Carboniferous Biostratigraphy, 

Northeastern Brooks Range, 

Arctic Alaska 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 884 

Carboniferous Biostratigraphy, 

Northeastern Brooks Range, 

Arctic Alaska 

By AUGUSTUS K. ARMSTRONG, U.S. Geological Survey, 

and BERNARD L. MAMET, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 884 

Eleven microfossil assemblage zones are recognized in 

two sections of Carboniferous rocks in the northeastern 

Brooks Range, correlated with six other previously 

described sections, and tied to the Cordilleran 

and Eurasian standards 

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON :1975 
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

ROGERS C. B. MORTON, Secretary 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

V. E. McKelvey, Director 

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data 

Armstrong, Augustus K. 

Carboniferous Biostratigraphy, northeastern Brooks Range, Arctic Alaska. 

(Geological Survey Professional Paper 884) 

Bibliography: p. 23-25. 

Includes index. 

Supt. of Docs. No.: I 19.16:884 

1. Geology, Stratigraphic-Carboniferous. 2. Micropaleontology-Alaska-Brooks Range. 3. Stratigraphic correlationAlaska-Brooks Range. I. Mamet, Bernard L., joint author. II. Title. III. Series: United States. Geological Survey. 

Professional Paper 884. 

QE67l.A7 557.3'08s [551.7'5] 75-619053 

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office 

Washington, D.C. 20402 

Stock Number 024-001-02667-8 
CONTENTS 

Page 

1\bstract -------------------------------------------------- 1 

Page 

Kongakut River section------------------------------------ 4 

Biostratigraphy ------------------------------------------ 7 

Microfauna! assemblage zones-------------------------- 7 

Introduction ---------------------------------------------- 1 

1\cknowledgments ____ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 

Stratigraphy ---------------------------------------------- 2 Microfossil list __________________________ ----------- _ -- 9 

~ndicott Group---------------------------------------- 2 Biota of the lagoonal facies, 1\lapah Limestone, Kongakut River 

Kekiktuk Conglomerate____________________________ 2 section __________________________________________________ 16 

Kayak(?) Shale------------------------------------ 2 

Lisburne Group -------------------------------------- 2 

Regional correlations -------------------------------------- 17 

Endicott Group---------------------------------------- 17 

Lisburne Group -------------------------------------- 19 

References cited ------------------------------------------ 23 

Wachsmuth and 1\lapah Limestones ________________ 2 

Wahoo Limestone__________________________________ 4 

Clarence River Section ------------------------------------ 4 Index ---------------------------------------------------- 27 

FIGURE 1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

10. 

11. 

12. 

13. 

14. 

15. 

16. 

ILLUSTRATIONS 

Page 

Index map ofnorthern 1\laska, and location of sections described in this report -------------------------------------- 2 

Regional stratigraphic correlation chart of the Lisburne Group of arctic 1\laska -------------------------------------- 3 

Stratigraphic column of the Clarence River section 71A-1,2, northeastern brooks Range and explanation oflithologic and 

paleontologic symbols used in this report---------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 

Photomicrographs of carbonate rocks and microfossils; Clarence River section 711\-1, 2, and Kongakut River section 

71A-3 ----------~------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 

Photograph of outcrops of Wahoo Limestone on the Clarence River-------------------------------------------------- 7 

Photograph ofCorweniajagoensis Armstrong in the Atokan age beds of Wahoo Limestone____________________________ 7 

Stratigraphic column of the Kongakut River section 71A-3, 4, 5, 6, northeastern Brooks Range ______________________ 8 

Photograph of the outcrop of the lower part of the Kongakut River section ------------------------------------------ 9 

Photomicrographs of carbonate rocks and microfossils, Kongakut River section 711\-3 -------------------------------- 10 

Photomicrographs of carbonate rocks and microfossils, Kongakut River section 711\-3, 4------------------------------ 12 

Photomicrographs of carbonate rocks and microfossils, Kongakut River section 711\-4, 5------------------------------ 14 

Graphs showing the distribution of microfossils in lagoonal facies of Kongakut River section__________________________ 18 

Carboniferous biostratigraphic correlation chart, northeastern Brooks Range, 1\laska -------------------------------- 20 

Photograph of stromatolites in the Alapah Limestone from the Plunge Creek section 701\-4 __________________________ 22 

Location map of Clarence River section 711\-1, 2 -------------------------------------------------- ________________ 23 

Location map ofKongakut River section 71A-3, 4, 5, 6 ------------------------------------------------------------ 23 

III 

CARBONIFEROUS BIOSTRATIGRAPHY, 

NORTHEASTERN BROOKS RANGE, ARCTIC ALASKA 

By AuGUSTUS K. ARMSTRONG1 and BERNARD L. MAMET2 

ABSTRACT 

Two sections of Carboniferous rocks were measured in the 

northeastern Brooks Range, arctic Alaska, and correlated with six 

other sections previously described. The section on the Clarence River 

is 739 m thick. Endicott Group sandstones and gray shales at the base 

of the section are 175 m thick and are Visean (Meramecian) in age. 

They are overlain by 564 m of Lisburne Group carbonate rocks of 

Visean (lower Chesterian) and Namurian-Westphalian (upper 

Chesterian, Morrowan, and Atokan) age. The base of the 1,062-mthick section on the Kongakut River is not exposed. The basal rocks of 

the Endicott Group are more than 341 m thick and are Visean 

(Meramecian) in age. They are overlain by 721 m of Lisburne Group 

rocks of Visean and Namurian (Meramecian and Chesterian) age. The 

Permian and Triassic Sadlerochit Formation unconformably overlies 

these Chesterian carbonate rocks. 

Within these two sections, 11 microfossil assemblage zones are 

recognized. They are correlated with six other sections in the 

northeastern Brooks Range and tied to the Cordilleran and Eurasian 

standards. 

The lower part of the Alapah Limestone in the Kongakut River 

section from 369 to 692 m represents shallow lagoonal sedimentation 

with a biota characterized by abundant calcispheres of the genera 

Calcisphaera, Parathurammina, and Vicinesphaera. 

Lithologic studies reveal that the Lisburne Group carbonate rocks 

on the northeastern Brooks Range were deposited in shallow waoor on 

a slowly subsiding shelf. During brief and possibly cyclic periods 

carbonate sedimentation exceeded subsidence and formed regional 

and local intertidal to supratidal carbonate deposits. 

INTRODUCTION 

In 1971 Armstrong and J. T. Dutro, Jr., measured and 

sampled the Clarence River Section, and Armstrong, 

1U.S. Geological Survey. 2U ni versity of Montreal, Montreal, Canada. 

H. N. Reiser, W. P. Brosge, and R. L. Detterman 

measured and sampled the Kongakut River section. 

These sections are described in this report and are 

correlated with three stratigraphic sections previously 

described by Armstrong, Mamet, and Dutro (1970) and 

three sections described by Mamet and Armstrong 

(1972) from the northeastern Brooks Range. A 

foraminiferal zonation for the Lisburne Group in the 

central and eastern Brooks Range was established by 

Armstrong, Mamet, and Dutro (1970) and extended by 

them (1971) to the Lisburne Group of the Lisburne Hills 

and sea cliffs of northwestern Alaska. 

A detailed systematic study and illustrations of the 

Carboniferous microfossils of the Lisburne Group are 

given by Mamet (in Armstrong and Mamet, 1975) with 

discussions of their stratigraphic and geographic 

ranges. 

This report extends this microfossil zonation of the 

Lisburne Group to the Franklin and Romanzof Mountains of northeastern Alaska. The correlated sections 

project in an east-west direction along the north flank of 

the Brooks Range, from Clarence River near the 

Canadian boundary west to the Sadlerochit Mountains, 

south of the Canning River to Marsh Fork, then finally 

east to the Romanzof Mountains in the northeastern 

Brooks Range with a line east to the Kongakut River 

(figs. 1, 2). The carbonate rock classification used in this 

report is that of Dunham (1962). 

A detailed historical review of stratigraphic studies of 

the Lisburne Group can be found in Bowsher and Dutro 

(1957) and Armstrong, Mamet, and Dutro (1970). 

1 
2 CARBONIFEROUS BIOSTRATIGRAPHY, NORTHEASTERN BROOKS RANGE, ARCTIC ALASKA 

50 0 

I I 1

1

1

1

1 i1l 

50 0 

Cape Thomson 

oe Long 

164' 

I 

50 

50 

I 

I 

I 

l 

158' 

100 MILES 

I I 

100 KILOMETRES 

Point Barrow 

NAVAL PETROLEUM 

RESERVE NO. 4 

Mountains • ~ · '--....,_ , 

I I BROOKS Noatak · "-....__ . 

~,;..,/'~' Baird 

t.ndicott 

OCEAN 

Umiat~ 

.~· 

* 

~ 

~ 

~ RANGE 

BEAUFORT 

Prudhoe Bay 

State No. I 

~ + Shainin Lake 

Mountains 

SEA \ 

FIGURE 1.-Index map of northern Alaska, and location of sections described in this report. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

We thank the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory 

(Barrow), Office of Naval Research, for its logistical 

support of fieldwork in the summers of1968, 1969, 1970, 

and 1971. We are grateful to our colleagues, J. Thomas 

Dutro, Jr., and William J. Sando, who helped in the 

preparation of the manuscript and provided critical 

review. 

STRATIGRAPHY 

ENDICOTT GROUP 

Kekiktuk Conglomerate.- Brosge, Dutro, Mangus, 

and Reiser (1962) named the basal sandstone beneath 

the Kayak(?) Shale in northeastern Alaska the Kekiktuk Conglomerate. The type section is on Whistler 

Creek, near the N eruokpuk Lakes. They found only 

indeterminate plant fragments within the formation 

and assigned it a Late(?) Devonian or Mississippian age, 

but they believed that it represents the basal conglomerate of the overlapping Mississippian sequence. Regionally, the Kekiktuk lies unconformably on strata 

ranging in age from Precambrian to Middle Devonian 

(Dutro and others, 1972). The base of the Kekiktuk 

Conglomerate is a pebble or cobble conglomerate 

grading upward to coarse-grained beach or near-shore 

deposits that in turn commonly grade upward into finer 

grained paralic sediments. The contact between the 

Kekiktuk Conglomerate and the overlying Kayak(?) 

Shale is generally gradational. 

Kayak(?) Shale-Mississippian dark-gray to black 

shales lie beneath carbonate rocks of the Lisburne 

Group throughout the eastern and central Brooks 

Range. Bowsher and Dutro (1957, p. 6) named these 

rocks the Kayak Shale, from the type locality on the 

south side of Mount Wachsmuth, east of Shainin Lake 

in the Endicott Mountains. The Kayak Shale at its type 

locality is Early Mississippian in age. Adjacent to and 

east of the Canning River, in the Arctic National 

Wildlife Range, a similar black shale occurs between 

the Kekiktuk Conglomerate and the Lisburne Group. 

Brosge, Dutro, Mangus, and Reiser (1962, p. 2185) 

stated ~~this shale is at least in part of Late Mississippian age." They added, ~~Because of geologic structure, 

this shale can not be mapped continuously into the type 

Kayak. It might therefore be a discrete unit entirely 

younger than the Kayak and separated from the Kayak 

by a disconformity with the Mississippian rocks." 

Following Brosge, Dutro, Mangus, and Reiser (1962), 

the shales in the area of this report are called Kayak (?) 

Shale. 

LISBURNE GROUP 

Wachsmuth and Alapah Limestones.-In the Shainin 

Lake area, Endicott Mountains, Bowsher and Dutro 

(1957, p. 3, 4, 6) recognized two new formations within 

the Lisburne Limestone and raised the Lisburne to 

group rank. The lower formation is the Wachsmuth 

Limestone, and the overlying one is the Alapah 

Limestone. Armstrong, Mamet, and Dutro's (1970, figs. 

3, 4) study indicates that on the basis of microfossils the 

age of the Wachsmuth at its type section is late Osagean 

(Zone 8) through Meramecian (Zone 12). They found 

that the Alapah Limestone contains microfaunas of 
~ 

€ ~{g 

~~~ 

~ e., 

alO> 

E a 

r~ 

a6e1s ueadoJn3 

9 ·g ·v '£ -v~L 

JaAil::! 1n~e6uo)t 

STRATIGRAPHY 

uepnwBN I I auo,saw'l ~edetv 

t dnoJ!) awnqsq 

~r---------------------+----------,--------------------------,-----,--L-+-----+----+----~----+---~-----+--~ 

~t! "'Ol 

c:~ 

~~ E"' <(::i: 

~ "' c: 

~ E 

< 

u 

iii 

I 

::;: 

z·~-v~L 

JSA!l::! aouaJeto 

·3 v~ ·1::1 '·N ~~ ·.1 ·a~ ·oas ·~·oN 

SiBIS lies ao~pnJd 

9jQWI1H-00JV 

L 'g-voL 

s~ JOzuewol::! 

£ 'z-VOL 

~JO::i ~SJBV'j 

9 'v-VOL 

JSAII::! 6u1uueo 

~-V69 

·s1V'l II~:IOJatpes UJ81S8M 

(L96 ~) OJIIlO 

pue Ja4SM08 

WOJj saweu 

Jaqwaw teWJOJUI 

UO!IBWJO::i 

dnOJ!) 

~ ~ -vB9 :m -vag :s-vas 

SUO!I09S S!Mal ade:) 

8UOjS8W'l 

OO~BM 

8UOjS8W'l 

oo~eM 

9UOjS8W!l 

OO~BM 

8UOjS9W'l 

OO~BM 

aUOJSBW!l 

oo~eM 

8UOjS8W'l 

OO~BM 

9UOiS9W!l 

004BM 

auo,saw!l ~edetv 

dnOJ!) awnqsn 

dnoJ!) aumqsq 

9UOjS9W!l 4BdBtV 

dnoJ!) awnqsn 

9UOjS9W!l 4BdBtV 

dnOJ!) awnqs'l 

9UOj5aW'l 4BdBtV 

dnOJ!) awnqsn 

8UOjS9W!l 4BdBtV 

dnoJ!) awnqsn 

8UOiS8W!l 4BdBI\I 

dnOJ!) 8UJI1QS!l 

) 8UOjS8W!l 4BdBtV 

I 

~ J. UO!IBWJO::i 1 UO!IBWJO::i J

1

. ~ i ~ ~ru6o>t ~eJOSBN I ! 

.51 

(~)4111W 

-S40BM 

9UOjS8W'l 4111WS~OBM 

dnOJ!) awnqs'l 

E' ~ + dnOJ!) awnqsn + ~ ~ r---------------------+-----~---+----~L---,-----,----,--~~~~4-----+---~-----+----~----+---~-----+--~ 

""'c: £~-vag UO!PSS J{~JJ ::> ::> 

;i ~99J:) ~B!N 411105 ~ : ~~: ~ 

~ r---------------------+---~~---+----~----+-----+----+---~~~-,-~~~-~~~"'+-----L--,~-----+----1-----+----1----~----1 gi ~ I : i G ~ -veg UO!P8S '§ 'j" dnoJ!) 'i' ~ ·g [!! 

< ~99J:) ~B!N 41JON = I aumqsq I l!l !'! 2 

auoz 

a6etqwasse teuneJWO!Ifol 

UO!iBWJOjjU9U!iUOOp!V'j 

sa~as tl!!OU!AOJd 

sa~as 

W81SAS 

ue~OIV UBMOJJOif\1 

8iPP!if\l J8M01 

NVINVA 

·1ASNN3d 

~~.~ ~~ ~~ ta c: ~ u 0 Q) 

.Q~ §til u 

~~ UE ..J (!)..J 

~E "" ;d~ 

UB!J8i5a40 

~ :· T .-"' 

l!l" 

~HI w§ ijj m.§ 

~ ~~ ii)gl! f6E -'E <((f) (!)..J ::::; 

uepaweJaif\1 

Jadctn 

NVIddiSSISSiif\1 

:: 

uea6eso 

J9M01 

"" 0 c: 

~~ ~E CC_:.J 

3 
4 CARBONIFEROUS BIOSTRATIGRAPHY, NORTHEASTERN BROOKS RANGE, ARCTIC ALASKA 

Meramecian (transition of Zones 12 and 13) through 

Chesterian (Zone 19) ages. 

Wahoo Limestone.-Brosge, Dutro, Mangus, and 

Reiser (1962, p. 2191-2192) described the type section of 

the Wahoo Limestone near Wahoo Lake as containing 

carbonate rocks of both Pennsylvanian(?) and Permian 

age. In the area of this report, the Wahoo Limestone as 

mapped by Reiser, Dutro, Brosge, Armstrong, and 

Detterman (1970) may contain carbonate rocks of Late 

Mississippian (very latest Chesterian) and Early and 

Middle Pennsylvanian age (Morrowan and Atokan). 

The Pennsylvanian limestones overlie Mississippian 

carbonate rocks without a recognizable hiatus. The 

boundary between the two systems and the zones within 

them are based on microfauna! assemblages. The beds 

of Atokan age are unconformably overlain by Late 

Permian arenaceous limestones, sandstones, and conglomerates in the lowest part of the Sadlerochit 

Formation. 

CLARENCE RIVER SECTION 

At the outcrops of the Carboniferous rocks on the 

Clarence River (fig. 3) the oldest unit, the Kekiktuk 

Conglomerate, rests with a marked unconformity on 

arenaceous lower Paleozoic limestones (H. N. Reiser, 

oral commun., 1973). The basal 3 m of the Kekiktuk 

Conglomerate is gray to dark-gray sandstones, 

siltstones, and thin coal beds in 0.3- to 0.5-meter-thick 

beds. 

Above this basal unit, the Kekiktuk Conglomerate is 

97 m of dark-gray shales, arenaceous limestone nodules 

in dark-gray shale, and gray to pale-yellow-brown thin 

siltstones and sandstones with thin coal beds. Minor 

amounts of interbedded thin gray argillaceous limestones are present, and a foraminifer-crinoidal 

packstone occurs 37.8 m above the base (fig. 4A). 

The contact of the Kekiktuk Conglomerate with the 

overlying Kayak(?) Shale is picked above the last thin 

coal bed at about the 100-m level. The Kayak(?) Shale 

consists of thin-bedded dark-gray shales, siltstones, and 

argillaceous fine-grained sandstones. Some thin-bedded 

siltstones and sandstones are reddish brown owing to 

hematitic cement. The contact of the Kayak(?) Shale 

with the Alapah Limestone is covered by a talus slope 

and is arbitrarily picked at about 175 m (fig. 3). 

The carbonate rocks of the Lisburne Group in this 

section are commonly altered by tectonic stress, and 

affected horizons are shown in figure 3. 

The first good outcrop of the Alapah Limestone, found 

at 198 m above the base, is gray dolomite, formed by 5-

to 10-micrometre-size dolomite rhombs, with abundant 

and well-developed birdseye structures, small lithoclasts, stromatolites, and calcite pseudomorphs of 

gypsum (fig. 4B ). The stromatolite zone is 15 to 17 m 

thick. The sedimentary structures clearly indicate a 

well-developed intertidal to supratidal facies. 

Above the intertidal to supratidal facies, exposures 

are poor (fig. 3) until about 308m above the base where 

typical Alapah crinoidal-bryozoan wackestones and 

packstones with nodular gray cherts are found. Detrital 

quartz sand is rare as is dolomite above the 250-m level, 

except for 1- to 3-m-thick dolomite beds at the 371- and 

396-m level. The dolomite is formed by dolomite rhombs 

in the 20- to 30-micrometre size. The Alapah-Wahoo 

contact is put at the first occurrence of massive 

limestone and pale-yellowish-orange interbeds at 425 m 

above the base. 

The Wahoo Limestone (fig. 5) is composed partly of 

tectonically stressed foraminifer-ooid grainstones (fig. 

4C), coarse-grained foraminifer-ooid lump grainstones 

(fig. 4D, E, F), bryozoan-crinoid packstones and wackestones, lime mudstones and pale-yellowish-orangeweathering argillaceous thin-bedded dolomites. Detrital quartz, 50- to 100-micro metre size, is common in the 

dolomites. Large colonial corals are common in the 

upper part of the Wahoo Limestone (fig. 6). 

The highest beds of the Wahoo Limestone are 

arenaceous packstone followed by 2 m of yellowishorange-weathering, arenaceous, bryozoan-crinoid 

wackestone. In the carbonate rocks the detrital quartz 

sand is 0.1-0.2 mm in size and rounded. The carbonate 

rocks of the Wahoo Limestone are 11nconformably 

overlain by Permian grayish-brown argillaceous calcareous siltstones and sandstones of the Sadlerochit 

Formation. 

KONGAKUT RIVER SECTION 

The Carboniferous section south of the Kongakut 

River (figs. 7, 8) is well exposed except that the lower 

part of the Kayak(?) Shale and older beds are cut out by 

a fault and covered by tundra. 

The Kayak(?) Shale from the base to 134 m is 

dark-gray fissile shale with a few 3- to 10-cm-thick 

argillaceous beds and lenses of brown to gray siltstone 

and fine-grained sandstone. From 134 to 341 m the 

Kayak(?) Shale is an alternating series of dark-gray 

shales and dark-gray argillaceous spiculitic . lime 

mudstones and wackestones (fig. 4G, H. 7, 9A ). A black, 

argillaceous lime mudstone with nodular to bedded 

chert is present from 192 to 223 m. It is very siliceous 

and spiculitic and contains fragments of bryozoans and 

echinoderms. This unit is dolomitic in zones with 

abundant 50- to 100-micrometre-size dolomite rhombs. 

The contact of the the Kayak(?) Shale with the Alapah 

Limestone is gradational. 

The lower part of the Alapah Limestone (fig. 7) from 

342 to 571 m is an argillaceous, coralliferous, thinbedded foraminiferal-algal-bryozoan-echinoderm 

wackestone and packstone (figs. 9B-H, lOA-D). From 
c c. .Q 

~ J --

725 

oio I x ln k 

I • * I x ln I xln 

I xln I -o- I .,. 

G 

p 

p I * -o-1 700 -~~r~i_~ T+--~ 

'T' * 

675 

1600 

p 

w xln 

X 

o 0 0 G 

I-L~-· D 

:><~ 

*! p 

- G r ,_, 0 G 

JH~l~ 0 0 0 

0 0 G P 

lv -o-1 575 -1-'-o---,1

- v-.-"+-G--1 

I 0 G I f--oe-

-{)- -<>- p 

'@:. o= "'= "--

F;g.-do o I p 

40 -o- -o-

~-0-~~~~¥}= I ;P=:j 550 ~-== _-

1 M 

D 

l oio w 

~ r; y 

AS 

21 

21 

gy 

~ 

r--

Stress 

r--

A? r--

Stress 

f----

A7 Stress 

gy 

r--

ye I 

r--

gy 

~ 21 ~ 

g; 

r---

~ 

STRATlCRAI'HY 

--- 1 ojo':, w 1' ~ *-- 525 _J-LC. • .::.T I ·-~*+=+- --1 

'1' (c? 

* I. '1' p 

1/ / D 

p 

500 w 

M 

p 

rr I * w LT * '1'1 - -k l- + 

p 

I 1' -...- P 

-_,. r: w 375 · ~ +-~ p 

350 

/ ojo ,...* D 

11-c- rr-1 ~ ~ p 

~r1 T -A l 

-++; 

11' *I p 

1

~ 

-o- * I 

- -1 *-. 1--;j;jA? 

21 

A7 

19 

AS 

dk 

gy 

-

yel 

-

yel 

yel 

-

gy 

-

yel 

-

gy 

-

300 

275 

250 C,+-,-- 1 -*c--T I . ..,-+--=p=---" z. ry.rJ j f-·/',1-• .----.-"-~..- _:'----j ~~ ~ 

~ 1' <( ~g.= ·~ X 

225 -

F;g. 

48 

200 

L :Z - D 

}7 _. IC• W 

/ 

D 

1 gy 

dk 

gy 

1l. 

Anhd 

lr= 

Anhd 

r=-

gy - ? -~ ? 175 -

j 

() 

18 

A4 150 ~-~~~ CCik g; 

~~~~~~c blk 

~.·. 

-

-

gy 

-

-

r-- 17A3 g; 

* I + M 

32s ~~----'171----1 

X ---

iii j-

() gy 

-

1.5cm 

coar 

dk 

g; 

blk 

c 

.!!! 

~ ~ 

dk 

g; 

dk 

g; 

5 

12~ 

A1~ gy 

-r--

100 

Colors 

yelyellow 

90 

D 

. . . · . 

;:···· · 

.

. ··.:· ... ·.··· · ', 

. · .. 

Explanation of lithologic 

and paleontologic symbols 

Dolomite 

50 Limestone 

M[;] 

10 

blk 

dk 

g; 

blk 

1 em 

coal 

1 em 

coal 

gy- Shale Sandstone Congbmerate gray 

orngorange 

dkdark 

t;kbiack 

Chert Argillaceous Coal 

limestone 

CARBONATE PARTICLES 

OTHER THAN FOSSILS 

Size Mud 

Coated particles 

one layer 

-oSuperficial 

ooid 

More than 

one layer 

0 

Ookl 

@ 

Pisoid 

SYMBOLS FOR FOSSIL 

PARTICLES 

Stromatolite 

11 Calcareous 

algae 

\ 

Sponge 

spicule 

& 

Abundant smaller 

foraminifer 

-eFusulinid 

E:l 

Solitary 

coral 

Q;J 

Colonial 

coral 

n Pelecypod 

TEXTURE 

Echinoderm 

T Bryozoan 

'7 Brachiopod 

,:;;::, 

Ostracode 

M - Lime mudstone Stress-tectonic 

W - Wackestone recrystallization 

D - Dolomite p- Packstone xln -Crystalline 

G - Grainstone Anhd - Anhydrite 

Sedimentary structures 

0 L_ 

Birds eye 

TI 

lnterdasts 

Crossbedding 

• Calcite pseudomorphs 

or gypsum 

FIGURE 3.-Clarence River section, 71A- 1, 2, northeastern Brooks Range, and explanation of lithologic and paleontologic symbols used 

in this report. 
6 CARBONIFEROUS BIOSTRATIGRAPHY, NORTHEASTERN BROOKS RANGE, ARCTIC ALASKA 

A B 

C D 

G H 

FIGURE 4.-Photomicrographs of carbonate rocks and microfossils, Clarence River section 71A-1, 2 and Kongakut River section 71A-3. 

Location shown in figures 3 and 7. 
BIOSTRATIGRAPHY 7 

571 to 576 m above the base superficial coated ooids and 

pelletoid packstones and abundant microfossils are 

present (figs. lOE-F). The Alapah Limestone above 600 

m is much less argillaceous, light gray in color, and 

composed primarily of echinoderm-bryozoan-algaeforaminiferal-brachiopod wackestones and packstones. 

Lesser amounts of lime mudstones and dolomitic beds 

are present. Detrital quartz sand is very rare. Ooid beds 

are found at 685 and 775 m, and grainstones and 

packstones composed of bryozoans and crinoids are not 

uncommon (figs. 7, 10C, G, H, llA-F). Above 900 m to 

1,025 m the Alapah is a light-gray, massive bryozoanechinoderm packstone and grainstone, with minor 

amounts of wackestone and dolomites (fig. llG, H). 

Above the 400-m level, dolomite is generally present in 

the form of 30- to 70-micrometre rhombs. The Alapah 

Limestone from 1,031.5 to 1,062 m is arenaceous 

bryozoan-echinoderm wackstones, packstones, 

grainstones, and cherty dolomites. The dolomite is 

formed by 30- to 50-micrometre size dolomite rhombs. 

FIGURE 4.- Bar scale = 0.5 mm. A-F, Clarence River section. A , 

Recrystallized crinoid-foraminifer packstone. Pressure solution 

is widespread and foraminifer tests are partially dissolved; 

Eoforschia sp., Endothyra sp., and Earlandia of the group E. 

clavatula (Howchin) are present. Univ. Montreal 271/6, section 

71A-2+124 ft; 37.8 m above the base, Kayak Shale(?) (lateral 

equivalent of the Wachsmuth Limestone), Zone 12 (or slightly 

younger?), upper Salem age equivalent, middle Visean. B, Calcite 

pseudomorphs of gypsum in a fine-grained microdolomite, former 

pelletoidal wackestone. Univ. Montreal 271/11, section 71A2+660 ft; 201.2 m above the base, Alapah(?) Limestone, zone 

undetermined (Zone 15 or 16?), upper Meramec or lower Chester 

age equivalent, late Visean. C, Tectonically stressed foraminiferooid grainstone. Univ. Montreal 271/2, section 71A- 2+ 1,600 ft; 

487.7 m above the base, Wahoo Limestone, Zone 20, Morrow age 

equivalent, late Namurian. D, Early cemented lump grainstone. 

Neoarchaediscus incertus (Grozdilova and Lebedeva) and algal 

fragments are present. Univ. Montreal270/37, section 71A- 1 +590 

ft; 560.8 m above the base, Wahoo Limestone, Zone 21, Atoka age 

equivalent, early Westphalian. E, A typical coarse-grained 

foraminifer-ooid lump grainstone of the middle part of the Wahoo 

Limestone. Pseudostaffella sp., Eoschubertella sp., Globivalvulina 

sp. , and Endothyra sp. are partly coated and mud filled. Echinoid 

spines, pelmatozoan plates, and algae are present. Univ. Montreal 

270/27, section 71A- 1 +345ft; 635.5 m above the base of the section, 

Zone 21, Atoka age equivalent, early Westphalian. F, Detail of E 

showing two sections of Eoschubertella yukonensis (Ross). Univ. 

Montreal 270/32, as fig. 4E, G, H, Kongakut River section. G, Two 

sections of Stacheia skimoensis Mamet and Rudloff in a crinoidbryozoan packstone. Note the excellent preservation of the thalli, 

in spite of the widespread and extensive epitaxial overgrowth. 

Univ. Montreal274/30, section 71A- 3+565 ft; 172.2 m above the 

base, Kayak Shale(? I interfingering with Wachsmuth Limestone, 

Zone 12, upper Salem age equivalent, middle Visean. H, Chertified, 

layered radiolarite. Univ. Montreal 274/36, section 71A- 3+695 ft; 

211.8 m above the base, Kayak Shale(?), zone undetermined (Zone 

13 or 14?1. upper Meramec age equivalent, middle to late Visean. 

FIGURE 5.- 0utcrops of Wahoo Limestone on the Clarence 

River. View east. 

The Permian and Triassic Sadlerochit Formation 

unconformably overlies bryozoan-crinoid wackestones 

of the Alapah Limestone. 

BIOSTRATIGRAPHY 

MICROFAUNAL ASSEMBLAGE ZONES 

The microfauna! assemblage zones used in this study 

have been used by Mamet and Gabrielse (1969), Mamet 

and Mason (1968), and Mamet (1968) to correlate the 

Carboniferous of western Canada with the Carboniferous of the northern Cordillera of the United States 

(Sando and others, 1969). Armstrong, Mamet, and 

Dutro (1970, 1971) and Mamet and Armstrong (1972) 

also used these zones to correlate the Lisburne Group of 

the eastern and central Brooks Range and the Lisburne 

Hills region of northwestern Alaska. Detailed systematic descriptions, stratigraphic and geographic distributions, and illustrations of the microfossils of this report 

FIGURE 6.~orweniajd.goen is Armstrong in the Atokan age 

beds of Wahoo Limestone, 635 m above the. base of the 

Clarence River section 71A-1, 2. The exterior of the corallum 

is partly silicified. The scale is 15 em long. 
8 CARBONIFEROUS BIOSTRATIGRAPHY, NORTHEASTERN BROOKS RANGE, ARCTIC ALASKA 

~ rr 

1~ 1025 

1000 '1' ~ ~ w gy. 

, ']', .. p 

;; ~"1~ G 

~ p 

975 I~ ')' G 

'1' 

* 1' w 175 

Tundracovered 

"""' 

See fig. :3 IOf expl,.nation ot htholog1c and pateon-

'7""''""""' I 

:: 

:: 

FIGURE 7.- Kongakut River section, 71A- 3, 4, 5, 6, northeastern Brooks Range, arctic Alaska. 

are given by Mamet (in Armstrong and Mamet, 1975). 

Microfossil lists for the eastern Sadlerochit Mountains section 68A-4A, 4B and the Egaksrak River 

section 68A-5 can be found in Armstrong, Mamet, and 

Dutro (1970), and for the western Sadlerochit Mountains section 69A-1 , Plunge Creek section 70A-4, 5, 

Marsh Fork section 70A-2, 3, and the Syncline section 

70A-6, 7 in Mamet and Armstrong (1972). 

The Clarence River section 71A-1, 2 and Kongakut 

River section 71A-3, 4, 5, 6 are new, and the microfossil 

lists are given below. 

The microfacies of Alaska, as in most of the 

Taimyr-Alaska foraminiferal realm (Mamet, 1962, 

Mamet and Belford, 1968; Mamet.and Skipp, 1970), are 

generally poor in foraminifers and algae. Within the 

sections of the Lisburne Group of northeastern Alaska 

studied in this report, 11 foraminiferal assemblages can 

be recognized and correlated with the Cordilleran and 

Eurasian Carboniferous zonations (Sando and others, 

1969). 
BIOSTRATIGRAPHY 9 

466m 

FIGURE 8.-0utcrop of the lower part of the K~ngakut River section, 

showing the well-exposed upper part of the Kayak(?) Shale and the 

lower part of the Alapah Limestone. View east. 

Wood and Armstrong (1975) give a detailed analysis 

of the petrography and diagenesis of the Lisburne 

Group carbonate rocks in sections 69A-1 and 68A-4A,B 

for the Sadlerochit Mountains and the Plunge Creek 

section 70A-4, 5. 

Microfossil list 

Clarence River section 

A-1 (120-140 ft); 36.6-42.7 m 

Calcisphaera laevis Williamson 

Calcisphaera pachysphaerica (Pronina) 

Dainella sp. 

Dainella anivikensis Mamet in Armstrong and Mamet 

Earlandia of the group E. clavatula (Howchin) 

Earlandia vulgaris (Rauzer-Chernoussova and Reitlinger) 

Endothyra sp. 

Endothyra of the groupE. bowmani Phillips in Brown emend 

Brady 

Endothyra of the groupE. similis Rauzer-Chernoussova and 

Reitlinger 

Eoendothyranopsis sp. 

Eoendothyranopsis of the group E. spiro ides (Zeller) 

Eoforschia sp. 

Globoendothyra sp. 

Globoendothyra of the group G. baileyi (Hall) 

Globoendothyra of the group G. tomiliensis (Grozdilova in 

Lebedeva) 

Stacheia sp. 

Stacheia skimoensis Mamet and Rudloff 

Stacheoides sp. 

Age: Zone 12 or slightly younger, middle Visean, upper 

Salem age equivalent. 

A-2 (790 ft); 240.8 m 

Calcisphaera sp. 

cf. Neoarchaediscus sp. 

Age: Zone 16; or younger, late Visean, lower Chester age 

equivalent or younger. 

A- 3 (1,010-1,205 ftl; 307.B--367.3 m 

Archaediscus sp. 

Archaediscus of the group A. krestounikovi RauzerChernoussova 

Archaediscus kre.~tuvnikoui Rauzer-Chernoussova 

Asteroan:haediscus sp. 

Asteroarchaediscus baschkiricus (Krestovnikov and 

Teodorovitchl 

Calcisphaera laevis Williamson 

Calcisphaera pachysphaerica (Pronina) 

Earlandia sp. 

Earlandia clavatula (Howchin) 

Earlandia of the group E. vulgaris (Rauzer-Chernoussova 

and Reitlinger) 

Endothyra sp. 

Endothyra of the groupE. bowmani Phillips in Brown emend 

Brady 

Globoendothyra sp. 

Neoarchaediscus sp. 

Planospirodiscus sp. 

Priscella sp. 

Priscella of the group P. prisca (Rauzer-Chernoussova and 

Reitlinger) 

Stacheia sp. 

Stacheoides sp. 

Tetrataxis sp. 

Zellerina sp. 

Age: Zone 17, early Namurian , middle Chester age 

equivalent. 

A-4 (1,230-1,250 ft); 374.9-381 m 

Archaediscus sp. 

Archaediscus of the group A. krestounikovi RauzerChernoussova 

Asteroarchaediscus sp. 

Biseriella sp. 

Calcisphaera sp. 

Earlandia sp. 

Endothyra sp. 

Globoendothyra sp. 

Neoarchaediscus sp. 

Planospirodiscus sp. 

Priscella sp. 

Zellerina sp. 

Age: Zone 18, early Namurian, upper Chester age 

equivalent. 

A-5 (1,380-1,400 ft); 420.6-426.7 m 

Archaediscus sp. 

Archaediscus of the group A. krestounikovi RauzerChernoussova 

Asteroarchaediscus sp. 

Asteroarchaediscus of the group A. baschkiricus (Krestovnikov and Teodorovitch) 

Calcisphaera sp. 

Calcisphaera pachysphaerica (Pronina) 

Earlandia sp. 

Endothyra sp. 

Neoarchaediscus sp. 

Planospirodiscus sp. 

Priscella sp. 

Priscella of the group P. prisca (Rauzer-Chernoussova and 

Reitlinger) 

Pseudoammodiscus sp. 

Quasiarchaediscus sp. 
10 CARBONIFEROUS BIOSTRATIGRAPHY, NORTHEASTERN BROOKS RANGE, ARCTIC ALASKA 

FIGURE 9.- Photomicrographs of carbonate rocks and microfossils, Kongakut River section 71A-3. Location shown in figure 7. 
BIOSTRATIGRAPHY 11 

Quasiarchaediscus rugosus Brazhnikova 

Zellerina sp. 

Age: Zone 19, middle Namurian, uppermost Chester age 

equivalent. 

A-6 (1,410-1,550 ft); 429.8-472.4 m 

Archaediscus sp. 

Asphaltina cordillerensis Mamet 

Asteroarchaediscus sp. 

Asteroarchaediscus of the group A. baschkiricus (Krestovnikov and Teodorovitch) 

Biseriella sp. 

Biseriella of the group B. parua (Chernysheva) 

Calcisphaera sp. 

Earlandia sp. 

Eostaffella sp. 

Globiualuulina sp. 

M illerella sp. 

Neoarchaediscus sp. 

Planoendothyra aljutovica (Reitlinger) 

FIGURE 9.-Bar scale = 0.5 mm. A-H, Kongakut River section. A, A 

partially silicified brachiopod shell in a dark mudstone. The spines 

have been preferentially silicified. Univ. Montreal 275/5, section 

71A-3+790 ft; 240.8 m above the base, Kayak(?) Shale, Zone 14, St. 

Louis age equivalent, early late Visean. B, Recrystallized 

foraminiferal-algal packstone. Calcispheres (Calcisphaera sp., 

Parathurammina, sp., Vicinesphaera sp.) and Foraminifera [Globoendothyra sp.,Eoendothyranopsis sp.,Earlandia of the groupE. 

clavatula (Howchin), cf. Skippella? sp., and Endothyra sp.] are 

abundant. Univ. Montreal275/7, section 71A- 3+1,210 ft; 368.8 m 

above the base, Alapah Limestone, Zone 15, Ste. Genevieve age 

equivalent, middle late Visean. C, Detail of9B. Axial sections of two 

gigantic Eoendothyranopsis? robustus (McKay and Gre-en) in a 

slightly recrystallized packstone. Note the feeble pseudochomata. 

Univ. Montreal275/10, section 71A-3 + 1,210 ft; 368.8 m above the 

base, Alapah Limestone, Zone 15, Ste. Genevieve age equivalent, 

middle late Visean. D, Recrystallized algal-pelletoidal packstone. 

Pseudoissinella alaskaensis Mamet and Rudloff and Kamaena sp. 

are intertwined and probably formed a continuous mesh throughout 

the sediment. Calcispheres are widespread. Univ. Montreal275/28, 

section 71A-3 + 1,340 ft; 408.4 m above the base, Alapah Limestone, 

Zone 15, Ste. Genevieve age equivalent, middle late Visean. E, 

Medium-grained, poorly sorted crinoid-foraminifer-brachiopod 

grainstone. Eoendothyranopsis of the group E. ermakiensis 

(Lebedeva), Endothyra sp., Earlandia sp., Earlandinella sp., and 

Planoendothyra sp. are conspicuous. Univ. Montreal275/30, section 

71A-3 + 1,350 ft; 411.5 m above the base, Alapah Limestone, Zone 

15, Ste. Genevieve age equivalent, middle late Visean. F , Detail of a 

pelletoidal-Calcisphaera packstone. Two Calcisphaera pachysphaerica (ProninaJ are present. Though foraminifers present in this 

facies are mud filled, the interior of the calcispheres is usually a 

clear clean cement. Univ. Montreal275/40, section 71A-3+ 1,380 ft; 

420.6 m above the base, Alapah Limestone, Zone 15, Ste. Genevieve 

age equivalent, middle late Visean. G, Recrystallized, poorly sorted 

crinoid-bryozoan-brachiopod-foraminifer packstone with a gigantic 

Globoendothyra of the group G. globulus d'Eichwald (note the 

characteristic continuous differentiated wall structure [clear 

layer]). Univ. Montreal 276/1, section 71A-3+1,400 ft; 426.7 m 

above the base, Alapah Limestone, Zone 15, Ste. Genevieve age 

equivalent, middle late Visean. H , Calcisphere-pelletoidal-algal 

grainstone. The "rectangular" clear calcite ghosts are recrystallized 

thalli of Pseudoissinella and of kamaenid algae. Univ. Montreal 

276/2, section 71A- 3+1,430 ft; 435.9 m above the base, Alapah 

Limestone, Zone 15, Ste. Genevieve age equivalent, middle late 

Visean. 

Planospirodiscus sp. 

Stacheoides sp. 

Stacheeinae 

Zellerina sp. 

Age: Zone 20, late Namurian, Morrow age equivalent. 

A- 7 (1,700-2,100 ft); 518.1-640.1 m 

Asphaltina sp. 

Asphaltina cordillerensis Mamet 

Asteroarchaediscus sp. 

Asteroarchaediscus baschkiricus (Krestovnikov and 

Teodorovitch) 

cf. Biseriella? sp. 

Calcisphaera sp. 

Climacammina sp. 

Earlandia sp. 

Eoschubertella sp. Very abundant 

Eoschubertella yukonensis (Ross) 

Globiualvulina sp. 

Globiualuulina of the group G. bulloides (Brady) 

cf. Millerella sp. 

Neoarchaediscus incertus (Grozdilova and Lebedeva) 

Palaeotextularia sp. 

Planoendothyra sp. 

Planospirodiscus sp. 

Planospirodiscus taimyricus Sossipatrova 

Pseudocornuspira sp. 

Pseudoendothyra sp. Very abundant 

Pseudoendothyra britishensis Ross 

Pseudoglomospira sp. 

Pseudostaffella sp. Abundant 

Stacheoides sp. 

Tetrataxis sp. 

Tuberitina sp. 

Zellerina sp. 

Age: Zone 21, Westphalian, Atoka age equivalent (very 

abundant fusulinid fauna). 

A-8 (2,240-2,390 ft); 682.8-728.5 m 

Asphaltina sp. 

Asteroarchaediscus sp. 

Asteroarchaediscus baschkiricus (Krestovnikov and 

Teodorovitch) 

Calcisphaera sp. 

Endothyra sp. 

Earlandia sp. 

Eoschubertella sp. Very scarce 

Globiualuulina sp. 

Globiualuulina of the group G. bulloides (Brady) 

Neoarchaediscus sp. 

Neoarchaediscus incertus (Grozdilova and Lebedeva) 

Planospirodiscus sp. 

Planospirodiscus minimus (Grozdilova and Lebedeva) 

Planospirodiscus taimyricus Sossipatrova 

Pseudoendothyra sp. 

Tetrataxis sp. 

Tuberitina sp. 

Zellerina sp. 

Age: Zone 21, Westphalian, Atoka age equivalent (very 

scarce fusulinid fauna). 

Kongakut River section 

B-1 (440-595 ftJ; 134.1-181.4 m 

Calcisphaera sp. 

Earlandia of the group E. vulgaris (Rauzer-Chernoussova and 

Reitlinger) 
12 CARBONIFEROUS BIOSTRATIGRAPHY, NORTHEASTERN BROOKS RANGE, ARCTIC ALASKA 

A B 

C D 

E F 

G H 

FIGURE 10.- Photomicrographs of carbonate rocks and micro fossils, Kongakut River section 71A- 3, 4. Locations shown in 

figure 7. 
13lOSTRATlGRAPHY 13 

f.'ndothyra ~p . 

f.'ndothvranella ~p . 

(;{ohoendothym sp. 

Ulohoendothyra oft he group G. hailey/ \Hall) 

Uloboendothyra paula \ Vissarionova l 

l'risc<'lla ~p. 

l'st'udoammodiscus sp. 

Stacheia sp. 

Stacheia sl,·imoensis Mamet and Rudloff 

Stacheoides sp. 

Age: Zone 12. early middle Visean, upper Salem age 

equivalent. 

B-2 (730--865 ftl: 222.5-.263.7 m 

Brunsia sp. 

Brunsia lenensis Bogush and Yuferev 

Calcisphaera sp. 

Endothyra sp. 

Endothyra oft he group E. bowman/ Phillips in Brown emend 

Brady 

Globoendothyra sp. 

Planoarchaediscus sp. 

Priscella sp. 

Pseudoammodiscus sp. 

Stacheoides sp. 

FIGURE 10.- Bar scale = 0.5 mm. A- H , Kongakut River section. A, 

A partially mud-filled Globoendothyra of the group G. globulus 

d'Eichwald showing the differentiated wall structure (clear layer). 

Univ. Montreal 276/3, section 71A-3+1,515 ft; 461.8 m above the 

base, Alapah Limestone, Zone 15, Ste. Genevieve age equivalent, 

middle late Visean. B, Poorly sorted, recrystallized foraminiferbrachiopod-crinoid packstone. Foraminifers are Eoendothyranopsis? robustus (McKay and Green), Globoendothyra paula (Vissarionova), and Endoth.yranopsis sp. Ostracodes, pelecypods calcispheres, and pellets are also present. Univ. Montreal276/32, section 

71A-3+1,680 ft; 512.1 m above the base, Alapah Limestone, Zone 

15, Ste. Genevieve age equivalent, middle late Visean. C, 

Eoendothyranopsis cf. E. th.ompsoni (Anisgard and Campau) in a 

pelletoidal wackestone. Mud and lumps have a tendency to form 

aggregates. Calcispheres (Calcisphaera sp., Parathurammina sp.), 

pelecypods ostracodes, brachiopods, and algae are also present. 

Univ. Montreal 276/34, section 71A-3+ 1,710 ft; 521.2 m above the 

base, Alapah Limestone, Zone 15, Ste. Genevieve age equivalent, 

middle late Visean. D, Endothyranopsis compressus (RauzerChemoussova and Reitlinger). Univ. Montreal 277/15, section 

71A- 3+1,840 ft; 560.8 m above the base, Alapah Limestone, Zone 

15, Ste. Genevieve age equivalent, middle late Visean. E, 

Recrystallized algal-pelletoidal packstone. Intertwined filaments of 

Pseudoissinella sp. associated with pelecypods. Calcisphaera sp., 

Vicinisphaera sp. and crushed endothyrids are present. Univ. 

Montreal277/16, section 71A-3 + 1,895 ft; 577.6 m above the base, 

Alapah Limestone, Zone 15, Ste. Genevieve age equivalent, middle 

late Visean. F, Same facies as the preceding figure with abundant 

endothyrids, globoendothyrids, and endothyranopsids. Univ. Montreal 227/21, section 71A- 3+1,925 ft; 586.7 m above the base, 

Alapah Limestone, Zone 15, Ste. Genevieve age equivalent, middle 

late Visean. G, A unique record of the algae Ungdarella in the late 

Visean. Univ. Montreal 277/25,section 71A-3+1,970 ft; 600.5 m 

above the base, 63 X, Alapah Limestone, Zone 15, Ste. Genevieve 

age equivalent, middle late Visean. H, Medium-grained, poorly 

sorted, foraminifer-lump grainstone. Eoendothyranopsis macrus 

(Zeller) is particularly abundant. Univ. Montreal 227/29, section 

71A-4+ 120 ft; 646.2 m above the base , 25 X, Alapah Limestone, 

Zone 15, Ste. Genevieve age equivalent, middle late Visean. 

Age: "Bmnsia facies, " probably Zone 14?, early late(?) 

Visean, St. Louis age equivalent. 

B-3 (1 ,170--1,190 f'tl: 356.6-362.7 m 

Brunsia sp. 

Bmnsia lenensis Bogush and Yuferev 

Calcisphaera sp. 

Diplosphaerina sp. 

Earlandia sp. 

Endothyra sp. 

Endothyra of the groupE. bowmani Phillips in Brown emend 

Brady 

Endothyra of the groupE. simi/is Rauzer-Chernoussova and 

Reitlinger 

Eoendothyranopsis sp. 

Eoendothyranopsis of the group E. pressus (Grozdilova in 

Lebedeva) 

Eoendothyranopsis of the group E . ermakiensis (Lebedeva) 

Eoendothyranopsis scitulus Toomey 

Globoendothyra paula (Vissarionova) 

Priscella sp. 

Pseudoammodiscus sp. 

Stacheia sp. 

Age: Zone 14, early late Visean, St. Louis age equivalent. 

B-4 (1,210--1,900 ft); 368.~579.1 m 

Archaediscus sp. 

Archaediscus of the group A. krestovnikovi RauzerChernoussova 

Archaediscus of the group A. moelleri Rauzer-Chernoussova 

cf. Banffella? sp. 

Brunsia sp. 

Calcisphaera laevis Williamson 

Calcisphaera pachysphaerica (Pronina) 

Diplosphaerina sp. 

Earlandia of the group E. clavatula (Howchin) 

Earlandia of the group E. vulgaris (Rauzer-Chernoussova 

and Reitlinger) 

Earlandinella sp. 

Endothyra sp. 

Endothyra of the groupE. bowmani Phillips in Browne mend 

Brady 

Endothyra of the group E. similis Rauzer-Chernoussova and 

Reitlinger 

Eoendothyranopsis of the group E. ermakiensis (Lebedeva) 

Eoendothyranopsis cf. E. utahensis (Zeller) 

Eoendothyranopsis? robustus (McKay and Green) 

Eoendothyranopsis cf. E. thompsoni (Anisgard and Campau) 

Eoforschia sp. 

Epistacheoides sp. 

Eotuberitina sp. 

Globoendothyra of the group G. globulus d'Eichwald 

Globoendothyra paula (Vissarionova) 

Issinella? sp. 

Kamaena sp. 

Kamaena index (von Moller) Scarce 

Kamaena lahuseni (von Moller) Scarce 

Koninckopora sp. Very scarce 

Koninckopora inflata (de Koninck) One specimen 

Palaeocancellus sp. 

Parathurammina sp. 

Parathurammina of the group P. cushmani Suleimanov 

Parathurammina of the group P. suleimanovi Lipina 

Planoendothyra sp. 

Priscella sp. 

Priscella devexa Rauzer-Chernoussova 

Priscella prisca (Rauzer-Chernoussova and Reitlinger) 
14 CARBONIFEROUS BIOSTRATIGRAPHY, NORTHEASTERN BROOKS RANGE, ARCTIC ALASKA 

FIGURE 11.- Photomicrographs of carbonate rocks and microfossils, Kongakut River section 71A-4, 5. Location shown in 

figure 7. 
BIOSTRATIGRAPHY 15 

Pseudoammodiscus sp. 

Pseudoissinella sp. 

Pseudoissinella alaskaensis Mamet and Rudloff 

Radiosphaerina sp. 

Skippella? sp. 

Stacheoides sp. 

Tetrataxis sp. 

V icinesphaera sp. 

Yukonella sp. Very scarce 

Age: Zone 15, middle late Visean, Ste. Genevieve age 

equivalent. 

B-5 (1,960-2,260 ft); 597.4-688.8 m 

Archaediscus sp. 

Brunsia sp. 

Calcisphaera laevis Williamson 

Calcisphaera pachysphaerica (Pronina) 

Earlandia sp. 

Earlandia of the group E. clavatula (Howchin) 

Earlandia of the group E. vulgaris (Rauzer-Chernoussova 

and Reitlinger) 

Endothyra sp. 

Endothyra ofthe groupE. bowmani Phillips in Brown emend 

Brady 

Endothyra of the groupE. similis Rauzer-Chernoussova and 

Reitlinger 

Endothyranopsis sp. 

Endothyranopsis compressus (Rauzer-Chernoussova and 

Reitlinger) 

FIGURE 11.-Bar scale = 0.5 mm. Kongakut River section. A, Poorly 

sorted, medium- to coarse-grained foraminifer-algal-crinoid-lump 

grainstone. A micritized, crushed Yukonella sp. is associated with 

numerous Endothyra of the group E. bowmani Phillips in Brown 

emend Brady. Univ. Montreal277/35, section 71A-4+250 ft; 685.8 

m above the base, Alapah Limestone, Zone 15, Ste. Genevieve age 

equivalent, middle late Visean. B, Same facies as A, but with 

Koninckopora inflata (de Koninck) associated with Endothyranopsis compressus (Rauzer-Chernoussova and Reitlinger) and 

Planoendothyra sp. Univ. Montreal 277/34, section 71A-4+250 ft; 

688.8 m above the base, Alapah Limestone, Zone 15, Ste. Genevieve 

age equivalent, middle late Visean. C, Same facies as A, but with 

the enigmatic Paracalligelloides sp. associated with crushed 

Endothyra sp. and Priscella sp. Univ. Montreal 277/36, section 7 

JA-4+250 ft; 688.8 m above the base, Alapah Limestone, Zone 15, 

Ste. Genevieve age equivalent, middle late Visean. D, A 

heterocoral Hexaphyllia sp. in a slightly recrystallized 

calcispherid-rich wackestone (Calcisphaera sp., Vicinesphaera sp.). 

Univ. Montreal278/2, section 71A-4+500 ft; 762 m above the base, 

Alapah Limestone, Zone 16i, lower Chester age equivalent, late 

Visean. E and F, A poorly sorted, slightly recrystallized 

foraminifer-crinoid-calcisphere-pellet packstone. Abundant 

Pseudoendothyra sp. are mixed with Calcisphaera laevis Williamson, Calcisphaera pachysphaerica (Pronina), Vicinesphaera sp., 

Parathurammina sp., Brunsia sp. and Priscella sp. Univ. Montreal 

278/3 and 278/5, section 71A-4+510 ft; 765.1 m above the base, 

Alapah Limestone, Zone 16i, lower Chester age equivalent, late 

Visean. G, A partially mud-filled thallus(?) of Asphaltina cordillerensis Mamet. Crinoid plates have extensive epitaxial overgrowth. Some pellets are present. Univ. Montreal 278/11, section 

71A-5+370 ft; 917.5 m above the base, Alapah Limestone, Zone 16s, 

lower Chester age equivalent, latest Visean. H,Asteroarchaediscus 

of the group A. baschkiricus in a fine- to medium-grained 

well-sorted grainstone. Univ. Montreal278/15, section 71A-5+280 

ft; 944.9 m above the base, Alapah Limestone, Zone 17, middle 

Chester age equivalent, early Namurian. 

Endothyranopsis of the group E. crassus (Brady) 

Eoendothyranopsis macrus (Zeller) 

Eoendothyranopsis of the group E. ermakiensis (Lebedeva) 

Eoendothyranopsis? robustus (McKay and Green) 

Epistacheoides sp. 

Globoendothyra of the group G. globulus d'Eichwald 

"Irregularina" sp. 

Kamaena sp. 

Kamaena lahuseni (von Moller) 

Koninckopora sp. Scarce 

Koninckopora inflata (de Koninck) Very scarce 

Paracalligelloides sp. 

Parathurammina of the group P. cushmani Suleimanov 

Parathurammina of the group P. suleimanovi Lipina 

Planoendothyra sp. 

Priscella sp. 

Priscella prisca (Rauzer-Chernoussova and Reitlinger) 

Pseudoammodiscus sp. 

Pseudoissinella alaskaensis Mamet and Rudloff 

Stacheoides sp. 

Ungdarella sp. 

Yukonella sp. 

Yukonella bamberi Mamet and Rudloff 

V icinesphaera sp. 

Age: Zone 15, middle late Visean, Ste. Genevieve age 

equivalent. 

B-6 (2,320-2,520 ft); 707.1-768.1 m 

Archaediscus sp. 

Archaediscus of the group A. krestovnikovi RauzerChernoussova 

Archaediscus krestovnikovi Rauzer-Chernoussova 

Archaediscus koktjubensis Rauzer-Chernoussova 

Archaediscus of the group A. moelleri Rauzer-Chernoussova 

Brunsia sp. 

Calcisphaera laevis Williamson 

Calcisphaera pachysphaerica (Pronina) 

Earlandia sp. 

Endothyra sp. 

Endothyra of the groupE. bowmani Phillips in Brown emend 

Brady 

Eostaffella sp. 

Eotuberitina sp. 

Epistacheoides sp. 

Globoendothyra sp. 

Neoarchaediscus sp., primitive 

Parathurammina sp. 

Priscella sp. 

Pseudoammodiscus sp. 

Pseudoendothyra sp. 

Pseudoglomospira sp. 

Tetrataxis sp. 

Zellerina sp. 

Zellerina discoidea (Girty) 

Age: Zone 16i, late Visean, lower Chester age equivalent. 

B-7 (2, 700 ft); 823 m 

Archaediscus sp. 

Archaediscus of the group A. krestovnikovi RauzerChernoussova 

Archaediscus krestovnikovi Rauzer-Chernoussova 

Archaediscus koktjubensis Rauzer-Chernoussova 

Calcisphaera sp. 

Endothyra sp. 

Eostaffella sp. 

Priscella sp. 

Pseudoammodiscus sp. 
16 CARBONIFEROUS BIOSTRATIGRAPHY, NORTHEASTERN BROOKS RANGE, ARCTIC ALASKA 

Pseudoendothyra sp. 

Zellerina sp. 

Zellerina discoidea (Girty) 

Age: Zone 16i, late Visean, lower Chester age equivalent. 

B-8 (2,760-3,000 ft); 841.2-914.4 m 

Asphaltina cordillerensis Mamet and Rudloff 

Archaediscus sp. 

Archaediscus of the group A. krestovnikovi RauzerChernoussova 

Archaediscus ofthe group A. moelleri Rauzer-Chernoussova 

Calcisphaera sp. 

Diplosphaerina sp. 

Earlandia sp. 

Endothyra sp. 

Neoarchaediscus sp. 

Neoarchaediscus parvus (Rauzer-Chernoussova) 

Neoarchaediscus regularis (Rauzer-Chernoussova) 

Planospirodiscus sp. 

Pseudoammodiscus sp. 

Pseudoendothyra sp. 

cf. Planoendothyra? sp. 

Tetrataxis sp. 

Zellerina sp. 

Age: Zone 16s, latest Visean, lower Chester age equivalent. 

B-9 (3,070-3,140 ft); 935.7-957.1 m 

Archaediscus sp. 

Archaediscus of the group A. krestovnikovi RauzerChernoussova 

Archaediscus krestovnikovi Rauzer-Chernoussova 

Asphaltina sp. 

Asteroarchaediscus sp. 

Asteroarchaediscus of the group A. baschkiricus (Krestovnikov and Teodorovitch) 

Asteroarchaediscus gnomellus Brenckle 

Calcisphaera sp. 

Earlandia sp. 

Endothyra of the group E. bowmani Phillips in Brown emend 

Brady 

Endothyra cf. E. excellens (Zeller) 

Neoarchaediscus sp. 

Planospirodiscus sp. 

Pseudoendothyra sp. 

Pseudotaxis sp. 

Stacheoides sp. 

Tetrataxis sp. 

Zellerina sp. 

Age: Zone 17, earliest Namurian, middle Chester age 

equivalent. 

B-10 (3,320-3,460 ft); 1,011.9-1,054.6 m 

Archaediscus sp. 

Archaediscus of the group A. krestovnikovi RauzerChernoussova 

Archaediscus of the group A. moelleri Rauzer-Chernoussova 

Asphaltina sp. 

Asphaltina cordillerensis Mamet 

Asteroarchaediscus sp. 

Asteroarchaediscus of the group A. baschkiricus (Krestovnikov and Teodorovitch) 

Biseriella sp. 

Biseriella parva (Chernysheva) 

Calcisphaera laevis Williamson 

Earlandia sp. 

Endothyra sp. 

Endothyra of the groupE. bowmani Phillips in Brown emend 

Brady 

Eostaffella sp. 

Neoarchaediscus sp. 

Neoarchaediscus incertus (Grozdilova and Lebedeva) 

Planospirodiscus sp. 

Planospirodiscus taimyricus Sossipatrova 

Pseudoglomospira sp. 

Zellerina sp. 

Age: Zone 18, early Namurian, upper Chester age 

equivalent. 

BIOTA OF THE LAGOONAL FACIES, ALAPAH 

LIMESTONE, KONGAKUT RIVER SECTION 

The lower part of the Alapah Limestone in the 

Kongakut River section from 369 to 692 m suggests very 

shallow lagoonal sedimentation. The facies is strikingly 

similar to other Carboniferous carbonate lagoons of the 

Cordillera, for example, the Carnarvon Member, Mount 

Head Formation, Alberta (which has similar age, Zone 

15) of the Tournaisian Shunda Formation in Alberta 

and British Columbia (Petryk and others, 1970). The 

biota is characterized by a great abundance of calcispheres; the genera Calcisphaera, Parathurammina, 

and Vicinesphaera are the most widespread. These 

calcispheres are usually observed as single, discrete 

spherules and show little trace of abrasion. The fragile 

parathuramminid spines are rather well preserved, 

particularly where they are coated by algal dust. 

The nature of calcispheres is a controversial subject. 

It is, however, reasonable to assume that most of them 

are calcified cysts of algal spores. When they are in situ, 

they usually form clusters around poorly .calcified thalli 

(see for instance Radiosphaera, pl. 10, fig. 14, in Mamet 

and Rudloff, 1972). This clustering habit was already 

noticed in the calcispheres of the Shunda Formation by 

Stanton (1963); it is rarely observed in the calcispheres 

of the Alapah Limestone. Calcispheres also occur in the 

form of a crown with octameral symmetry; a habit 

observed among Calcisphaera (Mamet, 1973). All these 

smooth calcispheres are finely perforated and have no 

aperture. They are, therefore, not foraminifers, or 

probable foraminifers?, as is suggested by most Russian 

authors (Suleimanov, 1945; Lipina, 1950; Reitlinger, 

1957, 1960; Bogush and Yuferev, 1962, 1970; Pronina, 

1963; Aizenberg and others, 1966; Brazhnikova and 

others, 1967, Menner and Reitlinger, 1971), an attribution accepted by Conil and Lys (1964), Loeblich and 

Tappan (1964), and Hallett (1970). 

On the other hand, the nature of the spinose 

parathuramminid calcispheres remains debatable. 

Veevers (1970) published a unique photograph of a 

(!cluster of united cells" from the Famennian Button 

Beds of Australia, he attributed them, with doubt, to 

sporangia of Uva Maslov. It is clear, however, that his 

figure 1, plate 31, represents an in situ cluster of 

Vicinesphaera, which is closely similar to a cluster 
REGIONAL CORRELATIONS 17 

of Radiosphaera. Probably neither Calcisphaera nor 

Vicinesphaera should be considered foraminifers. 

Since Vicinesphaera and Parathurammina are closely related, the latter genus might also be removed from 

the Protozoa. Up to now, no cluster ofParathurammina 

has been observed, and the «cells'' are always disarticulated. This is true for the specimens from the entire 

Kongakut River section where the genus abounds. 

However, the distribution of the algal cyst Calcisphaera 

and the parathuramminids is strikingly similar. 

Eighty-six samples collected throughout the entire 

column of lagoonal sediments were analyzed for 

distribution of Vicinesphaera, Calcisphaera, Parathurammina, true foraminifers and Pseudoissinella, 

and Kamaena. The results of this analysis (fig. 12) show 

a very close relation between the distribution of smooth 

and spinose calcispheres, while no correspondence is 

observed with the other taxa. For more than 305 m of 

fine-grained pelletoidal carbonate rocks, the ratio of 

spinose calcispheres to smooth calcispheres is remarkably constant and varies from one-half to one- third. The 

ratio of Parathurammina to Vicinesphaera is also very 

constant. Such relations are also conspicuous in the 

Carnarvon Member of the Mount Head Formation in 

Alberta and in the Black Marbles of Dinant (VIa) in 

Belgium. 

This close relationship may be the result of mechanical sorting. Indeed, spinose and smooth calcispheres 

have similar ranges of diameter and of wall thickness. 

Thus, this worldwide similar association is by no means 

proof that they have the same biological origin, and 

algal cysts could very well be mixed with monolocular 

foraminifers. Until in situ clusters ofParathurammina, 

similar to those of Radiosphaera or V icinesphaera, are 

found, the question remains unanswered. 

REGIONAL CORRELATIONS 

ENDICOTT GROUP 

The Kekiktuk Conglomerate is absent, owing either 

to nondeposition or to faulting at the base, from the 

bottom of section 69A-1, in the west end of the 

Sadlerochit Mountains (fig. 13). The Kekiktuk Conglomerate is absent owing to nondeposition from the 

eastern Sadlerochit Mountains section 68A~4A, 4B. At 

the Kongakut River section 71A-3, 4, 5, 6, it is not 

exposed and is covered by tundra. 

The Kekiktuk Conglomerate is well exposed at the 

base of section 71A-2 on the Clarence River. Here the 

Kekiktuk rests with angular unconformity on lower 

Paleozoic (Ordovician or Silurian) arenaceous limestone and is about 100 m thick. It consists of basal· 

quartz-pebble conglomerate, black carbonaceous 

shales, nodular limestones and siltstones, and lightgray and brown, thin-bedded quartz sandstone and 

siltstones and is overlain by the dark-gray Kayak(?) 

Shale. 

The section 70A-7 on the north flank of the 

large synclinorium east of the Aichilik River contains 

about 30 m of quartzite conglomerates, sandstones, and 

shales. 

The Kekiktuk Conglomerate in section 70A-2, near 

the junction of Marsh Fork and the Canning River, is 

at least 61 m thick. It unconformably overlies the 

greenish-gray slates and phyllites of the Neruokpuk 

Formation. The lower 38 m of the Kekiktuk Conglomerate is medium- to massive-bedded pebble conglomerates and sandstones, with quartz and hematite 

cement. The upper 23 m consists of medium- to 

thin-bedded quartz sandstone, dark-gray siltstones, 

dark-gray shales, and thin coals. At the base of section 

70A-4, near the Canning River, the Kekiktuk rests 

with angular unconformity on metamorphic rocks of the 

Neruokpuk Formation and is about 10 m thick. It 

consists of basal quartz-pebble conglomerate, black 

carbonaceous shales, and 5 m of strongly crossbedded 

light-gray quartz sandstone. 

The Kayak(?) Shale is thin, about 15m thick, in the 

western Sadlerochit Mountains. In section 69A-1 this 

brownish-gray calcareous unit rests unconformably on 

dolomites of Devonian age. The overlying basal beds of 

the Alapah Limestone are lower Chesterian in age, and 

the thin Kayak(?) Shale is probably lower Chesterian 

age. In section 70A-4, about 43.5 km to the south 

(fig. 13), the unit thickens markedly and is older; it 

contains microfossils of Meramecian, Zone 11, age. 

Approximately 372 m thick, the Kayak(?) is a sequence 

of dark-gray shales, thin-bedded argillaceous lime 

mudstones, dolomites, and thin-bedded dark-gray to 

black cherts. The upper 30 to 40 m of the unit becomes 

progressively more calcareous upward, and the contact 

with the Alapah Limestone is gradational. 

The Kayak(?) Shale, 18 km to the southeast in 

section 70A-2, is only about 183 m thick. The 

predominant rock type is dark-gray shale, with only 

minor amounts of thin-bedded sandstones, siltstones, 

and yellow-weathering thin-bedded limestone. The 

base of the unit is gradational with the Kekiktuk 

Conglomerate, which contains abundant plant remains. 

The dark-gray shales of the Kayak(?) Shale change 

abruptly to the dark-gray bedded spiculitic cherts and 

dolomites of the Wachsmuth Limestone. 

In the Clarence River section 71A-1 (figs. 3, 13) the 

Kayak(?) Shale contact with the Alapah Limestone is 

not exposed. The Kayak (?)Shale is about 75 m thick 

and is composed of dark-gray shales, nodular and 

lenticular interbeds of thin limestones, and brown to 
18 CARBONIFEROUS BIOSTRATIGRAPHY, NORTHEASTERN BROOKS RANGE, ARCTIC ALASKA 

25 

18 

12 

200 

175 

150 

125 

100 

75 

50 

25 

87 

75 

62 

50 

37 

25 

12 

175 

150 

125 

100 

75 

50 

25 

75 

62 

50 

37 

25 

12 

Metres above base 

Paratlwrammina sp. 

(Parutlwrammina and 

Vicine~[JIIllera) 

~:~~~gakut River A--"'--t-'-'--t--"'---r-"-t---'-t---"'-t-"'--+-"---t-~~~r_~~~~~f-=--~~~~~~~~r~-f-2+'-~~~~~-"'+~~~ 

Thin section sample ,f---'--'---'--J___j_____J_____L_____L_-----L..:~__J__.:___J__:____t__:_~__t_:___t_:_L.:_[_-=.__j___:___j___:___L,_:___j__:____j_.~~~:.__t__::~__c::_~_t___::-_L::_JL::..l--=--t~~:.....L:=---J 

No. and footage No. 

Section No. 

FIGURE 12.-Distribution of Vicinesphaera, Calcisphaera, Parathurammina, true foraminifers, Pseudoissinella, and Kamaena in the 

of smooth and spinose calcispheres; no correspondence is observed 

pale-yellow-brown siltstones and sandstones. The 

Kayak(?) is not exposed at the Egaksrak River section 

68A-5. It is absent at the east end of the Sadlerochit 

Mountains where thin beds of sandstone of the 

Itkilyariak Formation (Mull and Mangus, 1972; Armstrong and Mamet, 1974) rest directly on the Neruokpuk Formation. Pelletoid-ooid grainstones with microfossils of Zone 16s, Chesterian, age over lie these thin 

sandstone beds. 

The composite section, 70A-6 and 70A-7, of the 

Kayak(?) Shale about 135 km east of section 70A-2 is 

about 442 m thick; the lower 137 m is dark-gray shale 

with a few thin lime mudstone beds and nodules. Above 

this segment is 92 m of highly siliceous, argillaceous, 

cherty, gray and dark-gray dolomites and limestones. 

The upper 213 m of the unit is calcareous dark-gray 

shale and thin-bedded argillaceous dark-gray coralliferous limestones. The contact with the basal Alapah 

Limestone is gradational. 

The lower part of the Kayak(?) Shale is not exposed in 

the Kongakut River section (71A-3, 4, 5-, 6; figs. 7, 13). 

The upper part is a dark-gray shale with thin siltstone 

interbeds followed by thin-bedded argillaceous and 

chert spiculitic lime mudstones and wackestones. The 
REGIONAL CORRELATIONS 19 

Parathuramrnina sp. 

(Parathurammina and 

Vicine5plwera) 

PJeudoissinefla sp. 

and Kamaena sp. 

31 

25 

18 

12 

200 

175 

150 

125 

100 

75 

50 

25 

87 

75 

62 

50 

37 

25 

12 

175 

150 

125 

100 

75 

50 

25 

75 

62 

50 

37 

25 

12 

71A-3-- - 71A-3 - -- 71~ -- -- 71A-4-

lagoonalfacies of the Kongakut River section from 368.8 to 691. 9 m above the base. Note the close relation between the distribution 

with other taxa. Eighty-six samples were studied in thin section. 

beds in the middle part of the Kayak(?) Shale contain 

microfossils of Zone 12, and in the upper part of the 

Kayak(?) Shale of Zone 13/14, Meramecian, age. 

LISBURNE GROUP 

Because most of the carbonate rocks of this study are 

younger than Zone 12, the Wachsmuth carbonate facies 

is poorly represented. The interval from 244 to 450 m of 

section 70A-2 is considered to be a possible Wachsmuth 

equivalent. Likewise, the intervals from 140 to 220m in 

the Kongakut River section, 130 to 400 m in section 

70A-4, and 160 to 220 m in section 70A-6, 7 may 

represent Wachsmuth equivalents. 

The base of the Lisburne Group is diachronous in the 

area of this study. In the southern series of east to west 

sections that run from the Kongakut River section 

71A-3, 4, 5, 6 west to Marsh Fork section 70A-2, 3 and 

then north to the Plunge Creek section 70A-5, the 

contact between the Kayak(?) Shale and the Lisburne 

Group occurs in Zones 12 to 15 in Meramecian rocks. In 

the Sadlerochit Mountains 50 km to the north, the basal 

Alapah Limestone is in Zone 16i or 168 , Chesterian. At 

Egaksrak River section 68A-5, 75 km to the east, 
20 CARBONIFEROUS BIOSTRATIGRAPHY, NORTHEASTERN BROOKS RANGE, ARCTIC ALASKA 

Lower Paleozoic 

limestones 

See figure 3 for explanation of lithologic 

and paleontologic symbols 

147' 

r----

,..- 70A-4, 5 

{ /Front of Brooks Range 

Franklin Mountains 

/ 

/ PhUipSmith 

Mountains I I I 

10 20 

I I 

144' 

I 

10 10 20 30 KILOMETRES 

68A-5 

Egaksrak River 

From Armstrong, Mamet, 

and Dutro (1970) and 

Armstrong (1972b) 

68A-4A,4B 

Eastern Sadlerochit Mts 

From Armstrong, Mamet, 

and Dutro (1970) 

69A-1, 70A-5, 70A-2,3, 70A-6, 7 

Western Sadlerochit Mts 

From Mamet and 

Armstrong (1972) 

141' 

N 

70' 

69' 

Bedded chert 

Bedded chert 

FIGURE 13.-Carboniferous biostratigraphic correlation 
e - ;; ~ E 

Lagoonal facies of Alapah Limestone-------

Argillaceous-spiculitlc foraminifer-calcispheric bryozoan-pelmatozoan packstones-wackestones 

~ ;; ~ E c .. 

! 

,_ 

~ 

chart, northeastern Brooks Range, Alaska. 

REGIONAL CORRELATIONS 

~ 

i ~ E c c 

1 

.~ 

~ 

1250 

250 

200 

~ ;; 

E 

c 

21 
22 CARBONIFEROUS BIOSTRATIGRAPHY, NORTHEASTERN BROOKS RANGE, ARCTIC ALASKA 

neither the Alapah Limestone nor the Kayak(?) Shale is 

exposed. On the north flank of the Brooks Range 

adjacent to the Canadian border, 50 km to the east, 

where the contact of the Alapah Limestone with the 

Kayak(?) Shale is covered by talus, the contact is 

probably near the Meramecian-Chesterian boundary. 

During Meramecian time, the sediments that now 

form the Sadlerochit Mountains stood as an island or 

positive area to the shale and shallow-water carbonate 

sediments being deposited east, west, and south of it. 

By earliest Chester time, Alapah Limestone deposition extended over the whole region, including the 

Sadlerochit high, and the area northwestward to 

Prudhoe Bay (Armstrong and Mamet, 197 4; Armstrong, 

1974). 

The Alapah Limestone varies in thickness, It is 

generally thinnest in the Sadlerochit Mountains-only 

335 m thick on the west end and 278 m on the east end. 

Armstrong and Mamet (1974) report a thickness about 

290 m in the subsurface at Prudhoe Bay (fig. 2). At the 

Clarence River section it is about 260 m thick. The 

sections to the south are thicker, at Plunge Creek 

section 70A- 4, 5, the Alapah is at least 640 m thick and 

at the Syncline section 70A-6, about 670 m thick. At the 

Kongakut River section 71A-3, 4, 5, 6, its original 

thickness is unknown (fig. 13) because it is cut by the 

pre-Permian erosion surface, but its remaining thickness is still about 457 m. In general, the Alapah is 

relatively thick in the central part of the northeastern 

Brooks Range, thins towards the north flank of the 

range, and becomes' younger at its base. 

A highly characteristic rock type referred to as the 

lagoonal facies occurs in the southern series of sections 

in the lower part ofthe Alapah Limestone, Zone 15. It is 

a thin-bedded dark-gray argillaceous-spiculite-foraminiferal-calcis ph ere-bryozoan-pelma tozoan wackestone 

and packstone. It is about 70m thick at the Plunge 

Creek section 70A- 4, 5 and extends eastward to the 

Kongakut River section 71A- 3, 4, 5, 6 where it is 260m 

thick. The beds at the Plunge Creek section 70A-4, 5 are 

overlain by gray dolomites that contain well-developed 

stromatolites (fig. 14) and those at the Marsh Fork 

section by dolomites with abundant calcite 

pseudomorphs of gypsum. The basal beds of the Alapah 

Limestone at the Clarence River section 71A-1, 2 (figs. 

3, 13) are dolomites that have very well developed 

stromatolites, birdseye structures, lithoclasts, and 

abundant calcite pseudomorphs of gypsum. These beds 

were deposited in an intertidal to supratidal environment. The suggested correlation of these lower Chesterian carbonate regressive facies is shown in figure 13. 

The Wahoo Limestone in the west end of the 

Sadlerochit Mountains is only about 122m thick; at the 

east end of the Sadlerochit Mountains it is 241m thick. 

FIGURE 14.-Well-developed and large stromatolites in the Alapah 

Limestone, 510 m above the base of the Plunge Creek section 

70A-4. The scale is 15 em long. 

The eastward thickening of the Sadlerochit high is 

apparent at the Egaksrak River section 68A-5 where 

the Wahoo is 381m thick, and adjacent to the Canadian 

border at the Clarence River section 71A- 1, 2 where it is 

314m thick. The Wahoo Limestone on the north flank of 

the Brooks Range is primarily pelmatozoan-bryozoan 

wackestone, packstones and grainstones and ooid 

packstones and grainstones with minor amounts of 

pale-yellow-weathering dolomites and calcareous 

arenaceous shales. 

The ooid facies is generally absent in the southern set 

of sections studied in the Franklin and Romanzof 

Mountains. Here the unit is from 183 to 275 m thick, 

and it consists of medium- to massive-bedded, gray to 

light-gray, slightly crossbedded pelmatozoan-bryozoan 

wackestone and packstones, and minor amounts of 

grainstone. Beds of thin dolomite and superficial ooid 

packstones are present sporadically. In the southern set 
REFERENCES CITED 23 

69° 

30' 

N 

T 3 N 

5 MILES 

5 KILOMETRES 

FIGURE 15-The Clarence River section 71A-1, 2 in northeastern 

Brooks Range. 

of sections, chert within the Wahoo is typically nodular 

and light gray to brown and generally occurs in the 

lime-mud-rich (micritic) beds. The contact between the 

Wahoo and Alapah Limestones is generally sharp, 

marked by the darker gray, thinner bedded lime 

mudstones and wackestones and packstones of the 

underlying Alapah Limestone. 

The various horizons (fig. 13) containing stromatolites, birdseye structures, microdolomites, and calcite 

pseudomorphs of gypsum alternate with thick sequences of bryozoan-crinoid wackestones and ooid 

packstones and grainstones; the whole sequence was 

deposited in shallow water on a slowly subsiding 

platform. The intertidal to supratidal beds indicate 

that, at times, carbonate production on the platform 

exceeded rates of subsidence. 

The Sadlerochit Formation of Permian and Triassic 

age unconformably overlies limestones of Atokan age, 

except at the Kongakut River section 71A-3, 4, 5, 6, 

where it overlies the Upper Mississippian Alapah 

Limestone. Detterman (1970) reports that the basal 

Echooka Member of the Sadlerochit Formation contains 

a brachiopod fauna of early Kazanian, earliest Late 

Permian age. The unconformity between the Wahoo 

69° 

00" 

L.U 

~ 

a: 

L.U 

0 

.... 

a: 

142"30' 

~ 

a: 

N 

I 

L.U 

~ 

a: 

0 

~A-3,4,5 

o }_ 71A-6 

~ 

T 6 S 

5 MILES 

5 KILOMETRES 

FIGURE 16.-The Kongakut River section 71A-3, 4, 5, 6 in 

northeastern Brooks Range. 

Limestone and Sadlerochit Formation represents a 

hiatus of Des Moinesian through Leonardian and 

possibly lower Guadalupian time. Where the Sadlerochit lies unconformably on the Alapah, the hiatus 

includes all of Pennsylvanian time and part of the 

uppermost Chesterian. 

Armstrong, Mamet, and Dutro (1970) and Mamet and 

Armstrong (1972) illustrated the westward thinning of 

Atokan carbonate rocks in the Sadlerochit Mountains. 

Mamet and Armstrong (1972) and Armstrong (1972) 

reported that at many localities the highest few feet of 

Atokan carbonate rocks beneath the Sadlerochit Formation shows evidence of vadose weathering in the form 

of enlarged vertical joints and vugs filled with a clay 

similar to terra rossa. The basal beds of the Echooka 

Member of the Sadlerochit Formation are conglomerates or conglomeratic sandstone formed partly of 

rounded chert and limestone pebbles and cobbles 

derived from the underlying Wahoo Limestone. 

Figures 15 and 16 are detailed graphic locations of the 

measured sections, Clarence River (71A-1, 2) and 

Kongakut River (71A-3, 4, 5, 6). 

REFERENCES CITED 

Aizenberg, D. C., Brazhnikova, E. V., and Rostovceva, L. F., 1966, On 

the C1ta Zone of the Donetz basin, in The fauna of the lowest part 

of the Tournaisian in the Donetz basin [in Russian]: Akad. Nauk 

Ukrain. SSR Inst. Geol. Nauk, p. 3-42, 18 pls. 
24 CARBONIFEROUS BIOSTRATIGRAPHY, NORTHEASTERN BROOKS RANGE, ARCTIC ALASKA 

Armstrong, A. K., 1972, Pennsylvanian carbonates, paleoecology, and 

rugose colonial corals, eastern Brooks Range, arctic Alaska: U.S. 

Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 747, 19 p., 16 figs., 8 pls. [1973]. 

---1974, Carboniferous carbonate depositional models, preliminary lithofacies and paleotectonic maps, arctic Alaska: Am. 

Assoc. Petroleum Geologists Bull., v. 58, no. 4, p. 646-660. 

Armstrong, A. K., and Mamet, B. L., 1974, Carboniferous biostratigraphy, Prudhoe Bay State No. 1 to northeastern Brooks Range, 

arctic Alaska: Am. Assoc. Petroleum Geologists Bull., v. 58, no. 4, 

p. 621-645. 

---1975, Microfacies, microfossils and corals. Lisburne Group, 

arctic Alaska: U.S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 849. 

Armstrong, A. K., Mamet, B. L., and Dutro, J. T., Jr., 1970, 

Foraminiferal zonation and carbonate facies of the Mississippian 

and Pennsylvanian Lisburne Group, central and eastern Brooks 

Range, Alaska: Am. Assoc. Petroleum Geologists Bull., v. 54, no. 

5, p. 687-698, 4 figs. 

---1971, Lisburne Group, Cape Lewis-Niak Creek, northwestern 

Alaska, in Geological Survey research 1971: U.S. Geol. Survey 

Prof. Paper 750-B, p. B23-B34, 9 figs. 

Bogush, 0. I., and Yuferev, 0. V., 1962, Foraminifera and 

stratigraphy of the Carboniferous deposits in Kara-Tau and 

Talaskiy Ala-Tau [in Russian]: Akad. Nauk SSSR Sibirsk. 

Otdeleniye Inst. Geologii i Geofiziki, p. 1-234, 9 pls. 

---1970, Foraminiferida, in The Carboniferous of the Omolon and 

southwestern Kolyma Massif [in Russian]: Akad. Nauk SSSR 

Sibirsk. Otdeleniye Inst. Geologii i Geofiziki, Bull. 60. p. 68--7 4. 

Bowsher, A. L.; and Dutro, J. T., Jr., 1957, The Paleozoic section in the 

Shainin Lake area, central Brooks Range, Alaska: U.S. Geol. 

Survey Prof. Paper 303-A, 39 p., 6 pls., 4 figs. 

Brazhnikova, N. E., Vakartchuk, G. I., Vdovenko, M. V., Viniitchenko, L. V., Karpova, M.A., Kolomietz, Ia. I., Potievskaia, P. D., 

Rostovceva, L. P., and Chevtchenko, G. D., 1967, Marker 

micro-faunistic horizons of the Carboniferous and the Permian of 

the Dniepr-Donetz basin [in Russian]: Izdat. "Naukova Dumka," 

Kiev, p. 1-224, 59 pls. 

Brosge, W. P., Dutro, J. T. Jr., Mangus, M.D., and Reiser, N.H., 1962, 

Paleozoic sequence in eastern Brooks Range, Alaska: Am. Assoc. 

Petroleum Geologists Bull., v. 46, no. 12, p. 2174--2198. 

Conil, R., and Lys, M., 1964, Materiaux pour l'etude micropaleontologique du Dinantien de la Belgique et de la France 

(Avesnois). Pt. I, Algues et Foramini:feres; Pt. 2, Foramini:feres: 

Louvain Univ. Inst. Geol. Mem., v. 23, 335 p., 42 pls. 

Detterman, R. L., 1970, Sedimentary history of the Sadlerochit and 

Shublik Formations in northeastern Alaska, in Adkison, W. L., 

and Brosge, M. M., eds., Proceedings ofthe geological seminar on 

the North Slope of Alaska: Am. Assoc. Petroleum Geologists, 

Pacific Sec., Los Angeles, p. 0-1-0-13, 9 figs. 

Dunham, R. J., 1962, Classification of carbonate rocks according to 

deposition texture, in Classification of carbonate rocks-A 

symposium: Am. Assoc. Petroleum Geologists Mem. 1, p. 

108--121. 

Dutro, J. T., Jr., Brosge, W. P., and Reiser, H. N., 1972, Significance of 

recently discovered Cambrian fossils and reinterpretation of 

N eruokpuk Formation, northeastern Alaska: Am. Assoc. Petroleum Geologists Bull., v. 56, no. 4, p. 808--812. 

Hallett, D., 1970, Foraminifera and algae from the Yoredale "Series" 

(Visean-Namurian) ofnorthern England: Congres Avanc. Strat. 

Carboni:fere, 6eme, Sheffield, 1967, Compte Rendu, p. 873-885. 

Lipina, 0. A., 1950, Foraminifera from the Upper Devonian of the 

Russian platform [in Russian]: Akad. Nauk SSSR Geol. lnst. 

Trudy 119, no. 4, p. 110-132, 3 pls. 

Loeblich, A. R., Jr., and Tappan, H., 1964, Protista, Pt. C, in Moore, 

R. C., ed., Treatise on invertebrate paleontology: Geol. Soc. 

America and Kansas Univ. Press, p. 1-900. 

Macqueen, R. W., Bamber, E. W., and Mamet, B. L., 1972, Lower 

Carboniferous stratigraphy and sedimentology of the southern 

Canadian Rocky Mountains: Internat. Geol. Cong., 24th, 

Guidebook, Excursion G-17, p. 1-62. 

Mamet, B. L., 1962, Remarques sur la microfauna de Foramini:feres 

du Dinantien: Soc. Geol. Belgique, v. 70, no. 2, p. 166-173. 

---1968, Foraminifera, Etherington Formation (Carboniferous), 

Alberta, Canada: Canadian Assoc. Petroleum Geology Bull., v. 

16, no. 2, p. 167-179. 

---1973, Microfacies viseens du Boulonnais (Nord): Rev. Micropaleontologie, v. 16, no. 2, p. 101-124, 5 pls. 

Mamet, B. L., and Armstrong, A. K., 1972, Lisburne Group, Franklin 

and Romanzof Mountains, northeastern Alaska, in Geological 

Survey research 1972: U.S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 800-C, p. 

C127-C144, 10 figs. 

Mamet, B. L., and Belford, D., 1968, Carboniferous Foraminifera, 

Bonaparte Gulf basin, northwestern Australia: Micropaleontology, v. 14,no. 3, p. 339-347. 

Mamet, B. L., and Gabrielse, H., 1969, Foraminiferal zonation and 

stratigraphy of the type section of the Nizi Formation (Carboniferous systems, Chesterian Stage), British Columbia: 

Canada Geol. Survey Paper 69-16, p. 1-21, 6 figs. 

Mamet, B. L., and Mason, D., 1968, Foraminiferal zonation of the 

lower Carboniferous Connor Lake section, British Columbia: 

Canadian Assoc. Petroleum Geologists Bull., v. 16, no. 2, 

p. 147-166. 

Mamet, B. L., and Rudloff, B., 1972, Algues carboni:feres de la partie 

septentrionale de !'Amerique du Nord: Rev. Micropaleontologie, 

v. 15, no. 2, p. 75--114, 10 pls. 

Mamet, B. L., and Skipp, B. A., 1970, Preliminary foraminiferal 

correlations of early Carboniferous strata in the North American 

Cordillera, in Colloque sur la stratigraphie du Carboni:fere: Liege 

Univ. Cong. et Colloques, v. 55, p. 327-348. 

Menner, V. V., and Reitlinger, E. A., 1971, Foraminiferal provincialism during the Middle and Upper Devonian in the Siberian 

platform [in Russian]: Akad. Nauk SSSR Voprosy Mikropaleontologii, v. 14, p. 25--34. 

Mull, C. G., and Mangus, M. D., 1972, Itkilyariak Formation: New 

Mississippian Formation of Endicott Group, Arctic Slope of 

Alaska: Am. Assoc. Petroleum Geologists Bull., v. 56, no. 8, p. 

1364--1369, 6 figs. 

Petryk, A. A., Mamet, B. L., and Macqueen, R. W., 1970, Preliminary 

foraminiferal zonation, Rundle Group and uppermost Banff 

Formation (Lower Carboniferous), southwestern Alberta: Canadian Assoc. Petroleum Geology Bull., v. 18, no. 1, p. 84--103. 

Pronina, T. V., 1963, Carboniferous foraminifers of the Berezovo 

Series in the eastern slope of the southern Ural Mountains, in 

Papers on the problems of stratigraphy, no. 7, Stratigraphy and 

fauna of the Paleozoic of the Ural Mountains [in Russian]: Akad. 

Nauk SSSR Ural. Fil., Geol. Inst. Trudy 65, p. 119-176, 7 pls. 

Reiser, H. N., Dutro, J. T., Jr., Brosge, W. P., Armstrong, A. K., and 

Detterman, R. L., 1970, Progress map, geology of the Sadlerochit 

and Shublik Mountains [Alaska]: U.S. Geol. Survey open-file 

map, scale 1:63,360. 

Reitlinger, E. A., 1957, Devonian spheres ofthe Russian platform [in 

Russian]: Akad. Nauk SSSR Doklady, v. 115, no. 4, p. 773-776. 

---1960, Characteristic microscopical organic remains of the 

Ozerko-Khovansk Formation: Akad. Nauk SSSR, Geol. Inst. 

Trudy, Bull. 14, p. 135--179, 3 pls. 

Sando, W. J., Mamet, B. L., and Dutro, J. T., Jr., 1969, Carboniferous 

megafauna! and microfauna! zonation in the northern Cordillera 

of the United States: U.S.Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 613-E, 29 p., 

7 figs. 

Stanton, R. J., 1963, Upper Devonian calcispheres from the Redwater 

and South Sturgeon Lake reefs, Alberta, Canada: Canadian 
REFERENCES CITED 25 

Assoc. Petroleum Geology Bull., v. 11. no. 4. p. 410-41~. 

Suleimanov. I. S .. 1945, Some new species of small Foraminifera from 

the Tournaisian of the lshimbaevo oil-bearing region [in 

Russian]: Akad. Nauk SSSR Doklady, v. 48, no. 2, p. 124-127. 

\'ee\'ers. J. J .. 1970. Upper Devonian and Lower Carboniferous 

calcareous algae from the Bonaparte Gulf basin, northwestern 

Australia: Australia Bur. Mineral Resources, Geology and 

Geophysics Bull. 116, p. 174-188, 22 pis. 

Wood, G. V., and Armstrong, A. K., 1975, Diagenesis and stratigraphy 

of the Lisburne Group limestones of the Sadlerochit Mountains 

and adjacent areas, northeastern Alaska, U.S. Geol. Survey Prof. 

Paper 857, 47 p. 

Page 

A 

Acknowledgments _______________________________ 2 

Aichilik River ---------------------------------- 17 

Alapah Limestone _______________________________ 2 

age -------------------------------- 2, 4, 17, 19 biota ________________________________________ 16 

carbonate regressive facies __________________ 22 

Clarence River section ____________________ 4, 22 

contact ------------------------ 4, 17, 18, 22, 23 

correlation ------------------------------ 19, 22 

deposition ---------------------------------- 22 

dolomite ________________________________ 4, 7, 22 

Egaksrak River section __________________ 19, 22 

facies ------------------------------------ 4, 16 

Kongakut River section __________ 4, 7, 16, 22, 23 

lagoonal facies ------------------------------ 22 

lithology ---------------------------------- 4, 7 

microfossils -------------------------------- 2, 7 

northeastern Brooks Range __________________ 22 

ooid beds ------------------------------------- 7 

Plunge Creek section ________________________ 22 

Sadlerochit Mountains ____________________ 19, 22 

stromatolite wne ---------------------------- 4 

subsurface ---------------------------------- 22 

Syncline section ---------------------------- 22 

thickness____________________________________ 22 

wackestone and packstone ____________________ 4 

Alaska, microfacies ------------------------------ 8 

northeastern ---------------------------- 1, 2, 8 

northwestern ------------------------------ 1, 7 

alaskaensis, Pseudoissinella __________________ 11, 15 

Algae-------------------------------------- 7, 8, 13 

kamaenid ---------------------------------- 11 

Algal cysts-------------------------------------- 17 

Algal spores ------------------------------------ 16 

aljutovica, Planoendothyra ________________________ 11 

anivikensis, Dainella ------------------------------ 9 

Archaediscus koktjubensis ------------------------ 15 

krestovnikovi ----------------------- 9, 13, 15, 16 

moelleri ------------------------------ 13, 15, 16 

SP------------------------------ 9, 11, 13, 15, 16 

Arctic National Wildlife Range ____________________ 2 

Asphaltina cordillerensis __________________ 11, 15, 16 

sp -------------------------------------- 11, 16 

Asteroarchaediscus baschkiricus ________ 9, 11, 15, 16 

gnomellus -------------------------------------- 16 

sp ------------------------------------ 9, 11, 16 

B 

baileyi, Globoendothyra ------------------------ 9, 13 

bamberi, Yukonella ------------------------------ 15 

Banffela sp -------------------------------------- 13 

baschkiricus, Asteroarchaediscus ________ 9, 11, 15, 16 

Biostratigraphy ---------------------------------- 7 

Biota, lagoonal facies ____________________________ 16 

Biseriella parva ------------------------------ 11, 16 

sp ------------------------------------ 9, 11, 16 

Black Marbles, Dina:p.t, Belgium __________________ 17 

bowmani, Endothyra ____________________ 9, 13, 15, 16 

Brachiopod -------~~------------------------- 11, 13 

Brachiopod fauna-------------------------------- 23 

britishensis, Pseudoendothyra -------------------- 11 

Brooks Range ---------------------------- 1, 2, 7, 22 

INDEX 

[Italic page numbers indicate both major references and descriptions) 

Page 

Brunsia facies _______________ ________________ 13 

Brunsia lenensis ________________________________ 13 

sp ___ ---------------------------------- 13, 15 

Bryozoans_____________________________________ 4, 7 

bulloides, Globivalvulina ________________________ 11 

Button Beds, Australia __________________________ 16 

c 

Calcisphaera -------------------------------- 16, 17 

distribution ____________ __________________ _ 17 

laevis ______________________________ 9, 13, 15, 16 

pachysphaerica -------------------- 9, 11, 13, 15 

sp ______________________________ 9, 11, 13, 15,.16 

Calcispheres ______________________________ 11, 13, 16 

Alapah Limestone __________________________ 16 

Shunda Formation -------------------------- 16 

Canning River------------------------------ 1, 2, 17 

Carbonate rock classification ______________________ 1 

Carbonate rocks, Sadlerochit Mountains __________ 23 

Carboniferous microfossils ------------------------ 1 

Carboniferous rocks, northern Cordillera, United 

States________________________________ 7 

western Canada ------------------------------ 7 

Carboniferous zonations, Cordilleran ______________ 8 

Eurasian ------------------------------------ 8 

Carnarvon Member, Mount Head Formation, Alberta ------------------------------ 16, 17 

Clarence River -------------------------------- 1, 4 

Clarence River section ________________________ 1, 4, 9 

Alapah Limestone -------------------- 4, 17, 22 

correlation ---------------------------------- 1 

graphic location ---------------------------- 23 

Kayak(?) Shale ____________________________ 4, 17 

Kekiktuk Conglomerate ____________________ 4, 17 

microfossil list ---------------------------- 8, 14 

Wahoo Limestone ------------------------ 4, 22 

clavatula, Earlandia __________________ 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 

Climacammina sp ------------------------------ 11 

Coal beds ---------------------------------------- 4 

compressus, Endothyranopsis __________________ 13, 15 

Corals, colonial ---------------------------------- 4 

Cordillera -------------------------------------- 16 

cordillerensis, Asphaltina __________________ 11, 15, 16 

Correlations, regional ____________________________ 17 

crassus, Endothyranopsis ________________________ 15 

Crinoid plates ---------------------------------- 15 

Crinoids__________________________________________ 7 

cushmani, Parathurammina __________________ 13, 15 

D 

Dainella anivikensis ------------------------------ 9 sp __ ___ _ _ __ _ __ ___ __ __ _ ___ __ ______ __ __ ______ _ 9 

Detterman, R. L., cited __________________________ - 23 

devexa, Priscella -------------------------------- 13 

Dinant, Black Marbles, Belgium------------------ 17 

Diplosphaerina sp ---------------------------- 13, 16 

discoidea, Zellerina -------------------------- 15, 16 

Dolomites, Clarence River section ________________ 22 

Devonian ---------------------------------- 17 

Marsh Fork section __________________________ 22 

Plunge Creek section ________________________ 22 

Dunham, R. J., cited------------------------------ 1 

Page 

E 

Earlandia clavatula __________________ 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 

vulgaris ____________________________ 9, 11, 13, 15 

SP------------------------------ 9, 11, 13, 15, 16 

Earlandinella sp ___________________________ 11, 13 

Echinoderms ------------------------------------ 4 

Echinoid spines ---------------------------------- 7 

Echooka Member, Sadlerochit Formation __________ 23 

Egaksrak River section, Alapah Limestone ____ 19, 22 

Kayak(?) Shale ______________________ 18, 19, 22 

microfossillist_ _______________________________ 8 

Wahoo Limestone ____________________________ 22 

Endicott Group __ ------------------------------ 2, 17 

regional correlations ________________________ 17 

Endicott Mountains ------------------------------ 2 

Endothyra bowmani ____________________ 9, 13, 15, 16 

excellens ------------------------------------ 16 

similis -------------------------------- 9, 13, 15 

sp -------------------------- 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16 

Endothyranella sp -----------------------~------ 13 

Endothyranopsids__ ___ __ ____ __ _ __ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ 13 

Endothyranopsis compressus __________________ 13, 15 

crass us______________________________________ 15 

sp -------------------------------------- 13, 15 

Endothyrids ------------------------------------ 13 

Eoendothyranopsis ermakiensis ____________ 11, 13, 15 

macrus ---------------------------------- 13, 15 

press us______________________________________ 13 

robustus ______________________________ 11, 13, 15 

scitulus ------------------------------------ 13 

spiroides ------------------------------------ 9 

thompsoni ---------------------------------- 13 utahensis _ __ ___ __ ___ ___ ___ __ ___ ___ __ __ __ __ ___ 13 

sp ------------------------------------ 9, 11, 13 

Eoforschia sp . ------------------------------ 7, 9, 13 

Eoschubertella yukonensis ______________________ 7, 11 

sp ---------------------------------------- 7, 11 

Eostaffella sp ---------------------------- 11, 15, 16 

Eotuberitina sp ------------------------------ 13, 15 

Epistacheoides sp ---------------------------- 13, 15 

ermakiensis, Eoendothyranopsis ____________ 11, 13, 15 

excellens, Endothyra ---------------------------- 16 

F,G,H,I 

Foraminifera -------------------------- 8, 11, 16, 17 

assemblages---------------------------------- 8 

Fossils, plants -------------------------------- 2, 17 

Franklin Mountains -------------------------- 1, 22 

Globivalvulina bulloides -------------------------- 11 

sp ---------------------------------------- 7, 11 

Globoendothyra baileyi ------------------------ 9, 13 

globulus ______________________________ 11, 13, 15 

paula -------------------------------------- 13 

tomiliensis ---------------------------------- 9 

sp -------------------------------- 9, 11, 13, 15 

Globoendothyrids -------------------------------- 13 

globulus, Globoendothyra ------------------ 11, 13, 15 

gnomellus, Asteroarchaediscus -------------------- 16 

Gypsum ---------------------------------- 4, 22, 23 

Heterocoral ------------------------------------ 15 

Hexaphyllia sp ---------------------------------- 15 

incertus, Neoarch(Lediscus ------------------ 7, 11, 16 

index, Kamaena -------------------------------- 13 

27 
28 CARBONIFEROUS BIOSTRATIGRAPHY, NORTHEASTERN BROOKS RANGE, ARCTIC ALASKA 

Page 

inflata, Koninckopora ________________________ 13, 15 

Introduction------------------------------------ _ 1 

lrregularina sp _________________________________ 15 

Issinella sp -------------------- _________________ 13 

Itkilyariak Formation ___________________________ 18 

K 

Kamaena ------------------------------------ 11, 17 

index -------------------------------------- 13 

lahuseni -------------------------------- 13, 15 

sp ---------------------------------- 11, 13, 15 

Kayak Shale ------------------------------------ 2 age _ __ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ __ _ _ _ ___ __ _ __ ______ _ _ __ _ ___ __ _ 2 

type locality---------------------------------- 2 

Kayak(?) Shale ---------------------------------- 2 

age -------------------------------------- 2, 17 

Clarence River section ____________________ 4, 17 

composite section ___________________________ 18 

contact ---------------------- 2, 4, 17, 18, 19, 22 

correlation ------------------------------ 17, 18 

disconformity -------------------------------- 2 

eastern Sadlerochit Mountains ________________ 18 

Egaksrak River section ________________ 18, 19, 22 

geologic structure ---------------------------- 2 

Kongakut River section ________________ 4, 18, 19 

lithology ____________________________ 2, 4, 17, 18 

microfossils -------------------------- 17, 18, 19 

western Sadlerochit Mountains ______________ 17 

Kekiktuk Conglomerate __________________________ 2 

age _ _ ___ __ __ ___ _ _ ___ __ _ __ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ __ _ 2 

Clarence River section -------------------- 4, 17 

coal beds __________________________________ 4, 17 

contacts ---------------------------------- 2, 17 

correlation __ -------------------------------- 17 

eastern Sadlerochit Mountains ________________ 17 

Kongakut River section ______________________ 17 

lithology ------------------------------ 2, 4, 17 

stratigraphy---------------------------- 2, 4, 17 

type section ---------------------------------- 2 

western Sadlerochit Mountains ______________ 17 

koktjubensis, Archaediscus ---------------------- 15 

Kongakut River-------------------------------- 1, 4 

Kongakut River section __________________ 1, 4, 11, 19 

Alapah Limestone ________________ 4, 7, 16, 22, 23 

biota________________________________________ 16 

correlation ---------------------------------- 1 

graphic location ____________________________ 23 

Kayak(?) Shale ________________________ 4, 18, 19 

Kekiktuk Conglomerate ______________________ 17 

lagoonal facies ------------------------------ 22 

microfossil list ---------------------------- 8, 16 

Sadlerochit Formation ____________________ 7, 23 

Wachsmuth Limestone equivalent ____________ 19 

Koninckopora inflata ------------------------ 13, 15 

sp -------------------------------------- 13, 15 

krestounikoui, Archaediscus ____________ 9, 13, 15, 16 

L 

laeuis, Calcisphaera __________ 9, 13, 15, 16 

Lagoonal facies, Alapah Limestone ____________ 16, 22 

Lagoons, carbonate, Carboniferous ________________ 16 

lahuseni, Kamaena __________________________ 13, 15 

lenensis, Brunsia -------------------------------- 13 

Limestones, Atokan age________ _ _____ 23 

Paleowic -------------------------------- 4, 17 Pennsylvanian ________________________________ 4 

Lisburne Group ---------------------------- 1,2, 19 

carbonate rocks, altered ______________________ 4 

contact ________________________________ 2, 19, 22 

correlation ______________________________ 1, 7,19 

diagenesis _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 9 

foraminiferal assemblages ____________________ 8 

foraminiferal wnes _________________ _ 

microfossils, Carboniferous _____________ _ 

petrography____________________________ 9 

regional correlations ________________________ 19 

stratigraphic studies _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______ 1 

Lisburne Hills______ _________________ 1, 7 

Lisburne Limestone 2 

Page 

M 

macrus, Eoendothyranopsis __________________ 13, 15 

Marsh Fork ---------------------------------- 1, 17 

Marsh Fork section, Kayak!?) Shale ______________ 19 

microfossil list_ _______________________________ 8 

Microfauna! assemblage wnes ____________________ 7 

Microfacies, Alaska ------------------------------ 8 

Microfossil list_ ___________________________________ 9 

Clarence River section -------------------- 8,14 

eastern Sadlerochit Mountains section __________ 8 

Egaksrak River section ________________________ 8 

Kongakut River section ____________________ 8, 16 

Marsh Fork section __________________________ 8 

Plunge Creek section __________________________ 8 

Syncline section ------------------------------ 8 

western Sadlerochit Mountains section ________ 8 

Microfossils, Alapah Limestone __________________ 2, 7 

Carboniferous -------------------------------- 1 

Franklin Mountains __________________________ 1 

Kayak(?) Shale ______________________ 17, 18, 19 

Lisburne Group ______________________________ 1 

Romanzof Mountains _________________________ _ 

Wachsmuth Limestone ________________________ 2 

Wahoo Limestone ____________________________ 4 

Millerella sp ------------------------------------ 11 

minimus, Planospirodiscus ______________________ 11 

moelleri, Archaediscus ____________________ 13, 15, 16 

Mount Head Formation, Carnarvon Member, 

Alberta __________________________ 16, 17 

Mount Wachsmuth ________________________________ 2 

N,O 

Neoarchaediscus incertus __________________ 7, 11, 16 

parous -------------------------------------- 16 

regularis -------------------------------- 16 sp ________________________________ 9, 11, 15, 16 

Neruokpuk Formation ________________________ 17, 18 

Neruokpuk Lakes -------------------------------- 2 Ooids __ _ _ _ __ ___ _ _ _ __ _ __ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ _ __ __ __ __ __ ___ __ 7 

Ostracodes -------------------------------------- 13 

p 

pachysphaerica, Calcisphaera ___________ 9, 11, 13, 15 

Palaeocancellus sp ------------------------------ 13 

Palaeotextularia sp ------------------------------ 11 

Paracalligelloides sp ---------------------------- 15 

Parathurammina ---------------------------- 16, 17 

cushmani -------------------------------- 13, 15 

Kongakut River section ______________________ 17 

suleimanoui ------------------------------ 13, 15 

sp ---------------------------------- 11, 13, 15 

Parathuramminids, distribution __________________ 17 

parua, Biseriella ______________________________ 11, 16 

paruus, Neoarchaediscus ________________________ 16 

regularis, Neoarchaediscus __________________ 16 

paula, Globoendothyra __________________________ 13 

Pelecypods -------------------------------------- 13 

Pellets -------------------------------------- 13, 15 

Pelmatowan plates ------------------------------ 7 

Planoarchaediscus sp ____________________________ 13 

Planoendothyra aljutouica ________________________ 11 

sp -------------------------------- 11, 13, 15, 16 

Planospirodiscus minimus ------------------------ 11 

taimyricus ______________________________ 11, 16 

sp ------------------------------------ 9, 11, 16 

Plunge Creek section, Alapah Limestone __________ 22 

Kayak(?) Shale------------------------------ 19 

lagoonal facies ------------------------------ 22 

microfossil list_ ____ --------------------------- 8 

pressus, Eoendothyranopsis ---------------------- 13 

prisca, Priscella ____________________________ 9, 13, 15 

Priscella deue=------ ___________________________ 13 

prisca _______________________________ 9, 13, 15 

sp _______ _ __________________________ 9, 13, 15 

Protowa __ _________________ _ ________ 17 

Prudhoe Bay __________ _ ____ 22 

Pseudoammodiscus sp _____________________ 9, 13,15 

Page 

Pseudocornuspira sp -------------------- 11 

Pseudoendothyra britishensis -------------------- 11 

sp ---------------------------------- 11, 15, 16 

Pseudoglomospira sp ______________________ 11, 15, 16 

Pseudoissinella ------------------------------ 11, 17 

alaskaensis ------------------------------ 11, 15 

sp ------------------------------------- 13, 15 

Pseudostaffella sp ----------------------------- 7, 11 

Pseudotaxis sp ---------------------------------- 16 

Q,R 

Quasiarchaediscus rugosus ______________________ 11 

sp _ __ __ _ _ _ ___ __ _ _____ __ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ __ ___ ___ _ _ __ 9 

Radiolarite -------------------------------------- 7 

Radiosphaera --------------------------------- 16, 17 

Radiosphaerina sp ------------------------------ 15 

regularis, Neoarchaediscus paruus ________________ 16 

robustus, Eoendothyranopsis ______________ 11, 13, 15 

Romanwf Mountains -------------------------- 1, 22 

rugosus, Quasiarchaediscus _ -------------------- 11 

s 

Sadlerochit Formation _____________________ 4, 7, 23 

Clarence River section ------------------------ 4 

contact______________________________________ 23 

correlation ---------------------------------- 23 

Echooka Member---------------------------- 23 

Kongakut River section ____________________ 7, 23 

Sadlerochit high -------------------------------- 22 

Sadlerochit Mountains -------------------- 1, 17, 22 

carbonate rocks ______________________________ 23 

eastern section, diagenesis ____________________ 9 

microfossil list_ ___________________________ 8 

petrography------------------------------ 9 

Meramecian time---------------------------- 22 

western section, diagenesis ____________________ 9 

microfossil list_ ____________________________ 8 

petrography------------------------------ 9 

scitulus, Eoendothyranopsis ---------------------- 13 

Shainin Lake ------------------------------------ 2 

Shainin Lake area-------------------------------- 2 

Shale, black-------------------------------------- 2 

Shunda Formation, Alberta ______________________ 16 

British Columbia---------------------------- 16 

similis, Endothyra ------------------------ 9, 13, 15 

skimoensis, Stacheia ------------------------ 7, 9, 13 

Skippella sp __________________________________ 11, 15 

spiroides, Eoendothyranopsis ---------------------- 9 

Stacheeinae ------------------------------------ 11 

Stacheia skimoensis ________________________ 7, 9, 13 

sp ---------------------------------------- 9, 13 

Stacheoides sp ______________________ 9, 11, 13, 15, 16 

Stratigraphy ------------------------------------ 2 

Stromatolites------------------------------ 4, 22, 23 

suleimanoui, Parathurammina ---------------- 13, 15 

Syncline section, Alapah Limestone ______________ 22 

microfossil list_ _______________________________ 8 

Synclinorium, Aichilik River -------------------- 17 

T,U,V 

Taimyr-Alaska foraminifera ---------------------- 8 

taimyricus, Planospirodiscus ------------------ 11, 16 Terra rossa ______________________________________ 23 

Tetrataxis sp __________________________ 9, 11, 15, 16 

thompsoni, Eoendothyranopsis -------------------- 13 

tomiliensis, Globoendothyra ________________________ 9 

Tuberitina sp ___________ ------------------------- 11 

Ungdarella-------------------------------------- 13 sp __ _ _ ___ ___ _ _ _ __ __ _ __ _ __ __ __ _ _ __ ___ __ ___ ___ 15 

utahensis, Eoendothyranopsis -------------------- 13 

Uua -------------------------------------------- 16 

Vadose weathering, carbonate rocks ______________ 23 

Veevers, J. J., cited------------------------------ 16 Vicinesphaera _____________________________ --- 16, 17 

sp ________ _ ______________ 11, 13, 15 

vulgaris, Earlandia ____________________ 9, 11, 13,15 
Page 

w 

Wachsmuth Limestone ___________________________ 2 

age _ ___ _ __ __ ___ _ _ ___ __ _ __ ___ __ _ _ __ __ __ _ ___ __ _ 2 

carbonate facies ---------------------------- 19 

lithology------------------------------------ 17 

microfossils ---------------------------------- 2 

stratigraphic equivalent_ _____________________ 19 

type section ---------------------------------- 2 Wahoo Lake ______________________________________ 4 

Wahoo Limestone -------------------------------- 4 age _ _ _ __ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ ___ __ ___ ___ __ __ _ _ __ __ ___ _ _ _ _ 4 

INDEX 

Page 

Wahoo Limestone-Continued 

Clarence River section ___________________ 4, 22 

contact ---------------------------------- 4, 23 

correlation ------------------------------ 22, 23 

eastern Sadlerochit Mountains ________________ 22 

Egaksrak River section ---------------------- 22 

lithology---------------------------------- 4, 22 

microfossils ---------------------------------- 4 

northern Brooks Range ______________________ 22 

ooid facies ---------------------------------- 22 

thickness____________________________________ 22 

type section ---------------------------------- 4 

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1975-0-689-909/53 

29 

Page 

Wahoo Limestone-Continued 

western Sadlerochit Mountains ______________ 22 

Whistler Creek ---------------------------------- 2 

Y,Z 

Yukonella bamberi _____________________________ 15 

sp _ __ __ ______ ___ _____ _ __ ___ ___ ___ _ _ __ _ _ __ ___ 15 

yukonensis, Eoschubertella ____________________ 7, 11 

Zellerina discoidea -------------------------- 15, 16 

sp -------------------------------- 9, 11, 15, 16