Stratigraphy and age of the Grippia niveau bonebed, Lower Triassic Vikinghøgda Formation, Spitsbergen

Abstract

We report on a newly excavated Spathian (Lower Triassic) bonebed on Marmierfjellet, Central Spitsbergen. The bonebed contains a varied material of bones and teeth from marine vertebrates along with conodont elements. The fauna of the bonebed could prove interesting in a global context of recovery and speciation after the Late Permian mass extinction. For this reason it is important to place the bonebed in a stratigraphic and chronologic framework. The bonebed sits within the Grippia niveau and is likely to be the one first described by Stensiö in 1921. The bonebed and the Grippia niveau are part of the Vendomdalen Member of the Vikinghøgda Formation. Based on the level in the stratigraphy, the bonebed most likely correlates to the Bajarunia euomphala Zone or the Parasibirites grambergi Zone which makes it either early or early/middle Spathian in age. Some conodont elements from the bonebed are reworked from older sediments but the youngest found are supporting a Spathian age. Vanadium data and TOC content from the bonebed indicate that it was formed under increasingly anoxic conditions.

The history of exploration and stratigraphy of the Early to Middle Triassic vertebrate-bearing strata of Svalbard (Sassendalen Group, Spitsbergen)

“…RiS 6725, 2013/1222-2; RiS 10227, 2015/00326-2; and RiS 10539, 2015/00326-5. The following papers (Bratvold et al, 2018;Ekeheien et al, 2018;Engelschiøn et al, 2018;Hansen et al, 2018;Økland et al, 2018) in this volume will highlight some of the early findings from the vast material still being processed at the museum in Oslo.…”

Preliminary report on ichthyopterygian elements from the Early Triassic (Spathian) of Spitsbergen

“…The deposits are part of the Sassendalen Group, Vikinghøgda Formation, Vendomdalen Member, dated as Spathian (Mørk et al, 1999;Hansen et al, 2018). The Grippia niveau is somewhat older than the Lower Saurian niveau at 247.2 Ma (Hansen et al, 2018). The Grippia bonebed (Fig.…”

Early Triassic ichthyopterygian fossils from the Russian Far East

“… 11 , Hansen et al . 17 , Engelschiøn et al 18 , and Ekeheien et al 16 for Svalbard; Massare and Callaway 14 , Scheyer et al . 2 , Kelley et al 15 , Smith et al .…”

“…The Lower Triassic lower Vendomdalen Member of the Vikinghøgda Formation in central Spitzbergen, Norway, includes the horizon referred to as ‘ Grippia niveau.’ This bonebed yields ichthyopterygian fossils, most of which are assigned to small ichthyopterygians including Grippia and larger Quasianosteosaurus , plus a disputed ichthyopterygian Omphalosaurus 10 , 16 . Grippia niveau is dated as the lower Spathian ( Bajarunia euomphala zone) or middle Spathian ( Parasibirites grambergi zone) 17 (Fig. 1 ).…”