The second International Symposium ofInternational Geoscience Programme (IGCP) Project 608“Cretaceous Ecosystems and Their Responses to
Paleoenvironmental Changes in Asia and Western Pacific”

Abstract volume
2nd IGCP608
Waseda, Japan“Land-Ocean Linkages and Biotic Evolution
during the Cretaceous:Contribution from Asia and Western Pacific”

Edited by:
Organizing Committee of the 2nd
International Symposium of IGCP608

The Second International Symposium ofInternational Geoscience Programme (IGCP) Project 608“Cretaceous Ecosystems and Their Responses to
Paleoenvironmental Changes in Asia and the Western Pacific”

Program and Abstracts
Land-Ocean Linkages and Biotic Evolution during theCretaceous: Contribution from Asia and Western PacificSeptember 4-6, 2014
Tokyo, JAPAN

Edited by Organizing and Scientific Committee of the IGCP 608

1

EXECUTIVES AND ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
IGCP 608 Project Leaders:Prof. Hisao Ando (Leader)Department of Earth Sciences, Ibaraki University, Japan
Prof. Xiaoqiao Wan (Co-Leader)
School of Geosciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, China, P.R.
Prof. Daekyo, Cheong (Co-Leader)Department of Geology, College of Natural Sciences, Kangwon National University, Korea
Prof. Sunil Bajpai (Co-Leader)
Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, Lucknow, India

Symposium Organizing Committee:

Organizing Committee of the Second International Symposium of IGCP608
Prof. Hisao Ando, Ibaraki University (Chairman)
Prof. Hiromichi Hirano, Waseda University (Vice-chairman) (deceased on 5 May, 2014)
Prof. Takashi Hasegawa, Kanazawa University (Vice-chairman)
Dr. Tohru Ohta, Waseda University (Secretary General)
Prof. Hideo Takagi, Waseda University
Prof. Ren Hirayama, Waseda University
Dr. Mizuki Murakami, Waseda University (Secretary)
Dr. Kazuma Seike, Waseda University (Secretary)
Dr. Hitoshi Hasegawa, Nagoya University (Secretary)
Dr. Kazuyoshi Moriya, Kanazawa University (Secretary)
Dr. Seiichi Toshimitsu, Geological Survey of Japan
Dr. Masanobu Yamamoto, Hokkaido University

Scientific Advisory Board:

Prof. Yong Il Lee, Seoul National University, Korea
Prof. Min Huh, Chonnam National University, Korea
Prof. Hiroshi Nishi, Tohoku University, Japan
Prof. Yasufumi Iryu, Tohoku University, Japan
Dr. Junichiro Kuroda, JAMSTEC, Japan
Dr. James W. Haggart, Canada

Co-Organizing Agency:

School of Education, Waseda University
Department of Earth Sciences, School of Education, Waseda University
School of International Liberal Studies, Waseda University
Ibaraki University
Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
The Geological Society of Japan
Palaeontological Society of Japan
Sedimentological Society of Japan
Japanese Geoparks Network

Sponsors:

UNESCO-IGCP
Tokyo Geographical Society

Inoue Foundation for Science

J-DESC (Japan Drilling Earth Science Consortium)
INPEX Corporation, Japan Petroleum Exploration, JX Nippon Oil and Gas Exploration, Mitsubishi
Corporation Exploration, Mitsui Oil Exploration
Oyo Corporation, Meiji Consultants, DIA Consultants, Chuo Kaihatsu, Daito Consultants, Kiso Jiban
Consultants, Daito Consultants, Sanbonsugi Geo-tec.

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SYMPOSIUM PROGRAM
09:00 - 09:40 Registration

DAY 1: SEPTEMBER 4
09:40 - 11:00 Opening Session
09:40 - 09:50 Welcome speech

Chairperson: Dr. Tohru Ohta
Prof. Yasufumi Iryu
(President of the Geological Society of Japan)

09:50 - 10:20 Opening address

Prof. Hisao Ando (IGCP608 Project Leader)

10:20 - 11:00 Keynote Speech

James W. Haggart: Biostratigraphy, paleoenvironments, andtectonic setting of the Cretaceous System of Pacific coast North
America: towards a circum-North Pacific integrated correlation
framework

11:00 - 11:25 Group Photo & Coffee BreakSession 1: OAE phenomena contributed from Asian and Western Pacific Records – I

Chairpersons: Prof. Allan G.S. Fernando and Prof. Hiroshi Nishi

11:25 - 11:45 Kazuyoshi Moriya

Prof. Hirano’s contribution to natural sciences of Oceanic Anoxic
Events: Phyletic evolution of desmoceratine ammonoids throughthe Cenomanian–Turonian oceanic anoxic event

11:45 - 12:05 Junichiro Kuroda

Radiogenic isotopic records of Early Cretaceous marine
sediments: implications for large igneous provinces and theAptian climatic crisis(Kuroda, J., Tanimizu, M., Tejada, M.L.G., Hori, R.S., Suzuki, K.,
Ogawa, N.O., Coffin, M.F. and Ohkouchi, N.)

12:05 - 12:45 David Selby

Keynote Speech: High-resolution 187Os/188Os isotope
stratigraphy and 206Pb/238U zircon geochronology reveal andverify the global occurrence of OAE 2: Yezo Group, Hokkaido,
Japan(Du Vivier, A.D.C., Selby, D., Condon, D.J., Takashima, R. andNishi, H.)

12:45 - 13:50

Lunch

Session 2: OAE phenomena contributed from Asian and Western Pacific Records - II

Chairpersons: Dr. David Selby and Dr. Junichiro Kuroda

13:50 - 14:10 Hiroshi Nishi

14:10 - 14:30 Naohiko Ohkouchi

Integrated Stratigraphy and U-Pb ages of the Cretaceous Yezo
Group, exposed in Hokkaido, Japan(Nishi, H., Takashima, R., Yamanaka, T., Orihashi, Y. and Hayashi,K.)
A fingerprint of primary producers during the OAEs
(Ohkouchi, N., Ogawa, N.O., Kashiyama, Y. and Kuroda, J.)3

14:30 - 14:50 Takuto AndoPrimary producer community during the mid-Cretaceous oceanic
anoxic events (OAEs) evaluated from algal biomarkers in sediments
deposited in the Vocontian Basin, SE France(Ando, T., Sawada, K., Takashima, R. and Nishi, H.)

14:50 - 15:10 Hideko Takayanagi A newly identified positive excursion of 87Sr/86Sr ratio in the Lower

Aptian platform carbonates offshore Abu Dhabi, UAE: Is it a local or
global signature of Ocean Anoxic Event 1a?
(Yamamoto, K., Ishibashi, M., Takayanagi, H., Asahara, Y., Sato, T.,
Nishi, H. and Iryu, Y.)

15:10 - 15:30 Clarence Magtoto

Calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy of the Cenomanian-Turonian
Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE2) record in California, USA(Clarence Magtoto, Fernando, A.G.S., Takashima, R., Nishi, H. andTomosugi, T.)

15:30 - 15:50 Takashi Hasegawa

Another world of OAE2: development of oxic water around Pacificmargin

15:50 - 16:10

Coffee BreakSession 3: Biotic evolution: Asian and Western Pacific fauna and flora I - Microfauna

Chairpersons: Dr. Bandana Samant and Prof. Takashi Hasegawa

16:10 - 16:30 Allan G.S. Fernando

Updates on Philippine Cretaceous system: Recent calcareous
nannofossil biostratigraphic studies on selected Cretaceous localities
in the Philippines(Fernando, A.G.S., Magtoto, C.Y., Guballa, J.D.S.,
Marquez-Ardiente, D.J., Nogot, J.R.C.P. and Uy, M.A.C.)

16:30 - 16:50 Kenji Kashiwagi

Mesozoic and Paleozoic radiolarians from the Lower Cretaceous
Choshi Group, Japan(Kashiwagi, K., Isaji, S. and Asai, H.)

16:50 - 17:10 Zaw Win

Early Cretaceous foraminiferal fauna from the western margin of the
Shan Plateau, Myanmar

18:00 - 20:00

Welcome Party (RIHGA Royal Hotel Tokyo)

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DAY 2: SEPTEMBER 5
Session 4: Biotic evolution: Asian and Western Pacific fauna and flora II - Microflora

Chairpersons: Dr. Kenji Kashiwagi

09:10 - 09:30 Jyotsana Rai

Late Cretaceous calcareous nannofossils from Nimar Sandstone,
Bagh area, central peninsular India(Rai, J., Garg R., Singh, A., Garg, S., Bajpai, S., Kapur, V.V.,
Agarwal, S. and Tripathi, S.C.)

09:30 - 09:50 Deepali Thakre

Palynofloral changes across Cretaceous-Paleogene: A case study
from Deccan Volcanic Sequence in Amarkantak Group of Central
India(Thakre, D., Samant, B. and Mohabey, D.M.)

09:50 - 10:10 Bandana Samant

Pattern of biodiversity changes in Late Cretaceous-Early Paleocene
palynoflora of Deccan volcanic province(Samant, B. and Mohabey, D.M.)

10:10 - 10:30 Neeru PrakashFirst record of pollen organ genus Caytonanthus Thomas, from Early
Cretaceous beds of South Rewa Gondwana Basin, India and its
palaeogeographical significance(Prakash, N. and Das, N.)

10:30 - 10:50

Coffee Break
Chairpersons: Dr. Jyotsana Rai and Dr. Robert G. Jenkins

10:50 - 11:10 Kohei YoshinoCampanian-Maastrichtian palynomorph assemblages from East Asia
(Yoshino, K., Matsuoka, A. and Wan, X.)

11:10 - 11:30 Valentina S. Markevich

Evolution of morphotypes of triprojectate pollen during the Late
Cretaceous-Paleocene of East Asia
(Markevich, V.S. and Bugdaeva, E.)

11:30 - 11:50 Eugenia V. Bugdaeva The Cretaceous coal-forming plants of southern part of East Siberia
and Russian Far East
(Bugdaeva, E.V. and Markevich, V. S.)

11:50 - 13:00

Lunch

13:00 - 14:00

Poster Session I

5

Session 5: Geoparks highlighting Cretaceous

Chairpersons: Dr. Masanobu Yamamoto and Dr. Kenichi Kurihara

14:00 - 14:20 Jim W. Haggart

The Tumbler Ridge Aspiring Geopark, northeast British Columbia,
Canada: the interrelation of significant geology, outstanding
recreation potential, economic development, and strong community
participation(Haggart, J.W., Helm, C.W., McCrea, R.T., Buckley, L.G., andSharman, K.)

14:20 - 14:40 Min Huh

Korean National Geoparks and tentative Global Geoparks in
Korea: Mudeungsan Area and Korean Cretaceous Dinosaur Coast

14:40 - 15:00 Hideo Takagi Development of geopark activities of the past 10 years in Japan(Takagi, H. and Watanabe, M.)

Session 6: Land-ocean linkage: Correlation, sedimentology and paleoenvironments I

Chairpersons: Prof. Sunil Bajpai and Prof. Atsushi Matsuoka

15:00 - 15:20 Galina Kirillova

Cretaceous ecosystems of southeastern continental margin of Russia
and their evolution

15:20 - 15:40 Boris Shurygin

Isotopic evidence for earliest Cretaceous climate change: new datafrom Siberia(Shurygin, B.N., Dzyuba, O.S., Izokh, O.P. and Kosenko, I.N.)

15:40 - 16:00 Romain Amiot

Early Cretaceous terrestrial climates in East Asia; long term andseasonal patterns inferred from the oxygen and carbon isotope
co-positions of vertebrate apatite(Amiot, R., Kusuhashi, N., Buffetaut, E., Goedert, J., Hibino, T.,
Ikeda, T., Ikegami, N., Lécuyer, C., Philippe, M., Saegusa, H.,
Shibata, M., Shimojima, S. and Sonoda, T.)

16:00 - 16:20

Coffee Break
Chairpersons: Dr. Romain Amiot and and Dr. Hitoshi Hasegawa

16:20 - 16:40 Hitoshi Hasegawa

Reconstruction of terrestrial paleo-hydrological change during the
mid-Cretaceous “Supergreenhouse” period: Insights from thelacustrine records (Shinekhudag Fm.) of southeast Mongolia(Hasegawa, H., Ando, H., Ohta, T., Hasegawa, T., Yamamoto, M.,
Hasebe, N., Murata, T., Shinya, H., Li, G., Ichinnorov, N.,
Erdenetsogt, B. and Heimhofer, U.)

16:40 - 17:00 Robert G. Jenkins

Evolution of photosynthetic ecosystem effects on chemosynthetic
ecosystem in late Mesozoic

17:00 - 17:20 Kazuyoshi Moriya

Deep/intermediate water formation along the Cretaceous Asian
continental margin(Moriya, K., Moiroud, M., Pucéat, E., Donnadieu, Y., Bayon, G.,
Deconinck, J.-F. and Boyet, M.)

17:20 - 17:40 Atsushi Matsuoka

Land–ocean linkage: pelagic materials in Mesozoic neritic–terrestrial
sequences in East Asia
(Matsuoka, A., Ito, T., Sakai, Y. and Nikaido, T.)

18:00 - 19:00

IGCP608 Business Meeting6DAY 3: SEPTEMBER 6
Session 7: Land-ocean linkage: Correlation, sedimentology and paleoenvironments II

Chairpersons: Prof. Boris Shurygin and Dr. Shin-ichi Sano

09:10 - 09:30 Raghavendramurthy Nagendra

Palaeotemperatures, palaeoclimate, plaeolatitude,
palaeobathymetry and palaeocurrent appraisal of Cretaceous
sediments of Cauvery Basin, South India(Nagendra, R., Zakharov, Y.D., Safronov, P.P., Smyshlyaeva, O.P.,
Popov, A.M., Shigeta, Y. and Venkateshwarlu, M.)

09:30 - 09:50 Syed A. Jafar

Dynamics of terminal Cretaceous global biotic turnover

09:50 - 10:10 Sunil Bajpai

Late Cretaceous ecosystems of peninsular India: An overview ofcurrent perspectives

10:10 - 10:30

Coffee BreakSession 8: Tectonic evolution and paleoenvironments of Asia and West Pacific

Chairpersons: Prof. Yong Il Lee and Dr. Kazuyoshi Moriya

10:30 - 10:50 Hyojong Lee

Tectonic and climatic controls on A/S ratio in a non-marine setting:an example from the Lower Cretaceous Sindong Group of theGyeongsang Basin (southeastern Korea)(Lee, H. and Lee, Y.I.)

10:50 - 11:10 Carla Dimalanta

Mesozoic fossil data from the “Eocene” Zambales Ophiolite(Dimalanta, C.B., Queaño, K.L., Salapare, R.C., Yumul, G.P.Jr.,
Marquez, E.J., Faustino-Eslava, D.V., Ramos, N.T. and Payot, B.D.)

11:10 - 11:30 Decibel V. Faustino-Eslava Implications to Central Philippine evolution from signatures of
the Cretaceous Balud Ophiolitic Complex(Faustino-Eslava, D.V., Dimalanta, C.B., Queaño, K.L., Ramos,
N.T., Payot, B.D., Manalo, P.C. and Yumul, G.P.Jr.)

11:30 - 11:50 Naing Maw Than

Tectono-magmatic development of accreted West Burma Block from
Gondwana Land

11:50 - 13:00

Lunch

13:00 - 14:00

Poster Session II

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Session 9: Biotic evolution: Asian and Western Pacific fauna and flora – Macrofauna

Chairpersons: Prof. G. V. R. Prasad and Prof. Ren Hirayama

14:00 - 14:20 Vipul Keerti Sharma Morphological details of a newly discovered Cretaceous echinoid
species ‘Stereocidaris keertii’ (Smith, A. B., 2010)

14:20 - 14:40 Dhananjay M. Mohabey Eggs, nests and poops of Indian Late Cretaceous sauropods:
behavior, habitat and diet
(Mohabey, D.M. and Samant, B.)

14:40 - 15:00 M. Sadiq Malkani

Titanosaurian sauropod dinosaurs from the Latest Cretaceous Vitakri
Formation of Pakistan and their biogeographic link

15:00 - 15:20 Guntupalli V. R. Prasad

New elasmobranch fauna from the Bagh Group, Narmada
Valley, India - palaeobiogeographic context(Prasad G.V.R., Verma, V., Sahni, A., Priyadarshini, R.K. and Singh
L.R.)

15:20 - 15:40

Coffee Break
Chairpersons: Dr. Dhananjay M. Mohabey and Dr. Tomoyuki Ohashi

15:40 - 16:00 Ai Takekawa

Description of the Late Cretaceous Crocodylomorph, Shamosuchus
from Mongolia(Takekawa, A., Hirayama, R. and Aoki, R.)

16:00 - 16:20 Masataka Yoshida

Cranial morphology of a giant marine side-necked turtle (Pleurodira:
Bothremididae) from the upper Cretaceous of Morocco(Yoshida, M. and Hirayama, R.)

16:20 - 16:40 Ren Hirayama

Cranial morphology of Mesodermochelys (Testudines;
Dermochelyidae) from the Upper Cretaceous Japan, with specialreference to its feeding habitat

16:40 - 17:00 Masatoshi Sone

Discovery of the first dinosaur fossils from Malaysia: spinosaurid
theropod teeth from the non-marine Cretaceous of Pahang(Sone, M., Hirayama, R., Teng, Y.H., Yoshida, M. and Komatsu,
T.)

Closing Session

Chairperson: Dr. Tohru Ohta

17:00 - 17:20 Guobiao Li

Introduction of the Third International Symposium of IGCP
608 in China

17:20 - 17:30 Hisao Ando

Closing Address of the 2nd IGCP 608 Waseda, Tokyo, Japan

18:00 - 20:00

Farewell Party

8

POSTER SESSIONS

September 5 13:00 - 14:00
September 6 13:00 - 14:00

Core timeCore timeLand-ocean linkage: Correlation, sedimentology and paleoenvironments
P1

Alyona V. Kurilenko and Yadrishchenskaya N.G.
Lower Cretaceous deposits of southeastern Transbaikal

P2

Barsbold, R. and Yondon KhandP3

Adiya Eviikhuu, Ichinnorov, N. and Gankhuyag, Ch.
Geology and palynology of the Khetsuutsav area of south Mongolia

P4

Gombosuren Tsolmon, G., Uranbileg, L. and Ichinnorov, N.
Paleobotanical and palynological characteristics of the Shivee-ovoo coal deposit, Central
Mongolia

P5

Bat-Orshikh Erdenetsogt and Jargal, L.
Fossil fuels hosted in Mesozoic sequences of Mongolia

Cretaceous of Mongolia

P6 Takayuki Murata, Li, G., Ando, H., Hasegawa, H., Hasegawa, T., Ohta, T., Yamamoto, M.,
Hasebe, N. and Ichinnorov, N.
Stratigraphic succession of Conchostracan fossils from the lacustrine deposits in the
Shinekhudag area (Lower Cretaceous), Eastern Gobi basin, Southeast Mongolia
P7 Masanobu Yamamoto, Ando, H., Hasegawa, H., Hasegawa, T., Ohta, T., Hasebe, N.,
Murata, T., Li, G. and Ichinnorov, N.
TEX86-based lake water temperatures in Jurassic and Cretaceous Mongolia
P8

Fujita Yusuke, Ohta, T. and Shinya, H.
Base level and paleotemperature changes of Cretaceous lacustrine succession in southeast
Mongolia

P9

Keita Arai, Ohta, T., Hirano, H., Harigaya, S., Sakai, T., Kozai, T. and Li, G.
Paleoenviromental reconstruction of Cretaceous lacustrine succession in Xinjiang-Uygur
Autonomous Region

P10 Gaku Sasaki and Ohta, T.
Laboratory experiments for attesting the “weathering hypothesis” as a possible cause of
the mid-Cretaceous Oceanic Anoxic Events
P11 Tohru Ohta, Kamigata, Y. and Takagi, H.
Evidence of enhanced continental weathering during oceanic anoxic event 2 (OAE 2) ineastern continental margin of Asia
P12 Yosuke Kobiyama, Yonezawa, S., Suzuki, T. and Hasegawa, T.
Bottom water paleothermometry: screening late Cretaceous calcareous nodules forapplication of oxygen isotope method
P13 Tsuyoshi Ito, Sakai, Y. Feng, Q.L. and Matsuoka, A.
Denudation stages of mid-Mesozoic accretionary complexes in East Asia based on
microfossil-bearing clasts within the Mesozoic strata

9

P14 Shin-ichi Sano
New view of the Tetori Group in Central Japan: clues to the interregional correlation
among the Early Cretaceous strata in East Asia?
P15 Lee, Y.I., Yi, J. and Choi Taejin
Provenance analysis of Lower Cretaceous Sindong Group sandstones in the Gyeongsang
Basin, Korea using integrated petrography, quartz SEM-cathodoluminescence, and zircon
Zr/Hf analysis
P16 Ken Hirose and Ohta, T.
Provenance analysis of clastic sediments of the Chichibu and Shimanto Belts in Okinawa
Prefecture using modal and whole-rock chemical compositions
P17 Kentaro Oe and Ohta, T.
Provenance analysis and paleoclimate reconstruction of the Khorat Group in northeastern
Thailand using whole-rock chemical composition

Biotic evolution: Asian and Western Pacific fauna and flora
P18 Dhananjay M. Mohabey and Samant, B.
Litho- and biofacies association of two Maastrichtian lakes across the earliest Deccan
volcanic flow: environments and biota
P19 M. Sadiq Malkani
Records of fauna and flora from the Latest Cretaceous of Pakistan: Evolution ofIndo-Pakistan Peninsula (South Asia)
P20 M. Sadiq Malkani
Theropd dinosaurs and mesoeucrocodiles from the Terminal Cretaceous of Pakistan:
paleobiogeographic implications
P21 Chinzorig Tsogtbaatar and Tsogtbaatar, Kh.
Preliminary study of the new juvenile dinosaur (Theropoda: Ornithomimosauria) fromthe Upper Cretaceous Baynshire Formation of Khongil Tsav, eastern Mongolia
P22 Momo Yamashita, Konishi, T. and Sato, T.
Diving behavior of mosasaurs (Squamata: Mosasauridae) inferred from optics
P23 MasatakaYoshida and Hirayama, R.
Functional morphology of unique feeding apparatus in the bothremydid turtles
P24 Teppei Sonoda, Azuma, Y., Hirayama, R. and Ando, H.
Fossil turtles from the Lower Cretaceous Tetori Group in central Japan
P25 Shinya Miyata, Yabumoto, Y., Nakajima, Y., Ito, Y., Sasaki, T. and Hirano, H.
The second specimen of the crossognathiform fish Apsopelix miyazakii from theCretaceous Yezo Group of central Hokkaido, Japan
P26 Nao Kusuhashi, Suzuki, T., Terui, K., Sato, A. and Amiot, R.
A mammal jaw from the Upper Cretaceous Ashizawa Formation (Futaba Group),
Fukushima, northeastern Japan
P27 Tomoyuki Ohashi, Hasegawa, Y., and Suzuki, C.
Dinosaur remains from the mid-Cretaceous shallow marine sediments of the Futaba
Group, Japan.

10

P28 Singh, A. and Jyotsana Rai
Seribiscutum primitivum, a high latitude, bipolar nannofossil taxon from Jaisalmer Basin:
Implications on palaeogeographic distribution
P29 Aya Kubota, Iba, Y., Hikida, Y. and Yi, K
Mid-Cretaceous micro-organisms captured in amber: first records in eastern margin ofEurasia
P30 Choi Byung-Do, Jugdernamjil, M. and Huh, M.
The tentative new Cretaceous non-marine ostracods from the southern coast of Korean
peninsula
P31 Chika Sakamoto, Dick, M. H., Komatsu, T. and Miyake, Y.
Cheilostome bryozoans from the Upper Cretaceous Himenoura Group, Kyushu, Japan
P32 Yasuyuki Hirata, Minami, S., Adachi, N. and Ezaki, Y.
Characteristics and modes of construction of rudist-bearing reefs unique to the Yura area,
Wakayama Prefecture, southwest JapanP33 Yuka Miyake and Komatsu, T.
Bivalves from the Upper Cretaceous Himenoura Group on Shimokoshiki-jima Island,
Kagoshima, Japan

Geoparks highlighting Cretaceous
P34 Ugai, H., Hirose, K., Hase, Y., Yuka Miyake and Komatsu, T.
Working on ‘Amakusa Goshoura Geopark
P35 Dorota Anna Kapuscik
Selecting potential geosites in the eastern Kii Peninsula, SW JapanP36 Takashi Hasegawa and Hibino, T.
Hakusan Tedorigawa Geopark: activity utilizing Early Cretaceous fossils and terrestrial
sequences
P37 Kenichi Kurihara and Shimomura, K.
Geopark activities utilized results and materials of Cretaceous researches in the Mikasa
Geopark, Japan11

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VenueThe Symposium and scientific sessions
will be held at Okuma Auditorium ofWaseda University, western central
area of Tokyo, Japan.

Okuma Auditorium was opened in the
year

1927,

designated

and
as

has
a

been

national

important cultural property ofJapan in the year 2007. The bells,
which ring six times a day, produce the same harmony as Westminster Abbey in London, for
the whole city of Waseda. The history of Okuma Auditorium has been colorfullyinterspersed with many important invited lecturers. Lectures were made by Albert Einstein(physician), Robert Kennedy (President of USA), Bill Clinton (President of USA), George W.
Bush (President of USA), Nelson Mandela (President of South Africa), Jiang Zemin(President of China), Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (President of Philippines), Kim Young-Sam(President of Korea), Ban Ki-Moon (Secretary-General of United Nations), Bill Gates (Chiefof Microsoft Corp.) and so on.
Waseda University was founded in the year 1882 and it is the first university in Japan that
accepted women students in the year of 1939. The university has just celebrated the 125th
anniversary of its founding in the year 2007. Now, Waseda is one of Japan’s top private andhigher learning institutions. The university has over 50,000 students enrolled, which makes it
as a second largest university in Japan.

13

Day One
4 September 2014
SESSIONS:
Keynote speech 1
OAE phenomena contributed from Asian andwestern Pacific records
Biotic evolution: Asian and western Pacific fauna and flora Macrofauna

14Keynote
Biostratigraphy, paleoenvironments, and tectonic setting of the Cretaceous System of Pacificcoast North America: towards a circum-North Pacific integrated correlation framework
Haggart, J.W.
Natural Resources Canada, Geological Survey of Canada, 1500-605 Robson Street, Vancouver,
British Columbia V6B 5J3 Canada (Jim.Haggart@NRCan-RNCan.gc.ca)
Cretaceous basins of the Pacific coast
region of North America represent a variety of
tectono-sedimentary settings. The principal
basins arrayed along the outboard of the Pacificcoast of North America include the Southern
Alaska basin, the Hecate and Nanaimo basinsin British Columbia (BC), the Hornbrook andGreat Valley basins in Oregon and California,
and the Peninsular Ranges basin in Baja
California, all of which represent fore-arc
settings. Toward the active orogen, or
integrated within it, the Bowser andTyaughton-Methow basins represent back-arc
settings in the more northerly BC region.
Stratigraphic successions in these basins are all
dominated, almost exclusively, by clastic
deposition. The active tectonic setting of thewestern North American margin resulted insignificant topographic relief on the adjacentmainland and minimal development ofcontemporary non-marine basins.
The initial study of the Cretaceousbasins of the Pacific coast was driven by a needto understand the extent of coal resources inthis largely uninhabited region of the continentand early studies of the Cretaceous rocks were
undertaken by the Geological Survey ofCanada (GSC) in the north and the Geological
Survey of California in the south. Readily
available molluscan fossils in the strata allowed
the early geologists, working with their
paleontological collaborators, to establish
regional and global correlations of theCretaceous successions. Principal fossil groups
utilized included ammonites and bivalves,primarily inoceramids, and, to a lesser extent,
belemnoids and gastropods. By the mid-20th
century, it was recognized that the Cretaceousbasins of the Pacific coast region contained a15rich succession of invertebrate assemblages
that could be used to effectively zone andcorrelate strata at a broad scale, as well as
provide correlations at a global level.
Molluscan fossils are not always available inthe clastic-dominated successions of the Pacificcoast, however, and studies of microfossils,
principally foraminifers, radiolarians, andcalcareous nannofossils were initiated in thelatter part of the 20th century to improvebiostratigraphic
understandingoftheCretaceous rocks; however, the detailed
stratigraphic work to fully integrate these
existing biostratigraphies remains to be done.
Throughout most of the Cretaceous
Period, the basins of the Pacific coast of North
America were in large part separated from theWestern Interior Seaway region of thecontinent by an evolving orogenic belt, which
effectively precluded mixing of faunas between
the two regions. For this reason, faunas of theWestern Interior are most closely related tothose of the European standard succession,
while those of the Pacific coast share moresimilarities with those of the Indo-Pacificregion. Indeed, the similarity of the Cretaceous
molluscan faunas of California and British
Columbia and those of Japan and India wasnoted very early in the study of these faunas.
The higher levels of Cretaceous faunal
diversity in the western Pacific region are
attributed to a more widespread tropical climate,resultant from northerly-directed current
systems; these warm-water currents carried
many Tethyan forms to higher latitudes thanseen in the eastern Pacific. In contrast,
circulation patterns along western North
Americawere
dominatedbysouthward-flowing currents, which resulted inthe establishment of lower diversity,
boreal-dominatedcool-water
faunalassemblages along the margin. Importantly, thebiogeographic affinities of Cretaceous faunasof the North American Pacific coast suggestthat the accretion of outboard tectonic terranes
to the North American margin was essentiallycompleted by the start of Cretaceous time.
The current Cretaceous ammonite
biozonation for the Pacific coast of North
America includes many forms also found inimportant basins of East Asia, including thoseof the Japanese Islands, Sakhalin Island, andthe Kamchatka Peninsula. Virtually all
higher-level taxonomic groups (families) ofammonites present in the circum-North Pacificbasin are found on both eastern and western
margins of the basin, as are most genera;
similar distributions apply for the inoceramidbivalves. As well, limited numbers ofglobally-distributed taxa allow confident
correlations with European standard sections.
Given the overall strong similarities of thesemolluscan faunas across the Cretaceous Pacific
Ocean basin, there is potential to develop a
North
Pacific-wide
ammonite/inoceramid
biostratigraphic framework of significant detailand precision. Differing interpretations of thestratigraphic distribution of some key taxa

persist, however, resulting in continuingquestions of regional correlation. One example
is the zonation for the Santonian andCampanian, where the ages of importantmolluscan taxa are interpreted differently in
East Asia and California/BC. It is anticipated,
however, that detailed taxonomic andstratigraphic investigations will eventuallyresolve these apparent contradictions.
Much progress has been made inestablishing formal biostratigraphic zonations
for the different faunal groups of Pacific coast
North America, but much future work is
required to amalgamate these multiple
independent zonations into a comprehensive
integrated framework, particularly one that is
applicable across the North Pacific. The goal isworth striving for, however, and Cretaceous
stratigraphers of the Pacific region will have toincreasingly
initiate
integrated
multidisciplinary research programs to achieve
it. To this end, use of other chronostratigraphic
methods, such as magnetostratigraphy,
geochronology, sea-level trends, Sr-isotope
stratigraphy, and stable isotope stratigraphy canhelp elucidate the fine details of local basin
histories, improve correlations around thePacific basin, and also provide the next
generation of global correlation tools.

16

OAE phenomena contributed from Asian and western Pacific records
Prof. Hirano’s contribution to natural sciences of Oceanic Anoxic Events: Phyletic evolutionof desmoceratine ammonoids through the Cenomanian–Turonian oceanic anoxic event
Moriya K.
Div. Earth & Environ. Sci., Sch. Natural Sci. & Tech., Kanazawa Univ., Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa,
Ishikawa 920-1192 (kmoriya@staff.kanazawa-u.ac.jp)
Prof. Hiromichi Hirano who was a
Project Leader of IGCP 434 has passed away
on 5th of May, 2014. He was 68 years old.
During a series of IGCP projects on the
Cretaceous environment in eastern Asia, his
enthusiasm and dedicative effort to promotenatural sciences in Japan and eastern Asian
countries are highly reputed and respected. I do
believe that he dearly enjoyed what he has donein the IGCP projects.
He stared his academic carrier withammonoid biostratigraphy of the Jurassic
Toyora Group distributed in southwesternJapan in 1970. He was supervised by Prof.
Tokio Shikama in Yokohama National
University. Although the word “Oceanic
Anoxic Events (OAEs)” had not been proposed
yet, the Toyora Group includes Toarcian OAE,
indicating that his carrier just started withworks on one of major OAEs. He realized theimportance of organic rich sediments andbiological response, such as changes inbiodiversity, through these works.
After he graduated, he went to Kyushu
University and was supervised by Prof. Tatsuro
Matsumoto. In his Ph.D. project, Prof. Hirano
studiedtheCretaceousammonites,
Gaudryceras, with intensive field works. He
analyzed the geographic distribution, ontogeny,
and stratigraphic distribution of relative
abundance of each morphotypes of threemorphospecies of Gaudryceras, concludingthat a dimorphic pair appeared in ancestral
populations can be identified as an example oftransient polymorphism.
After he received Ph.D. from Kyushu
University, he merged and expanded his
knowledge on OAE and phyletic evolution ofammonoid species to investigate an17

environmental impact of OAE on speciation of
the Cretaceous ammonoids. Since Schlanger
and Jenkyns (1976) described worldwide
distribution of organic rich sediments inrelatively restricted geological intervals, OAEs
are well documented and vigorously discussed
by many authors. Although most of thosestudies have been made in Atlantic andWestern Interior Seaway in USA, Hirano et al.
(1991) first described the CenomanianTuronian Boundary Interval (CTBI; OAE2) in
the Yezo Group distributed in the northwestern
Pacific, in terms of OAE. They found that there
is a barren interval in macrofossil of 20m thickbetween the last occurrence of Cenomanianindices and the first occurrence of a Turonian
index. This interval also includes a dark grayshale bed characterized by a lack ofichnofossils. Considering a sedimentation rateof ca. 30m/100kyr in this basin, this barren
zone spans approximately 70kyr. Hasegawa
and Saito (1993) found the carbon isotope
excursion which is correlated to the CTBI
within this barren zone. Hirano et al. (1990)
also
documented
that
Desmoceras(Pseudouhligella)japonicum
phyleticallyspeciated to Tragodesmoceroides subcostatus
at the CTBI in the northwestern Pacific basedon morphological analyses and stratigraphic
and geographic distribution.
Hirano (1993) examined Sulphide andtotal sulphur concentrations across the CTBI in
France, Japan, and Tunisia with X-ray
fluorescence (XRF) to identify redox condition
thorough
the
CTBI.
Total
sulphurconcentrations in the CTBI in all these threegeographically isolated areas clearly show
distinctive positive excursions. In addition to
the lack of ichnofossils, these results indicate

hypoxic condition of the bottom water of thesebasins.
They also analyzed stratigraphic
changes in shell morphology and geographic
distribution of desmoceratine ammonoids fromthe Cenomanian through the Turonian in the
Yezo Group, Japan (Hirano et al., 1990; Hirano,1993). The morphometry clearly shows
punctuated changes in shell morphology from
Cenomanian ancestral species Desmoceras(Pseudouhligella)japonicum
toupperTuroninan descendant Tragodesmoceroides
matsumotoi through lower Turonian T.
subcostatus. Among them, extinction ofancestral D. (P.) japonicum, and evolution of
new genus Tragodesmoceroides occurred at the
CTBI. Geographic distributions of D. (P.)
japonicum and T. subcostatus are very
interesting as well. While D. (P.) japonicum ispredominant in offshore silt and clay facies, T.
subcostatus occurred from shallower sandy silt
and silt facies.

From these lines of evidence, Hirano(1993) hypothesized that Turonian “D. (P.)
japonicum lost its habitat and was thenextinguished by the invasion or occurrence ofanoxic water”. Hirano (1993) also speculated
that “small population of D. (P.) japonicum
escaped into shallow waters when anoxic water
invaded, and T. subcostatus is thought to havearisen from one of these populations”.
Although this hypothesis has not yet beentested, this is astonishing idea on external
forcing from Earth system perturbations onto
phyletic evolution of macro-organisms.
As shown in this example, Prof.
Hirano made grate contributions to advance ourknowledge on the Carbon cycle andbio-diversity change in the Cretaceous. His
ideas and scientific understandings wereexquisite. It would be a grate honor for all of us
if we could extend his legacy and develop new
science on the Asia-Pacific Cretaceous
ecosystems.
May his soul rest in peace.

References:
Hasegawa, T., Saito, T., 1993. Global synchroneity of a positive carbon isotope excursion at the
Cenomanian/Turonian boundary: Validation by calcareous microfossil biostratigraphy of
the Yezo Group, Hokkaido, Japan. Island Arc, 2, 181-191.
Hirano, H., 1993. Phyletic evolution of desmoceratine ammonoids throuth the
Cenomanian-Turonian oceanic anoxic event. In: House, M.R. (Ed.), The Ammonidea:
Environment, Ecology, and Evolutionary Change. Systematics Association Spesial
Volume. Clarendon Press, Oxford, pp. 267-284.
Hirano, H., Nakayama, E., Hanano, S., 1991. Oceanic anoxic event at the boundary of
Cenomanian/Turonian ages–First report on the Cretaceous Yezo Supergroup, Hokkaido
Japan from the view of biostratigraphy of megafossils, sedimentary- and ichno-facies andgeochemistry. Bull. Sci. Eng. Res. Lab., Waseda Univ., 131, 24-32.
Hirano, H., Okamoto, T., Hattori, K., 1990. Evolution of some late Cretaceous desmoceratine
ammonoids. Trans. Proc. Palaeont. Soc. Japan, N.S., 157, 382-411.
Schlanger, S.O., Jenkyns, H.C., 1976. Cretaceous oceanic anoxic events: Causes and consequenses.
Geol. Mijinb., 55, 179-184.

18

Radiogenic isotopic records of Early Cretaceous marine sediments: implications for large
igneous provinces and the Aptian climatic crisis
Kuroda, J.1, Tanimizu, M.2, Tejada, M. L. G.1, Hori, R. S.3, Suzuki, K.1, Ogawa, N. O.1, Coffin, M.
F.4 and Ohkouchi, N.1
1

Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Sci. Tech., Yokosuka 237-0061 Japan (kurodaj@jamstec.go.jp)
23

Kochi Inst. Core Sample Res., JAMSTEC, Nankoku 783-8502 Japan

Grad. Schl. Sci. Engin., Dept. Earth Sci., Ehime Univ., Matsuyama 790-8577 Japan
4

Inst. Marine Antarctic Stud., Univ. Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia
which severely limited dispersion of
Pb-carrying particles out of the Pacific Ocean(Kuroda et al., 2011). Published Os isotopic
data from the Italian section (Tejada et al.,2009) indicate two episodes of massive
eruptions of OJP or the contemporaneous
Manihiki and Hikurangi plateaus starting fromearliest Aptian time, slightly later than thatindicated by the sedimentary Pb isotopic record
from Shatsky Rise. Differences in isotopic
variations between Pb and Os likely reflect
differences in their chemical behaviors in theoceans, i.e., Pb isotopic compositions would
have varied in response to local or regionalchanges in sediment provenances, whereas
large-scale changes in Os inputs are required to
explain variations in seawater Os isotopic
compositions. Our Pb isotopic data, together
with the published Os isotopic record, provide
new evidence for the eruptive history of OJP
together with contemporaneous Pacific plateaus
and the environmental consequences of themassive volcanism, starting at end-Barremiantime and extending through early Aptian time.

We present initial isotopic ratios oflead for Early Cretaceous (Barremian-Aptian)sections from Shatsky Rise (Pacific) and Gorgoa Cerbara (Italy). The Pb isotopic data track aninterval representing Oceanic Anoxic Event(OAE)-1a, which is characterized byquasi-global deposition of organic carbon-richmarine sediments (black shale). The Pb
isotopic compositions of sediments fromShatsky Rise decrease at the end of Barremiantime, from radiogenic continental values tounradiogenic values,
and subsequently
remained less radiogenic until the end of early
Aptian time. We explain the isotopic shift by asignificant increase in supply rate ofunradiogenic Pb, most likely due to massive
volcanism. In contrast, the Pb isotopic
compositions from the Italian section, which
was situated at the western end of Tethys, aremostly identical to those of upper continental
crust, showing no significant change in supply
rate of unradiogenic Pb. We attribute thediscrepancy between two sites to bathypelagic
eruptions of Pacific large igneous provinces(LIPs) such as the Ontong Java Plateau (OJP),
References:

M.L.G. Tejada, K. Suzuki, J. Kuroda, R. Coccioni, J.J. Mahoney, N. Ohkouchi, T. Sakamoto and Y.
Tatsumi, 2009, Geology, 37, 855-858.
J. Kuroda, M. Tanimizu, R.S. Hori, K. Suzuki, N.O. Ogawa, M.L.G. Tejada, M.F. Coffin, R.
Coccioni, E. Erba and N. Ohkouchi, 2011, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 307, 126–134.

19

Keynote
High-resolution 187Os/188Os isotope stratigraphy and 206Pb/238U zircon geochronology reveal
and verify the global occurrence of OAE 2: Yezo Group, Hokkaido, JapanDu Vivier, A. D. C.1, Selby, D.1*, Condon D. J.2, Takashima, R.3 and Nishi, H.3
1*

Dept. Earth Sci., Durham Univ., Durham, DH1 3LE, UK (david.selby@durham.ac.uk)
2

3

NERC Isotope Geosci. Lab., British Geol. Sur., Keyworth, NG12 5GG, UK

Cent. Acad. Res. Arch. Tohoku Univ. Mus., Tohoku Univ., Aramaki Aza Aoba 603, Aoba-ku,
Sendai, 980-8578, Japan

Osmium isotope stratigraphy has
proven to be a successfully applicable proxy tosections associated with the oceanic anoxic
event (OAE) 2. Studies reveal a distinct andcoeval initial 187Os/188Os (Osi) isotope profile
from multiple sections in the proto-Atlantic,
Western Interior Seaway (WIS) and European
pelagic shelf (Du Vivier et al., 2014). Every
profile records radiogenic Osi before the onset
of OAE 2, a dramatic unradiogenic trend at theonset of OAE 2 proceeded by near chondritic
Osi values recorded for ~200 kyr of the
syn-OAE 2 interval, after which the Osi values
gradually return to radiogenic Osi. Prior tofacilitating Osi as a stratigraphic proxy, theonset of OAE 2 was identified by traditional
matching of the δ13Corg and δ13Ccarb records; inwhich a positive isotope excursion denotes theonset of the event (Schlanger et al., 1987). It isobserved that studies to date unanimously showthat the unradiogenic Osi trend is broadly
synchronous with the positive δ13C excursion.
The OAE 2 is referred to as a ‘global’
event, however, study of late Cretaceous
Pacific basins is limited compared to thevolume of data collection from theproto-Atlantic, WIS and European shelf;
isotope proxy analysis and age constraints ofPacific sections are inadequate to verify thetruly global extent of the OAE 2. Therefore,
here a proto-Pacific section is evaluated: Yezo
Group (YG), Hokkaido, Japan, to determine theglobal extent of OAE 2. A high-resolution Osi
profile for the Pacific YG section demonstrates
changes in global ocean chemistry across the

OAE 2. In addition new CA-ID-TIMS
206
Pb/238U single zircon geochronology from 5
volcanic tuff horizons is obtained in the YG
section; the Osi profile combined with new age
constraints revises the stratigraphic position of
the
onset
of
OAE
2
and
the
Cenomanian-Turonian boundary (CTB).
The original interpretation of the onset
of OAE 2 in the YG section was determinedfrom characteristic excursions from ahigh-resolution 5-point moving average
δ13Cwood record (Takashima et al., 2011).
However, the inferred δ13C excursion is notconcurrent with the Osi profile. Further,evidencefromadditionallithoandbiostratigraphy (Takashima, pers comm.)
combined with the Re-Os data for the YG(unradiogenic Osi, low 187Re/188Os values andan increase in 192Os abundance) is consistent
with the Re-Os data characteristics of the onset
of OAE 2 in sections previously analysed(Turgeon and Creaser, 2008; Du Vivier et al.,2014). Therefore, despite the lack of additional
isotopic analyses (i.e., Nd, Pb, Sr, P, U)
compared to sites in the WIS and the European
shelf, the onset of OAE 2 in the YG is revised
from -39 m to -16.15 m. In addition, 206Pb/238U
zircon dates provide absolute evidence tonominally revise the onset of OAE 2 and theCTB, which is derived from the integration of206
Pb/238U zircon geochronology of the
volcanic tuff horizons throughout the YG
sequence relative to 40Ar/39Ar dates from theWIS (Meyers et al., 2012). We apply age-depth
models to calibrate dates from both sections
20

temporally and then assess if the Osi profiles
are coeval. Tuff unit HK017 in the YG section
occurs at -16.10 m, adjacent to the first least
radiogenic Osi value, which is 0.05 m above
the onset of the excursion in the δ13Cwood record.
The HK017 206Pb/238U (zircon) systematics
yield a date of 94.44 ± 0.14 Ma, which provide
a direct time constraint for the onset of OAE 2.
This age is identical, within uncertainty, to that
established for the WIS (~94.38 ± 0.15 Ma). As
a result, these dates verify the revision of the
OAE 2 onset in the YG, and confirm the trend
in the Osi profiles to unradiogenic Os values as
globally penecontemporaneous (Turgeon andCreaser, 2008; Du Vivier et al., 2014).
Furthermore, the age of HK018, 93.92 ± 0.11
Ma, implies that the CTB (dated at 93.90 ±0.15 Ma from the WIS, Meyers et al., 2012) in
the YG is present in the horizon directly above
or below the tuff since the date for HK018 is
statistically indistinguishable from the date of
the numerical age of the CTB (derived from theWIS). As such the stratigraphic height of the
CTB in the YG is amended to 25 m.
Multiple isotope studies have shown aconcurrence between the trend in isotope
composition and the onset of the OAE 2. The
Re/Ossystematics
show a dramatic
unradiogenic trend in Osi values synchronouswith the onset of OAE 2. The transition of Osi
from radiogenic to unradiogenic is inferred to
be associated with submarine volcanic activityof the Caribbean LIP from which theunradiogenic Osi derived, and is thus associatedwith onset of OAE 2. The radiogenic Os
recorded before the OAE 2 is derived fromweathering of ancient continental crust,consistent with an accelerated hydrologicalcycle associated with high atmospheric and sea
surface temperatures of the late Cretaceous
environment. The dramatic and seemingly
simultaneous
unradiogenic
trend
has
implications on ocean circulation; evidence
suggests that circulation was sufficient totransfer a change in seawater chemistry within
the residence time of Os (≤10 kyr) to basins
within the proto-Atlantic and Pacific, WIS andEuropean pelagic shelf. The synchronous trend
in the Osi profiles from high radiogenic Osi
values to low unradiogenic Osi values infer that
global warming coupled with submarine
volcanism and a major sea level transgression
initiated the OAE 2, which facilitateswidespread correlation of OAE 2.
The Osi stratigraphy facilitates the
traditional method of correlation andintegration of stratigraphic successions using
δ13C isotopes. In addition, 206Pb/238U zircon
geochronology has permitted the integration of
Osi profiles from WIS and Pacific basinsthrough the application of age-depth models,
which support the temporal interpretations
based on other isotope analyses andgeochronology. Furthermore the duration of
volcanic activity associated with the Caribbean
LIP is quantitatively estimated. The improved
integration of the proto-Pacific with the WIS
across the CTB has created a nominal
correlation to the GSSP in the WIS. Therefore,
with the addition of high-resolution Os isotope
stratigraphy from trans-world sections and new
206
Pb/238U geochronology from the YG section,
it is concluded that the OAE 2 was an
isochronous event with worldwide basinal
dispersion and penecontemporaneous with the
major pulse of volcanism of the Caribbean LIP.

21

References:
Du Vivier, A.D.C., Selby, D., Sageman, B.B., Jarvis, I., Grocke, D.R., Voigt, S., 2014. Marine
187
Os/188Os isotope stratigraphy reveals the interaction of volcanism and ocean circulation
during Oceanic Anoxic Event 2. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 389, 23-33.
Meyers, S.R., Siewert, S.E., Singer, B.S., Sageman, B.B., Condon, D.J., Obradovich, J.D., Jicha,
B.R., Sawyer, D.A., 2012. Intercalibration of radioisotopic and astrochronologic timescales for the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary interval, Western Interior Basin, USA.
Geology, 40, 7-10.
Quidelleur, X., Paquette, J.L., Fiet, N., Takashima, R., Tiepolo, M., Desmares, D., Nishi, H.,
Grosheny, D., 2011. New U-Pb (ID-TIMS and LA-ICPMS) and 40Ar/39Ar
geochronological constraints of the Cretaceous geologic time scale calibration from
Hokkaido (Japan). Chem. Geol., 286, 72-83.
Schlanger, S.O., Arthur, M.A., Jenkyns, H.C., Scholle, P.A. 1987. The Cenomanian/Turonian
Oceanic Anoxic Event, I. Stratigraphy and distribution of organic carbon-rich beds and themarine δ13C excursion. In: Brooks, J. & Fleet, A.J. (eds) Marine Petroleum Source Rocks.
Geol. Soc. London, Spec. Publ., 26, 371–399.
Takashima, R., Nishi, H., Yamanaka, T., Tomosugi, T., Fernando, A.G., Tanabe, K., Moriya, K.,
Kawabe, F., Hayashi, K., 2011. Prevailing oxic environments in the Pacific Ocean during
the mid-Cretaceous Oceanic Anoxic Event 2. Nature Comms., 2:234
DOI:10.1G38/ncomms1233.
Turgeon, S.C., Creaser, R.A., 2008. Cretaceous Anoxic Event 2 triggered by a massive magmatic
episode. Nature, 454, 323–326.
22Integrated Stratigraphy and U-Pb ages of the Cretaceous Yezo Group, exposed in Hokkaido,
Japan
Nishi, H.1, Takashima, R.1, Yamanaka, T.2, Orihashi, Y.3 and Hayashi, K.4
1

The Center for Academic Resources and Archives, Tohoku University Museum, Tohoku
University. Aramaki Aza Aoba 6-3, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan(hnishi@m.tohoku.ac.jp)

2

Department of Earth Sciences, Okayama University. Tsushimanaka 3-1-1, Kita-ku, Okayama,700-8530, Japan
3

Earthquake Research Institute, the University of Tokyo. Yayoi 1-1-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo,
113-0032, Japan
4

Geological Survey of Hokkaido, Environmental and Geological Research Department,

Hokkaido Research Organization, Nishi-12, Kita-19, Kita-ku,Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0819,
Japan
The Cretaceous-Paleogene period isknown as the latest Greenhouse climate in thehistory of earth (e.g., Takashima et al., 2006).
In order to understand ocean–climate system
during past Greenhouse climate, numerous
attempt has long been made for the marine
sequences in the Atlantic Ocean, Southern
Ocean and Tethyas Sea. The Pacific Ocean was
the outstandingly largest ocean during
Cretaceous, and it may have played importantroles in Earth’s ocean–climate system. Despite
its importance, very little work has been done
to establish detailed paleo-oceanographic
changes during Cretaceous-Paleogene. This islargely
becausemostoftheCretaceous–Paleogene Pacific oceanic crusts
have subducted under continents, and poor
recoveries of Cretaceous–Paleogene sedimentsin the ODP and DSDP cores from the Pacific
sites
have
prevented
studying
paleoenvironmental changes of the Pacific
Ocean.
In order to understand Cretaceous
paleo-oceanographic changes in Northwest
Pacific, the present study established thedetailed integrated stratigraphy (planktic
foraminiferal biostratirgraphy, carbon isotope
stratigraphy and U-Pb age of tuff beds) of theCretaceous marine sequences exposed in

Hokkaido Japan because the resolution ofinternational stratigraphic correlation of thesestrata has not been enough to identify important
climatic and/or extinction events such as the
Oceanic Anoxic Events and others.
The strata researched in the present
study is the Yezo Group (middle Aptian–lateCampanian: 121–74 Ma) exposed in the
Toammae, Oyubari and Urakawa areas.
Samples were collected at approximately 5- to
15- m stratigraphic intervals from these groups.
Dry mudstone and sandstone samples (400 g)
were crushed into approximately one cubic
centimeter pieces and were disaggregated using
tetraphenylborate and sodium chloride.
Planktic foraminifera and wood fragments were
removed from the washed residue.
For the carbon isotope analyses, wood
fragments were removed from the same residue
as planktic foraminifera. The carbon isotope ofthe total organic carbon of the sample was thenmeasured using a mass spectrometer (IsoPrime,
GV Instruments, UK) in line with an elemental
analyzer EuroEA3000 (EuroVector, Italy). For
the U-Pb radio-isotopic age, we analyzed
twenty tuffs intercalated in the Yezo Group.
Zircon crystals of tuffs were extracted, and the
U-Pb ages of zircon crystals were determinedusing ICP-MS (VG Plasma Quad 3) with a23frequency quintupled (λ = 213 nm) Nd-YAG
laser ablation system (New Wave Research
UP-213) at the Earthquake Research Institute,
the University of Tokyo. The analyticalprocedure of the LA ICP-MS is described indetail by Orihashi et al. (2008).
Our integrated stratigraphy enables
identification of the exact horizons of following
climatic and extinction events in the Yezo
Group. The Jacob, Kilian and Paquier levels of
the OAE1b occur in the Refureppu Sandstone
Member of the Shuparogawa Formation, while
the Leenhadlt level of the OAE1b and the
OAE1c level are placed in the Okusakainosawa
Sandstone and Mudstone Member of the
Shuparogawa Formation. The OAE1d and the
Mid-CenomanianEventhorizonsarerecognized in the lower and middle parts of the
Hikagenosawa Formation, respectively. The
OAE2 level occur in the Saku Formation.
Although no so-called black shales were foundin these horizons, evidences of oxygen
depletion were identified from the most ofthese horizon based on the analyses of benthic
foraminifera, degree of pyritilization andsedimentary structure such as degree of
bioturbation.
Furthermore, accurate Cretaceousstage boundaries of the Albian/Cecnomanian(lower part of the Hikagenosawa Formation),
Cenomanian/Turonian (lower part of the Saku
Formation), Turonian/Coniacian (lower part oftheHaborogawa
Formation),
Coniacian/Santonian (middle part of theHaborogawa
Formation),
Santonian/Campanian (Upper part of theHaborogawa Formation) are identified in the
Yezo Group. The U-Pb age of the tuff
intercalated near these boundaries are accord
well with the ages of the latest Cretaceous timescale proposed by Ogg et al. (2012) andSageman et al. (2014).

References:Ogg, J. G., and Hinnov, L. A., 2012, Chapter 27, Cretaceous, in Gradstein, F., Ogg, J., Schmitz, M.,
and Ogg, G., eds., The Geologic Time Scale 2012: Oxford, Elsevier, p. 793-853.
Orihashi, Y., Nakai, S. and Hirata, T., 2008, U-Pb age determination for seven standard zircons
using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry coupled with Frequency Quintupled
Nd-YAG (l=213nm) Laser Ablation System: Comparison with LA-ICP-MS zircon
analyses with a NIST glass reference material. Resource Geology, v. 58, p. 101-123.
Sageman, B. B., Singer, B. S., Meyers, S. R., Siewert, S. E., Walaszczyk, I., Condon, D. J., Jicha, B.
R., Obradovich, J. D. and Daqyer, D. A., 2014, Integradting 40Ar/39Ar, U-Pb, andastronomical clocks in the Cretaceous Niobrara Formation, Western Interior Basin, USA.
Geological Society of America Bulletin, doi: 10.1130/B30929.1.
Takashima, R., Nishi, H., Huber, B. and Leckie, M., 2006. Greenhouse world and the Mesozoic
ocean. Oceanography, vol. 19, p. 82-92.

24

A fingerprint of primary producers during the OAEs
Ohkouchi, N., Ogawa, N.O., Kashiyama, Y. and Kuroda, J.
Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Yokosuka 237-0061, Japan
Black shale is dark-colored muddy
sediment substantially enriched in organic
matter. Such a type of sediments has been
distributed intermittently in many horizons ofEarth’s history, from Archean to Holocene.
Among them, those from the mid-Cretaceousarecharacterizedbyepisodicandcontemporaneous deposition in wide range ofoceanic settings. The black shales observed inearly Aptian around 120 Ma andCenomanian-Turonian boundary around 94 Ma
have global distribution with extraordinarily
high content of organic carbon and often
referred as Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE)-1aand -2. The OAE-2 “Livello Bonarelli” blackshales deposited at pelagic setting in thewestern Tethys are easily collected, since they
are widely cropped out in the central Apennine,
Italy. Fortunately, they are as “fresh” as thoserecovered from the ocean floor, and thus they
are amenable to organic geochemical studies
testing various methods for reconstructing theoceanic environments at that time.
In our study, we focus on alkyl
porphyrins (Fig. 1) that are originated fromchlorophylls, photosynthetic pigments from the
autotrophs. The most abundant alkyl porphyrin
we found from Bonarelli black shales is DPEP
(deoxophylloerythroetioporphyrin) that has
five-ring structure in the lower half of themolecule (Fig. 1). The structure itself strongly
suggested it originating from chlorophyll a. We
also observed porphyrins originating fromchlorophylls c. After isolating and purifying
these porphyrins, we determined both carbon
and nitrogen isotopic compositions ofindividual alkyl porphyrins that are derived
from tetrapyrrole structures of chlorophylls andhemes. Except for ETIO porphyrins that arepotentially originated from hemes, the isotopic
compositions range -22~-16‰ for carbon and-7~-3‰ for nitrogen. The isotopic range ofnitrogen is in or close to that of N2-fixers.
Based on the chlorophyll speciation andnitrogen isotopic composition, we concluded
N2-fixing cyanobacteria could be a major
primary producer during the formation of theblack shale.
In the black shales we also observed
abundant 17-nor-DPEP (Fig. 1), a derivative ofchlorophylls c, whose nitrogen isotopic
compositions are also suggestive of N2-fixation.
The chlorophylls c are produced by various
algae (i.e., eukaryotes) including diatoms anddinoflagellates, whereas the N2-fixation is
exclusively prokaryotic metabolic process. To
compromise these organic/isotope geochemical
evidences, we propose that the cyanobacteria
like Rechelia intracellularis as endosymbionts
on diatom species in the genus Rhizosolenia or
Hemiaulus conducted N2-fixation during theblack shale formation and supplied fixed
nitrogen to the host diatoms.
In the modern oligotrophic ocean, thesymbiosis between diatoms and cyanobacteria
is widely observed and the association often
forms extensive blooms. For example,
Hemiaulus-Richelia association bloom wasobserved in Amazon River plume in thewestern tropical Atlantic Ocean. The source of
new nitrogen entering the photosynthetic
system in such oceans is largely cyanobacterial
N2-fixation, with a lesser contribution from
nitrate flux from the subsurface water. Such
N2-fixation process could have compensatedthe denitrification process in the anoxic watercolumn which releases nitrogen from the ocean
to the atmosphere. In the late Quaternary
Mediterranean sapropels, recent analogue of
Oceanic Anoxic Events, micropaleontologicalobservation indicated that the major fossils
found in them were rhizosolenid diatoms.
Therefore, it is consistent with our above
consideration. These fragmented evidencessuggested that the diatom-cyanobacteria
endosymbioses played an important role in the
primary production during the black shale
formation.
25

Fig. 1. Chemical structures of alkyl porphyrins
abundantly observed in the Cretaceous blackshales. DPEP (left) and 17-nor-DPEP (right)
discussed in this study.

26

Primary producer community during the mid-Cretaceous oceanic anoxic events (OAEs)
evaluated from algal biomarkers in sediments deposited in the Vocontian Basin, SE France
Ando, T.1, Sawada, K.1, Takashima, R.2 and Nishi, H.2
1

Dept. Nat. Hist. Sci., Fac. Sci., Hokkaido Univ., N10W8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-0810, Japan(tact@mail.sci.hokudai.ac.jp)

2Cent. Acad. Res. Arch., Tohoku Univ. Mus., Tohoku Univ.. Aramaki Aza Aoba 6-3, Aoba, Sendai,
980-8578, Japan.

Laminated black shales were found forseveral formations deposited during the
mid-Cretaceous, which suggests the oceanic
anoxic events (OAEs) were repeatedly
occurred. Monteiro et al. (2012) simulated thatthe ocean anoxia could be expanded as a resultof elevated marine primary production
associated to high nutrient, particularly
phosphorous. From this insight, it could be
important to understand high-producing marineorganisms contributed for formation of blackshales. In the present study, we focus on
variations in productivity of cyanobacteria,
dinoflagellate and coccolithophorid during the
major OAEs (OAE1a, 1b, 1d, and 2) in the
mid-Cretaceous by these biomarker analyses.
We analyzed black shales and adjacentsedimentary rocks collected from the outcropsof the Goguel (OAE1a), Jacob, Paquier(OAE1b), Breistroffer (OAE1d) and Thomel(OAE2) levels, and sediment cores of the
Kilian level (OAE1b) in SE France. Hopanes
and triaromatic steranes were detected in all
samples. 2α-methyl hopanes, which are known
as cyanobacteria biomarkers, were significantly
detected in only the Goguel level. The 2-methyl
hopane index (2-MHI = 2α-C31 methyl hopane /[C30 hopane + 2α-C31 methyl hopane]), which
is used for evaluating contribution of
cyanobacterial production, are 5-25% in theGoguel level, so that cyanobacteria production
might be higher during the OAE1a . However,the cyanobacteria presumably produced asminor component after the OAE1a (2-MHI <5%). The 2-methyl bacteriohopanepolyol(BHP)-producing marine cyanobacteria (e.g.,
Synechococcus) is known to inhabit stratified
and oligotrophic water at the present, andtherefore, the higher 2-MHI value suggests

cyanobacreria-dominant production underoligotrophic sea water. During the OAE1a,cyanobacteria such as Synechococcus weremain primary producer in oligotrophic andstratified marine condition. The OAE2 was also
thought to ‘Cyanobacterial Ocean’ (Kuypers etal., 2004), although the 2-MHI values werelower during the Thomal levels. From theseresults in the OAE2 levels, higher 2-MHI
sections were limited by more pelagic andlikely oligotrophic area at proto-Atlantic. These
evidences also indicate 2-methy hopanoid
producing cyanobacteria favored oligotrophic
condition in the mid-Cretaceous.
Triaromatic dinosteranes and C27
triaromatic steranes (derived from C28 sterols)
can be used for dinoflagellate andcoccolithophorid biomarkers, respectively, inthe mid-Cretaceous pelagic sediments. Thus,
triaromatic steranes indices, C27 TAS (C27
triaromatic steranes/ [C26+C27 and A-ring
methyl triaromatic steranes]; Ando et al.,submitted)
andTADS(triaromatic
dinosteranes/ [C26+C27 and A-ring methyl
triaromatic steranes]; Ando et al., submitted),
can evaluate contributions of coccolithophorid
and dinoflagellate among eukaryotic algae,
respectively. General trends of TADS variation
during the mid-Cretaceous associated with
global sea-level change. However, TADS
values increase but C27 TAS decrease in the
Paquier and Thomel levels. At the present,
dinoflagellate favor eutrophic and stratified
ocean. Therefore, higher TADS values in the
Paquier and Thomel levels indicate thatdinoflagellates predominated under eutrophic
and stratified marine condition during the
OAE1b and OAE2. On the other hands, in theGoguel (OAE1a) level, both TADS and C27
27

TAS values are lower. These results from algal
biomarkers analyses indicate that sea surface
condition in the Vocontian Basin might bechanged from oligotrophic to meso- or
eutrophic condition during and after the
OAE1b (near the Aptian-Albian boundary).
Moreover, these variations in marine condition

derived from environmental and tectonic
changes during the mid-Cretaceous OAEs,
which influenced for evolution and/or
diversification of marine microalgae, such as
cyanobacteria,
dinoflagellate
andcoccolithophorid.

References:Ando, T., Sawada, K., Okano, K., Takashima, R., Nishi, H., Primary producer community during
mid-Cretaceous oceanic anoxic events (OAEs) 1a, 1b and 1d in the Vocontian Basin (SEFrance) evaluated from triaromatic steranes in sediments. Submitted to Org. Geochem.
Kuypers, M.M.M., van Breugel, Y., Schouten, S., Erba, E., Sinninghe Damsté, J.S., 2004. N2-ﬁxing
cyanobacteria supplied nutrient N for Cretaceous oceanic anoxic events. Geology 32,
853-856.
Monteiro, F.M., Pancost, R.D., Ridgwell, A., Donnadieu, Y., 2012. Nutrients as the dominant
control on the spread of anoxia and euxinia across the Cenomanian-Turonian oceanic
anoxic event (OAE2): Model-data comparison. Paleoceanography 27,
doi:10.1029/2012PA002351.

28

A newly identified positive excursion of 87Sr/86Sr ratio in the Lower Aptian platform
carbonates offshore Abu Dhabi, UAE: Is it a local or global signature of Ocean Anoxic Event
1a?
Yamamoto, K.1, Ishibashi, M.2, Takayanagi, H.1, Asahara, Y.3, Sato, T.4, Nishi, H.5 and Iryu Y.1
1

Inst. Geol. Paleont., Grad. Schl. Sci., Tohoku Univ., 980-8578, Sendai, Japan(hidekot@m.tohoku.ac.jp)

23

Abu Dhabi Oil Comp., Ltd (Japan), P.O. Box 630, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Dept. Earth Planet. Sci., Grad. Schl. Envir. Stud., Nagoya Univ., 464-8601, Nagoya, Japan
4
5

Dept. Earth Res. Sci., Fac. Internat. Res. Sci., Akita Univ., 010-8502, Akita, Japan

Center Acad. Res. Archiv., Tohoku Univ. Mus., Tohoku Univ., 980-8578, Sendai, Japanlatter area are ideal archives for obtaining
high-temporal resolution records of the early
Aptian paleoenvironmental changes.
This study provides an fully-integrated
data set consisting of lower Aptian highresolution, bulk carbonate carbon (δ13C),
oxygen (δ18O), and strontium (87Sr/86Sr)
isotope stratigraphies, together with results ofpaleontological analyses on calcareous
nannofossils and ammonites from a core (53 m)
drilled at an oil field offshore Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates (UAE). The studied core
consists of shallow-water carbonates depositedin the Bab Basin at the southern Neo-Tethys
margin. We conducted careful sampling of corematerials and determined mineral abundances
and trace element (strontium, manganese, andiron) concentrations to identify and exclude
diagenetically altered samples. Following thecriteria proposed by Denison et al. (1994) andJacobsen and Kaufman (1999), we confirmedthat the analyzed samples retained initial87
Sr/86Sr.
The established isotope stratigraphies
constrained by biostratigraphic data confirmsthat the examined core represents a continuous
depositional record of the Lower Aptian with ahigh-temporal resolution. The stratigraphic
interval of OAE1a (Livello Selli) is identified
by a stepwise positive δ13C excursion thatbegins in a lithostratigraphic unit characterized
by a bloom of Lithocodium–Bacinella.
The 87Sr/86Sr profile through thestudied core shows an overall decreasing trend

The early Aptian represents a periodof significant environmental changes under
extreme greenhouse conditions. This period ischaracterized by an episodic, widespread
accumulation of organic carbon-rich sediments
in a global anoxic marine setting. Thisdepositional event, known as “Oceanic Anoxic
Event 1a” (OAE1a), was associated withenvironmental changes, such as major
perturbations in global carbon cycling, global
sea-level rise, increases in continental
weathering and runoff, significant changes inflora and fauna, and drowning of carbonate
platforms (e.g., Föllmi et al., 1994; Menegatti
et al., 1998; Erba et al., 2010; Haq, 2014).
The Arabian Plate was located in a
tropical low-latitude region and constituted partof the southern Neo-Tethys margin in a passive
margin setting where shallow-water carbonates
extensively accumulated on the tectonicallystable craton throughout the Early Cretaceous(Murris, 1980). It has been reported that early
Aptian carbonate platforms in the northern
Neo-Tethys margin were episodically drowned
due to environmental stresses to shallow-watercarbonate factories (e.g., Föllmi et al., 1994),
while the coeval carbonate platforms situatedalong the central to southern Neo-Tethys
margins
recordcontinuous
carbonatedeposition marked by an abrupt faunal change
fromrudists
tomicroencrusters(Lithocodium–Bacinella) in the platform biota(e.g., Huck et al., 2010). Therefore,shallow-water platform carbonates from the29

that is comparable to the global 87Sr/86Sr
evolution of seawater during the early Aptian(McArthur et al., 2001). Intensified submarinehydrothermal activity related to the formationof Ontong Java Plateau is thought to be themain cause of this decrease (Bralower et al.,1997). Biostratigraphic data available only
from the stratigraphic interval above the
OAE1a do not conflict with the numerical ages
obtained by comparison of the 87Sr/86Sr profile
with the global 87Sr/86Sr record (McArthur etal., 2001). However, the obtained 87Sr/86Sr
profile shows a gradual increase upsection in
the OAE1a interval, which clearly deviatesfrom the overall decreasing trend of the global
signature.
There are two possible candidates to
explain the higher 87Sr/86Sr ratios comparedwith those of global seawater;(1) Isotopically heavier strontium derived fromcontinental crust of the Arabian Shield and/or
its associated sedimentary rocks locally flowed
into the proto-Bab Basin along with nutrients,
probably through rivers. Although the δ13C
profile of the studied core correlates well withthose from other regions around the world, thelocally-higher 87Sr/86Sr ratios may indicate
slightly-limited connection between the
proto-Bab Basin and the outer ocean
The
bloom
of
(Neo-Tethys).
Lithocodium–Bacinella
were
probably
triggered by the increased nutrient supply

induced by intensified continental weathering
due to the global warming suggested by theincrease in δ18O values observed in the studied
core.
(2) The radiogenic (higher 87Sr/86Sr)
excursion reflects a global event that is missing
in other sections used for reconstructing the87
Sr/86Sr evolution of global seawater. Thismay be supported by relatively higher isotope
values reported from the OAE1a interval ofshallow-water platform carbonate section in the
Resolution Guyot, mid-Pacific Mountains(Jenkyns and Wilson, 1999). In Italy, a similarpulse of positive 87Sr/86Sr excursion standingout against the overall trend has been reported
from shallow-water carbonates deposited
during Ocean Anoxic Event 2 (OAE2) that
occurredaroundCenomanian–Turonianboundary (Frijia and Parente, 2008). It is highly
possible that enhanced continental weatheringin a global scale during these anoxic events
induced the minor, but clear positive 87Sr/86Sr
excursions of global seawater.
Further studies on high-resolution
strontium isotope stratigraphy are needed instratigraphically expanded sections to conclude
whether the radiogenic excursion occurred
locally or globally during the OAE1a. If it is a
global event, the 87Sr/86Sr profile in this study
will be a key data to urge the revision of the
global curve of seawater 87Sr/86Sr evolution.

References:
Bralower, T. J., P. D. Fullager, C. K. Paull, G. S. Dwyer, and R. M. Leckie (1997) Mid-Cretaceousstrontium-isotope stratigraphy of deep-sea sections, Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull., 109,
1421–1442.
Denison, R. E., R. B. Koepnick, A. Fletcher, M. W. Howell, and W. S. Callaway (1994) Criteria forthe retention of original seawater 87Sr/86Sr in ancient shelf limestones, Chem. Geol., 112,
131–143.
Erba, E., C. Bottini, H. J. Weissert, and E. Keller (2010) Calcareous nannoplankton response tosurface-water acidification around Ocean Anoxic Event 1a, Science, 329, 428–432.
Föllmi, K. B., H. Weissert, M. Bisping, and H. Funk (1994) Phosphogenesis, carbon-isotope
stratigraphy, and carbonate-platform evolution along the Lower Cretaceous northern
Tethyan margin, Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull., 106, 729–746.
Frijia, G., and M. Parente (2008) Strontium isotope stratigraphy in the upper Cenomanianshallow-water carbonates of the southern Apennines: Short-term perturbations of
87Sr/86Sr during the oceanic anoxic event 2, Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol.,261, 15–29.
Haq, B. U. (2014) Cretaceous eustasy revisited, Global Planet. Change, 113, 44–58.
Huck, S., N. Rameil, T. Korbar, U. Heimhofer, T. D. Wieczorek, and A. Immenhauser (2010)
Latitudinally different responses of Tethyan shoal-water carbonate systems to the Early
Aptian oceanic anoxic event (OAE 1a), Sedimentology, 57.
30

Jacobsen, S. B., and A. J. Kaufman (1999) The Sr, C and O isotopic evolution of Neoproterozoic
seawater, Chem. Geol., 161, 37–57.
Jenkyns, H. C., and P. A. Wilson (1999) Stratigraphy, paleoceanography, and evolution ofCretaceous Pacific guyots: Relics from a greenhouse Earth, Amer. J. Sci., 299, 341–392.
McArthur, J. M., R. J. Howarth, and T. R. Bailey (2001) Strontium isotope stratigraphy: LOWESS
version 3: Best fit to the marine Sr-isotope curve for 0–509 Ma and accompanying look-up
table for deriving numerical age, J. Geol., 109, 155–170.
Menegatti, A. P., H. Weissert, R. S. Brown, R. V. Tyson, P. Farrimond, A. Strasser, and M. Caron(1998) High-resolution δ13C stratigraphy through the early Aptian “Livello Selli” of the
Alpine Tethys, Paleoceanography, 13, 530–545.
Murris, R. J. (1980) Middle East: Stratigraphic evolution and oil habitat, Amer. Assoc. Petrol. Geol.
Bull., 64, 597–618.

31

Calcareous Nannofossil Biostratigraphy of the Cenomanian-Turonian Oceanic Anoxic Event
2 (OAE2) Record in California, USA
Magtoto C.Y.1, Fernando, A. G. S.1, Takashima, R.2, Nishi, H.2 and Tomosugi, T.3
1

Nannoworks Lab., Nat. Inst. Geol. Sci., Univ. Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City 1101 Philippines(renz_y_magtoto@yahoo.com)
2

Center Acad. Res. Arch., Tohoku Univ. Mus., Tohoku Univ., Aramaki Aza Aoba 6-3, Aoba-ku,
Sendai 980-8578 Japan
3

Hakata Koun Co., Ltd., Kashiihama Futo 4-2-2, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 813-0016 Japanof UC5c, latest Cenomanian) and the FO of
Eprolithus moratus (top of UC6a, earliest
Turonian). The CTB was observed near the endof the “plateau” phase of the carbon isotope
curve established by Takashima et al. (2011),
while Quadrum gartneri, the taxon widely used
as a CTB marker, was observed within the“recovery” phase (Figure 1). E. octopetalus, thetaxon used as the CTB marker in the previous
study by Fernando et al. (2011), was notobserved in the present study. An interval
consisting of high values of total organiccarbon (TOC) was noted between the
Nannofossil Zones UC3e to UC6a, which
probably corresponds to the organic carbon
excursion during the CTB Oceanic Anoxic
Event 2 (OAE2). This makes the Budden
Canyon Formation one of the few sections in
the northeast Pacific Region where OAE2 canbe observed and studied.

The Cenomanian-Turonian Boundary(CTB) in the Great Valley Group (California,
USA) was observed within the Gas Point
Member of the Budden Canyon Formation. The
boundary was delineated by Fernando et al.
(2011) using the FO of Eprolithus octopetalus,
which is considered a supplementary bioevent
within the Nannofossil Zone UC5. Analysis ofsamples collected at high resolution intervals
across the CTB confirms the delineation of theboundary within the Gas Point Member. This isin addition to the recognition of other bioevents
crucial to the establishment of nannofossil
zones and refinement of the biostratigraphy
across the CTB in the Budden Canyon
Formation.
In the present study, 6 zones were
established (Figure 1). The CTB was delineatedwithin the Nannofossil Zones UC5c to UC6a,
between the FO of Quadrum intermedium (base32

Another world of OAE2: development of oxic water around Pacific margin
Hasegawa T.
Dept. Earth Sci., Fac. Nat. Sys., Inst. Nat. Sci. Eng., Kanazawa Univ., Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa
920-1192, Japan. (jh7ujr@staff.kanazawa-u.ac.jp)
stratigraphy associated with rigid support bybiostratigraphy. In the case of Tappu section
from Hokkaido, Japan, it allows us to correlate
the section with Eastbourne section in Englandby bed-to-bed.
The signal of oxygenation is observedwith sedimentary structure in the Tappu section.
Disturbance of lamination in the mudstone
become prominent just at the onset of the
carbon isotope excursion (CIE) associated withOAE2 (Nemoto and Hasegawa, 2011). Acrossthe section in New Zealand, conspicuous red
bed associated with very low content ofterrestrial organic carbon develops at theinterval of OAE2. It indicates well-oxygenateddepositional condition and possible shift oftransportation pathway of terrigenous material.
Considerable changes in faunal composition of
micro- and/or macrofossils are observed in both
sections prior to the CIE and oxygenation event.
Third example is a preliminary study from
Northern
East
Pacific.
The
mudstone-dominated outer shelf sequence from
Haida Guwaii (former Queen Charlotte Is.), BC,
Canada shows considerable fine stratification
below the CIE but it weakens at the onset of theCIE (joint research worked with J. Haggart).
Oxygenation instead of anoxia fromthree isolated sites of Pacific margin suggests
anoxia is not a major paleoceanographic
phenomenon in the Pacific during OAE2.
Earlier shrinkage/disappearance of benthic
fauna in Japan and NZ relative to sites in the
Tethyan region and characteristic occurrencesof planktonic foraminifers in Japan suggest thatthe scenario across the OAE2 interval in the
Pacific is entirely different from that of the
Tethyan region. In the presentation,
time-stratigraphic series of OAE2-related
subevents from sites in the Pacific and Tethyan
regions will be summarized to discuss theircausal relationship.

What most intensively studied for
Cretaceous paleoenvironment is Oceanic
Anoxic Events. Paleoenvironmental or
paleoclimatological turnover associated with
OAEs, especially OAE2 is often targetedbecause of its brief but intensified nature andits introduction triggered by volcanisms. Black,organic-rich sediments showing oceanic anoxia
have been recognized in extensive areas
including Tethys, North and South Atlantic.
Volcanic
eruptionandassociatedenvironmental changes are suggested as adirect trigger of OAE2 onset (e.g. Tugeon andCreaser, 2008). On the other hand, no
OAE2-correlative sediments showing anoxia
with high organic carbon content has not beenfound around Pacific except for material fromequatorial region. Recent paleoenvironmental
studies exhibited it became oxic instead ofanoxic or dysoxic at upper bathyal depth during
time interval of OAE2 relative to the interval
prior to OAE2 (Nemoto and Hasegawa, 2011;
Hasegawa et al., 2013). Complicatedmechanism and extensive paleoceanographic
variation are suggested for introduction anddevelopment of OAE2 over the globe. Better
understanding of Pacific Ocean and its margin
is required to realize OAE2 comprehensively.
The present talk for the IGCP608 will
be based on the review of previous studies from
Hokkaido, Japan (Tappu and Oyubari areas),
Mangaotane and Sawpit Gully sections fromNew Zealand. Brief introduction of preliminary
results from northern British Columbia, Canada(joint research with Dr. Jim Haggart) will bepresented.
Detailed inter-regional correlation is afundamental subject for OAE studies as they
discuss causal factors, onset, bioevents,
interaction and feedback between intra-OAE
subevents. The studies from Pacific marginachieved such correlation with carbon isotope
33

References:
Hasegawa, T., Crampton, J. S., Shioler, P., Field, B., Fukushi, K. and Kakizaki, Y., 2013, Cret. Res.,40, 61-80.
Nemoto, T. and Hasegawa, T., 2011, Palaeo-3, 309, 271-280.
Tugeon, S. C. and Creaser, R. A., 2008, Nature, 454, doi:10.1038/nature07076.

34

Biotoic evolution: Asian and western Pacific fauna and flora – Microfauna I

Updates on Philippine Cretaceous System: Recent Calcareous Nannofossil Biostratigraphic
Studies on Selected Cretaceous Localities in the Philippines
Fernando, A. G. S., Magtoto, C. Y., Guballa, J. D. S., Marquez-Ardiente, D. J., Nogot, J. R. C. P.
and Uy, M. A. C.
Nannoworks Lab., Nat. Inst. Geol. Sci., Univ. Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City 1101 Philippines(agsfernando@yahoo.com)
Compared to other microfossil groups
like planktonic foraminifera, very few studies
have been conducted regarding Cretaceous
calcareous nannofossils in the Philippines. Thisis despite the fact that a number of Cretaceous
localities/sedimentary formations have alreadybeen identified all over the archipelago. Basedon available literature, nannofossil studies arelimited to describing the species present inseveral sedimentary formations in support of its
Cretaceous age.
The present study focuses on the
nannofossil biostratigraphy of Cretaceous
formations in Rizal Province (near Manila) andCatanduanes Island (eastern Philippines).
Recent fieldworks to these 2 localities wereconducted to collect samples for a detailed
biostratigraphic study. The objectives include:(a) refinement of the age of the sedimentary
formations using calcareous nannofossil
biostratigraphy; (b) more detailed descriptionof nannofossil taxa present in the 2 localities;and (c) determination of the paleoceanographic
and paleoclimatic significance of thenannofossil assemblage in relation to theoverall western Pacific condition during theCretaceous.

35

Mesozoic and Paleozoic radiolarians from the Lower Cretaceous Choshi Group, Japan
Kashiwagi, K.1, Isaji, S.2 and Asai, H.3
1

Grad. Schl Sci. Eng. Res., Univ. Toyama 930-8555, Japan (kasiwagi@sci.u-toyama.ac.jp)
23Nat. Hist. Mus. Inst., Chiba, Chiba 260-8682, Japan

Chiba Pref. Inba Reg. Branch Office, Chiba 285-8503, Japan

Introduction and general geology of the
Choshi GroupThe Choshi Group, first stop of thepost excursion, extends ca. 4 km in anorth–south direction along the eastern
coastline of Kanto Region, Japan, and isassigned to Barremian to late Aptian (maybe,
early Albian) due to ammonoids andforaminifers (Obata et al., 1975, 1982; Obata
and Matsukawa, 2007, 2009ab). The Choshi
Group consists of terrigenous clastic rocks, andis divided into five units; the Ashikajima,
Kimigahama, Inubozaki, Toriakeura, andNagasakihana formations in ascending order(Obata et al., 1982). Its depositional
environment has been interpreted as shoreface,offshore, and intra–shelf basin by means of theobservation of the well–defined sedimentary
structures (Katsura et al., 1984; Ishigaki and Ito,
2000). Due to abundant occurrences ofmacrofossils: ammonoids, bivalves, gastropods,
brachiopods, echinoids, shark teeth, plantfossils (petrified woods and ambers) and so on(e.g., Shikama and Suzuki, 1972; Hayami andOji, 1980; Kase and Maeda, 1980; Obata et al.,
1982; Saiki et al., 1991; Sakagami, 1997; Obata
and Matsukawa, 2007, 2009ab; Matsubara,2009), the Choshi Group is one of the mostimportant strata to reconstruct shallow marine
biofacies during Early Cretaceous along East
Asian continents. On the other hand,microfossils had been only foraminifers (Obataet al., 1982; Matsubara et al., 2005). Here we
preliminarily
reportsomeradiolarianoccurrences from the Choshi Group.
Materials for radiolarian analyses andradiolarian ages
Radiolarians were obtained from the
Ashikajima, Kimigahama and Toriakeura
formations in the Lower Cretaceous Choshi
Group.
36

The
Ashikajima
Formation
includesconglomerate beds at its basal horizon, which is
conformably covered by stratified sandstone(Katsura et al., 1984). Chert pebbles andcobbles in the conglomerate beds frequently
containradiolarians.
Ageassignableradiolarians were obtained from two chert
samples out of processed 10 those. One sample
contains Eucyrtidiellum sp., Hsuum sp.,
Striatojaponocapsa sp. (Striatojaponocapsa
conexa or Striatojaponocapsa synconexa),
Syringocapsa sp. and Williriedellum sp. The
age is Bajocian to early Callovian for thepresence of Striatojaponocapsa conexa orStriatojaponocapsa synconexa (Baumgartner etal., 1995). Also the age of the other sample is
Permian.
The Kimigahama Formation iscomposed of the alternation of medium– tofine–grained sandstone and bioturbatedmudstone, and its depositional environment has
been interpreted as offshore (Katsura et al.,1984). Radiolarians were extracted from the
sandy shell bed intercalation within thesandstone–mudstone alternations. Radiolarians
are very rare and poorly ill–preserved. Most ofthem show spherical to subspherical test in
outline, and 180-380 μm in length or diameterof test. Only 2 forms are identified;
Praeconosphaera sp. and Sethocapsa ? orca
Foreman. Sethocapsa ? orca Foreman has abroad age range of early Hauterivian to early
Aptian by Baumgartner et al. (1995). Also its
last appearance datum is not restricted. So
radiolarian–bearing shell bed indicates early
Hauterivian to early Aptian or later based on
the presence of Sethocapsa ? orca.
The Toriakeura Formation consists of thesandstone–mudstone alternations in the lower
horizon and muddy facies in the upper horizon,
and its depositional environment is interpreted
as offshore (Katsura et al., 1984). The sample

for radiolarian analysis, provided by Asai, H. iscalcareous nodule within muddy facies.
Identified radiolarians in generic and specificlevels are Archaeodictyomitra mitra Dumitrica,
Dictyomitra pseudoscalaris (Tan) sensu Schaaf,
Holocryptocanium sp. as nassellarians, andAngulobracchia
sp.,
Cenosphaerasp.,
Orbiculiforma sp. and Praeconocaryomma sp.
as spumellarians. Archaeodictyomitra mitra
ranges in age from Berriasian to Barremian as
far as known (Dumitrica et al., 1997).
Dictyomitra pseudoscalaris indicates a late
Valanginian to early Aptian (Baumgartner et al.,1995), and its last occurrence datum is notprecisely restricted. Thus radiolarian–bearing
sample indicates age interval of late
Valanginian to early Aptian or later.
Brief discussion
The Middle Jurassic chert is one of themost common lithological components in theJurassic to Early Cretaceous accretionary
complexes in Japan and East Asian continents.
In the Choshi area, Triassic chert, which has
been tentatively named as “the Kurohae Chert”,
is isolated by surrounding reclaimed land, andcrops out in small area adjacent to the
Ashikajima Formation of the lowest Choshi
Group (Kunihiro et al., 1984; Suzuki, 1986).
“The Kurohae Chert” has been correlated witha part of the Jurassic accretionary complex due

to its lithology and age (e.g., Takahashi, 1990).
Consequently chert gravels in the Ashikajima
Formation have been derived from the Jurassic
accretionary complex.
Radiolarians from the sandy shell bed
in the Kimigahama Formation indicate a
Hauterivian to early Aptian age or later, and its
age is concordant with previously–reported
ammonoid age as Barremian (Obata andMatsukawa, 2007, 2009ab). The sandy shell
bed also yields diversified macro– and micro–
fossil taxa: bivalves (Hayami and Oji, 1980),
gastropods (Isaji et al., 2014), otoliths (Miyata
et al., 2014), and so on. It should be noted thatradiolarian tests are restricted to similar forms
in outline and size of test. Especially, sizes oftests show fine– to medium–grained sand. So
these evidences suggest that the radiolarian
tests in the sandy shell bed had been strongly
sorted in their size and form during its
depositional process.
Radiolarians from the Toriakeura Formation
are also consistent with ammonoid age
previously–reported in Obata and Matsukawa(2007, 2009ab). Also radiolarian assemblage
shows well diversification, and support thatradiolarians from the Kimigahama Formation
was highly–sorted assemblage due to low
diversification.

References:
Baumgartner, P. O., O'Dogherty, L., Goričan, Š., Dumitrica-Jud, R., Dumitrica, P., Pillevuit, A.,
Urquhart, E., Matsuoka, A., Danelian, T., Bartolini, A., Carter, E. S., De Wever, P., Kito,
N., Marcucci, M. and Steiger, T., 1995, Radiolarian catalogue and systematics of Middle
Jurassic to Early Cretaceous Tethyan genera and species. In Baumgartner, P. O.,
O'Dogherty, L., Goričan, Š., Urquhart, E., Pillevuit, A. and De Wever, P., eds., Middle
Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Radiolaria of Tethys: Occurrences, Systematics,
Biochronology, Mém. Géol. (Lausanne) 23, 37–685.
Dumitrica, P., Immenhauser, A. and Dumitrica-Jud, R., 1997, Mesozoic radiolarian biostratigraphy
from Masirah Ophiolite, Sultanate of Oman Part 1: Middle Triassic, Uppermost Jurassic
and Lower Cretaceous Spumelalrians and multisegmented nassellarians. Bull. Nat. Mus.
Nat. Sci., 9, 1–106.
Hayami, I. and Oji, T., 1980, Early Cretaceous bivalvia from the Choshi District, Chiba Prefecture,
Japan. Trans. Proc. Palaeont. Soc. Japan, N. S., no. 120, 419–448.
Isaji, S., Haga, T. and Kashiwagi, K., 2014, A planispiral 'lower heteronranch' gastropod from theLower Cretaceous Choshi Group, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Ann. Meet. Palaeont. Soc.
Japan, Abstr., 46. (in Japanese)
Ishigaki, A. and Itoh, M., 2000, Size population of hummocky bedforms: an example from theLower Cretaceous Choshi Group, northeastern Boso Peninsula, Japan. Jour. Geol. Soc.
Japan, 106, 472–481. (in Japanese with English abstract)
Kase, T. and Maeda, H., 1980, Early Cretaceous gastropoda from the Choshi District, Chiba
Prefecture, central Japan. Trans. Proc. Palaeont. Soc. Japan, N. S., no. 118, 291–324.
37

Katsura, Y., Masuda, F. and Obata, I., 1984, Storm-dominated shelf sea from the Lower Cretaceous
Choshi Group, Japan. Ann. Rep., Inst. Geosci., Univ. Tsukuba, no. 10, 92–95.
Kunihiro, S., Saito, H. and Sakagami, S., 1984, Discovery of Triassic conodonts from the “Kurohaechert” in the Choshi Peninsula. Jour. Tokyo Geogr. Soc., 93, 57–59. (in japanese)
Matsubara, T., 2009, Summary of Amber and Inclusions from the Lower Cretaceous Choshi Groupin Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Chigaku Kenkyu, 57, 199–206. (in Japanese with English
abstract)
Matsubara, Y., Hisada, K., Motoyama, I. and Nishi, H., 2005, Stratigraphy and geologic structure of
the Cretaceous Choshi Group in the Inubosaki Point, Central Japan. Bull. Saitama Mus.
Nat. Hist., no. 22, 1–14. (in Japanese with English abstract)
Miyata, S., Isaji, S. and Kashiwagi, K., 2014, The first record of otloliths from the Kimigahama
Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of the Choshi Group, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Ann. Meet.
Palaeont. Soc. Japan, Abstr., 45. (in Japanese)
Obata, I., Hagiwara, S. and Kamiko, S., 1975, Geological age of the Cretaceous Choshi Group. Bull.
Nat. Sci. Mus. Tokyo, Ser. C, 22, 17–36. (in Japanese with English summary)
Obata, I. Maiya, S. Inoue, Y. and Matsukawa, M., 1982, Integrated mega- and micro-fossil
biostratigraphy of the Lower Cretaceous Choshi Group, Japan. Bull. Nat. Sci. Mus. Tokyo,
Ser. C, 8, 145–179.
Obata, I. and Matsukawa, M., 2007, Barremian–Aptian (Early Cretaceous) ammonoids from the
Choshi Group, Honshu (Japan). Cret. Res., 28, 363–391.
Obata, I. and Matsukawa, M., 2009a, Supplementary description of the ammonoids from theBarremian to the Albian of the Choshi Peninsula, Japan. Cret. Res., 30, 253–269.
Obata, I. and Matsukawa, M., 2009b, Some ammonoids from the Barremian and probable Albian of
the Choshi Peninsula, Japan. Bull. Tokyo Gakugei Univ., Nat. Sci., 61, 97–103.
Saiki, K., Kimura, T. and Horiuchi, J., 1991, Stenopteris cyclostoma Saiki, Kimura et Horiuchi sp.
nov. (possible pteridosperm), from the Lower Cretaceous Choshi Group, in the Outer Zoneof Japan. Trans. Proc. Palaeont. Soc. Japan, N. S., no. 164, 964–972.
Sakagami, S., 1997, Geology of the Choshi area. Natural History of the Chiba Prefecture, Part 2,
Series 41: Geology of the Chiba Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture, 83-100. * (in Japanese)
Shikama, T. and Suzuki, S., 1972, Stratigraphy and Tectonic development mainly of Cretaceous
formations of Choshi Peninsula, Chiba Prefecture. Sci. Rep. Yokohama Nat. Univ. Sec. Ⅱ,
no. 19, 133–157. (in Japanese with English abstract)
Suzuki, R., 1986, Radiolarians from “the Kurohae Formation” in the Choshi area, Chiba Prefecture,
Japan. 93th Ann. Meet. Geol. Soc. Japan, Abstr., 208. * (in Japanese)
Takahashi, N., 1990, Geology of the Pre–Cretaceous Atagoyama Group in the Choshi Peninsula,
Chiba Prefecture, Japan–Description of the lithofacies and discussion of sedimentary andtectonic processes–. Jour. Natu. Hist. Mus. Insti. Chiba, no. 1, 1–13. (in Japanese withEnglish abstract)*
English translation from the original written in Japanese38Early Cretaceous Foraminiferal Fauna from the Western Margin of the Shan Plateau,
MyanmarZaw Win
Mawlamyine Univ., Mawlamyine City, Mon State, Myanmar (zawmyat24@gmail.com)
Simplorbitolina spp., Iraqia sp. andDictyoconus aff. walnutensis. Figure 1 shows
location of the sampling areas and theforaminiferal fauna recovered.
Other smaller foraminifers are Feurtillia sp.,
Charentia
kyaukkuensis
sp.
nov.,
Praechrysalidina sp. and a few textularids.
Amongthese,
thetaxon,
Charentia
kyaukkuensis, is herein considered as a new
species because of its smaller shell size, having
broadly arched periphery and prominent
triangular spiral projections.
The present fauna is associated by some algae
such as Cayeuxia sp., Cladocoropsis sp. andPolygonella sp. Moreover, a few specimens ofnerinellid gastropods, conferrable to Nerinella
cultrispira Roemer, occur in a limestone beds
below this foraminiferal fauna-bearing
limestone horizon at Kyaukku Hill.
Among the foraminifers of the present
foraminiferal fauna, various members of theorbitolinids are proved to be the key to settle
the age problem of the limestone exposed inthese hillocks. From their relative simplicity ofmorphological features such as smaller size oftest and lack of reticulate inner parts, narrow
apical angle, the orbitolinid taxa of the present
fauna exhibit such Early Cretaceous aspects,
most possibly Aptian to Albian.
Both sedimentary facies aspects of thelimestones and paleoecological aspects oforbitolinids and associated other fossils clearly
indicate the prevalence of shallow marine in
the present area during the Early Cretaceous
period. The present finding of orbitolinid fauna
is the first to record the southeastern mostoccurrence of the orbitolinid-bearing belt in
Myanmar that has so far been recorded only on
the west of the second defile of the
Ayeyarwaddy (Irrawaddy) River, far north of
Mandalay City. This fauna, perhaps, witnesses
most possibly the southeastern extension of the

The Shan Plateau constituting part of
the Shan-Thai block in eastern Myanmar isfringed along its western margin with the
Mogok Belt (Searle and Ba Than Haq, 1961,
Mitchell et al., 2007), a north-south trending
narrow linear belt in which various Paleozoic
and Mesozoic sedimentary rock units havebeen highly deformed and metamorphosed inrelation with younger igneous intrusions. A
sequence of shallow marine siliciclastic rocks
with minor carbonate rock interbeds ofJurassic-Cretaceous age (known as the Pan
Laung Formation) has been recorded within
this belt (e.g. Garson et al., 1976; UN Team,
1979; Myint Thein and Win Myint, 1988).
However, the stratigraphic entity of somelimestones occurring as isolated hillocks in the
alluvial plain of this belt remained
controversial for a long time because of lacking
paleontologicalevidence.
They
were
sometimes
lumpedinthe
Carboniferous-Permian units, or regarded as ofa Permian-Triassic unit, or thought likely to beof Mesozoic Pan Laung Formation.
In order to settle this stratigraphic
uncertainty, some limestone samples werecollected from the isolated hillocks of two
separate areas, namely, the Lungyaw area in
Myittha Township in the north and the Lebyinarea in Thazi Township in the south. A total of
sixteen samples (four from the Kyaukku Hilland Pantingu Hill of Lungyaw area, and twelve
from Peinyoin Hill of Lebyin area) werecollected randomly for micropaleontologic
examination.
As a reward for the present attempt,
the limestone samples from both areas yieldeda foraminiferal fauna formed of orbitolinids
and other smaller foraminifers. The present
preliminary thin-section examination reveals
that the orbitolinid fauna consists of thefollowingtaxa:
Paracoskinolina
cf.
sunnilandensis, Paracoskinolina sp. ind.,39

Cretaceous equatorial Tethys marine incursion

in this part of the Southeast Asian region.

Reference:
Garson, M.S., Amos, B.J., Mitchell, A.H.G., 1976. The geology of the area around Neyaungga andYe-ngan, southern Shan State, Burma. Overseas Mem. 2, Inst. Geol. Sci., London, pp.
1-70.
Mitchell, A.H.G., 1979. Geology and Exploration Geochemistry of the Shan Scarp Area, East of
Kyaukse, Thazi and Tatkon, Central Burma. Geological Survey and Exploration,
Technical Report 3, UNDP, UN, New York.
Mitchell, A.H.G., Htay, M.T., Htun, K.M., Win, Oo, T., Hlaing, T., 2007. Rock relationships in the
Mogok Metamorphic Belt, Takon to Mandalay, central Myanmar. J. Asian Earth Sci., 29,
891-910.
Myint Thein & Win Myint, 1988. Stratigraphy, Petrography and Paleoenvironment of theJurassic-Cretaceous Sedimentary Rocks of the Lungyaw – Ma-u-bin Area, Myittha andYe-ngan Townships. Research Paper (unpublished), Univ. Mandalay, 1-35, pl. 1-4.
Searle, D.L. & Ba Than Haq, 1964. The Mogok Belt of Burma and its relationship to the Himalayan
orogeny. 22nd Int. Geol. Cong., India, 11, 133-161, New Delhi.

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4
40

Figure 1. Location of thesampling areas and thefauna recovered. 1:
Paracoskinolina cf.
sunnilandensis; 2: Iraqiasp.; 3: Simplorbitolina
sp.; 4: Paracoskinolina
sp.; 5: Charentia
kyaukkuensis sp. nov.
(not to definite scale).

5Day Two
5 September 2014
SESSIONS:
Biotic evolution: Asian and western Pacific fauna and flora –Microflora
Geoparks highlighting Cretaceous
Land-ocean linkages: Correlation, sedimentology andpaleoenvironments

41

Bitotic Ebolution: Asian and western Pacific fauna and flora II – Micro flora
Late Cretaceous calcareous nannofossils from Nimar Sandstone, Bagh area, central
peninsular India
Rai, J.1, Garg, R.1, Singh, A.1, Garg, S.1, Bajpai, S.1, Kapur, V. V.1, Agarwal, S.1 andTripathi, S. C.2
1

Birbal Sahni Inst. Palaeobot., 53, University Road, Lucknow- 226007 (Jyotsana_rai@yahoo.com)
2

Sur. India, Aliganj, Lucknow-226020
for the deposition of Cretaceous rocks in the
Narmada valley and considered the Lameta
Formation in Jabalpur area to be marine.
However, the dinosaur remains including eggs,
fresh water mollusks and petrified fossil woods
favour a fresh water depositional environment
for the Lameta Formation.
A Cenomanian-Coniacian age wassuggested (Chiplonkar,1980) for the Bagh
Formation based on megafossils, and themicrofossil data suggest a Coniacian age basedonostracodes(Jain,
1975),
late
Cenomanian-early Turonian age based onplanktonic foraminifers (Jain, 1961; Sharma,
1976) and a late Turonian-early Coniacian age(Eiffellithus eximus Zone) based on calcareous
nannofossil assemblage recovered from theupper Nimar Sandstone (Jafar, 1982). It is to be
noted that, in the absence of Marthasterites
furcatus, Jafar (1982) suggested single,
short-lived (less than a million year)
transgressive event of late Turonian age
responsible for the deposition of the entire
Narmada valley sequence. The nannofossil
record of Jafar (1982) is useful to some extent
for dating the Cretaceous sequence in central
India but the Cenomanian/ Turonian marker
taxa
Hayesites
albiensis
andTuronian/Coniacian marker taxa Lithastrinus
grilli, Arkhangelskiella specillata and M.
furcatus were not recorded. Jafar (1982) alsomentioned the absence of the Tethyan marker
genus Nannoconus in the Bagh area.
Systematic sampling was done during
the field excursion of the First Meeting of
IGCP 608 in central India in December 2013 tofind nannofossil productive levels for precise

The late Cretaceous infratrappean
sedimentary sequences of peninsular India
occur along the ENE-WSW Narmada-Son
lineament and are exposed in a belt extending
from the Saurashtra region of western India tothe central part of the Indian shield beyond
Jabalpur. Resting unconformably over the
Precambrian Basement or the Upper Gondwana
sediments, these infratrappean sequences arecharacterized by both marine and continental
facies with a wealth of fossils, ichnotaxa andsedimentary structures that point to repeatedsignificant transgressive-regressive events.
Traditionally, these sequences are classified as
the Nimar Sandstone, Bagh and Lameta
formations, with a total thickness of only a few
dozens of meters. The oldest unit i.e. the Nimar
Sandstone is an unfossiliferous sandy facies
consisting of conglomerates, coarse sandstoneand shales, gradually merging into adominantly calcareous facies with subordinate
sandstone of the overlying Bagh Formation.
Thalassinoides burrows are common in the
Bagh Formation, along with rare echinoids andammonoids,
indicating
lowenergyenvironment of deposition below the wave base.
At places planar and trough cross bedding andlarge rippled surfaces are seen. The youngest
unit i.e. the Lameta Formation (comprisingdinosaur-bearing cherty limestones, sandstones
and shales) is well developed in the upper
Narmada valley.
The age and depositional environmentof the infratrappean sequence continue to bedebatable (Raiverman,1975; Chiplonkar &Borkar, 1975; Singh & Srivastava,1981). Singh(1981) proposed an estuarine complex model42

dating. Samples collected from the Baria Nalasection have revealed two nannofossil
productive levels (Fig. A, B). Sample NS 6
representing the top of the Nimar Sandstone isoverlain by a highly bioturbated horizon and amega ripple horizon, and the sample NS 7
represents the base of the overlying
ammonite-yielding unit i.e. Nodular Limestone.
NS 6 has yielded 41 nannofossil species andNS 7 has yielded 32 species. The rareoccurrence of the genus Biscutum, combinedwith elevated numbers of Watznaueria species
and Polycyclolithaceae indicate reduced
surface water fertility possibly due to dilution
caused by the mixing of marine water in theriverine system. Polycyclolithaceae in generaland the genus Eprolithus in particular, which ishighly resistant to dissolution and considered acool water taxon, is present in abundance in theassemblage, similar to various European andTethyan sections (Lamolda et al. 1994; Linnert
et al., 2011). A number of Nannoconus species
represented by N. inornatus, N. steinmannii, N.
truittii in the sample NS6 are recorded, whereas
in the sample NS 7 Nannoconus is lacking.
Both E. eximus and E. turriseifelli are present
in NS6 whereas only E. eximus is present in NS
7 along with E. gorkae and E. cf. E. parallelus.
The record of Lithastrinus septenarius in NS 7
is significant as the FO this taxon marks thelate Turonian with Micula adumbrata (Burnett,
1998). The FO of the latter species is used in N.
Germany, Central Poland, SE and NE ofEngland to date the early Coniacian, although
in Czech Republic and Indian Ocean Site 256
its FO is considered to mark Turonian. Also
recorded is the presence of Zeugorhabdotus
biperforatus, the FO of which indicates UC9bof Turonian in N. Germany (UC9b top),
Central Poland, Czech Republic, NE Englandand the Indian Ocean Site 256, but theConiacian in SE England (Lees 2008). Z.
erectus present in NS 7 is a high fertility taxon.
Itappearsthat
theTuronian-Coniacian boundary in Baria Nala
Section lies at or close to the Nimar Sandstone
and Nodular Limestone formational boundary.

There also appears hardground indicating
mixing of nannofossils of two- three subzones
of UC 9= CC 13b of Sissingh, 1977 and PerchNielsen, 1985 (UC 9a base = FO L. septenarius,
Turonian; UC9b base = FO Z. biperforatus,
Turonian. H. turonicus indicates presence oflower part of UC 9c zone of early Coniacian
age while the presence of M. adumbrataindicates the middle of UC 9c also of early
Coniacian (N. Germany, Central Poland, SE
England, NE England) whereas its FO isrecorded in Upper Turonian in Czech Republic
and Indian Ocean DSDP Site 258 (Burnett,
1998; Lees, 2008).
In the same area, samples from the
Chakrud section near Zeerabad area haveyielded a moderately diversified nannofossil
assemblage of late Campanian age. The
assemblage includes Marthasterites furcatus(Rai et al., 2013a) whose FO may possibly
demarcate the Turonian/ Coniacian global
boundary (Jafar, (1982) and LO in Campanian.
The younger and the evolutionarily advanced
M. crassus is also present in the assemblage.
Being diachronous M. furcatus is notconsidered a good marker (Lees, 2008). Thus it
could be surmised that there were multiple
episodic and short lived transgressive events
along the Narmada river valley in a tectonic
graben during late Turonian – Coniacian Campanian time leading to major facies
variation. The idea of a single short-lived
transgression (Jafar, 1982) is not tenable.
Further, the record of Nephrolithus frequensfrom the Chakrud section in a horizon bearing
abundant petrified wood fossils (? Lameta
Formation) provides evidence for a lateCampanian age with marked cooling. The
present data suggest the mixing of cold watertaxa(Polycycolithaceae,
Nephrolithus,
Biscutum) and warm water Tethyan forms(Nannoconids) in the late Cretaceous of Central
India as well as in Rajasthan region of western
India (Rai et al., 2013b) and the Cauvery Basinof southern India (Kale & Phansalkar, 1992;
Jafar & Rai, 1989).

References:
Burnett, J.A. (1998). Upper Cretaceous. In: Bown, P.R. (Ed.), Calcareous Nannofossil
Biostratigraphy. Chapman & Hall, pp. 132-199.
Jafar, S.A. (1982). Nannoplankton evidence of Turonian transgression along Narmada valley, India
and Turonian-Coniacian boundary problem. J. Palaeont. Soc. India, 27: 17-30.
43

Jafar, S.A. & Rai, J. (1989). Discovery of Albian nannoflora from Type Dalmiapuram Formation,
Cauvery Basin India, Palaeoceanographic remarks. Current Sci., 58: 358- 363.
Kale, A.S. and Phansalkar, V.G. (1992). Nannofossil biostratigraphy of the Utatur group,
Trichinopoly district, South India. Memorie di Scienze Geologiche, 63: 89-107.
Lamolda, M.A., Gorostidi, A. & Paul, C.R.C. (1994). Quantitative estimates of calcareous
nannofossil changes across the Plenus Marls (latest Cenomanian), Dover, England:
implications for the generation of the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary event. Cret. Res.,
15: 143-164.
Lees, J.A. (2008). The calcareous nannofossil record across the Late Cretaceous
Turonian/Coniacian boundary, including new data from Germany, Poland, the Czech
Republic and England. 29: 40-64.
Linnert, C., Mutterlose, J. & Herrle, J.O. (2011). Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Maastrichtian)calcareous nannofossils from Goban Spur (DSDP Sites 549, 551): Implications for thepalaeoceanography of the proto North Atlantic. Palaeo-3., 15, 507-528.
Perch- Nielsen, K. (1985). Albian to Pleistocene calcareous nannofossils from the western South
Atlantic, DSDP Leg 39. Initial Reports Deep Sea Drilling Project, 39: 699-823.
Rai, J., Garg, R. & Kumar, S. (2013a). Early Campanian nannofossils from Chakrud section of theBagh area, central India. In: cretaceous ecosystems and their responses topalaeoenvironmental changes in Asia and the western Pacific (IGCP-608): pp. 55.
(Abstract)
Rai, J., Singh, A. & Pandey, D.K. (2013b). Early to Middle Albian age calcareous nannofossils
from Pariwar Formation of Jaisalmer Basin, Rajasthan, western India and their significanc.
Current Science, 105(11): 1604-1611.

44

Palynofloral Changes across Cretaceous-Paleogene: A Case study from Deccan Volcanic
Sequence in Amarkantak Group of Central India
Thakre, D., Samant, B. and Mohabey, D. M.
1

PG Department of Geology, RTM Nagpur University, Nagpur-440001, India(thakredeepali1@gmail.com)

Introduction
The Deccan Continental Flood Basalt(DCFB) Province is one of the largest and beststudied continental flood basalt provinces in theworld. It covers an area of about 500,000 km2
in the central and western India. The present
study focuses on the sedimentary beds
(intertrappean) associated with the DCFB
sequences exposed in the volcanic subprovinceof Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh. The
Deccan Volcanic Sequence (DVS) in this area
are classified as the Amarkantak Group
comprising Mandla, Dhuma, Pipardehi, Linga,
Multai, Amarwara, Khampa and Kuleru
formations, in ascending stratigraphic order(Geological Survey of India, 2000). Around 18
intertrappean sections were studied forpalynological analysis.
Intertrappean flora
In the lower part of the Amarkantak
Group two intertrappean sections are present in
Mandla and Dhuma formations, the lower one
is Mohagaon Kalan Well Section (MKWS) andthe upper one is Mohagaon Kalan Fossil Forest(MKFF). Both these intertrappean sections are
separated by a flow. Magnetostratigraphy ofthese two sections indicate deposition in Chron
30N for MKWS and Chron 29R for MKFF.
Lithologically MKWS is composed of green
shales, finely laminated gray shales,
palynomorph bearing black lignitic shales andcarbonaceous clays in ascending startigraphic
order. Dinosaur eggshells and Maastrichtianpalynomorphs (Srinivasan, 1996; Kar andSrinivasan, 1997; Kumaran et al., 1997) havebeen recorded from this intertrappean. During
present study, detailed palynofloral analysis ofnine well sections (WS) representing various
lithofacies of this intertrappean was carried out.
The study recorded diverse palynoassemblages
and many new palynomorphs. Overall 28

45

genera and 63 species were recorded from thisintertrappean, out of which Gabonisporis
vigourouxii, Aquilapollenites bengalensis,
Jiangsupollis
straitus,
Proxapertites
operculatus, P. cursus, Spinizonocolpites
echinatus, S. baculatus, Ephedripites spp.,
Dipterocarpuspollenites
sp.,
Normapollis
group pollen, Stritricolporites sp., Cranwellia
striata, Scollardia trapaformis, Intrareticulites
brevis, and Neocouperipollis spp., are the mostdominating taxa. In addition, taxa like Azolla
cretacea, Cyathidites australis, Triporoletes
reticulatus, Farabeipollis sp., Retitricolopites
spp., and many tri- and tetra colpate pollen
grains are also present in the assemblage. The
present study also recorded age marker taxa
such as Aquilapollenites bengalensis, Azolla
cretacea, Gabonisporis vigourouxii, whichindicate Maastrichtian age for the intertrappean.
The presence of Spinizonocolpites spp. (Nypa),
Proxapertites
operculatus,P.
cursus(Arecaceae) and foraminiferal linings, suggest
marine influence in the area and possibly
estuarine
conditions.
The
successively
overlying MKFF is rich in megafloral remains
includingangiosperms,
gymnosperms,
pteridophytes, algae and fungi and on the basisof megaflora, Cretaceous to Paleocene age isassigned to this intertrappean. Till date only
record of palynomorphs from this intertrappean
is by Chitaley (1951) however, she gave only
morphological description of palynomorphs
without any taxonomic nomenclature. In thepresent study, rich and diverse palynoasseblage
has been recorded from MKWS intertrappean.
The recovered palynoassemblage is grouped
into 10 genera and 32 species. Out of which,
Aquilapollenites bengalensis, Azolla cretacea
and Gabonisporis vigourouxii are the mostdominating taxa. Due to the presence ofMaastrichtian marker palynotaxa such as
Aquilapollenites bengalensis, Azolla cretacea

and Gabonisporis vigourouxii MKFF is firmly
assigned Maastrichtian age. MKFF has
Spinizonocolpites (Nypa) pollen and Nypa fruit(Bonde, 2008) which suggest marine influencein this intertrappean. Overlying thisintertrappean is Jhilmili intertrappean which
occurs in Dhuma formation. This Intertrappean
did not yield any palynomorphs, however, it
has been dated as Paleocene (Early Danian) on
the basis of P1a zone foraminifera (Keller et al.
2009). The successively overlying, Butera and
Lohara intertrappean between Pipardehi and
Linga formations did not yield any
palynomorph however it is rich in dicot fossil
woods. The overlying Umaria Isra (UI) anddiatomsbearing
Ghat
Parasia(GP)
intertrappeans between Linga and Multai
formations did not yield palynomorphs. Ghat
Parasia intertrappean has good assemblage ofcentric (Aulacoseira) and pinnate diatoms aswell as sponge spicules.
The succesive Pindrai intertrappean(between Multai and Amarwara formations)and Surli intertrappen (between the Khampa
and Kuleru formations) are rich inpalynomorphs. The palynoassemblage ofPindrai comprises of Spinizonocolpites spp.,
Palmaepollenites
nadhamunii,
Palmaepollenites elongatus, Aquilapollenites
bengalensis,
Proxapertites
operculatus,
Sparganiaceaepollenites
reticulates.
The
presence of Spinizonocolpites spp. (Nypa)
indicate
marineinfluence
whereas,Sparganiaceaepollenites reticulatus (Typha)pollen suggests fresh water ponding condition.
The overall pollen data suggest deposition inopen fresh water ponding condition withmarine influence (estuarine condition). The
overlying Surli intertrappean bed yielded agood concentration of palynoflora represented

by 15 genera and 21 species. The dominance of
Sparganiaceaepollenites reticulates (Typha) inthis intertrappean indicate open fresh water
ponding condition.
The palynological and lithologicalanalyses of intertrappean sediments in
Chhindwara indicate changing climaticconditions in Amarkantak Group. The
lowermost intertrappean bed of the MKWS is
associated with black carbonaceous lignitic tosapropelic shales. These shales contain adiverse and well-preserved palynoassemblage
and high concentrations of fungal spores andfruiting
bodies,suggesting ahumid
environment. The immediately overlying
MKFF section contains a diverse megafloral
and palynofloral assemblages suggesting humid
climatic conditions (Kapgate, 2005). The
subsequent climatic shift from humid tosemiarid-arid conditions is indicated in theimmediately overlying Paleocene sediments at
Jhilmiliintertrappean.
Lithology,
clay
mineralogy, and oxygen isotopes of this 14 m
thick intertrappean section suggest depositionin mostly semiarid to arid climatic condition(Keller et al., 2009). Successively overlying
Butera-Lohara, Ghat Parasia and Umaria Israindicate fluctuating climate from arid to humid.
Palynoflora and lithology of Pindrai and Surliintertrappean indicates slightly humid climaticconditions.
Overallanalysisoftheintertrappean deposits of Amarkantak Group in
Chhindwara area indicate long sedimentation
history from Late-Cretaceous (Maastrichtian,
Chron 30N) to Early Paleocene. It also
indicates significant change in climaticcondition from humid-arid to semi-arid andhumid and depositional environment fromestuarine to fresh water ponding.

References:
Bonde, S.D., (2008). Indian fossil monocotyledons: current status, recent developments and future
direction. Palaeobotanist, 57, 141–164.
Chitaley (1951). Fossil megaflora from the Mahagaon kalan beds of the Madhya Pradesh, India.
Proc. Nat. Inst. Sci. India, v. XVII.
Geological Survey of India (2000) District Resource Map, Chhindwara district, Madhya Pradesh.
Kapgate, D. K., (2005). Megafloral analysis of intertrappean sediments with focus on diversity andabundance of flora of Mohagaon Kalan, Mandla and adjoining areas of Madhya Pradesh.
Gondwana Geol. Mag., 20, 31-45.
Kar, R. K., Srinivasan, S., (1997). Late Cretaceous palynofossils from the Deccan intertrappean
beds of Mohagaon Kalan, Chhindwara District. Madhya Pradesh. Geophytology, 27,
17-22.
46

Keller, G., Adatte, T., Bajpai, S., Mohabey, D. M., Widdowson, M., Khosla, A., Sharma, R.,
Khosla, S. C., Getsch, B., Fleitmann, D., and Sahani, A., (2009). K-T Transition in Deccan
Traps of Central India marks major marine seaway across India; Earth Planet. Sci. Lett.,
282, 10-23.
Kumaran, K. P. N., Bonde, and S. D., Kanitkar, M. D., (1997). An Aquilapollenites associatedpalynoflora from Mohagaon Kalan and its stratigraphic implications for age andstratigraphic correlation of Deccan intertrappean beds. Current Sci., 72, 590–592.
Srinivasan, S.,(1996). Late Cretaceous egg shells from the Deccan volcano-sedimentary sequencesof central India, in Sahni, A., ed., Cretaceous stratigraphy and environment. Rama Raovolume. Mem. Geol. Soc. India, 37, 321-336.

47

Pattern of biodiversity changes in Late Cretaceous-Early Paleocene Palynoflora of Deccan
volcanic province
Samant, B. and Mohabey, D. M.
Postgrd. Dept. Geol., RTM Nagpur Univ., Amravati Road, Nagpur-440001, India.
(bandanabhu@gmail.com)
Introduction
Deccan Continental Flood Basalt(DCFB) province covers two third of landmassin the central and western India. Impact of thislarge volcanic event on biota and response of
biota to volcanism induced climatic andenvironmental changes is still under study.
Since last two decades a lot of data has been
generated on the biota of the Late
Cretaceous-Early Paleocene Deccan volcanic
associated sediments, however, the knowledgeof their biodiversity and biotic response tovolcanism has been inadequate owing to thelack of chronostratigraphic constraints on
Deccan volcanic sequences and inadequate
stratigraphic control on sampling of thesediments from the multiple sedimentary beds
(intertrappean) at different stratigraphic levels
within the Deccan volcanic sequences. Henceto understand the impact of 6-7 my long (Shethet al, 2001, Sheth and Pande 2014) volcanismon the biota, the sediments of infratrappean(Lameta
Formation)andsuccessive
stratigraphically controlled intertrappean beds
within Deccan volcanic province were studied.
Lameta sediments are exposed as
detached outcrops in the five inland basins incentral and western India and the intertrappean
sediments are mostly exposed in the fringes of
the DCFB province. Present study has helpedin recording many new intertrappean localities
including palynomorph productive localities intheDeccanvolcanic
province.
Forpalynological study samples were collectedfrom different lithofacies of the Lameta
Formation and successive intertrappean beds
from different groups and formations.
Infratrappean (Lameta Formation)
Sediments of the Lameta Formation
are deposited in a fluvio-lacustarine
environment in semiarid arid climate (Tandon

48

et al, 1995, Mohabey 1996, Mohabey andUdhoji 1996,Mohabey et al, 1993) in Later
Cretaceous (Maastrichtian, Chron 30n-29r).
Sediments are pedogenically modified having
calcrete profile and comprises clays, siltstone,sandstones, marlites and limestones. Of the five
Lameta basins only three basins viz.
Balasinor-Jhabua, Nand-Dongargaon (N-D)
and Jabalpur have been studied in detail for
their lithofacies
and faunalanalysis(summarised by Khosla and Sahni 2003, Prasad2012). Studies have indicated that Lameta
sediments have diverse faunal assemblage
represented by both invertebrates- bivalves,
gastropods
andostracods
andvertebrates-represented by titanosauriform andabelisaurid dinosaurs, pelomedisoid turtles,
madtsoid snakes, crocodiles, frogs, fishes andmammals. Megafossils of plants are rare andare known mostly fom the N-D Basin only. The
reported megaflora include charophytes,
pteridophytes (Isoetes leaf impression),
gymnosperms (Araucarites, Brachiophyllum,
Pagiophyllum, Equisetites) and angiosperms(leaf impressions of palms and dicots),monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous fruits;
Capper of the Capparidaceae, small pieces ofwood attributable to palm, Lecythidaceae(Barringtonioxylon)
and
Sapindaceae(Euphorioxylon).
The palynoflora from the Lameta
Formation is known only from two basinsnamely Jabalpur Basin and Nand-Dongargaon
Basin. Detailed palynological study of the
Jabalpur Basin shows presence of diverse
palynotaxa represented by pteridophytes (13genera), gymnosperm (16 genera) andangiosperm (10 genera) pollen grains. Overall,quantity of angiosperm taxa is more than thegymnosperms and pteridophytes (Dogra et al,1994). In the Nand-Dongargaon basin theangiosperms dominate (8 genera) over thegymnosperms (4 genera). Pteridophytes (1genus) are scarcely represented. Significantly,
Lameta sediments have also yielded oldest
record of freshwater diatoms (Aulacoseira)(Mohabey, 2001, Ambwani et al, 2003),
phytoliths of grasses including rice tribe(Prasad et al, 2005, 2011), pollen grains ofPoaceae and Asteraceae (Samant and Mohabey2009).

cherts while in the upper part at higher levels of
the DVS the sediments are dominated by cherts
and porcellanitic clays/shales. The change inthe broad lithologic characters are suggested asowing to the fluctuating climatic condtions
from humid to semiarid-arid and to humid.
Based on geochemical study of thelava flows it has been suggested (Mohaney
1988, Yedekar et al, 1996) that lava flow
sequence of eastern part of Deccan Volcanic
Sequence (DVS) is independent of Westernpart of DVS and may have a separate site andsource. Therefore, the chemical stratigraphy
proposed by Chennet et al, (2008, 2009) for thewestern DVS is not correlatable with eastern
DVS. Diverse Megaflora represented bypteridophytes,
gymnospermous
andangiospermous plants as well as algal remains
is recorded mostly from the Late Cretaceous(Maastrichtian) deposits of Sahyadri andAmarkantak groups of central India suggesting
long pause in volcanic activity during which
the diverse magaflora developed. Fossil woodsof both dicots and monocots are most common
followed by leafs, fruits and flowers ofangiosperms (Kapgate 1995, Bonde 2005).
Quantitative palynofloral analysis of thepalynoflora in successive intertrappean beds in
different volcanic province shows that in mostof the intertrappean sediments palynoflora hasless diversity and mostly one or two taxa
dominate the overall assemblage. The study
also shows that intertrappean deposits ofMaastrichtian part are characterized by Azolla
cretacea, Gabonisporis vigaurouxii, Triporites
reticulatus, Aquliapollenites bengalensis andNormapollis group pollen. Pollen spore
recovery is very less or nil in the intertrappean
deposits of still higher level, however, in someintertrappean sediments high concentration ofchlamydospores of mycorrhizal fungi isrecorded. The growth of this fungi is related to
the fluctuating lake levels and decreasing soil
moisture (Lodge 1989, Turner and Friese 1998).
Diverse and good palynoflora is recorded fromintertrappean of Paleocene which shows close
similarity with the Paleocene-Lower Eocene
flora of the western India (Federikson 1994,
Saxena 1980).
Overall study indicates that Deccan
volcanic associated Lameta and intertrappean
sediments were deposited in different
depositional environment and fluctuatingclimatic conditions. These changes affected theIntertrappean Sedimentary beds within
DCFB province
Intertrappean beds deposited in Late
Cretaceous to Early Paleocene (Chron30n-29r-29n) in between the Deccan volcanic
flows have records of environmental andclimatic conditions that prevailed during the
volcanism and response of the contemporary
biota to the volcanism. Deccan volcanic flows
and associated sediments are classified into
different groups and formations based on
petrography, flow chemistry and field mappingby Geological Survey of India. Flows of central
and southern India are grouped into SahyadriGroup which is further divided into Ajanta,
Chikali, Karanja and Ritpur formations having
35 basaltic flows and thickness of over 600 m.
Deccanvolcanic
flowsof
sectorare
Chhindwara–Mandla-Jabalpur
grouped into Amarkantak Group having eightformations namely Mandla, Dhuma, Pipardehi,
Linga, Multai, Amarwada, Khampa and Kuleru
formations and about 34 flows. To the north ofNarmada in Dhar and Indore districts the flows
are grouped into Malwa Group which arefurther divided into Mandleshwar, Kalisindh,
Kankaria-Phulbaneri, Indore and Bargonda
formations having 38 flows and total thicknessof 610 m. South of Narmada and up to Salburdi
fault the flows are grouped into Satpura Group
having about 60 flows and compound thicknessof 1200 m. The volcanic flows of north western
India are still unclassified.
The intertrappean beds which were
deposited in small ponds and lakes during
pause in volcanic activity are generally 1-5 m
thick and rarely over 5 m thick intertrappean
deposits are encountered in the Deccan
volcanic Sequence (DVS). The studies showthat lithologically the intertrappean deposits inthe lower part of the DVS are dominated bycherts, porcellanitic clays/shales and limestones,in the middle part by the carbonate dominating
clays, shales and rarely porcellanitic clays and49

biota. The first floral change is observed withthe onset of volcanism when flora was affectedboth by direct and indirect effect of volcanism.
The Lameta flora was terminated and in theintertrappean under changed conditions new
floral assemblage developed. The second majorchange in flora occurred with the increasing

volcanic activity when aridity increased andoverall vegetation growth declined. Later on
during waning phase of volcanic activity flora
established as indicated by qualitative andquantitative
increaseinpalynofloral
assemblage
in
the
Early
Paleoceneintertrappean beds.

References:
Ambwani, K.; Sahni, A.; Kar, R.K.; Dutta, D. 2003, Oldest known non-marine diatoms(Aulacoseira) from the uppermost Cretaceous Deccan Intertrappean beds and Lameta
Formation of India. Revue Micropaleontologie, 46, 67-71.
Bonde, S.D., 2008. Indian fossil monocotyledons: current status, recent developments and future
direction. Palaeobotanist, 57, 141–164.
Chenet, A, L., Fluteau, F., Coutrillot, V., Gerard, M., and Subbarao, K.V., 2008, Determination of
rapid Deccan eruption across the KTB using paleomagnetic secular variation: (I) Resultsfrom 1200 m thick section in the Mahabaleshwar escarpment. J. Geophys. Res, 113, B,
04101.
Chenet, A.-L., Courtillot, V., Fluteau, F., Gerard, M.,Quidelleur, X., Khadri, S.F.R., Subbarao, K.V.
And Thordarson, T. ,2009, Determination of rapid Deccan eruptions across theCretaceous-Tertiary boundary using paloemangnetic secular variation: 2. Constraints fromanalysis of eight new sections and synthesis for a 3500 mthick composite section. J.
Geophys. Res., 114, B06103, doi:10.1029/2008JB005644.
Dogra, N. N., Singh, R. Y., and Kulshreshta, S. K., 1994, Palynostratigraphy of infratrappean
Jabalpur and Lameta Formations (Lower and Upper Cretaceous) in Madhya Pradesh,
India: Cret. Res., 15, 205–215
Frederiksen, N. O., 1994, Middle and Late Paleocene angiosperm pollen from Pakistan: Palynology,
18, 91-137.
Kapgate, D.K., 2005. Megafloral analysis of intertrappean sediments with focus on diversity andabundance of flora of Mohgaon Kalan, Mandla and adjoining areas of Madhya Pradesh.
Gondwana Geol. Mag., 20, 31–45.
Khosla, A., Sahni, A., 2003. Biodiversity during the Deccan volcanic eruptive episode. J. Asian
Earth Sci., 21, 895- 908.
Lodge, D. J., 1989, The influence of soil moisture and flooding on formation of VA-endo- andectomycorrhizae in Pop. Salix: Plant and Soil, 117, 243– 253
Mohabey, D. M., 1996, Depositional environment of Lameta Formation (Late Cretaceous) ofNand-Dongargaon Basin, Maharashtra: the fossil and lithofacies evidence: Mem. Geol. Soc.
India 37, 363–386.
Mohabey, D. M., and Udhoji, S. G., 1996, Fauna and flora from Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) non
marine Lameta sediments associated with Deccan volcanic episodes, Maharashtra: its
relevance to the K/T boundary problem, palaeoenvironment and palaeoclimate: Gondwana
Geol. Mag., Spec. Vol. 2, pp. 349–364.
Mohabey, D. M., Udhoji, S. G., Verma, K. K., 1993, Palaeontological and sedimentologicalobservations on non-marine Lameta Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Maharashtra, India
their palaeoecological and paleoenvironmental significance. Paleo-3. 105, 83-94.
Mahoney, J.J. 1988, Deccan traps. In Macdougall, J.D. (ed) Continental Flood Basalt. Kluwar Acad.
Publ., London. pp. 151-194.
Prasad, G.V. R. 2012, Vertebrate biodiversity of the Deccan volcanic province of India: a review.
Bull. Soc. Geol. Fanace, 183, 597-610.
Prasad, V., Stromberg, C.A.E., Alimonammadian, H., Sahni, A., 2005. Dinosaurian coprolites andthe early evolution of grasses and grazers. Science, 310, 1177-1180.
Prasad, V., Stromberg, C.A.E., Leach, A.D., Samant, B., Patnaik, R., Tang, L., Mohabey, G,S.,
Sahni, A., 2011. Late Cretaceous origin of the rice tribe provides evidence for early
diversification in Poaceae. Nature commun., 2, 480, 1-9.
50Samant, B. and Mohabey, D.M., 2009, Palynoflora from Deccan volcano-sedimentary sequence(Cretaceous-Paleogene transition) of central India: implication for spatio-temporalcorrelation. J. Biosci., 34, 811-823
Saxena, R.K., 1980, Palynology of Matanomadh Formation in the type area, north western, Kutch,
India (Part-2) Palaeobotanist, 26, 279-296.
40
39
Sheth, H. C., Pande, K., and Bhutani, R., 2001. Ar/ Ar ages of Bombay trachytes: evidence for a
Paleocene phase of Deccan volcanism: Geophysical Research Letters, v. 28(18), 3513-3516.
Sheth, H. and Pande, K. 2014 Geological and 40Ar/39Ar age constraints on late-stage Deccan
rhyolitic volcanism, inter-volcanic sedimentation, and the Panvel flexure from the Dongri
area, Mumbai. Asian J. Earth Sci., 84, 167-175.
Tandon, S. K., Sood, A., Andrews, J. E., and Davis, P. I., 1995, Paleoenvironments of dinosaur
bearing Lameta beds (Maastrichtian) Narmada Valley, Central India: Palaeo-3,117,
153-184.
Turner, S. D. and Friese, C. F., Plant mycorrhizal community dynamics associated with moisturegradient within a rehabilitated Prairie fern. Rest. Ecol., 1998, 6, 1-44.
Yedekar, D.B., Aramiki, S., Fujii, T and Sano, T 1996, Chemical signature and stratigraphy of thechindwara-Jabalpur-Seoni and Mandal sector of the eastern Deccan volcanic province andproblems of its correlation. Gondwana Geol. Mag. special vol. 2, pp. 49-68.

51

First Record of Pollen Organ Genus Caytonanthus Thomas, from Early Cretaceous Beds ofSouth Rewa Gondwana Basin, India and its Palaeogeographical SignificancePrakash, N. and Das, N.

Birbal Sahni Inst. Palaeobot., 53 University Road Lucknow, 226007, India(neerup_in@Yahoo.com)
branchlet bear an anther like synangium
composed of four pollen sacs’.
Themicrosporophyll
genus
Caytonanthus has been obtained for the firsttime from Early Cretaceous beds of South
Rewa Gondwana Basin of Indian peninsula. Its
morpho-characters, geographic distribution
along with its plausible southern origin are
documented here.
Plant-fossils(peridophytes,
pteridoperms, bennettitales and conifers), aremostly obtained from buff coloured clay, shaleand lenticular bedded mudstone of 6 meterdeep pit section of Taken area (80°47ˊ20˝ E;
23°41ˊ35˝ N), situated in South Rewa Basin,comprising rocks ranging from Archean toPhanerozoic Eons. Gondwanic sediments
comprise coaliferous nature while Late
Gondwanic sediments contain non- coaliferous
sequences. About seven to eight specimens ofgenus Caytonanthus has been collected fromclay bed and studied under Olympus Stereo
microscope. Photographs are taken by using
Cell Sen software.
Globally, Caytonialean plant remains
are most commonly recorded from Northern
Hemisphere namely England (Thomas 1925,
Harris 1964), Greenland (Harris 1932, 1937),
Poland(Reymanowna
1973),
Sweden(Lundblad 1948), Sardinia (Edwards 1929),
Russia (Krassilov 1977), Japan (Kim & Kimura
1987), Hungry (Barabaka &Boka 2000), North
America (LaPasha and Miller 1985) and Iran(Schweitzer & Kirchner 1998) and aresupposed to be northern in origin. Although it’svegetative part i.e. Sagenopteris Presl leaves
are infrequently reported from Gondwana
sequence of Southern Hemisphere. In South

Pteridosperms (seed ferns) are extinctgroup of large and diverse plant assemblage.
They were dominant elements during
Palaeozoic and were also important component
in Mesozoic vegetation but declined globally in
the Cretaceous time with radiation ofangiosperms. In Mesozoic rocks four groups
are delimited these are Corystospermales(Upper Permian-Cretaceous), Peltaspermales( Peninsylvanian-Triassic) and Caytoniales(Triassic-Cretaceous)
are
known
from
impression and compressions of specimens
while both structurally preserved andcompressed fossils are assigned to Petriellales( Triassic).
Although, Caytoniales never attained
dominant status but their rare occurrence in the
Mesozoic vegetation is quite important andfascinating. For that extinct group of plantremains, Thomas (1925) erected a new order
Caytoniales which was first obtained from
Gristhorpe and Cayton bay beds of Yorkshire.
This group of plant consists of three organ
generaCaytonia(megasporophyll),
Caytonanthus (microsporophyll) and leaves
Sagenopteris. Caytonia stem has been reported
by Harris (1971) from Yorkshire. The
dispersed pollen grains Vitriesporites Leschik
and seed Amphorispermum Harris is also alliedwith this group. Caytonanthus was originallydescribed under the genus Antholithus arberi
by Thomas (1925). But as, the genus
Antholithus was non committal designation forreproductive organ then Harris (1937) erected
Caytonanthus as an organ-genus. He termed‘Caytonanthus as microsporophyll consistingof pinnately branched rachis. Lateral branches
dividing into ultimate branchlets. Each
52

America Sagenopteris has been recorded from
Early to Middle Jurassic (Frenguelli 1941,
Menéndez 1957, Bonetti 1963, Herbst 1965,1966) and from Australia Lower Jurassic ofClarence-Moreton Basin (Jones & DeJersy
1947, Gould 1917, Mc Longhlin & Drinan
1996). While Sagenopteris leaves along withseed cupule Caytonia had been recorded by
Bose & Banerji (1984) from Early Cretaceous
beds of Bhuj Formation, Kachchh Basin andonly Sagenopteris leaf is recorded from Early
Cretaceous Beds of Athgarh Formation of
Mahanadi Basin, India (Patra 1979). Although,till date, Caytonialean remains are unknown
from NewZealand and South African flora.
The vegetative part i.e. Sagenopteris
Presl leaves is reported from Middle-Upper
Jurassic of Gondwana sequence of Southern
Hemisphere with the only record of Genus
Caytonanthus from Hope and Botany Bay of
Antarctica (Rees 1993). From Indian continent
vegetative as well as megasporophyll Caytonia
is recorded from Kachchh basin (Bose &Banerji, 1984). But a definite microsporophyll
genus Caytonanthus has so far not beenrecorded from Indian continent. This is the firstrecord of genus Caytonanthus from the Early
Cretaceous beds of South Rewa Gondwana
Basin of India.
Recently Bhowmik and Parveen(2008) has documented an important
synangiate genus Nidianthus a Caytonanthus like pollen organ, from Middle Triassic beds ofNidpur of South Rewa Basin. Glossopterisleaves have also been documented earlier by
Srivastava (1974, 1988) and Banerji et al(1976) from Nidpur beds. The present
caytonialean find of microsporophyll genus
Caytonanthus is also been documented from its
younger strata i.e. from Early Cretaceous bedsof the same basin. These finds are an array indepicting its southern origin. The occurrence ofoldest record of Nidianthus a Caytonanthus like pollen organ, along with occurrence ofGlossopteris leaves from the same basin
indicate that the Caytoniales were originatedfrom Glossopteridales from Indian continent ofSouthern Hemisphere, as suggested by
Krassilov (1977) and Doyale (2006).

References:
Barbacka M. & Bóka K. 2000.A new Early Liassic Caytoniales fructificationfrom Hungary. Acta
Palaeobt. 4: 85-111.
Bhowmik N, Parveen S. 2008. Nidianthus gen. nov. - A Caytonanthus– likepollen organ from theTriassic of Nidpur, M.P.,India. Palaeobotanist. 57, 389-398.
Bonetti I. R. 1963. Flora mesojurásica de la zonaTaquetrén(CañadóndelZaino), Chubut. Revistadel
Museo Argentino deCienciasNaturales Bernardino Rivadavia. Paleontologia.1:1-43.
Bose M.N. & Banerji, J. 1984. Bose MN,Banerji J. 1984. The fossil floras of
Kachchh.1-Mesozoicmegafossils.Palaeobotanist. 33:1-189.
Banerji J. , Maheshwari, H.K. and Bos, M.N. 1976 Some plant fossils from the Gopad River section
near nidpur, Sidhi istrict, Madhya Pradesh. Palaeobotanist 23: 59-71
Doyle JA. 2006. Seed ferns and the origin of angiosperms. J Torrey BotSoci.133:169-209.
Edwards W.N. 1929. The Jurassic flora of Sardinia. Ann Mag Nat Hist. 10: 385-394.
Frenguelli I. 1941.Sagenopterisy LinguifoliumdelLias de PiedraPintada en el Neuquén (Patagonia).
NotasMiiseo de La Plafa.Paleontologia34:404-437.
Gould, R.E. 1974. Report ofthe fossil plants from Durikai, southeastern Queensland. In:Exonn F,
ReiserrF, Caseyd J, BrunkerRL editors. . The Post-Palaeozoic rocks of Warwick 1:
250,000sheetarea. Queensland and New South Wales. Australian Bureau ofMineral
Resources, Geology and Geophysics Report, No. 140:63-64.
Harris T.M. 1932. The fossil flora of Scoresby SoundEast Greenland, 3: Caytoniales andBennettitales.Medd.omGrønland, 85(5): 1-130.
Harris T.M. 1937. The fossil flora of Scoresby SoundEast Greenland, 5: Stratigraphic relations of
theplant beds. Medd.omGrønland, 112(2): 1-112.
Harris, T. M. 1964. The Yorkshire Jurassic flora II.Caytoniales,Cycadales, and pteridosperms.
British Museum (Natural History),London, UK.
Harris T.M. 1964. The Yorkshire Jurassic Flora, II:Caytoniales, Cycadales and Pteridosperms.
TheBritish Museum (Natural History), London.
Harris T.M. 1971. The stem of Caytonia.Geophytology, 1(1): 23-29.
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Herbst R. 1965. La Flora Fósil de la Formación Roca Blanca, provinciade Santa Cruz, Patagonia.
Con consideracionesGeológicasyEstratigráficas. Opera Lilloana.12:1-101.
Herbst R. 1966. Revisión de la Flora Liásica de PiedraPintada,provincia de Nuequén,
Argentina.Rev Mus La Plata (NS)Pal.5:27-53
Jones O. A, and De Jersey N.J. 1947. Fertile Equisetales and otherplants from the Brighton Beds.
University of Queensland Papers.Deparfment of Geology.3(4):1-16.
Kim J.H, Kimura T. 1987. Cuticle of Sagenopteris (Caytoniales), an extinct gymnospermous plant,
first observed in Japan.ProcJpnAcadSer B PhysBiol Sci. 63:179-182.
Krassilov V.A. 1977 Contributions to the knowledgeof the Caytoniales. Review ofPalaeobotany
and Palynology,24: 155–178.
LaPasha, C.A and Miller C.N. 1985. Flora of the Early Cretaceous Kootenai Formation in Montana;bryophytes
andtracheophytes
excludingconifers.
PalaeontogrAbt
B
Palaeophytol.196:111-145.
Lundblad B. 1948. On some Caytonia plant remains from the coal-mines of Bjuv in Scania(Rhaetic). Sven BotTidskr. 42:84-86.
McLonghlin S and Drinan N. 1996.A Middle Jurassic flora from the Walloon Coal Measures,
Mutdapilly, Queensland, Australia.MemQueensl Mus.38:257-272.
Menéndez C.A. 1957. FlórulajurásicadelBajo de los Baguales enPlaza Huincul, Nuequén.
ActaGeol.Lilloana.1:315-338.
Patra, B.P. 1989 Sagenopteris sp., a rare plant remains from the EastCoast Upper Gondwana
Athgarh Sandstone, Cuttack District, Orissa. J. geol. Soc. India 33:271-275.
Pelzer G. 1984. Cross section through fluvial environment in the Wealden of Horthwest Germany.
Third Symposium on Mesozoic Terrestrial Ecosystem, Tübingen, Short Papers: 181-186.
Rees P.M. 1993. Caytoniales in Early Jurassicfloras from Antarctica.Geobios.26:33-42.
Reymanówna M. 1973. The Jurassic flora fromGrojec near Kraków in Poland, part II:
Caytonialesand anatomy of Caytonia. ActaPalaeobot. 14(2):45-87.
Srivastava, Shyam C. 1974 Pteridospermic remains from the Triassic of Nidpur. M.P., India.
Geophytology 4 :54-59
Srivastava, Shyam C 1988. Sstratigraphic position and age of plant bearing beds. Palaeobot. 36:
154-160.
Thomas H.H. 1925. The Caytoniales, a new group ofangiospermous plants from the Jurassic RocksofYorkshire. Phil. Trans.Royal Soc. London, Ser. B,213: 299-363.
Schweitzer HJ, Kirchner M. 1998 Dierhäto-jurassischenFloren des Iran und Afganistans.11.
Pteridospermophyta und Cycadophyta I.Cycadales. Palaeontographica, B, 248(1-3): 1-85.

54

Campanian-Maastrichtian palynomorph assemblages from East Asia
Yoshino, K.1, 2, Matsuoka, A.3 and Wan, X.2
1

Grad. Schl. Sci. Tech., Niigata Univ., Niigata 950-2181, Japan (F11N009@mail.cc.niigata-u.ac.jp)

2Stat. Key Lab. Biogeol. Env. Geol., China Univ. Geosci., Xueyuan Lu 29, Beijing 100083, China
3

Dept. Geol., Fac. Sci., Niigata Univ., Niigata 950-2181, Japan

Introduction
Knowledge of the Cretaceous climaticchanges has been derived principally fromoceanic scientific drilling, while the study ofterrestrial climate change of this period is still in
its infancy. The Songliao Basin is the largest
Cretaceous oil-gas producing lacustrine basin in
Northeast China. The Songliao paleo-lake was at
its greatest extent in the Late Cretaceous with
continuous sediment deposition (Wan et al., 2013).
In recent years, the Continental Scientific Drilling
Project was carried out to recover nearly complete
Cretaceous terrestrial sedimentary records, which
named the Songke Core-1 (North) (SK1 (N)) andthe Songke Core-1 (South) (SK1 (S)). These cores
will provide unique opportunities to advance theunderstanding of environmental change in the
Cretaceous terrestrial realm.
Global cooling would have occurred
before and after the Campanian/Maastrichtian(C/M) boundary (e.g. Miller et al., 2005). This
cooling event may have affected land plants
and other terrestrial organisms. The Songliao
Basin is expected to provide hints of theinfluence of the cooling event in land. We
examined spore and pollen obtained from theSongliao Basin (SK1 (N)) to discuss theinfluence of the global cooling in terrestrial
region in East Asia.
Campanian-Maastrichtianpalynomorph
assemblages in the Songliao BasinIn the SK1 (N), the C/M boundary is
considered to exist in the section of 400 m
between the uppermost Nenjiang Formation andlower Mingshui Formation, based on
biostratigraphy and magnetostratigraphy (e.g.
Wan et al., 2013). We found 70 genera and 136
species from 13 horizons.
Gao et al. (1999) carried out
palynorogical analysis in the Songliao Basin,
and explained parents of each genus,

55

temperature zone, and humidity of their habitat.
We applied our result to the conclusion of Gao
et al. (1999) for trying to examine
paleaoenvironmental change (Fig. 1). The
assemblages found from meandering riverdeposits were dominated by conifer pollen (e.g.
Abiespollenites
spp.,
Cedripites
spp.,
Pinuspollenites spp., and Psophosphaera spp.).
Meanwhile, other plants of spore and pollen
tended to increase in lake deposits.
Abiespollenites spp., Balmeisporites spp.,
Inaperturopollenites spp., and Ephedripites spp.
are considered to prefer temperate temperature(Gao et al., 1999). These genera were obtained
frequently from the Sifangtai to the lower
Mingshui Formations. Balmeisporites spp. that
lived in a humid environment was obtained
from the lower Sifangtai Formation and thelower Mingshui Formation.
Stratigraphic
positionofCampanian/Maastrichtian boundary In the
Songliao Basin, stratigraphic position of the
C/Mboundary iscontroversial.
We
re-examined the stratigraphic position of thisstage boundary in the SK1 (N), based onmagnetostratigraphy, δ13C curve, and δ18O
curve derived from previous studies. Deng et al.
(2013) revealed its magnetostratigraphy. In the
Geomagnetic polarity timescale (GPTS), the C/Mboundary is in normal polarity of C32 (Gradstein
et al., 2012). Deng et al. (2013) suggested that N2
could be readily correlated with C32n.
Chamberlain et al. (2013) provided δ13C curveand δ18O curve in the Songliao Basin (Fig. 1).
Thibault et al. (2012) reveals δ13C curve in the
GSSP of the C/M boundary, and identified thenegative isotope shift above the C/M boundary.
In the Songliao Basin, the negative isotope shift
was identified in 822.5 m depth (Fig. 1). This
sift could correspond with the negative isotope
shift above the C/M boundary in the GSSP.
Moreover, δ18O values are unstable, andFigure. 1. Integrated stratigraphy and changes of palynomorph assemblages from the uppermost
Nenjiang Formation to the lowest Mingshui Formation.
increased above and below 830 m depth. In themarine sediments, δ18O values revealed similar
isotopic trend above and below the stage
boundary (e.g. Miller et al., 2005). Based on

uppermost Sifangtai Formation (Fig. 1). We
identified that some genera prefer temperatetemperature increased from the upper Sifangtai
Formation, which is above and below the C/Mthem, we suggest that the C/M boundary could
be above and below 830 m depth in the SK1(N) (Fig. 1).

boundary. This fact could be one of influencesof the global cooling. If correct, parents ofAbiespollenites spp., Balmeisporites spp.,
Inaperturopollenites spp., and Ephedripites spp.
could have increased in vegetation by the
global cooling of the C/M boundary.

Influences of global cooling in terrestrial
realm
Plants are sensitive to climate change,
and flora would have been affected by the
global cooling before and after the C/Mboundary. We expect that palynoflora had been
affected by this cooling event. In this study, theC/M boundary is considered to exist in the

Future works
In this study, we proposed a new
stratigraphic position of the C/M boundary in
the Songliao Basin. In the standard
chronostratigraphy, however, the stratigraphic
56

position of the C/M boundary has been definedin marine sediments (e.g. Gradstein et al., 2012).
Lacustrine deposits of the Songliao Basin needto correlate with marine deposits. The Izumi
Group is one of the Upper Cretaceous marine
deposits in southwest Japan. This group yields
spore and pollen, and has a potential to produce
a biostratigraphic framework for theCampanian-Maastrichtian, which is available
for dating of non-marine deposits in the
Songliao Basin and other areas in East Asia.
We found spore and pollen from 17 localities
above and below the C/M boundary in the
Izumi Group. We will attempt to correlate
palynomorph assemblages of the Songliao Basinwith those of the Izumi Group.

References:
China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Daqing Oilfield Limited Corporation, Jilin University,
Resource of Land and Exploration Institute of Technology. 2009. Cretaceous Songliao Basin
Continental Scientific Drilling Project: Songke Core-1 Research Report. 924 pp. (in Chinese).
Chamberlain, C.P., Wan, X., Graham, S.A., Carroll, A. R., Doebbert, A. C., Sageman, B. B.,
Blisniuk, P., Kent-Corson, M. L., Wang, Z., Wang, C. 2013. Stable isotopic evidence forclimate and basin evolution of the Late Cretaceous Songliao basin, China. Palaeo-3, 385:
106–124.
Deng, C.L., He, H.Y., Pan, Y.X., Zhu, R.X. 2013. Chronology of the terrestrial Upper Cretaceous in
the Songliao Basin, northeast Asia. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
385: 44–54.
Gao, R., Zhao, C., Qiao, X., Zheng, Y., Yan, F., Wan, C. 1999. Cretaceous Oil Strata Palynology
from Songliao Basin. Geological Publishing House, Beijing, 373 pp.
Gradstein, F. M., Ogg, J. G., Schmitz, M., Ogg, G. 2012. The Geologic Time Scale 2012. Elsevier,
Boston. 1176 pp.
Li, J., Batten, D.J., Zhang, Y. 2011. Palynological record from a composite core through Late
Cretaceous-early Paleocene deposits in the Songliao Basin, Northeast China and its
biostratigraphic implications. Cret. Res. 32: 1-12.
Miller, K.G., Wright, J.D., Browning, J.V. 2005. Visions of ice sheets in a greenhouse world.
Marine Geol. 217: 215-231.
Thibault, N., Harlou, R., Schovsbo, N., Schiøler, P., Minoletti, F., Galbrun, B., Lauridsen, B.W., Sheldon,
E., Stemmerik, L., Surlyk F. 2012. Upper Campanian-Maastrichtian nannofossil
biostratigraphy and high-resolution carbon-isotope stratigraphy of the Danish Basin:
Towards a standard d13C curve for the Boreal Realm. Cret. Res. 33: 72-90.
Wan, X., Zhao, J., Scott, R.W., Wang, P., Feng, Z., Huang, Q., Xi, D. 2013. Late Cretaceous
stratigraphy, Songliao Basin, NE China: SK1 cores. Palaeo-3 385: 17-30.

57

Evolution of morphotypes of triprojectate pollen during the Late Cretaceous-Paleocene ofEast Asia
Markevich, V. and Bugdaeva, E.
Inst. Biol. Soil Sci. Far Eastern Bran. Russian Acad. Ssc., 159, Prospect 100-letiya, 690022,
Vladivostok, Russia (markevich@ibss.dvo.ru)
The plants produced triprojectate
pollen were widely distributed during the Late
Cretaceous
throughout
then-contiguous
Siberia-western North America landmass (anarea referred to as the Aquilapollenites
province). Triprojectates represent a group ofparent angiospermous plants of unknown
affinities. Their pollen had unusual bizarre
morphology: three equatorial projections
containing all or part of the purported germinal
apertures and as many as two polar projections.
Triprojectate pollen appeared since theTuronian, spread since the Santonian, reached
its acme in the Maastrichtian, during the
Palaeocene lost its role in the palynofloras, andin the Eocene became extinct. Thesepalynomorphs are abundant in the continental
deposits. In the marine beds their significancereduces.
Despite intensive study, precise
morphological delimitation of fossil pollen in
the Triprojectacites group has not beenachieved in the more than 50 years since theirfirst description. Using of light, scanning, andtransmission electron microscopy facilitates todefine internal and external group boundaries.
Triprojectate pollen can be subdivided ingenera by body, sculpture, and aperture types.
M. Farabee (1993) informally recognized 15
morphological types of triprojectates: I.
Heteropolar morphotypes - 1. punctate
spinulate, 2. angled reduced-spinulate; II.
Isopolar morphotypes - 3. psilate angled-body,
4. eureticulate punctate spinulate, 5.
angled-body parallel-striate; 6. radiating-striate,
7. punctate spinulate, 8. punctate spinulatesmooth-poled, 9. clavate isopolar, 10. psilate,11.
strioreticulate
long-colpate,12.
strioreticulate long-colpate lateral-furrowed, 13.
strioreticulate short-colpate, 14. retipilate type,
15. parallel-striate. In some cases these groups
correspond to previously described genera such

58

as Aquilapollenites Rouse, Triprojectus
Mtchedlishvili, Mancicorpus Mtchedlishvili,
and Integricorpus Mtchedlishvili. In addition,
M. Farabee regards four other groups roughly
corresponding to the previously describedpollengenera:Cranwellia
Srivastava,
Pentapollenites Krutzsch, Morinoipollenites
Zhao et Wang, Jianghanpollis Zhao et Wang,
Loranthacites Mtchedlishvili.
Based on our material including morethan 7000 palynological samples we retraced
the geographical and taxonomical distributionof that pollen in the Santonian to the Eocene of
the Amur River region, North-East Russia,
Primorye region, Sakhalin Island and Kuril
Islands. The rocks were retreated using thestandard methods. The high taxonomical
diversity of the Late Cretaceous-Danianpalynoflora of this vast region was revealed.
This palynoflora mainly was dominated byferns and close to Pinaceae and Taxodiaceae.
The angiosperms in the Late Cretaceous andDanian palynofloras generally are a few; thelate Paleocene and Eocene are dominated bypollen of the flowering plants. The share of
triprojectate
polleninpalynologicalassemblages usually not great, but thesepalynomorphs
were
their
permanent
constituents. This palynoflora included morethan 50 species of genera Aquilapollenites,
Pseudoaquilapollenites,
Parviprojectus,
Triprojectus, Mancicorpus, Integricorpus,
Pseudointegricorpus,
Pentapollenites,
Cranwellia, and Fibulapollis, attributed to 13
morphotypes.
In
intracontinental
basins(Zeya-Bureya Basin of Amur River region,
Songliao Basin) triprojectate pollen appeared in
the Santonian (13 species). Its diversity rose
culminating in the late Maastrichtian (43species) and sharply reducing in the Danian.
During this age only one species existed. The

following morphotypes first appeared in the
Santonian: heteropolar punctate spinulate,angled reduced-spinulate; isopolar punctate
spinulate, punctate spinulate smooth-poled,psilate, strioreticulate long-colpate, retipilate
types. Since the Campanian the isopolar
radiating-striate and short-colpate morphotypes
arose. Since the Maastrichtian - isopolar
strioreticulate long-colpate lateral-furrowed
and parallel-striate morphotypes. At the K-Tboundary
majorityof
triprojectates
disappeared; only three morphotypes remained- isopolar punctate spinulate, punctate spinulatesmooth-poled, retipilate, and strioreticulate
long-colpate.
The vegetation with high content of
triprojectates inhabited wet marshy biotopes
with ferns and taxodialeans. The plantcommunities with low diversity andinsignificant share of triprojectates - fluvial
biotopes and one with periodic insiccations.
The conditions of habitats (temperature,humidity) were rather important factors forexistence of triprojectates. However, there has
been no unequivocal determination of theirparent plants' ecological requirements.
In the regions of active volcanism(Primorye region, Sakhalin Island) this pollen
appeared in the Santonian (6 species),
flourishing in the middle Maastrichtian (35species). In the terminal Maastrichtian amountof its species is 26, the early Danian - 8, thelate Danian - 3. It should be noted that alongwith lesser taxonomical diversity the quantityof triprojectate pollen in palynospectra ishigher; its percentage can be more 80%. The
morphotypes are represented by: heteropolarpunctate
spinulateandangledreduced-spinulatemorphotypes;
isopolarradiating-striate, punctate spinulate, punctate
spinulatesmooth-poled,strioreticulate
short-colpate, parallel-striate.
In marine and shoreline sediments(Sakhalin Island, Kuril Islands, Hokkaido
Island) the number of triprojectate pollen
decreased, and its diversity was low: theConiacian - 1 species, the Santonian - 5, theCampanian and lower Maastrichtian - 15,
middle and late Maastrichtian -12, and Danian-10. The following morphotypes were revealed:heteropolar punctate spinulate and angled
reduced-spinulate;isopolareureticulatepunctate spinulate, angled-body parallel-striate;radiating-striate, punctate spinulate, punctate

spinulatesmooth-poled,strioreticulate
long-colpate, strioreticulate short-colpate,
retipilate, parallel-striate.
In
the
Maastrichtian-Danianpalynofloras of the North-East Russia formed
under conditions of paralic coal formation the
triprojectates are not numerous (8 species). The
latest triprojectate pollen (Aquilapollenites
insignis N. Mtch., A. procerus Samoil., A.
spinulosus Funkh., Pentapollenites normalis
Takah.) was revealed from the Eocene
palynoflora of the Alkatvaam and Amaambasins (Chukotka). These species refer to twomorphotypes: isopolar punctate spinulate andpunctate spinulate smooth-poled.
Aquilapollenites spinulosus in eastern
Russia appeared in the end of the Maastrichtian,and this species is characteristic for the Danian.
This taxon is widely distributed in the
Palaeocene of North America and the
Palaeocene and Eocene of North-East, East andCentral China (Song, Huang, 1997). This
speciesdemonstrates
anundoubted
post-Cretaceous record of the triprojectategroup.
Paleoecological analysis revealed thatplants produced triprojectate pollen constituted
slope plant communities.
Triprojectates thus constitute a groupof
evolutionaryandbiostratigraphic
significance. Because of their distinctive
morphology, often short stratigraphic ranges,
facies independence, and relatively widespread
distribution, triprojectates serve as excellent
index
fossilsfor
Cretaceousandpost-Cretaceous sediments. They are frequently
included in palynological zonations (Markevich,
1994, 1995; Nichols et al., 1982; Pocknall,
1987; Srivastava, 1970) and can be used ingeological age assignments.
Triprojectacites are first reported fromthe Turonian of Siberia and possible Turonianof North America. Their subsequent
diversification climaxed during Campanian and
Maastrichtian ages before declining at the endof the Cretaceous. Some taxa apparently
persisted into the Paleogene in Arctic and East
Asian refugia. Although the group was
obviously much reduced, the terminal
Cretaceous
extinctionofall
triprojectate-producing plants may thus be
merely illusory.
59

The Cretaceous coal-forming plants of southern part of East Siberia and Russian Far East
Bugdaeva, E. V. and Markevich, V. S.
Inst. Biol. Soil Sci., Far Eastern Bran. Russian Acad. Sci., 159, Prospect 100-letiya, 690022,
Vladivostok, Russia (bugdaeva@ibss.dvo.ru)
The coal formation was linked with thedevelopment of plant communities produced alarge biomass at the same time possessed
relatively simple structure. A considerable part ofphytomass removed from swamp ecosystems as
mortmass.
The
great
importancehadpaleoecological and taphonomical factors,
encouraged rapid burial of plant remains.
The coal seams are particular subject of
paleobotanical research. The study of initial plantmaterial has great importance for knowledge ofgenesis of coal, its composition, and quality ofcoal.
Many elements of the coal-forming
plant community can still be identified in the coal.
At the time of the mire formation and growth,
climatic conditions were such that very little
sediment was being transported into the basinallowing biogenic sedimentation, with almost
complete absence of clastic sediments. Therefore,
it is possible to assume that plants that gave riseto the coal deposits were autochthonous andprovided the first elements of peat accumulation.
Since the clastic deposits represent the materialtransported from the source area, phytofossil
assemblages from the terrigenous deposits
between the coal layers are often mixed,
consisting of elements from both the slope andlowland communities.
To obtain cuticles of the coal-forming
plants, the coals were oxidized by concentrated
nitric acid, washed with distilled water, then,treated with 10% alkali (KOH) and rinsed. The
cuticular membranes were mounted on
permanent slides for observation under a lightmicroscope (LM) or were placed on standard
stubs, splutter coater with gold and imaged usinga scanning electron microscope (SEM).
Photographs were produced using a Zeiss
Axioscop 40 with camera Axiocam HRc lightmicroscope and a Zeiss EVO-40 scanningelectron microscope (IBSS FEB RAS).
60

The
coal-bearing
depositsofTransbaikalia(Chita-Ingoda,
Khilok,Bukachacha, Turga-Kharanor basins), Amur
River region (Bureya Basin) and Primorye region(Razdolnaya and Partizansk basins) were studied.
The coals from thick productive and thin seams
were sampled.
On
thisterritorytheTithonian-Valanginian, and Barremian-Albian
stages of coal formation can be distinguished.
During this time favorable conditions forexistence of mire vegetation occurred. The
abundant plant material was feedstock for peat
accumulation and coal origin. Coal-forming
plants buried in close proximity to their habitats.
The very thin cuticles of ferns do not remain after
chemical maceration of coal, but their spores,
having exine resistant to acids and alkali, canevidence about existence of ferns in mirevegetation.
Bothpalaeobotanicalandpalynological data revealed plants contributed incoal formation.
The Bureya Basin located in upper partof the Bureya River has been the best subject ofstudy of the Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceouscoal-bearing deposits, because the sequence of
this tectonic structure includes productive coalsof the Tithonian, Berriasian, Barremian, andAptian ages. The coals of other ages are thin anddo not have commercial significance.
The Upper Jurassic strata were
deposited in brackish coastal environments.
Characteristic of the Late Jurassic epoch arehomogeneous composition, not clearly defineddifferentiation, low diversity and smoothedzonation of vegetation. The main coal-forming
plants were cyatheaceous ferns, ginkgoaleans,and conifers. This stage is most conspicuous in
Bureya Basin. The coal-bearing Upper Jurassic(Talyndzhan Formation) to Lower Cretaceous(Dublikan, Soloni, Chegdomyn, and Chemchukinformations) deposits have thickness about
200-3000 m.
Palynological assemblage of the
Talyndzhan Formation is characterized by
predominance of fern spores, mainly have been
assigned to osmundaceous and cyatheaceous
ferns (up to 90%). The participation of diverse
mosses is considerable. Gymnosperms are
dominated by pollen close to Pinaceae andGinkgocycadophytus. The plant megafossils of
this stratigraphic unit are represented byhorsetails, bryophytes, ferns, cycadophytes,
ginkgoaleans, czekanowskialeans, and conifers(Vachrameev, Doludenko, 1961; Krassilov, 1972,
1973, 1978). The burials are dominated byginkgoaleans and czekanowskialeans, the role offerns and cycadophytes is high. The
representative of ginkgoaleans (Pseudotorellia
angustifolia
Dolud.)
sometimes
forms
monospecific burials; their cuticle remains arecommon in coals. Perhaps, this arboreal plantprevailed in mire vegetation, osmundaceous andcyatheaceous ferns were in understory.
Cycadophytes are often abundant in the clastic
beds, but coals entirely lack remains of theseplants. Consequently, cycadophytes were notconstituent of mire vegetation.
The
Lower
Cretaceous(theBerriasian-Valanginian) strata accumulated invast swampy lowlands. The peculiarity of
palynological assemblage from Dublikan
Formation (the Berriasian) is considerable
amount of fern spores (up to 84%). Among
gymnosperms as well as Classopollis prevails inparallel with conifers. The floristic changes at theJurassic-Cretaceous boundary have consisted in
the increase of ferns and cheirolepidiaceous
gymnosperms, which might be related to themarginal uplift and drier climate (Markevich,
1981, 1995; Markevich, Bugdaeva, 2008).
The coal-forming plants are represented by
Bilsdalea Harris, 1952, Eretmophyllum H. Tomas,
1913.
Palynological assemblage of Soloni
Formation (the Valanginian) is dominated byconifers (up to 60%) and Ginkgocycadophytus.
Ferns reduce up to 50%. The gleicheniaceous andschizaeaceous ferns have assumed great
importance.
In the middle Cretaceous the sea retreats
from this area and the coal are accumulated in theinterior depressions. The palynoflora of
Chegdomyn Formation (the Barremian) isrepresented by mainly spores of Cyathidites.
61

Ginkgocycadophytus and conifers prevail among
gymnosperms. The diversity and amounts offerns are high in palynological assemblage ofChemchukin Formation (the Aptian); they are
represented by cyatheaceous, gleicheniaceousand osmundaceous ferns. The Pinaceae andTaxodiaceae predominate among gymnosperms.
The involvement of Ginkgocycadophytus remains
rather high.
The cyatheaceous ferns, conifers
Bilsdalea,
ginkgoaleans(Pseudotorellia
angustifolia Dolud., P. longifolia Dolud.,
Sphenobaiera urgalica Krassil., S. ikorfatensis(Sew.) Florin), and provided a basis for the Early
Cretaceous mire plant communities. The
osmundaceous ferns lost their significance andgleicheniaceous and schizaeaceous replaced them.
Essential features of these plant communities are
inherited from the Jurassic vegetation.
Based on a number of criteria, such as
the abundance of bryophytes, cycadophytes index
and replacement of ecological dominance, V.A.
Krassilov has suggested a warming trend during
the Talyndzhan and Dublikan time. Follow by acooling trend in Soloni and Chegdomyn time.
The czekanowskialeans are reduced whereas
cheirolepidiaceous plants increase during the
Chemchukin climatic warming (Krassilov, 1973).
The Barremian-Albian stage was in agreat part. Coal accumulation was manifested onvast areas of Siberia and Far East. During theBarremian-Aptian main coal-forming plants
variedincomposition
dependingonenvironments.
In Transbaikalia the study of coals in
Chita-Ingoda,
Khilok,Bukachacha,andTurga-Kharanor basins revealed that they areformedbyremainsofginkgoaleans(Pseudotorellia, Sphenobaiera and Baierella),
conifers of pinaceous (Farndalea Bose, 1955)
and araucariaceous affinity, cheirolepidiaceous
plants (Pagiophyllum sp.) as well bycyatheaceous and gleicheniaceous ferns.
In Primorye region there are twocoal-bearing Razdolnaya and Partizansk basins.
In the latter Starosuchan Formation of the Aptian
age was studied. The coals of this stratigraphic
unit are mostly composed of remains oftaxodialean Elatides asiatica (Yok.) Krassil.,subordinate Miroviaceae, rare ginkgoalean
Pseudotorellia sp., and bennettite Nilssoniopterisrithidorachis (Krysht.) Krassil. The spores
Gleicheniidites and pollen Taxodiaceaepollenites
are dominant in the palynospectra.

In Razdolnaya Basin the unique resinous
coals (rhabdopissites) occur in upper part of
Lipovtsy Formation. The plants that produced
them are revealed. They belong mainly to thegroup Miroviaceae (Mirovia orientalis (Nosova)
Nosova), ginkgoalean Pseudotorellia krassilovii
Bugd., in a less degree these coals are composedof other groups of conifers and bennettites N.
rithidorachis, N. prynadae, Anomozamites
arcticus Vassil. An important role in the coalformation based on the palynological data playedalso cyatheaceous and gleicheniaceous ferns.
So, the Early Cretaceous coal-forming
plants comprise cyatheaceous, gleicheniaceous,
osmundaceous, and schizaeaceous ferns,

62

ginkgoaleans (Pseudotorellia, Sphenobaiera
and Baierella), bennettites, and conifers having
pinaceous,taxodiaceous,araucariaceous,cheirolepidiaceous, and miroviaceous affinity.
The
conservatismoftaxonomic
composition of mire plant communities is related
to similar environments. It is well known thatcoal accumulation was controlled by tectonics,
climatic conditions, and the structures of
ecosystems that provided the organic material forthe coal formation.
Our research was supported by grantsof Presidium RUS (12-I-P28-01), FEBRAS(12-III-А-06-070,
14-III-D-06-005,
14-III-D-06-009).

Geoparks highlighting Cretaceous
The Tumbler Ridge Aspiring Geopark*, northeast British Columbia, Canada: theinterrelation of significant geology, outstanding recreation potential, economic development,
and strong community participation
Haggart, J. W.1, Helm, C. W.2, McCrea, R. T.2, Buckley, L. G.2 and Sharman, K.2
1Nat. Res. Canada, Geol. Surv. Canada, 1500-605 Robson Street, Vancouver, British Columbia
V6B 5J3 Canada (Jim.Haggart@NRCan-RNCan.gc.ca)

2

Peace Reg. Palaeontol. Res. Cent., P.O. Box 1540, Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia V0C 2W0
Canadablastoids, bryozoans, and bivalves. In addition
to their common invertebrate faunas of bivalves,ammonoids, and belemnoids, Mesozoic strataof the region contain abundant vertebrates andinclude the internationally-renown Wapiti Lake
locality, with over 20 known genera of fishes,among them sharks and ray-finned andlobe-finned fishes, including coelacanths.
Marinereptilesincludeichthyosaurs,
myxosaurs, and thalattosaurs. Cretaceous strata
include both marine and non-marine deposits,with common ammonites, bivalves, gastropods,
reptiles in marine facies, and vertebrates in
non-marine facies. Some of the first dinosaur
tracks in western Canada were found in thePeace River canyon region, just north of the
proposed Geopark boundary. Subsequentdiscoveries over the past two decades have justbegun to highlight one of the world’s great
dinosaur trackway regions, with numerous taxa
of dinosaur and other vertebrate tracks having
been identified in the proposed Geopark area,
including the world’s first tyrannosaurid
trackways. Although tracks are plentiful, actual
fossil remains of dinosaurs and othervertebrates are only now being recovered,
thanks to the persistent work of researchers at
the regional Peace Region Palaeontology
Research Centre (PRPRC), based in Tumbler
Ridge. Finally, overlying all older geology isextensive evidence of the great thicknesses of
ice that covered the region during the
Wisconsin glacial period; such evidence
includes moraines, tills, and glacial lake

The Tumbler Ridge region ofnortheastern British Columbia, Canada, isendowed with significant geological features,
important paleontological heritage, andstunning natural beauty. The human history ofthis area is likewise diverse, with anappreciable First Nations presence and asubsequent history of habitation anddevelopment based on natural resources. Morerecently, tourism has become an importanteconomic driver for the region. For all of thesereasons, the Tumbler Ridge region is a natural
candidate to join the Global Geoparks
Network.
The Tumbler Ridge region sits at thejunction of the Interior Plains of Canada andthe eastern Rocky Mountains. As such, it
includes a diversity of geological domains,
each with its own important aspects andgeomorphological characters. The region
exhibits abundant evidence of the great
orogenic event that created the Rocky
Mountains, and great thrust faults related to thistectonism exhibit strong control on erosion andgeomorphologic evolution. Sedimentary rocks
predominate and include late Precambrianthrough Late Cretaceous strata, with anoverlying covering of Pleistocene glacial
deposits. Carbonate and clastic deposits areboth known in abundance, and the former ishost to extensive karst and cavern development.
Paleozoic strata contain abundant trilobites,
nautiloids
andammonoids,
corals,stromatoporoids,
brachiopods,
crinoids,
63

terraces. Pleistocene vertebrate fossils are also
to be found in these relatively young geologic
deposits.
The underlying geology and northern
climate of the Tumbler Ridge region are
responsible for the rich natural history thatcharacterizes the region, including extensive
boreal forests and delicate alpine regions. The
forestedlowlands
andhigh-elevation
mountaintops provide a diverse array ofrecreational
opportunities,
includingrock-climbing and alpine mountaineering,glacier travel and ice-climbing, cross-country
skiing and snowmobile travel, spelunking,mountain biking, canoeing and kayaking,jet-boat experience on river rapids, hiking to
the many dozens of spectacular waterfalls thatthe region is home to, and stargazing andviewing the aurora borealis.
The harvesting of forest products
provides a significant resource contribution in
the region but the big economic drivers havebeen mineral resource extraction anddevelopment. Coal in Cretaceous strata has
been an economic resource staple for decades;
indeed, the community of Tumbler Ridge wasfounded in support of local coal mining. Morerecently, natural gas in Triassic and younger
strata is opening up a new era of energy-related
export and development, so crucial for
supporting Canadian social programs. The
cyclical nature of resource extraction, however,has necessitated that local communities
embrace a wider range of employment options,and eco-tourism in support of the above-noted
recreational opportunities now provides
invaluable local economic support.
The Tumbler Ridge Aspiring Geopark
initiative has grown out of the recognition thatthe region harbours a vast assemblage ofsignificant geological features, to which thehuman and natural history are inextricably
bound. Such diversity of geological andecological phenomena has resulted in alandscape rich in natural landscapes and superb
recreational opportunities. The community ofTumbler Ridge recognized the unique aspectsof this region and its scientific, economic, andrecreational significance to the global
community, and has thus moved to promote thepositive tourism values associated with
Geoparks. The community developed aBusiness Plan to assess the potential economic
benefits that would accrue from achieving
Geopark status, and then has worked diligently
to garner support for the proposal from
communities, local First Nations, industry, andmultiple levels of government. Whether or not
the proposal for Geopark status is successful,
the Tumbler Ridge region has grown
immeasurably through its efforts to generateinternational interest in the wonderful natural
beauty inherent in the region and its
communities.
* This Geopark proposal is not formallyendorsed by the Geological Survey of Canadaor Natural Resources Canada

64

65

Korean National Geoparks and tentative Global Geoparks in Korea:
Mudeungsan Area and Korean Cretaceous Dinosaur CoastMin HuhFaculty of Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences & Korea Dinosaur Research Center,
Chonnam National University, Gwangju 500-757, Republic of Korea<minhuh@jnu.ac.kr>
In Korea, we have five Korean
National Geoparks, 1 nominated Korean
National Geopark (Mudeungsan Area Geopark)and 1 Global Geopark (Jeju Island Geopark).
Korean National Geoparks Network consist of
Busan Geopark, Cheongsong Geopark,
Gangwon Peace Geopark, Jeju Geopark andUlleungdo-dokdo Geopark. Among them,unique and tentative global geopark areas with
universal scientific values are located in thesouthwestern and southern part of Korean
peninsula: Mudeungsan Area and Korean
Cretaceous Dinosaur Coast.
Jeju Island Geopark listed as Global
Geoparks Network in 2010 is the emergent
portion of an intraplate basaltic volcanic fielddeveloped during the last 1.8 Ma. The island ismade up of a broad and gently sloping lava
shield and also dotted by at least 360 volcanic
cones and craters. The geopark includes 12
universal geosites.
Mudeungsan Area Geopark compose
of a wide range (> 11 km2) of columnar joints inhigh altitude (> 750 m). The columnar joints are
made up of Mudeungsan Tuff, which is thought
to be a result of a large-scale volcanic activity
during the Late Cretaceous. The size of column
joint is much larger in scale than any othercolumnar joints reported around the world. Also
there is a variety of geo-heritage sites locatednear the area, including the Hwasun Dinosaur
Track Site, Hwasun Dolmen Park, Rock Cliffs,
Hot Springs, Coalfield, Caves, Talus Slopes etc.
Korean Cretaceous Dinosaur Coast(KCDC) are well known by its universal andscientific significance, and are listed as atentative site for the UNESCO World Heritage.

Dinosaur fossil sites are one of the best known
regions in the world for Cretaceous fossil
footprints, which are also world-renowned. The
sites have produced more scientifically named
bird tracks (ichnotaxa), and have also produced
the world’s largest pterosaur tracks. Dinosaur
tracksites also have the highest frequency ofvertebrate track-bearing levels currently known
in any stratigraphic sequence. Dinosaur fossil
sites rank very highly. Objective analysis ofimportant individual tracksites and tracksite
regions must be based on multiple criteria
including size of site, number of tracks,
trackways and track bearing levels, number ofvalid named ichnotaxa including types, numberof scientific publications, and the quality ofpreservation. There is an outdoor dinosaur
education park including museum, protected
hall at the all KCDC sites as well as a pathway
with interpretive signs. A striking feature of thedinosaur sites is the intense interest in utilizing
the sites for school and community education.
These sites span the whole Cretaceous to theend of the 'Age of Dinosaurs' and provide
considerable insight into the ecology andbehavior of dinosaurs in contrast to the moreabundant, but less-securely date, nearby
Mongolian and Chinese body-fossil deposits.
KCDC area consists of various, differentiatedKorean traditional cultural asserts such as
Buddhist and confucianism remains, traditional
foods, ancient and mordern arts, folk culturesand festivals. Many sites are protected as
National Monuments and have been developed
for public education and geotourism associatedwith its adjacent cultural and historical
heritages, geographical and scenic sites.

66

Development of geopark activities of the past 10 years in Japan
Takagi, H.1 and Watanabe, M.2
1

Depart. Earth Sci., Waseda Univ., 169-8050, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo, Japan. hideo@waseda.jp
2Geol. Mus., AIST, 305-8567, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, JapanThe activities related to geoparks were
initially promoted in 2003 by Prof. S. Hada
regarding San-in Coast National Park in Japan.
Subsequently, Prof. Hada would becomechairman of Japan National Committee for
IGCP by 2011. Dr. A. Iwamatsu (Geological
Information Utilization and Promotion
Initiative: GUPI) started to promote geopark
activities in 2004 when the Global Network of
National Geoparks (GGN) was established. The
Geological Society of Japan organized the
Geoparks Establishment Promotion Committee
in 2005 in cooperation with the National
Institute of Advanced Industrial Science andTechnology (AIST)．In 2006, Dr. W. Eder,
UNESCO senior advisor, was invited by AIST
to assist the establishment of geoparks. Startingin 2006, Japanese organizations outside of the
Earth science community became more active
in promotion of geoparks. Activities of IYPE
(UNESCO-IUGS program) were held in
2007-2009. In 2007, mayors of ninemunicipalities in Japan established the Japan
Geoparks Promotion Council (later Japan
Geoparks Network: JGN), and started to plan
Japanese geoparks. In 2008, the Japanese

Geoparks Committee (JGC, chaired by K. Oike,
Professor Emeritus, Kyoto University) wasestablished as the official accreditation agency
of geoparks in Japan. The committee iscomposedofgeoscience
professionals
nominated by Japanese geoscience societies
such as the Geological Society of Japan, theAssociation of Japanese Geographers, Japan
Association for Quaternary Research, theVolcanological Society of Japan, theSeismological Society of Japan, Natural Parks
Foundation, Japan Geotechnical Consultation
Association and AIST. In this year, JGN has
established and started Japanese geopark
activities. Six GGN geoparks are included inthe 33 JGN geoparks that have been establishedsince 2008, indicating that the number ofJapanese geoparks has increased very rapidly(Table 1). The reason for such a rapid increaseis probably because sustainable development isan urgent issue for rural regions due todecreasing birthrate and aging population. The
number of geoparks in Japan most likely willcontinue to increase over the next ten years,
because there are already 17 candidate areas forJapanese geoparks now.

Table 1. Histry of geopark establishment number of GGN and Japanese geoparks (JGN).

67

More than 60% of the 33 JGN
geoparks are related to active volcanism, andabout 10 are related to the Cretaceous period
includingstratigraphy,
fossilsandpaleo-environment.
The activities of the GGN have been
supported by the initiative of UNESCO in lastten years, however, to develop GGN activities,
guidelines of the UNESCO Global Geopark
within the plan of IGGP (International
Geoscience and Geoparks Programme)
combined with IGCP and GGN have been
recently discussed in the working group of
UNESCO.

68

Land-oceon linkage: correlation, sedimentology and paleoenvironments I
Cretaceous ecosystems of southeastern continental margin of Russia and their evolution
Kirillova, G. L.
Russian Acad. Sci., Far Eastern Branch (kirillova@itig.as.khb.ru)
Yu.A. Kosygin Inst. Tectonics and Geophy.
Cretaceous ecosystems of continental
margin of Russia were rather diversified andthey were repeatedly affected by global andregional factors.
Spatially there are distinguished twolarge regions where the Cretaceous sediments
accumulated, namely, Sikhote-Alin–Lower
Amur (Anoikin et al., 2007; Kirillova, 2011)
and the eastern margin of the Central Asian
orogenic belt (Fig.1). They differ greatly. The
first region is characterized by the deposition of
mostly marine sediments, whereas the second
one by continental (terrigenous coal-bearing
and volcanogenic) sediments.
During the Early Cretaceous, thesoutheastern margin of Russia was located at
the junction of three zoogeographicalprovinces: Boreal, Tethyan, and Pacific, andtwo paleofloristic realms: Siberian-Canadianwith moderately warm climate and Euro-Sinian
subtropic (Vakhrameev, 1988; Kirillova et al.,2000).
The Early Cretaceous environment
closely follows that of the Upper Jurassic. An
extended marginal marine basin with island
arcs existed in the east (Kiselevka-Manomazone) in the Late Jurassic (Tithonian)–Valanginian. Recent investigations suggested
thatcherts,volcanites,
argillaceous
siliceous-clayey shales containing radiolarians
accumulated at a low rate of sedimentation.
They indicated the basin plain environment
with volcanic structures crowned withlimestone “caps” (Anoikin et al., 2007;
Kirillova and Anoikin, 2001). Further west, in
the Komsomolsk series of the Gorin zone, thebuchians such as Buchia aff. inflata (Toula)Lah., B. cf. wollosovitchi (Sok.), and B. cf.
keyserlingi Lah. along with radiolarians were
found in the argillaceous facies. Ammonites

were rare in occurrence. Tethyan bivalves andammonites also occur indicating a shelfenvironment, but Boreal fauna of buchia waspredominant. Olistostromes composed ofolistoliths are widely distributed too. These arerepresented by Carboniferous, Permian
formations
withtheprevalenceofMiddle-Upper Triassic cherts. Clay shales,mudstones, tuffaceous siltstones and Late
Jurassic acid tuff form the matrix. Laterally (tothe east), shelf facies are rapidly replaced byturbidites (trench slope environment) whichcontain no fauna. However, fucoids areuniversal in occurrence.
Westward,
intermountainbasinsofsubmeridional
extension(Bureya,
Zeya-Bureya) were filled up with continental
sediments of a thick river system with abundantlakes and bogs in which peat accumulated.
There a rich assemblage of fossil flora is
known, among which are Coniopteris
hymenophylloides, Cladophlebis nebbensis, C.
haiburnensis,
Podazamines
lanceolatus,
Sphenopteris nantogensis, and others.
In the Hauterivian to Barremian adepositional hiatus was fixed for the most partof the studied territory. But in the east of
Sikhote-Alin a marine sedimentation continued.
Nevertheless, Buchia were replaced byinocerams represented by heteropteria,colonicerams (Markevitch, et al., 2000). In the
Barremian ammonites Crioceratites cf.
emericii and Barremites sp. inhabited at thedepths of 300-400 m have come into existence(Baraboshkin, Enson, 2003). The continental
ecosystems of the western area were dominatedby fluvial, lacustrine, and bog environments
where terrigenous coal-bearing sediments about1000 m thick accumulated. In the conditions oftemperate warm humid climate two floristic
69

sandstone,siltstone
andclay shales
accumulated. Boreal seas were dominated by
the marine boreal biocoenoses. Additionally,
aucellines became widely distributed (Sha et al.,2009). Ammonite distribution provide evidence
on a relatively equilibrium between the Boreal
and Tethyan seas.
As a result of the Albian tectonic
movements and intrusion a Cretaceous
tectono-stratigraphic complex acquired anappe-plicated structure. By the end of the
Albian an essential rejuvenation in biota took
place.
In intracontinental basins in the Aptian throughAlbian continental coal-bearing sediments up
to 2 km thick continued to form under the
influence of riftogenic processes. They weremarked by rich floral assemblages: Ruffordia
goeppertii(Dunk)
Nath.,
Asplenium
dicksonianum Heer, Coniopteris compressa
Vassil., Birisia onichiodes (Vassil. et K.-M.)
Samyl., Onichiopsis psilotoides (Stock. etWebb) Ward., Gingo ex gr. adiantoides (Ung.)
Heer., Cephalotaxopsis heterophylla Holl.,
Araliaephyllum sp., Cisites sp., Cinamomoides
elongate Koshm., and cones of Sequoia cf.
condita Lesg.
Due to activation of differential
tectonic movements, there were formed
structures of ridges and basins (Cao et al.,2013) the most distinctly manifested in the
Zeya-Bureya Basin (Fig. 2). In the valleys,affected by river currents, conglomerate beds
about 600 km thick were deposited (Kirillova
et al., 2012).
The
Late
Albianto
Paleogene
Okhotsk-Chukotka and East Sikhote-Alinvolcanic belts are referred to post-accretionary
formations. On the basis of the studies carriedout by many researchers (Volcanogenic …,
1989) six phytostratigraphic horizons havebeen determined for the Late Cretaceous. The
first three of them belong to the
Okhotsk-Chukotka
province.
They arePetrozuevsky (Late Albian-Early Turonian)with a rich floral assemblage, spores and pollen
dominated by gymnosperms; Arzamazovsky(Middle Turonian to Middle Coniacian) withthe predominance of flowering plants among
palynoflora, and the Kisinsky horizon (Late
Coniacian to Early Santonian) with theprevalence of Sequoia. It should be noted thatthe boundary of the provinces shifted due to theclimatic changes. The upper three assemblages

assemblages formed, Soloni and Chemchuki.
They are most fully represented in the sectionsof the Bureya Basin (Kirillova et al., 2012).
The first assemblage of the Berriasian to
Valanginian age is marked by ferns,
Bennettitales, Cycadaceae, and Ginkgoales andthe appearance of Schizaea, typical Cretaceous
flora. In the Chemchuki assemblage of theHauterivian to early Aptian age the dominants
were replaced by Lobifolia novopokrovskii,
Sphenopteris
lepiskensis,
Athrotaxopsis
expansa, and Elatocladus manchurica. In the
Barremian the first flower plants appeared. A
sharp reduction in cycadophytes indicatescooling.
In the Aptian through middle Upper
Albian, two marine troughs became isolated
being separated by the central uplift, in which
thick (about 6 km) cyclically intercalated70

are of a younger age and they are assigned to
the Japan province which is characterized by awarm climate with an optimum in theCampanian. In the Santonian to Campanian thevegetation is represented by diverse andabundant tropical and subtropical species.
There
three
horizons
areidentified:
Monastyrsky (Late Santonian to Early
Campanian), Samarga (Late Campanian to
Early Maastrichtian), and Bogopolsky (Late
Maastrichtian).
According to Krassilov (1989), an
abrupt change in vegetation occurred in East
Sikhote-Alin belt at the Cretaceous-Paleogene
boundary. Spore and pollen assemblages show
an increase in pollen, close to that of thepresent (Markevich, 1995).
In the recent years much attention has
been
paid
to
examinationoftheCretaceous/Paleogene boundary in Priamuryein the course of the Russian-Chinese projects.
Geochemical
andpaleontologicalinvestigations were made aiming to determine
the causes responsible for a sharp change inbiota and dinosaur extinction at theCretaceous-Paleogene boundary.
It should be also taken into
consideration
constant
attentiontoenhancement of the Cretaceous stratigraphic
scale for Russsia and, in partilucar, its Boreal
standard at the annual stratigraphic meetings
concerning Cretaceous stratigraphy andpaleography of Russia (Baraboshkin et al.,2013).
This work was financially supported by the Far
East Branch of the Russian Academy of
Sciences (project nos. 12-1-P27-06 and12-11-SU-080009.

References:
Anoikin V.I., Kirillova G.L., Eichwald L.P. New concepts of the composition, structure and age ofthe lower Amur fragment of the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous accretionary prism,
Russian Far East. Russian J. Pacific Geol. 2007. N. 6. P. 556-571.
Baraboshkin E.Yu., Enson K.V. Paleobathymetry of K1v-ap basin, Mountain Crimea, from indicesof ammonite cone strength. Bull. Moscow State Univ. Geol ser. 2003. No. 4. P. 8-17 [inRussian].
Baraboshkin E.Yu. et al. The Cretaceous stratigraphic scale of Russia: state of affairs, major
problems, and the ways of its improvement In General stratigraphic scale of Russia: stateof affairs and a problem of its improvement. Moscow: Geol.Inst. RAS, 2013. P. 289-297.
Сао С.R., G.L. Kirillova, A.P. Sorokin et al. Structure and evolution of the Sunwu-Jiayin Basin in
NE China and its relation to the Zeya-Bureya Basin in the Far East of Russia // Russian
Journal of Pacific Geology. 2013. Vol. 7, N 6. P. 420-429.
Kirillova G.L. The Cretaceous of the East Asian continental margin: stratigraphy, paleogeography,
and paleoclimate // Island Arc. 2011. V. 20. Pp. 57-77.
Kirillova G.L., Krapiventseva V.V., Zabrodin V.Yu. et al. The Bureya sedimentary basin:
Geological and geophysical characteristics. Geodynamics, and Fuel and Energy Resources/ Vladivostok: Dalnauka, 2012. 360 p. [in Russian].
Kirillova G.L., V.S. Markevich and V.F. Belyi V.F. Cretaceous environmental changes of East
Russia In Cretaceous Environments of Asia / H. Okada and N.J. Mateer (eds.). Elsevier
Science, 2000. P. 1-48.
Krassilov V.A. The Cretaceous time. Evolution of the Earth’s crust and biosphere. M.: Nauka, 1985.
239 p. [in Russian].
Markevitch P.V. et al. Lower Cretaceous deposits of Sikhote-Alin. Vladivostok: Dalnauka, 2000.
283 p.[in Russian].
Markevitch V.S. Cretaceous palinoflora of the northern East Asia. Vladivostok: Dalnauka, 1995.
200 p. [in Russian].
Sha J.G., Wang J.P., Kirillova G.L. et al. Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous of Sanjiang-Middle
Amur Basin: Non-marine and marine correlation // Sci China Ser. D-Earth Sci, 2009,52(12):1873-1889.
Vakhrameev V.A. Jurassic and Cretaceous floras and climates of the Earth. M.: Nauka, 1988. 210 p.
[in Russian].
Volcanogenic Cretaceous of the Far East. Vladivostok: FEB USSR Acad., 1989. 148 p. [inRussian].
71

Isotopic evidence for earliest Cretaceous climate change: new data from Siberia

Shurygin B. N.1,2, Dzyuba O. S.1, Izokh O. P.3 and Kosenko I. N.1,2

1
2

Trofimuk Inst. Petrol. Geol. Geophy. SB RAS, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia

Novosibirsk State Univ., 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia (shuryginbn@ipgg.sbras.ru)
3

Sobolev Inst. Geol. Mineral. SB RAS, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia

Early Cretaceous deposits are widelydistributed on the huge territories of Siberia,
where they are represented by continental andmarine terrigenous rocks. Potential levels for
the Berriasian GSSP are discussed so far, andthe position of the Jurassic–Cretaceous (J–K)
boundary in Siberian sections is still unresolved
question. However, the J–K boundary intervalsof the Siberia and Tethys have been firmly
correlated using integrated bio-, chemo- andmagnetostratigraphy (Bragin et al. 2013;
Dzyuba et al. 2013; Shurygin & Dzyuba 2014).
It is clear that the basal Berriasian interval islocated within Upper Volgian of Boreal regions.
The Volgian and lowermost Ryazanian in
Siberia is assigned to relatively homogeneous,
mainly argillaceous rock mass, the so-called
Bazhenovo Horizon. This horizon formed
underconditionsofextremely
lowsedimentation rate. In the RyazanianHectoroceras kochi Zone, sedimentation rate
slightly increased to reach maximal values inthe terminal Ryazanian–Valanginian. The onsetof avalanche sedimentation corresponds toregression of Siberian seas. In the terminal
Valanginian–initial Hauterivian, influx ofsiliciclastic material slightly decreased, thoughremained several times higher than in the Late
Jurassic. In our opinion, there is connection
between sedimentation rates in Siberian marine
palaeobasins and climate changes.
Palaeotemperaturestudiesusing
oxygen isotope ratios from Early Cretaceous
molluscan carbonate were carried out in Siberia,
until recently, in a sporadic manner. It was only
recently the oxygen isotope analysis was
carried out in some areas of Siberia, which
provided the first palaeoclimatic data for the
Berriasian, Valanginian and Early Hauterivianof north-western West Siberia and Berriasian ofnorthern East Siberia (Price & Mutterlose
2004; Žák et al. 2011; Dzyuba et al. 2013).
New oxygen isotope data from belemnite rostra
and oyster shells are received by us for the J–K
boundary interval.
DetailedO-isotope
curve
isconstructed for the Maurynya section (eastern
slope of the Northern Urals) and is updated for
the Nordvik section (northern East Siberia) (Fig.
1). Different methods were applied to identify
samples with altered isotope values: (1) theinvestigation of polished belemnite chips using
cathodoluminescence; (2) geochemical analysis
to distinguish altered from non-altered samples
via the Fe, Mn and Sr contents of carbonates;(3) an analysis of relationship between traceelement contents and the C- and O-isotopic
composition. The majority of investigatedsamples satisfy criteria of well-preservedcarbonate material.
Oysters tolerate a wide range ofsalinity and therefore they are rarely used fortemperature reconstruction. However, there isno evidence of salinity fluctuations in thestudied sites that allows us to use O-isotope
data derived from oysters too.
Temperatures are calculated using theequations of Anderson & Arthur (1983):
T(°C)=16,0–4,14*(δc–δw)+0,13*(δc–δw)2,
where δc is the δ18O value of calcite relative to
PDB and δw is the δ18O value of water relative
to SMOW; with an adjustment made to δw of−1‰ as used by other authors, based on theessentially ice-free world during the Mesozoic.
Research indicates that oysters provide
warmer oxygen isotope temperatures thanbelemnites (temperature difference of 2.6°C inaverage). This difference in temperature values
72may be caused by different mode of life ofthese molluscs. Many belemnite taxa are
nekton and can migrate to cooler waters at asignificant distance from the site of collection.
However, the trend of δ18O variations foroysters is similar to that for belemnites (Fig. 1).
A comparison of the O-isotope curves
obtained for the Maurynya and Nordvik
sections showed an agreement between thegeneral trends in the oxygen isotopic
composition; the only difference is that the
average O-isotope values in the Maurynya
section are lower than those in the Nordvik
section. This difference is most likely due tothe difference of water temperature in themarine basins, which is corroborated by thenorthern palaeogeographic position of the
Nordvik section in comparison with theMaurynya section.
The O-isotope values in the Maurynya
and Nordvik sections are characterised by agenerally decreasing upward trend to the baseof the Ryazanian. This negative trend isassociated with a gradual warming of theclimate during the Late Jurassic and the early
Berriasian (from the middle Oxfordian to theearliest Ryazanian) (Abbink et al. 2001; Price& Rogov 2009; Žák et al. 2011).
The belemnite data from Siberian
sections show a positive trend in the O-isotope
curve (trend towards heavier values of δ18O)
only at the top of studied section across the

Chetaites
sibiricus–Hectoroceras
kochiammonite zonal boundary. This trend coincides
with the initiation of a climate coolingsupposed for the earliest Cretaceous (e.g.,
Podlaha et al. 1998; Mutterlose & Kessels
2000; Weissert & Erba 2004). According to
Abbink et al. (2001), the climatic shift in the
North Sea region represented by a change fromwarm and arid to slightly cooler and humid
conditions occurred in the H. kochi Zone. In
Dorset (southern U.K.), sections provide
evidence of a climatic shift from semi-arid
phase to more humid phase in the middle andlate Berriasian (Schnyder et al. 2009). The shift
in climate from warm in the late Volgian tocooler in the middle–late Ryazanian waspreviously recognised in the Yatriya River
successions, in Western Siberia (Price &Mutterlose 2004). These earliest Cretaceous
palaeoclimatic changes coincided with thedecrease of atmospheric CO2 levels establishedby Huang et al. (2012) from the early–middle
Berriasian to the early Valanginian.
In Western and Eastern Siberia, theincrease of sedimentation rate in the earliest
Cretaceous (at the Bazhenovo and Kulomzino
horizon boundary) coincides with change fromwarm and arid to slightly cooler and humid
conditions.
This is a contribution to the RAS Programs 23
and 28, the RFBR120500453 and IGCP608.

References:
Abbink, O., Targarona, J., Brinkhuis, H. & Visscher, H., 2001. Late Jurassic to earliest Cretaceous
palaeoclimatic evolution of the Northern Sea. Global and Planet. Change. 30, 231-256.
Anderson, T.F. & Arthur, M.A., 1983. Stable isotopes of oxygen and carbon and their application to
sedimentologic and paleoenvironmental problems. In: Stable Isotopes in Sedimentary
Geology, Arthur, M.A., T.F. Anderson, I.R. Kaplan, J. Veizer and L. Land (Eds.). SEPM,
Georgia, pp: 1-151.
Bragin, V.Yu., Dzyuba, O.S., Kazansky, A.Yu. & Shurygin, B.N., 2013. New data on themagnetostratigraphy of the Jurassic–Cretaceous boundary interval, Nordvik Peninsula(northern East Siberia). Russian Geol. Geophy. 54, 329-342.
Dzyuba, O.S., Izokh, O.P. & Shurygin, B.N., 2013. Carbon isotope excursions in Boreal
Jurassic–Cretaceous boundary sections and their correlation potential. Palaeo-3 381-382,
33-46.
Huang, C.M., Retallack, G.J. & Wang, C.S., 2012. Early Cretaceous atmospheric pCO2 levels
recorded from pedogenic carbonates in China. Cretaceous Res. 33, 42-49.
Mutterlose, J. & Kessels, K., 2000. Early Cretaceous calcareous nannofossils from high latitudes:
implications for palaeobiogeography and palaeoclimate. Palaeo-3 160, 347-372.
Podlaha, O.G., Mutterlose, J. & Veizer, J., 1998. Preservation of δ18O and δ13C in belemnite rostra
from the Jurassic/Early Cretaceous successions. Amer. J. Sci. 298, 324-347.
73

Price, G.D. & Mutterlose, J., 2004. Isotopic signals from the late Jurassic–early Cretaceous(Volgian–Valanginian) sub-Arctic belemnites, Yatria River, Western Siberia. J. Geol. Soc.
161, 959-968.

74

Early Cretaceous terrestrial climates in East Asia; long term and seasonal patterns inferredfrom the oxygen and carbon isotope compositions of vertebrate apatites
Amiot, R.1, Kusuhashi, N.2, Buffetaut, E.3, Goedert, J.1, Hibino, T.4, Ikeda, T.5, Ikegami, N.6,
Lécuyer, C.1, Philippe, M.1, Saegusa, H.5,7, Shibata, M.8, Shimojima, S.9 and Sonoda, T.8
1

CNRS UMR 5276 LGL-TPE, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1 and École Normale Supérieure de
Lyon, 2 rue Raphaël Dubois, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France(romain.amiot@univ-lyon1.fr; jean.goedert@ens-lyon.fr; christophe.lecuyer@univ-lyon1.fr)

2Department of Earth's Evolution and Environment, Graduate School of Science and Engineering,
Ehime University, 2-5 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-8577, Japan(nkusu@sci.ehime-u.ac.jp)

3

CNRS UMR 8538, Laboratoire de Géologie de l’Ecole Normale Supérieure, 24 rue Lhomond,
75231 Paris Cedex 05, France (eric.buffetaut@sfr.fr)

4

Shiramine Institute of Paleontology, Kuwajima, Hakusan, Ishikawa 920-2502, Japan(t-hibino@city.hakusan.lg.jp)

5Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo 669-1546, Japan ( tikeda@hitohaku.jp)

6

Mifune Dinosaur Museum, Kumamoto 861-3207, Japan (naokii@fa2.so-net.ne.jp)

7

Division of Natural Environment, Institute of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of
Hyogo, Sanda, Hyogo 669-1546, Japan (saegusa@hitohaku.jp)

8

Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, Katsuyama, Fukui 911-8601, Japan(m-shibata@dinosaur.pref.fukui.jp; t-sonoda@dinosaur.pref.fukui.jp)

9Shokawa, Takayama, Gifu 501-5416, Japan (fulpower@themis.ocn.ne.jp)

During the past decades, continental
biodiversity in East Asia during the Early
Cretaceous has been the center of intensive
research, but the causes of its peculiar spatial
and temporal distribution remains poorly
understood and heavily debated. One puzzling
aspectisthatstrongprovincialismcharacterized continental faunas (e.g. Buffetaut
et al., 2006; Fernandez et al., 2009; Zhou et al.,2003) distributed in vasts and apparently
continuous terrestrial areas composed byvarious tectonic blocks (e.g. Enkin et al., 1992).
The main causes invoked for this distribution is

the occurrence of physical barriers such as
mountain ranges or oceanic inlets resulting
from the Late Paleozoic and Early Mesozoic
tectonic history (see Metcalfe, 2013 for areview), and climate that played notably amajor role in the dynamics of continental
biodiversity in northeastern China during theBarremian-Albian interval. Indeed, various
proxies for air temperature and water
availability have been used such as the stable
oxygen isotope compositions of vertebrate
apatite (Amiot et al., 2009; 2011),
hydrothermal zircon (Yang et al., 2013),
75

weathering index (Ohta et al., 2011) and the
distribution of taxa known to be sensitive toclimate (Amiot et al., 2011; Philippe et al.,2009; 2014).
The spatial and temporal distributionsof climates in East Asia during the Early
Cretaceous have are investigated using stable
oxygen and carbon isotope composition of
reptile apatites. Published results as well as
ongoingstudies
involvingajoint
French-Japanese collaboration initiated in 2012
are presented. Whereas the reconstructed mean
air temperatures show a steep latitudinal
gradient similar to the present day one,

differences in precipitation regime are observed
between China, Thailand and Japan. These
differences are at least partly attributed to theoccurrence of mountain ranges extending along
the East margin of the Chinese block that likely
prevented humid air masses from the Pacific topenetrate some parts of East Asia, thus creating
various micro-environmental conditions. Inturn, these isolated mosaic environments may
have acted as cradles for the origination ofadvanced vertebrate taxa that subsequently
radiated over Eurasia and North America
during the Late Cretaceous.

References:
Amiot, R., Buffetaut, E., Lécuyer, C., Fernandez, V., Fourel, F., Martineau, F., Suteethorn, V., 2009.
Oxygen isotope composition of continental vertebrate apatites from Mesozoic formationsof Thailand; environmental and ecological significance, in: Buffetaut, E., Cuny, G., Le
Loeuff, J., Suteethorn, V. (Eds.), Late Paleozoic and Mesozoic Continental Ecosystems in
SE Asia, Geol. Soc. London Spec. Publ.. The Geological Society, London, pp. 271–283.
Amiot, R., Wang, X., Zhou, Z., Wang, X., Buffetaut, E., Lécuyer, C., Ding, Z., Fluteau, F., Hibino,T., Kusuhashi, N., Mo, J., Suteethorn, V., Wang, Y., Xu, X., Zhang, F., 2011. Oxygenisotopes of East Asian dinosaurs reveal exceptionally cold Early Cretaceous Climates.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108, 5179–5183.
Buffetaut, E., Suteethorn, V., Tong, H., 2006. Dinosaur assemblages from Thailand: a comparison
with Chinese faunas, in: Lu, J.C., Kobayashi, Y., Huang, D.Y., Lee, Y.N. (Eds.), Papers
from the 2005 Heyuan International Dinosaur Symposium. Geol. Publ. House, Beijing,
19–37.
Enkin, R.J., Yang, Z., Chen, Y., Courtillot, V., 1992. Paleomagnetic constraints on the geodynamic
history of the major blocks of China from the Permian to the present. Journal ofGeophysical Research 97, 13953–13989.
Fernandez, V., Claude, J., Escarguel, G., Buffetaut, E., Suteethorn, V., 2009. Biogeographicalaffinities of Jurassic and Cretaceous continental vertebrate assemblages from SE Asia.
Geological Society, London, Special Publications 315, 285–300.
Metcalfe, I., 2013. Gondwana dispersion and Asian accretion: Tectonic and palaeogeographic
evolution of eastern Tethys. J. Asian Earth Sci. 66, 1–33. doi:10.1016/j.jseaes.2012.12.020
Ohta, T., Li, G., Hirano, H., Sakai, T., Kozai, T., Yoshikawa, T., Kaneko, A., 2011. Early
Cretaceous Terrestrial Weathering in Northern China: Relationship between Paleoclimate
Change and the Phased Evolution of the Jehol Biota. J. Geol. 119, 81–96.
doi:10.1086/657341
Philippe, M., Boura, A., Oh, C., Pons, D., 2014. Shimakuroxylon a new homoxylous Mesozoic
wood genus from Asia, with palaeogeographical and palaeoecological implications.
Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 204, 18–26.
Philippe, M., Jiang, H.E., Kim, K., Oh, C., Gromyko, D., Harland, M., Paik, I.N.., Thevenard, F.,
2009. Structure and diversity of the Mesozoic wood genus Xenoxylon in Far East Asia:
implications for terrestrial palaeoclimates. Lethaia 42, 393–406.
Yang, W.-B., Niu, H.-C., Sun, W.-D., Shan, Q., Zheng, Y.-F., Li, N.-B., Li, C.-Y., Arndt, N.T., Xu,
X., Jiang, Y.-H., 2013. Isotopic evidence for continental ice sheet in mid-latitude region in
the supergreenhouse Early Cretaceous. Scientific reports 3. doi:10.1038/srep02732
Zhou, Z., Barrett, P.M., Hilton, J., 2003. An exceptionally preserved Lower Cretaceous ecosystem.
Nature 421, 807–814.
76

Reconstruction of terrestrial paleo-hydrological change during the mid-Cretaceous“Supergreenhouse” period: Insights from the lacustrine records (Shinekhudag Fm.) of
southeast Mongolia
Hasegawa, H.1 Ando, H.2 Ohta, T.3 Hasegawa, T.4 Yamamoto, M.5 Hasebe, N.6 Murata, T.2 Shinya,
H.3 Li, G.7 Ichinnorov, N.8 Erdenetsogt, B.9,10 and Heimhofer, U.11
1

Nagoya Univ. Mus., Nagoya Univ., Nagoya 464-8601, Japan (hase@num.nagoya-u.ac.jp)
2
Dept. Earth Sci., Fac. Sci., Ibaraki Univ., Mito 310-0056, Japan
3
Fac. Edu., Int. Arts, Sci., Waseda Univ., Tokyo 169-8050, Japan
4
Dept. Earth Sci., Fac. Sci., Kanazawa Univ., Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan
5
Fac. Env. Earth Sci., Hokkaido Univ., Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
6
Division Ear. Env. Techn., Kanazawa Univ., Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan
7
Nanjing Inst. Geol. Palaeont., Chinese Acad. Sci., Nanjing 210008, China
8
Paleont. Center, Mongolian Acad. Sci., Ulaanbaatar 210351, Mongolia
9Dept. Geol. Geophy., Nat. Univ. Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar 13320, Mongolia
10
Genie Oil Shale Mongolia LLC, Ulaanbaatar 14210, Mongolia
11
Inst. Geol., Leibniz Univ. Hannover, D-30167 Hannover, Germany

The mid-Cretaceous is characterized
by an extremely warm “greenhouse” climate,elevated atmospheric CO2 levels, and repeatedoccurrences of Ocean Anoxic Events (OAEs).
However, the detailed processes and causal
mechanisms of these marked events,
particularly the response of the terrestrial
climate system, are only poorly understood.
Possible causal mechanisms of OAEs in the
mid-Cretaceous greenhouse climatic conditions
include the following: (1) Increased continental
humidity and terrigenous input into the oceans,(2) enhanced ocean surface productivity, and(3) enhanced organic carbon burial in theoceans. Increased continental humidity andchemical weathering may have increased
terrigenous input into the oceans (so called“Weathering Hypothesis”; e.g., Emeis andWeissert, 2009). In order to evaluate theinteraction between land and ocean during the
mid-Cretaceous OAE interval, we investigate
terrestrial paleoenvironmental changes using
intra-continental lacustrine deposits in theeastern Gobi basin, southeast Mongolia (Andoet al., 2011).
Mid-Cretaceous lacustrine deposits(Shinekhudag
Formation)arewidelydistributedinsoutheastern
Mongolia(Jerzykiewicz, and Russell, 1991; Hasegawa etal., 2012). The Shinekhudag Formation, well
exposed in the Shine Khudag locality in the
Shaazangiin Gobi area, is composed of analternation of dark-grey paper shale (oil shale),light-grey calcareous shale, and whitish toyellowish dolomite. Strata are continuously
exposed up to 400 m in thickness. At the Shine
Khudag locality, the shale and dolomite
successions
arerhythmicallybedded(decimeter-, meter-, tens of meter-scale),probably controlled by orbital cycles. The
paper
shalescontainmicrometer-scalelaminations, which are most likely varve origin
reflecting
seasonal
cyclicity.
Using
varve-counting methods on thin sections, anestimated sedimentation rate of ca. 6-7 cm/k.y.
is preserved. The age of the Shinekhudag
Formation is assigned as Aptian orBarremian-Aptian
basedon
ostracode,
conchostracans, floral and molluscan evidence(Krassilov, 1982; Jerzykiewicz and Russell,
1991; Yuan and Chen, 2005), and Ar40/Ar39
dating of basaltic rocks in the uppermost part of
the underlying Tsagantsav Formation (ca.
121-125 Ma; Graham et al., 2001).
In order to identify the depositional
conditions and controlling factors for therhythmically alternating lithofacies, we
conducted X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis todecipher changes in the mineral composition.
We also performed elemental analysis (C, N, S),
Rock-Eval pyrolysis, and a quantitative studyof the palynofacies to evaluate the distribution
and composition of the organic matter (OM) inthe shale and dolomite couplets. The mineralcomposition results reveal that the cyclic
alternations (ca. 1.5 m cycle) of the77

1990; Dupraz et al., 2009). Botryococcus
colonieswereabundant
undersucholigotrophic and alkaline lake conditions. On
the other hand, the shale layers were deposited
during high lake levels, which werecharacterized by higher algal productivity andincreased inputs of detrital minerals. Spectral
analysis of the lithofacies change in the
Shinekhudag Formation shows the cyclicities
involving ca. 1.5 m, 7 m, and 26 m cycles,
corresponding to periodicities of ca. 22 kyr,108 kyr, and 394 kyr, respectively, based on avarve-tuned average sedimentation rate of 6.5
cm/kyr. These values are in accordance withorbital precession (18–23 kyr cycle) andeccentricity cycles (100 and 400 kyr cycles).
Therefore, the Aptian lacustrine deposits insoutheastern Mongolia are interpreted to record
the orbital-scale paleo-hydrological changes
during the OAE1a–1b interval.

dolomite-rich layer and detrital minerals andcalcite rich layer. C/N ratios are significantly
small in the dolomite samples, compared torelatively high ratios in the shale samples.
Rock-Eval analysis shows high hydrogen index
values (> 650 mg/g) with relatively high T-max
values (430–440˚C). All analyzed samples arecomposed of Type I–II kerogen. Palynofacies
analysis further indicates a strong dominance ofBotryococcus colonies in the dolomite layers,
whereas the shale layers are essentiallycomposed of amorphous OM, algal cysts, andterrestrial palynomorphs.
The different lines of evidence
indicate that the rhythmically alternating
lithofacies changes in the Shinekhudag
lacustrine deposits were mainly controlled bychanges in lake-level and lake productivity.
Namely, the dolomite layers were formed
during low lake level by microbially mediatedprecipitation in alkaline lake waters (e.g., Last,

References:
Ando H., Hasegawa, H., Hasegawa, T., Ohta, T., Yamamoto, M., Hasebe, N., Li, G., Ichinnorov, N.
(2011) J. Geol. Soc. Japan, 111, XI–XII.
Dupraz, C., Reid, R.P., Braissant, O., Decho, A.W., Norman, R.S., Visscher, P.T. (2009) Earth-Sci.
Rev., 96, 141–162.
Emeis, K.C., Weissert, H. (2009) Sedimentology 56, 247–266.
Hasegawa, H., Tada, R., Jiang, X., Suganuma, Y., Imsamut, S., Charusiri, S., Ichinnorov, N., Khand,Y. (2012) Climate of the Past, 8, 1323–1337.
Jerzykiewicz, T. and Russell, D.A. (1991) Cretaceous Res. 12, 345–377.
Johnson, C.L. and Graham, S.A. (2004) J. Sediment. Res., 74, 786–804.
Last, W.M. (1990) Earth-Sci. Rev., 27, 221–263.

78

Evolution of photosynthetic ecosystem effects on chemosynthetic ecosystem in late Mesozoic
Jenkins, R. G.
Kanazawa Univ., Kanazawa City, 920-1192, Japan. robertgj@staff.kanazawa-u.ac.jp
This presentation will provide a
review of the history of chemosynthetic
ecosystem based on their fossil record withspecial focuses on relationship withphotosynthetic ecosystem.
The unexpected discovery of deep-sea
hydrothermal-vents
and
their
uniquesurrounding ecosystems (Lonsdale, 1977;
Corliss et al., 1979) changed our view of life.
The ecosystems are based on chemosynthetic
bacteria which obtain energy from reduced
molecules (e.g. oxidizing hydrogen sulfides) so
as to make organic compounds. Such anenvironment is thought to be a place suited tothe origin of life. Although such reduced
chemical compounds are often toxic for‘normal’ animals, some animals have adaptedtotheenvironment
byharboringchemosynthetic bacteria in their body. In thenearly 40 years since the discoveries, similar
chemosynthetic communities have been foundat various other sites in the world’s oceans
where bottom water is enriched with reduced
compounds, e.g. hydrocarbon-seeps, sunken
whale carcasses and sunken driftwood. The
fossil record of chemosynthetic ecosystem has
been increased for past few decades, and now
we could partially follow the history ofchemosynthetic ecosystem. It turned out thatchemosynthetic ecosystem is not independent
from photosynthetic ecosystem, although many
peoplethought
independencyofchemosynthetic ecosystem from photosynthetic
ecosystem.
‘Chemosynthetic animals’ can betraced back to the Silurian and many animal
taxa flourished in the chemosynthetic
ecosystems until the Recent. The periodranging from the Late Mesozoic to the

Paleogene is the crucial age for gaining an
understanding of the evolutionary history ofchemosynthetic ecosystems. Many molluscs
living at hydrothermal vents and hydrocarbons
seeps today first appeared during this period. It
is noteworthy that number of records of ancienthydrocarbon seeps has been increased in late
Mesozoic. It is probably due to an increasingorganic flux into sediment resulting fromincreasing planktonic productivity and diversity
in late Mesozoic. The organic compounds inthe sediments have leaded to increasing
generation of methane in the sediments.
In addition, much direct effects on tochemosynthetic ecosystem from photosynthetic
ecosystem has been started since theCretaceous.
The
chemosynthesis-based
ecosystems sustained by vertebrate- andwood-falls first appeared in the Cretaceous,when plesiosaurid carcasses carried out thesame role as do whale bones nowadays.
Recently, my colleagues and I foundchemosynthetic fauna around a Cretaceous sea
turtle, Mesodermochelys sp. collected from
Nakagawa Town, Hokkaido. This finding
indicates that the chemosynthetic communities
were supported not only by plesiosaurid
carcasses but also by decomposing sea turtles.
The sea turtles are a rare example of
Cretaceous marine reptiles surviving theCretaceous/Paleocene extinction event. Thus, it
is reasonable to assume that sea turtle carcasses
provided
continuous
supportforchemosynthetic ecosystems throughout theK/Pg boundary. On the basis of the evidence
outlined above, it can be considered thatchemosynthetic fauna have been received great
influences from the photosynthetic ecosystem.

79

Deep/intermediate water formation along the Cretaceous Asian continental margin
Moriya, K.1, Moiroud, M.2, Pucéat, E.2, Donnadieu, Y.3, Bayon, G.4, Deconinck, J.-F.2 andBoyet, M.5
1Div. Earth & Environ. Sci., Sch. Natural Sci. & Tech., Kanazawa Univ., Kakuma-machi,
Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192; (kmoriya@staff.kanazawa-u.ac.jp)
2
3

UMR CNRS Lab. Biogeosciences, Univ. Bourgogne ;UMR CEA/CNRS Lab. Sci. Climat Environ., CE Saclay ;4

5

IFREMER,Unite Recherche Geosciences Marines ;UMR CNRS Labo. Magmas Volcans, Univ. Blaise Pascal

The Cretaceous is known to be one of
the archetypal greenhouse periods, andintensively studied for evaluating the climate
sensitively in the high pCO2 region. The
meridional sea surface temperature distribution,
secular changes in sea surface and deep watertemperatures have also been discussed globally.
In addition to the thermal structure, analyses ofocean circulations on the basis of neodymium
isotope signatures become more popular
especially in the Atlantic Ocean. On the other
hand, the ocean circulation in the Pacific Ocean
is still uncertain, because of fundamental lackof deep sea sediments in the Pacific. In thisstudy, instead of deep sea sediments, fore arc
basin sediments have been utilized for
discussing the ocean circulation in the late

Cretaceous (late Turonian through early
Campanian) northwestern Pacific.
Neodymium isotopic signatures in fish
remains obtained from clayey sediments in the
Yezo Group show highly radiogenic values of–1 to –2 ε-unit. These values are significantly
higher than those in the Atlantic and theequatorial Pacific. This result indicates thepresenceofhighlyradiogenic
intermediate/deep water formation in thenorthwestern Pacific, because it is expectedthat the radiogenic neodymium has beendelivered from volcanic arcs in thenorthwestern Pacific. This results is also
supported by climate models showing thepotential deep water formation in the late
Cretaceous northwestern Pacific.

Reference:
Moiroud, M. et al., 2013. Evolution of the neodymium isotopic signature of neritic seawater on anorthwestern Pacific margin: new constrains on possible end-members for the compositionof deep-water masses in the Late Cretaceous ocean. Chem. Geol., 356: 160-170.

80

Land–ocean linkage: pelagic materials in Mesozoic neritic–terrestrial sequences in East Asia
Matsuoka, A.1, Ito, T.2, Sakai, Y.1 and Nikaido, T.1
1

Niigata Univ., Niigata, 950-2181, Japan (matsuoka@geo.sc.niigata-u.ac.jp)
2

China Univ. Geosci., Wuhan, 430074, China

Introduction
Mesozoic sedimentary sequences in
East Asia are categorized into two types;
marineaccretionary
complexes
and
epi-continental neritic–terrestrial sequences.
The accretionary complexes are distributed in
the eastern margin of Asia including Russian
Far East, the Japanese Islands, and thePhilippines (Kojima and Kametaka, 2000;
WakitaandMetcalfe,
2005).
The
epi-continental neritic–terrestrial sequences are
distributed mainly in Russian Far East, China,
the Korean Peninsula, and the Japanese Islands.
Oceanic rocks such as pelagic chert are typicalcomponents of accretionary complexes. They
are also included in neritic–terrestrial
sequences as recycled clasts. They areimportant not only in recognizing theprovenance of sedimentary basins but also in
tracing the denudation history of accretionary
complexes. The pelagic materials are tools forlinking lands and oceans. We introduce three
examples of chert-bearing conglomerate in
neritic–terrestrial sequences in Japan: theTorinosu Group in the Southern Chichibu
Terrane, Outer Zone of southwest Japan, theTetori Group in the Hida and Hida-Gaien
terranes, Inner Zone of southwest Japan, andthe Miyako Group in the North Kitakami
Terrane, northeast Japan (Fig. 1). Significanceofthepelagic
materials
withinneritic–terrestrial sequences is discussed.

from north to south. The Torinosu Groupoccupies the Southern Chichibu andKurosegawa terranes. In the type locality of theTorinosu Group (Sakawa area in central
Shikoku), this group unconformably covers theTogano Group (Matsuoka, 1984, 1992) ofJurassic accretionary complex or the Naradani
Formation of trench slope sediments. The basal
part of the Torinosu Group is the Tsukadani
Formation composed mainly of chert clasts.
They are regarded to have been derived fromthe Togano Group because the group is thebasement of the Torinosu Group and contains alarge amount of chert sequences. No
microfossils, however, have been obtained
from the chert clasts due to recrystallization.
Tetori GroupThe Tetori Group ranging in age from
the Middle Jurassic to Cretaceous is distributed
over the Hokuriku District in central Japan.
Most parts of the Tetori Group overly
unconformably constituent geologic units ofthe Hida and Hida-Gaien terranes. These units
do not include mid-Mesozoic accretionary
complexes. This group is divided into the
Kuzuryu, Itoshiro, and Akaiwa subgroups inascending order and interbeds conglomerate
layers. Permian, Triassic, and Jurassic
microfossils were obtained from siliceous andmuddy rock clasts in the conglomerates. Basedon fossil dating and lithological characteristics,
most of these clasts were presumably derived
from the mid-Mesozoic accretionary complexesin East Asia (Ito et al., 2012).

Torinosu GroupThe Torinosu Group and its
equivalents are late Jurassic to early Cretaceous
neritic sequences distributed disconnectedly in
the Chichibu Belt in southwest Japan. Threeterranes are recognized in the Chichibu Belt
based on characteristic features of theircomponents and geologic structures: theNorthern Chichibu, Kurosegawa (Middle
Chichibu), and Southern Chichibu terranes

Miyako Group
The Miyako Group is distributed
along the eastern coast of the North Kitakami
Massif. The group covers unconformably theMagisawa Formation, a Jurassic accretionary
complex, and other geologic units in the North
Kitakami Terrane. The Miyako Group is81

divided into the Raga, Tanohata, and Hiraiga
formations in ascending order and is dated aslate Aptian to early Albian (Hanai et al., 1968).
The Raga Formation is composed mainly of
conglomerate of non-marine origin andcontains sandstone, mudstone, siliceous
mudstone, chert, and volcanic rocks.

Radiolarian fossils of Middle Jurassic age wereobtained from siliceous mudstone andmudstone clasts in conglomerate. The fossil
evidence and lithological similarities indicatethat these rocks were derived from theMagisawa Formation.

References:
Kojima, S., Kametaka, M., 2000. Jurassic accretionary complexes in East Asia. Mem. Geol. Soc.
Japan, no. 55, 61–72 (in Japanese with English abstract).
Hanai, T., Obata, I., Hayami, I., 1968. Notes on the Cretaceous Miyako Group. Mem. National Mus.,
Nat. Sci., 1, 20–18 (in Japanese with English abstract).
Ito, T., Sakai, Y., Ibaraki, Y., Yoshino, K., Ishida, N., Umetsu, T., Nakada, K., Matsumoto, A.,
Hinohara, T., Matsumoto, K., Matsuoka, A., 2012. Radiolarian fossils from siliceous rockpebbles within conglomerates in the Mizukamidani Formation of the Tetori Group in the
Itoigawa area, Niigata Prefecture, central Japan. Bull. Itoigawa City Mus., no. 3, 13–25 (inJapanese with English abstract).
Matsuoka, A. 1984. Togano Group of the Southern Chichibu Terrane in the western part of Kochi
Prefecture, southwest Japan. Jour. Geol. Soc. Japan, 90, 455–477 (in Japanese withEnglish abstract).
Matsuoka, A. 1992. Jurassic-Early Cretaceous tectonic evolution of the Southern Chichibu Terrane,
Southwest Japan. Palaeogeogr., Palaeoclimatol., Palaeoecol., 96, 71–88.
Wakita, K., Metcalfe, I., 2005. Ocean Plate Stratigraphy in East and Southeast Asia. Jour. Asian
Earth Sci., 24, 679–702.

Fig. 1. Distribution of mid-Mesozoic accretionary complexes in Japan, Russian Far East, andnortheast China with the localities of the Torinosu, Tetori and Miyako groups.
82Day Three
6 September 2014
SESSIONS:
Land-ocean linkages: Correlation, sedimentology andpaleoenvironments
Tectonic evolution and paleoenvironments of Asia and west
Pacific
Biotic evolution: Asian and western Pacific fauna and flora Macrofauna

83Land-ocean linkage: correlation, sedimentology and paleoenvironments II

Palaeotemperatures, Palaeoclimate, Palaeolatitude, Palaeobathymetry andPalaeocurrent appraisal of Cretaceous sediments of Cauvery Basin, South India
Nagendra, R.1, Zakharov, Y. D.2, Safronov, P. P.2, Smyshlyaeva, O. P.2, Popov, A. M.2, Shigeta,
Y.3and Venkateshwarlu, M.4
1
2

Dept. Geol., Anna Univ., Chennai 600025, India

Far Eastern Geol. Inst. Russian Acad. Sci. (Far Eastern Branch), Stoletiya Prospect 159,
Vladivostok 690022, Russia
34Nat. Mus. Nature Sci., 4-1-1 Amakubo, ToTsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0005,Japan

Geochronol. Palaeomagnetic Stud., CSIR-Nat. Geophy. Res. Inst., Uppal Road, Hyderabad, India

Introduction
The Cauvery Basin is a pericratonic
basin located along the south east coast of India.
It was developed as a consequence of the
breakup of Gondwana during the Late Jurassic(Rangaraju et al., 1993) (Fig. 1). The Cauvery
Basin has undergone at least two major tectonic
phases during its evolution. The early sheared
rift extensional faulting initiated during Late
Jurassic/Early Cretaceous (Shyam Chand andSubrahmanyam, 2001), and was followed by aprogressive rift that seems to have continued
until the end of the Turonian (Watkinson et al.,2007). The subsequent reverse movement
caused by basinal uplift and contraction during
the Campanian- Maastrichtian ended in theearly Tertiary. This major tectonic activity may
have profoundly influenced relative sea levelchanges in all east coast basins.
Methodology
Field data has been obtained by direct
observation of lithofacies, stratal patterns, their
physical relationship and macrofossil content
from quarries, river channels, and mine cuttings.
In the laboratory, two hundred sedimentaryrock samples from sixty outcrop locations werestudied for microfacies, biostratigraphy forpalaeobthymetry and palaeoenvironment study.
The paleotemperature and palaeoclimate andpalaeolatitude studies were studied by isotope
analyses of macrofossils from Cauvery Basin,

Figure.1. Geological map of Cretaceous outcrops,
Ariyalur area, Cauvery Basin, Southern India

southern India and Mahajang Basin,
Madagascar. Well-preserved material fromsouthern India used for isotopic analysis
consisted of: (1) exceptionally well-preserved
belemnite rostra from the middle part (Albian)of the Karai Shale Formation, and (2)well-preserved bivalve Lopha sp. shells fromthe upper part of the Kallankurichchi
Formation (Maastrichtian). Investigated early
Albian cephalopods from Madagascar consistof one nautiloid species (Cymatoceras? sp.) and
four ammonoid species Cleoniceras besairei
Collignon, Eotetragonites umbilicostriatus
Collignon, Desmoceras sp., and Douvilleiceras
84significantly higher than those calculated fromisotopic composition of Albian belemnites
from southern Argentina and the Antarctic andmiddle Albian belemnites of Australia locatedwithin the warm-temperate climatic zone.
The isotope results of early Albian
cephalopods from Madagascar infers the higher
palaeotemperatures for summer near-bottom
shelf waters in this area (20.2°C to 21.6°C) incomparison
with
late
Albianpalaeotemperatures calculated from southern
India fossils, but similar winter values(13.3-16.4° C); however, the latter values arehigher than those calculated from early Albian
fossils (brachiopods and ammonoids) of thetropical-subtropical climatic zone of the highlatitude area of southern Alaska and the Koryak
Upland. The new isotopic palaeotemperature
data suggest that southern India andMadagascar were located apparently in middle
latitudes (within the tropical-subtropicalclimatic zone) during Albian time.
In contrast to the Albian fossils,
isotope results of well-preserved early
Maastrichtian bivalve shells from the AriyalurGroup, Trichinopoly district, are characterized
by lower δ18O values (up to -5.8°/°°) but normal
δ13C values, which might be a result local
freshwater input into the marine environment.
This results suggest that the early Maastrichtian
palaeotemperatures of the southern Indiannear-bottom shelf waters was probably about
21.2°C, and that this middle latitude region
continued to be a part of tropical-subtropicalclimatic zone, but with tendency of increasingof humidity at the end of Cretaceous time.
The palaeobathymetry trends of the
Albian to Maastrichtian outcrop of Cauvery
Basin reveal two major sea level falls during
Late Turonian and Late Maastrichtian, whichcorrelate well with global sea level curves of
Vail et al. (1977), Haq et al. (1987) andMiller
et al. (2005). These sea level drops are linked
to the rise of Marion mantle plume during theLate Turonian and reunion mantle plumeduring Late Maastrichtian (Raju et al., 1993;
Courtillot et al., 1988; Nagendra et al., 2002a).
The low field anisotropy of magnetic
susceptibility (AMS) measurements of Cauvery
Basin sediments unravels the magnetic fabrics
and palaeocurrent directions. The results of
AMS parameters of the sediments indicate
primary depositional fabrics for Campanian(Sillakkudi), and Maastrichtian (Ottakovil andsp. The palaeocurrent results obtained fromforty six oriented sediment block samples fromseven sites covering the total thickness (∼40m) of the exposed rocks of Ariyalur Group. All
the samples were drilled and cut into standard
specimens (2.2 cm length and 2.5 cm diameter)
and measured in the palaeomagnetism
Laboratory of National Geophysical ResearchInstitute, Hyderabad, India, following thestandard procedures described by Jelinek(1978). The samples were subjected to AMS
measurements in 15 different directions using
Kappa Bridge MFK1-FA (Brno, Czech
Republic) susceptibility meter following thestandard method as per Agico user’s guidever-4 2009.
Results and Discussions
Palaeotemperatures,
palaeoclimate,palaeolatitude,
palaeobathymetry
andpalaeocurrent interpretations were outlined for
Cretaceous sediments of Ariyalur District(Trichinopoly) of the Cauvery Basin, South
India. The oxygen isotope studies of Albian
belemniterostra are accounted along withisotopic composition of middle Albian
belemnites of the middle latitude area of
Pas-de-Calais in Northern hemisphere,
southern Argentina, Antarctic and middle
Albian belemnites of Australia and Albian
cephalopods from Madagascar, and Albian
fossilsof the tropical-subtropical climatic zoneof the high latitude area of southern Alaska andtheKoryakUpland.
The
Albianpalaeotemperatures for Ariyalur outcrop
sections of the Cauvery Basin are inferred torange from 14.9°C to 18.5°C for the epipelagiczone, and from 14.3°C to 15.9°C for themesopelagic zone, based on analyses of 65
samples;isotopic
palaeotemperaturesinterpreted as summer and winter values fornear-bottom shelf waters in this area fluctuatefrom 16.3°C to 18.5°C and from 14.9°C to
16.1°C,
respectively.
Besides,thepaleobathymetry, magnetic fabrics andpalaeocurrent directions were studied withoriented samples of the Cauvery Basin for low
field anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility
measurements.
The palaeotemperatures of the
Cauvery Basin are similar to those calculated
from isotopic composition of middle Albian
belemnites of the middle latitude area of
Pas-de-Calais in Northern hemisphere but
85

Kallamedu) sandstone and secondary fabric for
Maastrichtian (Kallankurichchi) limestone. The
obtained low degree of anisotropy (Pj), oblate
shape AMS ellipsoid and distribution of
maximum(K1)
andminimum(K3)
susceptibility axes on equal area projection
confirm the primary sedimentary fabric forCampanian and Maastrichtian formations. The
observed AMS parameters like shape factor (T)(prolate to oblate), q value and random
distribution of minimum (K3) and maximum(K1) susceptibility axes are supported forsecondary fabrics in Maastrichtian limestone asa result of post-depositional processes. The
petrography is established that K1 AMS axis of
biotite mineral could represent the flow
direction. The established palaeocurrent
direction for Campanian sediments (SillakkudiFm.) is NW–SE direction while Maastrichtian(Ottakovil and Kallamedu) sediments recorded
NE–SW direction. Overall the palaeoflow
directions observed for Ariyalur Groupsediments of the Cauvery Basin is NE–SW to
NW–SE.

References:
Courtillot, V., Feraud, G., Maluski, H., Vandamme, D., Moreau, M.G., Besse, J., 1988. Deccan
flood basalts and the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary. Nature 333, 843-846.
Haq, B.U., Hardenbol, J., Vail, P.R., 1987. Chronology of fluctuating sea levels since the Triassic.
Science 235, 1156-1167.
Jelinek V 1978 Statistical processing of anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility measured on groupsof specimens; Studia Geo-physica et Geodetica 22, 50–62.
Nagendra, R., Raja, R., Nalappa Reddy, A., Jaiprakash, B.C., Bhavani, R., 2002a. Outcrop
sequence stratigraphy of the Maastrichtian Kallankurichchi formation, Ariyalur Group,
Tamil Nadu. J. Geol. Soc. India 59, 243-248.
Raju, D.S.N., Ravindran, C.N., Kalyansundar, R., 1993. Cretaceous cycles of sea level changes in
the Cauvery Basin, India e a first revision. Bull. Oil and Nat. Gas Comm. 30, 101-113
Rangaraju, M.K., Agarwal, A., Prabhakar, K.N., 1993. Tectno-stratigraphy, Structural
Style, Evolutionary Model and Hydrocarbon Prospects of the Cauvery Palar Basins ofIndia, vol. 1. Indian Petroleum Publishers, Dehradun, 371-398 pp.
Shyam Chand, Subrahmanyam, C., 2001. Subsidence and isostacy along a Sheared marginCauvery Basin, Eastern continental margin of India. Geophy. Res. Lett. 28, 2273-2276.
Vail, P.R., Mitchum, R.M., Thompson, 1977. Seismic stratigraphy and global changes of sea level,
part 3: relative changes of sea level from coastal onlap. In: Clayton, C.E. (Ed.), Seismic
Stratigraphy -Applications to Hydrocarbon Exploration. Amer. Ass. Petrol. Geol. Mem. 26,
63-81. Tulsa,Oklahoma.
Watkinson, Matthew P., Hart, Malcolm B., Joshi, Archana, 2007. Cretaceous tectonostratigraphy
and the development of the Cauvery Basin, Southern India. In: Geol. Soc. London, Spec.
Publ., vol. 13, 181-191 pp.

86

Dynamics of Terminal Cretaceous global biotic turnover
Jafar, S. A.
Flat Number 5-B, Whispering Meadows, Haralur Road, off Sarjapur Road, Bangalore-560 102,
India: (syeda_jafar@yahoo.com)
Recently discovered Peter Higg’s
Boson or “God Particle” is the fundamental
particle which coalesce to form Atoms andMolecules in the Universe. A wonderful Life
Molecule was created on planet Earth some 4billion years ago for unknown reasons, which
initially replicated and evolved by multitasking
RNA to be followed by DNA. Life originatedas Small magnitude entities invisible tounaided human eye which gradually attained
Large dimensions both in Ontogeny andPhylogeny. Small Magnitude of both Animals
and Plants have lesser Volume in comparison
to their Area, are more in numerical strength,
have shorter life span, have more rapid
turnover rate and are lighter. Small Magnitude
forms whether in Nature or Manmade
Structures are invariably stronger than their
Larger counterpart under the influence ofGravity. It will be demonstrated here that
Relative Magnitude is a powerful trait which
dictates the Innovation/Extinction pattern ofLife as it evolved and helped us to identify
Giant forms among Virus, Bacteria and Protist
etc. Global Mass extinctions as identified in the
Phanerozoic (The Big Five) including Terminal
Cretaceous, are interpreted as normal
gradualistic Background extinctions, when only
Five times in 600Ma record of Phanerozoic(Ordovician-Silurian
443Ma,
Frasnian-Famennian 372Ma, Permian-Triassic
254Ma,
Triassic-Jurassic
201Ma
and
Cretaceous-Palaeogene 66Ma) several groupsof Life forms were accidently clustered andperished, giving false impression of Mass
Extinction.
Georges Cuvier (1769-1832) aneminent Vertebrate Palaeontologist strongly
argued for the Catastrophic Floods causing
Mass Extinctions, but his belief in Biblical
Floods dampened his claim. More recently,
much dramatised Extraterrestrial Impact
hypothesis of Alvarez et al. (1980) revived theCatastrophic hypothesis and during the last
three and a half decades, the geoscience
community was absolutely robbed of theirconscience and reasoning. Catastrophic
episodes, whether natural or manmade cancause only Local extinctions or biotic turnoverof life and none of the Catastrophic events ingeologic history ever caused global biotic
turnover cutting across all ecological niche.
Over 3500 publications in reputed journals
came out and the hypothesis was hotly debatedin public and widely covered by media (Schulte,2010). The surgical precision analysis of
Cretaceous-Palaeogene sections world over,including popular Chicxulub Crater revealed
serious contradictions, and certain group of
scientists out of desperation suggested“Multiple Causes” (Archibald, 2010). The
Deccan degassing model of McLean met thesame fate, despite very tempting coincidence ofMass Extinctions matching Permian-Triassic
with Siberian and Triassic-Jurassic with
Central Atlantic Flood Basalt episodes. Other
Hypotheses like Marine Regression, Multiple
Impact and Supernova Explosion did not findany scientific backing. In order to get to theroot of the problem, we need to relook at theGradualistic model of Evolution proposed by
Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882) andsupported by Charles Lyell (1797-1875), as any
Catastrophic model would prove fatal for
Darwin’s Gradualistic model of Evolution.
In order to understand the basic essence ofmodern “Neodarwinian Paradigm”, it isinstructive to be aware of three mutuallyinteracting components A. Natural Selection(Adaptability to Environmental change andEcosystem),B.
Molecular
Genetics(Inheritance of characters) and C. Migration(Competition for Resource exploitation). Let us
briefly examine the quality of paleoclimatic
data available for Terminal Cretaceous, which
has a direct bearing on the nature of witnessed87biotic turnover dictated by Natural Selection.
Mid-Cretaceous
represents“Greenhouse”
climatic conditions and the global averagetemperatures were exceeding 10○C than present
day; periods of dysoxic-anoxic conditions
matched but did not cause extinction andevolution of marine nekton and plankton.
Cretaceous was marked by exceptionally highrate of creation of oceanic crust at spreading
centers and eruption of Large Igneous
Provinces viz. Ontong Java and Kerguelen
Plateau, leading to the release of huge amountof greenhouse gases and water vapour which inturn affect atmospheric and oceanic chemistry.
Data from high and middle latitude sites
suggest warming peak followed by cooling at
Terminal
Cretaceous.
Thelevelsofatmospheric pCO2 were higher by a factor of
about 12 than present day level. The precise
manner in which a variety of environmental
factor drive evolution in plant and animals is asubject matter of discussion and in certain
cases the reverse is true, like the 90% demise of
Calcareous Nannoplankton at Terminal

Cretaceous completely changed the chemistryof global oceanic realm. Diatom Bloom driven
Silica depletion affected other Silica dependent
plankton and benthos in present day Antarctic
waters. Mahajanga Basin Flood Basalt activity
around 90Ma, when Seychelles separated from
Madagascar probably caused 1000Km deep
westerly incursion of sea along Narmada
Valley in India during Turonian. Extrusion of
Deccan Flood Basalt in India when Seychelles
separated from the Indian subcontinent, caused
over 800Km deep easterly incursion of Subathu
Sea along Subathu-Dogadda rift zone of Lesser
Himalaya during Late Maastrichtian.
In order to critically evaluate biotic
turnover at Terminal Cretaceous, let us cast aglance at what perished and what survived. In
Marine Realm, Marine Reptiles – Plesiosaurus
and Mosasaurus perished but Crocodiles andTurtles survived. Giant Sharks, Ray-finned
Fish, Rudists, Inoceramids, Belemnites andAmmonoids perished. Foraminifera, bothplanktic and benthic were eliminated in large
numbers. Among Phytoplankton 90% ofFig. 1 Relative Magnitude Model (after Jafar, S. A. 2000).

88Calcareous Nannoplankton perished causing
severe crisis in Ocean chemistry andatmospheric CO2. Siliceous and organic walled
Phytoplankton and Zooplankton were severely
affected. Picoplankton which are smaller thanCalcareous Nannoplankton lack mineralized
plates and therefore do not leave any fossil
record, but the modern analogues probably
suggest that on account of extremely fast
turnover rate they significantly contributed tobiomass production and Ocean fertility. In
Terrestrial Realm, Animals greater than 5Kg.
were eliminated. Larger Dinosaurs eliminatedglobally, whereas smaller counterparts survived
to produce several kind of birds. Pterosaurs, theflying Reptiles perished. Mesozoic Mammals
largely survived. One major group of Plants
perished while Gymosperm dominatedCretaceous Flora was replaced by Angiosperm
dominated one. It is difficult to scientifically
accept that any single Catastrophe could causesuch an Extinction-Innovation on a global scale.
Moreover, no Catastrophic model can explain
simultaneous Extinction-Innovation patternseen in the geological record. We might safely
conclude
that
such
a
patternofExtinction-Innovation can best be explained
under the Hypothesis of Neodarwinian
Paradigm elaborated to be known as Relative
Magnitude Model (Jafar, 2000, Fig. 1)). It must
be borne in mind that this model does not seek
to address causative issue, instead highlights acertain PATTERN to be observed throughout
geological column including at Big Five Mass
Extinction Boundaries. Is this hypothesis
testable? Yes, it is testable with any group offossils one is working with. Is this hypothesis
predictable? Yes, it can make fairly accurate
predictions, except timing, for ensuing Sixth
Mass Extinction.
Over 3000Ma of history of Life
preserved in Precambrian rocks represents“Darwin’s Dilemma” as absence of magnifying
technology during his time did not allow one tosee Small Magnitude fossils. “Darwin’s
Dilemma” was once considered as the mostpowerful refutation of his hypothesis, as
ancestral forms of Cambrian-Ordovician fossils
remained obscured. However, as we know now
that Darwin (1859) was right when he declared“Consequently if the theory be true, it isindisputable that before the lowest Silurian or
Cambrian was deposited, long period
elapsed.....”
Darwin’s
Dilemma,even

continued throughout Phanerozoic upto present
time as it was discovered that by applying
Relative Magnitude concept, surprisingly,
forms invisible to unaided human can have
Giants. Darwin also believed that “It is not thestrongest of the species that survives, nor themost intelligent that survives. It is one that is
the most adaptable to change.” Charles Darwin(1859): On The origin of Species by means of
Natural Selection or The preservation of
Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life,
Chapter 2, Variation Under Nature para 18,
says “....in as much as geology plainly tells usthat the small genera have in the lapse oftime often increased greatly in size; and thatlarge genera have often come to theirmaxima, declined and disappeared.”
Samplesfromuninterrupted
Cretaceous-Palaeogene sections were examinedin Germany, Austria, Spain and Denmark for
Calcareous Nannofossils, Planktic/Benthic
Foraminifera.
Goniatites
fromFrasnian-Famennian Boundary representing
Mass Extinction, were also examined.The
results are summarized in Fig1(reproduced
from Jafar, 2000). Thick horizontal Dotted line
represents a Filter corridor which would allow
certain forms to go through and certain forms
to retain. There is no absolute size in Universe,
it is boundless towards both small and large;
nothing is big or small except by comparison,hence this relative Magnitude model. A criticalglance at Fig.1, reveals three spheres
representing relatively Small, Medium andLarge or Giant forms. Large Form has thickest
wall, lest it would collapse under its own
weight under the influence of Gravity. Medium
Form has medium thickness and Small one has
thin wall for the same reason. Salient featuresof this Relative Magnitude model are A. All
three Spheres are dynamic in nature; if Small
entity grows faster, then Medium entity would
become relatively Small. B. All three entities
become extinct at or near Mass Extinction
Boundary, but a few Small and Medium
entities manage to cross over, the medium ones
cross over practically unchanged producing
Living Fossils (Crossing Over). A few Small
entities cross over and dramatically display
most rapid rate of innovation to restore
dwindling biodiversity (Appearing). Large orGiant forms represent evolutionary dead ends
and invariably fail to produce offspring and incertain groups prior to extinction may or may
89not produce dwarf or neotenic forms surviving
for extremely short period before extinction(Disappearing). We might conclude that thePattern of Relative Magnitude Model is an
essential extension of Neodarwinian Paradigm
explaining the Gradualistic evolution of Life on

Planet Earth without invoking any Catastrophic
model. Empirical data on various fossil groups
needs to be critically collected at Mass
Extinction Boundaries and predictions made in
the backdrop of the proposed Relative
Magnitude model.

References:
Alvarez, L.W. et al. (1980). Science, 208 (4448), 1095-1108.
Archibald, J. D. et al. (2010). Science, 328 (5981), 973.
Jafar, S. A. (2000). N. Jb. Paleont. Abh., 217 (2), 161-197.
Schulte, P. et al. (2010). Science, 327 (5970), 1214-1218.
Darwin, C. (1859) John Murray, London, 1st. Edition90

Late Cretaceous ecosystems of peninsular India: An overview of current perspectives
Bajpai, S.
Birbal Sahni Inst. Palaeobotany, Lucknow 226007, India (director@bsip.res.in)
Recent data from peninsular India
have led to major advances in our
understanding of the late Cretaceous
ecosystems around the time of Deccan floodbasaltic eruptions. Until recently, sedimentsintercalated within the Deccan volcanics(intertrappeans) in the main part of the volcanic
province were generally considered to beterrestrial deposits of late Maastrichtian age.
However, the recent discovery of planktic
foraminifers, together with brackish water
ostracods, in an intertrappean locality in central
India about 800 km from the nearest
present-day ocean, points to a more complex
scenario
forpaleocommunities,
palaeoenvironment,
palaeoecology
andpalaeogeography of the late Cretaceous-early
Paleocene ecosystems. The discovery of marine
elements in the main Deccan volcanic province
has challenged the traditional views, andstrongly suggests that a major marine seaway
existedacrossIndia
duringthe
Maastrichtian-early Paleocene. This seaway
has major implications for the paleogeography,
evolution and biotic diversity during the K-Pg
transition in India. Current data suggests thatthe seaway may possibly have followed the
Narmada and Tapti rift zones where marinetransgressions are already known to haveoccurredearlier,duringtheTuronian-Coniacian (Nimar and Bagh Beds).
Compelling evidence for the latter marine
incursions in central India has recently comefromthediscoveryofcalcareous
nannoplankton.
Furthermore, recent geochemical dataon the freshwater intertrappean ostracods has
provided new insights into the late Cretaceous
environments of peninsular India. These data
point to evaporative conditions prevailing in
the intertrappean ecosystems, with evidence ofwide variability in the aquatic environment on
short timescales. This conclusion is consistent
with other palaeoclimatic data for northwestern
peninsular India during the late Cretaceous andsuggests that the intertrappean lacustrine
systems had a relatively long residence timethat allowed diverse faunal and floral
communities to thrive, and that they were
behaving as hydrologically-closed systems.
Biogeographically, the late Cretaceous biota ofpeninsular India shows evidence of anadmixture of Gondwanan, Eurasian, and therecently
recorded
endemic
elements,suggesting
long-distancetrans-oceanic
dispersal in a geographically isolated Indian
plate.

91

Tectonic evolution and paleoenvironments of Asia and west PacificTectonic and climatic controls on A/S ratio in a non-marine setting: an example from theLower Cretaceous Sindong Group of the Gyeongsang Basin (southeastern Korea)
Lee, H. and Lee, Y.I.
Sch.l Earth Envir. Sci., Seoul Nat. Univ., Seoul 151-747, Republic of Korea (justone1@snu.ac.kr)
Previous studies on non-marine
successions have demonstrated that fluvial
styles, thickness and width of channel sandbodies, and channel/floodplain ratio aredetermined by relative changes in the ratio ofaccommodation generation and sedimentsupply (A/S ratio). According to these studies,thin, isolated, high-sinuous channels are easily
developed in high-accommodation settings(high A/S ratio), whereas thick, amalgamated,
low-sinuous channels tend to be developed in
low-accommodation settings (low A/S ratio).
Although tectonics and climate are regarded to
be two main controlling factors for the A/Sratio in non-marine basins where the influenceof eustasy is mostly excluded, the relative
importance of tectonics and climate is difficult
to discriminate, and tectonic events such as
basin subsidence (increase of A) or source-area
uplift (increase of S) have been commonly
assumed as a primary control on the A/S ratio.
To investigate the relative importanceof tectonics and climate on the A/S ratio andresulting the distribution of depositional
systems and its staking pattern in a non-marine
basin, facies analysis was carried out for thefluvial succession of the Sindong Group(Aptian to Albian) in the southern part of theGyeongsang Basin. The facies analysis reveals
that the studied succession can be subdivided
into five units, each having 300 to 400 m
thickness. Most of the units comprise various
colors of floodplain mudstone from dark grayto greenish gray to reddish. The boundaries of
the units are characterized by decimeter-thickreddish to greenish mudstones. Near theboundaries, the reddish floodplain mudstone
are common, whereas in the middle of the units,
they are generally absent, and greenish gray todark gray floodplain mudstones dominantly

occur. The unit 3 is an exception of this generaltrend, comprising dominantly dark grayfloodplain mudstones and dark gray calcareous
lacustrine mudstones. The thickness of channelsand bodies is variable in each fluvial unit, but
it generally increases upward from the bottomof the unit, reaching its maximum in the middle
withtheoccurrenceofmulti-story,
high-sinuous, sandy channel deposits or
multi-story, low-sinuous, sandy channel
deposits, and decreases again toward the top
with a single to double-story, high sinuous,
sandy channel deposits. Although single todouble-story, high-sinuous, pebbly channel
deposits are also recognized, they do not show
any systematic occurrence in a unit. The pebbly
channel deposits most frequently occur near thebottom of the unit 3.
The sand-depleted, reddish floodplain
deposits at the tops of each unit was probably
deposited
duringdry
periods
whentransportation capacity critically decreased due
to low precipitation. The repeated occurrenceof them indicates that the studied succession
had influenced by cyclic climate changes fromdry to wet to dry conditions. In this context, theincrease of sandbody thickness in the middle ofeach unit might be related with the wettest
condition for the deposition of each unit.
Sudden occurrences of pebbly channel deposits
can be interpreted to be related to episodic
source area uplifting events, resulting in theincrease of sediment supply (decrease of A/Sratio). If so, remarkable increase of thesandbody thickness should be accompanied by
the occurrence of pebbly channel deposits. In
the studied succession, however, the pebbly
channel sandbodies are single to double-story,
and their thickness generally does not exceed 2
m. As described above, moreover, the92

deposition of dark gray mudstones andlacustrine mudstones in the unit 3 (probably
representing significant increase of the A/Sratio) coincides with the stratigraphic intervalwith the most frequent occurrence of thepebbly channel deposits near the bottom of unit

3. Therefore, the tectonic event causing theepisodic source area uplift (increase in
sediment supply) might also cause basin
subsidence (increase in accommodation
generation), causing the deposition of single todouble-story channels.

93

Mesozoic fossil data from the “Eocene” Zambales Ophiolite
Dimalanta, C. B.1, Queaño, K. L.2, Salapare, R. C.1, Yumul, G. P.Jr.2,3, Marquez, E. J.4,
Faustino-Eslava, D. V.5, Ramos, N. T. 1 and Payot, B. D.1
1

Rushurgent Working Group, Tectonics and Geodyn. Acad. Gr., Nat. Inst. Geol. Sci., Coll. Sci.,
Univ. Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines 1101 (cdimalanta@nigs.upd.edu.ph)2Monte Oro Res. Energy Inc., Makati City, Philippines (kqueano@gmail.com)
3
4

Apex Mining Comp., Inc., Pasig City, Philippines (csrwg@yahoo.com)

Dept. Phys. Sci. and Math., Univ. Philippines, Manila, Manila, Philippines(reophax_ejm@yahoo.com)

5Schl. Envi. Sci. Manag., Univ. Philippines, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines(dei_faustino@yahoo.com)

Numerous
studieshave
been
conducted on the Zambales Ophiolite Complex(ZOC), one of the best-exposed crust-mantle
sequences in the region. The ophiolite, which
occupies the north-south trending Zambales
Range, is divided into three massifs – Masinloc,
Cabangan and San Antonio (Figure 1). An
Eocene age had previously been assigned to theophiolite on the basis of the overlying
sedimentary units in the southeastern part of
the Zambales Range. Geochronologic dating of
diabase, granodiorite and other late-stage
magmatic products similarly yielded the same
Eocene age.
The northernmost massif which
comprises the ZOC, Masinloc Massif, isoverlain by Cenozoic clastic sedimentary units(Figure 1). Field campaigns in the area revealed
that the Acoje Block which forms part of theMasinloc Massif is overlain by the Cabaluan

Formation, an Early to Middle Miocene clastic
formation that consists of ophiolitic detritus
including blocks of cherts, peridotites andgabbros. Radiolarians extracted from the chert
samples
includeEucyrtidiellumsp.,
Wrangellium sp. and Triactoma sp.,
Holocryptocanium barbui, Pseudodictyomitra
carpatica,
Archaeospongoprunumsp.,
Crytamphorella sp., Wrangellium (?) sp. cf.
W(?) columnum (Figure 1). This assemblage
suggests a Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceousage (Bathonian to Aptian).
The recognition of an age older thanpreviously reported for the ZOC warrants are-examination of its tectonic evolution.
Correlating with other similarly-aged ophiolites,
we suggest the possible existence of a
Mesozoic ophiolite belt along the western
Philippine archipelago.

94

Figure 1. (left top) Index map of the Philippines showing the location of the Zambales Range. (left bottom) Map ofLuzon island showing the Zambales Ophiolite Complex which is divided into the Masinloc, Cabangan and San
Antonio massifs. Boxed region shows the area occupied by the overlying sedimentary units investigated in thisstudy. (middle) The chert samples which yielded radiolarians were collected near the Cabaluan River (marked
by black star). The chert blocks are incorporated within the Early to Middle Miocene Cabaluan Formation in the
Acoje Block of the Masinloc Massif. (right top) Photo of the radiolarian blocks which were observed in the
Acoje Block. (right bottom) Radiolarians extracted from the chert samples suggest a Middle Jurassic to Early
Cretaceous age.

95

Implications to Central Philippine evolution from signatures of the Cretaceous Balud
Ophiolitic Complex
Faustino-Eslava, D. V.1, Dimalanta, C. B.2, Queaño, K. L.3, Ramos, N. T.2, Payot, B. D.2, Manalo,
P. C.2 and Yumul, G. P. Jr.3,4
1

Schl. Envi. Sci. Manag., Univ. Philippines, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines(dei_faustino@yahoo.com)
2

Rushurgent Working Gr. – Tectonics and Geodyn. Acad. Gr.,Nat. Inst. Geol. Sci., Coll. Sci., Univ. Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines 1101
(cbdimalanta@nigs.upd.edu.ph)3Monte Oro Res. Energy Inc., Makati City, Philippines (kqueano@gmail.com)
4

Apex Mining Company, Inc., Pasig City, Philippines (csrwg@yahoo.com)
of the Cretaceous Southeast Bohol Ophiolite
Complex (SEBOC). These characteristics are
fairly similar to most Mesozoic Central
Philippine ophiolites that exhibit transitionalisland arc – mid-ocean ridge geochemicalsignatures that strongly contrasts with younger(Eocene) e-MORB-influenced crust-mantle
suites such as the Amnay ophiolite in Mindoro
Island.
Gravity signatures over the BOC are
characterized by low anomaly values,
consistent with the signatures of otherdismembered ophiolites. Gravity data of
Masbate have significantly higher Bouger
anomalies than those of Mindoro, Romblon
Island Group and northwestern Panay. This
contrast is attributed to the continental
character of PCB-affiliated islands thatgenerally register lower anomalies. Incidentally,
these results support an arc-collision model thatplaces the boundary of the PMB and the PCB
between the islands of Sibuyan and Masbate.
Most models for Mesozoic central
Philippine ophiolites suggest proto-Philippine
Sea plate origins for these oceanic fragments.
Similarities between the BOC and many ofthese ophiolitic bodies suggest parallel origins.

The island of Masbate in Central
Philippines lies east of the previously
established arc-continent collision boundary
between the Palawan microcontinental block(PCB) and the Philippine mobile belt (PMB).
Recent mapping of the western section of theisland revealed fragments of upper crustal
rocks that make up the recently recognized
Balud Ophiolitic Complex (BOC). A relatively
thick unit of siliceous sedimentary deposits was
also found directly overlying the BOC. This
Panguiranan Chert formation is believed torepresent the sedimentary carapace of the BOC
and initial processing for radiolarian remains
yieldedan
upper
Cretaceous
form,
Holocryptocanium barbui.
In order to characterize this newly
delineated ophiolitic body, its geochemical andgeophysical features attributes are comparedwith similarly-aged crust-mantle sequences inneighboring islands within the Central
Philippines. Geochemically, the BOC basalts
are characterized by depletion in HFSEs (e.g.
Nb, Ti, Zr) consistent with generation in a
subduction environment. Their strong light
REE depletion and flat mid REE to heavy REE
patterns are also most similar to volcanic rocks

96

Figure 1. A. Index map of the Philippines showing the Central Philippines and the extent of the Palawan
Microcontinental Block (PCB). B. The Central Philippine Islands. Mindoro, Romblon Island Group and western
Panay are considered to belong to the PCB. To the east of the boundary is Masbate Island, where the Balud
Ophiolitic Complex (BOC) is being mapped. C. Geology of the BOC. There are mapped exposures of basalts,
dikes and gabbros. D. Holocryptocanium barbui extracted from the Panguiranan chert, which is the sedimentary
carapace of the BOC. E. Comparison of the trace element chemistry of the BOC with Amnay Ophiolite in
Mindoro and Sibuyan Ophiolite in Romblon Island Group (RIG).

97

Tectono-magmatic Development of Accreted West Burma Block from Gondwana Land
Naing Maw Than
Myanmar Geol. Soc., Singapore (MGSS), Blk 238#05-59, Serangoon Ave.2, Singapore550238(naingmawthan@hotmail.com)
Western Myanmar, between the
strike-slip Sagiang Fault in the east and thefrontal thrusts of the Indo-Burman Ranges in
the west, was identified by Mitchell (1989) asan allochthonous continental block, now
largely overlain by Cenozoic sediments and an
active magmatic arc. Mitchell (1989) named
this continental block ‘Mount Victoria Land’from an occurrence of metamorphic rocks,
taken to represent the outcrop of the continental
basement. This block has been termed the‘West Burma Block’ by Hutchison (1989).
Southeast Asia is made up of a series ofcontinental blocks which separated from
northern Gondwana during the Late Paleozoic
and Mesozoic and were subsequently accreted
to the southern margin of Asia with thesubduction of the intervening oceanic crust.
From east to west the Malay peninsula andSumatra are composed of three continental
blocks: East Malaya, Sibumasu and West
Sumatra (Barber and Crow (2009).
Hutchison (1994) and Barber etal.(2003) proposed a hypothesis, during theTriassic an elongated slice, including West
Sumatra and West Burma, became detachedfrom Cathaysia (Indochina) along a majortranscurrent fault and was translated along thewestern margin of Southeast Asia to its present
position outboard of the Sibumasu terrane.
The contact between the Sibumasu
block and the West Sumatra block is marked by
the Medial Sumatra Tectonic Zone (MSTZ), a
distance of 1760 km and interpreted as a majortranscurrent fault. Barber and Crow (2005)
correlated the MSTZ with the Mogok Belt of
Myanmar and the West Burma block is theextension of the West Sumatra block, fromwhich it was separated by the formation of theAndaman Sea in the Miocene (Curray, 2005).
By paleontological findings, Oo et al. (2002)
have described Permian fusulinids ofCathaysian type in Karmine in the northern partof the West Burma Block and late Jurassic
radiolarian cherts in ophiolites at Myitkyina
area (Maung Maung et al., 2008).
Metcalfe (1996, 2005) suggested that
the
Sikulehmicrocontinental
terranes,
incorporated in the Woyla terranes and theWest Burma block, separated in the Late
Jurassic to Early Cretaceous and were accreted
in the mid Cretaceous. The Woyla nappe isinterpreted as an intraoceanic arc thrust over
the West Sumatra block and the Woyla Arc
was certainly accreted to Southeast Asia as partof the Woyla nappe in the mid Cretaceous(Barber 2000; Barber & Crow 2008).
Michell et al. (2012) speculated that,in the Cretaceous the Wuntho–Popa arc (United
Nations 1978c) was much further south, within
the western part of the present Andaman Sea
andpossibly
Sumatra–Wuntho–Popa–Mokpalinarccontinued northwards through diorite andgranodiorite intrusions within the Tagaung
Myitkyina Belt (TMB) of Burma.
During northward indentation of India
into Asia the region east and southeast of Tibet
underwent large scale right-lateral shear andclockwise rotation, the right-lateral Sagaing
fault in Burma which marks the eastern marginof the NNE moving Indian plate during the
Neogene.
Igneous rocks ranging in age fromLower Jurassic to Pleistocene or early Recent
occur sporadically in a1500 km long ‘volcanicarc’ throughout the Central Lowlands(Chhibber 1934). The arc coincides with anaxis within the Central Lowlands sedimentarybasin (Central Burma Basin), dividing it into
Western and Eastern Troughs that represents
arc volcanism above an east-dipping
subduction zone . The Central Volcanic Line
(CVL) arc is terminated by South at Andamansea spreading center which has been active
since Mid-Miocene (Curray, 1979).
98Mitchell (1981), Stephenson andMarshall (1984) stated that prior to theinitiation of the Andaman Sea spreading centre
the volcanic arc was continuous southwards
with the Sumatra and Sunda arcs of Indonesia(Hutchison 1982), in which many high-K
calc-alkaline
volcanic
centershavegeochemical and mineralogical similarities tothe Burma volcanics (Whitford 1975; Whitford& Nicholls 1976; Leo et al. 1980; See in
Stephenson and Marshall, 1984) (Maury et al.
2004). This is particularly true in northern
Sumatra where fault controlled Miocene to
Recent volcanoes, with remarkable similarity tothose of comparable age in Burma, aredeveloped on the southwestern continental
margin of the Sundaland Craton (Rock & Syah
1983) (See in Stephenson and Marshall, 1984).
Petrochemical analysis of Mt. Popa
area (Upper Miocene to early Recent) and its
northern continuation shown high -K
calc-alkaline suite (Ye Min, 1992, Khin Maung
Tun,1993, Naing Maw Than,1993) that is
attributed to the waning stage of orogeny as theobliquely eastward subduction of the Indian
Plate beneath the Eurasian Plate that gave way
to strike-slip movement associated with theAndaman Sea spreading-centre (Stephenson
and Marshall 1984).
Although such high-K Calc alkaline
suite are known from island arcs, they are moreprevalent on continental margin where they areoften associated with extremely K richshoshonitic rocks.Magmas were probably
generated by hydrous mantle melting above

dehydrating oceanic crust of the subduction
zone. The generation of potassic magma
involved
thepartialmelting
ofphlogopite-bearing
garnetperidotite
atrelatively deep levels in the upper mantle (120Km+), below the amphibole stability (Gupta
and Yagi, 1980) and the more siliceous lavas
may have been derived by fractional
crystallization of such magmas at crustal levels(Stephenson and Marshall, 1984).
The present-day active subduction
zone is the Burma seismic zone, a narrow zoneof deep earthquakes extending down generally
to ~150 km, but with a few earthquakes down
to 250 km depth (Ni et al., 1989). It is notablethat if extrapolate the trend surface slightly so
as to produce 160 Km contour would passthrough the volcanic arc in map view.
According to petrochemical and seismicity data,
it can be mentioned that the magma generationof the Popa area indicate a depth range of(120-160) Km at relatively deeper part of theupper mantle.
Morrison (1980) suggested thatsteepening of subduction plate can occur
beneath a thickening crust towards the end ofan orogenic phase and prior to a flip
(overturning) of the zone or a change tostrike-slip movement such as has recently
occurred in Myanmar.
These results provide a most useful
local tectono-magmatic analogy and supportive
for consideration of the West Burma block isthe extension of the West Sumatra block.

References:
Barber A. J. 2000. The origin of the Woyla Terranes in Sumatra and the Late Mesozoic evolution of
the Sundaland margin. J. Asian Earth Sci. 18, 713–38.
Barber A. J. & CROW M. J. 2003. Evaluation of plate tectonic models for the development of
Sumatra. Gondwana Res. 20, 1–28.
Barber A. J., CROW M. J. & MILSOM J. S. (eds) 2005. Sumatra: Geology, Resources andTectonics. Mem. 31. Geol. Soc. London, London.
Barber A. J. & CROW M. J. 2009. Structure of Sumatra and its implications for the tectonic
assembly of Southeast Asia and the destruction of Paleotethys Island Arc 18, 3–20
Chibber, H.L., 1934, The Geology of Burma : New Jersy, Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Curay J.R., Moore D.G., Lawver L.A., Emmel F.J., Raitt R.W., Henry M. & Kieckhfer R. (1979). –Tectonics of the Andaman Sea and Burma. In: T.S. Watkins, L. Martadet & P.W.
Dickerson, Eds, Geological and geophysical investigations of continental margins. AAPG
Mem., 29, 189-198.
Curray, J.R. 2005. Tectonics and history of the Andaman Sea region. J. Asian Earth Sci., 25,
187-232.
99

Gerven. M.van. and Pichler.H., 1995, Some aspects of volcanology and geochemistry of theTengger Caldera, Java, Indonesia : Eruption of a K-rick tholeitic series, J. SE Asian Earth
Sci. 1, 125-133
Gupta, A.K and Yagi, K., 1980, Minerals and rocks . V.14; Petrology and genesis of lucite –bearing rocks. Sprimger- Verlag, Newyork
Hutchison, C.S., 1989. Geological Evolution of Southeast Asia. Oxford University Press.
Khin Maung Tun, 1993, Petrology of the Shin Ma Taung Area, Pakkoku Tsp., Univ. of Mandalay,
unpub. Master’s thesis
Maung Maung, Aung Naing Thu, Suzuki, H., 2008. Latest Jurassic radiolarian fauna from the
Chyinghkran area, Myitkyina Township, Kachin State (Region),
Maury. R.C., et. al., 2004, Quaternary calc-alkaline and alkaline volcanism in an hyper-obliqueconvergence setting, central Myanmar and western Yunnan (Bull. Soc. géol. Fr., 2004, t.
175, no 5, pp. 461-472)
Metacalfe I. 1996. Pre-Cretaceous evolution of SE Asian terranes. In Hall R. & Blundell D. J.
(eds).Tectonic Evolution of Southeast Asia. Geol. Soc., London, Spec. Publ. 106, 97–122.
Metacalfe I. 2005. Asia: South-East. In Selley R. C., Cocks L. R. M. & Plimer I. R. (eds).
Encyclopedia of Geology, pp. 169–96. Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Mitchell, A.H.G., 1981. Phanerozoic plate boundaries in mainland SE Asia, the Himalayas andTibet. J. Geol. Soc., 138, 109–122.
Mitchell, A.G.H. 1989. The Shan Plateau and Western Burma: Mesozoic-Cenozoic plateboundaries and correlation with Tibet. In: Sengör, A.m.C. (ed.)Tectonic Evolution of the
Tethyan Region. KluwerAcademic Publishers, 567-583.
Morrison, G.W. 1980, Charcteristics and tectonic setting of the shoshonite rock association : Lithos,13, 101-112.
Naing Maw Than, 1993, Petrology of the Taungni-Pingadaw Area, Kyaukpadaung Tsp., Univ. of
Mandalay, unpub. Master’s thesis
Naing Maw Than, 2012, Nature of the Central Volcanic Line in Taung Ni area, Central Myanmar.
AOGS 2012 abstract volume.
Ni, James F. Marco, Gunzman Speziale et al.,1989, Accreationary tectonics of Burma and the three
dimensional geometry of the Burma subduction zone: Geology, 17, P.68-71.
Marshall.T.R, Amos.B.J. & Stephenson.D, 1983, Base Metals Concentrations in Silicified andArgilized lavas of the The central Burma Volcanics. Geol. Soc., Spec. Publ., 11, 59-68.
Oo,Tin H. & Nyuny H. 2002. Permian of Myanmar. J. Asian Earth Sci. 20, 683–699.
Stephenson, D. and Marshall.T.R. , 1984, The petrology and mineralogy of Mt. Popa volcano andthe nature of the late Cenozoic Burma volcanic arc; J. Geol. Soc. London, 141, 747-762.
United Nations, 1978c. Geology and Exploration Geochemistry of the Salingyi-Shinmataung area,
Central Burma. Technical Report No. 5, DP/UN/BUR-72-002/14, Geol. Sur. and Expl.
Project, United Nations Development Programme. United Nations, New York, p. 29.
Ye Min, 1992, Petrology of the Banmauk-Pinlebu Area, Kawlin-Wuntho Tsp., Univ. of Mandalay,
unpub. Master’s thesis

100

Biotic evolution: Asian and western Pacific fauna and flora - MacrofaunaMorphological details of a newly discovered Cretaceous echinoid species ‘Stereocidaris keertii ’(Smith A. B., 2010)
Sharma, V. K.
Dept. Zoology, Govterment, Holkar Sci. Coll., PIN- 452001. Indore, (M.P.) India.
(vipulkeerti@yahoo.com)
Introduction:
The Bagh formation in central India(Madhya Pradesh) represents good examples of
a diverse Turonian shallow-marine richechinoid fauna, but dating of this sequence has
so far been controversial. The marine echinoid
faunas come from a condensed shallow water
succession of carbonates interrupted by several
well-marked hard grounds and depositional
hiatuses.
High magnesium calcite skeleton ofechinoderms makes them very durable during
the process of fossilization, and offers
well-understood and beautiful fossils. Out of
eleven regular and irregular echinoid species
reported from this region one regular echinoid
Stereocidaris keertii is new to science,
discovered by the author during a field work in
February 2007 in the Man –Sukkar Nala river
region to the south of Zeerabad, Madhya
Pradesh. Although it resembles Stereocidaris
namadica but differs in its finer morphologicaldetails. The detail study also confirm somemore identification features in the apical plate.

Results:

The two species of Stereocidarisreported from the Bagh region are superficiallyvery similar to each other but they are different
to each other in many respects. The newly
discovered species S. keertii differs with S.
namadica in ambulacral tuberculations, broader
perradial zone, size of gonopore and the thickmargins of the inner side of the genital plates.
Conclusions:
Late
Cretaceous(Turonian)echinoids of Bagh formation (Chiplonkar etal.,1973) Madhya Pradesh of central India
represents a large collection of epibenthic
regular echinoids. The Mesozoic to recent
crown group echinoids all have tests
constructed of 20 columns of plates, but show
great variation in shape. Cidaroid are among
the most highly conserved echinoids in termsof their skeletal morphology. Tests of both theregular echinoids are especially well adapted tothe mechanical activity of the ambulacral tube
feet. The shape of the test is flattening towards
the substrate. The differential distribution ofmaterial within the test make it outward bulge ofthe ambulacra. Both the fossil Stereocidariswere compared to each other and also with thepresent day sea urchins to see the sexual
dimorphisms on the basis of shape and the sizeof the genital pores, position of the genital
pores in the genital plates, the height of the test
(height diameter ratio) and the type of thespines. All these morphological details were
found to be useful in the species and sexual
differentiation.

Summary of methods:
Samples were collected from five
localities around Zeerabad District Dhar. The
specimens were collected both by hand picking
and bulk sampling. Bulk samples were
processed using repeated tooth brush cleaning.
In total, 21complete specimens and many
fragmentary plates were collected along withspines. Among these 5 specimens wereidentified as S. keertii and remaining 16 wereidentified as S. namadica. After the laboratory
cleaning all echinoids have been subjected to adetailed taxonomic study as per Echinoid
directory, a web resource.
101

Figure 1: Newly discovered
species of a regular sea urchin
Stereocidaris keertii showinginterambulacral and ambulacralzones.

Referances:
Smith A.B. (2010) The Cretaceous Bagh Formation, India: a Gondwana window onto Turonian
shallow-water echinoid faunas. Cretaceous Res.31:368-386.
Chiplonkar, G.W., Ghare, M.A., Badve, R.M. (1973). Bagh Beds e their fauna, age and affinities.
Biovigyanam.3: 33-60.

102

Eggs, nests and poops of Indian Late Cretaceous sauropods: behavior, habitat and diet
*Mohabey, D. M. and Samant, B.
Postgrad. Dept. Geology, RTM Nagpur Univ., Amravati Road, Nagpur-440001, India.
(dinomohabey@yahoo.com; bandanabhu@gmail.com)*Ex. Geological Survey of India

and Chanda (=Chandrapur districts), which are
now part of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh
states. The first named Indian dinosaur, thesauropod “Titanosaurus indicus” was based on
two caudal vertebrae originally discovered by
W. H. Sleeman in 1828 from and designated as
Titanosaurs indicus by Lydekker (1877).
Charles Matley made intensive excavations at
Jabalpur during the two expeditions in
1917-1919 collecting many dinosaur bones
from the Bara Simla and in 1932-33 from
Chhota Simla,that were described by Von
Huene and Matley (1933). They named nine
new theropod genera and species including six
medium-to-large-sized theropods, a small
bodied theropod and four titanosauriform
sauropods- Titanosaurus indicus, T. blandfordi,
Antarctosaurus
septentrionalis
andLaplatasaurus madagascariensis. Jain andBandyopadhyay (1997) described a new
species T. colberti from Dongargaon Hill.
However, revision currently considers only
titanosauriform
genera,Isisaurus
andJainosaurus as valid from the Late Cretaceousof India (Wilson et al. 2009). Two new generaand species of abelisaurid theropodRajasaurus narmadensis (Wilson et al. 2003)
and Rahiolisaurus gujaratensis (Novas et al.
2010) have been described from the Lameta
Formation of Rahioli in Kheda District, Gujarat.
From the Lameta of Rahioli dinosaur teeth
have also been described (Mathur andSrivastava, 1987).
Since the discovery of first dinosaur
eggs in India in 1983, a large number ofnest-sites, nests and eggs have been recorded
from the Lameta in western and central India.
A large diversity is noticeable in the Indian
dinosaur eggs. Based on the morphology and

The Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)dinosaur fossils are recorded mostly in thesediments associated with Deccan volcanic
flood basalts sequences. The sediments aredesignatedasLametaFormation(=infratrappean, below the volcanic flows) andintertrappean (positioned between the flows) ofwhich the former is rich in dinosaur fossils.
The sediments of central and western India
records a diverse suite of terrestrial
environments,
including
low-gradientfluvio-laustrine flood plains, braided river
systems, and upland soil-forming settings insemiarid climates having strong seasonality(Mohabey et al. 1993). Were it not for theemplacement of the overlying flood basalts of
the Deccan Traps which deeply buried thepalaeotopography, it is very unlikely that anyof the environments represented by the Lameta
would have been preserved in the geologicalrecord. It is probably for this reason that theLameta has afforded numerous unique insights
into Late Cretaceous terrestrial life (Mohabey,1996). The major Lameta localities which havebeen yielding dinosaur fossils are (i)Nand-Dongargaon in Maharashtra in central
India, (ii) Kheda and Panchmahal areas ofGujarat in western India and (iii) Jabalpur andBagh areas of Madhya Pradesh in central India.
Recently, titnosauriform bones have also beenreported from the Lameta of Maru river sectionin Salburdi area in the adjoining districts ofAmravati in Maharashtra and Betul in Madhya
Pradesh (Srivastava and Mankar, 2013). The
Lameta sediments are time transgressive anddeposited
duringthe
Maastrichtian
magnetochron C30n to C29r.
Indian dinosaurs were first reported
from the Lameta of “Jubbulpore” (=Jabalpur)103

eggshell microstructure and histostructure, thedinosaur eggshells have been assigned to theoofamily Megaloolithidae, Elongatoolithidae
and a possible Spheroolithidae (Mohabey,1998). At least eight new oospecies of theoogenus Megaloolithus attributed to sauropods
have been established.
Intensive field research has resulted ininterpreting the nesting behaviour andpalaeoecologyofthenest-sites
oftitnosauriform dinosaurs based on thetaphonomical and sedimentological studies ofthe egg-bearing sediments. The studies revealthat most of the eggs, nest and nest-sites occur
exclusively in the channel-related sandstone or
emergent palustrine flat deposits that are
mostly pedogenically modified. At a single
nesting site all the nests are found at the same
stratigraphic level. The individual nests
constitute a cluster of eggs in a saucer shaped
depression generally having a depth up to 50
cm and diameter up to 100 cm. In a majority of
the nests, the eggs are found to be laid in asingle layer having no well-defined pattern.
The eggs in the nests are preserved either as
lower halves of eggs surrounded by eggshelldebris or as complete to near-complete(generally intact) eggs. In the former category,generally, the lower halves of eggs are found.
Eggshells fragments may occur inside the eggs
or in the surrounded matrix. Such eggs possibly
represent the hatched category of eggs. The
Megaloolithus eggs mostly occur in a single
layer with no well-defined pattern. The nest
andnest-sites
associatedwiththeMegaloolithus eggs are strong evidences forcommunal
nestingbytitanosauriform
sauropods. The evidences suggest that thesedinosaurs always preferred to nest and bury
their eggs in the soft sands along theriver-banks. No evidence of any plant material
which could have possibly produced heat for
the incubation of the eggs is found inside thenests. In India no bones are found associatedwith the eggs and nests excepting at the Dhori
Dungri in Gujarat where bones of sauropod
hatchlings have been found associated with theeggs (Mohabey, 1987). At this locality a partial
skeleton of a new 3.5-m-long snake, Sanajeh
indicus gen. et sp. nov., has been recoveredfrom Lameta sediments. S. indicus was
fossilized in association with a sauropod
dinosaur egg clutch, coiled around an egg andadjacent to the remains of a ca. 0.5-m-longhatchling (Wilson et al. 2010). Multiple
snake-egg associations at the site strongly
suggest that S. indicus frequented nesting
grounds and preyed on hatchling sauropods.
The stable carbon and oxygen isotope studiesof has indicated that these egg-laying reptiles
drank waterfrom water-bodies having an
excessive evaporation, and consumed plantsthat utilised C3 photosynthetic pathways(Sarkar et al. 1993). It is suggested that thevegetation was scanty and mostly confinedaround the water bodies.
A large concentration of dinosaur
poops (coprolites) has been recorded in theLameta sediments at Pisdura in the
Nand-Dongargaon area. Hislop (1860) was thefirst to report coprolites from the Lameta
Formation of Pisdura. Subsequently, Matley(1939) made a large collection of coprolites
from this section and classified them into fourtypes viz. Type-A, Type-B, Type-Ba andType-C. He referred the Type-A coprolites totitanosaur sauropods based on their large size
(cylindrical, straight to curved segment up to
12 cm long, 7 cm wide and smooth) and their
indirect association with the bones oftitanosaurid sauropods that represented thelargest-sizedanimals
amongstthecontemporary
vertebrates.
The
other
vertebrates found are pelomedusoid turtles,
snakes (madtsoid), crocodiles, pelobatid frogs
and fishes (Mohabey 1996, Mohabey et al.
2011). Matley (1939) described Type-A
droppings as free of any plant or animal tissues.
Mohabey (2001), reported coprolites with
exclusive well preserved plant tissues thatprovided evidence for revealing the intake ofsolid and liquid diet of their producers.
Globally, before this find, the coprolites withplant tissues remained unknown and theunderstanding of the dietary habit of sauropods
remained mostly based on the study of the teeth
and the jaw mechanism of the herbivore
sauropods and their indirect association with
contemporary plants fossils in the sediments.
The Type A coprolites from the Pisdura containplant tissues of pteridophytes, gymnosperms
and angiosperm including grasses in various
proportions suggesting a mixed diet for the
animals and availability of multiple of sourcesof plants. Presence of insect burrows, bacteria,
epiphyllus fungi, sponge and freshwater
diatoms (Aulcoseira) is not uncommon(Mohabey and Samant, 2003, Ghosh et104

al.2004). Palynomorphs are scarce and poorly
preserved in the coprolitic mass. This can beowing to corrosion of the material in the guts
and alimentary canals of the animals (Waldman
and Hopkin, 1970). The plant tissues in the
coprolites are perminerlised, comminuted andcoarsely chewed. The tissues are exclusively
soft and tender consisting of inflorescence,
fertile shoots, apical shoots, tender leaves withpetioles, flowers and small fruits with thin
pericarps. Hard woody tissues are rare. Thissuggests that the titanosauriform sauropods
preferred to eat the soft foliage of higher plants
by cropping as supported by their narrowcrowned teeth. The titanosauriform teeth
collected from the Lameta Formation represent
week dentition comprising narrow crowned
peg-like teeth with Slender Index (SI,Height:Width>4) and with a lot of wear. The
jaw structure possibly could not effectively
occlude like those of ornithischian herbivores.
It is strongly suggested that the India Late
Cretaceous sauropod were more adapted to
cropping of soft plant issues of angiosperms,
gymnosperms and pterodophytes as their solid
diet. The ornithischian herbivores known for
their complex mastidentary adaptations are notknown from the Indian Late Cretaceous
excepting doubtful reports of Dravidosaurus
blandfordi and Brachypodosaurus gravis.
Presence of phytoliths of grasses including rice
tribe in the Pisdura coprolites (Prasad et al.
2011) is suggestive that the titanosauriform
sauropods were also adapted to browsing otherthan cropping the foliage of trees. In the Late
Cretaceous of India the angiosperm plants andnarrow crowned titanosauriform sauropods
appear simultaneous for the first time in themagnetic chron C30n of the Mastrichtian.
However, based on the existing state ofknowledge it is difficult to suggest any
co-evolutionary relationship between the
narrow-crowned titanosauriform herbivores
and the origin and evolution of angiosperms on
the Indian subcontinent. Community structure
and migratory behaviour for Indian titanosaurid
is well known (Mohabey, 1998) and thedispersal of flora through seed and pollen-sporein the coprolites is not be ruled out. The older
prosauropods(Barapasurus)
and
early
sauropod (Kotasaurus) are known to havebroad crowned spatulate teeth. Their evolution
to the Late Cretaceous narrow crowned

titanosauriform and relationship with theevolution of Mesozoic plants in India ispresently difficult to establish due to absence ofany early Cretaceous dinosaurian bearing
sediments in India and inadequate sampling.
Clusters of Type-A coprolites inassociation with the other types of coprolites
occur as a discrete layer within the over-banksediments. They are associated with theskeletal remains of titanosaurs and othervertebrates and are interpreted as lag
accumulate in the over-bank areas (Mohabey etal. 1993). The coprolites show desiccation
cracks suggesting their drying and hardening
after defecation and exposure to sun in the
overbank areas of their habitat andsubsequently deposited as lag accumulates.
Positioned at palaeolatitude 290 south,
the Indian subcontinent during the Late
Cretaceous (Mastrichtian, C30n to C29r) in
central and western India offered ideal
environmental and ecological niches for the
preferred habitat of titanosauriform sauropods
and their breeding and large scale nesting. The
evidence suggests that during the Lameta time
under semiarid climatic conditions with strong
seasonality, the overbank areas of the low land
alluvial-limnic environments were inhabited byherds of titanosauriform sauropods andabelisaurid theropods. Existing lakes and water
pools were surrounded by patchy but
diversified flora comprising varied plant
species of pteridophytes, conifers andangiosperms including grasses representing tallleafy trees, shrubberies and abundant aquatic
vegatation that provided main solid d of lakes
and ponds to the herbivore sauropods. In thesemiarid conditions with strong seasonality(Mohabey et al. 1993, Mohabey and Samant,
2005) the availability of the plant as foodresources could be controlled by the seasonalvariations. The impact of Deccan volcanism on
the existing environments and availability ofplant resources food influencing the life anddeath of the Indian Late Cretaceous sauropods
still need to be properly assessed. It is currently
considered (Mohabey and Samant, 2013) thatthe history of Late Cretaceous dinosaurs on the
Indian subcontinent only spanned 500 KY to350 KY before the Cretaceous-Paleogene
boundary (K-Pg) and affected by the Deccan
volcanic eruptions they never reached the K-Pg
boundary.
105

References:
Ghosh, P., Bhattacharya, S.K., Sahni, A., Kar, R.K. and Mohabey, D.M., 2004. Dinosaur coprolites
from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Lameta Formation of India: isotopic and othermarkers suggesting a C3 plant diet. Cret. Res., 24, 743-755.
Hislop S., 1860. On the Tertiary deposits associated with trap-rocks in the East Indies. Quart. J.
Geol. Soc. London, 16, 154-166.
Jain, S. L. and Bandyopadhyay, S., 1997. New titanosurid (Dinosauria; Sauropoda) the Late
Cretaceous of Central India. Jour. Vert. Pal., 17, 114-136.
Lydekker, R., 1877. Notices of new and other vertebrata from Indian tertiary and secondary rocks.
Rec. Geol Surv. India, Pal. Ind., 4, 1-35
Mathur, U.B. and Srivastava, S., 1987. Dinosaur teeth from Lameta Group (Upper Cretaceous) of
Kheda District, Gujarat. J. Geol. Soc India, 29, 554-566.
Matley, C. A., 1939. The coprolites of Pijdura, Central Province. Rec. Geol. Surv. India, 74,
535-547.
Mohabey, D.M., 1987. Juvenile sauropod dinosaur from Upper Cretaceous Lameta Formation ofPanchmahals District, Gujarat, India. Jour. Geol. Soc. India, 30, 210-216.
Mohabey, D. M., 1996. Depositional environment of Lameta formation (Late Cretaceous of
Nand-Dongargaon inland basin, Maharashtra: the fossil and lithological evidences. Mem.
Geol. Soc. India, 37, 363-386.
Mohabey, D.M., 1998 Systematic of Indian Upper Cretaceous dinosaur and chelonian eggshells. J.
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Mohabey, D. M., 2001. Dinosaur eggs and dung mass (fecal mass) from Late Cretaceous of central
India: dietary implications. Geol. Surv. India, Spl. 64, 605-615
Mohabey, D.M. and Samant Bandana, 2003. Floral remains from Late Cretaceous faecal mass ofsauropods from central India: implication to their diet and habitat. Gond. Geol. Magz., Spl.
6, 225-238.
Mohabey, D.M. and Samant Bandana, 2013. Deccan Continental Flood Basalt Eruption terminatedIndian Dinosaurs before Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary. Geol. India, Spl. 1, 260-267.
Mohabey, D. M., Udhoji, S. G. and Verma, K. K., 1993 Palaeontological and sedimentologicalobservations on non-marine Lameta Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Maharashtra, India:
their palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental significance. Palaeo-3, 105, 83-94.
Mohabey, D. M., Head, J. J. and Wilson, J. A., (2011) A new species of the snake Madtsoia fromthe Upper Cretaceous of India and its paleobiogeographic implications. J. Vert. Pal., 31,
588-595.
Novas, F.E., Chatterjee, S., Rudra, D.K. and Dutta, P.M. 2010. Rahiolisaurus gujaratensis, n. gen. n.
sp., a new abelisaurid thropod from the late Cretaceous of India. In: S. Bandyopadhyay(eds.) New aspects of Mesozoic biodiversity, lecture notes in earth Sciences, 132, DOI 10,
1007/978-3-642-10311-7-3.
Sarkar, A., S. K. Bhattacharya and D.M. Mohabey.(1991). Stable isotope analysis of dinosaur
eggshells: Palaeoenvironmental implications, Geology, 9, 1068-1071.
Srivastava, A.K. and Mankar R. 2013.Dinosaurian ulna from a new locality of Lameta succession,
Salbardi area, districts Amravati, Maharashtra and Betul, Madhya Pradesh Curr. Sci., 105,
900-901.
Prasad, V., Stromberg, C.A.E., Leach, A.D., Samant, B., Patnaik, R., Tang, L., Mohabey, D.M.,
G,S., Sahni, A., 2011. Late Cretaceous origin of the rice tribe provides evidence for early
diversification in Poaceae. Nature Commun. 2:480, 1-9.
Von Huene, F.B. and Matley, C.A., 1933. Cretaceous-Saurischia and Ornithischia of Central
Provinces of India, Geol. Surv. India, Mem. 1, Pal. India, 21, 1-24.
Waldman, M. and W.S. Hopkins. 1970. Coprolites from the Upper Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada,with a description of their microflora. Cand. Jour. Ear. Sci., 7, 1295-1303.
Wilson, J.A., Paul, C.S., Bhatt, D.K., Khosla, A. and Sahni, A. 2003. A new abelisauid (Dinosauria,
Theropoda) from the Lameta Formation, (Cretaceous, Maastrichtian) of India. Contrib.
Mus.Pal., Uni. Michigan, 31, 1-42
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Wilson J.A., Mohabey, D.M., Peter., S.E., and Head, J. J., 2010. Predation upon Hatchling
Dinosaurs by a New Snake from the Late Cretaceous of India. PLoS Biol 8, e1000322.
Wilson, J. A., D’emic Michael, D., Curry Rogers, K.A., Mohabey, D. M. and Sen, S., 2009.
Reassessment of sauropod dinosaur Jainosaurus (=Antarctosaurus) septentrionalis fromthe. Upper Cretaceous of India. Contrib. Mus. Pal. Uni Michigan, 32, 17-40.

107

Titanosaurian sauropod dinosaurs from the Latest Cretaceous of Pakistan
Malkani, M. S.
Paleontol. Stratigr. Bran., Geol. Sur. Pakistan, Sariab Road, Quetta, 87300, Pakistan(malkanims@yahoo.com)
Recent geological and paleontological
exploration in the Latest Cretaceous strata of
Sulaiman basin (Pakistan) yielded many
diagnostic and significant Latest Cretaceous
titanosaurian sauropod dinosaurs which show
close affinity to Gondwanan landmasses andfar affinity to Laurasia. These discoveries put
the Pakistan first time in the world dinosaur
map. Some endemic character and taxa show
isolation of Indo-Pakistan as big island during
most of the Cretaceous and its northward
journey.

and large bodied with stocky limbs. It has ashort and stocky tail.
Gspsaurus PakistaniPreviously the skull specimens
MSM-79-19 and MSM-80-19 to Marisaurus
jeffi (titanosaurian sauropod). Due to isolated
finding it is being established as holotype of
Gspsaurus pakistani-a new genus and speciesof titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur (Fig.1).
Gspsaurus pakistani (after Geological Surveyof Pakistan, saurus mean Lizard, species nameafter Pakistan) is found from red muds of
Vitakri Formation of Alam Kali Kakor localityof Vitakri area, Barkhan district, Balochistan,
Pakistan. Holotypic specimens MSM-79-19
consists of articulated upper and lower jaws
with teeth, palatal processes, left quadrate,partial quadratojugal, possibly lowermost
portion of squamosal, mandible rami and teeth
while MSM-80-19 shows palatal bones likeposterior vomerine, fused palatine andpterygoid. The exposed part of skull anddentary are pneumatic. The skull has mid line
contact. The right premaxillary and rightmaxillary teeth are cemented on the anterior
and lateral side of right dentary ramus. Leftdentary ramus is covered by quadrate,
quadratojugal, possible squamosal and matrix.
Dentary symphysis seems to be weak. The
available dentary ramus shows length 12 cm,
depth 4.5-5cm and width (with splenial) 1.8
cm. The anteroventral marginal shape of
dentary is gently rounded. Dentary symphysis
is almost V shape or sub V shape. Palatine
lateral ramus is rod shaped and has narrowmaxillary contact. The palatal process isreverse V shape which is hanged/hooked bysmall v shape dorsal palatal process. The
ventral palatal processes are also bifurcated.
The maximum thickness of palatal process is
8mm and width is about 2 cm. Maxilla has 1.5
cm thick alveolus ramus and the upper/dorsal

Titanosaurian sauropods from the Latest
Cretaceous of Pakistan
Khetranisaurus barkhani
The Khetranisaurus barkhani wereplant eater, slender and medium size (Fig.1)
titanosaurs. These have one holotypic andmany attributed caudals. Some vertebrae andlimb bones were located in holotypic Kinwa
mid locality.
Sulaimanisaurus gingerichi
It is based on seven fragmentary but
associated caudal vertebrae (long and squarish
mid caudals; Fig.1).
Pakisaurus balochistani
Pakisaurus balochistani were basedon four associated tall caudal centra (Fig.1)
and also attributed by many fragmentary,
associated and articulated bones and pieces ofbones.
Marisaurus jeffi
Marisaurus jeffi (Balochisauridae)
were thick and long necked and relatively
short tail with trispinous distalmost tail special
may be used for support to eat/mat/defend(Fig.1).
Balochisaurus malkani
Balochisaurus
malkani(Balochisauridae) were relatively most stocky108

portion which is about 0.5 cm thick. Preserved
quadrate plate is about 1cm thick and 10 cmlong and 7 cm wide. On the dorsal of quadrate
seems to be partial squamosal which is also
about 1 cm thick. Quadratojugal is thick about
1-2.5cm and dorsal process rotate at an angleof about 40-50 degree from anterior process ofquadratojugal. Right premaxillary teeth areabout 4 and available maxillary teeth are about
5 or 6. The upper teeth row broadly arched
forming U shape. Teeth cross-sections varyfrom circular to subelliptical. The lengths ofpremaxillary teeth vary from 10 mm to 18 mm,
width varies from 4mm to 6mm. The first
maxillary tooth length is 28mm and width is
7-8mm. Other tooth at a distance of about 2
cm (from first maxillary tooth) is again longand thick like first maxillary tooth. After thisone or two small tooth seems to be fixed inmatrix. The alternating small and large teeth
may represent the replacement phenomena ofteeth. Maxillary teeth are articulated withmaxilla. However spacing between teeth isincreasing toward posterior/back. Premaxillary
tooth crowns apex is slightly curved toward
lingual side. Some teeth are cone forming andsome are blunted or having wear facet. Pulp
cavity of 3 fragmentary teeth found in matrix
associated with skull measured at base as 3mm,
4mm, and 7mm maximum diameter on thebasal part of crown, with total teeth thickness
7mm, 8mm, 9mm and width 8mm, 9mm, 10mm respectively. A tooth slenderness index is4-5. Dentary teeth are covered by anterior
upper skull. Teeth are long, narrow, slender,
circular peg and pencil shaped.
Saraikimasoom vitakri
Previously the skull specimen
MSM-142-4 was referred to Balochisaurus
malkani (titanosaurian sauropod). But due toits isolated finding in excavation it is being
established Saraikimasoom vitakri-a new
genus and species of titanosaurian sauropod
dinosaur (Fig.1). Saraikimasoom vitakri(named after Saraiki language of the area;masoom is Urdu and Saraiki word meaning
innocent; Vitakri is host locality) is foundfrom red muds of Vitakri Formation of Kinwa
Kali Kakor locality of Vitakri area, Barkhan
district, Balochistan, Pakistan. This partial
skull includes articulated upper and lower jaws
consisting of left and right premaxillae, left
and right maxillae, dorsal and ventral palatal
process, left and right dentary and teeth. The

rostrum represents generally long, narrow andmoderate shallow shape (with 400 inclinations
from horizontal). Generally this rostrum istilted towards right. The anterior portions ofupper and lower jaws are broadly arched
forming U shape. The right and left
Premaxilla form a greatly elongatedrostrocaudally belt. Laterally it has a longcontact with maxilla. Its each preserved fellow
is 8.5 cm long, and 1 cm wide on each side
measured at the cross section just behind theending of teeth row. The both fellow are about
2 cm wide. It goes backward with about 400
inclinations from the anterior most point ofpremaxilla. There are 4 premaxillary teeth.
The shape of premaxillary anterior margin
seems without step or with feeble step. The
premaxillary teeth are 1 cm to 2 cm. long andpossible maximum width is 0.4 cm. The dorsal
process and lateral process bifurcate ofmaxilla at the start of antorbital fenestra. The
antorbital fenestra is starting at about 8 cm
length from anterior most premaxilla junction.
Tentatively the antorbital fenestra started at theending of maxillary teeth row. The teeth havelittle gap less than 2 mm among each other.
The larger teeth are observed in the middle ofteeth row i. e., the fifth and sixth maxillaryteeth. However distal parts of the most of theteeth are eroded. The length and width of
longest teeth is 1.5 cm and 3 to 4 mm. The
smallest teeth are less than 1 cm. There are 13
maxillary teeth. The maxillary teeth bearing
part is 7 cm long and preserved backward
portion without teeth is 4.5 cm. Backward toteeth row the upper jaw showing concavity
and the lower jaw showing upward convexity.
There are anteroposteriorly parallel laminationon the maxilla and premaxilla. The dorsal
palatal processes are bifurcated forming v
shape hook. It forms a hook which supports
the ventral palatal process. The ventral palatal
processes are also bifurcated and trends gently
towards maxilla. The ventral most part ofpalatal is forming vaulted shape. Ventral
palatal flange is more than 4 cm wide, andthickness is about 1 cm. Dentary depth oframus is nearly equal and anteroventral margin
shape is gently rounded (no chin). The anterior
portions of dentary are broadly arched forming
U shape. Dentary along with available
possibly surangular measurement is 8 cm. The
best preserved impressions of three teeth ofright dentary are found. The impression of109

central tooth (among these three teeth) is about
1.5 cm long, and 5 to 6 mm wide. The exposedpart of dentary rami is pneumatic with large
open internal cells, showing this partial skull ishighly vascularised. Surangular at theanterior portion is interpreted due to coronoid
process i. e., the convexing upward. The teeth
are long and slender. Long teeth preserved in
the middle of jaw seem like 3rd to 6th whilemost of the tips of teeth have eroded. Teeth
seem to be generally straight while middle todistal part is slightly recurving towards
posterior/back
side.
Tooth
crown
cross-sectional shape at mid crown is
subcircular. Tooth crown is subcircular. A
tooth slenderness index seems to be 3-5. The
Saraikimasoom vitakri represents possible
dental formula 4, 13/11-17? and it gives thebest information for the Titanosauria.
Generally the titanosaurs were considered as
bearing a Diplodocus-type skull but now
Pakistan has represented moderate incline andmoderate long well developed skulls.
Nicksaurus razashahi: The associated axial
and limb elements of Nicksaurus razashahi-asaltasaurids due to very broad caudal are
shown in Fig. 1.
New trackways of titanosaurian sauropod
dinosaurs from Pakistan
The new footprints and trackways oftitanosaurian sauropod dinosaurs are found on
the thick sandstone bed (freshly cut for road
construction) of Latest Cretaceous Vitakri
Formation of Sor Muzghai locality (30057’.36”; 690 08’ 24”; northeast of Moor Pump
bus stop; southeast of Bali Railway station;
also on the eastern bank of Zhob-Quetta road),
Zhob District, Balochistan (Fig.1). The
trackmakers Pashtosaurus zhobi (genus nameafter the Pashto language of local peoples, andspecies name from host Zhob district) basedon footprints and trackway. There is also
danger that these trackways may be destroyed
during future construction materials required
for road construction. The strike of sandstone
bed is North 65o East and its dip is 70o
Northwest. This ichnocoenosis consists of
exposed more than 14 footprints, and 3 or 4
short trackways. The width of pes footprint isabout 0.7-0.8 meter while the length is about
0.7-0.9 meter. The separation of manus andpes is about 0.5-1m. The internal trackway
width is about 20-25cm indicating less wide
gauge locomotion of track maker. The
maximum depth of footprint is more than
12cm. Some footprints show glide (slipped)
mark due to slippery muddy surface of thicksandstone bed. These trackwaysoftitanosaurian sauropods mostly trend in anorthwest direction and are parallel to eachother (Fig.1), however there are some signs of
opposite tracks. These are indicative of a lesswide gauge titanosaurian sauropods herdcomposed of 3 or more individuals. The
exposed area is small and excavation in depth
inclination may reveal best results. The
footprints belong to titanosaurs are diagnosed
on the basis of large size, the oval manus
impression and there is no indication of manus
claw on digit I or on any digit (Fig. 1). Threestocky digit traces may correspond to digits II
to IV are well observed on pes prints. These
digits are not equidimensional, and the central
digit (III) is largest and longest. The posteriorside of pes also shows a median concavity.
This discovery is significant due to occurrenceof titanosaurs body fossils in coeval strata andalso in the same middle Indus/Sulaiman basin.

110

uj

A

t

ds
dr
pm
m
q
ph

B

mr
dr

p

C

ml

D

E

A

B

C

D

E

Figure 7. Generalized morphology of diverse middle caudal centra of Khetranisaurus barkhani (A), Sulaimanisaurus gingerichi (B)and Pakisaurus balochistani (C) of Pakisauridae (A,B,C), and Marisaurus jeffi (D) and Balochisaurus malkani (E) of
Balochisauridae (D,E) from the latest Cretaceous terrestrial strata of Sulaiman Basin, Pakistan.

Figure 1. Map of Pakistan showing bone fossil localities by black circle and Sor Muzghai ichnosite by white circle. (A); holotype
skull MSM-79-19 and MSM-80-19 in ventral (B) and posterior (C) views of Gspsaurus pakistani-a titanosaurian sauropod found from
Alam Kali Kakor locality of Vitakri area, Barkhan district, Balochistan. D Row holotype skull MSM-142-4 in anterior, lateral, ventral
and posterior views of Saraikimasoom vitakri-a titanosaurian sauropod found from Kinwa locality of Vitakri area, Barkhan district,
Balochistan, footprints and trackways of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaurs (Pashtosaurus zhobi) from the Latest Cretaceous Vitakri
formation of Sor Muzghai locality, Western extremity of Sulaiman basin adjoining Western Indus Suture, Zhob District, Balochistan. E(upper and lower rows) referred, associated axial and limb elements of Nicksaurus razashahi from Kinwa north locality of Vitakri area.
upper row 1st column MSM-190-4n left full femur; 2nd column MSM-346-4n distal tibia stocky, MSM-345-4n distal tibia stocky,
MSM-378-4n and MSM-270-4n femur sections, MSM-192-4n distal femur; 3rd column MSM-380-4n, MSM-377-4n, MSM-379-4n
and MSM-438-4n humerus parts; MSM-190-4n and MSM-192-4n a pair of distal femora in ventral view, and MSM-344-4n proximal
radius in 3 views; and MSM-138-4n five teeth in jaw ramus in two views. Lower row MSM-315-4n and MSM-314-4n skull and teeth
fragments in matrix, MSM-313-4n chevron in three views; MSM-212-4n cervical/dorsal centrum, MSM-381-4n, MSM-382-4n andMSM-383-4n cervical centra; line drawing of Pakisauridae (A,B,C) and Balochisauridae (D,E) titanosaurian sauropods. Scale each
black or white digit is 1cm.

111New elasmobranch fauna from the Bagh Group, Narmada Valley, India Palaeobiogeographic context
Prasad, G. V. R.1, Verma, V.2, Sahni, A.3, Priyadarshini, R. K.1 and Singh, L. R.1
1

Dept. Geol., Cent. Adv. Stud., Univ. Delhi, Delhi 110007, India (guntupalli.vrprasad@gmail.com)
2

D.No.56, Manawar, Dhar District, Madhya Pradesh, India
398, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow – 226001, India

In India, until now Cretaceous
elasmobranchs have been recorded from theAlbian-Turonian Karai Formation of Cauverybasin (Underwood et al., 2011), from the
Deccan volcano-sedimentary sequences (Jainand Sahni, 1983; Prasad and Cappetta, 1993)
and Turonian-Campanian Bagh Group (Verma,
1965; Das Sarma and Sinha, 1975). The Karai
Formationhasyieldedsqualiform(Protosqualus
sp.),hexanchiform(Gladioserratus magnus, ?Notidanodon sp.)andlamniform
sharks(Cretalamna
appendiculata,
Dwardius
sudindicus, ?Eostriatolamia sp., Squalicorax
aff. baharijensis, Cretodus longiplicatus)
which indicated cool-water depositional
environment and antitropical distribution(Underwood et al., 2011). Only skates (Raja)
and rays (Igdabatis, Rhombodus) have beenreported from the Upper Cretaceous(Maastrichtian) Lameta Formation (Jain andSahni, 1983) and the Deccan intertrappean beds
(Prasad and Cappetta, 1993). Previously, shark
teeth were documented from the uppermost
gritty sandstone (oyster bed) of the Nimar
Sandstone from a number of localities,
particularly from the western part of lower
Narmada valley (Verma, 1965; Das Sarma andSinha, 1975).
The Cretaceous sediments of lower
Narmada valley, generally known as ‘Bagh
Beds’, occur as detached outcrops following
the erosion of overlying Lameta Formation andDeccan lava flows. Bose (1884) divided theBagh Beds into formal lithostratigraphic units
viz., Nimar Sandstone, Nodular Limestone,
Deola-Chirakhan
Marl,
and
Coralline
Limestone in this order of superposition.
However, Deola-Chirakhan Marl was later
considered as a weathered product of Nodular

Limestone (Roy Chowdhary and Sastri, 1962)
and as such currently the Bagh Group is
considered to consists of Nimar Sandstone,
Nodular Limestone and Coralline Limestone(Tripathi, 2006; Jaitly and Ajane, 2013). The
Nimar Sandstone overlies the Precambrianbasement rocks with an angular unconformity.
The lower part of the Nimar Sandstone wasinterpreted to have been deposited in a
freshwater environment, while the upper partwas considered as a shallow marine sequence(Tripathi, 2006) or deposited in an intertidal to
inner subtidal environment (Singh andSrivastava, 1981). The overlying Nodular
Limestone and Coralline Limestone yieldedmarine invertebrate fossils such as gastropods,
bivalves, brachiopods, echinoids, corals,
bryozoans, ammonites, foraminifers, algae andtrace fossils indicating shallow marine
environment of deposition for these units. A
wide range of ages from Albian to Campanian
have been suggested for the Bagh Group(Chiplonkar et al., 1977; Jafar, 1982; Taylor
and Badve, 1992; Kennedy et al., 2003;
Gangopadhyay and Bardhan, 2007). In a more
recent synthesis of the age of Bagh Group,
Jaitly and Ajane (2013) suggested Turonian,
Cenomanian, and Coniacian ages for the Nimar
Sandstone, Nodular Limestone, and Coralline
Limestone, respectively.
Though as many as 12 species ofsharks were reported from the upper part of the
Nimar Sandstone, no detailed descriptions areavailable, the illustrations are poor, and theidentifications were based on limited andpoorly preserved specimens. During recent
field investigations of the Bagh Group, a large
number of shark teeth have been recoveredfrom the upper part of the Bagh Group. The
new fossil material recovered from a green
112

sandstone (oyster bed) capping the Coniacian
Coralline Limestone is the first record ofelasmobranchs from this formation. So far,more than 500 teeth have been collected in thefield by surface prospecting, predominantly
from two sites viz., Phuti Bawri and Rati Talai
in Dhar District, Madhya Pradesh (India).
Preliminary identification reveals the presenceof five elasmobranch genera. Scapanorhynchus
raphiodon,
Cretalamna
appendiculata,
Squalicorax
pristodontus,?Cretoxyrhina
mantelli, and Ptychodus sp. A vast majority ofthe specimens recovered belong to the genus
Scapanorhynchus.
The elasmobranch fauna from theBagh Group is not as diverse as that ofAlbian-Turonian Karai Formation of the
Cauvery basin in South India. The selachianfauna from the Karai Formation has anantitropical distribution (Underwood et al.,2011). In contrast, the selachian fauna from theupper part of Bagh Group demonstrate wide

geographic distribution with fossil records
known from North America, Europe,
Madagascar and Africa. Scapanorhynchus,
Cretalamna, and Squalicorax are known tooccur abundantly both in shallow and deep
water
environments.
On
the
other
hand ?Cretoxyrhina mantelli, and Ptychodus sp.
are restricted to deep water environments. The
occurrence of these taxa in association with
Scapaonorhynchus,
Cretalamna,
andSqualicorax in a sandstone horizon implies
that ?Cretoxyrhina and Ptychodus might havebeen reworked into shallower environments.
Acknowledgements: GVRP is thankful to the
Department of Science and Technology (DST),
Govt. of India, New Delhi for a grant under
J.C.Bose National Fellowship to carry out thiswork. RKP and LRS acknowledge the financial
support from the University of Delhi, Delhi inthe form of University Fellowship.

References:
Bose, P.N. (1884). Geology of Lower Narbada Valley between Nimavar and Kawant. Mem. Geol.
Surv. India 21: 1-72.
Chiplonkar, G.W., Ghare, M.A. and Badve, R.M. (1977). Bagh Beds – their fauna, age andaffinities: a retrospect and prospect. Biovigyanam 3: 33-66.
Das Sarma, D.C. and Sinha, N.K. (1975). Marine Cretaceous Formation of Narmada valley, BaghBeds, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Palaeontol. Indica (N.S.) 42: 10.
Gangopadhyay, T.K. and BARDHAN, S. (2007). Ornamental polymorphism in Placenticeras
kaffrarium (Ammonoidea; Upper Cretaceous of India): Evolutionary implications. In:
N.H. Landman, R.A. Davis and R.H. Maps (Eds.), Cephalopods: Present and Past. New Insights
and fresh perspectives. Springer, pp.97-120.
Jafar, S.A. (1982). Nanoplankton evidence of Turonian transgression along Narmada Valley, India
and Turonian-Coniacian boundary problem. J. Pal. Soc. India 27: 17-30.
Jain, S. L. and Sahni, A. (1983). Some Upper Cretaceous vertebrates from central India and their
paleogeographical implications, in Maheshwari, H. K., ed., Cretaceous of India: Indian
Association of Palynostratigraphers Symposium, Lucknow, p. 66-83.
Jaitly, A.K. and Ajane, R. (2013). Comments on Placenticeras mintoi (Vredenburg, 1906) from theBagh Beds (Late Cretaceous), Central India with special reference to Turonian Nodular
Limestone horizon. J. Geol. Soc. India 81: 565-574.
Kennedy, W. J., Phansalkar, V.G. and Walaszczyk, I. (2003) Prionocyclus germari (Reuss, 1845), a
Late Turonian marker fossil from the Bagh Beds of central India. Cret. Res. 24, 433-438.
Prasad, G. V. R. and Cappetta, H. (1993). Late Cretaceous selachians from India and the age of the
Deccan Traps. Palaeontology 36: 231–248.
Roy Chowdhary, M.K. and Sastri, V.V. (1962). On the revised classification of the Cretaceous andassociated rocks of the Man River section of lower Narbada Valley. Rec. Geol. Surv. India
91: 283-301.
Singh, S.K. and Srivastava, H.K. (1981). Lithostratigraphy of the Bagh Beds and its correlation
with Lameta Beds. J. Pal.Soc. India 26: 77-85.
Taylor, P. and Badve, R.M. (1995). A new cheilostome bryzoan from the Cretaceous of India andEurope: A cyclostome homeomorph. Palaeontology 38: 627-657.
Tripathi, S.C. (2006). Geology and evolution of the Cretaceous Infratrappean Basins of Lower
113

Narmada Valley, western India. J. Geol. Soc. India 67: 459-468.
Underwood, C.J., Goswami, A., Prasad, G.V.R., Verma, O. and Flynn, J.J. (2011). Marinevertebrates from the ‘Middle’ Cretaceous (Early Cenomanian) of South India. J. Vertebr.
Paleontol. 31: 539-552.
Verma, K. K. (1966). On the fossil shark-teeth from the Bagh Beds of Amba Dongar area, Gujarat
State. Current Sci, 34: 289-290.

114

Description of the Late Cretaceous Crocodylomorph,
Shamosuchus from Mongolia
Takekawa, A.1, Hirayama, R.2 and Aoki, R.3
1

Grad. Schl. Internat. Cult. Comm. Stud., Waseda Univ., 169-8050, Tokyo, Japan(aitakekawa0904@gmail.com)
2

Schl. Internat. Liberal Stud., Waseda Univ., 169-8050, Tokyo, Japan
3

Yokosuka City, Japan

Crocodilians first appeared on the
Earth during the Triassic period, about 235
million years ago. Cretaceous period is an
important era for crocodilians since it is whenthe modern crocodilian, Eusuchia, began to
evolve. As Shamosuchus is a genus, which
belongs to the basal Eusuchia, it plays asignificant role as an intermediate form
between the mesosuchians, more primitive
group, and the eusuchians.

FIGURE 1. RHg122 before preparation
Shamosuchus is a neosuchian genus
with sufficient amount of materials especially
discovered from Mongolia. In spite of thenumber of specimens, much was unknown until
recently, a more complete specimen of theholotype species, Shamosuchus djadochtaensis,
was described by Pol et al. (2009). Furthermore,
an articulated specimen discovered in
Mongolia, RHg122, indicates additional
information regarding this genus, through its
well-preserved vertebrae and articulated
osteoderms. While comparing with theprevious description and related taxa,
115

morphology and phylogeny of Shamosuchus
will be discussed.
Shamosuchus djadochtaensis was
initially described by Mook (1924) based on an
incomplete skull and mandible discovered in
the Djadochta Beds of lower Cretaceous,
Mongolia, pointing out on its distinctive
characters such as, absence of mandibular
fenestra, noticeable posteroexternal process ofsquamosal and exoccipital, which comprises a
significant portion of the condyle. Thenceforth,six species those belong to the same genus
were discovered from Mongolia andUzbekistan including S. borealis, S. major, S.
occidentalis, S. tarsus, S. ulanicus, and S.
karakalpakensis (Efimov, 1975, 1981, 1982,
1983,1988; Nesov et al., 1989). While S.
occidentalis was synonymized with S. borealis,
species those originally belonged to the genus
Paralligator, such as, Paralligator ancestralis
and Paralligator gradilifrons (Konzhukova,
1954) from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia,
were later considered to be Shamosuchus alongwith Paralligator sungaricus (Sun, 1958) fromthe Early Cretaceous of China. Yet, as recently
indicated by Storrs and Efimov (2000), some ofthe species of this genus may be synonymous.
Recently, Pol et al. (2009) described a more
complete specimen of the type species,
Shamosuchus djadochtaensis. The referred
specimen preserves nearly complete skull andmandible, all eight cervical vertebrae, threedorsal vertebrae with four right dorsal ribs, fiveanterior caudal vertebrae, two haemal arches,complete right humerus, distal half of the left
humerus showing association with complete
left radius, proximal portion of the right radius,
complete left ulna, fragmentary right ischium,partial right femur, complete right fibula,vertebrae. In addition, left femur, left fibula,partial right humerus, partial left radius, left
ulna, dorsal and ventral osteoderms are present.
RHg122shows
characters
including
autapomorphic features of Shamosuchus suchas the lacrimal and prefrontal ridge, elevatedfrontal margin which contributes to thesupratemporal fossa, shallow and broad
squamosal groove, closed external mandibular
fenestra, lateral longitudinal groove formed byangular and surangular, procoelous cervicalvertebrae, amphicoelous caudal vertebrae,
overlapping dorsal osteoderms with convexities
at the anterior margin and exceptional keel onlyat the posterior portion, and appendicularosteoderms. As sufficient quantity of posteriorcervical osteoderms and anterior dorsal
osteoderms are preserved, the configuration of
osteoderms is clearly seen. Two articulatedrows with deeply ornamented pits andprominent keels at the posterior portion
develop along the cervical region, and forms
four lateral osteoderms by the dorsal vertebrae.
Neurocentral suture provides relevant
information regarding aging since crocodilian
vertebral column shows a distinctive pattern ofcaudal to cranial sequence during Ontogeny(Brochu, 2010). As for S. djadochtaensis
according to Pol et al, 2009, major neurocentral
sutures are completely closed on the lateralsurface and merely the internal surface of theeighth cervical vertebra is visible, where as
most of the anterior caudal vertebrae are notfused for RHg122. This suggests that RHg122
is a juvenile individual reaching toapproximately one meter.
In relation to S. djadochtaensis, thetaxon of Shamosuchus will be discussed inrelation to the species described by Efimov,while describing the characteristic of RHg122
and suggesting on the importance of ontology.

partial left fibula, single left metatarsal andphalanx. Furthermore, osteoderms partial
articulated were also reported. Through thisadditional information, distinctive characters
were diagnosed including the autapomorphic
features of this genus such as the depression
constrained by the ridge at the lacrimal andprefrontal, groove along the lateral edge of theposterolateral process of the squamosal, ridgeat the narrow anterior process of thequadrojugal,
andoverlapping
dorsalosteoderms with convex anterior margin,
bearing keels only at the posterior portion. In
addition, through shared features of sagittal
ridge at the frontal, merged openings for the
cranial nerves IX-XI, posteriorly flaring
palatine bar, and ridge on the lateral surface of
the angular, with neosuchian genus from late
Early Cretaceous Nenjiang Formation from
China, Rogosuchus nonganensis (Wu et al,
2001a), S. djadochtaensis was placed as its
sister group.
R. nonganensis, was discovered byPetroleum Geological Survey of the Song-Liao
Basin from the Nong’an Country in 1958, andcharacterized by a unique set of fossae of thelateral portion of the flattened dorsal surface ofmaxilla, concavity of frontal and parietal, andwidely spaced crown. It is distinguished from
Shamosuchus sungaricus, which was originallyassigned to ‘Paralligator’ sungaricus (Sun,1958), by the pit and the keel on dorsal
osteoderms as well as the proximal shaft offemur, since cranial material lacks for S.
sungaricus.
RHg122 preserves wide variety of
information especially regarding vertebrae andosteoderms along with partially displaced skull.
Most of the dorsal vertebrae remain, together
with one cervical vertebra, one sacral vertebra,
eight caudal vertebra and three isolated

Reference:
Brochu, C. A. 1996. Closure of neurocentral sutures during crocodilian ontogeny: implications formaturity assessment in fossil archosaurs. J. Vert. Paleontol. 16: 49–62.
Efimov, M.B. 1988. Fossil crocodiles and champsosaurs of Mongolia and the USSR. Trudy
Sovmestnoi Sovetsko-Mongol’skoi Paleontologicheskoi Ekspeditsii 36: 1–108.
Mook, C.C. 1924. A new crocodilian from Mongolia. Amer. Mus. Novitates 117: 1–5.
Pol, D., Turner, A. H. & Norell, M. A. 2009. Morphology of the Late Cretaceous crocodylomorph
Shamosuchus djadochataensis and a discussion of neosuchian phylogeny as related to theorigin of Eusuchia. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 324: 1–103.
Storrs, G.W., and M.B. Efimov. 2000. Mesozoic crocodyliforms of north-central Eurasia. In M.J.
Benton, M.A. Shishkin, D.M. Unwin, and E.N. Kurochkin (editors), The age of dinosaurs
in Russia and Mongolia: 402–419. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
116Sun, A.-L. 1958. A new species of Paralligator from Sungarian Plain. Vertebrata PalAsiatica 2:
277–280. [in Chinese, English summary]Wu, X.-C., Z.-W. Cheng, and A.P. Russell. 2001a. Cranial anatomy of a new crocodyliform(Archosauria: Crocodylomorpha) from the Lower Cretaceous of Song-Liao plain, northeastern China. Canadian J. Earth Sci. 38: 1653–1663.

117

Cranial morphology of a giant marine side-necked turtle (Pleurodira: Bothremididae) fromthe upper Cretaceous of Morocco
Yoshida, M.1 and Hirayama, R.2
1

Grad. Schl. Internat. Culture Comm., Waseda Univ., 169-8050,1-6-1, Nishi-waseda, Shinjuku-ku,
Tokyo (mstkyoshida@toki.waseda.jp).

2Schl. Internat. Liberal Stud., Waseda Univ., 169-8050,1-6-1, Nishi-waseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo.
Morocco. Its skull shows jugal pits which are
one of the most characteristic synapomorphiesin the tribe Bothremydini. Associated withskull and jaw, there are left forelimb boneelements and several peripheral plates of thecarapace are preserved. We refer the aquatic
adaptations of Bothremydini turtles using its
forelimb anatomy in comparison with extant
turtles.
Stupendemys geographicus from the
Paleogene of Venezuela (Wood, 1976) with
250cm long carapace is the largest known
pleurodiranturtle,andPuentemys
mushaisaensis from the Paleogene of Columbia
is the largest known bothremidid turtle with
151cm long carapace (Cadena et al.,2012).
RHg 519 remains remarkable in size of its skull(at least 30 cm long).
The functional morphology of uniquejugal and mandibular pits of the lower jaw will
be discussed in the poster presentation.

Sea turtles (Cryptodira: Chelonioidea)
are the only turtle group adapted to life inoceanic environments today. However, during
the Cretaceous and Paleogene, they were notthe only turtle in the marine ecosystem. There
were several marine side-necked turtles(Pleurodira: Bothremididae) reported (Gaffney
et al.,2006) from North America, North andCentral Africa, Europe and India. Bothcryptodiran and pleurodiran marine turtles
successfully survived the K/P boundary
without
significant
damageintheirdiversification at Paleogene era. Nonetheless,comparing to cryptodiran sea turtles, thesemarine side-necked turtles are remained
unclear in their marine adaptation in life.
ryptodira sea turtles, these marine side-necked
turtles are remained unclear in their aquatic
adaptation in life.
In this presentation, we report a giant
side-necked turtle of the family Bothremydidae
from the Maastrichitian phosphates bed of

Figure: Ventral anddorsal views of
WSILS-RHg519
before preparation.
Scale-bar is 10 cm
long.

118

References:
Cadena, E. A., D. T. Ksepka, C. A. Jaramillo, and J. I. Bloch. 2012.New pelomedusoid turtles(Testudines, Panpleurodira) from the late Palaeocene Cerrejo´n Formation of Colombia
and implications for phylogeny and body size evolution. J. System. Palaeontol.,
10:313–331.
Gaffney, E. S., Tong, H. and Meylan, P. A. 2006. Evolution of the side-necked turtles: the families
Bothremydidae, Euraxemydidae, and Araripemydidae. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 300,
1–698.
Gaffney, E. S. and Zangerl, R. 1968. A revison of the chelonian genus Bothremys (Pleurodira:
Pelomedusidae). Fieldiana: Geology 16, 193–239.
WOOD, R. C. 1976. Stupendemys geographicus, the world’s largest turtle.Breviora, 436:1–32.

119

Cranial morphology of Mesodermochelys (Testudines; Dermochelyidae) from the Upper
Cretaceous Japan, with special reference to its feeding habitat
Hirayama, R.
SILS, Waseda Univ., Nishiwaseda 1-6-1, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8050, Japan(renhirayama@gmail.com)
Mesodermochelys unduratus is abasal dermochelyid (family Dermochelyidae)
turtle from the Late Cretaceous of Japan(Hokkaido, Hyogo, and Kagawa Prefectures),characterized by especially massive peripheralsof carapace (Hirayama et al., 1996; Sato et al.,2012). Although postcranial remains of thistaxon are rather abundant in the type locality,
Hobetsu district of Mukawa-cho, Hokkaido
Prefecture, its cranial element had been hitherto
poorly unknown except for lower jaw.
A nearly complete skeleton of M.
unduratus was collected from the Kitaama
Formation
of
Izumi
Group
(earlyMaastrichtian) of Sumoto City of the
Awajishima Island, Hyogo Prefecture in 2009
by Mr. H. Matsumoto and Kishimoto(Hirayama et al., 2014). This material contains
the first known perfect skull, about 160 mm
long as preserved, of M. unduratus. This
specimen shares some derived characters, suchas extremely large parietal bone and the loss ofscute sulcus, with Cenozoic dermochelyids.
Both upper and lower triturating surfaces haveprominent lingual ridges. These characterssuggest M. unduratus fed on omnivorous diets,
including hard shell animals, largely different

from living leatherback turtle, Dermochelys
coriacea, mainly catching jellyfishes.
An isolated partial skull (HMH
151807, housed in the Historical Museum of
Hokkaido, Sapporo) from the Santonian epochof Tomamae-cho, Hokkaido Prefecture havebeen prepared by formic acid, showing detailed
structures of braincase (Hirayama et al., 2007).
Some derived features such as the welldeveloped processus trochelaris oticum areshared by both the Maastrichtian and Santonian
materials. Thus, this Santonian skull is
identified as Mesodermochelys sp. This skull
shows the following derived features; 1)
foramen posterius canalis carotici interni
incompletely covered by bones on ventral
surface of pterygoids as in Protostegidae; 2)basisphenoid has a V-shaped crest on its
ventral surface, deeply emarginated from theposterior as in Cheloniidae. Another isolated
skull of Mesodermochelys sp. was recently
collected from also the Santonian ofTomamae-cho. These cranial features suggest
Mesodermochelys was a mosaic of different
families, whereas its limb morphology showsdermochelyid affinity.

References:
Hirayama, R. 2007. Cranial morphology of Mesodermochelys (Chelonioidea; Testudines) from theLate Cretaceous of Japan. J. Vert. Paleontol., 26, Suppl. to No.3, Abst. Pap., 83A.
Hirayama, R. and Chitoku, T. 1996. Family Dermochelyidae (Superfamily Chelonioidea) from theUpper Cretaceous of North Japan. Trans. Proc. Palaeontol. Soc. Japan, N. S.,
184:597-622.
Hirayama, R., Kishimoto, S., Saegusa, H. and Ikeda, T. 2014. Skulls of fossil marine turtles fromthe Late Cretaceous Izumi Group in Sumoto, Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan. Abstractsof the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Palaeontological Society of Japan, p. 21. (in Japanese)
Sato, T., Konishi, T., Hirayama, R. and Caldwell, M. 2012. A review of the Cretaceous marine
reptiles from Japan. Cretaceous Research 37: 319-340.

120

Discovery of the first dinosaur fossils from Malaysia: spinosaurid theropod teeth from thenon-marine Cretaceous of Pahang
Sone, M.1, Hirayama, R.2, Teng, Y. H.1, Yoshida, M.2, Komatsu, T.3
1

Department of Geology, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia(masatoshi.sone@gmail.com)
2

School of International Liberal Studies, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
3

Faculty of Science, Kumamoto University, JapanAs released at a press conference heldin Kuala Lumpur on 18 February 2014, ourinternational
team
ofgeologists/palaeontologists from Malaysia andJapan has discovered several isolated teeth ofcarnivorous dinosaur(s) from the state ofPahang, Peninsular Malaysia. This is the first
confirmation of dinosaur remains, and even of
any Mesozoic terrestrial vertebrates, in
Malaysia.
A find of a dinosaur fossil, despite
decades of searching, had long been wanted in
Malaysia since such fossil was alreadyconfirmed in the Khorat Group of theneighbouring country Thailand some 40 years
ago. Jurassic–Cretaceous non-marine sediments,
most importantly the Tembeling Group, arewidely distributed in the interior of Peninsular
Malaysia, and this has traditionally beencorrelated and compared to the Khorat Group.
Potential of a local dinosaur deposit has
therefore been undoubted. Our team has started
to make expeditions to targeted areas since2012, and has now achieved the first mission.
The present find is a landmark in natural
history of Malaysia; it is described in the local
media as “a small find, a big discovery”.
The teeth are identified to be of
spinosaurid theropod, often known as a largely
piscivorous(fish-based
diet)
and/orsemi-aquatic predatory dinosaur. Most of thewell-preserved teeth have sharp vertical ridges
and serrated carinae with minute denticles, and121

display the ‘globular’ or veined micrornament
over the surface, typical of spinosaurid teeth.
The best preserved tooth UM10575 is about 23
mm long and 10 mm wide in preserved
condition; it was originally longer, as its crown
tip has been lost.
Besides the spinosaurid material, somefossils of fresh-water bivalves and fish teeth
have also been found; the fish teeth belong to
hybodont sharks and bony fish. Similar
bivalves and fish faunas have been known fromthe Early Cretaceous of Thailand. Some trace
fossils of grazing/crawling trails (of unknown
animals) are also present.
No palynological age is determined forthe fossil-bearing sediment; nevertheless,considering from the occurrence of the
spinosaurid
remainsandassociatednon-dinosaur fossils, it is interpreted to be
Early to early Late Cretaceous in age. The
present find extends known distribution of
Asian spinosaurids, and this marks, so far
defined, the possible southeasternmost
occurrence of dinosaurs in Cretaceous Asia, asin the southern end of Sundaland.
The location of the dinosaur fossil site
has been kept confidential, and it will not be
disclosed until the local government takes
necessary measures for protection andconservation of the area. A potentially large
fossil deposit is expected to remain unearthed,and we have currently tried to find the best plan
to cope with the situation.

Poster session
5-6 September 2014122

Land-ocean linkage: Correlation, sedimentology and paleoenvironments

P1: The Lower Cretaceous deposits of southeastern Transbaikal
Kurilenko, A. V. and Yadrishchenskaya, N. G.
Public corporation «Chitageolsyomka», 672000, Chita, Russia (Alena_Kurilenko@mail.ru)
Introduction
Southeastern Transbaikal in Eastern
Siberia extends from west to east from the
middle reaches of the Onon River to the upper
reaches of the Amur River. Lower Cretaceous
deposits are widely distributed in theintermountain rift depressions. The lower part ofthem was classified as Turga Suite and upper
part as Kutya Suite for all region by previous
researchers (Ozersky et al., 2001, Rutshtein et al.
2001 and others). In our mind there are two
types of sections in the lower part ofSoutheastern Transbaikal Lower Cretaceous
deposits, each consists different rocks. They
were divided on the two facial zones by authors(fig.). One of them called Turga zone has
formations which are composed of terrigenous

123
Fig. Scheme of rift depressions in the southeastern
Transbaikal

andtuffaceous-terrigenous
deposits(Turga-Haranor, West-Urulunguy and Daurdepressions). The Gazimur-Argun facial zone isdominated by volcanogenic rocks which aredeposited in the several volcanic cycles(East-Urulunguy, South-Argun, North-Argun,
Urov-Motogor and others). We consider only
the Lower Сretaceous deposits of the Turgazone must be named as Turga Suite. Its
stratotype is situated in the Turga-Haranor
depression. The upper part of Lower Сretaceous
deposits both zones corresponds Kutya Suite.
Here we present new information frominvestigations of Сretaceous stratigraphy in theTransbaikal
andsummarize
previousstratigraphic and paleontological data (The
Decision... 1994, Ozersky et al. 2001, Rutshtein
et al. 2001, Kurilenko et al. 2002, Shatkov et al.
2010, Yadrischenskaya et al. 2010 and others).
Results of investigations
Lower Сretaceous of the Turga zone
Lower Сretaceous deposits of theTurga zone (fig.) are comparatively
homogeneous in lithologic composition andcharacterized by very numerous remains offauna. They bed in discordance on the
Middle-Upper Jurassic volcanogenic rocks andare named Turga Suite.
The stratotype of the Suite is describedby S.A. Muzylev on the right bank of the Turga
River (the Turga-Haranor depression). Thissection consists of terrigenous rocks ("paper" or"fish" slate) with numerous organic remains
which have been known since the mid-19th
century. Now this section corresponds with theupper part of Suite.
The lower part of section of the Turga
Suite in the Turga-Haranor hollow (80-120 m)cerebriformis Naum. et Il., Vitreisporites
pallidus (Reis.) Nilson. и др.
The Upper Turga Subsuite (630 m) has
sandstones, aleurolites, tuffaceous sandstones
andaleurolites,
gravelstones,
rare
conglomerates, tuffas of rhyolites, zeolite
sandstones. A complex of fossil as follows:
fishes Stichopterus sp., Irenichthys sp.;mollusks Limnocyrena wangshihensis (Grabau),
L. cf. sibirica (Ramm.), Probaicalia cf.
elongata Mart., Valvata sp.; ostracodes
Darwinula cf. nimia Sin., D. cf. contracta
Mand.; flora Archaeolarix argunensis Tesl.,
Pityospermum sp., Pseudolarix sp., Baisia
hirsuta Krassil., Kutiella transbaicalica Srebr.
The covers of basalts are timed theUpper Turga Subsuite of the Torey hollow. The
absolute age of them identified of K-Ar method
are 129 - 119 Ma (Yadrischenskaya et al. 2010).

consists of conglomerates, tuff conglomerates,
gravelstones, sandstones, aleurolites, argillites
with rare fishes and mollusks Limnocerena,
rarely basalt covers (alternating currents oftrachyandesite-basalts and trachybasalts). In thebase of basalt covers brecciated lavas and clastic
lavas are situated. This part of section wasnamed Lower Turga Subsuite (Ozersky et al.
2001, Rutshtein et al. 2001).
The upper part of the section (400-900m) is characterized by finer granulometriccomposition. Only terrigenous rocks are locatedin the part. Interbedded argillites and aleurolites
prevail, inequigranular sandstones are rarely
presented. In the base of the section low-widthlayers of conglomerates are known. Number ofgreat clastic rocks increases to the sides of thebasin. This part of the section more correspondsof the Turga Suite in its first understanding. We
consider this part of the section should be named
Upper Turga Subsuite.
It is characterized by very numerous
remains of the freshwater fauna and flora. The
assemblage contains the remains of insects
Ephemeropsis trisetalis Eichw., Coptoclava
longipoda Ping, Mesogyrus striatus Ponom.,
Terrindusia reisi (Cock.), Ostracindusia
sibirica Vial., Folindusia turga Suk.; fishes
Lycoptera middendorfii Mull., Stichopterus
woodwardii Reis.; conchosrtacan Bairdestheria
middendorfi (Jones), Estherites dahuricus(Tshern.); mollusks Calba obrutschewi (Reis),
Viviparus fusistomus Chi Ping; ostracodes
Ussuriocypris
ussurica
Mand.,
flora
Pseudolarix erensis Krassil., Baisia hirsuta
Krassil., Otozamites lacustris Krassil. andothers.
The most complete section ofCretaceous deposits is in West-Urulunguy
depression. It differs from the section describedabove a little. There are more tuffaceous
deposits, rocks with carbonate cement andlayers of limestones. Authors have studied thissection on borehole which has depth 1607 m.
The Lower Turga Subsuite (270 m) ispresented
bybreccias,
conglomerates,
gravelstones, sandstones, aleurolites and rare
tuffas of rhyolites. The fossil assemblage hasmollusks Valvata transbaicalensis Mart.; flora
Archaeolarix argunensis Tesl., Pseudolarix sp.,
Brachyphyllum sp. and palynocomplex
Neoraistrickia
truncata(Cooks)Pot.,
Leiotriletes pallescens Bolch., Camptotriletes

Lower Сretaceous of the Gazimur-Argun
zone
Depressions
locatedintheGazimur-Argun area (fig.) were made up by
facialy variable tuffaceous-terrigenous deposits
and effusive rocks trachybasalt-trachyrhyolite
formation. Lower Сretaceous rocks were
deposited in the several volcanic cycles. Their
thickness is 2100-2800 m.
In our mind Gidar and Godimboy
Suites can be identified in this area. The
stratotype of the Gidar and Godimboy Suites
was described in the Gidar hollow. The mostcomplete their section is situated in the
Urov-Motogor depression.
The lower part of the Gidar Suite(750-1400 m) is characterized by covers ofintermediate and basic rocks, their tuffs andvolcanic breccias, rare terrigenous rocks. In thebase of the Suite tuffaceous conglomerates
overlie. Lavas and tuffs of rhyolite are observed
above.
In the base of upper part of the Gidar
Suite (to 600 m) we can see basic andintermediate volcanogenic rocks with beds ofsandstones,
tuffaceous
sandstones
andconglomerates. The tuffaceous, sedimentaryrocks and acidic effusive rocks make up upper.
The assemblage of the Suite contains
the remains of insects Ephemeropsis trisetalis
Eichw., Uroperla karabonensis Sinitsh.,
Positocoris sibiricus Yu.Pop., Coptoclava
longipoda Ping., fishes Lycoptera middendorffii
Müll., Stichopteris reissi Jak.; conchosrtacan
124

Bairdestheria middendorfi (Jones), B. sinensis(Chi), B. elongata (Kob. Et Kus), Brachygrapta
curta Novoj., Defretinia asiatica (Novoj. etKap.), D. argunica Novoj.; mollusks
Limnocyrena
wangschihensis(Grab.),
Arguniella uruljunguica Kol.; ostracodes
Daurina eggeri Sin., Torinina divina Sin.; flora
Equisetum cf. argunense Srebr., Sphenobaiera
angustiloba(Heer)
Fl.,
Archaeolarix
argunensis Tesl., Pseudolarix sp. and others.
The absolute age of the lower part of
the Gidar Suite is identified as 127-138 Ma(Kurilenko et al. 2002, Shatkov et al. 2010).
The Godimboy Suite (to 850 m) is
characterized by interbedded sedimentary andvolcanogenic rocks of basic and acidic
composition. There are also two full rhythms
which start basic rocks and finish acidic and one
represented only basic volcanic rocks.
Conchosrtacan Bairdestheria sp.,
Estherites sp., mollusks Limnocyrena rotunda
Mand.,
L.
retrorostrum(Grab.),
L.
wangschihensis (Grab.), Daurinia marginata(Kol.), D. ovalis Kol., Unio grabaui Mart.,
Viviparus sp., Planorbis sp., ostracodes
Ussuriocypris sp., Limnocypridea modesta Sin.,
Daurina eggeri Sin., insects Folindusia
retratata Suk., fishes Lycoptera sp., flora
Equisetum aff. toromense (E. Leb.) Srebr., E. cf.
semenenses Srebr., Scleropteris dahurica Pryn.,
Neozamites verchojanensis Vachr., Ginkgo ex
gr. digitata (Brongn.) Heer, Pseudotorellia ex
gr. ensiformis (Heer) Dolud., Schizolepis
burjatica Srebr. characterize Godimboy Suite.
The Kutya Suite beds on the Turga andGodimboy Suites in discordance. It has only
terrigenous coal deposits, which are situated in
Turga-Haranor, Daur, South-Argun andEast-Urulunguy hollows. The stratotype is
described by Y.P. Pistsov on a core hole inSouth Argun depression (Pistsov 1966). The
lower part of Suite consists of sandstones,
conglomerates and breccia, the middle has

mainly sandstone-aleurolite composition. In theupper part interbedded aleurolites and argillites
dominate, layers of sandstones are rare. Beds ofcarbon shale and brown coal are characterized
for Suite. It consists of brown coal deposits.
There are fossil remains in the Kutya
Suite: mollusks Leptesthes angulatus Kol.,
Limnocyrena ovalis (Ramm.), L. hupehensis(Grab.), Unio obrutschewi Mart., flora
Equisetumargunense
Srebr.,
Birisia
onychioides (Vassil. et K.-M.) Samyl.,
Coniopteris prynadae Srebr., Nilssoniopteris aff.
prynadae Samyl., Ginkgo ex gr. huttonii (Stern.)
Heer, Sphenobaiera aff. longifolia (Pom.)
Florin, Pseudotorelia kharanorica Bugd.,
Pagiophyllum sp. and others, palynocomplex ofLower Cretaceous.
Summary
The lower part of Southeastern
Transbaikal Lower Сretaceous deposits are
represented by two lithofacies of the geologicalsection: terrigenous and tuffaceous-terrigenous
deposits (Turga facial zone, Turga Suite) andpredominantly
volcanogenic
rocks(Gazimur-Argun facial zone, Gidar andGodimboy Suites). For the upper part of LowerСretaceous (Kutya Suite) terrigenous coaldeposits without volcanogenic rocks arecharacterized. All strata have abundant fossil
remains.
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to N. Chaban,
the director of “Chitageolsyomka” for constantsupport of our investigations and thank E.
Bugdaeva, Ch. Kolesnikov, G. Martinson, A.
Oleynikov, Yu. Popov, A. Ponomarenko, N.
Podlesnich, S. Sinitsa, N. Sinichenkova, I.
Srebrodolskaya, E. Sychevskaya, E. Trusova, V.
Yakovlev for their identifications. This work
was supported by E. Bugdaeva.

References:
KURILENKO, A.V., KOTLYAR, G.V., KULKOV, N.P. et al. 2002. Atlas of fauna and flora of
Paleozoic-Mesozoic in the Transbaikal. 714 pp. Novosibirsk (in Russian).
OZERSKY, A.F., KRIVICKY, A.V., VINNICENKO, E.L. et al. 2001. The State geologic map of RussianFederation of scale 1:200000. List M-50-VI (Bol. Zerentuy). Publishing house VSEGEI.
168 pp. (in Russian).
PISTSOV, YU.P. 1966. The stratigraphy of the Upper Mesozoic freshwater-continent deposits ofEastern Transbaikal. Nedra, Moscow. 20 pp. (in Russian).
125

THE DECISIONS of the forth regional stratigraphic conference of Precambrian and Phanerozoic of the
Far East south and Transbaikal (Chabarovsk, 1990). 1994. 124 pp. Chabarovsk (inRussian).
RUTSHTEIN, I.G., BOGACH, G.I., VINNICHENKO, E.L. et al. 2001. The State geologic map of RussianFederation of scale 1:200000. List M-50-IX (Kalanguy). Publishing house VSEGEI. 156 pp.
(in Russian).
SHATKOV, G.A., BEREZHNAYA, N.G., LEPECHINA, E.N. et al. 2010. U-Pb (SIMS SHRIMP-II) age ofvolcanic rocks of Tulukuy caldera (Strelstsovsky uranium ore, Eastern Transbaikal). Report
RAS P. 587-592 (in Russian).
YADRISCHENSKAYA, N.G., KURILENKO, A.V., KOROSTOVSKY, R.A., RAITINA, N.I. 2010. New data instudying of the Torejsky hollow (Eastern Transbaikal). Ulyanovsk. P. 356-360 (in Russian).

126

P2: CRETACEOUS OF MONGOLIA
R. Barsbold and Y. Khand
Paleontol. Cent. Mongolian Acad. Sci., Enkhtaivan Avenue 63, Ulaanbaatar 13343, Mongolia
Non-marine Cretaceous of Mongolia
is one of the unique phenomena in thegeological history of Asia. In comparison with
the Cretaceous of other areas the Mongolian
Cretaceous differs by a high level of
non-marine features, although the probablebrackish-water deposits were spread in thecorresponding
geologicalformations,especially in the south-east of the country. The
Mongolian Cretaceous is characterized byrespectively completeness of the stages over
the territory of the country, although the realgeological formations have been divided into
many separate parts and until now needed to becorrelated in detail. Within Central Asia (andthe Asian territory, as a whole) Mongolian
Cretaceous is one of the most complete, andmore or less similar to the units of European
standardized stratigraphy. Also, Mongolian
Cretaceous contains its most upper fossiliferous
horizons,wich is not often found in Asia.Other
notable characteristicks of the Mongolian
Cretaceous are the multifacial structure of thenon-marine deposits, including a large diversityof alluvial, fluvial and lacustrian facies of all
types, and eolian and pedogenic deposits, aswell (Gradzinski 1970; Gradzinski et al. 1977;
Loope et al.1998; Barsbold et al. 2011). This
explains to some extent the high variety of theburials,met
intheMongolian
Cretaceous,beginning with respectively usual
ones in shallow lake shores up to sandy dune
surroundings, which, as a rule, illustrated an
unusual state of preservation in the fossil
vertebrate record. The richness and variety of
the fossil record is the main characteristic,
distinguishing the Mongolian Non-marine
Cretaceous from the same and simultaneousdeposits, widely spread over enormous areas inCentral Asia, as a whole (Dingus et al. 2008;
Badamgarav et al. 1995). It seems, well-known
Non-marine Cretaceous of North America,
sometimes alternating with the marine strata,

and yielding a lot of the fossil material too, isthe most similar to the Mongolian
Cretaceous.But the area of the Mongolian Gobi
Desert with wide-spread Upper Cretaceous ismuch smaller than the Upper Cretaceous theareas of North America. Though a density offossil contents, especially connected with thedinosaur burials, seems to be more high (Ryan,
2013; Currie, 2014) per the comparable square
unit in Mongolia.
Non-marine Lower Cretaceous is
wide-spread in Mongolia. In comparison with
the Upper Cretaceous, sparcely distributed
mainly in the southern part of the country, inthe regions of the Gobi Desert, the Lower
Cretaceous is widely extended almost in all
simultaneous basins over the country.
Thus,there are limited areas of Upper
Cretaceous, which contain almost all known
Mongolian dinosaurs, and large areas of Lower
Cretaceous, until now seem to be almost free ofa dinosaur fossil record. This phenomenon isconnected with the big difference inpaleogeography and, as a result, in burial
conditions during the Early and Late
Cretaceous of Mongolia and Central Asia, as
well.
The Early Cretaceous is known as the“period of basins”, because during this time thegreat lakes were wide-spread on the territory ofMongolia. This name dates from the initial“heroic” stage of paleontological research in
Mongolia, carried out by the Central Asian
expeditions in the 1920’s (Berkey& Morris,
1927). Also, F.K. Morris (1936) was the first
who referred the fossiliferous red-coloredsandy deposits of the famous Flaming Cliffs,
the rich dinosaur locality discovered in theGobi Desert, to the ancient dunes of the Late
Cretaceous time.
The Early and Late Cretaceous ofMongolia corresponded respectively to thesuccessive different stages in paleogeography127

at the end of Mesozoic. Each epoch wascharacterized by the formation of different
sedimentary basins, corresponding landscapesand particular climatic conditions as well
(Shuvalov 1982) During the Early Cretaceous adevelopment of the extensive lake basins andhumid climatic conditions were the mostcharacteristic for the territory of Mongolia.
During the Late Cretaceous all conditions
changed in sharp contrast to the previous time.
Lake basins were strongly reduced,the climate
became more arid, with clear seasonalalternation, and sandy dunes had been formed
along the lake coasts. Dispersed sand dunes
formed the most favorable conditions fordinosaur burials. Evidently the sand dunes were
one of the main reasons,why the Upper
Cretaceous of Mongolia contains almost all
dinosaurs, discovered in the country,and other
Vertebrates including the ancient mammals as
well.
The Early Cretaceous non-marine
sedimentation and corresponding environments
were mainly characterized by reduction
conditions,whereas in the Late Cretaceousoxidizing environs definitely dominated.During
the Early Cretaceous the coal formations were
widely accumulated, but the Upper Cretaceous
has no traces of coal. The Early Cretaceouspreserved in burials: diverged plants including
big wooden trunks,as well as spores and pollen.
During the Cretaceous period the terrigenous
deposits strongly prevailed in sedimentarybasins. Lower Cretaceous includes respectively
more thin-granulated lacustrine deposits,
whereas Upper Cretaceous consists of morecoarse-granulated facies of alluvial-lacustrine
origin, including remarkable sandy dunes andtheir dispersible analogies. The Lower
Cretaceous of Mongolia contains many organicgroups--mostly limnic Invertebrates (a numberofOstracods,
Phylopods,
Pelecypods,Insects),from Vertebrates--a few
Dinosaurs species,many fishes including an
Asianfamous
Lycoptera,quite
rare
sturgeons,very rare shark teeth,and furthermore,
turtles, birds and bird feather prints andprimitive mammals. Plentiful fossil plants,
spores and pollen testify to their suitable burial
conditions and rich vegetation during this time.
The Upper Cretaceous contains the main
Vertebrates discovered in Mongolia: mostdinosaurs (about 95% of all found species),
dinosaur and fossil bird eggs, also, turtles,
128

lizards, primitive mammals, birds, and somegroups of limnic Invertebrates (Ostracods,
Pelecypods). Plants, spores and pollen, so
abundant in the Lower Cretaceous, practicallyare absent in Upper Cretaceous, though thesefossils are rarely preserved in corresponding
sedimentary facies (Barsbold 2008)
The Lower Cretaceous non-marine
deposits are wide-spread over extensive areas
in Central and Eastern Asia, including China,
Russian Siberia, Middle Asia, the Indo-Chinese
Peninsula etc. The Upper Cretaceous is much
more restricted in its distribution in those areasand not so complete in comparison with theLower Cretaceous, being more connected with
the inner regions of Central Asia, anddominantly filling up the sedimentary basins of
the Gobi Desert. By the end of the Early
Cretaceous extensive areas of Central Asia had
undergoneintercontinental
deformations,having transferred into a more quiet regime,
continued over the Late Cretaceous.
Correspondingly
theprevious
paleobiogeographical conditions and patterns
throughout the country had been strongly
changed in the subsequent stage.
The Early Cretaceous fossil groups ofMongolia are quite similar to the famous Jehol
China,
Biota
of
Liaoning
province,
representing only its separated parts dispersedin this interval over the territory of Mongolia.
No doubt, this similarity shows a close
connection of the dinosaur groups of both areas
during the Early Cretaceous. Whereas during
the Late Cretaceous time the dinosaur faunas ofMongolia were closely connected with theNorth American groups, and faunal exchange
took place through the hypothetical, thoughquite probable, Beringean continental bridge.
There are many ancient animals and plants in
Mongolian analogue (Barsbold 2008) of the
Early Cretaceous Jehol Byota: among thedinosaurs – well-known Psittacosaurus, (first
discovered in Mongolia well in advance of theJehol Byota was established), one of the mostcommon dinosaurs in Mongolia and China; also,
Lycoptera, famous Asian fish of the continental
distribution, often found in Lower Cretaceous ofMongolia; many kinds of Insects, including thewater beetles and their larvae; a lot of plants,
spores and pollen of common distribution in theLower Cretaceous of Mongolia and China.
Indeed, the evidence presented above, definitely
shows -- the Early Cretaceous fossil organicgroups in Mongolia almost completely
correspond to the Jehol Biota of north-eastern
China. Additionally, the Lower Cretaceous
deposits of Mongolia contain volcanic ash, as it
is in the Lower Cretaceous of Liaoning, China.
But the main important elements of the Jehol
Biota -- feathered dinosaurs and birds have notyet been discovered in Mongolia.
The Late Cretaceous fossil record
contains respectively mass-burials of thedinosaurs, which evidently means that thecorpses of the dead animals, as a rule, had been
speedily buried in situ with the expressed
intensive sedimentation. Sometimes, probably,
the limited transportation of the buried objects
took place, and contributed to their higher
concentration in the localities. Transportation,
no doubt, was quite short and limited in timeand space, and, most dinosaur corpses wereburied in situ. It`s very probable, that the
specific characters of the Late Cretaceous local
sedimentation formed the most favorable
conditions, very suitable for and corresponded
to the mass-burials of the dinosaurs. In contrast
to dinosaurs, the huge animals, the Ostracoda,
notably microscopic animals, highly tolerant ofdifferent environs, did not demand a quick andintensive sedimentation, and might be buried
during “normal’, sands not fast sedimentation,
and were wide-spread almost in all facies(excluding sand dune) Well-known dinosaur
localities, like the Flaming Cliffs, Tugregeen
Shire and their analogies, being formed in dry
climatic conditions, express quite selective
fossil records in particular environments, oftenwith strongly reduced water basins necessary
for ostracods (Khand 2000). In these cases,
seemingly pressed dinosaur faunas, forexample, the monotypic dinosaur species(Protoceratopses), were buried, and ostracods
came down to the reduced number of
specialized forms, as Talicyprididae, probably
adapted to the air-less waters of little ponds andeven pools (Khand 2000).The joint burials of
two organic groups–the dinosaurs andostracods, both widely represented almost in all
divergent burials of the Mongolian Cretaceous,seem to be interest, as follows: they weredistinctive in all extents, first of all, in size,
which is evidently very important for
taphonomy (and reconstruction of paleoecology,
hidden behind or within taphonomy).
In spite of the big differences of thementioned groups, their burials could often
coincide in the burial conditions. In some cases
the burials were quite separated, clearly
emphasizing the specific conditions, (asmentioned above, dry climatic conditions at
Flaming Cliffs), in which the animals inhabited,
and were buried in full accordance with theirecology and taphonomy. Evidently thesecoincidences and non-coincidences express notcomplete, but quite real relationships between
ecology and taphonomy, characteristic for suchdifferent animal groups, as the Dinosauria andOstracoda. It seems,more profound knowledgeof these relationships could promote to more
exact
reconstructionsoftheancient
environments and ecosystems, especially, whendifferent organic groups were integrated
together into joined burials, in which thepossible
ecologicalandtaphonomical
conditions seem to be excluding each other.The
high organic divergence of the great burials in
the Mongolian Cretaceous can not be formed
accidentally,only as the result of mechanictransportation and concentration of thedifferent animals, for example, water Ostracoda
and mostly terrestrial Dinosauria, both buried
together. The “big taphonomy” probably
indicates quite big and general regularities in
the formation of the great burials, which are, asa rule, complex and divergent in theircomposition. Mass death of gigantic
dinosaurs,noted in USA,Canada and Mongolia(Curry 2014), is a good example to take into
consideration the possible relationships
between ecology and taphonomy, what seems
to be not so simple. Probably, more
understading of profound adequacy of these
relationships could open, step by step, themystery of regularities in formation of the great
Cretaceous dinosaur localities, including thoseof Mongolia.

References:
Berkey Ch., Morris F.K, 1927. Geology of Mongolia,Amer.Mus.Nat.Hist., New-York, V.2, 475p.
Badamgarav D., Khand Yo & Barsbold R., 1995. Nonmarine Cretaceous of Mongolia. The
Cretaceous System in East and Southeast Asia, Newsletter Special Issue 2, IGCP 350,
Kyushu Univ, Japan:17-23.
129

Barsbold R. 2008. Non-marine Lower Cretaceous of Mongolia and Necessity of Dinosaur Hunting.
– Recent progress of the study on Asian Dinosaurs and paleoenvironments. Internat.
Dinosaur Symp. Fukui 2008, Japan, abstr. 23-26.
Barsbold R., D. Badamgarav, Yo. Khand. 2011. Late Cretaceous Dunes in the Gobi Desert(Mongolia). Abstr., Bull. IGCP 507, pp.34-35., Beijing, China.
Dingus L., D.B.Loope, D.Dashzeveg, C.C.Swisher III, Ch. Mingin, M.J.Novacek, M.A.Norell.
2008. The Geology of Ukhaa Tolgod (Djadokhta Formation, Upper Cretaceous, Nemegt
Basin, Mongolia). – Amer. Mus. Novitates, 3616, 40 pp.
Fastovsky D.E., D.Badamgarav, H. Ishimoto, M.Watabe,D.Weishampel. 1997. The
paleoenvironments of Tugrikin-Shireh (Gobi Desert, Mongolia),and aspects of thetaphonomy and paleoecology of Protoceratops (Dinosauria:Ornithischia).Palaios12:59-70.
Gradzinski R. 1970. Sedimentation of dinosaur-bearing Upper Cretaceous deposits of the Nebegt
basin, Gobi Desert.- Paleontol. Pol.,21:147-229.
Gradzinski R., Z.Kielan-Jaworowska & T.Maryanska. 1977. Upper Cretaceous Djadokhta, Barun
Goyot and Nemegt formations of Mongolia, including remarks on previous subdivisions. –Acta Geologica Polonica, vol. 27, 3:281-318.
Khand Yo. 2000. The origin of Modern Non-marine Ostracod Fauna: Evidence from the Late
Cretaceous and Early Paleogene of Mongolia. –Evolutionary Biology and Ecology ofOstracoda. Hydrobiologia, 419:119-124.
Loope D.B., L.Dingus, C.C.Swisher III, Ch.Mingin. 1998. Life and death in a Late Cretaceous dune
field, Nemegt basin, Mongolia. – Geology 26:27-30.
Morris Fr.K. 1936. Central Asia in Cretaceous time. – Bull. Geol.Soc.Amer.47:1477-1533.
Shuvalov V.F., 1982. Paleogeography and history of development of the lake system of Mongolia
during Jurassic and Cretaceous time. – Mesosoic lake basins of Mongolia. “Nauka”, pp.
18-80. (in Russian).

130

P3: GEOLOGICAL AND PALINOLOGICAL PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF
KHETSUU TSAV AREA IN SOUTH MONGOLIA
A. Eviikhuu, N.Ichinnorov, and Ch.Gankhuyag(evii_temka@yahoo.com, iichka@yahoo.com, ch_ganaa56@yahoo.com)
Introduction
The study area labeled Khetsuu Tsavis located on South Mongolia, in 780 km to SW
from Ulaanbaatar, in 230 km to the South from
Dalanzadgad Town, Umnugobi Aimak and in
130 km to SW from Nomgon Soum center.
There are observed mainly Lower Cretaceous
volcanogenic –sedimentary and terrigenic rocks,
and Holocene-Pleistocene, Holocene loose
sedimentsofdeluvial-proluvial
andalluvial-proluvial origin.
In 1995, there was carried out Complex
geological survey at scale 1:200 000 underleading of geologist E. Burenkhuu and
A.Gotovsuren to the region including thecurrent study area, and classifying the
volcanogenic sedimentary rock unit covering
the area into Lower Cretaceous Tsagaantsav
Formation, which has been composed ofmainly conglomerate, conglomerate-breccia,
gritt stone, yellowish green and light greycolored sandstone, tuffaceous siltstone,
andesite basalt, and basalt containing lenses oflight grey sandstone.
During 2012 to 2013, geologists of
Etugen Eye LLC have carried out prospecting
works for coal including mapping at scale 1:25
000, some drill holes and trenching works tothe study area and revealed oil shale bed, which
outcropped on two areas (about 150 x 800 m
and 73 x 510 m) within the study area. The oil
shale unit is preliminarily classified into Lower
Cretaceous Shinekhudag Formation on
basements of preliminary palynological datathat obtained from the rock unit. The sedimentof Shinekhudag Formation is outcropped on
SW, central and north-central parts of the study
area and composed of red and green
conglomerate, light grey, greenish grey
sandstone, siltstone, dark grey papery shale,
and clayey shale.
131

Palynology Studies
The newly revealed oil shale bed
forms outcrop in 25 to 150 m width, starting its
distribution from SW corner of the study area,
continuing to the East for a while and thenturning to the North up to northern border of
the area in length about 1 km. The oil shale bed
plunges to the N on SW corner, and plunges to
NW on the West, central and north-central
parts of the area dipping at 10 degrees.
There were taken 5 samples from thedrill core and sent to laboratory on proximate
analyses and palynology. Only one sample
contains
sporelabeledForaminisporis
assymmetricus, Baculatisporites sp., and somepollens Gymnosperm of following species:
Podocarpidites multiformis, Podocarpidites
luteus,
Podocarpidites
multesimus,
Podocarpidites, Cedripidites Iibaniformis,
Cedripiditessp,
Piceapollenites
sp,
Protopiceapollenites
sp,
Pinuspollenites
eqisitae,
Pinuspollenites
sp,
Protopinuspollenites sp, Disaccites sp,
Protoconiferus funarius, Disaccites sp.1,
Araucariacidites
sp.,
Cycadopytes
sp.,
Piceapollenites variabilis., Piceapollenites sp.,
Inaperturapollenites
sp.,
Piceapollenites
exiloides.,Podocarpidites
decorus,
Podocarpidites sp., Cycadopites reticulate.
According to palynology descriptions, spore
observed very rarely (only Foraminisporis
assymmetricus, Baculatisporites sp), while
Gymnosperm pollens were in significant
amount. However, spores and pollens ofancient vegetation have large distribution inwide spectrum in whole Lower Cretaceous
period, the above mentioned species of sporesand pollens are typical for Barremian to Aptian
stage, therefore, the oil shale, which contains
the spore and pollen are preliminarily classified
into Lower Cretaceous Shinekhudag Formation,
by authors of the current abstract.

Conclusion
The geological-palynological studies
that carried out to Khetsuu Tsav Area thatlocated in southern most part of Umnugobi
Aimak (Mongolia) revise the sediments, whichhave been entirely classified into Lower
Cretaceous volcanogenic-terrigenic units ofTsagaantsav Formation by the previous
researchers, shall be divided into sediments of

two formations; and its some part has to be
re-classified into younger (Barremian to Aptian
stage) unit like as Lower Cretaceous
Shinekhudag Formation, and the rest of thesediments is still classified into Tsagaantsav
Formation. In further, it has to be carried out
detailed studies onto age determination of the
newly classified Shinekhudag sediments using
more types of studies.

132

P4: Paleobotanical and Palynological characteristics of the Shivee-ovoo coal deposit,
Central Mongolia
Tsolmon G., Uranbileg L. and Ichinnorov N.
Paleontol. Cent. Mongolian Acad. Sci., Enkhtaivan Avenue-63, P.O.Box-260, Ulaanbaatar 13343,
Mongolia (tsolmon.paleo@yahoo.com, urnaa-paleo@yahoo.com, iichka@yahoo.com)
Summary
The fossil plants from the Shivee-ovoo
locality (coal deposits) discovered and theLower Cretaceous flora of this locality has
been studied for the first time and which
includes the leaves, stems and seeds. The
purpose of this paper is to show the result of
the systematic composition study.
The fossil plants collecting in the
Shivee-ovoo coal deposit by Ichinnorov N.,
Tsolmon G., Odgerel N., Patrick S. Herendeen,
Masamichi Takahashi, Peter R. Crane et all, on
2012 in their field work. Shivee-ovoo coaldeposit located about 260 km south-east of
Ulaanbaatar. By the our first study (Uranbileg
L., Tsolmon G.) we have found out that several
followingtaxanomic
composition:
Sphenopteris sp., Asplenium sp., Phoenicopsis
sp., Nillsonia sp., Ginkgo sp., Ginkgoite sp.,
Podozamites ex gr. еichwaldii Shimper,
Pityophyllumsp.,
Pityospermum
sp.,
Carpolithes sp. (figures 1-13), but elementsof Czekanowskiales are did not find in thisstudy. From the types of conifers the
Pityophyllum is predominate here and in termsof number, there are the conifers are(Pityophyllum, Podozamites) also much higher
than ferns. There are also Ginkgo andGinkgoites are found and however, Nillsonia
was found in small amount. According to thegeneral spread of Podozamites еichwaldii is
explored in the Russia and most commonly
researched in Asian part of Russia.
To sum up this study, the ancientplants of Shivee ovoo is Mongolian Upper partof the Lower Cretaceous and which similar totime, which can demonstrate the period of theLower Cretaceous. However, we are consider
that the further study should be made in the
future. The coal researches of this place isgenerally includes the Lower Cretaceous age(aptian-albian) and which has also been written
in several references of Ichinnorov N., such as(Ichinnorov N., 2003а, 2005, Jargal L.,
Ichinnorov N., Enkhtuya A., 2008; Ichinnorov
N., Tsolmon G., Odgrerel N., 2013).
The fossil pollen and spores wereobtained from the siltstone end argillite-likeclay of the lower part and bed of upper part,assigned to 59 genus and 62 species.The
assemblage abounds in gymnosperm pollen inwhich Coniferalis predominates (29-63%).
Bisaccate conifer pollen of the genus
Protoconiferus(P.funarius,
P.asaticus),
Pinuspollenitus(P.divulgatus,
P.similes,
P.insignius,
P.oralicus),
Piceapollenites(P.exilioides,
P.variabilis,
P.singularis),
Podocarpidites (P.decorus, P.multesimus) arealways present. Less freguent is monosaccateconiferpollenCycadopites
sp.,
Sciadopityspollenites
macroverucatus,
Retimonosulcites sp., Classopollis classoides,
C. echinatus and Inaperturapollenites sp. The
spores (22-47%) are characterized byabundance of Cyathidites (C. australis,
C.minor), Osmundacidites (O. wellmanii, O.
granulates)
andvarious
type:
Cicatricosisporites (C. australiensis, C. hallei,
C.exiloides, C. ludbrooki), Pilosisporites(P.notensis, P. trichopapillosus), Rousesporites
reticulates,
Cooksonites(C.irregularis,
C.variabilis),Aequitriradites
spinulosus,
Foraminsporites, Laevigatosporites and ets.
Among the Angeosperm pollen (2%)
Asteropollis sp., Clavatipollenites rotundus,
Fraxinopollenites constrictus and Ttricolpites
sp. were present.
Conlusions
133

The spores and pollen assemblage issimilar to a spore-pollen assemblages from theLower Cretaceous formations (Transbaikaila,
Russia) Aptian and Albian age and to Dalazi
Formation (Jilin, China) of Albian age.

Therefore the composition of the plants in
Shivee-ovoo which illustrates the similar timeof the Lower Cretaceous. Preliminary resultsof the floral study of systematic composition of
Shivee-ovoo locality are may be discussed.

Refrences:
Ichinnorov N., 2003а, Pollen and Spore assembleges of Lower Cretaceous East Mongolia and theirstratigraphy, 20 (in Russian).
Ichinnorov, N. 2005. Pollen and Spore assemblages and ther stratigraphic significances. Mongolian
Geoscientist.P.160-163.
Jargal L., Ichinnorov N., Enkhtuya A., 2008. Petrology and Palynology of the Shivee-Ovoo deposit//3rd International Symposium of the IGCP project 507/ Abstract Volume. P. 100-102.
Ichinnorov, N. Tsolmon, G. Odgerel, N. 2013. New data of Cretaceous (Shivee-Ovoo, Togrog lake)fossil plants and spores-pollen //”Mongolia Mineral Exploration Roundup-2013”, P. 33-50.

Plants from the Shivee-Ovoo coal deposits, Lower Cretaceous, aptian-albian, Central Mongolia.
1-3: Sphenopteris sp., 4-5: Conifers., 6-Podozamites ex gr. eichwaldii Shimper., 7- Pityophyllum sp.,
8- Nillsonia sp., 9.10: Ginkgoites sp., 11-Carpolithes sp., 12,13: Pityospermum sp..

134

P5: Fossil Fuels Hosted in Mesozoic Sequences of Mongolia
Erdenetsogt, B.* and Jargal, L.

Dept. Geol. Geophy., Schl. Sci., Nat. Univ. Mongolia, Sukhbaatar District, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia,(tsogo8000@yahoo.com)

Mesozoic fossil fuel of Mongolia, coal,oil shale and petroleum, has great importancefrom the point of view of both economics andgeological studies. The deposition of fossil fuelcommenced with Pennsylvanian sequences,and continued with Upper Permian,
Lower-Middle Jurassic, and finally with Lower
Cretaceous units. Pennsylvanian and Upper
Permian coal seams were deposited mainly inwestern and southern Mongolia, respectively.
Lower-Middle Jurassic coal and oil shaleaccumulated in western, northern and eastern
Mongolia. In the Early Cretaceous, thick andextensive oil shale, which is also considered assource rock of petroleum, and coal wereformed mostly in eastern Mongolia. At thesame time oil shale and coal seams wereaccumulated in the western Mongolia, as well.
Mongolia is favored by large coal recourses,
estimated at more than 170 billion tons, ofwhich predominant portions are Mesozoic
bituminous coal and lignite (Fig 1a).
Lower-middle Jurassic coal measures are
hosted in Jargalant (western Mongolia), Bakhar(western part of central Mongolia), Saikhan
formations (north Mongolia), while Lower
Cretaceous coals are in Andkhudag formation(central Mongolia) and in coal-bearing
Khukhteeg formation of Zuunbayan group(eastern Mongolia) (Erdenetsogt et al., 2009).
Based on the results of ultimate, proximate
analyses, calorific value, vitrinite reflectanceand maceral group concentration, coal quality
has been determined. For Jurassic coals,
average carbon and hydrogen contents are
73.3% and 5.0%, respectively. Ash yield andtotal sulfur contents are low, 16.1% and 1.0%,
respectively. Average calorific value is 28.4
MJ/kg. Cretaceous coals contain 66.2% carbon,
135

4.5% hydrogen, 16.6% ash, and 1.2% total
sulfur. Average calorific value is 26.4 MJ/kg.
Mean vitrinite reflectance of Jurassic andCretaceous coals are 0.48 and 0.33%,
respectively. The results show that coal rank ismainly controlled by the age of coal bearing
sequences (Erdenetsogt et al., 2009).
Petrographically,
Mongoliancoals
areclassified as humic type. The concentration of
huminite maceral groups of Creatceous coal
ranges from 54.9 to 82.9% on mineral matter
free basis. The concentration of inertinite groupvaries between 15.0 and 44.0%. The
concentration of liptinite group does not exceed
more than 4.2%. Jurassic coals are distinct
from other coals, characterized by highconcentration of vitrinite (87.3-96.6%) andliptinite groups (up to 11.7%), and by low
concentration of inertinite groups (1.0- 6.0%)(Erdenetsogt et al., 2009).
Oil shale resources were estimated to
be 788 billion tons with 22.7 billion tons ofshale oil (Bat-Erdene and Jargal, 1994). Oilshale is hosted in Middle Jurassic unit andLower Cretaceous
oilshale bearing
Shinekhudag Formation. Jurassic oil shale has
been identified in central and northern
Mongolia, while Lower Cretaceous oil shale isdistributed almost entire Mongolia (Fig 1b).
Previously, it was thought that all oil shale in
Mongolia is related to Lower Cretaceous(Bat-Erdene and Jargal, 1994), but recently theage of some oil shale is revised from Lower
Cretaceous to Middle Jurassic (Li et al., 2014).
Both Jurassic and Cretaceous oil shale haveType I kerogen and low sulfur content, ranging
from 0.1% to 1.5 %. Jurassic oil shale has up to
33.2 % TOC, whereas Lower Cretaceous oil
shale has 35.6 %TOC (Bat-Erdene and Jargal

1994; Yamamoto et al.,1998; Sladen andTraynor, 2000; Johnson et al., 2003;
Bat-Erdene, 2012).
According to Pentilla (1993) andTraynor and Slayden (1995), conventional oil
reserves can be found from Cretaceoussequences. Four oil fields, Zuunbayan,
Tsagaan-Els, Toson-Uul and Tamsag, hosted in
Lower Cretaceous sequences, have been
discovered in eastern and south eastern
Mongolia so far. In addition, several tar sandand oil seepage were catalogued (Fig 1c).
Penttila (1993) estimated that Mongolia has 3
to 6 billion barrels oil equivalent of
conventional recoverable oil and gas resources.
The expected most likely oil field size ranges
from 100 to 170 million barrels o.e. According
to Uuganbayar (2014), proved oil reserves of
the above mentioned four oil fields are 2.1
billion barrels with 271.6 million barrels ofrecoverable reserves. API gravity and sulfur
contents of Tsagaan-Els and Tamsag fields are
300 and 360, and 0.14% and 0.01%,
respectively.
Early-Middle Jurassic non-marine
sedimentary sequences, which host coal and oil
shale, were deposited in foreland intermontane
basins, formed under compressional tectonic

events. In contrast, Lower Cretaceous coal-, oilshale-, and oil-bearing rocks were accumulated
in rift valleys, caused by extensional tectonic
events. Jurassic coals, distributed throughout
north, central and eastern Mongolia, with highvitrinite and liptinite contents formed underraised water table condition due to much higher
rainfall than the rainfall in Lower Cretaceous(Erdenetsogt et al., 2009). It is known that most,
if not all, Jurassic oil shale lies under coalmeasures, indicating that water level wasincreased continuously and oil shale wasaccumulated instead of peat due to increased
water depth in lakes. During Late
Jurassic-Early Cretaceous, when extension took
place, sediments of Shinekhudag oil
shale-bearing formations accumulated in rift
valleys on top of the older synrift sequences.
Within the troughs, relatively large lakes
formed (Sladen and Traynor, 2000; Johnson
and Graham, 2004), where thick mud and oil
shalesaccumulated.
Withdecreasing
subsidence rates, water levels decreased andpaleoenvironmental condition became moresuitable for peat accumulation. The shallow
lakes/swamps were filled with Khukhteeg
coal-bearing formations (Erdenetsogt, 2009).

References:
Bat-Erdene, D., 2012. Fossil fuel. In: Byamba, J. (Ed. in chief), Mongolian Geology and Mineral
Resources, Mem. Vol. 70th year anniv. Mongolian Geol. Sur., vol. 5, pp 247-266 [inMongolian].
Bat-Erdene and Jargal, 1994. Mongolian oil shale and its potential. Ministry of Energy and Mining,‘Mongol Gazriin tos tovchoo’, Open file report. Ulaanbaatar [in Mongolian].
Erdenetsogt, B., Lee, I., Bat-Erdene, D., Jargal, L., 2009. Mongolian coal-bearing basins:
Geological settings, coal characteristics, distribution, and resources. Internat. J. Coal Geol.
80, 87–104.
Johnson, C.L., Greene, T.J., Zinniker, D.A., Moldowan, J.M., Hendrix, M.S., Carroll, A.R., 2003.
Geochemical characteristics and correlation of oil and nonmarine source rocks from
Mongolia. AAPG Bull. 87, 817–846.
Johnson, C.L., Graham, S.A., 2004. Cycles in perilacustrine facies of Late Mesozoic rift basins,
Southeastern Mongolia. J. Sediment. Res. 74, 786–804.
Li, G., Ando, H., Hasegawa, H., Yamamoto, M., Hasegawa, T., Ohta, T., Hasebe, N., Ichinnorov ,N., 2014. Confirmation of a Middle Jurassic age for the Eedemt Formation in Dundgobi
Province, southeast Mongolia: constraints from the discovery of new spinicaudatans (clamshrimps), Alcheringa, DOI: 10.1080/03115518.2014.870834.
Pentilla, W.C., 1993. The recoverable oil and gas resources of Mongolia. J. Petrol. Geol. 17, 89–98.
Sladen, C., Traynor, J.J., 2000. Lakes during the evolution of Mongolia. In Gierlowski-Kordesch,
E.H. and Kelts, K.P. (Eds), Lake basin through space and time: AAPG Studies in Geology
46, pp 35-57.
Traynor, J.J., Sladen, C., 1995. Tectonic and stratigraphic evolution of the Mongolian People's
Republic and its influence on hydrocarbon geology and potential. Marine Petrol. Geol. 12,
35–52.
136

Uuganbayar, 2014. Outline of petroleum exploration in Mongolia. Petroleum Authority ofMongolia, Proceedings of GIMAR-2014 conference. Ulaanbaatar [in Mongolian].
Yamamoto, M., Bat-Erdene, D., Ulziihutag, P., Watanabe, Y., Imai, N., Kajiwara, Y., Takeda, N.,
Nakajima, T., 1998. Organic geochemistry and palynology of Lower cretaceous
Zuunbayan oil shales, Mongolia. Geol. Sur. Japan Bull. 49, 257–274.

137

Fig 1. Distribution schema of Mesozoic fossil fuel deposits and occurrences of Mongolia.
1a. Location map of Mongolian coal-bearing provinces, basins and deposits (modified after Erdenetsogt et al., 2009).
Province: WM - Western Mongolian; EM - Eastern Mongolian; Basins: KHB - Kharkhiraa; MAB – Mongol-Altai;
SGB - South Gobi; UHB - South Khangai; IBB - Ikh Bogd; ORB - Ongi river; CNB – Choir-Nyalga; CHB Choibalsan; TAB - Tamsag; SHB - Sukhbaatar; EGB - East Gobi; CGB - Central Gobi basin; Areas: BUA –Bayan-Ulgii; TAA - Trans-Altai; OSA – Orkhon-Selenge; Coal deposits: 1 - Mantag; 2 - Jargalant; 3 - Minguush; 4 –Egiin gol; 5 - Murun; 6 - Jilchigbulag; 7 – Saikhan-Ovoo; 8 - Ereen; 9 - Bayantsagaan; 10 - Unjuul; 11 - Khuden; 12 Bayanduurekh; 13 - Alagtsakhir; 14 - Khotgor; 15 - Bayanteeg; 16 - Tsagaan-Ovoo; 17 - Nariin sukhait; 18 - Tsogt;
19 - Mogoin gol; 20 - Ulaan-Ovoo; 21 -Shariin gol; 22 - Nalaikh; 23 - Baganuur; 24 - Maint; 25 - Tsaidam; 26 Tugrug; 27 - Khumuult; 28 - Tsaidam nuur; 29 - Olongiin Ukhaa; 30 - Alagtogoo; 31 - Shivee-Ovoo; 32 - Ulaan nuur;
33 - Ikh Ulaannuur; 34 - Uvdugkhudag; 35 - Tevshiin gobi; 36 - Khulstnuur; 37 - Aduunchuluun; 38 -Utaat minjuur; 39- Talbulag; 40 - Ulziit; 41 - Zuunbulag; 42 - Bulangiin khooloi; 43 - Bayantsogt; 44 -Taliin khudag; 45 - Nukhet; 46 Khootiin khonkhor; 47 - Khamriin khura.
1b. Location map of Mongolian oil shale-bearing basins, deposits and occurrences (modified after Bat-Erdene, 2012).
Basins: LAB – Nuuruudiin Khotgor, GAB – Gobi-Altai, ORB – Ongi River, TGB – Tugrug, ULB – Ugii Lake, UJB –Uvurjargalant, NGB – Nyalga, MGB – Middle Gobi, SGB – South Gobi, EGB – East Gobi, SBB – Sukhbaatar, TAB –Tamsag, CHB – Choibalsan; Deposit/occurrence: 1 – Bayanteeg, 2 – Tsagaan-Ovoo, 3 – Khuut, 4 – Shariin Gol, 5 –Erdene Uul, 6 – Bayantsagaan, 7 – Gashuun Gol, 8 – Sukhai, 9 – Bakhar Uul, 10 – Andkhudag, 11 – Tugrug, 12–Erdene Uul, 13 – Khugshin Gol, 14 – Zuunbulag, 15 – Uvurjargalant, 16 – Tuhum Nuur, 17 – Ereen Gobi, 18 – Nariin
Uul, 19 – Tsarsan Chuluut, 20 – Uvdug Khooloin Gashuun, 21 – Nalaikh, 22 – Ereen gobi, 23 – Ulziin Lake, 24 –Beeliin jas, 25 – Shavart-Ovoo, 26 – Nukht, 27 – Khukhtsaa, 28 – Nergui, 29 – Khashaat khudag, 30 – Jirmiin khudag,
31 – Shine Us, 32- Khavkhastai, 33 – Nergui, 34 – Zamiin Uud, 35 – Khar Ereg, 36 – Shorvog Nuur, 37 – Tugrug, 38 –Bayan-Erkhet, 39 – Bayanjargalan, 40 –Ovoo sum, 41 – Khulun Buir, 42 – Bukhiin khhudag, 43 – Melkhii khudag, 44– Tsagaan nuur, 45 – Amnii khudag.
1c. Location map of Mongolian petroleum blocks, oil fields and tar sand deposits/occurrences. Block: I - Uvs, II Khar-Us Lake, III - Sharga, IV - Bogd, V - Ongi, VI - Nemegt, VII – Borzon, VIII - Khongor, IX – Nomgon, X_S –South Tukhum, X_N – North Tukhum, XI – Galba, XII - Ergel, XIII – Tsagaan-Els, XIV – Zuunbayan, XV – Tariach,
XVI – Nyalga, XVII – Bayantumen, XVIII – Khukh Lake, XIX – Toson Uul, XX – Matad, XXI – Tamsag, XXII – Buir,XXIII – Sulinkheer, XXIV – Dariganga, XXV – Choir, XXVI – Tsaidam, XXVII – Sukhbaatar, XXVIII –Kherlentokhoi; Oil field: 1 – Tsagaan-Els, 2 – Zuunbayan, 3 – Toson Uul, 4 – Tamsag; Tar sand occurrence: 5 –Zuunbayan, 6 – Bayan-Erkhet, 7 – Khugshingol.

138

P6: Stratigraphic succession of Conchostracan fossils from the lacustrine deposits in the
Shinekhudag area (Lower Cretaceous), Eastern Gobi basin, Southeast Mongolia
Murata, T.1, Li, G.2, Ando, H.3, Hasegawa, H.4, Hasegawa, T.5, Ohta, T.6, Yamamoto, M.7, Hasebe,
N.8 and Ichinnorov, N.9
1

Grad. Schl. Sci. and Tech., Ibaraki Univ., Mito 310-0056, Japan (13nd404s@mcs.ibaraki.ac.jp)
2Nanjing Inst. Geol. Palaeont., Chinese Academy of Science, Nanjing 210008, China
3

Dept. of Earth Sci., Fac. Sci., Ibaraki University, Mito 310-0056, Japan
4

5

Dept. Earth Sci., Fac. Sci., Kanazawa Univ., Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan

6

Fac. Edu., Int. Arts, Sci., Waseda University, Tokyo 169-8050, Japan

7

Fac. Env. Earth Sci., Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan

8
9

Nagoya Univ. Mus., Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan

Div. Ear. Env. Tech., Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan

Paleont. Center, Mongolian Acad. Sci., Ulaanbaatar-210351, P.O. Box 260, Mongolia
morphological,
paleoecologicalandtaphonomical analyses of the spinicaudatan
fauna.
The Shinekhudag Formation, well
exposed in the Shine Khudag locality, iscomposed mainly of dark grey paper shale,
light grey calcareous shale, and whitish,yellowish and brownish dolomite. The shaleand dolomite successions are rhythmicallyalternated (decimeter-, meter-, tens ofmeter-scale), which might be controlled byorbital cycles. Strata are continuously exposed
about 300 m in thickness. The age of theformation is estimated as Aptian based on thefloral and molluscan evidence (e.g.,
Jerzykiewicz and Russell, 1991), and Ar40/Ar39
age data from basaltic rocks of the uppermost
part of the underlying Tsagantsav Formation(ca. 121-125 Ma: Graham et al., 2001).
Stratigraphic
occurrencesofconchostracans and associated ostracods,
bivalves, insects and plant remains were
examined by careful observation along theoutcrop and trench successions of the middle
part of the Shinekhudag Formation. Only two
previously described species, as Neodiestheria
mongolensis Chen, 2005 and Yanjiestheria
gobiensis Chen, 2005 occur from the intervalClamshrimps(spinicaudatans,
so-called‘conchostracans’)aresmall,
fresh-water branchiopod crustaceans withbivalved chitinous carapace. Although they
have a long geologic history from the Devonian
Period to the Recent, they were more
prosperous during the Mesozoic Era. Theirfossils often occur in lacustrine mudstone
deposited in quiet fresh-water environmentsabundantly.
Therefore,
theyarebiostratigraphically useful for the correlationand zonation of the Mesozoic non-marine
successions.
The Gobi Basin of southern Mongolia
contains widespread non-marine Cretaceous
deposits that yield abundant vertebrate remains,
includingdinosaurs,
mammals,etc.
(Jerzykiewicz and Russell, 1991; Khand et al.,
2000; Hasegawa, H., et al., 2009). We
investigated thick lacustrine shale andmudstone sequences represented by the
mid-Cretaceous(Aptian)Shinekhudag
Formationforevaluating
terrestrial
paleoenvironments in the eastern Gobi basin,
Southeast
Mongolia.
As
abundant
spinicaudatan fossils successively occur in thestudied section, the Shinekhudag Formation issuitabletoundertaketaxonomical,
139

over 100 m thick. On the basis of their size,
outline and surface ornamentation of carapace,
N. mongolensis is elliptical and larger(9-27mm) with well-developed growth lines
and reticulated growth bands, and Y. gobiensis
has round-shaped and smaller (ca. 4 to 16mmin shell length) carapace.
N. mongolensis occurs from dark grey
paper shale and light grey calcareous shale
abundantly, and whitish dolomite rarely of
most fossil horizons spanning over 100 m thickexcept the lowermost and uppermost parts ofthe entire section. Density of conchostracan
fossils decreases in the interval of theless-frequent alternation of shale and dolomite
beds. On the other hand, Y. gobiensis occurs
mainly from dolomitic light grey shale of somecertain horizons in the middle part of the entire
section. Both species are exclusive on the samelamina plane, even though they are contained
within the same bed. Although they often occur
sporadically, a few milli- to centimetersswarmed lamina or thin beds are very common

in grey laminated shale, apparently showing
periodic intercalations and zones, especiallyfrequent above and below dolomite layers.
Furthermore, ostracods are containedin poorly laminated calcareous shale in the
middle part of the entire section, and they may
be also exclusive with two conchostracans. In
well-exposed successions in the middle part ofthe entire section, we identified the following
characteristic types of layers: 1) conchostracans
abundant layer, 2) ostracods abundant layer, 3)
poorly fossiliferous layer. These types occurs
somewhat periodically depending upon thelithological changes.
These modes of fossil occurrence
suggest the relationship between paleoecology
and lake environmental changes such as lakelevels, bottom-water condition and primary
production in large and deep lakes within aninterior portion of the large Eurasian Continent.
Further taphonomical studies are necessary tounderstand the relationship between the lakeecosystem and physical condition.

References:
Graham, S.A., Hendrix, M.S., Johnson, C.L., Badamgarav, D., Badarch, G., Amory, J., Porter, M.,
Barsbold, R., Webb, L.E., Hacker, B.R., 2001, Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull., 113, 1560–1579.
Hasegawa, H., Tada, R., Ichinnorov, N., Minjin, C., 2009. J. Asian Earth Sci., 35, 13–26.
Jerzykiewicz, T., Russell, D.A., 1991. Cretaceous Res., v.12, p.345–377.
Khand, Y., Badamgarav, D., Ariunchimeg, Y., Barsbold, R., 2000. Cretaceous Environments ofAsia. p.49–79.
Yamamoto, M., Bat-Erdene, D., Ulziikhishig, P., Watanabe, Y., Imai, N., Kajiwara, Y., Takeda, N.,
Nakajima, T., 1998, Bull. Geol. Sur. Japan, 49, p.257–274.
Yuan, F., Chen, P., 2005. Acta Palaeontol. Sinica, v.44, p.25-35.

140

P7: TEX86-based lake water temperatures in Jurassic and Cretaceous Mongolia
Yamamoto, M.1, Ando, H.2, Hasegawa, H.3, Hasegawa, T.4, Ohta, T.5, Hasebe, N.6, Murata, T.2,
Li, G.7 and, Ichinnorov, N.8
1Fac. Env. Earth Sci., Hokkaido Univ., Kita-10, Nishi-5, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0810(myama@ees.hokudai.ac.jp)
2

Dept. Earth Sci., Ibaraki University
3

4
5

Nagoya University

Dept. Earth Sci., Kanazawa University;

Fac. Edu., Int. Arts, Sci., Waseda University
6

Div. Ear. Env. Sci., Kanazawa Univ.

7

Nanjing Inst. Geol. Palaeont., China

8

Paleontol. Center, MAS, Mongolia
Temperature was calculated from TEX86H
according to the equations based on a global
core top calibration (Kim et al., 2010). The
analytical accuracy was 0.45°C in ourlaboratory.

Introduction
The surface temperatures and theirlatitudinal gradient in the Greenhouse Earth area current topic in paleoclimatology tounderstand the climate sensitivity and polar
amplification for future climate prediction.
TEX86 is a powerful tool of paleo-sea and lake
surface temperature reconstruction. In thisstudy,
wereconstructed
lake
water
temperatures in Mongolia during the Jurassic
and Cretaceous periods by analyzing the TEX86
values of GDGTs in sediments from theJurassic Eedemt Formation and the Cretaceous
Shine Kuhag Formation.

Results and discussion
Five Jurassic and ten Cretaceous
sediments yielded reliable lake watertemperatures.
TEX86H-based temperatures
ranged from 23 to 32°C. The averages andstandard
deviationsofTEX86H-based
temperature were 28.1°C and 2.4°C in theJurassic Eedemt Formation and 28.4°C and3.4°C in the Cretaceous Shinekhudag Formation,
respectively. The Mongolia was located at about
50°N in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.
The estimated temperatures are much higher
than the modern mean annual temperatures atthe same latitude (Figure 1). Theses new data
are consistent with a view that temperature
gradient was smaller in the Cretaceous period,
suggesting that polar amplification responds toradiation forcing. The estimated Jurassic
temperatures are not different from Cretaceous
temperatures. This finding contradicts the resultof previous studies suggesting that Jurassic
worlds were cooler than Cretaceous ones (e.g.,
Frakes et al., 1992). This question is open. Moredata are required for understanding this issue.

Samples and Methods
The sediment samples were collected
at outcrops of the Eedemt locality of central
Mongolia and the Shinekhudag locality ofsouthern Mongolia during the expeditions in2010 leaded by Hisao Ando. The sediment was
extracted
withdichloromethane/methanol
mixture and chromatographed into four
different fractions. GDGTs in the polar fraction
were analyzed on a liquid chromatograph-mass
spectrometer. TEX86H (derived from TEX86)
were calculated from the concentrations of
GDGT-1, GDGT-2, GDGT-3 and aregioisomer of crenarchaeol (Schouten et al.,2002 EPSL; Kim et al., 2010 GCA).
141

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P8: Base level and paleotemperature changes of Cretaceous lacustrine succession insoutheast Mongolia
Fujita, Y.1, Ohta, T.2 and Shinya, H.1
1
2

Department of Geosciences, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan

Department of Geosciences School of Education, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japanemail:precious-you@fuji.waseda.jp

The Shinekhudag Fomation is a
Cretaceous lacustrine succession distributed in
the East Gobi Basin of southeast Mongolia,
which is characterized by rhythmicallyalternating beds of mudstone and dolomite.
Mudstone layers comprise sediment discharge
from the eroded continental crust (such as
detrital illite), while dolomite indicatesintervals of hypersaline and significant
microbial activities. Therefore, these alterations
can be interpreted to reflect base-level changesof the lacustrine. In addition, the hinterland
weathering indices show a significant increase
from the lower to the upper part of the
Shinekhudag Formation, which indicates thatthe paleoclimate of mid-latitude in Asian
region gradually shifted to more humid andtemperate condition in Aptian. Principal
component analysis (PCA) of the major
mineral composition (smectite, illite, kaolinite,
quartz and carbonate) and the hinterland
weathering indices (W index and CIA) has
been performed in order to deduce the climatechanges recorded in studied lacustrine deposits.
PCA extracted three principal components(PC1, PC2 and PC3), which captured 40.74%,
26.26% and 17.03% of total variability,
respectively. The absolute values of PC1 scoresare governed by the increase or decreases incarbonate content against detrital minerals.
Therefore, PC1 can be interpreted as latentvariable recording changes in base-level which
had been controlled by the balance between
precipitation and evaporation. On the other
hand, PC2 is regarded to be the proxy of thepaleotemperature because weathered minerals(e.g. kaolinite) and the geochemical hinterland
weathering indices covary with PC2. PC3
correlates with the amount of the mafic
minerals: it is characterized by positive
correlation with smectite and illite components
and negatively with kaolinite and quartz. The
former mineral assemblage represents sediment
input from mafic source, while latter represent
felsic source. Consequently, PC3 can beinterpreted as a measure of source rocklithology.
The result of PCA suggests that PC1
and PC2 can stand as the individual measuresof the base-level and paleotemperature changes
in the inland region of East Asia. The overallchanges of the base-level inferred from the PC1
score profile indicates that water depth slightly
increased in the middle part of the Shinekhudag
Formation. In contrast, the paleotemperature
implied by the PC2 score profile increased
continuously, which is concordant with theglobal warmth trend during the Aptian deduced
from oxygen isotope data. Moreover, thepresent analysis revealed a high frequencychange in the both base-level andpaleotemperature. The wavelet spectral
analysis revealed that respective cycles of thesevariations are in the order of 113 ± 21 kyr,which is concordant with an eccentricity cycle.
Therefore,
theresultssuggestthat
mid-Cretaceous paleoclimate change preservedin the Shinekhudag lacustrine succession
records both global high-amplitude climatechange in the mid-Cretaceous, as well as
high-frequency climate change deduced by the
Milankovitch orbital forcing.

143P9: Paleoenviromental of Cretaceous lacustrine successionin Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region: Development of mega-monsoon climate regime as acause of high-frequent reversals of redox conditions in the lacustrine environment
Arai, K.1, Ohta, T.1, Hirano, H.1, Harigaya, S.2, Sakai, T.3, Kozai, T.4 and Li, G.5
1

Waseda University, Japan (keita-arai2010@fuji.waseda.jp)
2

Tokyo Institute and technology, Japan
3

4
5

Kyushu University, Japan

Naruto University of Education, Japan

Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, China

focuses on analysis of Aptian to Albian
Lianmqin Formation, which occupy thestratigraphically highest position of Taguru
Group.
Visual light spectra and L*a*b* color
index values were measured by opticalcolorimeter. Spectra were futher analyzed byprincipal component analysis (PCA) in order to
identify latent variables, which produced color
variation of mudstone. Also, major elements ofmudstone sample were analyzed by x-ray
fluorescence spectroscopy and clay mineralogyof mudstones was identified by x-ray
diffractometer.
PCA results of raw visual light spectra
data indicate that colors of the Lianmqin
Formation are controlled by the three specifictypes. A comparison with the reference
spectrum data of mineral spices identify thatthese latent spectra represent presence ofhematite, chlorite and calcite. However, themain factor that determines the color variation
is attributed to the content of hematite, because
the variation of visual light spectra data that
hematite attributed was significantly high(97.4%). Within the lacustrine environment,
hematite is known to be produced inoxygenated conditions. Therefore, the color
variation of the Lianmqin Formation
demonstrates the variation in redox conditionof lacustrine environment; red hematite-rich
bed and light gray hematite-poor beds comprise
oxygenated and anoxic conditions, respectively.
In addition V/Cr and Ni/Co ratios, which are

Mesozic non-marine systems arewidely distributed in the Junggar basin of
Xinjiang-Uygur
Autonomous
Region,northwest, China. The Junggar basin developed
as a continental basin of the southern margin of
the Asian continent that faced paleo-Tethys
Ocean during the early Mesozoic. However, theJunggar basin turned out to be a foreland basin
after J/K boundary, due to the accretion of the
Tibet Plateau and succeeding uplift of Tianshan
Mountains. After this collisional event,sediments of the Junggar basin.
Among them, the Lianmuqin Fomation,
comprising
mid-Cretaceous
lacustrine
succession is characterized by a high-frequent
alternating layers of red and dark graymudstone. In this study, we analyze
paleoenvironment factors which produced thesecharacteristic layers by using visible light
spectrometer and chemical composition of
mudstone samples.
The Jungger basin is a foreland sedimentarybasin developed by the obduction and uplift ofTianshan Mountains which fringe on the south
limit of the Junggar basin. The lower
Cretaceous system of the Junggar basin isnamed as the Taguru Group, which is further
subdivided into four formation(Eberton et al,2001). These formations are consisted ofsandstones and mudstones exhibiting red or
light gray-green colors. The paleo-depositional
environments were mainly lacustrine withminor alluvial to fluvial intrusions in somelocalities(Zhou and Dean, 1996). This study
144the geochemical indices that can also monitor
the oxidation-reduction state (Jones andManning,
1994)
showedstratigraphic
variations concordant PC1 variations. All of
our results suggest that the prominent factor,
which produced alternating layers of red-lightgray mudstones in the Lianmqin Formation is areflection of the oxidation-reduction state of thelacustrine bottom water conditions. Meanwhile,data regarding bioproductivity (fossil andCaCO3
content)shows
anapparent
contradiction to the above interpretation. In
general one can assume that the fossil recordand amount of carbonate in lacustrine would
increase in high PC1 strata, namely thebioproductivity is expected to increase if the
dissolved O2 was abundant. However, theredox indices and bioproductivity of the
Lianmqin Formation are inversely correlated.
This apparent contradiction can be explainedby the following scenario.
During the warm-seasons, a firm thermocline
would develop, which hinders lacustrine watercolumncirculationandoxygenation.
Meanwhile, warm and suitable climate would

increases of the bioproductivity. Therefore,
reductive but high-productive phase recordedin the Lianmqin Formation indicate warm
paleoenvironment.
On the other hand, during thecool-season, a stable thermocline would not
develop, making it easy for water column
circulation, and thus, oxygenation of lacustrine
environment. At the time, cooler climate thatare unsuitable for biota hinters bioproductivity.
This makes oxygenated but low bioproductivity
horizons recorded in the Lianmqin Formation.
In summary, lacustrine sediments with PC1
values were deposited under the oxidized andcool climate regime, and in contrast, those withlow PC1 values were deposited under the
reduced and warm climate regime. In Central
Asian
region,these
twocontrasting
paleoclimate
modes
were
alternatively
developed with a frequency of c.a. 10 to 100ky.
Probably, such periodic climate that was notseen before the Cretaceous may have emergedby the development of mega-monsoon climate
caused by the uplift of Tianshan Mountains,wich intitated in latest Jurassic.

References:
Jones, B. and Manning, D.A.C., 1994. Comparison of geochemical indices used for theinterpretation of palaeoredox conditions in ancient mudstones. Chem. Geol. 111, 111–129.
Zhou, Z. and Dean, W.T., 1996. Phanerozoic Geology of Northwest China. Science Press, 316pp.
Eberth, D.A., Brinkman, D.B., Chen, P.J., Yuan, F.T., Wu, S.Z., Li, G. and Cheng, X.S., 2001.
Sequence stratigraphy, paleoclimate patterns, and vertebrate fossil preservation in Jurassic
Cretaceous strata of the Junggar Basin, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, People’s Republicof China. Can. J. Earth Sci. 38, 1627–1644.

145

P10: Laboratory experiments for attesting the “weathering hypothesis” as a possible causeof the mid-Cretaceous Oceanic Anoxic Events
Sasaki, G.1 and Ohta, T.2
1

Grad. Schl. Creat. Sci. Eng., Waseda University, Japan (con-gaku@ruri.waseda.jp)

2

Dept. Earth Sci., Fac. Edu. Arts Sci., Waseda University, Japan (tohta@waseda.jp)
compared to those under the ordinary meteoric
water during the volcanically quiescent phase.
Materials used for weatheringexperiments are granite and basalt, which canbe seen as representative materials ofcontinental crust and LIPs. Samples were kept
in reaction container filled by acidic solution
and several samples were simultaneously batchprocessed within the heated thermobath, Theacid employed was HCl solution, because it is
the main acid present in volcanic gas.
Concentrated and dilute acidic solutions wereused, which were adjusted in order to represent
artificial meteoric water during volcanically
active and quiescent periods. After reacting 168,
504, 840 and 1344 hours chemicalcompositions of the solution were analyzed by
ICP-MS.
The quantity of elemental elution ofboth rock types increased in the volcanically
active period compared to those of thequiescent period. The amount of Na, Mg, K
and Ca were 1.4 to 4.5 times higher during
volcanically active phase, and those for P wasat least 4.0 to 12.8 times higher. Particularly,
among these elements, the eutrophication of the
Ca known as a main factor for blooming of
dinoflagellate (Iwane et al,.2008), and P is oneof the important nutrient supplied to thebiosphere by rock weathering. The result
suggests that the acidified meteoric water
induced by the activity of LIPs escalated 1.4 to
12.8 times higher nutrient supply to the ocean,which was in an order sufficient to promotemarine bioproductivity.
Recently, Courtillot et al. (2003) andKuroda et al. (2007) revealed the simultaneityof LIPs activities and OAEs. They further
revealed that activities of LIPs consistently
predated oceanic anoxic events. Present

The“Weathering
hypothesis”(Weissert et al., 1998) that might have occurred
during the middle Cretaceous has received
wide attention because it may have played acrucial role in causing the Oceanic Anoxic
Events (OAEs). In this model, the cause of
OAEs is explained by a following chain
reaction, (1) global warmth and increase inatmospheric CO2 by the Large Igneous
Provinces (LIPs) enhanced weathering ofcontinental crust, (2) enhanced land weathering
led excessive influx of nutrients fromcontinents to oceans, (3) eutrophication
enhanced primary productivity, (4) the fact,
several numerical simulations have revealed
that elevated rates of continental crust
weathering were one of the most importantfactors involved in triggering global anoxic
events (Misumi et al., 2009;Ozaki et al., 2011;
Monteiro et al., 2012). In addition, several linesof direct field-based evidence of the weathering
hypothesis have recently been provided, which
demonstrates
that
enhancedhinterland
weathering was the actual cause of OAEs (e.g.,
Weissert et al., 1998; Frijia and Parente, 2008;
Tejada et al., 2009).
Therefore, both the simulation-based
and geochemistry-based studies revealed thatthe process (2) of above mentioned weathering
hypothesis actually occurred during OAEs.
However, the relationship between LIPs
activity and enhancement of continental
weathering remains unknown, i.e., the process(1) of the weathering hypothesis. In this regard,
the purpose of this study is to determine theextent of weathering enhancement by the LIPs
activity. We quantitatively measured the degreeof weathering under the acidified meteoric
water induced by the activity of LIPs, and146

experiment suggests that acidified meteoric
water by the intense LIPs activity possibly
promoted the weathering of continental crust,and this raised oceanic eutrophication.
Therefore, LIPs activity may have been thetriggering event of OAEs. However, the present
experiment is only a simplified comparative
experiment, which employed unnaturally
concentrated acid under overly hightemperature in order to accelerate weathering
reaction in laboratory environment. The result
only demonstrates the relative tendency ofelemental elution during in-phase LIPs andout-phase volcanism. It is necessary to design alaboratory experimental condition analogous tonatural in-phase LIPs and out-phase LIPs in
future work.

Reference:
Courtillot et al., 2003. Geoscience 335. 113–140.
Frijia and Parente., 2008. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 261, 15–29.
Iwane et al., 2008. Annual Jounal of Hydraulic Engineering. 52, 1303-1308.
Kuroda et al., 2007. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 256, 211-223.
Misumi et al., 2009. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 286, 316-323.
Monteiro et al., 2012. Paleoceanography, 27, PA4209.
Ozaki et al., 2011. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 304, 270-279.
Tejada et al., 2009. Geology, 37, 855-858.
Weissert et al., 1998. Paleo3, 137, 189-203.

147

P11: Evidence of enhanced continental weathering during oceanic anoxic event 2 (OAE 2) ineastern continental margin of Asia
Ohta, T.1, Kamigata, Y.2 and Takagi, H.2
1

Dept. Earth Sci., Fac. Edu. Integ. Arts and Sci., Waseda Univ., 1-6-1 Nishiwaseda, Shijuku-ku,
Tokyo 169-8050, Japan (tohta@waseda.jp).

2Grad. Schl. Creat. Sci. Eng., Waseda Univ., 1-6-1 Nishiwaseda, Shijuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8050,
Japan.

Mid-Cretaceous is characterized byintensified oceanic anoxia (Oceanic Anoxic
Events: OAEs) that raised global deposition oforganic black shales. The “Weathering
hypothesis” that might have occurred during
the middle Cretaceous has received wide
attention because it may have played a crucialrole in causing the OAEs. In this model, thecause of OAEs is explained by a following
chain reaction, (1) global warmth and increase
in atmospheric CO2 enhanced weathering ofcontinental crust, (2) enhanced land weathering
led excessive influx of nutrients fromcontinents to oceans, (3) eutrophication
enhanced primary productivity, (4) theexcessive primary producers consumed
dissolved oceanic oxygen that finally led to the
OAEs. Several studies, in fact, revealed a
causal relation between enhanced weatheringand OAEs in northern Tethys region. This
study explores, for the first time, the degree ofcontinental paleoweathering during OAE 2 in
the Panthalassa Ocean. The extent of hinterland
paleoweathering was determined using thegeochemical weathering index (W values) ofmudstones from the Aptian to Campanian Yezo
Group, exposed in Hokkaido, northern Japan.
The W values obtained for the Yezo Group
were in the range 30–50, which is equivalent to
the W values of recent soils that developed
under temperate mid-latitude climates. The W

value increases from the Aptian to the
Cenomanian, and then decreases towards theCampanian. The fluctuations in the W values
areconcordantwithpaleotemperaturefluctuations (oxygen isotope) reported from the
Exmouth Plateau. This agreement indicates thatthe change in paleotemperature governed theweathering rates of the East Asian continental
crust.
In
addition,high-resolution
measurements of W values around the OAE 2
interval revealed an abrupt increase inhinterland weathering rates during OAE 2 thatceased simultaneously with the termination of
OAE 2. Moreover, the increase in the W valueslightly predates the onset of OAE 2 (ca.
100–500 ka). Therefore, this preliminary result
is consistent with the weathering hypothesis in
two respects. As assumed in the weathering
hypothesis, enhanced hinterland weathering is
actually linked with the OAEs, and hinterland
weathering did precede the onset of the OAEs.
Previous studies revealed that weathering ofcontinental crust increased during OAEs in the
Tethys and proto-North Atlantic oceans. Ourdata suggest that a similar phenomenon also
operated in the open ocean; i.e., in thePanthalassa Ocean. This indicates thatenhanced hinterland weathering during the
Middle Cretaceous was a global and pervasive
event that caused OAEs.

148

P12: Bottom water paleothermometry: screening late Cretaceous calcareous nodules forapplication of oxygen isotope method
Kobiyama, Y.1, Yonezawa, S.1,2, Suzuki, T.1,3 and Hasegawa, T.1,4
1

Schl. Nat. Sys., Coll. Nat. Sci. Tech., Kanazawa Univ., Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192,
Japan (kobiyama2280@gmail.com)
2

Now at Mitsui Mineral Develop. Eng. Co., Ltd.
3

4

Now at Itochu Oil Expl. Co. Ltd.

Dept. Earth Sci., Fac. Nat. Sys., Inst. Nat. Sci. Eng., Kanazawa University

Paleothermometry is one of the mostimportant proxies for paleoceanographers.
Oxygen isotope paleothermometry has been amajor strategy for paleoceanographers. Benthic
foraminifers have been used for reconstructing
bottom water temperature through Cenozoic
and Cretaceous. Calcareous ooze from deep sea
sediments are excellent material to extract themwhile mudstone sequences including sediments
distributed around Pacific shows substantial
difficulty to apply this technique in terms ofpreservation.
Calcareous
nodulesarecommonly observed in mudstone sequences;
however, no study discussed potential
paleothermometry based on calcareous nodules.
They are concretions formed in sediment,
spherical, sub-spherical, plank-like, or irregularin shape. Their physical and chemical
properties contrast well with those of hostmudstones and appear to better preservechemically fragile proxy signal. As the role
supplementing benthic foraminifers for oxygenisotope thermometry is expected, calcareous
nodules were investigated as target meterials.
The nodules were collected from
Cretaceous strata of several regions in
Hokkaido including Haboro area. We described
their occurrences at outcrops, shape and surface
structure of irregularity, internal structures andcolors under vertically cut sections, SEM
observations, XRD characters, carbonate
content and total organic carbon content, thenanalyzed carbon and oxygen isotopes using
GasBench II preparation system connected toDelta V advantage at Kanazawa University.
149

XRD analyses showed carbonate
mineral of the nodules studied here was calcite.
Structure suggesting consolidation just below
the sea floor includes burrows that eject
calcareous material from site of nodule
formation. The nodules consolidated associatedwith anaerobic oxidation of methane withsulfate reduction appear to be “just below thesea bottom” origin. Such nodules show exactly
same oxygen isotope values with that ofbenthic foraminifers. A bivalve fossil found on
one of the methane seep nodules preserved
shell aragonite and yielded close oxygenisotope paleotemperature with that of hostnodule. Carbonate content and oxygen isotope
values had positive relation suggesting
carbonate content was controlled by the depthof nodule production. Nodules with lower
carbonate content (<50%) exclusively show
low oxygen isotope values and inappropriate
for the sea bottom paleothermometry.
Study on nodules from the Haboro
area showed that selections in front of outcrops
and at laboratory enable us to select "highquality nodules" for oxygen isotope
paleothermometry. As the procedure ofoxygen/carbon isotope analysis of nodulematerial is simple, large number of analysis on
the selected nodules are available. The
cross-plot of the data can emerge "upper limit
line" of oxygen isotope values. The
paleotemperature based on that value could
provide reliable temperature for the sea bottom.
On the other hand, SEM observation showedthat nodules with similar condition from theOyubari area appeared to be recrystalized andinappropriate for paleothermometry. It might
be derived from the difference of burial depth
between sediments of the Haboro and Oyubari
areas. Even if it was originally consolidated
near the bottom of the sea, strong compaction
during burial would have caused permeation ofpore water into the nodule. Carbon dioxide or
bicarbonate ions derived from decomposedorganic
matterwould
have
causedrecrystallization of calcite with oxygen isotopes
as low as -10 permil in the nodule.
Calcareous nodules with following
characters provide materials to be investigatedforoxygenisotopepaleothermometry:ichnofossils on the surface, with dark greycolor on the cut section, higher mud content,over 70% carbonate content, with no fossil
inside. Depositional history over Ro=0.6%
would cause secondary cementation that mask
original paleoceanographic signal

150

P13: Denudation stages of mid-Mesozoic accretionary complexes in East Asia based on
microfossil-bearing clasts within the Upper Mesozoic strata
Ito, T.1, Sakai, Y.2 Feng, Q.L.1 and Matsuoka, A.2
1

China Univ. Geosci., Wuhan, 430074, China (i.t.110244@gmail.com)
2

Niigata Univ., Niigata, 950-2181, Japan

Upper Mesozoic neritic–terrestrial
strata in East Asia interbed conglomerates
including microfossil-bearing clasts (e.g. Ishida
et al., 2003; Ito et al., 2012). Some clasts wereassumedly derived from mid-Mesozoic
accretionary complexes (ACs) in East Asia (inc.
the Tamba-Mino-Ashio, Chichibu composite,
Samarka, Khabarovsk, Taukha and otherterranes). Some researchers have discussed theinitiation of the denudation of the
mid-Mesozoic ACs (Takeuchi et al., 1991;
Matsukawa and Takahashi, 1999; Kamata et al.,2000), whereas few studies have highlighted
staged denudation of the mid-Mesozoic ACs.
We have researched microfossil-bearing clasts
within the Tetori Group in the Inner Zone ofSouthwest Japan in recent years (e.g., Ito et al.,2012, 2014, in press). This study compiles
previous reports of microfossil-bearing clasts
within the Upper Mesozoic in the Inner Zone ofSouthwest Japan and in the southeastern
Korean Peninsula, in addition to our data. As aresult, three denudation stages (Stages A, B andC) are recognized.
A pre-stage (–Kimmeridgian) is
characterizedbyno-denudation.
Microfossil-bearing clasts have occurred insome pre-Kimmeridgian strata in the Inner
Zone of Southwest Japan, such as the Kuruma,
Nariwa and Maizuru groups. However, theseclasts have yielded only Permian radiolarians
which are able to be originated frompre-Mesozoic units (e.g. Akiyoshi and Maizuru
terranes).
Stage A (Tithonian–Hauterivian) is
characterized by initial and narrow denudation.
The
Kamihambara
Formation,
which
corresponds at least partially to the Tithonianbased on the ammonoid occurrence, interbeds
microfossil-bearing clast presumed to be151

originated from the mid-Mesozoic ACs (Saida,1987). This occurrence suggests that theinitiation of denudation of the mid-Mesozoic
ACs started in the Tithonian. However, there
are a few reports of mid-Mesozoic-AC-derived
clasts in previous studies, suggesting thedenudation in the term is narrow in extent.
Meanwhile, the stratigraphic position of theinterbedded microfossil-bearing clasts and its
age is not fully elucidated. Further studies of
the clasts within the Kamihambara Formation
together with the age assignment of theformation are important for the estimation of
the timing of the initial denudation in moredetail.
Stage B (Barremian–early Albian) is
characterized by wide denudation and supply ofJurassic clasts. This stage is characterized bywide denudation. Microfossil-bearing clasts
presumed to be originated from the
mid-Mesozoic ACs have occurred in thefollowing formations corresponding partially to
the Barremian–early Albian: the Mizukamidani,
Itsuki, Donghwachi, and Kumidong formations,the Lower Formation of the Sasayama Group,
the Yakushizawa-migimata Conglomerate
Member, and the Kurobishiyama Conglomerate.
Additionally, this stage is characterized bysupply of Middle Jurassic clasts. Middle
Jurassic radiolarians occurred in chert clasts
within the Itsuki Formation (Ito et al., in press)(Fig. 1A) and a siliceous mudstone clast within
the Mizukamidani Formation (Ito et al., 2014)(Fig. 1B). Based on a zircon U–Pb dating, theyoungest zircon grain from the sandstone of thelower Itsuki Formation has a concordant age of
127.2 ± 2.5 Ma (Kawagoe et al., 2012); theyoungest zircon grain extracted from sandstoneof the Mizukamidani Formation has aconcordant age of 128 Ma (Takeuchi et al.,2013). Based on the general features of the
mid-Mesozoic ACs, the former clast wasderived from Middle or early Late Jurassic ACs
and the latter clasts were derived from the late
Middle Jurassic or younger ACs.
Stage C (late Albian–) is characterized
by denudation of all-age of the mid-Mesozoic
accretionary complexes. This stage ischaracterized by denudation of almost-all-age
of the mid-Mesozoic ACs. Clasts within the
Kisadong Formation yielded Tithonian
radiolarians (Kamata et al., 2000), althoughthese radiolarian origins are uncertain.
Tithonian radiolarians have occurred in the
Early Cretaceous ACs in the mid-Mesozoic
ACs (e.g. Matsuoka et al., 1998), which arenearly the youngest in the mid-Mesozoic ACs.
Consequently, if the Tithonian radiolarians
were not derived from a matrix but a clast,
Tithonian microfossil-bearing clasts started tobe supplied by the depositional time of theKisadong Formation in the provenance of the
Hayang Group.

Figure 1. Scanning electron microscope images of etched surfaces of siliceous rock clasts including radiolarian tests of

the Tetori Group in the Inner Zone of Southwest Japan (after Ito et al., 2014, in press). A: Middle Jurassic chert clast(IT13050313-2) of the Itsuki Formation in the Taniyamadani valley. B: Middle Jurassic siliceous mudstone clast(IT12050102-1) of the Mizukamidani Formation in the Itoigawa area. White arrows indicate conspicuous radiolarian
tests.

References:
Ishida, K., Kozai, T., Park, S.O., Mitsugi, T., 2003. Gravel bearing radiolarian as tracers for
erosional events: a review of the status of recent research in SW Japan and Korea. J. Asian
Earth Sci., 21, 909–920.
Ito, T., Sakai, Y., Feng, Q.L., Matsuoka, A., in press. Middle Jurassic radiolarians from chert clasts
within conglomerates of the Itsuki Formation of the Itoshiro Subgroup (Tetori Group) in
the Taniyamadani Valley, Fukui Prefecture, central Japan. Sci. Rep. Niigata Univ. (Geol),30.
Ito, T., Sakai, Y., Ibaraki, Y., Matsuoka, A., 2014. Middle Jurassic radiolarians from siliceous
mudstone clast within the Tetori Group in the Itoigawa area, Niigata Prefecture, central
Japan. Sci. Rep. Niigata Univ. (Geol.), 29, 1–11.
Ito, T., Sakai, Y., Ibaraki, Y., Yoshino, K., Ishida, N., Umetsu, T., Nakada, K., Matsumoto, A.,
Hinohara, T., Matsumoto, K., Matsuoka, A., 2012. Radiolarian fossils from siliceous rockpebbles within conglomerates in the Mizukamidani Formation of the Tetori Group in the
Itoigawa area, Niigata Prefecture, central Japan. Bull. Itoigawa City Mus., 3, 13–25 (inJapanese with English abstract).
Kamata, Y., Hisada, K., Lee, Y.I., 2000. Late Jurassic radiolarians from pebbles of Lower
Cretaceous conglomerates of the Hayang Group, southeastern Korea. Geosci. J., 4,
165–174.
Kawagoe, Y., Sano, S., Orihashi, Y., Obara, H., Kouchi, Y., Otoh, S., 2012. New detrital zircon age
data from the Tetori Group in the Mana and Itoshiro areas of Fukui Prefecture, central
Japan. Mem. Fukui Pref. Dinosaur Mus., 11, 1–18.
152

Matsukawa, M., Takahashi, O., 1999. Radiolarian fossils occurred from the Itoshiro Subgroup of
the Tetori Group and its geological significance. Abst. 106th Ann. Meet. Geol. Soc. Japan,
165 (in Japanese).
Matsuoka, A., Yamakita, S., Sakakibara, M., Hisada, K., 1998. Unit division for the Chichibu
Composite Belt from a view point of accretionary tectonics and geology of western
Shikoku Japan. J. Geol. Soc. Japan, 104, 634–653 (in Japanese with English abstract).
Saida, T., 1987. Triassic and Jurassic radiolarians in chert clasts of the Tetori Group in Tamodani
area of Izumi Village, Fukui Prefecture, central Japan. J. Geol. Soc. Japan, 93, 57–59 (inJapanese).
Takeuchi, M., Kawahara, K., Tomita, S., 2013. Development of sedimentary basin of the Lower
Cretaceous Tetori Group in the northeast Toyama Prefecture, based on clast composition
and age distribution of detrital zircon. Abst. 120th Ann. Meet. Geol. Soc. Japan, 81 (inJapanese).
Takeuchi, M., Saito, M., Takizawa, F., 1991. Radiolarian fossils obtained from conglomerate of theTetori Group in the upper reaches of the Kurobegawa River, and its geologic significance.
J. Geol. Soc. Japan, 97, 345–359 (in Japanese with English abstract).

153

P14: New view of the Tetori Group in Central Japan: clues to the interregional correlation
among the Early Cretaceous strata in East Asia?
Sano, S.
Fukui Pref. Dinosaur Mus., Katsuyama, Fukui 911-8601, Japan (ssano@dinosaur.pref.fukui.jp)
100 Ma volcanism (e.g., Hayashidani Andesite:
The Tetori Group, mainly composed
Tanase et al., 1994) in this region areof Late Mesozoic siliciclastic rocks depositedsummarized as below, and divided into fourin shallow marine to terrestrial environments, isdepositional stages (DS1 to 4, in ascending
sporadically but widely distributed in theorder) here.
northern Central Japan, which was located in
DS1(Bathonian–Oxfordian),isthe eastern margin of the Asian Continent at
represented by the Kuzuryu Subgroup (Maeda,that time. Recently its rich vertebrate fauna and1961) in the Itoshiro area, which is mainly
flora in the Early Cretaceous attract muchcomposed of marine deposits corresponding toattention to reveal the evolution of Mesozoictransgression stages Ia (late Bathonian–Early
terrestrial ecosystem in East Asia. Most parts of
Callovian) and Ib (Oxfordian) of Sano et al.
the Tetori Group deposited in the Hida Belt
(2013).
(North China Block), and some parts in theDS2 (Berriasian–Barremian) is almost
Hida
Gaien
Belt
(un-metamorphosed
represented by the Itoshiro Subgroup (Maeda,
Ordovician to Triassic strata, high pressure1961), which is composed of marine tometamorphic rocks, serpentine, etc., forming
freshwater deposits, and characterized by thetectonic zone: the Hida Gaien Belt). Its age has
occurrence of endemic brackish bivalves,
been considered as Middle Jurassic (Bathonian)
Myrene (Mesocorbicula) tetoriensis andto Early Cretaceous (Aptian?) based on the
Tetoria yokoyamai. Transgression stages IIb
ammonite fossils in its lower part and(Berriasian) and III (Hauterivian–Barremian)
non-marine bivalves in its uppermost part.
Previously, threefold division of the Tetoriof Sano et al. (2013) are recognized in thisGroup, namely Kuzuryu, Itoshiro and Akaiwa
stage. U-Pb age data in the Tedori-gawa
subgroups in ascending order, were proposed,(Setono) and Itoshiro areas indicates about
and applied to the strata in all the distributional
131–127 Ma for the late stage of DS2
areas of the Tetori Group (e.g., Maeda, 1961;(Kusuhashi, 2008; Kawagoe et al., 2012).
DS3 (Barremian–Aptian?) is almost
Kusuhashi et al., 2002; Fujita, 2003). New
represented by the Akaiwa Subgroup (Maeda,
discoveries of ammonoid fossils and applying
detrital zircon LA-ICPMS U-Pb dating revise
1961), which is composed of freshwater
deposits only, and is characterized by thethe age of the lower and middle part of the
freshwater bivalves, similar to those of theTetori Group (Sano et al., 2013 and references
therein). Furthermore, it is revealed that
Kwanmon (Southwest Japan) and Gyoengsang
stratigraphy of the Tetori Group in the Hida
(southern Korea) areas. Famous terrestrial
Belt and that in the Hida Gaien Belt isbiota-bearing horizons in the Tetori Groupsignificantly different from each other, thoughoccur in the early stage (Kuwajima, Okurodani
it was previously considered that sameand Itsuki formations) and also in the late stage
formations are distributed in both tectonic(Kitadani Formation) of DS3. Age of DS3 isbelts.
not well-established. Paleomagnetic study inThis study mainly focuses on the
the Tedori-gawa (Shiramine) area suggested
stratigraphy of the Tetori Group in the Hakusan
early stage of DS3 predated the Long
Region, where type localities of the subgroups
Cretaceous Normal (C34n) (Kunugiza et al.,of the Tetori Group are located. The
2002). Charophyte zygote fossils from thestratigraphy and age of the Tetori Group and ca.
Kitadani Formation indicated its Barremian age
154

(Kubota, 2005). On the other hand, a
trigonioidid bivalve, Plicatounio (Plicatounio)
naktongensis, known from the Kitadani
Formation, is considered to appear in the
Aptian of East Asia (Sha et al., 2012). Thus itis suggested that the late stage of DS3 possibly
extends to the Aptian age.
The boundary between DS2 and DS3
are here defined based on the last horizon ofbrackish or marine deposits or the last
occurrence of brackish water bivalves in eachdepositional area. The timing of separationfrom marine or brackish environment isprobably slightly different among thedepositional areas, but can be considered as
almost same or similar in the broad sense in thewhole Tetori area, because no unambiguous
marineandbrackishrecords
afterHauterivian–Barremian
time
has
been
recognized, and fluvial environment with
abundant quartzose sandstone gravels isprevailed in the upper part of the Tetori Groupof whole Tetori area. In addition, there is thecontroversy of the affinity of some formations,such as the Amagodani Formation in the
Shokawa area, to the Itoshiro or Akaiwa
subgroups. In the definition here proposed, theboundary between DS2 and DS3 does notcorrespond to the boundary between Itoshiro
and Akaiwa subgroups of Maeda (1961), and islocated within the Kuwajima Formation in theTedori-gawa (Shiramine) area and the
Okurodani Formation in the Shokawa area.
DS4
(late
Albianto
early
Cenomanian) is represented by the Hayashidani
Andesite in the Itoshiro area, which
unconformably overlies the Tetori Group.
Similar volcanic and intrusive rocks of ca.

100Ma age are recognized widely in the whole
Tetori area.
Stratigraphy of the Tetori Group in the
Hakusan Region of the Hida Belt and that in
the Hida Gaien Belt is significantly different
from each other. The traditional Tetori Groupcan be divided into several groups andformations: e.g., the Kuzuryu Group(Bathonian–Oxfordian) and the Tetori Group(Berriasian–Aptian?) in the Hakusan Region,and the Managawa Group (Oxfordian–Aptian?)in the Hida Gaien Belt (Kobayashi, 1954; Sanoet al., 2013). A long term change ofdepositional environments and also thepresence of several geological events areclearly recognized in the “Tetori Group” in the
Hakusan Region: a few transgressive stages(TS Ia, Ib, IIb, III) in DS1 and DS2; relatively
small-scale basin formation in DS1a and DS1b;
hiatus in the Kimmerigdian-Tithonian;
expansion of brackish environment in DS2a;start of basin formation in many areas(including the wide distribution in the
Shiramine and Takinamigawa areas) in DS2b;
and uplift (corresponding to the change frombrackish to freshwater environments) in the
Barremian-Aptian; the presence of TPN
freshwater bivalve assemblage, thermophilic
plants and pedogenetic calcareous nodules in
DS3.
Furthermore,
DS4
represents
Albian–Cenomanianvolcanic
episodes,recognized in the whole Tetori area. Suchgeological events in the Tetori area can becompared to those in the coeval basins in East
Asia, and thus possibly provide useful clues totheirinterregionalcorrelation,andsubsequently contribute to the discussion of theevolution of Mesozoic terrestrial biota in East
Asia.

References:
Kawagoe et al., 2012. Mem. Fukui Pref. Dinosaur Mus. 11: 1‒18.
Kobayashi, 1954. Res. Bull. Geol. Mineral. Inst., Tokyo Univ. Edu. 3: 35‒42.
Fujita, 2003. Mem. Fukui Pref. Dinosaur Mus. 2: 3‒14.
Kubota, 2005. Paleont. Res. 9: 203‒213.
Kunugiza et al., 2002. Report of the Researches of the Mesozoic Tetori Group in the Tedori RiverArea, Ishikawa Prefecture. 71‒87.
Kusuhashi, 2008. Acta Palaeont. Polonica 53: 379‒390.
Kusuhashi et al., 2002, Mem. Fac. Sci. Kyoto Univ., Ser. Geol. Mineral. 59: 9‒31.
Maeda, 1961. J. Coll. Arts Sci., Chiba Univ. 3: 369‒426.
Sano et al., 2013. Mem. Fukui Pref. Dinosaur Mus. 12: 1‒16.
Sha et al., 2012. J. Strat. 36: 357‒381.
Tanase et al., 1994. J. Geol. Soc. Japan 100: 635‒638.
Yabe et al., 2003. Mem. Fukui Pref. Dinosaur Mus. 2: 23‒42.
155

Yamada and Uemura, 2008. Paleont. Res. 12: 1‒17.

P15: Provenance analysis of Lower Cretaceous Sindong Group sandstones in the
Gyeongsang Basin, Korea using integrated petrography, quartz SEM-cathodoluminescence,and zircon Zr/Hf analysis
Lee, Y.I.1, Yi J.*1,2 and Choi, T.3
12

Schl. Earth Env. Sci., Seoul Nat. Univ., Seoul 151-747, Korea

KEPCO Eng. & Constr. Comp., Inc., Yongin, Gyeonggi-do 446-713, Korea
3

Dept. Energy and Res. Eng., Chosun Univ., Gwangju 501-759, Korea

The Sindong Group (Aptian-Albian)in southeastern Korea is a 2-3 km thickfluvio-lacustrine
sedimentary
packagedeposited in an elongated basin (Nakdong
Trough), which was formed by extension in an
active continental margin setting. The
provenance of the Sindong Group was studied
to understand spatial and temporal variation incomposition in three different parts of the basin
by using integrated data of petrography, quartz
SEM-cathodoluminescence (CL) analysis, andzircon Zr/Hf analysis. Although Sindong Groupsandstones display wide variation in thecomposition of framework grains, theygenerally have increasing amounts of feldspar
and decreasing amounts of quartz up sequence.
Significant amounts of volcanic rock fragment
and volcanic quartz are observed in thelate-stage sediments. Metamorphic quartz ispredominant in all Sindong Group sandstones,
indicative of the exposure of metamorphic
rocks in the source terrain, mostly from
Precambrian basement and Triassic granites.
The occurrence of significant amounts ofplutonic quartz from early-stage sedimentssuggests that Jurassic granites were widely
exposed in the source terrains. In addition, theepisodic increasing in volume of plutonic
quartz content in the sequence, especially in thenorthern part of the basin, suggest that episodic
tectonic activities occurred in the catchment.
The increasing feldspar content up sequence
could support the occurrence of tectonic
activity in the catchments. Thus, the Zr/Hfanalysis of detrital zircons revealed that the
majority of zircons are of continental crust
origin formed in orogenic settings, but zircons
in the lowest strata in the northern part of thebasin were largely derived from anorogenic
magmatic rocks of mantle origin. Our results
demonstrate that source terrains for the
Sindong Group were mainly composed ofPrecambrian basement and Triassic-Jurassic
granitic rocks, with minor (meta)sedimentaryrocks and syndepositional volcanic rocks. The
detritus derived from syndepositional volcanic
rocks became significant in the late stage ofbasin-filling. The spatial distribution of thesesource-rock types was heterogeneous, withslight temporal variation. The differences inquartz SEM-CL and zircon Zr/Hf ratio
characteristics in different parts of the basin are
best explained by deposition on different
alluvial fans and river systems.

156

P16: Provenance analysis of clastic sediments of the Chichibuand Shimanto Belts in
Okinawa Prefecture using modal and whole-rock chemical compositions
Hirose, K.1 and Ohta, T.2
1

Graduate School of Creative Science and engineering, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan

2

Faculty of Education and Integrated Arts and Science, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
Email: hiro_320jp@yahoo.co.jp

Clastic compositions of the Jurassic
Chichibu Belt and the Cretaceous Shimanto
Belt in Okinawa Islands had not been fully
investigated, and their provenance had been
unknown. In this regard, the present study aims
to unravel provenance of the Iheya and Motobu
Complexes of the Chichibu Belt, and the Nago
and Kayo Complexes of the Shimanto Belt,
which are distributed in eastern regions of
Okinawa and Iheya Islands. Provenances ofthese sediments were analyzed by sandstone
modal and whole-rock chemical compositions.
The Chichibu Belt in Okinawa Islands
is subdivided into the Iheya Complex (Early
Jurassic to Middle Jurassic; Takami et al.,1999) and the Motobu Complex (Valanginianto Hauterivian; Fujita, 1989). The Nago andKayo Complexes are distributed further south
bounded by the Butsuzo Tectonic Line. The
accretionary age of the Nago Complex ispoorly determined owing to the highmetamorphic grades and lack in fossil records(Osozawa and Watanabe, 2011). However, theaccretionary of the Nago Complex is estimatedto be Albian (Chinen et al., 2004). Nummulites
found from the Kayo Complex indicates
Eocene age of accretion (Konishi et al., 1973).
The results of point-counting ofsandstones were examined by the Dickinson’s
triangular diagrams. Modal compositions of the
Nago and Kayo Complexes indicate thatsandstones were derived from recycled orogeny.
These complexes generally contain moreabundant quartz grains than do sandstones of
the Shimanto Belt distributed in other areas ofJapan. In contrast, plagioclase grains andK-feldspar grains are scarcer than those results.
From the amount of rock fragments, it was hard
to find out the differences. Particularly,
sandstones of the upper Albian unit were themost quartzose and matured. Similarly, theNago and Kayo complexes have high SiO2
amounts. On the Al2O3/SiO2-Basicity Index
diagram (Kiminami et al., 2000), a tendency of
maturation during the late Albian was obscure.
Sandstones of the Shimanto Belt except for theupper Albian sediments indicate a mature
sedimentary
provenanceon
SiO2/Al2O3-NaO2/K2O diagram (Ohta, 2004).
From the results of the present
analyses, the Shimanto Belt in the Okinawa
area showed relatively matured compositions.
These results possibly indicate that continental
arc in Oknawa area had been uplifted, allowing
supply of mature basement derived-detritus
into the trough during late Albian stage. Also,
volcanic activities should have been quiescentduring the formation of the late Albian
accretionary wedge, because upper Albian
sediments lack volcanic lithic grains. Therefore,
our result suggests a prominent event ofbasement uplift and volcanic quiescent during
the late Albian in the southern continental
margin of Asia. Further studies are necessary toreveal the actual cause of such event.

References:
Chinen, T., Shinjo, R.and Kato, Y. 2004. Occurrence and geochemistry of in-situ greenstrones fromthe Shimanto Belt in the Ryukyu Islands. Jour. Mineral. Petrol. Sci. Japan, 33, 208-220.
157

Fujita, H. 1989. Stratigrphy and geologic structure of the pre-Neogene strata in the central Ryukyu
Islands. Jour. Sci, Hiroshima Univ. [C], 9, 237-284.
Kiminami, K., Kumon, F., Miyamoto, T., Suzuki, S., Takeuchi, M. and Yoshida, K. 2000. RevisedBI
diagram and provenance types of the Permian-Cretaceous sandstones in theJapanese Islands. Mem. Geol. Soc. Japan, no. 57, 9-18.
Konishi, K., Ishibashi, T. and Tsuruyama, K. 1973. Find of Nummulites and orthoquartzitic pebbles
from the Eocene turbidites in Shimajiri Belt, Okinawa. Sci. Report. Kanazawa Univ, 18,
43-53.
Ohta, T. 2004. Geochemistry of Julassic to earliest Cretaceous deposits in the Nagato Basin, SW
Japan: implication of factor analysis to sorting effects and provenance signatures.
Sediment Geol, 171, 159-180.
Osozawa, S. and Watanabe, Y. 2011. Chapter 9: Cretaceous Nago complex, Inogama Unit. In
Osozawa, S. and Watanabe, Y. (Eds), Geology of Nago and Yambaru District (pp. 67-74).
Okinawa, Japan: Nago Museum.
Takami, M., Takemura, R., Nishimura, Y., Kojima, T. 1999. Reconstruction of oceanic plate
stratigraphies and unit division of Jurassic-Early Cretaceous accretionary complexes in
the Okinawa Islands, central Ryukyu Island Arc. Jour. Geol. Soc. Japan, 105, 866-880.

158

P17: Provenance and paleoclimate during Cretaceous in northeastern Thailand:
Mineralogy and geochemistry of the Khorat GroupOe, K.1＊ and Ohta, T.2
1

Grad. Schl. Creat. Sci. Eng., Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan (ken.50-3484@akane.waseda.jp)
2Fac. Edu. Integ. Arts Sci., Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan (tohta@waseda.jp)

The Upper Triassic to Upper
Cretaceous Khorat Group is a non-marine
deposit widely distributed in the Khorat Plateau,
northeastern Thailand. It mainly consists of
red-beds and characteristically includes
evaporite minerals (e.g. calcrete and gypsum).
This fact suggests that although Thailand Had
been located in a tropical rainforest climate
region, several aridification events occurred
during the Late Mesozoic era. The purpose ofthis study is to unravel climate system at Asian
low-latitude areas during the Late Mesozoic.
For this, we utilized the whole-rock chemicalcomposition of Khorat Group to reconstruct its
provenance and paleoclimate.
The Khorat Group consists offollowing 8 formations in the ascending order:
The Upper Triassic Nam Phong Formation, theJurassic Phu Kradung Formation, the Lower
Cretaceous Phra Wihan Formation, Sao Khua
Formation and Phu Phan Formation, the middle
Cretaceous Khok Kruat Formation and Maha
Sarakham Formation, the Upper Cretaceous
Phu Thok Formation. These formations aremainly fluvial red beds. However, the Phu
Thok Formation consists of both fluvial andaeolian deposits (Meesook, 2011).
We analyzed whole-rock chemicalcompositions of mudstone and sandstone
samples by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) andevaluatedconditionsofhinterland
paleoweathering using the W index (Ohta andArai, 2007). In addition, we compared the Wvalues of the Khorat Group with those of thepresent soil in order to determine paleoclimate
in Thailand. Furthermore, clay mineralcompositions of mudstone samples were
determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD)
analysis.
159

Result of provenance analysis
conducted by the MFW diagram suggests thatclastics of Khorat Group were supplied from
andesitic volcanic rocks. Consequently, themost probable candidate of the provenance ofthe Khorat Group was the Permian to Triassic
Sukhothai volcanic arc.
The W values of the Upper Jurassic
Phu Kradung Formation shows wide range ofscatter, but the values suggest a humid-arid
climate regime. Those of the Lower Cretaceous
Phra Wihan Formation retain high values andsuggest a tropical rainforest climate. Therefore,
the Mesozoic climatic system in Thailand had
generally been tropic and humid. However, theLower Cretaceous Sao Khua Formation shows
low W values, which are suggestive of an arid
climate. The clay mineral compositions of the
Sao Khua Formation detected by the XRD also
implied an arid climate, as suggested by the Wvalues. Mudstones of the Phu Kradung
Formation and Sao Khua Formation include
substantial amounts of carbonate minerals,
which imply an arid climatic regime. Whereas
those of the Phra Wihan Formation included
kaolinite, normally produced in highly
weathered tropical rainforest environment. In
summary, our results indicate that the
paleoclimate in Thailand area during Late
Jurassic-Early Cretaceous had a cyclic turnoverbeing arid-humid climate. The results further
indicate that mid-Cretaceous was the time ofsevere aridification.
Similarly, Hasegawa et al. (2012)
recently reviled the arid-humid climatic cyclein Thailand during Early Cretaceous by the
sedimentary facies analysis and especiallysuggested that paleoclimate during middle
Cretaceous was arid corresponding to the desert
environment. They further introduced ahypothesis called “shrinkage of Hadleycirculation” during mid-Cretaceous global
warmth period to explain desertification of
low-latitude areas. The results of present study
is concordant with those proposed by
Hasegawa et al. (2012) by the facies analysis
and supports “shrinkage of Hadley circulation
hypothesis”. The extreme global warmth during

mid-Cretaceous probably arose perturbation to
the atmospheric general circulation regime.
Consequently, paleoclimate reconstruction
during middle Cretaceous in low-latitude Asianareas is important to understand peculiar
responses of the climate system during global
greenhouse periods.

References:
Hasegawa, H., Tada, R., Jiang, S., Suganuma, Y., Imsamut, S., Charusiri, P., Ichinnorov, N., Khand,Y., 2012. Drastic shrinking of the Hadley circulation during the mid-Cretaceous
Supergreenhouse. Climate of the Past., 7, 119-151.
Meesook, A., 2011. Cretaceous. In: Ridd, M.F., Barber, A.J., Crow, M.J. The Geology of Thailand.
Geol. Soc., London, pp. 169–184.
Ohta, T. and Arai, H., 2007. Statistical empirical index of chemical weathering in igneous rocks：
A new tool for evaluating the degree of weathering. Chem. Geol., 240, 280-297.

160

Biotic evolution: Asian and western Pacific fauna and flora

P18: Litho- and biofacies association of two Maastrichtian lakes across the earliest Deccan
volcanic flow: environments and biota*Mohabey D. M. and Samant, B.

Postgrad. Dept. of Geol. RTM Nagpur Univ., Amravati Road, Nagpur-440001, India.
Email- dinomohabey@yahoo.com; bandanabhu@gmail.com* Ex. Geol. Surv. India

well-developed lake sequence in from the
The integrated study of volcanic andNand-Dongargaon basin (Mohabey, et al.,associated sedimentary and biotic processes is1993).
important for assessing the impact of Deccan
volcanism on the contemporary environments.
The present investigation was taken up
in the N-D basin for the study of the well
The studies of lake sequences in this context
preserved lake sequence of the Lameta
are critical as they are considered as archives ofFormation and the Daiwal lake sequences
continental and climatic history. The
developed across the basal most Deccan
non-marine Late Cretaceous sediments of theLameta Formation which are associated withvolcanic flow in the area. The sediments of thethe Deccan volcanism (69-62 MY, Sheth et al.
two lakes are separated in time by the first
2001, 2014) represent the deposits just before
Deccan basalt flow arriving in the basin and are
the arrival of first volcanic flows in the basin.
geographically separated by a distance of 16
The Lameta sediments are mainly deposited inkm.
The investigation was focused on
different geographically separated inland basins,detailed litho-facies and bio-facies analysis ofviz. Nand-Dongargaon (N-D) in (Maharashtra);the Lameta Formation for depositional and
Jabalpur, Sagar, Ambikapur-Amarkantak inenvironmental interpretation of the sediments
Madhya Pradesh,
Balasinor-Jhabua-Baghresulting in delineating different lithofacies viz.
(Gujarat and adjoining Madhya Pradesh) andover-bank, channel, lake and paludal deposits
Salburdi(Amravati-Maharashtra
andunder semi-arid to arid conditions having
Betul-Madhya
Pradesh).
The
detailed
strong seasonality. The Lameta sediments of
sedimentary analysis is available through thethe N-D basin are considered as deposits ofwork of (Brookfield and Sahni, 1987, Mohabey
magnetochron C30n-C29 of Maastrichtian
et al. 1993, 1996, Mohabey and Udhoji, 1996,(Hansen et al. 2005). The sediments are
Mohabey and Samant, 2005, Tandon et al.
pedogenically modified with presence of1995). The sediments are deposits ofcharacteristic calcrete profiles and red beds inalluvial-limnic environments under semiarid
the Lameta sequence. This study was followed
climate and are time-transgressive that areby the detailed analysis of the two lake
deposited
duringthe
Maastrichtian
sequences designated as the Dongargaon lakemagnetochron C30n to C29r in different basins(Lameta, below the first flow) and the Daiwal(Hansen et al. 2005). However, the lake
lake (intertrappean sedimentary bed between
sequences from the Late Cretaceous Lameta
the first two Deccan volcanic flows).
Formation remained eluding excepting a161

1. Dongargaon Lake
It is developed over an area ca. 60 km2'
0(20 00 00"-200 15' 30" N:790 04' 00"-790 09' 00"
E) in the southern extremity of the N-D basinthat occupies a little over 700 km (200 10'00"-210 10' 00'' N: 790 00' 00"-790 30' 00" E) inthe state of Maharashtra in central India.
(a) Lithofacies association: The
sediments are indicated to be deposits of a large
open shallow water lake. The different
lithifacies of the 20m thick cyclically beddedlake sequence are i) Clay-silt facies (FSC), ii)
Limestone-carbonate mud facies (FLC), iii)
Septerian concretionary facies (FSCN), iv)
Varved/rhythmite clay facies (FVC), v)
Fibrous/radial calcite (crypalgal) facies (FRC)and vi) Sandy gravel facies (FSG). Two typesof cyclic patterns observed in the sediments arei) varved clays (FVC) facies separated at leastat four levels by mudstone-green clay partings
in the lower part of the sequence and ii) Finesilici-clastic (FSC) and carbonate (FLC) cycles
mostly observed in the upper part of thesequence. Deposition of fine silici-clastic(FSC) is interrupted at multiple levels by thinlimestone-carbonate mud facie (FLC). The FSC
associated with the gypsiferous clays isinterpreted as deposits of open shallow waterlake during the high strand (wet season) of thelake was periodically witnessed deposition of
the carbonates (dry season). The carbonates areinterpreted as deposits of the lake having an
alkaline and excessive evaporative condition.
The presence of well-defined cyclic pattern andthe rhythmites (varved clays) in the sediments
are suggestive that they are related to seasonalchanges.
(b) Palynology of Lake Sediments: Of
all the lithofacies of the Dongargaon lake
sequence only palustrine carbonates comprisinggray nodular marl and marlite from Polgaon
and Pisdura have yielded relatively a richpollen and spore assemblage and megaflora(Samant and Mohabey, 2003). The presence ofthe megaflora as well as the microflora fromthe Lameta sediments of the N-D is poor. The
overbank green and red clays and channel
related facies has hardly yielded any significant
palynomorphs. from the palustrine facies. The
megafloracomprise(Araucarites,
Brachiophyllum, Pagiophyllum, Equisetites)
and angiosperms- palm and dicot leaf
impressions and wood fragment of palms,
Euphorbioxylon
andBarringtonioxylon

deccanes. The palynomorphs recovered fromthe lake facies, include Araucariacites,
Cycadopites, Palmepollenites and a few
tricolpate. A monogeneric diatom assemblage
dominated by a couple of Aulacoseira species(Mohabey, 2001) are present in the varved
couplets (FVC) deposited during themagnetochron C30n, Mastrichtian. This is theoldest record of the freshwater diatoms fromthe Late Cretaceous of India from the Indian
subcontinent.
Associatedbones
oftitanosauriform sauropods are found in the lakein the FSCN (Mohabey and Samant 2005).
Seventeen species of freshwater ostracods havebeen described (Khosla et al. 2005) from the
FSC facies of the lake deposited during C30n.
The Dongargaon lake ostracods show no
affinity with the ostracoda fauna from theyounger Lameta sediments at Jabalpur
deposited during the magnetochron C29r.
The evaporite facies is almost absent
in the lake sequence, though minor evaportic
phases of the lake is indicated by presence ofgypsum pyramid in the silici-clastics (FSC).
Algal domal tuffa like structures (FRC),
mud-cracks and septerian concretions and casehardening may have formed during the laketransgression and its subsequent prolonged
emergence. The lake sealing by aggrading
alluvial system is evident as observed in the
Dongargaon Hill sections. The contraction of
the Dongargaon lake is related to thesimultaneous Deccan volcanic activity.
2. Daiwal Lake
The lake deposits at Daiwal occur
between the two lowermost Deccan volcanic
flows outpoured with the initiation of the in
Deccan volcanism in the N-D basin. Of this thebasal most flow covers the sediments of theLameta Formation. The Daiwal lake
geographically located nearly 16 km WNW of
the Dongargaon lake.
(a) The outcrops of the Daiwal lake
sediments are spread over an area of ca. 6 km 2
exposed along
the Daiwal river section
between the villages of Panjurni and Nandra.
The sediment thickness varies between lessthan 10 cm along the flanks (shore area) to 400
cm in the central and deeper part of the lake.
The basal contact of the Daiwal lake sequencewith the lowest flow (F-1) is undulatingsuggesting weathered and draping lava surface
over which the lake formed and sediments were
deposited. The upper contact shows truncated162top with caught-up sediments of the lake. The
section comprises white and cream porcellinite,
shales, biscuity laminated clays and dark grayto black inter-banded cherts in the basal partand massive pink and buff chert at the top. The
sediments are buckled and folded. The thinbandings in the chert and porcellinitic shales
also show microfaulting. This probably
suggests that the intertrappean lake sediments
were deposited under tectonically stressed
condition possibly induced by Deccan volcanic
activity. The palynoflora is observed to be mostprolific in the chert bands compared to theshales and clays in the sequence. The
dominance of the chert in the sequence could
be owing to volcanically induced acid rains thatmobilised and dissolved
silica from theprovenance and deposited in the lake. Freshwatergastropods(Melania),
ostrocods(Cyprididae) and fishes (Lepidotes, Clupeids)
show their prominent presence in the shales
and clays.
(b) Palynology: The sediments yielded
abundant and diverse spores, pollen anddinoflagellate cysts. In addition, cuticularmaterial, hard woody tissues as well as fungal
spores are common in addition to fruit bodiesofepiphyllus
fungi
microthyriaceae.
Dinoflagellates (cf. Peridinium including acouple of new species, manuscript underpreparation) dominate the assemblage followedby angiosperm pollen grains and pteridophytic
spores. However, qualitatively the angiosperms
show more diversity than the pteridophytes anddinocysts. Gymnosperm pollen grains are

scarce or few in the assemblage. The
palynotaxa
recoveredcompriseGabonisporis
Cicatricososporites
sp.,vigouroxii,
Osmundaciditessp.,
Lygodiumsporites sp., Triporoletes reticulates,
Azollacretacea,
Callialasporites
sp.,
Aquilapollenites bengalensis, Echitricolpites,sp., Echimonocolpites sp., Palmaedites sp.,
Proxapertites operculatus, Racemonocolpites
maximus, Racemonocolpites sp., Tricolpites sp.
andTripoporotetradites
triporatus.
Stratigraphically upwards in the lake sequence
an increase in the abundance and diversity of
the angiosperm pollens is observed.
Our study of the Dongargoan Lake
sediments deposited prior to the arrival ofearliest Deccan flows in the N-D basin and the
Daiwal lake sediments deposited between the
two lowermost basaltic flows during the periodof pause in the volcanic suggests that they aredeposits of the different environments. The
former is deposited in a large open shallow lake
in semiarid to arid conditions with strong
seasonality (wet and dry conditions), whereas
the latter are deposited in a closed shallow lake
formed over a fresh lava surface under
sub-humid conditions. A change from theangiosperm-gymnospermtoangiosperm-pteridophyte
dominating
vegetation with appearance of Peridinium
dinoflagellates is evident. The change in thedepositional environments and vegetation
scenario across the earliest volcanic flows issuggested to be an impact of initiation of
Deccan volcanism in the N-D basin.

References:
Brookfield, M. and Sahni, A., 1987. Palaeoenvironments of Lameta beds (Late Cretaceous) at
Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India: Soils and biotas of semiarid alluvial plain. Cret. Res., v.
8, 1-14.
Hansen, H.J., Mohabey, D.M. Lojen, S., Toft, P and Sarkar, A., 2005. Orbital cycles and stable
Carbon isotopes of sediments associated with deccan volcanic suite, india: Implications forthe stratigraphic correlation and Cretaceous/Tertiary Boundry. Gond. Geol. Magz. Spl. v. 8,
5-28.
Mohabey, D. M., 1996. Depositional environment of Lameta formation (Late Cretaceous of
Nand-Dongargaon inland basin, Maharashtra: the fossil and lithological evidences. Mem.
Geol. Soc. India, v. 37, 363-386.
Mohabey, D.M., 2001. Dinosaur eggs and dung mass (fecal mass) from Late Cretaceous of central
India. Geol. Surv. india, Spl. Publ., v. 62, 605-615.
Mohabey, D. M. and Samant, B., 2005. Lacustrine facies association of Maastrichtian Lake
(Lameta Fm) from Deccan Volcanic terrain central India: implications to depositional
history, sediment cyclicity and climates. Gond. Geol. Magz., Spl. v. 8, pp. 37-52.
Mohabey, D. M., Udhoji, S. G. and Verma, K. K., 1993. Palaeontological and sedimentologicalobservations on non-marine Lameta Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Maharashtra, India:
163

their Palaeoecological and Palaeo-environmental significance. Palgeo. Palclim. Palecol. v.
105, 83-94.
Samant B. and Mohabey, D.M., 2005. Response of flora to Deccan volcanism, a case study from
Nand-Dongargaon basin of Maharashtra, implications to environment and climate. Gond.
Geol. Magz. Spl. v. 8, 151-164.
Sheth, H.C., Pande, K. and Bhutani, R. 2001. 40Ar-39Ar age of the national monument: the Gilberthill basalt, Deccan Trap, Bombay. Curr. Sci. v. 80, pp. 1437-1440.
Sheth, H. and Pande, K. 2014. Geological and 40Ar/39Ar age constraints on late-stage Deccan
rhyolitic volcanism, inter-volcanic sedimentation, and the Panvel flexure from the Dongri
area, Mumbai. Asi. Jour. Ear. Sci., 84, 167-175.
Tandon, S.K. 2005. Sedimentary environments of Late Cretaceous sequences of Central India:
Influence of Deccan Volcanism. Gond. Geol. Magz., Spl. v. 8, 1-4.
Tandon S.K., Sood, A., Andrews J.E. and Dennis P.F., 1995. Paleoenvirnments of dinosur bearing
Lameta beds (Mastrichtian), Narmada valley, Central India. Palaeogeo., Palaeoclim.
Palaeoecol., v. 117, 489-491.

164

P19: Records of fauna and flora from Pakistan: Evolution of Indo-Pakistan Peninsula
Malkani, M. S.
Paleontol. Stratig. Bran., Geol. Surv. Pakistan, Sariab Road, Quetta, 87300, Pakistan.
malkanims@yahoo.com
The Pakistan yielded many flora,
invertebrates, titanosaurian sauropod andabelisaurian
andnoasaurian
theropoddinosaurs, pterosaur and mesoeucrocodiles.
Indo-Pakistan subcontinent was separated
from Madagascar during Late Jurassic. It
startednorthward
journeyatendJurassic/Earliest Cretaceous. Most of theCretaceous passes as journey and isolation. Its
northwestern part first time collided with
Afghan block of Asia at Latest Cretaceous. Its
northern part collided with Asia at end
Eocene/Earliest Oligocene. This collision
resulted in the form of Himalaya andIndo-Pakistan Peninsula (South Asia).
Records of fauna and flora from the Latest
Cretaceous of Pakistan
The flora like algae, pollen, spores
and wood fossils from Paleozoic to Cainozoic
era of Pakistan have been reported. Dinosaurs
eat tall conifers which may be the reason ofneck elongation. A wood log of large conifer
tentatively named as Baradarakht goeswangai(after Bara means big and long, Darakht meantree, host Goeswanga Pass area), is found fromthe Latest Cretaceous (Maestrichtian) Pab
Formation (sandstone with negligible shale) ofGoeswanga Pass area of Dhaola Range,
Barkhan District, Balochistan, Pakistan. It is across section (20cm in diameter) is fibrous andbelongs to main trunk of tall tree (Fig.1).
Further the Kingri coal of Vitakri Formation
may be formed from ferns, angiosperms,
gymnosperm, etc.
The invertebrates like Protozoa,
Foraminifera (started from Cretaceous-Goru
Formation like Globigerina, Rotaliapora,
Globotruncana,
andonwardCainozoic-Nummulites, Alveolina, Assilina,etc), Coelenterata (Anthozoa-corals, sea
anemones,
stony andhorny corals;
Hydrozoa-Jellyfish);Stromatoporoidea,

165

Scaphopoda,
Bryozoa,
Brachiopoda(Productus, fusilinids, etc), Echinodermata(Crinoids,
etc),
Conodonts,
Mollusca,
Cephalopoda (Ammonites and belemnites
became extinct at Cretaceous-Tertiaryboundary while nautiloids survived duringextinction), Gastropoda, Pelecypoda/BivalvesandArthropoda(manyinsect,etc,
Trilobites-Proetus chitralensis-Early Devonianof Chitral-Extinct) have been reported from
Pakistan so far. The Pakiring kharzani (thebivalve/pelecypod
Mollusca)
tentatively
named after Pakistan and its town Kharzan, isfound from the Cretaceous Tertiary (K-T)
boundary laterite/thin rust (3km north of
Kharzan town) on the last bed of Pab
sandstone in the Kharzan area of Khuzdar
district, Balochistan, Pakistan. It is sub ringtype and rough surface ornamented bivalve
with many rope like rises alternated by falls(Fig.1). Two pectin type other bivalves, 3
gastropods and 1 coral like fossils are figured
and found from Shaheed Ghat Formation of
Kharzan area, Mula-Zahri range, Khuzdar
district. The Pakiwheel vitakri-the stocky typenautiloids named after Pakistan and its town
Vitakri, is found just after the K-T boundary in
Sangiali Formation close to east of Vitakri
town, Barkhan District, Balochistan, Pakistan
and Pakiwheel karkhi-the slender typenautiloids named after Pakistan and its town
Karkh, is found in the green mudstone may beof volcanic origin of Early Paleocene
Khadro/Sangiali Formation 5km east of Karkh
town, Khuzdar District (Fig.1). The Mulastar
zahri-a star fish named after Mula River andZahri range and tribe, is found from the Late
Paleocene-Early Eocene Shaheed Ghat
Formation, Kharzan area of Khuzdar district,
Balochistan, Pakistan (Fig.1).
Pakistan has a unique blend of
Mesozoic vertebrates of Gondwana affinity

likesauropods,
theropods
andmesoeucrocodiles while Cenozoic mammals of
Asian affinity like rhinocerotoids andantharacotherids with few proboscideans,carnivores, chalicotheres, deinotheres, bovids,
suids, Creodonta, ruminantia, amynodontiae,
and crocodilians. The Gomphotherium
buzdari-a big proboscidean (Mammalia)
remains are collected from Miocene Litra
Formation of Vihowa group in the eastern
limb of Zinda Pir anticline. The proximal anddistal femur and proximal tibia are its
holotypic materials found from the Miocene
Litra Formation in Salari area, east of Zin in
the northeastern part of Zinda Pir anticline,
Taunsa area, Dera Ghazi Khan. The femur
head is circular and directed mostly upward.
Its tip is slightly more wide then its neck. The
head is raised more than its greater trochanter.
There is a depression/notch between trochanterand head. The trochanter raises more thannotch and also more thick than adjoining notch.
There is a large fossa or shallow depression in
the anterior part of proximal femur. There is asmall rise in the posterior of proximal femur(close to laterally transverse mid). The distal
part of femur is massive, thick and forms its
two condyles, one for tibia and other for fibula.
The tibia is slender and proximal part iselongated. There is a depression on one cornerof proximal view, to be set for tibial condyleof femur. The fibular fossa on one side andridge on another side can be observed. There isa thin oval hole in centre of bone’s crosssection observed at its preserved end (Fig.1).
The Quettacyonidae tentatively named as
Bolanicyon Shahani (after Bolan river anddistrict and coal miner Shahani) is found in the
Early Eocene Toi Formation of southwestern
Mach (Gishtari) area (Fig.1). Its 1 incisor, 1canine, 4 premolar and 3 molar teeth arepreserved. The possible bony fishes-theTeleostei or holostei fish or ichthyosaur
tentatively named as Karkhimachli sangiali,
the name derived after Karkh area of Khuzdar
district and its host Paleocene Sangiali group(including marine Sangiali, Rakhi Gaj andDungan formations). Its preserved portion
mostly belongs to body cross section having
herring bone type structure. It is small sized
fish/ichthyosaur. The other cross section is
also referred to it (Fig.1). The baluchithere like
Pakitherium shagalai from Early Eocene strata
of Kakar Khorasan basin (Shagala area ofKamardin Karez, Zhob district, Balochistan),and Buzdartherium gulkirao from Oligocene
Chitarwata Formation of Taunsa area, D.G.
Khan (Punjab), and Basilosauridae, the king ofbasal whale like Sulaimanitherium dhanotrifrom Early Eocene strata of Sulaiman basin(Zamri area, Musakhel district, Balochistan)
have been reported.
Evolution of Indo-Pakistan Peninsula (SouthAsia)
During Late Triassic (220 Million
years old; Ma) the lands united as Pangea. The
breakup of Pangaea started in Middle Jurassic(170 Ma) while the breakup of Gondwana
started in Late Jurassic (160 Ma). Madagascar
is separated from Africa and also Indo-Pakistan
subcontinent during Late Jurassic (Fig.1b).
Indo-Pakistan started northward journey atJurassic-Cretaceous boundary (136Ma) or
atleast Earliest Cretaceous. In the Sulaiman andKirthar foldbelt the marine environment was
dominant during Triassic and Middle Jurassic
while the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary isrepresented by Dilband formation (laterite; sea
regressed) which shows uplift and first main
tectonic episode for starting northward journey.
The Early Cretaceous was again marine(transgressed). During Late Cretaceous the Fort
Munro group (sandstone, shale, marl,limestone) deposited showing uplift andregression of sea. At latest Cretaceous (70-67
Ma) the sea regressed and land uplifted resulted
in the deposition of continental Vitakri
Formation’s laterite, red muds alternated two
sandstone horizons. The northwestern corner ofIndo-Pakistan collided first time with Afghan
block of Asia at Latest Cretaceous about
70-67Ma. This corner may act as a pivot point
for counterclockwise rotation. This collision
createdthelandbridgefromAfghanistan/Hindu
Kush-Kurram-Waziristan-Zhob (Western Indus
Suture and adjoining Afghan land)-Ziarat-Fort
Munro (D.G.Khan) areas. This bridge allowed
the migration of latest Cretaceous fauna from
Asia to Indo-Pakistan and vice versa. During
Paleocene the sea transgressed on this landbridge and other vicinity areas and depositedthe marine Sangiali Group (Sangiali, Rakhi Gaj
and Dungan formations) in the Sulaiman basin
and Nisai group in the Balochistan basin(Fig.1e). During Late Paleocene the sea
regressed from the western Sulaiman basin andnorthern Balochistan basin due to further uplift
166

and collision. Consequently Western Indus
Suture, close to Zhob-Waziristan-Kurram andits adjoining western areas of Afghan block
began to rise. This uplift provided the lands forthe migration of Eocene vertebrates likebaluchithere-the largest rhinoceros from Asia
to Indo-Pakistan subcontinent or vice versa.
This rising ended the Paleo Vitakri Riversystems of Sulaiman foldbelt flowing from east
to west (Indo-Pakistan shield toward
Neotethys; Fig.1c) and started the birth of
Paleo Indus River systems flowing from
northwest to southeast and north to south(Fig.1d). It deposited the deltaic and terrestrial
molasse
Late
Paleocene-Early
EoceneChamalang (Ghazij) Group (Shaheed Ghat, Toi
and Kingri formations) in the Sulaiman basin,
and Shagala Group of northern Balochistan
basin (Murgha Faqirzai~2000m thick which isequivalent to Late Paleocene Shaheed Ghat
Formation of Sulaiman basin, Early Eocene
Mina Formation type locality Mina Killi 310
11.6’; 690 07.6’; 60km southwest of Zhob andon east of Zhob-Shagala road~3000m thickalternated deltaic green shale unit andsandstone unit correlated with Toi Formation of
Sulaimanbasin,
and
Early
EoceneShagala/Shagalu
Formation~3000m
thickalternated terrestrial red and brown shale unit
and sandstone unit correlated with Kingri
Formation of Sulaiman basin; Fig.1). This
molasse shows the beginning of Neotethys
closurefrom
NWof
Indo-Pakistan
subcontinent. The middle Eocene is represented
by a major transgression of sea in the westward

and also eastward. As a result the transition
period of this transgression is represented by
the deposition of upper Ghazij group (Druglimestone and Baska evaporitic gypsum, andshale show rhythmic off and on sea water) andmajor transgression is represented by thedeposition of Kahan group (Habib Rahi
limestone, Domanda shale Pirkoh limestone
and Drazinda shale) in the Sulaiman basin ofPakistan while the Kakar Khorasan basin wasunder erosion. The Tethys Sea waspermanently closed by the latest Eocene
tectonic episode which is responsible for thebirth of Himalaya. The Late Eocene tectonic
episode and collision of northern Indo-Pakistanwith Asia created the Himalaya. This collision
started the terrestrial/continental fluvial facies
and Neotethys permanently closed from Kohat
and Potwar and Sulaiman basins. This
increases the gradient of Indus river and also
created the birth of Ganges River systems
flowing from west to east and northwest to
southeast. This uplift is responsible for themolase deposition of Siwalik, Potwar andVihowa groups in Indo-Pakistan Subcontinent.
Consequently the Neotethys closed from thearea presently called Himalaya. The Neotethys
remained in the east and mostly in the west of
Indo-Pakistan subcontinent but now named as
Indian Ocean. Due to this closure of Neotethys
from north, northwest and some part of west of
Indo-Pakistan subcontinent, shaped it as
Peninsula. Due to contact and collision ofIndo-Pakistan subcontinent with the southernpart of Asia it is being called as South Asia.

167

A

Afghan block
Laurasia

B

Zhob

Subrecent and recent surf..dep.

C

Tethys

Holocene Bostan Fm. mud, sst, cong

Pleistocene Dada Fm.cong. mud

Indo-Pakistan Sub

55 Ma

Indo-Pakistan Sub.

ZiaratQuettaLoralai

Pliocene Chaudhwan Fm.mud,sst,cog

M
I
Litra Fm. Sandstone, mudOCENE Vihowa Fm. Sst, red mud

VitakrihighNorthern
Hemisphere

Oligocene Chitarwata Fm.sst, mud

EquatorKhuzdarSouthern
Hemisphere

Madagascar
145 MaE
Jacobabad high

O
C
E
N
E

Zhob
.
KarachiAfghanBlock
Indo-Pakistan
Sub

QuettaE
Mina Formation
sandstone and green mud

P Murgha Faqirzai Formation
A
shale, slate, marl
L
E Nisai Fm. massive lst

D

Indo-Pakistan
Sub.

Shagala Formation
sandstone and red mud

D. G.KhanOC
ENE Jabrai Fm. Shale, minor marlCretaceous Akhtar Nika Fm. Lst, sh.

Jacobabad

Figure 1. A Row 1 holotype of Gspsaurus pakistani in ventral view and Saraikimasoom vitakri in lateral and posterior views (titanosaurian sauropods);
Vitakrisaurus saraiki in lateral and dorsal views (theropod); Induszalim bala in posterior and lateral views and Pabwehshi pakistanensis in lateral views
Khuzdar(mesoeucrocodiles); and holotypic and referred dentaries of Saraikisaurus minhui in lateral view (pterosaur) (location is black circle); new ichnotype(Pashtosaurus zhobi-Latest Cretaceous titanosaurian sauropods) Sor Muzghai, Zhob district, Balochistan (square): Row 2 holotype dentary MSM-1068Western Mach (3 photo) of Bolanicyon shahani (star); holotype MSM-1038-6 of Baradarakht goeswangai (black circle); ammonite impression MSM1069-Malakhel; (triangle).); holotype MSM-1070-K of Mulastar zahri (star); holotype MSM-1062-K and referred specimen MSM-1063-K and MSM1063-K of Karkhimachli sangiali (star): Row 3 holotype of Gomphotherium buzdari (E side of black circle) like MSM-MSID-1 and MSM-MSID-2
Proximal femur in three views, MSM-MSID-3 distal femur with its partial two condyles and MSM-MSID-5 broken portion of probably distal femur in 2
views; MSM-MSID-4 proximal tibia in 2 views: Row 4 holotype MSM-1071-K of Pakiwheel karkhi (upper) (SW side of star) and Pakiwheel vitakri(lower) (black circle); holotype MSM-1073-K and referred MSM-1074-K of Pakiring kharzani-a pelecypod/bivalve found from K-T boundary laterite/ruston last bed of Pab sandstone in Kharzan area (star); 2 bivalves, 3 gastropods (lower) and 1 coral (upper); MSM-1065-K (in 2 photo) a specimen of crosssection of limb of bird or a tooth of mammal found fragmentary from Eocene of Kel area of Kharzan (star), Khuzdar, and Map of Pakistan showing
different biota localities mentioned in bracket after each taxon; Scale for row 3 is 26cm long while for other rows each black or white digit is 1cm. B
northward flight of Indo-Pakistan subcontinent during Cretaceous. C pre-Late Paleocene source of clasts of Sulaiman basin from east (Indo-Pakistan
shield), thick black line-Tethys Sea, thick dotted line-Western Indus suture, arrows-direction of river movement. D post Middle Paleocene source of
Sulaiman basin clasts via Paleo Indus river system from north and northwest (western Indus Suture and adjoining high lands), arrows-movement direction,
thick dots-Western Indus Suture. E Revised startigraphic sequence of Northern Balochistan/Pishin/Kakar Khorasan/Katawaz basin (location; square inmap of Pakistan).

168

P20: Theropod dinosaurs and mesoeucrocodiles from the Terminal Cretaceous ofPakistan
Malkani, M. S.
Paleontol. Stratig. Bran., Geol. Sur. Pakistan, Sariab Road, Quetta, 87300, Pakistan,malkanims@yahoo.com
basipterygoid processes are basal tubera
instead). Its massive and thick braincase
parietal/ dorsal cover matches with
Carnotaurus sastrei and Indosaurus matleyi,
its basipterygoid process is high angle while inIndosuchus raptorius is low angle (Mickey
Mortimer, personal communication in 2012)
The foramen magnum is covered by matrix inthe posterior view (it will clear after specimen
preparation). Many fossils of theropods were
found and documented (Fig.1).
Vitakrisaurus saraiki
Vitakrisaurus saraiki is a small sizedcarnivorous
Vitakrisauridae
noasaurian
theropod. It is based on isolated pes (Fig.1)
collected from the terrestrial overbank red
muds of latest Cretaceous Vitakri Formation of
Bor Kali Kakor locality, Vitakri area. The
Vitakrisaurus saraiki is more comparable tonoasaurids (the small theropods) thanabelisaurids (the large theropods) based on its
size. The large ratio between phalanges II-2
and II-1 and proximally narrow metatarsal II(in dorsal view) also suggest noasaurids
affinities while phalanx II-2 is longer than
Velocisaurus (compared to phalanx II-1), thisvaries within other species, and further
comparison is not possible pending better
description of the Vitakrisaurus and othernoasaurid pes (Mickey Mortimer, personalcommunication in 2012). Many smaller boneand phalanges are found just below the claw,
which may be the bones of left pes of
Vitakrisaurus or may belong to birds or otherflying reptiles like pterosaur. Some noasaurids
are Composuchus, Jubbulpuria, Laevisuchus,
Masiakasaurus, Noasaurus, Ornithomimoides,
Velocisaurus and Vitakrisaurus.
Pterosaur from the Latest Cretaceous
Vitakri Formation of Pakistan

The Latest Cretaceous Vitakri
Formation of Pakistan yielded theropod
dinosaurs like large bodied Vitakridrinda
abelisaurian theropod and small bodied
Vitakrisaurus noasaurian theropod dinosaurs
and large bodied Pabwehshi pakistanensis,
Sulaimanisuchus kinwai and Induszalim balamesoeucrocodiles so far. The theropod
dinosaurs of Pakistan generally show affinity
with the south Pangea (Gondwanalands) atabelisaurian level. The mesoeucrocodiles from
Pakistan do not show such degree ofresemblance with Madagascar and SouthAmerica as it should be if connected (during
Late Cretaceous). This shows isolation (as big
island) of Indo-Pakistan Subcontinent from
Madagascar and other Gondwanan landmasses
during Cretaceous.
Theropod dinosaurs from the Latest
Cretaceous Vitakri Formation of Pakistan
Vitakridrinda sulaimani
Vitakridrinda sulaimani is based on apair of left and right proximal femora andbasioccipital condyle alongwith partial
braincase. It has referred many vertebrae andlimb bones. Its rostrum is assigned to newmesoeucrocodile (Induszalim bala) from
Pakistan. Its braincase and basioccipital can be
assigned to Maojandino alami (because of theyellow brown matrix covered on supposed
braincase is same as on associated vertebrae
and limb elements of Maojandino alami) if
character supports after specimen preparation.
The basioccipital condyle and posterior mostpart of braincase shows decurved and muchtaller paroccipital processes match withtitanosaur braincase while the anterior view ofparoccipital processes and basipterygoid
processes which is similar in rough outline to
Abelisaurus(assumingthesupposed169

Saraikisaurus minhui
So far dinosaurs and crocodiles arereported from the Cretaceous of Indo-Pakistan
but now pterosaur-the flying reptile is being
reported first time. A dentary ramus (Fig.1) of
Saraikisaurus
minhui(Pterosauria,
Pterodactyloidea,
Saraikisauridae,
Saraikisaurinae) has been found from the latest
Cretaceous terrestrial (close to shore
meandering stream over bank deposits) Vitakri
Formation of Top Kinwa locality, Vitakri area,
Barkhan District, Balochistan Province(Sulaiman Basin), Pakistan. The preserved
dentary ramus shows carnivorous type
elongated skull with eight teeth. This ramus
shows internal pneumatic texture/structure.
The teeth are oval to suboval, some overlapped.
The total length of preserved dentary ramus is
5.8cm. The dentary is slender. After thecollision of Indo-Pakistan subcontinent, thispterosaur may be migrated from Asia like
China, Korea, etc.
Carnivore mesoeucrocodiles from theLatest Cretaceous of Pakistan
Pabwehshi pakistanensis
Pabwehshi pakistanensis is based on
rostrum and articulated partial dentary. Some
postcranial material is also referred (Fig.1).
Sulaimanisuchus kinwai: Sulaimanisuchus
kinwai is based on anterior dentary andsplenial. The first and third tooth are small in
dia while third is relatively more but the fourth
is maximum in dia, fourth dentary teeth islarge and marked heterodonty in size andcompressed teeth (Fig.1).
Induszalim balaPreviouslythespecimen
MSM-155-19 is assigned to Vitakridrinda
sulaimani (theropod dinosaur) but due tosecondary palate nature it is being established
as Induszalim bala -new genus and species ofvery large mesoeucrocodile (Fig.1). The
Induszalim bala (Zalim is a Urdu and Saraiki
word for cruel, bala is a Saraiki word mean big
terrible animal; species name after Indus Riverand Indus Basin of Pakistan) is a terrestrial
mesoeucrocodile found from red muds ofLatest Cretaceous (about 65-66 million years
old) Vitakri Formation of Alam Kali Kakor
locality of Vitakri area, Barkhan district,
Balochistan, Pakistan. It was a terrestrial
predator and scavenger. The Induszalim bala(Induszaliminae,
Induszalimidae,
Sebecosuchia, Mesoeucrocodylia) shows

anteriorly/anterodorsally directed externalnares, very high/very deep and narrow rostrum,
the ziphodont type laterally compressed teeth(Oval to D shape, heterodont in size), andthick rostral elements. It matches with theSebecosuchian due to their laterallycompressed and very thick teeth. The ventral
views of rostrum show V shape nature. The
rostrum is triangle to sub triangular in crosssection. The external nares are located assubterminal or little behind the termination of
rostrum or little before the anterior mostextremity of the rostrum. The external nares
are bifurcated by medial premaxillary belt.
The external nares are bordered ventrally andlaterally with premaxilla, and dorsally bypartial premaxilla and mostly nasal. Rostrum
has pitted and sculptured surface orornamented with groves and ridges. The
sculpturesaremostlyfound
asanteroposteriorly elongate, discontinuous,
pitted, rope like structure especially on the
maxilla and nasal. The rostrum has many small
and large internal pneumatic cavities
especially in the maxilla and dentary. The
width and height/depth of rostrum at theavailable cross section is equal.
The
premaxilla is roughly quadrangular in leftlateral and right lateral views. It contacts withnasal dorsally and the maxilla posteriorly. The
premaxilla and nasal enclose the external naris.
The nasal forms the dorsal margin of external
and internal naris upto the available crosssection of snout. The premaxilla forms thelateral wall of external and internal naris.
Laterally the suture of maxilla and premaxilla
is
a
butt
joint
runningabout
40-700.dorsomedially toward nasal. Dorsallythe premaxillae contact with each other at theform the midline contact. The preserved
maxilla is quadrangular/sub rectangular.
Dorsally the maxilla meet with nasal forming
horizontal contact nearly parallel to midline
but this suture dips medioventrally at about
60-80 vertical. It forms the side wall of therostrum. It also forms part of secondary palate.
The maxilla, nasal and palatal encloses theinternal naris. The nasal forms the dorsal
margin of internal naris upto the available
cross section of snout. The maxilla has noanterior process and does not participate in theboarder of external naris. A very large internalcoel (dorsoventrally elongated) is found in the
maxilla (observed on posterior view). The
170

outer surface of maxilla show some rugose,
pittedandanteroposteriorlyaligneddiscontinuous lineations. The belt/strap likenasal forms the roof of rostrum. It is mostly
flat/straight with rugose surface texture. The
palatal shelf has saggital torus. The supposed
dentary is preserved in articulation with therostrum but the dentary rami and adjoining
splenial are embedded in the cavity just below
the crocodilian tube/ inside of rostrum. The
right and left dentary bones have large internal
open cells/cavity found in the basal part
observed at the available cross section. Someother internal cells are also found. The
supposed splenial are exposed only on theavailable section. These right and left splenial
are contacted with each other in the centre of
rostrum or midline. The splenial contacts themedial aspect of the dentary along its heightfrom the base of the jaw ramus to alveolar
margin. The splenial extends to the midline
and participate in the symphysis.
Thesplenial bones are mostly massive i.e. with
open large internal cells. The teeth are highly
compressed transversely. The cross sections of
the teeth embedded in the matrix just below
the maxilla and premaxilla show elongate
oval/elliptical to D shape. The sizes of theteeth are also variable. The large tooth width is

6-7mm and thickness is 2.8mm. The small
tooth is 1.5cm thick and 6-7mm wide. The
other 2 teeth vary in between these thicknesses
but widths are mostly subequal or constant. At
the supposed diastema on the contact ofmaxilla and premaxilla, one small tooth with
3mm width and 6-8mm thickness are found(Fig.1). In Induszalim the snout depth is equal
to width while in Pabwehshi the depth is ¾ ofwidth. In Induszalim the maxillary ramus isrelatively far away/down to palatal contact
while in Pabwehshi the maxillary ramus is justclose to palatal contact. In Induszalim the largeteeth dia is relatively more than Pabwehshi
tooth diameter. In Induszalim on the lateralside of maxillary ramus there are pits withanteroposterior lineation while Pabwehshi has
no lineation. The Induszalim shows marked
boundary/contact between palatal shelves andmaxillary wall but Pabwehshi shows noboundary/contact between palatal shelves andmaxillary wall. The Induszalim matches with
the Pabwehshi on saggital torus on palatal
shelves of Pabwehshi. Montefeltro et al.
(2011) mentioned that Pabwehshi has asaggital torus on its maxillary palatal shelves –a character that is absent in baurusuchids. So
the Pabwehshi and Induszalim may belong toInduszalimidae.

Reference:Montefeltro,F.C., Larsson, H.C.E. & Langer, M.C. 2011.A new Baurusuchid (Crocodyliformes,
Mesoeucrocodylia) from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil and the Phylogeny of
Baurusuchidae. In Farke, Andrew Allen. PloS ONE 6(7); e21916.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.
0021916. PMC 3135595. PMID 21765925.

171

mc
na
en
in
mb
st
pc
m
pm

mc
na
m
en
pm

d
sp

mr

t
mr

Figure 1. Row 1, Holotypic skull (MSM-155-19) in anterior, posterior and left lateral views and top corner photo shows 3 or more teeth inmuddy matrix (MSM-61-19) of Induszalim bala (a sebecosuchian mesoeucrocodile). Row 2, Holotypic rostrum articulated with dentary andreferred dentary, vertebrae, limb bone and rib of Pabwehshi pakistanensis, holotypic dentary in 3 views of Sulaimanisuchus kinwai. Row 3,
Holotypic dentary with teeth of Saraikisaurus minhui pterosaur, referred dentary of pterosaur or birds; holotypic pes of Vitakrisaurus saraiki
noasaurian theropod. Row 4, Holotypic a pair of femora, a braincase with basioccipital condyle and referred 6 vertebrae of Vitakridrinda
sulaimani abelisaurian theropod; Row 5,6/7, limb bones and axial elements of theropods. Scale; Each black or white digit is 1 cm.
Abbreviations: en-external nares, in-internal nares, d-dentary, m-maxilla, na-nasal, mb-internarial bone bar, mc-midline contact, pc-palatalcontact, mr-matrix, na-nasal, pm-premaxilla, t-teeth, st-saggital torus, sp-splenial.

172

P21: Preliminary study of the new juvenile dinosaur (Theropoda: Ornithomimosauria)
from the Upper Cretaceous Baynshire Formation of Khongil Tsav, eastern Mongolia
Chinzorig, Ts. and Tsogtbaatar, Kh.
Paleontol. Cent., Mongolian Acad. Sci., Chingeltei district-4, S. Danzangiyn street-1/3,
Ulaanbaatar-15160, P.O.Box-46/650, Mongolia;
Summary
A juvenile articulated postcranialskeleton of ornithomimosaurian dinosaur with
some
mixed
ornithomimidandnon-ornithomimid characters, also presenting
the smallest known specimen of the group, has
been
preliminarily
describedofitsmorphological study have been analyzed in its
manus, pelvic parts and hind limb in this paper.

to Upper Cretaceous sediments of Gobi Desert.
By localities, Ornithomimosaurian specimens
are abundantly found from Late Cretaceous ageof Tsagaan Khushuu, Bugin Tsav, Gurilin Tsav,
Altan Ula, Nemegt, and Shine Us Khudak
localities of Umnugovi and Dornogovi
provinces and Early Cretaceous age of Khuren
Dukh locality.

Introduction
Ornithomimosauria(Theropoda,
Ornithomimosauria) includes 14 genera(Barsbold and Osmόlska, 1990; Kobayashi andLu, 2003). Among the fifteen species offourteen genera in the infraorder, seven of thesegenera, namely Ornithomimus, Struthiomimus,
Dromiceiomimus (North America), Gallimimus,
Anserimimus(Mongolia)
andArchaeornithomimus, Sinornithomimus (China)
areOrnithomimidae.
Non-ornithomimidornithomimosaurs include six genera, including
Garudimimus,
Harpymimus(Mongolia),
Pelecanimimus(Spain),Shenzhousaurus,
Beishanlong, and Qiupalong (China) are
known from the Early Cretaceous except
Garudimimus (Kobayashi and Barsbold, 2005).
The relationship of the one of the enigmatictaxon Deinocheirus that includes bothornithomimid and non-ornithomimosaurian
characters is still contentious (Barsbold andOsmόlska, 1990; Kobayashi and Barsbold,2006).
Ostrich-likedinosaurs,
Ornithomimosauria, is the one of the maingroup of meat eating dinosaurs and its
specimens are dominantly preserved from
Cretaceous sediments of Central Asia andNorth America. The Mongolian representativesof this group are revealed in all strata of Lower
173

General consideration
1. emegtian ornithomimosaurs
The Nemegt Formation (Jerzykiewicz
et al., 1991) is widely distributed in theWestern areas of the Gobi Desert where to belocated Altan Ula, Bugin Tsav, Gurilin Tsav,
Nemegt, Tsagaan Khushuu, and Ulaan
Khushuu
localities.
The
ornithomimidmaterials, for instance, Gallimimus bullatus
Osmόlska et al., 1972; Anserimimus
planinychus Barsbold, 1988; Deinocheirus
mirificus Osmόlska and Roniewicz, 1970, areabundantly revealed above these localities. The
most of the nemegtian ornithomimids arecharacterized by edentulous, relatively long,
but a weak, non-raptorial manus with almost
same length of the metacarpals, almost straightpubic shaft, and long hindlimbs equipped thearctometatarsaliancondition,
and
first
metatarsal is being lost by evolutionary.
2. Baynshirenian ornithomimosaurs
The
Baynshire
Formation(Cenomanian-Turonian, Khand et al., 2000) is
mostly distributed within Eastern areas of theGobi Deserts and Garudimimus brevipes
Barsbold, 1981; and Gallimimus mongoliensis
sp. are described holotype representatives ofthe ornithomimosaurian group from this region.
Whereas nemegtian aged ornithomimids aredefined as a lightly built, arctometatarsaliancondition, with no pollex, the baynshirehnianComparisons of the postcranial elementsThedifferences
betweenbaynshirenian juvenile specimen and other
ornithomimosaurs in the postcranial elements
deal with somewhat different shape of somebones and with the proportions of particularbones, or portions of the limb. It is impossible
to compare a fore limb of baynshirenian
specimen to the both nemegtian specimen andGarudimimus holotype because of these iswhether not preserved them. Thoughcomparing the manus of the baynshirenian
juvenile specimen to the Gallimimus that isexist a forelimb; the length of 1st metacarpal is
obviously shorter than others whereas it is anearly same level in Gallimimus structurally.
Moreover, the structure of the manual unguals
is differentiated as a slightly curved and thelateral grooves of the manual ungual are deep
as well as a distinctly narrower to the tip while
the contrary is the case in Gallimimus; and thelength of the phalange III-3 is longer than the
combined length of the phalanges III-1 andIII-2, as in G.bullatus this length is nearly
same;
There are several derived and sharedornithomimosaurs are coined as mid-section
members of the group because are generally
characterized to include both advanced andbasal characters. Although the baynshirehnianornithomimosaurs are similar to several
characteristics to the nemegtian ornithomimids,
they can identify several unique charactersfrom them. For instance, the length of theslightly curved pubis is longer than the ilium;
length of the femur is nearly same as the tibia
length, non-arctometatarsalian condition.
Preliminary results
The juvenile specimen has been
recovered from the Khongil Tsav locality(Upper Cretaceous, Baynshire formation) of theEastern Gobi Desert is one of the smallest
ornithomimosaurs among the group. Thisjuvenile specimen, catalogued as MPC-D
100/125 in the Mongolian PaleontologicalCenter, MAS, has several derived and sharedcharacters both Garudimimus brevipes andGallimimus bullatus holotypes, as well as
another juvenile Gallimimus specimen.
(Figure-1)

Figure-1: whole articulated skeleton of the baynshirenian juvenile specimen (MPC-D 100/125)174

characters in the structure of the pelvis inbaynshirenian juvenile specimen as comparedwith that of above specimens. For instance, theshared characters with a holotype of
Garudimimus: the ilium length compared witha length of the femur of the baynshirenian
juvenile specimen is relatively shorter; lengthof the pubis is longer than the ilium, but isdifferent in North American taxa; and theposterior process of the pubic boot is becoming
a narrower at the end of the tip, as well as theventral ridge of the pubic boot is slightly
rounded. With compare with a holotype of
Gallimimus, the baynshirenian juvenile
specimen is contained several derived
characters as the anterior part of the pubic bootis shorter than the posterior ones; the midshaftof the pubis is straight as in North American
advanced taxa; and the pollex is completely
disappeared to evolve (different than G.
brevipes that has a first digit).
The structure of the hind limb in thebaynshirenian juvenile specimen shows but
slightly differences in comparison with that of
the nemegtian juvenile specimen. The unusualrugosity is located in the medial of theproximal end of the femur. This character isdifferent than the nemegtian juvenile specimen.

although it is different genus. Unfortunately,
due to the missing of skull and fore limbs of thematerials, it wasn’t possible to catch full
information concerning the changes of the fore
limb to hind limb ratio. The following chart isshowing selected anatomic ratios of growthchanges in ornithomimosaurs as compared withnemegtian and baynshirenian:
Discussion
The baynshirenian juvenile specimen,
described here, exhibits some features in its
postcranial skeleton which are regarded byOsmόlska et al., 1972 as characteristic of thejuvenile specimen of Bugin Tsav. It shows thesame relation in the structure of the caudal
vertebral column, and similar structure of thepes. However, it is different from thenemegtian juvenile specimen in following of
the characteristics, the length of the femur isshorter than the length of the ilium whereas innemegtian juvenile is nearly same in length; theposterior process of the pubic boot is becoming
gradually narrower to the end in baynshirenian
juvenile while the contrary is the case innemegtian juvenile is more wider above
mentioned part; The most concentrating featureof the baynshirenian juvenile specimen is its
small size, in which it differs from thenemegtian juvenile specimen in measurementsof the selected postcranial elements.

Measurements (in mm) of selected postcranium ofjuvenile specimens:
Nemegtianjuvenile
Baynshirenian
The length of
specimenjuvenile specimen▼(MPC-D(MPC-D 100/125)
100/10)
Radius

-

83

Ilium
196
Pubis
197
Ischium
145
Femur
195
Tibia
218
Metatarsal-III
162*** - Osmόlska et al., 1972.

182
185
142
200
210
139

Conclusions
1. The baynshirenian juvenile specimen fromthe Khongil Tsav (Upper Cretaceous,
Baynshire formation) is included theboth derived and shared characters of
the postcranial elements, namely,
manus, pelvic, and hind limb.
2. It is a highly necessary to determine in futuredetailed analyses to whether ispeculiarity of the juvenile stage of thegrowth differences or completely
different ornithomimosaurian taxon.
3. Although comparing to measure in selected
anatomic
elements
oftheornithomimosaurian dinosaurs, thebaynshirenian juvenile specimen isrepresentedassmallest
ornithomimosaurian specimen everfound from the Gobi Desert.

Growth changes
Measurements of the postcranialskeletons include several individuals of mainly
Gallimimus bullatus specimens in different
growth stages. Also, the baynshirenian juvenile
specimen is additionally added in below chart

175

Specimen catalogue
number
The baynshirenian
1
juvenile specimen
The nemegtian juvenile2
specimen
3
Z.Pal.No.Mg.D-I/94
4
Z.Pal.No.Mg.D-I/1
5
MPC-D 100/11*** - Osmόlska et al., 1972.
No.

R/F

R/T

T/F

mtt.III/F

mtt.III/T

Growth changes

0.41 L0.39 L1.09 L0.69 L

0.66 L

Juvenile

-

-

1.14

0.80

0.71

↓

0.40
0.53

0.33
0.47

1.13
1.08
1.11

0.80
0.77
0.78

0.71
0.72
0.72

↓
↓
Adult

Reference:
Barsbold, R. and Osmόlska, H. 1990. Ornithomimosauria. The Dinosauria, Edited by D. B.
Weishampel, Peter Dodson, Halszka Osmόlska, California univ. Press, Oxford, England.
pp. 225-244.
Jerzykiewicz, T and Russell, D. A. 1991. Late Mesozoic stratigraphy and vertebrates of the Gobi
Basin. Cretaceous Res. 12: pp. 345-377.
Khand, Y., Badamgarav, D., Ariunchimeg, Y. et Barsbold, R. 2000. Cretaceous System in
Mongolia and its depositional environments. In Cretaceous environments of Asia. Edit by
H. Okada and N. J. Mateer. Elsevier Science BV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, pp. 49-51,
53-65, 67-79.
Kobayashi, Y. and Barsbold, R. 2005. Reexamination of a primitive ornithomimosaur,
Garudimimus brevipes Barsbold, 1981 (Dinosauria; Theropoda) from the Late Cretaceousof Mongolia, Can. J. Earth Sci. Vol. 42: 1501-1502.
Kobayashi, Y. and Barsbold, R. 2006. Ornithomimids from the Nemegt Formation of Mongolia, J.
Paleont. Soc. Korea. Vol. 22, No. 1: 195-207.
Osmόlska, H., Roniewicz, E. et Barsbold, R. 1972. A New Dinosaur, Gallimimus bullatus n. gen. n.
sp. (Ornithomimidae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia, Palaeont. Polonica, 27:
103-143.

176

P22: Diving behavior of mosasaurs (Squamata: Mosasauridae) inferred from optics
Yamashita, M.1, Konishi, T.2 and Sato, T.3
1

Univ. of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan (momo.yamashita.0331@gmail.com);
2

Royal Tyrrell Mus. of Palaeontol., Drumheller, Alberta T0J 0Y0 Canada;
3

Tokyo Gakugei Univ., Koganei City, Tokyo 184-8501, Japan

Mosasaurs (Squamata, Mosasauridae)
were an ecologically and evolutionarily
successful group of secondarily aquatic lizards
that lived during the Late Cretaceous. The first
discovery of mosasaur remains goes back to
1766 in the Netherlands: more than two
centuries later, thousands of fossils of thosetypically giant swimming lizards have been
recovered worldwide, encompassing a wide
geographic range that includes northwestern
Pacific region, such as Japan. In the WesternInterior Basin of North America, specimens
pertaining to three particular mosasaur genera,
Platecarpus, Tylosaurus, and Clidastes, havebeen collected in a large number (Russell,1967). These three types of mosasaurs arederived and can be referred to as hydropelvic
mosasaurs (sensu Caldwell and Palci, 2007),
which are characterized by possessing
non-weight-bearing pelves, and their presence
is considered obligatory adaptation to aquatic
environments (Caldwell and Palci, 2007).
Previous studies on their bone histology(Rothchild & Martin, 1987; Sheldon, 1997) andsedimentary environment (Kiernan, 2002)
suggest that habitual diving depth among thesemosasaur genera varied, but there is no
definitive consensus yet about which taxon was
more suited for life in deeper water. In thisstudy, we estimated the diving behavior ofthese three genera with optical performancethat we calculated from the ratio between theexternal and internal diameters of the ring as an
approximation of an f-number.
Recently, Hall (2008) and Schmitz(2009) reported a strong correlation in the
shape and the size between the soft and hardtissues of an eye, including bony sclerotic rings.
In living birds, the internal and external
diameters of the sclerotic ring (INT and EXT
177respectively; Fig. 1) correlate with thediameters of the lens and the eyeball,respectively (Schmitz. 2004). Furthermore,
there are strong correlations between the
diameter of a lens and that of the sclerotic ring
aperture, and between the posterior nodal
distance (PND) and the diameter of an eyeballas well (Schmitz, 2004). Consequently, an
aperture and PND can be respectively
expressed by INT and EXT. An f-number,which is the ratio between PND and theaperture (PND/aperture [= EXT/INT]), is aquantitative measure of the intensity of thelight of the image formed on the retina. A
vertebrate eye with a lower f-number cancollect more light within a given time than aneye with a higher f-number. This capability ofan eye should apply to the diving behavior inaquatic tetrapods generally, for an animal eye
with a low f-number can see objects indarker—i.e., deeper—environments. Assumingthat squamate eyes exhibit a similar correlationof the hard tissue and the soft tissue of an avianeye, a diving behavior in mosasaurs can beextrapolated from the value of EXT/INT, atleast in a relative sense.
Comparing the values of EXT/INT ofsclerotic rings in three specimens of the threemosasaur genera from western North America,
the ratio in Tylosaurus (4.01) is larger thanthose in Platecarpus (2.27) and Clidastes(2.08). This suggests that Platecarpus andClidastes were potentially better adapted to see
objects in darker environments, and that they
could have frequented a deeper water zone
more than Tylosaurus did. Because the three
genera are known from the same horizon of thesame area (Santonian–Campanian of theWestern Interior Basin), their different values
in EXT/INT are possibly indicative of niche

partitioning among these genera, particularly
between Tylosaurus and the other two genera.
Tylosaurus is the largest-known mosasaur
genus of the Western Interior Seaway until
about 70 million years ago (Bullard, 2006), andthe stomach contents of Tylosaurus aretaxonomically more diverse than those of
Platecarpus, indicating its dominance in themost productive part of the sea near the surface,where the highest concentration of planktons
occurs. Consequently, Tylosaurus may have
driven other smaller mosasaur taxa such as
Clidastes and Platecarpus from the shallow,
most productive feeding zone. Under this
scenario, exploitation of resources by Clidastes
and Platecarpus in deeper feeding zones thanthat of Tylosaurus would be advantageous,presumably leading to selection for deep diving
adaptation, Tylosaurus also constitutes the only
taxon among the three that is known to haveconsumed other mosasaurs: separating theirmain habitats from that of Tylosaurus would
also mitigate the predation pressure from thelatter, improving the survivorship of Clidastes
and Platecarpus.
Thus far, the discussion concerning
the diving behavior of mosasaurs has been
restricted to the fauna that existed in theWestern Interior Seaway. At the same time,some 40 specimens of mosasaurs representing
at least three major subfamilies have beenreported in Japan to date, confirming thepresence of a high level of mosasaur diversity
in the Western Pacific (e.g., Caldwell et al.,2008; Konishi et al., 2012; Sato et al., 2012).
Consequently, further effort to collect mosasaur
and other Late Cretaceous marine reptile fossils
in Japan should contribute significantly tounderstanding of the ecological interactions
among sympatric marine reptiles that inhabitedwaters of Late Cretaceous Japan.

Figure 1. The structure of an eyeA, aperture (= diameter of pupil); EXT, external diameterof sclerotic ring; INT, internal diameter of sclerotic ring;
LD, lens diameter; N, anterior nodal point; N’, posterior
nodal point; PND, posterior nodal distance; point;principal point.

References:
Bullard TS (2006) Anatomy and systematics of North American tylosaurine mosasaurs.
Unpublished M.Sc. thesis, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, 208 p.
Caldwell MW, Palci A (2007) A new basal mosasauroid from the Cenomanian (U. Cretaceous) of
Slovenia with a review of mosasauroid phylogeny and evolution. J Vertebr Paleontol
27:863–880.
Caldwell MW, Konishi T, Obata I, Muramoto K (2008) A new species of Taniwhasaurus(Mosasauridae, Tylosaurinae) from the Upper Santonian-Lower Campanian (Upper
Cretaceous) of Hokkaido, Japan. J Vertebr Paleontol 28: 339-348.
Hall M (2009) The relationship between the lizard eye and associated bony features: a cautionary
note for interpreting fossil activity patterns. Anat Rec 292: 798-812.
Kiernan CR (2002) Stratigraphic distribution and habitat segregation of mosasaurs in the Upper
Cretaceous of western and central Alabama, with an historical review of Alabama
mosasaur discoveries. J Vertebr Paleontol 22: 91-103.
Konishi T, Tanimoto M, Utsunomiya S, Sato M, Watanabe K (2012) A large mosasaurine(Squamata: Mosasauridae) from the latest Cretaceous of Osaka Prefecture (SW Japan).
Paleontol Res 16: 79-87.
Rothschild BM, Martin LD (1987) Avascular necrosis: occurrence in diving Cretaceous mosasaurs.
Science 236: 75-77.
178

Russell DA (1967) Systematics and morphology of American mosasaurs. Bull Peabody Mus Nat
Hist 23: 1–241.
Sato T, Konishi T, Hirayama R, Caldwell MW (2012) A review of the Upper Cretaceous marine
reptiles from Japan. Cretaceous Res 37: 319-340.
Schmitz L (2009) Quantitative estimates of visual performance features in fossil birds. J Morphol
270: 759-773.
Sheldon A (1997) Ecological implications of mosasaur bone microstructure. In: Callaway JM,
Nicholls EL, editors. Ancient Marine Reptiles. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 293-332.

179

P23: Functional morphology of unique feeding apparatus in the bothremydid turtles
Yoshida, M. 1 and Hirayama, R. 2
1

Grad. Schl. Internat. Culture Comm., Waseda Univ. 169-8050,1-6-1, Nishi-waseda, Shinjuku-ku,
Tokyo (mstkyoshida@,toki.waseda.jp)

2Schl. Internat. Liberal Stud., Waseda Univ., 169-8050,1-6-1, Nishi-waseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo.

The feeding apparatus of modern
turtles (Testudines) are defined by the presenceof rhamphotheca instead of marginal teeth. It is
known that shape of rhamphotheca is partly
controlled by the shape of bone elements
existing underneath. We here discuss about themorphologically unique triturating surface ofmarine side-necked turtles (Pleurodira :Bothremydidae:
Bothremydini).
The
rhamphotheca or the beak of turtles is made of
keratins therefore cannot be preserved duringfossilization. However, exceptional in most ofarchosaurian groups of Mesozoic era, it is still
possible to observe diverse living turtles
feeding on their prey. By using extant turtle’
osteological materials and records of feeding
habitats, we discuss functional morphology offeeding apparatus and possible feeding habitats
of fossil turtles.
The bothremydid turtles show uniquepairs of jugal and mandibular pits on its

triturating surfaces. These pits are one of themost characteristic synapomorphies in the tribe
Bothremydini. Some have discussed about
these unique pits of Bothremydid turtles since
Leidy 1865. Baur 1891 and Hay 1908 proposed
hypothesis on its functions. Gaffney et al., 2006
suggested that these pairs of pits served forgrasping hard shelled mollusks.
Highanddeveloped
coronoid
processes of lower jaw suggest thatbothremydids beard powerful bite. Considering
the diversity of sea turtles (Cryptodira:
Chelonioidea) with various degrees ofsecondary palate coexisted in the Tethys Oceanof Latest Cretaceous and Paleogene, uniquefeeding apparatus of bothremydids seems
competitive enough to hold their own
ecological niche.
The taxonomy and marine adaptationof bothremydid turtles (WSIL-RHg519) will be
discussed in our oral presentation.

180

Figure: Triturating surfaces of WSILS-RHg 519. Left, ventral view of skull. Right, dorsal view of lower jaw. Scale-bar
is 10 cm long.

References:
Baur, G. 1891. Notes on some little known American fossil tortoises. Proceedings of the Academyof Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 43: 411–430.
Brinkman, D., M. C. Aquillon-MartinezQ, C.A. De Leon Da´ Vila, H.Jamniczky, D. A. Eberth, and
M. Colbert. (2009). Euclastes coahuilaensis sp. nov., a basal cheloniid turtle from the lateCampanian Cerro del Pueblo Formation of Coahuila State, Mexico. PaleoBios, 28:76–88.
Gaffney, E. S., Tong, H. and Meylan, P. A. 2006. Evolution of the side-necked turtles: the families
Bothremydidae, Euraxemydidae, and Araripemydidae. Bulletin of the American Museumof Natural History 300, 1–698.
Gaffney, E. S. and Zangerl, R. 1968. A revison of the chelonian genus Bothremys (Pleurodira:
Pelomedusidae). Fieldiana: Geology 16, 193–239.
Wood, R. C. 1976. Stupendemys geographicus, the world’s largest turtle. Breviora, 436:1–32.
Hay, O.P. 1908. The fossil turtles of North America. Carnegie Institution of Washington
Publication 75: 1–568.
Leidy, J. 1865. Memoir on the extinct reptiles of the Cretaceous formations of the United States.
Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge 14(6): 1–135.

181

P24: Fossil turtles from the Lower Cretaceous Tetori Group in central Japan
Sonoda, T.1, Azuma, Y.1, 2, Hirayama, R.3 and Ando, H.4
1

Fukui Pref. Dinosau Mus., 51-11 Terao, Muroko, Katsuyama, Fukui, 911-8601, Japan(t-sonoda@dinosaur.pref.fukui.jp)

2

Dinosaur Res. Cent., Fukui Pref. Univ., 4-1-1 Kenjojima, Matsuoka, Eiheiji, Fukui, 910-1195,
Japan
3
4

SILS, Waseda Univ.. 1-7-14 Nishiwaseda, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 169-0051, Japan

Dept. Earth Sci., Ibaraki Univ., 2-1-1 Bunkyo, Mito, Ibaraki, 310-8512, JapanThe Kuwajima Formation
An unnamed trionychoid turtle isrecognized from skulls, lower jaws, cervicals,
appendicular skeletons, some articulated shells,
and hundreds of fragmentary shell materials(e.g., Hirayama, 2000; Hirayama et al., 2000).
Cervicals have opistocoelous structure on thearticular surface. The shell surface is coveredby the ornamentation of regular and fine pitsthat is similar to Adocus and Ferganemys.
However, Synapomorphies of Adocidae suchas reduced proximal head of thracic rib and flat
ventral surface of costals are lacked. In
addition, this unnamed trionychoid isconsidered as more primitive than the Adocidae
and Nanhsiungchelyidae in having much wider
vertebrate scales. Especially the 5th vertebral
scale overlaps the10th peripheral.
Another trionychoid turtle is distinguished byits characteristic shell sculpture that decorated
by a coarse undulating or rugose structure,sinuous scale sulci on its shell surface, andbroader vertebral scales than those of the abovetrionychoid (Hirayama, 2005).

A number of terrestrial vertebrateremains such as dinosaurs, crocodiles andturtles have been unearthed from several
localities of the Lower Cretaceous Tetori
Group in central Japan. The Tetori Groupconsists of the Gomijima, Kuwajima, Akaiwa,
and Kitadani formations in ascending order inthe eastern part of the Hakusan district. The
Kuwajima
Formation(Hauterivian
toBarremian?) is exposed at “the Kuwajima
Kaseki-kabe” site in the Shiramine area of
Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture. Morethan 1200 specimens of cryptodiran turtles suchas xinjiangchelyids, sinemyids and basaltrionychoids have been discovered (Hirayama,
2000, 2005, 2010; Hirayama et al., 2000).
The Kitadani Formation (the late Barremian toAptian) yields more than 730 specimens ofcryptodiran turtles from a dinosaur quarry in
Katsuyama City, Fukui Prefecture (Hirayama,
2002). This turtle assemblage consists ofxinjiangchelyid, sinemyid and trionychoidgroups. About 84 % of the specimens are
assigned to the Trionychoidea such as the
Adocidae,Nanhsiungchelyidae
andTrionychidae.
The Akaiwa Formation
embedded between the Kuwajima and Kitadaniformations yields an intermediate trionychoid,
Kappachelys okurai (Hirayama et al., 2012)
The Early Cretaceous records of trionychoids
are generally poor, whereas they were common
in the Late Cretaceous of Asia and North
America. We report turtle faunas relatively
profilic in trionychoid from the Kuwajima andKitadani formations.

The Kitadani Formation
The Adocidae, an extinct semi-aquatic
turtle family, is the most dominant turtle fromthe Kitadani Formation. We detected two
different taxa such as Adocus sp. and an adocid
turtle, gen. et sp. indet. Almost entire shellmorphology of Adocus sp. are recovered fromhundreds of fragmentary shell materials and the
newly collected shell assemblage of one
individual. Its carapace is estimated as about
182

35 cm long in maximum size. The shellmorphology is most similar to A.beatus fromthe Upper Cretaceous of North Ameica (Hay,
1908) except for its smaller shell size andthickend medial part of hypoplastron.
Another adocid turtle, gen. et sp. indet., isnewly recognized on the basis of costals,
peripherals and hypoplastron materials. Thisadocid has the following synapomorphies: shell
sculpturing with fine and regular pits, reduced
proximal head of thracic rib, flat ventral sufaceof costal and large semicircular facet for
ischium on the dorsal surface of xiphiplastron.
It is distinguished from Adocus by thepossession of the marginal scales limited within
peripherals, and the femoral scale extending
onto the dorsal margin of hypoplastron.
These features are also observed in
Ferganemys, another adocid genus from theAlbian of Kyrgystan and the Cenomanian of
Uzbekistan (Syromyatnikova, 2011).
Several carapace elements are idetifiable as theNanhsiungchelyidae, an extinct terrestrial
tortoise, by shell sculpturing with course andirregular pits and grooves, and wide and deep
scale sulci. The marginal scale covering theonly distal half part of the peripheral is acommon derived character in the genus
Basilemys from the Upper Cretaceous of North
America.
A soft-shelled turtle have thefollowing synapomorphies as the Trionychidae;
vermiculated shell sculpturing, loss of scalesulci, lack of peripheral series, reduction ofplastron, and no osseous bridge between
carapace and plastron. It indicates that thistrionychid turtle could have already obtained aquite similar morphology to extant soft-shelledturtles. Due to poor preservation of materials,
its genus and species are not enough to be
identified.
Themorphologicalandpaleoecologicaldiversification
among
trionychoid turtles already began in the early
Early Cretaceous of East Asia.
Somemorphological characters of trionychid, adocids
and nanhsiungchelyid from the Kitadani
Formation suggest that they became specialized
for aquatic, semi-aquatic and terrestrial
environments, respectively. Although further
new materials are desired, the fossil turtles
from the Tetori Group could shed light on themorphology, diversification and phylogenetic
relationships of the Early Cretaceoustrionychoids.

References:Hay, O. P. 1908. The fossil turtles of North America. Carnegie Inst. Washington Publ., 75: 568 p.
Hirayama, R. 2000. Fossil turtles. In, Matsuoka, H. (ed.), Fossils of Kuwajima "Kaseki-kabe"(Fossil-bluff): Scientific report on a Neocomian (Early Cretaceous) fossil assemblage fromthe Kuwajima Formation, Teori Group, Shiramine, Ishikawa, Japan, pp.75-92, pls.28-37.
Shiramine Village Board of Edu., Ishikawa Pref., Japan. (in Japanese with English
abstract)
Hirayama, R. 2002. Preliminary report of the fossil turtles from the Kitadani Formation (Early
Cretaceous) of the Tetori Group of Katsuyama, Fukui Prefecture, Central Japan. Mem.
Fukui Pref. Dinosaur Mus., 1: 29-40. (in Japanese with English abstract).
Hirayama, R. 2005. New materials of non-marine turtles from the Early Cretaceous Tetori Groupof former Shiramine-mura of Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Central Japan. In,[Scientific report on fossil animals of Kuwajima "Kaseki-kabe" (Fossil-bluff) from the
Kuwajima Formation, Tetori Group, Hakusan, Ishikawa, Japan, pp.12-20, 2 figs., 3 pls.
Shiramine Village Board of Edu., Ishikawa Pref., Japan. (in Japanese)
Hirayama, R. 2010. Non-marine turtles from the Early Cretaceous Tetori Group of Kasekikabe of
Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Central Japan. In, [Scientific report on fossils from the
Kuwajima Formation, Tetori Group, of Kuwajima "Kaseki-kabe", Hakusan City, Ishikawa,Japan], pp.19-24, 2 figs. Hakusan City Board of Edu., Ishikawa Pref., Japan. (in Japanese)
Hirayama, R., Brinkman, D.B. and Danilov, I.G. 2000. Distribution and biogeography of
non-marine Cretaceous turtles. Russian J. Herpetology, 7:181-198.
Hirayama, R., Isaji, S. and Hibino, T. 2012. Kappachelys okurai gen. et sp. nov., a new stem
soft-shelled turtle from the Early Cretaceous of Japan. In: Brinkman, D.B., P. A. Holroyd,and J. D. Gardner (eds.), “Morphology and Evolution of Turtles: Origin and Early
Diversification.”, pp. 179-185. Springer, Dordrecht.
183

Syromyatnikova, E. V. 2011. Turtles of the genus Freganemys Nessov et Khosatzky, 1977
(Adocidae): shell morphology and Phylogenetic position. Proc. Zool. Inst. RAS, 315:
38–52.

184

P25: A second specimen of the crossognathiform fish Apsopelix miyazakii from theCretaceous Yezo Group of central Hokkaido, Japan1

1

Miyata, S., 2Yabumoto, Y., 3Nakajima, Y., 4Ito, Y., Sasaki, T., Hirano, H.

Res. Inst. Sci. Eng., Waseda Univ., 1-6-1, Nishiwaseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-8050, Japan(fossil.paleoichthyology777@gmail.com).
2

Kitakyushu Mus. Nat. Hist. Human Hist., 2-4-1, Higashida, Yahatahigashi-ku, Kitakyushu,
805-0071, Japan.

3

Steinmann Inst. Geol., Mineral. Paleont., University of Bonn, Nussallee 8, 53115 Bonn, Germany
4

5

The Univ. Mus., The Univ. of Tokyo, 113-0033, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.

Fac. Edu. Integ. Arts Sci., Waseda Univ., 1-6-1, Nishiwaseda, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 169-8050, Japan.
tenuistriatus and I. teshioensis, and these
inoceramid bivalves indicate the Upper
Turonian (e.g. Matsumoto, 1965).
In the fish fossil, the anterior part ofthe body from the snout to the pelvic insertionis preserved, the dorsal fin is missing, and themost of the skull bones are articulated. The
specimen is identified as Apsopelix miyazakii,
by the following characters; scales are large;
the opercle is narrow (it is not preserved in theholotype); the preopercle is covered by the
infraorbitals (it is obscure in the holotype); thelarge antorbital has a groove; there is a medianconvexity close to the posterior end of thefrontals; and the articulation of the lower jaw isbehind under anterior one-third of the orbit. In
addition, the Ponbetsu specimen shows
following four characters; the second
infraorbital bone is long, and its sensory canalruns at the middle part and branched; the fourth
infraorbitalbone
isobserved;
thesupracleithrum is wide and large; and theposttemporal is squamous. These characters are
not preserved on the holotype, and the fourth
infraorbital bone had not been recognized in
the crossognathid fishes.
Among of the crossognathid fishes,
only the genus Apsopelix had been distributedin Western Interior and European region at theLate Turonian time (e.g. Taverne, 1989;
Teller-Marshall and Bardack, 1978; Patterson
and Rosen, 1977). The second specimen of
Apsopelix
miyazakii
demonstratestheCrossognathiforms
aremarineteleostian fishes known from the Oxfordian
extending to the middle Eocene (Arratia, 2008;
Arratia and Tischlinger, 2010; Nelson, 2006).
The order Crossognathiformes consists of atleast five families, namely Chongichthyidae,
Crossognathidae,
Notelopidae,
Pachyrhizodontidae, and Varasichthyidae.
Recently, Apsopelix miyazakii, the first recordof the Northwestern Pacific crossognathid fish
was described from a loose gravel of the Upper
Turonian of Nakagawa area in the northern
Hokkaido, Japan by Yabumoto et al. (2012).
After that, we re-discovered a fossil fish
specimen from the collection of the University
Museum, The University of Tokyo. The label
information indicates that this specimen wascollected from the Upper Cretaceous of Mikasa
area, central Hokkaido in 1955. This specimen
is well-preserved, and identified as Apsopelix
miyazakii, which had been known from a single
specimen. Here, we describe it in detail andmake comments on the morphologicalcharacters.
The fish fossil reported here wascollected from the IK2013g1 site of Matsumoto(1965) along the Ponbetsu river by Dr. T.
Matsumoto and Mr. T. Omori, and contained in
the calcareous concretion from the bioturbatedsandy silt stone of the Ⅲa’ Formation of
Matsumoto (1965) (= the part of theHaborogawa Formation of Takashima et al.,2004). The Ⅲa’ Formation contains Inoceramus
185morphological characters and validate thatcrossognathid fishes had been widelydistributed in the northern hemisphere at theLate Turonian time

References:
Arratia, 2008, In Fishes and the break-up of Pangaea, Ed. by, Forey et al., 71–92.
Arratia and Tischlinger, 2010, Fossil Record, 13, 317–341.
Nelson, 2006, Fishes of the world, 601 p.
Matsumoto, 1965, Memoirs of the Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, Series D, 16, 1 – 80,
pls,1 – 18．
Patterson and Rosen, 1977, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 158, 81–172.
Takashima et al., 2004, Cretaceous Research, 25, 365 – 390.
Taverne, 1989, Palaeontographica Abteilung A, 207, 79–105.
Teller-Marshall and Bardack, 1987, Fieldiana Geology, 41, 1–35.
Yabumoto et al., 2012, Paleontological Research, 16, 37–46.

186

P26: A mammal jaw from the Upper Cretaceous Ashizawa Formation (Futaba Group),
Fukushima, northeastern Japan
Kusuhashi, N.1, Suzuki, T.2, Terui, K.3, Sato, A.4 and Amiot, R.5
1

Grad. Schl. Sci. Eng., Ehime Univ., Matsuyama, Ehime 790-8577, Japan(nkusu@sci.ehime-u.ac.jp).
2

Iwaki Edu. and Cult. Corp., Iwaki, Fukushima 972-8326, Japan.
3
4

5

Shiwa, Iwate 028-3301, Japan

Iwaki, Fukushima 979-0201, JapanCNRS UMR 5276, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 and Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 2,
Rue Raphaël Dubois, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France.

We report the first discovery of a
Mesozoic mammal from northeastern Japan. To
date, at least four fossil localities of Mesozoic
mammals are known in central to southwesternJapan: from old to young, the Lower
Cretaceous Kuwajima Formation (Tetori
Group), Hakusan, Ishikawa Prefecture (Rougier
et al., 2007; Kusuhashi, 2008); the Lower
Cretaceous Kitadani Formation (Tetori Group),
Katsuyama, Fukui Prefecture (Tsubamoto et al.,
2004; Miyata et al., 2013); the Lower
Cretaceous Sasayama Group, Sasayama,
Hyogo Prefecture (Kusuhashi et al., 2013); andthe Upper Cretaceous Mifune Group, Mifune,
Kumamoto Prefecture (Setoguchi et al., 1999;
Kusuhashi et al., 2008).
The fossil specimen reported here wasdiscovered from the Asamigawa Member of the
Ashizawa Formation (Futaba Group), at Hirono
Town,
Futaba,Fukushima
Prefecture,northeastern Japan. The member composes thebasal part of the Futaba Group, and consists
mainly of non-marine sediments (Ando et al.,1995); the depositional age of the member isthought to be the early Coniacian (e.g., Kubo etal., 2002).
The specimen is a fragment of thehorizontal ramus of the left dentary, which is
not slender. On the preserved portion of thedentary, there is no sign of the dentary
symphysis. Unfortunately, no tooth crown ispreserved on the dentary, but there are at least
187

five alveoli for three teeth; the posterior four
are alveoli for two double-rooted teeth and theanteriormost one is a damaged alveolus foranother tooth; the posterior four contain rootsof the teeth. The anterior two roots haverounded cross section in occlusal view,
whereas the posterior two roots are oval, being
expanded labiolingually. Judged from theanteriormost alveolus, the root of this tooth wasprobably
sub-equal
sized
with
and
morphologically similar with those of
subsequent tooth. There is a mental foramen
below the posterior root of the middle tooth.
On the basis of the morphology of thepreserved dentary without the dentary
symphysis, the size and position of the mental
foramen, and morphologies of the roots andalveoli, the three teeth are considered to be
postcanines. The distalmost tooth withtransversely expanded roots is interpreted to bea molar or a molariform premolar withlabiolingually wide crown.
The presence of transversely expanded
roots suggests that the present specimen ishighly probably not a dentary of a “triconodont”
mammal, because“triconodont” lower
molariforms are usually mesiodistally longer
than wide with rounded or slightly
mesiodistally elongated roots. Spalacotheriid
dentaries are usually slender, and thus thepresent specimen is unlikely to belong to them.
Most mammalian fossil records from Asian

Acknowledgement
We thank C. Sakata (National
Museum of Nature and Science, Japan), Y.-Q.
Wang (Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology &Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, China), and others for their help withcomputed tomography scanning of thespecimen. This work is partly supported by aGrant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B) (no.
24740349) from JSPS to N.K., and Projet
International de Coopération Scientifique(DINASIA) from Centre National de laRecherche Scientifique, France, to N.K. and R.
A.

Upper Cretaceous belong to multituberculates,
metatherians,oreutherians(e.g.,
Kielan-Jaworowska et al., 2004). The present
specimen is, therefore, probably attributed to
one of these groups, but the dentary is clearly
different morphologically from those ofmultituberculates. Although it is currently
difficult to assert whether it belongs to aeutherian or a metatherian mammal, the first
discovery of mammalian fossil from
northeastern Japan demonstrates that the
Futaba Group or neighboring strata havepotential for yielding additional mammalianfossils, which will be significant to disclose themammalian faunal evolution in East Asia
during the Late Cretaceous.

References:Ando, H., Seishi, M., Oshima, M., and Matsumaru, T. 1995. Journal of Geography 104:284–303.
Kielan-Jaworowska, Z., Cifelli, R. L., and Luo, Z.-X. 2004. Mammals from the Age of Dinosaurs:
Origins, Evolution, and Structure.
Kubo, K., Yanagisawa, Y., Toshimitsu, S., Banno, Y., Kaneko, N., Yoshioka, T., and Takagi, T.
2002. Geology of the Kawamae and Ide District. Quadrangle Series, 1:50,000.
Kusuhashi, N. 2008. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 53:379–390.
Kusuhashi, N., Ikegami, N., and Matsuoka, H. 2008. Paleontological Research 12:199–203.
Kusuhashi, N., Tsutsumi, Y., Saegusa, H., Horie, K, Ikeda, T., Yokoyama, K., and Shiraishi, K.
2013. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 280:20130142.
Miyata, K., Shibata, M., and Azuma, Y. 2013. Abstracts with Programs, the 2013 Annual Meeting,the Palaeontological Society of Japan:33.
Rougier, G.W., Isaji, S., Manabe, M. 2007. Annals of Carnegie Museum 76:73–115.
Setoguchi, T., Tsubamoto, T., Hanamura, H. and Hachiya, K. 1999. Paleontological Research
3:18–28.
Tsubamoto, T., Rougier, G.W., Isaji, S., Manabe, M., Forasiepi, A.M. 2004. Acta Palaeontologica
Polonica 49:329–346.

188

P27: Dinosaur remains from the mid-Cretaceous shallow marine sediments of
the Futaba Group, Japan
Ohashi, T.1, Hasegawa, Y.2, and Suzuki, C.3
1

Kitakyushu Mus. Nat. Hist. and Human Hist., 805-0071, Kitakyushu, Japan (ohashi@kmnh.jp)
2

Gunma Mus. Nat. Hist., 370-2345, Takaoka, Japan
3

Iwaki City, Fukushima, JapanThe
FutabaGroup—whichisdistributed in Hirono Town and Iwaki City,
Fukushima Prefecture, Japan—consists offluvial to shallow marine sediments (Coniacianto Santonian). This Group is known foryielding marine invertebrate and vertebrate
fossils, and is divided into the following threeformations in the ascending order: Ashizawa
Formation,
Kasamatsu Formation, andAsamigawa Formation. Dinosaur remains havebeen recovered from the Ashizawa andKasamatsu Formations.

the Ashizawa Formation. The base of the tooth
specimen’s crown is preserved. The cingulum
is not prominent on the crown base. A
prominent primary ridge is present at the
midline of the crown, whereas secondary ridges
are absent. Fine vertical wrinkle-like structures
cover the crown surface. The cross-sectional
shape is pentagonal. No wear facet is observed
because of the preserved condition. The
external surface of the right sternal bone can beobsereved. The bone is about 120 mm long.
The caudolateral process is as long as the
craniomedial plate, whose middle part isbroken. The medial ridge of the surface isslightly convex. The size of this sternal bone issmall as compared with the sternal bone ofother hadrosaurid dinosaurs.
Sauropod and Hadrosaurid dinosaurs
have been reported from the Futaba Group in
previous studies; however, the specimens
reported here differ from the previously
reported ones in shape. These findings facilitate
a better understanding of the dinosaurian faunaof the Futaba Group.

Sauropod dinosaur
An isolated tooth is found in the
Kasamatsu Formation. It is cylindrical, with acrown length of about 34 mm. No wear facet isobserved, although one side of the crown’s top
is broken. The crown shape does not resemble
that of the previously reported sauropod teeth
found in the Futaba Group.
Hadrosaurid dinosaur
An incompletely isolated tooth andalmost complete right sternal bone are found in

189P28: Record of Seribiscutum primitivum, a high latitude, bipolar nannofossil taxa from
Jaisalmer Basin: Implications on palaeogeographic distribution

Singh,A. and Rai, J.

Birbal Sahni Inst. Palaeobot., 53, University Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India-226007(abha.maurya@gmail.com; Jyotsana_rai@yahoo.com)

Seribiscutum
primitivum,arepresentative of cold water masses is recorded
from Albian age surface sample of Pariwar
Formation and Albian to Santonian age
subsurface samples of Tanot #1, Jaisalmer
Basin, western India.
Global occurrences of S. primitivum
from the high to mid latitudes of northern andsouthern hemispheres are documented by
Kulhanek and Wise (2006). The previous
Indian record of S. primitivum is from Cauvery
Basin lying in southern mid-latitudinal position(Kale & Phansalkar, 1989). The presence of
this species in Jaisalmer basin indicates
incursion of cooler water currents in western
Rajasthan during Albian - Santonian time.
Jaisalmer Basin was situated ~ 35º S latitudinal
position during Albian time as is evident inmost of palaeogeographical reconstructions.
The distribution of calcareous
nannoplankton is mainly governed by the lightintensity, temperature, nutrient availability,
salinity and water depth (Tappan, 1980). The
degree to which these factors affect the
distribution pattern is uncertain. The bipolar
distribution of S. primitivum and presence of
certain Tethyan taxa (nannoconids) in thepresent assemblage may be explained bytemperature control. S. primitivum has a

restricted distribution between 40º to 50º N and
35º to 60º S latitudes (Mutterlose, 1992;
Baumgartner et al., 1992). The biogeographic
expanse of several oceanic sites containing S.
primitivum may reflect latitudinal changes intemperature and or effect of ocean circulation.
The indication of warm water influx in
the Albian nannofloral assemblage from
Jaisalmer Basin is evident by the occurrence offew Nannoconus spp. both in surface andsubsurface samples. Abundance of Nannoconus
spp.is restricted to warm surface waters and its
distribution in Tethyan realm can be explainedby temperature control (Mutterlose, 1989;
Dumoulin and Bown, 1992). Further, rarity of
Rhagodiscus asper is thought to reflect cold
water surface temperature (Erba, 1987). Thereis progressive increase in R. asper specimensfrom Albian to Santonian time in Jaisalmer
succession followed by occurrence ofNephrolithus spp., another cold water taxa.
The coexistence of Nannoconus spp.
and S. primitivum suggests mixing of
nannoflora due to the mixing of warm and cold
water masses as the study area was transitional
between low latitude (Tethyan) and highlatitude (? Austral) provinces and perhaps it
also implies to the limit of their ecologicaltolerance.

References:
Baumgartner, P.O., Bown, P.; Marcoux, J., Mutterlose, J., Kaminski, M., Haig, D & McMinn,A.
1992. Early Cretaceous biogeographic and oceanographic synthesis of Leg 123 (Offnorthwestern Australia). Proc. of ODP, Sci. Res., 123: 739-758.
190

Dumoulin, J.A. & Bown, P.R. 1992. Depositional history, nannofossil biostratigraphy andcorrelation of Argo abyssal plain Sites 765 and 261. Proc. of ODP, Sci. Res., 123: 3-56.
Erba, E. 1987. Mid-Cretaceous cyclic pelagic facies from the Umbrian-Marchean Basin: what dothe nannofossils suggest? INA Newsletter, 9: 52-53.
Kale, A.S. & phansalkar, V.G. 1992. Nannofossil biostratigraphy of the Utatur Group, Trichinopoly
district, South India. Mem. di Scienze Geol., XLIII: 89-107.
Kulhanek D.K. & Wise, S.W. Jr. 2006. Albian calcareous nannofossils from ODP Site 1258,
Demerara Rise. Revue de Micropaléontologie, 49: 181-195.
Mutterlose, J. 1989. Temperature controlled migration of calcareous nannofloras in the NW
European Aptian. In: Crux, J.A. and Heck, S.E. van (eds). Nannofoosils and theirapplications. Ellis Horwood, Chichester: 122-142.
Mutterlose, J. 1992. Biostratigraphy and palaeobiogeography of Early Cretaceous calcareous
nannofossils. Cretaceous Res., 13: 167-189.
Tappan, H. 1980. The Paleobiology of Plant Protists: San Francisco (W.H.Freeman).

191

P29: Aptian micro-organisms captured in amber: first records from the eastern
margin of Eurasia
Kubota, A.1, Iba, Y.1, Hikida.2, Y and Yi, K.3,
1

Dept. Nat. Hist. Sci., Hokkaido Univ., 060-0810, Hokkaido, Japan(a-kubota@mail.sci.hokudai.ac.jp)
2

Nakagawa Mus. Nat. Hist., 098-2626, Hokkaido, Japan
3

Korea Basic Sci. Inst., 363-883, Chungbuk, Korea

Introduction
Micro- and soft-bodied organisms
such as insects and fungi play an important rolein terrestrial ecosystems during the Earth’s
history. Especially, they have promoted
evolution of plants that are essential elementsof terrestrial environment. Angiosperms, whicharose in the Early Cretaceous and now accounts
for 98％ of living terrestrial plants species,
have also co-evolved with insects and fungi bytheir pollination, decomposition and nutrient
supply.
Fossil records of micro- andsoft-bodied organisms are mostly restricted toamber because amber protects them frompressure, decomposition or oxidization(Martínez-Delclòs et al., 2004; Perrichot andGirard, 2009). In amber, we can observe
three-dimensionally preserved organisms. The
Mid-Cretaceous represents the most important
periodforunderstanding
theinitialco-evolution between insects, fungi, andangiosperms. Though Mid-Cretaceous amber
localities are rare, we recovered new amber
containing deposits in northern Japan.

geological age was determined by age
diagnostic ammonites and SHRIMP U-Pb
dating of zircon in the intercalated tuff.
Bio-inclusions of amber are observed under adigital zoom microscope for systematic
determinations.
Results and Discussion
Amber is highly abundant in proximal
turbidites, which overlies the deep-sea
mudstone of the uppermost part of the SorachiGroup. This observation implies the existenceof an enigmatic sedimentary event at theboundary between the Sorachi and the Yezo
Group, which transported numerous resins into
the deep sea by turbidity currents. The
depositional age of amber-turbidite is about
118 Ma (late Early Aptian). Numerous
terrestrial bio-inclusions occur in the amber,such as arthropods (e.g., Diptera, Chacidoidea,mite), fungi (unidentified mycelium, spore-likeobjects, and septum), pollens (Classopollis?
and Cyatheaceae?), plant fragments (tracheids
and stellate hair). These occurrences are thefirst reports of bio-inclusions in the Aptian
amber from the eastern margin of Eurasia.
Tricolpate pollen, the pollen type of
predominant angiosperm groups at present, hasrecently been reported from uppermost part of
Sorachi
Group
in
the
same
area
(Barremian?-Aptian) (Tanaka and Hirano,2009). This represents the oldest record ofangiosperm in Asia at all. Further studies of the
Aptian amber bio-inclusions will provide
criticalinformation
about
earliest
co-evolutionary history of angiosperm andmicro-biota.

Geological Settings and Methods
The Yezo Group is exposed in a belt
roughly 1200 km long from Sakhalin Island tosouthern Hokkaido and consists of a thick
Aptian to Paleocene fore-arc siliciclastic
sequence. Amber-concentrated strata areintercalated in the lowest part of the Yezo
Group in Nakagawa area, northern Hokkaido,
Japan. To clarify depositional environments
and processes of ambers, sedimentary andichnofacies analyses have been done. The
192

References:
Martínez-Delcòs, X., Briggs, D. and Peñalver, E. 2004. Taphonomy of insects in carbonates andamber. Palaeo-3, 203: 19-64.
Perrichot,V. and Girard,V. 2009. A Unique Piece of Amber and the Complexity of Ancient Forest
Ecosystems. Palaios, 24: 137-139.
Tanaka, S. and Hirano, H. 2009. First Appearance of Angiosperm pollen in the JapaneseCretaceous: Pollen Fossils from the Lower Cretaceous of the Teshionakagawa area of
Hokkaido. Palynol. Soc. Japan, 55: 67-75.

193

P30: The tentative new Cretaceous non-marine ostracods from the southern coast of
Korean peninsula
Choi B.-D.1, Jugdernamjil, M. 2 and Huh, M.1
1

Dept. Earth Sys. Env. Sci. & Korea Dinosaur Res. Center, Chonnam Nat. Univ., Gwangju 500-757,
Republic of Korea (forzalazio@naver.com)
2

Paleont. Center, Mongolian Acad. of Sci., Enkhtaivan Avenue, 63 Ulaanbataar, Mongolia

We have many Cretaceous terrestrial
basins in Korea. Especially various kinds offossils including vertebrates, invertebrate andplant fossils are found from the Cretaceous
sedimentary deposits. Among them, theHampyeong Basin (Aptian? – Albian?) and the
Jinju Formation (Albian; the lower part ofGyeongsang
Basin)
arethemostwell-preserved ostracod fossil deposits in South
Korea. In this study, we collected 11 species of
6 genera from the Black shale of theHampyeong Basin in Hampyeong County, andalso 13 species of 7 genera were identified
from the Black shale of the Jinju Formation in
Jinju City. All ostracods species are divided bybiostratigraphic units
asfollows:
1)
Hampyeong Basin: Cypridea subprognata, C.
cf. changluensis, C. sp., Darwinula aff.
Leguminella, Candona cf. arcinaeformis, C. sp.,
Lycopterocypris cf. profunda, Timiriasevia

194

principalis, Mongolocypris hampyeongensis sp.
nov., and Mongolocypris huhi sp. nov.. 2) Jinju
Formation: Cypridea sp. 1, C. sp. 2, C. sp. 3, C.
sp. 4, C. sp. 5, Mongolocypris sp. 1, M. sp. 2.,
Scabriculocypris jinjuria, Lycopterocypris sp.,
Candona sp., Limnocypridea? sp., Djungarica
sp. and Darwinula sp.. Among the ostracods,
Mongolocypris
hampyeongensis,
Mongolocypris huhi, Mongolocypris sp. 1 andMongolocypris sp. 2 are considered as new
species,andformerCypridea(Pseudocypridina) jinjuria Choi, 1990 revised
as a species of genus Scabriculocypris. Thesefour species of genus Mongolocypris andrevised species of Scabriculocypris are to be
described further. The results of this study are
expected to provide more information for
paleoecologicalandpaleoenvironmental
reconstruction of Cretaceous strata in East Asia.

P31: Cheilostome bryozoans from the Upper Cretaceous Himenoura Group, Kyushu,
Japan
Sakamoto, C.1, Dick, M. H.2, Komatsu, T.1, and Miyake, Y.1
1

Grad. Schl. Sci. Tech., Kumamoto Univ., 2-39-1 Kurokami, Chuo-ku Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan(130d8054@st.kumamoto-u.ac.jp)
2

Dept. Nat. Hist. Sci., Fac. Sci., Hokkaido Univ., N10 W8, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan(mhdick@mail.sci.hokudai.ac.jp)

Cheilostomes (Phylum Bryozoa, Class
Gymnolaemata, Order Cheilostomata), thedominant modern bryozoan group, originatedin the late Jurassic. Starting in the
mid-Cretaceous (late Albian to early
Cenomanian), they began an explosive
radiation that has continued to the present.
Prior to our study, there were few records of
any Cretaceous cheilostome from eastern Asia.
Upper
Cretaceous(SantonianMaastrichtian?) strata in the Himenoura Groupare widely distributed on the Amakusa andKoshikijima Islands, southwestern Kyushu,
Japan. Lower to Middle Campanian strata inthis group consist of non-marine and shallow
marine siliciclastics, and crop out in the
Kashima area, northern Shimokoshikijima
Island. In western Nakayama in the central partof the Kashima area, Lower to Middle
Campanian outer-shelf mudstone is exposed(Locs. 01a-g) and yields abundant bivalves,
gastropods, ammonoids, echinoids, bryozoans,and radiolarians (Komatsu et al., 2014). At
Locs. 01a-g and 02, a section of mudstone
about 20 m thick, intercalated with thinlaminated sandstone beds and layers, is
subdivided into lower and upper parts. The
lower part yields the Santonian to Lower
Campanian ammonoid Eupachydiscus haradaiand Santonian to Campanian Inoceramus
assemblages consisting mainly of Inoceramus
ezoensis and Inoceramus toyajoanus. The
upper part is characterized by the Middle
Campanian bivalve Sphenoceramus schmidti.
Abundant bryozoan fossils occur in the lower

part of the section at Loc. 01b, and in the upper
part at Loc. 02. Bryozoan colonies, corals, andcalcareous serpulid tubes commonly encrustlarge inoceramid and ammonoid shells.
From approximately 50 bryozoan
specimens collected at Locs. 01b and 02, wedetected 5 cheilostome species, 4 of themforming multiserial encrusting colonies andanother forming an erect, branching colony.
We have preliminarily identified the encrusting
species as Conopeum sp. nov., Marginaria sp.
nov., Charixa sp., and ?Antropora sp. The
generic assignment of the erect species is
unclear. Species of Conopeum and Antropora
have previously been reported from Cretaceous
shelf sediments in the USA and England, andboth genera persist today. Charixa has beenreported from Early Cretaceous shallow marine
deposits in England, South Africa, and Japan.
In the USA and Europe, Upper
Cretaceous
bryozoanassemblages
arecharacterized by a high diversity ofcheilostomes. For example, Taylor and
McKinney (2006) reported 94 cheilostome
speciesfrom
Campanian-Maastrichtiansiliciclastic and chalky sediments on the
Atlantic and Gulf Plains of the USA. In
contrast, the bryozoan assemblage in theCampanian Himenoura Group is low indiversity (both of cheilostome and cyclostomebryozoans). In this study, we will focus oncomparing the composition of Campaniancheilostome assemblages in the Himenoura
Group with coeval Tethyan assemblages.

195

Fig. 1 Scanning electron microcope (SEM) images of silicone casts of bryozoan colonies. A, B, Conopeum sp. nov. A,
Autozooids, with paired, triangular kenozooids at corners of proximal gymnocyst. B, Enlargement showing buttressedpore chambers. C, Marginaria sp. nov. Part of colony, showing autozooids, ovicells, and avicularia. D, Charixa sp.
E, ?Antropora sp. F, Part of an erect, branched cheilostome colony. Scale bars: (A) 0.2 mm; (B) 0.05 mm; (C, D, E) 0.5mm; (F) 1 mm.

References:Taylor and McKinny, 2006. Cretaceous Bryozoa from the Campanian and Maastrichtian of theAtlantic and Gulf coastal plains, United States. Scripta Geologica, 132, 1–346.
Komatsu et al, 2014. Stratigraphy, fossils and depositional environments of the Upper Cretaceous
Himenoura Group on the Koshikijima Islands. Excursion Guidebook, Journal of theGeological Society of Japan, Supplement. (In press)
196

P32: Characteristics and modes of construction of rudist-bearing reefs unique to the Yura
area, Wakayama Prefecture, southwest Japan
Hirata, Y.1, Minami, S.2, 3, Adachi, N.1, and Ezaki, Y.2
1

Dept. Geosci., Naruto Univ. of Edu., Naruto, Tokushima 772-8502, Japan(13819067@naruto-u.ac.jp)

2

Dept. Geosci., Osaka City Univ., Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
3

JA Coop., Koraibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka 541-0043, Japan (Present address)

Introduction
Rudists, which were sessile gregarious
bivalves that appeared in the Late Jurassic anddisappeared at the end of the Cretaceous,formeddense
usually
monospecificaggregations on carbonate platforms during theCretaceous (Hernández, 2011). However,occurrencesof
Late
Jurassic–earliest
Cretaceous rudists in reef environments havenot been fully documented. A well-developed
Upper Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous limestone
mass in southwest Japan (the so-called
Torinosu Limestone) contains abundantreef-building organisms such as corals,
stromatoporoids, and microencrusters (e.g.,
Shiraishi and Kano, 2004; Ohga et al., 2013).
Rudists have been recently reported from theTorinosu Limestone at several localities (e.g.,
Sano et al., 2008; Sano and Skelton, 2010;
Kakizaki et al., 2011). Kakizaki et al. (2011)
reported that some rudists and associatedmicroencrusters produced small framestones.
However, no previous study has documented
the relationship of these Late Jurassic–earliest
Cretaceous rudists to reef construction. Here,
we report on a primitive group of rudists(Diceratidae, Valletia) that, along with a varietyof microencrusters, constructed reefs which arepreserved in the Yura Formation in the Yura
area, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. The Yura
Formation, which belongs to the Chuki
Complex of the Southern Chichibu Terrane(e.g., Yao, 2012), includes late Kimmeridgianammonites (Zeiss et al., 2003) and Late
Jurassic radiolarians (Yao, 1985). First, we
describethecharacteristics
oftherudist-bearing reefs based on observations in

the field and on polished slabs and thin sections.
We then discuss the modes of construction of
the rudist-bearing reefs in light of mutual
relationships between the rudists andmicroencrusters.
Characteristics of rudist-bearing reefs
A lenticular fossiliferous limestone
body (37 m in thickness) was examined in theYura area, Wakayama Prefecture. The
rudist-bearing reefs, which take the form ofsmall-scale domes (0.5–2.5 m in height), areprominently developed at intervals of 6 to 15 m.
The reefs are constructed on oolitic andpeloidal limestones, and show lateraltransitions to bioclastic limestone in which
domal and tabular stromatoporoids or
branching corals are preserved in places. The
rudists occupy up to 40%–45% of the volumeof the reefs. They show remarkably asymmetric
growth forms (~2.0 cm in diameter) consistingof a much larger conical (right) valve and asmaller opercular (left) valve. The valves ofmost of the preserved rudists are articulated,
and little damage to the shells was observed.
The conical right valves are attached directly tothe substrate, which is comprised of microbial
micrite. The aggregated rudists tend to grow inthe same direction. The surfaces of the rudists
aredirectly
encrustedbyvariousmicroencrusters,
including
Lithocodium,
Ortonella, and Girvanella, and Bacinella fills
the remaining spaces. Bacinella is the mostabundant microencruster, with subordinate
Lithocodium, Ortonella, and Girvanella.
Well-sorted ooids, peloids, and bioclasts(including foraminifers and thin-shelled197bivalves) are found within the interiors ofindividual rudists, as well as withininter-framework spaces.

frameworks. Thus, although different in scale,the rudist-bearing structures in both areas may
have been produced through similar processes;
i.e., by the combined activities of rudists andmicroencrusters.
The evidence described above
suggests that reefs in the Yura area wereconstructed through mutual interactions
between rudists and microencrusters, according
to the following succession. (1) Microbes firstbecame established on the bioclastic or oolitic
sediments and stabilized the underlying
sediments. (2) Rudists colonized the stabilized
sediments. (3) Lithocodium, Ortonella, andGirvanella directly encrusted the surfaces of
the rudists, and were then substrates for further
encrustation.
Bacinellafilledtheinter-framework
spacesintherudist-microencruster frameworks. Bacinella,
which was the most abundant microencruster,
was important as an encruster, binder, andconsolidator of reef frameworks. (4)Gregarious rudists further colonized theframework and grew upwards in association
with the activities of microencrusters. Thus, aseries of reef-building processes led to theconstruction of the rudist-microbial reefs.
The modes of reef construction provide us
with invaluable information on the early
evolution and palaeoecology of rudists, ontransitions involving the compositions andstructures of reefs during the Late Jurassic andCretaceous, and on marine palaeoenvironments
which were suitable for colonization by
rudist-microencruster communities.

Modes of construction of rudist-bearing
reefs
In most cases, the rudists observed in
the Yura area possess articulated valves, arepreferentially oriented, and are well preserved.
The available evidence suggests that the rudists
were preserved in a growth position. Whether
or not they formed rigid reef frameworks orwere merely bafflers forming bafflestones is amatter of debate (e.g., Gili et al., 1995; Flügel,2004). The rigid frameworks in the Yura area
were not constructed by rudists alone. Rather,abundant microencrusters played a pivotal rolein consolidating the rudist frameworks, by
encrusting their surfaces and filling inter-rudist
spaces. Thus, the rudists constructed the reefs
with rigid frameworks, with the aid of various
microbial organisms that stabilized, encrusted,filled, and consolidated the reef framework.
Although not reported as reef structures,
small-scale (~1–2 m) rudist and microencruster
framestones were recently reported from theTorinosu Limestone in the Shirokawa area,
Ehime Prefecture, Japan (Kakizaki et al.,2011); however, the rudist-bearing structures inthis area differ from those in our study, which
are much larger in scale and exhibit a greater
diversity of microencrusters. However, therudist-bearing structures in both the Yura andShirokawa
areas
includeabundant
microencrusters (e.g., Bacinella) which
contributed greatly to the construction of theReferences:
Flügel, E. 2004. Microfacies of carbonate rocks: analysis, interpretation and application.
Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg.
Gili, E., Masse, J.P., and Skelton, P.W. 1995. Rudists as gregarious sediment-dwellers, notreef-builders, on Cretaceous carbonate platforms. Palaeo-3 118: 245-267.
Hernández, O.J. 2011. Fossils Explained: Rudists. Geology Today 27: 74-77.
Kakizaki, Y., Sano, S., and Kano, A. 2011. Autochthonous occurrence of rudist andmicroencrusters from the Late Jurassic Torinosu-type Limestone in Nakatsugawa in the
Shirokawa area, western Shikoku, Southwest Japan. Mem. Fukui Pref. Dinosaur Mus. 10:
113-20 (in Japanese with English abstract)
Ohga, H., Kolodziej, B., Noze, M., Schmid, D.U., Takayanagi, H., and Iryu, Y. 2013. Sedimentary
facies and biofacies of the Torinosu Limestone in the Torinosu area, Kochi prefecture,
Japan. Island Arc 22: 150-169.
Sano, S., Morino, Y., Skelton, P.W., Mimoto, K., Nose, K., and Hirota, T. 2008. Late
Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous rudists from the Torinosu-type limestones in Southwest
Japan-preliminary report. Mem. Fukui Pref. Dinosaur Mus. 7: 67-81 (in Japanese withEnglish abstract)198

Sano,

S., and Skelton, P.W. 2010. Epidiceras (Bivalvia, Hippuritoidea) from theTithonian-Berriasian Torinosu-type limestones of the Sakawa area, Southwest Japan.
Turkish J. Earth Sci. 19: 733-743.
Shiraishi, F., and Kano A. 2004. Composition and spatial distribution of microencrusters andmicrobial crusts in upper Jurassic-lowermost Cretaceous reef limestone (Torinosu
Limestone, southwest Japan). Facies 50: 217-227.
Yao, A. 1985. Geology of Yura Town. In: Ichikawa, K., Ishii, K., Yamagiwa, N., and Yao, A. (eds.)
Geology of Yura Town. Record of Yura Town (Vol. Hist. Materials): 8-27. (in Japanese)
Yao, A. 2012. The Chichibu and Kurosegawa terranes in the western part of the Kii Peninsula. J.
Geol. Soc. Japan 118: 90-106 (in Japanese)
Zeiss, A., Schwegert, G., Sato, T., and Yao, A. 2003. Late Kimmeridgian Ammonites from theYura Formation of Kii, SW Japan. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie
2003-1: 1-10.

199

P33: Bivalves from the Upper Cretaceous Himenoura Group on Shimokoshiki-jima Island,
Kagoshima, Japan
Miyake, Y. and Komatsu, T.
Grad. Schl. Sci. Tech., Kumamoto Univ., Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan(121d9010@st.kumamoto-u.ac.jp)

The Upper Cretaceous Himenoura
Group is exposed on the northern part of
Shimokoshiki-jimaIsland,Kagoshima
Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. The groupcomposed mainly of non-marine to marine
fossiliferous
siliciclastic
deposits.
The
successions of this group are important forunderstanding regional correlations, coastal
environments and brackish-water and shallow
marine fauna during the Upper Cretaceous in
the East Asia.
In the study area, the Himenoura
Group is divided into three parts, the lithologic
unit B4 described by Tanaka and Teraoka(1973), Nakayama and Imuta formations(newly defined) in ascending order. The
Nakayama Formation composed mainly ofshallow marine sandstone and mudstone
contains the upper Santonian to lower
Campanian
Eupachydiscus
haradai(ammonoid) and the middle Campanian
Sphenoceramus schmidti (inoceramids). The
Imuta Formation is characterized bynon-marine deposits yielding brackish-waterbivalves (Crassostrea) and in-situ roots, and isoverlain by the middle Campanian marine
deposits (Aramaki et al., 2013).
We collected over 30 species of bivalves fromthe slope, shelf, shoreface, and tidal deposits in
the Nakayama and Imuta formations. Tidal

deposits yield abundant brackish-waterbivalves Crassostrea sp. and Corbula
ushibukensis. In-situ preserved Crassostrea
colonies are commonly found in the tidal
deposits characterized by tidal bundles andbioturbated sandstones. In-situ preserved
Yaadia koshikiana and Yaadia japonica arecommon in the lower Campanian upper
shoreface sandstones. The middle Campanian
upper shoreface sandstone yields only
autochthonous Yaadia japonica. Abundant
shell concentrations consisting of Loxo
japonica and Glycymeris amakusensis areembedded within lower shoreface to inner shelfsandstone
containing
hummockycross-stratification.
Autochthonousandparautochthonous L. japonica and G.
amakusensis are found in bioturbated sandstone
overlying hummocky cross-stratified sandstone.
Inoceramus
ezoensis,I.
toyajoanus,
Sphenoceramus
naumanni,
Apiotrigonia
imutensis, A. postonodosa, Ezonuculana sp.
and “Eriphyla” sp. are collected abundantly
from outer shelf mudstone. In-situ preserved
Nanonavis sachalinensis, Acila hokkaidoensis
and G. amakusensis are common in bioturbatedsandy mudstone of shelf deposits. Slope facies
characterized by slump deposits containarticulated Nucula sp. and Nanonavis sp.

References:
Tanaka and Teraoka, 1973. Bulletin of the Geological Survey of Japan, 24, 157-184.
Aramaki, Komatsu, Miyake, Takahashi and Tsutsumi, 2013. Journal of the Geological Society ofJapan, 119, 45-50.

200

Geoparks highlighting Cretaceous

P34: Working on ‘Amakusa Goshoura Geopark’Ugai, H.1, Hirose, K.1, Hase, Y.1, Miyake, Y.2 and Komatsu, T.2
1

Goshoura Cretaceous Mus., 866-0313, Amakusa, Kumamoto, Japan
2

Kumamoto Univ., 860-8555, Kumamoto, Japan

Abstract
Goshoura area is located on thesoutheastern coast of Amakusa Islands inKumamoto Prefecture, and is surrounded bycalm sea. Goshoura Town consists of 18
isolated islands, including 15 uninhabitedislands, extending 7 kilometers southeast of
Amakusa Islands. Rare display of dinosaur andmammalian fossils and experience of shellfossils hunting in this island are attracting
visitors.

Himeura Group are exposed at various places,
mostly in central part of Goshura Islands. At
Isle of Maeshima and western coast of
Goshoura Island, some lower part of thesestrata contains abundant remains of ammonite,large marine bivalves and rarely fish andechinoderms. On the basis of fossil zones suchas Ammonite fossil zone and radiolarianbiostratigraphic zone, are found at the lower
part of the Himeura Group to late Cretaceousage (85 million years).

Geology of Goshoura area in Amakusa
Islands
The geology of Goshoura Islands
consists of Cretaceous and Tertiary strata.
Cretaceous strata are widely exposed from
central to eastern part of these islands, such as
Goshoura, Makishima and Yokoura Islands.
They are divided into the Goshoura and
Himeura Groups in ascending order. Tertiary
strata are narrowly exposed in western part of
the Makishima, Yokoura and TakeshimaIslands, and they are divided into the Miroku
and Hondo Groups.
The Goshoura Group of lagoonal or
shallow marine siltstone and lacustrine
sandstonethatarealternating
withconglomerates and shales is mainly formed of
middle Cretaceous age (98 million years).
These strata are distributed in eastern part of
Goshoura Island. Fossil remains of dinosaurs,
turtles, crocodiles, fish, crustaceans, mollusks
and plants have been found here. Fossil
remains of dinosaur are found at three horizonsin these strata on Eboshoi quarry, Kyodomari
bay and in the Hanaokayama fossil park.
The deep-sea clays or shakes that arealternating with some thinner sandstones of theWorking on ‘Amakusa Goshoura Geopark’
The board of education of Amakusa
City has a project based on a cultural
promotion plan called “All Islands Museum”
which proposes a design for a network ofcultural facilities and a kind of field museum
designed to promote cultural and historical
heritage sites in the city. In conjunction with
this, there is a proposed plan entitled ‘Amakusa
Geopark.’ The plan will start at the Goshoura
area and will eventually cover all of the
Amakusa Islands. After that, an application
will be made to add Amakusa Geopark to the
Global Geopark Network.
There are many important geologic
aspects including valuable fossils of dinosaurs,
mammals and mollusks in the Goshoura area.
There are over 40 educational spots for finding
fossils in the area, a fossil park, a show-houseof ammonite and others with plates for
explanation, not to mention various dinosaur
remains.
There are short trip programs giving
elementary, junior high school and high school
students hands-on experience in fossil
identification and gathering. The programs fortourists, which include taking fossils, learning a201some neighboring city and town will apply tohave Amakusa Geopark join the Global
Geoparks Network.
We have some plans to encourage
volunteer service and will prepare English
language geologic guide panels. We will also
continue to produce successive plans for thepark and publish a guidebook for Japanesevisitors.

traditional fishing method called tontoko-ryo
and a home-stay plan.
We think that the actions and events
which began in 1997 in Goshoura area, alreadycomply with the main theme of the geopark.
Amakusa City will start consultation for
Amakusa Geopark in 2009 and will apply to
the Japanese Geopark Committee. Within three
years from that time, Amakusa City, along with202

P35: Selecting potential geosites in the eastern Kii Peninsula, Southwest Japan
Dorota Kapuscik
Dept. Edu., Waseda Univ., 169-8050, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo, Japan (dkapuscik@gmail.com)

either, therefore, proposed locations require
more promotion activities and should be
supported by a secondary offer.
This work also focus on the lack ofgeotouristic infrastructure that would makeavailable all site’s advantages for educational
and tourism purposes. An improvement ofexisting facilities, such as JR Sangu Line toform a kind of ‘geo-train’ offering trips along
the MTL in the Ise City, might be significant
for geotouristic activities in the region.
Establishing a tentative geotouristic courses,
including the location of the MTL in the Geku
(outer) Shrine of the famous Grand Shrine andthe Arashima coast area, would give a
relatively easy access to most valuable sites,
whereas an access to geological information
about particular site on the Internet and/or
provided by information boards might enhance
the attractiveness of selected objects and help
tourists with better understanding the geology
of visited area.

The concept of geosite gives various
opportunities for local economy growth andpopularization of geological knowledge. The
eastern Kii peninsula presents various
geological features formed by plate subduction
along trenches, such as the accretionary
complexes, a high-pressure metamorphic rocks
and the Median Tectonic Line (MTL). The aimof this presentation is to describe thegeotouristic potential of the study area based on
the presence of significant rock exposures andset the basis for establishing geosites in future.
A first selection of prospective sites
was made, based on study documents on thegeomorphology and history of the eastern Kii
Peninsula, and collecting data from surface
exposures in analyzed areas. Geologicallyimportant objects have been picked up together
with places of unique history and culture within
the Ise and Toba City. In fact, the potential ofthis region is not properly used and most ofinteresting geological sites are not well known

203

P36: Hakusan Tedorigawa Geopark: activity utilizing Early Cretaceous fossils andterrestrial sequences
Hasegawa, T.1 and Hibino, T.2
1

Faculty of Natural Systems, Institute of Natural Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University,
920-1192, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan. jh7ujr@staff.kanazawa-u.ac.jp

2

Hakusan Tedorigawa Geopark Promotion Council, 924-8688, 2-1 Kuramitsu, Hakusan, Ishikawa,Japan. t-hibino@city.hakusan.lg.jp
Topography of the geopark is also fullof diversity: from highly elevated alpine belt(altitude of 2,702 m), the Tedori River flow
through the upper stream of V-shaped valley,
the midstream with river terraces, beautifully
expanded fan at the mouth of the valley andfinally reaches to the Japan Sea. A dramatic 72
km has a spectacular variety of riverine
topography as a natural textbook of an ideal
river.

HakusanTedorigawa
Geopark
encompasses over the entire area of Hakusan
City, Ishikawa Prefecture in the Hokuriku
region, Japan. It is selected as a national
geopark (Japanese Geopark) by Japanese
Geopark Committee in 2011 and continues its
activity to join Global Geopark Network as amember near future.
The main concept of the geopark is“Water nurtures the lives – on the way throughthe Mountain, River and Sea”. On the basis of
the water circulation in the area of Hakusan
City, we emphasize water movement on andbeneath the ground and associated erosion,transportation and sedimentation observed insuch a compact area.

These geologic and topographic
resources are utilized for learning how strata
and surface topography are evolved. Movementof water is emphasized as “Journey of Water”,
and special attention is also paid totransportation of debris as “Odyssey ofStones”: such romantic “tour story” is utilized
not only for travelers but also for regional
students and people as a part of scientificeducation.

Geology of the area is composed ofvariety of elements: metamorphic rocks
associated with collision of microplates in latePaleozoic, Early Cretaceous non-marine fresh
water, brackish water and marine sediments,
debris flow deposits derived from intensified
volcanic activities during Late Cretaceous
through Cenozoic, volcanics erupted inassociation with Japan Sea opening during
Miocene, volcanics erupted during Quaternary.
The Early Cretaceous Tetori Group, which ismainly non-marine fresh water sediments, is a
special component of this geopark because ofits variety of fossils. It is internationallywell-known strata as it could give clue tounderstanding the evolution of the Jurassic andCretaceous animals and plants, and theircommunities.
204

Outcrop of fossil bluff in Hakusan Tedorigawa Geopark. Many
scientific descriptions of Early Cretaceous animals are madefrom this outcrop.

The journey and odyssey of water andstones, the topics of this geopark are often
recognized as phenomena over the surface ofthe present ground; however, they also give a
principle of strata formation and evolution of
the earth: it is another story to tell. The fossil
site, “fossil bluff” of the Tetori Group is ageosite that plays important role for thisgeostory.

water and stones that nurture lives throughdeep ancient period until now and future. The
Tetori Group, Early Cretaceous strata is an
important resource for Hakusan Tedorigawa
Geopark that plays a role to extend the range of
geostories and entire picture of the geopark.
The odyssey is on and beneath the groundAND trough time.

We can realize the flow regime ofprehistoric river from the alternating beds ofsandstone and mudstone. The fossil communityfrom the outcrop gives us a specific impressionof the environment of ancient river withecosystem rich in diversified animals andplants. The strata, fossils and outcrop of
Kuwajima fossil bluff geosite help the tourist to
study the uninterrupted journey and odyssey of

Keywords: Kuwajima Fossil Bluff, Tetori
Group, Journey of water, Odyssey of stones,
Water nurtures lives –on the way through themountains, rivers, and sea., Mt. Hakusan,
Tedori River.

205

P37: Geopark activities utilized results and materials of Cretaceous researches in the
Mikasa Geopark, Japan
Kurihara, K.1, 3 and Shimomura, K.2, 3
1Mikasa City Mus., 1-212-1 Nishiki-cho, Ikushumbetsu, Mikasa, Hokkaido 068-2111, Japan
2

Reg. Develop. Geopark Prom. Div., Mikasa City Office, 2 Saiwai-cho, Mikasa, Hokkaido
068-2192, Japan
3

Sec. Mikasa Geopark Prom. Coun., 2 Saiwai-cho, Mikasa, Hokkaido 068-2192, JapanThe Mikasa Geopark, admitted to theJapanese Geoparks Network (JGN) in 2013, islocated in the central Hokkaido, Japan. The
JGN is a specified non-profit organization
which provides support and a networking
platform for Japanese Geoparks and aspiring
Geoparks.
“Geopark” is a program supported by
UNESCO with the goal of protecting andconserving
importantgeologicalandgeomorphologic heritage, as well as utilizing
this Earth heritage in the areas of education,
disaster mitigation activities and geo-tourism,
all with the aim of sustainable development for
local communities.
The
Cretaceous
YezoGroup,
interpreted as forearc basin sediments, iswidely distributed in the Mikasa Geopark. This
group was probably deposited at approximately
35–45° N along a westward subduction margin
in the northeastern Asian continent. The strata
yield abundant, well-preserved macro- andmicrofossils, and thus there are many
paleontological studies using materials fromthe Yezo Group. Moreover, the Cretaceous
period was characterized by one of the warmest
climates during the Phanerozoic. Knowledge of
the Cretaceous
ocean-climate systems,
therefore, provides important information for
our life and environments undergoing theeffects of global warming.
Now the Mikasa Geopark is promoting
the various activities utilized results andmaterials of Cretaceous researches. In 2013, wehold the two courses of the geo-tour visiting theoutcrop of Cretaceous strata, and theexperience-based
programsusingtheCretaceous fossils as the museum activities.
About 100 persons in the geo-tour and 200
persons in the experience-based program took
place in. We carried out a questionnaire survey
for the participants of the geo-tour. As a result,most of participants were satisfied with the tour,
but some people pointed out the difficulty ofunderstanding
fossilsandgeologicalphenomena. We, therefore, need to plan the
better science programs for people who don’t
have knowledge of geosciences.

206

2014 September

Organizing Committee of the 2nd
International Symposium of IGCP608