Tournaisian (Early Carboniferous/Mississippian) ammonoids from the Ma'der Basin (Anti-Atlas, Morocco)

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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“…Caplan & Bustin, 1999;Algeo and Scheckler, 1998;Kaiser et al 2006;Carmichael et al, 2015) -extinction in invertebrate groups (mostly ammonoids, trilobites, rhynchonellid brachiopods, bivalves, rugose corals) and in early gnathostomes (arthodires, chondrichthyans) (Korn et al 2004;Kaiser et al, 2011) -Loss in marine biodiversity -bottleneck in vertebrates (e.g. Sallan and Coates, 2010;Friedman and Sallan, 2012;Sallan and Galimberti, 2015) Alum Shale (lower-middle Tournaisian) -anoxia -transgression (Kaiser et al, 2011) -anoxia -transgression (Becker, 1993;Johnson et al, 1985;Siegmund et al, 2002) -ammonoids: species level extinction (Kaiser et al, 2015; see also Korn et al, 2002Korn et al, , 2007Becker et al, 2006;Ebbighausen & Bockwinkel, 2007) -Some groups (corals, trees, fish) affected by the Hangenberg Crisis, diversified only after the Alum Shale Event. (Poty, 1999;Decombeix et al, 2011;Denayer et al, 2011;Kaiser et al, 2015)…”

Section: Dasberg (Late Famennian)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to the Famennian samples A to Q from Madène, we examined four samples R to U (Table S1) containing another 2779 specimens of Early to Middle Tournaisian (Early Carboniferous) age from Aguelmous. The ammonoids of these samples were published by Ebbighausen and Bockwinkel (2007). The ages of the associations were determined by ammonoids (cf.…”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…crenulata biozone), that favored pelagic life (Kaiser et al, 2008(Kaiser et al, , 2011(Kaiser et al, , 2015. The Lower Alum Shale Event caused extinction in several groups, however in ammonoids probably only at species level (Kaiser et al, 2011(Kaiser et al, , 2015; see ammonoid record in Ebbighausen and Bockwinkel, 2007). (Derycke et al, 2008;Derycke, 2014Derycke, , 2017.…”

Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Late Devonian and Early Carboniferous alpha diversity, ecospace occupation, vertebrate assemblages and bio-events of southeastern Morocco

Frey

Rücklin

Korn

et al. 2018

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

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The Late Devonian was a time of dramatic environmental perturbations affecting marine ecosystems. Both the Kellwasser (latest Frasnian) and the Hangenberg crises (latest Famennian) are primarily reported as phases of drastic decreases in marine diversity while the Hangenberg Crisis is also described as a bottleneck in vertebrate evolution. Fossil-bearing localities with Upper Devonian strata are of great interest to assess variations in the effects of environmental perturbations on biodiversity. For this purpose, we examined changes in alpha diversity and ecospace utilization of 21 Famennian (Late Devonian) and early Tournaisian (Early Carboniferous) invertebrate associations containing 9828 specimens from Madène el Mrakib and Aguelmous (southern Maïder Basin, northeastern Anti-Atlas, Morocco), where some layers yield exceptionally preserved gnathostome remains. Both the invertebrate and vertebrate associations contain predominantly opportunistic and pelagic taxa indicating oxygen depletion near the seafloor in this region. Nevertheless, the ecospace extension was fluctuating and correlated with regional and/or global sea-level changes and oxygenation of bottom waters. In the Maïder Basin, the ecospace was depleted after and during several bioevents such as the Kellwasser and Hangenberg crises, the Annulata event (middle Famennian) as well as during the early Tournaisian. Abiotic as well as biotic changes (instability of the invertebrate ecosystem) are considered to have influenced Famennian vertebrate diversity because they were more or less directly dependent on invertebrates as a food source.

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“…lysi suggests an earliest Carboniferous (lower Hastarian) age of the middle member in which the stromatolites developed (Jones, ; Figure ). The ammonoid Kazakhstania in the dolomitic limestones overlying the QHS stromatolites (less than 10 m) indicates an early to middle Tournaisian age (Ebbighausen & Bockwinkel, ; Korn, Ebbighausen, & Bockwinkel, ; Figure ). According to the palynological study of Gao (), 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 Europe (Clayton et al, ; Somerville, ; Figure ).…”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

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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Tournaisian (Early Carboniferous/Mississippian) ammonoids from the Ma'der Basin (Anti-Atlas, Morocco)

Abstract: Three succeeding assemblages of Early Tournaisian (Mississippian) ammonoids are described from Fezzou (Ma'der

Cited by 4 publications

References 2 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

Late Devonian and Early Carboniferous alpha diversity, ecospace occupation, vertebrate assemblages and bio-events of southeastern Morocco

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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