin sandstone and siltstone during development of diapiric topography. Mudstone-rich flood-basin deposits with numerous stage I to III gypsic paleosols capped by eolian gypsum sand sheets accumulated during waning salt-withdrawal subsidence. Association of detrital gypsum, eolian gypsum, and gypsic paleosols suggests that the salt wall provided a common source for gypsum in the surrounding strata. This study documents a previously unrecognized salt weld with associated growth strata containing diapir-derived detritus and gypsic palesols that can be used to interpret halokinesis.

Sedimentology, stratigraphy, and depositional environment of the Crystal Geyser Dinosaur Quarry, east-central Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Suarez, M.B.; Suarez, C.A.; Kirkland, J.I.; Gonzalez, Luis A.; Grandstaff, D.E.; Terry, D.O.

2007-01-01

The Crystal Geyser Dinosaur Quarry, near Green River, Utah, is located at the base of the Lower Cretaceous (Barremian) Yellow Cat Member of the Cedar Mountain Formation. The quarry preserves a nearly monospecific accumulation of a new basal therizinosauroid, Falcarius utahensis. We used field descriptions and petrographic analysis to determine the depositional environment and development of the quarry strata. Results of these analyses suggest that the quarry represents multiple episodes of bone accumulation buried by spring and overbank flood deposits. Evidence for these previously undescribed spring deposits includes calcite macroscopic structures within the quarry strata - such as pisolites and travertine fragments - and calcite micromorphologies - including radial-fibrous, feather, and scandulitic dendrite morphologies and tufa clasts. At least two episodes of bone incorporation are preserved in the quarry based on their stratigraphic position and lithologic associations. The unique depositional setting in and around the Crystal Geyser Dinosaur Quarry appears to have been favorable for the preservation of vertebrate fossils and provides insight into early Cretaceous environments in North America. Copyright ?? 2007, SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology).

Structural characteristics and collapse mechanism of the late Cretaceous Geumseongsan Caldera, SE Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, S.; Cheon, Y.; Lee, Y.; Son, M.

2017-12-01

The Geumseongsan caldera provides an opportunity to understand the structural evolution of volcanic collapse and the role of paleostress. We focus on structural elements of the exhumed caldera floor to interpret the collapse mechanism. The caldera shows an NNW-trending elliptical shape (8×12 km). Basaltic and rhyolitic rocks are situated in the central high of the caldera, while pre-volcanic sedimentary rocks in the perimetric lowland of the volcanic rocks. Stratal attitudes change sharply from the outside to the inside of caldera bounded with a sub-vertical ring fault. The outside strata show a homocline toward SE about 15°, whereas the inside is divided into four structural domains (NE-, NW-, SE-, and SW-domains) based on the changing attitudes. The strata in NW- and SE-domains dip toward SE and NW, respectively, making an overall synclinal fold. While NE- and SW-domains comprise re-oriented, folded strata, which generally have NE- and SW-trending axes plunging toward the center. In addition, extensional and contractional structures occur distinctively in NW- and SE-domains and in NE- and SW-domains, respectively, indicating an axisymmetric deformation around NE-SW axis. The results indicate that higher horizontal mass movement toward the center occurred in NW- and SE-domains than in NE- and SW-domains while vertical mass movement was more active in the latter. This axisymmetric deformation could be produced by regional stress during the volcanic activity, which affected the collapse pattern of caldera floor. The regional stress field during the late Cretaceous is known as NW-SE horizontal maximum and NE-SW horizontal minimum stresses due to the oblique subduction of proto-Pacific Plate underneath Eurasian Plate. NNW-trending elliptical shape of the caldera is interpreted to have formed under the influence of this stresses, like a tension gash. The NW-SE maximum stress possibly acted to resist vertical displacement along the marginal fault of NW- and SE

The oldest known snakes from the Middle Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous provide insights on snake evolution.

PubMed

Caldwell, Michael W; Nydam, Randall L; Palci, Alessandro; Apesteguía, Sebastián

2015-01-27

The previous oldest known fossil snakes date from ~100 million year old sediments (Upper Cretaceous) and are both morphologically and phylogenetically diverse, indicating that snakes underwent a much earlier origin and adaptive radiation. We report here on snake fossils that extend the record backwards in time by an additional ~70 million years (Middle Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous). These ancient snakes share features with fossil and modern snakes (for example, recurved teeth with labial and lingual carinae, long toothed suborbital ramus of maxillae) and with lizards (for example, pronounced subdental shelf/gutter). The paleobiogeography of these early snakes is diverse and complex, suggesting that snakes had undergone habitat differentiation and geographic radiation by the mid-Jurassic. Phylogenetic analysis of squamates recovers these early snakes in a basal polytomy with other fossil and modern snakes, where Najash rionegrina is sister to this clade. Ingroup analysis finds them in a basal position to all other snakes including Najash.

Mesozoic (Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous) deep gas reservoir play, central and eastern Gulf coastal plain

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mancini, E.A.; Li, P.; Goddard, D.A.; Ramirez, V.O.; Talukdar, S.C.

2008-01-01

The Mesozoic (Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous) deeply buried gas reservoir play in the central and eastern Gulf coastal plain of the United States has high potential for significant gas resources. Sequence-stratigraphic study, petroleum system analysis, and resource assessment were used to characterize this developing play and to identify areas in the North Louisiana and Mississippi Interior salt basins with potential for deeply buried gas reservoirs. These reservoir facies accumulated in Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Norphlet, Haynesville, Cotton Valley, and Hosston continental, coastal, and marine siliciclastic environments and Smackover and Sligo nearshore marine shelf, ramp, and reef carbonate environments. These Mesozoic strata are associated with transgressive and regressive systems tracts. In the North Louisiana salt basin, the estimate of secondary, nonassociated thermogenic gas generated from thermal cracking of oil to gas in the Upper Jurassic Smackover source rocks from depths below 3658 m (12,000 ft) is 4800 tcf of gas as determined using software applications. Assuming a gas expulsion, migration, and trapping efficiency of 2-3%, 96-144 tcf of gas is potentially available in this basin. With some 29 tcf of gas being produced from the North Louisiana salt basin, 67-115 tcf of in-place gas remains. Assuming a gas recovery factor of 65%, 44-75 tcf of gas is potentially recoverable. The expelled thermogenic gas migrated laterally and vertically from the southern part of this basin to the updip northern part into shallower reservoirs to depths of up to 610 m (2000 ft). Copyright ?? 2008. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.

The Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary interval in Badlands National Park, South Dakota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stoffer, Philip W.; Messina, Paula; Chamberlain, John A.; Terry, Dennis O.

2001-01-01

Mexico and possibly the Arctic Ocean. The variation of facies preserved in Late Cretaceous strata in the Badlands National Park area were in part controlled by local or regional tectonic blocks that were either rising or sinking contemporaneous with deposition.

Correlations among stand ages and forest strata in mixed-oak forests of southeastern Ohio

Treesearch

P. Charles Goebel; David M. Hix

1997-01-01

Many models of landscape ecosystem development, as well as of forest stand dynamics, are based upon spatial and temporal changes in the species composition and structure of various forest strata. However, few document the interrelationships among forest strata, or the response of different strata to alterations of natural disturbance regimes. To examine how...

Major transgression during Late Cretaceous constrained by basin sediments in northern Africa: implication for global rise in sea level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

An, Kaixuan; Chen, Hanlin; Lin, Xiubin; Wang, Fang; Yang, Shufeng; Wen, Zhixin; Wang, Zhaoming; Zhang, Guangya; Tong, Xiaoguang

2017-12-01

The global rise in sea level during the Late Cretaceous has been an issue under discussion by the international geological community. Despite the significance, its impact on the deposition of continental basins is not well known. This paper presents the systematic review on stratigraphy and sedimentary facies compiled from 22 continental basins in northern Africa. The results indicate that the region was dominated by sediments of continental facies during Early Cretaceous, which were replaced by deposits of marine facies in Late Cretaceous. The spatio-temporal distribution of sedimentary facies suggests marine facies deposition reached as far south as Taoudeni-Iullemmeden-Chad-Al Kufra-Upper Egypt basins during Turonian to Campanian. These results indicate that northern Africa underwent significant transgression during Late Cretaceous reaching its peak during Turonian to Coniacian. This significant transgression has been attributed to the global high sea-level during this time. Previous studies show that global rise in sea level in Late Cretaceous may have been driven by an increase in the volume of ocean water (attributed to high CO2 concentration and subsequently warm climate) and a decrease in the volume of the ocean basin (attributed to rapid production of oceanic crust and seamounts). Tectonic mechanism of rapid production of oceanic crust and seamounts could play a fundamental role in driving the global rise in sea level and subsequent transgression in northern Africa during Late Cretaceous.

Glendonites as a paleoenvironmental tool: Implications for early Cretaceous high latitudinal climates in Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Lurio, Jennifer L.; Frakes, L. A.

1999-04-01

Glendonites, calcite pseudomorphs after the metastable mineral ikaite (CaCO 3 · 6H 2O), occur in the Late Aptian interval of the Bulldog Shale in the Eromanga Basin, Australia and in other Early Cretaceous basins at high paleolatitudes. Ikaite precipitation in the marine environment requires near-freezing temperatures (not higher than 4°C), high alkalinity, increased levels of orthophosphate, and high P CO2. The rapid and complete transformation of ikaite to calcite at temperatures between 5 and 8°C provides an upper limit on the oxygen isotopic composition of the pore waters: -2.6 <δ w <-3.4‰SMOW. If it is assumed that these pore waters are representative of the shallow Eromanga Basin, the calculated δ w can be used to reassess belemnite fossil oxygen isotopic paleotemperatures - temperature recorded by fauna living in the basin at the time of ikaite precipitation. Data previously reported as 11 to 16°C (assuming δ w = 0.0‰SMOW) yield paleotemperatures ranging from -1 to 5°C, squarely in the range of ikaite stability. The low δ w indicates hyposaline conditions, most likely caused by mixing high latitude meteoric waters with seawater. The 18O depleted, low temperature waters suggest that the region was at least seasonally colder than previously accepted.

A new basal titanosaur (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carvalho, Ismar de Souza; Salgado, Leonardo; Lindoso, Rafael Matos; Araújo-Júnior, Hermínio Ismael de; Nogueira, Francisco Cézar Costa; Soares, José Agnelo

2017-04-01

Although dinosaurian ichnofaunas are common in the Northeastern Brazilian Interior Basins, osteological remains are poorly represented in these areas. One of the main challenges in vertebrate paleontology in the Lower Cretaceous of this region is to recognize body-fossils, which can unveil the anatomy, functional morphology and paleoecological aspects of the dinosaurian fauna recorded until now only by footprints and trackways. The discovery of a new dinosaur specimen in the Rio Piranhas Formation of the Triunfo Basin opens new perspectives into the comprehension of paleogeographical and temporal distribution of the titanosaur sauropods. Titanosaurs are common in Upper Cretaceous rocks of Brazil and Argentina. The age of the Rio Piranhas Formation is considered to range from Berriasian to early Hauterivian. Thus, the description of this new species opens new viewpoints concerning the paleobiogeographical aspects of these sauropod dinosaurs.

Preservation of large titanosaur sauropods in overbank fluvial facies: A case study in the Cretaceous of Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González Riga, Bernardo J.; Astini, Ricardo A.

2007-04-01

Patagonia exhibits a particularly abundant record of Cretaceous dinosaurs with worldwide relevance. Although paleontological studies are relatively numerous, few include taphonomic information about these faunas. This contribution provides the first detailed sedimentological and taphonomical analyses of a dinosaur bone quarry from northern Neuquén Basin. At Arroyo Seco (Mendoza Province, Argentina), a large parautochthonous/autochthonous accumulation of articulated and disarticulated bones that represent several sauropod individuals has been discovered. The fossil remains, assigned to Mendozasaurus neguyelap González Riga, correspond to a large (18-27-m long) sauropod titanosaur collected in the strata of the Río Neuquén Subgroup (late Turoronian-late Coniacian). A taphonomic viewpoint recognizes a two-fold division into biostratinomic and fossil-diagenetic processes. Biostratinomic processes include (1) subaerial biodegradation of sauropod carcasses on well-drained floodplains, (2) partial or total skeletal disarticulation, (3) reorientation of bones by sporadic overbank flows, and (4) subaerial weathering. Fossil-diagenetic processes include (1) plastic deformation of bones, (2) initial permineralization with hematite, (3) fracturing and brittle deformation due to lithostatic pressure; (4) secondary permineralization with calcite in vascular canals and fractures, and (5) postfossilization bone weathering. This type of bone concentration, also present in Rincón de los Sauces (northern Patagonia), suggests that overbank facies tended to accumulate large titanosaur bones. This taphonomic mode, referred to as "overbank bone assemblages", outlines the potential of crevasse splay facies as important sources of paleontological data in Cretaceous meandering fluvial systems.

Debris-carrying camouflage among diverse lineages of Cretaceous insects.

PubMed

Wang, Bo; Xia, Fangyuan; Engel, Michael S; Perrichot, Vincent; Shi, Gongle; Zhang, Haichun; Chen, Jun; Jarzembowski, Edmund A; Wappler, Torsten; Rust, Jes

2016-06-01

Insects have evolved diverse methods of camouflage that have played an important role in their evolutionary success. Debris-carrying, a behavior of actively harvesting and carrying exogenous materials, is among the most fascinating and complex behaviors because it requires not only an ability to recognize, collect, and carry materials but also evolutionary adaptations in related morphological characteristics. However, the fossil record of such behavior is extremely scarce, and only a single Mesozoic example from Spanish amber has been recorded; therefore, little is known about the early evolution of this complicated behavior and its underlying anatomy. We report a diverse insect assemblage of exceptionally preserved debris carriers from Cretaceous Burmese, French, and Lebanese ambers, including the earliest known chrysopoid larvae (green lacewings), myrmeleontoid larvae (split-footed lacewings and owlflies), and reduviids (assassin bugs). These ancient insects used a variety of debris material, including insect exoskeletons, sand grains, soil dust, leaf trichomes of gleicheniacean ferns, wood fibers, and other vegetal debris. They convergently evolved their debris-carrying behavior through multiple pathways, which expressed a high degree of evolutionary plasticity. We demonstrate that the behavioral repertoire, which is associated with considerable morphological adaptations, was already widespread among insects by at least the Mid-Cretaceous. Together with the previously known Spanish specimen, these fossils are the oldest direct evidence of camouflaging behavior in the fossil record. Our findings provide a novel insight into early evolution of camouflage in insects and ancient ecological associations among plants and insects.

Hughmillerites vancouverensis sp. nov. and the Cretaceous diversification of Cupressaceae.

PubMed

Atkinson, Brian A; Rothwell, Gar W; Stockey, Ruth A

2014-12-01

• Two ovulate conifer cones, one of which is attached terminally to a short leafy shoot, reveal the presence of a new species of Hughmillerites in the Early Cretaceous Apple Bay flora of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. This ancient conifer expands the diversity of Cupressaceae in the Mesozoic and reveals details about the evolution of Subfamily: Cunninghamioideae.• Specimens were studied from anatomical sections prepared using the cellulose acetate peel technique.• Vegetative shoots have helically arranged leaves that are Cunninghamia-like. Seed cones have many helically arranged bract/scale complexes in which the bract is larger than the ovuliferous scale. Each ovuliferous scale has three free tips that separate from the bract immediately distal to an inverted seed. Several ovuliferous scales show interseminal ridges between seeds.• This study documents a new extinct species of cunninghamioid conifers, Hughmillerites vancouverensis, expanding the record of the genus from the Late Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. This new extinct species emphasizes the important role that conifers from subfamily Cunninghamioideae played in the initial evolutionary radiation of Cupressaceae. In light of recent findings in conifer regulatory genetics, we use H. vancouverensis to hypothesize that variations of expression in certain gene homologues played an important role in the evolution of the cupressaceous ovuliferous scale. © 2014 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

Post-stratified estimation: with-in strata and total sample size recommendations

Treesearch

James A. Westfall; Paul L. Patterson; John W. Coulston

2011-01-01

Post-stratification is used to reduce the variance of estimates of the mean. Because the stratification is not fixed in advance, within-strata sample sizes can be quite small. The survey statistics literature provides some guidance on minimum within-strata sample sizes; however, the recommendations and justifications are inconsistent and apply broadly for many...

New petrofacies in upper Cretaceous section of southern California

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Colburn, I.P.; Oliver, D.

1986-04-01

A distinctive sandstone-conglomerate petrofacies is recognized throughout the Late Cretaceous (Maestrichtian-late Campanian) Chatsworth Formation in the Simi Hills. It is named the Woolsey Canyon petrofacies after the district where it was first recognized. The petrofacies is also recognized in the Late Cretaceous (late Campanian and possibly early Maestrichtian) Tuna Canyon Formation of the central Santa Monica Mountains. The conglomerates in the petrofacies are composed predominantly of angular pebble-size clasts of argillite, quartz-rich rocks (orthoquartzarenite, metaorthoquartzarenite, mice quartz schist) and leucocratic plutoniate (granite-granodiorite). The conglomerate texture and composition are mirrored in the sandstone. The uniformly angular character of the conglomerate clastsmore » and the survival of argillite clasts indicate that the detritus underwent no more than 5 mi of subaerial transport before it entered the deep marine realm. Foraminifers collected from mudstones interbedded with the conglomerates indicate upper bathyal water depth at the site of deposition. A source terrane of low to moderate relief is indicated by the absence of cobbles and boulders. Bed forms, sedimentary structures, and textural features indicate the detritus moved north from its source terrane to be deposited by turbidity currents, debris flows, and grain flows on the Chatsworth Submarine Fan. The detritus of the Woolsey Canyon petrofacies was derived from basement rocks, now largely buried beneath the Los Angeles basin, that were being eroded during the formation of the Cretaceous Los Angeles erosion surface. The detritus came from the Los Angeles arch of that surface.« less

The eastern Black Sea-Caucasus region during the Cretaceous: New evidence to constrain its tectonic evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sosson, Marc; Stephenson, Randell; Sheremet, Yevgeniya; Rolland, Yann; Adamia, Shota; Melkonian, Rafael; Kangarli, Talat; Yegorova, Tamara; Avagyan, Ara; Galoyan, Ghazar; Danelian, Taniel; Hässig, Marc; Meijers, Maud; Müller, Carla; Sahakyan, Lilit; Sadradze, Nino; Alania, Victor; Enukidze, Onice; Mosar, Jon

2016-01-01

We report new observations in the eastern Black Sea-Caucasus region that allow reconstructing the evolution of the Neotethys in the Cretaceous. At that time, the Neotethys oceanic plate was subducting northward below the continental Eurasia plate. Based on the analysis of the obducted ophiolites that crop out throughout Lesser Caucasus and East Anatolides, we show that a spreading center (AESA basin) existed within the Neotethys, between Middle Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. Later, the spreading center was carried into the subduction with the Neotethys plate. We argue that the subduction of the spreading center opened a slab window that allowed asthenospheric material to move upward, in effect thermally and mechanically weakening the otherwise strong Eurasia upper plate. The local weakness zone favored the opening of the Black Sea back-arc basins. Later, in the Late Cretaceous, the AESA basin obducted onto the Taurides-Anatolides-South Armenia Microplate (TASAM), which then collided with Eurasia along a single suture zone (AESA suture).

High geomagnetic intensity during the mid-Cretaceous from Thellier analyses of single plagioclase crystals.

PubMed

Tarduno, J A; Cottrell, R D; Smirnov, A V

2001-03-02

Recent numerical simulations have yielded the most efficient geodynamo, having the largest dipole intensity when reversal frequency is low. Reliable paleointensity data are limited but heretofore have suggested that reversal frequency and paleointensity are decoupled. We report data from 56 Thellier-Thellier experiments on plagioclase crystals separated from basalts of the Rajmahal Traps (113 to 116 million years old) of India that formed during the Cretaceous Normal Polarity Superchron. These data suggest a time-averaged paleomagnetic dipole moment of 12.5 +/- 1.4 x 10(22) amperes per square meter, three times greater than mean Cenozoic and Early Cretaceous-Late Jurassic dipole moments when geomagnetic reversals were frequent. This result supports a correlation between intervals of low reversal frequency and high geomagnetic field strength.

Iron-sulfur-carbon relationships in organic-carbon-rich sequences I: Cretaceous Western Interior seaway

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dean, W.E.; Arthur, M.A.

1989-01-01

Cretaceous marine strata deposited in shallow to intermediate depths in the Western Interior seaway of North America show considerable variation in organic-carbon enrichment and degree of pyrite formation. The extreme range of paleoceanographic and depositional conditions that occurred in this seaway provide a unique opportunity to examine the effects of iron-, carbon-, and sulfur-limitation on pyrite formation in one region over about 30 my. Ternary diagrams of the system Fe-S-OC, together with some measure of the reactivity of organic matter (pyrolysis hydrogen index), provide a rapid means of recognizing iron-, carbon-, and sulfur-limitation on pyrite formation in a series of samples from a single lithologic unit. Iron limitation is indicated by a concentration of data along a line of constant S/Fe ratio on a Fe-S-OC ternary diagram. Carbon limitation is indicated by a concentration of data along a line of constant S/OC ratio. Sulfur-limitation is suggested by the lack of a systematic Fe-S-OC relationship and residual organic matter that is high in abundance and reactivity. -from Authors

Cretaceous Vertebrate Tracksites - Korean Cretaceous Dinosaur Coast World Heritage Nomination Site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huh, M.; Woo, K. S.; Lim, J. D.; Paik, I. S.

2009-04-01

South Korea is one of the best known regions in the world for Cretaceous fossil footprints, which are also world-renowned. Korea has produced more scientifically named bird tracks (ichnotaxa) than any other region in the world. It has also produced the world's largest pterosaur tracks. Dinosaur tracksites also have the highest frequency of vertebrate track-bearing levels currently known in any stratigraphic sequence. Among the areas that have the best track records, and the greatest scientific significance with best documentation, Korea ranks very highly. Objective analysis of important individual tracksites and tracksite regions must be based on multiple criteria including: size of site, number of tracks, trackways and track bearing levels, number of valid named ichnotaxa including types, number of scientific publications, quality of preservation. The unique and distinctive dinosaur tracksites are known as one of the world's most important dinosaur track localities. In particular, the dinosaur track sites in southern coastal area of Korea are very unique. In the sites, we have excavated over 10,000 dinosaur tracks. The Hwasun sites show diverse gaits with unusual walking patterns and postures in some tracks. The pterosaur tracks are the most immense in the world. The longest pterosaur trackway yet known from any track sites suggests that pterosaurs were competent terrestrial locomotors. This ichnofauna contains the first pterosaur tracks reported from Asia. The Haenam Uhangri pterosaur assigns to a new genus Haenamichnus which accomodates the new ichnospecies, Haenamichnus uhangriensis. At least 12 track types have been reported from the Haman and Jindong Formations (probably late Lower Cretaceous). These include the types of bird tracks assigned to Koreanornis, Jindongornipes, Ignotornis and Goseongornipes. In addition the bird tracks Hwangsanipes, Uhangrichnus, the pterosaur track Haenamichnus and the dinosaur tracks, Brontopodus, Caririchnium, Minisauripus and

Titanite-scale insights into multi-stage magma mixing in Early Cretaceous of NW Jiaodong terrane, North China Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Peng; Yang, Kui-Feng; Fan, Hong-Rui; Liu, Xuan; Cai, Ya-Chun; Yang, Yue-Heng

2016-08-01

The Early Cretaceous Guojialing-type granodiorites in northwestern Jiaodong terrane carry significant records for strong mantle-crust interaction during the destruction of North China Craton (NCC); however, the definite petrogenetic mechanism and detailed magmatic process remain an enigma. Titanite in igneous rocks can serve as an effective petrogenetic indicator. Here, we present integrated geochronological and geochemical studies on titanites from Guojialing-type granodiorites and their dioritic enclaves to constrain their petrogenesis. Titanites from granodiorites (G-type) and plagioclase-rich dioritic enclaves (E-type-I) present an identical U-Pb age ( 130 Ma) and an indistinguishable wide range of Zr and total REEs contents, and Th/U ratios. However, these two types of titanites exhibit distinct micro-scale textures and geochemical compositions. G-type titanites are characterized by oscillatory zonings with two Light BSE zones (LBZ) and two or three dark BSE zones, whereas E-type-I titanites are marked by core-mantle-rim zonings. Drastic increase of LREEs, Zr, Hf, and Fe and decrease of Nb, Ta, Al, and F contents are observed in LBZ of G-type titanites, whereas remarkable reduction of LREEs, Zr, and Hf and elevation of F contents are observed from the cores to the mantles of E-type-I titanites. Based on Zr-in-titanite thermometry, G-type titanites are interpreted to have experienced twice notable temperature increase, while E-type-I titanites are inferred to have undergone a rapid cooling process. Furthermore, we suggest that the drastic chemical changes in G-type and E-type-I titanites are ascribed to early-stage magma mixing between a colder felsic magma and a Fe-, REE-rich hotter dioritic magma. Compared to G-type and E-type-I titanites, titanites from plagioclase-poor dioritic enclaves (E-type-II) are characterized by their occurrence in interstitial space and present a relatively younger U-Pb age ( 128 Ma) and much narrower and lower range of Zr, total

Detailed facies analysis of the Upper Cretaceous Tununk Shale Member, Henry Mountains Region, Utah: Implications for mudstone depositional models in epicontinental seas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zhiyang; Schieber, Juergen

2018-02-01

Lower-Middle Turonian strata of the Tununk Shale Member of the greater Mancos Shale were deposited along the western margin of the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway during the Greenhorn second-order sea level cycle. In order to examine depositional controls on facies development in this mudstone-rich succession, this study delineates temporal and spatial relationships in a process-sedimentologic-based approach. The 3-dimensional expression of mudstone facies associations and their stratal architecture is assessed through a fully integrative physical and biologic characterization as exposed in outcrops in south-central Utah. Sedimentologic characteristics from the millimeter- to kilometer-scale are documented in order to fully address the complex nature of sediment transport mechanisms observed in this shelf muddy environment. The resulting facies model developed from this characterization consists of a stack of four lithofacies packages including: 1) carbonate-bearing, silty and sandy mudstone (CSSM), 2) silt-bearing, calcareous mudstone (SCM), 3) carbonate-bearing, silty mudstone to muddy siltstone (CMS), and 4) non-calcareous, silty and sandy mudstone (SSM). Spatial and temporal variations in lithofacies type and sedimentary facies characteristics indicate that the depositional environments of the Tununk Shale shifted in response to the 2nd-order Greenhorn transgressive-regressive sea-level cycle. During this eustatic event, the Tununk shows a characteristic vertical shift from distal middle shelf to outer shelf (CSSM to SCM facies), then from outer shelf to inner shelf environment (SCM to CMS, and to SSM facies). Shifting depositional environments, as well as changes in dominant paleocurrent direction throughout this succession, indicate multiple source areas and transport mechanisms (i.e. longshore currents, offshore-directed underflows, storm reworking). This study provides a rare documentation of the Greenhorn cycle as exposed across the entire shelf setting

Maxwell Strata and Cut Locus in the Sub-Riemannian Problem on the Engel Group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ardentov, Andrei A.; Sachkov, Yuri L.

2017-12-01

We consider the nilpotent left-invariant sub-Riemannian structure on the Engel group. This structure gives a fundamental local approximation of a generic rank 2 sub-Riemannian structure on a 4-manifold near a generic point (in particular, of the kinematic models of a car with a trailer). On the other hand, this is the simplest sub-Riemannian structure of step three. We describe the global structure of the cut locus (the set of points where geodesics lose their global optimality), the Maxwell set (the set of points that admit more than one minimizer), and the intersection of the cut locus with the caustic (the set of conjugate points along all geodesics). The group of symmetries of the cut locus is described: it is generated by a one-parameter group of dilations R+ and a discrete group of reflections Z2 × Z2 × Z2. The cut locus admits a stratification with 6 three-dimensional strata, 12 two-dimensional strata, and 2 one-dimensional strata. Three-dimensional strata of the cut locus are Maxwell strata of multiplicity 2 (for each point there are 2 minimizers). Two-dimensional strata of the cut locus consist of conjugate points. Finally, one-dimensional strata are Maxwell strata of infinite multiplicity, they consist of conjugate points as well. Projections of sub-Riemannian geodesics to the 2-dimensional plane of the distribution are Euler elasticae. For each point of the cut locus, we describe the Euler elasticae corresponding to minimizers coming to this point. Finally, we describe the structure of the optimal synthesis, i. e., the set of minimizers for each terminal point in the Engel group.

Aeromagnetic anomalies over faulted strata

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grauch, V.J.S.; Hudson, Mark R.

2011-01-01

High-resolution aeromagnetic surveys are now an industry standard and they commonly detect anomalies that are attributed to faults within sedimentary basins. However, detailed studies identifying geologic sources of magnetic anomalies in sedimentary environments are rare in the literature. Opportunities to study these sources have come from well-exposed sedimentary basins of the Rio Grande rift in New Mexico and Colorado. High-resolution aeromagnetic data from these areas reveal numerous, curvilinear, low-amplitude (2–15 nT at 100-m terrain clearance) anomalies that consistently correspond to intrasedimentary normal faults (Figure 1). Detailed geophysical and rock-property studies provide evidence for the magnetic sources at several exposures of these faults in the central Rio Grande rift (summarized in Grauch and Hudson, 2007, and Hudson et al., 2008). A key result is that the aeromagnetic anomalies arise from the juxtaposition of magnetically differing strata at the faults as opposed to chemical processes acting at the fault zone. The studies also provide (1) guidelines for understanding and estimating the geophysical parameters controlling aeromagnetic anomalies at faulted strata (Grauch and Hudson), and (2) observations on key geologic factors that are favorable for developing similar sedimentary sources of aeromagnetic anomalies elsewhere (Hudson et al.).

Sensitive strata in Bootlegger Cove Formation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olsen, Harold W.

1989-01-01

Sensitivity magnitudes are interpreted from remolded strength values in recent subsurface geologic, geotechnical, and geochemical data from the Bootlegger Cove Formation adjacent to the Turnagain Heights Landslide. The results show that strata composed of highly sensitive clays occur in both the middle and lower zones of the formation, and that between these strata the clays are generally of low-to-medium sensitivity. The most sensitive stratum is in the middle zone between two sand layers, and its sensitivity increases from both clay-sand interfaces to a maximum at the center of the stratum. The pore fluid chemistry of the highly sensitive materials differs from that in the materials of low to medium sensitivity only in their concentrations of organic carbon, chloride, bicarbonate, and sulfate. The total dissolved solids concentration is low, and the ratio of monovalent to divalent cations is very high throughout the middle and lower zones of the formation. Of the known causes of high and extremely high sensitivities, only organic and/or anionic dispersants are consistent with these findings.

Paleolatitudes of the Tibetan Himalaya from primary and secondary magnetizations of Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous sedimentary rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Wentao; van Hinsbergen, Douwe J. J.; Dekkers, Mark J.; Garzanti, Eduardo; Dupont-Nivet, Guillaume; Lippert, Peter C.; Li, Xiaochun; Maffione, Marco; Langereis, Cor G.; Hu, Xiumian; Guo, Zhaojie; Kapp, Paul

2015-01-01

The Tibetan Himalaya represents the northernmost continental unit of the Indian plate that collided with Asia in the Cenozoic. Paleomagnetic studies on the Tibetan Himalaya can help constrain the dimension and paleogeography of "Greater India," the Indian plate lithosphere that subducted and underthrusted below Asia after initial collision. Here we present a paleomagnetic investigation of a Jurassic (limestones) and Lower Cretaceous (volcaniclastic sandstones) section of the Tibetan Himalaya. The limestones yielded positive fold test, showing a prefolding origin of the isolated remanent magnetizations. Detailed paleomagnetic analyses, rock magnetic tests, end-member modeling of acquisition curves of isothermal remanent magnetization, and petrographic investigation reveal that the magnetic carrier of the Jurassic limestones is authigenic magnetite, whereas the dominant magnetic carrier of the Lower Cretaceous volcaniclastic sandstones is detrital magnetite. Our observations lead us to conclude that the Jurassic limestones record a prefolding remagnetization, whereas the Lower Cretaceous volcaniclastic sandstones retain a primary remanence. The volcaniclastic sandstones yield an Early Cretaceous paleolatitude of 55.5°S [52.5°S, 58.6°S] for the Tibetan Himalaya, suggesting it was part of the Indian continent at that time. The size of "Greater India" during Jurassic time cannot be estimated from these limestones. Instead, a paleolatitude of the Tibetan Himalaya of 23.8°S [21.8°S, 26.1°S] during the remagnetization process is suggested. It is likely that the remagnetization, caused by the oxidation of early diagenetic pyrite to magnetite, was induced during 103-83 or 77-67 Ma. The inferred paleolatitudes at these two time intervals imply very different tectonic consequences for the Tibetan Himalaya.

Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) phosphorites in Jordan: implications for the formation of a south Tethyan phosphorite giant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pufahl, Peir K.; Grimm, Kurt A.; Abed, Abdulkader M.; Sadaqah, Rushdi M. Y.

2003-10-01

A record of sedimentary, authigenic, and biological processes are preserved within the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Alhisa Phosphorite Formation (AP) in central and northern Jordan. The AP formed near the eastern extremity of the south Tethyan Phosphorite Province (STPP), a carbonate-dominated Upper Cretaceous to Eocene "phosphorite giant" that extends from Colombia, North Africa to the Middle East. Multidisciplinary research of the AP and associated cherts, chalks, and oyster buildups indicate that phosphatic strata formed on a highly productive, storm-dominated, east-west trending epeiric platform along the south Tethyan margin. The onset of phosphogenesis and the accumulation of economic phosphorite coincided with a rise in relative sea level that onlapped peritidal carbonates of the Ajlun Group. Pristine phosphates are associated with well-developed micrite concretionary horizons and contain abundant non-keeled spiral planktic foraminifera and a low diversity benthic assemblage of Buliminacean foraminifera, suggesting that pristine phosphates are a condensed facies and phosphogenesis was stimulated by the effects of a highly productive surface ocean and the suboxic diagenesis of sedimentary organic matter. The bulk sediment composition and absence of Fe-bearing authigenic phases such as glauconite, pyrite (including pyrite molds), siderite, and goethite within pristine phosphates suggests that deposition and authigenesis occurred under conditions of detrital starvation and that "iron-pumping" played a minimal role in phosphogenesis. Authigenic precipitation of phosphate occurred in a broad array of sedimentary environments—herein termed a "phosphorite nursery"—that spanned the entire platform. This is a non-uniformitarian phenomenon reflecting precipitation of sedimentary apatite across a wide depositional spectrum in a variety of depositional settings, wherever the conditions were suitable for phosphogenesis. Sedimentologic data indicate that pristine

Structure, stratigraphy, and petroleum geology of the Little Plain basin, northwestern Hungary

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mattick, R.E.; Teleki, P.G.; Phillips, R.L.; Clayton, J.L.; David, G.; Pogcsas, G.; Bardocz, B.; Simon, E.

1996-01-01

The basement of the Little Plain (Kisalfo??ld) basin is composed of two parts: an eastern part comprised of folded and overthrusted Triassic and Paleozoic rocks of the Pelso block (Transdanubian Central Range) compressed in the Early Cretaceous, and a western part consisting of stacked nappes of the Austroalpine zone of Paleozoic rocks, significantly metamorphosed during Cretaceous and later compression, overriding Jurassic oceanic rift-zone rocks of the Penninic zone. The evolution of the basin began in the late Karpatian-early Badenian (middle Miocene) when the eastern part of the basin began to open along conjugate sets of northeast- and northwest-trending normal faults. Neogene rocks in the study area, on the average, contain less than 0.5 wt. % total organic carbon (TOC) and, therefore, are not considered effective source rocks. Locally, however, where TOC values are as high as 3 wt. %, significant amounts of gas may have been generated and expelled. Although potential stratigraphic traps are numerous in the Neogene section, these potential traps must be downgraded because of the small amount of hydrocarbons discovered in structural traps to date. With the exception of the Cretaceous, the Mesozoic section has not been actively explored. Large anticlinal and overthrust structures involving pre-Cretaceous strata remain undrilled.

Chemical Remagnetization of Jurassic Carbonates and a Primary Paleolatitude of Lower Cretaceous Volcaniclastic Rocks of the Tibetan Himalaya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, W.; Van Hinsbergen, D. J. J.; Dekkers, M. J.; Garzanti, E.; Dupont Nivet, G.; Lippert, P. C.; Li, X.; Maffione, M.; Langereis, C. G.; Hu, X.; Guo, Z.; Kapp, P. A.

2014-12-01

Paleolatitudes for the Tibetan Himalaya Zone based on paleomagnetic inclinations provide kinematic constraints of the passive northern Indian margin and the extent of 'Greater India' before the India-Asia collision. Here, we present a paleomagnetic investigation of the Jurassic (carbonates) to Lower Cretaceous (volcaniclastic rocks) Wölong section of the Tibetan Himalaya in the Everest region. The carbonates yield positive fold tests, suggesting that the remanent magnetizations have a pre-folding origin. However, detailed paleomagnetic analyses, rock magnetic tests, end-member modeling of acquisition curves of isothermal remanent magnetization, and petrographic studies reveal that the magnetic carrier of the Jurassic carbonates is authigenic magnetite, whereas the dominant magnetic carrier of the Lower Cretaceous volcaniclastic rocks is detrital magnetite. We conclude that the Jurassic carbonates were remagnetized, whereas the Lower Cretaceous volcaniclastics retain a primary remanence. We hypothesize that remagnetization of the Jurassic carbonates was probably caused by the oxidation of early diagenetic pyrite to magnetite within the time interval at ~86-84 Ma during the latest Cretaceous Normal Superchron and earliest deposition of Cretaceous oceanic red beds in the Tibetan Himalaya. The remagnetization of the limestones prevents determining the size of 'Greater India' during Jurassic time. Instead, a paleolatitude of the Tibetan Himalaya of 23.8±2.1° S at ~86-84 Ma is suggested. This value is lower than the expected paleolatitude of India from apparent polar wander path (APWP). The volcaniclastic rocks with the primary remanence, however, yielded a Lower Cretaceous paleolatitude of Tibetan Himalaya of 55.5±3° S, fitting well with the APWP of India.

Geochronology and thermochronology of Cretaceous plutons and metamorphic country rocks, Anyui-Chukotka fold belt, North East Arctic Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, E. L.; Katkov, S. M.; Strickland, A.; Toro, J.; Akinin, V. V.; Dumitru, T. A.

2009-09-01

U-Pb isotopic dating of seven granitoid plutons and associated intrusions from the Bilibino region (Arctic Chukotka, Russia) was carried out using the SHRIMP-RG. The crystallization ages of these granitoids, which range from approximately 116.9±2.5 to 108.5±2.7 Ma, bracket two regionally significant deformational events. The plutons cut folds, steep foliations and thrust-related structures related to sub-horizontal shortening at lower greenschist facies conditions (D1), believed to be the result of the collision of the Arctic Alaska-Chukotka microplate with Eurasia along the South Anyui Zone (SAZ). Deformation began in the Late Jurassic, based on fossil ages of syn-orogenic clastic strata, and involves strata as young as early Cretaceous (Valanginian) north of Bilibino and as young as Hauterivian-Barremian, in the SAZ. The second phase of deformation (D2) is developed across a broad region around and to the east of the Lupveem batholith of the Alarmaut massif and is interpreted to be coeval with magmatism. D2 formed gently-dipping, high-strain foliations (S2). Growth of biotite, muscovite and actinolite define S2 adjacent to the batholith, while chlorite and white mica define S2 away from the batholith. Sillimanite (± andalusite) at the southeastern edge the Lupveem batholith represent the highest grade metamorphic minerals associated with D2. D2 is interpreted to have developed during regional extension and crustal thinning. Extension directions as measured by stretching lineations, quartz veins, boudinaged quartz veins is NE-SW to NW-SE. Mapped dikes associated with the plutons trend mostly NW-SE and indicate NE-SW directed extension. 40Ar/39Ar ages from S2 micas range from 109.3±1.2 to 103.0±1.8 Ma and are interpreted as post-crystallization cooling ages following a protracted period of magmatism and high heat flow. Regional uplift and erosion of many kilometers of cover produced a subdued erosional surface prior to the eruption of volcanic rocks of the

Climate change and carbon-cycling during the latest Cretaceous-Early Paleogene; a new 13.5 million year-long, orbital-resolution, stable isotope record from the South Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnet, J.; Littler, K.; Kroon, D.; Leng, M. J.; Westerhold, T.; Roehl, U.; Zachos, J. C.

2017-12-01

The "greenhouse" world of the latest Cretaceous-Early Paleogene ( 70-34 Ma) was characterised by multi-million year variability in climate and the carbon-cycle. Throughout this interval the pervasive imprint of orbital-cyclicity, particularly eccentricity and precession, is visible in elemental and stable isotope data obtained from multiple deep-sea sites. Periodic "hyperthermal" events, occurring largely in-step with these orbital cycles, have proved particularly enigmatic, and may be the closest, albeit imperfect, analogues for anthropogenic climate change. This project utilises CaCO3-rich marine sediments recovered from ODP Site 1262 at a paleo-depth of 3600 m on the Walvis Ridge, South Atlantic, of late Maastrichtian-mid Paleocene age ( 67-60 Ma). We have derived high-resolution (2.5-4 kyr) carbon and oxygen isotope data from the epifaunal benthic foraminifera species Nuttallides truempyi. Combining the new record with the existing Late Paleocene-Early Eocene record generated from the same site by Littler et al. (2014), yields a single-site reference curve detailing 13.5 million years of orbital cyclicity in paleoclimate and carbon cycle from the latest Cretaceous to near the peak warmth of the Early Paleogene greenhouse. Spectral analysis of this new combined dataset allows us to identify long (405-kyr) eccentricity, short (100-kyr) eccentricity, and precession (19-23-kyr) as the principle forcing mechanisms governing pacing of the background climate and carbon-cycle during this time period, with a comparatively weak obliquity (41-kyr) signal. Cross-spectral analysis suggests that changes in climate lead the carbon cycle throughout most of the record, emphasising the role of the release of temperature-sensitive carbon stores as a positive feedback to an initial warming induced by changes in orbital configuration. The expression of comparatively understudied Early Paleocene events, including the Dan-C2 Event, Latest Danian Event, and Danian/Selandian Transition

An Unusual New Theropod with a Didactyl Manus from the Upper Cretaceous of Patagonia, Argentina

PubMed Central

Apesteguía, Sebastián; Smith, Nathan D.; Juárez Valieri, Rubén; Makovicky, Peter J.

2016-01-01

Background Late Cretaceous terrestrial strata of the Neuquén Basin, northern Patagonia, Argentina have yielded a rich fauna of dinosaurs and other vertebrates. The diversity of saurischian dinosaurs is particularly high, especially in the late Cenomanian-early Turonian Huincul Formation, which has yielded specimens of rebacchisaurid and titanosaurian sauropods, and abelisaurid and carcharodontosaurid theropods. Continued sampling is adding to the known vertebrate diversity of this unit. Methodology/ Principal Findings A new, partially articulated mid-sized theropod was found in rocks from the Huincul Formation. It exhibits a unique combination of traits that distinguish it from other known theropods justifying erection of a new taxon, Gualicho shinyae gen. et sp. nov. Gualicho possesses a didactyl manus with the third digit reduced to a metacarpal splint reminiscent of tyrannosaurids, but both phylogenetic and multivariate analyses indicate that didactyly is convergent in these groups. Derived characters of the scapula, femur, and fibula supports the new theropod as the sister taxon of the nearly coeval African theropod Deltadromeus and as a neovenatorid carcharodontosaurian. A number of these features are independently present in ceratosaurs, and Gualicho exhibits an unusual mosaic of ceratosaurian and tetanuran synapomorphies distributed throughout the skeleton. Conclusions/ Significance Gualicho shinyae gen. et sp. nov. increases the known theropod diversity of the Huincul Formation and also represents the first likely neovenatorid from this unit. It is the most basal tetatanuran to exhibit common patterns of digit III reduction that evolved independently in a number of other tetanuran lineages. A close relationship with Deltadromaeus from the Kem Kem beds of Niger adds to the already considerable biogeographic similarity between the Huincul Formation and coeval rock units in North Africa. PMID:27410683

Isolated teeth of Anhangueria  (Pterosauria: Pterodactyloidea) from the Lower Cretaceous of Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia

PubMed Central

Smith, Elizabeth T.; Bell, Phil R.

2017-01-01

The fossil record of Australian pterosaurs is sparse, consisting of only a small number of isolated and fragmentary remains from the Cretaceous of Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria. Here, we describe two isolated pterosaur teeth from the Lower Cretaceous (middle Albian) Griman Creek Formation at Lightning Ridge (New South Wales) and identify them as indeterminate members of the pterodactyloid clade Anhangueria. This represents the first formal description of pterosaur material from New South Wales. The presence of one or more anhanguerian pterosaurs at Lightning Ridge correlates with the presence of ‘ornithocheirid’ and Anhanguera-like pterosaurs from the contemporaneous Toolebuc Formation of central Queensland and the global distribution attained by ornithocheiroids during the Early Cretaceous. The morphology of the teeth and their presence in the estuarine- and lacustrine-influenced Griman Creek Formation is likely indicative of similar life habits of the tooth bearer to other members of Anhangueria. PMID:28480142

Capture-recapture studies for multiple strata including non-markovian transitions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brownie, C.; Hines, J.E.; Nichols, J.D.; Pollock, K.H.; Hestbeck, J.B.

1993-01-01

We consider capture-recapture studies where release and recapture data are available from each of a number of strata on every capture occasion. Strata may, for example, be geographic locations or physiological states. Movement of animals among strata occurs with unknown probabilities, and estimation of these unknown transition probabilities is the objective. We describe a computer routine for carrying out the analysis under a model that assumes Markovian transitions and under reduced parameter versions of this model. We also introduce models that relax the Markovian assumption and allow 'memory' to operate (i.e., allow dependence of the transition probabilities on the previous state). For these models, we sugg st an analysis based on a conditional likelihood approach. Methods are illustrated with data from a large study on Canada geese (Branta canadensis) banded in three geographic regions. The assumption of Markovian transitions is rejected convincingly for these data, emphasizing the importance of the more general models that allow memory.

Quasi-planer-laminated sandstone beds of the Lower Cretaceous Bootlegger Member, north-central Montana: Evidence of combined-flow sedimentation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arnott, R.W.C.

1993-05-01

Lower-shoreface to shallow-shelf strata of the Bootlegger Member of the Lower Cretaceous Blackleaf Formation are characterized by interbedded sandstone and mudstone. Sandstone beds are characterized by a peculiar planar lamination showing a subtle although perceptible undulation; spacing-to-height ratios of the undulation are generally 100 or more. Typically the undulation shows no evidence of lateral accretion but only vertical aggradation, and as a result most beds consist of a single laminaset. Aspects of quasi-planar-laminated beds indicate single-event storm sedimentation, and paleocurrent data indicate offshore sediment transport. By its sedimentary characteristics and its similarity with a bed configuration generated in an experimentalmore » wave duct, quasi-planar lamination is produced by high-energy combined flows. This style of stratification should be common in the shallow-marine stratigraphic record, and its recognition should aid in interpreting high-energy, combined-flow depositional events.« less

Isotope and elemental geochemistry of Cretaceous fossiliferous concretions (Santana Formation, Brazil)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heimhofer, Ulrich; Meister, Patrick; Bernasconi, Stefano M.; Ariztegui, Daniel; Martill, David M.; Schwark, Lorenz

2014-05-01

Exceptional three-dimensional fossil preservation (incl. phosphatization of soft-tissues) within organic carbon-rich mudstones is often associated with the formation of a protective carbonate shell surrounding the fossil specimen. Examples for this type of preservation are the Early Cretaceous fishes, turtles and pterosaurs from the Brazilian Santana Formation. Numerous studies proposed different conceptual models for concretion formation. Having new state-of-the-art geochemical tools at hand we revisited these models for the Santana Formation as an exemplary case. Differential compaction clearly indicates early precipitation of micritic calcite surrounding a central cavity containing the still decomposing fossil. The presence of pyrite forming a circular rim around the fossil and carbonate with negative carbon isotope compositions suggest intense sulphate reduction whereby the production of ammonium from the decay of proteins led to an increased alkalinity, which induced early carbonate precipitation. By means of micro-XRF scanning we found that pyrite is absent from the interior part of the concretions and that total iron content is very low, which indicate absence of sulphate reduction at the center of the concretions and possibly local onset of methanogenesis. We postulate that the central cavity may even have been filled with methane gas that evolved from the decaying animal. Methane diffusing outward was anaerobically oxidized in the surrounding sulphate reduction zone. Carbonate clumped isotopes revealed that micritic calcite formed early, but that these early precipitates are overprinted by two different late diagenetic cements precipitated at elevated temperatures. The occurrence of an outermost "cone-in-cone" calcite rim can be associated with burial showing temperatures of up to 60°C. Strontium-isotope ratios of matrix calcite and cement phases show radiogenic values (0.710416 to 0.712465), which are significantly higher than typical marine Cretaceous

The Sunny Point Formation: a new Upper Cretaceous subsurface unit in the Carolina Coastal Plain

USGS Publications Warehouse

Balson, Audra E.; Self-Trail, Jean; Terry, Dennis O.

2013-01-01

This paper formally defines the Sunny Point Formation, a new Upper Cretaceous subsurface unit confined to the outer Atlantic Coastal Plain of North and South Carolina. Its type section is established in corehole NH-C-1-2001 (Kure Beach) from New Hanover County, North Carolina. The Sunny Point Formation consists of light-olive-gray to greenish-gray, fine to coarse micaceous sands and light-olive-brown and grayish-red silty, sandy clays. The clay-rich sections typically include ironstone, lignitized wood, root traces, hematite concretions, goethite, limonite, and sphaerosiderites. The Sunny Point Formation is also documented in cores from Bladen County, North Carolina, and from Dorchester and Horry Counties, South Carolina. Previously, strata of the Sunny Point Formation had been incorrectly assigned to the Cape Fear and Middendorf Formations. The Sunny Point occupies a stratigraphic position above the Cenomanian marine Clubhouse Formation and below an upper Turonian unnamed marine unit. Contacts between these units are sharp and unconformable. Calcareous nannofossil and palynomorph analyses indicate that the Sunny Point Formation is Turonian.

Brazilian continental cretaceous

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petri, Setembrino; Campanha, Vilma A.

1981-04-01

Cretaceous deposits in Brazil are very well developed, chiefly in continental facies and in thick sequences. Sedimentation occurred essentially in rift-valleys inland and along the coast. Three different sequences can be distinguished: (1) a lower clastic non-marine section, (2) a middle evaporitic section, (3) an upper marine section with non-marine regressive lithosomes. Continental deposits have been laid down chiefly between the latest Jurassic and Albian. The lower lithostratigraphic unit is represented by red shales with occasional evaporites and fresh-water limestones, dated by ostracods. A series of thick sandstone lithosomes accumulated in the inland rift-valleys. In the coastal basins these sequences are often incompletely preserved. Uplift in the beginning of the Aptian produced a widespread unconformity. In many of the inland rift-valleys sedimentation ceased at that time. A later transgression penetrated far into northeastern Brazil, but shortly after continental sedimentation continued, with the deposition of fluvial sandstones which once covered large areas of the country and which have been preserved in many places. The continental Cretaceous sediments have been laid down in fluvial and lacustrine environments, under warm climatic conditions which were dry from time to time. The fossil record is fairly rich, including besides plants and invertebrates, also reptiles and fishes. As faulting tectonism was rather strong, chiefly during the beginning of the Cretaceous, intercalations of igneous rocks are frequent in some places. Irregular uplift and erosion caused sediments belonging to the remainder of this period to be preserved only in tectonic basins scattered across the country.

Exhumation History Of Brasilian Highlands After Late Cretaceous Alcaline Magmatism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doranti Tiritan, Carolina; Hackspacher, Peter Christian; Carina Siqueira Ribeiro, Marli; Glasmacher, Ulrich Anton; Françoso de Godoy, Daniel

2017-04-01

The southeast Brazilian margin recorded a long history of tectonic and magmatic events after the Gondwana continent break up. The drifting of the South American Platform over a thermal anomaly generated a series of alkaline intrusions that are distributed from the interior to the coast from west to east. Several exhumation events are recorded on the region and we are providing insights on the landscape evolution of the region since Late Cretaceous, comparing low temperature thermochronology results from two alkaline intrusions regions. Poços de Caldas Alkaline Massif (PCAM), is lied in the interior, 300km from the coastline, covering over 800km2 intruding the Precambrian basement around 83Ma, nepheline syenites, phonolites and tinguaites intruded in a continuous and rapid sequence lasting between 1 to 2 Ma. São Sebastião Island (SSI) on the other hand is located at the coast, 200 km southeast of São Paulo. It is characterized by an intrusion in Precambrian/Brazilian orogen and intruded by Early Cretaceous sub-alkaline basic and acid dykes, as well as by Late Cretaceous alkaline stocks (syenites) and dykes (basanite to phonolite). Will be presenting the apatite fission track (AFT) and (U-Th)/He results that shows the main difference between the areas is that PCAM region register older history then the coastal area of SSI, where thermal history starts register cooling event after the South Atlantic rifting process, while in the PCAM area register a previous history, since Carboniferous. The results are giving support to studies that indicate the development of the relief in Brazil being strongly influenced by the local and regional tectonic movements and the lithological and structural settings. The landscape at the Late Cretaceous was witness of heating process between 90 and 60Ma due the intense uplift of South American Platform. The elevation of the isotherms is associated with the mantellic plumes and the crustal thickness that caused thermal anomalies due

Chukchi Borderland | Crustal Complex of the Amerasia Basin, Arctic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilhan, I.; Coakley, B.; Houseknecht, D. W.

2017-12-01

In the Arctic Ocean, Chukchi Borderland separates the North Chukchi shelf and Toll deep basins to the west and Canada deep basin to the east. Existing plate reconstructions have attempted to restore this north-striking, fragments of the continental crust to all margins of the Amerasia Basin based on sparse geologic and geophysical measurements. Regional multi-channel seismic reflection and potential field geophysics, and geologic data indicate it is a high standing continental block, requiring special accommodation to create a restorable model of the formation of the Amerasia Basin. The Borderland is composed of the Chukchi Plateau, Northwind Basin, and Northwind Ridge divided by mostly north striking normal faults. These offset the basement and bound a sequence of syn-tectonic sediments. Equivalent strata are, locally, uplifted, deformed and eroded. Seaward dipping reflectors (SDRs) are observed in the juncture between the North Chukchi, Toll basins, and southern Chukchi Plateau underlying a regional angular unconformity. This reveals that this rifted margin was associated with volcanism. An inferred condensed section, which is believed to be Hauterivian-Aptian in age, synchronous with the composite pebble shale and gamma-ray zone of the Alaska North Slope forms the basal sediments in the North Chukchi Basin. Approximately 15 km of post-rift strata onlap the condensed section, SDRs and, in part, the wedge sequence on the Chukchi Plateau from west to east, thinning to the north. These post-Aptian sediments imply that the rifted margin subsided no later than the earliest Cretaceous, providing a plausible time constraint for the inferred pre-Cretaceous rifting in this region. The recognition of SDRs and Hauterivian—Aptian condensed section, and continuity of the Early—Late Cretaceous post-rift strata along the margins of the Borderland, strike variations of the normal faults, absence of observable deformation along the Northwind Escarpment substantially constrain

Modelling of Longwall Mining-Induced Strata Permeability Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adhikary, D. P.; Guo, H.

2015-01-01

The field measurement of permeability within the strata affected by mining is a challenging and expensive task, thus such tests may not be carried out in large numbers to cover all the overburden strata and coal seams being affected by mining. However, numerical modelling in conjunction with a limited number of targeted field measurements can be used efficiently in assessing the impact of mining on a regional scale. This paper presents the results of underground packer testing undertaken at a mine site in New South Wales in Australia and numerical simulations conducted to assess the mining-induced strata permeability change. The underground packer test results indicated that the drivage of main headings (roadways) had induced a significant change in permeability into the solid coal barrier. Permeability increased by more than 50 times at a distance of 11.2-11.5 m from the roadway rib into the solid coal barrier. The tests conducted in the roof strata above the longwall goaf indicated more than 1,000-fold increase in permeability. The measured permeability values varied widely and strangely on a number of occasions; for example the test conducted from the main headings at the 8.2-8.5 m test section in the solid coal barrier showed a decline in permeability value as compared to that at the 11.2-11.5 m section contrary to the expectations. It is envisaged that a number of factors during the tests might have had affected the measured values of permeability: (a) swelling and smearing of the borehole, possibly lowering the permeability values; (b) packer bypass by larger fractures; (c) test section lying in small but intact (without fractures) rock segment, possibly resulting in lower permeability values; and (d) test section lying right at the extensive fractures, possibly measuring higher permeability values. Once the anomalous measurement data were discarded, the numerical model results could be seen to match the remaining field permeability measurement data

Dinosaur morphological diversity and the end-Cretaceous extinction.

PubMed

Brusatte, Stephen L; Butler, Richard J; Prieto-Márquez, Albert; Norell, Mark A

2012-05-01

The extinction of non-avian dinosaurs 65 million years ago is a perpetual topic of fascination, and lasting debate has focused on whether dinosaur biodiversity was in decline before end-Cretaceous volcanism and bolide impact. Here we calculate the morphological disparity (anatomical variability) exhibited by seven major dinosaur subgroups during the latest Cretaceous, at both global and regional scales. Our results demonstrate both geographic and clade-specific heterogeneity. Large-bodied bulk-feeding herbivores (ceratopsids and hadrosauroids) and some North American taxa declined in disparity during the final two stages of the Cretaceous, whereas carnivorous dinosaurs, mid-sized herbivores, and some Asian taxa did not. Late Cretaceous dinosaur evolution, therefore, was complex: there was no universal biodiversity trend and the intensively studied North American record may reveal primarily local patterns. At least some dinosaur groups, however, did endure long-term declines in morphological variability before their extinction.

Endocranial Morphology of the Primitive Nodosaurid Dinosaur Pawpawsaurus campbelli from the Early Cretaceous of North America

PubMed Central

Paulina-Carabajal, Ariana; Lee, Yuong-Nam; Jacobs, Louis L.

2016-01-01

Background Ankylosaurs are one of the least explored clades of dinosaurs regarding endocranial anatomy, with few available descriptions of braincase anatomy and even less information on brain and inner ear morphologies. The main goal of this study is to provide a detailed description of the braincase and internal structures of the Early Cretaceous nodosaurid Pawpawsaurus campbelli, based on recently made CT scans. Methodology/Principal Findings The skull of Pawpawsaurus was CT scanned at University of Texas at Austin (UTCT). Three-dimensional models were constructed using Mimics 18.0 (Materialise). The digital data and further processed 3D models revealed inaccessible anatomic structures, allowing a detailed description of the lateral wall of the braincase (obscured by other bones in the articulated skull), and endocranial structures such as the cranial endocast, the most complete inner ear morphology for a nodosaurid, and the interpretation of the airflow system within the nasal cavities. Conslusions/Significance The new information on the endocranial morphology of Pawpawsaurus adds anatomical data to the poorly understand ankylosaur paleoneurology. The new set of data has potential use not only in taxonomy and phylogeny, but also in paleobiological interpretations based on the relative development of sense organs, such as olfaction, hearing and balance. PMID:27007950

Paleomagnetic results from the Early Cretaceous Lakang Formation lavas: Constraints on the paleolatitude of the Tethyan Himalaya and the India-Asia collision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Tianshui; Ma, Yiming; Bian, Weiwei; Jin, Jingjie; Zhang, Shihong; Wu, Huaichun; Li, Haiyan; Yang, Zhenyu; Ding, Jikai

2015-10-01

To better constrain the Early Cretaceous paleogeographic position of the Tethyan Himalaya and the India-Asia collision process, a paleomagnetic study was performed on the Lakang Formation lava flows in the Cuona area in the southeastern Tethyan Himalaya. Stepwise thermal and alternating field demagnetizations successfully isolated reliable characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) directions that include antipodal dual polarities and pass positive fold tests at the 99% confidence level and reversal tests at 95% confidence level, indicating prefolding primary magnetizations. The distribution patterns of ChRM directions from the Lakang Formation lava flows are consistent with young lava flows at similar latitudes, suggesting that secular variation has likely been averaged out. The tilt-corrected site-mean direction for 31 sites is D = 261.6 °, I = - 68.5 ° with α95 = 3.6 °, which provides a paleopole at 26.8°S, 315.2°E (A95 = 5.7 °), corresponding to a paleolatitude of 52.2 ° ± 5.7 °S for the study area. Comparison of the paleolatitude observed from the Lakang Formation lava flows with that expected from the apparent polar wander paths of India at 130 Ma show a paleolatitude difference of ∼2.1° (∼230 km), indicating that neither a great north-south continental crustal shortening occurred between the Indian craton and the Tethyan Himalaya after 130 Ma, nor that a wide ocean separated them at that time. Comparison with reliable Cretaceous-Paleocene paleomagnetic results observed from the Tethyan Himalaya and the Lhasa terrane indicates that the latitudinal width of the Neo-Tethyan Ocean could have been up to ∼7000 km at 134-130 Ma and an extension should have existed between the Indian craton and the Tethyan Himalaya during the Late Cretaceous and Paleocene. Furthermore, reliable paleomagnetic results suggest that the India-Asia collision was a dual-collision process, consisting of a first collision of the Tethyan Himalaya with the Lhasa terrane

Ontong Java volcanism initiated long-term climate warming that caused substantial changes in terrestrial vegetation several tens of thousand years before the onset of OAE1a (Early Aptian, Cretaceous)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keller, Christina E.; Hochuli, Peter A.; Giorgioni, Martino; Garcia, Therese I.; Bernasconi, Stefano M.; Weissert, Helmut

2010-05-01

During Cretaceous times, several intense volcanic episodes are proposed as trigger for episodic climate warming, for changes in marine circulation patterns and for elevated marine productivity, which resulted in the widespread black shale deposits of the Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAE). In the sediments underlying the early Aptian OAE1a black shales, a prominent negative carbon isotope excursion is recorded. Its origin had long been controversial (e.g. Arthur, 2000; Jahren et al., 2001) before recent studies attributed it to the Ontong Java volcanism (Méhay et al., 2009; Tejada et al., 2009). Volcanic outgassing results in an increased pCO2 and should lead to a rise in global temperatures. We therefore investigated if the volcanically-induced increase in pCO2 at the onset of OAE1a in the early Aptian led to a temperature rise that was sufficient to affect terrestrial vegetation assemblages. In order to analyse changes in terrestrial palynomorph assemblages, we examined 15 samples from 12 black shale horizons throughout the early Aptian negative C-isotope spike interval of the Pusiano section (Maiolica Formation; N-Italy). These sediments were deposited at the southern continental margin of the alpine Tethys Ocean and have been bio- and magnetostratigraphically dated by Channell et al. (1995). In order to obtain a continuous palynological record of the negative C-isotope spike interval and the base of OAE1a, we combined this pre-OAE1a interval of Pusiano with the OAE1a interval of the nearby Cismon section (Hochuli et al., 1999). The sporomorph assemblages at the base of this composite succession feature abundant bisaccate pollen, which reflects a warm-temperate climate. Rather arid conditions are inferred from low trilete spore percentages. Several tens of thousand years before the onset of OAE1a, C-isotope values started to decrease. Some thousand years later, bisaccate pollen began to decrease, whereas an increase of Classopollis spp. and Araucariacites spp

Inference of pCO2 Levels during the Late Cretaceous Using Fossil Lauraceae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richey, J. D.; Upchurch, G. R.

2011-12-01

Botanical estimates of pCO2 for the Late Cretaceous have most commonly used Stomatal Index (SI) in fossil Ginkgo. Recently, SI in fossil Lauraceae has been used to infer changes in pCO2 across the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary, based on the relation between SI and pCO2 in extant Laurus and Hypodaphnis. To provide a broad-scale picture of pCO2 based on fossil Lauraceae, we examined dispersed cuticle of the leaf macrofossil genus Pandemophyllum from: 1) the early to middle Cenomanian of the Potomac Group of Maryland (Mauldin Mountain locality, lower Zone III) and 2) the Maastrichtian of southern Colorado (Raton Basin, Starkville South and Berwind Canyon localities). These samples fall within the Late Cretaceous decline in pCO2 inferred from geochemical modeling and other proxies. SI was calculated from fossil cuticle fragments using ImageJ and counts of up to 56,000 cells per sample, a far greater number of cells than are counted in most studies. CO2 levels were estimated using the relation between SI and CO2 published for Laurus nobilis and Hypodaphnis zenkeri. Early to middle Cenomanian atmospheric pCO2 is estimated at 362-536 parts per million (ppm). This represents the absolute minimum and maximum estimated CO2 levels from the ±95% confidence intervals (CI) of the relation between SI and CO2 for the modern equivalents, and SI ± 1 Standard Deviation (SD) in the fossil genus Pandemophyllum. Late Maastrichtian atmospheric pCO2 is estimated at 358-534 ppm. The Maastrichtian estimates falls within the range of published estimates from other proxies. The Cenomanian estimate, in contrast, is low relative to most other estimates. The 95% confidence intervals of our pCO2 estimates overlap each other and many of the assemblages published by Barclay et al. (2010) for Lauraceae across the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary. This could indicate that 1) pCO2 did not undergo a major long-term decline during the Late Cretaceous, 2) Lauraceae show low sensitivity to high pCO2, or 3

Parallel Extension Tectonics (PET): Early Cretaceous tectonic extension of the Eastern Eurasian continent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Junlai; Ji, Mo; Ni, Jinlong; Guan, Huimei; Shen, Liang

2017-04-01

The present study reports progress of our recent studies on the extensional structures in eastern North China craton and contiguous areas. We focus on characterizing and timing the formation/exhumation of the extensional structures, the Liaonan metamorphic core complex (mcc) and the Dayingzi basin from the Liaodong peninsula, the Queshan mcc, the Wulian mcc and the Zhucheng basin from the Jiaodong peninsula, and the Dashan magmatic dome within the Sulu orogenic belt. Magmatic rocks (either volcanic or plutonic) are ubiquitous in association with the tectonic extension (both syn- and post-kinematic). Evidence for crustal-mantle magma mixing are popular in many syn-kinematic intrusions. Geochemical analysis reveals that basaltic, andesitic to rhyolitic magmas were generated during the tectonic extension. Sr-Nd isotopes of the syn-kinematic magmatic rocks suggest that they were dominantly originated from ancient or juvenile crust partly with mantle signatures. Post-kinematic mafic intrusions with ages from ca. 121 Ma to Cenozoic, however, are of characteristic oceanic island basalts (OIB)-like trace element distribution patterns and relatively depleted radiogenic Sr-Nd isotope compositions. Integrated studies on the extensional structures, geochemical signatures of syn-kinematic magmatic rocks (mostly of granitic) and the tectono-magmatic relationships suggest that extension of the crust and the mantle lithosphere triggered the magmatisms from both the crust and the mantle. The Early Cretaceous tectono-magmatic evolution of the eastern Eurasian continent is governed by the PET in which the tectonic processes is subdivided into two stages, i.e. an early stage of tectonic extension, and a late stage of collapse of the extended lithosphere and transformation of lithospheric mantle. During the early stage, tectonic extension of the lithosphere led to detachment faulting in both the crust and mantle, resulted in the loss of some of the subcontinental roots, gave rise to

Mississippi embayment syncline: A reactivation of the Reelfoot rift zone

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Y.; Dart, R.L.

1993-03-01

Contour maps of the tops of the Paleozoic, Cretaceous, and the Eocene Porters Creek Clay sections were compiled using depth data obtained from oil, gas, and water wells which are located in six states: Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. All these strata are warped into the broad syncline of the Mississippi embayment. An analysis of the structural relations between the Mississippi embayment syncline and the underlying Reelfoot rift zone shows that these two structures are not coaxial; instead, their axes diverge by about 20[degree]. Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary depocenters within the embayment are not located along themore » rift zone. The known distribution of igneous intrusions within the embayment corresponds better to the embayment synclinal axis than to the rift axis. Therefore the authors infer that the Mississippi embayment may not have formed simply as a result of reactivation of the Reelfoot rift during the late Cretaceous and early Eocene, as was previously suggested. The formation of the Mississippi embayment syncline, its overall shape, and its relative position are probably the result of the interaction of at least two processes: (1) the cooling of Mesozoic magma intrusions, initiating subsidence; and (2) continuous loading due to sediment deposition. The distribution of modern strike-slip seismicity extends along the axis of the Reelfoot rift zone, indicating that the rift has been reactivated as a strike-slip fault system. The youngest strata that were warped into the Mississippi embayment syncline are late Eocene in age. Thus, the latest reactivation of the Reelfoot rift responsible for the present earthquakes must postdate the Late Eocene.« less

Extending the fossil record of Polytrichaceae: Early Cretaceous Meantoinea alophosioides gen. et sp. nov., permineralized gametophytes with gemma cups from Vancouver Island.

PubMed

Bippus, Alexander C; Stockey, Ruth A; Rothwell, Gar W; Tomescu, Alexandru M F

2017-04-01

Diverse in modern ecosystems, mosses are dramatically underrepresented in the fossil record. Furthermore, most pre-Cenozoic mosses are known only from compression fossils, lacking detailed anatomical information. When preserved, anatomy vastly improves resolution in the systematic placement of fossils. Lower Cretaceous deposits at Apple Bay (Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada) contain a diverse anatomically preserved flora that includes numerous bryophytes, many of which have yet to be characterized. Among them is a polytrichaceous moss that is described here. Fossil moss gametophytes preserved in four carbonate concretions were studied in serial sections prepared using the cellulose acetate peel technique. We describe Meantoinea alophosioides gen. et sp. nov., a polytrichaceous moss with terminal gemma cups containing stalked, lenticular gemmae. Leaves with characteristic costal anatomy, differentiated into sheathing base and free lamina and bearing photosynthetic lamellae, along with a conducting strand in the stem, place Meantoinea in family Polytrichaceae. The bistratose leaf lamina with an adaxial layer of mamillose cells, short photosynthetic lamellae restricted to the costa, and presence of gemma cups indicate affinities with basal members of the Polytrichaceae, such as Lyellia , Bartramiopsis , and Alophosia . Meantoinea alophosioides enriches the documented moss diversity of an already-diverse Early Cretaceous plant fossil assemblage. This is the third moss described from the Apple Bay plant fossil assemblage and represents the first occurrence of gemma cups in a fossil moss. It is also the oldest unequivocal record of Polytrichaceae, providing a hard minimum age for the group of 136 million years. © 2017 Botanical Society of America.

Upper Albian and Cenomanian (Cretaceous) ammonites from the Debarsu Formation (Yazd Block, Central Iran)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilmsen, Markus; Storm, Marisa; Fürsich, Franz Theodor; Majidifard, Mahmoud Reza

2013-12-01

Wilmsen, M., Storm, M., Fürsich, F.T. and Majidifard, M.R. 2013. Upper Albian and Cenomanian (Cretaceous) ammonites from the Debarsu Formation (Yazd Block, Central Iran). Acta Geologica Polonica, 63 (4), 489-513. Warszawa. New ammonite faunas consisting of 13 taxa provide the first reliable biostratigraphic dating of the Debarsu Formation of the Yazd Block, west-central Iran, indicating several levels in the Upper Albian and Lower Cenomanian, while a foraminiferal assemblage places the top of the Formation in the Middle Turonian. Among the identified ammonite taxa, Acompsoceras renevieri (Sharpe, 1857) is recorded from Iran for the first time. The upper part of the lower Upper Albian is proved by the occurrences of mortoniceratines of the Mortoniceras (M.) inflatum Zone in the lowermost part of the Debarsu Formation. For the upper Upper Albian (traditional Stoliczkaia dispar Zone), the M. (Subschloenbachia ) rostratum and M. (S.) perinflatum zones are proved by their index taxa. However, there is no evidence of the terminal Arrhaphoceras (Praeschloenbachia) briacensis Zone. The upper part of the lower Lower Cenomanian Mantelliceras mantelli Zone (M. saxbii Subzone) is proved by M. saxbii and M. cf. mantelli. Below, there is an ammonite- barren interval of ca. 100 m in thickness between M. (S.) perinflatum zonal strata and the M. saxbii Subzone. The upper Lower Cenomanian is documented by the presence of typically M. dixoni zonal ammonites such as Acompsoceras renevieri. Upper Cenomanian and Turonian ammonites have not been found in the upper part of the Debarsu Formation, but micro-biostratigraphic evidence (planktonic foraminifers) from the uppermost part of the formation indicate that the formation ranges into the Turonian. For the development of the major tectonic unconformity at the base of the overlying Haftoman Formation (which yielded Lower Coniacian inoceramids near its base), only 2-3 myr remain, stressing the geodynamic activity of Central Iran during

Stra­tigraphy and oil and gas resources in uppermost Cretaceous and Paleocene rocks, Wind River Reservation, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Keefer, W.R.; Johnson, R.C.

1993-01-01

The Cody Shale and the Mesaverde, Meeteetse, and Lance Formations of Late Cretaceous age and the Fort Union Formation of Paleocene age within the Wind River Reservation contain strata that were deposited during the final major regression of the Cretaceous epicontinental sea eastward across central Wyoming and the ensuing initial stages of mountain-building and basin subsidence of the Laramide orogeny. The Reservation spans several major structural elements in the western part of the Wind River Basin, but the feature of primary importance to evaluations of future petroleum resource potential is the western end of the deep basin syncline, which occupies the east-central and southeastern parts of the Reservation where many thousands of feet of synorogenic deposits accumulated.The Cody Shale is characterized by 3,300-4,000 ft of marine shale and sandstone, the latter rock type predominating in the upper part of the formation and grading upward into the basal, regressive sandstone units of the Mesaverde Formation. The Mesaverde, Meeteetse, Lance, and Fort Union Formations are primarily of fluvial origin, and consist mostly of interbedded sandstone and shale with various amounts of carbonaceous shale and thin coal beds. Maximum thicknesses of these formations are 2,150 ft, 1,370 ft, 2,900 ft, and 6,200 ft, respectively. Some parts of the full sequence may be partially or totally cut out beneath erosional unconformities at the base of either the Lance or Fort Union Formations, or at the base of the lower Eocene rocks, near the basin margins.All of the uppermost Cretaceous and Paleocene rocks have yielded commercial quantities of hydrocarbons (chiefly natural gas), primarily from closed anticlines such as the Pavillion and Muddy Ridge fields, but in part from apparent stratigraphic traps formed by the updip pinchouts of lenticular sandstones along the west and southwest margins of the basin syncline as well as within the basin proper. Drilling is sparse in these areas, and

Sequence stratigraphy of the Kingak Shale (Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous), National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Houseknecht, D.W.; Bird, K.J.

2004-01-01

Beaufortian strata (Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous) in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA) are a focus of exploration since the 1994 discovery of the nearby Alpine oil field (>400 MMBO). These strata include the Kingak Shale, a succession of depositional sequences influenced by rift opening of the Arctic Ocean Basin. Interpretation of sequence stratigraphy and depositional facies from a regional two-dimensional seismic grid and well data allows the definition of four sequence sets that each displays unique stratal geometries and thickness trends across NPRA. A Lower to Middle Jurassic sequence set includes numerous transgressive-regressive sequences that collectively built a clastic shelf in north-central NPRA. Along the south-facing, lobate shelf margin, condensed shales in transgressive systems tracts downlap and coalesce into a basinal condensed section that is likely an important hydrocarbon source rock. An Oxfordian-Kimmeridgian sequence set, deposited during pulses of uplift on the Barrow arch, includes multiple transgressive-regressive sequences that locally contain well-winnowed, shoreface sandstones at the base of transgressive systems tracts. These shoreface sandstones and overlying shales, deposited during maximum flooding, form stratigraphic traps that are the main objective of exploration in the Alpine play in NPRA. A Valanginian sequence set includes at least two transgressive-regressive sequences that display relatively distal characteristics, suggesting high relative sea level. An important exception is the presence of a basal transgressive systems tract that locally contains shoreface sandstones of reservoir quality. A Hauterivian sequence set includes two transgressive-regressive sequences that constitute a shelf-margin wedge developed as the result of tectonic uplift along the Barrow arch during rift opening of the Arctic Ocean Basin. This sequence set displays stratal geometries suggesting incision and synsedimentary collapse of the shelf

Distribution and tectonic implications of Cretaceous-Quaternary sedimentary facies in Solomon Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, C. C.; Hughes, G. W.

1982-08-01

Sedimentary rocks of the Solomon Islands-Bougainville Arc are described in terms of nine widespread facies. Four facies associations are recognised by grouping facies which developed in broadly similar sedimentary environments. A marine pelagic association of Early Cretaceous to Miocene rocks comprises three facies. Facies Al: Early Cretaceous siliceous mudstone, found only on Malaita, is interpreted as deep marine siliceous ooze. Facies A2: Early Cretaceous to Eocene limestone with chert, overlies the siliceous mudstone facies, and is widespread in the central and eastern Solomons. It represents lithified calcareous ooze. Facies A3: Oligocene to Miocene calcisiltite with thin tuffaceous beds, overlies Facies A2 in most areas, and also occurs in the western Solomons. This represents similar, but less lithified calcareous ooze, and the deposits of periodic andesitic volcanism. An open marine detrital association of Oligocene to Recent age occurs throughout the Solomons. This comprises two facies. Facies B1 is variably calcareous siltstone, of hemipelagic origin; and Facies B2 consists of volcanogenic clastic deposits, laid down from submarine mass flows. A third association, of shallow marine carbonates, ranges in age from Late Oligocene to Recent. Facies C1 is biohermal limestone, and Facies C2 is biostromal calcarenite. The fourth association comprises areally restricted Pliocene to Recent paralic detrital deposits. Facies D1 includes nearshore clastic sediments, and Facies D2 comprises alluvial sands and gravels. Pre-Oligocene pelagic sediments were deposited contemporaneously with, and subsequent to, the extrusion of oceanic tholeiite. Island arc volcanism commenced along the length of the Solomons during the Oligocene, and greatly influenced sedimentation. Thick volcaniclastic sequences were deposited from submarine mass flows, and shallow marine carbonates accumulated locally. Fine grained graded tuffaceous beds within the marine pelagic association are

Brachyceran Diptera (Insecta) in Cretaceous ambers, Part IV, Significant New Orthorrhaphous Taxa

PubMed Central

Grimaldi, David A.; Arillo, Antonio; Cumming, Jeffrey M.; Hauser, Martin

2011-01-01

Abstract Thirteen species of basal Brachycera (11 described as new) are reported, belonging to nine families and three infraorders. They are preserved in amber from the Early Cretaceous (Neocomian) of Lebanon, Albian of northern Spain, upper Albian to lower Cenomanian of northern Myanmar, and Late Cretaceous of New Jersey USA (Turonian) and Alberta, Canada (Campanian). Taxa are as follows, with significance as noted: In Stratiomyomorpha: Stratiomyidae (Cretaceogaster pygmaeus Teskey [2 new specimens in Canadian amber], Lysistrata emerita Grimaldi & Arillo, gen. et sp. n. [stem-group species of the family in Spanish amber]), and Xylomyidae (Cretoxyla azari Grimaldi & Cumming, gen. et sp. n. [in Lebanese amber], and an undescribed species from Spain). In Tabanomorpha: Tabanidae (Cratotabanus newjerseyensis Grimaldi, sp. n., in New Jersey amber). In Muscomorpha: Acroceridae (Schlingeromyia minuta Grimaldi & Hauser, gen. et sp. n. and Burmacyrtus rusmithi Grimaldi & Hauser gen. et sp. n., in Burmese amber, the only definitive species of the family from the Cretaceous); Mythicomyiidae (Microburmyia analvena Grimaldi & Cumming gen. et sp. n. and Microburmyia veanalvena Grimaldi & Cumming, sp. n., stem-group species of the family, both in Burmese amber); Apsilocephalidae or near (therevoid family-group) (Kumaromyia burmitica Grimaldi & Hauser, gen. et sp. n. [in Burmese amber]); Apystomyiidae (Hilarimorphites burmanica Grimaldi & Cumming, sp. n. [in Burmese amber], whose closest relatives are from the Late Jurassic of Kazachstan, the Late Cretaceous of New Jersey, and Recent of California). Lastly, two species belonging to families incertae sedis, both in Burmese amber: Tethepomyiidae (Tethepomyia zigrasi Grimaldi & Arillo sp. n., the aculeate oviscapt of which indicates this family was probably parasitoidal and related to Eremochaetidae); and unplaced to family is Myanmyia asteiformia Grimaldi, gen. et sp. n., a minute fly with highly reduced venation. These new taxa

Brachyceran Diptera (Insecta) in Cretaceous ambers, Part IV, Significant New Orthorrhaphous Taxa.

PubMed

Grimaldi, David A; Arillo, Antonio; Cumming, Jeffrey M; Hauser, Martin

2011-01-01

Thirteen species of basal Brachycera (11 described as new) are reported, belonging to nine families and three infraorders. They are preserved in amber from the Early Cretaceous (Neocomian) of Lebanon, Albian of northern Spain, upper Albian to lower Cenomanian of northern Myanmar, and Late Cretaceous of New Jersey USA (Turonian) and Alberta, Canada (Campanian). Taxa are as follows, with significance as noted: In Stratiomyomorpha: Stratiomyidae (Cretaceogaster pygmaeus Teskey [2 new specimens in Canadian amber], Lysistrata emerita Grimaldi & Arillo, gen. et sp. n. [stem-group species of the family in Spanish amber]), and Xylomyidae (Cretoxyla azari Grimaldi & Cumming, gen. et sp. n. [in Lebanese amber], and an undescribed species from Spain). In Tabanomorpha: Tabanidae (Cratotabanus newjerseyensis Grimaldi, sp. n., in New Jersey amber). In Muscomorpha: Acroceridae (Schlingeromyia minuta Grimaldi & Hauser, gen. et sp. n. and Burmacyrtus rusmithi Grimaldi & Hauser gen. etsp. n., in Burmese amber, the only definitive species of the family from the Cretaceous); Mythicomyiidae (Microburmyia analvena Grimaldi & Cumming gen. et sp. n. and Microburmyia veanalvena Grimaldi & Cumming, sp. n., stem-group species of the family, both in Burmese amber); Apsilocephalidae or near (therevoid family-group) (Kumaromyia burmitica Grimaldi & Hauser, gen. et sp. n. [in Burmese amber]); Apystomyiidae (Hilarimorphites burmanica Grimaldi & Cumming, sp. n. [in Burmese amber], whose closest relatives are from the Late Jurassic of Kazachstan, the Late Cretaceous of New Jersey, and Recent of California). Lastly, two species belonging to families incertae sedis, both in Burmese amber: Tethepomyiidae (Tethepomyia zigrasi Grimaldi & Arillo sp. n., the aculeate oviscapt of which indicates this family was probably parasitoidal and related to Eremochaetidae); and unplaced to family is Myanmyia asteiformia Grimaldi, gen. et sp. n., a minute fly with highly reduced venation. These new taxa significantly

A synthesis of Jurassic and Early Cretaceous crustal evolution along the southern margin of the Arctic Alaska–Chukotka microplate and implications for defining tectonic boundaries active during opening of Arctic Ocean basins

USGS Publications Warehouse

Till, Alison B.

2016-01-01

A synthesis of Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous collision-related metamorphic events in the Arctic Alaska–Chukotka microplate clarifies its likely movement history during opening of the Amerasian and Canada basins. Comprehensive tectonic reconstructions of basin opening have been problematic, in part, because of the large size of the microplate, uncertainties in the location and kinematics of structures bounding the microplate, and lack of information on its internal deformation history. Many reconstructions have treated Arctic Alaska and Chukotka as a single crustal entity largely on the basis of similarities in their Mesozoic structural trends and similar late Proterozoic and early Paleozoic histories. Others have located Chukotka near Siberia during the Triassic and Jurassic, on the basis of detrital zircon age populations, and suggested that it was Arctic Alaska alone that rotated. The Mesozoic metamorphic histories of Arctic Alaska and Chukotka can be used to test the validity of these two approaches.A synthesis of the distribution, character, and timing of metamorphic events reveals substantial differences in the histories of the southern margin of the microplate in Chukotka in comparison to Arctic Alaska and places specific limitations on tectonic reconstructions. During the Late Jurassic and earliest Cretaceous, the Arctic Alaska margin was subducted to the south, while the Chukotka margin was the upper plate of a north-dipping subduction zone or a zone of transpression. An early Aptian blueschist- and greenschist-facies belt records the most profound crustal thickening event in the evolution of the orogen. It may have resulted in thicknesses of 50–60 km and was likely the cause of flexural subsidence in the foredeep of the Brooks Range. This event involved northern Alaska and northeasternmost Chukotka; it did not involve central and western Chukotka. Arctic Alaska and Chukotka evolved separately until the Aptian thickening event, which was likely a

The age and diversification of terrestrial New World ecosystems through Cretaceous and Cenozoic time.

PubMed

Graham, Alan

2011-03-01

Eight ecosystems that were present in the Cretaceous about 100 Ma (million years ago) in the New World eventually developed into the 12 recognized for the modern Earth. Among the forcing mechanisms that drove biotic change during this interval was a decline in global temperatures toward the end of the Cretaceous, augmented by the asteroid impact at 65 Ma and drainage of seas from continental margins and interiors; separation of South America from Africa beginning in the south at ca. 120 Ma and progressing northward until completed 90-100 Ma; the possible emission of 1500 gigatons of methane and CO(2) attributed to explosive vents in the Norwegian Sea at ca. 55 Ma, resulting in a temperature rise of 5°-6°C in an already warm world; disruption of the North Atlantic land bridge at ca. 45 Ma at a time when temperatures were falling; rise of the Andes Mountains beginning at ca. 40 Ma; opening of the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica at ca. 32 Ma with formation of the cold Humboldt at ca. 30 Ma; union of North and South America at ca. 3.5 Ma; and all within the overlay of evolutionary processes. These processes generated a sequence of elements (e.g., species growing in moist habitats within an overall dry environment; gallery forests), early versions (e.g., mangrove communities without Rhizophora until the middle Eocene), and essentially modern versions of present-day New World ecosystems. As a first approximation, the fossil record suggests that early versions of aquatic communities (in the sense of including a prominent angiosperm component) appeared early in the Middle to Late Cretaceous, the lowland neotropical rainforest at 64 Ma (well developed by 58-55 Ma), shrubland/chaparral-woodland-savanna and grasslands around the middle Miocene climatic optimum at ca. 15-13 Ma, deserts in the middle Miocene/early Pliocene at ca. 10 Ma, significant tundra at ca. 7-5 Ma, and alpine tundra (páramo) shortly thereafter when cooling temperatures were augmented

A Polymer Plugging Gel for the Fractured Strata and Its Application

PubMed Central

Fan, Xiangyu; Zhao, Pengfei; Zhang, Qiangui; Zhang, Ting; Zhu, Kui; Zhou, Chenghua

2018-01-01

Well leakage of fractured strata is a tricky problem while drilling. This unwieldy problem is usually caused by the poor formation of the cementing degree, the staggered-mesh of the fracture, and the low bearing capacity of the formation, which can also lead to a narrow and even unsafe window of drilling fluid density. For fractured strata, the normal plugging material has the disadvantages of unsuitable size and low strength, resulting in unsuccessful first time plugging and an increase in cost. Therefore, we developed a polymer plugging gel for the fractured strata, named XNGJ-3. XNGJ-3 is mainly made of an acrylamide monomer and is accompanied by the reactive monomers of carboxyl and hydroxyl as ingredients. XNGJ-3 has a low viscosity before gelling. At 80 °C it becomes gelled, and the gelling time was controlled within the required time of the practical application. These conditions are beneficial for making the plugging material enter the crossing fracture smoothly and occlude the fracture. XNGJ-3 also has a good deformability and can avoid being damaged during the process of fracture closure. The well leakage simulated experiment revealed that the bearing capacity of this material can reach 21 MPa and the inverse bearing capacity can reach 20 MPa. These strengths are more than twice that of common polymer plugging gels. Finally, three leaked wells in the fractured strata of the Sichuan Basin were used to verify the plugging effect of XNGJ-3. Compared with other common plugging materials, XNGJ-3 has the advantages of having a higher success rate of first time plugging, a lower economic cost, a shorter work time, and so forth, which indicate that this plugging material has a good engineering application value in dealing with well leakage of fractured strata. PMID:29883407

Mass Wasting during the Cretaceous/Tertiary Transition in the North Atlantic: Relationship to the Chicxulub Impact?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mateo, Paula; Keller, Gerta; Adatte, Thierry; Spangenberg, Jorge

2015-04-01

Deep-sea sections in the North Atlantic are claimed to contain the most complete sedimentary records and ultimate proof that the Chicxulub impact is Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary (KTB) in age and caused the mass extinction. A multi-disciplinary study of North Atlantic DSDP Sites 384, 386 and 398, based on high-resolution planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy, carbon and oxygen stable isotopes, clay and whole-rock mineralogy and granulometry, reveals the age, stratigraphic completeness and nature of sedimentary disturbances. Results show a major KTB hiatus at Site 384 with zones CF1, P0 and P1a missing, spanning at least ~540 ky, similar to other North Atlantic and Caribbean localities associated with tectonic activity and Gulf Stream erosion. At Sites 386 and 398, discrete intervals of disturbed sediments with mm-to-cm-thick spherule layers have previously been interpreted as KTB age impact-generated earthquakes destabilizing continental margins prior to settling of impact spherules. However, improved age control based on planktonic foraminifera indicates deposition in the early Danian zone P1a(2) (upper Parvularugoglobigerina eugubina zone) more than 100 ky after the KTB. At Site 386, two intervals of white chalk contain very small (<63 μm) early Danian zone P1a(2) (65%) and common reworked Cretaceous (35%) species, in contrast to the in situ red-brown and green abyssal clays that are devoid of carbonate. In addition, high calcite, mica and kaolinite and upward-fining are observed in the chalks, indicating downslope transport from shallow waters and sediment winnowing via distal turbidites. At Site 398, convoluted red to tan sediments with early Danian and reworked Cretaceous species represent slumping of shallow water sediments as suggested by dominance of mica and low smectite compared to in situ deposition. We conclude that mass wasting was likely the result of earthquakes associated with increased tectonic activity in the Caribbean and the Iberian Peninsula

Definition of Greater Gulf Basin Lower Cretaceous and Upper Cretaceous Lower Cenomanian Shale Gas Assessment Unit, United States Gulf of Mexico Basin Onshore and State Waters

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dennen, Kristin O.; Hackley, Paul C.

2012-01-01

An assessment unit (AU) for undiscovered continuous “shale” gas in Lower Cretaceous (Aptian and Albian) and basal Upper Cretaceous (lower Cenomanian) rocks in the USA onshore Gulf of Mexico coastal plain recently was defined by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The AU is part of the Upper Jurassic-Cretaceous-Tertiary Composite Total Petroleum System (TPS) of the Gulf of Mexico Basin. Definition of the AU was conducted as part of the 2010 USGS assessment of undiscovered hydrocarbon resources in Gulf Coast Mesozoic stratigraphic intervals. The purpose of defining the Greater Gulf Basin Lower Cretaceous Shale Gas AU was to propose a hypothetical AU in the Cretaceous part of the Gulf Coast TPS in which there might be continuous “shale” gas, but the AU was not quantitatively assessed by the USGS in 2010.

Facies changes in the Cenomanian (Cretaceous) of the northwestern Elbe Valley near Dresden (Saxony, Germany)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tröger, Karl-Armin

2017-03-01

The Upper Cretaceous of the Elbe Valley in Saxony and the erosion outliers west of it mark an Upper Cretaceous NW-SE-running strait between the Westsudetic Island in the NE and the Mid-European Island to the west. This street connected the NW-German-Polish Basin in the north and the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin (and adjacent regions of the Tethys) in the south. However, post-Cretaceous erosion north of Meißen removed any Upper Cretaceous deposits but erosion outliers at Siebenlehn and especially north of the Forest of Tharandt proof the presence of a marly through silty belt in this area. Three transgressions (base of uppermost Lower to Middle Cenomanian, base of Upper Cenomanian and base of the geslinianum Zone in the mid-Upper Cenomanian) have taken place. The sedimentation was influenced by the topography of the mentioned islands and by movements at structural lines in the Proterozoic and Palaeozoic basement. During the early Late Cenomanian, a marly-silty sedimentation (Mobschatz Formation) in the north existed besides sandy sedimentation in the south (Oberhäslich Formation). The transgression at the base of the geslinianum Zone caused the final submergence of island chains between Meißen, Dresden and Pirna, and a litho- and biofacies bound to cliffs and submarine swells formed. A silty-marly lithofacies, a mixed sandy-silty lithofacies (Dölzschen Formation) and a sandy lithofacies in the south (Sächsisches Elbsandsteingebirge) co-existed during the latest Cenomanian. The first mentioned biofacies yields a rich fauna mainly consisting of oysters, pectinids, rudists, and near-shore gastropods accompanied by echinids and, in some cliffs, teeth of sharks. The Pennrich fauna (Häntzschel 1933; Uhlig 1941) especially consists of the very common serpulids Pyrgopolon (P.) septemsulcata and Glomerula lombricus (formerly Hepteris septemsulcata and G. gordialis).

Dental Disparity and Ecological Stability in Bird-like Dinosaurs prior to the End-Cretaceous Mass Extinction.

PubMed

Larson, Derek W; Brown, Caleb M; Evans, David C

2016-05-23

The causes, rate, and selectivity of the end-Cretaceous mass extinction continue to be highly debated [1-5]. Extinction patterns in small, feathered maniraptoran dinosaurs (including birds) are important for understanding extant biodiversity and present an enigma considering the survival of crown group birds (Neornithes) and the extinction of their close kin across the end-Cretaceous boundary [6]. Because of the patchy Cretaceous fossil record of small maniraptorans [7-12], this important transition has not been closely examined in this group. Here, we test the hypothesis that morphological disparity in bird-like dinosaurs was decreasing leading up to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction, as has been hypothesized in some dinosaurs [13, 14]. To test this, we examined tooth morphology, an ecological indicator in fossil reptiles [15-19], from over 3,100 maniraptoran teeth from four groups (Troodontidae, Dromaeosauridae, Richardoestesia, and cf. Aves) across the last 18 million years of the Cretaceous. We demonstrate that tooth disparity, a proxy for variation in feeding ecology, shows no significant decline leading up to the extinction event within any of the groups. Tooth morphospace occupation also remains static over this time interval except for increased size during the early Maastrichtian. Our data provide strong support that extinction within this group occurred suddenly after a prolonged period of ecological stability. To explain this sudden extinction of toothed maniraptorans and the survival of Neornithes, we propose that diet may have been an extinction filter and suggest that granivory associated with an edentulous beak was a key ecological trait in the survival of some lineages. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Geological and technological characterization of the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous clay deposits (Jebel Ammar, northeastern Tunisia) for ceramic industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ben M'barek-Jemaï, Moufida; Sdiri, Ali; Ben Salah, Imed; Ben Aissa, Lassaad; Bouaziz, Samir; Duplay, Joelle

2017-05-01

Late Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous clays of the Jebel Ammar study site were used as raw materials for potential applications in ceramic industry. Physico-chemical characterization of the collected samples was performed using atomic absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry and dilatometry (Bugot's curve). Geotechnical study was also undertaken by the assessment of plasticity and liquidity limits. It was found that high concentrations of silica, alumina with SiO2/Al2O3 ratio characterized the studied clays; its high amounts of CaO and Fe2O3 in the Late Jurassic clays indicated their calcareous nature. In addition, technological tests indicated moderate to low plasticity values for the Late Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous clays, respectively. Clay fraction (<2 μm) reached 50% of the natural clay in some cases. Mineralogical analysis showed that Jurassic clays were dominated by smectite, illite and kaolinite, as clay mineral species; calcite was the main associated mineral. Lower Cretaceous clays were mainly composed of abundant illite accompanied by well-crystallized smectite and kaolinite. Kaolinite gradually increased upwards, reaching 70% of the total clay fraction (i.e. <2 μm). Quartz, calcite and feldspar were the main non-clay minerals. Based on these analyses, the clays meet technological requirements that would allow their use in the ceramic industry and for the manufacturing of ceramic tiles.

Paleontologic and stratigraphic relations of phosphate beds in Upper Cretaceous rocks of the Cordillera Oriental, Colombia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Maughan, Edwin K.; Zambrano O., Francisco; Mojica G., Pedro; Abozaglo M., Jacob; Pachon P., Fernando; Duran R., Raul

1979-01-01

Phosphorite crops out in the Cordillera Oriental of the Colombian Andes in rocks of Late Cretaceous age as strata composed mostly of pelletal carbonate fluorapatite. One stratum of Santonian age near the base of the Galembo Member of the La Luna Formation crops out at many places in the Departments of Santander and Norte de Santander and may be of commercial grade. This stratum is more than one meter thick at several places near Lebrija and near Sardinata, farther south it is locally one meter thick or more near the base of the Guadalupe Formation in the Department of Boyaca. Other phosphorite beds are found at higher stratigraphic levels in the Galembo Member and the Guadalupe Formation, and at some places these may be commercial also. A stratigraphically lower phosphorite occurs below the Galembo Member in the Capacho Formation (Cenomanian age) in at least one area near the town of San Andres, Santander. A phosphorite or pebbly phosphate conglomerate derived from erosion of the Galembo Member forms the base of the Umir Shale and the equivalent Colon Shale at many places. Deposition of the apatite took place upon the continental shelf in marine water of presumed moderate depth between the Andean geosyncline and near-shore detrital deposits adjacent to the Guayana shield. Preliminary calculations indicate phosphorite reserves of approximately 315 million metric tons in 9 areas, determined from measurements of thickness, length of the outcrop, and by projecting the reserves to a maximum of 1,000 meters down the dip of the strata into the subsurface. Two mines were producing phosphate rock in 1969; one near Turmeque, Boyaca, and the other near Tesalia, Huila.

A new hynobiid-like salamander (Amphibia, Urodela) from Inner Mongolia, China, provides a rare case study of developmental features in an Early Cretaceous fossil urodele

PubMed Central

Jia, Jia

2016-01-01

A new fossil salamander, Nuominerpeton aquilonaris (gen. et sp. nov.), is named and described based on specimens from the Lower Cretaceous Guanghua Formation of Inner Mongolia, China. The new discovery documents a far northern occurrence of Early Cretaceous salamanders in China, extending the geographic distribution for the Mesozoic fossil record of the group from the Jehol area (40th–45th parallel north) to near the 49th parallel north. The new salamander is characterized by having the orbitosphenoid semicircular in shape; coracoid plate of the scapulocoracoid greatly expanded with a convex ventral and posterior border; ossification of two centralia in carpus and tarsus; and first digit being about half the length of the second digit in both manus and pes. The new salamander appears to be closely related to hynobiids, although this inferred relationship awaits confirmation by research in progress by us on a morphological and molecular combined analysis of cryptobranchoid relationships. Comparison of adult with larval and postmetamorphic juvenile specimens provides insights into developmental patterns of cranial and postcranial skeletons in this fossil species, especially resorption of the palatine and anterior portions of the palatopterygoid in the palate and the coronoid in the mandible during metamorphosis, and postmetamorphic ossification of the mesopodium in both manus and pes. Thus, this study provides a rare case study of developmental features in a Mesozoic salamander. PMID:27761316

Cretaceous origin and repeated tertiary diversification of the redefined butterflies.

PubMed

Heikkilä, Maria; Kaila, Lauri; Mutanen, Marko; Peña, Carlos; Wahlberg, Niklas

2012-03-22

Although the taxonomy of the ca 18 000 species of butterflies and skippers is well known, the family-level relationships are still debated. Here, we present, to our knowledge, the most comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the superfamilies Papilionoidea, Hesperioidea and Hedyloidea to date based on morphological and molecular data. We reconstructed their phylogenetic relationships using parsimony and Bayesian approaches. We estimated times and rates of diversification along lineages in order to reconstruct their evolutionary history. Our results suggest that the butterflies, as traditionally understood, are paraphyletic, with Papilionidae being the sister-group to Hesperioidea, Hedyloidea and all other butterflies. Hence, the families in the current three superfamilies should be placed in a single superfamily Papilionoidea. In addition, we find that Hedylidae is sister to Hesperiidae, and this novel relationship is supported by two morphological characters. The families diverged in the Early Cretaceous but diversified after the Cretaceous-Palaeogene event. The diversification of butterflies is characterized by a slow speciation rate in the lineage leading to Baronia brevicornis, a period of stasis by the skippers after divergence and a burst of diversification in the lineages leading to Nymphalidae, Riodinidae and Lycaenidae.

Syn-convergence extension in the southern Lhasa terrane: Evidence from late Cretaceous adakitic granodiorite and coeval gabbroic-dioritic dykes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Xuxuan; Xu, Zhiqin; Meert, Joseph G.

2017-10-01

Late Cretaceous (∼100-80 Ma) magmatism in the Gangdese magmatic belt plays a pivotal role in understanding the evolutionary history and tectonic regime of the southern Lhasa terrane. The geodynamic process for the formation of the early Late Cretaceous magmatism has long been an issue of hot debates. Here, petrology, geochronology and geochemistry of early Late Cretaceous granodiorite and coeval gabbroic-dioritic dykes in the Caina region, southern Lhasa, were investigated in an effort to ascertain their petrogenesis, age of intrusion, magma mixing and tectonic setting. Zircon U-Pb dating of granodiorite yields 206Pb/238U ages of 85.8 ± 1.7 and 86.4 ± 1.1 Ma, whilst that of the E-W trending dykes yields ages of 82.7 ± 2.6 and 83.5 ± 3.5 Ma. Within error, the crystallization ages of the dykes and the granodiorite are indistinguishable. Field observations and mineralogical microstructures are suggestive of a magma mixing process during the formation of the dykes and the granodiorite. The granodiorite exhibits geochemical features that are in agreement with those of subduction-related high-SiO2 adakites. The granodiorite and dykes have relatively constant εNd(t) values of +2.2 to +4.9 and initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7045-0.7047). These similar characteristics are herein interpreted as an evolutionary series from the dykes to granodiorite, consistent with magma mixing process. Ti-in-zircon thermometer and Al-in-hornblende barometer indicate that the granodiorite and the dioritic dyke crystallized at temperatures of ca. 750 and 800 °C, depths of ca. 6-10 and 5-9 km, respectively. Taking into account the synchronous magmatic rocks in the Gangdese Belt and the coeval rifted basin within the Lhasa terrane, the granodiorite and dykes reveal an early Late Cretaceous syn-convergence extensional regime in the southern Lhasa terrane, triggered by slab rollback of the Neotethyan oceanic lithosphere.

Selenium Concentrations in Middle Pennsylvanian Coal-Bearing Strata in the Central Appalachian Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Neuzil, Sandra G.; Dulong, Frank T.; Cecil, C. Blaine; Fedorko, Nick; Renton, John J.; Bhumbla, D.K.

2007-01-01

Introduction This report provides the results of a reconnaissance-level investigation of selenium (Se) concentrations in Middle Pennsylvanian coal-bearing strata in the central Appalachian basin. Bryant and others (2002) reported enrichments of Se concentrations in streams draining areas disturbed by surface mining relative to Se concentrations in streams that drain undisturbed areas; the study was conducted without the benefit of data on Se concentrations in coal-bearing strata prior to anthropogenic disturbance. Thus, the present study was conducted to provide data on Se concentrations in coal-bearing strata prior to land disturbance. The principal objectives of this work are: 1) determine the stratigraphic and regional distribution of Se concentrations in coal-bearing strata, 2) provide reconnaissance-level information on relations, if any, between Se concentrations and lithology (rock-type), and 3) develop a cursory evaluation of the leachability of Se from disturbed strata. The results reported herein are derived from analyses of samples obtained from three widely-spaced cores that were collected from undisturbed rock within a region that has been subjected to extensive land disturbance principally by either coal mining or, to a lesser extent, highway construction. The focus was on low-organic-content lithologies, not coal, within the coal-bearing interval, as these lithologies most commonly make up the fill materials after coal mining or in road construction.

Non-marine carbonate facies, facies models and palaeogeographies of the Purbeck Formation (Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous) of Dorset (Southern England).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallois, Arnaud; Bosence, Dan; Burgess, Peter

2015-04-01

Non-marine carbonates are relatively poorly understood compared with their more abundant marine counterparts. Sedimentary facies and basin architecture are controlled by a range of environmental parameters such as climate, hydrology and tectonic setting but facies models are few and limited in their predictive value. Following the discovery of extensive Early Cretaceous, non-marine carbonate hydrocarbon reservoirs in the South Atlantic, the interest of understanding such complex deposits has increased during recent years. This study is developing a new depositional model for non-marine carbonates in a semi-arid climate setting in an extensional basin; the Purbeck Formation (Upper Jurassic - Lower Cretaceous) in Dorset (Southern England). Outcrop study coupled with subsurface data analysis and petrographic study (sedimentology and early diagenesis) aims to constrain and improve published models of depositional settings. Facies models for brackish water and hypersaline water conditions of these lacustrine to palustrine carbonates deposited in the syn-rift phase of the Wessex Basin will be presented. Particular attention focusses on the factors that control the accumulation of in-situ microbialite mounds that occur within bedded inter-mound packstones-grainstones in the lower Purbeck. The microbialite mounds are located in three units (locally known as the Skull Cap, the Hard Cap and the Soft Cap) separated by three fossil soils (locally known as the Basal, the Lower and the Great Dirt Beds) respectively within three shallowing upward lacustrine sequences. These complex microbialite mounds (up to 4m high), are composed of tabular small-scale mounds (flat and long, up to 50cm high) divided into four subfacies. Many of these small-scale mounds developed around trees and branches which are preserved as moulds (or silicified wood) which are surrounded by a burrowed mudstone-wackestone collar. Subsequently a thrombolite framework developed on the upper part only within

Gateways and Water Mass Mixing in the Late Cretaceous North Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asgharian Rostami, M.; Martin, E. E.; MacLeod, K. G.; Poulsen, C. J.; Vande Guchte, A.; Haynes, S.

2017-12-01

Regions of intermediate/deep water formation and water-mass mixing in the North Atlantic are poorly defined for the Late Cretaceous, a time of gateway evolution and cooler conditions following the Mid Cretaceous greenhouse. Improved proxy data combined with modeling efforts are required to effectively evaluate the relationship between CO2, paleogeography, and circulation during this cooler interval. We analyzed and compiled latest Cretaceous (79 - 66 Ma) ɛNd and δ13C records from seven bathyal (paleodepths 0.2 - 2 km) and eight abyssal (paleodepths > 2 km) sites in the North Atlantic. Data suggest local downwelling of Northern Component Water (NCW; ɛNd -9.5 and δ13C 1.7 ‰) is the primary source of intermediate/deep water masses in the basin. As this water flows southward and ages, δ13C values decrease and ɛNd values increase; however, additional chemical changes at several sites require mixing with contributions from several additional water masses. Lower ɛNd ( -10) and higher δ13C ( 1.9 ‰) values in the deep NW part of the basin indicate proximal contributions from a region draining old continental crust, potentially representing deep convection following opening of the Labrador Sea. In the deep NE Iberian Basin, higher ɛNd ( -7) and lower δ13C ( 0.8 ‰) during the Campanian suggest mixing with a Tethyan source (ɛNd -7 and δ13C 0.1 ‰) whose importance decreased with restriction of that gateway in the Maastrichtian. Data from bathyal sites suggest additional mixing. In the SE Cape Verde region, observed ɛNd variations from -10 in the Campanian to -13 and -12 in the early and late Maastrichtian, respectively, may record variations in output rates of Tethyan and/or NCW sources and Demerara Bottom Water (ɛNd -16), a proposed warm saline intermediate water mass formed in shallow, equatorial seas. Pacific inflow through the Caribbean gateway impacts intermediate sites at Blake Nose (ɛNd values -8), particularly the shallowest site during the late

Berriasian (Early Cretaceous) radiometric ages from the Grindstone Creek Section, Sacramento Valley, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bralower, T.J.; Ludwig, K. R.; Obradovich, J.D.

1990-01-01

The Grindstone Creek Section, Glenn County, Northern California is a sequence of hemipelagic mudstone, siltstone and sandstone interbedded with concretionary limestone and a few thin tuffs and bentonites. Two tuffs have been collected from a narrow interval of this sequence and subjected to mineralogical and isotopic analyses. UPb isotopic analyses of zircon fractions from these volcanic horizons indicate an age of 137.1 + 1.6/-0.6 Ma. A detailed investigation has been conducted on the calcareous nannofossil stratigraphy of this section based on numerous samples with moderately preserved assemblages. The nannoflora is largely of Tethyan affinity, and allows direct correlation with the Berriasian stratotype section, with sections with published magnetostratigraphies and with a DSDP site drilled between known magnetic anomalies. The dated tuffs lie in the lower part of the upper Berriasian Cretarhabdus angustiforatus Zone (Assipetra infracretacea Subzone) and within the narrow range of Rhagodiscus nebulosus. At three different sections, this subzone can be correlated with M-sequence Polarity Zones M16 and M16n. An independent magnetostratigraphic correlation is provided at DSDP Site 387, drilled between anomalies M15 and M16, where basal sediments contain R. nebulosus. Buchia collected within a meter of the lower tuff lie within the B. uncitoides Zone which is Berriasian in age. The upper tuff level, which occurs 65 m above the lower tuff, is situated within the overlying B. pacifica Zone. This zone had previously been correlated with the early Valanginian, but is clearly also partly of Berriasian age based on nannofossil stratigraphy. Our results allow an estimate of the age of the Berriasian-Valanginian and Jurassic-Cretaceous boundaries of 135.1 Ma and 141.1 Ma, respectively, and these fall within the range of, but differ significantiy from, several published time-scales. ?? 1990.

Late Cretaceous stratigraphy, deformation and intrusion in the Madison Range of southwestern Montana ( USA).

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tysdal, R.G.; Marvin, R.F.; Dewitt, E.

1986-01-01

Dating of orogenic rock units in the central part of the Madison Range shows that Laramide deformation was virtually completed by the end of the Cretaceous. Early Campanian K-Ar dates of about 79 m.y. were obtained from welded tuffs in the basal part of the Livingston Formation, a volcanic and volcaniclastic assemblage that is conformable with underlying Cretaceous clastic rocks and with the overlying Sphinx Conglomerate. The Sphinx and the Livingston were deformed by the Hilgard fault system which extends along the western side of the southern two-thirds of the range. This north-trending fault system represents the culmination of Laramide shortening within the range. Dating of hornblende indicates an approximate date of 68-69 m.y. B.P. for emplacement of the igneous suite. The dacite postdates movement along faults of the Hilgard fault system, and postdates the synorogenic Sphinx Conglomerate. -from Authors

Fossil Worm Burrows Reveal Very Early Terrestrial Animal Activity and Shed Light on Trophic Resources after the End-Cretaceous Mass Extinction

PubMed Central

Chin, Karen; Pearson, Dean; Ekdale, A. A.

2013-01-01

The widespread mass extinctions at the end of the Cretaceous caused world-wide disruption of ecosystems, and faunal responses to the one-two punch of severe environmental perturbation and ecosystem collapse are still unclear. Here we report the discovery of in situ terrestrial fossil burrows from just above the impact-defined Cretaceous-Paleogene (K/Pg) boundary in southwestern North Dakota. The crisscrossing networks of horizontal burrows occur at the interface of a lignitic coal and silty sandstone, and reveal intense faunal activity within centimeters of the boundary clay. Estimated rates of sedimentation and coal formation suggest that the burrows were made less than ten thousand years after the end-Cretaceous impact. The burrow characteristics are most consistent with burrows of extant earthworms. Moreover, the burrowing and detritivorous habits of these annelids fit models that predict the trophic and sheltering lifestyles of terrestrial animals that survived the K/Pg extinction event. In turn, such detritus-eaters would have played a critical role in supporting secondary consumers. Thus, some of the carnivorous vertebrates that radiated after the K/Pg extinction may owe their evolutionary success to thriving populations of earthworms. PMID:23951041

Contrasting cratonal provenances for upper Cretaceous Valle Group quartzite clasts, Baja California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kimbrough, D.L.; Abbott, G.; Smith, D.P.; Mahoney, J.B.; Moore, Thomas E.; Gehrels, G.E.; Girty, G.H.; Cooper, John D.

2006-01-01

Late Cretaceous Valle Group forearcbasin deposits on the Vizcaino Peninsula of Baja California Sur are dominated by firstcycle arc-derived volcanic-plutonic detritus derived from the adjacent Peninsular Ranges batholith. Craton-derived quartzite clasts are a minor but ubiquitous component in Valle Group conglomerates. The source of these clasts has implications for tectonic reconstructions and sediment-dispersal paths along the paleo-North American margin. Three strongly contrasting types of quartzite are recognized based on petrology and detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology. The first type is ultramature quartz arenite with well-rounded, highly spherical zircon grains. Detrital zircon ages from this type are nearly all >1.8 Ga with age distributions that closely match the distinctive Middle-Late Ordovician Peace River arch detrital signature of the Cordilleran margin. This type has been previously recognized from prebatholithic rocks in northeast Baja California (San Felipe quartzite). A second quartzite type is subarkosic sandstone with strong affinity to southwestern North America; important features of the age spectra are ~1.0-1.2 Ga, 1.42 and 1.66 Ga peaks representing cratonal basement, 500-300 Ma grains interpreted as recycled Appalachian-derived grains, and 284- 232 Ma zircon potentially derived from the Early Permian-Middle Triassic east Mexico arc. This quartzite type could have been carried to the continental margin during Jurassic time as outboard equivalents of Colorado Plateau eolianites. The third quartzite type is quartz pebble conglomerate with significant ~900- 1400 Ma and ~450-650 Ma zircon components, as well as mid- and late Paleozoic grains. The source of this type of quartzite is more problematic but could match either upper Paleozoic strata in the Oaxaca terrane of southern Mexico or a southwestern North America source. The similarity of detrital 98 zircon spectra in all three Valle Group quartzite types to rocks of the adjacent Cordilleran

Late Cretaceous and Paleogene sedimentation along east side of San Joaquin basin, California

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reid, S.A.

1986-04-01

Depositional systems of the Late Cretaceous contrast with those of the Paleogene in the subsurface along the east side of the San Joaquin basin between Bakersfield and Fresno, California. Upper Cretaceous deposits include thick fan-delta and submarine fan facies of the Moreno and Panoche Formations, whereas the paleogene contains extensive nearshore, shelf, slope, and submarine fan deposits of the Lodo, Domengine, and Kreyenhagen Formations. These sediments were deposited on a basement surface having several west-trending ridges and valleys. West-flowing streams draining an ancestral Sierra Nevada of moderate relief formed prograding fan deltas that filled the valleys with thick wedges ofmore » nonmarine channel deposits, creating a bajada along the shoreline. Detrital material moved rapidly from the shoreline through a narrow shelf, into a complex of submarine fans in the subduction trough. During the early Eocene, a low sea level stand plus an end of Sierra Nevada uplift resulted in the erosion of the range to a peneplain. Stream-fed fan deltas were replaced by a major river system, which flowed west on about the present course of the Kern River. Following a rapid sea level increase, sand from the river system was deposited on the now broad shelf along a wide belt roughly coincident with California Highway 99. The river was also the point source for sand in a submarine fan northwest of Bakersfield. Both Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene depositional systems probably continue north along the east edge of the Great Valley. This proposed scenario for the east side of the San Joaquin is analogous to forearc deposits in the San Diego area, including the Cretaceous Rosario fan-delta and submarine fan system and the Eocene La Jolla and Poway nearshore, shelf, and submarine fan systems.« less

Carbonate sedimentation in an extensional active margin: Cretaceous history of the Haymana region, Pontides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okay, Aral I.; Altiner, Demir

2016-10-01

The Haymana region in Central Anatolia is located in the southern part of the Pontides close to the İzmir-Ankara suture. During the Cretaceous, the region formed part of the south-facing active margin of the Eurasia. The area preserves a nearly complete record of the Cretaceous system. Shallow marine carbonates of earliest Cretaceous age are overlain by a 700-m-thick Cretaceous sequence, dominated by deep marine limestones. Three unconformity-bounded pelagic carbonate sequences of Berriasian, Albian-Cenomanian and Turonian-Santonian ages are recognized: Each depositional sequence is preceded by a period of tilting and submarine erosion during the Berriasian, early Albian and late Cenomanian, which corresponds to phases of local extension in the active continental margin. Carbonate breccias mark the base of the sequences and each carbonate sequence steps down on older units. The deep marine carbonate deposition ended in the late Santonian followed by tilting, erosion and folding during the Campanian. Deposition of thick siliciclastic turbidites started in the late Campanian and continued into the Tertiary. Unlike most forearc basins, the Haymana region was a site of deep marine carbonate deposition until the Campanian. This was because the Pontide arc was extensional and the volcanic detritus was trapped in the intra-arc basins and did not reach the forearc or the trench. The extensional nature of the arc is also shown by the opening of the Black Sea as a backarc basin in the Turonian-Santonian. The carbonate sedimentation in an active margin is characterized by synsedimentary vertical displacements, which results in submarine erosion, carbonate breccias and in the lateral discontinuity of the sequences, and differs from blanket like carbonate deposition in the passive margins.

Are glendonites reliable indicators of cold conditions? Evidence from the Lower Cretaceous of Spitsbergen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vickers, Madeleine; Price, Gregory; Watkinson, Matthew; Jerrett, Rhodri

2017-04-01

Glendonites are pseudomorphs after the mineral ikaite, and have been found in marine sediments throughout geological time. Ikaite is a metastable, hydrated form of calcium carbonate, which is only stable under specific conditions: between -2 and +5 °C, and with high alkalinity and phosphate concentrations. Glendonites are often associated with cold climates due to the strong temperature control on ikaite growth, and the coincidence in the geological record with episodes of global cooling. Glendonites are found in the Lower Cretaceous succession in Spitsbergen. During the Early Cretaceous, Spitsbergen was at a palaeolatitude of 60°N, and was part of a shallow epicontinental sea that formed during the Mesozoic as Atlantic rifting propagated northwards. Though the Early Cretaceous was generally characterised by greenhouse climate conditions, episodic cold snaps occurred during the Valanginian (the "Weissert Event") and during Aptian-Albian. Using high resolution carbon-isotope stratigraphy, we show that the first occurrences of glendonites are in the upper Lower Hauterivian and in the very upper Upper Hauterivian, stratigraphically higher than the Valanginian cooling event. Glendonites are also found in horizons in the Upper Aptian, coincident with the Aptian-Albian cold snap. Petrological analysis of the glendonite structure reveals differences between the Hauterivian and Aptian glendonites, with evidence for multiple diagenetic phases of growth in the Hauterivian glendonites, suggesting oscillating chemical conditions. This evidence suggests that local environmental conditions may have a stronger control on glendonite formation and preservation than global climate. We present a new model for ikaite growth and slow transformation to glendonite in marine sediments, which points to a more complex suite of diagenetic transformations than previously modelled. Furthermore, we critically assess whether such pseudomorphs after marine sedimentary ikaite may be indicators

Estimating Latest Cretaceous and Tertiary Atmospheric PCO2 from Stomatal Indices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Royer, D. L.; Wing, S. L.; Beerling, D. J.

2001-05-01

Most modern C3 seed plants show an inverse relationship between PCO2 and stomatal index (SI), where SI is the proportion of epidermal cells that are stomatal packages. This plant-atmosphere response therefore provides a reliable approach for estimating paleo-CO2 levels. Since stomatal responses to CO2 are generally species-specific, one is limited in paleo-reconstructions to species that exist both in the fossil record and living today. Fossils morphologically similar to living Ginkgo biloba and Metasequoia glyptostroboides extend back to the early and late Cretaceous, respectively, indicating that the fossil and living forms are very closely related. Measurements of SI made on fossil Ginkgo and Metasequoia were calibrated with historical collections of G. biloba and M. glyptostroboides leaves from sites that developed during the anthropogenically-driven CO2 increases of the past 145 years (288-369 ppmv) and with saplings of G. biloba and M. glyptostroboides grown in CO2 controlled growth chambers (350-800 ppmv). Both nonlinear regressions are highly significant (Ginkgo: n = 40, r2 = 0.91; Metasequoia: n = 18; r2 = 0.85). Results from a sequence of 23 latest Cretaceous to early Eocene-aged Ginkgo-bearing sites indicate that CO2 remained between 300 and 450 ppmv with the exception of one high estimate ( ~800 ppmv) near the Paleocene/Eocene boundary, and results from 4 middle Miocene-aged Ginkgo- and Metasequoia-bearing sites indicate that CO2 was between 320 and 400 ppmv. If correct, the CO2 values estimated here are too low to explain via the CO2 greenhouse effect alone the higher global mean temperatures (e.g., 3-4 ° C for the early Eocene) inferred from models and geological data for these two intervals.

The Collins Creek and Pleasant Creek Formations: Two new upper cretaceous subsurface units in the Carolina/Georgia Coastal Plain

USGS Publications Warehouse

,; Prowell, D.C.; Christopher, R.A.

2004-01-01

This paper formally defines two new Upper Cretaceous subsurface units in the southern Atlantic Coastal Plain of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia: the Collins Creek Formation and the Pleasant Creek Formation. These units are confined to the subsurface of the outer Coastal Plain, and their type sections are established in corehole CHN-820 from Charleston County, S.C. The Collins Creek Formation consists of greenish-gray lignitic sand and dark-greenish-gray sandy clay and is documented in cores from Allendale, Beaufort, Berkeley, Dorchester, Jasper and Marion Counties, South Carolina, and from Screven County, Georgia. Previously, Collins Creek strata had been incorrectly assigned to the Middendorf Formation. These sediments occupy a stratigraphic position between the Turonian/Coniacian Cape Fear Formation (?) below and the proposed upper Coniacian to middle Santonian Pleasant Creek Formation above. The Collins Creek Formation is middle and late Coniacian in age on the basis of calcareous nannofossil and palynomorph analyses. The Pleasant Creek Formation consists of olive-gray sand and dark-greenish-gray silty to sandy clay and is documented in cores from New Hanover County, North Carolina, and Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester, Horry and Marion Counties, South Carolina. The strata of this unit previously were assigned incorrectly to the Middendorf Formation and (or) the Cape Fear Formation. These sediments occupy a stratigraphic position between the proposed Collins Creek Formation below and the Shepherd Grove Formation above. The Pleasant Creek Formation is late Coniacian and middle Santonian in age, on the basis of its calcareous nannofossil and palynomorph assemblages.

An archaic crested plesiosaur in opal from the Lower Cretaceous high-latitude deposits of Australia

PubMed Central

Kear, Benjamin P; Schroeder, Natalie I; Lee, Michael S.Y

2006-01-01

Umoonasaurus demoscyllus gen. et sp. nov. is a new small-bodied (approx. 2.5 m) pliosauroid plesiosaur from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian–Albian) of southern Australia. It is represented by several partial skeletons (one with a near complete skull is the most complete opalized vertebrate fossil yet known), and is unique in having large crests on the skull midline and above the orbits. Umoonasaurus is surprisingly archaic despite its relatively late age (approx. 115 Myr ago)—being simultaneously the most basal (primitive) and last surviving rhomaleosaurid. Notably, it lacks the ‘pliosauromorph’ features (large head, short neck, gigantism) typically characterizing many more derived Jurassic rhomaleosaurids; thus, reinforcing the suspected convergent evolution of the ‘pliosauromorph’ hypercarnivore body plan. Umoonasaurus inhabited an Early Cretaceous high-latitude (approx. 70° S) inland seaway subject to seasonally near-freezing climatic conditions. This extreme environment supported a diverse range of plesiosaur taxa, suggesting that these marine reptiles might have possessed adaptations (e.g. heightened metabolic levels) to cope with cold-water temperatures. Indeed, survival of ancient endemic lineages such as Umoonasaurus is a common phenomenon in Australian Cretaceous vertebrate assemblages and might have been facilitated by isolation in low-temperature high-latitude regions. PMID:17148303

A review on the structural styles of deformation during Late Cretaceous and Paleocene tectonic phases in the southern North Sea area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deckers, Jef; van der Voet, Eva

2018-04-01

The Mesozoic rifts in the southern North Sea area were affected by Late Cretaceous to Paleocene inversion. Two main inversion phases were traditionally identified in this interval: the Sub-Hercynian and the Laramide phases. The Sub-Hercynian phase started in the early Late Cretaceous, peaked during the Campanian and ended in the late Maastrichtian, while the Laramide phase started in the late Danian and ended in the Thanetian. The Late Cretaceous Sub-Hercynian phase was strong and occurred in several pulses. These pulses led to basin-scale uplift by large reverse movements along basin-bounding faults and resulted in large amounts of erosion (up to 2 km) of Mesozoic and older sediments. The middle Paleocene Laramide phase on the other hand resulted in mild, domal uplift of some Late Cretaceous inverted basins and subsidence (into depocenters) of others. The subsequent Cenozoic inversion phases displayed similar or lower amplitudes and wavelengths of vertical surface movements as the Laramide phase. The transition from the Sub-Hercynian to the Laramide phase in the southern North Sea area therefore coincides with the overall transition from fault-controlled inversion to broad domal vertical surface movements.

Hydrogeology and preliminary assessment of regional flow in the upper Cretaceous and adjacent aquifers in the northern Mississippi embayment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brahana, J.V.; Mesko, T.O.

1988-01-01

On a regional scale, the groundwater system of the northern Mississippi embayment is composed of a series of nonindurated clastic sediments that overlie a thick sequence of Paleozoic carbonate, sandstones, and shales. The units that comprise the geohydrologic framework of this study are the alluvium-lower Wilcox Aquifer the Midway confining unit, the Upper Cretaceous aquifer, the Cretaceous-Paleozoic confining unit, and the Ozark-St. Francois aquifer. The Upper Cretaceous aquifer of Late Cretaceous age is the primary focus of this investigation; the study is part of the Gulf Coast Regional Aquifer-System Analysis. A four layer finite-difference groundwater flow model enabled testing of alternative boundary concepts and provide a refined definition of the hydrologic budget of the deep aquifers. The alluvium-lower Wilcox aquifer, the Upper Cretaceous aquifer, and the Ozark-St. Francois aquifer form layers 2 through 4, respectively. Layer 1 is an inactive layer of constant heads representing shallow water levels, which are a major control on recharge to and discharge from the regional system. A matrix of leakance values simulates each confining unit, allowing vertical interchange of water between different aquifers. The model was calibrated to 1980 conditions by using the assumption that 1980 was near steady-state conditions; it was calibrated to simulate observed heads were found to be most sensitive to pumping, and least sensitive to the leakance. By using all available water quality and water level data, alternative boundary conditions were tested by comparing model simulated heads to observed heads. The results of the early modeling effort also contribute to a better understanding of the regional hydrologic budget, indicating that: upward leakage from the Ozark-St. Francois aquifer to the Upper Cretaceous aquifer is about 43 cu ft/sec; upward recharge of about 68 cu ft/sec occurs to the lower Wilcox-alluvium aquifer from the Upper Cretaceous aquifer; and the

Deciphering evolutionary strata on plant sex chromosomes and fungal mating-type chromosomes through compositional segmentation.

PubMed

Pandey, Ravi S; Azad, Rajeev K

2016-03-01

Sex chromosomes have evolved from a pair of homologous autosomes which differentiated into sex determination systems, such as XY or ZW system, as a consequence of successive recombination suppression between the gametologous chromosomes. Identifying the regions of recombination suppression, namely, the "evolutionary strata", is central to understanding the history and dynamics of sex chromosome evolution. Evolution of sex chromosomes as a consequence of serial recombination suppressions is well-studied for mammals and birds, but not for plants, although 48 dioecious plants have already been reported. Only two plants Silene latifolia and papaya have been studied until now for the presence of evolutionary strata on their X chromosomes, made possible by the sequencing of sex-linked genes on both the X and Y chromosomes, which is a requirement of all current methods that determine stratum structure based on the comparison of gametologous sex chromosomes. To circumvent this limitation and detect strata even if only the sequence of sex chromosome in the homogametic sex (i.e. X or Z chromosome) is available, we have developed an integrated segmentation and clustering method. In application to gene sequences on the papaya X chromosome and protein-coding sequences on the S. latifolia X chromosome, our method could decipher all known evolutionary strata, as reported by previous studies. Our method, after validating on known strata on the papaya and S. latifolia X chromosome, was applied to the chromosome 19 of Populus trichocarpa, an incipient sex chromosome, deciphering two, yet unknown, evolutionary strata. In addition, we applied this approach to the recently sequenced sex chromosome V of the brown alga Ectocarpus sp. that has a haploid sex determination system (UV system) recovering the sex determining and pseudoautosomal regions, and then to the mating-type chromosomes of an anther-smut fungus Microbotryum lychnidis-dioicae predicting five strata in the non

Radio-astrochronology of the Agrio Formation (Neuquén Basin, Argentina) to reduce the uncertainties of the geological time scale in Early Cretaceous times

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez, Mathieu; Beatriz, Aguirre-Urreta; Marina, Lescano; Julieta, Omarini; Maisa, Tunik; Thomas, Frederichs; Anna-Leah, Nickl; Heiko, Pälike

2017-04-01

the range of uncertainty mentioned by Martinez et al. (2015) (2.5 ± 0.4 myr), but being much longer than the duration of 1.21 myr proposed in the geological time scale 2016 (Ogg et al., 2016), suggesting the duration of the Hauterivian stage has to be increased by, at least, 0.9 myr for the next compilation. References: Aguirre-Urreta, B., et al., 2015. Filling the gap: new precise Early Cretaceous radioisotopic ages from the Andes. Geological Magazine 152, 557-564. Martinez, M., et al., 2015. Astrochronology of the Valanginian-Hauterivian stages (Early Cretaceous): chronological relationships between the Paraná-Etendeka large igneous province, the Weissert and the Faraoni events. Global and Planetary Change 131, 158-173. Ogg, J.G., et al., 2016. A Concise Geological Time Scale 2016. Elsevier B.V., 243 pp. Sagasti, G., 2005. Hemipelagic record of orbitally-induced dilution cycles in Lower Cretaceous sediments of the Neuquén Basin, in Veiga, G.D., Spaletti, L.A., Howell, J.A. and Schwarz E. (Eds.). The Neuquén Basin, Argentina: A Case Study in Sequence Stratigraphy and Basin Dynamics. Geological Society, London, Special Publications 252, 231-250.

Environmental change during the Late Berriasian - Early Valanginian: a prelude to the late Early Valanginian carbon-isotope event?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morales, Chloé; Schnyder, Johann; Spangenberg, Jorge; Adatte, Thierry; Westermann, Stephane; Föllmi, Karl

2010-05-01

European basins show that the climate became more humid during the Late Berriasian (Hallam et al., 1991, Schnyder et al., 2009). The aim of this project is to precisely characterize and date paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic change during the latest Berriasian-Early Valanginian time interval in order to decipher if they can be viewed as precursor events, linked with the late Early Valanginian δ13C event. Three key sections have been studied: Capriolo (N Italy), Montclus (SE France) and Musfallen (E Switzerland) located in the Lombardian and Vocontian basins and on the Helvetic platform, respectively. Phosphorus and stable-isotope analyses have been performed, in addition to clay-mineralogy and facies determinations. The three sections show similar and comparable trends: The phosphorus content (in ppm) is higher in Late Berriasian sediments (compared to Early Berriasian and Valanginian deposits) and this period is also characterised by a decrease in δ13C values. This is interpreted as the result of enhanced continental weathering, which would be coeval with a change to a more humid climate during the Late Berriasian (Schnyder et al., 2009). References: Bornemann, A. and Mutterlose, J. (2008). "Calcareous nannofossil and d13C records from the Early Cretaceous of the Western Atlantic ocean: evidence of enhanced fertilization accross the Berriasian-Valanginian transition." palaios 23: 821-832. Duchamp-Alphonse, S., Gardin, S., Fiet, N., Bartolini, A., Blamart, D. and Pagel, M. (2007). "Fertilization of the northwestern Tethys (Vocontian basin, SE France) during the Valanginian carbon isotope perturbation: Evidence from calcareous nannofossils and trace element data." Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 243(1-2): 132-151. Föllmi, K.B., Weissert, H., Bisping, M. & Funk, H. 1994: Phosphogenesis, carbon-isotope stratigraphy, and carbonate-platform evolution along the Lower Cretaceous northern tethyan margin. Geological Society of America, Bulletin 106, 729

Sensitivity of the North Atlantic Basin to cyclic climatic forcing during the early Cretaceous

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dean, W.E.; Arthur, M.A.

1999-01-01

Striking cyclic interbeds of laminated dark-olive to black marlstone and bioturbated white to light-gray limestone of Neocomian (Early Cretaceous) age have been recovered at Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) and Ocean Drilling Project (ODP) sites in the North Atlantic. These Neocomian sequences are equivalent to the Maiolica Formation that outcrops in the Tethyan regions of the Mediterranean and to thick limestone sequences of the Vocontian Trough of France. This lithologic unit marks the widespread deposition of biogenic carbonate over much of the North Atlantic and Tethyan seafloor during a time of overall low sealevel and a deep carbonate compensation depth. The dark clay-rich interbeds typically are rich in organic carbon (OC) with up to 5.5% OC in sequences in the eastern North Atlantic. These eastern North Atlantic sequences off northwest Africa, contain more abundant and better preserved hydrogen-rich, algal organic matter (type II kerogen) relative to the western North Atlantic, probably in response to coastal upwelling induced by an eastern boundary current in the young North Atlantic Ocean. The more abundant algal organic matter in sequences in the eastern North Atlantic is also expressed in the isotopic composition of the carbon in that organic matter. In contrast, organic matter in Neocomian sequences in the western North Atlantic along the continental margin of North America has geochemical and optical characteristics of herbaceous, woody, hydrogen-poor, humic, type III kerogen. The inorganic geochemical characteristics of the dark clay-rich (80% CaCO3) interbeds in both the eastern and western basins of the North Atlantic suggest that they contain minor amounts of relatively unweathered eolian dust derived from northwest Africa during dry intervals.

Absurdaster, a new genus of basal atelostomate from the Early Cretaceous of Europe and its phylogenetic position☆

PubMed Central

Kroh, Andreas; Lukeneder, Alexander; Gallemí, Jaume

2014-01-01

Field work in the Lower Cretaceous of the Dolomites (Italy) has resulted in the recovery of a new genus of ‘disasteroid’ echinoid, which successively was also discovered in slightly older strata in Northern Hungary. This new genus, Absurdaster, is characterized by its highly modified, disjunct apical disc in which all genital plate except genital plate 2 are reduced or fused. The gonopores (which may be multiple) have shifted and pierce interambulacral plates. Anteriorly ambulacrum III is distinctly sunken and forms a distinct frontal notch, while the posterior end is pointed and features a small sharply defined posterior face bearing the periproct. Two new species are established: Absurdaster puezensis sp. nov. from the Upper Hauterivian to Lower Barremian Puez Formation of Northern Italy is characterized by its rudimentary ambulacral pores in the paired ambulacra, high hexagonal ambulacral plates aborally and multiple gonopores in the most adapical plates of interambulacral columns 1b and 4a. Absurdaster hungaricus sp. nov. from the Lower Hauterivian Bersek Marl Formation of Northern Hungary, in contrast, shows circumflexed ambulacral pores, low ambulacral plates, a single gonopore each in the most adapical plates of interambulacral columns 1b and 4a and a flaring posterior end, with sharp margin and invaginated periproct. In addition to those two species Collyrites meriani Ooster, 1865 from the uppermost Berriasian to basal Barremian of Switzerland is attributed to the new genus. Despite the poor knowledge on this form it seems to be distinguished from the new species by its smaller ambulacral plates and higher interambulacral/ambulacral plate ratio. Phylogenetic analyses based on previous work by Barras (2007) and Saucède et al. (2007) indicate that the new genus is a highly derived stem-group member of the Atelostomata close to the split of holasteroids and spatangoids. A combined analysis based on a subset of the characters employed in these two studies

Evidence For Volcanic Initiation Of Cretaceous Ocean Anoxic Events (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sageman, B. B.; Hurtgen, M. T.; McElwain, J.; Adams, D.; Barclay, R. S.; Joo, Y.

2010-12-01

Increasing evidence from studies of Cretaceous ocean anoxic events (OAE’s) has suggested that major changes in volcanic activity may have played a significant role in their genesis. Numerous specific mechanisms of have been proposed, including increases in atmospheric CO2 and surface temperature, leading to enhanced chemical weathering and terrestrial nutrient release, or increases in reduced trace metal fluxes, leading to oxygen depletion and possibly providing micronutrients for enhanced primary production. An additional pathway by which the byproducts of enhanced volcanic activity may have contributed to OAE genesis involves relationships between the biogeochemical cycles sulfur, iron, and phosphorus. Recent analysis of S-isotope data from carbonate-associated sulfate and pyrite collected across the Cenomanian-Turonian OAE2 in the Western Interior basin suggest that increases in sulfate to an initially sulfate-depleted ocean preceded onset of the event. Modern lake data support the idea that increases in sulfate concentration drive microbial sulfate reduction, leading to more efficient regeneration of P from sedimentary organic matter. If the early Cretaceous opening of the South Atlantic was accompanied by evaporite deposition sufficient to draw down global marine sulfate levels, and widespread anoxia leading to elevated pyrite burial helped maintain these low levels for the succeeding 30 myr, during which most Cretaceous OAE’s are found, perhaps pulses of volcanism that rapidly introduced large volumes of sulfate may have played a key role in OAE initiation. The eventually burial of S in the form of pyrite may have returned sulfate levels to a low background, thus providing a mechanism to terminate the anoxic events. This talk will review the evidence for volcanic initiation of OAE’s in the context of the sulfate-phosphorus regeneration model.

Potomacapnos apeleutheron gen. et sp. nov., a new Early Cretaceous angiosperm from the Potomac Group and its implications for the evolution of eudicot leaf architecture.

PubMed

Jud, Nathan A; Hickey, Leo J

2013-12-01

Eudicots diverged early in the evolution of flowering plants and now comprise more than 70% of angiosperm species. In spite of the importance of eudicots, our understanding of the early evolution of this clade is limited by a poor fossil record and uncertainty about the order of early phylogenetic branching. The study of Lower Cretaceous fossils can reveal much about the evolution, morphology, and ecology of the eudicots. Fossils described here were collected from Aptian sediments of the Potomac Group exposed at the Dutch Gap locality in Virginia, USA. Specimens were prepared by degaging, then described and compared with leaves of relevant extant and fossil plants. We conducted a phylogenetic analysis of morphological characters using parsimony while constraining the tree search with the topology found through molecular phylogenetic analyses. The new species is closely related to ranunculalean eudicots and has leaf architecture remarkably similar to some living Fumarioideae (Papaveraceae). These are the oldest eudicot megafossils from North America, and they show complex leaf architecture reflecting developmental pathways unique to extant eudicots. The morphology and small size of the fossils suggest that they were herbaceous plants, as is seen in other putative early eudicots. The absence of co-occurring tricolpate pollen at Dutch Gap either (1) reflects low preservation probability for pollen of entomophilous herbs or (2) indicates that some leaf features of extant eudicots appeared before the origin of tricolpate pollen.

Foraminiferal biostratigraphy of Upper Cretaceous (Campanian - Maastrichtian) sequences in the Peri-Tethys basin; Moghan area, NW Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Omidvar, Mahboobeh; Safari, Amrollah; Vaziri-Moghaddam, Hossain; Ghalavand, Hormoz

2018-04-01

The Upper Cretaceous sediments in the Moghan area, NW Iran, contain diverse planktonic and benthic foraminifera, with a total of 33 genera and 53 species (17 genera and 38 species of planktonic foraminifera and 16 genera and 15 species from benthic foraminifera), which led to the identification of six biozones spanning the middle Campanian to late Maastrichtian. A detailed paleontological study and biostratigraphic zonation of these sequences has been carried out in four surface sections. This study shows that there are two different facies in the Moghan area, based on the faunal content. A deep open marine condition exists in the Molok, Selenchai and Nasirkandi sections. In these sections, Upper Cretaceous sequences have diverse planktonic foraminiferal species including the Globotruncana ventricosa (middle to late Campanian), Globotruncanella havanensis (late Campanian), Globotruncana aegyptiaca (latest Campanian), Gansserina gansseri (latest Campanian to early Maastrichtian), Contusotruncana contusa- Racemiguembelina fructicosa (early to late Maastrichtian) and Abathomphalus mayaroensis (late Maastrichtian) zones. This deep open marine setting grades laterally into shallower marine condition dominated by large benthic foraminifera such as Orbitoides media, Orbitoides gruenbachensis, Orbitoides cf. apiculata, Lepidorbitoides minor, Pseudosiderolites sp., Siderolites praecalcitrapoides, Siderolites aff. calcitrapoides and Siderolites calcitrapoides. This facies is mainly recorded in the Hovay section. A detailed biostratigraphic zonation scheme is presented for the studied sections and correlated with the results of other studies in the Tethyan realm. This is the first biozonation scheme for Upper Cretaceous sequences of the Moghan area that can be used as a basis for ongoing studies in this area and other parts of Tethys basin.

The Strata-l Experiment on Microgravity Regolith Segregation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fries, M.; Abell, P.; Brisset, J.; Britt, D.; Colwell, J.; Durda, D.; Dove, A.; Graham, L.; Hartzell, C.; John, K.;

Exceptional preservation of tiny embryos documents seed dormancy in early angiosperms.

PubMed

Friis, Else Marie; Crane, Peter R; Pedersen, Kaj Raunsgaard; Stampanoni, Marco; Marone, Federica

2015-12-24

The rapid diversification of angiosperms through the Early Cretaceous period, between about 130-100 million years ago, initiated fundamental changes in the composition of terrestrial vegetation and is increasingly well understood on the basis of a wealth of palaeobotanical discoveries over the past four decades and their integration with improved knowledge of living angiosperms. Prevailing hypotheses, based on evidence both from living and from fossil plants, emphasize that the earliest angiosperms were plants of small stature with rapid life cycles that exploited disturbed habitats in open, or perhaps understorey, conditions. However, direct palaeontogical data relevant to understanding the seed biology and germination ecology of Early Cretaceous angiosperms are sparse. Here we report the discovery of embryos and their associated nutrient storage tissues in exceptionally well-preserved angiosperm seeds from the Early Cretaceous. Synchrotron radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy of the fossil embryos from many taxa reveals that all were tiny at the time of dispersal. These results support hypotheses based on extant plants that tiny embryos and seed dormancy are basic for angiosperms as a whole. The minute size of the fossil embryos, and the modest nutrient storage tissues dictated by the overall small seed size, is also consistent with the interpretation that many early angiosperms were opportunistic, early successional colonizers of disturbance-prone habitats.

Rebuilding Biodiversity of Patagonian Marine Molluscs after the End-Cretaceous Mass Extinction

PubMed Central

Aberhan, Martin; Kiessling, Wolfgang

2014-01-01

We analysed field-collected quantitative data of benthic marine molluscs across the Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary in Patagonia to identify patterns and processes of biodiversity reconstruction after the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. We contrast diversity dynamics from nearshore environments with those from offshore environments. In both settings, Early Palaeogene (Danian) assemblages are strongly dominated by surviving lineages, many of which changed their relative abundance from being rare before the extinction event to becoming the new dominant forms. Only a few of the species in the Danian assemblages were newly evolved. In offshore environments, however, two newly evolved Danian bivalve species attained ecological dominance by replacing two ecologically equivalent species that disappeared at the end of the Cretaceous. In both settings, the total number of Danian genera at a locality remained below the total number of late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) genera at that locality. We suggest that biotic interactions, in particular incumbency effects, suppressed post-extinction diversity and prevented the compensation of diversity loss by originating and invading taxa. Contrary to the total number of genera at localities, diversity at the level of individual fossiliferous horizons before and after the boundary is indistinguishable in offshore environments. This indicates an evolutionary rapid rebound to pre-extinction values within less than ca 0.5 million years. In nearshore environments, by contrast, diversity of fossiliferous horizons was reduced in the Danian, and this lowered diversity lasted for the entire studied post-extinction interval. In this heterogeneous environment, low connectivity among populations may have retarded the recolonisation of nearshore habitats by survivors. PMID:25028930

The Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary in the Brazos River area (Texas): new sections and revised interpretations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hart, M.; Leighton, A.; Yancey, T.; Miller, B.; Smart, C.; Twitchett, R.

2012-04-01

The Brazos River area of Texas is famous for outcrops of the K/Pg transition and lowermost Paleocene strata. A number of new, un-described sections have been investigated and they provide biostratigraphical and sedimentological information on the events preceding, during and following the Chixculub impact event. The mudstones of the Corsicana Formation (Maastrichtian) contain a number of very thin volcanic ashes, including the yellow/white gypsum-rich horizon incorrectly regarded by some workers as evidence of a pre-K/Pg boundary impact. The mudstones of the Corsicana Mudstone Fm (uppermost Maastrichtian) were significantly eroded by the end-Cretaceous tsunami and the surficial unconsolidated muds as well as a thickness of lithified mudstone eroded and put into suspension, thereby providing the reworked Cretaceous assemblages of microfossils recorded by a number of authors. Erosional relief on the 75-100 m deep sea floor is visible in Cottonmouth Creek and the new River Bank South section as a series of ridges and erosional troughs, trending NW-SE. Trough lows are in-filled with mud-matrix mass flow deposits containing large blocks of Maastrichtian mudstones and transported concretions. These are overlain with granular shell-rich sediments containing spherules, fish teeth, bone fragments and re-worked foraminifera and hummocky cross-stratified storm sands with mudstone inter-beds. Sea floor ridges remained exposed to open marine waters and were colonized with a thin oyster pavement before burial by Kincaid Formation mudstones and siltstones. A return to quiet water conditions during the earliest Paleocene is recorded in a new 3-6 m section of foraminifera-rich mudstones, siltstones and sandstones bounded above and below with zones of carbonate and pyrite concretions, best seen in the River bank South section. The foraminiferal sand unit contains steinkerns and phosphatic concretions indicative of a condensed deposit. The P1a/P1b zonal boundary lies near the top of

Nannofossil carbonate fluxes during the Early Cretaceous: Phytoplankton response to nutrification episodes, atmospheric CO2, and anoxia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erba, Elisabetta; Tremolada, Fabrizio

2004-03-01

Greenhouse episodes during the Valanginian and Aptian correlate with major perturbations in the C cycle and in marine ecosystems, carbonate crises, and widespread deposition of Corg-rich black shales. Quantitative analyses of nannofossil micrite were conducted on continuous pelagic sections from the Southern Alps (northern Italy), where high-resolution integrated stratigraphy allows precise dating of Early Cretaceous geological events. Rock-forming calcareous nannofloras were quantified in smear slides and thin sections to obtain relative and absolute abundances and paleofluxes that are interpreted as the response of calcareous phytoplankton to global changes in the ocean-atmosphere system. Increased rates of volcanism during the formation of Ontong Java and Manihiki Plateaus and the Paranà-Etendeka large igneous province (LIP) are proposed to have caused the geological responses associated with early Aptian oceanic anoxic event (OAE) 1a and the Valanginian event, respectively. Calcareous nannofloras reacted to the new conditions of higher pCO2 and fertility by drastically reducing calcification. The Valanginian event is marked by a 65% reduction in nannofossil paleofluxes that would correspond to a 2-3 times increase in pCO2 during formation of the Paranà-Endenteka LIP. A 90% reduction in nannofossil paleofluxes, which occurred in a 1.5 myr-long interval leading into OAE1a, is interpreted as the result of a 3-6 times increase in pCO2 produced by emplacement of the giant Ontong Java and Manihiki Plateaus. High pCO2 was balanced back by an accelerated biological pump during the Valanginian episode, but not during OAE1a, suggesting persisting high levels of pCO2 in the late Aptian and/or the inability of calcareous phytoplankton to absorb excess pCO2 above threshold values.

Late Cretaceous vicariance in Gondwanan amphibians.

PubMed

Van Bocxlaer, Ines; Roelants, Kim; Biju, S D; Nagaraju, J; Bossuyt, Franky

2006-12-20

Overseas dispersals are often invoked when Southern Hemisphere terrestrial and freshwater organism phylogenies do not fit the sequence or timing of Gondwana fragmentation. We used dispersal-vicariance analyses and molecular timetrees to show that two species-rich frog groups, Microhylidae and Natatanura, display congruent patterns of spatial and temporal diversification among Gondwanan plates in the Late Cretaceous, long after the presumed major tectonic break-up events. Because amphibians are notoriously salt-intolerant, these analogies are best explained by simultaneous vicariance, rather than by oceanic dispersal. Hence our results imply Late Cretaceous connections between most adjacent Gondwanan landmasses, an essential concept for biogeographic and palaeomap reconstructions.

Cretaceous combined structure in eastern Sichuan Basin, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, P.; Liu, S.

2009-12-01

Eastern Sichuan Basin is confined by two thin-skinned fold-thrust belt, NW-trending Southern Daba Shan (Shan=Mountain) (SDB) in the northeast and NNE- or NE-trending Western XueFeng Shan (WXF) in the southeast, which constitute two convergent salients convex to the inner basin respectively. Although many factors can lead to the formation of fold-thrust belt salients, the eastern Sichuan salients would be attributed to the combined structure (firstly nominated by Chinese geologist, Li Siguang), which means the interaction of two structural belts in the same period. By field surveying and geological map interpreting, we found that WXF deformation began in Late Jurassic along the eastern side of structral belt, where the synclines cored by Upper-Middle Jurassic rock. The initial time of SDB deformation remains poorly determined, however our palaeocurrent data of Lower Cretaceous rock in adjecent foreland basin indicate the provenance from northeast or east. Hence we considered the two fold-thrust belt started interactive in Late Jurassic and mainly combined during Cretaceous. In Early Cretaceous, the front belt of WXF salient arrived near KaiXian where NEE-trending arc-shape folds converged with the NWW-trending arc-shape folds of SDB.The two salients shaped like an westward "open mouth", east of which EW-trending folds of two structural belts juxtaposed. Particularly in the middle belt of WXF (FengJie - WuFeng) the earlier NEE-trending folds were refolded by later NNE-trending folds. We interpret the NEE-trending folds as the front belt of earlier (maybe Late Jurassic) WXF salient. When the two combined fold belts propagated westward together, the original NNE-trending front belt of WXF constrained by the front belt of SDB and formed the curved fold trend lines convex to NNW. Then as WXF deformation continued but SDB gradually terminated, the consequent NNE-trending folds could not be curved and would superpose on the earlier NEE-trending folds.In Late Cretaceous

Fossilized melanosomes and the colour of Cretaceous dinosaurs and birds.

PubMed

Zhang, Fucheng; Kearns, Stuart L; Orr, Patrick J; Benton, Michael J; Zhou, Zhonghe; Johnson, Diane; Xu, Xing; Wang, Xiaolin

2010-02-25

Spectacular fossils from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Group of northeastern China have greatly expanded our knowledge of the diversity and palaeobiology of dinosaurs and early birds, and contributed to our understanding of the origin of birds, of flight, and of feathers. Pennaceous (vaned) feathers and integumentary filaments are preserved in birds and non-avian theropod dinosaurs, but little is known of their microstructure. Here we report that melanosomes (colour-bearing organelles) are not only preserved in the pennaceous feathers of early birds, but also in an identical manner in integumentary filaments of non-avian dinosaurs, thus refuting recent claims that the filaments are partially decayed dermal collagen fibres. Examples of both eumelanosomes and phaeomelanosomes have been identified, and they are often preserved in life position within the structure of partially degraded feathers and filaments. Furthermore, the data here provide empirical evidence for reconstructing the colours and colour patterning of these extinct birds and theropod dinosaurs: for example, the dark-coloured stripes on the tail of the theropod dinosaur Sinosauropteryx can reasonably be inferred to have exhibited chestnut to reddish-brown tones.

Paleovegetation changes recorded by n-alkyl lipids bound in macromolecules of plant fossils and kerogens from the Cretaceous sediments in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyata, Y.; Sawada, K.; Nakamura, H.; Takashima, R.; Takahashi, M.

2014-12-01

Resistant macromolecules composing living plant tissues tend to be preserved through degradation and diagenesis, hence constituate major parts of sedimentary plant-derived organic matter (kerogen), and their monomer compositions vary widely among different plant taxa, organs and growth stages. Thus, analysis of such macromolecule may serve as new technique for paleobotanical evaluation distinctive from classical paleobotnical studies depends on morphological preservation of fossils. In the present study, we analyzed plant fossils and kerogens in sediments from the Cretaceous strata in Japan to examine chemotaxonomic characteristics of fossil macromolecules and to reconstruct paleovegetation change by kerogen analysis. The kerogens were separated from the powdered sediments of Cretaceous Yezo Group, Hokkaido, Japan. All kerogens have been confirmed to be mostly originated from land plant tissues by microscopic observation. Mummified angiosperm and gymnosperm fossil leaves were separated from carbonaceous sandstone of the Cretaceous Ashizawa Formation, Futaba Group. The kerogens and plant fossils were extracted with methanol and dichloromethane, and were subsequently refluxed under 110°C to remove free compounds completely. The residues are hydrolyzed by KOH/methanol under 110°C. These released compounds are analyzed by GC-MS. As main hydrolyzed products (ester-bound molecular units) from all kerogens, C10-C28 n-alkanoic acids and C10-C30 n-alkanols were detected. Recent studies on the hydrolysis products of plant tissues suggested the long chain (>C20) n-alkanols were predominantly abundant in deciduous broadleaved angiosperms. Correspondingly, the stratigraphic variation of the ratios of long chain (>C20) n-alkanols to fatty acids was concordant with the variation of angiosperm/gymnosperm ratios recorded by land plant-derived terpenoid biomarkers. In addition, we found that the long chain n-alkanols/fatty acids ratio in the angiosperm fossil leaf was

Sedimentology and Reservoir Characteristics of Early Cretaceous Fluvio-Deltaic and Lacustrine Deposits, Upper Abu Gabra Formation, Sufyan Sub-basin, Muglad Rift Basin, Sudan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yassin, Mohamed; Abdullatif, Osman; Hariri, Mustafa

2017-04-01

Sufyan Sub-basin is an East-West trending Sub-basin located in the northwestern part of the Muglad Basin (Sudan), in the eastern extension of the West and Central Africa Rift System (WCARS). The Early Cretaceous Abu Gabra Formation considered as the main source rock in the Muglad Basin. In Sufyan Sub-basin the Early Cretaceous Upper Abu Gabra Formation is the main oil-producing reservoir. It is dominated by sandstone and shales deposited in fluvio-deltaic and lacustrine environment during the first rift cycle in the basin. Depositional and post-depositional processes highly influenced the reservoir quality and architecture. This study investigates different scales of reservoir heterogeneities from macro to micro scale. Subsurface facies analysis was analyzed based on the description of six conventional cores from two wells. Approaches include well log analysis, thin sections and scanning electron microscope (SEM) investigations, grain-size, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the Abu Gabra sandstone. The cores and well logs analyses revealed six lithofacies representing fluvio-deltaic and lacustrine depositional environment. The sandstone is medium to coarse-grained, poorly to moderately sorted and sub-angular to subrounded, Sub-feldspathic arenite to quartz arenite. On macro-scale, reservoir quality varies within Abu Gabra reservoir where it shows progressive coarsening upward tendencies with different degrees of connectivity. The upper part of the reservoir showed well connected and amalgamated sandstone bodies, the middle to lower parts, however, have moderate to low sandstone bodies' connectivity and amalgamation. On micro-scale, sandstone reservoir quality is directly affected by textures and diagenesis.The XRD and SEM analyses show that kaolinite and chlorite clay are the common clay minerals in the studied samples. Clay matrix and quartz overgrowth have significantly reduced the reservoir porosity and permeability, while the dissolution of feldspars

The late early Miocene Sabine River

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Manning, E.

Work on a new late early Miocene vertebrate fossil site, in a paleochannel deposit of the upper Carnahan Bayou Member of the lower Fleming Formation, has revealed unexpected data on the course and nature of the Sabine River of that time. Screen washing for smaller vertebrate remains at the site, just west of the Sabine River in Newton County, central eastern Texas, has resulted in the recovery of early Permian, Early Cretaceous, Late Cretaceous (Maestrichtian), Paleocene/Eocene, late Eocene, and Oligocene/Miocene fossils, in addition to the main early Miocene fauna. The reworked fossils, as well as distinctive mineral grains, show thatmore » the late early Miocene Sabine River was connected to the Texas/Oklahoma/Arkansas boundary section of the Red River, as well as to rivers draining the southern Ouachita Mountains. These rivers must have joined the Texas/Louisiana boundary section of the Sabine River somewhere in northwest Louisiana at that time. This suggests that the Louisiana section of the present Red River pirated the Texas/Oklahoma/Arkansas boundary section of the river some time after the early Miocene. The preservation of recognizable fossils transported hundreds of miles in a large river itself requires explanation. It is speculated here that the late early Miocene Sabine River incorporated a large amount of the then recently deposited volcanic ash from the Trans-Pecos Volcanic Field. Montmorillonite clay from the altered volcanic ash would have made the river very turbid, which could have allowed coarse sand-sized particles to be carried in the suspended load of the river, rather than in its bed load (where they would have been destroyed by the rolling chert gravel). Additional evidence for such long-distance fossil transport in the late early Miocene rivers of the western Gulf Coastal Plain comes from the abundant Cretaceous fossils of the upper Oakville Formation of southeast Texas and the Siphonina davisi zone of the southeast Texas subsurface.« less

Early Cretaceous bimodal volcanism in the Duolong Cu mining district, western Tibet: Record of slab breakoff that triggered ca. 108-113 Ma magmatism in the western Qiangtang terrane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Shao-gang; Tang, Ju-xing; Song, Yang; Liu, Zhi-bo; Feng, Jun; Li, Yan-bo

2017-05-01

We report new zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotope compositions, and whole-rock major and trace element and Sr-Nd isotope data for the Meiriqiecuo Formation (MF) bimodal volcanic rocks collected from the Duolong Cu mining district (DCMD) in the western Qiangtang terrane (QT), western Tibet. These data provide important constraints on the petrogenetic evolution and geodynamic setting of Early Cretaceous magmatism in the DCMD. The MF bimodal volcanic rocks are mainly basaltic andesite and andesite, with subordinate rhyolite. Four mafic samples yielded zircon U-Pb ages of ca. 108.2-113.0 Ma, and one silicic sample has an age of 109.3 ± 2.2 Ma, indicating that the mafic and silicic eruptions were contemporaneous. The MF bimodal volcanic rocks belong to the medium-K calc-alkaline to shoshonite series. The rocks show arc-type affinities characterized by significant enrichment in light rare earth (LaN/YbN = 7.74-12.60) and large-ion lithophile elements (Rb, Cs, K, and Pb), but depletions in the high-field-strength elements (Nb, Ta, and Ti), which geochemically resemble Andean arc basalts. Therefore, the MF bimodal volcanic rocks were likely emplaced at an Andean-type active continental margin and represent an Early Cretaceous magmatic arc that was located at the western QT margin. Moreover, the mafic volcanic rocks have high initial Sr isotopic ratios (0.705269-0.705413) and negative εNd(t) values of -1.5 to -0.6 compared with the silicic volcanic rocks ((87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.704770-0.704903; εNd(t) = +1.2 to +1.3). Zircons from silicic samples have significantly higher εHf(t) values (+11.6 to +15.5) and predominantly lower Paleoproterozoic Hf crustal model ages (TDMC = 180-428 Ma) than the mafic samples, which have variable εHf(t) values of +3.4 to +13.0 and TDMC ages of 346-952 Ma. These results indicate that the mafic and silicic end-members of the MF bimodal suite were generated from mantle and crustal sources, respectively. The basaltic andesite and andesite may have been