Marine connections in North America during the late Maastrichtian: palaeogeographic and palaeobiogeographic significance ofJeletzkytes nebrascensisZone cephalopod fauna from the Elk Butte Member of the Pierre Shale, SE South Dakota and NE Nebraska

The Elk Butte Member of the Pierre Shale of southeast South Dakota and northeast Nebraska yields a late Maastrichtian cephalopod fauna of nautiloids, belemnites and ammonites of theFeletzkytes nebrascensisZone, best known from the near-shore facies of the Fox Hills Formation. ThenebrascensisZone is the highest distinct marine assemblage that can be recognised in the Western Interior, although ammonites occur as rarities high in the Lance Formation in Wyoming. Elements of the fauna occur in the Gulf Coast and Atlantic Seaboard, and extend into the highest Maastrichtian nannofossil Subzone CC26b, ofMicula prinsii, in Texas. These occurrences point to the existence of a southerly marine route for migration into and out of the northern Interior during the late late Maastrichtian. An analysis of Maastrichtian ammonite occurrences in West Greenland reveals no evidence for a marine link to the western Interior at this time, but rather indicates an open marine link to the North Atlantic region.The presence of upper upper Maastrichtian Pierre Shale in southeast South Dakota and northeast Nebraska, deposited in water depths that are conservatively estimated at 100-200 m, suggests that marine conditions (evidence for which has been removed by post-Cretceous erosion) may have extended well to the north of the shoreline position indicated in recent palaeogeographic reconstructions.     

Hesperornithiformes (Aves: Ornithurae) from the Upper Cretaceous Pierre Shale,Southern Manitoba,Canada

A historical collection of hesperornithiform fossils from the Gammon Ferruginous, Pembina, and Millwood members of the Pierre Shale (Campanian, Upper Cretaceous) in southern Manitoba, Canada, was examined to revise their taxonomy. Only two species of Hesperornis have been recognized in previous studies on the Pierre Shale in Manitoba, but our study recognizes six species of two genera, including H. lumgairi sp. nov. H. regalis is the most common species but absent in the uppermost unit within the studied sequence. The result of this study supports the paleobiogeographic subdivision of the Campanian vertebrate fauna within the Western Interior Seaway, but not the faunal boundary that distinguishes the avian fauna of Manitoba from that of South Dakota and Kansas.     

Upper Maastrichtian ammonite biostratigraphy of the Gulf Coastal Plain (Mississippi Embayment,southern USA)

The Cretaceous outcrop belt of the Mississippi Embayment in the Gulf Coastal Plain (GCP) spans the Cretaceous/Paleogene (K/Pg) boundary. A detailed reconstruction of this time interval is critical for understanding the nature of biotic and environmental changes preceding the end-Cretaceous Mass Extinction event and for deciphering the likely extinction mechanism (i.e., bolide impact versus volcanism). Eight sections encompassing the K/Pg succession across the Mississippi Embayment were analyzed using biostratigraphic sampling of ammonites, dinoflagellates, and nannofossils. An upper Maastrichtian ammonite zonation is proposed as follows, from oldest to youngest: Discoscaphites conradi Zone, D. minardi Zone, and D. iris Zone. Our study documents that the ammonite zonation established in the Atlantic Coastal Plain (ACP) extends to the GCP. This zonation is integrated with nannofossil and dinoflagellate biostratigraphy to provide a framework to more accurately determine the age relationships in this region. We demonstrate that ammonites and dinoflagellates are more reliable stratigraphic indicators in this area than nannofossils because age-diagnostic nannofossils are not consistently present within the upper Maastrichtian in the GCP. This biostratigraphic framework has the potential to become a useful tool for correlation of strata both within the GCP and between the GCP, Western Interior, and ACP. The presence of the uppermost Maastrichtian ammonite D. iris, calcareous nannofossil Micula prinsii, and dinoflagellates Palynodinium grallator and Disphaerogena carposphaeropsis suggests that the K/Pg succession in the GCP is nearly complete. Consequently, the GCP is an excellent setting for investigating fine scale temporal changes across the K/Pg boundary and ultimately elucidating the mechanisms causing extinction.     

Inoceramid bivalves and biostratigraphy of the upper Albian and lower Cenomanian of the United States Western Interior Basin

Inoceramid bivalves of the upper Albian and lower Cenomanian of the United States Western Interior are revised, Eleven species-level taxa and three genera are described. Two new species, Gnesioceramus mowriensis, characterizing the Mowry Shale of the early, but not the earliest, Cenomanian, and Posidonioceramus merewetheri, of the lower Cenomanian, and on new genus, Posidonioceramus, are recognised. The Western Interior inoceramid species from this interval are strongly endemic and are not good tools for long-distance correlations, although they are very effective in regional dating.In terms of the inoceramid biostratigraphy, middle and upper parts of the upper Albian can be referred to the Gnesioceramus Biozone, represented by G. comancheanus (Cragin) and G. bellvuensis (Reeside). These taxa are endemic to the Western Interior and some adjacent areas (Gulf Coast; Greenland?), but are closely allied to the cosmopolitan species, Gnesioceramus anglicus (Woods). At approximately the Albian-Cenomanian boundary, the endemic clade of ‘Inoceramus’ nahwisi appears, now referred to the newly erected Posidonioceramus, resulting in a distinct P. nahwisi biozone. This zone corresponds to the lower part of the ammonite Neogastroplites’ stratigraphic range. Gnesioceramids re-appear in the early Cenomanian. Close to base of the Cenomanian, for the first in the Western Interior, the genus Inoceramus, represented by Inoceramus irenensis Warren and Stelck, 1958, apparently immigrated into the Western Interior Basin.The Western Interior inoceramids do not allow for direct correlation to chronostratigraphic standard subdivision. The Albian-Cenomanian boundary, as earlier recognized on geochronologic correlations and confirmed, to some extent, based on ammonites, may approximately be located close to the appearance level of the genus Posidonioceramus.     

Evolution of the Cretaceous calcareous nannofossil genus Eiffellithus and its biostratigraphic significance

The calcareous nannofossil genus Eiffellithus is an important taxon of mid- to Upper Cretaceous marine sediments in biostratigraphy and paleoceanography. The definition of species within Eiffellithus have been both broadly interpreted and variably applied by nannofossil workers. This is particularly true for the Eiffellithus eximius plexus. While the taxonomy of mid-Cretaceous Eiffellithus species has recently been well-defined, the remaining 35 m.y. history of the genus has not been closely examined. Our investigation of Cenomanian to Maastrichtian sediments from the Western Interior Seaway, Gulf of Mexico, and Western Atlantic gives rise to six new species of Eiffellithus that can be reliably differentiated. In this paper the hitherto used biostratigraphic markers (E. turriseiffelii and E. eximius) have been redefined in a more restricted sense to increase their utility. These refinements in taxonomy reveal an obvious shift in abundance both within the genus and within the nannofossil assemblage as a whole through the Late Cretaceous. In the Cenomanian and Maastrichtian the genus is composed exclusively of coccoliths bearing an X-shaped central cross, such as E. turriseiffelii, while in the Coniacian through Campanian axial-cross forms such as E. eximius comprise more than 60% of the genus. Within the nannofossil assemblage the genus has low abundances in the Cenomanian but increases to >15% of the assemblage in well-preserved samples in the Santonian. In addition, the pattern of diversification of this genus, whereby a x-shaped, diagonal cross repeatedly gives rise to an axial cross by rotation about the central axis, is an excellent example of iterative evolution that may be related to repetitive shifts in Late Cretaceous climatic and paleoceanographic regimes.     

Coal deposits of the United States

The coal fields of the Unites States can be divided into six major provinces. The Appalachian and Interior Provinces contain dominantly bituminous coal in strata of Pennsylvanian age. The coal seams are relatively thin and are mined both by surface and underground methods. Sulfyur content is low to moderate in the Appalachian Province, generally high in the Interior province. The Gulf Coastal Plain Province, in Texas and neighboring states, contains lignite of Eocene age. The seams are 3–25 ft (0.9–7.5 m) thick and are minded in large open pits. The Northern Great Plains Province has lignite and subbituminous coal of Cretaceous, Paleocene and Eocene age. The coal, largely very low in sulfur, occurs in beds up to 100 ft (30 m) thick and is strip-mined. The Rocky Mountain Province contains a great variety of coal deposits in numerous separate intermontane basins. Most of it is low-sulfur subbituminous to bituminous coal iof Creatceous and early Tertiary age. The seams range from a few feet to over 100 ft (30 m) thick. Strip-mining dominates but underground mines are important in Utah and Colorado. The Pacific Coast Province, which includes Alaska, contains enormous cola resources but has seen little mining. The coal is highly diverse in physical character and geologic setting.     

西藏岗巴晚白垩世有孔虫动物群与海平面变化

西藏南部岗巴地区上白垩统的有孔虫动物群十分丰富，经鉴定共有52属130种。根据岩性，该地区上白垩统可以划分出三个最基本的岩石地层单位：冷青热组、岗巴村口组及宗山组。依据其中有孔虫的形态结构、生态环境、系统演化及地史分布等特征，可以划分出五个主要的有孔虫动物群，Rotalipora动物群，Whiteinella-Helvetoglobotruncana动物群，Dicarinella-Marginotruncana动物群，Globotruncana-Globotuncanita动物群及Orbitoides-Omphalocyclus动物群。这五个有孔虫动物在晚白垩世相继绝灭，其绝灭与古水深有着十分密切的关系，主要是受海平面变化的影响。     

Dinosaur eggshells from the Santonian Milk River Formation of Alberta,Canada

The North American fossil record of dinosaur eggshells for the Cretaceous is primarily restricted to formations of the middle (Albian–Cenomanian) and uppermost (Campanian–Maastrichtian) stages, with a large gap in the record for intermediate stages. Here we describe a dinosaur eggshell assemblage from a formation that represents an intermediate and poorly fossiliferous stage of the Upper Cretaceous, the Santonian Milk River Formation of southern Alberta, Canada. The Milk River eggshell assemblage contains five eggshell taxa: Continuoolithus, Porituberoolithus, Prismatoolithus, Spheroolithus, and Triprismatoolithus. These ootaxa are most similar to those reported from younger Campanian–Maastrichtian formations of the northern Western Interior than they are to ootaxa reported from older middle Cretaceous formations (i.e., predominantly Macroelongatoolithus). Characteristics of the Milk River ootaxa indicate that they are ascribable to at least one ornithopod and four small theropod species. The taxonomic affinity of the eggshell assemblage is consistent with the dinosaur fauna known based on isolated teeth and fragmentary skeletal remains from the formation, although most ornithischians and large theropods are not represented by eggshell. Relative to the Milk River Formation eggshell, similar oospecies occurring in younger Cretaceous deposits tend to be somewhat thicker, which may reflect an increase in body size of various dinosaur lineages during the Late Cretaceous.     

Albian to Coniacian zonation of the Western Coastal Plain of Israel

A planktonic biozonation of the Albian to Coniacian stages for the Western Coastal Plain of Israel, is proposed. Ten zones are described, based on the succession of the following genera: Ticinella, Thamanninella, Rotalipora and Marginotruncana. Chronostratigraphic position of the zones and comparison with both, regional and worldwide biozonation, are discussed.     

Biostratigraphic and biogeographic implications of a hadrosaurid (Ornithopoda: Dinosauria) from the Upper Cretaceous Almond Formation of Wyoming,USA

The results of Barnum Brown's 1937 expedition to the Almond Formation of Wyoming consisted of two unidentified ceratopsian skulls and a partial hadrosaurid specimen (AMNH 3651). The hadrosaurid is here attributed to the Maastrichtian genus Saurolophus, verifying previous biostratigraphic correlations of this formation using ammonite zones. Fossiliferous lower Maastrichtian formations occurring latitudinally between those of Alberta, Canada, and southwestern Texas, USA, such as the Almond Formation, are essential for testing the effects and duration of apparent hadrosaurid faunal segregation earlier in the Campanian, and indirectly aiding in the placement of faunal boundaries that are currently unknown for the late Campanian. The discovery of Saurolophus in Wyoming, a close relative of the Campanian genus Prosaurolophus, affirms that the segregation of hadrosaurid faunas established in the late Campanian (～75 Ma) continued for at least 3 million years. Combining occurrences of Saurolophus from Mongolia and the Moreno Formation of California with those of Alberta, Canada, this genus appears to have had one of the largest geographic ranges of any equivalent clade of hadrosaurid dinosaur, although species level distributions are still uncertain.     

Taphonomy and palaeoecology of the gastropod fauna from a Late Cretaceous rocky shore, Sweden

A gastropod fauna comprising 17 species, each represented by a limited number of specimens, is described from a Late Cretaceous, late early Campanian rocky shore at Ivö Klack, southern Sweden. The gastropod fauna is associated with the most diverse ancient rocky shore fauna ever found. However, the low gastropod species diversity compared to the faunas of modern rocky shores is ascribed to taphonomic factors, notably dissolution of the aragonitic shells, but the predominance of epifaunal herbivores is indicative of a guild structure similar to that found on modern rocky shores. The presence of drill holes assigned to the ichnospecies Oichnus simplex suggests the former presence of muricid gastropods which have not been found as body fossils. A single drill hole is referred to Oichnus paraboloides and was probably made by a naticid gastropod. The infaunal mode of life of naticids makes preservation of such drill holes difficult, since the majority of infaunal prey such as burrowing bivalves has aragonitic shells which are not preserved. The relatively high number of species in comparison to many other Late Cretaceous rocky shore faunas, offers an opportunity to compare gastropod guild structure at Ivö Klack with modern counterparts, even though taphonomic processes such as mechanical destruction and aragonite dissolution have played an important role in the fossil gastropod assemblage.     

Ground water geochemistry of 228Ra, 226Ra and 222Rn

²²⁸Ra, ²²⁶Ra, and ²²²Rn activities were determined on over 150 ground water samples collected from drilled, public water supply wells throughout South Carolina. A wide range of aquifer lithologies were sampled including the crystalline rocks of the Piedmont and sedimentary deposits of the Coastal Plain. A significant linear relationship between log ²²⁸Ra and log ²²⁶Ra (n = 182, r = 0.83) was indistinguishable between Piedmont and Coastal Plain ground water. Median ${}^{228}\text{Ra}{}^{226}\text{Ra}$ activity ratios for the Piedmont, 1.2, and Coastal Plain, 1.3, ground water are close to estimated average crustal ${}^{232}\text{Th}{}^{238}\text{U}$ activity ratios of 1.2 to 1.5 corresponding to Th/U weight ratios of 3.5 to 4.5. A linear correlation was also found between log ²²²Rn and log ²²⁶Ra for Piedmont (n = 68, r = 0.62) and Coastal Plain (n = 89, r = 0.64) ground water. However, the median ${}^{222}\text{Rn}{}^{226}\text{Ra}$ activity ratio for Piedmont ground water, 6100, was much higher than for Coastal Plain ground water, 230. Higher excess ²²²Rn activities may be due to greater retention of ²²⁶Ra by the chemically active Piedmont aquifers compared to the more inert sand aquifers sampled in the Coastal Plain. The relationship between log ²²⁸Ra and log ²²⁶Ra was used to predict total Ra (${}^{228}\text{Ra +}{}^{226}\text{Ra}$) distributions in Appalachian and Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain ground water. Predictions estimate that 2.4% of Appalachian and 5.3% of Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain ground water supplies contain total Ra activities in excess of the 5 pCi/l limit established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These predictions also indicate that 40–50% of these ground water wells may be overlooked using the presently suggested screening activity of 3.0 pCi/l of ²²⁶Ra for ²²⁸Ra analysis.     

Coastal Habitat Use and Residency of Juvenile Atlantic Sharpnose Sharks (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae)

Coastal habitat use and residency of a coastal bay by juvenile Atlantic sharpnose sharks, Rhizoprionodon terraenovae, were examined by acoustic monitoring, gillnet sampling, and conventional tag–recapture. Acoustic monitoring data were used to define the residency and movement patterns of sharks within Crooked Island Sound, Florida. Over 3 years, sharks were monitored for periods of 1–37 days, with individuals regularly moving in and out of the study site. Individual sharks were continuously present within the study site for periods of 1–35 days. Patterns of movement could not be correlated with time of day. Home range sizes were typically small (average?=?1.29 km²) and did not vary on a yearly basis. Gillnet sampling revealed that juvenile Atlantic sharpnose sharks were present in all habitat types found within Crooked Island Sound, and peaks in abundance varied depending on month within a year. Although telemetry data showed that most individuals remained within the study site for short periods of time before emigrating, conventional tag–recapture data indicates some individuals return to Crooked Island Sound after extended absences (maximum length?=?1,352 days). Although conventional shark nursery theory suggests small sharks remain in shallow coastal waters to avoid predation, juvenile Atlantic sharpnose sharks frequently exited from protected areas and appear to move through deeper waters to adjacent coastal bays and estuaries. Given the high productivity exhibited by this species, the benefit gained through a nursery that reduces predation may be limited for this species.     

Non-marine selachians from the basal Cretaceous of Charente,SW France

A gypsum quarry at Cherves-de-Cognac in south-western France exposes a large section of Berriasian (basal Cretaceous) sediments deposited in a lagoonal environment. The sediments have yielded rich vertebrate faunas, but only two species of selachians are present; the lonchidiid hybodont Parvodus celsucuspus sp. nov. and the batoid Belemnobatis variabilis. The composition of the fauna, including only a single, seemingly endemic, hybodont species from a time when hybodont faunas are relatively well investigated in Europe, indicate that small hybodonts were not able to migrate longer distances. The recorded batoid species also occurs in southern England, demonstrating that these batoids were primarily marine fishes that regularly explored areas with reduced salinity.     

Proneofiber, a new genus of vole (Cricetidae: Rodentia) from the Pleistocene Seymour Formation of Texas,and its evolutionary and stratigraphic significance

A new genus and species of a microtine rodent, Proneofiber guildayi, is named on the basis of rooted teeth with cement from the warm Gilliland local fauna, Seymour Formation of Pleistocene age, Knox County, Texas. Proneofiber guildayi is considered to be ancestral to Neofiber, the round-tailed water rat, now living in the extreme southeastern United States. The presence of Pleistocene faunas prior to the first continental glaciation and the existence of three Pearlette-like volcanic ashes in the Plains Region suggest a revision of the age assignment of Pleistocene deposits from the nonglaciated region.     

中国古生代鱼类微体化石研究二十年

回顾二十年来我国古生代鱼类微体化石的研究工作,该项研究由起步而后成为我国古生代鱼类研究工作的一个重要组成部分,填补了鱼类大化石涉足不到的许多研究领域、也填补了我国古生代微体化石研究中脊椎动物微体化石(主要指无颌类和鱼类,也简称为鱼类)这一重要的空白。我国已发现的古生代鱼类微体化石产自属于不同相区的54个岩组中,包括无颌类和鱼类共7个亚纲的化石。对这些鱼类微体化石进行了形态学、古组织学、生物矿物学、分类学和系统发育学的研究;在此基础上进行了生物年代学、生物地层学和界线层型的研究,特别是建立了志留纪、泥盆纪和石炭纪鱼类微体化石组合序列,个别成熟的岩段建立了生物带;研究了泥盆系-石炭系界线和二叠系-三叠系界线上下的鱼类微体化石;长兴煤山二叠纪末鱼类的集群绝灭发生的很晚,持续的时间很短,规模很大,绝灭率高达93%;华南早三叠世鱼类的复苏和辐射相当快,从绝灭期到辐射期仅用了1.3Myr到4Myr;塔里木盆地中古生代红色岩系应属于一种滨海环境、塔塔埃尔塔格组和依木干他乌组含软骨鱼群地层的时代为早志留世特里奇期(Telychian);利用贵州和塔里木盆地存在相近的软骨鱼群成功地进行了海相—非海相对比研究,从而判定软骨鱼群中至少存在一部分广盐性鲨类,两地具相近的软骨鱼群和塔里木盆地含有华南中古生代普遍存在的盔甲鱼类进一步表明华南板块与塔里木板块在中古生代应属于同一个古动物地理区。在综述所取得的成果的同时对今后的研究工作进行了展望。     

Lamniform sharks from the Cenomanian (Upper Cretaceous) of Venezuela

Sampling of Cenomanian fossil-rich horizons within the La Luna Formation of two localities in the Zulia and Trujillo states (northern Venezuela) yielded numerous shark teeth belonging to various species within the order Lamniformes (Mackerel sharks). Twelve lamniform species were identified including three new species (Squalicorax lalunaensis sp. nov., Squalicorax moodyi sp. nov., Acutalamna karsteni gen. et sp. nov.) and the genus Microcarcharias gen. nov. is proposed to accommodate with the peculiar morphology of the small-sized odontaspidid M. saskatchewanensis. Other taxa reported here include Cretoxyrhina mantelli, Cretolamna sp., cf. Nanocorax sp. and five Squalicorax species left in open nomenclature. This is the first report of chondrichthyans from the mid-Cretaceous of Venezuela and one of the few records of this group from the Cenomanian of South America. The composition of these assemblages suggests some degree of endemism in the La Luna Sea but also possible connexions with the Western Interior Seaway. One of the most striking features of these assemblages is the high anacoracid diversity (eight species) despite the corresponding outer shelf/upper slope palaeoenvironments of the La Luna Formation. The high diversity of these opportunistic predators is probably related to the high diversity of medium to large marine vertebrates that provided food resources.     

Late Cretaceous ostracod fauna from the Shenjiatun section (Songliao Basin,Northeast China): Biostratigraphic and palaeoecological implications

This work provides the first detailed taxonomic study of ostracod species from the Shenjiatun section (Nenjiang Formation, Songliao Basin, northeast China). Ten species belonging to seven genera are recognized. At the species level, this ostracod fauna shows a high degree of endemicity. The ontogeny of two species is recognized in this study, and sexual dimorphism within Daqingella arca is unequivocally recognized for the first time. The ostracod fauna suggests that this fossil-bearing sedimentary succession should be assigned to members 3–4 (Campanian) of the Nenjiang Formation (mainly Member 3) instead of representing ‘Quaternary sediments’ as previously thought. On the basis of the ostracod fauna, Member 3 of the Nenjiang Formation at Shenjiatun represents a shallow-littoral, lacustrine depositional environment that, at least in the upper part of Member 3, potentially included less stable conditions characterized by smaller, ephemeral waterbodies and increased (non-marine, oligohaline) salinities through evaporation.