The Madenli (Central Taurides) Upper Cretaceous platform carbonate succession: Benthic foraminiferal biostratigraphy and platform evolution

The Upper Cretaceous succession in the Madenli area (western Central Taurides, Southern Turkey) consists of platform carbonate rocks deposited in entirely peritidal environments, which are sensitive to sea level changes driven by global eustasy, but also strongly affected by local and regional tectonics. It includes economically important bauxite deposits. Previous works suggest different ages for bauxite formation ranging from the Albian to the Santonian. Benthic foraminiferal biostratigraphy and facies analysis of the Madenli and Doğankuzu outcrop sections allow for a more precise dating of the platform emersion periods. The footwall limestones of the bauxite deposits consist of well-bedded limestones (Unit-1), which contain a benthic foraminiferal assemblage (BFA) including mainly Biconcava bentori and Pastrikella biplana, Chrysalidina gradata (BFA I), assigned to the middle-upper Cenomanian. In the Madenli section, the first bauxite deposit occurs in the upper part of Unit-1 as a layer interbedded with pinkish sparitic and dolomitic beds (subunit-1a) deposited in supratidal environment. Subunit-1a is stratigraphically equivalent to the Doğankuzu and Mortaş bauxite deposits considered as karst-related, unconformity-type deposits. The hanging-wall limestones of the bauxite are represented by the massive limestones (Unit-2) starting locally with either the upper Cenomanian characterized mainly by the presence of Pseudolituonella reicheli or upper Campanian comprising mainly Murciella cuvillieri and Moncharmontia apenninica (BFA II). There is no field evidence of a discontinuity surface at the contact between the lower part of Unit-2, including BFA I, and the upper part of Unit-2, including BFA II. This contact is defined as a paraconformity indicating a stratigraphic gap from the Turonian to the early Campanian. The top of Unit-2 is truncated by another discontinuity surface associated with a minor bauxite deposit. The overlying Unit-3 is characterized by well-bedded, rudist-bearing limestones topped by laminated and dolomitized limestones organized in shallowing upward cycles. It is assigned to the upper Maastrichtian based on the presence of Rhapydionina liburnica (BFA III) and rudist assemblage. A third emersion period of the platform corresponds to the early Maastrichtian.     

Fossil woods from the Late Cretaceous Aachen Formation

Silicified fossil woods from the Late Cretaceous (Santonian) Aachen Formation of northeast Belgium, southernmost Netherlands and adjacent Germany were investigated. Gymnosperms dominate this assemblage: Taxodioxylon gypsaceum, T. cf. gypsaceum, T. cf. albertense (all Taxodiaceae), Dammaroxylon aachenense sp. nov. (Araucariaceae), Pinuxylon sp. (Pinaceae), and Scalaroxylon sp. (Cycad or Cycadeoid). Angiosperms are minor constituents: Nyssoxylon sp. (Nyssaceae?, Cornaceae?), Mastixioxylon symplocoides sp. nov. (Mastixiaceae?, Symplocaceae?), Plataninium decipiens (Platanaceae) and Paraphyllanthoxylon cf. marylandense (Anacardiaceae?, Burseraceae?, Lauraceae?).The composition of this assemblage and the anatomy of the woods indicate a seasonal and humid warm-temperate to subtropical climate.     

New species of Dzhulfian (Late Permian) ammonoids from the Hambast Formation of Central Iran

New ammonoid species of the genus Araxoceras (A. abarquense sp. nov. and A. iranense sp. nov.) are described from the Early Dzhulfian (Early Wuchiapingian) beds of the Hambast Formation of Central Iran (Abade). The data on the distribution of Paraceltites (Paraceltites sp.) and Vedioceras (V. umbonovarum Ruzhencev), for the first time discovered in the Dzhulfian beds of Abade, and of Eoaraxoceras are provided. The correlation of the Late Permian assemblages of ammonoids of Iran and Transcaucasia is amended.     

Gilianelles: Late Cretaceous microproblematica from Europe and Central America

Abstract: During the last two decades, a range of microfossils have been collected from strata of Late Cretaceous (Coniacian–Maastrichtian) age. The name gilianelles has been coined to accommodate these microproblematica. On the basis of many thousands of specimens, typical features of this group have now been assessed. Distinctive traits are calcareous unilocular, basically axially symmetrical test, in the size range 80–200 μm, with a single‐layered wall of radially arranged crystals, 15 μm thick, the outer surface with a crochet‐like nanostructure, a small‐sized aperture (one tenth of test diameter), situated on the upper surface in vivo. Secondary criteria include modification of axial test symmetry into radial or bilateral symmetry, development of expansions, either spiny or laminar and presence of longitudinal and latitudinal ornament. To date, 60 taxa have been described from northern Spain to northern Germany and from Central America. Evolutionary patterns of gilianelles are diverse, with both short‐ and long‐ranging forms, some of which comprise lineages that were affected by a marked crisis dated at about 73 Ma. This event is here illustrated by the tribe Coraliellini, of which a key taxon, Coraliella cognatio, is described as new. Previous interpretations of Gilianelles as dinoflagellate cysts are discussed and rejected.     

Some Late Triassic gastropods from the Nayband formation in Central Iran

Summary Six gastropod species from the Late Triassic Nayband Formation are reported. The following taxa are introduced as new:Trochonodus iranicus n. gen., n. sp. andCryptaulax convexa n. sp. The following species are transferred toTrochonodus n. gen.:Riselloidea aliabadensis Nützel and Senowbari-Daryan 1999 (type species ofTrochonodus),Riselloidea biarmata (Münster),Riselloidea bitorquata (Hébert and Eudes-Deslongchamps),Scalaria limatula Ammon, andAmberleya trimonilis (Orbigny). The holotype ofChulitnacula jenningsi (Douglas) is newly illustrated and described. According to the current state of knowledge, the gastropod faunas of the Nayband Formation near Esfahan and near Tabas differ considerably from each other. They share onlyAnulifera binodosa. TheAnulifera species-cluster has representatives in the Norian/Rhaetian from the North Alps, Iran, Burma, and South China. Contribution to the Triassic Paleontology of Iran No. 10. For No. 9 see previous text in this volume.     

Reconstruction of Late Cretaceous coastal paleotemperature from halite deposits of the Late Cretaceous Nongbok Formation (Khorat Plateau,Laos)

Cretaceous evaporites of the Maha Sarakhan Formation in Thailand (e.g., the Nongbok Formation, Laos) have been studied for almost a century as the huge potash deposits in the world. The consistently high local paleotemperatures should lead to huge salt deposits during the evaporation process. Primary fluid inclusions in halite can provide surface brine water temperatures directly and quantitatively. Until now, there have been no data published from paleotemperature of primary fluid inclusions of Cretaceous halite. The non-marine halite from the Cretaceous Nongbok Formation (Laos) precipitated from shallow brine waters with temperatures of 17.7–42.3 °C.     

Green algae from the Lower Cretaceous carbonate of northern Shiraz (Zagros Mountains,SW Iran)

In northern Shiraz (SW Iran), Lower Cretaceous carbonate was studied in detail. In this study, nine species of dasycladacea algae were classified. There are different species of dasycladacea algae which belong to seven different genera: Actinoporella, Cylindroporella, Dissocladela, Heteroporella, Neomeris, Salpingoporella, Trinocladus; one species of udoteaceae belongs to Bouenia; one species of acetabulariaceae belongs to Clypeina and the microproblematicum Coptocampylodon was also seen. Among the green algae, dasycladaceae and acetabulariceae are the most frequent and udoteaceans are rare in Zagros Mountains. The genus of Trinocladus is a new record for Lower Cretaceous (Upper Albian) in SW Iran.     

An Early Late Cretaceous Dinosaur Tracksite in Central Yukon Territory,Canada

Dinosaur tracks were first reported from the coal-bearing clastic sequences of the Ross River Block in 1999 by members of a University of Alaska Museum field party, and track sites were confirmed by a joint Alaska-Yukon team in 2000. This fault-bounded sedimentary block is 3 kilometers west of Ross River, in the Yukon Territory. The discovery was followed by two years of field mapping and collection. This research has resulted in the documentation of 251 individual tracks at two separate but stratigraphically related sites, as well as a short (four-footprint) trackway at one of the sites. Six ichnogenera were identified. Ornithomimipus, Amblydactylus, and Gypsichnites were recognized at one site. At a stratigraphically higher site, four ichnogenera were documented including Tetrapodosaurus, Irenesauripus, Amblydactylus, and Columbosauripus. This ichno-assemblage is compared with those of Aptian to Cenomanian age from Alberta, British Columbia, and Alaska.

The discovery of unequivocal dinosaur evidence in a small structural inlier in the Tintina Trench that was previously assumed to be Eocene in age resulted in a restudy of the palynology and biostratigraphy of this coal-bearing sequence and the recent assignment of a middle Albian to early Cenomanian age to the upper part of the dinosaur-bearing interval.     

Anatomy of carbonate mounds from the Middle Anisian of Nakhlak (Central Iran): architecture and age of a subtidal microbial-bioclastic carbonate factory

The Anisian succession of Nakhlak (in Central Iran) is characterized by a siliciclastic succession with minor carbonate units, with massive carbonate mounds up to 50?m thick in its upper part. The mounds, constrained in age to the late Bithynian (Ismidicus Zone) by ammonoids and conodonts, are characterized by a flat top and a lateral pinch-out marked by clinostratified slopes (about 15° in dip). Stratigraphic and microfacies analyses document an inner part of the mound characterized by massive microbial carbonates with open-space structures (stromatactis) filled with fine-grained internal sediments and marine cements. Isolated sponges (up to 5?cm), serpulids and bryozoans are present, which grew on the calcimicrobial limestone. A narrow bioclastic margin (mainly with crinoids and brachiopods) produces most of the slope facies (consisting of bioclastic grainstone and packstone, with intraclasts from the inner part of the mounds) which interfinger basinward with volcaniclastic sandstones. The demise of carbonate productivity is marked on the top of the carbonate mounds by a condensed surface, rich in ammonoids, glaucony grains, and articulated crinoids, documenting a rapid drowning. Paleolatitude data support deposition in a tropical setting, and sedimentological constraints indicate deposition close to the fair-weather wave base, within the photic zone. The late Bithynian Nakhlak carbonate mounds developed before the appearance (documented since the Pelsonian in different parts of the world) of scleractinians which, despite the favorable environmental conditions, are absent at Nakhlak. The Nakhlak mounds thus represent one of the last occurrences of the microbial factories (which developed after the Permo-Triassic extinction event and persisted for most of the Middle Triassic, but with a gradually increasing role played by scleractinians) before the first appearance of the Mesozoic corals.     

Myliobatid and pycnodont fish from the Late Cretaceous of Central India and their paleobiogeographic implications

Bulk sampling from Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Deccan volcano-sedimentary sequences at Kisalpuri (District Dindori, Madhya Pradesh) and Pisdura–Dongargaon (Chandrapur District, Maharashtra) in Peninsular India has yielded the dental remains of myliobatid and pycnodont fish. This fish fauna comprises Igdabatis indicus, Pycnodontoidea indet. and Pycnodontidae indet., and resembles assemblages known from Upper Cretaceous deposits in Africa and Europe. While paleobiogeographically speaking, the presence of Igdabatis suggests a series of shallow marine dispersals that may have occurred between Africa and India, possibly along the margins of the Kohistan–Ladakh island arc during the latest Cretaceous; the record of pycnodont fish favours instead a Gondwanan dispersal event.     

Fossil bee nests,coleopteran pupal chambers and tuffaceous paleosols from the Late Cretaceous Laguna Palacios Formation,Central Patagonia (Argentina)

The Late Cretaceous Laguna Palacios Formation in Central Patagonia (San Jorge Basin), southern South America, is composed of tuffaceous deposits supplied by periodical volcanic ash falls partly reworked by rivers, on broad plains. Variations in ash-fall rates allowed the formation of stacked, mature paleosols, which are one of the most characteristic features of this formation. The mature paleosols show well-developed horizons, ped structure and bear an intricate network of trace fossils mostly produced by small roots and invertebrates. Two different insect trace fossils could be recognized in this formation: sweat bee nests and coleopteran pupal chambers. Fossil bee nests are composed of inclined tunnels with cells attached to them by means of short necks, a typical construction of bees of the subfamily Halictinae. Similar halictine constructions were reported from the Cretaceous of the USA. Coleopteran pupal chambers are discrete, ovoid structures, having an internal cavity with a smooth surface, and an outer wall of lumpy appearance composed of different layers of soil material. They are commonly constructed by the larvae of different families of Coleoptera. Similar trace fossils were previously reported from the Asencio Formation (Late Cretaceous–Early Tertiary) of Uruguay and from the Djadokhta Formation of Mongolia (Late Cretaceous). These trace fossils constitute some of the only paleontological data from the Laguna Palacios Formation, allowing inferences about its paleoecology, paleoclimatology and paleogeography. Ecological preferences of Halictinae, as well as some features of the nests, suggest a temperate, seasonal climate and an environment dominated by low vegetation for the Laguna Palacios Formation, which is also compatible with sedimentologic and pedogenic evidence. The morphology of the nests, typical of North American halictinae, adds more evidence to the hypothesis of the existence of faunal interchange between North and South America by the Late Cretaceous. The fossil nests constitute some of the oldest evidence of bees in the fossil record, the third known record of bees of Cretaceous age and the first for the Southern Hemisphere. The two traces described are, together with those of Dakota and the Gobi Desert, the only trace fossils from paleosols of Cretaceous age that can be certainly attributed to insects.     

Late Cretaceous and Cainozoic bathyal Ostracoda from the Central Pacific (DSDP Site 463)

Cainozoic deep-sea ostracod assemblages from the summits of Mid-Pacific guyots point to high levels of endemism possibly as a result of their bathymetric separation from the surrounding sea floor. However, the interpretation of these fossil assemblages is hampered by the paucity of comparative material from surrounding non-guyot sites. Fifteen ostracod assemblages from DSDP Site 463 (Late Cretaceous-Pleistocene) were studied to compare with those from nearby guyots. Three distinct faunal assemblages are recognised at Site 463: Assemblage A (Maastrichtian-Eocene), Assemblage B (Oligocene-Upper Miocene) and Assemblage C (Upper Miocene-Pleistocene) although the palaeoenvironmental significance of these units is unclear. Sixty-two ostracod species are identified, the thirteen most abundant are discussed in the taxonomic section, five of which are described as new. Between 30 and 100% of the species encountered in each sample are considered as endemic to Site 463, while some of the remaining species were previously thought to be endemic to individual guyots. Similarly high levels of endemism on nearby guyots probably reflect an incomplete knowledge of deep-sea ostracod faunas rather than the establishment of geographically or bathymetrically restricted populations. The presence of globally pandemic and geographically widespread taxa on sites such as the Mid-Pacific Mountains, surrounded by abyssal depths which lie below the CCD, indicates that some faunal exchange or migration of ostracods does take place. This must be achieved within the intermediate waters and probably occurs passively.     

First record of the Late Cretaceous starfish Metopaster parkinsoni (Forbes, 1848) in Iran

A body fossil of the starfish Metopaster parkinsoni was collected from chalky rocks of the Coniacian – Santonian transition in the Abderaz Formation at the Padeha section, east of Mashhad (Kopet-Dagh, Iran). The species is common in the English Chalk and is well known from the Cenomanian to the Maastrichtian of Europe. The new Iranian occurrence of M. parkinsoni extends its geographical range of 700 km to the South and 2500 km to the East. The species proliferated in upper offshore environments of the North Tethyan continental shelves. The outstanding occurrence of many well-preserved specimens during the Coniacian – Santonian transition in Europe and Iran may be related to favorable taphonomic conditions driven by the Ocean Anoxic Event (OAE III).     

A gigantic bird from the Upper Cretaceous of Central Asia

We describe an enormous Late Cretaceous fossil bird from Kazakhstan, known from a pair of edentulous mandibular rami (greater than 275 mm long), which adds significantly to our knowledge of Mesozoic avian morphological and ecological diversity. A suite of autapomorphies lead us to recognize the specimen as a new taxon. Phylogenetic analysis resolves this giant bird deep within Aves as a basal member of Ornithuromorpha. This Kazakh fossil demonstrates that large body size evolved at least once outside modern birds (Neornithes) and reveals hitherto unexpected trophic diversity within Cretaceous Aves.     

Development of calcrete and clinoforms during emergence and flooding of the Late Cenomanian carbonate platform, Jordan

The Late Cenomanian Hummar Formation was studied in three sections in north and central Jordan, at Aameriyya, northeast of Na’ur and the Wadi Haur areas. The base in the Aameriyya area is marked by a subaerial unconformity overlain by a calcrete and a paleokarstic horizon, separating the underlying Fuheis Formation marl from the overlying Hummar Formation limestone. The emergent Aameriyya area is interpreted to have been a paleohigh, as a response to tectonism, and a basin and swell topography is invoked for the Late Cenomanian carbonate platform in this region. The Hummar Formation is believed to form one complete depositional sequence; the calcrete-karst represents a lowstand systems tract, the overlying 2-m massive rudstone/floatstone represents the transgressive systems tracts (TST), and the cortoid grainstone/packstone with clinoforms the highstand systems tracts. The topmost miliolid limestone is probably the late highstand topset of the sequence, followed upwards by the TST of the Shueib Formation marl of the next sequence. The sequence boundary at the upper contact of the Hummar Formation can be correlated regionally whereas the sequence boundary at its base with subaerial exposure has not been reported elsewhere in Jordan, the Negev, or Sinai.     

Protaxodioxylon from the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous Kota Formation,Pranhita-Godavari Basin,India

Paleontological Journal - The xylotomy of the silicified wood from the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous Kota Formation of the Pranhita-Godavari Basin is studied and its systematic affinity is...     

A new abelisaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of southern France: Palaeobiogeographical implications

The Abelisauridae are a family of mainly Cretaceous theropod dinosaurs with a wide distribution across the Gondwanan land masses. Although their presence in Europe was reported twenty-five years ago, it has often been considered as controversial largely because of the incompleteness of the available specimens. We report here the discovery of well-preserved abelisaurid material, including a highly diagnostic braincase, at a Late Cretaceous (late Campanian) locality in the Aix-en-Provence Basin, near the eponym city in south-eastern France. A new abelisaurid taxon is erected, Arcovenator escotae gen. nov., sp. nov., on the basis of cranial and postcranial material. A phylogenetic analysis reveals that the new Abelisauridae from Provence is more closely related to taxa from India and Madagascar than to South American forms. Moreover, Genusaurus, Tarascosaurus and the previous Late Cretaceous discoveries are identified as basal abelisaurids. Contrary to previously proposed palaeobiogeographical models of abelisaurid evolution, the presence of the new taxon in Europe suggests that Europe and Africa may have played a major role in abelisaurid dispersal, which apparently involved crossing marine barriers.     

Early twentieth-century paleontological research of Freidrich von Huene: contributions to the knowledge of Late Cretaceous vertebrates of Central Brazil

Friedrich von Huene’s important scientific research on tetrapod fossils from Central Brazil has received little attention, even though it represents a significant contribution to early studies of vertebrate paleontology in the country including the first discoveries of dinosaur fossils in Brazil. von Huene described five reptile taxa in two papers published in important German scientific journals and used these specimens to make paleogeographic inferences regarding the Cretaceous of the Southern Hemisphere. von Huene warrants recognition as the first specialist to describe in detail the fossil reptile fauna of Central Brazil, which was made possible only by his network of contacts with important and influential naturalists of the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.