Tyrant dinosaur evolution tracks the rise and fall of Late Cretaceous oceans.

PubMed

Loewen, Mark A; Irmis, Randall B; Sertich, Joseph J W; Currie, Philip J; Sampson, Scott D

2013-01-01

The Late Cretaceous (∼95-66 million years ago) western North American landmass of Laramidia displayed heightened non-marine vertebrate diversity and intracontinental regionalism relative to other latest Cretaceous Laurasian ecosystems. Processes generating these patterns during this interval remain poorly understood despite their presumed role in the diversification of many clades. Tyrannosauridae, a clade of large-bodied theropod dinosaurs restricted to the Late Cretaceous of Laramidia and Asia, represents an ideal group for investigating Laramidian patterns of evolution. We use new tyrannosaurid discoveries from Utah--including a new taxon which represents the geologically oldest member of the clade--to investigate the evolution and biogeography of Tyrannosauridae. These data suggest a Laramidian origin for Tyrannosauridae, and implicate sea-level related controls in the isolation, diversification, and dispersal of this and many other Late Cretaceous vertebrate clades.

Geochronologic evidence for Late Cretaceous and Miocene tectonism in northern New England

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amidon, W. H.; Barr, M.; Walcott, C.; Kylander-Clark, A. R.

2017-12-01

The persistence of mountainous relief in the northeastern U.S. suggests post-rift tectonic rejuvenation has occurred, although specific mechanisms and timing have been difficult to identify. Here we present direct evidence for significant tectonism in New Hampshire and Vermont during the Late-Cretaceous ( 85-65 Ma) and Miocene periods ( 20-5 Ma). Low temperature thermochronology from a drill core in the White Mountains of New Hampshire suggests 2-3 km of accelerated exhumation during the Late Cretaceous. This exhumation is synchronous with compressional thrusting and rapid exhumation on many other Atlantic margins and also with a change in spreading direction in the Atlantic from 85-65 Ma. Recently obtained U-Pb ages of vein calcite from faults and fractures in the Champlain Valley of New York and Vermont suggest significant brittle fracturing occurred during the Late Cretaceous and also during the Miocene. Although many questions remain, this evidence points to tectonic rejuvenation by lateral tectonic stresses in the latest Cretaceous and possibly in the Miocene. The Late Cretaceous seems to have been a particularly significant tectonic episode in northern New England and elsewhere in the circum-Atlantic region.

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

Late Cretaceous terrestrial vertebrate fauna, North Slope, Alaska

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

Clemens, W.A.; Allison, C.W.

1985-01-01

Closely related terrestrial vertebrates in Cretaceous mid-latitude (30/sup 0/ to 50/sup 0/) faunas of North America and Asia as well as scattered occurrences of footprints and skin impressions suggested that in the Late Mesozoic the Alaskan North Slope supported a diverse fauna. In 1961 abundant skeletal elements of Cretaceous, Alaskan dinosaurs (hadrosaurids) were discovered by the late R.L. Liscomb. This material is being described by K.L. Davies. Additional fossils collected by E.M. Brouwers and her associates include skeletal elements of hadrosaurid and carnosaurian (.tyrannosaurid) dinosaurs and other vertebrates. The fossil locality on the North Slope is not at about 70/supmore » 0/N. In the Late Cretaceous the members of this fauna were subject to the daylight regime and environment at a paleolatitude closer to 80/sup 0/N. Current hypotheses attributing extinctions of dinosaurs and some other terrestrial vertebrates to impact of an extraterrestrial object cite periods of darkness, decreased temperature (possibly followed by extreme warming) and acid rain as the direct causes of their demise. Unless members of this North Slope fauna undertook long-distance migrations, their high latitude occurrence indicates groups of dinosaurs and other terrestrial vertebrates regularly tolerated months of darkness.« less

Tyrant Dinosaur Evolution Tracks the Rise and Fall of Late Cretaceous Oceans

PubMed Central

Loewen, Mark A.; Irmis, Randall B.; Sertich, Joseph J. W.; Currie, Philip J.; Sampson, Scott D.

2013-01-01

The Late Cretaceous (∼95–66 million years ago) western North American landmass of Laramidia displayed heightened non-marine vertebrate diversity and intracontinental regionalism relative to other latest Cretaceous Laurasian ecosystems. Processes generating these patterns during this interval remain poorly understood despite their presumed role in the diversification of many clades. Tyrannosauridae, a clade of large-bodied theropod dinosaurs restricted to the Late Cretaceous of Laramidia and Asia, represents an ideal group for investigating Laramidian patterns of evolution. We use new tyrannosaurid discoveries from Utah—including a new taxon which represents the geologically oldest member of the clade—to investigate the evolution and biogeography of Tyrannosauridae. These data suggest a Laramidian origin for Tyrannosauridae, and implicate sea-level related controls in the isolation, diversification, and dispersal of this and many other Late Cretaceous vertebrate clades. PMID:24223179

Petrogenesis of mesozoic, peraluminous granites in the Lamoille canyon area, Ruby mountains, Nevada, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lee, S.-Y.; Barnes, C.G.; Snoke, A.W.; Howard, K.A.; Frost, C.D.

2003-01-01

Two groups of closely associated, peraluminous, two-mica granitic gneiss were identified in the area. The older, sparsely distributed unit is equigranular (EG) with initial ??Nd ??? -8??8 and initial 87Sr/86Sr ???0??7098. Its age is uncertain. The younger unit is Late Cretaceous (???80 Ma), pegmatitic, and sillimanite-bearing (KPG), with ??Nd from -15??8 to -17??3 and initial 87Sr/86Sr from 0??7157 to 0??7198. The concentrations of Fe, Mg, Na, Ca, Sr, V, Zr, Zn and Hf are higher, and K, Rb and Th are lower in the EG. Major- and trace-element models indicate that the KPG was derived by muscovite dehydration melting (<35 km depth) of Neoproterozoic metapelitic rocks that are widespread in the eastern Great Basin. The models are broadly consistent with anatexis of crust tectonically thickened during the Sevier orogeny; no mantle mass or heat contribution was necessary. As such, this unit represents one crustal end-member of regional Late Cretaceous peraluminous granites. The EG was produced by biotite dehydration melting at greater depths, with garnet stable in the residue. The source of the EG was probably Paleoproterozoic metagraywacke. Because EG magmatism probably pre-dated Late Cretaceous crustal thickening, it required heat input from the mantle or from mantle-derived magma.

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

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

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.

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.

Late Cretaceous seasonal ocean variability from the Arctic.

PubMed

Davies, Andrew; Kemp, Alan E S; Pike, Jennifer

2009-07-09

The modern Arctic Ocean is regarded as a barometer of global change and amplifier of global warming and therefore records of past Arctic change are critical for palaeoclimate reconstruction. Little is known of the state of the Arctic Ocean in the greenhouse period of the Late Cretaceous epoch (65-99 million years ago), yet records from such times may yield important clues to Arctic Ocean behaviour in near-future warmer climates. Here we present a seasonally resolved Cretaceous sedimentary record from the Alpha ridge of the Arctic Ocean. This palaeo-sediment trap provides new insight into the workings of the Cretaceous marine biological carbon pump. Seasonal primary production was dominated by diatom algae but was not related to upwelling as was previously hypothesized. Rather, production occurred within a stratified water column, involving specially adapted species in blooms resembling those of the modern North Pacific subtropical gyre, or those indicated for the Mediterranean sapropels. With increased CO(2) levels and warming currently driving increased stratification in the global ocean, this style of production that is adapted to stratification may become more widespread. Our evidence for seasonal diatom production and flux testify to an ice-free summer, but thin accumulations of terrigenous sediment within the diatom ooze are consistent with the presence of intermittent sea ice in the winter, supporting a wide body of evidence for low temperatures in the Late Cretaceous Arctic Ocean, rather than recent suggestions of a 15 degrees C mean annual temperature at this time.

Impact of CO2 and continental configuration on Late Cretaceous ocean dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puceat, Emmanuelle; Donnadieu, Yannick; Moiroud, Mathieu; Guillocheau, François; Deconinck, Jean-François

2014-05-01

The Late Cretaceous period is characterized by a long-term climatic cooling (Huber et al., 1995; Pucéat et al., 2003; Friedrich et al., 2012) and by major changes in continental configuration with the widening of the Atlantic Ocean, the initiation of the Tethyan ocean closure, and the deepening of the Central Atlantic Gateway. The Late Cretaceous also marks the end of the occurrence of Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAEs), that are associated to enhanced organic carbon burial, to major crises of calcifying organisms, and to possible ocean acidification (Jenkyns, 2010). It has been suggested that the evolution in continental configuration and climate occurring during the Late Cretaceous could have induced a reorganization in the oceanic circulation, that may have impacted the oxygenation state of the oceanic basins and contributed to the disappearance of OAEs (Robinson et al., 2010; Robinson and Vance, 2012). Yet there is no consensus existing on the oceanic circulation modes and on their possible evolution during the Late Cretaceous, despite recent improvement of the spatial and temporal coverage of neodymium isotopic data (ɛNd), a proxy of oceanic circulation (MacLeod et al., 2008; Robinson et al., 2010; Murphy and Thomas, 2012; Robinson and Vance, 2012; Martin et al., 2012; Moiroud et al., 2012). Using the fully coupled ocean-atmosphere General Circulation Model FOAM, we explore in this work the impact on oceanic circulation of changes in continental configuration between the mid- and latest Cretaceous. Two paleogeography published by Sewall et al. (2007) were used, for the Cenomanian/Turonian boundary and for the Maastrichtian. For each paleogeography, 3 simulations have been realized, at 2x, 4x, and 8x the pre-industrial atmospheric CO2 level, in order to test the sensitivity of the modelled circulation to CO2. Our results show for both continental configurations a bipolar mode for the oceanic circulation displayed by FOAM. Using the Cenomanian/Turonian land-sea mask

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

[Analysis of X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and plasma mass spectrometry of the Guidong granite body and its implications to granite evolution].

PubMed

Li, Hong-Wei; Chen, Guo-Neng; Peng, Zhuo-Lun

2013-07-01

The Guidong composite granite body (CGB) located in the north Guangdong Province consists of numerous rock bodies formed respectively in the early and late Jurassic and early Cretaceous. Analysis of the granites of different period with X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and plasma mass spectrometry indicates: (1) From the top of a granite body downwards, the felsic components of rock decrease, while the mafic and sigmaREE, LREE/HREE, (La/Yb)N, as well as delta Eu value increase, suggesting the material differentiation in the in-situ melting of crustal rocks and crystallisation of magma; (2) From old to young of the different period granite-massifs in the Guidong CGB, the felsic compositions totally decrease, and the mafic components, sigmaEE, LREE/HREE, (La/Yb)N, and delta Eu value increase as well, implying multiple crustal melting (remelting) events in the Mesozoic in this area; and (3) Primitive mantle-normalized spider diagram for trace elements of Guidong CGB suggests high maturity of the crust involved in the in-situ melting.

Evidence for global cooling in the Late Cretaceous

PubMed Central

Linnert, Christian; Robinson, Stuart A.; Lees, Jackie A.; Bown, Paul R.; Pérez-Rodríguez, Irene; Petrizzo, Maria Rose; Falzoni, Francesca; Littler, Kate; Arz, José Antonio; Russell, Ernest E.

2014-01-01

The Late Cretaceous ‘greenhouse’ world witnessed a transition from one of the warmest climates of the past 140 million years to cooler conditions, yet still without significant continental ice. Low-latitude sea surface temperature (SST) records are a vital piece of evidence required to unravel the cause of Late Cretaceous cooling, but high-quality data remain illusive. Here, using an organic geochemical palaeothermometer (TEX86), we present a record of SSTs for the Campanian–Maastrichtian interval (~83–66 Ma) from hemipelagic sediments deposited on the western North Atlantic shelf. Our record reveals that the North Atlantic at 35 °N was relatively warm in the earliest Campanian, with maximum SSTs of ~35 °C, but experienced significant cooling (~7 °C) after this to <~28 °C during the Maastrichtian. The overall stratigraphic trend is remarkably similar to records of high-latitude SSTs and bottom-water temperatures, suggesting that the cooling pattern was global rather than regional and, therefore, driven predominantly by declining atmospheric pCO2 levels. PMID:24937202

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

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

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

Late Maastrichtian pterosaurs from North Africa and mass extinction of Pterosauria at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary

PubMed Central

Martill, David M.; Andres, Brian

2018-01-01

Pterosaurs were the first vertebrates to evolve powered flight and the largest animals to ever take wing. The pterosaurs persisted for over 150 million years before disappearing at the end of the Cretaceous, but the patterns of and processes driving their extinction remain unclear. Only a single family, Azhdarchidae, is definitively known from the late Maastrichtian, suggesting a gradual decline in diversity in the Late Cretaceous, with the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction eliminating a few late-surviving species. However, this apparent pattern may simply reflect poor sampling of fossils. Here, we describe a diverse pterosaur assemblage from the late Maastrichtian of Morocco that includes not only Azhdarchidae but the youngest known Pteranodontidae and Nyctosauridae. With 3 families and at least 7 species present, the assemblage represents the most diverse known Late Cretaceous pterosaur assemblage and dramatically increases the diversity of Maastrichtian pterosaurs. At least 3 families—Pteranodontidae, Nyctosauridae, and Azhdarchidae—persisted into the late Maastrichtian. Late Maastrichtian pterosaurs show increased niche occupation relative to earlier, Santonian-Campanian faunas and successfully outcompeted birds at large sizes. These patterns suggest an abrupt mass extinction of pterosaurs at the K-Pg boundary. PMID:29534059

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.

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.

Neovenatorid theropods are apex predators in the Late Cretaceous of North America.

PubMed

Zanno, Lindsay E; Makovicky, Peter J

2013-01-01

Allosauroid theropods were a diverse and widespread radiation of Jurassic-Cretaceous megapredators. Achieving some of the largest body sizes among theropod dinosaurs, these colossal hunters dominated terrestrial ecosystems until a faunal turnover redefined apex predator guild occupancy during the final 20 million years of the Cretaceous. Here we describe a giant new species of allosauroid--Siats meekerorum gen. et sp. nov.--providing the first evidence for the cosmopolitan clade Neovenatoridae in North America. Siats is the youngest allosauroid yet discovered from the continent and demonstrates that the clade endured there into the Late Cretaceous. The discovery provides new evidence for ecologic sympatry of large allosauroids and small-bodied tyrannosauroids. These data support the hypothesis that extinction of Allosauroidea in terrestrial ecosystems of North America permitted ecological release of tyrannosauroids, which went on to dominate end-Cretaceous food webs.

Petrogenesis of Cretaceous (133-84 Ma) intermediate dykes and host granites in southeastern China: Implications for lithospheric extension, continental crustal growth, and geodynamics of Palaeo-Pacific subduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jinbao; Zhao, Zhidan; Hou, Qingye; Niu, Yaoling; Mo, Xuanxue; Sheng, Dan; Wang, Lili

2018-01-01

This paper presents U-Pb zircon geochronology, petrology, and major and trace element, Sr-Nd and zircon Hf isotopic geochemistry of Cretaceous granites and intermediate dykes in the Quanzhou and Xiamen regions of southeastern China. These data are used to investigate igneous petrogenesis and Cretaceous tectonic evolution, and interpret the geodynamics of Palaeo-Pacific slab subduction. Granites in Quanzhou and Xiamen range in age from 133 Ma to 87 Ma, have high SiO2 and K2O contents, low abundances in P2O5, and an A/CNK index that ranges from 0.97 to 1.09, indicating that they are high-K calc-alkaline metaluminous I-type rocks. Slightly negative ɛ Nd (t) values (- 1.2 to - 4.4), young Nd model ages (0.87 Ga to 1.20 Ga) and positive ɛ Hf (t) values (- 0.5 to + 9.9) of zircon grains indicate that the granites were derived from magmas that melted amphibolite in the middle-lower crust, and which may have assimilated country rocks during emplacement in shallow chambers. The intermediate dykes have no genetic link to the granites and magma mixing was negligible. Eight dyke samples have low SiO2 and high MgO, Ni and Cr contents. Negative ε Nd (t) values (- 1.5 to - 2.7) and positive ε Hf (t) values (2.7 to 7.6) suggest that the dykes were derived from residual basic lower crust after mafic-crystal accumulation. Two samples of adakite-like dykes are characterised by high Sr/Y ratios (89 to 100) and high SiO2, low K2O, Ni, Cr contents. In combination with slightly negative ε Nd (t) values (- 1.7 to - 1.8) and positive ε Hf (t) values (2.9 to 4.3), the adakite-like dykes were derived from cumulate basic lower crust which had a mixed source between depleted mantle- and crust-derived melts. Based on our data, combined with previously published work, we suggest that extension-induced middle-lower crustal melting and underplating of mantle-derived basaltic melts were the principal driving mechanisms for Cretaceous granitic magmatism in coastal Fujian Province. Extension

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

Evolutionary transition of dental formula in Late Cretaceous eutherian mammals.

PubMed

Averianov, Alexander O; Archibald, J David

2015-10-01

Kulbeckia kulbecke, stem placental mammal from the Late Cretaceous of Uzbekistan, shows a transitional stage of evolution in the dental formula from five to four premolars. A non-replaced dP3/dp3 may occur as individual variation. In other specimens, the lower premolars are crowded with no space for development of dp3. As is evident from the CT scanning of one juvenile specimen, the development of dp3 started in a late ontogenetic stage and was confined to the pulp cavity of the developing p2. This dp3 would have been resorbed in a later ontogenetic stage, as the roots of p2 formed. The initial stage of reduction of the third premolar can be traced to stem therians (Juramaia and Eomaia), which have both dP3 and P3 present in the adult dentition. Further delay in the development of dP3/dp3 led to the loss of the permanent P3/p3 (a possible synapomorphy for Eutheria). The dP3/dp3 was present during most of the adult stages in the Late Cretaceous stem placentals Zhelestidae and Gypsonictops. This tooth is totally absent in basal taxa of Placentalia, which normally have at most four premolars.

Latest Cretaceous "A2-type" granites in the Sakarya Zone, NE Turkey: Partial melting of mafic lower crust in response to roll-back of Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karsli, Orhan; Aydin, Faruk; Uysal, Ibrahim; Dokuz, Abdurrahman; Kumral, Mustafa; Kandemir, Raif; Budakoglu, Murat; Ketenci, Murat

2018-03-01

An integrated study of comprehensive geochronological, geochemical, and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic data was undertaken for the A-type Topcam pluton that intruded within the Sakarya Zone (NE Turkey) with the aims of elucidating its origin and tectonic significance and gaining new insights into the generation of aluminous A-type granites. New LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb crystallization ages of 72 and 73 Ma indicate emplacement in the Late Cretaceous time, just after extensive metaluminous I-type magmatism in the area. The pluton consists mainly of alkali feldspar, quartz, plagioclase, amphibole, and biotite with accessory minerals such as magnetite, apatite, and zircon. The outcrop is composed of granite, syenite, monzonite, and quartz monzonite and possesses a wide range of SiO2 content (57-70 wt%) with elevated Ga/Al ratios and low Mg# (mostly < 43). The pluton is metaluminous to weakly peraluminous, with aluminium saturation index (ASI) (molar Al2O3/[CaO + K2O + Na2O]) values of 0.82 to 1.18, and belongs to the shoshonitic and ultra-potassic series. All the samples exhibit relative enrichment in light rare earth elements (LREE) and significant negative Eu (Eu/Eu* = 0.31 to 0.86) anomalies on the chondrite-normalized REE diagram. The rocks are enriched in some large ion lithophile elements (e.g., Rb, Th and Ba), and spidergrams show a relative depletion in Nb, Ti, and Sr. The granitic rocks of the pluton have identical 87Sr/86Sr(i) ratios ranging from 0.70518 to 0.70716, relatively low εNd (t) values varying from - 5.5 to - 0.4, and TDM ages (0.82-1.19 Ga). In situ zircon analyses show that the rocks have variable negative and positive εHf (t) values (- 5.5 to 5.9) and Hf two-stage model ages (742 to 1468 Ma), which are indicative of minor addition of juvenile material. Sr-Nd isotope modelling suggests mixing of 70-90% of lower crustal-derived melt with 10-30% of mantle-derived melt at lower crust depths. The heat source for partial melting is provided by upwelling of hot

Mountain building triggered late cretaceous North American megaherbivore dinosaur radiation.

PubMed

Gates, Terry A; Prieto-Márquez, Albert; Zanno, Lindsay E

2012-01-01

Prior studies of Mesozoic biodiversity document a diversity peak for dinosaur species in the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous, yet have failed to provide explicit causal mechanisms. We provide evidence that a marked increase in North American dinosaur biodiversity can be attributed to dynamic orogenic episodes within the Western Interior Basin (WIB). Detailed fossil occurrences document an association between the shift from Sevier-style, latitudinally arrayed basins to smaller Laramide-style, longitudinally arrayed basins and a well substantiated decreased geographic range/increased taxonomic diversity of megaherbivorous dinosaur species. Dispersal-vicariance analysis demonstrates that the nearly identical biogeographic histories of the megaherbivorous dinosaur clades Ceratopsidae and Hadrosauridae are attributable to rapid diversification events within restricted basins and that isolation events are contemporaneous with known tectonic activity in the region. SymmeTREE analysis indicates that megaherbivorous dinosaur clades exhibited significant variation in diversification rates throughout the Late Cretaceous. Phylogenetic divergence estimates of fossil clades offer a new lower boundary on Laramide surficial deformation that precedes estimates based on sedimentological data alone.

Mountain Building Triggered Late Cretaceous North American Megaherbivore Dinosaur Radiation

PubMed Central

Gates, Terry A.; Prieto-Márquez, Albert; Zanno, Lindsay E.

2012-01-01

Prior studies of Mesozoic biodiversity document a diversity peak for dinosaur species in the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous, yet have failed to provide explicit causal mechanisms. We provide evidence that a marked increase in North American dinosaur biodiversity can be attributed to dynamic orogenic episodes within the Western Interior Basin (WIB). Detailed fossil occurrences document an association between the shift from Sevier-style, latitudinally arrayed basins to smaller Laramide-style, longitudinally arrayed basins and a well substantiated decreased geographic range/increased taxonomic diversity of megaherbivorous dinosaur species. Dispersal-vicariance analysis demonstrates that the nearly identical biogeographic histories of the megaherbivorous dinosaur clades Ceratopsidae and Hadrosauridae are attributable to rapid diversification events within restricted basins and that isolation events are contemporaneous with known tectonic activity in the region. SymmeTREE analysis indicates that megaherbivorous dinosaur clades exhibited significant variation in diversification rates throughout the Late Cretaceous. Phylogenetic divergence estimates of fossil clades offer a new lower boundary on Laramide surficial deformation that precedes estimates based on sedimentological data alone. PMID:22876302

Early Cretaceous ( 140 Ma) aluminous A-type granites in the Tethyan Himalaya, Tibet: Products of crust-mantle interaction during lithospheric extension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Lin; Kerr, Andrew C.; Wang, Qiang; Jiang, Zi-Qi; Hu, Wan-Long

2018-02-01

A-type granites have been the focus of considerable research due to their distinctive major- and trace-element signatures and tectonic significance. However, their petrogenesis, magmatic source and tectonic setting remain controversial, particularly for aluminous A-type granites. The earliest Cretaceous (ca. 140 Ma) Comei granite in the eastern Tethyan Himalaya is associated with coeval oceanic island basalt (OIB)-type mafic lava, and has A-type granite geochemical characteristics including high 10,000 × Ga/Al (up to 6), FeOtotal/MgO (4.6-6.1) and (Na2O + K2O)/Al2O3 (0.50-0.61) ratios but low CaO (0.6-1.6 wt%) and Na2O (1.8-2.6 wt%) contents. The Comei granite also has variable peraluminous compositions (A/CNK = 1.00-1.36) along with zircon δ18O, εNd(t) and initial 87Sr/86Sr values of 8.2‰ to 9.3‰, - 13.0 to - 12.4 and 0.7238 to 0.7295, respectively. This range of compositions can be interpreted as the interaction between high-temperature upwelling OIB type basaltic magmas and a shallow crustal (< 5 kbar) metapelitic source. The Comei granite and coeval OIB type basaltic rock could represent the earliest stage (145-140 Ma) of a large igneous event in eastern Tethyan Himalaya, which may well have been triggered by pre-breakup lithospheric extension prior to the arrival of the Kerguelen plume head.

Two Late Cretaceous A-type granites related to the Yingwuling W-Sn polymetallic mineralization in Guangdong province, South China: Implications for petrogenesis, geodynamic setting, and mineralization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Wei; Mao, Jingwen; Zhao, Haijie; Zhao, Caisheng; Yu, Xiaofei

2017-03-01

Major and trace elements, whole rock Sr-Nd-Pb isotopes, LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon dating, zircon trace elements and Hf isotope data are reported for a suite of A-type granites from Yingwuling pluton in western Guangdong province, South China. Zircon U-Pb ages obtained by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) show that biotite granite and alkali feldspar granite were emplaced in 81.3 ± 0.6 Ma and 80.6 ± 0.5 Ma, respectively. Both of the two suites have the petrographic and geochemical characteristics of A-type granite. These granitic rocks are metaluminous to weakly peraluminous and have pronounced contents of total alkalis (Na2O + K2O = 7.80-8.84%), Fe2O3T/MgO and Ga/Al ratios. They exhibit low MgO, CaO and TiO2 contents, enrichment in some LILEs and HFSEs (except for Zr, Eu and Y), depletion in Ba, Sr, P and Ti. They show A2 subtype affinity and were probably formed a temperature of 800 °C. The Yingwuling biotite granite has relatively high (87Sr/86Sr)i ratios of 0.70655 to 0.70928, low εNd(t) values of - 5.8 to - 4.2 and zircon εHf(t) values (- 5.70-1.37). Whole-rock Nd isotopic and zircon Hf isotopic two-stages model ages mostly vary from 1057 to 1506 Ma. The alkali feldspar granite display bulk rock εNd(t) values and (87Sr/86Sr)i ratios in the range of - 6.6 to - 6.1 and 0.70640 to 0.71077, respectively, and zircon εHf(t) values from - 5.44 to 0.54, with Mesoproterozoic T2DM for both Nd and Hf isotopes. Geochemical and isotopic data indicate the Yingwuling A-type granitic magmas were drived from mantle-crust interaction. Zircon grains of Yingwuling granites have relatively low Eu/Eu* and Ce4 +/Ce3 + ratios, indicating low oxygen fugacity. The visible tetrad effect in the Yingwuling granites indicates that it experienced strong fractionation and is close relationship to the W-Sn mineralization. Our new data together with previous published data indicate that Late Mesozoic A-type granitiods or alkaline intrusive rocks in South

Late cretaceous pelagic sediments, volcanic ASH and biotas from near the Louisville hotspot, Pacific Plate, paleolatitude ∼42°S

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ballance, Peter F.; Barron, John A.; Blome, Charles D.; Bukry, David; Cawood, Peter A.; Chaproniere, George C.H.; Frisch, Robyn; Herzer, Richard H.; Nelson, Campbell S.; Quinterno, Paula; Ryan, Holly F.; Scholl, David W.; Stevenson, Andrew J.; Tappin, David G.; Vallier, Tracy L.

1989-01-01

Dredging on the deep inner slope of the Tonga Trench, immediately north of the intersection between the Louisville Ridge hotspot chain and the trench, recovered some Late Cretaceous (Maestrichtian) slightly tuffaceous pelagic sediments. They are inferred to have been scraped off a recently subducted Late Cretaceous guyot of the Louisville chain. In the vicinity of the Louisville hotspot (present location 50°26′S, 139°09′W; Late Cretaceous location ∼42°S, longitude unknown) Late Cretaceous rich diatom, radiolarian, silicoflagellate, foraminiferal and coccolith biotas, accumulated on the flanks of the guyot and are described in this paper. Rich sponge faunas are not described. ?Inoceramus prisms are present. Volcanic ash is of within-plate alkalic character. Isotope ratios in bulk carbonate δ18O − 2.63 to + 0.85, δ13C + 2.98 to 3.83) are normal for Pacific Maestrichtian sediments. The local CCD may have been shallower than the regional CCD, because of high organic productivity. In some samples Late Cretaceous materials have been mixed with Neogene materials. Mixing may have taken place on the flanks of the guyot during transit across the western Pacific, or on the trench slope during or after subduction and offscraping about 0.5 Ma.

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.

Evidence from the lamarck granodiorite for rapid late cretaceous crust formation in California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coleman, D.S.; Frost, T.P.; Glazner, A.F.

1992-01-01

Strontium and neodymium isotopic data for rocks from the voluminous 90-million-year-old Lamarck intrusive suite in the Sierra Nevada batholith, California, show little variation across a compositional range from gabbro to granite. Data for three different gabbro intrusions within the suite are identical within analytical error and are consistent with derivation from an enriched mantle source. Recognition of local involvement of enriched mantle during generation of the Sierran batholith modifies estimates of crustal growth rates in the United States. These data indicate that parts of the Sierra Nevada batholith may consist almost entirely of juvenile crust added during Cretaceous magmatism.

Archean inheritance in zircon from late Paleozoic granites from the Avalon zone of southeastern New England: an African connection

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zartman, R.E.; Don, Hermes O.

1987-01-01

In southeastern New England the Narragansett Pier Granite locally intrudes Carboniferous metasedimentary rocks of the Narragansett basin, and yields a monazite UPb Permian emplacement age of 273 ?? 2 Ma. Zircon from the Narragansett Pier Granite contains a minor but detectable amount of an older, inherited component, and shows modern loss of lead. Zircon from the late-stage, aplitic Westerly Granite exhibits a more pronounced lead inheritance -permitting the inherited component to be identified as Late Archean. Such old relict zircon has not been previously recognized in Proterozoic to Paleozoic igneous rocks in New England, and may be restricted to late Paleozoic rocks of the Avalon zone. We suggest that the Archean crustal component reflects an African connection, in which old Archean crust was underplated to the Avalon zone microplate in the late Paleozoic during collision of Gondwanaland with Avalonia. ?? 1987.

Formation of Cretaceous Cordilleran and post-orogenic granites and their microgranular enclaves from the Dalat zone, southern Vietnam: Tectonic implications for the evolution of Southeast Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shellnutt, J. Gregory; Lan, Ching-Ying; Van Long, Trinh; Usuki, Tadashi; Yang, Huai-Jen; Mertzman, Stanley A.; Iizuka, Yoshi; Chung, Sun-Lin; Wang, Kuo-Lung; Hsu, Wen-Yu

2013-12-01

Cordilleran-type batholiths are useful in understanding the duration, cyclicity and tectonic evolution of continental margins. The Dalat zone of southern Vietnam preserves evidence of Late Mesozoic convergent zone magmatism superimposed on Precambrian rocks of the Indochina Block. The Dinhquan, Deoca and Ankroet plutons and their enclaves indicate that the Dalat zone transitioned from an active continental margin producing Cordilleran-type batholiths to highly extended crust producing within-plate plutons. The Deoca and Dinhquan plutons are compositionally similar to Cordilleran I-type granitic rocks and yield mean zircon U/Pb ages between 118 ± 1.4 Ma and 115 ± 1.2 Ma. Their Sr-Nd whole rock isotopes (ISr = 0.7044 to 0.7062; εNd(T) = - 2.4 to + 0.2) and zircon Hf isotopes (εHf(T) = + 8.2 ± 1.2 and + 6.4 ± 0.9) indicate that they were derived by mixing between a mantle component and an enriched component (i.e. GLOSS). The Ankroet pluton is chemically similar to post-orogenic/within-plate granitic rocks and has a zircon U/Pb age of 87 ± 1.6 Ma. Geobarometric calculations indicate that amphibole within the Ankroet pluton crystallized at a depth of ~ 6 kbar which is consistent with the somewhat more depleted Sr-Nd isotope (ISr = 0.7017 to 0.7111; εNd(T) = - 2.8 to + 0.6) and variable εHf(T) compositions suggesting a stronger influence of crustal material in the parental magma. The compositional change of the Dalat zone granitic rocks during the middle to late Cretaceous indicates that the tectonic regime evolved from a continental arc environment to one of post-orogenic extension. The appearance of sporadic post-90 Ma magmatism in the Dalat zone and along the eastern margin of Eurasian indicates that there was no subsequent orogenic event and the region was likely one of highly extended crust that facilitated the opening of the South China Sea during the latter half of the Cenozoic.

Was Late Cretaceous Magmatism in the Northern Rocky Mountains Really Arc-Related?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farmer, G.

2011-12-01

Calc-alkaline, Cretaceous magmatism affected much of the northern Rocky Mountain region in the western U.S. and is generally interpreted as continental arc magmatism despite the fact that it occurred as far east into the continental interior as the Late Cretaceous (75 Ma to 78 Ma) Sliderock Mountain volcanoplutonic complex in south-central Montana. Magmatism may have migrated so far inboard as a response to shallowing of the dip angle of underthrust oceanic lithosphere, but the exact sources, tectonic setting and trigger mechanisms for the Late Cretaceous igneous activity remain unclear. In this study, new trace element and Nd and Sr isotopic data, combined with existing age and major element data (duBray et al., 1998, USGS Prof. Paper 1602), from the most mafic lavas present at the Sliderock Mountain Volcano were used to further define the source regions of the Late Cretaceous magmatism. The most mafic lava flows are high K (~2-3 wt. % K2O), low Ti (< 1 wt. % TiO2), low Ni (< 20 ppm) basaltic andesites. Major element oxide contents for these rocks are only weakly correlated with increasing wt. % SiO2 on conventional Harker diagrams. All of the rocks are characterized by high LILE/HFSE ratios and high Pb contents (17-20 ppm), as expected for arc-related magmatism. The rocks also have high (La/Yb)N (7-20) but show decreasing (Dy/Yb)N with increasing wt.% SiO2, suggesting a cryptic role for amphibole fractionation during evolution of their parental magmas. Initial ɛNd values range from -19 to -29 but do not covary with rock bulk composition and as a result are unlikely to represent the result of interaction with local Archean continental crust. Initial 87Sr/86Sr, in contrast, vary over a restricted range from 0.7045 to 0.7065. The lowest 87Sr/86Sr correspond to samples with the highest Sr/Y (120-190). The low ɛNd values for the basaltic andesites suggest that if these volcanic rocks were ultimately derived from ultramafic mantle sources, melting must have occurred

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

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.

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.

Petrogenesis of the Late Jurassic peraluminous biotite granites and muscovite-bearing granites in SE China: geochronological, elemental and Sr-Nd-O-Hf isotopic constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Yao-Hui; Zhu, Shu-Qi

2017-12-01

Biotite granites and muscovite-bearing granites are dominant rock types of the widespread granites in SE China. However, their petrogenesis has been enigmatic. A combined study of zircon U-Pb dating and Lu-Hf isotopes, whole-rock element geochemistry and Sr-Nd-O isotopes was performed for three late Mesozoic granitic plutons (Xinfengjie, Jiangbei and Dabu) in central Jiangxi province, SE China. All the plutons are composed of biotite granites and muscovite-bearing granites that have been poorly investigated previously. The new data not only allow us to assess their sources and magma evolution processes, but also helps us to better understand the genetic link to the large-scale polymetallic mineralization in SE China. LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating shows that three plutons were emplaced in the Late Jurassic (159-148 Ma) and that the muscovite-bearing granites are almost contemporaneous with the biotite granites. The biotite granites have SiO2 contents of 70.3-74.4 wt% and are weakly to strongly peraluminous with ASI from 1.00 to 1.26, and show a general decrease in ASI with increasing SiO2. They have relatively high zircon saturation temperatures ( T Zr = 707-817 °C, most > 745 °C) and show a general decrease in T Zr with increasing SiO2. They have high initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7136 to 0.7166) and high δ18O values (9.1-12.8‰, most > 9.5‰) and clearly negative ɛ Nd (T) (- 9.5 to - 11.8) and ɛ Hf (T) (in situ zircon) (- 13.1 to - 13.5). The muscovite-bearing granites have high SiO2 contents (74.7-78.2 wt%). They are also weakly to strongly peraluminous with ASI of 1.04-1.18 but show a general increase in ASI with increasing SiO2. They have relatively low T Zr (671-764 °C, most < 745 °C) and also show a general decrease in T Zr with increasing SiO2. The muscovite-bearing granites have high Rb (up to 810 ppm) and high (K2O + Na2O)/CaO (up to 270), Rb/Sr (up to 42) and Rb/Ba (up to 30) as well as low K/Rb (< 150, down to 50), Zr/Hf (< 24, down to 11) and Nb

The Late Cretaceous Middle Fork caldera, its resurgent intrusion, and enduring landscape stability in east-central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bacon, Charles R.; Dusel-Bacon, Cynthia; Aleinikoff, John N.; Slack, John F.

2014-01-01

The Middle Fork is a relatively well preserved caldera within a broad region of Paleozoic metamorphic rocks and Mesozoic plutons bounded by northeast-trending faults. In the relatively downdropped and less deeply exhumed crustal blocks, Cretaceous–Early Tertiary silicic volcanic rocks attest to long-term stability of the landscape. Within the Middle Fork caldera, the granite porphyry is interpreted to have been exposed by erosion of thick intracaldera tuff from an asymmetric resurgent dome. The Middle Fork of the North Fork of the Fortymile River incised an arcuate valley into and around the caldera fill on the west and north and may have cut down from within an original caldera moat. The 70 Ma land surface is preserved beneath proximal outflow tuff at the west margin of the caldera structure and beneath welded outflow tuff 16–23 km east-southeast of the caldera in a paleovalley. Within ∼50 km of the Middle Fork caldera are 14 examples of Late Cretaceous (?)–Tertiary felsic volcanic and hypabyssal intrusive rocks that range in area from <1 km2 to ∼100 km2. Rhyolite dome clusters north and northwest of the caldera occupy tectonic basins associated with northeast-trending faults and are relatively little eroded. Lava of a latite complex, 12–19 km northeast of the caldera, apparently flowed into the paleovalley of the Middle Fork of the North Fork of the Fortymile River. To the northwest of the Middle Fork caldera, in the Mount Harper crustal block, mid-Cretaceous plutonic rocks are widely exposed, indicating greater total exhumation. To the southeast of the Middle Fork block, the Mount Veta block has been uplifted sufficiently to expose a ca. 68–66 Ma equigranular granitic pluton. Farther to the southeast, in the Kechumstuk block, the flat-lying outflow tuff remnant in Gold Creek and a regionally extensive high terrace indicate that the landscape there has been little modified since 70 Ma other than entrenchment of tributaries in response to post–2

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

Sedimentary Provenance Constraints on the Middle Jurassic to Late Cretaceous Paleogeography of the Sichuan Basin, SW China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Y.; He, D.; Li, D.; Lu, R.

2017-12-01

Sedimentary provenance of the Middle Jurassic to Late Cretaceous sediments in the Sichuan Basin is constrained by sandstone petrology and detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology, which provides critical insights into mid-late Mesozoic paleogeographic evolution of the Sichuan Basin. Petrographic analyses of 22 sandstone samples indicate moderate to high mature sediments and are primarily derived from cratonic or recycled sources. U-Pb age data for the Middle Jurassic to Late Cretaceous detrital zircons generally show populations at 130-200, 200-330, 400-490, 680-890, 1730-1960, and 2360-2600 Ma, with up-section variations. The Middle Jurassic sediments contain a relatively high density of 1.85 and 2.5 Ga zircons and a low density of the 800 Ma zircons, which are consistent with derivation mainly from the Songpan-Ganzi terrane and the South Qinling belt, and secondarily from the Western Jiangnan Orogen. The Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous sedimentation with a scattered age distribution shared common multiple-source to sink systems that were predominantly draining towards the south and southeast, but increasingly drained southward, and were later disrupted by a synchronous northeastward drainage capture. Late Cretaceous sediments have a distinct reduction in <213 Ma zircons, suggesting that sedimentation involved southeastward and southwestward transport of sediments likely derived from the Songpan-Ganzi terrane, the south segment of the Longmenshan fault belt and western Yangtze Craton, and the uplifting areas of the N- and NE-Sichuan Basin. Changes in provenances during the mid-late Mesozoic period are coincident with temporal-spatial variations in depocenter migration and paleogeographic evolution of the Sichuan Basin, which are closely related to the multi-stage intracontinental subduction associated with clockwise rotation of the South China Block.

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.

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

Lithium and boron in late-orogenic granites - Isotopic fingerprints for the source of crustal melts?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romer, Rolf L.; Meixner, Anette; Förster, Hans-Jürgen

2014-04-01

Geochemically diverse late- and post-Variscan granites of the Erzgebirge-Vogtland, the Saxon Granulite Massif, and Thuringia (Germany) formed by anatectic melting of Palaeozoic sedimentary successions and associated mafic to felsic volcanic rocks. The compositional diversity of the least evolved of these granites is largely inherited from the protoliths. We present Li and B-isotopic data of these granites and compare them with the isotopic composition of their protoliths, to investigate whether (i) there exist systematic differences in the Li and B-isotopic composition among different granite types and (ii) Li and B-isotopic compositions provide information on the granite sources complementary to information from the isotopic composition of Sr, Nd, and Pb and the trace-element signatures. Low-F biotite and two-mica granite types have flat upper continental crust (UCC)-normalized trace-element pattern with variable enrichments in Li, Rb, Cs, Sn, and W and depletions in Sr, Ba, and Eu. These signatures are least pronounced for the Niederbobritzsch biotite granite, which has the largest contribution of mafic material, and most pronounced for the two-mica granites. The granites show a relatively narrow range of δ7Li values (-3.0 to -0.5) and a broad range of δ11B values (-13.4 to +20.1). The δ11B values are lower in rocks with distinctly higher contents of Li, Rb, Cs, and Sn. The high δ11B of the Niederbobritzsch granite may be explained by the melting of former altered oceanic crust in its source. Relative to UCC, intermediate-F to high-F low-P granites show strong depletions in Sr, Ba, Eu as well as Zr and Hf, strong enrichments in Li, Rb, and Cs as well as Nb, Sn, Ta, and W, and REE pattern with stronger enrichments for HREE than for LREE. These granites show narrow ranges of δ7Li (-2.0 to +1.6) and δ11B values (-14.7 to -9.1), reflecting the smaller variability of the Li and B-isotopic composition in their source lithologies. The anomalously high δ7Li value

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.

Anza palaeoichnological site. Late Cretaceous. Morocco. Part I. The first African pterosaur trackway (manus only)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masrour, Moussa; Pascual-Arribas, Carlos; de Ducla, Marc; Hernández-Medrano, Nieves; Pérez-Lorente, Félix

2017-10-01

Cretaceous pterosaurs tracksites are very rare worldwide. Until now,only one African Cretaceous site withtracks of (Agadirichnus elegans and Pteraichnus) was known. This makes the discovery of a new outcrop in the Upper Cretaceous of Anza (Morocco) the third manifestation of this type of footprint in Africa, extending the existence of such traces from the Coniacian-Santonian to the Maastrichtian. The site contains only manus tracks, which can be explained as a result of erosion of pes prints. The lack of pes prints and the morphometric characteristics of the manus prints only allow us to relate these prints to Agadirichnus, Pteraichnus or maybe to a new ichnogenus. It is possible that the trackmakers are related to Ornithocheiroidea or Azhdarchoidea superfamilies whose fossil bones have been found from the Late Cretaceous in Morocco.

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.

Late Paleozoic crustal history of central coastal Queensland interpreted from geochemistry of Mesozoic plutons: The effects of continental rifting

USGS Publications Warehouse

Allen, C.M.; Wooden, J.L.; Chappell, B.W.

1997-01-01

The eastern margin of Australia is understood to be the result of continental rifting during the Cretaceous and Tertiary. Consistent with this model, Cretaceous igneous rocks (granites to basalts) in a continental marginal setting near Bowen, Queensland are isotonically retarded, having isotopic ratios similar to those of most island arcs (Sri = 0.7030-0.7039, ??Nd = +6.46 to +3.00 and 206Pb/204Pb = 18.44-18.77, 207Pb/204Pb = 15.552-15.623, and 208Pb/204Pb = 37.90-38.52). These isotopic signatures are much less evolved than the Late Carboniferous-Permian batholith that many Cretaceous plutons intrude. As rocks ranging in age from about 300-100 Ma are well exposed near Bowen, we can track magma evolution through time. The significant change of magma source occurred much earlier than the Cretaceous based on the fact that Triassic granites in the same area are also isotonically primitive. We attribute the changes of magma composition to crustal rifting during the Late Permian and earliest Triassic. The Cretaceous rocks (actually latest Jurassic to Cretaceous, 145-98 Ma) themselves show compositional trends with time. Rocks of appropriate mineralogy for Al-in-hornblende geobarometry yield pressures ranging from 250 to 80 MPa for rocks ranging in age from 145 to 125 Ma, respectively. More significantly, this older group is relatively compositionally restricted, and is Sr-rich, and Y- and Zr-poor compared to 120-98 Ma rocks. This younger groups is bimodal, being comprised principally of basalts and rhyolites (granites). REE patterns for a given rock type, however, do not differ with age tribute these relatively subtle trace element differences to small differences in conditions (T, aH2O) at the site of melting. Cretaceous crustal rifting can explain the range of rock types and the spatial distribution of rocks < 120 Ma in a longitudinal strip between and overlapping with provinces of older Cretaceous intrusions. A subduction-related setting is assigned to the 145-125 Ma

Reinvestigating an enigmatic Late Cretaceous monocot: morphology, taxonomy, and biogeography of Viracarpon

PubMed Central

Manchester, Steven R.; Ramteke, Deepak; Villarraga-Gómez, Herminso

2018-01-01

Angiosperm-dominated floras of the Late Cretaceous are essential for understanding the evolutionary, ecological, and geographic radiation of flowering plants. The Late Cretaceous–early Paleogene Deccan Intertrappean Beds of India contain angiosperm-dominated plant fossil assemblages known from multiple localities in central India. Numerous monocots have been documented from these assemblages, providing a window into an important but poorly understood time in their diversification. One component of the Deccan monocot diversity is the genus Viracarpon, known from anatomically preserved infructescences. Viracarpon was first collected over a century ago and has been the subject of numerous studies. However, resolution of its three-dimensional (3D) morphology and anatomy, as well as its taxonomic affinities, has remained elusive. In this study we investigated the morphology and taxonomy of genus Viracarpon, combining traditional paleobotanical techniques and X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT). Re-examination of type and figured specimens, 3D reconstructions of fruits, and characterization of structures in multiple planes of section using μCT data allowed us to resolve conflicting interpretations of fruit morphology and identify additional characters useful in refining potential taxonomic affinities. Among the four Viracarpon species previously recognized, we consider two to be valid (Viracarpon hexaspermum and Viracarpon elongatum), and the other two to be synonyms of these. Furthermore, we found that permineralized infructescences of Coahuilocarpon phytolaccoides from the late Campanian of Mexico correspond closely in morphology to V. hexaspermum. We argue that Viracarpon and Coahuilocarpon are congeneric and provide the new combination, Viracarpon phytolaccoides (Cevallos-Ferriz, Estrada-Ruiz & Perez-Hernandez) Matsunaga, S.Y. Smith, & Manchester comb. nov. The significant geographic disjunction between these two occurrences indicates that the genus Viracarpon

The newly-discovered Late Cretaceous igneous rocks in the Nuocang district: Products of ancient crust melting trigged by Neo-Tethyan slab rollback in the western Gangdese

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Jun-Sheng; Zheng, You-Ye; Gao, Shun-Bao; Zhang, Yong-Chao; Huang, Jian; Liu, Jun; Wu, Song; Xu, Jing; Huang, Liang-Liang

2018-05-01

The newly discovered polymetallic Nuocang Pb-Zn skarn deposit is located in the southern Lhasa subterrane, western Gangdese, Tibet. The orebodies occur primarily at the contact zone between the Angjie Formation and the Linzizong volcanic rocks of Dianzhong Formation (LDF) that are dominated by basaltic andesitic tuff and rhyolite. Zircon U-Pb dating for two granite porphyries yield ages of 72.4 ± 0.2 Ma and 73.4 ± 0.9 Ma, which are different from the ages ( 69-60 Ma) of the LDF in the eastern Gangdese. The basaltic andesite tuff at Nuocang exhibits enrichment of MgO, TiO2, LILE, and LREE, with a relative depletion of SiO2, K2O, HFSE, and HREE, low Sr/Y ratios (32.9-38.0), and weak negative Eu anomalies (mean 0.86). They have 87Sr/86Sr(i) from 0.70695 to 0.70807 and εNd(t) values between -4.3 and -5.9. These features are similar to the Linzizong volcanic rocks of Dianzhong Formation in the Linzhou basin, indicating that they were associated with partial melting of mantle wedge mixing with 25-35% ancient Lhasa terrane basement. The rhyolite and granite porphyry show high SiO2 and K2O, and low Sr/Y ratio (1.2-9.9), enrichment of LILE and LREE and strong depletion of the HFSEs. They have pronounced negative Eu anomalies (mean 0.46), and εHf (t) values of the granite porphyry zircons range from -22.0 to -6.0. All these features suggest that they are the product of anatexis of ancient crustal materials heated by mantle-derived magma, the latter derived from Neo-Tethyan slab dehydration mechanisms. Combined with the previous geochronological and geochemical data, we proposed that the Nuocang district of western Gangdese in the southern Lhasa subterrane contains an ancient block, and the igneous rocks here were triggered by the Neo-Tethyan slab rollback starting at 82 Ma. The western Gangdese contains more ancient continental crustal materials and Late Cretaceous-Eocene Linzizong volcanic rocks and coeval intrusions than in the eastern Gangdese. Thus the western

Extended Late-Cretaceous Magnetostratigraphy of the James Ross Basin Island, Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaffee, T. M.; Mitchell, R.; Slotznick, S. P.; Buz, J.; Biasi, J.; O'Rourke, J.; Sousa, F.; Flannery, D.; Fu, R. R.; Kirschvink, J. L.

2017-12-01

Sediments in the James Ross Island Basin (JRB) in the West Antarctic Peninsula contain one of the world's highest-resolution records of the late Cretaceous period, including the end-Cretaceous (K-Pg) mass extinction event. However, the geological record of this region has been poorly studied, limited in the past only to the relative dating of local fossils. Recent studies of this region have provided only low-resolution data, with gaps of greater than 0.5 million years between samples where no data was collected. A high-resolution magnetostratigraphic sampling and analysis is necessary in order to accurately determine the age of the JRB sediments and connect them to the global time record. During the 2016 field season in Antarctica, our team collected nearly 1,300 sample cores from JRB sediments using a diamond-tipped, gasoline powered coring drill. Drill sites were densely clustered across bedding in order to obtain a high-resolution record of magnetostratigraphy, permitting the recognition of distinct, high-resolution units of time (<50 thousand years) present in local stratigraphy Our current results come from thermal demagnetization of the characteristic remanance (ChRM) of a group of over 300 of these samples from the Brandy Bay area which constrain the end of the Cretaceous Superchron (C34N) and the C34N/C34R reversal and allow us to investigate the presence of geomagnetic excursions before the end of superchron. These samples span in age from the top of C34N to the mid-Maastrichtian. We also test the Late Cretaceous True Polar Wander (TPW) hypothesis. Current theories on the global extent of TPW are not substantiated by any data sets that confirm the presence and similarity of the effect across multiple continents. Evidence of a rapid TPW oscillation in Antarctica can be correlated with other samples from the North American continent currently under study to provide evidence for the theory of global, short-timescale TPW.

Nitrogen cycle dynamics in the Late Cretaceous Greenhouse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Junium, Christopher K.; Meyers, Stephen R.; Arthur, Michael A.

2018-01-01

Great attention has been paid to the origin of anomalously low nitrogen isotope values during the Late Cretaceous. Nitrogen isotope values are often as low as - 3 ‰ and are typically less than + 2 ‰, even in relatively organic matter-lean sediments. Here we evaluate nitrogen isotope variability during a relatively quiescent phase of the Late Cretaceous Greenhouse, between Oceanic Anoxic Events 2 and 3, using the black shales of Demerara Rise (DR). Selection of this site allows us to isolate some of the factors that control nitrogen cycle dynamics and contribute to low nitrogen isotope values. New N-isotope measurements from ODP Site 1259 reveal δ15N values that range from + 0.2 ‰ to -3.5‰ and oscillate by 1.5‰ to 3‰ over 1.6 million years (Ma). Temporal calibration of our data using a new astronomical time scale reveals a strong ∼100 thousand year (ka) eccentricity cyclicity in δ15N. We attribute this cyclicity to oscillations in the position of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) over DR that modulate upwelling intensity, chemocline depth and the degree of 15N-depletion. We also recognize a statistically significant correlation (p = 0.0022) between the TEX86 indices and δ15N, with the lowest δ15N corresponding to the highest TEX86 indices. This relationship suggests that the activity and ecology of ammonia oxidizing Thaumarchaeota and the δ15N of dissolved inorganic nitrogen utilized by primary producers are linked. We therefore interpret the observed variability in the δ15N data and TEX86 indices as primarily reflecting fluctuation of upwelling intensity and chemocline depth, and the significant inverse relationship between these data sets suggests that caution should be exercised when interpreting the TEX86 in terms of temperature in similar paleoenvironmental settings.

Genesis of a zoned granite stock, Seward Peninsula, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hudson, Travis

1977-01-01

A composite epizonal stock of biotite granite has intruded a diverse assemblage of metamorphic rocks in the Serpentine Hot Springs area of north-central Seward Peninsula, Alaska. The metamorphic rocks include amphibolite-facies orthogneiss and paragneiss, greenschist-facies fine-grained siliceous and graphitic metasediments, and a variety of carbonate rocks. Lithologic units within the metamorphic terrane trend generally north-northeast and dip moderately toward the southeast. Thrust faults locally juxtapose lithologic units in the metamorphic assemblage, and normal faults displace both the metamorphic rocks and some parts of the granite stock. The gneisses and graphitic metasediments are believed to be late Precambrian in age, but the carbonate rocks are in part Paleozoic. Dating by the potassium-argon method indicates that the granite stock is Late Cretaceous. The stock has sharp discordant contacts, beyond which is a well-developed thermal aureole with rocks of hornblende hornfels facies. The average mode of the granite is 29 percent plagioclase, 31 percent quartz, 36 percent K-feldspar, and 4 percent biotite. Accessory minerals include apatite, magnetite, sphene, allanite, and zircon. Late-stage or deuteric minerals include muscovite, fluorite, tourmaline, quartz, and albite. The stock is a zoned complex containing rocks with several textural facies that are present in four partly concentric zones. Zone 1 is a discontinuous border unit, containing fine- to coarse-grained biotite granite, that grades inward into zone 2. Zone 2 consists of porphyritic biotite granite with oriented phenocrysts of pinkish-gray microcline in a coarse-grained equigranular groundmass of plagioclase, quartz, and biotite. It is in sharp, concordant to discordant contact with rocks of zone 3. Zone 3 consists of seriate-textured biotite granite that has been intruded by bodies of porphyritic biotite granite containing phenocrysts of plagioclase, K-feldspar, quartz, and biotite in an

A long-snouted, multihorned tyrannosaurid from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia

PubMed Central

Brusatte, Stephen L.; Carr, Thomas D.; Erickson, Gregory M.; Bever, Gabe S.; Norell, Mark A.

2009-01-01

Tyrannosaurid theropods are characterized by a generalized body plan, and all well-known taxa possess deep and robust skulls that are optimized for exerting powerful bite forces. The fragmentary Late Cretaceous Alioramus appears to deviate from this trend, but its holotype and only known specimen is incomplete and poorly described. A remarkable new tyrannosaurid specimen from the Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) of Mongolia, including a nearly complete and well-preserved skull and an extensive postcranium, represents a new species of Alioramus, Alioramus altai. This specimen conclusively demonstrates that Alioramus is a small, gracile, long-snouted carnivore that deviates from other tyrannosaurids in its body plan and presumably its ecological habits. As such, it increases the range of morphological diversity in one of the most familiar extinct clades. Phylogenetic analysis places Alioramus deep within the megapredatory Tyrannosauridae, and within the tyrannosaurine subclade that also includes Tarbosaurus and Tyrannosaurus. Both pneumatization and ornamentation are extreme compared with other tyrannosaurids, and the skull contains eight discrete horns. The new specimen is histologically aged at nine years old but is smaller than other tyrannosaurids of similar age. Despite its divergent cranial form, Alioramus is characterized by a similar sequence of ontogenetic changes as the megapredatory Tyrannosaurus and Albertosaurus, indicating that ontogenetic change is conservative in tyrannosaurids. PMID:19805035

Diversification of Rosaceae since the Late Cretaceous based on plastid phylogenomics.

PubMed

Zhang, Shu-Dong; Jin, Jian-Jun; Chen, Si-Yun; Chase, Mark W; Soltis, Douglas E; Li, Hong-Tao; Yang, Jun-Bo; Li, De-Zhu; Yi, Ting-Shuang

2017-05-01

Phylogenetic relationships in Rosaceae have long been problematic because of frequent hybridisation, apomixis and presumed rapid radiation, and their historical diversification has not been clarified. With 87 genera representing all subfamilies and tribes of Rosaceae and six of the other eight families of Rosales (outgroups), we analysed 130 newly sequenced plastomes together with 12 from GenBank in an attempt to reconstruct deep relationships and reveal temporal diversification of this family. Our results highlight the importance of improving sequence alignment and the use of appropriate substitution models in plastid phylogenomics. Three subfamilies and 16 tribes (as previously delimited) were strongly supported as monophyletic, and their relationships were fully resolved and strongly supported at most nodes. Rosaceae were estimated to have originated during the Late Cretaceous with evidence for rapid diversification events during several geological periods. The major lineages rapidly diversified in warm and wet habits during the Late Cretaceous, and the rapid diversification of genera from the early Oligocene onwards occurred in colder and drier environments. Plastid phylogenomics offers new and important insights into deep phylogenetic relationships and the diversification history of Rosaceae. The robust phylogenetic backbone and time estimates we provide establish a framework for future comparative studies on rosaceous evolution. © 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.

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

Gravity slides on salt or shale detachment surfaces linking updip extension with down dip compression have been described from several margins of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). In a region 250 km offshore from the southwestern coast of Florida, the late Jurassic section near Destin Dome and Desoto Canyon has undergone late Jurassic to Cretaceous gravity sliding and downdip dispersion of rigid blocks along the top of the underlying Louann salt. Yet there has been no previous study of similar structural styles on the slope and deep basin of its late Jurassic conjugate margin located 200 km offshore of the northern margin of the Yucatan Peninsula. This study describes an extensive area of Mesozoic gravity sliding from the northern Yucatan slope using a grid of 2D seismic data covering a 134,000 km2 area of the northern Yucatan margin tied to nine wells. These data allow the northern Yucatan margin to be divided into three slope and basinal provinces: 1) a 225 km length of the northeastern margin consisting of late Jurassic-Cretaceous section that is not underlain by salt, exhibits no gravity sliding features, and has sub-horizontal dips; 2) a 120 km length of the north-central Yucatan margin with gravity slide features characterized by an 80-km-wide updip zone of normal faults occupying the shelf edge and upper slope and a 50-km-wide downdip zone of folds and thrust faults at the base of the slope; the slide area exhibits multiple detached slide blocks composed of late Jurassic sandstones and marine mudstones separated by intervening salt rollers; growth wedges adjacent to listric, normal faults suggest a gradual and long-lived downdip motion of rigid fault blocks throughout much of the late Jurassic and Cretaceous rather than a catastrophic and instantaneous collapse of the shelf edge; the basal, normal detachment fault averages 3° in dip and is overlain by salt that varies from 0-500 ms in time thickness; by the end of the Cretaceous, most gravity sliding and vertical

Inversion of the Erlian Basin (NE China) in the early Late Cretaceous: Implications for the collision of the Okhotomorsk Block with East Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Zhi-Xin; Shi, Yuan-Peng; Yang, Yong-Tai; Jiang, Shuan-Qi; Li, Lin-Bo; Zhao, Zhi-Gang

2018-04-01

A significant transition in tectonic regime from extension to compression occurred throughout East Asia during the mid-Cretaceous and has stimulated much attention. However, the timing and driving mechanisms of the transition remain disputed. The Erlian Basin, a giant late Mesozoic intracontinental petroliferous basin located in the Inner Mongolia, Northeast China, contains important sedimentary and structural records related to the mid-Cretaceous compressional event. The stratigraphical, sedimentological and structural analyses reveal that a NW-SE compressional inversion occurred in the Erlian Basin between the depositions of the Lower Cretaceous Saihan and Upper Cretaceous Erlian formations, causing intense folding of the Saihan Formation and underlying strata, and the northwestward migration of the depocenters of the Erlian Formation. Based on the newly obtained detrital zircon U-Pb data and previously published paleomagnetism- and fossil-based ages, the Saihan and Erlian formations are suggested as latest Aptian-Albian and post-early Cenomanian in age, respectively, implying that the inversion in the Erlian Basin occurred in the early Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian time). Apatite fission-track thermochronological data record an early Late Cretaceous cooling/exhuming event in the basin, corresponding well with the aforementioned sedimentary, structural and chronological analyses. Combining with the tectono-sedimentary evolutions of the neighboring basins of the Erlian Basin, we suggest that the early Late Cretaceous inversional event in the Erlian Basin and the large scale tectonic transition in East Asia shared the common driving mechanism, probably resulting from the Okhotomorsk Block-East Asia collisional event at about 100-89 Ma.

Late Cretaceous remagnetization of Proterozoic mafic dikes, southern Highland Mountains, southwestern Montana: A paleomagnetic and 40Ar/39Ar study

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harlan, S.S.; Geissman, J.W.; Snee, L.W.; Reynolds, R.L.

1996-01-01

Paleomagnetic results from Early Proterozoic metabasite sills and Middle Proterozoic diabase dikes from the southern Highland Mountains of southwestern Montana give well-defined, dual-polarity magnetizations that are statistically identical to those from a small Late Cretaceous pluton that cuts the dikes. The concordance of paleomagnetic directions from rocks of three widely separated ages indicates that the Proterozoic rocks were remagnetized, probably during Late Cretaceous time. Paleomagnetic, rock magnetic, and petrographic observations from the metabasite and diabase samples indicate that remanence is carried primarily by low-Ti magnetite. Combining virtual geomagnetic poles from metabasite sills, diabase dikes, and the Late Cretaceous pluton, we obtain a paleomagnetic pole at 85.5??N, 310.7??E (K = 19.9, A95 = 9.1??, N = 14 sites) that is similar to a reference pole from the 74 Ma Adel Mountain Volcanics of western Montana. Biotite and hornblende 40Ar/39Ar isotopic dates from host basement geneiss and a hornblende from a remagnetized metabasite sill yield ages of ca. 1800 Ma; these dates probably record cooling of the southern Highland Mountains following high-grade metamorphism at 1.9-1.8 Ga. The gneiss and metabasite age spectra show virtually no evidence of disturbance, indicating that the basement rocks were never heated to temperatures sufficient to cause even partial resetting of their argon systems. Thus, the overprint magnetization of the Highland Mountains rocks is not a thermoremanent magnetization acquired during conductive cooling of nearby Late Cretaceous plutons. Remagnetization of the metabasite sills and diabase dikes was probably caused by localized thermochemical and thermoviscous effects during circulation of Late Cretaceous hydrothermal fluids related to epithermal mineralization. The absence of significant disturbance to the 40Ar/39Ar age spectrum from the remagnetized metabasite hornblende indicates that some secondary magnetizations may

Provincial division of the Asian part of the Siberian-Canadian paleofloristic region in the Late Cretaceous

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golovneva, L. B.

2014-05-01

The following provinces are recognized in the Late Cretaceous within the Asian part of the Siberian-Canadian paleofloristic region: Chulym-Yenisei, Lena-Vilyui, North Siberian, Verkhoyansk, Mountain Okhotsk-Chukotka, Anadyr', Amur, Sikhote-Alin, and Sakhalin-Japanese. It is proposed to consider the Central Asian (Turan) Province as belonging to the Euro-Sinian paleofloristic region. In the Cenomanian, the province also included the area of the southern Chulym-Yenisei Depression. In the maritime and northern provinces, a considerable occurrence of Mesozoic relics compared to the southern and continental ones is recorded. Similarity and distinctions between the floras of different provinces varied during the Late Cretaceous. Climatic conditions played a considerable role in species diversity and degree of differentiation or unification of the floras.

A New Giant Titanosauria (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) from the Late Cretaceous Bauru Group, Brazil.

PubMed

Bandeira, Kamila L N; Medeiros Simbras, Felipe; Batista Machado, Elaine; de Almeida Campos, Diogenes; Oliveira, Gustavo R; Kellner, Alexander W A

2016-01-01

Titanosaurian dinosaurs include some of the largest land-living animals that ever existed, and most were discovered in Cretaceous deposits of Argentina. Here we describe the first Brazilian gigantic titanosaur, Austroposeidon magnificus gen. et sp. nov., from the Late Cretaceous Presidente Prudente Formation (Bauru Group, Paraná Basin), São Paulo State, southeast Brazil. The size of this animal is estimated around 25 meters. It consists of a partial vertebral column composed by the last two cervical and the first dorsal vertebrae, all fairly complete and incomplete portions of at least one sacral and seven dorsal elements. The new species displays four autapomorphies: robust and tall centropostzygapophyseal laminae (cpol) in the last cervical vertebrae; last cervical vertebra bearing the posterior centrodiapophyseal lamina (pcdl) bifurcated; first dorsal vertebra with the anterior and posterior centrodiapophyseal laminae (acdl/pcdl) curved ventrolaterally, and the diapophysis reaching the dorsal margin of the centrum; posterior dorsal vertebra bearing forked spinoprezygapophyseal laminae (sprl). The phylogenetic analysis presented here reveals that Austroposeidon magnificus is the sister group of the Lognkosauria. CT scans reveal some new osteological internal features in the cervical vertebrae such as the intercalation of dense growth rings with camellae, reported for the first time in sauropods. The new taxon further shows that giant titanosaurs were also present in Brazil during the Late Cretaceous and provides new information about the evolution and internal osteological structures in the vertebrae of the Titanosauria clade.

A New Giant Titanosauria (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) from the Late Cretaceous Bauru Group, Brazil

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Titanosaurian dinosaurs include some of the largest land-living animals that ever existed, and most were discovered in Cretaceous deposits of Argentina. Here we describe the first Brazilian gigantic titanosaur, Austroposeidon magnificus gen. et sp. nov., from the Late Cretaceous Presidente Prudente Formation (Bauru Group, Paraná Basin), São Paulo State, southeast Brazil. The size of this animal is estimated around 25 meters. It consists of a partial vertebral column composed by the last two cervical and the first dorsal vertebrae, all fairly complete and incomplete portions of at least one sacral and seven dorsal elements. The new species displays four autapomorphies: robust and tall centropostzygapophyseal laminae (cpol) in the last cervical vertebrae; last cervical vertebra bearing the posterior centrodiapophyseal lamina (pcdl) bifurcated; first dorsal vertebra with the anterior and posterior centrodiapophyseal laminae (acdl/pcdl) curved ventrolaterally, and the diapophysis reaching the dorsal margin of the centrum; posterior dorsal vertebra bearing forked spinoprezygapophyseal laminae (sprl). The phylogenetic analysis presented here reveals that Austroposeidon magnificus is the sister group of the Lognkosauria. CT scans reveal some new osteological internal features in the cervical vertebrae such as the intercalation of dense growth rings with camellae, reported for the first time in sauropods. The new taxon further shows that giant titanosaurs were also present in Brazil during the Late Cretaceous and provides new information about the evolution and internal osteological structures in the vertebrae of the Titanosauria clade. PMID:27706250

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

Kinematics of Late Cretaceous subduction initiation in the Neo-Tethys Ocean reconstructed from ophiolites of Turkey, Cyprus, and Syria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maffione, Marco; van Hinsbergen, Douwe J. J.; de Gelder, Giovanni I. N. O.; van der Goes, Freek C.; Morris, Antony

2017-05-01

Formation of new subduction zones represents one of the cornerstones of plate tectonics, yet both the kinematics and geodynamics governing this process remain enigmatic. A major subduction initiation event occurred in the Late Cretaceous, within the Neo-Tethys Ocean between Gondwana and Eurasia. Suprasubduction zone ophiolites (i.e., emerged fragments of ancient oceanic lithosphere formed at suprasubduction spreading centers) were generated during this subduction event and are today distributed in the eastern Mediterranean region along three E-W trending ophiolitic belts. Several models have been proposed to explain the formation of these ophiolites and the evolution of the associated intra-Neo-Tethyan subduction zone. Here we present new paleospreading directions from six Upper Cretaceous ophiolites of Turkey, Cyprus, and Syria, calculated by using new and published paleomagnetic data from sheeted dyke complexes. Our results show that NNE-SSW subduction zones were formed within the Neo-Tethys during the Late Cretaceous, which we propose were part of a major step-shaped subduction system composed of NNE-SSW and WNW-ESE segments. We infer that this subduction system developed within old (Triassic?) lithosphere, along fracture zones and perpendicular weakness zones, since the Neo-Tethyan spreading ridge formed during Gondwana fragmentation would have already been subducted at the Pontides subduction zone by the Late Cretaceous. Our new results provide an alternative kinematic model of Cretaceous Neo-Tethyan subduction initiation and call for future research on the mechanisms of subduction inception within old (and cold) lithosphere and the formation of metamorphic soles below suprasubduction zone ophiolites in the absence of nearby spreading ridges.

Age, tectonic setting, and metallogenic implication of Phanerozoic granitic magmatism at the eastern margin of the Xing'an-Mongolian Orogenic Belt, NE China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Cong; Ren, Yunsheng; Zhao, Hualei; Yang, Qun; Shang, Qingqing

2017-08-01

The eastern margin of the Xing'an-Mongolian Orogenic Belt is characterised by widespread Phanerozoic granitic magmatism, some of which is closely related to significant ore mineralisation. This paper presents new geochronological, petrogenetic, and tectonic data for selected intrusions. Zircon U-Pb geochronology for five granitoid plutons indicates they were emplaced during the middle-late Permian (264-255 Ma) and Cretaceous (106-94 Ma), and thus granitic magmatism occurred throughout the Phanerozoic, Permian (268-252 Ma), Early-Middle Triassic (248-240 Ma), Early Jurassic (183 Ma), and Cretaceous (112-94 Ma). The Permian granitoids consist of monzogranite, granodiorite, tonalite, and quartz diorite, characterised by enrichment in Na2O (3.60-4.72 wt.%), depletion in K2O (0.97-2.66 wt.%), and a negative correlation between P2O5 and SiO2. Together with the presence of hornblende, these geochemical features are indicative of an I-type affinity. The Permian granitic magmatism is associated with quartz-vein-type tungsten deposits (252 Ma; unpublished Sm-Nd isochron age), which formed in an active continental margin setting related to subduction of the Palaeo-Asian Ocean. The Cretaceous quartz diorites have an adakitic affinity, having relatively high Sr (374-502 ppm), low Yb (0.51-0.67 ppm) and Y (8.7-10.7 ppm), and high Sr/Y (39.4-46.8) and (La/Yb)N values (16.2-34.7), suggesting that they were related to the partial melting of subducted oceanic crust. In addition, they are associated with porphyry Au-Cu deposits. We conclude that the Cretaceous granitic rocks and associated porphyry Au-Cu mineralisation occurred in an extensional tectonic setting related to the subduction of the Palaeo-Pacific Plate beneath the Eurasian Plate. In addition, the large-scale Early-Middle Triassic syn-collisional granite belt at the eastern margin of the Xing'an-Mongolian Orogenic Belt extends from the middle of Jilin Province to the Wangqing-Hunchun region, constraining the timing of the

Late Permian to Early Oligocene granitic magmatism of the Phan Si Pan uplift area, NW Vietnam: their relationship to Phanerozoic crustal evolution of Southwest China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pham, T. T.; Shellnutt, G.

2015-12-01

The Phan Si Pan uplift area of NW Vietnam is a part of the Archean to Paleoproterozoic Yangtze Block, Southwest China. This area is of particular interest because it experienced a number of Phanerozoic crustal building events including the Emeishan Large Igneous Province, the India-Eurasia collision and Ailaoshan - Red River Fault displacement. In the Phan Si Pan uplift area, there are at least three different geochronological complexes, including: (1) Late Permian, (2) Eocene and (3) Early Oligocene. (1) The Late Permian silicic rocks are alkali ferroan A1-type granitic rocks with U/Pb ages of 251 ± 3 to 254 ± 3 Ma. The Late Permian silicic rocks of Phan Si Pan uplift area intrude the upper to middle crust and are considered to be part of the ELIP that was displaced during the India-Eurasian collision along the Ailaoshan-Red River Fault shear zone and adjacent structures (i.e. Song Da zone). Previous studies suggest the Late Permian granitic rocks were derived by fractional crystallization of high - Ti basaltic magma. (2) The Eocene rocks are alkali ferroan A1-type granites (U/Pb ages 49 ± 0.9 Ma) and are spatially associated with the Late Permian granitic rocks. The trace element ratios of this granite are similar to the Late Permian rocks (Th/Nb=0.2, Th/Ta = 2.5, Nb/U = 24, Nb/La =1.2, Sr/Y=1). The origin of the Eocene granite is uncertain but it is possible that it formed by fractional crystallization of a mafic magma during a period of extension within the Yangtze Block around the time of the India-Eurasia collision. (3) The Early Oligocene granite is characterized as a peraluminous within-plate granite with U/Pb ages of 31.3 ± 0.4 to 34 ± 1 Ma. The Early Oligocene granite has trace element ratios (Th/Nb = 2.1, Th/Ta = 22.6, Nb/U = 4.4, Nb/La = 0.4, Sr/Y = 60.4) similar to crust melts. The high Sr/Y ratio (Sr/Y = 20 - 205) indicates a lower crust source that was garnet-bearing. The Phan Si Pan uplift was neither a subduction zone nor an arc environment

Rb-Sr whole-rock and mineral ages, K-Ar, 40Ar/39Ar, and U-Pb mineral ages, and strontium, lead, neodymium, and oxygen isotopic compositions for granitic rocks from the Salinian Composite Terrane, California:

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kistler, R.W.; Champion, D.E.

2001-01-01

This report summarizes new and published age and isotopic data for whole-rocks and minerals from granitic rocks in the Salinian composite terrane, California. Rubidium-strontium whole-rock ages of plutons are in two groups, Early Cretaceous (122 to 100 Ma) and Late Cretaceous (95 to 82 Ma). Early Cretaceous plutons occur in all granitic rock exposures from Bodega Head in the north to those from the Santa Lucia and Gabilan Ranges in the central part of the terrane. Late Cretaceous plutons have been identified in the Point Reyes Peninsula, the Santa Lucia and the Gabilan Ranges, and in the La Panza Range in the southern part of the terrane. Ranges of initial values of isotopic compositions are 87Sr/86Sr, 0.7046-0.7147, δ18O, +8.5 to +12.5 per mil, 206Pb/204Pb, 18.901-19.860, 207Pb/204Pb, 15.618-15.814, 208Pb/204Pb, 38.569- 39.493, and εNd, +0.9 to -8.6. The initial 87Sr/86Sr=0.706 isopleth is identified in the northern Gabilan Range and in the Ben Lomond area of the Santa Cruz Mountains, in Montara Mountain, in Bodega Head, and to the west of the Farallon Islands on the Cordell Bank. This isotopic boundary is offset about 95 miles (160km) by right-lateral displacements along the San Gregorio-Hosgri and San Andreas fault systems.

Volcanostratigraphy, petrography and petrochemistry of Late Cretaceous volcanic rocks from the Görele area (Giresun, NE Turkey)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oguz, Simge; Aydin, Faruk; Baser, Rasim

2015-04-01

In this study, we have reported for lithological, petrographical and geochemical features of late Cretaceous volcanic rocks from the Çanakçı and the Karabörk areas in the south-eastern part of Görele (Giresun, NE Turkey) in order to investigate their origin and magmatic evolution. Based on the previous ages and recent volcano-stratigraphic studies, the late Cretaceous time in the study area is characterized by an intensive volcanic activity that occurred in two different periods. The first period of the late Cretaceous volcanism (Cenomanian-Santonian; 100-85 My), conformably overlain by Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous massive carbonates (Berdiga Formation), is represented by bimodal units consisting of mainly mafic rock series (basaltic-andesitic lavas and hyaloclastites, dikes and sills) in the lower part (Çatak Formation), and felsic rock series (dacitic lavas and hyaloclastites, crystal- and pyrite-bearing tuffs) in the upper part (Kızılkaya Formation). The second period of the late Cretaceous volcanism (Santonian-Late Campanian; 85-75 Ma) is also represented by bimodal character and again begins with mafic rock suites (basaltic-basaltic andesitic lavas and hyaloclastites) in the lower part (Çağlayan Formation), and grades upward into felsic rock suites (biotite-bearing rhyolitic lavas, ignimbrites and hyaloclastites) through the upper part (Tirebolu Formation). These bimodal units are intercalated with volcanic conglomerates-sandstones, claystones, marl and red pelagic limestones throughout the volcanic sequence, and the felsic rock series have a special important due to hosting of volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits in the region. All volcano-sedimentary units are covered by Tonya Formation (Late Campanian-Paleocene) containing calciturbidites, biomicrites and clayey limestones. The mafic rocks in the two volcanic periods generally include basalt, basaltic andesite and minor andesite, whereas felsic volcanics of the first period mainly consists of

Progress in Late Cretaceous planktonic foraminiferal stable isotope paleoecology and implications for paleoceanographic reconstructions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrizzo, Maria Rose; Falzoni, Francesca; Huber, Brian T.; MacLeod, Kenneth G.

2015-04-01

Paleoecological preferences proposed for Cretaceous planktonic foraminiferal taxa have traditionally been based on morphological analogies with depth-stratified modern species, on biofacies comparison in continental margin and deepwater settings, and limited oxygen and carbon stable isotope data. These studies concluded that large-sized, keeled and heavily calcified planktonic foraminifera generally lived at deeper levels in the surface waters than small-sized, thinner-walled non-keeled species. Stable isotope data have been used to infer information on paleotemperature, paleoceanography and paleoproductivity of ancient oceans and constrain biological paleo-activities (i.e. photosymbiosis and respiration) of fossil species. These studies have suggested that the depth-distribution model based on analogy with modern taxa might not be fully applicable for Cretaceous species, and found particularly 13C-enriched values in some Maastrichtian multiserial taxa that have been related to the activity of photosymbionts. We have collected about 1500 δ18O and δ13C species-specific analyses on glassy preserved planktonic foraminifera from Tanzania (Tanzania Drilling Project TDP sites 23, 28 and 32) and well-preserved planktonic foraminifera from other mid-low latitude localities (Shatsky Rise, northwestern Pacific Ocean, ODP Leg 198 Hole 1210B; Exmouth Plateau, eastern Indian Ocean, ODP Leg 122, Hole 762C; Eratosthenes Seamount, eastern Mediterranean, ODP Leg 160, Hole 967E; Blake Nose, central Atlantic Ocean, ODP Leg 171B, holes 1050C and 1052E) to investigate Late Cretaceous species paleoecological preferences, life strategies and depth distribution in the surface water column. Our results indicates that several large-sized (> 500 μm) double-keeled species belonging to the genera Dicarinella, Marginotruncana and Contusotruncana, generally interpreted as deep to thermocline dwellers, instead occupied shallow/warm layers of the water column, whilst not all biserial species

Isotopic evaluation of ocean circulation in the Late Cretaceous North American seaway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coulson, Alan B.; Kohn, Matthew J.; Barrick, Reese E.

2011-12-01

During the mid- and Late Cretaceous period, North America was split by the north-south oriented Western Interior Seaway. Its role in creating and maintaining Late Cretaceous global greenhouse conditions remains unclear. Different palaeoceanographic reconstructions portray diverse circulation patterns. The southward extent of relatively cool, low-salinity, low-δ18O surface waters critically distinguishes among these models, but past studies of invertebrates could not independently assess water temperature and isotopic compositions. Here we present oxygen isotopes in biophosphate from coeval marine turtle and fish fossils from western Kansas, representing the east central seaway, and from the Mississippi embayment, representing the marginal Tethys Ocean. Our analyses yield precise seawater isotopic values and geographic temperature differences during the main transition from the Coniacian to the early Campanian age (87-82 Myr), and indicate that the seaway oxygen isotope value and salinity were 2‰ and 3‰ lower, respectively, than in the marginal Tethys Ocean. We infer that the influence of northern freshwater probably reached as far south as Kansas. Our revised values imply relatively large temperature differences between the Mississippi embayment and central seaway, explain the documented regional latitudinal palaeobiogeographic zonation and support models with relatively little inflow of surface waters from the Tethys Ocean to the Western Interior Seaway.

Fossil Evidence for a Late Cretaceous Origin of "Hoofed" Mammals

PubMed

Archibald

1996-05-24

Seventeen of eighteen orders of living placental mammals are not known before 65 million years ago. The monophyly of each order is well established, but interrelations have been less certain. A superordinal grouping of up to seven extant orders plus a variety of extinct orders, all included within Ungulata ("hoofed" mammals), can be linked to Late Cretaceous mammals from the 85-million-year-old Bissekty Formation, Uzbekistan (and, less certainly, North America and Europe), thus pushing the origin of this major clade back by 20 million years. Ungulatomorphs are not closely related to primates, rodents, or rabbits.

Depositional environment and distribution of Late Cretaceous [open quotes]source rocks[close quotes] from Costa Rica to West Africa

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

Erlich, R.N.; Sofer, Z.; Pratt, L.M.

1993-02-01

Late Cretaceous [open quotes]source rocks[close quotes] from Costa Rica, western and eastern Venezuela, and Trinidad were studied using organic and inorganic geochemistry, biostratigraphy, and sedimentology in order to determine their depositional environments. Bulk mineralogy and major element geochemistry for 304 samples were combined with Rock Eval data and extract biomaker analysis to infer the types and distributions of the various Late Cretaceous productivity systems represented in the dataset. When data from this study are combined with published and proprietary data from offshore West Africa, Guyana/Suriname, and the central Caribbean, they show that these Late Cretaceous units can be correlated bymore » their biogeochemical characteristics to establish their temporal and spatial relationships. Paleogeographic maps constructed for the early to late Cenomanian, Turonian, Coniacian to middle Santonian, and late Santonian to latest Campanian show that upwelling and excessive fluvial runoff were probably the dominant sources of nutrient supply to the coastal productivity systems. The late Santonian to Maastrichtian rocks examined in this study indicate that organic material was poorly preserved after deposition, even though biologic productivity remained constant or changed only slightly. A rapid influx of oxygenated bottom water may have occurred following the opening of a deep water connection between the North and South Atlantic oceans, and/or separation of India from Africa and the establishment of an Antarctic oceanic connection. This study suggests that the most important factors that controlled source rock quality in northern South America were productivity, preservation, degree of clastic dilution, and subsurface diagenesis.« less

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.

Genesis of late Early Cretaceous high-silica rhyolites in eastern Zhejiang Province, southeast China: A crystal mush origin with mantle input

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ji-Heng; Yang, Jin-Hui; Chen, Jing-Yuan; Wu, Fu-Yuan; Wilde, Simon A.

2018-01-01

Voluminous Mesozoic felsic volcanic rocks and granites in southeastern China provide a unique opportunity for studying the role of crustal magmatism in the evolution and modification of the crust in the eastern Cathaysia Block. The high-silica rhyolites of the upper volcanic sequence in eastern Zhejiang Province were investigated, focusing on their genesis and their relationship with contemporaneous granites. Rhyolites in the Tiantai, Yongkang and Liucheng basins were dated as late Early Cretaceous (from 111 Ma to 106 Ma in age). These rocks contain a large proportion of inherited zircons of ca. 130 Ma, corresponding to the age of the lower volcanic sequence in the area. However, the zircons of different ages have similar ranges of oxygen and Hf isotopes, implying similarities in the magmas from which they were generated. The rhyolites of the upper sequence also resemble those of the lower sequence in terms of their geochemistry. It is concluded that the former were derived by reworking of magma mush formed during the earlier magmatic episode via fractionation of feldspars and accessory minerals, e.g., zircon. Fractionation took place within the magma crystal mush by extraction of interstitial melts and accumulation of residual mineral phases, aided by the emplacement of contemporaneous basaltic magmas at the base of the crust. Overall, the geochemical features of the volcanic rocks in southeastern China indicate that episodic magmatism and reworking of crystal mush were essential mechanisms that drove the evolution of the igneous rocks and the hence crustal architecture in this area.

Stratigraphic correlation of the Late Cretaceous Simsima Formation United Arab Emirates and Akveren Formation, northwest Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdelghany, O.; Abu Saima, M.; Ramazanoglu, S.; Arman, H.

2015-11-01

Latest Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian) microfossils are used to correlate the carbonate rocks of the Simsima Formation in the northeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula (Northern Oman Mountains, United Arab Emirates and Oman) with the Akveren Formation in Kandira (northwest Turkey, near Black Sea region). Both formations have characteristically rich planktonic foraminiferal and calcareous nannofossil faunal assemblages that permit the recognition of the Globotruncanella havanensis Zone and Quadrum sissinghii Zone CC22. The palaeontological data is used to build an appropriate palaeoenvironmental model for the latest Cretaceous Aruma Group in the Oman Mountains foreland basin. The study reveals that the Late Cretaceous formations of UAE and Turkey can be divided into an open marine carbonate shelf facies (planktonic foraminifera/calcareous nannofossil biomicrite) and a shallow-marine carbonate facies (rudistids, coralline algal foraminiferal biomicrite).

Exposure of a late cretaceous layered mafic-felsic magma system in the central Sierra Nevada batholith, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coleman, D.S.; Glazner, A.F.; Miller, J.S.; Bradford, K.J.; Frost, T.P.; Joye, J.L.; Bachl, C.A.

1995-01-01

New U-Pb zircon ages for the Lamarck Granodiorite, associated synplutonic gabbro and diorite plutons, and two large mafic intrusive complexes that underlie them in the Sierra Nevada batholith are 92??1 Ma. These ages establish the Late Cretaceous as a period of extensive mafic-felsic magmatism in the central part of the batholith, and confirm the significance of mafic magmatism in the evolution of the voluminous silicic plutions in the Sierran arc. The lack of significant zircon inheritance in any of the units analyzed supports isotopic evidence that the Lamarck and other Late Cretaceous Sierran plutons were derived predominantly from young crust. Recognition of an extensive mafic-felsic magma system in the Sierra Nevada batholith emphasizes the importance of basaltic liquids in the evolution of continental crust in arc settings. ?? 1995 Springer-Verlag.

A New Notosuchian from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil and the Phylogeny of Advanced Notosuchians

PubMed Central

Pol, Diego; Nascimento, Paulo M.; Carvalho, Alberto B.; Riccomini, Claudio; Pires-Domingues, Ricardo A.; Zaher, Hussam

2014-01-01

A new notosuchian crocodyliform from the Late Cretaceous Bauru Group found in the southeastern State of São Paulo (Brazil) is described here. The new taxon, Caipirasuchus stenognathus, is referred as a new species of the recently erected genus Caipirasuchus within the clade Sphagesauridae based on a phylogenetic analysis of basal mesoeucrocodylians. Caipirasuchus stenognathus is represented by an almost complete skull and lower jaw that has autapomorphic characters that distinguish it from other species of Sphagesauridae. These autapomorphies include: maxilla forming part of the orbital margin (absence of lacrimal-jugal contact), nasal with smooth depressions on the posterior region close to the contact with the maxilla and lacrimal, postorbital with posterior palpebral facet that extends posteriorly underneath the ear-flap groove, and a distinct anterior process of the medial flange of the retroarticular process. Additionally, the new taxon lacks autapomorphic features described in other sphagesaurids. The phylogenetic analysis results in a monophyletic genus Caipirasuchus, that is the sister group of a clade fomed by Sphagesaurus huenei, Caryonosuchus pricei, and Armadillosuchus arrudai. Sphagesaurids also include a basal clade formed by Adamantinasuchus navae and Yacarerani boliviensis. Other notosuchian taxa, such as Mariliasuchus amarali, Labidiosuchus amicum, Notosuchus terrestris, and Morrinhosuchus luziae are successive sister taxa of Sphagesauridae, forming a clade of advanced notosuchians that are restricted to the Late Cretaceous of South America. These results contrast with most previous phylogenetic hypotheses of the group that depicted some members of Sphagesauridae as more closely related to baurusuchids, or found Asian (e.g., Chimaerasuchus) or African (Malawisuchus, Pakasuchus) forms nested within advanced notosuchians that are, according to our analysis, endemic of the Late Cretaceous of South America. PMID:24695105

A new species of Cretalamna sensu stricto (Lamniformes, Otodontidae) from the Late Cretaceous (Santonian-Campanian) of Alabama, USA

PubMed Central

Ehret, Dana J.

2018-01-01

Decades of collecting from exposures of the Upper Cretaceous Tombigbee Sand Member of the Eutaw Formation and Mooreville Chalk in Alabama, USA has produced large numbers of isolated Cretalamna (sensu stricto) teeth. Many of these teeth had formerly been assigned to the extinct Late Cretaceous shark Cretalamna appendiculata (Agassiz, 1843), a taxon that is now considered largely restricted to the Turonian of Europe. Recent studies have shed light on the diversity of Late Cretaceous Cretalamna (s.s.) taxa, and here we recognize a new species from Alabama, Cretalamna bryanti. The teeth of C. bryanti sp. nov. appear aligned with the members of the Cretalamna borealis species group, but can be distinguished from these other species by a combination of the following: anterior teeth with a more pronounced and triangular lingual root protuberance, broader triangular cusp, and a taller root relative to the height of the crown; anteriorly situated lateroposterior teeth have a distally inclined or hooked main cusp and more than one pair of lateral cusplets; and lateroposterior teeth have a strong distally hooked main cusp and a root that is largely symmetrical in basal view. At present, C. bryanti sp. nov. is stratigraphically confined to the Santonian/Campanian Dicarinella asymetrica Sigal, 1952 and Globotruncanita elevata Brotzen, 1934 Planktonic Foraminiferal Zones within the Tombigbee Sand Member of the Eutaw Formation and Mooreville Chalk, and teeth have been collected from only four counties in central and western Alabama. The recognition of C. bryanti sp. nov. in Alabama adds to our knowledge on the diversity and distribution of Late Cretaceous otodontids in the region. PMID:29333348

A Late Cretaceous Piper (Piperaceae) from Colombia and diversification patterns for the genus.

PubMed

Martínez, Camila; Carvalho, Mónica R; Madriñán, Santiago; Jaramillo, Carlos A

2015-02-01

Documented fossil floras in the neotropics are sparse, yet their records provide evidence on the spatial and temporal occurrence of taxa, allowing for testing of biogeographical and diversification scenarios on individual lineages. A new fossil Piper from the Late Cretaceous of Colombia is described here, and its importance for assessing diversification patterns in the genus is addressed. Leaf architecture of 32 fossil leaf compressions from the Guaduas Formation was compared with that of 294 extant angiosperm species. The phylogenetic position of the fossil named Piper margaritae sp. nov. was established based on leaf traits and a molecular scaffold of Piper. The age of the fossil was independently used as a calibration point for divergence time estimations. Natural affinities of P. margaritae to the Schilleria clade of Piper indicate that the genus occurred in tropical America by the Late Cretaceous. Estimates of age divergence and lineage accumulation reveal that most of the extant diversity of the genus accrued during the last ∼30 Myr. The recent radiation of Piper is coeval with both the Andean uplift and the emergence of Central America, which have been proposed as important drivers of diversity. This pattern could exemplify a recurrent theme among many neotropical plant lineages. © 2015 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

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

Geochemical evidence for Late Cretaceous marginal arc-to-backarc transition in the Sabzevar ophiolitic extrusive sequence, northeast Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khalatbari Jafari, Morteza; Babaie, Hassan A.; Gani, Moslem

2013-07-01

The ophiolitic extrusive sequence, exposed in an area north of Sabzevar, has three major parts: a lower part, with abundant breccia, hyaloclastic tuff, and sheet flow, a middle part with vesicular, aphyric pillow lava, and an upper part with a sequence of lava and volcanic-sedimentary rocks. Pelagic limestone interlayers contain Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian-Late Maastrichtian) microfauna. The supra-ophiolitic series includes a sequence of turbidititic and volcanic-sedimentary rocks with lava flow, aphyric and phyric lava, and interlayers of pelagic limestone and radiolarian chert. Paleontological investigation of the pelagic limestone and radiolarite interlayers in this series gives a Late Cretaceous age, supporting the idea that the supra-ophiolitic series formed in a trough, synchronous with the Sabzevar oceanic crust during the Late Cretaceous. Geochemical data indicate a relationship between lava in the upper part of the extrusive sequence and lava in the supra-ophiolitic series. These lavas have a calc-alkaline to almost alkaline characteristic, and show a clear depletion in Nb and definite depletions in Zr and Ti in spider diagrams. Data from these rocks plot in the subduction zone field in tectonomagmatic diagrams. The concentration and position of the heavy rare earth elements in the spider diagrams, and their slight variation, can be attributed to partial melting of the depleted mantle wedge above the subducted slab, and enrichment in the LILE can be attributed to subduction components (fluid, melt) released from the subducting slab. In comparison, the sheet flow and pillow lava of the lower and middle parts of the extrusive sequence show OIB characteristics and high potassium magmatic and shoshonitic trends, and their spider diagram patterns show Nb, Zr, and Ti depletions. The enrichment in the LILE in the spider diagram patterns suggest a low rate of partial melting of an enriched, garnet-bearing mantle. It seems that the marginal arc basin, in which

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.

A drowned Mesozoic bird breeding colony from the Late Cretaceous of Transylvania.

PubMed

Dyke, Gareth; Vremir, Mátyás; Kaiser, Gary; Naish, Darren

2012-06-01

Despite a rapidly improving fossil record, the reproductive biology of Mesozoic birds remains poorly known: only a handful of undisputed, isolated Cretaceous eggs (some containing embryonic remains) are known. We report here the first fossil evidence for a breeding colony of Mesozoic birds, preserved at the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Oarda de Jos (Od) site in the Sebeş area of Transylvania, Romania. A lens of calcareous mudstone with minimum dimensions of 80 cm length, 50 cm width and 20 cm depth contains thousands of tightly packed, morphologically homogenous eggshell fragments, seven near-complete eggs and neonatal and adult avialan skeletal elements. Eggshell forms 70-80 % of the matrix, and other fossils are entirely absent. The bones exhibit clear characters of the Cretaceous avialan clade Enantiornithes, and the eggshell morphology is also consistent with this identification. Both taphonomy and lithology show that the components of this lens were deposited in a single flood event, and we conclude that it represents the drowned remains of a larger enantiornithine breeding colony, swamped by rising water, washed a short distance and deposited in a shallow, low-energy pond. The same fate often befalls modern bird colonies. Such a large concentration of breeding birds suggests aquatic feeding in this species, augments our understanding of enantiornithine biology and shows that colonial nesting was not unique to crown birds.

Exhumation of the Cordillera de Domeyko: Implications for Andean retroarc evolution between the Late Cretaceous and the Oligocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henriquez, S.; Carrapa, B.; DeCelles, P. G.

2017-12-01

In Cordilleran-type orogens, exhumation of the thrust belt records the kinematic history of the orogenic system. In the Central Andes, the widest and thickest part of this orogen, several authors have documented the exhumation of the thrust belt in the modern forearc (Chile) and retroarc region (Bolivia and Argentina) showing an overall eastward propagation of deformation since the late Eocene. However, the exhumation of earlier Andean retroarc tectonic events remains poorly documented. In the forearc, the Cordillera de Domeyko and Salar de Atacama basin exhibit multiple pieces of evidence for earlier Andean orogenesis. The goal of this study is to document the thermal record of Late Cretaceous to Eocene retroarc deformation. To this end, this study investigates the cooling history of the easternmost basement uplift of the Cordillera de Domeyko. We couple this record with detrital thermochronology from cobbles in the Late Cretaceous to Miocene sedimentary units from the Salar de Atacama basin which records the unroofing history of this uplift. We employed a multi-dating approach combining apatite fission track (AFT) and apatite (U-Th-Sm)/He (AHe) thermochronology to constrain the timing and amount of exhumation in the early Andean retroarc region. Our results show episodic cooling ca. 90-80, 65-60 and 45-40 Ma. This new data provides a thermochronologic record of Late Cretaceous and Paleocene deformation in the retroarc region as well as of the widely recognized Eocene deformation event. The cooling signal is interpreted to reflect exhumation controlled by uplift and erosion in the retroarc region. These exhumation events reflect episodes of internal deformation, crustal thickening, and roughly similar amounts of local erosion. Exhumation in this region decreased by the late Oligocene; by this time the orogenic front was established to the east, in the Eastern Cordillera.

Astronomically Forced Hydrology of the Late Cretaceous Sub-tropical Potosí Basin, Bolivia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tasistro-Hart, A.; Maloof, A. C.; Schoene, B.; Eddy, M. P.

2017-12-01

Orbital forcings paced the ice ages of the Pleistocene, demonstrating that periodic variations in the latitudinal distribution of insolation amplified by ice-albedo feedbacks can guide global climate. How these forcings operate in the hot-houses that span most of the planet's history, however, is unknown. The lacustrine El Molino formation of the late Cretaceous-early Paleogene Potosí Basin in present-day Bolivia contains carbonate-mud parasequences that record fluctuating hydrological conditions from 73 to 63 Ma. This study presents the first cyclostratigraphic analysis using high-resolution drone-derived imagery and 3D elevation models, combined with conventional stratigraphic measurements and magnetic susceptibility data. The drone-derived data are integrated over the entire outcrop at two field areas using a novel application of stratigraphic potential field modeling that increases signal-to-noise ratios prior to spectral analysis. We demonstrate that these parasequences exhibit significant periodicities consistent with eccentricity (400 and 100 kyr), obliquity (50 kyr, 40 kyr, and 29 kyr), precession (17-23 kyr), and semi-precession (9-11 kyr). New U-Pb ID-TIMS zircon ages from intercalacted ash beds corroborate the interpreted sedimentation rates at two sites, indicating that the Potosí Basin contains evidence for hot-house astronomical forcing of sub-tropical lacustrine hydrology. Global climate simulations of late Cretaceous orbital end-member configurations demonstrate precessional-eccentricity and obliquity driven modulation of basin hydrology. In model simulations, the forcings drive long-term shifts in the location of the intertropical convergence zone, changing precipitation along the northern extent of the Potosí Basin's catchment area. This study is the first to demonstrate orbital forcing of a lacustrine system during the Maastrichtian and could ultimately contribute to a precise age for the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary.

Proxy Constraints on a Warm, Fresh Late Cretaceous Arctic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Super, J. R.; Li, H.; Pagani, M.; Chin, K.

2015-12-01

The warm Late Cretaceous is thought to have been characterized by open Arctic Ocean temperatures upwards of 15°C (Jenkyns et al., 2004). The high temperatures and low equator-to-pole temperature gradient have proven difficult to reproduce in paleoclimate models, with the role of the atmospheric hydrologic cycle in heat transport being particularly uncertain. Here, sediments, coprolites and fish teeth of Santonian-Campanian age from two high-latitude mixed terrestrial and marine sections on Devon Island in the Canadian High Arctic (Chin et al., 2008) were analyzed using a suite of organic and inorganic proxies to evaluate the temperature and salinity of Arctic seawater. Surface temperature estimates were derived from TEX86 estimates of near-shore, shallow (~100 meters depth) marine sediments (Witkowski et al., 2011) and MBT-CBT estimates from terrestrial intervals and both suggest mean annual temperatures of ~20°C, consistent with previous estimates considering the more southerly location of Devon Island. The oxygen isotope composition of non-diagenetic phosphate from vertebrate coprolites and bony fish teeth were then measured, giving values ranging from +13‰ to +19‰. Assuming the TEX86 temperatures are valid and using the temperature calibration of Puceat 2010, the δ18O values of coprolites imply Arctic Ocean seawater δ18O values between -4‰ and -10‰, implying very fresh conditions. Lastly, the δD of precipitation will be estimated from the hydrogen isotope composition of higher plant leaf waxes (C-25, C-27, C-29 and C-31 n-alkanes) from both terrestrial and marine intervals. Data are used to model the salinity of seawater and the meteoric relationship between δD and δ18O, thereby helping to evaluate the northern high-latitude meteoric water line of the Late Cretaceous.

Paired Magnetic Susceptibility Cyclostratigraphy and Revised Magnetostratigraphy with Late Cretaceous Euler Pole from Forbes Formation, Sand Creek, Sacramento Valley, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slotznick, S. P.; Raub, T.; Mitchell, R. N.; Ward, P. D.; Kirschvink, J. L.

2012-12-01

Magnetostratigraphy in Upper Cretaceous rocks of Sacramento Valley has successfully complemented biostratigraphy for correlating between circum-Pacific basins. Most paleomagnetic measurements were done pre-1990 using alternating field demagnetization only, due to oxidation accompanying thermal demagnetization. We present paleomagnetic data collected via thermal demagnetization in a flowing nitrogen atmosphere from 223 cores collected over a 130m of section of Forbes Formation in Sand Creek, CA spanning upper Dobbins Shale, Forbes Unit 2 and lower Unit 3. These results uniformly indicate Reversed Chron 33R, contra previously published magnetostratigraphy of the area (Ward et al. 1983, Verosub et al. 1989). Additionally, these paleomagnetic results yield a tightly-constrained paleolatitude for Forbes Formation of 31±3°, which varies significantly from previous APWP models ca. 83 Ma (Besse and Courtillot, 2002) suggesting an unaccounted-for deficiency in reconstructions of North America at this time. This discrepancy might indicate an inaccurate cratonic reference pole, underestimated intrabatholithic or distributed plate boundary deformation, and/or true polar wander. As opposed to other units yielding anomalous late Cretaceous paleolatitudes from outboard terranes, Forbes Formation in Sacramento Valley laps unambiguously onto the North American continent. A 25m AW34 core was collected using a Winkie drillrig near the top of Dobbins Shale Mbr. Paleomagnetic measurements on subsamples from the Winkie core, unaffected by surface weathering, combine with the surficial dataset, and we propose a new set of Euler pole solutions potentially quantifying Basin and Range extension and late Cretaceous intra-Sierran shear. Through magnetic susceptibility measurements of the Winkie core, we were able to resolve orbital cycles which, paired with rock magnetic measurements, constrain basin subsidence and sedimentation rate off the Sierran arc at its age of termination. Re

U-Pb zircon and CHIME monazite dating of granitoids and high-grade metamorphic rocks from the Eastern and Peninsular Thailand - A new report of Early Paleozoic granite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawakami, T.; Nakano, N.; Higashino, F.; Hokada, T.; Osanai, Y.; Yuhara, M.; Charusiri, P.; Kamikubo, H.; Yonemura, K.; Hirata, T.

2014-07-01

In order to understand the age and tectonic framework of Eastern to Peninsular Thailand from the viewpoint of basement (metamorphic and plutonic) geology, the LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon dating and the chemical Th-U-total Pb isochron method (CHIME) monazite dating were performed in the Khao Chao, Hub-Kapong to Pran Buri, and Khanom areas in Eastern to Peninsular Thailand. The LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon dating of the garnet-hornblende gneiss from the Khao Chao area gave 229 ± 3 Ma representing the crystallization age of the gabbro, and that of the garnet-biotite gneisses gave 193 ± 4 Ma representing the timing of an upper amphibolite facies metamorphism. The CHIME monazite dating of pelitic gneiss from the Khao Chao gneiss gave scattered result of 68 ± 22 Ma, due to low PbO content and rejuvenation of older monazite grains during another metamorphism in the Late Cretaceous to Tertiary time. The U-Pb ages of zircon from the Hua Hin gneissic granite in the Hub-Kapong to Pran Buri area scatter from 250 Ma to 170 Ma on the concordia. Granite crystallization was at 219 ± 2 Ma, followed by the sillimanite-grade regional metamorphism at 185 ± 2 Ma. Monazite in the pelitic gneiss from this area also preserves Early to Middle Jurassic metamorphism and rejuvenation by later contact metamorphism by non-foliated granite or by another fluid infiltration event in the Late Cretaceous to Tertiary time. The Khao Dat Fa granite from the Khanom area of Peninsular Thailand gave a U-Pb zircon age of 477 ± 7 Ma. This is the second oldest granite pluton ever reported from Thailand, and is a clear evidence for the Sibumasu block having a crystalline basement that was formed during the Pan-African Orogeny. The Khao Pret granite gives U-Pb zircon concordia age of 67.5 ± 1.3 Ma, which represents the timing of zircon crystallization from the granitic melt and accompanied sillimanite-grade contact metamorphism against surrounding metapelites and gneisses. Metamorphic rocks in the Doi Inthanon area

Hadrosauroid Dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of the Sultanate of Oman.

PubMed

Buffetaut, Eric; Hartman, Axel-Frans; Al-Kindi, Mohammed; Schulp, Anne S

2015-01-01

Fragmentary post-cranial remains (femora, tibia, vertebrae) of ornithischian dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of the Sultanate of Oman are described and referred to hadrosauroids. The specimens come from the Al-Khod Conglomerate, of latest Campanian to Maastrichtian age, in the north-eastern part of the country. Although the fragmentary condition of the fossils precludes a precise identification, various characters, including the shape of the fourth trochanter of the femur and the morphology of its distal end, support an attribution to hadrosauroids. With the possible exception of a possible phalanx from Angola, this group of ornithopod dinosaurs, which apparently originated in Laurasia, was hitherto unreported from the Afro-Arabian plate. From a paleobiogeographical point of view, the presence of hadrosauroids in Oman in all likelihood is a result of trans-Tethys dispersal from Asia or Europe, probably by way of islands in the Tethys shown on all recent paleogeographical maps of that area. Whether hadrosauroids were widespread on the Afro-Arabian landmass in the latest Cretaceous, or where restricted to the « Oman island » shown on some paleogeographical maps, remains to be determined.

Hadrosauroid Dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of the Sultanate of Oman

PubMed Central

Buffetaut, Eric; Hartman, Axel-Frans; Al-Kindi, Mohammed; Schulp, Anne S.

2015-01-01

Fragmentary post-cranial remains (femora, tibia, vertebrae) of ornithischian dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of the Sultanate of Oman are described and referred to hadrosauroids. The specimens come from the Al-Khod Conglomerate, of latest Campanian to Maastrichtian age, in the north-eastern part of the country. Although the fragmentary condition of the fossils precludes a precise identification, various characters, including the shape of the fourth trochanter of the femur and the morphology of its distal end, support an attribution to hadrosauroids. With the possible exception of a possible phalanx from Angola, this group of ornithopod dinosaurs, which apparently originated in Laurasia, was hitherto unreported from the Afro-Arabian plate. From a paleobiogeographical point of view, the presence of hadrosauroids in Oman in all likelihood is a result of trans-Tethys dispersal from Asia or Europe, probably by way of islands in the Tethys shown on all recent paleogeographical maps of that area. Whether hadrosauroids were widespread on the Afro-Arabian landmass in the latest Cretaceous, or where restricted to the « Oman island » shown on some paleogeographical maps, remains to be determined. PMID:26562674

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

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.

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.

Late Early-Cretaceous quartz diorite-granodiorite-monzogranite association from the Gaoligong belt, southeastern Tibet Plateau: Chemical variations and geodynamic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Ren-Zhi; Lai, Shao-Cong; Qin, Jiang-Feng; Zhao, Shao-Wei; Wang, Jiang-Bo

2017-09-01

Geochemical variations in granitic rocks may be controlled by their source rocks, melting reactions and subsequent magmatic processes, which resulted from various geodynamic processes related to subduction, collision, or slab break-off. Here we report new LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotopes, whole-rock chemistry and Sr-Nd isotopes for the late Early Cretaceous quartz diorite, granodiorite and monzogranite in the Gaoligong belt, southeastern Tibet Plateau. The zircon U-Pb dating yield ages of 113.9 ± 1.6, 111.7 ± 0.8, and 112.8 ± 1.7 Ma for the quartz diorite, granodiorite, and monzogranite, respectively, which are coeval with bimodal magmatism in the central and northern Lhasa sub-terrane. There are the distinct sources regions for the quartz diorite and granodiorite-monzogranite association. The quartz diorites are sodic, calc-alkaline and have high Mg# (52-54) values. They also have elevated initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.707019 to 0.709176) and low εNd(t) (- 5.16 to - 7.63), with variable zircon εHf(t) values (+ 5.65 to - 9.02). Zircon chemical data indicate a typical crustal-derived character with high Th (142-1260 ppm) and U (106-1082 ppm) and moderate U/Yb ratios (0.30 to 2.32) and Y content (705-1888 ppm). Those data suggest that the quartz diorites were derived from partial melting of ancient basaltic lower crust by a mantle-derived magma in source region. The granodiorite-monzogranite association has high-K calc-alkaline, weakly peraluminous characters. They show lower Nb/Ta (5.57 to 13.8), CaO/Na2O (0.62 to 1.21), higher Al2O3/TiO2 (24.4 to 44.4) ratios, more evolved whole-rock Sr-Nd and zircon Hf isotopic signatures, all of which suggest derivation from mixed basaltic and metasedimentary source rocks in a deep crustal zone. We propose that the granitic magmatisms at ca. 113-110 Ma in the Gaologong belt was triggered by the slab break-off of Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan oceanic lithosphere. Supplementary Dataset Table 2. Single-grain zircon Hf isotopic data

Late Cretaceous paleomagnetism and clockwise rotation of the Silver Bell Mountains, south central Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hagstrum, J.T.; Sawyer, D.A.

1989-01-01

Late Cretaceous ash flow volcanism in the Silver Bell Mountains of southern Arizona (32.3??N, 248.5??E) was associated with caldera formation and porphyry copper mineralization. Oriented samples from 34 sites in volcanic, volcaniclastic, and intrusive units related to this episode of igneous activity (73-69 Ma) yield a mean paleomagnetic direction of (I = 61.2??, D = 24.0??, ??95 = 7.6??. Previously determined paleomagnetic data for southeastern Arizona suggest that this apparent clockwise rotation in the Silver Bell Mountains is a local phenomenon. Although preliminary, the average paleomagnetic direction for Oligocene and lower Miocene rocks in the Silver Bell area (I = 43.8??, D = 357.3??, ??95 = 16.5??) is similar to that calculated for stable North America (I = 50.2??, D = 352.2??, ??95 = 3.9??), implying that the observed rotation in the Silver Bell Mountains occurred before 26 Ma and was most likely associated with dextral strike-slip movement along the Ragged Top and related WNW trending faults bounding the Silver Bell Mountain block. These data, in conjunction with plate reconstructions and other paleomagnetic data from southwestern North America, imply that WNW trending strike-slip faults may have played an important role during Late Cretaceous to early Tertiary deformation in southern Arizona. -Authors

Mosasaurs (Reptilia) from the late Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) of northern Patagonia (Río Negro, Argentina)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández, Marta; Martin, James; Casadío, Silvio

2008-03-01

A diverse assemblage of mosasaurs was recently recovered from the Jagüel Formation (late Maastrichtian) exposed at three localities of northern Patagonia (Río Negro, Argentina). Four taxa (three mosasaurines and a plioplatecarpine) have been identified, and three of these marine reptiles can be identified at lower taxonomic levels: Mosasaurus sp. aff. M. hoffmanni, Plioplatecarpus sp., and Prognathodon sp. These occurrences are significant because they represent the first diagnostic material at generic level exhumed from Patagonia and include one of the youngest mosasaurs found worldwide. One of the specimens described herein was found only 1.5 m below the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary. Only mosasaurs from Antarctica found within a meter of the boundary are known to occur higher in the geologic section.

A Sauropod Tooth from the Santonian of Hungary and the European Late Cretaceous 'Sauropod Hiatus'.

PubMed

Ősi, Attila; Csiki-Sava, Zoltán; Prondvai, Edina

2017-06-12

The lack of sauropod body fossils from the 20 My-long mid-Cenomanian to the late Campanian interval of the Late Cretaceous in Europe is referred to as the 'sauropod hiatus', with only a few footprints reported from the Apulian microplate (i.e. the southern part of the European archipelago). Here we describe a single tooth from the Santonian continental beds of Iharkút, Hungary, that represents the first European body fossil evidence of a sauropod from this critical time interval. The mosaic of derived and plesiomorphic features documented by the tooth crown morphology points to a basal titanosauriform affinity suggesting the occurrence of a clade of sauropods in the Upper Cretaceous of Europe that is quite different from the previously known Campano-Maastrichtian titanosaurs. Along with the footprints coming from shallow marine sediments, this tooth further strengthens the view that the extreme rarity of sauropod remains from this period of Europe is the result of sampling bias related to the dominance of coastal over inland sediments, in the latter of which sauropod fossils usually occur. This is also in line with the hypothesis that sauropods preferred inland habitats to swampy environments.

Seasonal Equability in Late Cretaceous Central-Eastern Iberia? Inferences from Isotopic Data on Vertebrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domingo, L.; Barroso-Barcenilla, F.; Cambra-Moo, O.

2013-12-01

After the mid-Cretaceous thermal maximum, the latest Cretaceous witnessed a long-term cooling trend (Santonian-Maastrichtian). It has been proposed that seasonal equability (low mean annual range of temperatures) accompanied the mid-Cretaceous greenhouse period, but was it also a climatic feature of the colder latest Cretaceous? Terrestrial proxies have proven useful in understanding past seasonality and in this vein, we performed oxygen isotope analyses of the phosphate (δ18OPO4) on the rich and exceptionally well preserved late Campanian-early Maastrichtian vertebrate assemblage of 'Lo Hueco' fossil site (Cuenca, Spain). We analysed theropod and crocodilian tooth enamel, turtle shell, and gar ganoine with the aim of evaluating paleoclimatic conditions existing in the western area of the Tethys realm. The 'Lo Hueco' locality was situated at a paleo-latitude of 31°N and sedimentological and paleontological studies point to a coastal environment with distributary channels and sporadic sabkhas. Samples were collected from two different levels: G1 (proximal muddy floodplain) and G2 (distal muddy floodplain), with G1 being older. δ18OH2O values were calculated from theropod, crocodilian and turtle δ18OPO4 values using established equations and in all cases they are in good agreement with precipitation water from subtropical latest Cretaceous and modern settings. Theropods recorded consistently slightly lower δ18OH2O values (G1: -4.1×1.4‰, G2: -3.5×0.5‰) than crocodilians (G1: -3.6×0.6‰, G2: -2.7×0.6‰) and turtles (G1: -3.8×0.6‰, G2: -2.9×0.5‰). This may be due to terrestrial endothermic taxa, such as theropods, recording ingested water year round, meanwhile semiaquatic ectothermic taxa, such as crocodilians and turtles, would record δ18OH2O values representing local meteoric waters over the warm season, when conditions are favorable for apatite synthesis. With these δ18OH2O values, we used gar ganoine δ18OPO4 values as an independent proxy to

Late Cretaceous volcanism in south-central New Mexico: Conglomerates of the McRae and Love Ranch Formations

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

Chapman-Fahey, J.L.; McMillan, N.J.; Mack, G.H.

Evidence to support Late Cretaceous volcanism in south central New Mexico is restricted to a small area of 75-Ma-old andesitic rocks at Copper Flats near Hillsboro, and volcanic clasts in the McRae (Late Cretaceous/Paleocene ) and Love Ranch (Paleocene/Eocene). Formations located in the Jornada del Muerto basin east and northeast of the Caballo Mountains. Major and trace element data and petrographic analysis of 5 samples from Copper Flats lavas and 40 samples of volcanic clasts from the McRae and Love Ranch conglomerates will be used to reconstruct the Cretaceous volcanic field. The McRae Formation consists of two members: the lowermore » Jose Creek and the upper Hall Lake. The lowermost Love Ranch Formation is unconformable in all places on the Hall Lake Member. Stratigraphic variations in clast composition from volcanic rocks in the lower Love Ranch Formation to Paleozoic and Precambrian clasts in the upper Love Ranch Formation reflect the progressive unroofing of the Laramide Rio Grande Uplift. Volcanic clasts in the McRae and Love Ranch Formations were derived from the west and south of the depositional basin, but the source area for McRae clasts is less well constrained. Stratigraphic, chemical, and petrographic data will be used to reconstruct the volcanic complex and more clearly define magma genesis and metasomatism associated with Laramide deformation.« less

High-K granites of the Rum Jungle Complex, N-Australia: Insights into the Late Archean crustal evolution of the North Australian Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drüppel, K.; McCready, A. J.; Stumpfl, E. F.

2009-08-01

The Late Archean (c. 2.54-2.52 Ga) high-K granitoids of the Rum Jungle Complex, Northern Australia, display the igneous mineral assemblage of K-feldspar, quartz, plagioclase, biotite, and magnetite, and accessories such as zircon, monazite, titanite, allanite, apatite, and ilmenite. The granites underwent a variably severe greenschist facies alteration and associated deformation during the Barramundi Orogeny (1.88-1.85 Ga). The K-rich granitoids have variable compositions, mainly comprising syenogranite and quartz-monzonite. They can be subdivided into two major groups, (1) felsic granites and (2) intermediate to felsic granites, quartz-monzonites, and diorite. The felsic group (69-76 wt.% SiO 2) shares many features with typical Late Archean potassic granites. They are K- and LILE-rich and show marked depletion in Sr and Eu and the high field strength elements (HFSE), particularly Nb and Ti, relative to LILE and LREE. Compared to the average upper crust they have anomalously high Th (up to 123 ppm) and U (up to 40 ppm). The intermediate to felsic group (56-69 wt.% SiO 2) differs from the felsic group in having weakly lower Th and U but higher Mg#, Ti, Ba, Sr, Ni, Cr and REE, with a less pronounced negative Eu anomaly. This group displays well-defined trends in Harker diagrams, involving a negative correlation of Si with Sr, Ca, Na, and P whereas K, Rb, and Ba increase in the same direction, suggesting fractional crystallization of feldspar was more prominent than in the felsic suite. The mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of the felsic group are consistent with granite formation by intracrustal melting of plagioclase-rich igneous protoliths, probably of tonaltic to granodioritic composition, at moderate crustal levels. The intermediate to felsic granites, on the other hand, appear to be the products of mantle-crust interaction, possibly by melting of or mixing with more mafic igneous rocks. As evidenced by the presence of older inherited zircons crustal

Accreted fragments of the Late Cretaceous Caribbean Colombian Plateau in Ecuador

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mamberti, Marc; Lapierre, Henriette; Bosch, Delphine; Jaillard, Etienne; Ethien, Raynald; Hernandez, Jean; Polvé, Mireille

2003-02-01

The eastern part of the Western Cordillera of Ecuador includes fragments of an Early Cretaceous (≈123 Ma) oceanic plateau accreted around 85-80 Ma (San Juan-unit). West of this unit and in fault contact with it, another oceanic plateau sequence (Guaranda unit) is marked by the occurrence of picrites, ankaramites, basalts, dolerites and shallow level gabbros. A comparable unit is also exposed in northwestern coastal Ecuador (Pedernales unit). Picrites have LREE-depleted patterns, high ɛNd i and very low Pb isotopic ratios, suggesting that they were derived from an extremely depleted source. In contrast, the ankaramites and Mg-rich basalts are LREE-enriched and have radiogenic Pb isotopic compositions similar to the Galápagos HIMU component; their ɛNd i are slightly lower than those of the picrites. Basalts, dolerites and gabbros differ from the picrites and ankaramites by flat rare earth element (REE) patterns and lower ɛNd; their Pb isotopic compositions are intermediate between those of the picrites and ankaramites. The ankaramites, Mg-rich basalts, and picrites differ from the lavas from the San Juan-Multitud Unit by higher Pb ratios and lower ɛNd i. The Ecuadorian and Gorgona 88-86 Ma picrites are geochemically similar. The Ecuadorian ankaramites and Mg-rich basalts share with the 92-86 Ma Mg-rich basalts of the Caribbean-Colombian Oceanic Plateau (CCOP) similar trace element and Nd and Pb isotopic chemistry. This suggests that the Pedernales and Guaranda units belong to the Late Cretaceous CCOP. The geochemical diversity of the Guaranda and Pedernales rocks illustrates the heterogeneity of the CCOP plume source and suggests a multi-stage model for the emplacement of these rocks. Stratigraphic and geological relations strongly suggest that the Guaranda unit was accreted in the late Maastrichtian (≈68-65 Ma).

Low-magnesium calcite produced by coralline algae in seawater of Late Cretaceous composition

PubMed Central

Stanley, Steven M.; Ries, Justin B.; Hardie, Lawrence A.

2002-01-01

Shifts in the Mg/Ca ratio of seawater driven by changes in midocean ridge spreading rates have produced oscillations in the mineralogy of nonskeletal carbonate precipitates from seawater on time scales of 108 years. Since Cambrian time, skeletal mineralogies of anatomically simple organisms functioning as major reef builders or producers of shallow marine limestones have generally corresponded in mineral composition to nonskeletal precipitates. Here we report on experiments showing that the ambient Mg/Ca ratio actually governs the skeletal mineralogy of some simple organisms. In modern seas, coralline algae produce skeletons of high-Mg calcite (>4 mol % MgCO3). We grew three species of these algae in artificial seawaters having three different Mg/Ca ratios. All of the species incorporated amounts of Mg into their skeletons in proportion to the ambient Mg/Ca ratio, mimicking the pattern for nonskeletal precipitation. Thus, the algae calcified as if they were simply inducing precipitation from seawater through their consumption of CO2 for photosynthesis; presumably organic templates specify the calcite crystal structure of their skeletons. In artificial seawater with the low Mg/Ca ratio of Late Cretaceous seas, the algae in our experiments produced low-Mg calcite (<4 mol % MgCO3), the carbonate mineral formed by nonskeletal precipitation in those ancient seas. Our results suggest that many taxa that produce high-Mg calcite today produced low-Mg calcite in Late Cretaceous seas. PMID:12399549

Crocodilian Nest in a Late Cretaceous Sauropod Hatchery from the Type Lameta Ghat Locality, Jabalpur, India

PubMed Central

Srivastava, Rahul; Patnaik, Rajeev; Shukla, U. K.; Sahni, Ashok

2015-01-01

The well-known Late Cretaceous Lameta Ghat locality (Jabalpur, India) provides a window of opportunity to study a large stable, near shore sandy beach, which was widely used by sauropod dinosaurs as a hatchery. In this paper, we revisit the eggs and eggshell fragments previously assigned to lizards from this locality and reassign them to crocodylomorphs. Several features point to a crocodilian affinity, including a subspherical to ellipsoidal shape, smooth, uneven external surface, discrete trapezoid shaped shell units with wide top and narrow base, basal knobs and wedge shaped crystallites showing typical inverted triangular extinction under crossed nicols. The crocodylomorph eggshell material presented in this paper adds to the skeletal data of these most probably Cretaceous-Eocene dryosaurid crocodiles. PMID:26641665

Two-mica granites of northeastern Nevada.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lee, D.E.; Kistler, R.W.; Friedman, I.; Van Loenen, R. E.

1981-01-01

The field settings are described and analytical data are presented for six two-mica granites from NE Nevada. High delta 18O and 87Sr/86Sr values indicate that all are S-type granite, derived from continental crust. The major element chemistry and accessory mineral contents of these rocks also are characteristic of S-type granites. Chemical, X ray, and other data are presented for the micas recovered from these granites. The muscovites are notably high in Fe2O3, FeO, and MgO. Except for one hydrobiotite, each of the biotites has an MgO content near 6.0 wt%. Two different types of two-mica granites are recognized in the area of this study. One type is distinguished by the presence of many biotite euhedra within muscovite phenocrysts and by an unusual suite of accessory minerals completely devoid of opaque oxides. This type probably resulted from anatexis of late Precambrian argillites under conditions of relatively low oxygen fugacity, along a line that roughly coincides with the westward disappearance of continental basement. In the other textural type of two-mica granite the micas are equigranular and there is a greater variety of accessory minerals. The magmatic evolution of this type also appears to reflect the influence of late Precambrian argillites; there may be age differences between the two types of two-mica granites.-Author

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

Detrital zircons from the Nanaimo basin, Vancouver Island, British Columbia: An independent test of Late Cretaceous to Cenozoic northward translation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matthews, W. A.; Guest, B.; Coutts, D.; Bain, H.; Hubbard, S.

2017-05-01

The development of the Cordilleran orogen of western North American is disputed despite a century of study. Paleomagnetic observations require large-scale dextral displacements of crustal fragments along the western margin of North America, from low latitudes to moderate latitudes during the Cretaceous-Paleogene. A lack of corroborating geological evidence for large-scale (>1500 km) displacements has prevented the widespread integration of paleomagnetic data into most contemporary tectonic models for the margin. Here we use detrital zircons from the Nanaimo basin, southwestern British Columbia, Canada as an independent test of its Late Cretaceous paleogeographic position. We compare 4310 detrital zircon U/Pb dates from 16 samples to potential source areas in western North America to test hypothesized northern and southern Late Cretaceous paleogeographic positions. Our detrital zircon data suggest that sediment in the Nanaimo basin derives from either a geographically restricted portion of the Belt-Purcell basin or the Mojave-Sonoran region of southwestern North America. A paleogeographic position for the basin adjacent to the Mojave-Sonoran region is preferred as it is consistent with the paleomagnetic results, but further geological, isotopic, or geophysical data are required to rule out a Belt-Purcell source.

Maps showing thermal maturity of Upper Cretaceous marine shales in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Finn, Thomas M.; Pawlewicz, Mark J.

2013-01-01

The Wind River Basin is a large Laramide (Late Cretaceous through Eocene) structural and sedimentary basin that encompasses about 7,400 square miles in central Wyoming. The basin is bounded by the Washakie Range, Owl Creek, and southern Bighorn Mountains on the north, the Casper arch on the east and northeast, the Granite Mountains on the south, and the Wind River Range on the west. Important conventional and unconventional oil and gas resources have been discovered and produced from reservoirs ranging in age from Mississippian through Tertiary. It has been suggested that various Upper Cretaceous marine shales are the principal hydrocarbon source rocks for many of these accumulations. Numerous source rock studies of various Upper Cretaceous marine shales throughout the Rocky Mountain region have led to the conclusion that these rocks have generated, or are capable of generating, oil and (or) gas. With recent advances and success in horizontal drilling and multistage fracture stimulation there has been an increase in exploration and completion of wells in these marine shales in other Rocky Mountain Laramide basins that were traditionally thought of only as hydrocarbon source rocks. Important parameters that control hydrocarbon production from shales include: reservoir thickness, amount and type of organic matter, and thermal maturity. The purpose of this report is to present maps and a structural cross section showing levels of thermal maturity, based on vitrinite reflectance (Ro), for Upper Cretaceous marine shales in the Wind River Basin.

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 new Late Cretaceous paleomagnetic pole from the Adel Mountains, west central Montana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gunderson, Jay A.; Sheriff, Steven D.

1991-01-01

North America's apparent polar wander path has been poorly defined between the mid-Cretaceous and Paleocene reference pole positions. Existing data allowed 13° of apparent polar motion over about 22 m.y. (87-65 Ma) roughly coinciding with the beginning of Laramide deformation (˜80 Ma). We report on a paleomagnetic study of the Adel Mountain Volcanic rocks to refine the North American apparent polar wander path for this interval. The shonkinite rocks of the Adel Mountain Volcanic field are on the eastern edge of the Cretaceous-Paleocene fold and thrust belt; some of these structures disturb the western edge of the volcanic pile. We obtained two new K-Ar dates from the Adel rocks. One date, on biotite ( from a shonkinite dike that crosscuts most of the volcanic rocks, is 71.2±2.7 Ma. The other, a whole rock date from a flow deep in the volcanic pile, is 81.1±3.5 Ma. We collected six to nine paleomagnetic samples from each of 34 sites in roadcuts and natural outcrops of flows, dikes, and laccoliths. Positive fold and conglomerate tests, along with alternating field and thermal demagnetization, indicate that our characteristic remanent directions are primary magnetizations acquired before Late Cretaceous to Paleocene thrust belt deformation. Averaging the virtual geomagnetic poles from 26 reliable sites, all of normal polarity, yields a paleopole at 82.2°N, 209.9°E (α95 = 6.80°, k = 18.38). This pole is concordant with the Paleocene reference pole (82.0°N, 170.2°E, α95 = 3.5°, k = 18.6 (Diehl et al., 1983)) and is 11.6° from the Globerman and Irving (1988) mid-Cretaceous pole at 71°N, 196°E. The youngest information in the Cretaceous stillstand pole is from the Niobrara Formation (Shive and Frerichs, 1974) at about 85-89 Ma. If we take the average age of the Adel Mountain Volcanics to be 76 Ma, then ˜12° of apparent polar motion occurred between 87 Ma and 76 Ma. Thus, rapid apparent polar motion correlates well with the onset of Laramide deformation.

Late Triassic granites from Bangka, Indonesia: A continuation of the Main Range granite province of the South-East Asian Tin Belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ng, Samuel Wai-Pan; Whitehouse, Martin J.; Roselee, Muhammad H.; Teschner, Claudia; Murtadha, Sayed; Oliver, Grahame J. H.; Ghani, Azman A.; Chang, Su-Chin

2017-05-01

The South-East Asian Tin Belt is one of the most tin-productive regions in the world. It comprises three north-south oriented granite provinces, of which the arc-related Eastern granite province and the collision-related Main Range granite province run across Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia. These tin-producing granite provinces with different mineral assemblages are separated by Paleo-Tethyan sutures exposed in Thailand and Malaysia. The Eastern Province is usually characterised by granites with biotite ± hornblende. Main Range granites are sometimes characterised by the presence of biotite ± muscovite. However, the physical boundary between the two types of granite is not well-defined on the Indonesian Tin Islands, because the Paleo-Tethyan suture is not exposed on land there. Both hornblende-bearing (previously interpreted as I-type) and hornblende-barren (previously interpreted as S-type) granites are apparently randomly distributed on the Indonesian Tin Islands. Granites exposed on Bangka, the largest and southernmost Tin Island, no matter whether they are hornblende-bearing or hornblende-barren, are geochemically similar to Malaysian Main Range granites. The average ɛNd(t) value obtained from the granites from Bangka (average ɛNd(t) = -8.2) falls within the range of the Main Range Province (-9.6 to -5.4). These granites have SIMS zircon U-Pb ages of ca. 225 Ma and ca. 220 Ma, respectively that are both within the period of Main Range magmatism (∼226-201 Ma) in the Peninsular Malaysia. We suggest that the granites exposed on Bangka represent the continuation of the Main Range Province, and that the Paleo-Tethyan suture lies to the east of the island.

A discussion on the tectonic implications of Ediacaran late- to post-orogenic A-type granite in the northeastern Arabian Shield, Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, F. A.; Bonin, B.; Pease, V.; Anderson, J. L.

2017-03-01

The transition from late-orogenic to post-orogenic magmatism following major orogenic episodes such as the Neoproterozoic to Cambrian East African Orogen (EAO) is an important, yet not well-understood geological event marking the cessation of subduction-controlled magmatism between buoyant lithospheric fragments. Forming the northern part of the EAO in the Arabian-Nubian Shield are three granitic suites that successively intruded the same northeastern area and post-date the 640 Ma major orogenic episode: (1) 620-600 Ma alkali feldspar (hypersolvous) granite with alkaline/ferroan/A-type geochemistry, (2) 599 Ma granite cumulates (some garnet-bearing) with calc-alkaline/magnesian affinities, and (3) 584-566 Ma alkali feldspar (hypersolvous) granite (aegirine-bearing) with a distinctive peralkaline/ferroan/A-type signature. Combining whole-rock geochemistry from the southern and northern Arabian Shield, suites 1 and 2 are suggested to be products of late-orogenic slab tear/rollback inducing asthenospheric mantle injection and lower crustal melting/fractionation toward A-type/ferroan geochemistry. Suite 3, however, is suggested to be produced by post-orogenic lithospheric delamination, which replaced the older mantle with new asthenospheric (rare earth element-enriched) mantle that ultimately becomes the thermal boundary layer of the new lithosphere. Major shear zones, such as the 620-540 Ma Najd Fault System (NFS), are some of the last tectonic events recorded across the Arabian Shield. Data presented here suggest that the NFS is directly related to the late-orogenic (620-600 Ma) slab tear/rollback in the northeastern Shield as it met with opposing subduction polarity in the southern Shield. Furthermore, this study infers that east and west Gondwana amalgamation interacted with opposing convergence reflected by the NFS.

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

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

Balancing shortening and extension around the Adriatic Plate to constrain its independent motion and driving forces since Late Cretaceous time.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Breton, E.; Handy, M.; Ustaszewski, K. M.

2015-12-01

The Adriatic microplate (Adria) is a key player in the geodynamics of the Western Mediterranean area because it separates two major plates, Africa and Europe, that have been converging since Late Cretaceous time. Today, Adria comprises only continental lithosphere and is surrounded by zones of distributed deformation along convergent boundaries (Alps, Apennines, Calabrian Arc, Dinarides-Hellenides,) and back-arc basins (Liguro-Provencal, Tyrrhenian). For a long time, Adria was thought to be a promontory of Africa and thus to have moved coherently with Africa. However, recent re-evaluation of geological and geophysical data from the Alps yields an independent motion path for Adria that features a significant change in the direction and rate of its motion relative to both Africa and Europe since late Cretaceous time. To evaluate this, we first compare existing plate reconstructions of the Western Mediterranean to develop a best-fit model for the motion of Africa, Iberia and the Corsica-Sardinia block relative to Europe. We then use two motion models for Adria in which Adria moved either coherently or independently of Africa since late Cretaceous time. The model for independent Adria motion is further constrained by new estimates of extension and shortening in the Western Mediterranean and Northern Apennines based on field observations and recently published Moho depth maps, seismic profiles along the Gulf of Lion - Sardinian passive margins and the Northern Apennines. Initial results suggest that Miocene extension and opening of the Liguro-Provencal basin exceeds Miocene-to-Recent shortening related to roll-back subduction in the Northern Apennines; we attribute this to counter-clockwise rotation of the Adriatic plate with respect to Europe. Combined with the previously published estimates of shortening in the Alps, this counter-clockwise motion is predicted to have produced significantly less post-Paleogene, orogen-normal shortening in the Dinarides than previously

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.

Kinematics of Late Cretaceous subduction initiation in the Neo-Tethys Ocean reconstructed from ophiolites of Turkey, Cyprus, and Syria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maffione, Marco; van Hinsbergen, Douwe; de Gelder, Giovanni; van der Goes, Freek; Morris, Antony

2017-04-01

Formation of new subduction zones represents one of the cornerstones of plate tectonics, yet both the kinematics and geodynamics governing this process remain enigmatic. A major subduction initiation event occurred in the Late Cretaceous, within the Neo-Tethys Ocean between Gondwana and Eurasia. Supra-subduction zone (SSZ) ophiolites (i.e., emerged fragments of ancient oceanic lithosphere accreted at supra-subduction spreading centers) were generated during this subduction event, and are today distributed in the eastern Mediterranean region along three E-W trending ophiolitic belts. Current models associate these ophiolite belts to simultaneous initiation of multiple, E-W trending subduction zones at 95 Ma. Here we report paleospreading direction data obtained from paleomagnetic analysis of sheeted dyke sections from seven Neo-Tethyan ophiolites of Turkey, Cyprus, and Syria, demonstrating that these ophiolites formed at NNE-SSW striking ridges parallel to the newly formed subduction zones. This subduction system was step-shaped and composed of NNE-SSW and ESE-WNW segments. The eastern subduction segment invaded the SW Mediterranean, leading to a radial obduction pattern similar to the Banda arc. Emplacement age constraints indicate that this subduction system formed close to the Triassic passive and paleo-transform margins of the Anatolide-Tauride continental block. Because the original Triassic-Jurassic Neo-Tethyan spreading ridge must have already subducted below the Pontides before the Late Cretaceous, we infer that the Late Cretaceous Neo-Tethyan subduction system started within ancient lithosphere, along NNE-SSW oriented fracture zones and faults parallel to the E-W trending passive margins. This challenges current concepts suggesting that subduction initiation occurs along active intra-oceanic plate boundaries.

The contribution of the young Cretaceous Caribbean Oceanic Plateau to the genesis of late Cretaceous arc magmatism in the Cordillera Occidental of Ecuador

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allibon, J.; Monjoie, P.; Lapierre, H.; Jaillard, E.; Bussy, F.; Bosch, D.; Senebier, F.

2008-12-01

The eastern part of the Cordillera Occidental of Ecuador comprises thick buoyant oceanic plateaus associated with island-arc tholeiites and subduction-related calc-alkaline series, accreted to the Ecuadorian Continental Margin from Late Cretaceous to Eocene times. One of these plateau sequences, the Guaranda Oceanic Plateau is considered as remnant of the Caribbean-Colombian Oceanic Province (CCOP) accreted to the Ecuadorian Margin in the Maastrichtien. Samples studied in this paper were taken from four cross-sections through two arc-sequences in the northern part of the Cordillera Occidental of Ecuador, dated as (Río Cala) or ascribed to (Macuchi) the Late Cretaceous and one arc-like sequence in the Chogòn-Colonche Cordillera (Las Orquídeas). These three island-arcs can clearly be identified and rest conformably on the CCOP. In all four localities, basalts with abundant large clinopyroxene phenocrysts can be found, mimicking a picritic or ankaramitic facies. This mineralogical particularity, although not uncommon in island arc lavas, hints at a contribution of the CCOP in the genesis of these island arc rocks. The complete petrological and geochemical study of these rocks reveals that some have a primitive island-arc nature (MgO values range from 6 to 11 wt.%). Studied samples display marked Nb, Ta and Ti negative anomalies relative to the adjacent elements in the spidergrams characteristic of subduction-related magmatism. These rocks are LREE-enriched and their clinopyroxenes show a tholeiitic affinity (FeO T-TiO 2 enrichment and CaO depletion from core to rim within a single crystal). The four sampled cross-sections through the island-arc sequences display homogeneous initial Nd, and Pb isotope ratios that suggest a unique mantellic source for these rocks resulting from the mixing of three components: an East-Pacific MORB end-member, an enriched pelagic sediment component, and a HIMU component carried by the CCOP. Indeed, the ankaramite and Mg

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

Geologic map of the Granite 7.5' quadrangle, Lake and Chaffee Counties, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shroba, Ralph R.; Kellogg, Karl S.; Brandt, Theodore R.

2014-01-01

The geologic map of the Granite 7.5' quadrangle, Lake and Chaffee Counties, Colorado, portrays the geology in the upper Arkansas valley and along the lower flanks of the Sawatch Range and Mosquito Range near the town of Granite. The oldest rocks, exposed in the southern and eastern parts of the quadrangle, include gneiss and plutonic rocks of Paleoproterozoic age. These rocks are intruded by younger plutonic rocks of Mesoproterozoic age. Felsic hypabyssal dikes, plugs, and plutons, ranging in age from Late Cretaceous or Paleocene to late Oligocene, locally intruded Proterozoic rocks. A small andesite lava flow of upper Oligocene age overlies Paleoproterozoic rock, just south of the Twin Lakes Reservoir. Gravelly fluvial and fan deposits of the Miocene and lower Pliocene(?) Dry Union Formation are preserved in the post-30 Ma upper Arkansas valley graben, a northern extension of the Rio Grande rift. Mostly north-northwest-trending faults displace deposits of the Dry Union Formation and older rock units. Light detection and ranging (lidar) imagery suggests that two short faults, near the Arkansas River, may displace surficial deposits as young as middle Pleistocene. Surficial deposits of middle Pleistocene to Holocene age are widespread in the Granite quadrangle, particularly in the major valleys and on slopes underlain by the Dry Union Formation. The main deposits are glacial outwash and post-glacial alluvium; mass-movement deposits transported by creep, debris flow, landsliding, and rockfall; till deposited during the Pinedale, Bull Lake, and pre-Bull Lake glaciations; rock-glacier deposits; and placer-tailings deposits formed by hydraulic mining and other mining methods used to concentrate native gold. Hydrologic and geologic processes locally affect use of the land and locally may be of concern regarding the stability of buildings and infrastructure, chiefly in low-lying areas along and near stream channels and locally in areas of moderate to steep slopes. Low

Rock-avalanche and ocean-resurge deposits in the late Eocene Chesapeake Bay impact structure: Evidence from the ICDP-USGS Eyreville cores, Virginia, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gohn, G.S.; Powars, D.S.; Dypvik, H.; Edwards, L.E.

2009-01-01

An unusually thick section of sedimentary breccias dominated by target-sediment clasts is a distinctive feature of the late Eocene Chesapeake Bay impact structure. A cored 1766-m-deep section recovered from the central part of this marine-target structure by the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP)-U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) drilling project contains 678 m of these breccias and associated sediments and an intervening 275-m-thick granite slab. Two sedimentary breccia units consist almost entirely of Cretaceous nonmarine sediments derived from the lower part of the target sediment layer. These sediments are present as coherent clasts and as autoclastic matrix between the clasts. Primary (Cretaceous) sedimentary structures are well preserved in some clasts, and liquefaction and fluidization structures produced at the site of deposition occur in the clasts and matrix. These sedimentary breccias are interpreted as one or more rock avalanches from the upper part of the transient-cavity wall. The little-deformed, unshocked granite slab probably was transported as part of an extremely large slide or avalanche. Water-saturated Cretaceous quartz sand below the slab was transported into the seafloor crater prior to, or concurrently with, the granite slab. Two sedimentary breccia units consist of polymict diamictons that contain cobbles, boulders, and blocks of Cretaceous nonmarine target sediments and less common shocked-rock and melt ejecta in an unsorted, unstratified, muddy, fossiliferous, glauconitic quartz matrix. Much of the matrix material was derived from Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene marine target sediments. These units are interpreted as the deposits of debris flows initiated by the resurge of ocean water into the seafloor crater. Interlayering of avalanche and debris-flow units indicates a partial temporal overlap of the earlier avalanche and later resurge processes. A thin unit of stratified turbidite deposits and overlying laminated

The late Variscan ferroan granite magmatism of southern Sardinia: inferences from Mo metallogenesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naitza, Stefano; Conte, Aida Maria; Cuccuru, Stefano; Fadda, Sandro; Fiori, Maddalena; Oggiano, Giacomo; Secchi, Francesco

2017-04-01

concentration processes. Mo concentration occurred during latest intrusive phases in granitic cupolas, as local subsolidus reactions. They involve: 1) leaching of Mo5+ and Mo6+ from their primary hosts (e.g., biotites) by Cl- and F-rich fluids under decreasing pH and increasing fH2O and fO2, and 2) transport of Mo cations towards intrusive contacts, where they quickly reacted with Sulphur from country rocks to be reduced as MoS2. Overall, the late Variscan Mo metallogenic peak in Sardinia is a single event located in a short timespan at around 290 Ma. In the early Permian extensional setting of Corsica-Sardinia batholith, a distinct HT/LP event related to melting of mantle lithosphere (Rossi et al., 2015), triggered partial melting of Mo-bearing deep crustal sources, producing the F-bearing ferroan magmas. The singular concentration of Mo-bearing granites could indicate a peculiar compositional character of the Sardinian lower crust. References: Conte A.M. et al. (2016). Proc. 2nd European Mineralogical Conference, Rimini, Italy, 154. Fadda et al. (2015). Proc. 13th Biennial SGA Meeting, Nancy, France, Vol. 2, 721-724. Frost, C. D. and Frost R. B. (2011). J. Petrol. 52, 39-53. Ishihara S. (1981). Econ. Geol., 75th Anniversary Volume, 458-484. Naitza S. et al. (2017). Ore Geol. Rev. 80, 1259-1278. Rossi et al. (2015). Bull. Soc. Géol. France 186, 171-192.

Calibration of the Late Cretaceous to Paleocene geomagnetic polarity and astrochronological time scales: new results from high-precision U-Pb geochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramezani, Jahandar; Clyde, William; Wang, Tiantian; Johnson, Kirk; Bowring, Samuel

2016-04-01

Reversals in the Earth's magnetic polarity are geologically abrupt events of global magnitude that makes them ideal timelines for stratigraphic correlation across a variety of depositional environments, especially where diagnostic marine fossils are absent. Accurate and precise calibration of the Geomagnetic Polarity Timescale (GPTS) is thus essential to the reconstruction of Earth history and to resolving the mode and tempo of biotic and environmental change in deep time. The Late Cretaceous - Paleocene GPTS is of particular interest as it encompasses a critical period of Earth history marked by the Cretaceous greenhouse climate, the peak of dinosaur diversity, the end-Cretaceous mass extinction and its paleoecological aftermaths. Absolute calibration of the GPTS has been traditionally based on sea-floor spreading magnetic anomaly profiles combined with local magnetostratigraphic sequences for which a numerical age model could be established by interpolation between an often limited number of 40Ar/39Ar dates from intercalated volcanic ash deposits. Although the Neogene part of the GPTS has been adequately calibrated using cyclostratigraphy-based, astrochronological schemes, the application of these approaches to pre-Neogene parts of the timescale has been complicated given the uncertainties of the orbital models and the chaotic behavior of the solar system this far back in time. Here we present refined chronostratigraphic frameworks based on high-precision U-Pb geochronology of ash beds from the Western Interior Basin of North America and the Songliao Basin of Northeast China that places tight temporal constraints on the Late Cretaceous to Paleocene GPTS, either directly or by testing their astrochronological underpinnings. Further application of high-precision radioisotope geochronology and calibrated astrochronology promises a complete and robust Cretaceous-Paleogene GPTS, entirely independent of sea-floor magnetic anomaly profiles.

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

Life in a temperate Polar sea: a unique taphonomic window on the structure of a Late Cretaceous Arctic marine ecosystem

PubMed Central

Chin, Karen; Bloch, John; Sweet, Arthur; Tweet, Justin; Eberle, Jaelyn; Cumbaa, Stephen; Witkowski, Jakub; Harwood, David

2008-01-01

As the earth faces a warming climate, the rock record reminds us that comparable climatic scenarios have occurred before. In the Late Cretaceous, Arctic marine organisms were not subject to frigid temperatures but still contended with seasonal extremes in photoperiod. Here, we describe an unusual fossil assemblage from Devon Island, Arctic Canada, that offers a snapshot of a ca 75 Myr ago marine palaeoecosystem adapted to such conditions. Thick siliceous biogenic sediments and glaucony sands reveal remarkably persistent high primary productivity along a high-latitude Late Cretaceous coastline. Abundant fossil faeces demonstrate that this planktonic bounty supported benthic invertebrates and large, possibly seasonal, vertebrates in short food chains. These ancient organisms filled trophic roles comparable to those of extant Arctic species, but there were fundamental differences in resource dynamics. Whereas most of the modern Arctic is oligotrophic and structured by resources from melting sea ice, we suggest that forested terrestrial landscapes helped support the ancient marine community through high levels of terrigenous organic input. PMID:18713718

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

Palaeomagnetism in the Sines massif (SW Iberia) revisited: evidences for Late Cretaceous hydrothermal alteration and associated partial remagnetization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ribeiro, P.; Silva, P. F.; Moita, P.; Kratinová, Z.; Marques, F. O.; Henry, B.

2013-10-01

This study revisits the palaeomagnetism of the Sines massif (˜76 Ma) in the southwestern Iberian Margin (Portugal). The palaeomagnetic analysis was complemented by a comprehensive study of the magnetic mineralogy by means of rock magnetic measurements and petrographic observations. The overall dispersion of palaeomagnetic directions (declination ranging between ˜N0° and ˜N50°) and their migration observed during stepwise demagnetizations have revealed the superposition of remanence components. We interpret this complex palaeomagnetic behaviour as related to the regional hydrothermalism associated with the last stages of Late Cretaceous magmatic activity. This environment favoured mineralogical alteration and a partial chemical remagnetization, giving in most samples a composite magnetization, which has been erroneously interpreted as the primary one in a previous study, then leading to a questionable model for Cretaceous Iberia rotation. Nonetheless, for some samples a single component has been isolated. Interesting rock magnetic properties and microscopic observations point to a well-preserved magnetic mineralogy for these samples, with magnetite clearly of primary origin. The associated ChRM mean direction (D/I = 3.9°/46.5°, α95 = 1.7°, N = 31 samples) then represents the true primary magnetization of the Sines massif. This new palaeomagnetic direction and the corresponding palaeomagnetic pole (long = 332.0°, lat = -79.5°, A95 = 1.7°) agrees with those from the other palaeomagnetic works for the same period and region (e.g. the Sintra and Monchique massifs), yielding a lack of significant rotation of Iberia relative to stable Europe since the uppermost Late Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian).

Evolution of the Late Cretaceous-Paleogene Cordilleran arc magmatism in NW Mexico: a review from updated geochronological studies.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valencia-Moreno, M.; Iriondo, A.; Perez-Segura, E.; Noguez-Alcantara, B.

2007-05-01

During most of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic, the locus of subduction related arc magmatism in northwestern Mexico was relatively mobile, probably due to changes in the mechanical conditions of the Farallon-North America plate convergence. The older Mesozoic events recognized in this region occurred in the Late Triassic and Jurassic, but the associated rocks are poorly preserved. However, a belt of Late Cretaceous through Paleogene magmatic rocks is well exposed along Baja California, Sonora and Sinaloa. Since the late 70's, it was noted that during the Early Cretaceous the igneous activity along this belt remained relatively static in the westernmost part, but migrated eastward in the Late Cretaceous, penetrating more than 1000 km into the continent. The arc magmatism reached western Sonora at about 90 Ma, and then it started to move faster inland, presumably due to flattening of the subducted oceanic slab. Recent U-Pb zircon data revealed unexpected old ages (89-95 Ma) near the eastern edge of Sonora, which are difficult to explain on the basis of the classic tectonic interpretations. A model based on two synchronic sites for magma emplacement may explain the age overlapping observed along the belt; however, a profound re-evaluation a proper geodynamic scenario to support this model is required. Even if restoration of the large Neogene crustal extension is made, particularly for central and northern Sonora, the relatively flat-subduction regime commonly accepted for the Laramide event appears unable to explain the anomalously broad expression of the magmatic belt in northwestern Mexico. An alternative model based on two synchronic sites of magma emplacement, as suggested by the new age data, may better explain the large volume of igneous rocks produced during this time in Sonora and most of Chihuahua. This mechanism may differ southwards in Sinaloa, where the magmatic belt becomes considerably narrower. Moreover, the possible existence of two spatially distinct sites

Late cretaceous extensional tectonics and associated igneous activity on the northern margin of the Gulf of Mexico Basin

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bowen, R. L.; Sundeen, D. A.

1985-01-01

Major, dominantly compressional, orogenic episodes (Taconic, Acadian, Alleghenian) affected eastern North America during the Paleozoic. During the Mesozoic, in contrast, this same region was principally affected by epeirogenic and extensional tectonism; one episode of comparatively more intense tectonic activity involving extensive faulting, uplift, sedimentation, intrusion and effusion produced the Newark Series of eposits and fault block phenomena. This event, termed the Palisades Disturbance, took place during the Late Triassic - Earliest Jurassic. The authors document a comparable extensional tectonic-igneous event occurring during the Late Cretaceous (Early Gulfian; Cenomanian-Santonian) along the southern margin of the cratonic platform from Arkansas to Georgia.

Granite emplacement at the termination of a major Variscan transcurrent shear zone: The late collisional Viseu batholith

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valle Aguado, B.; Azevedo, M. R.; Nolan, J.; Medina, J.; Costa, M. M.; Corfu, F.; Martínez Catalán, J. R.

2017-05-01

A major event of plutonic activity occurred all across the Central Iberian Zone of the Iberian Variscan Belt at the end of Late Paleozoic Variscan collisional tectonism. The present study focuses on the western sector of the Viseu late-post-tectonic batholith (central Portugal), a large composite intrusion comprising three main plutonic units: (a) small bodies of mafic to intermediate composition preferentially concentrated along the northern border, (b) a wide ring of coarse porphyritic biotite monzogranite (Cota-Viseu granite) and (c) a more evolved medium porphyritic, biotite-muscovite monzogranite occupying the central part of the intrusion (Alcafache granite). The compositional zonation pattern of the whole batholith and the complex mixing/mingling relationships between the voluminous Cota-Viseu porphyritic granite and the mafic/intermediate rocks suggest that these melts were withdrawn from a lower crustal source region undergoing partial melting, invasion by mantle-derived mafic magmas, mixing and fractional crystallization. New CA-ID-TIMS U-Pb zircon ages indicate that pluton assembly via multipulse injection of successive magma batches took place between 299.4 ± 0.4 Ma and 296.0 ± 0.6 Ma. A detailed anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) survey suggests that pluton emplacement occurred at the extensional termination of a regional-scale, ENE-WSW trending, sinistral D3 shear zone - the Juzbado-Penalva Shear Zone (JPSZ). A dilational opening model involving the development of "en-échelon" tensional gashes at the extensional termination of the fault, followed by progressive opening and widening of north-south trending fractures, provided the space into which the successive magma batches arriving from below were emplaced. Vertical inflation was accommodated by depression of the pluton floor. The proposed model is consistent with the asymmetric wedge-shaped geometry of the intrusion (steep root zone on the northern side, discordant subvertical walls and

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

Late Cretaceous tectonothermal evolution of the southern Lhasa terrane, South Tibet: Consequence of a Mesozoic Andean-type orogeny

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Xin; Zhang, Ze-ming; Klemd, Reiner; He, Zhen-yu; Tian, Zuo-lin

2018-04-01

The Lhasa terrane of the southern Tibetan Plateau participated in a Mesozoic Andean-type orogeny caused by the northward subduction of the Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere. However, metamorphic rocks, which can unravel details of the geodynamic evolution, are rare and only exposed in the south-eastern part of the Lhasa terrane. Therefore, we conducted a detailed petrological, geochemical and U-Pb zircon geochronological study of the late Cretaceous metamorphic rocks and associated gabbros from the Nyemo inlier of the southern Lhasa terrane. The Nyemo metamorphic rocks including gneisses, schists, marbles and calc-silicate rocks, experienced peak amphibolite-facies contact metamorphism under P-T conditions of 3.5-4.0 kbar and 642-657 °C with a very high geothermal gradient of 45-50 °C/km, revealing a distinct deflection from the steady-state geotherm during low-pressure metamorphism. Inherited magmatic zircon cores from the metamorphic rocks yielded protolith ages of 197-194 Ma, while overgrowth zircon rims yielded metamorphic ages of ca. 86 Ma. Whole-rock chemistry and zircon Hf isotopes suggest that the protoliths of the gneisses and schists are andesites and tuffs of the early Jurassic Sangri Group, which were derived from a depleted mantle source of a continental arc affinity. The coeval intimately-associated gabbro (ca. 86 Ma) crystallized under P-T conditions of 3.5-5.3 kbar and 914-970 °C, supplying the heat flux high enough to cause the contact metamorphism of the Sangri Group rock types. We propose that the intrusion of the gabbro and a simultaneous pressure increase of up to 4.0 kbar, which is related to crustal thickening due to crustal overthrusting and the intrusion of mafic material, resulted in the late Cretaceous metamorphism of the early Jurassic Sangri Group during an Andean-type orogeny. Furthermore the Nyemo metamorphic rocks, which have previously been considered to represent slivers of the Precambrian metamorphic basement of the Lhasa terrane

Role of deep-Earth water cycling in the growth and evolution of continental crust: Constraints from Cretaceous magmatism in southeast China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zhen; Wang, Xuan-Ce; Wilde, Simon A.; Liu, Liang; Li, Wu-Xian; Yang, Xuemei

2018-03-01

The late Mesozoic igneous province in southeast China provides an excellent opportunity to understand the processes that controlled the growth and evolution of Phanerozoic continental crust. Here we report petrological, whole-rock geochemical and isotopic data, and in situ zircon U-Pb-Lu-Hf isotopic data from granitoids and associated gabbros in the Pingtan and Tong'an complexes, southeast China. Through combining the new results with published datasets in southeast China, we show that the Early Cretaceous magmatic rocks are dominated by juvenile Nd-Hf isotopic compositions, whereas the Late Cretaceous ones display less radiogenic Nd-Hf isotope signatures. Furthermore, Nd-Hf isotope systematics are coupled with decreasing abundance of hydrous minerals and an increase of zircon saturation temperatures. Compiled zircon Hf-O data indicates that the 117-116 Ma granites have zircon δ18O values ranging from mantle values (close to 5.3‰) to as low as 3.9‰, but with dominantly positive initial epsilon Hf (εHf(t)) values. Zircon grains from 105 to 98 Ma rocks have δ18O values plotting within the mantle-like range (6.5‰ - 4.5‰), but mainly with negative εHf(t) values. Zircon grains from ca. 87 Ma rocks have positive εHf(t) values (+ 9.8 to + 0.7) and a large range of δ18O values (6.3‰ - 3.5‰). The variations in Hf-Nd-O isotopic compositions are correlated with decreasing abundance of magma water contents, presenting a case that water-fluxed melting generated large-scale granitic magmatism. Deep-Earth water cycling provides an alternative or additional mechanism to supply volatiles (e.g., H2O) for hydrous basaltic underplating, continental crustal melting, and magmatic differentiation.

Magmatic and hydrothermal R.E.E. fractionation in the Xihuashan granites (SE China)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maruéjol, Patricia; Cuney, Michel; Turpin, Laurent

1990-11-01

The Xihuashan stock (South Jiangxi, China) is composed of cogenetic granitic units (granites Xe, γa, γc, γd and γb) and emplaced during the Yanshanian orogeny (153±0.2 Ma). They are two feldspars, Fe-rich biotite±garnet and slightly peraluminous granites. Primary accessory minerals are apatite 1, monazite, zircon, uranothorite±xenotime in granites Xe and γa, zircon, uranothorite, uraninite, betafite, xenotime 1; hydrothermal minerals are monazite altered into parisite and apatite 2, Y-rich parisite, yttroparisite, Y-rich fluorite and xenotime 2 in granites γc and γb. Petrographic observations, major element, REE, Y and Rb-Sr isotropic data point to a magmatic suite (granites Xe and γa → granites γc and γd → granite γb) distinct from hydrothermal Na-or K-alteration of γb. From granite Xe to granite γb, LREE, Eu, Th and Zr content are strongly depleted, while HREE, Y and U content increase. During K-alteration of γb, these variations are of minor importance. Major and accessory mineral evidences, geochemical and fluid inclusion results indicate two successive alteration fluids interacting with γb, (1) a late-magmatic F- and CO2-rich fluid and (2) a post-magmatic, aqueous and slightly saline fluid. The depletion of LREE and Th content and the increase in HREE, Y and U content correspond, in the magmatic suite to the early fractionation of monazite in the granites where there is no hydrothermal alteration (granites Xe and γe) and to the hydrothermal alteration of monazite into parisite and secondary apatite, intense new formation of yttroparisite, Y enrichment and U loss in the uranothorite and late crystallization of uraninite in the granites γc and γb. Moreover, simulated crystallization of monazite and temperature of monazite saturation show early fractionation of monazite from the magma in the less evolved granites (Xe and γe) and prevailing hydrothermal leaching of monazite in the most evolved granites (γc-γd and γb) related to a late

The late Cenomanian oyster Lopha staufferi (Bergquist, 1944) - the oldest ribbed oyster in the Upper Cretaceous of the Western Interior of the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hook, Stephen C.; Cobban, William A.

2016-12-01

Lopha staufferi (Bergquist, 1944) is a medium-sized, ribbed, Late Cretaceous oyster with a slightly curved axis and a zigzag commissure; it appears suddenly and conspicuously in upper Cenomanian rocks in the Western Interior Basin of the United States. At maturity, the ribs on both valves thicken into steep flanks that allow the oyster to increase interior volume without increasing its exterior footprint on the seafloor. Lopha staufferi is the first (earliest) ribbed oyster in the Late Cretaceous of the Western Interior, but has no ancestor in the basin. It disappears from the rock record as suddenly as it appeared, leaving no direct descendent in the basin. In the southern part of the basin where it is well constrained, L. staufferi is restricted stratigraphically to the upper Cenomanian Metoicoceras mosbyense Zone (= Dunveganoceras conditum Zone in the north). Lopha staufferi has an unusual paleogeographic distribution, occurring in only two, widely scattered areas in the basin. It has been found at several localities near the western shoreline of the Late Cretaceous Seaway in west-central New Mexico and adjacent Arizona, and in localities 1,900 km (1,200 mi) to the northeast near the eastern shoreline in northeastern Minnesota, but nowhere in between. In west-central New Mexico and adjacent Arizona, L. staufferi is a guide fossil to the Twowells Tongue of the Dakota Sandstone.

Paleomagnetic Investigations on the Tectonic Evolution of the Southeastern Anatolian Ophiolites in Late Cretaceous

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cengiz Cinku, M.; Karabulut, S.; Parlak, O.; Cabuk, B. S.; Ustaömer, T.; Hisarli, M. Z.

2016-12-01

Two E-W trending ophiolite belts crop out in SE Turkey, The southerly located ophiolites (Hatay, Koçali) were emplaced onto the Arabian Platform in Late Cretaceous whereas the northerly located ophiolites (Göksun, İspendere, Kömürhan, Guleman) were underthrust the S Tauride margin (i.e. Malatya-Keban Platform) in Late Cretaceous. Here we report our first paleomagnetic results from 155 different sites which was was focused on to the sheeted dyke complex, cumulate gabbros and extrusive sequences of each ophiolite from the N and S belts, while the cover units where sampled to distinguish emplacement related tectonic rotations from post-emplacement tectonic rotations. Rock magnetic experiments showed evidence of magnetite/titanomagnetite as the main magnetic carriers at the majority of sites. Progressive thermal and alternating demagnetization revealed that the characteristic remanent component is removed between 500 and 580 °C or 30-100 mT, respectively. Our new paleomagnetic results from the ophiolitic rocks emplaced in Arabian platform and the SE Anatolia show important implications to the spreading centre of the former ocean (s). Large counterclockwise rotations up to 100° are obtained from the sheeded dykes of the Hatay ophiolite in the Arabian plate with a paleolatitude of 16°, in contrast to the sheeded dykes of the Göksun ophiolite emplaced in the SE Anatolian with clockwise rotation of 90° and a paleolatitude of 22°. The relative movement of the ophiolitic series show their emplacement in the different zones. This study was financially supported by the project of the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) with Project number 114R024.

Isotopic data for Late Cretaceous intrusions and associated altered and mineralized rocks in the Big Belt Mountains, Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

du Bray, Edward A.; Unruh, Daniel M.; Hofstra, Albert H.

2017-03-07

The quartz monzodiorite of Mount Edith and the concentrically zoned intrusive suite of Boulder Baldy constitute the principal Late Cretaceous igneous intrusions hosted by Mesoproterozoic sedimentary rocks of the Newland Formation in the Big Belt Mountains, Montana. These calc-alkaline plutonic masses are manifestations of subduction-related magmatism that prevailed along the western edge of North America during the Cretaceous. Radiogenic isotope data for neodymium, strontium, and lead indicate that the petrogenesis of the associated magmas involved a combination of (1) sources that were compositionally heterogeneous at the scale of the geographically restricted intrusive rocks in the Big Belt Mountains and (2) variable contamination by crustal assimilants also having diverse isotopic compositions. Altered and mineralized rocks temporally, spatially, and genetically related to these intrusions manifest at least two isotopically distinct mineralizing events, both of which involve major inputs from spatially associated Late Cretaceous igneous rocks. Alteration and mineralization of rock associated with the intrusive suite of Boulder Baldy requires a component characterized by significantly more radiogenic strontium than that characteristic of the associated igneous rocks. However, the source of such a component was not identified in the Big Belt Mountains. Similarly, altered and mineralized rocks associated with the quartz monzodiorite of Mount Edith include a component characterized by significantly more radiogenic strontium and lead, particularly as defined by 207Pb/204Pb values. The source of this component appears to be fluids that equilibrated with proximal Newland Formation rocks. Oxygen isotope data for rocks of the intrusive suite of Boulder Baldy are similar to those of subduction-related magmatism that include mantle-derived components; oxygen isotope data for altered and mineralized equivalents are slightly lighter.

Insight into the growth dynamics and systematic affinities of the Late Cretaceous Gargantuavis from bone microstructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chinsamy, Anusuya; Buffetaut, Eric; Canoville, Aurore; Angst, Delphine

2014-05-01

Enigmatic avialan remains of Gargantuavis philoinos from the Ibero-Armorican island of the Late Cretaceous European archipelago (Southern France) led to a debate concerning its taxonomic affinities. Here, we show that the bone microstructure of Gargantuavis resembles that of Apteryx, the extinct emeids and Megalapteryx from New Zealand, and indicates that like these slow-growing terrestrial birds, it took several years to attain skeletal maturity. Our findings suggest that the protracted cyclical growth in these ornithurines may have been in response to insular evolution.

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

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.

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

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

Gravity and magnetic modeling of granitic bodies in Central Portugal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Machadinho, Ana; Figueiredo, Fernando; Pereira, Alcides

2015-04-01

A better understanding of the subsurface geometry of the granitic bodies in Central Portugal is the main goal of this work. The results are also relevant for the assessment of the geothermal potential of the same region. The study area is located in the Central Iberian Zone where the Beiras granite batholith outcrops. These variscan granitoids were emplaced into the "Complexo Xisto-Grauváquico" (CXG), a thick and monotonous megasequences of metapelites and metagreywackes. This metasedimentary sequence is affected by the Variscan deformation phases and a late Proterozoic to Cambrian age has been generally assumed for this rocks. The granitoids in the region are attributed to the magmatic activity associated to the post-collisional stages of the Variscan orogeny during the D3 stage. The granitic bodies in the study area are considered syn-D3 and late to post-D3. To achieve the goal of the research, magnetic and gravimetric surveys where performed in order to obtain the Bouguer and magnetic anomalies. All the standard corrections were applied to the gravimetric and magnetic data. Considering and integrating all the available geological data and physical proprieties (density and magnetic susceptibility) the mentioned potential fields were simultaneously modeled. In this way it was possible to characterize the subsurface geometry of the granitic bodies in the studied region. The modeling results show that the regional tectonic setting controls the geometry of the granitic bodies as well as the structure of the host CXG metasedimentary sequence. Through the modeling of the potential field the overall geometry, average and maximum depths of the granitic bodies in the study area was obtained. Some late to post-D3 plutons outcrop in spatial continuity and as they have similar ages, a common feeding zone is assumed as the most likely scenario. The sin-D3 pluton is more abrupt and vertical, suggesting the presence of a fault contact with the late-D3 pluton. According to the

Marine reptiles from the Late Cretaceous of northern Patagonia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasparini, Z.; Casadio, S.; Fernández, M.; Salgado, L.

2001-04-01

During the Campanian-Maastrichtian, Patagonia was flooded by the Atlantic and reduced to an archipelago. Several localities of northern Patagonia have yielded marine reptiles. Analysis of several assemblages suggests that the diversity and abundance of pelagic marine reptiles in northern Patagonia was higher by the end of the Cretaceous than previously thought. Several plesiosaurids, including Aristonectes parvidens and the polycotylid Sulcusuchus, and the first remains of mosasaurinae have been found. The Cretaceous marine reptile record from South America is scanty. Nevertheless, materials described here suggest that Tethyan and Weddelian forms converged in northern Patagonia, as seen with invertebrates.

Upper Cretaceous sequences and sea-level history, New Jersey Coastal Plain

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, K.G.; Sugarman, P.J.; Browning, J.V.; Kominz, M.A.; Olsson, R.K.; Feigenson, M.D.; Hernandez, J.C.

2004-01-01

We developed a Late Cretaceous sealevel estimate from Upper Cretaceous sequences at Bass River and Ancora, New Jersey (ODP [Ocean Drilling Program] Leg 174AX). We dated 11-14 sequences by integrating Sr isotope and biostratigraphy (age resolution ??0.5 m.y.) and then estimated paleoenvironmental changes within the sequences from lithofacies and biofacies analyses. Sequences generally shallow upsection from middle-neritic to inner-neritic paleodepths, as shown by the transition from thin basal glauconite shelf sands (transgressive systems tracts [TST]), to medial-prodelta silty clays (highstand systems tracts [HST]), and finally to upper-delta-front quartz sands (HST). Sea-level estimates obtained by backstripping (accounting for paleodepth variations, sediment loading, compaction, and basin subsidence) indicate that large (>25 m) and rapid (???1 m.y.) sea-level variations occurred during the Late Cretaceous greenhouse world. The fact that the timing of Upper Cretaceous sequence boundaries in New Jersey is similar to the sea-level lowering records of Exxon Production Research Company (EPR), northwest European sections, and Russian platform outcrops points to a global cause. Because backstripping, seismicity, seismic stratigraphic data, and sediment-distribution patterns all indicate minimal tectonic effects on the New Jersey Coastal Plain, we interpret that we have isolated a eustatic signature. The only known mechanism that can explain such global changes-glacio-eustasy-is consistent with foraminiferal ??18O data. Either continental ice sheets paced sea-level changes during the Late Cretaceous, or our understanding of causal mechanisms for global sea-level change is fundamentally flawed. Comparison of our eustatic history with published ice-sheet models and Milankovitch predictions suggests that small (5-10 ?? 106 km3), ephemeral, and areally restricted Antarctic ice sheets paced the Late Cretaceous global sea-level change. New Jersey and Russian eustatic estimates

Progressive deformation and superposed fabrics related to Cretaceous crustal underthrusting in western Arizona, U.S.A.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Laubach, S.E.; Reynolds, S.J.; Spencer, J.E.; Marshak, S.

1989-01-01

In the Maria fold and thrust belt, a newly recognized E-trending Cretaceous orogenic belt in the southwestern United States, ductile thrusts, large folds and superposed cleavages record discordant emplacement of crystalline thrust sheets across previously tilted sections of crust. Style of deformation and direction of thrusting are in sharp contrast to those of the foreland fold-thrust belt in adjacent segments of the Cordillera. The net effect of polyphase deformation in the Maria belt was underthrusting of Paleozoic and Mesozoic metasedimentary rocks under the Proterozoic crystalline basement of North America. The structure of the Maria belt is illustrated by the Granite Wash Mountains in west-central Arizona, where at least four non-coaxial deformation events (D1-D4) occurred during the Cretaceous. SSE-facing D1 folds are associated with S-directed thrusts and a low-grade slaty cleavage. D1 structures are truncated by the gently-dipping Hercules thrust zone (D2), a regional SW-vergent shear zone that placed Proterozoic and Jurassic crystalline rocks over upturned Paleozoic and Mesozoic supracrustal rocks. Exposures across the footwall margin of the Hercules thrust zone show the progressive development of folds, cleavage and metamorphism related to thrusting. D3 and D4 structures include open folds and spaced cleavages that refold or transect D1 and D2 folds. The D2 Hercules thrust zone and a D3 shear zone are discordantly crosscut by late Cretaceous plutons. ?? 1989.

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

Ecophenotypic Variation and Developmental Instability in the Late Cretaceous Echinoid Micraster brevis (Irregularia; Spatangoida)

PubMed Central

Schlüter, Nils

2016-01-01

The Late Cretaceous echinoid genus Micraster (irregular echinoids, Spatangoida) is one of the most famous examples of a continuous evolutionary lineage in invertebrate palaeontology. The influence of the environment on the phenotype, however, was not tested so far. This study analyses differences in phenotypical variations within three populations of Micraster (Gibbaster) brevis from the early Coniacian, two from the Münsterland Cretaceous Basin (Germany) and one from the North Cantabrian Basin (Spain). The environments of the Spanish and the German sites differed by their sedimentary characteristics, which are generally a crucial factor for morphological adaptations in echinoids. Most of the major phenotypical variations (position of the ambitus, periproct and development of the subanal fasciole) among the populations can be linked to differences in their host sediments. These phenotypic variations are presumed to be an expression of phenotpic plasticiy, which has not been considered in Micraster in previous studies. Two populations (Erwitte area, Germany; Liencres area, Spain) were tested for stochastic variation (fluctuating asymmetry) due to developmental instability, which was present in all studied traits. However, differences in the amount of fluctuating asymmetry between both populations were recognised only in one trait (amount of pore pairs in the anterior paired petals). The results strengthen previous assumptions on ecophenotypic variations in Micraster. PMID:26849648

Significance of the giant Lower Cretaceous paleoweathering event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2010-05-01

contradiction to the paleobotanical data and the interpretation of the glacial origin of some sedimentary figures, such as dropstones. Additionally, some isotopic data are contradictory to the hypothesis of a warm climate around the whole world; in fact the data indicate cold water masses or even glaciation at high latitudes (Bornemann, 2008). On the other hand, numerous paleontological as well as some isotopic data support the theory of a greenhouse Earth during Cretaceous times (Sellwood & Valdes, 2006. Cretaceous paleoatmosphere. Taking in account the composition of the paleoatmosphere during the Cretaceous has considerably enriched the paleoclimatic debate. It is know that the CO2 concentrations of the Cretaceous atmosphere may have been 5 to 10 times higher than present day values (Berner & Kothavala, 2001). These high CO2 concentrations have often been used to explain higher rates of silicate mineral alteration. Nevertheless, although it is well understood that the CO2 content of the atmosphere controls the climate and therefore weathering, the specific mechanisms that intervene have rarely been studied. Here we will examine some aspects of the influence of CO2 upon weathering in order to reconsider the nature and the distribution of the Lower Cretaceous paleoweathering features. Simulation of granite weathering in high CO2 atmosphere. Two models, one of rainwater in equilibrium with the present day atmosphere and another with a CO2 atmospheric level 10 times higher than present day values (similar to the Lower Cretaceous atmosphere) have been developed and applied to a granite weathering simulation (Schmitt, 1999). The modelling shows that the successive minerals are the same for both simulations. But, under high atmospheric CO2 content, kaolinite appears with three times less rainwater flushed through the profile. This means that under similar rainfall and temperature conditions profiles would deepen three times faster than under present atmospheric conditions

Geochronology and geochemistry of the granites from the Zhuxi W-Cu ore deposit in South China: Implication for petrogenesis, geodynamical setting and mineralization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Xiaofei; Hou, Zengqian; Zhao, Miao; Chen, Guohua; Rao, Jianfeng; Li, Yan; Wei, Jin; Ouyang, Yongpeng

2018-04-01

magma. New data, presented together with previously published data, suggest that the Zhuxi granitic complex was likely to be formed during lithospheric compression setting during the late Jurassic to early Cretaceous. The biotite granite stock predominately contributed to the production of skarn alteration and mineralization, followed by the white granite dyke; the granite porphyry dykes have little effect.

Generation of Late Cretaceous silicic rocks in SE China: Age, major element and numerical simulation constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Cheng-Hong; Lee, Chi-Yu; Lu, Hsueh-Yu; Hsieh, Pei-Shan

2008-01-01

Rhyolite-dominating bimodal volcanic suites (rhyolite/basalt), mafic dikes and A-type granites distribute from N Zhejiang to S Fujian over 800 km in the Southeast Coast Magmatic Belt (SCMB) - the Late Yanshanian (LY) orogenic belt in SE China. Data of 40Ar/ 39Ar and K-Ar whole-rock ages and LA-ICPMS U-Pb zircon ages indicate that rhyolitic volcanism (101-72 Ma) is contemporaneous with the A-type granitic intrusions (100-90 Ma) and mafic dike injections (94-77 Ma). This time span is used to define the upper volcanic series in Zhejiang-Fujian areas. One striking feature of rhyolites in the SCMB is that many are strongly peraluminous (SP) and others, mostly restrict in Fujian, are peralkaline to mildly peraluminous (P-MP) and chemically resemble A-type granites. The SP character is unique among well-known large rhyolite provinces worldwide. Based on experimental works for a common thermal regime and inherited zircon age information, we suggest that SP and P-MP rhyolites represent low pressure melting of the felsic (quartzofeldspathic) granite (±metapelite) and the accompanied granodioritic, tonalitic and trondhjemitic member of the core complex assemblage, respectively, to account for the decreasing aluminosity. They could have also been contaminated by young igneous rocks, and ancient crust to a lesser degree, during ascent to the surface. Plate subduction and lithosphere extension processes, respectively, are numerically simulated for the magma generation of these rhyolites using the mafic underplating model. Results suggest that the most effective controlling factor to generate SP and associated P-MP (A-type) magmas during 95-80 Ma is thinning of the lithosphere thickness with a high exhumation rate. Under this circumstance, the core complex assemblage can be uplifted to lower level of the crust and match the constraint of experimental works.

Late Cretaceous infant intra-oceanic arc volcanism, the Central Pontides, Turkey: Petrogenetic and tectonic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aygül, Mesut; Okay, Aral I.; Oberhänsli, Roland; Schmidt, Alexander; Sudo, Masafumi

2015-11-01

A tectonic slice of an arc sequence consisting of low-grade metavolcanic rocks and overlying metasedimentary succession is exposed in the Central Pontides north of the İzmir-Ankara-Erzincan suture separating Laurasia from Gondwana-derived terranes. The metavolcanic rocks mainly consist of basaltic andesite/andesite and mafic cognate xenolith-bearing rhyolite with their pyroclastic equivalents, which are interbedded with recrystallized pelagic limestone and chert. The metasedimentary succession comprises recrystallized micritic limestone with rare volcanogenic metaclastic rocks and stratigraphically overlies the metavolcanic rocks. The geochemistry of the metavolcanic rocks indicates an arc setting evidenced by depletion of HFSE (Ti, P and Nb) and enrichment of fluid mobile LILE. Identical trace and rare earth elements compositions of basaltic andesites/andesites and rhyolites suggest that they are cogenetic and derived from a common parental magma. The arc sequence crops out between an Albian-Turonian subduction-accretionary complex representing the Laurasian active margin and an ophiolitic mélange. Absence of continent derived detritus in the arc sequence and its tectonic setting in a wide Cretaceous accretionary complex suggest that the Kösdağ Arc was intra-oceanic. Zircons from two metarhyolite samples give Late Cretaceous (93.8 ± 1.9 and 94.4 ± 1.9 Ma) U/Pb ages. These ages are the same as the age of the supra-subduction ophiolites in western Turkey, which implies that that the Kösdağ Arc may represent part of the incipient arc formed during the generation of the supra-subduction ophiolites. The low-grade regional metamorphism in the Kösdağ Arc is constrained to 69.9 ± 0.4 Ma by 40Ar/39Ar muscovite dating indicating that the arc sequence became part of a wide Tethyan Cretaceous accretionary complex by the latest Cretaceous. Non-collisional cessation of the arc volcanism is possibly associated with southward migration of the magmatism as in the Izu

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

Tribosphenic mammal from the North American Early Cretaceous.

PubMed

Cifelli, R L

1999-09-23

The main groups of living mammals, marsupials and eutherians, are presumed to have diverged in the Early Cretaceous, but their early history and biogeography are poorly understood. Dental remains have suggested that the eutherians may have originated in Asia, spreading to North America in the Late Cretaceous, where an endemic radiation of marsupials was already well underway. Here I describe a new tribosphenic mammal (a mammal with lower molar heels that are three-cusped and basined) from the Early Cretaceous of North America, based on an unusually complete specimen. The new taxon bears characteristics (molarized last premolar, reduction to three molars) otherwise known only for Eutheria among the tribosphenic mammals. Morphometric analysis and character comparisons show, however, that its molar structure is primitive (and thus phylogenetically uninformative), emphasizing the need for caution in interpretation of isolated teeth. The new mammal is approximately contemporaneous with the oldest known Eutheria from Asia. If it is a eutherian, as is indicated by the available evidence, then this group was far more widely distributed in the Early Cretaceous than previously appreciated. An early presence of Eutheria in North America offers a potential source for the continent's Late Cretaceous radiations, which have, in part, proven difficult to relate to contemporary taxa in Asia.

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

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

Multivariate analyses of Erzgebirge granite and rhyolite composition: Implications for classification of granites and their genetic relations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Forster, H.-J.; Davis, J.C.; Tischendorf, G.; Seltmann, R.

1999-01-01

High-precision major, minor and trace element analyses for 44 elements have been made of 329 Late Variscan granitic and rhyolitic rocks from the Erzgebirge metallogenic province of Germany. The intrusive histories of some of these granites are not completely understood and exposures of rock are not adequate to resolve relationships between what apparently are different plutons. Therefore, it is necessary to turn to chemical analyses to decipher the evolution of the plutons and their relationships. A new classification of Erzgebirge plutons into five major groups of granites, based on petrologic interpretations of geochemical and mineralogical relationships (low-F biotite granites; low-F two-mica granites; high-F, high-P2O5 Li-mica granites; high-F, low-P2O5 Li-mica granites; high-F, low-P2O5 biotite granites) was tested by multivariate techniques. Canonical analyses of major elements, minor elements, trace elements and ratio variables all distinguish the groups with differing amounts of success. Univariate ANOVA's, in combination with forward-stepwise and backward-elimination canonical analyses, were used to select ten variables which were most effective in distinguishing groups. In a biplot, groups form distinct clusters roughly arranged along a quadratic path. Within groups, individual plutons tend to be arranged in patterns possibly reflecting granitic evolution. Canonical functions were used to classify samples of rhyolites of unknown association into the five groups. Another canonical analysis was based on ten elements traditionally used in petrology and which were important in the new classification of granites. Their biplot pattern is similar to that from statistically chosen variables but less effective at distinguishing the five groups of granites. This study shows that multivariate statistical techniques can provide significant insight into problems of granitic petrogenesis and may be superior to conventional procedures for petrological interpretation.

Petrogenesis of Mesozoic granites in the Xitian, South China: Evidence from whole-rock geochemistry and zircon isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Q.; Sun, J.; He, M.; Hou, Q.; Niu, R.

2017-12-01

Mesozoic granitoids are widespread in southeastern China, which accompanied with lots of world-famous polymetallic deposits. The mineralization is believed to be related to the Mesozoic granitic magmatism. However, the petrogenesis of these granites and their relation to the mineralization are still debated. As a typical granitic pluton, Xitian granites from the eastern Hunan Province are formed during this period and associated with tungsten-tin deposit. Whole-rock geochemical, SIMS zircon geochronology and oxygen isotopes, as well as LA-ICPMS zircon Lu-Hf isotopic analyses, were carried out on a suite of rocks from Xitian granitic pluton to constrain their magmatic sources and petrogenesis. Xitian granitic pluton is mainly composed of biotite adamellite, biotite granite, fine-grained granite. SIMS and LA-ICPMS U-Pb dating of zircons indicate that there are two episodes of these rocks, i.e., Late Triassic granites (227-233Ma) and Late Jurassic granites (150-154Ma). The Xitian granites are silica-rich, potassic and weakly peraluminous. Petrographic and geochemical features show that they are highly fractionated I-type granites. The combined elemental and isotopic results indicated that the Late Triassic granite in Xitian area experienced a process of crystal fractionation of crustal-derived magmas coupled with strong assimilation of the surrounding rocks. The occurrence of Jurassic granitoids in Xitian area is attributed to ascending of mantle-derived magmas, which provide heat for partial melting of crustal materials. The Late Jurassic granite may be derived from juvenile crust or partial melting of ancient crustal rocks, whereas high degrees of crystal fractionation further enriched tungsten-tin in the evolved granitic rocks. This work was financially supported by the Research Cooperation between Institute and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences grant (Y552012Y00), Public Welfare Project of the Ministry of land and Resources of China (201211024

Late Cretaceous (Late Campanian-Maastrichtian) sea surface temperature record of the Boreal Chalk Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thibault, N.; Harlou, R.; Schovsbo, N. H.; Stemmerik, L.; Surlyk, F.

2015-11-01

The last 8 Myr of the Cretaceous greenhouse interval were characterized by a progressive global cooling with superimposed cool/warm fluctuations. The mechanisms responsible for these climatic fluctuations remain a source of debate that can only be resolved through multi-disciplinary studies and better time constraints. For the first time, we present a record of very high-resolution (ca. 4.5 kyr) sea-surface temperature (SST) changes from the Boreal epicontinental Chalk Sea (Stevns-1 core, Denmark), tied to an astronomical time scale of the late Campanian-Maastrichtian (74 to 66 Myr). Well-preserved bulk stable isotope trends and calcareous nannofossil palaeoecological patterns from the fully cored Stevns-1 borehole show marked changes in SSTs. These variations correlate with deep-water records of climate change from the tropical South Atlantic and Pacific oceans but differ greatly from the climate variations of the North Atlantic. We demonstrate that the onset and end of the early Maastrichtian cooling and of the large negative Campanian-Maastrichtian boundary carbon isotope excursion are coincident in the Chalk Sea. The direct link between SSTs and δ13C variations in the Chalk Sea reassesses long-term glacio-eustasy as the potential driver of carbon isotope and climatic variations in the Maastrichtian.

Late Cretaceous (late Campanian-Maastrichtian) sea-surface temperature record of the Boreal Chalk Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thibault, Nicolas; Harlou, Rikke; Schovsbo, Niels H.; Stemmerik, Lars; Surlyk, Finn

2016-02-01

The last 8 Myr of the Cretaceous greenhouse interval were characterized by a progressive global cooling with superimposed cool/warm fluctuations. The mechanisms responsible for these climatic fluctuations remain a source of debate that can only be resolved through multi-disciplinary studies and better time constraints. For the first time, we present a record of very high-resolution (ca. 4.5 kyr) sea-surface temperature (SST) changes from the Boreal epicontinental Chalk Sea (Stevns-1 core, Denmark), tied to an astronomical timescale of the late Campanian-Maastrichtian (74 to 66 Ma). Well-preserved bulk stable isotope trends and calcareous nannofossil palaeoecological patterns from the fully cored Stevns-1 borehole show marked changes in SSTs. These variations correlate with deep-water records of climate change from the tropical South Atlantic and Pacific oceans but differ greatly from the climate variations of the North Atlantic. We demonstrate that the onset and end of the early Maastrichtian cooling and of the large negative Campanian-Maastrichtian boundary carbon isotope excursion are coincident in the Chalk Sea. The direct link between SSTs and δ13C variations in the Chalk Sea reassesses long-term glacio-eustasy as the potential driver of carbon isotope and climatic variations in the Maastrichtian.

Generation of Late Mesozoic Qianlishan A2-type granite in Nanling Range, South China: Implications for Shizhuyuan W-Sn mineralization and tectonic evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yuxiao; Li, He; Sun, Weidong; Ireland, Trevor; Tian, Xufeng; Hu, Yongbin; Yang, Wubin; Chen, Chen; Xu, Deru

2016-12-01

The Late Mesozoic Qianlishan granitic complex in the western Nanling Range, South China is associated with the Shizhuyuan giant W-Sn-Mo-Bi polymetallic deposit. It mainly consists of three phases of intrusions, P-1 porphyritic biotite granite, P-2 equigranular biotite granite and P-3 granite porphyry. All three phases of granite contain quartz, plagioclase, K-feldspar and Fe-rich biotite. They have geochemical affinities of A-type granites, e.g., high FeOT/(FeOT + MgO) ratios (0.84-0.99), total alkali (Na2O + K2O, 7.50-9.04 wt.%), high Ga/Al ratios (10,000*Ga/Al > 2.6) and high Zr + Nb + Y + Ce concentrations (> 350 ppm). High Y/Nb ratios (> 1.2) suggest that the Qianlishan complex belongs to A2-type granite. Zircon U-Pb ages indicate a short age interval decreasing from 158-157 Ma, to 158-155 Ma and to 154 Ma for the P-1, P-2 and P-3 granites, respectively. These ages are similar to the mineralization age of the Shizhuyuan tungsten polymetallic deposit, within error. The Qianlishan granites were generated at low oxygen fugacity conditions based on the low values of zircon Ce4 +/Ce3 + ratios (1.53-198) and significantly negative Eu anomalies (EuN/EuN*, 0.03-0.13) in apatite. New zircon εHf(t) values for the P-3 granite range from - 13.0 to - 4.4, similar to those previously obtained for the P-1 and P-2 granites. Both the granite and apatite grains therein are characterized by high F but low Cl concentrations, suggesting the influx of a high F/Cl component. The P-2 granites especially contain higher F contents (1840-8690 ppm) and W (7-158 ppm) and Sn (6-51 ppm) concentrations and with stronger evolution features. Positive trends between F and W and Sn of Qianlishan complex indicate that high F source is crucial for mineralization of W and Sn. We consider that the lithospheric mantle source may have been metasomatized by subduction fluids in the far end of subduction zones to produce the A2 feature of the Qianlishan granite and the fluorine was introduced through

Petrochemistry and zircon U-Pb geochronology of granitic rocks in the Wang Nam Khiao area, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand: Implications for petrogenesis and tectonic setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fanka, Alongkot; Tsunogae, Toshiaki; Daorerk, Veerote; Tsutsumi, Yukiyasu; Takamura, Yusuke; Sutthirat, Chakkaphan

2018-05-01

Carboniferous biotite granite, Late Permian hornblende granite, and Triassic biotite-hornblende granite, all of which belong to the Eastern Granite Belt, expose in the Wang Nam Khiao area, Nakhon Ratchasima, northeastern Thailand. The Carboniferous biotite granite is dominated by quartz, K-feldspar, plagioclase, and biotite. The Late Permian hornblende granite contains dominant assemblages of plagioclase, quartz, K-feldspar, hornblende, and minor amount of biotite, while the Triassic biotite-hornblende granite consists of quartz, plagioclase, K-feldspar with small amounts of biotite, and hornblende. The REE patterns with steep decrease from light to heavy REE together with the LILE (e.g. K, Sr) enrichment and depletion of some particular HFSE (e.g. Nb, Ti) indicate low degree of partial melting. Mineral chemistry of biotite and hornblende in the granites reflects crystallization from hydrous calc-alkaline arc-derived magmas possibly formed by subduction. Amphibole-plagioclase thermometry and Al-in-hornblende barometry indicate that the Late Permian hornblende granite and the Triassic biotite-hornblende granite may have equilibrated at 3.0-5.8 kbar/700-820 °C and 2.0-3.2 kbar/600-750 °C, respectively, in the middle-upper crust (about 10-15 km depth). Zircon U-Pb geochronology of the Carboniferous biotite granite, Late Permian hornblende granite and Triassic biotite-hornblende granite yielded intrusion ages of 314.6-284.9 Ma, 253.4 Ma, and 237.8 Ma, respectively, which implies multiple episodes of arc-magmatism formed by Palaeo-Tethys subduction beneath Indochina Terrane during Late Carboniferous/Early Permian, Late Permian and Middle Triassic.

Zircon U-Pb ages and Hf-O isotopes, and whole-rock Sr-Nd isotopes of the Bozhushan granite, Yunnan province, SW China: Constraints on petrogenesis and tectonic setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xiao-Cui; Hu, Rui-Zhong; Bi, Xian-Wu; Zhong, Hong; Lan, Jiang-Bo; Zhao, Cheng-Hai; Zhu, Jing-Jing

2015-03-01

The Bainiuchang silver-polymetallic ore deposit is a super-large deposit in the western part of the South China tungsten-tin province (or the Nanling tungsten-tin province). The deposit is spatially and temporally associated with the Bozhushan granite pluton. Our new data indicate that the Bozhushan granitoids formed at 86-87 Ma. The granitoids are geochemically consistent with A-type granite. The Bozhushan pluton consists predominantly of biotite granite that is characterized by weakly peraluminous to metaluminous compositions and high alkali contents (Na2O + K2O = 7.51-9.06 wt.%). The granitic rocks are enriched in large-ion lithophile elements (LILE) Rb, Th, U, and K, but relatively depleted in Ba and Sr. In addition, they have high Zr + Nb + Ce + Y contents (310-478 ppm) and high 10,000× Ga/Al ratios (2.7-3.1). The temperatures of the parental magmas for the Bozhushan granites are estimated to be 790-842 °C based on the zircon saturation thermometer. Isotopically, the Bozhushan granites are characterized by elevated initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7126-0.7257) and low εNd values (-11.2 to -12.4), and high δ18O values (7.91-9.58‰) and low εHf values (-9.5 to -6.1) for zircon crystals, which indicate a dominant continental crustal source. The two-stage Hf model ages vary from 1.53 to 1.86 Ga. The isotopic compositions support the interpretation that the granitic rocks formed by melting of the Meso- and Neoproterozoic metasedimentary basements of the Cathaysia block. These results, together with geological records in the other parts of the western Cathaysia block, suggest that the formation of the Bozhushan A-type granites is related to lithospheric extension and asthenospheric upwelling that are associated with the change of plate motion in Late-Cretaceous.

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

El Niño-Southern oscillation variability from the late cretaceous marca shale of California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Davies, Andrew; Kemp, Alan E.S.; Weedon, Graham P.; Barron, John A.

2012-01-01

Changes in the possible behavior of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) with global warming have provoked interest in records of ENSO from past “greenhouse” climate states. The latest Cretaceous laminated Marca Shale of California permits a seasonal-scale reconstruction of water column flux events and hence interannual paleoclimate variability. The annual flux cycle resembles that of the modern Gulf of California with diatoms characteristic of spring upwelling blooms followed by silt and clay, and is consistent with the existence of a paleo–North American Monsoon that brought input of terrigenous sediment during summer storms and precipitation runoff. Variation is also indicated in the extent of water column oxygenation by differences in lamina preservation. Time series analysis of interannual variability in terrigenous sediment and diatom flux and in the degree of bioturbation indicates strong periodicities in the quasi-biennial (2.1–2.8 yr) and low-frequency (4.1–6.3 yr) bands both characteristic of ENSO forcing, as well as decadal frequencies. This evidence for robust Late Cretaceous ENSO variability does not support the theory of a “permanent El Niño,” in the sense of a continual El Niño–like state, in periods of warmer climate.

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

Depositional facies, environments and sequence stratigraphic interpretation of the Middle Triassic-Lower Cretaceous (pre-Late Albian) succession in Arif El-Naga anticline, northeast Sinai, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Azabi, M. H.; El-Araby, A.

2005-01-01

The Middle Triassic-Lower Cretaceous (pre-Late Albian) succession of Arif El-Naga anticline comprises various distinctive facies and environments that are connected with eustatic relative sea-level changes, local/regional tectonism, variable sediment influx and base-level changes. It displays six unconformity-bounded depositional sequences. The Triassic deposits are divided into a lower clastic facies (early Middle Triassic sequence) and an upper carbonate unit (late Middle- and latest Middle/early Late Triassic sequences). The early Middle Triassic sequence consists of sandstone with shale/mudstone interbeds that formed under variable regimes, ranging from braided fluvial, lower shoreface to beach foreshore. The marine part of this sequence marks retrogradational and progradational parasequences of transgressive- and highstand systems tract deposits respectively. Deposition has taken place under warm semi-arid climate and a steady supply of clastics. The late Middle- and latest Middle/early Late Triassic sequences are carbonate facies developed on an extensive shallow marine shelf under dry-warm climate. The late Middle Triassic sequence includes retrogradational shallow subtidal oyster rudstone and progradational lower intertidal lime-mudstone parasequences that define the transgressive- and highstand systems tracts respectively. It terminates with upper intertidal oncolitic packstone with bored upper surface. The next latest Middle/early Late Triassic sequence is marked by lime-mudstone, packstone/grainstone and algal stromatolitic bindstone with minor shale/mudstone. These lower intertidal/shallow subtidal deposits of a transgressive-systems tract are followed upward by progradational highstand lower intertidal lime-mudstone deposits. The overlying Jurassic deposits encompass two different sequences. The Lower Jurassic sequence is made up of intercalating lower intertidal lime-mudstone and wave-dominated beach foreshore sandstone which formed during a short

Seismic tomographic constraints on plate-tectonic reconstructions of Nazca subduction under South America since late Cretaceous (˜80 Ma)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Y. W.; Wu, J.; Suppe, J.

2017-12-01

Global seismic tomography has provided new and increasingly higher resolution constraints on subducted lithospheric remnants in terms of their position, depth, and volumes. In this study we aim to link tomographic slab anomalies in the mantle under South America to Andean geology using methods to unfold (i.e. structurally restore) slabs back to earth surface and input them to globally consistent plate reconstructions (Wu et al., 2016). The Andean margin of South America has long been interpreted as a classic example of a continuous subduction system since early Jurassic or later. However, significant gaps in Andean plate tectonic reconstructions exist due to missing or incomplete geology from extensive Nazca-South America plate convergence (i.e. >5000 km since 80 Ma). We mapped and unfolded the Nazca slab from global seismic tomography to produce a quantitative plate reconstruction of the Andes back to the late Cretaceous 80 Ma. Our plate model predicts the latest phase of Nazca subduction began in the late Cretaceous subduction after a 100 to 80 Ma plate reorganization, which is supported by Andean geology that indicates a margin-wide compressional event at the mid-late Cretaceous (Tunik et al., 2010). Our Andean plate tectonic reconstructions predict the Andean margin experienced periods of strike-slip/transtensional and even divergent plate tectonics between 80 to 55 Ma. This prediction is roughly consistent with the arc magmatism from northern Chile between 20 to 36°S that resumed at 80 Ma after a magmatic gap. Our model indicates the Andean margin only became fully convergent after 55 Ma. We provide additional constraints on pre-subduction Nazca plate paleogeography by extracting P-wave velocity perturbations within our mapped slab surfaces following Wu et al. (2016). We identified localized slow anomalies within our mapped Nazca slab that apparently show the size and position of the subducted Nazca ridge, Carnegie ridge and the hypothesized Inca plateau

Interpretation of Late Cretaceous Volcanic Mounds and Surrounding Gulfian Series Formations Using 3D Seismic Data in Zavala County, Texas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bennett, Laura Claire

The Late Cretaceous Gulfian series is a prominent and important series across the State of Texas that has been extensively studied since the nineteenth century. It is composed of series of southeast-dipping shelf carbonates and clastics deposited on the northwest margin of the Gulf of Mexico Basin. In south Texas, the Gulfian series was deposited in the Rio Grande Embayment and Maverick Basin and is comprised of the Eagle Ford Group, Austin Group, Anacacho Limestone, San Miguel Formation, Olmos Formation, and Escondido Formation that crop out and continue basinward in the subsurface. Late Cretaceous volcanism formed volcanic mounds composed of altered palagonite tuff that are clustered into two fields, including the Uvalde Field centered in Zavala County. Using the Pedernales 3D seismic survey, located in east-central Zavala County, several volcanic mounds were identified and mapped without the use of well log data by identifying structures and characteristics associated with the volcanic mounds. Isolating these mounds through mapping enabled the mapping of the tops surrounding Gulfian formations, Lower Eagle Ford, Upper Eagle Ford, Austin, Anacacho, and San Miguel, for which time-structure, amplitude, similarity/coherency attribute, and isochron maps were generated. By using 3D seismic data, the volcanic mounds and their relation to surrounding rocks can be better interpreted.

Late Cretaceous porphyry copper mineralization in Sonora, Mexico: Implications for the evolution of the Southwest North America porphyry copper province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barra, Fernando; Valencia, Victor A.

2014-10-01

Two porphyry Cu-Mo prospects in northern Sonora, Mexico (Fortuna del Cobre and Los Humos) located within the southwestern North American porphyry province have been dated in order to constrain the timing of crystallization and mineralization of these ore deposits. In Fortuna del Cobre, the pre-mineralization granodiorite porphyry yielded an U-Pb zircon age of 76.5 ± 2.3 Ma, whereas two samples from the ore-bearing quartz feldespathic porphyry were dated at 74.6 ± 1.3 and 75.0 ± 1.4 Ma. Four molybdenite samples from Los Humos porphyry Cu prospect yielded a weighted average Re-Os age of 73.5 ± 0.2 Ma, whereas two samples from the ore-bearing quartz monzonite porphyry gave U-Pb zircon ages of 74.4 ± 1.1 and 74.5 ± 1.3 Ma, showing a Late Cretaceous age for the emplacement of this ore deposit. The results indicate that Laramide porphyry Cu mineralization of Late Cretaceous age is not restricted to northern Arizona as previously thought and provide evidence for the definition of NS trending metallogenic belts that are parallel to the paleo-trench. Porphyry copper mineralization follows the inland migration trend of the magmatic arc as a result of the Farallon slab flattening during the Laramide orogeny.

Experimental and geochemical evidence for derivation of the El Capitan Granite, California, by partial melting of hydrous gabbroic lower crust

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ratajeski, K.; Sisson, T.W.; Glazner, A.F.

2005-01-01

Partial melting of mafic intrusions recently emplaced into the lower crust can produce voluminous silicic magmas with isotopic ratios similar to their mafic sources. Low-temperature (825 and 850??C) partial melts synthesized at 700 MPa in biotite-hornblende gabbros from the central Sierra Nevada batholith (Sisson et al. in Contrib Mineral Petrol 148:635-661, 2005) have major-element and modeled trace-element (REE, Rb, Ba, Sr, Th, U) compositions matching those of the Cretaceous El Capitan Granite, a prominent granite and silicic granodiorite pluton in the central part of the Sierra Nevada batholith (Yosemite, CA, USA) locally mingled with coeval, isotopically similar quartz diorite through gabbro intrusions (Ratajeski et al. in Geol Soc Am Bull 113:1486-1502, 2001). These results are evidence that the El Capitan Granite, and perhaps similar intrusions in the Sierra Nevada batholith with lithospheric-mantle-like isotopic values, were extracted from LILE-enriched, hydrous (hornblende-bearing) gabbroic rocks in the Sierran lower crust. Granitic partial melts derived by this process may also be silicic end members for mixing events leading to large-volume intermediate composition Sierran plutons such as the Cretaceous Lamarck Granodiorite. Voluminous gabbroic residues of partial melting may be lost to the mantle by their conversion to garnet-pyroxene assemblages during batholithic magmatic crustal thickening. ?? Springer-Verlag 2005.

Paleomagnetic results from Northeast Anatolia: remagnetization in Late Cretaceous sandstones and tectonic rotation at the Eastern extension of the Izmir-Ankara-Erzincan suture zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cengiz Çinku, Mualla

2017-12-01

Paleomagnetic results obtained from Upper Cretaceous sandstones in Northeastern Anatolia demonstrate that the entire area from Erzincan to Kars has been remagnetised. The remagnetisation was acquired before the Middle Eocene collision between the Eastern Pontides and the Arabian Platform because Middle Eocene sandstones carry primary natural remanent magnetisations. The post-folding in situ mean direction of the Upper Cretaceous sandstones is compared with mean directions of younger, Middle Eocene to present rock formations. As a result, a two-stage antagonistic rotation mechanism is proposed. First, the collision between the Pontides and the Taurides between Late Cretaceous and Middle Eocene was associated by clockwise rotation of 26°. In the second stage between Middle Eocene and Middle Miocene and beyond, counterclockwise rotations up to 52° of the Pontide and Anatolide blocks and clockwise rotations of the Van Block were characterised by regional shortening and westward escape.

A Giant Chelonioid Turtle from the Late Cretaceous of Morocco with a Suction Feeding Apparatus Unique among Tetrapods

PubMed Central

Bardet, Nathalie; Jalil, Nour-Eddine; de Lapparent de Broin, France; Germain, Damien; Lambert, Olivier; Amaghzaz, Mbarek

2013-01-01

Background Secondary adaptation to aquatic life occurred independently in several amniote lineages, including reptiles during the Mesozoic and mammals during the Cenozoic. These evolutionary shifts to aquatic environments imply major morphological modifications, especially of the feeding apparatus. Mesozoic (250–65 Myr) marine reptiles, such as ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, mosasaurid squamates, crocodiles, and turtles, exhibit a wide range of adaptations to aquatic feeding and a broad overlap of their tooth morphospaces with those of Cenozoic marine mammals. However, despite these multiple feeding behavior convergences, suction feeding, though being a common feeding strategy in aquatic vertebrates and in marine mammals in particular, has been extremely rarely reported for Mesozoic marine reptiles. Principal Findings A relative of fossil protostegid and dermochelyoid sea turtles, Ocepechelon bouyai gen. et sp. nov. is a new giant chelonioid from the Late Maastrichtian (67 Myr) of Morocco exhibiting remarkable adaptations to marine life (among others, very dorsally and posteriorly located nostrils). The 70-cm-long skull of Ocepechelon not only makes it one of the largest marine turtles ever described, but also deviates significantly from typical turtle cranial morphology. It shares unique convergences with both syngnathid fishes (unique long tubular bony snout ending in a rounded and anteriorly directed mouth) and beaked whales (large size and elongated edentulous jaws). This striking anatomy suggests extreme adaptation for suction feeding unmatched among known turtles. Conclusion/Significance The feeding apparatus of Ocepechelon, a bony pipette-like snout, is unique among tetrapods. This new taxon exemplifies the successful systematic and ecological diversification of chelonioid turtles during the Late Cretaceous. This new evidence for a unique trophic specialization in turtles, along with the abundant marine vertebrate faunas associated to Ocepechelon in the Late

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.

A new basal hadrosauroid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Uzbekistan and the early radiation of duck-billed dinosaurs.

PubMed

Sues, Hans-Dieter; Averianov, Alexander

2009-07-22

Levnesovia transoxiana gen. et sp. nov., from the Late Cretaceous (Middle-Late Turonian) of Uzbekistan, is the oldest well-documented taxon referable to Hadrosauroidea sensu Godefroit et al. It differs from a somewhat younger and closely related Bactrosaurus from Inner Mongolia (China) by a tall sagittal crest on the parietals and the absence of club-shaped dorsal neural spines in adult specimens. Levnesovia, Bactrosaurus and possibly Gilmoreosaurus represent the earliest radiation of Hadrosauroidea, which took place during the Cenomanian-Turonian and possibly in North America. The second, Santonian-age radiation of Hadrosauroidea included Aralosaurus, Hadrosauridae and lineages leading to Tanius (Campanian) and Telmatosaurus (Maastrichtian). Hadrosauridae appears to be monophyletic, but Hadrosaurinae and Lambeosaurinae originated in North America and Asia, respectively.

Late Triassic granitic rocks of the Central Qiangtang Orogenic Belt, northern Tibet: tracing crustal thickening through post-collisional silicic magmatism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, H.; Chen, J.

2017-12-01

The Central Qiangtang Orogenic Belt (CQOB) was formed through Triassic continental collision between the Southern and Northern Qiangtang terranes. Numerous granitic intrusions occur along the CQOB, forming a Late Triassic granitic belt that stretches 1000 km from west to east. This Central Qiangtang granitic belt was believed to constitute most of the CQOB. Therefore, the CQOB thus provides a typical composite orogen for the study of relationships between granitoid magmatism and orogenic processes. Recently, many studies have been carried out, and the close relationship of the magmatic belt with the evolutionary history of the CQOB is well established. Late Triassic intrusive rocks are widely exposed in the Riwanchaka area of Central Qiangtang, northern Tibet. In this study, new U-Pb zircon ages reveal that Late Triassic magmatism in Riwanchaka took place at ca 225-205 Ma, coeval with exhumation of the metamorphic rocks in Central Qiangtang. Our new and previously published data enable us to correlate the subduction-related volcanic arc rocks in the Riwanchaka area to a post-collisional extension setting related to slab break-off during northward subduction of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean seafloor. Geochemical characteristics suggested that the samples from CQOB can be divided into low-Sr/Y granitoids (LSG) and high-Sr/Y granitoids (HSG). The LSG are normal calc-alkaline I-type granitoids, characterized by varying major and trace element contents indicative of partial melting of ancient mafic lower crust. The HSG are characterized by high Sr/Y ratios and (La/Yb)N (chondrite-normalized) ratios. These signatures indicate that the HSG were derived by partial melting of garnet-bearing thickened lower crust. The crustal structure and evolution of the CQOB are considered on the basis of available data and variations in Sr/Y, La/Yb, and Hf isotopic ratios. Temporal geochemical and Hf isotopic changes, diagnostic of crustal thickening, indicate that the CQOB was greatly

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.

Foraminifera and the ecology of sea grass communities since the late Cretaceous

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hart, Malcolm; Smart, Christopher; Jagt, John

2016-04-01

Sea grasses are marine angiosperms (plants) that, in the late Cretaceous, migrated from the land into shallow-water marine environments. They represent a distinct, but fragile, marine habitat and sea grass meadows are often regarded as biodiversity hot-spots with a range of species (including fish, sea horses and cuttlefish) using them as nurseries for their young. Foraminifera are often found associated with sea grass meadows, with the associated taxa reflecting both the environment and palaeolatitude. In the tropics and sub-tropics, miliolid foraminifera dominate (e.g., Peneroplis spp.) as do large discoidal taxa such as Marginopora and Calcarina. In temperate to cool latitudes the assemblage changes to one dominated by smaller benthic taxa, including Elphidium spp. One taxon, Elphidium crispum, is geotropic and is often found - in the summer months - to crowd the fronds of the sea grass. In the Gulpen and Maastricht formations of the Maastricht area (The Netherlands and Belgium) sea grass fossils (both fronds and rhizomes) have been recorded in association with assemblages of both larger and smaller benthic foraminifera (Hart et al., 2016). Some of the large discoidal forms (e.g., Omphalocyclus and Orbitoides/Lepidorbitoides) and the distinctive Siderolites are associated with these sea grass fossils and are suggestive of the modern sea grass communities of sub-tropical areas. While earlier records were of relatively isolated sea grasses, in September/October 2015 surfaces with abundant sea grasses were found that are suggestive of complete 'meadows'. Preservation of some silicified rhizomes indicates that silicification must have been very rapid, before any degradation or compaction of the delicate tissues. The presence of sea grass fossils and their associated benthic foraminifera is indicative of a clear, shallow-water seaway, with a maximum depth of 15-20 m. The reported variations in sea level during the latest Cretaceous cannot, therefore, have been very

Late Cretaceous restructuring of terrestrial communities facilitated the end-Cretaceous mass extinction in North America.

PubMed

Mitchell, Jonathan S; Roopnarine, Peter D; Angielczyk, Kenneth D

2012-11-13

The sudden environmental catastrophe in the wake of the end-Cretaceous asteroid impact had drastic effects that rippled through animal communities. To explore how these effects may have been exacerbated by prior ecological changes, we used a food-web model to simulate the effects of primary productivity disruptions, such as those predicted to result from an asteroid impact, on ten Campanian and seven Maastrichtian terrestrial localities in North America. Our analysis documents that a shift in trophic structure between Campanian and Maastrichtian communities in North America led Maastrichtian communities to experience more secondary extinction at lower levels of primary production shutdown and possess a lower collapse threshold than Campanian communities. Of particular note is the fact that changes in dinosaur richness had a negative impact on the robustness of Maastrichtian ecosystems against environmental perturbations. Therefore, earlier ecological restructuring may have exacerbated the impact and severity of the end-Cretaceous extinction, at least in North America.

Late Cretaceous restructuring of terrestrial communities facilitated the end-Cretaceous mass extinction in North America

PubMed Central

Roopnarine, Peter D.; Angielczyk, Kenneth D.

2012-01-01

The sudden environmental catastrophe in the wake of the end-Cretaceous asteroid impact had drastic effects that rippled through animal communities. To explore how these effects may have been exacerbated by prior ecological changes, we used a food-web model to simulate the effects of primary productivity disruptions, such as those predicted to result from an asteroid impact, on ten Campanian and seven Maastrichtian terrestrial localities in North America. Our analysis documents that a shift in trophic structure between Campanian and Maastrichtian communities in North America led Maastrichtian communities to experience more secondary extinction at lower levels of primary production shutdown and possess a lower collapse threshold than Campanian communities. Of particular note is the fact that changes in dinosaur richness had a negative impact on the robustness of Maastrichtian ecosystems against environmental perturbations. Therefore, earlier ecological restructuring may have exacerbated the impact and severity of the end-Cretaceous extinction, at least in North America. PMID:23112149

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

A new high-resolution kinematic model for the southern North Atlantic region: the Iberian plate kinematics since the Late Cretaceous

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macchiavelli, Chiara; Vergés, Jaume; Schettino, Antonio; Fernández, Manel; Turco, Eugenio; Torné, Montserrat; Casciello, Emilio

2017-04-01

We present the first high-resolution kinematic model for the southern North Atlantic since the late Cretaceous, in order to constrain the Iberian kinematics during the last 83 Myr. Assessing the detailed movements of the Iberian plate is crucial to constrain the kinematics of the Western Mediterranean region and to better understand the Pyrenees and Betic - Rif orogenic systems evolution. The new plate motions model for the Iberia - North America plate pair is accompanied by a high-resolution isochron map for the southern North Atlantic region, resulting from a re-examination of 400 ship tracks and 3 aeromagnetic tracks in the NGDC data base for the area between the Azores triple junction and 46° N. We derive a well-constrained kinematic solution for the relative motion between an independent Iberia and North America from seafloor spreading data despite the short length of the magnetic lineations and the scarcity of large-offset transform faults and fracture zones. Accurate finite reconstruction poles for the Iberia - North America conjugate plate pair between the Late Cretaceous (Chron 34, 83.5 Ma) and the present day (Chron 2A, 2.58 Ma) are calculated on the basis of a set of 100 magnetic profiles through an iterative method. Euler poles and associated angles of rotation are computed as follow. An initial rotation pole is calculated using only magnetic anomaly crossings. The initial large uncertainty associated with the first determination is reduced by generating a set of synthetic fracture zones associated with the initial pole and using points sampled along these structures in conjunction with magnetic anomaly crossings to calculate a new Euler pole and associated confidence ellipse. This procedure is repeated n times, generating a sequence of improving approximate solutions and stopped when the solution become stable excluding solutions that were inconsistent with geological constraints. We used these results to build a comprehensive kinematic model for the

Reconnaissance study of the Taylor Mountains pluton, southwestern Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hudson, Travis L.; Miller, Marti L.; Klimasauskas, Edward P.; Layer, Paul W.

2010-01-01

The Taylor Mountains pluton is a Late Cretaceous to early Tertiary (median age 65 + or ? 2 Ma) epizonal, composite biotite granite stock located about 235 km (145 mi) northeast of Dillingham in southwestern Alaska. This 30 km2 (12 mi2) pluton has sharp and discordant contacts with hornfels that developed in Upper Cretaceous clastic sedimentary rocks of the Kuskokwim Group. The three intrusive phases in the Taylor Mountains pluton, in order of emplacement, are (1) porphyritic granite containing large K-feldspar phenocrysts in a coarse-grained groundmass, (2) porphyritic granite containing large K-feldspar and smaller, but still coarse, plagioclase, quartz, and biotite phenocrysts in a fine-grained groundmass, and (3) fine-grained, leucocratic, equigranular granite. The porphyritic granites have different emplacement histories, but similar compositions; averages are 69.43 percent SiO2, 1.62 percent CaO, 5.23 percent FeO+MgO, 3.11 percent Na2O, and 4.50 percent K2O. The fine-grained, equigranular granite is distinctly felsic compared to porphyritic granite; it averages 75.3 percent SiO2, 0.49 percent CaO, 1.52 percent FeO+MgO, 3.31 percent Na2O, and 4.87 percent K2O. Many trace elements including Ni, Cr, Sc, V, Ba, Sr, Zr, Y, Nb, La, Ce, Th, and Nd are strongly depleted in fine-grained equigranular granite. Trace elements are not highly enriched in any of the granites. Known hydrothermal alteration is limited to one tourmaline-quartz replacement zone in porphyritic granite. Mineral deposits in the Taylor Mountains area are primarily placer gold (plus wolframite, cassiterite, and cinnabar); sources for these likely include scattered veins in hornfels peripheral to the Taylor Mountain pluton. The granite magmas that formed the Taylor Mountains pluton are thought to represent melted continental crust that possibly formed in response to high heat flow in the waning stage of Late Cretaceous subduction beneath interior Alaska.

Subsurface stratigraphic cross sections of cretaceous and lower tertiary rocks in the Wind River Basin, central Wyoming: Chapter 9 in Petroleum systems and geologic assessment of oil and gas resources in the Wind River Basin Province, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Finn, Thomas M.

2007-01-01

The stratigraphic cross sections presented in this report were constructed as part of a project conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey to characterize and evaluate the undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Wind River Basin (WRB) in central Wyoming. The primary purpose of the cross sections is to show the stratigraphic framework and facies relations of Cretaceous and lower Tertiary rocks in this large, intermontane structural and sedimentary basin, which formed in the Rocky Mountain foreland during the Laramide orogeny (Late Cretaceous through early Eocene time). The WRB is nearly 200 miles (mi) long, 70 mi wide, and encompasses about 7,400 square miles (mi2) (fig. 1). The basin is structurally bounded by the Owl Creek and Bighorn Mountains on the north, the Casper arch on the east, the Granite Mountains on the south, and the Wind River Range on the west.

Paleobiological implications of dinosaur egg-bearing deposits in the Cretaceous Gyeongsang Supergroup of Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paik, In Sung; Kim, Hyun Joo; Huh, Min

2010-05-01

Dinosaur egg-bearing deposits in the Cretaceous Gyeongsang Basin in Korea is described in taphonomic aspect, their paleoenvironments are interpreted, and geobiological implications of dinosaur egg-bearing deposits in the world and Korea are analyzed in geographic occurrences, geological ages, paleoenvironments, and lithology. Dinosaur eggs with spheroolithids, faveoloolithid, and elongatoolithid structural types occur in several stratigraphic formations of the Cretaceous Gyeongsang Basin in South Korea, and most of the egg-bearing formations are the Late Cretaceous. The dinosaur eggs usually occur as clutches in purple sandy mudstone of floodplain deposits preserved as calcic paleosol with association of vertic paleosol features in places. Most of the eggs are top-broken and filled with surrounding sediments. The general depositional environment of dinosaur egg deposits in the Gyeongsang Supergroup are interpreted as a dried floodplain where volcanic activity occurred intermittently in the vicinity of the nesting sites. Their depositional settings on which floodplains developed are diverse from fluvial plain with meandering rivers to alluvial plain with episodic sheet flooding. The nesting areas in the Gyeongsang Basin are deemed to have been under semi-arid climate, which resulted in formation of calcic soils facilitating preservation of the dinosaur eggs. The geochronologic occurrences of dinosaur egg-bearing deposits are mostly restricted to the Late Cretaceous in the world as well as in Korea. If it has not been resulted from biased discoveries and reports of dinosaur eggs, biological rather than physical and chemical conditions for preservation of dinosaur eggs might be related with the restricted occurrences in the Late Cretaceous. Two hypotheses are suggested for probable biological causes to the geochronologically restricted occurrences of dinosaur egg-bearing deposits. One is related with the appearance of angiosperms in the Late Jurassic and the spreading

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

Glandulocalyx upatoiensis, a fossil flower of Ericales (Actinidiaceae/Clethraceae) from the Late Cretaceous (Santonian) of Georgia, USA

PubMed Central

Schönenberger, Jürg; von Balthazar, Maria; Takahashi, Masamichi; Xiao, Xianghui; Crane, Peter R.; Herendeen, Patrick S.

2012-01-01

Background and Aims Ericales are a major group of extant asterid angiosperms that are well represented in the Late Cretaceous fossil record, mainly by flowers, fruits and seeds. Exceptionally well preserved fossil flowers, here described as Glandulocalyx upatoiensis gen. & sp. nov., from the Santonian of Georgia, USA, yield new detailed evidence of floral structure in one of these early members of Ericales and provide a secure basis for comparison with extant taxa. Methods The floral structure of several fossil specimens was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), light microscopy of microtome thin sections and synchrotron-radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy (SRXTM). For direct comparisons with flowers of extant Ericales, selected floral features of Actinidiaceae and Clethraceae were studied with SEM. Key Results Flowers of G. upatoiensis have five sepals with quincuncial aestivation, five free petals with quincuncial aestivation, 20–28 stamens arranged in a single series, extrorse anther orientation in the bud, ventral anther attachment and a tricarpellate, syncarpous ovary with three free styles and numerous small ovules on axile, protruding-diffuse and pendant placentae. The calyx is characterized by a conspicuous indumentum of large, densely arranged, multicellular and possibly glandular trichomes. Conclusions Comparison with extant taxa provides clear evidence for a relationship with core Ericales comprised of the extant families Actinidiaceae, Roridulaceae, Sarraceniaceae, Clethraceae, Cyrillaceae and Ericaceae. Within this group, the most marked similarities are with extant Actinidiaceae and, to a lesser degree, with Clethraceae. More detailed analyses of the relationships of Glandulocalyx and other Ericales from the Late Cretaceous will require an improved understanding of the morphological features that diagnose particular extant groups defined on the basis of molecular data. PMID:22442339

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

Tracing the HIMU component within Pan-African lithosphere beneath northeast Africa: Evidence from Late Cretaceous Natash alkaline volcanics, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abu El-Rus, M. A.; Chazot, G.; Vannucci, R.; Paquette, J.-L.

2018-02-01

A large late Cretaceous ( 90 Ma) volcanic field (the Natash volcanic province) crops out in southeast Egypt at the northwestern boundary of the Arabian-Nubian shield. The lavas are mainly of alkaline affinity and exhibit a continuous compositional range from alkali olivine basalt (AOB) to trachyte and rhyolite. All basaltic lavas in the province record various extents of fractional crystallization of olivine, clinopyroxene, plagioclase and spinel. The basaltic lavas show variations in Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopic ratios [(87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.7030-0.70286; (143Nd/144Nd)i = 0.512653-0.512761; (206Pb/204Pb)i = 19.28-19.94; (177Hf-176Hf)i = 0.28274-0.28285], that correlate markedly with the major and trace element ratios and abundances. Assimilation of crustal material cannot explain these correlations, and we invoke instead melting of a multicomponent mantle source. We infer the existence of High-μ (HIMU), Enriched mantle type-I (EM-I) and Depleted mantle (DM) domains in the melting source, with a predominant contribution from the HIMU-type. We suggests further that the basaltic lavas originate from low degrees of partial melting (F < 5%) at moderate potential temperatures (TP) 1391-1425 °C and pressures of 2.0-2.6 GPa. The melting pressure estimations imply that melting entirely occurred within lithospheric mantle, most likely in the presence of residual amphibole as presence negative K-anomalies in the primitive mantle-normalized patterns of the fractionation-corrected melts. The presence of amphibole within the lithosphere is a strong evidence that the lithospheric mantle underwent metasomatic enrichment prior to melting in Late Cretaceous. This metasomatic event affected on the Pb isotopic compositions of the Natash volcanics by adding Th and U to the melting source. Time-integrated calculations to remove the decoupling between 206Pb and 207Pb isotopes that most probably resulted from the metasomatic event indicate a tentative link between the metasomatism occurring in the

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.

Late Cretaceous to Miocene sea-level estimates from the New Jersey and Delaware coastal plain coreholes: An error analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kominz, M.A.; Browning, J.V.; Miller, K.G.; Sugarman, P.J.; Mizintseva, S.; Scotese, C.R.

2008-01-01

Sea level has been estimated for the last 108 million years through backstripping of corehole data from the New Jersey and Delaware Coastal Plains. Inherent errors due to this method of calculating sea level are discussed, including uncertainties in ages, depth of deposition and the model used for tectonic subsidence. Problems arising from the two-dimensional aspects of subsidence and response to sediment loads are also addressed. The rates and magnitudes of sea-level change are consistent with at least ephemeral ice sheets throughout the studied interval. Million-year sea-level cycles are, for the most part, consistent within the study area suggesting that they may be eustatic in origin. This conclusion is corroborated by correlation between sequence boundaries and unconformities in New Zealand. The resulting long-term curve suggests that sea level ranged from about 75-110 m in the Late Cretaceous, reached a maximum of about 150 m in the Early Eocene and fell to zero in the Miocene. The Late Cretaceous long-term (107 years) magnitude is about 100-150 m less than sea level predicted from ocean volume. This discrepancy can be reconciled by assuming that dynamic topography in New Jersey was driven by North America overriding the subducted Farallon plate. However, geodynamic models of this effect do not resolve the problem in that they require Eocene sea level to be significantly higher in the New Jersey region than the global average. ?? 2008 The Authors. Journal compilation ?? 2008 Blackwell Publishing.

A New Southern North Atlantic Isochron Map: Insights Into the Drift of the Iberian Plate Since the Late Cretaceous

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macchiavelli, Chiara; Vergés, Jaume; Schettino, Antonio; Fernández, Manel; Turco, Eugenio; Casciello, Emilio; Torne, Montserrat; Pierantoni, Pietro Paolo; Tunini, Lavinia

2017-12-01

This paper presents a new southern North Atlantic plate model from Late Cretaceous to present, with the aim of constraining the kinematics of the Iberian plate during the last 83.5 Myr. This model is presented along with a detailed isochron map generated through the analysis of 3 aeromagnetic tracks and 400 ship tracks from the National Centers for Environmental Information database. We present a new technique to obtain well-constrained estimates of the Iberia-North America plate motions from magnetic anomalies, overcoming the scarcity of large-offset fracture zones and transform faults. We build an integrated kinematic model for NW Africa, Morocco, Iberia, Europe, and North America, which shows that the deformation is partitioned between Pyrenees and Betic-Rif orogenic domain during the Late Cretaceous-Oligocene time interval. In the Eastern Betics domain, the calculated amount of NW Africa-Iberia convergence is 80 km between 83.5 and 34 Ma, followed by 150 km since the Oligocene. The motion of Iberia relative to Europe in the Central Pyrenees is characterized by overall NE directed transpressional motion during the Campanian and the Paleocene, followed by NW directed transpressional movement until the Lutetian and overall NNW directed convergence from Bartonian to Chattian. This motion occurs along the axis of the Bay of Biscay from the Santonian-Campanian boundary to the middle Priabonian, subsequently jumping to King's Trough at Anomaly 17 (36.62 Ma).

Lamniform Shark Teeth from the Late Cretaceous of Southernmost South America (Santa Cruz Province, Argentina)

PubMed Central

Schroeter, Elena R.; Egerton, Victoria M.; Ibiricu, Lucio M.; Lacovara, Kenneth J.

2014-01-01

Here we report multiple lamniform shark teeth recovered from fluvial sediments in the (Campanian-Maastrichtian) Cerro Fortaleza Formation, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. This small tooth assemblage is compared to various lamniform sharks possessing similar dental morphologies, including Archaeolamna, Cretalamna, Dwardius, Dallasiella, and Cretodus. Although the teeth share numerous morphological features with the genus Archaeolamna, including a developed neck that maintains a relatively consistent width along the base of the crown, the small sample size and incomplete nature of these specimens precludes definitive taxonomic assignment. Regardless, the discovery of selachian teeth unique from those previously described for the region broadens the known diversity of Late Cretaceous South American sharks. Additionally, the discovery of the teeth in fluvial sandstone may indicate a euryhaline paleobiology in the lamniform taxon or taxa represented by this tooth assemblage. PMID:25141301

Lamniform shark teeth from the late cretaceous of southernmost South America (Santa Cruz province, Argentina).

PubMed

Schroeter, Elena R; Egerton, Victoria M; Ibiricu, Lucio M; Lacovara, Kenneth J

2014-01-01

Here we report multiple lamniform shark teeth recovered from fluvial sediments in the (Campanian-Maastrichtian) Cerro Fortaleza Formation, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. This small tooth assemblage is compared to various lamniform sharks possessing similar dental morphologies, including Archaeolamna, Cretalamna, Dwardius, Dallasiella, and Cretodus. Although the teeth share numerous morphological features with the genus Archaeolamna, including a developed neck that maintains a relatively consistent width along the base of the crown, the small sample size and incomplete nature of these specimens precludes definitive taxonomic assignment. Regardless, the discovery of selachian teeth unique from those previously described for the region broadens the known diversity of Late Cretaceous South American sharks. Additionally, the discovery of the teeth in fluvial sandstone may indicate a euryhaline paleobiology in the lamniform taxon or taxa represented by this tooth assemblage.

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

Although major progress in Cretaceous (145-66 Ma) paleoclimate and paleoceanography has been made during the last decades (e.g., Hay, 2008, 2011; Föllmi, 2012 and references therein), our knowledge of high latitudinal environmental change remains largely unknown compared to low- and mid-latitude marine and terrestrial environments. Drilling the Arctic Ocean remains challenging and expensive, whereas the Sverdrup Basin provides excellent exposures on land. To fully understand the climate and paleoceanographic dynamics of the warm, equable greenhouse world of the Cretaceous Period it is important to determine polar paleotemperatures and to study paleoceanographic changes in a well-established and continuous bio- and chemostratigraphic context. Exceptional exposures of Cretaceous sediments on the central to southern part of Axel Heiberg Island at a Cretaceous paleolatitude of about 71°N (Tarduno et al., 1998) provide a unique window on the Cretaceous Arctic paleoenvironment and climate history (Schröder-Adams et al., 2014). Here we present high-resolution records combining sedimentological studies, U-Pb zircon geochronology, marine organic carbon isotopes and initial 187Os/188Os data, TEX86-derived sea-surface temperatures (SST) and climate modelling, that constrain the timing and magnitude of major Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAEs) and climate events constructed from a ~1.8 km sedimentary succession exposed on Axel Heiberg and Ellef Ringnens islands in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The first high latitude application of initial 187Os/188Os data are agreeable with global profiles (Du Vivier et al., 2014) indicating the widespread magmatic pulse of the Caribbean Large Igneous Province (LIP) at the onset of OAE2 but also record the emplacement of local High Arctic LIP prior to the OAE2 in the Sverdrup Basin. Initial SST data suggest a slightly lower meridional temperature gradient during the Middle/Late Albian compared to present and a similar to the present one during

Lead-alpha age determinations of granitic rocks from Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Matzko, John J.; Jaffe, H.W.; Waring, C.L.

1957-01-01

Lead-alpha activity age determinations were made on zircon from seven granitic rocks of central and southeastern Alaska. The results of the age determinations indicate two periods of igneous intrusion, one about 95 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period, and another about 53 million years ago, during the early part of the Tertiary. The individual ages determined on zircon from 2 rocks from southeastern Alaska and 1 from east-central Alaska gave results of 90, 100, and 96 million years; those determined on 4 rocks from central Alaska gave results of 47, 56, 58, and 51 million years.

Late Cretaceous Aquatic Plant World in Patagonia, Argentina

PubMed Central

Cúneo, N. Rubén; Gandolfo, María A.; Zamaloa, María C.; Hermsen, Elizabeth

2014-01-01

In this contribution, we describe latest Cretaceous aquatic plant communities from the La Colonia Formation, Patagonia, Argentina, based on their taxonomic components and paleoecological attributes. The La Colonia Formation is a geological unit deposited during a Maastrichtian-Danian transgressive episode of the South Atlantic Ocean. This event resulted in the deposition of a series of fine-grained sediments associated with lagoon systems occurring along irregular coastal plains in northern Patagonia. These deposits preserved a diverse biota, including aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals. The aquatic macrophytes can be broadly divided into two groups: free-floating and rooted, the latter with emergent or floating leaves. Free-floating macrophytes include ferns in Salviniaceae (Azolla and Paleoazolla) and a monocot (Araceae). Floating microphytes include green algae (Botryoccocus, Pediastrum and Zygnemataceae). Among the rooted components, marsileaceous water ferns (including Regnellidium and an extinct form) and the eudicot angiosperm Nelumbo (Nelumbonaceae) are the dominant groups. Terrestrial plants occurring in the vegetation surrounding the lagoons include monocots (palms and Typhaceae), ferns with affinities to Dicksoniaceae, conifers, and dicots. A reconstruction of the aquatic plant paleocommuniy is provided based on the distribution of the fossils along a freshwater horizon within the La Colonia Formation. This contribution constitutes the first reconstruction of a Cretaceous aquatic habitat for southern South America. PMID:25148081

Late Cretaceous sub-volcanic structure in the continental shelf off Portugal and its implications on tectonics and seismicity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neres, Marta; Terrinha, Pedro; Custódio, Susana; Noiva, João; Brito, Pedro; Santos, Joana; Carrilho, Fernando

2017-04-01

Long-lasting and widespread alkaline magmatism is recognized in the west Portuguese margin. Offshore, several volcanic seamounts punctuate the Tore-Madeira Rise and the Estremadura Spur, with known ages between 80 and 100 Ma. Onshore, the major events are the Monchique (69-73 Ma), Sines (75-77 Ma) and Sintra (75-82 Ma) plutons - whose location (aligned along 200 km) and age discrepancy inspired some geodynamic models for Iberia during the Cretaceous - and the Lisbon Volcanic Complex (90-100 Ma). Structural links between them have been proposed but no direct evidence was yet found for it. In this work we present new magnetic data from recent marine magnetic surveys (ROCHEL and MINEPLAT project) conducted off the west Portuguese coast on the continental shelf and slope. A total area of about 3000 km2 between Sintra and Sines was surveyed with line spacing of 1 mile. Very high-resolution multi-channel seismic profiles were simultaneously acquired with the magnetics covering an area of 400 km2 off Sines. Two main primary outcomes arise from these data. On one hand, higher-resolution mapping in regions where magnetic anomalies were already known allows a better understanding of the buried sub-volcanic system. On the other hand, previously unknown NNW-SSE aligned magnetic anomalies were identified along the coast off Sines, possibly corresponding to buried Late Cretaceous alkaline magmatic intrusives. The presence of magmatic bodies was up to now unknown in this region, and these findings reignite the discussion about a structural link connecting the three main on land intrusive complexes, Sintra, Sines and Monchique. In addition to the structural control of the magmatic complexes, seismicity is also an issue as a cluster of seismicity coincident with the Monchique complex has long been known. Smaller clusters coincide with the magnetic anomalies mapped during the ROCHEL and MINEPLAT surveys, as well. We interpret these results in the light of the tectono-magmatism of

A New Azhdarchid Pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous of the Transylvanian Basin, Romania: Implications for Azhdarchid Diversity and Distribution

PubMed Central

Vremir, Mátyás; Kellner, Alexander W. A.; Naish, Darren; Dyke, Gareth J.

2013-01-01

We describe a new taxon of medium-sized (wing span ca. 3 m) azhdarchid pterosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Transylvanian Basin (Sebeş Formation) of Romania. This specimen is the most complete European azhdarchid yet reported, comprising a partially articulated series of vertebrae and associated forelimb bones. The new taxon is most similar to the Central Asian Azhdarcho lancicollis Nessov but possesses a suite of autapomorphies in its vertebrae that include the relative proportions of cervicals three and four and the presence of elongated prezygapophyseal pedicles. The new taxon is interesting in that it lived contemporaneously with gigantic forms, comparable in size to the famous Romanian Hatzegopteryx thambema. The presence of two distinct azhdarchid size classes in a continental depositional environment further strengthens suggestions that these pterosaurs were strongly linked to terrestrial floodplain and wooded environments. To support this discussion, we outline the geological context and taphonomy of our new specimen and place it in context with other known records for this widespread and important Late Cretaceous pterosaurian lineage. PMID:23382886

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

Multiple episodes of fast exhumation since Late Cretaceous in the Three Rivers region, SE Tibetan Plateau, revealed by low-temperature thermochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, J.; Zhang, J.; McPhillips, D.; Reiners, P. W.; Wang, W.; Pik, R.; Zeng, L.; Hoke, G. D.; Xie, K.; Xiao, P.; Zheng, D.; Ge, Y.

2017-12-01

The Three Rivers region in southeast Tibet is characterized by deeply incised river valleys separated by a perched low relief landscape that gently descends from the high Tibetan plateau towards the southeast. When and how this unique landscape formed is debated. The onset of increased river incision is often interpreted as a proxy for the timing of surface uplift. Here,apatite and zircon U-Th/He and apatite fission track thermochronology are employed to map the spatial and temporal pattern of exhumation in the region. Vertical profiles of granitic rocks were collected near Deqin ( 28.5°N) and Weixi ( 27.5°N). The two transects share a similar exhumation history, with two episodes of relatively fast exhumation ( 100-300 m/Myr): during the Paleocene to Eocene (60-40 Ma) and Miocene to present (20-0 Ma), separated by an intervening period of slow exhumation. A pulse of moderate to high exhumation (70-300 m/Myr) during the mid- to late-Cretaceous (120-80 Ma) is also present in the data. Overall, the rate and total amount of exhumation near Deqin is larger than at Weixi and is especially pronounced in the interval between 20 Ma to present. This difference is likely related to whether a profile's is exposed adjacent to the more erosive trunk stream (Deqin) or contained within tributary (Weixi). In addition, the Paleocene to Eocene episode of fast exhumation in the Three Rivers region occurred prior to that observed on the eastern plateau margin. This Paleocene to Eocene period of rapid exhumation is likely due to early Cenozoic deformation related to the transpressional collision of the Indian plate with this region. Pre-Miocene episodes of fast exhumation corroborate with recent paleoaltimetry studies, which shows that the Three Rivers region was elevated prior to the Oligocene.

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.

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

Euoplocephalus tutus and the Diversity of Ankylosaurid Dinosaurs in the Late Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada, and Montana, USA

PubMed Central

Arbour, Victoria M.; Currie, Philip J.

2013-01-01

Few ankylosaurs are known from more than a single specimen, but the ankylosaurid Euoplocephalus tutus (from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada and Montana, USA) is represented by dozens of skulls and partial skeletons, and is therefore an important taxon for understanding intraspecific variation in ankylosaurs. Euoplocephalus is unusual compared to other dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta because it is recognized from the Dinosaur Park, Horseshoe Canyon, and Two Medicine formations. A comprehensive review of material attributed to Euoplocephalus finds support for the resurrection of its purported synonyms Anodontosaurus lambei and Scolosaurus cutleri, and the previously resurrected Dyoplosaurus acutosquameus. Anodontosaurus is found primarily in the Horseshoe Canyon Formation of Alberta and is characterized by ornamentation posterior to the orbits and on the first cervical half ring, and wide, triangular knob osteoderms. Euoplocephalus is primarily found in Megaherbivore Assemblage Zone 1 in the Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta and is characterized by the absence of ornamentation posterior to the orbits and on the first cervical half ring, and keeled medial osteoderms on the first cervical half ring. Scolosaurus is found primarily in the Two Medicine Formation of Montana (although the holotype is from Dinosaur Provincial Park), and is characterized by long, back-swept squamosal horns, ornamentation posterior to the orbit, and low medial osteoderms on the first cervical half ring; Oohkotokia horneri is morphologically indistinguishable from Scolosaurus cutleri. Dyoplosaurus was previously differentiated from Euoplocephalus sensu lato by the morphology of the pelvis and pes, and these features also differentiate Dyoplosaurus from Anodontosaurus and Scolosaurus; a narrow tail club knob is probably also characteristic for Dyoplosaurus. PMID:23690940

A-type granite and the Red Sea opening

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coleman, R.G.; DeBari, S.; Peterman, Z.

1992-01-01

Miocene-Oligocene A-type granite intrudes the eastern side of the Red Sea margin within the zone of extension from Jiddah, Saudi Arabia south to Yemen. The intrusions developed in the early stages of continental extension as Arabia began to move slowly away from Africa (around 30-20 Ma). Within the narrow zone of extension silicic magmas formed dikes, sills, small plutons and extrusive equivalents. In the Jabal Tirf area of Saudi Arabia these rocks occur in an elongate zone consisting of late Precambrian basement to the east, which is gradually invaded by mafic dikes. The number of dikes increases westward until an igneous complex is produced parallel to the present Red Sea axis. The Jabal Tirf igneous complex consists of diabase and rhyolite-granophyre sills (20-24 Ma). Although these are intrusine intrusive rocks their textures indicate shallow depths of intrusion (< 1 km). To the south, in the Yemen, contemporaneous with alkali basaltic eruptions (26-30 Ma) and later silicic eruptions, small plutons, dikes, and stocks of alkali granite invaded thick (1500 m) volcanic series, at various levels and times. Erosion within the uplifted margin of Yemen suggests that the maximum depth of intrusion was less than 1-2 km. Granophyric intrusions (20-30 Ma) within mafic dike swarms similar to the Jabal Tirf complex are present along the western edge of the Yemen volcanic plateau, marking a north-south zone of continental extension. The alkali granites of Yemen consist primarily of perthitic feldspar and quartz with some minor alkali amphiboles and acmite. These granites represent water-poor, hypersolvus magmas generated from parent alkali basalt magmas. The granophyric, two-feldspar granites associated with the mafic dike swarms and layered gabbros formed by fractional crystallization from tholeiitic basalt parent developed in the early stages of extension. Initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios of these rocks and their bulk chemistry indicate that production of peralkaline and

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

Magnetostratigraphy of displaced Upper Cretaceous strata in southern California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fry, J. Gilbert; Bottjer, David J.; Lund, Steve P.

1985-09-01

A magnetostratigraphic study of Upper Cretaceous marine strata from the Santa Ana Mountains in southern California has identified a Campanian reversed magnetozone. This reversed interval, corresponding to marine magnetic anomaly 33 34 (Chron 33r) of Campanian age, can be correlated with a Campanian reversed magnetozone that has been reported from strata of the Great Valley Sequence in central California. The Late Cretaceous paleolatitude of the Santa Ana Mountains is estimated from this study to be 26.6°N. This is significantly different from the region's expected Cretaceous paleolatitude of 43.8°N as part of the North American stable craton, and indicates that this region (part of the Peninsular Ranges terrane) was 1900 km farther south in Cretaceous time relative to the stable craton. *Present address: Mobil Oil Corp., P.O. Box 900, Dallas, Texas 75221

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.

Characterizing Cretaceous Glaciation Events: K-Ar Ages of Southern Ocean Sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, M. A.; Hemming, S. R.; Barbeau, D. L.; Torfstein, A.; Pierce, E. L.; Williams, T.; McManus, J. F.; Gombiner, J.

2012-12-01

Evidence from paleosols and carbonate weathering models suggest that the Late Cretaceous had a supergreenhouse climate due to atmospheric CO2 concentrations two to four times greater than modern levels, tropical sea surface temperatures exceeding 35°C, and high-latitude temperatures exceeding 20°C. Despite this warmth, the Late Cretaceous was apparently punctuated by large (>25 m) and rapid (<<1 million year) sea-level changes, as recorded by marginal marine stratigraphic architectures and pelagic stable isotope compositions. The magnitude and tempo of these changes suggest a glacio-eustatic control, presumably from the growth and decay of continental ice sheets on Antarctica. Because continental glaciation tends to increase the weathering of bedrock and production of sediment delivered to the oceans, circum-Antarctic marine sediment flux would be expected to increase during periods of glaciation. In order to identify a Late Cretaceous glaciation signal from such marine records, we must first constrain the compositional signal of continental detritus in marine sediments. Here we report the results of downcore K-Ar analysis of the terrigenous sediments of Quaternary Weddell Sea cores PS1170-1 and PS1388-3 in order to identify the compositional signature of continent-derived detritus deposited in the Weddell Sea during a known glacial period. Further, we use our K-Ar analyses of circum-Antarctic Quaternary sediment cores to pinpoint potential sediment source areas. Having constrained this glaciation signal, we also present preliminary K-Ar and Sm-Nd analysis of the Campanian-Maastrictian boundary event (69 Ma) at Ocean Drilling Project site 690C to assess the controversial hypothesis of Late Cretaceous glaciation of Antarctica.

Late Cretaceous - recent lithosphere scale evolution of Turkey: linking the crustal surface evolution to the structure of the mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartol, J.; Govers, R. M. A.; Wortel, M. J. R.

2015-12-01

Central Anatolia (Central Turkey) possesses all the characteristics of a plateau. It experienced a period of rapid and substantial uplift (late Miocene, ˜8 Ma) while significant crustal shortening did not occur. Similar to other plateaus, the presence of volcanic ash and tuff within the sediments suggest that uplift was preceded by widespread volcanism (˜14-9Ma). The lithospheric context of these events is, however, unknown. For the Eastern Anatolian plateau, similar events have been attributed to southward retread followed by slab break-off of the northern Neotethys slab. Recent tomographic results indicate that this northern Neotethys slab extended beneath both the Eastern and Central Anatolian plateau prior to late Miocene delamination and possibly even beneath western Anatolia prior to the Eocene (?). We propose a new lithospheric scenario for the regional evolution for the Aegean-Anatolia-Near East region that combines a recent compilation of surface geology data with the structure of the upper mantle imaged with tomography. In our new scenario for the evolution of the Aegean-Anatolia-Near East region, a single continuous subduction zone south of the Pontides (Izmir - Ankara - Erzincan crustal suture zone) accommodated the Africa - Eurasia convergence until the end of the late Cretaceous. In the Late Cretaceous - Eocene the northern Neotethys Ocean closed followed by Anatolide - Taurides (south) and Pontides (north) continental collision along the Izmir - Ankara - Erzincan crustal suture zone. While the trench jumped to the south of Anatolide - Taurides terrane, subduction continued beneath the Izmir-Ankara-Erzincan suture where the northern Neotethys slab continued to sink into the deeper mantle. In the early Miocene (˜20-15Ma), the northern Neotethys slab started to retreat southward towards the trench, resulting in delamination of the lithospheric mantle. The last part of (early Miocene - recent) our scenario is testable. We use a coupled thermal

Paleomagnetic reconstruction of Late Cretaceous structures along the Midelt-Errachidia profile (Morocco). Tectonic implications.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torres López, Sara; José Villalain, Juan; Casas, Antonio; El ouardi, Hmidou; Moussaid, Bennacer; Ruiz-Martínez, Vicente Carlos

2017-04-01

Remagnetization data are used in this work to obtain the palinspastic reconstruction at 100 (Ma) of one of the most studied profiles of the Central High Atlas: the Midelt-Errachidia cross-section (Morocco). Previous studies in the area on syn-rift sedimentary rocks of subsiding basins have revealed that the Mesozoic sediments of this region acquired a pervasive remagnetization at the end of the Early Cretaceous. Fifty-eight sites (470 samples) corresponding to black limestones, marly limestones and marls, Early to Middle Jurassic in age, have been studied. Sites are distributed along a 70 km transect cutting across the basin and perpendicular to the main structures. The magnetic properties of samples are very regular showing very high NRM. Thermal and AF demagnetization showed a single stable paleomagnetic component with unblocking temperatures and coercivities spectra of 300-475°C and 20-100 mT respectively. This characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) showed systematically normal polarity suggesting a widespread remagnetization. In spite of the good outcrops and the relatively well-constrained structure of the High Atlas, there are many tectonic problems still unsolved, as the controversial existence of intra-Mesozoic deformation episodes. The restoration of paleomagnetic vectors to the remagnetization acquisition stage (100 Ma) allows to determine the dip of the beds during this period and, thereby, to obtain a reconstruction of structures during that time. This reconstruction accounts for the relative contribution of Mesozoic transpressional/transtrenssional movements vs. Cenozoic compression to the present-day dip. The results obtained indicate that these structures have undergone different degrees of pre-late Cretaceous deformation and were re-activated during the Cenozoic compression to finally acquire their present-day geometry.

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.

A new clade of Asian late Cretaceous long-snouted tyrannosaurids.

PubMed

Lü, Junchang; Yi, Laiping; Brusatte, Stephen L; Yang, Ling; Li, Hua; Chen, Liu

2014-05-07

The iconic tyrannosaurids were top predators in Asia and North America during the latest Cretaceous, and most species had deep skulls that allowed them to generate extreme bite forces. Two unusual specimens of Alioramus from Mongolia seem to indicate a divergent long-snouted body plan among some derived tyrannosaurids, but the rarity and juvenile nature of these fossils leaves many questions unanswered. Here, we describe a remarkable new species of long-snouted tyrannosaurid from the Maastrichtian of southeastern China, Qianzhousaurus sinensis. Phylogenetic analysis places Qianzhousaurus with both species of Alioramus in a novel longirostrine clade, which was geographically widespread across latest Cretaceous Asia and formed an important component of terrestrial ecosystems during this time. The new specimen is approximately twice the size as both Alioramus individuals, showing that the long-snouted morphology was not a transient juvenile condition of deep-snouted species, but a characteristic of a major tyrannosaurid subgroup.

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 Taitao Granites: I-type granites formed by subduction of the Chile Ridge and its implication in growth of continental crusts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anma, Ryo

2016-04-01

Late Miocene to Early Pliocene granite plutons are exposed at the tip of the Taitao peninsula, the westernmost promontory of the Chilean coast, together with a contemporaneous ophiolite with a Penrose-type stratigraphy. Namely, the Taitao granites and the Taitao ohiolite, respectively, are located at ~30 km southeast of the Chile triple junction, where a spreading center of the Chile ridge system is subducting underneath the South America plate. This unique tectonic setting provides an excellent opportunity to study the generation processes of granitic magmas at a ridge subduction environment, and the complex magmatic interactions between the subducting ridge, overlying crust and sediments, and mantle. This paper reviews previous studies on the Taitao ophiolite/granite complex and use geochemical data and U-Pb age distributions of zircons separated from igneous and sedimentary rocks from the area to discuss the mechanism that formed juvenile magma of calc-alkaline I-type granites during ridge subduction. Our model implies that the magmas of the Taitao granites formed mainly due to partial melting of hot oceanic crust adjacent to the subducting mid-oceanic ridge that has been under influence of deep crustal contamination and/or metasomatized sub-arc mantle through slab window. The partial melting took place under garnet-free-amphibolite conditions. The juvenile magmas then incorporated a different amount of subducted sediments to form the I-type granites with various compositions. The Taitao granites provide an ideal case study field that shows the processes to develop continental crusts out of oceanic crusts through ridge subduction.

AMS studies in Portuguese variscan granites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sant'Ovaia, Helena; Martins, Helena; Noronha, Fernando

2014-05-01

the two syntectonic mica granites, granites from Porto or Gralheira, the magnetic anisotropy ranges between 5% and 6%, showing high to medium temperature solid-state deformation microstructures (like square-shaped quartz subgrains, recrystallized quartz grains, coupled by kinked biotites and bands of quartz surrounded by mica flakes). In the late to post-tectonic granite bodies, such as those from Castro Daire, Valpaços, Castelo Branco, Mangualde-Trancoso or Serra da Estrela, the magnetic anisotropy falls within the 2.5% and 5% range. The magnetic anisotropy of the Lavadores granite is always higher than 10%. This feature, however, reflects the presence of rough alignments of magnetite co-existent with magmatic to submagmatic microstructures. The shape parameter T is quite variable; however, the average values, for all the massifs, are always higher than zero, suggesting the presence of oblate AMS ellipsoids due to the magnetocrystalline anisotropy of biotite. The values of magnetic susceptibility and magnetic anisotropy allowed a petrophysical characterization of the paramagnetic Variscan granites as was proposed by Sant'Ovaia & Noronha (2005).

Biostratigraphy and biocorrelation of the Late Cretaceous high productivity sequence of the Southern Tethys, Israel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashckenazi-Polivoda, Sarit; Meilijson, Aaron; Ron-Yankovich, Libby; Illner, Peter; Alsenz, Heiko; Speijer, Robert P.; Almogi-Labin, Ahuva; Feinstein, Shimon; Berner, Zsolt; Püttmann, Wilhelm; Abramovich, Sigal

2014-05-01

Organic rich deposits are common throughout Israel and the Levant region, and are a product of intensive and prolonged upwelling system that prevailed during the Late Cretaceous. In the distal Shefela Basin (central Israel) uniform lithology of organic rich carbonates locally referred as oil shale occur, unlike the distinct Si-P-C enriched sequence of the more proximal Negev basins (southern Israel). The high water column productivity and frequent oxygen deficiency caused partial to total disappearance of some index taxa used traditionally in biostratigraphy. This challenges accurate dating and correlation of the studied sequences. Here we present a new detailed chronostratigraphic framework for the high productivity sequence in Israel, based on the most updated Late Cretaceous planktic foraminiferal zonation, coupled with secondary biomarkers and regional acme events of benthic foraminifera. Lithostratigraphic boundaries and gamma ray log markers were integrated and used as tie points in our age model. The newly drilled Aderet borehole from the Shefela Basin is used as a 'type-section' for correlation with the sequences of southern Israel (M8, Saraf, Pama). Ten age intervals were determined in the studied sections ranging from the Late Coniacian Dicarinella concavata Zone to the Late Maastrichtian Pseudoguembelina hariaensis Zone. Some of the zonal subdivision could not be defined and differentiated based on the common biomarkers, due to their rareness or delayed occurrence. In these cases, they were replaced by the following secondary datum: The lowest occurrence (LO) of Rugoglobigerina rugosa and the highest occurrences (HO) of D. concavata and Marginotrunana spp. were used as alternative biomarkers for the top of D. asymetrica Zone and the base of Globotruncanita elevata Zone. The LOs of Pseudoguembelina costulata and P. excolata were used for correlating the undifferentiated Radotruncana calcarata/Globotruncanella havanensis Zones. The LO of Gublerina

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

Bokan Mountain peralkaline granitic complex, Alexander terrane (southeastern Alaska): evidence for Early Jurassic rifting prior to accretion with North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dostal, Jaroslav; Karl, Susan M.; Keppie, J. Duncan; Kontak, Daniel J.; Shellnutt, J. Gregory

2013-01-01

The circular Bokan Mountain complex (BMC) on southern Prince of Wales Island, southernmost Alaska, is a Jurassic peralkaline granitic intrusion about 3 km in diameter that crosscuts igneous and metasedimentary rocks of the Alexander terrane. The BMC hosts significant rare metal (rare earth elements, Y, U, Th, Zr, and Nb) mineralization related to the last stage of BMC emplacement. U–Pb (zircon) and 40Ar/39Ar (amphibole and whole-rock) geochronology indicates the following sequence of intrusive activity: (i) a Paleozoic basement composed mainly of 469 ± 4 Ma granitic rocks; (ii) intrusion of the BMC at 177 ± 1 Ma followed by rapid cooling through ca. 550 °C at 176 ± 1 Ma that was synchronous with mineralization associated with vertical, WNW-trending pegmatites, felsic dikes, and aegirine–fluorite veins and late-stage, sinistral shear deformation; and (iii) intrusion of crosscutting lamprophyre dikes at >150 Ma and again at ca. 105 Ma. The peralkaline nature of the BMC and the WNW trend of associated dikes suggest intrusion during NE–SW rifting that was followed by NE–SW shortening during the waning stages of BMC emplacement. The 177 Ma BMC was synchronous with other magmatic centres in the Alexander terrane, such as (1) the Dora Bay peralkaline stock and (2) the bimodal Moffatt volcanic suite located ∼30 km north and ∼100 km SE of the BMC, respectively. This regional magmatism is interpreted to represent a regional extensional event that precedes deposition of the Late Jurassic – Cretaceous Gravina sequence that oversteps the Wrangellia and Alexander exotic accreted terranes and the Taku and Yukon–Tanana pericratonic terranes of the Canadian–Alaskan Cordillera.

Bokan Mountain peralkaline granitic complex, Alexander terrane (southeastern Alaska): evidence for Early Jurassic rifting prior to accretion with North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dostal, Jaroslav; Karl, Susan M.; Keppie, J. Duncan; Kontak, Daniel J.; Shellnutt, J. Gregory

2013-01-01

The circular Bokan Mountain complex (BMC) on southern Prince of Wales Island, southernmost Alaska, is a Jurassic peralkaline granitic intrusion about 3 km in diameter that crosscuts igneous and metasedimentary rocks of the Alexander terrane. The BMC hosts significant rare metal (rare earth elements, Y, U, Th, Zr, and Nb) mineralization related to the last stage of BMC emplacement. U–Pb (zircon) and 40Ar/39Ar (amphibole and whole-rock) geochronology indicates the following sequence of intrusive activity: (i) a Paleozoic basement composed mainly of 469 ± 4 Ma granitic rocks; (ii) intrusion of the BMC at 177 ± 1 Ma followed by rapid cooling through ca. 550 °C at 176 ± 1 Ma that was synchronous with mineralization associated with vertical, WNW-trending pegmatites, felsic dikes, and aegirine–fluorite veins and late-stage, sinistral shear deformation; and (iii) intrusion of crosscutting lamprophyre dikes at >150 Ma and again at ca. 105 Ma. The peralkaline nature of the BMC and the WNW trend of associated dikes suggest intrusion during NE–SW rifting that was followed by NE–SW shortening during the waning stages of BMC emplacement. The 177 Ma BMC was synchronous with other magmatic centres in the Alexander terrane, such as (1) the Dora Bay peralkaline stock and (2) the bimodal Moffatt volcanic suite located ~30 km north and ~100 km SE of the BMC, respectively. This regional magmatism is interpreted to represent a regional extensional event that precedes deposition of the Late Jurassic – Cretaceous Gravina sequence that oversteps the Wrangellia and Alexander exotic accreted terranes and the Taku and Yukon–Tanana pericratonic terranes of the Canadian–Alaskan Cordillera.

The geochemistry and tectonic setting of late Cretaceous Caribbean and Colombian volcanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerr, Andrew C.; Tarney, John; Marriner, Giselle F.; Nivia, Alvaro; Klaver, Gerard Th.; Saunders, Andrew D.

1996-03-01

Late Cretaceous mafic volcanic sequences in Western Colombia and in the southern Caribbean have a striking coherence in their chemistry and compositional range which suggests they are part of the same magmatic province. The chemical characteristics of the majority of the mafic lavas are totally unlike those of island arc or marginal basin basalts, so the sequences cannot represent accreted arc terranes. On the other hand their trace element characteristics closely resemble those of Icelandic/Reykjanes Ridge basalts that represent an oceanic plateau formed by extensive decompression melting of an uprising deep mantle plume. The occurrence of komatiites on Gorgona and high-MgO picritic lavas in S.E. Colombia and on Curaçao, representing high temperature melts of the plume tail, confirms this analogy. Likewise, late stage rhyolites within the Colombian mafic volcanics may well be the equivalent of the extensive silicic magmas on Iceland and at Galapagos, possibly formed by remelting of the deep parts of the overthickened basaltic crust above the plume head. These volcanics, plus others around the Caribbean, including the floor of the Central Caribbean, probably all represent part of an oceanic plateau that formed rapidly at the Galapagos hotspot at 88 Ma, and that was too hot and buoyant to subduct beneath the margin of S. America as it migrated westwards with the opening of the South Atlantic, and so was imbricated along the continental margin. Minor arc-like volcanics, tonalites and hornblende leucogabbro veins may represent the products of subduction-flip of normal ocean crust against the buoyant plateau, or hydrous melts developed during imbrication/obduction.

Oman's low latitude "Snowball Earth" pole revisited: Late Cretaceous remagnetisation of Late Neoproterozoic carbonates in Northern Oman

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rowan, C. J.; Tait, J.

2010-12-01

Glaciogenic diamictites and associated ‘cap’ carbonates within the Neoproterozoic Huqf Supergroup of Oman record a period of extreme, possibly global, glaciations between 750-635 Ma (the "Snowball Earth"). We have performed high-resolution paleomagnetic sampling of two sections through ~635 Ma cap carbonates in the Jebel Akhdar region of northern Oman. Stepwise thermal demagnetisation reveals a low temperature component carried by goethite, and a high temperature component carried by haematite, that are both aligned with the modern dipole field direction. Occasional reversed polarity directions antipodal to the present day field indicate pervasive weathering of these outcrops over timescales of at least 1 Ma. Between these two overprints an intermediate component with typical unblocking temperatures of 300-550 C, probably carried by magnetite, can also be isolated in most samples. A robust fold test clearly demonstrates that this component was acquired after Paleozoic folding of the carbonates, and was most likely acquired during exhumation associated with emplacement of the Semail ophiolite during the Late Cretaceous (95-68 Ma). In geographic co-ordinates, the intermediate component has an almost horizontal NNW or SSE direction, similar to directions previously reported from outcrops of the ophiolite close to the Jebel Akhdar region, and from thermally altered basement rocks in the the Saih Hatat window further to the east [Feinberg et al. 1999]. Hints of an older, Permian, remagnetisation of the carbonates, which is also observed in the Saih Hatat basement rocks, have also produced a false polarity stratigraphy in one of the sampled sections. Our results contrast with the previously reported low latitude pole from the Huqf Supergroup [Kilner et al., 2005], which was considered to be amongst the more reliable paleomagnetic data supporting glaciations extending to low latitudes during the late Neoproterozoic. However, this interpretation was made on the basis

Paleomagnetism of the Cretaceous Galula Formation and implications for vertebrate evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Widlansky, Sarah J.; Clyde, William C.; O'Connor, Patrick M.; Roberts, Eric M.; Stevens, Nancy J.

2018-03-01

This study uses magnetostratigraphy to help constrain the age of the paleontologically important Galula Formation (Rukwa Rift Basin, southwestern Tanzania). The formation preserves a Cretaceous vertebrate fauna, including saurischian dinosaurs, a putative gondwanatherian mammal, and notosuchian crocodyliforms. With better dating, the Galula Formation and its fossils help fill a temporal gap in our understanding of vertebrate evolution in continental Africa, enabling better evaluation of competing paleobiogeographic hypotheses concerning faunal exchange throughout Gondwana during the Cretaceous. Paleomagnetic samples for this study were collected from the Namba (higher in section) and Mtuka (lower in section) members of the Galula Formation and underwent stepwise thermal demagnetization. All samples displayed a strong normal magnetic polarity overprint, and maximum unblocking temperatures at approximately 690 °C. Three short reversed intervals were identified in the Namba Member, whereas the Mtuka Member lacked any clear reversals. Given the relatively limited existing age constraints, one interpretation correlates the Namba Member to Chron C32. An alternative correlation assigns reversals in the Namba Member to recently proposed short reversals near the end of the Cretaceous Normal Superchron (Chron C34), a time that is traditionally interpreted as having stable normal polarity. The lack of reversals in the Mtuka Member supports deposition within Chron C34. These data suggest that the Namba Member is no older than Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Campanian), with the Mtuka Member less well constrained to the middle Cretaceous (Aptian-Cenomanian). The paleomagnetic results are supported by the application of fold and reversal tests for paleomagnetic stability, and paleomagnetic poles for the Namba (246.4°/77.9°, α95 5.9°) and Mtuka (217.1°/72.2°, α95 11.1°) members closely matching the apparent polar wander path for Africa during the Late Cretaceous. These

Timing, petrogenesis and tectonic setting of the Late Paleozoic gabbro-granodiorite-granite intrusions in the Shalazhashan of northern Alxa: Constraints on the southernmost boundary of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Xingjun; Wang, Tao; Zhang, Lei; Castro, Antonio; Xiao, XuChang; Tong, Ying; Zhang, Jianjun; Guo, Lei; Yang, Qidi

2014-11-01

The Late Paleozoic tectonic setting and location of the southernmost boundary of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) with respect to the Alxa Block or Alxa-North China Craton (ANCC) are debated. This paper presents new geochronological, petrological, geochemical and zircon Hf isotopic data of the Late Paleozoic intrusions from the Shalazhashan in northern Alxa and discusses the tectonic setting and boundary between the CAOB and ANCC. Using zircon U-Pb dating, intrusions can be broadly grouped as Late Carboniferous granodiorites (~ 301 Ma), Middle Permian gabbros (~ 264 Ma) and granites (~ 266 Ma) and Late Permian granodiorites, monzogranites and quartz monzodiorites (254-250 Ma). The Late Carboniferous granodiorites are slightly peraluminous and calcic. The remarkably high zircon Hf isotopes (εHf(t) = + 6-+ 10) and characteristics of high silica adakites suggest that these granodiorites were mainly derived from "hot" basaltic slab-melts of the subducted oceanic crust. The Middle Permian gabbros exhibited typical cumulate textures and were derived from the partial melting of depleted mantle. The Middle Permian granites are slightly peraluminous with high-K calc-alkaline and low εHf(t) values from - 0.9 to + 2.9. These granites were most likely derived from juvenile materials mixed with old crustal materials. The Late Permian granodiorites, monzogranites and quartz monzodiorites are characterized as metaluminous to slightly peraluminous, with variable Peacock alkali-lime index values from calc-alkalic to alkali-calcic. These rocks were mainly derived from juvenile crustal materials, as evidenced by their high εHf(t) values (+ 3.3 to + 8.9). The juvenile sources of the above intrusions in the Shalazhashan are similar to those of the granitoids from the CAOB but distinct from the granitoids within the Alxa Block. These findings suggest that the Shalazhashan Zone belongs to the CAOB rather than the Alxa Block and that its boundary with the Alxa block can be

Alluvial fan facies of the Yongchong Basin: Implications for tectonic and paleoclimatic changes during Late Cretaceous in SE China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Liuqin; Steel, Ronald J.; Guo, Fusheng; Olariu, Cornel; Gong, Chenglin

2017-02-01

Late Cretaceous continental redbeds, the Guifeng Group of the Yongchong Basin in SE China have been investigated to conduct detailed fan facies description and interpretation. Tectonic activities determined the alluvial fan development along the basin margin, but the alluvial facies was linked with paleoclimate changes. The Guifeng Group is divided into the Hekou, Tangbian and Lianhe formations in ascending order. The Hekou conglomerates are typically polymict, moderately sorted with erosional bases, cut-and-fill features, normal grading and sieve deposits, representing dominant stream-flows on alluvial fans during the initial opening stage of the basin infill. The Tangbian Formation, however, is characterized by structureless fine-grained sediments with dispersed coarse clasts, and couplets of conglomerate and sandstone or siltstone and mudstone, recording a change to a playa and ephemeral lake environments with occasional stream flooding, thus indicating a basin expanding stage. The hallmark of the Lianhe Formation is disorganized, poorly sorted conglomerates lack of erosional bases, and a wide particle-size range from clay to boulders together reflect mud-rich debris-flows accumulating on fans, likely related to reactivation of faulting along the northwestern mountain fronts during a post-rift stage. The depositional system changes from stream-flows up through playa with ephemeral streams to debris-flows during the accumulation of the three formations are thus attributed to different source rocks and climatic conditions. Therefore, the fluvial-dominated fans of the Hekou Formation recorded a subhumid paleoclimate (Coniacian-Santonian Age). The dominant semiarid climate during the Campanian Age produced abundant fine-grained sediments in the playa and ephemeral lake environments of the Tangbian Formation. A climatic change towards more humidity during the late stage of the Guifeng Group (Maastrichtian Age) probably yielded high deposition rate of coarse clasts in

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

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 new species of Allodaposuchus (Eusuchia, Crocodylia) from the Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) of Spain: phylogenetic and paleobiological implications

PubMed Central

Blanco, Alejandro; Fortuny, Josep; Vicente, Alba; Luján, Àngel H.; García-Marçà, Jordi Alexis

2015-01-01

Background. The Late Cretaceous is a keystone period to understand the origin and early radiation of Crocodylia, the group containing all extant lineages of crocodilians. Among the taxa described from the latest Cretaceous of Europe, the genus Allodaposuchus is one of the most common but also one of the most controversial. However, because of its fragmentary record, several issues regarding its phylogenetic emplacement and its ecology remain unsolved or unknown. The discovery of a single specimen attributed to Allodaposuchus, represented by both cranial and postcranial remains, from the Casa Fabà site (Tremp Basin, NE Spain) in the lower red unit of the Tremp Fm. (early Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous) offers a unique opportunity to deepen in the phylogenetic relationships of the group and its ecological features. Methods. The specimen is described in detail, and CT scan of the skull is performed in order to study the endocranial morphology as well as paratympanic sinuses configuration. In addition, myological and phylogenetic analyses are also carried out on the specimen for to shed light in ecological and phylogenetic issues, respectively. Results. The specimen described herein represents a new species, Allodaposuchus hulki sp. nov., closely related to the Romanian A. precedens. The CT scan of the skull revealed an unexpected paratympanic sinuses configuration. Allosaposuchus hulki exhibits an “anterodorsal tympanic sinus” not observed in any other extant or extinct crocodilian. The caudal tympanic recesses are extremely enlarged, and the expanded quadratic sinus seems to be connected to the middle-ear channel. Phylogenetic analyses confirm the emplacement of the informal taxonomic group ‘Allodaposuchia’ at the base of Crocodylia, being considered the sister group of Borealosuchus and Planocraniidae. Discussion. Although this is a preliminary hypothesis, the unique paratympanic configuration displayed by A. hulki suggests that it could possess a high

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

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.

Zircon geochronology and Hf-O isotope geochemistry from granites in the Iapetus Suture Zone in Ireland and the Isle of Man

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fritschle, Tobias; Daly, J. Stephen; Whitehouse, Martin J.; McConnell, Brian; Buhre, Stephan

2014-05-01

Late Caledonian syn- to post-orogenic granites located in the Iapetus Suture Zone (ISZ) in Ireland and Britain have been related to A-type subduction and possible slab breakoff [1] following the Laurentia-Avalonian collision. Lack of reliable age data (especially in Ireland) has inhibited petrogenetic investigations of these rocks. Hence, ion microprobe U-Pb and oxygen isotope analyses as well as LA-MC-ICPMS Lu-Hf isotopic measurements on zircons from Irish and Isle of Man granites have been undertaken to provide better constraints on this enigmatic episode of the Caledonian Orogeny. Four stages of Late Caledonian granitic magmatism (c. 435, 417, 410 and 394 Ma) are indicated by U-Pb dating of oscillatory-zoned magmatic zircons. The Crossdoney, Kentstown, Drogheda and Ballynamuddagh granites together with a rhyolite from Glenamaddy have yielded U-Pb concordia ages, interpreted as intrusion-ages, between 419.9 ± 4.3 Ma (Glenamaddy) and 415.8 ± 2.0 Ma (Crossdoney) with a weighted average of 417.5 ± 0.9 Ma (MSWD = 1.3). The Glenamaddy Granite - which intruded the Glenamaddy Rhyolite - yielded an age of 410 ± 2.1 Ma. In addition, the Rockabill Granite yielded a younger age of 393.9 ± 1.9 Ma, whereas the Carnsore Granite yielded an older age of 434.6 ± 1.9 Ma. Inherited zircons (487 to 453 Ma) occur in several of the granites, and are interpreted to have been derived from Ordovician arc magmatic rocks accreted within the ISZ. A younger group of c. 440 Ma inherited zircons occurs in the c. 417 Ma Crossdoney and Ballynamuddagh granites. These grains could be related to continued or renewed Silurian arc magmatism. Hf-O isotopic measurements on the dated zircon grains range between -2 and +7 ɛHfi units and 5.5 to 8.5 o δ18O. These are interpreted to indicate the contribution of juvenile mantle melts - possibly derived from the Ordovician arc - to some of the granites. Significant heterogeneities in zircon oxygen isotopes in at least four of the granites further

Lead isotopic evidence for mixed sources of Proterozoic granites and pegmatites, Black Hills, South Dakota, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krogstad, Eirik J.; Walker, Richard J.; Nabelek, Peter I.; Russ-Nabelek, Carol

1993-10-01

The lead isotopic compositions of K-feldspars separated from the ca. 1700 Ma Harney Peak Granite complex and spatially associated granitic pegmatites indicate that these rocks were derived from at least two sources. It has been reported previously that the core of the Harney Peak Granite complex is dominated by relatively lower/ gd18O (avg. 11.5 %.) granites, whereas higher / gd18O (avg. 13.2%.) granites occur around the periphery of the complex. The higher δ 18O granites and one simple pegmatite have low values of 207Pb /204Pb for their 206Pb /204Pb Thus, they likely were derived from a source with a short crustal residence time. This source may have been the pelitic schists into which the Harney Peak Granite complex and pegmatites were intruded. Feldspars from granites with lower / gd18O values have significantly higher 207Pb /204Pb for their 206Pb /204Pb . The data define a linear array with a slope equivalent to an age of ca. 2.6 Ga with t 2 defined to be 1.7 Ga. Such a slope could represent a mixing array or a secondary isochron for the source. These low δ18O granites could have been derived from a source with a high U/ Pb and with a crustal residence beginning before the Proterozoic. The source (s) of these granites may have been a sediment derived from late Archean continental crust. The highly evolved Tin Mountain pegmatite has lead isotopic systematics intermediate between those of the two granite groups, suggesting either a mixed source or contamination. Two late Archean granites, the Little Elk Granite and the Bear Mountain Granite, had precursors with high U/Pb and low Th/U histories. The Th/U history of the Bear Mountain Granite is too low for this rock to have been an important component of the source of the Proterozoic granites. However, crustal rocks with lead isotopic compositions similar to those of the Little Elk Granite were an important source of lead for some of the Proterozoic granitic rocks.

Late Cretaceous - Paleogene forearc sedimentation and accretion of oceanic plateaus and seamounts along the Middle American convergent margin (Costa Rica)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baumgartner, Peter O.; Baumgartner-Mora, Claudia; Andjic, Goran

2016-04-01

The Late Cretaceous-Paleogene sedimentation pattern in space and time along the Middle American convergent margin was controlled by the accretion of Pacific plateaus and seamounts. The accretion of more voluminous plateaus must have caused the temporary extinction of the arc and tectonic uplift, resulting in short lived episodes of both pelagic and neritic biogenic sedimentation. By the Late Eocene, shallow carbonate environments became widespread on a supposed mature arc edifice, that is so far only documented in arc-derived sediments. In northern Costa Rica forearc sedimentation started during the Coniacian-Santonian on the Aptian-Turonian basement of the Manzanillo Terrane. The arrival and collision of the Nicoya Terrane (a CLIP-like, 139-83 Ma Pacific plateau) and the Santa Elena Terrane caused the extinction of the arc during late Campanian- Early Maastrichtian times, indicated by the change to pelagic limestone sedimentation (Piedras Blancas Formation) in deeper areas and shallow-water rudistid - Larger Benthic Foraminfera limestone on tectonically uplifted areas of all terranes. Arc-derived turbidite sedimentation resumed in the Late Maastrichtian and was again interrupted during the Late Paleocene - Early Eocene, perhaps due to the underplating of a yet unknown large seamount. The extinction of the arc resulted in the deposition of the siliceous pelagic Buenavista Formation, as well as the principally Thanetian Barra Honda carbonate platform on a deeply eroded structural high in the Tempisque area. In southern Costa Rica the basement is thought to be the western edge of the CLIP. It is Santonian-Campanian in age and is only exposed in the southwestern corner of Herradura. Cretaceous arc-forearc sequences are unknown, except for the Maastrichtian-Paleocene Golfito Terrane in southeastern Costa Rica. The distribution and age of shallow/pelagic carbonates vs. arc-derived detrital sediments is controlled by the history of accretion of Galápagos hot spot

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

Composition and depositional environment of concretionary strata of early Cenomanian (early Late Cretaceous) age, Johnson County, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Merewether, E.A.; Gautier, Donald L.

2000-01-01

Unusual, concretion-bearing mudrocks of early Late Cretaceous age, which were deposited in an early Cenomanian epeiric sea, have been recognized at outcrops in eastern Wyoming and in adjoining areas of Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Colorado. In Johnson County, Wyo., on the western flank of the Powder River Basin, these strata are in the lower part of the Belle Fourche Member of the Frontier Formation. At a core hole in south-central Johnson County, they are informally named Unit 2. These strata are about 34 m (110 ft) thick and consist mainly of medium- to dark-gray, noncalcareous, silty shale and clayey or sandy siltstone; and light-gray to grayish-red bentonite. The shale and siltstone are either bioturbated or interlaminated; the laminae are discontinuous, parallel, and even or wavy. Several ichnogenera of deposit feeders are common in the unit but filter feeders are sparse. The unit also contains marine and continental palynomorphs and, near the top, a few arenaceous foraminifers. No invertebrate macrofossils have been found in these rocks. Unit 2 conformably overlies lower Cenomanian shale in the lowermost Belle Fourche Member, informally named Unit 3, and is conformably overlain by lower and middle Cenomanian shale, siltstone, and sandstone within the member, which are informally named Unit 1. The mineral and chemical composition of the three Cenomanian units is comparable and similar to that of shale and siltstone in the Upper Cretaceous Pierre Shale, except that these units contain more SiO2 and less CaO, carbonate carbon, and manganese. Silica is generally more abundant and CaO is generally less abundant in river water than in seawater. The composition of Unit 2 contrasts significantly with that of the underlying and overlying units. Unit 2 contains no pyrite and dolomite and much less sulfur than Units 1 and 3. Sulfate is generally less abundant in river water than in seawater. Unit 2 also includes sideritic and calcitic concretions, whereas Units

Molecular preservation in Late Cretaceous sauropod dinosaur eggshells.

PubMed

Schweitzer, M H; Chiappe, L; Garrido, A C; Lowenstein, J M; Pincus, S H

2005-04-22

Exceptionally preserved sauropod eggshells discovered in Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) deposits in Patagonia, Argentina, contain skeletal remains and soft tissues of embryonic Titanosaurid dinosaurs. To preserve these labile embryonic remains, the rate of mineral precipitation must have superseded post-mortem degradative processes, resulting in virtually instantaneous mineralization of soft tissues. If so, mineralization may also have been rapid enough to retain fragments of original biomolecules in these specimens. To investigate preservation of biomolecular compounds in these well-preserved sauropod dinosaur eggshells, we applied multiple analytical techniques. Results demonstrate organic compounds and antigenic structures similar to those found in extant eggshells.

Molecular preservation in Late Cretaceous sauropod dinosaur eggshells

PubMed Central

Schweitzer, M.H; Chiappe, L; Garrido, A.C; Lowenstein, J.M; Pincus, S.H

2005-01-01

Exceptionally preserved sauropod eggshells discovered in Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) deposits in Patagonia, Argentina, contain skeletal remains and soft tissues of embryonic Titanosaurid dinosaurs. To preserve these labile embryonic remains, the rate of mineral precipitation must have superseded post-mortem degradative processes, resulting in virtually instantaneous mineralization of soft tissues. If so, mineralization may also have been rapid enough to retain fragments of original biomolecules in these specimens. To investigate preservation of biomolecular compounds in these well-preserved sauropod dinosaur eggshells, we applied multiple analytical techniques. Results demonstrate organic compounds and antigenic structures similar to those found in extant eggshells. PMID:15888409

Late Cretaceous (Austin Group) volcanic deposits as a hydrocarbon trap

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

Hutchinson, P.J.

1994-09-01

A Late Cretaceous submarine igneous extrusion occurs in the subsurface of southwestern Wilson County, Texas. The Coniacian-Santonian-aged (Austin Group) volcanic eruption discharged large volumes of magnetite-rich olivine nephelinite, that upon quenching, formed an extensive nontronitic clay layer. This clay deposit formed a trapping mechanism for hydrocarbons beneath the volcano; production from these features is normally attributed to the shoal-water carbonate facics developed on top of the volcano. The heat energy of the volcano may have thermally matured the calcareous sediments of the Austin Chalk contiguous with the volcano. The normally grayish-colored Austin Chalk in contact with the intrusive portion ofmore » the igneous material displays a greenish color suggesting thermal alteration. The overlying nontronite trapped the mobile hydrocarbons, and early emplacement may have preserved some of the original porosity and permeability of the Austin Chalk. Austin Chalk-aged volcanic deposits produce hydrocarbons from stratigraphic traps within the volcanic material, within the porous beachrock, and structurally within overlying sandstones. The intruded Austin Chalk also behaves as a reservoir because the original porosity and permeability is maintained through early emplacement of oil and the overlying volcanic clay prevents vertical migration. Marcefina Creek, discovered in 1980 from an {open_quotes}augen{close_quotes}-shaped seismic signature and an aerial magnetic survey, produces from the fractured chalk beneath the nontronitic clay layer. This field has produced over seven million bbl of oil from over 40 wells from fractured and porous rock beneath the volcano.« less

Geologic Map of the Big Delta B-1 Quadrangle, East-Central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Day, Warren C.; O'Neill, J. Michael; Aleinikoff, John N.; Green, Gregory N.; Saltus, Richard W.; Gough, Larry P.

2007-01-01

Geologic mapping and U-Pb age dating of rocks from the Big Delta B-1 quadrangle, east-central Alaska, have yielded new insights into the geology and gold mineral resource for the headwater region of the Goodpaster River, northeast of Delta, Alaska. The area lies within the Yukon-Tanana Upland and is underlain by Paleozoic and Cretaceous crystalline bedrock and contains several gold mines and prospects. The Paleozoic units include biotite gneiss, quartzite interlayered with metapelite, and amphibolite gneiss. The Paleozoic units were intruded during the Devonian by tonalitic to granitic plutons, which, as a result of regional Mesozoic metamorphism and tectonism, are now augen gneiss and biotite orthogneiss. The Mesozoic regional metamorphism and ductile deformation of the entire Yukon-Tanana Upland culminated by the Late Cretaceous (about 116 Ma) as a result of northwest-directed regional transpression along the southern margin of the North American craton. This dynamothermal episode was followed by invasion of syn- to post-tectonic granodioritic to granitic batholiths during the Late Cretaceous (about 113-107 Ma), followed by a pulse of 100-95 Ma quartz feldspar porphyry intrusions. Gold mineralization is spatially associated with various post-tectonic Late Cretaceous granitic dikes and batholiths throughout the quadrangle. A northeast-trending structural corridor, described herein as the Black Mountain tectonic zone, both controlled the emplacement of some of the Cretaceous intrusive rocks, gold deposits, and prospects, as well as formed a deep-seated crustal conduit along which a subsequent rhyolite flow-dome complex erupted during the Paleocene. Tertiary uplift and erosion resulted in the development of extensive erosional pediments. Quaternary alpine glaciation carved beautiful, broad valleys in the eastern part of the quadrangle, leaving behind terminal moraines in the headwater region of the Goodpaster river drainage. Continued Holocene to Recent deformation

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

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

An unrecognized major collision of the Okhotomorsk Block with East Asia during the Late Cretaceous, constraints on the plate reorganization of the Northwest Pacific

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yong-Tai

2013-11-01

Interactions at plate boundaries induce stresses that constitute critical controls on the structural evolution of intraplate regions. However, the traditional tectonic model for the East Asian margin during the Mesozoic, invoking successive episodes of paleo-Pacific oceanic subduction, does not provide an adequate context for important Late Cretaceous dynamics across East Asia, including: continental-scale orogenic processes, significant sinistral strike-slip faulting, and several others. The integration of numerous documented field relations requires a new tectonic model, as proposed here. The Okhotomorsk continental block, currently residing below the Okhotsk Sea in Northeast Asia, was located in the interior of the Izanagi Plate before the Late Cretaceous. It moved northwestward with the Izanagi Plate and collided with the South China Block at about 100 Ma. The indentation of the Okhotomorsk Block within East Asia resulted in the formation of a sinistral strike-slip fault system in South China, formation of a dextral strike-slip fault system in North China, and regional northwest-southeast shortening and orogenic uplift in East Asia. Northeast-striking mountain belts over 500 km wide extended from Southeast China to Southwest Japan and South Korea. The peak metamorphism at about 89 Ma of the Sanbagawa high-pressure metamorphic belt in Southwest Japan was probably related to the continental subduction of the Okhotomorsk Block beneath the East Asian margin. Subsequently, the north-northwestward change of motion direction of the Izanagi Plate led to the northward movement of the Okhotomorsk Block along the East Asian margin, forming a significant sinistral continental transform boundary similar to the San Andreas fault system in California. Sanbagawa metamorphic rocks in Southwest Japan were rapidly exhumed through the several-kilometer wide ductile shear zone at the lower crust and upper mantle level. Accretionary complexes successively accumulated along the East

The Late Cretaceous Alkaline Igneous Province in the Iberian Peninsula, and its tectonic significance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rock, N. M. S.

1982-04-01

The Iberian Province consists of the following: the three subvolcanic, syenitic, major intrusive complexes of Monchique, Sines and Sintra in W. and SW Portugal, together with their basanitic/lamprophyric minor intrusive suites; basanitic volcanic complexes around Lisbon; at least some of a widespread suite of basanitic to theralitic minor intrusives in west central Portugal; about 80 small basanitic/lamprophyric to nepheline syenitic intrusions scattered through the Pyrenees, NE Spain, the French Corbières, and off the coast of NW Spain; and the Ormonde Seamount of the Gorringe Bank off the SW coast of Portugal. Most of these occurrences have been dated isotopically or from field evidence as Late Cretaceous. Geological and petrological details of the various occurrences are compiled and reviewed. Primary basanitic magmas were probably parental to the entire Province, and generated syenitic magmas by differentiation processes; oversaturated rocks were produced by alkali loss and perhaps also by crustal involvement. The Iberian Province is related to the opening of the N. Atlantic, specifically that of the Bay of Biscay.

Vegetation-induced warming of high-latitude regions during the Late Cretaceous period

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otto-Bliesner, Bette L.; Upchurch, Garland R.

1997-02-01

Modelling studies of pre-Quaternary (>2 million years ago) climate implicate atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations1, land elevation2 and land-sea distribution3-5 as important factors influencing global climate change over geological timescales. But during times of global warmth, such as the Cretaceous period and Eocene epoch, there are large discrepancies between model simulations of high-latitude and continental-interior temperatures and those indicated by palaeotemperature records6,7. Here we use a global climate model for the latest Cretaceous (66 million years ago) to examine the role played by high- and middle-latitude forests in surface temperature regulation. In our simulations, this forest vegetation warms the global climate by 2.2 °C. The low-albedo deciduous forests cause high-latitude land areas to warm, which then transfer more heat to adjacent oceans, thus delaying sea-ice formation and increasing winter temperatures over coastal land. Overall, the inclusion of some of the physical and physiological climate feedback effects of high-latitude forest vegetation in our simulations reduces the existing discrepancies between observed and modelled climates of the latest Cretaceous, suggesting that these forests may have made an important contribution to climate regulation during periods of global warmth.

Multiple sources for the origin of Late Jurassic Linglong adakitic granite in the Shandong Peninsula, eastern China: Zircon U-Pb geochronological, geochemical and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic evidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Liang; Jiang, Shao-Yong; Dai, Bao-Zhang; Jiang, Yao-Hui; Hou, Ming-Lan; Pu, Wei; Xu, Bin

2013-03-01

The Linglong granite is one of the most important Mesozoic plutons in the Shandong Peninsula, eastern China, and its petrogenesis has long been controversial, particularly with regard to the nature of source region and geodynamic setting. Our new precise zircon U-Pb dating results reveal that the Linglong granite was emplaced in the Late Jurassic (157-160 Ma). In addition, abundant inherited zircons are identified in the granite with four groups of age peaked at ~ 208, ~ 750, ~ 1800 and ~ 2450 Ma. Geochemical studies indicate that the Linglong granite is weakly peraluminous I-type granite, and is characterized by high SiO2, Sr and La, but low MgO, Y and Yb contents, strongly fractionated REE pattern and high Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios. It also exhibits high initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7097 to 0.7125), low ɛNd(t) (- 17.7 to - 20.3) and variable zircon ɛHf(t) (- 22.2 to - 8.7) values. Calculation of the zircon saturation temperature (TZr) reveals that the magma temperatures are 760 ± 20 °C, and the lowest TZr value of 740 °C may be close to initial magma temperature of this inheritance-rich rock. Interpretation of the elemental and isotopic data suggests that the Linglong granite has some affinities with the adakite, and was most likely derived from partial melting of thickened lower crust without any significant contribution of mantle components. The presence of a large number of inherited zircons and variable Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions reveal that the Linglong granite probably has multiple sources consisting of the lower crust of both South China Block and North China Block, as well as the collision-related alkaline rocks and UHP metamorphic rocks. The continental arc-rifting related to the Izanagi plate subduction was the most likely geodynamic force for formation of the Jurassic Linglong adakatic granite in the Shandong Peninsula.

Conventional U-Pb dating versus SHRIMP of the Santa Barbara Granite Massif, Rondonia, Brazil

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sparrenberger, I.; Bettencourt, Jorge S.; Tosdal, R.M.; Wooden, J.L.

2002-01-01

The Santa Ba??rbara Granite Massif is part of the Younger Granites of Rondo??nia (998 - 974 Ma) and is included in the Rondo??nia Tin Province (SW Amazonian Craton). It comprises three highly fractionated metaluminous to peraluminous within-plate A-type granite units emplaced in older medium-grade metamorphic rocks. Sn-mineralization is closely associated with the late-stage unit. U-Pb monazite conventional dating of the early-stage Serra do Cicero facies and late-stage Serra Azul facies yielded ages of 993 ?? 5 Ma and 989 ?? 13 Ma, respectively. Conventional multigrain U-Pb isotope analyses of zircon demonstrate isotopic disturbance (discordance) and the preservation of inherited older zircons of several different ages and thus yield little about the ages of Sn-granite magmatism. SHRIMP U-Pb ages for the Santa Ba??rbara facies association yielded a 207Pb/206Pb weighted-mean age of 978 ?? 13 Ma. The textural complexity of the zircon crystals of the Santa Ba??rbara facies association, the variable concentrations of U, Th and Pb, as well as the mixed inheritance of zircon populations are major obstacles to using conventional multigrain U-Pb isotopic analyses. Sm-Nd model ages and ??Nd (T) values reveal anomalous isotopic data, attesting to the complex isotopic behaviour within these highly fractionated granites. Thus, SHRIMP U-Pb zircon and conventional U-Pb monazite dating methods are the most appropriate to constrain the crystallization age of the Sn-bearing granite systems in the Rondo??nia Tin Province.

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.

The first reported ceratopsid dinosaur from eastern North America (Owl Creek Formation, Upper Cretaceous, Mississippi, USA)

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Ceratopsids (“horned dinosaurs”) are known from western North America and Asia, a distribution reflecting an inferred subaerial link between the two landmasses during the Late Cretaceous. However, this clade was previously unknown from eastern North America, presumably due to limited outcrop of the appropriate age and depositional environment as well as the separation of eastern and western North America by the Western Interior Seaway during much of the Late Cretaceous. A dentary tooth from the Owl Creek Formation (late Maastrichtian) of Union County, Mississippi, represents the first reported occurrence of Ceratopsidae from eastern North America. This tooth shows a combination of features typical of Ceratopsidae, including a double root and a prominent, blade-like carina. Based on the age of the fossil, we hypothesize that it is consistent with a dispersal of ceratopsids into eastern North America during the very latest Cretaceous, presumably after the two halves of North America were reunited following the retreat of the Western Interior Seaway. PMID:28560100

The first reported ceratopsid dinosaur from eastern North America (Owl Creek Formation, Upper Cretaceous, Mississippi, USA).

PubMed

Farke, Andrew A; Phillips, George E

2017-01-01

Ceratopsids ("horned dinosaurs") are known from western North America and Asia, a distribution reflecting an inferred subaerial link between the two landmasses during the Late Cretaceous. However, this clade was previously unknown from eastern North America, presumably due to limited outcrop of the appropriate age and depositional environment as well as the separation of eastern and western North America by the Western Interior Seaway during much of the Late Cretaceous. A dentary tooth from the Owl Creek Formation (late Maastrichtian) of Union County, Mississippi, represents the first reported occurrence of Ceratopsidae from eastern North America. This tooth shows a combination of features typical of Ceratopsidae, including a double root and a prominent, blade-like carina. Based on the age of the fossil, we hypothesize that it is consistent with a dispersal of ceratopsids into eastern North America during the very latest Cretaceous, presumably after the two halves of North America were reunited following the retreat of the Western Interior Seaway.

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

�dtirol' in Bozen, Southern Tyrol. Producing major results with a broad impact requires using tools such as facies analysis supported by lithological, sedimentological and chemical characteristics, isotope and magnetic properties as well as fossil record (ammonites, belemnites, brachiopods, echinoids, planktonic foraminiferas, radiolarians, nannofossils, calcareous dinoflagellates, calpionellids). Foraminiferal study provides the zonal subdivision of the Puez section from Valanginian - Hauterivian gorbachikellids and praehedbergelids (Hedbergella semielongata Zone), Barremo-Aptian praehedbergelids (Blesusciana kuznetzove Zone), Aptian hedbergellids of occulta - aptiana - praetrocoidea group, Early Late Aptian pseudo-planispiral foraminifera (Praehedbergella luterbacheri and Globigerinelloides ferreolensis Zones), important marker species of Hedbergella trocoidea and Paraticinella bejaaouaensis for the Late Aptian zone, Early Albian microperforate hedbergellids (Hedbergella planispira Zone), Mid Albian ticinellids (Ticinella primula Zone), advanced ticinellids like Ticinella roberti etc. (Biticinella breggiensis Zone), Latest Albian rotalliporids (Rotalipora appeninica Zone) up to Early Cenonanian appearance of Thalmanninella (Rotalipora) globotruncanoides. Results of this integrated study will be used for both, the precise biostratigraphy of the sequence studied as well as for the paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Lukeneder A. 2012. New biostratigraphic data on an Upper Hauterivian-Upper Barremian ammonite assemblage from the Dolomites (Southern Alps, Italy). Cretaceous Research. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2011.11.002 Lukeneder A. 2011. The Biancone and Rosso Ammonitico facies of the northern Trento Plateau (Dolomites, Southern Alps; Italy). Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museum Wien, Serie A, 112, 9-33. Lukeneder A. 2010. Lithostratigraphic definition and stratotype for the Puez Formation: formalisation of the Lower Cretaceous in the Dolomites (S. Tyrol, Italy). Austrian Journals

The first Pan-Podocnemididae turtle egg from the Presidente Prudente Formation (Late Cretaceous, Bauru Group), Brazil.

PubMed

Marsola, Júlio C De A; Grellet-Tinner, Gerald; Montefeltro, Felipe C; Langer, Max C

2014-10-08

Pan-Podocnemididae turtles are ubiquitous in Late Cretaceous rocks of the Bauru Group in southeastern Brazil. This group of side-necked turtles is particularly abundant in a turtle-bearing site of the Presidente Prudente Formation known as Tartaruguito. Here, we describe the first turtle egg (LPRP-USP 0052) from the Tartaruguito site. LPRP-USP 0052 is nearly complete but misses a pole and measures 5,1 and 2,9-2,2 centimeters due to its flattened minor axis. The egg morphology and microstructure were analyzed by observations performed with CT, Optic Microscopy, Scanning Electronic Microscopy and Wave Dispersion Energy analyses. The eggshell ranges from 145 to160 micrometers thick. Considering the matching morphology of the new specimen and its provenance from the stratigraphic horizon that yielded only the podocnemidids Bauruemys and Roxochelys, it is most likely that LPRP-USP 0052 was produced by a podocnemidid turtle. 

A reassessment of the referral of Sea Turtle skulls to Osteopygis(Late Cretaceous, New Jersey, USA)

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

Parham, James F.

2005-01-01

Specimens referred to Osteopygis (Late Cretaceous-Paleocene,North America) represent a chimera, a polyphyletic mixture of taxa. Theholotype of Osteopygis (AMNH 1485) and more complete referred postcranialspecimens resemble non-marine stem cryptodires ("macrobaenids"). Becausethe skull material historically referredto Osteopygis sharessynapomorphies with cheloniid sea turtles, all current workers acceptOsteopygis as a stem-cheloniid sea turtle. Multiple lines of evidencecombine to support the hypothesis that sea turtle cranial material is notattributable to Osteopygis. These lines of evidence include: phylogenetichypotheses of character evolution, the tenuous historical attribution ofspecimens, and the taphonomy of the Hornerstown Formation. Thename-bearing Osteopygis material and referred postcrania are bestconsidered Eucryptodira incertae sedis (cf.more » "Macrobaenidae"). The cranialspecimens formerly assigned to the Osteopyginae now are restricted to theclade Euclastes and those referred to Osteopygis emarginatus are herereferred to Euclastes wielandi (comb. nov.). The 'decapitation' ofOsteopygis reconciles morphological trends within stemcheloniids.« less

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).

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.

Mineral chemistry and geochemistry of the Late Neoproterozoic Gabal Abu Diab granitoids, Central Eastern Dessert, Egypt: Implications for the origin of rare metal post-orogenic A-type granites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sami, Mabrouk; Ntaflos, Theodoros; Farahat, Esam S.; Ahmed, Awaad F.; Mohamed, Haroun A.

2015-04-01

within A-type granite worldwide. According to Zhang et al., 2012, the garnet crystallized at the expense of biotite from the MnO-rich evolved melt after fractionation of biotite, plagioclase, K-feldspar, zircon, apatite, and ilmenite. The granitoids are alkali feldspar granites showing distinct geochemical features and most likely, belong to the post-orogenic younger Egyptian granitoids. They are peraluminous A-type alkaline rocks but they have lower Fe2O3, MgO, MnO, CaO, TiO2, P2O5, Sr, Ba, V, and higher SiO2, Na2O, K2O, Nb, Ta, U, Zr, Th, Ga/Al and Rb than the typical rocks of this type. The positive correlation between Ba and Sr, and the negative correlation between Rb and K/Rb reveal fractional crystallization of alkali feldspar. The similarity in most geochemical characteristics suggests that Abu Diab granitoids are genetically related to each other and extremely enrichment in incompatible elements such as Nb and Ta, indicating that they crystallized from extremely differentiated magmas. References: Zhang, J., Ma, C. and She, Z., 2012. An Early Cretaceous garnet-bearing metaluminous A-type granite intrusion in the East Qinling Orogen, central China: Petrological, mineralogical and geochemical constraints. Geoscience Frontiers 3 (5), 635-646.

The Swedish Bohus granite - a stone with a fascinating history

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schouenborg, Björn; Eliasson, Thomas

2015-04-01

One of the most well-known and well spread Swedish stone types used as building stones is the Bonus granite. It outcrops in an area north of Gothenburgh (SW Sweden), along the coastline, approximately 35 km wide and 85 km long. The granite continues into Norway as the Iddefjord granite. The Bohus granite is one of Sweden's youngest granites. Isotopic dating shows that the magma cooled at about 920 M years ago and thus marking the end of the Sveconorwegian orogoney. It is a composite granite massif area with several granitic intrusions but with rather homogeneous mineralogy. However, colour and texture varies quite a lot and the colour ranges from red to reddish grey although some pure grey varieties occur sparsely. The grain size ranges from medium grained to coarse grained and even with some porphyric parts. Quarrying in an industrial scale started 1842. The merchant A C Kullgren opened the first quarry and produced stones for the construction of the 86 km long Trollhättan channel connecting lake Vänern and the Atlantic ocean in the SW Sweden The stone was used for constructing harbors and wharves along the channel. Several quarries opened in the late 1800 around 1870 - 1890 and the export increased steadily with deliveries to Germany, Denmark, Holland, England and even to South America. The stone industries in Bohuslän (Bohus county), at its peak in 1929, engaged around 7 000 employees. During the depression in 1930 almost all of them became unemployed. However, as a curiosity, production and export continued to Germany for construction of Germania, the future World capital city ("Welthauptstadt Germania"), planned by Adolf Hitler and Albert Speer. About 500 stone workers were kept employed for this project during the late thirties. Today several varieties are still produced: Evja/Ävja, Tossene, Brastad, Näsinge, Broberg, Nolby, Allemarken and Skarstad. However, the number of stone workers is far from that of the early 1900. The Swedish production is mainly

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.

Redox conditions in the Late Cretaceous Chalk Sea: the possible use of cerium anomalies as palaeoredox indicators in the Cenomanian and Turonian Chalk of England

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeans, Christopher V.; Wray, David S.; Williams, C. Terry

2015-09-01

The cerium anomalies preserved in the Chalk have been investigated as possible palaeoredox indicators of the Late Cretaceous Sea and its sediment. This has been based upon over a hundred new rare earth element analyses of selected samples and grain size fractions from the Chalk. Particular attention has been given to the methodology of differentiating between the cerium anomalies preserved in the bioclastic calcite and those in carbonate-fluorapatite preserved in the acetic acid insoluble residues of chalks. Variations in the cerium anomaly of different particle size fractions of uncemented chalks suggest that fractionation of rare earth elements between the Chalk's seawater and the various organisms that contributed skeletal material to the bioclastic calcite of the Chalk may have occurred. Post-depositional processes of calcite cementation and late diagenetic sulphidisation have had no apparent effect on the cerium anomaly of the acetic acid insoluble residues. The cerium anomalies associated with the acetic acid insoluble residues from (1) an alternating sequence of chalks and marls from Ballard Cliff (Dorset, UK) typical of Milankovitch cyclicity show a marked diagenetic pattern, whereas those from (2) non-volcanic and volcanic marls display a pattern that is best explained by the variations in the availability of phosphorus and the timing of argillisation of volcanic glass during diagenesis. The general conclusion is drawn that the cerium anomalies preserved in the Chalk can provide an insight into the changing palaeoredox conditions in the Late Cretaceous Sea as well as in the pore fluids of its sediments.

Phosphatized algal-bacterial assemblages in Late Cretaceous phosphorites of the Voronezh Anteclise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maleonkina, Svetlana Y.

2003-01-01

Late Cretaceous phosphogenesis of the Voronezh Anteclise has occurred during Cenomanian and Early Campanian. SEM studies show the presence of phosphatized algal-bacterial assemblages both in Cenomanian and Campanian phosphorites. In some Cenomanian nodular phosphorite samples revealed empty tubes 1 - 5 microns in diameter, which are most likely trichomes of cyanobacterial filaments. Other samples contained accumulations of spheres 0,5-3 microns, similar to coccoidal bacteria. Complicated tubular forms with variable diameter 2 - 5 microns occur on surface of some quartz grains in nodules. They are probably pseudomorphs after algae. We found similar formations in the Campanian phosphate grains. Frequently, grain represents a cyanobacterial mat, which is sometimes concentrically coated by phosphatic films. The films of some grains retain the primary structure, their concentric layers are formed by pseudomorphs after different bacterial types and obviously they represent oncolite. In other cases, the primary structure is unobservable because of recrystallization process erases them. Occasionally, the central part retains the coccoidal structure and the recrystallization affects only films. Besides the core of such oncolite can be represented not only by phosphatic grain, but also by grains of other minerals, such as quartz, glauconite and heavy minerals, which serve as a substrate for cyanobacterial colonies. Bacteria also could settle on cavity surfaces and interiors frames of sponge fragments, teeth and bones.

Late Cretaceous transition from subduction to collision along the Bangong-Nujiang Tethys: New volcanic constraints from central Tibet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, De-Liang; Shi, Ren-Deng; Ding, Lin; Zou, Hai-Bo

2018-01-01

This study deals with arc-type and subsequent bimodal volcanic rocks interbedded with (late) Cretaceous sedimentary formations near Gaize, central Tibet that shed new light on the Tethyan evolution along the Bangong-Nujiang suture. Unit I consists of trachyandesites interbedded with fine-grained sandstone, slate, and limestone. Zircon dating on a trachyandesite sample yields a 206Pb/238U age of 99 ± 1 Ma. The trachyandesites are characterized by strong enrichment in LILE but depletion in HFSE, low zircon saturation temperatures (TZr = 642-727 °C), and high oxygen fugacity (Δ FMQ = - 0.67-0.73), indicating their arc affinities. Unit II comprises a bimodal basalt-rhyolite suite interbedded with coarse-grained sandstone and conglomerate. Zircon dating on two rhyolitic samples yield 206Pb/238U ages of 97.1-87.0 Ma. In contrast with Unit I trachyandesites, Unit II basalts and rhyolites exhibit OIB-like trace element patterns, high temperatures (T = 1298-1379 °C for basalts, TZr = 855-930 °C for rhyolites), and low oxygen fugacity (Δ FMQ = - 3.37 - 0.43), suggesting that Unit II bimodal volcanic rocks probably formed in an extensional setting. The Sr-Nd isotopes of both Unit I (87Sr/86Sri = 0.7052-0.7074, εNd(t) = - 2.21-1.02) and Unit II (87Sr/86Sri = 0.7057-0.7098, εNd(t) = - 3.22-0.88) rocks are similar to mantle-wedge-derived volcanic rocks within the southern Qiangtang block. The parental magma of Unit I trachyandesites was formed by fluid induced melting of the mantle wedge above the subducted Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan slab, and contaminated by crustal materials during MASH process within a deep crustal hot zone; and Unit II bimodal volcanic rocks were derived by melting of upwelling asthenosphere and a mildly metasomatized mantle wedge during the Lhasa-Qiangtang collision. We propose that the transition from the Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan subduction to the Lhasa-Qiangtang collision occurred during the Late Cretaceous in central Tibet.

Fossil evidence for open, Proteaceae-dominated heathlands and fire in the Late Cretaceous of Australia.

PubMed

Carpenter, Raymond J; Macphail, Michael K; Jordan, Gregory J; Hill, Robert S

2015-12-01

The origin of biomes is of great interest globally. Molecular phylogenetic and pollen evidence suggest that several plant lineages that now characterize open, burnt habitats of the sclerophyll biome, became established during the Late Cretaceous of Australia. However, whether this biome itself dates to that time is problematic, fundamentally because of the near-absence of relevant, appropriately aged, terrestrial plant macro- or mesofossils. We recovered, identified, and interpreted the ecological significance of fossil pollen, foliar and other remains from a section of core drilled in central Australia, which we dated as Late Campanian-Maastrichtian. The sediments contain plant fossils that indicate nutrient-limited, open, sclerophyllous vegetation and abundant charcoal as evidence of fire. Most interestingly, >30 pollen taxa and at least 12 foliage taxa are attributable to the important Gondwanan family Proteaceae, including several minute, amphistomatic, and sclerophyllous foliage forms consistent with subfamily Proteoideae. Microfossils, including an abundance of Sphagnales and other wetland taxa, provided strong evidence of a fenland setting. The local vegetation also included diverse Ericaceae and Liliales, as well as a range of ferns and gymnosperms. The fossils provide strong evidence in support of hypotheses of great antiquity for fire and open vegetation in Australia, point to extraordinary persistence of Proteaceae that are now emblematic of the Mediterranean-type climate southwestern Australian biodiversity hotspot and raise the profile of open habitats as centers of ancient lineages. © 2015 Botanical Society of America.

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

A hidden Late Cretaceous arc and subsequent magmatic events in the Caucasus-Iran-Anatolia (CIA) orogenic belt: Detrital zircon U-Pb and Hf isotopic constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tien, C. Y.; Lin, Y. C.; Chu, M. F.; Chung, S. L.; Bi˙ngöl, A. F.

2017-12-01

The Caucasus-Iran-Anatolia (CIA) orogenic belt formed by "Turkic-type orogeny" consists mainly of subduction-accretion complexes following the collision between Eurasia and Arabia and the closure of Neotethy. This study reports U-Pb and Hf isotopic data of detrital zircon separates from five Eocene to mid-Miocene sandstone samples from Divrigi and Duranlar in the west to the Mus basin in the east, all locating in the northern part of the Bitlis-Zagros suture zone. The U-Pb age data suggest four main magmatic episodes: (1) 100-70 Ma, (2) 60-40 Ma, (3) 30 Ma, and (4) 15 Ma. The Late Cretaceous zircons recovered mainly from the Mus basin are marked by a significant Hf isotopic variation over time, with ɛHf(T) values dropping from +15 to -10. Zircons from the second and third episodes show spatial variations in isotopic compositions, with positive ɛHf(T) values (+10 to +5) in the Mus basin and heterogeneous ɛHf(T) values (+10 to -10) in the west. The fourth and youngest episode of zircons, mainly from Duranlar area, shows uniform ɛHf(T) values around +5. We attribute the Late Cretaceous episode of zircons to the broadly coeval Elazig arc magmatism that, according to our counterpart study, occurred as a short-lived, intra-oceanic arc system by subduction initiation after the formation of Neotethyan ophiolites in the region. Moreover, we argue that this Late Cretaceous arc system may have existed more widely within the southern branch of Neothethys than that suggested by present-day outcrops. The dramatic change in Hf isotopic composition from 100 to 70 Ma, also observed in the rock record by our counterpart study, may be interpreted as a result of subduction to accretion processes. The remaining three episodes of zircons are related to younger stages of magmatism within or around the suture zone that remains poorly studied. Our results indicate that detrital zircon is a useful tool to uncover "hidden" magmatic records in the CIA and other "Turkic-type" orogenic

The granite problem as exposed in the southern Snake Range, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lee, D.E.; Christiansen, E.H.

1983-01-01

A geochemically and mineralogically diverse group of granitoids is present within an area of 900 km2 in the southern Snake Range of eastern Nevada. The granitoids exposed range in age from Jurassic through Cretaceous to Oligocene and include two calcic intrusions, two different types of two-mica granites, and aplites. The younger intrusions appear to have been emplaced at progressively more shallow depths. All of these granitoid types are represented elsewhere in the eastern Great Basin, but the southern Snake Range is distinguished by the grouping of all these types within a relatively small area. The Jurassic calcic pluton of the Snake Creek-Williams Canyon area displays large and systematic chemical and mineralogical zonation over a horizontal distance of five km. Although major element variations in the pluton compare closely with Daly's average andesite-dacite-rhyolite over an SiO2 range of 63 to 76 percent, trace element (Rb, Sr, Ba) variations show that the zonation is the result of in situ fractional crystallization, with the formation of relatively mafic cumulates on at least one wall of the magma chamber. Models of trace element and isotopic data indicate that relatively little assimilation took place at the level of crystallization. Nonetheless, an initial 87Sr/86Sr value of 0.7071 and ??18O values of 10.2 to 12.2 permil suggest a lower crustal magma that was contaminated by upper crustal clastic sedimentary rocks before crystallization. The involvement of mantle-derived magmas in its genesis is difficult to rule out. Two other Jurassic plutons show isotopic and chemical similarities to the Snake Creek-Williams Canyon pluton. Cretaceous granites from eastern Nevada that contain phenocrystic muscovite are strongly peraluminous, and have high initial Sr-isotope ratios and other features characteristic of S-type granitoids. They were probably derived from Proterozoic metasediments and granite gneisses that comprise the middle crust of this region. Another

ENSO-Type Signals Recorded in the Late Cretaceous Laminated Sediments of Songliao Basin, Northeast China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, E.; Wang, C.; Hinnov, L. A.; Wu, H.

2014-12-01

The quasi-periodic, ca. 2-7 year El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon globally influences the inter-annual variability of temperature and precipitation. Global warming may increase the frequency of extreme ENSO events. Although the Cretaceous plate tectonic configuration was different from today, the sedimentary record suggests that ENSO-type oscillations had existed at the time of Cretaceous greenhouse conditions. Cored Cretaceous lacustrine sediments from the Songliao Basin in Northeast China (SK-1 cores from the International Continental Drilling Program) potentially offer a partially varved record of Cretaceous paleoclimate. Fourteen polished thin sections from the depth interval 1096.12-1096.53 m with an age of 84.4 Ma were analyzed by optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). ImageJ software was applied to extract gray scale curves from optical images at pixel resolution. We tracked minimum values of the gray scale curves to estimate the thickness of each lamina. Five sedimentary structures were recognized: flaser bedding, wavy bedding, lenticular bedding, horizontal bedding, and massive layers. The mean layer thicknesses with different sedimentary structures range from 116 to 162mm, very close to the mean sedimentation rate estimated for this sampled interval, 135mm/year, indicating that the layers bounded by pure clay lamina with the minimum gray values are varves. SEM images indicate that a varve is composed, in succession, of one lamina rich in coarse silt, one lamina rich in fine silt, one clay-rich lamina with some silt, and one clay-rich lamina. This suggests that a Cretaceous year featured four distinct depositional seasons, two of which were rainy and the others were lacking precipitation. Spectral analysis of extended intervals of the tuned gray scale curve indicates the presence of inter-annual periodicities of 2.2-2.7 yr, 3.5-6.1 year, and 10.1-14.5 year consistent with those of modern ENSO cycles and solar cycles, as well as

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

Geological Evidence That Resolves the Baja-BC Controversy: Detrital Zircons Indicate That Vancouver Island Was Adjacent to Southern California in the Late Cretaceous

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guest, B.; Matthews, W.; Coutts, D. S.; Bain, H.; Hubbard, S. M.

2015-12-01

The Baja-BC hypothesis is at the center of a great earth sciences controversy. It stems from paleomagnetic observations that require large-scale displacements of continental crust from low latitudes (Baja, California) to moderate latitudes (British Columbia). Many geologists dispute the scale of the displacements due to a lack of corroborating geological evidence. We provide a robust, geological dataset that confirms the paleomagnetic observations. Detrital zircons from Cretaceous to Paleocene sandstone of the Nanaimo Group, which crops out in western Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands of southwest British Columbia, are analyzed. The data show a clear transition from local <300 Ma western Coast Plutonic Complex sources in the Campanian, to sources that include a significant component of >300 Ma grains in the Maastrichtian-Paleogene. An identical pattern is observed in detrital zircon datasets from southern California forearc basin deposits, and schists interpreted as the subducted remnants of forearc deposits. With a high-n dataset (n=3041) we are able to rule out possible >300 Ma source regions in Canada and the northern United States, and uniquely tie Nanaimo Group rocks to the Mojave-Sonora region of SW United States. This implies that at the end of the Cretaceous, Vancouver Island and western mainland BC were adjacent to southern California and northwestern Mexico, requiring 1900 km of displacement during the latest Cretaceous and Paleocene, consistent with paleomagnetic results. An implication of this result is that the western Coast Batholith of southwest BC was positioned between the northern Peninsular Ranges and southern Sierra Nevada batholiths in the late Cretaceous, and likely represents a displaced segment of a once continuous Cordilleran arc batholith. These results have broad implications for our understanding of episodic arc magmatism in the Cordillera, the tectonic evolution of western North America, Laramide orogenesis, the development and

Petrochemical evolution of the White Mfolozi Granite pluton: Evidence for a late Palaeoarchaean A-type granite from the SE Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Misra, Saumitra; Reinhardt, Jürgen; Wilson, Allan H.

2017-08-01

One of the major limitations in understanding the geochemical evolution of the Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa, is the scarcity of whole rock trace element data of the granitoid and other rocks compared to the vastness of this cratonic block. Here we present new XRF major oxide and ICP-MS trace element analyses of the White Mfolozi Granitoid (WMG) pluton, SE Kaapvaal Craton, which suggest that the 3.25 Ga (U-Pb zircon age) old WMG pluton is a peraluminous A-type granite and could be equivalent to the intrusive potassic granite phase of the Anhalt Granitoid suite, occurring to the North of the WMG pluton. The pluton was generated by batch partial melting of a pre-existing TTG source in two major phases under relatively anhydrous conditions, and the heat of partial melting could have been provided by a voluminous mantle-derived mafic magma, which intruded into mid-crustal levels (c. 17 km), perhaps during a period of crustal extension. The estimated pressure and temperature of generation of the WMG parent magma with average molar [or/(or + ab)] 0.48 could be 500 MPa and close to 1000 °C, respectively, when compared with the results of experimental petrology. Interstitial occurrence of relatively iron-rich biotite [Mg/(Mg + Fe) 0.41-0.45] suggests that the final temperature of crystallization of the pluton was close to 800 °C. An important magmatic event following the main phase of partial melting was limited mixing between the intrusive mafic magma and co-existing newly generated granitic melt. This magma mixing resulted in distinct variations in SiO2 and a low initial Sr isotopic ratio (0.7013) of the WMG pluton. Although both the models of partial melting of quartzo-feldspathic sources and fractional crystallization of basaltic magmas with or without crustal assimilation have been proposed for the origin of A-type granites, the model of magmatic evolution of the WMG pluton presented here can also be an alternative model for the generation of A-type granites. In

Determination of geochemical affinities of granitic rocks from the Aue-Schwarzenberg zone (Erzgebirge, Germany) by multivariate statistics

USGS Publications Warehouse

Forster, H.-J.; Davis, J.C.

2000-01-01

Variscan granites of the Erzgebirge region can be effectively classified into five genetically distinct major groups by canonical analysis of geochemical variables. The same classification procedure, when applied to small plutons in the Aue-Schwarzenberg granite zone (ASGZ), shows that all ASGZ granites have compositional affinities to low-F biotite or low-F two-mica granite groups. This suggests that the ASGZ granites were emplaced during the first, late-collisional stage of silicic magmatism in the region, which occurred between about 325 and 318 Ma. The numerous biotite granite bodies in the zone are geochemically distinct from both the neighboring Kirchberg granite pluton and the spatially displaced Niederbobritzsch biotite granite massif. Instead, these bodies seem to constitute a third sub-group within the low-F biotite granite class. The ASGZ biotite granites represent three or more genetically distinct bodies, thus highlighting the enormous compositional variability within this group of granites. Least evolved samples of two-mica granites from the ASGZ apparently reflect the assimilation of low-grade metamorphic country rocks during emplacement, altering the original composition of the melts by enhancing primary Al content. The same genesis is implied for the rare "cordierite granite" facies of the Bergen massif, the type pluton for the low-F two-mica granite group in the Erzgebirge.

Evaluation of a small-diameter sampling method in magnetic susceptibility, AMS and X-ray CT studies and its applications to mafic microgranular enclaves (MMEs) in granite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Kong-Yang; Li, Ming-Yue; Shentu, Lu-Feng; Shen, Zhong-Yue; Yu, Yi-Hao

2017-07-01

This paper reviews the technical details of the small diameter sampling method in a study of anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) and X-ray CT (computed tomography) and their applications to studies of MMEs (Mafic Microgranular Enclaves) in granite. The AMS results based on 9 mm diameter cylinder specimens collected from the Cretaceous Tongkengxi mafic dykes in South China were consistent with results using 25 mm diameter specimens. The first case study demonstrated the variation of AMS in the interior of a large MME from South China, which contained a center of strong short-range magnetic lineation. This type of magnetic fabric could be detected only by using sample cores with a small diameter. In the foliation direction, the host granite interacted with the MME more heavily and produced a region with a high magnetite content. The second case study was the investigation of the MMEs in the Early Cretaceous Muchen complex in eastern South China. The MME swarms exhibited relatively uniform magnetic fabrics at the outcrop scale, but the fabrics varied significantly at the intrusion scale. AMS of the MME swarms is coaxial with that of the host granite only at some localities. The disagreement of AMS between MME and host granite either imply different magma flow directions, or different magma flow velocities, or disturbance of the granite fabric by the MME. The MMEs in a mylonitic granite from eastern North China were also studied. The MME specimens show highly variable magnetic susceptibility and lineations. They can be only studied appropriately by a small drill. In the three cases, the three magnetic susceptibility axes of the MMEs are consistent with the volume-weighted maximum eigenvector of long/intermediate/short axes of magnetite. The orientations of the magnetite long axes in the three cases form several modes and the concentration of the modes results in a strong lineation. One implication of this study is that MMEs, with the same magmatic fabrics as

Late Cretaceous through Cenozoic strike-slip tectonics of southwestern Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, M.L.; Bradley, D.C.; Bundtzen, T.K.; McClelland, W.

2002-01-01

New geologic mapping and geochronology show that margin-parallel strike-slip faults on the western limb of the southern Alaska orocline have experienced multiple episodes of dextral motion since ~100 Ma. These faults are on the upper plate of a subduction zone ~350-450 km inboard of the paleotrench. In southwestern Alaska, dextral displacement is 134 km on the Denali fault, at least 88-94 km on the Iditarod-Nixon Fork fault, and perhaps tens of kilometers on the Dishna River fault. The strike-slip regime coincided with Late Cretaceous sedimentation and then folding in the Kuskokwim basin, and with episodes of magmatism and mineralization at ~70, ~60, and ~30 Ma. No single driving mechanism can explain all of the ~95 million-year history of strike-slip faulting. Since ~40 Ma, the observed dextral sense of strike slip has run contrary to the sense of subduction obliquity. This may be explained by northward motion of the Pacific plate driving continental margin slivers into and/or around the oroclinal bend. From 44 to 66 Ma, oroclinal rotation, perhaps involving large-scale flexural slip, may have been accompanied by westward escape of crustal blocks along strike-slip faults. However, reconstructions of this period involve unproven assumptions about the identity of the subducting plate, the position of subducting ridges, and the exact timing of oroclinal bending, thus obscuring the driving mechanisms of strike slip. Prior to 66 Ma, oblique subduction is the most plausible driving mechanism for dextral strike slip. Cumulative displacement on all faults of the western limb of the orocline is at least 400 km, about half that on the eastern limb; this discrepancy might be explained by a combination of thrusting and unrecognized strike-slip faulting.

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.

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

Linking Late Cretaceous to Eocene Tectonostratigraphy of the San Jacinto Fold Belt of NW Colombia With Caribbean Plateau Collision and Flat Subduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mora, J. Alejandro; Oncken, Onno; Le Breton, Eline; Ibánez-Mejia, Mauricio; Faccenna, Claudio; Veloza, Gabriel; Vélez, Vickye; de Freitas, Mario; Mesa, Andrés.

2017-11-01

Collision with and subduction of an oceanic plateau is a rare and transient process that usually leaves an indirect imprint only. Through a tectonostratigraphic analysis of pre-Oligocene sequences in the San Jacinto fold belt of northern Colombia, we show the Late Cretaceous to Eocene tectonic evolution of northwestern South America upon collision and ongoing subduction with the Caribbean Plate. We linked the deposition of four fore-arc basin sequences to specific collision/subduction stages and related their bounding unconformities to major tectonic episodes. The Upper Cretaceous Cansona sequence was deposited in a marine fore-arc setting in which the Caribbean Plate was being subducted beneath northwestern South America, producing contemporaneous magmatism in the present-day Lower Magdalena Valley basin. Coeval strike-slip faulting by the Romeral wrench fault system accommodated right-lateral displacement due to oblique convergence. In latest Cretaceous times, the Caribbean Plateau collided with South America marking a change to more terrestrially influenced marine environments characteristic of the upper Paleocene to lower Eocene San Cayetano sequence, also deposited in a fore-arc setting with an active volcanic arc. A lower to middle Eocene angular unconformity at the top of the San Cayetano sequence, the termination of the activity of the Romeral Fault System, and the cessation of arc magmatism are interpreted to indicate the onset of low-angle subduction of the thick and buoyant Caribbean Plateau beneath South America, which occurred between 56 and 43 Ma. Flat subduction of the plateau has continued to the present and would be the main cause of amagmatic post-Eocene deposition.

Sulfur concentration and isotopic variation in apatites from granitic to granodioritic plutons of a Cretaceous Cordilleran Batholith

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Economos, R. C.

2012-12-01

Apatite is a common igneous accessory mineral with a high saturation temperature which can therefore crystallize over a significant portion of magmatic compositional space. Sulfur presents an opportunity to identify zoning in apatites. Unlike other trace elements, sulfur is relatively immobile in the apatite crystal structure and can be present in typical concentrations up to 1500 - 2000 ppm (or 0.5 to 1 wt% SO3). Sulfur concentration zoning in igneous apatites from ore producing magmatic systems has been identified (Streck and Dilles, 1998), but the interpretation of the cause of this zoning remains an open question. δ34S isotopic ratios of whole apatites have been used to track isotopic evolution associated with changes in magma fO2 and eruptive degassing (Rye, 2005). The presented work combines sulfur concentration mapping in zoned apatite crystals with in-situ SIMS 34S and 32S isotope measurements. Apatites were extracted from granite to granodiorite samples from the Cadiz Valley Batholith in the central Mojave Desert. This batholith is related to the pulse of Cretaceous Cordilleran magmatism that generated large batholiths in the Sierra Nevada and the Penninsular Ranges. The Mojave segment of the Cretaceous arc is unique in their construction into a full thickness of continental crust which exerted a strong influence on magmatic compositions. Apatite grains were mounted parallel to C axes, ground until grains were approximately bisected, and analyzed by Electron Microprobe at UCLA, for CaO, P2O5, SO3 and SiO2. Grains were surveyed and those yielding anomalous SO3 contents were investigated by micron-scale concentration mapping. Typical SO3 concentrations of apatites from all samples were ~0.2 wt%, while 8 to 10% of apatite grains from two samples contained cores with concentrations ranging up to 0.5 wt%. The sulfur zoning in these samples is oscillatory, in some grains representing 5 to 6 repetitions of high and low concentrations. Based on these textures

Ages and petrogenesis of Jurassic and Cretaceous intrusive rocks in the Matsu Islands: Implications for lower crust modification beneath southeastern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jing-Yuan; Yang, Jin-Hui; Ji, Wei-Qiang

2017-12-01

Major and trace element, whole-rock Sr-, Nd- and Hf-isotope, zircon U-Pb age and Hf-O isotope data are reported for the intrusive rocks from the Matsu Islands in the coastal area of southeastern (SE) China, in order to study the ages, sources and petrogenesis of these rocks and evolution of the lower crust. The rocks include gneissic granite, massive granite, brecciated granite and diabase. Secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS) zircon U-Pb dating reveals that the rocks in the Matsu Islands were emplaced at ∼160 Ma, ∼130 Ma and ∼94 Ma. The Jurassic granites (∼160 Ma) have high SiO2 (74.1-74.5 wt%) and K2O + Na2O (8.32-8.33 wt%) contents and high Rb/Sr ratios of 0.6-1.2 and (La/Yb)CN ratios of 12.6-19.4. Their relatively high initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7074-0.7101), variable and negative εNd(t) values (-9.2 to -5.4), and variable zircon εHf(t) (-17.0 to +5.2) and δ18O (4.7-8.1‰) values indicate they were mainly derived from an ancient lower crustal source, but with involvement of high εHf(t) and low δ18O materials. The Early Cretaceous diabase (∼130 Ma) has SiO2 content of 56.5 wt%, relatively high MgO concentration, low initial 87Sr/86Sr ratio and negative εNd(t) value, similar to geochemical features of other Cretaceous mafic rocks in the coastal area of SE China. Zircons from the diabase have high εHf(t) values (-5.5 to +0.2) and relatively low δ18O values of 4.2-5.0‰. These characteristics indicate that the parental magma of the diabase was generated by partial melting of enriched lithospheric mantle, which have been metasomatised by altered oceanic crust-derived low-δ18O fluids. For the Cretaceous granitoids (∼130 Ma and 94 Ma), they have relatively low SiO2 (68.0-71.3 wt%) and K2O + Na2O (5.30-7.55 wt%) contents and low Rb/Sr ratios and (La/Yb)CN ratios of 5.8-7.1. They have low initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7071-0.7082), homogeneous εNd(t) (-4.3 to -4.5) and relatively high zircon εHf(t) values (-3.7 to +1.2) and low δ18O values (4

The 131-134 Ma A-type granites from northern Zhejiang Province, South China: Implications for partial melting of the Neoproterozoic lower crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Qinghai; Yu, Kaizhang; Liu, Yongsheng; Hu, Zhaochu; Zong, Keqing

2017-12-01

Although Mesozoic granites are widely distributed in the Gan-Hang Belt in Southeast China, their petrogenesis and geodynamic settings are still matters of dispute. Here, the major and trace elements, Sr-Nd isotopic compositions, zircon U-Pb dating and Hf isotopes of three late Mesozoic granite plutons from Machebu, Shenzhongwu and Daixi in northern Zhejiang Province were analyzed to investigate their petrogenesis. These granite plutons are featured by an A2-type granite geochemical signature (e.g., high SiO2 (71 to 78 wt.%), total alkalis (Na2O + K2O = 7.57 to 9.12 wt.%), rare earth elements (total REE = 174 to 519 ppm) and HFSE contents, with mostly high FeOT/(FeOT + MgO) (0.82 to 0.93) and Ga/Al ratios (2.49 to 5.07) and low Ce4 +/Ce3 + ratios in zircons (1 to 90)), suggesting they were formed in an extensional tectonic setting. Combining whole rock Zr contents, mineral assemblages and the An content of plagioclase, it was suggested that these granites could have formed at a high temperature (> 850 °C) with a low H2O content ( 2.5 wt.%). Assuming the granite with the lowest SiO2 and high CaO contents as the "primary granite melt", the melting pressure was estimated to be 2.5 kbar based on model calculations using MELTs. Taking into account the effect of plagioclase fractional crystallization during the granite emplacement into shallow crustal levels, the initial melting pressure could be > 2.5 kbar at the stable field of plagioclase. This agrees well with the very low and variable Sr and Eu contents of these granite plutons. Zircon U-Pb dating yields a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 130.9 ± 1.0 Ma for the Machebu granite, 134.4 ± 2.1 Ma for the Shenzhongwu granite and 131.9 ± 1.2 Ma for the Daixi granite. The εHf(t) values of the zircons in these plutons gradually increase from southwest to northeast, i.e., from - 14.5 - 3.5 for the Machebu granite to - 1.5 - 0.2 for the Shenzhongwu granite and from 5.1 8.6 for the Daixi granite, suggesting the origin of

A tale of 10 plutons - Revisited: Age of granitic rocks in the White Mountains, California and Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

McKee, E.H.; Conrad, J.E.

1996-01-01

40Ar/39Ar incremental heating analysis and conventional K-Ar age determinations on plutonic rocks of the White Mountains define two stages of magmatic emplacement: Late Cretaceous, between ca. 90 Ma and 75 Ma, and Middle-Late Jurassic, between ca. 180 and 140 Ma. The Jurassic stage can be divided into two substages, 180-165 Ma and 150-140 Ma. Thermal effects of the younger plutons on the older granitoids partially to completely reset ages, making it difficult to determine the age of emplacement and cooling of several of the plutons even by 40Ar/39Ar incremental heating analyses. New data together with published ages and regional geochronological synthesis of the Sierra Nevada batholith indicate that regions within the batholith have coherent periods or episodes of magmatic activity. In the White Mountains and Sierra Nevada directly to the west there was little or no activity in Early Jurassic and Early Cretaceous time; magmatism took place during relatively short intervals of 15 m.y. or less in the Middle and Late Jurassic and Late Cretaceous periods. The new K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar analyses of granitoids from the White Mountains help, but do not completely clarify the complex history of emplacement, cooling, and reheating of the batholith.

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

The Eagle Ford Shale, Texas: an initial insight into Late Cretaceous organic-rich mudrock palaeoenvironments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forshaw, Joline; Jarvis, Ian; Trabucho-Alexandre, João; Tocher, Bruce; Pearce, Martin

2014-05-01

The hypothesised reduction of oxygen within the oceans during the Cretaceous is believed to have led to extended intervals of regional anoxia in bottom waters, resulting in increased preservation of organic matter and the deposition of black shales. Episodes of more widespread anoxia, and even euxinia, in both bottom and surface waters are associated with widespread black shale deposition during Ocean Anoxic Events (OAEs). The most extensive Late Cretaceous OAE, which occurred ~ 94 Ma during Cenomanian-Turonian boundary times, and was particularly well developed in the proto-North Atlantic and Tethyan regions, lasted for around 500 kyr (OAE2). Although the causes of this and other events are still hotly debated, research is taking place internationally to produce a global picture of the causes and consequences of Cretaceous OAEs. Understanding OAEs will enable a better interpretation of the climate fluctuations that ensued, and their association with the widespread deposition of black shales, rising temperatures, increased pCO2, enhanced weathering, and increased nutrient fluxes. The Eagle Ford Formation, of Cenomanian - Turonian age, is a major shale gas play in SW and NE Texas, extending over an area of more than 45,000 km2. The formation, which consists predominantly of black shales (organic-rich calcareous mudstones), was deposited during an extended period of relative tectonic quiescence in the northern Gulf Coast of the Mexico Basin, bordered by reefs along the continental shelf. The area offers an opportunity to study the effects of OAE2 in an organic-rich shelf setting. The high degree of organic matter preservation in the formation has produced excellent oil and gas source rocks. Vast areas of petroleum-rich shales are now being exploited in the Southern States of the US for shale gas, and the Eagle Ford Shale is fast becoming one of the countries largest producers of gas, oil and condensate. The Eagle Ford Shale stratigraphy is complex and heterogeneous

Late Quaternary cooling rate constrained by multiple IRSL thermochronometers of potassium feldspars for granites from Kongur Shan, Chinese Pamir

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Jintang; Chen, Jie; Valla, Pierre; Herman, Frédéric

2015-04-01

The Kongur Shan (East Pamir), located at the northwestern Tibetan Plateau, is one of the most active orogens on Earth, where both tectonic processes along major active faults and climatic forcing (extensive glaciers coverage) are contributing to the regional landscape evolution. The exhumation rates since late Miocene was constrained to be ~6.5 - 4.2 mm/yr. However, it is still debated whether the exhumation rate accelerated since the Quaternary, of which the climate was featured by the cyclic glaciations with periods of 100 ka and 40 ka. In this study, we tried to employ luminescence thermochronology, which is a still in developing method, to resolve the impact of glacial cycles on exhumation rate. Our study site is located ~10 km to the east of the active Kongur normal fault, along the major valley of Gez river. We sampled three granite rocks from a sub-horizontal tunnel across the granite massif; one was from the entrance of the tunnel, and other two samples were from inside of the tunnel, where the measured ambient temperature is as high as 60-70 ° C. The distances of these samples are within 2 km. Four types of IRSL signals extracted from potassium feldspars (K-feldspars) were measured for each individual sample, and the results of isothermal decay experiments indicated these signals were of different thermal stabilities. Therefore, they may serve as four thermochronometers with different closure temperature. We employ these multiple thermochronometers together for each single sample to constrain their cooling rates. Our preliminary results, which are based on the simplified luminescence model of K-feldspars, suggest that the averaged cooling rate of the last 200 ka is as high as 1.4 oC/ka, which corresponds to an exhumation rate of ~ 2.3 to 0.9 cm/yr with the geothermal gradient assumed to be 60 to 150 oC/km. It seems to imply that the glacial cycles during the Quaternary substantially accelerated the exhumation rate of granite massif of Kongur Shan.

Plant microfossil record of the terminal Cretaceous event in the western United States and Canada

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nichols, D. J.; Fleming, R. F.

1988-01-01

Plant microfossils, principally pollen grains and spores produced by land plants, provide an excellent record of the terminal Cretaceous event in nonmarine environments. The record indicates regional devastation of the latest Cretaceous vegetation with the extinction of many groups, followed by a recolonization of the earliest Tertiary land surface, and development of a permanently changed land flora. The regional variations in depositional environments, plant communities, and paleoclimates provide insight into the nature and effects of the event, which were short-lived but profound. The plant microfossil data support the hypothesis that an abruptly initiated, major ecological crisis occurred at the end of the Cretaceous. Disruption of the Late Cretaceous flora ultimately contributred to the rise of modern vegetation. The plant microfossils together with geochemical and mineralogical data are consistent with an extraterrestrial impact having been the cause of the terminal Cretaceous event.

Geochronology and geochemistry of late Carboniferous-middle Permian I- and A-type granites and gabbro-diorites in the eastern Jiamusi Massif, NE China: Implications for petrogenesis and tectonic setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bi, Jun-Hui; Ge, Wen-Chun; Yang, Hao; Wang, Zhi-Hui; Xu, Wen-Liang; Yang, Jin-Hui; Xing, De-He; Chen, Hui-Jun

2016-12-01

Late Carboniferous-middle Permian magmatism in the Jiamusi Massif of northeast China, in the eastern segment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), provides critical evidence regarding the tectonic history and geodynamic processes in the region. The gabbro-diorites of the Longtouqiao pluton and two groups of coeval granite in the study area comprise a bimodal magmatic suite. Precise LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon ages indicate that the granitoids and gabbro-diorites were emplaced in the late Carboniferous-middle Permian (302-267 Ma). Group I granites have high SiO2 (70.75-77.04 wt.%) and K2O (3.65-5.89 wt.%) contents, are enriched in LILEs (e.g., Rb, Th, and U) relative to HFSEs and LREEs, and have negative Nb, Ta, P, and Ti anomalies, which collectively indicate affinities with subduction-related magmas. Group II granites are weakly peraluminous (A/CNK = 1.03-1.07) and are characterized by enrichment in alkalis (Na2O + K2O = 8.22-8.90 wt.%), low MgO (0.04-0.09 wt.%) and P2O5 (0.01-0.04 wt.%) contents, high Zr and Nb contents, high 10,000 × Ga/Al ratios, and they are geochemically similar to aluminous A-type granites. All the magmatic zircons in these granitoids have great variations of εHf(t) (+ 7.89 to - 5.60) and two-stage Hf model ages (TDM2) of 0.8-1.7 Ga, which suggest that the precursor magmas originated from a heterogeneous source that involved juvenile components derived from a depleted mantle source during magma generation. The aluminous A-type granite magmas were probably derived by high-temperature partial melting of a felsic crustal source, whereas the other granite magmas probably resulted from partial melting of a mafic lower crust. The gabbro-diorites of the Longtouqiao pluton are depleted in Nb, Ta, P, and Ti, and show flat distributions of most LILEs and HFSEs, except for large positive anomalies in Ba, K, and Pb. These features reflect a limited degree of crustal contamination associated with the subduction-related magmatic processes. These data

Seismic imaging of Late Cretaceous magmatic system in the northern margin of South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, S.; Xu, H.; Sun, J.; Zhao, F.; Fan, C.

2017-12-01

The origin and evolution of magmatism in the rifting margins are the fundamentally geological subjects, and remain the focus of intense study. Different from the classical volcanic or nonvolcanic rifting margins, the northern margin of South China Sea (SCS) experienced uniquely regional tectonic processes, and formed plentiful intraplate seamounts mainly at the postrift period. There is considerable controversy over what caused the intensively postrift intraplate volcanism. Here we combine a new crustal structure with previously systematic petrologic and seismic tomographic results to first provide importantly new insights into a mantle plume origin and complex multilevel plumbing system of intraplate seamounts in the northern margin of SCS. Large amounts of active melts from the lower mantle migrated upward and reached the base of the lithosphere. The volatile-rich and overheated magmas continued ascending along the weak zone through the lithosphere and intruded into the lower crust. The intrusion magmas then ascended forward along the faults formed during the rifting, and supplied the magma source for the formation of intraplate seamounts in the northern margin of SCS. It supplies an important implication for the volume and range of late Cenozoic basaltic magmatism deriving from the Hainan mantle plume. Keywords: South China Sea; Late Cretaceous; Magmatic System; Hainan Plume AcknowledgementsThe field work of this study was assisted by the captain and crew of the R/V Shiyan 2. Prof. Xuelin Qiu supplied great helps for the successful implementation of the cruise. This work was partially supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 91328206 and 41576041).

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

Geochronology, petrogenesis and tectonic settings of pre- and syn-ore granites from the W-Mo deposits (East Kounrad, Zhanet and Akshatau), Central Kazakhstan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, GuangMing; Cao, MingJian; Qin, KeZhang; Evans, Noreen J.; Hollings, Pete; Seitmuratova, Eleonora Yusupovha

2016-05-01

There is significant debate regarding the mineralization ages of the East Kounrad, Zhanet and Akshatau W-Mo deposits of Central Kazakhstan, and the petrogenesis and tectono-magmatic evolution of the granites associated with these deposits. To address these issues, we present molybdenite Re-Os dating, zircon U-Pb dating, whole rock geochemistry as well as Sr-Nd-Pb and zircon O-Hf isotopic analyses on the pre-mineralization and ore-forming granites. U-Pb dating of zircons from pre-mineralization granitic rocks yield Late Carboniferous ages of 320-309 Ma, whereas ore-forming granites have Early Permian ages of 298-285 Ma. Molybdenite Re-Os isotopic data indicate a mineralization age of 296 Ma at East Kounrad, 294 Ma at Akshatau and 285 Ma at Zhanet. The pre-ore and ore-forming granites are high-K calc-alkaline, metaluminous to slightly peraluminous I-type granites. The pre-mineralization granites are relatively unfractionated, whereas the ore-forming granites are highly fractionated. The fractionating mineral phases are probably K-feldspar, apatite, Ti-bearing phases and minor plagioclase. The pre-mineralization and ore-forming rocks are characterized by similar Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf-O isotopic compositions ((87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.70308-0.70501, εNd (t) = - 0.5 to + 2.8, 207Pb/204Pb = 15.60-15.82, zircon εHf (t) = + 1.2 to + 15.6 and δ18O = + 4.6 to + 10.3‰), whole rock TDMC (Nd) (840-1120 Ma) and zircon TDMC (Hf) (320-1240 Ma). The isotopic characteristics are consistent with a hybrid magma source caused by 10-30% assimilation of ancient crust by juvenile lower crust. The geochronology and geochemistry of these granites show that the Late Carboniferous pre-mineralization granitic rocks formed during subduction, whereas the Early Permian ore-forming, highly fractionated granite probably underwent significant fractionation with a restite assemblage of K-feldspar, apatite, Ti-bearing phases and minor plagioclase and developed during collision between the Yili and Kazakhstan

Late Cretaceous paleosols as paleoclimate proxies of high-latitude Southern Hemisphere: Mata Amarilla Formation, Patagonia, Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varela, Augusto N.; Raigemborn, M. Sol; Richiano, Sebastián; White, Tim; Poiré, Daniel G.; Lizzoli, Sabrina

2018-01-01

Although there is general consensus that a global greenhouse climate characterized the mid-Cretaceous, details of the climate state of the mid-Cretaceous Southern Hemisphere are less clearly understood. In particular, continental paleoclimate reconstructions are scarce and exclusively derived from paleontological records. Using paleosol-derived climofunction studies of the mid- to Upper Cretaceous Mata Amarilla Formation, southern Patagonia, Argentina, we present a reconstruction of the mid-Cretaceous climate of southern South America. Our results indicate that at 60° south paleolatitude during the Cenomanian-Santonian stages, the climate was subtropical temperate-warm (12 °C ± 2.1 °C) and humid (1404 ± 108 mm/yr) with marked rainfall seasonality. These results are consistent with both previous estimations from the fossil floras of the Mata Amarilla Formation and other units of the Southern Hemisphere, and with the previous observations of the displacement of tropical and subtropical floras towards the poles in both hemispheres. The data presented here show a more marked seasonality and slightly lower mean annual precipitation and mean annual temperature values than those recorded at the same paleolatitudes in the Northern Hemisphere.

A Giant Pliosaurid Skull from the Late Jurassic of England

PubMed Central

Benson, Roger B. J.; Evans, Mark; Smith, Adam S.; Sassoon, Judyth; Moore-Faye, Scott; Ketchum, Hilary F.; Forrest, Richard

2013-01-01

Pliosaurids were a long-lived and cosmopolitan group of marine predators that spanned 110 million years and occupied the upper tiers of marine ecosystems from the Middle Jurassic until the early Late Cretaceous. A well-preserved giant pliosaurid skull from the Late Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay Formation of Dorset, United Kingdom, represents a new species, Pliosaurus kevani. This specimen is described in detail, and the taxonomy and systematics of Late Jurassic pliosaurids is revised. We name two additional new species, Pliosaurus carpenteri and Pliosaurus westburyensis, based on previously described relatively complete, well-preserved remains. Most or all Late Jurassic pliosaurids represent a globally distributed monophyletic group (the genus Pliosaurus, excluding ‘Pliosaurus’ andrewsi). Despite its high species diversity, and geographically widespread, temporally extensive occurrence, Pliosaurus shows relatively less morphological and ecological variation than is seen in earlier, multi-genus pliosaurid assemblages such as that of the Middle Jurassic Oxford Clay Formation. It also shows less ecological variation than the pliosaurid-like Cretaceous clade Polycotylidae. Species of Pliosaurus had robust skulls, large body sizes (with skull lengths of 1.7–2.1 metres), and trihedral or subtrihedral teeth suggesting macropredaceous habits. Our data support a trend of decreasing length of the mandibular symphysis through Late Jurassic time, as previously suggested. This may be correlated with increasing adaptation to feeding on large prey. Maximum body size of pliosaurids increased from their first appearance in the Early Jurassic until the Early Cretaceous (skull lengths up to 2360 mm). However, some reduction occurred before their final extinction in the early Late Cretaceous (skull lengths up to 1750 mm). PMID:23741520

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

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

The late cretaceous Donlin Creek gold deposit, Southwestern Alaska: Controls on epizonal ore formation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Goldfarb, R.J.; Ayuso, R.; Miller, M.L.; Ebert, S.W.; Marsh, E.E.; Petsel, S.A.; Miller, L.D.; Bradley, D.; Johnson, Chad; McClelland, W.

2004-01-01

The Donlin Creek gold deposit, southwestern Alaska, has an indicated and inferred resource of approximately 25 million ounces (Moz) Au at a cutoff grade of 1.5 g/t. The ca. 70 Ma deposit is hosted in the Late Cretaceous Kuskokwim flysch basin, which developed in the back part of the are region of an active continental margin, on previously accreted oceanic terranes and continental fragments. A hypabyssal, mainly rhyolitic to rhyodacitic, and commonly porphyritic, 8- ?? 3-km dike complex, part of a regional ca. 77 to 58 Ma magmatic arc, formed a structurally competent host for the mineralization. This deposit is subdivided into about one dozen distinct prospects, most of which consist of dense quartz ?? carbonate veinlet networks that fill north-northeast-striking extensional fractures in the northeast-trending igneous rocks. The sulfide mineral assemblage is dominated by arsenopyrite, pyrite, and, typically younger, stibnite; gold is refractory within the arsenopyrite. Sericitization, carbonatization, and suffidation were the main alteration processes. Fluid inclusion studies of the quartz that hosts the resource indicate dominantly aqueous ore fluids with also about 3 to 7 mol percent CO2 ?? CH4 and a few tenths to a few mole percent NaCl + KCl. The gold-bearing fluids were mainly homogeneously trapped at approximately 275?? to 300??C and at depths of 1 to 2 km. Some of the younger stibnite may have been deposited by late-stage aqueous fluids at lower temperature. Measured ??18O values for the gold-bearing quartz range between 11 and 25 per mil; the estimated ??18O fluid values range from 7 to 12 per mil, suggesting a mainly crustally derived fluid. A broad range of measured ??D values for hydrothermal micas, between -150 and -80 per mil, is suggestive of a contribution from devolatilization of organic matter and/or minor amounts of mixing with meteoric fluids. Gold-associated hydrothermal sulfide minerals are characterized by ??34S values mainly between -16 and

Late cretaceous foraminifera, paleoenvironments, and paleoceanography of the rosario formation, San Antonio del Mar, Baja California, Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Maestas, Y.; MacLeod, K.G.; Douglas, R.; Self-Trail, J.; Ward, P.D.

2003-01-01

The 315 m of Rosario Formation exposed at the San Antonio del Mar (SADM) section (Baja California, Mexico) contains moderately-to-well preserved benthic and planktic foraminifera, calcareous nannofossils, and molluscs. Nannofossils suggest most of the SADM section was deposited within a narrow interval of the late Campanian (CC21-CC22), whereas foraminifera and molluscs suggest a younger maximum age (younger than the Globotruncana ventricosa Zone) and allow deposition over a longer interval of time. Planktic foraminifera at SADM represent common Tethyan taxa. They are largely restricted to the lower and middle portions of the section and comprise 0-???40% of foraminiferal assemblages. Stable isotopic analyses of Rugoglobigerina rugosa yield ??18OV-PDB values from -2.27%, to -2.82%, corresponding to salinity-corrected paleotemperature estimates of 26-30??C for the Late Cretaceous eastern Pacific. These estimates are as warm as modern tropical temperatures and are similar to tropical paleotemperature estimates from ??18O analyses of exceptionally preserved Maastrichtian samples; however, they are considerably warmer than most tropical Campanian-Maastrichtian estimates. Benthic foraminifera indicate outer shelf paleodepths with a slight increase in depth or decrease in benthic oxygen levels in the upper parts of the interval studied. The change in the benthic assemblage corresponds to an ???1??? positive shift in benthic ??O18, suggesting a relationship between benthic assemblages and an inferred increase in the local intensity of upwelling.

Geochronology, geochemistry, and petrogenesis of late Permian to early Triassic mafic rocks from Darongshan, South China: Implications for ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism and S-type granite generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Wang-Chun; Luo, Bi-Ji; Xu, Ya-Jun; Wang, Lei; Chen, Qi

2018-05-01

The role of the mantle in generating ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism and peraluminous S-type granites, and the extent of crust-mantle interaction are topics fundamental to our understanding of the Earth's evolution. In this study we present geochronological, geochemical, and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic data for dolerites and mafic volcanic rocks from the Darongshan granite complex belt in western Cathaysia, South China. LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon analyses yielded magma crystallization ages of ca. 250-248 Ma for the dolerites, which are coeval with eruption of the mafic volcanic rocks, ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism, and emplacement of S-type granites in the Darongshan granite complex belt. The mafic volcanic rocks are high-K calc-alkaline or shoshonitic, enriched in Th, U, and light rare earth elements, and depleted in Nb, Ta and Ti. The dolerites are characterized by high Fe2O3tot (11.61-20.39 wt%) and TiO2 (1.62-3.17 wt%), and low MgO (1.73-4.38 wt%), Cr (2.8-10.8 ppm) and Ni (2.5-11.4 ppm). Isotopically, the mafic volcanic rocks have negative whole-rock εNd(t) values (-6.7 to -9.0) and high ISr values (0.71232 to 0.71767), which are slightly depleted compared with the dolerite samples (εNd(t) = -10.3 to -10.4 and ISr = 0.71796 to 0.71923). Zircons in the dolerites have εHf(t) values of -7.6 to -10.9. The mafic volcanic rocks are interpreted to have resulted from the partial melting of an enriched lithospheric mantle source with minor crustal contamination during ascent, whereas the dolerites formed by late-stage crystallization of enriched lithospheric mantle-derived magmas after fractionation of olivine and pyroxene. The formation of these mantle-derived mafic rocks may be attributed to transtension along a NE-trending strike-slip fault zone that was related to oblique subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate beneath South China. Such underplated mafic magmas would provide sufficient heat for the generation of ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism and S-type granites, and

Geologic map of the Morena Reservoir 7.5-minute quadrangle, San Diego County, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Todd, Victoria R.

2016-06-01

IntroductionMapping in the Morena Reservoir 7.5-minute quadrangle began in 1980, when the Hauser Wilderness Area, which straddles the Morena Reservoir and Barrett Lake quadrangles, was mapped for the U.S. Forest Service. Mapping was completed in 1993–1994. The Morena Reservoir quadrangle contains part of a regional-scale Late Jurassic(?) to Early Cretaceous tectonic suture that coincides with the western limit of Jurassic metagranites in this part of the Peninsular Ranges batholith (PRB). This suture, and a nearly coincident map unit consisting of metamorphosed Cretaceous and Jurassic back-arc basinal volcanic and sedimentary rocks (unit KJvs), mark the boundary between western, predominantly metavolcanic rocks, and eastern, mainly metasedimentary, rocks. The suture is intruded and truncated by the western margin of middle to Late Cretaceous Granite Mountain and La Posta plutons of the eastern zone of the batholith.

Sedimentology and carbon-isotope stratigraphy of the Late Cretaceous Chalk Group in the Höllviken-1 core (SW Sweden)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bøttger, Dorthe; Thibault, Nicolas; Anderskouv, Kresten

2016-04-01

The Höllviken-1 borehole is situated on the Skåne peninsula (SW Sweden) which was part of the Danish Basin in the Late Cretaceous. 1415 meters have been cored among which ca. 1100 meters cover the complete Upper Cretaceous to lower Danian Chalk Group. Besides the publication of a synthetic log and detailed foraminifer biozonation, supplemented by a number of rare macrofossil findings and description of a number of foraminifer holotypes (Brötzen, 1944), very few studies of the core have actually been performed, since the mid 1940s. A new project has thus been undertaken aiming at improving the stratigraphy of the Chalk Group in the Höllviken-1 core. The data presented here comprise the description of the interval 837-489 m covering a large part of the Campanian and the lower Maastrichtian. Two intervals with the presence of sand are noted in the Campanian and two intervals showing possibly progradational sequences of arenaceous marls to sand are present in the Maastrichtian. The purpose of this new study is to revise the foraminifer biostratigraphy of Brötzen and complement it with high-resolution carbon-isotope stratigraphy in order to establish a new age-model for the core and better constrain the timing of siliciclastic input into the Danish Basin. In addition, high-resolution sedimentological data will be used as a preliminary test for cyclostratigraphy of the chalk-marl intervals.

Late Paleozoic magmatism in South China: Oceanic subduction or intracontinental orogeny?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Q.; Yu, J.; Zhao, G.

2013-12-01

The significant late Paleozoic magmatism has been widely recognized in the East Asian Blocks, which sheds a light on the assembly and break-up of the Pangea supercontinent. As one of major components in East Asia, however, the South China Block (SCB) does not have much late Paleozoic magmatism recognized. Here we report a gneissic granite intrusion in northeastern Fujian Province, eastern SCB. It is a S-type granite characterized by high K2O and Al2O3, and low SiO2 and Na2O with a high A/CNK ratio of 1.22. Zircons with stubby morphology from this gneissic granite yield 206Pb/238U ages ranging from 326 Ma to 301 Ma with a weighted average age of 313×4 Ma, and negative epsilonHf(t) values from -8.35 to -1.74 with two-stage Hf model ages of 1.43 to 1.84 Ga. This S-type granite was probably originated from late Paleoproterozoic crust during an intracontinental orogeny, not under oceanic subduction. Integrated with previous results on the paleogeographic reconstruction of the SCB, the nature of Paleozoic basins, Early Permian volcanism and U-Pb-Hf isotope of detrital zircons from the late Paleozoic to early Mesozoic sedimentary rocks, our data support a late Paleozoic orogeny in the SCB, which may have included Late Carboniferous (340-310 Ma) compressive episode and Early Permian (287-270 Ma) post-orogenic or intraplate extensive episode. Our interpretation is consistent with the late Paleozoic orogenic events recognized in other Pangea microcontinents, and thus provides a window for the reconstruction of Pangea. Acknowledgements: NSFC (41190070, 41190075)

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

Constraints on a Late Cretaceous uplift, denudation, and incision of the Grand Canyon region, southwestern Colorado Plateau, USA, from U-Pb dating of lacustrine limestone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, Carol A.; Polyak, Victor J.; Asmerom, Yemane; P. Provencio, Paula

2016-04-01

The uplift and denudation of the Colorado Plateau is important in reconstructing the geomorphic and tectonic evolution of western North America. A Late Cretaceous (64 ± 2 Ma) U-Pb age for the Long Point limestone on the Coconino Plateau, which overlies a regional erosional surface developed on Permo-Triassic formations, supports unroofing of the Coconino Plateau part of Grand Canyon by that time. U-Pb analyses of three separate outcrops of this limestone gave ages of 64.0 ± 0.7, 60.5 ± 4.6, and 66.3 ± 3.9 Ma, which dates are older than a fossil-based, early Eocene age. Samples of the Long Point limestone were dated using the isotope dilution isochron method on well-preserved carbonates having high-uranium and low-lead concentrations. Our U-Pb ages on the Long Point limestone place important constraints on the (1) time of tectonic uplift of the southwestern Colorado Plateau and Kaibab arch, (2) time of denudation of the Coconino Plateau, and (3) Late Cretaceous models of paleocanyon incision west of, or across, the Kaibab arch. We propose that the age of the Long Point limestone, interbedded within the Music Mountain Formation in the Long Point area, represents a period of regional aggradation and a time of drainage blockage northward and eastward across the Kaibab arch, with possible diversion of northward drainage on the Coconino Plateau westward around the arch via a Laramide paleo-Grand Canyon.

Formation of A-type granites in the Lower Yangtze River Belt: A perspective from apatite geochemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Xiao-Yan; Li, He; Ding, Xing; Wu, Kai; Guo, Jia; Liu, Ji-Qiang; Sun, Wei-Dong

2018-04-01

Apatite is ubiquitous in A-type granites, and can be used to elucidate the volatile contents of the silicate melt, which reflect its source characteristics. A-type granites have been recognized as a distinct group of granites. A1- and A2-type subgroups are produced under different extensional settings. However, the details of the mechanisms behind the distinctive geochemical characteristics of A1- and A2-type granites remain obscure. Belts of Cretaceous A1- and A2-type granites occur along the Lower Yangtze River Belt in eastern China. Here we investigated the major and trace element compositions of apatites from contemporary A1- and A2-type granites at different localities along the Lower Yangtze River Belt, in order to decipher their discrepant source processes. Apatites from A1- and A2-type granites show similar major and trace elements, but differ in their F and Cl concentrations. Apatites from A1-type granites in the eastern part of the Lower Yangtze River Belt have much lower F and higher Cl concentrations compared to A2-type granites in the western part. Moreover, from the east to the west, the F concentrations of apatites from A1-type granites increase, while the Cl concentrations decline. In a subducted plate, F is retained by amphibole, chlorite, serpentine and mica minerals through the amphibolite stage, and finally by phengite and lawsonite during the eclogite stage, whereas, Cl is controlled by amphibole, chlorite and serpentine. The high and varied Cl concentrations in A1 subgroup apatites, therefore, may be attributed to the breakdown of amphibole, chlorite and/or serpentine decomposition during partial melting of subducted oceanic crust releasing a large amount of Cl at shallower depth. In contrast, F is transported to deeper depths in the subducted oceanic crust, and released through breakdown of phengite and lawsonite, making an important contribution to the formation of A2-type granites. Apatites from A1- and A2-type granite samples show regular

The Late Cretaceous Aarya flora of the northern Okhotsk region and phytostratigraphy of the lower part of the Okhotsk-Chukotka volcanogenic belt section

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shczepetov, S. V.; Golovneva, L. B.

2014-07-01

The Zarya flora comes from volcanogenic sedimentary rocks of the Zarya and Parnyi formations that correspond to the basal part of the section of the Okhotsk-Chukotka volcanogenic belt in the Omsukchan district (Magadan oblast, Russia). The revision of its taxonomic composition resulted in identifying approximately 25 species of horsetails, ferns, cycads, ginkgoalens, czekanowskians, conifers, and angiosperms. The Zarya flora is characterized by a combination of the Early Cretaceous relicts ( Hausmannia, Birisia, Sphenobaiera, Phoenicopsis, Nilssonia, Podozamites) and typical Late Cretaceous taxa ( Taxodium, Sequoia, Menispermites, Dalembia, Trochodendroides, Cissites, Terechovia, Platanaceae). Among all the paleofloral assemblages of the Okhotsk-Chukotka volcanogenic belt, the Zarya flora is the most similar to the Turonian-Coniacian Arman flora of the Magadan region, which indicates their synchronism and floral unity. The Chingandzha flora of the Omsukchan area, which comes from the same stratigraphic level as Zarya flora, differs substantially from the latter in its taxonomic composition. It is conceivable that the Chingandzha flora was confined to a large river valley which was connected to coastal lowlands. The plant remains of the Arman flora with many mountain relicts could be buried in sediments of intermountain troughs isolated from coastal lowlands. Araucarites ochotensis sp. nov. is described.

Cretaceous and Paleogene granitoid suites of the Sikhote-Alin area (Far East Russia): Geochemistry and tectonic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grebennikov, Andrei V.; Khanchuk, Alexander I.; Gonevchuk, Valeriy G.; Kovalenko, Sergey V.

2016-09-01

The Mesozoic and Cenozoic geological history of NE Asia comprises alternating episodes of subduction or transform strike-slip movement of the oceanic plate along the continental margin of Eurasia. This sequence resulted in the regular generation of granitoid suites that are characterized by different ages, compositions, and tectonic settings. The Hauterivian-Aptian orogenic stage of the Sikhote-Alin, associated with the strike-slip displacement of the early Paleozoic continental blocks, the successive deformation of the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous terranes, and the injection of the earliest S-type granitoids. During late Albian, the area underwent syn-strike-slip compression caused by collision with the Aptian island arc and resulted in the injection of voluminous magmas of calc-alkaline magnesian (S- and I-type) and alkali-calcic ferroan (A-type) granitoids into syn-faulting compressional and extensional basins, respectively. Northwestward to westward movement of the Izanagi Plate resulted in the initiation of frontal subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate during the Cenomanian-Maastrichtian. In turn, this resulted in the generation of plateau-forming ignimbrites and their intrusive analogs formed from metaluminous I-type felsic magmas. Paleocene-Eocene magmatism in the Sikhote-Alin area commenced after the termination of subduction in a rifting regime related to strike-slip movement of the oceanic plate relative to the continent. The break-off of the subducted plate and the injection of oceanic asthenospheric material into the subcontinental lithosphere resulted in the eruption of lamproites and fayalite rhyolites, and coeval intrusions of gabbro and alkali feldspar granites (A-type). The A-type granitic-rocks and coeval gabbro-monzonites are considered to be reliable indicators of the transform continental margin geodynamic settings.

The emplacement, geochemistry and petrogenesis of two central Morocco Hercynian granites. Geotectonic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giuliani, G.; Cheilletz, A.; Zimmermann, J. L.

New field, petrographic and geochemical data including REE, Rb-Sr, and K-Ar, are presented concerning the emplacement and petrogenesis of two calc-alkaline Moroccan Hercynian granites: the Zaër pluton and the Djebel Aouam stocks. Zonation in the Zaër pluton does not appear to result from simple fractional crystallization nor from hydrothermal alteration but is rather the diapiric intrusion of two interlocked bodies. REE geochemistry supports the interpretation that the biotite-granodiorite magma (301 ± 8.2 M.a.) and the Djebel Aouam stocks appear to have been derived by fusion of crustal materials with possible mantle contamination ( Initial87Sr/ 86Srratio = 0.70514 ). The second two-mica granitic magma (283.4 ± 6.2 M.a.) corresponds to a peraluminous granite (1.22 < A/ CNK < 1.33) generated by fusion of continental crust including mature sedimentarr materials (Initial 87Sr/ 86Sr ratio = 0.70836). These granites are compared to the Acadian granites of north Appalachian and classified in the «post-collision, uplift environmentå type. An illustrative four step model presenting the generation and emplacement of these two granites together with the associated W-Sn-Pb-Zn-Ag mineralizations is proposed: (1) first magma generation, (2) first melt emplacement, (3) second melt emplacement, (4) late convective flow.

Macrofossil extinction patterns at Bay of Biscay Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary sections

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ward, Peter D.; Macleod, Kenneth

1988-01-01

Researchers examined several K-T boundary cores at Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) core repositories to document biostratigraphic ranges of inoceramid shell fragments and prisms. As in land-based sections, prisms in the deep sea cores disappear well before the K-T boundary. Ammonites show a very different extinction pattern than do the inoceramids. A minimum of seven ammonite species have been collected from the last meter of Cretaceous strata in the Bay of Biscay basin. In three of the sections there is no marked drop in either species numbers or abundance prior to the K-T boundary Cretaceous strata; at the Zumaya section, however, both species richness and abundance drop in the last 20 m of the Cretaceous, with only a single ammonite specimen recovered to date from the uppermost 12 m of Cretaceous strata in this section. Researchers conclude that inoceramid bivalves and ammonites showed two different times and patterns of extinction, at least in the Bay of Biscay region. The inoceramids disappeared gradually during the Early Maestrichtian, and survived only into the earliest Late Maestrichtian. Ammonites, on the other hand, maintained relatively high species richness throughout the Maestrichtian, and then disappeared suddenly, either coincident with, or immediately before the microfossil extinction event marking the very end of the Cretaceous.

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.

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

The grand tour of the Ruby-East Humboldt metamorphic core complex, northeastern Nevada: Part 1 - Introduction & road log

USGS Publications Warehouse

Snoke, A.W.; Howard, K.A.; McGrew, A.J.; Burton, B.R.; Barnes, C.G.; Peters, M.T.; Wright, J.E.

1997-01-01

The purpose of this geological excursion is to provide an overview of the multiphase developmental history of the Ruby Mountains and East Humboldt Range, northeastern Nevada. Although these mountain ranges are commonly cited as a classic example of a Cordilleran metamorphic core complex developed through large-magnitude, mid-Tertiary crustal extension, a preceding polyphase Mesozoic contractional history is also well preserved in the ranges. An early phase of this history involved Late Jurassic two-mica granitic magmatism, high-temperature but relatively low-pressure metamorphism, and polyphase deformation in the central Ruby Mountains. In the northern Ruby Mountains and East Humboldt Range, a Late Cretaceous history of crustal shortening, metamorphism, and magmatism is manifested by fold-nappes (involving Archean basement rocks in the northern East Humboldt Range), widespread migmatization, injection of monzogranitic and leucogranitic magmas, all coupled with sillimanite-grade metamorphism. Following Late Cretaceous contraction, a protracted extensional deformation partially overprinted these areas during the Cenozoic. This extensional history may have begun as early as the Late Cretaceous or as late as the mid-Eocene. Late Eocene and Oligocene magmatism occurred at various levels in the crust yielding mafic to felsic orthogneisses in the deep crust, a composite granitic pluton in the upper crust, and volcanic rocks at the surface. Movement along a west-rooted, extensional shear zone in the Oligocene and early Miocene led to core-complex exhumation. The shear zone produced mylonitic rocks about 1 km thick at deep crustal levels, and an overprint of brittle detachment faulting at shallower levels as unroofing proceeded. Megabreccias and other synextensional sedimentary deposits are locally preserved in a tilted, upper Eocene through Miocene stratigraphic sequence. Neogene magmatism included the emplacement of basalt dikes and eruption of rhyolitic rocks. Subsequent

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

Intensive low-temperature tectono-hydrothermal overprint of peraluminous rare-metal granite: a case study from the Dlhá dolina valley (Gemericum, Slovakia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breiter, Karel; Broska, Igor; Uher, Pavel

2015-02-01

A unique case of low-temperature metamorphic (hydrothermal) overprint of peraluminous, highly evolved rare-metal S-type granite is described. The hidden Dlhá dolina granite pluton of Permian age (Western Carpathians, eastern Slovakia) is composed of barren biotite granite, mineralized Li-mica granite and albitite. Based on whole-rock chemical data and evaluation of compositional variations of rock-forming and accessory minerals (Rb-P-enriched K-feldspar and albite; biotite, zinnwaldite and di-octahedral micas; Hf-(Sc)-rich zircon, fluorapatite, topaz, schorlitic tourmaline), the following evolutionary scenario is proposed: (1) Intrusion of evolved peraluminous melt enriched in Li, B, P, F, Sn, Nb, Ta, and W took place followed by intrusion of a large body of biotite granites into Paleozoic metapelites and metarhyolite tuffs; (2) The highly evolved melt differentiated in situ forming tourmaline-bearing Li-biotite granite at the bottom, topaz-zinnwaldite granite in the middle, and quartz albitite to albitite at the top of the cupola. The main part of the Sn, Nb, and Ta crystallized from the melt as disseminated cassiterite and Nb-Ta oxide minerals within the albitite, while disseminated wolframite appears mainly within the topaz-zinnwaldite granite. The fluid separated from the last portion of crystallized magma caused small scale greisenization of the albitite; (3) Alpine (Cretaceous) thrusting strongly tectonized and mylonitized the upper part of the pluton. Hydrothermal low-temperature fluids enriched in Ca, Mg, and CO2 unfiltered mechanically damaged granite. This fluid-driven overprint caused formation of carbonate veinlets, alteration and release of phosphorus from crystal lattice of feldspars and Li from micas, precipitating secondary Sr-enriched apatite and Mg-rich micas. Consequently, all bulk-rock and mineral markers were reset and now represent the P-T conditions of the Alpine overprint.

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

Late Cretaceous dacitic dykes swarm from Central Iran, a trace for amphibolite melting in a subduction zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nosouhian, N.; Torabi, G.; Arai, S.

2016-05-01

Late Cretaceous Bayazeh dyke swarm is situated in the western part of the Central-East Iranian Microcontinent (CEIM). These dykes with a dominant northeast-southwest trend occur in the Eastern margin of the Yazd block. They cross cut the Lower Cretaceous sedimentary rocks. The length of the Bayazeh dykes occasionally reaches up to the 2 km. Rock forming minerals of these dykes are plagioclase (andesine and oligoclase), amphibole (magnesio-hastingsitic hornblende, magnesio-hornblende and tschermakitic hornblende), quartz, K-feldspar (orthoclase), zircon and apatite. Secondary minerals are chlorite (pycnochlorite), albite, magnetite and calcite. The main textures are porphyritic, glomeroporphyritic and poikilitic. The felsic character of the Bayazeh dacitic dykes is shown by their high SiO2 (62.70 to 64.60 wt %) and low [Fe2O3* + MgO + MnO + TiO2] (average 4.64 wt %) contents. These dykes represent the peraluminous to metaluminous nature and their Na2O and K2O values are 5.20-7.14 and 1.51-2.59 wt %, respectively, which reveal their sodic chemistry. The trace element characteristics are the LREE enrichment relative to HREE, [La/Yb]CN = 13.27-22.99, and slightly negative or positive Eu anomaly. These geochemical characteristics associated with low Nb/La (0.16-0.25), Yb/Nd (0.04-0.05) and high Zr/Sm (37.60-58.25) ratios indicate that the melting of a metamorphosed subducted oceanic crust is occurred where the residual mineral assemblage is dominated by garnet amphibolite. The chemical compositions of the Bayazeh dykes resemble those of slab-derived tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) series. They were formed by subduction of Mesozoic Neo-Tethys -related Nain and Ashin oceanic crusts.

A large accumulation of avian eggs from the late cretaceous of patagonia (Argentina) reveals a novel nesting strategy in mesozoic birds.

PubMed

Fernández, Mariela S; García, Rodolfo A; Fiorelli, Lucas; Scolaro, Alejandro; Salvador, Rodrigo B; Cotaro, Carlos N; Kaiser, Gary W; Dyke, Gareth J

2013-01-01

We report the first evidence for a nesting colony of mesozoic birds on Gondwana: a fossil accumulation in Late Cretaceous rocks mapped and collected from within the campus of the National University of Comahue, Neuquén City, Patagonia (Argentina). Here, Cretaceous ornithothoracine birds, almost certainly Enanthiornithes, nested in an arid, shallow basinal environment among sand dunes close to an ephemeral water-course. We mapped and collected 65 complete, near-complete, and broken eggs across an area of more than 55 m(2). These eggs were laid either singly, or occasionally in pairs, onto a sandy substrate. All eggs were found apparently in, or close to, their original nest site; they all occur within the same bedding plane and may represent the product of a single nesting season or a short series of nesting attempts. Although there is no evidence for nesting structures, all but one of the Comahue eggs were half-buried upright in the sand with their pointed end downwards, a position that would have exposed the pole containing the air cell and precluded egg turning. This egg position is not seen in living birds, with the exception of the basal galliform megapodes who place their eggs within mounds of vegetation or burrows. This accumulation reveals a novel nesting behaviour in Mesozoic Aves that was perhaps shared with the non-avian and phylogenetically more basal troodontid theropods.

A Large Accumulation of Avian Eggs from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia (Argentina) Reveals a Novel Nesting Strategy in Mesozoic Birds

PubMed Central

Fernández, Mariela S.; García, Rodolfo A.; Fiorelli, Lucas; Scolaro, Alejandro; Salvador, Rodrigo B.; Cotaro, Carlos N.; Kaiser, Gary W.; Dyke, Gareth J.

2013-01-01

We report the first evidence for a nesting colony of Mesozoic birds on Gondwana: a fossil accumulation in Late Cretaceous rocks mapped and collected from within the campus of the National University of Comahue, Neuquén City, Patagonia (Argentina). Here, Cretaceous ornithothoracine birds, almost certainly Enanthiornithes, nested in an arid, shallow basinal environment among sand dunes close to an ephemeral water-course. We mapped and collected 65 complete, near-complete, and broken eggs across an area of more than 55 m2. These eggs were laid either singly, or occasionally in pairs, onto a sandy substrate. All eggs were found apparently in, or close to, their original nest site; they all occur within the same bedding plane and may represent the product of a single nesting season or a short series of nesting attempts. Although there is no evidence for nesting structures, all but one of the Comahue eggs were half-buried upright in the sand with their pointed end downwards, a position that would have exposed the pole containing the air cell and precluded egg turning. This egg position is not seen in living birds, with the exception of the basal galliform megapodes who place their eggs within mounds of vegetation or burrows. This accumulation reveals a novel nesting behaviour in Mesozoic Aves that was perhaps shared with the non-avian and phylogenetically more basal troodontid theropods. PMID:23613776

Red Iron-Pigmented Tooth Enamel in a Multituberculate Mammal from the Late Cretaceous Transylvanian "Haţeg Island".

PubMed

Smith, Thierry; Codrea, Vlad

2015-01-01

Mammals that inhabit islands are characterized by peculiar morphologies in comparison to their mainland relatives. Here we report the discovery of a partial skull associated with the lower jaws of a Late Cretaceous (≈70 Ma) multituberculate mammal from the Carpathian "Haţeg Island" of Transylvania, Romania. The mammal belongs to the Kogaionidae, one of the rare families that survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction in Europe. The excellent preservation of this specimen allows for the first time description of the complete dentition of a kogaionid and demonstration that the enigmatic Barbatodon transylvanicus presents a mosaic of primitive and derived characters, and that it is phylogenetically basal among the Cimolodonta. Another peculiarity is the presence of red pigmentation in its tooth enamel. The red coloration is present on the anterior side of the incisors and on the cusps of most of the teeth. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) analysis reveals that the pigmented enamel contains iron, as in living placentals. Such a red pigmentation is known in living soricine shrews and many families of rodents, where it is thought to increase the resistance of the enamel to the abrasion that occurs during "grinding" mastication. The extended pattern of red pigment distribution in Barbatodon is more similar to that in eulipotyplan insectivores than to that in rodents and suggests a very hard diet and, importantly, demonstrates that its grasping incisors were not ever-growing. As inferred for other endemic Transylvanian vertebrates such as dwarf herbivorous dinosaurs and unusual theropod dinosaurs, insularity was probably the main factor of survival of such a primitive mammalian lineage relative to other mainland contemporaries of the Northern hemisphere.

Origin and evolution of multi-stage felsic melts in eastern Gangdese belt: Constraints from U-Pb zircon dating and Hf isotopic composition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Liang; Zhang, Hong-Fei; Harris, Nigel; Pan, Fa-Bin; Xu, Wang-Chun

2011-11-01

This integrated study of whole rock geochemistry, zircon U-Pb dating and Hf isotope composition for seven felsic rocks from the Nyingchi Complex in eastern Himalayan syntaxis has revealed a complex magmatic history for the eastern Gangdese belt. This involves multiple melt sources and mechanisms that uniquely identify the tectonic evolution of this part of the Himalayan orogen. Our U-Pb zircon dating reveals five stages of magmatic or anatectic events: 165, 81, 61, 50 and 25 Ma. The Jurassic granitic gneiss (165 Ma) exhibits εHf(t) values of + 1.4 to + 3.5. The late Cretaceous granite (81 Ma) shows variable εHf(t) values from - 0.9 to + 6.2, indicating a binary mixing between juvenile and old crustal materials. The Paleocene granodioritic gneiss (61 Ma) has εHf(t) values of + 5.4 to + 8.0, suggesting that it originated from partial melting of a juvenile crustal material. The Eocene anatexis is recorded in the leucosome, which has Hf isotopic composition similar to that of the Jurassic granite, indicating that the leucosome could be derived from partial melting of the Jurassic granite. The late Oligocene biotite granite (25 Ma) shows adakitic geochemical characteristics, with Sr/Y = 49.3-56.6. The presence of a large number of inherited zircons and negative εHf(t) values suggest that it sourced from anatexis of crustal materials. In contrast to the Gangdese batholiths that are mainly derived from juvenile crustal source in central Tibet, the old crustal materials play an important role for the magma generation of the felsic rocks, suggesting the existence of a crustal basement in the eastern Gangdese belt. These correspond to specific magmatic evolution stages during the convergence between India and Asia. The middle Jurassic granitic gneiss resulted from the northward subduction of the Neo-Tethyan oceanic slab. The late Cretaceous magmatism is probably related to the ocean ridge subduction. The Paleocene-Eocene magmatism, metamorphism and anatexis are

Late Cretaceous-Cenozoic Basin framework and petroleum potential of Panama and Costa Rica

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

Mann, P.; Kolarsky, R.

Despite its location between major petroleum provinces in northwestern South America and northern Central America, there is a widespread negative perception of the petroleum potential of Panama and Costa Rica in southern Central America. Several factors may contribute to this perception: (1) the on and offshore geology of many areas has only be studied in a reconnaissance fashion; (2) sandstone reservoirs and source rocks are likely to be of poor quality because Upper Cretaceous-Cenozoic sandstones are eroded from island arc or oceanic basement rocks and because oil-prone source rocks are likely to be scarce in near-arc basins; and (3) structuralmore » traps are likely to be small and fragmented because of complex late Cenozoic thrust and strike-slip tectonics. On the other hand, onshore oil and gas seeps, shows and small production in wildcat wells, and source rocks with TOC values up to 26% suggest the possibility of future discoveries. In this talk, we present the results of a regional study using 3100 km of offshore seismic lines kindly provided by industry. Age and stratigraphic control of offshore lines is constrained by limited well data and detailed field studies of basin outcrops in coastal areas. We describe the major structures, stratigraphy, and tectonic history of the following areas: Gulf of Panama and Gulf of Chiriqui of Panama and the Pacific and Caribbean margins of Costa Rica.« less

Zircon morphology and U-Pb geochronology of seven metaluminous and peralkaline post-orogenic granite complexes of the Arabian Shield, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Aleinikoff, John Nicholas; Stoeser, D.B.

1988-01-01

The U-Pb zircon method was used to determine the ages of seven metaluminous-to-peralkaline post-orogenic granites located throughout the Late Proterozoic Arabian Shield of Saudi Arabia. Zircons from the metaluminous rocks are prismatic, with length-to-width ratios of about 2-4:1 and small pyramidal terminations. In contrast, zircons from three of the four peralkaline complexes either lack well developed prismatic faces (are pseudo-octahedral) or are anhedral. Some of the zircons from the peralkaline granites contain inherited radiogenic lead. This complicates interpretation of the isotopic data and. in many cases, may make the U-Pb method unsuitable for determining the age of a peralkaline granite. Zircons in the metaluminous granites do not contain inheritance and thus, best-fit chords calculated through the data have upper concordia intercepts that indicate the age of intrusion, and lower intercepts that indicate simple episodic lead loss. The results show that these granites were emplaced during multiple intrusive episodes from 670 to 510 Ma (Late Proterozoic to Cambrian).

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.

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.

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.

Contrasting zircon morphology and UPb systematics in peralkaline and metaluminous post-orogenic granite complexes of the Arabian Shield, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Aleinikof, J.N.; Stoeser, D.B.

1989-01-01

Uzircon ages are reported for seven metaluminous-to-peralkaline post-orogenic granites from the Late Proterozoic Arabian Shield of Saudi Arabia. Zircons from the metaluminous rocks are prismatic, with length-to-width ratios of ??? 2-4: 1 and small pyramidal terminations. In contrast, zircons from three of the four peralkaline complexes either lack well-developed prismatic faces (are pseudo-octahedral) or are anhedral. Some zircons from the peralkaline granites contain inherited radiogenic Pb and have very high common Pb contents (206Pb/204Pb < 150), making the UPb method poorly suited for determining the age of these rocks. Zircons in the metaluminous granites do not contain inheritance and yield well-defined concordia intercepts. The span of ages of the seven complexes (670-470 Ma) indicates that post-orogenic granitic magmatism was not a singular event in the Arabian Shield but rather occurred as multiple intrusive episodes from the Late Proterozoic to the Middle Ordovician. ?? 1989.

The last polar dinosaurs: high diversity of latest Cretaceous arctic dinosaurs in Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godefroit, Pascal; Golovneva, Lina; Shchepetov, Sergei; Garcia, Géraldine; Alekseev, Pavel

2009-04-01

A latest Cretaceous (68 to 65 million years ago) vertebrate microfossil assemblage discovered at Kakanaut in northeastern Russia reveals that dinosaurs were still highly diversified in Arctic regions just before the Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction event. Dinosaur eggshell fragments, belonging to hadrosaurids and non-avian theropods, indicate that at least several latest Cretaceous dinosaur taxa could reproduce in polar region and were probably year-round residents of high latitudes. Palaeobotanical data suggest that these polar dinosaurs lived in a temperate climate (mean annual temperature about 10°C), but the climate was apparently too cold for amphibians and ectothermic reptiles. The high diversity of Late Maastrichtian dinosaurs in high latitudes, where ectotherms are absent, strongly questions hypotheses according to which dinosaur extinction was a result of temperature decline, caused or not by the Chicxulub impact.

Euarchontan affinity of Paleocene Afro-European adapisoriculid mammals and their origin in the late Cretaceous Deccan Traps of India.

PubMed

Smith, Thierry; De Bast, Eric; Sigé, Bernard

2010-04-01

The controversial family Adapisoriculidae, a group of shrew-sized Paleocene mammals, had proposed relationships with insectivores, marsupials and more recently to plesiadapiforms. Adapisoriculid remains are numerous in the early Paleocene locality of Hainin, Belgium, and allow us a test of these different phylogenetic hypotheses. Here, we identify the first tarsal bones of adapisoriculid mammals. The highly specialised bones indicate an arboreal mode of life with euarchontan affinity. Moreover, the tarsal bones are morphologically very close to those of the late Cretaceous Deccanolestes from the Deccan intertrappean beds of India, and also share several characters with the Paleocene plesiadapiforms and the extant cynocephalid dermopterans. The adapisoriculid affinities of Deccanolestes are also confirmed by tooth morphology, indicating that Deccanolestes is a primitive member of this family. These phylogenetic affinities suggest a paleobiogeographic scenario for the family with dispersal either via East Africa or across the Tethys area.

High resolution 40AR/39AR chronostratigraphy of the Late Cretaceous El Gallo Formation, Baja California del Norte, Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Renne, Paul R.; Fulford, Madeleine M.; Busby-Spera, Cathy

1991-03-01

Laser probe 40Ar/39Ar analyses of individual sanidine grains from four tuffs in the alluvial Late Cretaceous (Campanian) El Gallo Formation yield statistically distinct mean dates ranging from 74.87±0.05 Ma to 73.59±0.09 Ma. The exceptional precision of these dates permits calculation of statistically significant sediment accumulation rates that are much higher than passive sediment loading would cause, implying rapid tectonically induced subsidence. The dates bracket tightly the age of important dinosaur and mammalian faunas previously reported from the El Gallo Formation. The dates support an age less than 73 Ma for the Campanian/Maastrichtian stage boundary, younger than indicated by several currently used time scales. Further application of the single grain 40Ar/39Ar technique may be expected to greatly benefit stratigraphic studies of Mesozoic sedimentary basins and contribute to calibration of biostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic time scales.

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.

Ductile deformation history in Laibid metamorphic rocks, Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone, Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aflaki, Mahtab; Mohajjel, Mohammad

2010-05-01

Sanandaj-Sirjan zone, in northeast of Zagros suture zone, is the metamorphic belt of the Zagros orogen which is metamorphosed during Late Mesozoic, as the active margin of the Neotethys subduction system. Since Late Cretaceous, oblique collision between Afro-Arabian continent and Central Iran micro continent resulted in dextral transpression and Poly-phase deformations of this zone. Laibid area, northwest of Esfahan province, is situated in complexly deformed sub zone of the Sanandaj-Sirjan zone in which structurally exposed Permian metamorphosed rocks are separated from the younger Triassic-Jurassic metamorphic rocks by faulted boundaries. Cretaceous unites do not exist in the study area, but in southern most parts un-metamorphosed Early Cretaceous rocks rest on Jurassic metamorphic units over an angular unconformity. Field observations reveal the existence of 3 folding patterns, folded dikes, semi-ductile to ductile shear zones and also sin-tectonic granite intrusion. Hassan-Robat Alkali-porphyritic-granite is exposed in the eastern part of the area with the possible ages between post-Early Cretaceous to pre-Eocene. In this research, the focus is on ductile structures and their deformation history in the Laibid area. Structural analysis of the folds reveals three deformation stages of a progressive deformation in this area. These folding patterns observed in all pre-Cretaceous metamorphosed unites, but not in Cretaceous rocks. The first stage includes tight to isoclinal folds, S0 || S1, with the aspect ratio changes respectively from tall and short. Although their axial plane and fold axis orientations change due to other two folding stages, but they mostly have moderately dipping to the NE axial plane and moderately plunging fold axis to NW or SE. In the eastern part of the area the trend of F1 foliation changes around the Hassan-Robat granite. The second folding stage includes open to close asymmetric folds which have broad aspect ratio. This folding stage

A new Late Cretaceous iguanomorph from North America and the origin of New World Pleurodonta (Squamata, Iguania)

PubMed Central

Conrad, Jack L.; Head, Jason J.; Varricchio, David J.; Wilson, Gregory P.

2017-01-01

Iguanomorpha (stem + crown Iguania) is a diverse squamate clade with members that predominate many modern American lizard ecosystems. However, the temporal and palaeobiogeographic origins of its constituent crown clades (e.g. Pleurodonta (basilisks, iguanas, and their relatives)) are poorly constrained, mainly due to a meagre Mesozoic-age fossil record. Here, we report on two nearly complete skeletons from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of North America that represent a new and relatively large-bodied and possibly herbivorous iguanomorph that inhabited a semi-arid environment. The new taxon exhibits a mosaic of anatomical features traditionally used in diagnosing Iguania and non-iguanian squamates (i.e. Scleroglossa; e.g. parietal foramen at the frontoparietal suture, astragalocalcaneal notch in the tibia, respectively). Our cladistic analysis of Squamata revealed a phylogenetic link between Campanian-age North American and East Asian stem iguanomorphs (i.e. the new taxon + Temujiniidae). These results and our evaluation of the squamate fossil record suggest that crown pleurodontans were restricted to the low-latitude Neotropics prior to their early Palaeogene first appearances in the mid-latitudes of North America. PMID:28123087

Zircon U-Pb geochronology and geochemistry of granites in the Zhuguangshan complex, South China: Implications for uranium mineralization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Long; Chen, Zhenyu; Li, Xiaofeng; Li, Shengrong; Santosh, M.; Huang, Guolong

2018-05-01

The Zhuguangshan complex, composed of Caledonian, Indosinian, and Yanshanian granites, and Cretaceous mafic dykes, is one of the most important granite-hosted uranium producers in South China. Here we present LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb and hornblende 40Ar/39Ar geochronology and whole-rock and biotite geochemistry for the granites in this complex to evaluate the magmatism and its constraints on uranium mineralization. Samples collected from the Fuxi, Youdong, Longhuashan, Chikeng, Qiling, and Sanjiangkou intrusions yield zircon weighted 206Pb/238U ages of 426.7 ± 5.4 Ma, 226.4 ± 3.5 Ma, 225.0 ± 2.7 Ma, 152.2 ± 3.0 Ma, 153.9 ± 2.1 Ma, and 155.2 ± 2.1 Ma, respectively. A new Ar-Ar dating of the hornblende of the diabase from the Changjiang uranium ore field yields a plateau age of 145.1 ± 1.5 Ma. These results coupled with published geochronological data indicate that six major magmatic events occurred in the study area at 420-435 Ma, 225-240 Ma, 150-165 Ma, 140 Ma, 105 Ma, and 90 Ma. Both U-bearing and barren granites occur in this complex, and they display differences in whole-rock and biotite geochemistry. The barren granites show higher Al2O3, CaO, TFMM, Rb, Zr, Ba, SI, Mg#, (La/Yb)N, and Eu/Eu*, but lower SiO2, ALK, Rb, DI, Rb/Sr, and TiO2/MgO than those of the U-bearing granites. Biotites in the U-bearing granites are close to the Fe-rich siderophyllite-annite end member with Fe/(Fe + Mg) ratios higher than 0.66, whereas those in the barren granites are relatively close to the Mg-rich eastonite-phlogopite end member with Fe/(Fe + Mg) ratios <0.66. The U-bearing granites were mainly derived from the partial melting of pelitic sedimentary source, whereas the psammitic source generated the barren granites. In addition, the barren granites show higher TFMM, Ba, and Eu/Eu* but lower SiO2, Rb/Sr and Al2O3/TiO2 ratios with higher zircon saturation temperatures relative to the U-bearing granites. These results indicate that the geochemical compositions of the U

The post-collisional late Variscan ferroan granites of southern Sardinia (Italy): Inferences for inhomogeneity of lower crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conte, Aida Maria; Cuccuru, Stefano; D'Antonio, Massimo; Naitza, Stefano; Oggiano, Giacomo; Secchi, Francesco; Casini, Leonardo; Cifelli, Francesca

2017-12-01

The post-collisional late Variscan magmatism of Sardinia-Corsica batholith attained a peak at about 290 Ma. In southern Sardinia, in the frontal part of the Variscan orogenic wedge, this magmatism is represented by three suites of granitoids, here defined as GS1, GS2 and GS3. GS1, GS2 and GS3 are slightly peraluminous and F-bearing granitoids; GS1 and GS3 granites show in addition a ferroan character, whereas GS2 rocks range from magnesian to ferroan, from granodiorites to leucogranites. From magnetic susceptibility data, GS1 and GS2 belong to the ilmenite series, whereas GS3 is a slightly oxidized rock-suite plotting on the ilmenite/magnetite series boundary. Each rock-suite shows distinctive characters, in terms of petrography, petrochemistry, rock associations, as well as metallogenic signature of the related fluids. The distinction among rock-suite types is made on the basis of both mafic and characteristic accessory minerals. Siderophyllitic dark mica as the only mafic phase, and accessory xenotime (Y) characterize the GS1 rocks; GS2 mineral associations include biotite ± hornblende + allanite + magnetite; GS3 rocks show an association of hastingsite + annite + allanite + magnetite. Chemical variations in the studied samples suggest different magmatic evolution of independent magmas. Pb, Sr and Nd isotopic data constrain the origin of magmas to lower crustal sources. Chemical composition of rocks and dark micas meet those of liquids experimentally obtained by low degrees of partial melting of different meta-igneous deep crustal sources, felsic for GS1 rock-types and more mafic for GS3 rock-types. GS1 intrusions show granophile-type (Sn-W-Mo) metallogenic signatures, very low magnetic susceptibility, and Nd model ages (referred to the Depleted Mantle - TDM) of 2.3 Ga, coherent with a possible derivation from an old (early Proterozoic-Neoarchean), reduced and weathered basement, tectonically buried under Variscan covers. A definite deep crustal inhomogeneity is

Geologic map of the Harvard Lakes 7.5' quadrangle, Park and Chaffee Counties, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kellogg, Karl S.; Lee, Keenan; Premo, Wayne R.; Cosca, Michael A.

2013-01-01

The Harvard Lakes 1:24,000-scale quadrangle spans the Arkansas River Valley in central Colorado, and includes the foothills of the Sawatch Range on the west and Mosquito Range on the east. The Arkansas River valley lies in the northern end of the Rio Grande rift and is structurally controlled by Oligocene and younger normal faults mostly along the west side of the valley. Five separate pediment surfaces were mapped, and distinctions were made between terraces formed by the Arkansas River and surfaces that formed from erosion and alluviation that emanated from the Sawatch Range. Three flood deposits containing boulders as long as 15 m were deposited from glacial breakouts just north of the quadrangle. Miocene and Pliocene basin-fill deposits of the Dry Union Formation are exposed beneath terrace or pediment deposits in several places. The southwestern part of the late Eocene Buffalo Peaks volcanic center, mostly andesitic breccias and flows and ash-flow tuffs, occupy the northeastern corner of the map. Dated Tertiary intrusive rocks include Late Cretaceous or early Paleocene hornblende gabbro and hornblende monzonite. Numerous rhyolite and dacite dikes of inferred early Tertiary or Late Cretaceous age also intrude the basement rocks. Basement rocks are predominantly Mesoproterozoic granites, and subordinately Paleoproterozoic biotite gneiss and granitic gneiss.

A new pycnodont fish, Scalacurvichthys naishi gen. et sp. nov., from the Late Cretaceous of Israel

PubMed Central

Cawley, John J.

2018-01-01

A new pycnodont fish from the early–mid Cenomanian, Late Cretaceous, of the ‘Ein Yabrud quarry near the village of Beit Eil in Israel is the first pycnodont fish to be described from this locality. Due to the locality where it was found, Scalacurvithys naishi gen. et sp. nov. is considered an inhabitant of reefal waters interspersed with lagoons in the eastern Tethys Sea. Scalacurvichthys naishi is notable for its protruding, hook-shaped first dorsal ridge scale above a large triangular dermatocranium, a deeply sloped and antero-posteriorly shortened skull and bifurcated cloacal scales. The bifurcating scales are a new character previously unknown in pycnodontomorph fishes but have been discovered in two more taxa, which indicates a new type of character that will be useful for future phylogenetic analyses of pycnodontomorph fishes. The new taxon is a member of Pycnodontidae and we conducted a phylogenetic analysis to establish its relationships to other pycnodont fishes. Our results reveal that Scalacurvichthys naishi is a well-resolved member of the subfamily Pycnodontinae. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:04383E2A-551A-4F57-8996-68E06EFA52E0 PMID:29551954

A new pycnodont fish, Scalacurvichthys naishi gen. et sp. nov., from the Late Cretaceous of Israel.

PubMed

Cawley, John J; Kriwet, Jürgen

2018-01-01

A new pycnodont fish from the early-mid Cenomanian, Late Cretaceous, of the 'Ein Yabrud quarry near the village of Beit Eil in Israel is the first pycnodont fish to be described from this locality. Due to the locality where it was found, Scalacurvithys naishi gen. et sp. nov. is considered an inhabitant of reefal waters interspersed with lagoons in the eastern Tethys Sea. Scalacurvichthys naishi is notable for its protruding, hook-shaped first dorsal ridge scale above a large triangular dermatocranium, a deeply sloped and antero-posteriorly shortened skull and bifurcated cloacal scales. The bifurcating scales are a new character previously unknown in pycnodontomorph fishes but have been discovered in two more taxa, which indicates a new type of character that will be useful for future phylogenetic analyses of pycnodontomorph fishes. The new taxon is a member of Pycnodontidae and we conducted a phylogenetic analysis to establish its relationships to other pycnodont fishes. Our results reveal that Scalacurvichthys naishi is a well-resolved member of the subfamily Pycnodontinae. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:04383E2A-551A-4F57-8996-68E06EFA52E0.

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.

Retention of Anionic Species on Granite: Influence of Granite Composition - 12129

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

Videnska, Katerina; Havlova, Vaclava

Technetium (Tc-99, T{sub 1/2} = 2.1.10{sup 5} yrs) and selenium (Se-79, T{sub 1/2} = 6.5.10{sup 4} yrs) belong among fission products, being produced by fission of nuclear fuel. Both elements can significantly contribute to risk due to their complicated chemistry, long life times, high mobility and prevailing anionic character. Therefore, knowledge of migration behaviour under different conditions can significantly improve input into performance and safety assessment models. Granite is considered as a potential host rock for deep geological disposal of radioactive waste in many countries. Granitic rocks consist usually of quartz, feldspar, plagioclase (main components), mica, chlorite, kaolinite (minor components).more » The main feature of the rock is advection governed transport in fractures, complemented with diffusion process from fracture towards undisturbed rock matrix. The presented work is focused on interaction of anionic species (TcO{sub 4}{sup -}, SeO{sub 4}{sup 2-}, SeO{sub 3}{sup 2-}) with granitic rock. Furthermore, the importance of mineral composition on sorption of anionic species was also studied. The batch sorption experiments were conducted on the crushed granite from Bohemian Massive. Five fractions with defined grain size were used for static batch method. Mineral composition of each granitic fraction was evaluated using X-ray diffraction. The results showed differences in composition of granitic fractions, even though originating from one homogenized material. Sorption experiments showed influence of granite composition on adsorption of both TcO4{sup -} and SeO3{sup 2-} on granitic rock. Generally, Se(IV) showed higher retention than Tc(VII). Se(VI) was not almost sorbed at all. Fe containing minerals are pronounced as a selective Se and Tc sorbent, being reduced on their surface. As micas in granite are usually enriched in Fe, increased sorption of anionic species onto mica enriched fractions can be explained by this reason. On the other

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

Heat production in granitic rocks: Global analysis based on a new data compilation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Artemieva, I. M.; Thybo, H.; Jakobsen, K.; Sørensen, N. K.; Nielsen, L. S. K.

2017-12-01

Granitic rocks play special role in the evolution of the Earth and its thermal regime. Their compositional variability provides constraints on global differentiation processes and large scale planetary evolution, while heat production by radioactive decay is among the main heat sources in the Earth. We analyze a new global database GRANITE2017 on the abundances of Th, U, K and heat production in granitic rocks based on all available published data. Statistical analysis of the data shows a huge scatter in all parameters, but the following conclusions can be made. (i) Bulk heat production in granitic rocks of all ages is ca. 2.0 microW/m3 . It is very low in Archean-Early Proterozoic granitic rocks and there is a remarkable peak in Middle Proterozoic granites followed by a gradual decrease towards Cenozoic granites. (ii) There is no systematic correlation between the tectonically controlled granite-type and bulk heat production, although A-type (anorogenic) granites are the most radioactive, and many of them were emplaced in Middle Proterozoic. (iii) There is no systematic correlation between heat flow and concentrations of radiogenic elements. (iv) The present-day global average Th/U value is 4.75 with a maximum in Archean-Early Proterozoic granites (5.75) and a minimum in Middle-Late Proterozoic granites (3.78). The Th/U ratio at the time of granite emplacement has a minimum in Archean (2.78). (v) The present-day K/U ratio is close to a global estimate for the continental crust only for the entire dataset (1460), but differs from the global ratio for each geological time. (vi) We recognize a sharp change in radiogenic concentrations and ratios from the Early Proterozoic to Middle Proterozoic granites. The Proterozoic anomaly may be caused by major plate reorganizations possibly related to the supercontinent cycle when changes in the granite forming processes may be expected, or it may even indicate a change in global thermal regime, mantle dynamics and plate

Late Mesozoic deformations of the Verkhoyansk-Kolyma orogenic belt, Northeast Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fridovsky, Valery

2016-04-01

The Verkhoyansk-Kolyma orogenic belt marks the boundary between the Kolyma-Omolon superterrane (microcontinent) and the submerged eastern margin of the North Asian craton. The orogenic system is remark able for its large number of economically viable gold deposits (Natalka, Pavlik, Rodionovskoe, Drazhnoe, Bazovskoe, Badran, Malo-Tarynskoe, etc.). The Verkhoyansk - Kolyma orogenic belt is subdivided into Kular-Nera and the Polousny-Debin terranes. The Kular-Nera terrane is mainly composed of the Upper Permian, Triassic, and Lower Jurassic black shales that are metamorphosed at lower greenschist facies conditions. The Charky-Indigirka and the Chai-Yureya faults separate the Kular-Nera from the Polousny-Debin terrane that is predominantly composed of the Jurassic flyschoi dturbidites. The deformation structure of the region evolved in association with several late Mesozoic tectonic events that took place in the north-eastern part ofthe Paleo-Pacific. In Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous several generations of fold and thrust systems were formed due to frontal accretion of the Kolyma-Omolon superterrane to the eastern margin of the North Asian craton.Thrusting and folding was accompanied by granitic magmatism, metamorphic reworking of the Late Paleozoic and the Early Mesozoic sedimentary rocks, and formation of Au-Sn-W mineralization. Three stages of deformation related to frontal accretion can be distinguished. First stage D1 has developed in the north-eastern part of the Verkhoyansk - Kolyma orogenic belt. Early tight and isoclinal folds F1 and assosiated thrusts are characteristic of D1. Major thrusts, linear concentric folds F2 and cleavage were formed during D2. The main ore-controlling structures are thrust faults forming imbricate fan systems. Frontal and oblique ramps and systems of bedding and cross thrusts forming duplexes are common. It is notable that mineralized tectonized zones commonly develop along thrusts at the contacts of rocks of contrasting competence

Triassic salt sheets of Mezzouna, Central Tunisia: New comments on Late Cretaceous halokinesis and geodynamic evolution of the northern African margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhahri, Ferid; Boukadi, Noureddine

2017-05-01

Two discrete Triassic salt sheets have been discovered within the Coniacian-Santonian series near the salt wall of Mezzouna, central Tunisia. The structure and the lithology of these sheets suggest two halokinetic episodes giving respectively 1) Triassic evaporitic rocks flows over a sloped basin floor resulting in probable salt glacier, and 2) redeposition of erosional debris from the nearby salt wall of Mezzouna, transported and then deposited next to the wall. This finding is used to precise the halokinetic events and the geodynamic evolution of the northern African margin near the Pelagian block between southeastern Tunisia and Tripolitania during Late Cretaceous. A discussion of the halokinesis-related structures is also attempted with emphasize of their genetic mechanisms and temporal development as inferred from geological mapping and new field data.

Paleoecology and Paleoenvironmental Interpretations of the Late Cretaceous Lower Cantwell Formation, Denali National Park, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomsich, C. S.; Salazar Jaramillo, S.; Jacobus, R. T.; McCarthy, P. J.; Fowell, S. J.; Fiorillo, A. R.

2010-12-01

pinaceous conifers; fern fronds; and segments of Equisetites. A climate analysis (CLAMP) on 19 angiosperm morphotypes yields a mean annual temperature of 7.4°C, a warmest monthly mean of 17.1°C and a coldest monthly mean of -2.3°C. Growing season is estimated at 4.8 months. Results indicate a temperate, highly seasonal climate. Closely spaced tree rings in fossil conifer wood and minimal late wood growth suggest a short, rather abrupt ending growing season. The Cantwell flora bears a close resemblance to the late Maastrichtian Koryak flora in northeastern Russia and is characteristic of the Polar Broad-leaved Deciduous Forest that was widespread across the Arctic in the Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary. The late summer sunlight reduction likely limited growth. Rare root casts, a cast of an angiosperm tree stem, trunk impressions and lithified trunk wood provide a glimpse at the sub-boreal forest structure that has been considered one of the causes of amplified polar warming.

New evidence for paleobiogeographic intercontinental Gondwana relationships based on Late Cretaceous-earliest Paleocene coastal faunas from peninsular India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahni, Ashok; Rana, R. S.; Prasad, G. V. R.

A number of localities for freshwater microvertebrate assemblages of Late Cretaceous-early Paleocene age fringing the Deccan Basalt outcrops of Peninsular India have been studied during the last 4 years. The diversified vertebrate assemblages recovered by bulk wet screening at the localities of Rahioli (Gujarat), Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh), Nagpur, Umrer, Pisdura (Maharashtra), and Asifabad (Andhra Pradesh) clearly suggest lack of faunal endemism for the drifting Indian island subcontinent. On the contrary, at the generic level, the fauna from the peninsular Indian localities is cosmopolitan in nature. The presence of a number of Laurasiatic elements, such as pelobatid frogs, suggests that a dispersal corridor was maintained with Laurasia throughout the drifting phase of India. The coastal plain faunas contain a mixed assemblage of freshwater and marine forms represented by 62 genera and 79 species. There is a striking similarity at the generic level between the fish and turtle faunas of the Upper Cretaceous of Peninsular India and those of Niger. Similarly, the few data now available from south central Bolivia, South America, also suggest interesting similarities to the corresponding faunas of Peninsular India. The lack of faunal endemism in India during the temporal span of India's northward drift as an island subcontinent can be attributed to a land contact maintained with Madagascar and the east African region by such aseismic elements as the Mascarene plateau and the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge. A more northerly contact with Laurasia may have been established by an island arc system represented at present by the Dras volcanics of Kashmir. The proximity of the Iran-Afghan plate to the drifting Indian landmass may have further contributed as a corridor for the dispersal of Laurasiatic elements into the subcontinent. By the middle Eocene, with the establishment of a firm dispersal corridor with central and east Asia, faunal affinities changed from Gondwanic to

Petrogenesis of Late Cretaceous lava flows from a Ceno-Tethyan island arc: The Raskoh arc, Balochistan, Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siddiqui, Rehanul Haq; Qasim Jan, M.; Asif Khan, M.

2012-10-01

consistent with oceanic island arcs rather than continental margin arcs. It is suggested that the Raskoh arc is an oceanic island arc which formed due to the intra-oceanic convergence in the Ceno-Tethys during the Late Cretaceous rather than constructed on the southern continental margin of the Afghan block, as claimed by previous workers. It is further suggested that the Semail, Zagros, Chagai-Raskoh, Muslim Bagh, and Waziristan island arcs were developed in a single but segmented Cretaceous Ceno-Tethyan convergence zone.

Continental weathering as a driver of Late Cretaceous cooling: new insights from clay mineralogy of Campanian sediments from the southern Tethyan margin to the Boreal realm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chenot, Elise; Deconinck, Jean-François; Pucéat, Emmanuelle; Pellenard, Pierre; Guiraud, Michel; Jaubert, Maxime; Jarvis, Ian; Thibault, Nicolas; Cocquerez, Théophile; Bruneau, Ludovic; Razmjooei, Mohammad J.; Boussaha, Myriam; Richard, James; Sizun, Jean-Pierre; Stemmerik, Lars

2018-03-01

New clay mineralogical analyses have been performed on Campanian sediments from the Tethyan and Boreal realms along a palaeolatitudinal transect from 45° to 20°N (Danish Basin, North Sea, Paris Basin, Mons Basin, Aquitaine Basin, Umbria-Marche Basin and Tunisian Atlas). Significant terrigenous inputs are evidenced by increasing proportions of detrital clay minerals such as illite, kaolinite and chlorite at various levels in the mid- to upper Campanian, while smectitic minerals predominate and represented the background of the Late Cretaceous clay sedimentation. Our new results highlight a distinct latitudinal distribution of clay minerals, with the occurrence of kaolinite in southern sections and an almost total absence of this mineral in northern areas. This latitudinal trend points to an at least partial climatic control on clay mineral sedimentation, with a humid zone developed between 20° and 35°N. The association and co-evolution of illite, chlorite and kaolinite in most sections suggest a reworking of these minerals from basement rocks weathered by hydrolysis, which we link to the formation of relief around the Tethys due to compression associated with incipient Tethyan closure. Diachronism in the occurrence of detrital minerals between sections, with detrital input starting earlier during the Santonian in the south than in the north, highlights the northward progression of the deformation related to the anticlockwise rotation of Africa. Increasing continental weathering and erosion, evidenced by our clay mineralogical data through the Campanian, may have resulted in enhanced CO2 consumption by silicate weathering, thereby contributing to Late Cretaceous climatic cooling.

A Gigantic Shark from the Lower Cretaceous Duck Creek Formation of Texas

PubMed Central

Frederickson, Joseph A.; Schaefer, Scott N.; Doucette-Frederickson, Janessa A.

2015-01-01

Three large lamniform shark vertebrae are described from the Lower Cretaceous of Texas. We interpret these fossils as belonging to a single individual with a calculated total body length of 6.3 m. This large individual compares favorably to another shark specimen from the roughly contemporaneous Kiowa Shale of Kansas. Neither specimen was recovered with associated teeth, making confident identification of the species impossible. However, both formations share a similar shark fauna, with Leptostyrax macrorhiza being the largest of the common lamniform sharks. Regardless of its actual identification, this new specimen provides further evidence that large-bodied lamniform sharks had evolved prior to the Late Cretaceous. PMID:26039066

Fe isotopes and the contrasting petrogenesis of A-, I- and S-type granite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foden, John; Sossi, Paolo A.; Wawryk, Christine M.

2015-01-01

We present new Fe isotope data of 42 S-, I- and A-type (ferroan) granites from the Cambrian Delamerian orogen in South Australia, the Palaeozoic Lachlan Fold Belt and Western USA. Interpretation of these data, together with modelling suggests that magmatic processes do result in quite complex Fe-isotopic differentiation trends and can lead to granites with isotopically heavy iron with δ57Fe > 0.35‰. By comparison Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalts (MORBs) have δ57Fe = 0.15‰ (Teng et al., 2013). These variations are similar to those previously reported (Poitrasson and Freydier, 2005; Heimann et al., 2008; Telus et al., 2012), but, contrary to some interpretations (Beard and Johnson, 2006; Heimann et al., 2008), heavy values are not necessarily the product of late-stage hydrothermal fluid loss, though this process is undoubtedly also an important factor in some circumstances. A-type (ferroan) granites reach very heavy δ57Fe values (0.4-0.5‰) whereas I-types are systematically lighter (δ57Fe = 0.2‰). S-type granites show a range of intermediate values, but also tend to be isotopically heavy (δ57Fe ≈ 0.2-0.4‰). Our results show that the iron isotopic values and trends are signatures that reflect granite generation processes. A modelling using the Rhyolite-MELTS software suggests that contrasting trajectories and end-points in Fe isotope evolution towards granite depend on: oxidation state of the evolving magma and, whether or not the system is oxygen-buffered. Iron isotopic evolution supports an origin of ferroan A-type granite from protracted, closed magma chamber fractionation of moderately reduced mafic magmas. In these systems magnetite saturation is delayed and the ferric iron budget is finite. I-type systems originate with the supply of relatively oxidised, hydrous, subduction-related magmas from the mantle wedge to the upper plate crust. These then experience oxygen-buffered open-system AFC processes in lower crustal hot-zones. S-type magmas are crustal

Early Carboniferous adakite-like and I-type granites in central Qiangtang, northern Tibet: Implications for intra-oceanic subduction and back-arc basin formation within the Paleo-Tethys Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jin-Heng; Xie, Chao-Ming; Li, Cai; Wang, Ming; Wu, Hao; Li, Xing-Kui; Liu, Yi-Ming; Zhang, Tian-Yu

2018-01-01

Recent studies have proposed that the Late Devonian ophiolites in the central Qiangtang region of northern Tibet were formed in an oceanic back-arc basin setting, which has led to controversy over the subduction setting of the Longmucuo-Shuanghu-Lancangjiang Suture Zone (LSLSZ) during the Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous. In this paper we present new data about a suite of granite plutons that intrude into ophiolite in central Qiangtang. Our aim was to identify the type of subduction and to clarify the existence of an intra-oceanic back-arc basin in the LSLSZ during the Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous. The suite of granites consists of monzogranites, syenogranites, and granodiorites. Our laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry zircon U-Pb data yielded Early Carboniferous crystallization ages of 357.2 Ma, 357.4 Ma and 351.1 Ma. We subsequently investigated the petrogenesis and tectonic setting of these granites based on their geochemical and Hf isotopic characteristics. First, we divided the granites into high Sr/Y (HSG) and low Sr/Y granites (LSG). The HSG group contains monzogranites and granodiorites that have similar geochemical characteristics to adakites (i.e., high Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios, low MgO, Y, and Yb contents, and no pronounced negative Eu anomaly), although they have slightly lower Sr and Al2O3 contents, caused by crystal fractionation during late magmatic evolution. Therefore, we define the HSG group as adakite-like granites. The study of the HSG shows that they are adakite-like granites formed by partial melting of oceanic crust and experience fractional crystallization process during late evolution. However, some differences between the monzogranites and granodiorites indicate that there are varying degree contributions of subducted sediments during diagenesis. The LSG group contains syenogranites that have distinct negative correlations between their P2O5 and SiO2 contents, and Y and Th contents have significant positive

FROGS (Friends of Granites) report

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Calvin

This VGP News, which is devoted to petrology, is a good one for noting the existence of FROGS. FROGS is, as the name suggests, an informal organization of people whose research relates in one way or another to granitic rocks. Its purpose has been to promote communication among geoscientists with different perspectives and concerns about felsic plutonism. Initially, a major focus was experimental petrology and integration of field-oriented and lab-oriented viewpoints; now that there is the opportunity to communicate with the Eos readership, an obvious additional goal will be to bring together volcanic and plutonic views of felsic magmatism.FROGS first gathered in late 1982 under the guidance of E-an Zen and Pete Toulmin (both at U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Reston, Va.), who saw a need for greater interaction among those interested in granites and for renewed, focused experimental investigations. They produced two newsletters (which were sent out by direct mail) and organized an informal meeting at the Geological Society of America meeting at Indianapolis, Ind., and then turned over the FROG reins to Sue Kieffer (USGS, Flagstaff, Ariz.) and John Clemens (Arizona State University, Tempe). They generated another newsletter, which was directly mailed to a readership that had grown beyond 200.

New vitrinite reflectance data for the Wind River Basin, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pawlewicz, Mark J.; Finn, Thomas M.

2013-01-01

The Wind River Basin is a large Laramide (Late Cretaceous through Eocene) structural and sedimentary basin that encompasses about 7,400 square miles in central Wyoming. The basin is bounded by the Washakie Range and Owl Creek and southern Bighorn Mountains on the north, the Casper arch on the east and northeast, and the Granite Mountains on the south, and Wind River Range on the west. The purpose of this report is to present new vitrinite reflectance data collected mainly from Cretaceous marine shales in the Wind River Basin to better characterize their thermal maturity and hydrocarbon potential.

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

Middle Jurassic - Early Cretaceous rifting on the Chortis Block in Honduras: Implications for proto-Caribbean opening (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogers, R. D.; Emmet, P. A.

2009-12-01

Regional mapping integrated with facies analysis, age constraints and airborne geophysical data reveal WNW and NE trends of Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous basins which intersect in southeast Honduras that we interpret as the result of rifting associated with the breakup of the Americas and opening of the proto-Caribbean seaway. The WNW-trending rift is 250 km long by 90 km wide and defined by a basal 200 to 800 m thick sequence of Middle to Late Jurassic fluvial channel and overbank deposits overlain by transgressive clastic shelf strata. At least three sub-basins are apparent. Flanking the WNW trending rift basins are fault bounded exposures of the pre-Jurassic continental basement of the Chortis block which is the source of the conglomeratic channel facies that delineate the axes of the rifts. Cretaceous terrigenous strata mantle the exposed basement-cored rift flanks. Lower Cretaceous clastic strata and shallow marine limestone strata are dominant along this trend indicating that post-rift related subsidence continued through the Early Cretaceous. The rifts coincide with a regional high in the total magnetic intensity data. We interpret these trends to reflect NNE-WSW extension active from the Middle Jurassic through Early Cretaceous. These rifts were inverted during Late Cretaceous shortening oriented normal to the rift axes. To the east and at a 120 degree angle to the WNW trending rift is the 300 km long NE trending Guayape fault system that forms the western shoulder of the Late Jurassic Agua Fria rift basin filled by > 2 km thickness of clastic marine shelf and slope strata. This NE trending basin coincides with the eastern extent of the surface exposure of continental basement rocks and a northeast-trending fabric of the Jurassic (?) metasedimentary basement rocks. We have previously interpreted the eastern basin to be the Jurassic rifted margin of the Chortis block with the Guayape originating as a normal fault system. These two rifts basin intersect

Initiation of extension in South China continental margin during the active-passive margin transition: kinematic and thermochronological constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

ZUO, Xuran; CHAN, Lung

2015-04-01

The southern South China Block is characterized by a widespread magmatic belt, prominent NE-striking fault zones and numerous rifted basins filled by Cretaceous-Eocene sediments. The geology denotes a transition from an active to a passive margin, which led to rapid modifications of crustal stress configuration and reactivation of older faults in this area. In this study, we used zircon fission-track dating (ZFT) and numerical modeling to examine the timing and kinematics of the active-passive margin transition. Our ZFT results on granitic plutons in the SW Cathaysia Block show two episodes of exhumation of the granitic plutons. The first episode, occurring during 170 Ma - 120 Ma, affected local parts of the Nanling Range. The second episode, a more regional exhumation event, occurred during 115 Ma - 70 Ma. Numerical geodynamic modeling was conducted to simulate the subduction between the paleo-Pacific plate and the South China Block. The modeling results could explain the observation based on ZFT data that exhumation of the granite-dominant Nanling Range occurred at an earlier time than the gneiss-dominant Yunkai Terrane. In addition to the difference in geology between Yunkai and Nanling, the heating from Jurassic-Early Cretaceous magmatism in the Nanling Range may have softened the upper crust, causing the area to exhume more readily. Numerical modeling results also indicate that (1) high slab dip angle, high geothermal gradient of lithosphere and low convergence velocity favor the subduction process and the reversal of crustal stress state from compression to extension in the upper plate; (2) the late Mesozoic magmatism in South China was probably caused by a slab roll-back; and (3) crustal extension could have occurred prior to the cessation of plate subduction. The inversion of stress regime in the continental crust from compression to crustal extension has shed light on the geological condition producing the red bed basins during Late Cretaceous

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."

Petrogenesis and tectonic implications of Late Carboniferous A-type granites and gabbronorites in NW Iran: Geochronological and geochemical constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moghadam, Hadi Shafaii; Li, Xian-Hua; Ling, Xiao-Xiao; Stern, Robert J.; Santos, Jose F.; Meinhold, Guido; Ghorbani, Ghasem; Shahabi, Shirin

2015-01-01

Carboniferous igneous rocks constitute volumetrically minor components of Iranian crust but preserve important information about the magmatic and tectonic history of SW Asia. Ghushchi granites and gabbronorites in NW Iran comprise a bimodal magmatic suite that intruded Ediacaran-Cambrian gneiss and are good representatives of carboniferous igneous activity. Precise SIMS U-Pb zircon ages indicate that the gabbronorites and granites were emplaced synchronously at ~ 320 Ma. Ghushchi granites show A-type magmatic affinities, with typical enrichments in alkalis, Ga, Zr, Nb and Y, depletion in Sr and P and fractionated REE patterns showing strong negative Eu anomalies. The gabbronorites are enriched in LREEs, Nb, Ta and other incompatible trace elements, and are similar in geochemistry to OIB-type rocks. Granites and gabbronorites have similar εNd(t) (+ 1.3 to + 3.4 and - 0.1 to + 4.4, respectively) and zircon εHf(t) (+ 1.7 to + 6.2 and + 0.94 to + 6.5, respectively). The similar variation in bulk rock εNd(t) and zircon εHf(t) values and radiometric ages for the granites and gabbronorites indicate a genetic relationship between mafic and felsic magmas, either a crystal fractionation or silicate liquid immiscibility process; further work is needed to resolve petrogenetic details. The compositional characteristics of the bimodal Ghushchi complex are most consistent with magmatic activity in an extensional tectonic environment. This extension may have occurred during rifting of Cadomian fragments away from northern Gondwana during early phases of Neotethys opening.

S-type granite generation and emplacement during a regional switch from extensional to contractional deformation (Central Iberian Zone, Iberian autochthonous domain, Variscan Orogeny)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pereira, M. F.; Díez Fernández, R.; Gama, C.; Hofmann, M.; Gärtner, A.; Linnemann, U.

2018-01-01

Zircon grains extracted from S-type granites of the Mêda-Escalhão-Penedono Massif (Central Iberian Zone, Variscan Orogen) constrain the timing of emplacement and provide information about potential magma sources. Simple and composite zircon grains from three samples of S-type granite were analyzed by LA-ICP-MS. New U-Pb data indicate that granites crystallized in the Bashkirian (318.7 ± 4.8 Ma) overlapping the proposed age range of ca. 321-317 Ma of the nearby S-type granitic rocks of the Carrazeda de Anciães, Lamego and Ucanha-Vilar massifs. The timing of emplacement of such S-type granites seems to coincide with the waning stages of activity of a D2 extensional shear zone (i.e. Pinhel shear zone) developed in metamorphic conditions that reached partial melting and anatexis (ca. 321-317 Ma). Dykes of two-mica granites (resembling diatexite migmatite) are concordant and discordant to the compositional layering and S2 (main) foliation of the high-grade metamorphic rocks of the Pinhel shear zone. Much of the planar fabric in these dykes was formed during magmatic crystallization and subsequent solid-state deformation. Field relationships suggest contemporaneity between the ca. 319-317 Ma old magmatism of the study area and the switch from late D2 extensional deformation to early D3 contractional deformation. Inherited zircon cores are well preserved in these late D2-early D3 S-type granite plutons. U-Pb ages of inherited zircon cores range from ca. 2576 to ca. 421 Ma. The spectra of inherited cores overlap closely the range of detrital and magmatic zircon grains displayed by the Ediacaran to Silurian metasedimentary and metaigneous rocks of the Iberian autochthonous and parautochthonous domains. This is evidence of a genetic relationship between S-type granites and the host metamorphic rocks. There is no substantial evidence for the addition of mantle-derived material in the genesis of these late D2-early D3 S-type granitic rocks. The ɛNd arrays of heterogeneous

Discussion on ``Dextral transpression in Late Cretaceous continental collision, Sanandaj Sirjan Zone, western Iran'' [Journal of Structural Geology, 22(8) (2000) 1125 1139

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Numan, Nazar M. S.

2001-12-01

The NW-SE trending Alpine Zagros Thrust Belt passes from southwest Iran into northeastern Iraq. Mohajjel and Fergusson contend in their work in Iran on the Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone (with a consistent Zagros trend) that collision of the Afro-Arabian continent and the Iranian microcontinent took place in the Late Cretaceous. It seems that tectonostratigraphic evidence from the neighbouring Iraqi territories, namely the Zagros Thrust Belt in the northern part, the Foreland Belt and the Quasiplatform of the north and the Platform in the western and southern deserts (Fig. 1), chronicles the subductional history in this part of the world to a fair degree of accuracy. It rather provides for an Eocene age of the continental collision between Arabia and the Iranian microcontinent.

Mesozoic ash-flow caldera fragments in southeastern Arizona and their relation to porphyry copper deposits.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lipman, P.W.; Sawyer, D.A.

1985-01-01

Jurassic and Upper Cretaceous volcanic and associated granitic rocks in SE Arizona are remnants of large composite silicic volcanic fields, characterized by voluminous ash-flow tuffs and associated calderas. Presence of 10-15 large caldera fragments is inferred primarily from 1) ash-flow deposits over 1 km thick, having features of inter-caldera ponding; 2) 'exotic-block' breccia within a tuff matrix, interpreted as caldera-collapse megabreccia; and 3) local granitic intrusion along arcuate structural boundaries of the thick volcanics. Several major porphyry copper deposits are associated with late granitic intrusions within the calderas or along their margins. Such close spatial and temporal association casts doubt on models that associate porphyry copper deposits exclusively with intermediate composition strato-volcanoes. -L.C.H.

Macrofossil evidence for a rapid and severe Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction in Antarctica.

PubMed

Witts, James D; Whittle, Rowan J; Wignall, Paul B; Crame, J Alistair; Francis, Jane E; Newton, Robert J; Bowman, Vanessa C

2016-05-26

Debate continues about the nature of the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction event. An abrupt crisis triggered by a bolide impact contrasts with ideas of a more gradual extinction involving flood volcanism or climatic changes. Evidence from high latitudes has also been used to suggest that the severity of the extinction decreased from low latitudes towards the poles. Here we present a record of the K-Pg extinction based on extensive assemblages of marine macrofossils (primarily new data from benthic molluscs) from a highly expanded Cretaceous-Paleogene succession: the López de Bertodano Formation of Seymour Island, Antarctica. We show that the extinction was rapid and severe in Antarctica, with no significant biotic decline during the latest Cretaceous, contrary to previous studies. These data are consistent with a catastrophic driver for the extinction, such as bolide impact, rather than a significant contribution from Deccan Traps volcanism during the late Maastrichtian.

Macrofossil evidence for a rapid and severe Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction in Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Witts, James D.; Whittle, Rowan J.; Wignall, Paul B.; Crame, J. Alistair; Francis, Jane E.; Newton, Robert J.; Bowman, Vanessa C.

2016-05-01

Debate continues about the nature of the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction event. An abrupt crisis triggered by a bolide impact contrasts with ideas of a more gradual extinction involving flood volcanism or climatic changes. Evidence from high latitudes has also been used to suggest that the severity of the extinction decreased from low latitudes towards the poles. Here we present a record of the K-Pg extinction based on extensive assemblages of marine macrofossils (primarily new data from benthic molluscs) from a highly expanded Cretaceous-Paleogene succession: the López de Bertodano Formation of Seymour Island, Antarctica. We show that the extinction was rapid and severe in Antarctica, with no significant biotic decline during the latest Cretaceous, contrary to previous studies. These data are consistent with a catastrophic driver for the extinction, such as bolide impact, rather than a significant contribution from Deccan Traps volcanism during the late Maastrichtian.

"Gris Quintana": a Spanish granite from the Past into the Future.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

José Tejado, Juan; Mota, M. Isabel; Pereira, Dolores

2014-05-01

"Gris Quintana" is a medium-grained, biotite and amphibole granodiorite extracted in the Pluton of Quintana de la Serena (Extremadura, Spain). It is a constant light grey granite from the Hercynian geologic with excellent physicomechanical and physicochemical properties. The granodiorite is composed of plagioclase, biotite, quartz and alkali feldspar, with accessory allanite, titanite, apatite, zircon and ilmenite, mostly as inclusions within the biotite crystals. This commercial variety is extracted from many quarries in the late Hercynian plutons located in the Iberian Massif in Spain period (transition between Central Iberian and Ossa-Moren Zones), having large reserves of granite. Many of the quarries have their own transformation factory (high production zone), with which the sector is offered an endless variety of finishes and constructive rock typologies. A wide range of solutions to architects and designers are offered. Gris Quintana granite is one of the materials with highest technological benefits that are used in arquitecture. "Gris Quintana" granite has been used since ancient times, not only at a regional, but also at national and international level: paving, building (structural, exterior façadas, interior uses), urban decoration and funeral art. It can be found in monuments and more recently, in buildings of different styles and uses, that stand out in beauty and splendor, lasting in time. Some singular works in "Gris Quintana" granite all over the world: extension to the "Congreso de Diputados" (Parliament) in Madrid, "Puerta de San Vicente" in Madrid, Andalucia Parliament columns in Sevilla, New Senate Buiding in Madird, "Gran Vía" pavement in Madrid, "Teatro Real façade" in Madrid… "Gris Quintana" granite accomplishes all the requirements for its nomination as Global Heritage Stone Resource, for both its use in construction and for artistic purposes.

Geology and mineralization of the Jabalat alkali-feldspar granite, northern Asir region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al Tayyar, Jaffar; Jackson, Norman J.; Al-Yazidi, Saeed

The Jabalat post-tectonic granite pluton is composed of albite- and oligoclase-bearing, low-calcium, F-, Sn- and Rb-rich subsolvus granites. These granites display evidence of late-magmatic, granitophile- and metallic-element specialization, resulting ultimately in the development of post-magmatic, metalliferous hydrothermal systems characterized by a Mo sbnd Sn sbnd Cu sbnd Pb sbnd Zn sbnd Bi sbnd Ag sbnd F signature. Two main types of mineralization are present within the pluton and its environs: (1) weakly mineralized felsic and aplitic dikes and veins enhanced in Mo, Bi, Ag, Pb and Cu; and (2) pyrite—molybdenite—chalcopyrite-bearing quartz and quartz—feldspar veins rich in Mo, Sn, Bi, Cu, Zn and Ag. A satellite stock, 3 km north of the main intrusion, is composed of fine-grained, miarolitic, muscovite—albite—microcline (microperthite) granite. The flanks of this intrusion and adjacent dioritic rocks are greisenized and highly enriched in Sn, Bi and Ag. Quartz veins which transect the satellite stock contain molybdenite and stannite.

Petrogenesis and magmatic evolution of ∼130 Ma A-type granites in Southeast China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Fajun; Xu, Xisheng; Zou, Haibo; Xia, Yan

2015-02-01

A number of Late Mesozoic (∼130 Ma) A-type granitic plutons have been identified in Southeast China. Here we investigate the petrogenesis of one of these granitic plutons in Southeast China, the Sanqingshan-Damaoshan (SD) granites in northeastern Jiangxi Province, using zircon U-Pb geochronology, Hf isotopic analyses, and major and trace element analyses. The SD granites are metaluminous to weakly peraluminous and show typical A-type affinity, which is characterized by high SiO2, Na2O + K2O, rare earth element (REE), high field strength element (HFSE) contents, Ga/Al and Fe# [FeOt/(FeOt + MgO)] values. Zircon grains from the SD granites and some other ∼130 Ma A-type granites commonly contain oscillatory zoning ;cores; surrounded by unzoned to weakly zoned ;rims;. Detailed studies of zircons from the SD granites show that ;rims; are enriched in LREE, Th and U compared with ;cores;. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns of the ;cores; increase steeply from La to Lu and show pronounced Ce and Eu anomalies, while REE patterns of the ;rims; display higher REE abundances with flatter LREE patterns and moderate Ce anomalies. Nevertheless, Lu-Hf isotopic analyses and Ti-in zircon thermometer show similar characteristics between ;rims; and ;cores;, indicating that the ;rims; may crystallize under the effect of internal magmatic hydrothermal fluids. U-rich ;rims; are more susceptible to Pb loss caused by self-irradiation, which may lead to significant younger U-Pb ages. As a result, U-Pb ages of zircon ;cores; (∼130 Ma) represent crystallization ages of the SD granites. εHf(t) values of zircon grains from the SD granites are between -6.4 and -0.4 with Mesoproterozoic model ages (T2DM) ranging from 1.22 to 1.59 Ga, suggesting that the granites may be formed by partial melting of Proterozoic basement. Compared with other adjacent ∼130 Ma A-type granitic plutons in SE China, the SD granites have similar geochemical characteristics and Hf isotopic compositions to those of

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.

Late Cretaceous base level lowering in Campanian and Maastrichtian depositional sequences, Kure Beach, North Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harris, W.B.; ,

2006-01-01

identified Maastrichtian sequences in New Jersey. These data support base-level lowering of sea-level during the Campanian-Maastrichtian, and suggest that the western margin of the North Atlantic may contain one of the best Late Cretaceous records of sea-level change.

Oldest fossil flowers of hamamelidaceous affinity, from the Late Cretaceous of New Jersey.

PubMed Central

Crepet, W L; Nixon, K C; Friis, E M; Freudenstein, J V

1992-01-01

Exceptionally well-preserved staminate inflorescences, pistillate inflorescences, and detached stamens with important phylogenetic and paleoecological implications have been discovered from the Turonian (ca. 88.5-90.4 million years B.P.) Raritan Formation of New Jersey. The fossils have a combination of floral and pollen characters found in various genera of modern entomophilous and anemophilous Hamamelidaceae and anemophilous Platanus (Platanaceae). The floral characters of the fossils, including a sepal cup, staminal tube, and apparently nectariferous staminodes, indicate that this taxon was probably insect pollinated. The juxtaposition of character complexes in an extinct taxon from disparate modern taxa provides an interesting phylogenetic perspective on the origins of Hamamelidaceae and is a striking example of a fossil that is a mosaic of familial level characters relative to modern taxa. Of even broader interest, however, is the occurrence of staminodal nectaries that have structural characters intermediate between the fossil's functional stamens and modern hamamelidaceous petals. This transitional staminode morphology in the context of the other fossil characters suggests a staminodal origin of petals in the hamamelid-rosid lineage. This hypothesis is supported by the apparent staminode position within the fossil flowers where petals are found in modern genera. The character complex of morphologically transitional staminodes, a staminal tube, and sepal cup can be viewed as prehypanthial, lacking only fusion of the staminal tube to the sepal cup. The appearance of the character complex embodied in these flowers during the late mid-Cretaceous may signal the early stages of the relationship between specialized pollinators, such as bees, and the hamamelid-rosid-asterid lineage of angiosperms, arguably one of the most important events in angiosperm radiation. Images PMID:11607328

Oldest fossil flowers of hamamelidaceous affinity, from the Late Cretaceous of New Jersey.

PubMed

Crepet, W L; Nixon, K C; Friis, E M; Freudenstein, J V

1992-10-01

Exceptionally well-preserved staminate inflorescences, pistillate inflorescences, and detached stamens with important phylogenetic and paleoecological implications have been discovered from the Turonian (ca. 88.5-90.4 million years B.P.) Raritan Formation of New Jersey. The fossils have a combination of floral and pollen characters found in various genera of modern entomophilous and anemophilous Hamamelidaceae and anemophilous Platanus (Platanaceae). The floral characters of the fossils, including a sepal cup, staminal tube, and apparently nectariferous staminodes, indicate that this taxon was probably insect pollinated. The juxtaposition of character complexes in an extinct taxon from disparate modern taxa provides an interesting phylogenetic perspective on the origins of Hamamelidaceae and is a striking example of a fossil that is a mosaic of familial level characters relative to modern taxa. Of even broader interest, however, is the occurrence of staminodal nectaries that have structural characters intermediate between the fossil's functional stamens and modern hamamelidaceous petals. This transitional staminode morphology in the context of the other fossil characters suggests a staminodal origin of petals in the hamamelid-rosid lineage. This hypothesis is supported by the apparent staminode position within the fossil flowers where petals are found in modern genera. The character complex of morphologically transitional staminodes, a staminal tube, and sepal cup can be viewed as prehypanthial, lacking only fusion of the staminal tube to the sepal cup. The appearance of the character complex embodied in these flowers during the late mid-Cretaceous may signal the early stages of the relationship between specialized pollinators, such as bees, and the hamamelid-rosid-asterid lineage of angiosperms, arguably one of the most important events in angiosperm radiation.

REE enrichment in granite-derived regolith deposits of the southeast United States: Prospective source rocks and accumulation processes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Foley, Nora K.; Ayuso, Robert A.; Simandl, G.J.; Neetz, M.

2015-01-01

The Southeastern United States contains numerous anorogenic, or A-type, granites, which constitute promising source rocks for REE-enriched ion adsorption clay deposits due to their inherently high concentrations of REE. These granites have undergone a long history of chemical weathering, resulting in thick granite-derived regoliths, akin to those of South China, which supply virtually all heavy REE and Y, and a significant portion of light REE to global markets. Detailed comparisons of granite regolith profiles formed on the Stewartsville and Striped Rock plutons, and the Robertson River batholith (Virginia) indicate that REE are mobile and can attain grades comparable to those of deposits currently mined in China. A REE-enriched parent, either A-type or I-type (highly fractionated igneous type) granite, is thought to be critical for generating the high concentrations of REE in regolith profiles. One prominent feature we recognize in many granites and mineralized regoliths is the tetrad behaviour displayed in REE chondrite-normalized patterns. Tetrad patterns in granite and regolith result from processes that promote the redistribution, enrichment, and fractionation of REE, such as late- to post- magmatic alteration of granite and silicate hydrolysis in the regolith. Thus, REE patterns showing tetrad effects may be a key for discriminating highly prospective source rocks and regoliths with potential for REE ion adsorption clay deposits.

A critical evaluation of carbon isotope stratigraphy and biostratigraphic implications for Late Cretaceous global correlation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wendler, Ines

2013-11-01

Climate variability is driven by a complex interplay of global-scale processes and our understanding of them depends on sufficient temporal resolution of the geologic records and their precise inter-regional correlation, which in most cases cannot be obtained with biostratigraphic methods alone. Chemostratigraphic correlation based on bulk sediment carbon isotopes is increasingly used to facilitate high-resolution correlation over large distances, but complications arise from a multitude of possible influences from local differences in biological, diagenetic and physico-chemical factors on individual δ13C records that can mask the global signal. To better assess the global versus local contribution in a δ13C record it is necessary to compare numerous isotopic records on a global scale. As a contribution to this objective, this paper reviews bulk sediment δ13Ccarb records from the Late Cretaceous in order to identify differences and similarities in secular δ13C trends that help establish a global reference δ13C record for this period. The study presents a global-scale comparison of twenty δ13C records from sections representing various palaeo-latitudes in both hemispheres and different oceanic settings from the Boreal, Tethys, Western Interior, Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean, and with various diagenetic overprinting. The isotopic patterns are correlated based on independent dating with biostratigraphic and paleomagnetic data and reveal good agreement of the major isotope events despite offsets in absolute δ13C values and variation in amplitude between the sites. These differences reflect the varying local influences e.g. from depositional settings, bottom water age and diagenetic history, whereas the concordant patterns in δ13C shifts might represent δ13C fluctuations in the global seawater dissolved inorganic carbon. The latter is modulated by variations in organic matter burial relative to re-mineralization, in the global-scale formation of authigenic

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

The Changing Nature of the Hawaiian Hotspot in the Late Cretaceous-Early Tertiary: Evidence From Helium Isotopes and Melt Inclusion Compositions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keller, R.; Graham, D.; Duncan, R.; Regelous, M.

2002-12-01

Ocean Drilling Program Leg 197 recovered basaltic basement from three of the Late Cretaceous-Paleogene Emperor seamounts: Detroit (Sites 1203 and 1204), Nintoku (Site 1205), and Koko (Site 1206) seamounts. The depths of penetration into basement achieved by this drilling (140-450 m), the range of rock types recovered (hawaiites, alkalic basalts, and tholeiitic basalts), and the age range (48-76 Ma) makes this one of the most comprehensive collections of the volcanic products of the Hawaiian hotspot available, and opens up new opportunities to study the temporal evolution of the Hawaiian hotspot during the Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary. Previous studies of the chemical evolution of the Hawaiian hotspot (Lanphere et al., 1980; Keller et al., 2000) found significant temporal variations. For example, Sr isotopic ratios of the tholeiitic basalts remain fairly constant along the Hawaiian Islands/Ridge between Kilauea volcano on Hawaii and the Hawaiian-Emperor bend, but then decrease steadily northward along the Emperor seamounts. Trace element compositions (especially the rare earth element patterns) also show limited variations along the Hawaiian Islands/Ridge, but change toward more depleted values northward along the Emperor seamounts. The trend to more MORB-like compositions back in time was attributed to a decrease in distance between the hotspot and the nearest spreading center, although a more comprehensive study suggests that variations in lithospheric thickness also caused changes in the composition of the plume melts (Regelous et al., 2002). We will complement these previous studies and the ongoing work of the other Leg 197 scientists by studying two aspects of the Emperor seamount basalts: helium isotopes and melt inclusion compositions. We will measure the helium isotopic ratios of selected olivine separates from three of the Leg 197 drill sites and from DSDP Site 433 on Suiko seamount (65 Ma) to determine if the composition of the Hawaiian "plume signal

A transitional snake from the Late Cretaceous period of North America.

PubMed

Longrich, Nicholas R; Bhullar, Bhart-Anjan S; Gauthier, Jacques A

2012-08-09

Snakes are the most diverse group of lizards, but their origins and early evolution remain poorly understood owing to a lack of transitional forms. Several major issues remain outstanding, such as whether snakes originated in a marine or terrestrial environment and how their unique feeding mechanism evolved. The Cretaceous Coniophis precedens was among the first Mesozoic snakes discovered, but until now only an isolated vertebra has been described and it has therefore been overlooked in discussions of snake evolution. Here we report on previously undescribed material from this ancient snake, including the maxilla, dentary and additional vertebrae. Coniophis is not an anilioid as previously thought a revised phylogenetic analysis of Ophidia shows that it instead represents the most primitive known snake. Accordingly, its morphology and ecology are critical to understanding snake evolution. Coniophis occurs in a continental floodplain environment, consistent with a terrestrial rather than a marine origin; furthermore, its small size and reduced neural spines indicate fossorial habits, suggesting that snakes evolved from burrowing lizards. The skull is intermediate between that of lizards and snakes. Hooked teeth and an intramandibular joint indicate that Coniophis fed on relatively large, soft-bodied prey. However, the maxilla is firmly united with the skull, indicating an akinetic rostrum. Coniophis therefore represents a transitional snake, combining a snake-like body and a lizard-like head. Subsequent to the evolution of a serpentine body and carnivory, snakes evolved a highly specialized, kinetic skull, which was followed by a major adaptive radiation in the Early Cretaceous period. This pattern suggests that the kinetic skull was a key innovation that permitted the diversification of snakes.

Igneous petrogenesis and tectonic setting of granitic rocks from the eastern Blue Ridge, Alabama Appalachians

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

Drummond, M.S.; Allison, D.T.; Tull, J.F.

1994-03-01

A span of 150 my of orogenic activity is recorded within the granitic rocks of the eastern Blue Ridge of Alabama (EBR). Four discrete episodes of plutonism can be differentiated, each event exhibiting distinct field relations and geochemical signatures. (1) Penobscotian stage: this initial stage of plutonic activity is represented by the Elkahatchee Quartz Diorite (EQD), a premetamorphic (495 Ma) batholith and the largest intrusive complex (880 km[sup 2]) exposed in the Blue Ridge. Calc-alkaline I-type tonalite-granodiorite are the principal lithologies, with subordinate cumulate hbl-bt diorite, metadacite, granite and trondhjemite. The parental tonalitic magmas are interpreted to have been derivedmore » from a subducted MORB source under eclogite to get amphibolite conditions. (2) Taconic stage: the Kowaliga augen gneiss (KAG) and the Zana granite gneiss (ZG) are 460 Ma granitic bodies that reside in the SE extremity and structurally highest portion of the EBR. Both of these bodies are pre-metamorphic with strongly elongate sill- and pod-like shapes concordant with S[sub 1] foliation. Granite and granodiorite comprise the bulk of the KAG. (3) Acadian stage: Rockford Granite (RG), Bluff springs Granite (BSG, 366 Ma), and Almond Trondhjemite represent a suite of pre- to syn-metamorphic granitic intrusions. (4) late-Acadian stage: The Blakes Ferry pluton (BFP) is a post-kinematic pluton displaying spectacular by schlieren igneous flow structures, but no metamorphic fabric. The pluton's age can be bracketed between a 366 Ma age on the BSG and a 324 Ma K-Ar muscovite age on the BFP. BFP's petrogenesis has involved partial melting a MORB source followed by assimilation of metasedimentary host rock.« less

Application of geochemical logging for palaeoenvironmental research in the Late Cretaceous Qingshankou Formation from the Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling Project-SK-2e, Songliao Basin, NE China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Cheng; Zou, Changchun; Pan, Li; Niu, Yixiong

2017-08-01

The Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling Project of the Cretaceous Songliao Basin (CCSD-SK) provides an excellent opportunity to understand the response of terrestrial environments to greenhouse climate change in the Cretaceous. We conducted a palaeoenvironmental study of the Late Cretaceous Qingshankou Formation (K2qn) based on geochemical log data from the SK-2 east borehole. According to the characteristic of Ti mainly from terrigenous minerals, the content of authigenic elements was calculated. Correlation space was proposed to study the variation of the correlation between two log curves along the depth. Palaeoenvironmental proxies were selected from log data to study the evolution of the climate and lake, productivity of the paleolake, and organic matter deposition. The results demonstrate that the productivity of the paleolake was driven by chemical weathering in K2qn, in which the first section of the Qingshankou Formation (K2qn1) has higher productivity than the second and third sections of the Qingshankou Formation (K2qn2+3). The high content of pyrite in several thin layers reveals lake water of high sulfate concentration. This may have been caused by acid rain related to large volcanic activity. In K2qn2+3, several periods of high productivity without the formation of source rocks and high organic matter content were identified. This may show that organic matter deposition was limited by low accommodation space or oxidation environment. Therefore, the preservation condition is suggested as the main controlling factor of organic matter deposition in K2qn.

Late Precambrian (740 Ma) charnockite, enderbite, and granite from Jebel Moya, Sudan: A link between the Mozambique Belt and the Arabian-Nubian Shield

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

Stern, R.J.; Dawoud, A.S.

1991-09-01

New Rb-Sr and whole rock and U-Pb zircon data are reported for deep-seated igneous rocks from Jebel Moya in east-central Sudan. This exposure is important because it may link the high-grade metamorphic and deep-seated igneous rocks of the Mozambique Belt with the greenschist-facies and ophiolitic assemblages of the Arabian-Nubian Shield, both of Pan-African (ca. 900-550 Ma) age. The rocks of Jebel Moya consist of pink granite, green charnockite, and dark enderbite. A twelve-point Rb-Sr whole rock isochron for all three lithologies yields an age of 730 {plus minus} 31 Ma and an initial {sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr of 0.7031 {plus minus}more » 1. Nearly concordant zircon ages for granite, charnockite, and enderbite are 744 {plus minus} 2,742 {plus minus} 2, and 739 {plus minus} 2 Ma, respectively. Initial {epsilon}-Nd for these rocks are indistinguishable at 3.0 {plus minus} 0.4. The data suggest that the charnockite, enderbite, and granite are all part of a deep-seated igneous complex. The initial isotopic compositions of Sr and Nd indicate that Jebel Moya melts were derived from a mantle source that experienced significantly less time-integrated depletion of LRE and LIL elements than the source of Arabian-Nubian Shield melts. The ages for Jebel Moya deep-seated igneous rocks are in accord with data from elsewhere in the Mozambique Belt indicating that peak metamorphism occurred about 700-750 Ma. The northward extension of the Mozambique Belt to the Arabian-Nubian Shield defines a single east Pan-African orogen. The principal difference between the northern and southern sectors of this orogen may be the greater degree of thickening and subsequent erosion experienced in the south during the late Precambrian, perhaps a result of continental collision between East (Australia-India) and West Gondwanaland (S. America-Africa) about 750 Ma.« less

Response of Late Cretaceous migrating deltaic facies systems to sea level, tectonics, and sediment supply changes, New Jersey Coastal Plain, U.S.A.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kulpecz, A.A.; Miller, K.G.; Sugarman, P.J.; Browning, J.V.

2008-01-01

Paleogeographic, isopach, and deltaic lithofacies mapping of thirteen depositional sequences establish a 35 myr high resolution (> 1 Myr) record of Late Cretaceous wave- and tide-influenced deltaic sedimentation. We integrate sequences defined on the basis of lithologic, biostratigraphic, and Sr-isotope stratigraphy from cores with geophysical log data from 28 wells to further develop and extend methods and calibrations of well-log recognition of sequences and facies variations. This study reveals the northeastward migration of depocenters from the Cenomanian (ca. 98 Ma) through the earliest Danian (ca. 64 Ma) and documents five primary phases of paleodeltaic evolution in response to long-term eustatic changes, variations in sediment supply, the location of two long-lived fluvial axes, and thermoflexural basement subsidence: (1) Cenomanian-early Turonian deltaic facies exhibit marine and nonmarine facies and are concentrated in the central coastal plain; (2) high sediment rates, low sea level, and high accommodation rates in the northern coastal plain resulted in thick, marginal to nonmarine mixed-influenced deltaic facies during the Turonign-Coniacian; (3) comparatively low sediment rates and high long-term sea level in the Santonian resulted in a sediment-starved margin with low deltaic influence; (4) well-developed Campanian deltaic sequences expand to the north and exhibit wave reworking and longshore transport of sands, and (5) low sedimentation rates and high long-term sea level during the Maastrichtian resulted in the deposition of a sediment-starved glauconitic shelf. Our study illustrates the widely known variability of mixed-influence deltaic systems, but also documents the relative stability of deltaic facies systems on the 106-107 yr scale, with long periods of cyclically repeating systems tracts controlled by eustasy. Results from the Late Cretaceous further show that although eustasy provides the template for sequences globally, regional tectonics

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.

A Triassic to Cretaceous Sundaland-Pacific subduction margin in West Sarawak, Borneo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breitfeld, H. Tim; Hall, Robert; Galin, Thomson; Forster, Margaret A.; BouDagher-Fadel, Marcelle K.

2017-01-01

Metamorphic rocks in West Sarawak are poorly exposed and studied. They were previously assumed to be pre-Carboniferous basement but had never been dated. New 40Ar/39Ar ages from white mica in quartz-mica schists reveal metamorphism between c. 216 to 220 Ma. The metamorphic rocks are associated with Triassic acid and basic igneous rocks, which indicate widespread magmatism. New U-Pb dating of zircons from the Jagoi Granodiorite indicates Triassic magmatism at c. 208 Ma and c. 240 Ma. U-Pb dating of zircons from volcaniclastic sediments of the Sadong and Kuching Formations confirms contemporaneous volcanism. The magmatic activity is interpreted to represent a Triassic subduction margin in westernmost West Sarawak with sediments deposited in a forearc basin derived from the magmatic arc at the Sundaland-Pacific margin. West Sarawak and NW Kalimantan are underlain by continental crust that was already part of Sundaland or accreted to Sundaland in the Triassic. One metabasite sample, also previously assumed to be pre-Carboniferous basement, yielded Early Cretaceous 40Ar/39Ar ages. They are interpreted to indicate resumption of subduction which led to deposition of volcaniclastic sediments and widespread magmatism. U-Pb ages from detrital zircons in the Cretaceous Pedawan Formation are similar to those from the Schwaner granites of NW Kalimantan, and the Pedawan Formation is interpreted as part of a Cretaceous forearc basin containing material eroded from a magmatic arc that extended from Vietnam to west Borneo. The youngest U-Pb ages from zircons in a tuff layer from the uppermost part of the Pedawan Formation indicate that volcanic activity continued until c. 86 to 88 Ma when subduction terminated.

Fracture controls on valley persistence: the Cairngorm Granite pluton, Scotland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, A. M.; Gillespie, M. R.

2017-09-01

Valleys are remarkably persistent features in many different tectonic settings, but the reasons for this persistence are rarely explored. Here, we examine the structural controls on valleys in the Cairngorms Mountains, Scotland, part of the passive margin of the eastern North Atlantic. We consider valleys at three scales: straths, glens and headwater valleys. The structural controls on valleys in and around the Cairngorm Granite pluton were examined on satellite and aerial photographs and by field survey. Topographic lineaments, including valleys, show no consistent orientation with joint sets or with sheets of microgranite and pegmatitic granite. In this granite landscape, jointing is not a first-order control on valley development. Instead, glens and headwater valleys align closely to quartz veins and linear alteration zones (LAZs). LAZs are zones of weakness in the granite pluton in which late-stage hydrothermal alteration and hydro-fracturing have greatly reduced rock mass strength and increased permeability. LAZs, which can be kilometres long and >700 m deep, are the dominant controls on the orientation of valleys in the Cairngorms. LAZs formed in the roof zone of the granite intrusion. Although the Cairngorm pluton was unroofed soon after emplacement, the presence of Old Red Sandstone (ORS) outliers in the terrain to the north and east indicates that the lower relief of the sub-ORS basement surface has been lowered by <500 m. Hence, the valley patterns in and around the Cairngorms have persisted through >1 km of vertical erosion and for 400 Myr. This valley persistence is a combined product of regionally low rates of basement exhumation and of the existence of LAZs in the Cairngorm pluton and sub-parallel Caledonide fractures in the surrounding terrain with depths that exceed 1 km.

Zircon crystal morphology and internal structures as a tool for constraining magma sources: Examples from northern Portugal Variscan biotite-rich granite plutons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brites Martins, Helena C.; Simões, Pedro P.; Abreu, Joana

2014-09-01

In northern Portugal, large volumes of granitoids were emplaced during the last stage (D3) of the Variscan orogeny and display a wide range of petrological signatures. We studied the morphologies and internal structures of zircons from syn-, late- and post-D3 granitoids. The sin-D3 granitoids include the Ucanha-Vilar, Lamego, Felgueiras, Sameiro, and Refoios do Lima plutons, the late- and post-D3 granitoids are represented by the Vieira do Minho and the Vila Pouca de Aguiar plutons, respectively. Typological investigations after Pupin (1980) along with scanning electron microprobe imaging reveal that the external morphology of zircon changes consistently with a decrease in the crystallization temperature. Zircon populations from the Refoios do Lima and the Vieira do Minho granites show gradual changes in the internal morphologies and their typologic evolution trends are consistent with their mainly crustal origin. The Sameiro, Felgueiras, Lamego and Ucanha-Vilar granites have more complex internal and external morphology and typological evolution trends that cross the domain of the calc-alkaline to the aluminous granites compatible with a mixing process. Finally, the morphological types of the Vila Pouca de Aguiar granites are found both in calc-alkaline and sub-alkaline granites and their typological evolutionary trends follow the calc-alkaline/sub-alkaline trend, suggesting crustal sources with some mantle contribution.

Geochemistry, geochronology, mineralogy, and geology suggest sources of and controls on mineral systems in the southern Toquima Range, Nye County, Nevada; with geochemistry maps of gold, silver, mercury, arsenic, antimony, zinc, copper, lead, molybdenum, bismuth, iron, titanium, vanadium, cobalt, beryllium, boron, fluorine, and sulfur; and with a section on lead associations, mineralogy and paragenesis, and isotopes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shawe, Daniel R.; Hoffman, James D.; Doe, Bruce R.; Foord, Eugene E.; Stein, Holly J.; Ayuso, Robert A.

2003-01-01

distribution patterns that suggest specific sources and lithologic influences on deposition, as well as multiple episodes of mineralization. Principal episodes of mineralization are Late Cretaceous (molybdenum and tungsten in and near granite; silver at Belmont and Silver Point mines), early Oligocene [tourmaline and base- and precious-metals around the granodiorite of Dry Canyon stock as well as at Manhattan(?)], late Oligocene (gold at Round Mountain and Jefferson), and Miocene (gold at Manhattan). Most likely principal sources of molybdenum, tungsten, silver, and bismuth are Cretaceous granites; of antimony, arsenic, and mercury are intermediate-composition early Oligocene intrusives; and of gold are early and late Oligocene and early Miocene magmas of the volcanic cycle. Lead may have been derived principally from Cretaceous granitic magma and Paleozoic sedimentary rocks. Several areas prospective for undiscovered mineral deposits are suggested by spatial patterns of element distributions related to geologic features. The Manhattan district in the vicinity of the White Caps mine may be underlain by a copper-molybdenum porphyry system related to a buried stock; peripheral high-grade gold veins and skarn deposits may be present below deposits previously mined. The Jefferson district also may be underlain by a copper-molybdenum porphyry system related to a buried stock, it too with peripheral high-grade gold deposits. The Bald Mountain Canyon belt of small gold veins has potential for deeper deposits in buried porous ash-flow tuff similar to the huge Round Mountain low-grade gold-silver deposit. Several other areas have potential for a variety of mineral deposits. Altogether the geochemical, geochronologic, mineralogic, and geologic evidence suggests recurring mineralizing episodes of varied character, from Late Cretaceous to late Tertiary time, related to a long-lived hot spot deep in the crust or in the upper mantle. Granite plutons of Late Cretaceous age were minerali

The Pikes Peak batholith, Colorado front range, and a model for the origin of the gabbro-anorthosite-syenite-potassic granite suite

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barker, F.; Wones, D.R.; Sharp, W.N.; Desborough, G.A.

1975-01-01

This study of the Pikes Peak batholith includes the mineralogy and petrology of quartz syenite at West Creek and of fayalite-bearing and fayalite-free biotite granite near Mount Rosa; major element chemistry of the batholith; comparisons with similar postorogenic, intracratonic, sodic to potassic intrusives; and genesis of the batholith. The batholith is elongate in plan, 50 by 100 km, composite, and generally subalkalic. It was emplaced at shallow depth 1,040 m. y. ago, sharply transects its walls and may have breached its roof. Biotite granite and biotite-hornblende granite are predominant; quartz syenite, fayalite granite and riebeckite granite are present in minor amounts. Fayalite-bearing and fayalite-free quartz syenite, fayalite-biotite granite and riebeckite granite show a well-defined sodic differentiation trend; the less sodic fayalite-free granites exhibit a broader compositional range and no sharp trends. Crystallization was largely at PH2O < Ptotal; PH2O approached Ptotal only at late stages. Aplite residual to fayalite-free biotite granite in the north formed at about 1,500 bars, or 5 km depth. Feldspar assemblages indicate late stages of crystallization at about 720??C. In the south ilmenite and manganian fayalite indicate fO2 of 10-17 or 10-18 bars. Biotite and fayalite compositions and the 'granite minimum' imply completion of crystallization at about 700??C and 1,500 bars. Nearby fayalite-free biotite granite crystallized at higher water fugacity. All types of syenite and granite contain 5-6% K2O through a range of SiO2 of 63-76%. Average Na2O percentages in quartz syenite are 6.2, fayalite granite 4.2, and fayalite-free granite 3.3 MgO contents are low, 0.03-0.4%; FeO averages 1.9-2.5%. FeO/Fe2O3 ratios are high. Fluorine ranges from 0.3 to 0.6%. The Pikes Peak intrusives are similar in mode of emplacement, composition, and probably genesis to rapakivi intrusives of Finland, the Younger Granites of Nigeria, Cape Ann Granite and Beverly Syenite

Zircon U-Pb ages and geochemistry of migmatites and granites in the Foping dome: Evidence for Late Triassic crustal evolution in South Qinling, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, He; Li, Shuang-Qing; Fang, Bo-Wen; He, Jian-Feng; Xue, Ying-Yu; Siebel, Wolfgang; Chen, Fukun

2018-01-01

Migmatites provide a record of melt formation and crustal rheology. In this study we present zircon U-Pb ages and geochemical composition of migmatites from the Foping dome and granites from the Wulong pluton. U-Pb results from migmatite zircons indicate two episodes of partial melting. Rim domains from a leucosome in the Longcaoping area yield an age of ca. 209 Ma. Migmatites collected from the Foping dome yield U-Pb zircon ages of 2910 to 190 Ma, suggesting the involvement of meta-sedimentary source components. Rim domains of the zircons with low Th/U ratios (< 0.1) give ages of 225-190 Ma and the youngest age domains (ca. 195 Ma) are characterized by low contents of heavy rare earth elements, which is related to crystallization of garnet. Magmatic rocks from the Wulong pluton can be subdivided into high Sr/Y and low Sr/Y granites. U-Pb zircon ages vary from 219 to 214 Ma for the high Sr/Y granites and from 214 to 192 Ma for the low Sr/Y granites. High Sr/Y granites have higher Na2O and Sr contents than the low Sr/Y granites. They also lack negative Eu anomalies and are depleted in HREE compared to the low Sr/Y granites. Initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios and εNd values of all the samples roughly overlap with those of Neoproterozoic basement rocks exposed in South Qinling. Including previous studies, we propose that the high and low Sr/Y granites formed by melting of thickened and normal crust, respectively. Close temporal-spatial relationship of the high and low Sr/Y granites with the two-stage migmatization events implies variation of crustal thickness and thermal overprints of the orogenic crust in post-collisional collapse. Following the collision of South Qinling and the Yangtze block prior to 219 Ma, partial melting of the deep crust occurred. The melts migrated upwards to form the high Sr/Y granites. This process occurred rapidly and caused collapse of the thickened crust and carried heat upwards, leading to further partial melting within the shallower crust and

Magma mixing in granite petrogenesis: Insights from biotite inclusions in quartz and feldspar of Mesozoic granites from South China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Peng; Zhao, Zi-Fu; Zheng, Yong-Fei

2016-06-01

Magma mixing is a common process in granite petrogenesis. The major element composition of biotites in granites is primarily controlled by the composition of magmas from which they crystallized. Biotite grains enclosed in quartz and feldspars of granites are naturally protected by their host minerals, so that their compositions are likely original and can potentially be used to track the magma mixing. This is illustrated by a combined study of matrix and inclusion biotites from Mesozoic granites in the Nanling Range, South China. Three granite samples have been used in this study: one two-mica granite and two biotite granites. The biotites of different occurrences in the two-mica granite have no compositional distinctions. Biotites in the two-mica granite have higher Al2O3 and lower MgO than those in the biotite granites. The former is consistent with biotites from typical S-type granites of metasedimentary origin. In contrast, biotites from the biotite granites can be categorized into different groups based on their paragenetic minerals and geochemical compositions. They have relatively low aluminous saturation indices but higher Mg numbers, falling in the transitional field between typical S- and I-type granites. In addition, there are two contrasting zircon populations with nearly identical U-Pb ages in the biotite granites. One shows clearly oscillatory zonings in CL images, whereas the other is totally dark and often overgrew on the former one. The zircons with oscillatory zonings have higher δ18O values than the dark ones, indicating their growth from two compositionally different magmas, respectively, with different sources. An integrated interpretation of all these data indicates that mixing of two different magmas was responsible for the petrogenesis of biotite granites. Therefore, the study of biotite inclusions provides insights into the magma mixing in granite petrogenesis.

Tourmaline occurrences within the Penamacor-Monsanto granitic pluton and host-rocks (Central Portugal): genetic implications of crystal-chemical and isotopic features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

da Costa, I. Ribeiro; Mourão, C.; Récio, C.; Guimarães, F.; Antunes, I. M.; Ramos, J. Farinha; Barriga, F. J. A. S.; Palmer, M. R.; Milton, J. A.

2014-04-01

Tourmalinization associated with peraluminous granitic intrusions in metapelitic host-rocks has been widely recorded in the Iberian Peninsula, given the importance of tourmaline as a tracer of granite magma evolution and potential indicator of Sn-W mineralizations. In the Penamacor-Monsanto granite pluton (Central Eastern Portugal, Central Iberian Zone), tourmaline occurs: (1) as accessory phase in two-mica granitic rocks, muscovite-granites and aplites, (2) in quartz (±mica)-tourmaline rocks (tourmalinites) in several exocontact locations, and (3) as a rare detrital phase in contact zone hornfels and metapelitic host-rocks. Electron microprobe and stable isotope (δ18O, δD, δ11B) data provide clear distinctions between tourmaline populations from these different settings: (a) schorl-oxyschorl tourmalines from granitic rocks have variable foititic component (X□ = 17-57 %) and Mg/(Mg + Fe) ratios (0.19-0.50 in two-mica granitic rocks, and 0.05-0.19 in the more differentiated muscovite-granite and aplites); granitic tourmalines have constant δ18O values (12.1 ± 0.1 ‰), with wider-ranging δD (-78.2 ± 4.7 ‰) and δ11B (-10.7 to -9.0 ‰) values; (b) vein/breccia oxyschorl [Mg/(Mg + Fe) = 0.31-0.44] results from late, B- and Fe-enriched magma-derived fluids and is characterized by δ18O = 12.4 ‰, δD = -29.5 ‰, and δ11B = -9.3 ‰, while replacement tourmalines have more dravitic compositions [Mg/(Mg + Fe) = 0.26-0.64], close to that of detrital tourmaline in the surrounding metapelitic rocks, and yield relatively constant δ18O values (13.1-13.3 ‰), though wider-ranging δD (-58.5 to -36.5 ‰) and δ11B (-10.2 to -8.8 ‰) values; and (c) detrital tourmaline in contact rocks and regional host metasediments is mainly dravite [Mg/(Mg + Fe) = 0.35-0.78] and oxydravite [Mg/(Mg + Fe) = 0.51-0.58], respectively. Boron contents of the granitic rocks are low (<650 ppm) compared to the minimum B contents normally required for tourmaline saturation in

The origin of Late Ediacaran post-collisional granites near the Chad Lineament, Saharan Metacraton, South-Central Chad

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shellnutt, J. Gregory; Yeh, Meng-Wan; Lee, Tung-Yi; Iizuka, Yoshiyuki; Pham, Ngoc Ha T.; Yang, Chih-Cheng

2018-04-01

The southern Saharan Metacraton is one of the least geologically constrained regions in the world as bedrock exposures are rare. To the west of Lake Fitri near the communities of Ngoura and Moyto in south-central Chad there are two granitic inliers that form a series of lenticular to ellipsoidal low laying hills. Very little is known about the Lake Fitri inliers and their regional correlation to larger massifs in Chad is undetermined. The granites yielded weighted-mean zircon 206Pb/238U ages of 554 ± 8 Ma and 546 ± 8 Ma indicating they were emplaced 45 million years after the cessation of arc-related magmatism and the subsequent collision between the Congo-São Francisco Craton and the Saharan Metacraton. The rocks have distinct groupings of inherited zircons with ages of 580 Ma and 635 Ma suggesting they are at least in part derived by recycling of older crustal rocks. The biotite mineral chemistry, whole rock compositions and petrological modeling indicate the granites were derived by melting of crustal lithologies but the whole rock Nd isotopes (εNd(t) = +1.3-+2.9) are characteristic of a mantle source. The contrasting inheritance-rich nature of the granites with a juvenile Nd isotopic signature is likely due to mixing between magmas derived from juvenile (Neoproterozoic) arc-related crust and asthenospheric magmas. Asthenospheric upwelling was probably a response to post-orogenic lithospheric delamination related to fault movement along the Chad Lineament, a possible extension of the Tcholliré-Banyo shear zone that extended to the interior of the Saharan Metacraton. The implications are that lithospheric delamination may not have occurred immediately after collision but rather propagated along a narrow belt that extended well into the central regions of the Saharan Metacraton.

Geothermal Potential of Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center at Pickel Meadow, California.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-05-01

even electrical power generation, since throughout these areas warm wells, hot springs, and warm springs occur. The Pickel Meadow area is U.S. Forest...are Mesozoic granitic and Cretaceous rocks. Warm wells occur at the town of Walker (Antelope Valley), which probably indi- cates that hot water is...These sediments were deposited during tile erosional interval between Oligocene volcanism and late Miocene volcanism. Tile Mio-Pliocene andesitic rocks

Reliable paleointensity determinations from Late Cretaceous volcanic rocks in Korea with constraint of thermochemical alteration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Wonnyon; Doh, Seong-Jae; Yu, Yongjae

2018-06-01

Paleointensity determinations were carried out from Late Cretaceous (∼77 Ma) volcanic rocks in Korea using a Thellier-type IZZI experimental protocol with systematic partial thermal remanent magnetization (pTRM) checks. Various data selection criteria were used to estimate reliable paleointensities. We set stringent threshold values for each parameter to ensure that there was: (1) a linear relationship between natural remanent magnetization (NRM) lost and TRM gained; (2) negligible thermal alteration of magnetic minerals; and (3) uni-vectorial decay of NRM towards the origin. From the 336 samples, ∼88% were rejected because of an insufficient extrapolated NRM fraction in the best-fit line (fvds < 0.6), highlighting that fvds is the most stringent selection criterion in this study. For the 31 accepted samples, paleointensities range from 6.4 to 30.4 μT. Among the 31 samples, eight samples yielded extremely low paleointensities. Although single-domain (titano)magnetite was identified as the stable paleointensity recorder, oxidation of superparamagnetic fractions upon repeated heating probably caused enhancement of pTRM acquisition and yielded a low paleointensity estimate. Apart from these low paleointensities (n = 8) as screened by a newly proposed data selection criterion of Δk < 0.2, the remaining 23 samples have a mean paleointensity of 23.1 ± 4.8 μT, corresponding to a virtual axial dipole moment (VADM) of 40.8 ± 8.5 ZAm2, which is ∼50% of the present-day VADM.

Visualizing fossilization using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry maps of trace elements in Late Cretaceous bones

USGS Publications Warehouse

Koenig, A.E.; Rogers, R.R.; Trueman, C.N.

2009-01-01

Elemental maps generated by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) provide a previously unavailable high-resolution visualization of the complex physicochemical conditions operating within individual bones during the early stages of diagenesis and fossilization. A selection of LA-ICP-MS maps of bones collected from the Late Cretaceous of Montana (United States) and Madagascar graphically illustrate diverse paths to recrystallization, and reveal unique insights into geochemical aspects of taphonomic history. Some bones show distinct gradients in concentrations of rare earth elements and uranium, with highest concentrations at external bone margins. Others exhibit more intricate patterns of trace element uptake related to bone histology and its control on the flow paths of pore waters. Patterns of element uptake as revealed by LA-ICP-MS maps can be used to guide sampling strategies, and call into question previous studies that hinge upon localized bulk samples of fossilized bone tissue. LA-ICP-MS maps also allow for comparison of recrystallization rates among fossil bones, and afford a novel approach to identifying bones or regions of bones potentially suitable for extracting intact biogeochemical signals. ?? 2009 Geological Society of America.

Temporal evolution of granitic magmas in the Luanchuan metallogenic belt, east Qinling Orogen, central China: Implications for Mo metallogenesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Dong; Han, Jiangwei; Zhang, Shouting; Yan, Changhai; Cao, Huawen; Song, Yaowu

2015-11-01

The Luanchuan metallogenic belt, located within the eastern part of the Qinling Orogen, central China, hosts a number of world-class Mo deposits that are closely related to small late Mesozoic granitic plutons. Zircon U-Pb dating of distinct plutons in the Luanchuan metallogenic belt has yielded ages of 153 ± 1, 154 ± 2, 152 ± 2, and 148 ± 1 Ma. Molybdenite Re-Os isotopic compositions of Yuku ore district in the southern part of Luanchuan metallogenic belt has yielded an isochron age of 146 ± 1 Ma, which is consistent with the large-scale mineralization ages in the northern part of the Luanchuan metallogenic belt. A combination of previous studies and new geochronological and isotopic data show a concordant temporal and genetic link between granitic magmatism and Mo mineralization in the Luanchuan metallogenic belt, suggesting that this mineralization episode formed the most extensive Mo mineralization belt in the east Qinling Orogen. Zircon grains from Mo-related granitic plutons show similar trace element distributions. High-precision Multi Collector-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) Pb isotope analysis of K-feldspar megacrysts from mineralization-related granites suggest that they were derived from the lower crust. Similarly, the Pb isotopic compositions of pyrite coprecipitated with molybdenite also suggest that the metals were derived form the lower crust, with probably minor mantle contribution. A continuum mineralization model that describes the sourcing of Mo from an evolving granitic magma over successive differentiation events, possibly in separate but connected magma chambers, could explain the remarkable Mo enrichment in the Luanchuan metallogenic belt. The volatile- and Mo-bearing granitic magmas ascended as diapirs from the deep crust, and were emplaced as dikes in the upper crust. Lithological differences between these Mo-bearing granites may relate to different stages in the evolution of individual magmas. Finally, ore

Emanation of radon from household granite.

PubMed

Kitto, Michael E; Haines, Douglas K; Arauzo, Hernando Diaz

2009-04-01

Emanation of radon (222Rn) from granite used for countertops and mantels was measured with continuous and integrating radon monitors. Each of the 24 granite samples emitted a measurable amount of radon. Of the two analytical methods that utilized electret-based detectors, one measured the flux of radon from the granite surfaces, and the other one measured radon levels in a glass jar containing granite cores. Additional methods that were applied utilized alpha-scintillation cells and a continuous radon monitor. Measured radon flux from the granites ranged from 2 to 310 mBq m-2 s-1, with most granites emitting <20 mBq m-2 s-1. Emanation of radon from granites encapsulated in airtight containers produced equilibrium concentrations ranging from <0.01 to 11 Bq kg-1 when alpha-scintillation cells were used, and from <0.01 to 4.0 Bq kg-1 when the continuous radon monitor was used.

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

Late Jurassic plutonism in the southwest U.S. Cordillera

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barth, A.P.; Wooden, J.L.; Howard, K.A.; Richards, J.L.

2008-01-01

Although plate reconstructions suggest that subduction was an approximately steady-state process from the mid-Mesozoic through the early Tertiary, recent precise geochronologic studies suggest highly episodic emplacement of voluminous continental-margin batholiths in the U.S. Cordillera. In central and southern California and western Arizona, major episodes of batholithic magmatism are known to have occurred in Permian-Triassic, Middle Jurassic, and late Early to Late Cretaceous time. However, recent studies of forearc-basin and continental-interior sediments suggest that Late Jurassic time was probably also a period of significant magmatism, although few dated plutons of this age have been recognized. We describe a belt of Late Jurassic plutonic and hypabyssal rocks at least 200 km in length that extends from the northwestern Mojave Desert through the Transverse Ranges. The belt lies outboard of both the voluminous Middle Jurassic arc and the ca. 148 Ma Independence dike swarm at these latitudes. The plutons include two intrusive suites emplaced between 157 and 149 Ma: a calc-alkaline suite compositionally unlike Permian-Triassic and Middle Jurassic mon-zonitic suites but similar to Late Cretaceous arc plutons emplaced across this region, and a contemporaneous but not comagmatic alkaline suite. The Late Jurassic was thus a time of both tectonic and magmatic transitions in the southern Cordillera. ?? 2008 The Geological Society of America.

Geologic Map of the Sheep Hole Mountains 30' x 60' Quadrangle, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Howard, Keith A.

2002-01-01

Quartz Monzonite and other members of the Bullion Intrusive Suite, the Chubbock Porphyry, and rocks that form the Goat Basin pluton, Music Valley pluton, and Ship Mountains pluton. The Jurassic plutons range in emplacement depths from mid-crustal to hypabysasal. Mafic and felsic dikes that probably are part of the Late Jurassic Independence dike swarm intrude the Jurassic batholithic rocks. A Mesozoic ductile fault (tectonic slide), the Scanlon thrust, places an inverted sequence of lower Paleozoic rocks and their Proterozoic basement over a lower plate of younger Paleozoic and Triassic rocks. The lower- plate rocks are internally sliced and folded. They in turn are superposed along an attenuation tectonic slide, the Kilbeck fault, over highly strained tectonic schist. The major tectonic slides and associated fabrics are cut by Late Cretaceous batholithic rocks. Widespread Late Cretaceous granitoids assigned to the Cadiz Valley batholith and the Old-Woman Piute Range batholith together form a contiguous super-unit of granite and granodiorite compositions. The Old- Woman Piute Range batholith includes the granite of Sweetwater Wash in the Painted Rock pluton and the Old Woman Mountains Granodiorite forming the Old Woman pluton. The large Cadiz Valley batholith is divided into the Iron Mountains Intrusive Suite and the Coxcomb Intrusive Suite. The Iron Mountains Intrusive Suite includes the Granite Pass Granite (which forms the Granite Pass pluton), the Danby Lake Granite Gneiss, and the Iron Granodiorite Gneiss. The Coxcomb Intrusive Suite consists of many units including the Clarks Pass Granodiorite, the Sheep Hole Mountains Granodiorite (forms the Sheep Hole Mountains pluton), and the Sheep Hole Pass Granite (forms the Sheep Hole Pass pluton). The Cretaceous rocks were emplaced at a range of deep to shallow depths, and their intrusion resulted in an aureole 2-3 km wide in older rocks. Mylonitic fabrics developed through a thickness of >1.3 km, together

The bivalve Anopaea (Inoceramidae) from the Upper Jurassic-lowermost Cretaceous of Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zell, Patrick; Crame, J. Alistair; Stinnesbeck, Wolfgang; Beckmann, Seija

2015-07-01

In Mexico, the Upper Jurassic to lowermost Cretaceous La Casita and coeval La Caja and La Pimienta formations are well-known for their abundant and well-preserved marine vertebrates and invertebrates. The latter include conspicuous inoceramid bivalves of the genus Anopaea not formally described previously from Mexico. Anopaea bassei (Lecolle de Cantú, 1967), Anopaea cf. stoliczkai (Holdhaus, 1913), Anopaea cf. callistoensis Crame and Kelly, 1995 and Anopaea sp. are rare constituents in distinctive Tithonian-lower Berriasian levels of the La Caja Formation and one Tithonian horizon of the La Pimienta Formation. Anopaea bassei was previously documented from the Tithonian of central Mexico and Cuba, while most other members of Anopaea described here are only known from southern high latitudes. The Mexican assemblage also includes taxa which closely resemble Anopaea stoliczkai from the Tithonian of India, Indonesia and the Antarctic Peninsula, and Anopaea callistoensis from the late Tithonian to ?early Berriasian of the Antarctic Peninsula. Our new data expand the palaeogeographical distribution of the high latitude Anopaea to the Gulf of Mexico region and substantiate faunal exchange, in the Late Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous, between Mexico and the Antarctic Realm.

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.

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

Masirah Graben, Oman: A hidden Cretaceous rift basin

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

Beauchamp, W.H.; Ries, A.C.; Coward, M.P.

1995-06-01

Reflection seismic data, well data, geochemical data, and surface geology suggest that a Cretaceous rift basin exists beneath the thrusted allochthonous sedimentary sequence of the Masirah graben, Oman. The Masirah graben is located east of the Huqf uplift, parallel to the southern coast of Oman. The eastern side of the northeast-trending Huqf anticlinorium is bounded by an extensional fault system that is downthrown to the southeast, forming the western edge of the Masirah graben. This graben is limited to the east by a large wedge of sea floor sediments and oceanic crust, that is stacked as imbricate thrusts. These sediments/ophiolitesmore » were obducted onto the southern margin of the Arabian plate during the collision of the Indian/Afghan plates at the end of the Cretaceous. Most of the Masirah graben is covered by an allochthonous sedimentary sequence, which is complexly folded and deformed above a detachment. This complexly deformed sequence contrasts sharply with what is believed to be a rift sequence below the ophiolites. The sedimentary sequence in the Masirah graben was stable until further rifting of the Arabian Sea/Gulf of Aden in the late Tertiary, resulting in reactivation of earlier rift-associated faults. Wells drilled in the Masirah graben in the south penetrated reservoir quality rocks in the Lower Cretaceous Natih and Shuaiba carbonates. Analyses of oil extracted from Infracambrian sedimentary rocks penetrated by these wells suggest an origin from a Mesozoic source rock.« less

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