Carboniferous Ammonoids and Stratigraphy in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago
Authors: Nassichuk W W 
Published: December 2015

Forty-six species of Carboniferous ammonoids are known from the Sverdrup Basin in northern regions of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago; these are represented by several thousand specimens from 60 localities. All species are described and their biochronologic
significance assessed in the present study. The oldest known marine fossils in the Sverdrup Basin are ammonoids, brachiopods, and calcareous foraminifers of early Namurian (Chesteran) age; Cravenoceras tozeri n. sp. from the Otto Fiord Formation on Melville Island closely resembles species that
occur in the Ez Zone in Morocco, Algeria, and the Soviet Union. Late Namurian Rz and G1 (Halian) ammonoids also occur in the Otto Fiord Formation on Melville and Axel Heiberg Islands. These include Bilinguites canadensis n. sp. Bilinguites heibergensis n. sp. Bilinguites sp. Bisatoceras hoeni n. sp.
The following early Westphalian (Kayalian) ammonoids also occur in the upper part of the Otto Fiord Formation: Branneroceras bra1111eri (Smith) Bramreroceras nicholasi n. sp. Branneroceras lrillsi n. sp. Branneroceras sp. Bisatoceras renni n. sp. Gastrioceras melvillensis n. sp. Gastrioceras liratum
n. sp. Gastrioceras sp. Syngastrioceras oblatum (Miller and Moore) Melvilloceras sabinensis n. gen ., n. sp. The base of Westphalian-A in Western Europe and the base of the Kayalian in Eastern Europe approximate the base of the Bloydian Stage in the Morrowan Series in the North American
Midcontinent. The Otto Fiord Formation shows marked diachroneity. In parts of northern Ellesmere Island, early Moscovian foraminifers occur in the upper part of the formation but in other parts, the youngest fossi ls in the Otto Fiord Formation are of Kayalian age. An abundant early Moscovian
(Middle Pennsylvanian, Atokan) ammonoid fauna occurs in the Hare Fiord and Nansen Formations on Ellesmere and Axel Heiberg Islands including: Boesites gracilis n. sp. Stenopronorites sersoni n. sp. Pseudopronorites arkansiensis (Smith) Metapronorites e/!esmerensis n. sp. Maximites afexanderi n. sp.
Neodimorplwceras sverdrupi n. sp. Goniofoboceratoides curvatus n. gen., n. sp. Proshumardites aequalis n. sp. Syngastrioceras smithwickense (Plummer and Scott) Syngastrioceras orientale (Yin) Syngastrioceras constrictum n. sp. Clistoceras globosum Nassichuk Clistoceras sp. Bisatoceras kotti n. sp.
Neogastrioceras arcticum n. gen., n. sp. Neoglaphyrites bisulcatus n. sp. Neoicoceras martini n. sp. Phaneroceras lenticulare Plummer and Scott Phaneroceras compressum (Hyatt) Trettinoceras ellesmerensis n. gen., n. sp. Somoholites merriami (Miller and Furni sh) Gastrioceras glenisteri n. sp.
Diaboloceras neumeieri Quinn and Carr Diaboloceras involutum n. sp. Winslowoceras greelyi n. sp. Christioceras trifurcatum Nassichuk and Furnish Of the above species, Diaboloceras in volutum and Gastrioceras glenisteri are associated also with upper Moscovian (Podolian) ; that is early Desmoinesian
fusulinaceans and smaller calcareous foraminifers near the top of the " Tellevak Limestone" member of the Hare Fiord Formation in the Krieger Mountains, northern Ellesmere Island. In addition, several other Desmoinesian ammonoids are known from the Canyon Fiord Formation on Ellesmere Island,
including: Boesites sp. Metapronorites pseudotimorensis (Miller) Bisatoceras sp. Somoholites bamberi n. sp. Similarly, the Desmoinesian Bisatoceras cf. B. greenei is known from the Nansen Formation on Axel Heiberg Island. A single Zhigulevian (Missourian) ammonoid Parashumardites sp. is described
from the Nansen Formation on Ellesmere Island.