Cretaceous Radiolarians of the North Atlantic Ocean: ODP Leg 103 (Sites 638, 640, and 641) and DSDP Legs 93 (Site 603) and 47B (Site 398)

Abstract

Radiolarians form a remarkable part of the fossil plankton for Cretaceous sediments of the North Atlantic. Selected sites with long-term sedimentary successions of deep facies were studied (ODP Leg 103 and DSDP Site 398 off north west Spain and DSDP Site 603 off the east coast of the United States). Preservation of the radiolarian faunas is gener ally poor, and the faunal abundance and diversity reflect the diagenetic history of the host sediment rather than the original faunal productivity. Several exceptions include abundant and some well-preserved radiolarian faunas from lower Campanian, Cenomanian/Turonian boundary, upper Albian, lower Albian, and Barremian sediments. These in creases in radiolarian abundance and preservation coincide with well-established Cretaceous oceanic events in the North Atlantic. Typical faunal associations of these sections are described, and faunal associations from the Cenomanian/Tu ronian Boundary Event are documented for the first time in the North Atlantic. The relationship of the radiolarian blooms with coeval oceanic events in the North Atlantic is also discussed. Amphipyndax pseudoconolus Zone Definition. FO of Amphipyndax pseudoconolus (Pessagno, 1963). Age. Santonian (Campanian, according to Sanfilippo and Riedel, 1985). No radiolarian record from the upper Turonian to the base of the Campanian. Crucella cachensis Zone Definition. FO of Crucella cachensis Pessagno, 1976. Age. Latest Cenomanian/earliest Turonian, depending on the microfossil/macrofossil group used for calibration. No radiolarian record in the lower and middle Cenomanian. Rhopalosyringium majuroensis Zone Definition. FO of Rhopalosyringium majuroensis Schaaf, 1981. Age. Latest Albian. Remarks. R. majuroensis was first found at Site 398 in upper Albian samples (according to foraminifer data; Muller et al., 1983, 1984). Schaaf (1985) described this species as having an FO in the middle Cenomanian, but he also figured specimens from Sample 398-63-6, 73-75 cm, which is of latest Albian age (Muller et al., 1983, 1984). Thanarla veneta Zone Definition. FO of Thanarla veneta (Squinabol, 1903). Age. Late Albian. Pseudodictyomitra pseudomacrocephala Zone Definition. FO of Pseudodictyomitra pseudomacrocephala (Squinabol, 1903). Age. Middle late Albian. Mita gracilis Zone Definition. FO of Mita gracilis (Squinabol, 1903). Age. Base of late Albian. Holocryptocanium barbui Zone Definition. FO of Holocryptocanium barbui Dumitrica, 1970. Age. Latest early Albian. Theoconus coronatus Zone Definition. FO of Theoconus coronatus Squinabol, 1904 (Spongocapsula zamoraensis Pessagno, 1976). Age. Middle early Albian. Remarks. 5. zamoraensis Pessagno (1976) is regarded as a junior synonym of T. coronatus Squinabol (1904) in this chap ter (see Appendix). Acanthocircus sp. div. Acaeniotyle umbilicata (Riist) Acaeniotyle diaphorogona Foreman Acaeniotyle sp. Alievium superbum (Squinabol) Archaeospongoprunum cortinaensis Pessagno Archaeospongoprunum cf. vascoensis Pessagno Archaeospongoprunum sp. div. Cavaspongia sp. Conocaryomma califor...

Radiolarian Age Constraints of Mid-Cretaceous Black Shales in Northern Tunisia

“…Its last occurrence coincides with the Aptian-Albian boundary and the first occurrence of Mita gracilis (= Dictyomitra gracilis). This taxon is also reported from the Albian to Cenomanian deposits of the Atlantic domain, California and Pacific realms (Thurow, 1988;Karminia, 2006;Palechek et al, 2010). It is possible that black shale unit of Jebel Garci could underlines the Aptian-Albian boundary.…”

Preliminary report on the radiolarian age of the Upper Cretaceous Matoya Group (Shimanto belt) in the Toba District, Mie Prefecture, Southwest Japan

“…This result associated with the sample localities is possible to provide significant biostratigraphic and stratigraphic control in the Matoya Group; it will be divided into several units in a regional stratigraphic investigation in the near future. (Pessagno, 1976), Coniacian to Middle Santonian (Taketani, 1982), Turonian to Upper Campanian (Thurow, 1988), and Coniacian? to lowermost Maastrichtian (Hollis and Kimura, 2001).…”

“…In order to determine the age of radiolarian assemblages extracted from the mudstone samples in the Toba District, the biostratigraphic ranges of each species and the existing Upper Cretaceous zonations (e.g., Dumitricǎ, 1970;Foreman, 1975;Pessagno, 1976Pessagno, , 1977Taketani, 1982;Sanfilippo and Riedel, 1985;Thurow, 1988;Hollis and Kimura, 2001;Hashimoto et al, 2015) are primarily used. Nevertheless, there are considerable problem that the ranges of some species are not compatible among the above authors, as pointed out by Bandini et al (2008).…”

“…1 Family PSEUDOAULOPHACIDAE Riedel 1967, emend. Dumitrica 1997 Genus Alievium Pessagno 1972 Alievium gallowayi (White 1928 (Pessagno, 1976), Middle Campanian to lowermost Maastrichtian (Sanfilippo and Riedel, 1985), Campanian to Upper Maastrichtian (Thurow, 1988), uppermost Santonian to lowermost Maastrichtian (Hollis and Kimura, 2001), and Middle Campanian? to lowermost Maastrichtian .…”

Fossils from the Silesian-Subsilesian series of the Polish Western Carpathians: the implications for changes in sea-level and the marine environment during the Albian-Turonian

“…The spicule-rich de pos its in cluded also skel e tal el e ments of macro-and microfossils and also rock clasts from near shore en vi ron ments and land, which were up lifted and eroded at the time. The ac cu mu la tion of radiolarian skel e tons in large masses co in cided with a max imal sub si dence and eustatic sea level rise, which pre vi ously re sulted in radiolarian blooms (CTBE; Thurow, 1988;Baumgartner et al, 1992). Just be fore and dur ing this event, enhanced vol ca nic ac tiv ity and upwelling were as so ci ated with an in creased sur face pro duc tiv ity and the de fi ciency of ox y gen in subsurface wa ters due to ox i da tion of or ganic car bon (Gucwa and Wieser, 1980;Vogt, 1989).…”