The ammonoids from the Grès du Kahla supérieur of Timimoun (Middle-early Late Tournaisian; Gourara, Algeria)

Microbial carbonates commonly flourished following mass extinction events. The end-Devonian (Hangenberg) mass extinction event is a first-order mass extinction on the scale of the ‘Big Five’ extinctions. However, to date, it is still unclear whether global microbial carbonate proliferation occurred after the Hangenberg event. The earliest known Carboniferous stromatolites on tidal flats are described from intertidal environments of the lowermost Tournaisian (Qianheishan Formation) in northwestern China. With other early Tournaisian microbe-dominated bioconstructions extensively distributed on shelves, the Qianheishan stromatolites support microbial carbonate proliferation after the Hangenberg extinction. Additional support comes from quantitative analysis of the abundance of microbe-dominated bioconstructions through the Famennian and early Tournaisian, which shows that they were globally distributed (between 40° latitude on both sides of the palaeoequator) and that their abundance increased distinctly in the early Tournaisian compared to the latest Devonian (Strunian). Comparison of variations in the relative abundance of skeleton- versus microbe-dominated bioconstructions across the Hangenberg and ‘Big Five’ extinctions suggests that changes in abundance of skeletal bioconstructors may play a first-order control on microbial carbonate proliferation during extinction transitions but that microbial proliferation is not a general necessary feature after mass extinctions.

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“…1e). The occurrence of the ammonoid genus Kazakhstania in the upper middle member suggests an early to middle Tournaisian age2728 (Fig. 1e).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global microbial carbonate proliferation after the end-Devonian mass extinction: Mainly controlled by demise of skeletal bioconstructors

Yao

Aretz

Chen

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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“…It was particularly the third occurrence, located 14.5 km west-southwest of Timimoun, which turned out to be very productive for ammonoid faunas; it yielded a large suite of material during the field trips by the present authors. This fauna will be described here for the first time to compliment the monographs of the Early Tournaisian (Ebbighausen et al 2004), early Late Tournaisian (Korn et al 2010c(Korn et al , 2010a, as well as Early and Middle Visan (Bockwinkel et al 2010) assemblages from the Central Sahara of Algeria.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

The ammonoids from the Dalle à Merocanites of Timimoun (Late Tournaisian–Early Viséan; Gourara, Algeria)

Ebbighausen¹,

Korn

Bockwinkel³

2010

Foss. Rec.

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The ammonoids from the Early Carboniferous (Mississippian) Dalle à Merocanites of Timimoun (Gourara, Algeria) are described. The following new ammonoid taxa are introduced: subfamily Hammatocyclinae n. subfam., Hammatocyclus pollex n. sp., Hammatocyclus corrugatus n. sp., Neopericyclus arenosus n. sp., Ammonellipsites pareyni n. sp., Ammonellipsites menchikoffi n. sp., Ammonellipsites conradae n. sp., Muensteroceras fabrei n. sp., Eurites commutatus n. sp., Eurites pondus n. sp., subfamily Trimorphoceratinae n. subfam., Trimorphoceras n. gen., Trimorphoceras crassilens n. sp., Trimorphoceras absolutum n. sp., Trimorphoceras molestum n. sp., Obturgites n. gen., Obturgites polysarcus n. sp., Obturgites oligosarcus n. sp., Dzhaprakoceras dzhazairense n. sp., and Merocanites merocanites n. sp. These species occur in one very prolific horizon and can be attributed to the North African Ammonellipsites-Merocanites Assemblage (Fascipericyclus -Ammonellipsites Genus Zone; Late Tournaisian to Early Viséan). They represent one of the most diverse ammonoid faunas known from this time interval. doi:<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mmng.200900011" target="_blank">10.1002/mmng.200900011</a>

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“…The ammonoid Kazakhstania in the dolomitic limestones overlying the QHS stromatolites (less than 10 m) indicates an early to middle Tournaisian age (Ebbighausen & Bockwinkel, 2007;Korn, Ebbighausen, & Bockwinkel, 2010; Figure 3). According to the palynological study of Gao (1980), the upper member of the Qianheishan Formation belongs to the Auroraspora macra (AM) Zone, which is equivalent to the upper Tournaisian CM spore zone in Western FIGURE 3 Lithologic column of the Famennian-Tournaisian strata and the studied stromatolite interval in the Dashuigou section.…”

Section: Biostratigraphymentioning

confidence: 99%

Earliest Carboniferous stromatolites from the Qianheishan Formation, Dashuigou section, northwestern China: Implications for microbial proliferation after the end‐Devonian mass extinction

et al. 2019

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Earliest Carboniferous stromatolites were found in the Qianheishan (QHS) Formation in the Dashuigou section, Gansu Province, northwestern China. These stromatolites are exposed in a conglomerate-dominated succession of about 22.5 m in thickness, which can be traced laterally for more than 200 m in outcrop. They consist mainly of micrite, peloids, oncoids, silt-sized quartz grains, and sparry calcite with rare fine to coarse quartz grains and bioclasts. The occurrence of marine fossils (e.g., bryozoans) and fenestral structures in the stromatolites suggests that they developed in intertidal environments. Three types of stromatolite laminae were distinguished including micritic laminae, grain-dominated mixed laminae, and micrite-dominated mixed laminae. These laminae are separated by thin micritic crusts and form two lamination styles of repetitive lamination and alternating lamination. The development of grain-rich and micrite-rich laminae in the stromatolites implies that they were formed by the combination of microbial baffling, binding, and calcification. Facies analysis suggests that growth and demise of the stromatolites were controlled by relative sea-level changes. They grew during a continuous relative sea-level rise, indicated by variations in their thickness and morphology. Stromatolites change from thinbedded laminar forms in the lower part of the studied interval to medium-bedded wavy-laminar forms and thick-bedded domal forms in the middle and upper parts, respectively. Their demise was triggered by dramatic relative sea-level fall, evidenced from the sandstone facies overlying the stromatolite interval. The occurrence of the QHS stromatolites provides an excellent example for microbial proliferation and profound changes in the marine biosphere after the end-Devonian Hangenberg extinction event.

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The ammonoids from the Grès du Kahla supérieur of Timimoun (Middle-early Late Tournaisian; Gourara, Algeria)

Cited by 21 publications

References 19 publications

Global microbial carbonate proliferation after the end-Devonian mass extinction: Mainly controlled by demise of skeletal bioconstructors

Global microbial carbonate proliferation after the end-Devonian mass extinction: Mainly controlled by demise of skeletal bioconstructors

The ammonoids from the Dalle à <i>Merocanites</i> of Timimoun (Late Tournaisian–Early Viséan; Gourara, Algeria)

Earliest Carboniferous stromatolites from the Qianheishan Formation, Dashuigou section, northwestern China: Implications for microbial proliferation after the end‐Devonian mass extinction

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