Coral zonation of the Mississippian System in the Western Interior Province of North America

Abstract

Analysis of the distribution of coral taxa, principally genera and subgenera, in the Mississippian of the Western Interior Province of Canada and the conterminous United States permits recognition of a system of coral zones and subzones useful for correlating stratigraphic units throughout an area extending from the southwestern District of Mackenzie in the Northwest Territories of Canada to southern California in the United States. The zonation comprises six Oppel zones, four of which are divided into locally useful subzones. Coral Zone I corresponds approximately to the Kinderhookian Provincial Series and is divided into Subzones A, B, and C. Coral Zone II corresponds approximately to the Osagean Provincial Series and is divided into Subzones A and B. The Tournaisian Stage of western Europe is represented by Coral Zones I and II. Coral Zone III corresponds approximately to the lower and middle parts of the Meramecian Provincial Series and is divided into Subzones A, B, C, and D. Coral Zone IV corresponds approximately to the upper part of the Meramecian and is not divided. Coral Zone V corresponds approximately to the lower and middle parts of the Chesterian Provincial Series and is divided into Subzones A and B. Coral Zone VI corresponds approximately to the upper part of the Chesterian and is not divided. The Visean Stage of western Europe is represented by Coral Zones III and IV and Subzone VA. The lower part of the Namurian Stage of western Europe is represented by Coral Subzone VB and Zone VI. Deep-water and shallow-water coral biofacies are discussed and integrated into the zonation system. The coral zones are correlated with foraminifer and conodont zones, which provide the primary bases for establishing ranges of coral taxa. Forty-five coral genera and subgenera used in the zonation are diagnosed, discussed, and illustrated. Correlations of Mississippian formations in the Western United States and Western Canada are presented as examples of the utility of the coral zonation.

Rugosa (anthozoa) from the serpukhovian (lower carboniferous) of the upper silesian coal basin

“…This last statement has been shown to be incorrect as indicated by the value of corals in determining local stratigraphy as well as that within provinces (e.g., Sando and Bamber 1985;Poty and Hannay 1994;Poty et al 2006;Fedorowski et al 2007). Here an attempt is made to establish the rugose coral biozones for the USCB (see below).…”

Stochastic Joint Simulation of Facies and Diagenesis: A Case Study on Early Diagenesis of the Madison Formation (Wyoming, USA)

“…All thin sections have been stained with alizarin red-S and potassium ferricyanide (Dickson, 1966) Sando & Bamber (1985) Lithostratigraphic Units Lithostratigraphy of the Madison Formation in the Bighorn Basin. Equivalent North-American and European stages are given for the lithostratigraphic members of the Madison Formation (from Sando and Bamber, 1985).…”

“…All thin sections have been stained with alizarin red-S and potassium ferricyanide (Dickson, 1966) Sando & Bamber (1985) Lithostratigraphic Units Lithostratigraphy of the Madison Formation in the Bighorn Basin. Equivalent North-American and European stages are given for the lithostratigraphic members of the Madison Formation (from Sando and Bamber, 1985). At right, the synthetic sedimentary log from this study of the Madison Formation at Sheep Mountain and the corresponding sequence stratigraphy (modified from Katz et al, 2006) are given.…”

Shorter contributions to paleontology and stratigraphy

“…genus Sychnoelasma (Homalophyllites of earlier reports; see Sando, 1961, p. 67), a coral that occurs commonly in the sequence below the lowest occurrence of Ankhelasma and is sparse in the lowermost part of the range of Ankhelasma (Sando and Bamber, 1985).…”