Sample records for thick late triassic
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Death in Guizhou — Late Triassic drowning of the Yangtze carbonate platform
Enos, Paul; Wei Jiayong; Lehrmann, Daniel J.
1998-06-01
The Yangtze platform in south China formed a stable palaeogeographic element from the Late Proterozoic to the end of the Middle Triassic with deposition of shallow-water carbonates during much of this time. A portion of the Yangtze platform in south-central Guizhou drowned at the transition from Permian to Triassic, as the south-adjacent Nanpanjiang basin encroached about 100 km northward, but a new, stable platform margin was established that persisted through the Early and Middle Triassic. This long history as a stable carbonate platform ended at the transition from the Ladinian to the Carnian. The latest Ladinian rocks, the Yangliujing Formation, are 490 m of shoaling-upward carbonate cycles of grapestone and bioclastic grainstone, fenestral limestone, and stromatolitic dolomudstone, commonly overprinted by extensive subaerial diagenesis. The beginning of the Carnian is marked by a rapid transition to medium-dark-grey, nodular lime mudstones containing ammonoids, conodonts and thin-shelled bivalves, the Zhuganpo Formation. The upper part of this thin pelagic limestone contains many muddy intraclasts, some slightly bored and encrusted, indicating incipient cementation. The overlying Wayao Formation is a condensed black shale with thin interbeds of dark-grey, manganiferous lime mudstone near the base. Ammonoids, conodonts, thin-shelled bivalves, and articulated crinoid stems are abundant. Fine-grained greywacke with sole marks forms prominent bundles within grey, calcareous shale in the overlying Laishike Formation. Ammonoids and thin-shelled bivalves occur sporadically in this 810-m-thick unit. Calcareous shale with thicker-shelled bivalves and packages of cleaner, coarser-grained sandstone characterize the Banan Formation, 460 m thick. The sandstone units generally coarsen and thicken upward, with ripples, medium-scale trough cross-beds, and rare U-tube burrows. Quartzose, coal-bearing siliciclastics 690 m thick form the overlying Huobachong Formation. Thick
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Assessing the record and causes of Late Triassic extinctions
Tanner, L.H.; Lucas, S.G.; Chapman, M.G.
2004-01-01
Accelerated biotic turnover during the Late Triassic has led to the perception of an end-Triassic mass extinction event, now regarded as one of the "big five" extinctions. Close examination of the fossil record reveals that many groups thought to be affected severely by this event, such as ammonoids, bivalves and conodonts, instead were in decline throughout the Late Triassic, and that other groups were relatively unaffected or subject to only regional effects. Explanations for the biotic turnover have included both gradualistic and catastrophic mechanisms. Regression during the Rhaetian, with consequent habitat loss, is compatible with the disappearance of some marine faunal groups, but may be regional, not global in scale, and cannot explain apparent synchronous decline in the terrestrial realm. Gradual, widespread aridification of the Pangaean supercontinent could explain a decline in terrestrial diversity during the Late Triassic. Although evidence for an impact precisely at the boundary is lacking, the presence of impact structures with Late Triassic ages suggests the possibility of bolide impact-induced environmental degradation prior to the end-Triassic. Widespread eruptions of flood basalts of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) were synchronous with or slightly postdate the system boundary; emissions of CO2 and SO2 during these eruptions were substantial, but the contradictory evidence for the environmental effects of outgassing of these lavas remains to be resolved. A substantial excursion in the marine carbon-isotope record of both carbonate and organic matter suggests a significant disturbance of the global carbon cycle at the system boundary. Release of methane hydrates from seafloor sediments is a possible cause for this isotope excursion, although the triggering mechanism and climatic effects of such a release remain uncertain. ?? 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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A theropod tooth from the Late Triassic of southern Africa
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
An isolated, large recurved and finely serrated tooth found associated with the prosauropod Euskelosaurus from the Late Triassic part of the Elliot Formation is described here. It is compared to the Triassic thecodonts and carnivorous dinosaurs and its possible affinity is discussed. The tooth possibly belongs to a basal ...
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Song, Peiping; Ding, Lin; Li, Zhenyu; Lippert, Peter C.; Yang, Tianshui; Zhao, Xixi; Fu, Jiajun; Yue, Yahui
2015-08-01
To better constrain the Late Triassic paleolatitude of the Qiangtang block and the closure of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean, a combined paleomagnetic and zircon U/Pb geochronological study has been conducted on the Upper Triassic Jiapila Formation volcanic rocks on the northern edge of the Qiangtang block of Central Tibet (34.1°N, 92.4°E). These rocks are dated to 204-213 Ma. Progressive thermal or alternating field demagnetization successfully isolated stable characteristic remanent magnetizations (ChRM) that pass both the fold and reversal tests, consistent with a primary magnetization. These are the first volcanic-based paleomagnetic results from pre-Cretaceous rocks of the Qiangtang block that appear to average secular variation well enough to yield a reliable paleolatitude estimate. Based on our new paleomagnetic data from Upper Triassic lavas, we conclude that the Late Triassic pole of the Qiangtang block was located at 64.0°N, 174.7°E, with A95 = 6.6 ° (N = 29). We compile published paleomagnetic data from the Qiangtang block to calculate a Late Triassic latitude for the Qiangtang block at 31.7 ± 3.0°N. The central Paleo-Tethys Ocean basin was located between the North China (NCB) and Tarim blocks to the north and the Qiangtang block to the south during Late Paleozoic-Early Mesozoic. A comparison of published Early Triassic paleopole from the Qiangtang block with the coeval paleopoles from the NCB and Tarim indicates that the Paleo-Tethys Ocean could not have closed during the Early Triassic and that its width was approximately ∼32-38° latitude (∼3500-4200 km). However, the comparison of our new combined Late Triassic paleomagnetic result with the Late Triassic poles of the NCB and Tarim, as well as numerous geological observations, indicates that the closure of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean at the longitude of the Qiangtang block most likely occurred during the Late Triassic.
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P Martin Sander
Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Ichthyosaurs were an important group of Mesozoic marine reptiles and existed from the Early Triassic to the early Late Cretaceous. Despite a great diversity in body shapes and feeding adaptations, all share greatly enlarged eyes, an elongated rostrum with numerous conical teeth, and a streamlined body. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Based on new material from China and the restudy of Shastasaurus pacificus, we here reinterpret the classical large-bodied Late Triassic ichthyosaur genus Shastasaurus to differ greatly from the standard ichthyosaurian body plan, indicating much greater morphological diversity and range of feeding adaptations in ichthyosaurs than previously recognized. Phylogenetic analysis indicates a monophyletic clade consisting of the giant Shonisaurus sikanniensis, Guanlingsaurus liangae, and Shastasaurus pacificus to which the genus name Shastasaurus is applied. Shastasaurus liangae comb. nov. is from the Late Triassic (Carnian Xiaowa Formation of Guizhou Province, southwestern China. The species combines a diminutive head with an entirely toothless and greatly reduced snout. The species also has by far the highest vertebral count among ichthyosaurs (86 presacral vertebrae and >110 caudal vertebrae, a count that is also very high for tetrapods in general. A reduced toothless snout and a diminutive head is also apparently present in the giant S. sikanniensis and presumably in S. pacificus. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: In analogy to many modern odontocetes, Shastasaurus is interpreted as a specialized suction feeder on unshelled cephalopods and fish, suggesting a unique but widespread Late Triassic diversification of toothless, suction-feeding ichthyosaurs. Suction feeding has not been hypothesized for any of the other diverse marine reptiles of the Mesozoic before, but in Shastasaurus may be linked to the Late Triassic minimum in atmospheric oxygen.
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Milidragovic, D.; Zagorevski, A.; Weis, D.; Joyce, N.; Chapman, J. B.
2018-05-01
Primitive, near-primary arc magmas occur as a volumetrically minor ≤100 m thick unit in the Canadian Cordillera of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. These primitive magmas formed an olivine-phyric, picritic tuff near the base of the Middle-Late Triassic Stuhini Group of the Stikine Terrane (Stikinia). A new 40Ar/39Ar age on hornblende from a cross-cutting basaltic dyke constrains the tuff to be older than 221 ± 2 Ma. An 87Sr/86Sr isochron of texturally-unmodified tuff samples yields 212 ± 25 Ma age, which is interpreted to represent syn-depositional equilibration with sea-water. Parental trace element magma composition of the picritic tuff is strongly depleted in most incompatible trace elements relative to MORB and implies a highly depleted ambient arc mantle. High-precision trace element and Hf-Nd-Pb isotopic analyses indicate an origin by mixing of a melt of depleted ambient asthenosphere with ≤2% of subducted sediment melt. Metasomatic addition of non-conservative incompatible elements through melting of subducted Panthalassa Ocean floor sediments accounts for the arc signature of the Stuhini Group picritic tuff, enrichment of light rare earth elements (LREE) relative to heavy rare earth elements (HREE) and high field strength elements (HFSE), and anomalous enrichment in Pb. The inferred Panthalassan sediments are similar in composition to the Neogene-Quaternary sediments of the modern northern Cascadia Basin. The initial Hf isotopic composition of the picritic tuff closely approximates that of the ambient Middle-Late Triassic asthenosphere beneath Stikinia and is notably less radiogenic than the age-corrected Hf isotopic composition of the Depleted (MORB) Mantle reservoir (DM or DMM). This suggests that the ambient asthenospheric mantle end-member experienced melt depletion (F ≤ 0.05) a short time before picrite petrogenesis. The mantle end-member in the source of the Stuhini Group picritic tuff is isotopically similar to the mantle source of
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Depositional environments of Late Triassic lake, east-central New Mexico
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Hester, P.M. (Bureau of Land Management, Albuquerque, NM (USA))
1989-09-01
The Redonda Member of the Chinle Formation represents deposition in a large, polymictic lake during the Late Triassic (Norian) in east-central New Mexico. This study documents and defines an extensive lacustrine system situated in western Pangaea which was influenced by both tectonic and climatic events. Areal extent of the lake may have been as much as 5,000 km{sup 2}.
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Chatterjee, S.
Walkeria maleriensis (n. g., n. sp.) from the Late Triassic Maleri Formation of the Godavari Valley of India is the earliest known dinosaur from Asia. It is a small podokesaurid theropod, very similar to Procompsognathus of Germany, Coelophysis of North America, and Syntarsus from Zimbabwe and North America. The podokesaurs are of particular interest to students of organic evolution because they are the earliest known theropods from which Archaeopteryx, the oldest known fossil bird, was probably evolved. Traditionally, India has been regarded as a part of Gondwana. It is generally believed that Gondwana remained an integral geographic unit throughout the Triassic. If this is so, a strong faunal correlation between India and other Gondwana continents should be expected in Late Triassic time. Contrary to this, the Maleri fauna is overwhelmingly "northern". Walkeria occurs in association with metoposaurs, parasuchids, protorosaurs, aetosaurs, rhynchosaurs, and traversodonts. Most of these taxa have been identified in the Dockum fauna of North America, indicating a close paleontologic link between India and Laurasia. Possibly the route of faunal migration between India and North America during the Late Triassic was via northern Africa.
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OLDEST STEM TELEOSTEI FROM THE LATE LADINIAN (MIDDLE TRIASSIC OF SOUTHERN CHINA
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ANDREA TINTORI
2015-11-01
Full Text Available The origin of the largest modern vertebrate group, the Teleostei, saw major refinements in the last decades, thanks to newly discovered and stratigraphically closely spaced Triassic Lagerstätten. Here we report the oldest Pholidophoriformes (stem teleosts that were collected during a large scale yet detailed excavation of Upper Ladinian (Middle Triassic marine deposits in Xingyi City, Guizhou Province, China. Taxonomic comparisons support the erection of a new pholidophorid genus, Malingichthys gen. nov., with two species. The new genus shows a partially fused skull roof, a preopercular bone with a hockey-stick shape and, for the first time in Pholidophoridae, supraneural elements. Most Triassic marine vertebrate clades (fishes and reptiles, Malingichthys included first emerged in the South China Block, with Late Ladinian most showing an important faunal transformation that was strengthened by our last findings. The material here described is about 2 million years older than the previous records for pholidophorids.
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Late Permian to Triassic intraplate orogeny of the southern Tianshan and adjacent regions, NW China
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Wei Ju
2014-01-01
Based on previous studies and recent geochronogical data, we suggest that the final collision between the Tarim Craton and the North Asian continent occurred during the late Carboniferous. Therefore, the Permian was a period of intracontinental environment in the southern Tianshan and adjacent regions. We propose that an earlier, small-scale intraplate orogenic stage occurred in late Permian to Triassic time, which was the first intraplate process in the South Tianshan Orogen and adjacent regions. The later large-scale and well-known Neogene to Quaternary intraplate orogeny was induced by the collision between the India subcontinent and the Eurasian plate. The paper presents a new evolutionary model for the South Tianshan Orogen and adjacent regions, which includes seven stages: (I late Ordovician–early Silurian opening of the South Tianshan Ocean; (II middle Silurian–middle Devonian subduction of the South Tianshan Ocean beneath an active margin of the North Asian continent; (III late Devonian–late Carboniferous closure of the South Tianshan Ocean and collision between the Kazakhstan-Yili and Tarim continental blocks; (IV early Permian post-collisional magmatism and rifting; (V late Permian–Triassic the first intraplate orogeny; (VI Jurassic–Palaeogene tectonic stagnation and (VII Neocene–Quaternary intraplate orogeny.
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Ye, F.; Zhao, L., Sr.; Chen, Z. Q.; Wang, X.
2017-12-01
Calcium and carbon cycles are tightly related in the ocean, for example, through continental weathering and deposition of carbonate, thus, very important for exploring evolutions of marine environment during the earth history. The end-Permian mass extinction is the biggest biological disaster in the Phanerozoic and there are several studies talking about variations of calcium isotopes across the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB). However, these studies are all from the Tethys regions (Payne et al., 2010; Hinojosa et al., 2012), while the Panthalassic Ocean is still unknown to people. Moreover, evolutions of the calcium isotopes during the Early to Late Triassic is also poorly studied (Blattler et al., 2012). Here, we studied an Uppermost Permian to Upper Triassic shallow water successions (Kamura section, Southwest Japan) in the Central Panthalassic Ocean. The Kamura section is far away from the continent without any clastic pollution, therefore, could preserved reliable δ44/40Cacarb signals. Conodont zonation and carbonate carbon isotope also provide precious time framework which is necessary for the explaining of the δ44/40Cacarb profile. In Kamura, δ44/40Cacarb and δ13Ccarb both exhibit negative excursions across the PTB, the δ44/40Cacarb value in the end-Permian is 1.0398‰ then abrupt decrease to the minimum value of 0.1524‰. CO2-driven global ocean acidification best explains the coincidence of the δ44/40Cacarb excursion with negative excursions in the δ13Ccarb of carbonates until the Early Smithian(N1a, N1b, N1c, P1, N2, P2). In the Middle and the Late Triassic, the δ44/40 Cacarb average approximately 1.1‰. During the Middle and Late Triassic, strong relationships between δ44/40Cacarb and δ13Ccarb are collapsed, indicating a normal pH values of the seawater in those time. The Siberian Trap volcanism probably played a significant role on the δ44/40Cacarb until the late Early Triassic. After that, δ44/40Cacarb was mostly controlled by carbonate
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Ward, P.D.; Garrison, G.H.; Haggart, J.W.; Kring, D.A.; Beattie, M.J.
2004-01-01
Stable isotope analyses of Late Triassic to earliest Jurassic strata from Kennecott Point in the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, Canada shows the presence of two distinct and different organic carbon isotope anomalies at the Norian/Rhaetian and Rhaetian/Hettangian (=Triassic/Jurassic) stage boundaries. At the older of these boundaries, which is marked by the disappearance of the bivalve Monotis, the isotope record shows a series of short-lived positive excursions toward heavier values. Strata approaching this boundary show evidence of increasing anoxia. At the higher boundary, marked by the disappearance of the last remaining Triassic ammonites and over 50 species of radiolarians, the isotopic pattern consists of a series of short duration negative anomalies. The two events, separated by the duration of the Rhaetian age, comprise the end-Triassic mass extinction. While there is no definitive evidence as to cause, the isotopic record does not appear similar to that of the impact-caused Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary extinction. ?? 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.
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Permian and Triassic microfloral assemblages from the Blue Nile Basin, central Ethiopia
Dawit, Enkurie L.
2014-11-01
Palynological investigation was carried out on surface samples from up to 400 m thick continental siliciclastic sediments, here referred to as “Fincha Sandstone”, in the Blue Nile Basin, central Ethiopia. One hundred sixty species were identified from 15 productive samples collected along a continuous road-cut exposure. Six informal palynological assemblage zones have been identified. These assemblage zones, in ascending order, are: “Central Ethiopian Permian Assemblage Zone - CEPAZ I”, earliest Permian (Asselian-Sakmarian); “CEPAZ II”, late Early Permian (Artinskian-Kungurian); CEPAZ III - Late Permian (Kazanian-Tatarian); “CETAZ IV”, Lower Triassic (Olenekian Induan); “CETAZ V”, Middle Triassic (Anisian Ladinian); “CETAZ VI”, Late Triassic (Carnian Norian). Tentative age ranges proposed herein are compared with faunally calibrated palynological zones in Gondwana. The overall composition and vertical distribution of miospores throughout the studied section reveals a wide variation both qualitatively and quantitatively. The high frequency of monosaccate pollen in CEPAZ I may reflect a Glossopterid-dominated upland flora in the earliest Permian. The succeeding zone is dominated by straite/taeniate disaccate pollen and polyplicates, suggesting a notable increase in diversity of glossopterids. The decline in the diversity of taeniate disaccate pollen and the concomitant rise in abundance of non-taeniate disaccates in CEPAZ III may suggest the decline in Glossopteris diversity, though no additional evidence is available to equate this change with End-Permian extinction. More diverse and dominant non-taeniate, disaccate, seed fern pollen assignable to FalcisporitesAlisporites in CETAZ IV may represent an earliest Triassic recovery flora. The introduction of new disaccate forms with thick, rigid sacci, such as Staurosaccites and Cuneatisporites, in CETAZ V and VI may indicate the emergence of new gymnospermous plants that might have favourably
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W. Kiessling
2011-02-01
Full Text Available The hypothesis that ocean acidification was a proximate trigger of the marine end-Triassic mass extinction rests on the assumption that taxa that strongly invest in the secretion of calcium-carbonate skeletons were significantly more affected by the crisis than other taxa. An argument against this hypothesis is the great extinction toll of radiolarians that has been reported from work on local sections. Radiolarians have siliceous tests and thus should be less affected by ocean acidification. We compiled taxonomically vetted occurrences of late Permian and Mesozoic radiolarians and analyzed extinction dynamics of radiolarian genera. Although extinction rates were high at the end of the Triassic, there is no evidence for a mass extinction in radiolarians but rather significantly higher background extinction in the Triassic than in the Jurassic. Although the causes for this decline in background extinction levels remain unclear, the lack of a major evolutionary response to the end-Triassic event, gives support for the hypothesis that ocean acidification was involved in the dramatic extinctions of many calcifying taxa. doi:10.1002/mmng.201000017
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Late Triassic sedimentary records in the northern Tethyan Himalaya: Tectonic link with Greater India
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Huawen Cao
2018-01-01
strata. The Tethyan Himalaya was part of the northern passive margin and was not an exotic terrane separated from India during the Permian to Early Cretaceous. This evidence suggests that the Neo-Tethyan ocean opened prior to the Late Triassic and that the Upper Triassic deposits were derived from continental crustal fragments adjacent to the northern passive continental margin of Greater India.
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Martínez, Ricardo N.; Apaldetti, Cecilia; Colombi, Carina E.; Praderio, Angel; Fernandez, Eliana; Malnis, Paula Santi; Correa, Gustavo A.; Abelin, Diego; Alcober, Oscar
2013-01-01
Sphenodontians were a successful group of rhynchocephalian reptiles that dominated the fossil record of Lepidosauria during the Triassic and Jurassic. Although evidence of extinction is seen at the end of the Laurasian Early Cretaceous, they appeared to remain numerically abundant in South America until the end of the period. Most of the known Late Cretaceous record in South America is composed of opisthodontians, the herbivorous branch of Sphenodontia, whose oldest members were until recently reported to be from the Kimmeridgian–Tithonian (Late Jurassic). Here, we report a new sphenodontian, Sphenotitan leyesi gen. et sp. nov., collected from the Upper Triassic Quebrada del Barro Formation of northwestern Argentina. Phylogenetic analysis identifies Sphenotitan as a basal member of Opisthodontia, extending the known record of opisthodontians and the origin of herbivory in this group by 50 Myr. PMID:24132307
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Taylor, C.D.; Premo, W.R.; Meier, A.L.; Taggart, J.E.
2008-01-01
A belt of unusual volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) occurrences is located along the eastern margin of the Alexander terrane throughout southeastern Alaska and northwestern British Columbia and exhibits a range of characteristics consistent with a variety of syngenetic to epigenetic deposit types. Deposits within this belt include Greens Creek and Windy Craggy, the economically most significant VMS deposit in Alaska and the largest in North America, respectively. The occurrences are hosted by a discontinuously exposed, 800-km-long belt of rocks that consist of a 200- to 800-m-thick sequence of conglomerate, limestone, marine elastic sedimentary rocks, and tuff intercalated with and overlain by a distinctive unit of mafic pyroclastic rocks and pillowed flows. Faunal data bracket the age of the host rocks between Anisian (Middle Triassic) and late Norian (late Late Triassic). This metallogenic belt is herein referred to as the Alexander Triassic metallogenic belt. The VMS occurrences show systematic differences in degree of structural control, chemistry, and stratigraphic setting along the Alexander Triassic metallogenic belt that suggest important spatial or temporal changes in the tectonic environment of formation. At the southern end of the belt, felsic volcanic rocks overlain by shallow-water limestones characterize the lower part of the sequence. In the southern and middle portion of the belt, a distinctive pebble conglomerate marks the base of the section and is indicative of high-energy deposition in a near slope or basin margin setting. At the northern end of the belt the conglomerates, limestones, and felsic volcanic rocks are absent and the belt is composed of deep-water sedimentary and mafic volcanic rocks. This northward change in depositional environment and lithofacies is accompanied by a northward transition from epithermal-like structurally controlled, discontinuous, vein- and pod-shaped, Pb-Zn-Ag-Ba-(Cu) occurrences with relatively simple mineralogy
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SILVIO RENESTO
2006-03-01
Full Text Available Vallesaurus cenensis, a small drepanosaurid reptile from the Norian (Late Triassic beds of the Calcare di Zorzino (Zorzino Limestone is described. The holotype and only known specimen represents the first drepanosaurid in which the skull is preserved articulated with the postcranial skeleton. The study of Vallesaurus anatomy confirms previous data about arboreal adaptation in all known drepanosaurids and permits more firm hypotheses about the phylogenetic relationships of the Drepanosauridae to be proposed.
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Liu, Jun; Hu, Shi-Xue; Rieppel, Olivier; Jiang, Da-Yong; Benton, Michael J.; Kelley, Neil P.; Aitchison, Jonathan C.; Zhou, Chang-Yong; Wen, Wen; Huang, Jin-Yuan; Xie, Tao; Lv, Tao
2014-11-01
The presence of gigantic apex predators in the eastern Panthalassic and western Tethyan oceans suggests that complex ecosystems in the sea had become re-established in these regions at least by the early Middle Triassic, after the Permian-Triassic mass extinction (PTME). However, it is not clear whether oceanic ecosystem recovery from the PTME was globally synchronous because of the apparent lack of such predators in the eastern Tethyan/western Panthalassic region prior to the Late Triassic. Here we report a gigantic nothosaur from the lower Middle Triassic of Luoping in southwest China (eastern Tethyan ocean), which possesses the largest known lower jaw among Triassic sauropterygians. Phylogenetic analysis suggests parallel evolution of gigantism in Triassic sauropterygians. Discovery of this gigantic apex predator, together with associated diverse marine reptiles and the complex food web, indicates global recovery of shallow marine ecosystems from PTME by the early Middle Triassic.
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End-Triassic nonmarine biotic events
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Spencer G. Lucas
2015-10-01
Full Text Available The Late Triassic was a prolonged interval of elevated extinction rates and low origination rates that manifested themselves in a series of extinctions during Carnian, Norian and Rhaetian time. Most of these extinctions took place in the marine realm, particularly affecting radiolarians, conodonts, bivalves, ammonoids and reef-building organisms. On land, the case for a Late Triassic mass extinction is much more tenuous and has largely focused on tetrapod vertebrates (amphibians and reptiles, though some workers advocate a sudden end-Triassic (TJB extinction of land plants. Nevertheless, an extensive literature does not identify a major extinction of land plants at the TJB, and a comprehensive review of palynological records concluded that TJB vegetation changes were non-uniform (different changes in different places, not synchronous and not indicative of a mass extinction of land plants. Claims of a substantial perturbation of plant ecology and diversity at the TJB in East Greenland are indicative of a local change in the paleoflora largely driven by lithofacies changes resulting in changing taphonomic filters. Plant extinctions at the TJB were palaeogeographically localized events, not global in extent. With new and more detailed stratigraphic data, the perceived TJB tetrapod extinction is mostly an artifact of coarse temporal resolution, the compiled correlation effect. The amphibian, archosaur and synapsid extinctions of the Late Triassic are not concentrated at the TJB, but instead occur stepwise, beginning in the Norian and extending into the Hettangian. There was a disruption of the terrestrial ecosystem across the TJB, but it was more modest than generally claimed. The ecological severity of the end-Triassic nonmarine biotic events are relatively low on the global scale. Biotic turnover at the end of the Triassic was likely driven by the CAMP (Central Atlantic Magmatic Province eruptions, which caused significant environmental
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C. Monnet
2013-08-01
Full Text Available Globacrochordiceras transpacificum gen. et sp. nov. is an ammonoid (Ammonoidea, Cephalopoda with a shell characterized by plicate ribbing (rounded and undulating ribs strengthening on the venter without interruption, increasing involution through ontogeny, overhanging and deep umbilical wall, absence of tuberculation, subtriangular whorl section, globose adult shape with a closed umbilicus followed by an abrupt egressive coiling, and a subammonitic adult suture line. This new taxon occurs in Nevada (USA and in Guangxi (South China. It has its typical occurrence within the Neopopanoceras haugi Zone of late Spathian age (Early Triassic. The plicate ribbing, suture line and general shell shape are diagnostic of the family Acrochordiceratidae. The large adult size, high degree of involution and subammonitic suture line of Globacrochordiceras markedly contrast with the next younger genus of the family (Paracrochordiceras of early Anisian age, Middle Triassic, which is evolute and displays a ceratitic suture shape. Shell coiling and suture line of Globacrochordiceras are closer to that of the youngest member of the family: Acrochordiceras carolinae (late middle Anisian. The latter is the end-member of a long-term morphological evolutionary trend of the family during the early and middle Anisian. This trend composed of classical increases in adult size (Cope's rule, shell involution and suture indentation, lasted ca. four Myr. The sudden morphological evolutionary jump between Globacrochordiceras and Paracrochordiceras at the Spathian/Anisian (Early/Middle Triassic boundary may correspond to a generalized morphological reset of long-term trends, a process that differs from classic paedomorphic transformations. A dramatic global sea level change and carbon isotope positive excursion at the Early/Middle Triassic boundary both indicate stressful environmental changes that may have triggered this evolutionary jump. doi:10.1002/mmng.201300010
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Zentilli, Marcos; Maksaev, Victor; Boric, Ricardo; Wilson, Jessica
2018-04-01
The MMH porphyry type copper-molybdenum deposit in northern Chile is the newest mine in the Chuquicamata District, one of largest copper concentrations on Earth. Mineralized Eocene-Oligocene porphyry intrusions are hosted by essentially barren Triassic granodiorites. Despite a century of exploitation, geologists still have problems in the mine distinguishing the Triassic granodiorite from the most important ore-carrying Eocene porphyries in the district. To resolve the problem, internally consistent high-quality geochemical analyses of the Triassic and Tertiary intrusives were carried out: explaining the confusion, they show that the rock units in question are nearly identical in composition and thus respond equally to hydrothermal alteration. In detail, the only difference in terms of chemical composition is that the main Eocene-Oligocene porphyries carry relatively less Fe and Ni. Unexpectedly, the mineralized Eocene-Oligocene porphyries have consistently less U and Th than other Tertiary intrusions in the district, a characteristic that may be valuable in exploration. The supergiant copper-molybdenum deposits in the Central Andes were formed within a narrow interval between 45 and 31 Ma, close to 7% of the 200 My duration of "Andean" magmatism, which resulted from subduction of oceanic lithosphere under South America since the Jurassic. Although recent work has shown that subduction was active on the margin since Paleozoic times, pre-Andean (pre-Jurassic) "Gondwanan" magmatism is often described as being very different, having involved crustal melting and the generation of massive peraluminous rhyolites and granites. This study shows that the indistinguishable Late Triassic and Eocene-Oligocene intrusions occupy the same narrow NS geographic belt in northern Chile. If it is accepted that magma character may determine the potential to generate economic Cu-Mo deposits, then Late Triassic volcano-plutonic centres in the same location in the South American margin
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EARLIEST TRIASSIC CONODONTS FROM CHITRAL, NORTHERNMOST PAKISTAN
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MARIA CRISTINA PERRI
2004-07-01
Full Text Available Extensive tracts of very shallow water carbonates in the valleys of the Yarkhun and Mastuj rivers of Chitral (northernmost Pakistan previously though to be Permian (or Cretaceous are shown by conodonts from two horizons in sequences 110 km apart—near Torman Gol (Mastuj valley and near Sakirmul (upper Yarkhun valley—to include earliest Triassic (Scythian—Induan horizons. Both faunas have Isarcicella staeschei Dai & Zhang, Is. lobata Perri, Is. turgida (Kozur et al. and Hindeodus parvus (Kozur & Pjatakova, whereas Is. Isarcica (Huckriede has been recognised only in the Torman Gol occurrence. The presence, respectively, of Is. staeschei in the Sakirmul and Is. isarcica in the Torman Gol occurrences, allows discrimination of the staeschei and isarcica zones respectively the third and the fourth conodont biozones of the Early Triassic conodont biozonation of Perri (in Perri & Farabegoli 2003. Such faunas, consisting mainly of isarcicellids and hindeodids but lacking gondolellids, are characteristic of restricted sea environments across the Permian–Triassic boundary and in the earliest Triassic in other Tethyan areas. The conodont faunas from these two occurrences are remarkably similar, nearly contemporaneous, and indicate shallow water biofacies. They are inferred to equate with the Ailak Dolomite, a sequence of Late Permian–?Late Triassic dolostones discriminated farther up the Yarkhun valley and extending eastwards into the upper Hunza region of northernmost Pakistan. The Zait Limestone and Sakirmul carbonate sequence are consistent with extension of the previously inferred Triassic carbonate platform at least 110 km farther to the SW than previously supposed.
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Foth, Christian; Ezcurra, Martín D; Sookias, Roland B; Brusatte, Stephen L; Butler, Richard J
2016-09-15
Archosauromorpha originated in the middle-late Permian, radiated during the Triassic, and gave rise to the crown group Archosauria, a highly successful clade of reptiles in terrestrial ecosystems over the last 250 million years. However, scientific attention has mainly focused on the diversification of archosaurs, while their stem lineage (i.e. non-archosaurian archosauromorphs) has often been overlooked in discussions of the evolutionary success of Archosauria. Here, we analyse the cranial disparity of late Permian to Early Jurassic archosauromorphs and make comparisons between non-archosaurian archosauromorphs and archosaurs (including Pseudosuchia and Ornithodira) on the basis of two-dimensional geometric morphometrics. Our analysis recovers previously unappreciated high morphological disparity for non-archosaurian archosauromorphs, especially during the Middle Triassic, which abruptly declined during the early Late Triassic (Carnian). By contrast, cranial disparity of archosaurs increased from the Middle Triassic into the Late Triassic, declined during the end-Triassic extinction, but re-expanded towards the end of the Early Jurassic. Our study indicates that non-archosaurian archosauromorphs were highly diverse components of terrestrial ecosystems prior to the major radiation of archosaurs, including dinosaurs, while disparity patterns of the Ladinian and Carnian indicate a gradual faunal replacement of stem archosaurs by the crown group, including a short interval of partial overlap in morphospace during the Ladinian.
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Whiteside, J. H.; Lindström, S.; Irmis, R. B.; Glasspool, I.; Schaller, M. F.; Dunlavey, M.; Nesbitt, S. J.; Smith, N. D.; Turner, A. H.
2015-12-01
The rarity and species-poor nature of early dinosaurs and their relatives at low paleolatitudes persisted for 30 million years after their origin and 10-15 million years after they became abundant and speciose at higher latitudes. New environmental reconstructions from stable carbon isotope ratios of preserved organic matter (δ13Corg), atmospheric pCO2 data based on the δ13C of soil carbonate, palynological, and wildfire data from charcoal from early dinosaur-bearing strata at low paleolatitudes in western North America show that variations in δ13Corg and palynomorph ecotypes are tightly correlated, displaying large and high-frequency excursions. These variations occurred within an environment characterized by elevated and increasing atmospheric pCO2, pervasive wildfires, and rapidly fluctuating extreme climatic conditions. Whereas pseudosuchian archosaur-dominated communities were able to persist in these same regions until the end-Triassic, the large-bodied, fast-growing tachymetabolic dinosaurian herbivores were not. We hypothesize that the greater resources required by the herbivores made it difficult from them to adapt to the unstable conditions at low paleolatitudes in the Late Triassic.
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An early Late Triassic long-necked reptile with a bony pectoral shield and gracile appendages
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Jerzy Dzik
2016-12-01
Full Text Available Several partially articulated specimens and numerous isolated bones of Ozimek volans gen. et sp. nov., from the late Carnian lacustrine deposits exposed at Krasiejów in southern Poland, enable a reconstruction of most of the skeleton. The unique character of the animal is its enlarged plate-like coracoids presumably fused with sterna. Other aspects of the skeleton seem to be comparable to those of the only known specimen of Sharovipteryx mirabilis from the latest Middle Triassic of Kyrgyzstan, which supports interpretation of both forms as protorosaurians. One may expect that the pectoral girdle of S. mirabilis, probably covered by the rock matrix in its only specimen, was similar to that of O. volans gen. et sp. nov. The Krasiejów material shows sharp teeth, low crescent scapula, three sacrals in a generalized pelvis (two of the sacrals being in contact with the ilium and curved robust metatarsal of the fifth digit in the pes, which are unknown in Sharovipteryx. Other traits are plesiomorphic and, except for the pelvic girdle and extreme elongation of appendages, do not allow to identify any close connection of the sharovipterygids within the Triassic protorosaurians.
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Irmis, R. B.; Olsen, P. E.; Parker, W.; Rasmussen, C.; Mundil, R.; Whiteside, J. H.
2017-12-01
The Chinle Formation of southwestern North America is a key paleontological archive of low paleolatitude non-marine ecosystems that existed during the Late Triassic hothouse world. These strata were deposited at 5-15°N latitude, and preserve extensive plant, invertebrate, and vertebrate fossil assemblages, including early dinosaurs; these organisms lived in an unpredictably fluctuating semi-arid to arid environment with very high atmospheric pCO2. Despite this well-studied fossil record, a full understanding of these ecosystems and their integration with other fossil assemblages globally has been hindered by a poor understanding of the Chinle Formation's age, duration, and sedimentation rates. Recently, the CPCP recovered a 520m continuous core through this formation from the northern portion of Petrified Forest National Park (PEFO) in northern Arizona, USA. This core has provided a plethora of new radioisotopic and magnetostratigraphic data from fresh, unweathered samples in unambiguous stratigraphic superposition. These constraints confirm that virtually all fossil-bearing horizons in Chinle outcrops in the vicinity of PEFO are Norian in age. Furthermore, they indicate that the palynomorph zone II and Adamanian vertebrate biozone are at least six million years long, whereas the overlying palynomorph zone III and Revueltian vertebrate biozone persisted for at least five million years, with the boundary between 216-214 Ma. This confirms that the rich late Adamanian-early Revueltian vertebrate fossil assemblages, where dinosaurs are exclusively rare, small-bodied carnivorous theropods, are contemporaneous with higher latitude assemblages in Europe, South America, and Africa where large-bodied herbivorous sauropodomorph dinosaurs are common. The age constraints also confirm that several palynomorph biostratigraphic ranges in the Chinle Formation differ from those of the same taxa in eastern North American (Newark Supergroup) and Europe. These data are consistent
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Yang Renchao
2016-09-01
Full Text Available The fine-grained autochthonous sedimentation in the deep part of a Late Triassic lake was frequently interrupted by gravity-induced mass flows. Some of these mass flows were so rich in water that they must have represented slurries. This can be deduced from the soft-sediment deformation structures that abound in cores from these lacustrine deposits which constitute the Yanchang Fm., which is present in the Ordos Basin (central China.
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Li, Mingsong; Zhang, Yang; Huang, Chunju; Ogg, James; Hinnov, Linda; Wang, Yongdong; Zou, Zhuoyan; Li, Liqin
2017-10-01
The time scale of the Late Triassic Epoch has a divergence of age models, especially for the durations of competing definitions for its Rhaetian Stage (uppermost Triassic). The astrochronology derived from relative depth of lacustrine-bearing clastic successions and astronomically tuned geomagnetic polarity time scale (APTS) of the Newark Supergroup of eastern North America provides a basis for the Late Triassic time scale. However, the Newark APTS has been challenged regarding its age scale and completeness; therefore an independent astronomical-tuned magnetic polarity zonation is required to verify the upper Newark APTS reference scale. We compiled a 6.5 million year (myr) APTS with magnetic stratigraphy from four sections of the lacustrine-fluvial, dinosaur-track-bearing Xujiahe Formation in the Sichuan Basin of South China that also has dating from detrital zircons and regional biostratigraphy. Variations in natural gamma-ray and magnetic susceptibility that reflect variable continental weathering in the source regions of the Xujiahe Formation are paced by Milankovitch cycles, especially the 100-kyr short eccentricity and 405-kyr long eccentricity. The cycle-tuned magnetostratigraphy of the Xujiahe Formation is compared directly via the magnetic-polarity zones to the depth ranks of the Newark Supergroup that are indicative of relative depths of lacustrine facies. The Sichuan APTS indicates that there is no significant hiatus between the sedimentary succession and the basalt flows at the top of the Newark Supergroup. The Sichuan APTS is compatible with the magnetostratigraphy from the candidate Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the Norian-Rhaetian boundary interval at the Pignola-Abriola of South Italy, but does not extend downward to the proposed GSSP in Austria associated with the longer Rhaetian option. The earliest dinosaur tracks in China are from the middle of this Xujiahe Formation, therefore are implied to be middle Rhaetian in age
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Trotteyn, M. Jimena; Ezcurra, Martín D.
2014-01-01
Proterochampsids are crocodile-like, probably semi-aquatic, quadrupedal archosauriforms characterized by an elongated and dorsoventrally low skull. The group is endemic from the Middle-Late Triassic of South America. The most recently erected proterochampsid species is “Chanaresuchus ischigualastensis”, based on a single, fairly complete skeleton from the early Late Triassic Ischigualasto Formation of northwestern Argentina. We describe here in detail the non-braincase cranial and postcranial anatomy of this species and revisit its taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships. The phylogenetic analysis recovered ‘Chanaresuchus ischigualastensis’ as part of a trichotomy together with Gualosuchus reigi and Chanaresuchus bonapartei. Accordingly, “Chanaresuchus ischigualastensis” can be potentially more closely related to Gualosuchus reigi, or even Rhadinosuchus gracilis, than to Chanaresuchus bonapartei. In addition, after discussing previously claimed synapomorphies of Chanaresuchus, we could not find unambiguous support for the monophyly of the genus. As a result, we propose here the erection of the new genus Pseudochampsa for ‘Chanaresuchus ischigualastensis’, which results in the new combination Pseudochampsa ischigualastensis. The information provided here about the anatomy and taxonomy of Pseudochampsa ischiguaslastensis will be useful for future quantitative analyses focused on the biogeography and macroevolutionary history of proterochampsids. PMID:25426846
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M Jimena Trotteyn
Full Text Available Proterochampsids are crocodile-like, probably semi-aquatic, quadrupedal archosauriforms characterized by an elongated and dorsoventrally low skull. The group is endemic from the Middle-Late Triassic of South America. The most recently erected proterochampsid species is "Chanaresuchus ischigualastensis", based on a single, fairly complete skeleton from the early Late Triassic Ischigualasto Formation of northwestern Argentina. We describe here in detail the non-braincase cranial and postcranial anatomy of this species and revisit its taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships. The phylogenetic analysis recovered 'Chanaresuchus ischigualastensis' as part of a trichotomy together with Gualosuchus reigi and Chanaresuchus bonapartei. Accordingly, "Chanaresuchus ischigualastensis" can be potentially more closely related to Gualosuchus reigi, or even Rhadinosuchus gracilis, than to Chanaresuchus bonapartei. In addition, after discussing previously claimed synapomorphies of Chanaresuchus, we could not find unambiguous support for the monophyly of the genus. As a result, we propose here the erection of the new genus Pseudochampsa for 'Chanaresuchus ischigualastensis', which results in the new combination Pseudochampsa ischigualastensis. The information provided here about the anatomy and taxonomy of Pseudochampsa ischiguaslastensis will be useful for future quantitative analyses focused on the biogeography and macroevolutionary history of proterochampsids.
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THE TRIASSIC/JURASSIC BOUNDARY IN THE ANDES OF ARGENTINA
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ALBERTO C. RICCARDI
2004-03-01
Full Text Available The Arroyo Malo Formation at Alumbre Creek, on the northern bank of the Atuel River, west central Argentina, comprises a c. 300 m thick continuous marine succession across the Triassic-Jurassic System boundary, consisting of massive and laminated pelites indicative of a slope depositional environment. Late Triassic invertebrates, including ammonoids, nautiloids, bivalves, gastropods, brachiopods and corals are restricted to the lower 150 m. Beds between 125-135 m from the bottom yield Choristoceras cf. marshi Hauer, a species found in the Marshi/Crickmayi Zone of Europe and North America, together with loose fragments of Psiloceras cf. pressum Hillebrandt, coeval with the lower to middle part of the Hettangian Planorbis Zone. About 80 m higher are beds yielding Psiloceras cf. rectocostatum Hillebrandt, a species that gives name to an Andean biozone partially coeval with the Johnstoni and Plicatulum Subzones, upper Planorbis Zone. Other fossils recorded in the Rhaetian strata of this section are foraminifers, ostracods and plant remains identified as Zuberia cf. zuberi (Szaj. Freng. and Clathropteris sp. The section was also sampled for conodonts and radiolarians, thus far with negative results. A palaeomagnetic study is underway.
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Qian, Xin; Wang, Yuejun; Feng, Qinglai; Zi, Jian-Wei; Zhang, Yuzhi; Chonglakmani, Chongpan
2016-04-01
The volcanic rocks exposed within the Chiang Khong-Lampang-Tak igneous zone in NW Thailand provide important constraints on the tectonic evolution of the eastern Paleotethys ocean. An andesite sample from the Chiang Khong area yields a zircon U-Pb age of 229 ± 4 Ma, significantly younger than the continental-arc and syn-collisional volcanic rocks (ca. 238-241 Ma). The Chiang Khong volcanic rocks are characterized by low MgO (1.71-6.72 wt.%) and high Al2O3 (15.03-17.76 wt.%). They are enriched in LILEs and LREEs and depleted in HFSEs, and have 87Sr/86Sr (i) ratios of 0.7050-0.7065, εNd (t) of - 0.32 to - 1.92, zircon εHf (t) and δ18O values of 3.5 to - 11.7 and 4.30-9.80 ‰, respectively. The geochemical data for the volcanic rocks are consistent with an origin from the enriched lithospheric mantle that had been modified by slab-derived fluid and recycled sediments. Based on available geochronological and geochemical evidences, we propose that the Late Triassic Chiang Khong volcanic rocks are equivalent to the contemporaneous volcanic rocks in the Lancangjiang igneous zone in SW China. The formation of these volcanic rocks was possibly related to the upwelling of the asthenospheric mantle during the Late Triassic, shortly after slab detachment, which induced the melting of the metasomatized mantle wedge.
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Hernández González, Álvaro; Deckart, Katja; Fanning, Mark; Arriagada, César
2014-05-01
The Chilean High Andes (28o- 31oS) comprises a vast number of late Paleozoic - Triassic granitoids which give information about the last stages of Gondwana assemblage. Particularly, previous studies determined two tectonic configurations during this time: subduction related compressional setting (late Carboniferous - Late Permian) and non-subduction post-collisional extensional setting (Late Permian - Triassic), as the last stage of Gondwana assemblage. However, new O-Hf isotopic data along new U-Pb SHRIMP ages in zircon have shown that this model should be modified and updated to the new analytical data available. δ18O values indicate a strong change in the tectonic configuration approximately 270 Ma (earliest middle Permian) and thus, units can be divided into 2 mayor groups: late Carboniferous to earliest middle Permian and middle Permian to Triassic. The oldest group shows slightly low values of ɛHfi (ca. +1 to -4) with high δ18O (ca. >6.5 o/oo), indicating an elevated supracrustal component and the addition of less radiogenic continental-like material, which along significant residence time (TDM2: Mesoproterozoic) can be interpreted as magmas formed at depth in a subduction-related continental arc, and contaminated with supracrustal material and/or oceanic sediments transported through the subducted slab to the mantle-wedge. Subsequently, middle Permian - Triassic rocks show a wider range of ɛHfi values (ca. +3 to -3) with relatively low, mantle-like δ18O (ca. 4.5-6.5 o/oo), indicating a source of magmas without the addition of supracrustal material for some plutons, whilst for others, a slight input. The higher positive values of ɛHfi can be related to the influence of new juvenile material in the source of some magmas. This isotopic data can be interpreted as rocks formed as the result of melting of an old thinned mafic crust (with mantle-like δ18O values characteristic of this type of rocks) with limited addition of supracrustal material; in
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Clapham, Matthew E; Bottjer, David J
2007-08-07
The end-Permian mass extinction was the largest biotic crisis in the history of animal life, eliminating as many as 95% of all species and dramatically altering the ecological structure of marine communities. Although the causes of this pronounced ecosystem shift have been widely debated, the broad consensus based on inferences from global taxonomic diversity patterns suggests that the shift from abundant brachiopods to dominant molluscs was abrupt and largely driven by the catastrophic effects of the end-Permian mass extinction. Here we analyze relative abundance counts of >33,000 fossil individuals from 24 silicified Middle and Late Permian paleocommunities, documenting a substantial ecological shift to numerical dominance by molluscs in the Late Permian, before the major taxonomic shift at the end-Permian mass extinction. This ecological change was coincident with the development of fluctuating anoxic conditions in deep marine basins, suggesting that numerical dominance by more tolerant molluscs may have been driven by variably stressful environmental conditions. Recognition of substantial ecological deterioration in the Late Permian also implies that the end-Permian extinction was the climax of a protracted environmental crisis. Although the Late Permian shift to molluscan dominance was a pronounced ecological change, quantitative counts of 847 Carboniferous-Cretaceous collections from the Paleobiology Database indicate that it was only the first stage in a stepwise transition that culminated with the final shift to molluscan dominance in the Late Jurassic. Therefore, the ecological transition from brachiopods to bivalves was more protracted and complex than their simple Permian-Triassic switch in diversity.
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Clapham, Matthew E.; Bottjer, David J.
2007-01-01
The end-Permian mass extinction was the largest biotic crisis in the history of animal life, eliminating as many as 95% of all species and dramatically altering the ecological structure of marine communities. Although the causes of this pronounced ecosystem shift have been widely debated, the broad consensus based on inferences from global taxonomic diversity patterns suggests that the shift from abundant brachiopods to dominant molluscs was abrupt and largely driven by the catastrophic effects of the end-Permian mass extinction. Here we analyze relative abundance counts of >33,000 fossil individuals from 24 silicified Middle and Late Permian paleocommunities, documenting a substantial ecological shift to numerical dominance by molluscs in the Late Permian, before the major taxonomic shift at the end-Permian mass extinction. This ecological change was coincident with the development of fluctuating anoxic conditions in deep marine basins, suggesting that numerical dominance by more tolerant molluscs may have been driven by variably stressful environmental conditions. Recognition of substantial ecological deterioration in the Late Permian also implies that the end-Permian extinction was the climax of a protracted environmental crisis. Although the Late Permian shift to molluscan dominance was a pronounced ecological change, quantitative counts of 847 Carboniferous–Cretaceous collections from the Paleobiology Database indicate that it was only the first stage in a stepwise transition that culminated with the final shift to molluscan dominance in the Late Jurassic. Therefore, the ecological transition from brachiopods to bivalves was more protracted and complex than their simple Permian–Triassic switch in diversity. PMID:17664426
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Upper Triassic spongiomorph and coral association dredged off the northwestern Australian shelf
Stanley, G. D.
Upper Triassic corals and spongiomorphs dredged during BMR Cruise 95 from the Rowley Terrace, offshore Canning Basin of northwestern Australia, indicate possible new occurrences of reef facies. These are comparable to counterparts known from the Norhtern Limestone Alps of central Europe. A branching spongiomorph, represented by the genus Spongiomorpha sp. and two coral taxa, Pamiroseris rectilamellosa (Winkler) and Retiophyllia tellae (Stoppani), are reported herein. Collectively, these fossils indicate a Late Triassic (Noria-Rhaetian) age. Although different in taxonomic composition, the fauna compares with one previously reported from a Late Triassic Ocean Drilling Project reef site (site 764) on the Wombat Plateau, some 350 km to the west. The Rowley Terrace occurrences may represent an eastward extension of the Wombat reefs, developed along the rifted margin of Gondwana.
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Luppo, Tomás; López de Luchi, Mónica G.; Rapalini, Augusto E.; Martínez Dopico, Carmen I.; Fanning, Christopher M.
2018-03-01
The Los Menucos Complex (northern Patagonia) consists of ∼6 km thick succession of acidic and intermediate volcanic and pyroclastic products, which has been traditionally assigned to the Middle/Late Triassic. New U/Pb (SHRIMP) zircon crystallization ages of 257 ± 2 Ma at the base, 252 ± 2 Ma at an intermediate level and 248 ± 2 Ma near the top of the sequence, indicate that this volcanic event took place in about 10 Ma around the Permian-Triassic boundary. This volcanism can now be considered as the effusive terms of the neighboring and coeval La Esperanza Plutono-Volcanic Complex. This indicates that the climax of activity of a large magmatic province in northern Patagonia was coetaneous with the end-Permian mass extinctions. Likely correlation of La Esperanza- Los Menucos magmatic province with similar volcanic and plutonic rocks across other areas of northern Patagonia suggest a much larger extension than previously envisaged for this event. Its age, large volume and explosive nature suggest that the previously ignored potential role that this volcanism might have played in climatic deterioration around the Permian-Triassic boundary should be investigated.
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Jha, Neerja; Chary, M. Basava; Aggarwal, Neha
2012-10-01
The entire 606 m-thick sedimentary sequence in borecore MCP-7 from Chintalapudi area, Chintalapudi sub-basin has been lithologically designated as Kamthi Formation. However, the palynological investigation revealed five distinct palynoassemblages, which essentially fall under two groups, one group (Palynoassemblage-I, II and III) having dominance of striate disaccates along with presence of some stratigraphically significant taxa, belongs to Late Permian (Raniganj) palynoflora, while the other group (Palynoassemblages IV and V) shows sharp decline in percentage of characteristic taxa of first group, i.e., striate disaccates, and consequent rise or dominance of taeniate and cingulate cavate spores, belongs to Early Triassic (Panchet) palynoflora. Palynoassemblage-I, II and III (Group I) are characterized by dominance of striate disaccates chiefly, Striatopodocarpites spp. and Faunipollenites spp. along with presence of rare but stratigraphically significant taxa, viz., Gondisporites raniganjensis, Falcisporites nuthaliensis, Klausipollenites schaubergeri, Chordasporites sp., Striomonosaccites, ovatus, Crescentipollenites multistriatus, Verticipollenites debiles, Strotersporites crassiletus, Guttulapollenites hannonicus, G. gondwanensis, Hamiapollenites insolitus, Corisaccites alutus, Lunatisporites ovatus, Weylandites spp. and Vitreisporites pallidus. Palynoassemblage-I is distinguished by significant presence of Densipollenites spp. while Palynoassemblage-II shows significant presence of Crescentipollenites spp. and Palynoassemblage-III differs from the above two assemblages in having significant presence of Guttulapollenites hannonicus. Palynoassemblage-IV (Group II) is characterized by high percentage of taeniate disaccates chiefly Lunatisporites spp., while Palynoassemblage-V (Group II) is characterized by cingulate-cavate trilete spores chiefly, Lundbladispora spp. and Densoisporites spp. Striate disaccates show a sharp decline in these two assemblages. In
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An ancestral turtle from the Late Triassic of southwestern China.
Li, Chun; Wu, Xiao-Chun; Rieppel, Olivier; Wang, Li-Ting; Zhao, Li-Jun
2008-11-27
The origin of the turtle body plan remains one of the great mysteries of reptile evolution. The anatomy of turtles is highly derived, which renders it difficult to establish the relationships of turtles with other groups of reptiles. The oldest known turtle, Proganochelys from the Late Triassic period of Germany, has a fully formed shell and offers no clue as to its origin. Here we describe a new 220-million-year-old turtle from China, somewhat older than Proganochelys, that documents an intermediate step in the evolution of the shell and associated structures. A ventral plastron is fully developed, but the dorsal carapace consists of neural plates only. The dorsal ribs are expanded, and osteoderms are absent. The new species shows that the plastron evolved before the carapace and that the first step of carapace formation is the ossification of the neural plates coupled with a broadening of the ribs. This corresponds to early embryonic stages of carapace formation in extant turtles, and shows that the turtle shell is not derived from a fusion of osteoderms. Phylogenetic analysis places the new species basal to all known turtles, fossil and extant. The marine deposits that yielded the fossils indicate that this primitive turtle inhabited marginal areas of the sea or river deltas.
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Nesbitt, Sterling J; Butler, Richard J; Gower, David J
2013-01-01
Archosauria and their closest relatives, the non-archosaurian archosauriforms, diversified in the Early and Middle Triassic, soon after the end-Permian extinction. This diversification is poorly documented in most Lower and Middle Triassic rock sequences because fossils of early groups of archosauriforms are relatively rare compared to those of other amniotes. The early Middle Triassic (? late Anisian) Manda beds of southwestern Tanzania form an exception, with early archosaur skeletons being relatively common and preserved as articulated or associated specimens. The Manda archosaur assemblage is exceptionally diverse for the Middle Triassic. However, to date, no non-archosaurian archosauriforms have been reported from these rocks. Here, we name a new taxon, Asperoris mnyama gen. et sp. nov., from the Manda beds and thoroughly describe the only known specimen. The specimen consists of a well-preserved partial skull including tooth-bearing elements (premaxilla, maxilla), the nasal, partial skull roof, and several incomplete elements. All skull elements are covered in an autapomorphic highly rugose sculpturing. A unique combination of character states indicates that A. mnyama lies just outside Archosauria as a stem archosaur within Archosauriformes, but more precise relationships of A. mnyama relative to other early archosauriform clades (e.g., Erythrosuchidae) cannot be determined currently. Asperoris mnyama is the first confirmed non-archosaurian archosauriform from the Manda beds and increases the morphological and taxonomic diversity of early archosauriforms known from the Middle Triassic. The direct association of A. mnyama with species referable to Archosauria demonstrates that non-archosaurian archosauriforms were present during the rise and early diversification of Archosauria. Non-archosaurian archosauriforms and archosaurs co-occur in fossil reptile assemblages across Pangaea from the late Early Triassic to the end of the Late Triassic.
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Niedźwiedzki, Grzegorz; Soussi, Mohamed; Boukhalfa, Kamel; Gierliński, Gerard D.
2017-05-01
Three tetrapod track assemblages from the early-middle Mesozoic of southern Tunisia are reported. The strata exposed at the Tejra 2 clay-pit near the Medenine and Rehach site, located in the vicinity of Kirchaou, contain the first tetrapod tracks found in the Triassic of Tunisia. The Middle Jurassic (early Aalenian) dinosaur tracks are reported from the Mestaoua plain near Tataouine. In the Middle Triassic outcrop of the Tejra 2 clay-pit, tridactyl tracks of small and medium-sized dinosauromorphs, were discovered. These tracks represent the oldest evidence of dinosaur-lineage elements in the Triassic deposits of Tunisia. Similar tracks have been described from the Middle Triassic of Argentina, France and Morocco. An isolated set of the manus and pes of a quadrupedal tetrapod discovered in Late Triassic Rehach tracksite is referred to a therapsid tracemaker. The Middle Jurassic deposits of the Mestaoua plain reveal small and large tridactyl theropod dinosaur tracks (Theropoda track indet. A-C). Based on comparison with the abundant record of Triassic tetrapod ichnofossils from Europe and North America, the ichnofauna described here indicates the presence of a therapsid-dinosauromorph ichnoassociation (without typical Chirotheriidae tracks) in the Middle and Late Triassic, which sheds light on the dispersal of the Middle-Upper Triassic tetrapod ichnofaunas in this part of Gondwana. The reported Middle Jurassic ichnofauna show close similarities to dinosaur track assemblages from the Lower and Middle Jurassic of northwestern Africa, North America, Europe and also southeastern Asia. Sedimentological and lithostratigraphic data of each new tracksite have been defined on published data and new observations. Taken together, these discoveries present a tantalizing window into the evolutionary history of tetrapods from the Triassic and Jurassic of southern Tunisia. Given the limited early Mesozoic tetrapod record from the region, these discoveries are of both temporal and
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NEW TRIASSIC ASTEROIDEA (ECHINODERMATA SPECIMENS AND THEIR EVOLUTIONARY SIGNIFICANCE
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DANIEL B. BLAKE
2017-04-01
Full Text Available The Paleozoic-Mesozoic transition saw the disappearance of asteroid stem groups and the ascent of the crown group, but late Paleozoic and Triassic asteroids are rare and transition events are poorly documented. Three new Middle and Late Triassic specimens augment existing data; included are a specimen of Trichasteropsis weissmanni from Germany, a specimen of Trichasteropsis? sp. indet. from Italy, and a possible member of the extant Poraniidae from Slovenia. Presence of a small ossicle at the interbrachial midline and adjacent to the marginal series of the new T. weissmanni specimen is consistent with similar expressions not only of other trichasteropsids but also occurrence of two interbrachial ossicles in Paleozoic, stem-group asterozoans; presence is in turn consistent with a hypothesis of derivation of the axillary/odontophore coupling from two ossicles rather than direct derivation of the crown-group odontophore from a single stem-group axillary. Morphology of Trichasteropsis? sp. indet., including, for example, the evenly-tapering arms are reminiscent of those of diverse crown-group asteroids whereas the enlarged distal arms of T. weissmanni are unique, the morphology of T? sp. indet. thereby potentially indicative of a plesiomorphic, stemward positioning within the Trichasteropsiidae. The range of the Poraniidae is tentatively extended to the Carnian. Similarities shared by the Poraniidae and the Trichasteropsiidae suggest stemward positioning within crown-group diversification; however, known Triassic fossils do not appear closely related to extant taxa identified in recent molecular studies as basal within the crown-group. A temperate climate is suggested as preferred by the Triassic asteroids rather than a tropical, warmer one.
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Provenance analysis of the Late Triassic Yichuan Basin: constraints from zircon U-Pb geochronology
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Meng Xianghong
2018-03-01
Full Text Available Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating has been performed on detrital zircons from the Chunshuyao Formation sandstone of Yichuan Basin. The ages of 85 detrital zircon grains are divided into three groups: 252-290 Ma, 1740-2000 Ma, and 2400-2600 Ma. The lack of Early Paleozoic and Neoproterozoic U-Pb ages indicates that there is no input from the Qinling Orogen, because the Qinling Orogen is characterized by Paleozoic and Neoproterozoic material. In combination with previous research, we suggest that the source of the Chunshuyao Formation is most likely recycled from previous sedimentary rocks from the North China Craton. In the Late Triassic, the Funiu ancient land was uplifted which prevented source material from the Qinling Orogen. Owing to the Indosinian orogeny, the strata to the east of the North China Craton were uplifted and eroded. The Yichuan Basin received detrital material from the North China Craton.
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Ezcurra, Martín D; Velozo, Pablo; Meneghel, Melitta; Piñeiro, Graciela
2015-01-01
The Permo-Triassic archosauromorph record is crucial to understand the impact of the Permo-Triassic mass extinction on the early evolution of the group and its subsequent dominance in Mesozoic terrestrial ecosystems. However, the Permo-Triassic archosauromorph record is still very poor in most continents and hampers the identification of global macroevolutionary patterns. Here we describe cranial and postcranial bones from the Permo-Triassic Buena Vista Formation of northeastern Uruguay that contribute to increase the meagre early archosauromorph record from South America. A basioccipital fused to both partial exoccipitals and three cervical vertebrae are assigned to Archosauromorpha based on apomorphies or a unique combination of characters. The archosauromorph remains of the Buena Vista Formation probably represent a multi-taxonomic assemblage composed of non-archosauriform archosauromorphs and a 'proterosuchid-grade' animal. This assemblage does not contribute in the discussion of a Late Permian or Early Triassic age for the Buena Vista Formation, but reinforces the broad palaeobiogeographic distribution of 'proterosuchid grade' diapsids in Permo-Triassic beds worldwide.
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Rothschild, B. M.; Xiaoting, Z.; Martin, L. D.
2012-06-01
Decompression syndrome (caisson disease or the "the bends") resulting in avascular necrosis has been documented in mosasaurs, sauropterygians, ichthyosaurs, and turtles from the Middle Jurassic to Late Cretaceous, but it was unclear that this disease occurred as far back as the Triassic. We have examined a large Triassic sample of ichthyosaurs and compared it with an equally large post-Triassic sample. Avascular necrosis was observed in over 15 % of Late Middle Jurassic to Cretaceous ichthyosaurs with the highest occurrence (18 %) in the Early Cretaceous, but was rare or absent in geologically older specimens. Triassic reptiles that dive were either physiologically protected, or rapid changes of their position in the water column rare and insignificant enough to prevent being recorded in the skeleton. Emergency surfacing due to a threat from an underwater predator may be the most important cause of avascular necrosis for air-breathing divers, with relative frequency of such events documented in the skeleton. Diving in the Triassic appears to have been a "leisurely" behavior until the evolution of large predators in the Late Jurassic that forced sudden depth alterations contributed to a higher occurrence of bends.
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Hadlari, Thomas; Dewing, Keith; Matthews, William A.; Alonso-Torres, Daniel; Midwinter, Derrick
2018-06-01
Following the amalgamation of Laurasia and Gondwana to form Pangea, some Triassic tectonic models show an encircling arc system called the "Pangean Rim of Fire". Here we show that the stratigraphy and Early Triassic detrital zircon provenance of the Sverdrup Basin in the Canadian Arctic is most consistent with deposition in a retro-arc foreland basin. Late Permian and Early Triassic volcanism was accompanied by relatively high rates of subsidence leading to a starved basin with volcanic input from a magmatic arc to the northwest. The mostly starved basin persisted through the Middle and Late Triassic with nearly continuous input of volcanic ash recorded as bentonites on the northwestern edge of the basin. In the latest Triassic it is interpreted that decreasing subsidence and a significant influx of sand-grade sediment when the arc was exhumed led to filling of the basin at the end of an orogenic cycle. Combined with other hints of Early Triassic arc activity along the western margin of Laurentia we propose that the Pangean Rim of Fire configuration spanned the entire Triassic. This proposed configuration represents the ring of external subduction zones that some models suggest are necessary for the breakup of supercontinents such as Pangea.
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Yan, Evgeny V; Beutel, Rolf G; Lawrence, John F
2018-03-16
Gyrinidae are a charismatic group of highly specialized beetles, adapted for a unique lifestyle of swimming on the water surface. They prey on drowning insects and other small arthropods caught in the surface film. Studies based on morphological and molecular data suggest that gyrinids were the first branch splitting off in Adephaga, the second largest suborder of beetles. Despite its basal position within this lineage and a very peculiar morphology, earliest Gyrinidae were recorded not earlier than from the Upper Triassic. Tunguskagyrus. with the single species Tunguskagyrus planus is described from Late Permian deposits of the Anakit area in Middle Siberia. The genus is assigned to the stemgroup of Gyrinidae, thus shifting back the minimum age of this taxon considerably: Tunguskagyrus demonstrates 250 million years of evolutionary stability for a very specialized lifestyle, with a number of key apomorphies characteristic for these epineuston predators and scavengers, but also with some preserved ancestral features not found in extant members of the family. It also implies that major splitting events in this suborder and in crown group Coleoptera had already occurred in the Permian. Gyrinidae and especially aquatic groups of Dytiscoidea flourished in the Mesozoic (for example Coptoclavidae and Dytiscidae) and most survive until the present day, despite the dramatic "Great Dying" - Permian-Triassic mass extinction, which took place shortly (in geological terms) after the time when Tunguskagyrus lived. Tunguskagyrus confirms a Permian origin of Adephaga, which was recently suggested by phylogenetic "tip-dating" analysis including both fossil and Recent gyrinids. This also confirms that main splitting events leading to the "modern" lineages of beetles took place before the Permian-Triassic mass extinction. Tunguskagyrus shows that Gyrinidae became adapted to swimming on the water surface long before Mesozoic invasions of the aquatic environment took place
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Cortical thickness abnormalities in late adolescence with online gaming addiction.
Yuan, Kai; Cheng, Ping; Dong, Tao; Bi, Yanzhi; Xing, Lihong; Yu, Dahua; Zhao, Limei; Dong, Minghao; von Deneen, Karen M; Liu, Yijun; Qin, Wei; Tian, Jie
2013-01-01
Online gaming addiction, as the most popular subtype of Internet addiction, had gained more and more attention from the whole world. However, the structural differences in cortical thickness of the brain between adolescents with online gaming addiction and healthy controls are not well unknown; neither was its association with the impaired cognitive control ability. High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging scans from late adolescence with online gaming addiction (n = 18) and age-, education- and gender-matched controls (n = 18) were acquired. The cortical thickness measurement method was employed to investigate alterations of cortical thickness in individuals with online gaming addiction. The color-word Stroop task was employed to investigate the functional implications of the cortical thickness abnormalities. Imaging data revealed increased cortical thickness in the left precentral cortex, precuneus, middle frontal cortex, inferior temporal and middle temporal cortices in late adolescence with online gaming addiction; meanwhile, the cortical thicknesses of the left lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), insula, lingual gyrus, the right postcentral gyrus, entorhinal cortex and inferior parietal cortex were decreased. Correlation analysis demonstrated that the cortical thicknesses of the left precentral cortex, precuneus and lingual gyrus correlated with duration of online gaming addiction and the cortical thickness of the OFC correlated with the impaired task performance during the color-word Stroop task in adolescents with online gaming addiction. The findings in the current study suggested that the cortical thickness abnormalities of these regions may be implicated in the underlying pathophysiology of online gaming addiction.
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Early archosauromorph remains from the Permo-Triassic Buena Vista Formation of north-eastern Uruguay
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Martín D. Ezcurra
2015-02-01
Full Text Available The Permo-Triassic archosauromorph record is crucial to understand the impact of the Permo-Triassic mass extinction on the early evolution of the group and its subsequent dominance in Mesozoic terrestrial ecosystems. However, the Permo-Triassic archosauromorph record is still very poor in most continents and hampers the identification of global macroevolutionary patterns. Here we describe cranial and postcranial bones from the Permo-Triassic Buena Vista Formation of northeastern Uruguay that contribute to increase the meagre early archosauromorph record from South America. A basioccipital fused to both partial exoccipitals and three cervical vertebrae are assigned to Archosauromorpha based on apomorphies or a unique combination of characters. The archosauromorph remains of the Buena Vista Formation probably represent a multi-taxonomic assemblage composed of non-archosauriform archosauromorphs and a ‘proterosuchid-grade’ animal. This assemblage does not contribute in the discussion of a Late Permian or Early Triassic age for the Buena Vista Formation, but reinforces the broad palaeobiogeographic distribution of ‘proterosuchid grade’ diapsids in Permo-Triassic beds worldwide.
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Cortical thickness abnormalities in late adolescence with online gaming addiction.
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Kai Yuan
Full Text Available Online gaming addiction, as the most popular subtype of Internet addiction, had gained more and more attention from the whole world. However, the structural differences in cortical thickness of the brain between adolescents with online gaming addiction and healthy controls are not well unknown; neither was its association with the impaired cognitive control ability. High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging scans from late adolescence with online gaming addiction (n = 18 and age-, education- and gender-matched controls (n = 18 were acquired. The cortical thickness measurement method was employed to investigate alterations of cortical thickness in individuals with online gaming addiction. The color-word Stroop task was employed to investigate the functional implications of the cortical thickness abnormalities. Imaging data revealed increased cortical thickness in the left precentral cortex, precuneus, middle frontal cortex, inferior temporal and middle temporal cortices in late adolescence with online gaming addiction; meanwhile, the cortical thicknesses of the left lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC, insula, lingual gyrus, the right postcentral gyrus, entorhinal cortex and inferior parietal cortex were decreased. Correlation analysis demonstrated that the cortical thicknesses of the left precentral cortex, precuneus and lingual gyrus correlated with duration of online gaming addiction and the cortical thickness of the OFC correlated with the impaired task performance during the color-word Stroop task in adolescents with online gaming addiction. The findings in the current study suggested that the cortical thickness abnormalities of these regions may be implicated in the underlying pathophysiology of online gaming addiction.
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Cruz-Gómez, E.M.; Velasco-Tapia, F.; Ramírez-Fernández, J.A.; Jenchen, U.; Rodríguez-Saavedra, P.; Rodríguez-Díaz, A.A.; Iriondo, A.
2017-11-01
In northeastern Mexico, volcanic rocks interbedded with Late Triassic–Jurassic siliciclastic and evaporitic strata have been linked to magmatic arcs developed in the Pangea western margin during its initial phase of fragmentation. This work provides new petrographic and geochemical data for volcanism included in the El Alamar and Minas Viejas formations outcropping in the Galeana region. Andesitic dykes and sills (n= 10) in the El Alamar redbeds show SiO2= 47.5–59.1% and MgO= 1.2–4.2%, as well as a geochemical affinity to island arc magmas. This work represents the first report of this tectonic setting in the region. Geological and petrographic evidence suggest that this arc system likely developed after ~220 and before ~193Ma. Trachy-andesitic and rhyodacitic domes (n= 20) associated with the Minas Viejas gypsum-carbonates sequence show SiO2= 61.8–82.7% and MgO= 0.1–4.0% with a tectonic affinity to continental arc. A rhyodacite sample from this region has been dated by U-Pb in zircon, yielding an age of 149.4 ± 1.2Ma (n= 21), being the youngest age related to this arc. Finally, we propose a threestep model to explain the tectonic evolution from Late Triassic island arc to Jurassic continental arc system in the northeastern Mexico.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Cruz-Gómez, E.M.; Velasco-Tapia, F.; Ramírez-Fernández, J.A.; Jenchen, U.; Rodríguez-Saavedra, P.; Rodríguez-Díaz, A.A.; Iriondo, A.
2017-01-01
In northeastern Mexico, volcanic rocks interbedded with Late Triassic–Jurassic siliciclastic and evaporitic strata have been linked to magmatic arcs developed in the Pangea western margin during its initial phase of fragmentation. This work provides new petrographic and geochemical data for volcanism included in the El Alamar and Minas Viejas formations outcropping in the Galeana region. Andesitic dykes and sills (n= 10) in the El Alamar redbeds show SiO2= 47.5–59.1% and MgO= 1.2–4.2%, as well as a geochemical affinity to island arc magmas. This work represents the first report of this tectonic setting in the region. Geological and petrographic evidence suggest that this arc system likely developed after ~220 and before ~193Ma. Trachy-andesitic and rhyodacitic domes (n= 20) associated with the Minas Viejas gypsum-carbonates sequence show SiO2= 61.8–82.7% and MgO= 0.1–4.0% with a tectonic affinity to continental arc. A rhyodacite sample from this region has been dated by U-Pb in zircon, yielding an age of 149.4 ± 1.2Ma (n= 21), being the youngest age related to this arc. Finally, we propose a threestep model to explain the tectonic evolution from Late Triassic island arc to Jurassic continental arc system in the northeastern Mexico.
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Yager, J. A.; West, A. J.; Bergquist, B. A.; Thibodeau, A. M.; Corsetti, F. A.; Berelson, W.; Bottjer, D. J.; Rosas, S.
2016-12-01
Mercury concentrations in sediments have recently gained prominence as a potential tool for identifying large igneous province (LIP) volcanism in sedimentary records. LIP volcanism coincides with several mass extinctions during the Phanerozoic, but it is often difficult to directly tie LIP activity with the record of extinction in marine successions. Here, we build on mercury concentration data reported by Thibodeau et al. (Nature Communications, 7:11147, 2016) from the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic of New York Canyon, Nevada, USA. Increases in Hg concentrations in that record were attributed to Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) activity in association with the end-Triassic mass extinction. We expand the measured section from New York Canyon and report new mercury concentrations from Levanto, Peru, where dated ash beds provide a discrete chronology, as well as St. Audrie's Bay, UK, a well-studied succession. We correlate these records using carbon isotopes and ammonites and find similarities in the onset of elevated Hg concentrations and Hg/TOC in association with changes in C isotopes. We also find second order patterns that differ between sections and may have depositional and diagenetic controls. We will discuss these changes within a sedimentological framework to further understand the controls on Hg concentrations in sedimentary records and their implications for past volcanism.
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Pedro M. Monarrez
2014-01-01
Full Text Available The Middle Triassic records the return of diverse marine communities after the severe effects of the end-Permian mass extinction. This diversification leads to the Mesozoic/modern adaptive radiation resulting in substantial changes in marine communities in comparison to their Paleozoic predecessors. This analysis focuses on the faunal abundance, ecological patterns, and environmental interpretation of a Middle Triassic section in Central Nevada. Twelve bulk samples were collected. Visible fossils were identified and tallied from hand samples and thin-sections were used to aid in environmental interpretation. Beginning in the Late Anisian, we observed an ammonoid dominated to flat-clam, epifaunal dominated benthic community within a muddy, quiet, inner shelf depositional environment. Through time, epifaunal bivalves dominate within a middle shelf environment followed by an increase in infaunalization and shell-thickness. During this time the presence of oncoids and the reported finding of corals suggest the middle shelf environment gave way to a higher energy patch reef shelf edge environment. Finally, we observe epifaunal brachiopods communities at the top of our section deposited in a middle shelf environment. In sum, we observe the dominance of modern taxa (i.e., bivalves with Paleozoic ecologies (i.e., epifaunal, followed by the dominance of modern taxa with Modern ecologies (i.e., infaunal, thick shells and then a return to Paleozoic taxa (i.e., brachiopods and Paleozoic ecologies within an overall transgressive environment.
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Triassic volcanic units in coastal region of Antofagasta, northern Chile
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Basso, M.; Cortes, J.A.; Marinovic, N
2001-01-01
U-Pb geochronological evidence of a Middle to Late Triassic volcanic event was found in the coastal region of Antofagasta, northern Chile (23 o -23 o 30 ). Two new ages were obtained from rhyolitic tuffs and an associated dome, which have classically been attributed to the Jurassic La Negra Formation (au)
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Age and provenance of Triassic to Cenozoic sediments of West and Central Sarawak, Malaysia
Breitfeld, H. Tim; Galin, Thomson; Hall, Robert
2015-04-01
Sarawak is located on the northern edge of Sundaland in NW Borneo. West and Central Sarawak include parts of the Kuching and Sibu Zones. These contain remnants of several sedimentary basins with ages from Triassic to Cenozoic. New light mineral, heavy mineral and U-Pb detrital zircon ages show differences in provenance reflecting the tectonic evolution of the region. The oldest clastic sediments are Triassic (Sadong Formation and its deep marine equivalent Kuching Formation). They were sourced by a Triassic (Carnian to Norian) volcanic arc and reworked Paleoproterozoic detritus derived from Cathaysialand. The Upper Jurassic to Cretaceous Pedawan Formation is interpreted as forearc basin fill with distinctive zircon populations indicating subduction beneath present-day West Sarawak which initiated in the Late Jurassic. Subsequent subduction until the early Late Cretaceous formed the Schwaner Mountains magmatic arc. After collision of SW Borneo and other microcontinental fragments with Sundaland in the early Late Cretaceous, deep marine sedimentation (Pedawan Formation) ceased, and there was uplift forming the regional Pedawan-Kayan unconformity. Two episodes of extension followed and were responsible for basin development on land in West Sarawak from the latest Cretaceous onwards, probably in a pull-apart setting. The first episode is associated with sediments of the Kayan Group, deposited in the Latest Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) to Eocene, and the second episode with Upper Eocene sediments of the Ketungau Basin. Zircon ages indicate volcanic activity throughout the Early Cenozoic in NW Borneo, and inherited zircon ages indicate reworking of Triassic and Cretaceous rocks. A large deep marine basin, the Rajang Basin, was north of the Lupar Line Fault in Central Sarawak (Sibu Zone) from the Late Cretaceous to the Late Eocene. Zircons from sediments of the Rajang Basin indicate they have similar ages and provenance to contemporaneous terrestrial sediments of the Kayan
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Grooves to tubes: evolution of the venom delivery system in a Late Triassic "reptile"
Mitchell, Jonathan S.; Heckert, Andrew B.; Sues, Hans-Dieter
2010-12-01
Venom delivery systems occur in a wide range of extant and fossil vertebrates and are primarily based on oral adaptations. Teeth range from unmodified (Komodo dragons) to highly specialized fangs similar to hypodermic needles (protero- and solenoglyphous snakes). Developmental biologists have documented evidence for an infolding pathway of fang evolution, where the groove folds over to create the more derived condition. However, the oldest known members of venomous clades retain the same condition as their extant relatives, resulting in no fossil evidence for the transition. Based on a comparison of previously known specimens with newly discovered teeth from North Carolina, we describe a new species of the Late Triassic archosauriform Uatchitodon and provide detailed analyses that provide evidence for both venom conduction and document a complete structural series from shallow grooves to fully enclosed tubular canals. While known only from teeth, Uatchitodon is highly diagnostic in possessing compound serrations and for having two venom canals on each tooth in the dentition. Further, although not a snake, Uatchitodon sheds light on the evolutionary trajectory of venom delivery systems in amniotes and provide solid evidence for venom conduction in archosaur-line diapsids.
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Conodont zonation of Lower Triassic strata in Slovenia
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Tea Kolar-Jurkovšek
2015-12-01
Full Text Available The paper presents the results of a conodont study carried out in the Triassic strata in the area of the Slovenian part of the Southern Alps, External Dinarides and the Transition region between the External and Internal Dinarides. The following conodont zones have been distinguished: Hindeodus praeparvus Z., H. parvus Z., Isarcicella lobata Z., I. staeschei – I. isarcica Z., H. postparvus Z., Hadrodontina aequabilis Z., Ha. anceps Z., Eurygnathodus costatus Z., Neospathodus planus Z., N. robustus Z., Platyvillosus corniger Z., Pl. regularis Z., Pachycladina obliqua Z., Foliella gardenae Z., Triassospathodus hungaricus Z., T. symmetricus Z., N. robustispinus - T. homeri Z. and T. triangularis Z. The introduced conodont zonation spans from the Induan, including the Permian-Triassic boundary interval to the late Olenekian and is valid for the shallow shelf environments of western Tethys.
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The Middle Triassic insect radiation revealed by isotopic age and iconic fossils from NW China
Zheng, Daran; Chang, Su-Chin; Wang, He; Fang, Yan; Wang, Jun; Feng, Chongqing; Xie, Guwei; Jarzembowski, Edmund A.; Zhang, Haichun; Wang, Bo
2017-04-01
Following the end-Permian mass extinction, the Triassic represented an important period witnessing the recovery and radiation of marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Terrestrial plants and vertebrates have been widely investigated; however the insects, the most diverse organisms on earth, remain enigmatic due to the rarity of Early-Middle Triassic fossils. Here we report new fossils from a Ladinian deposit dated at 238-237 Ma and a Carnian deposit in northwestern China, including the earliest definite caddisfly cases (Trichoptera) and water boatmen (Hemiptera), diverse polyphagan beetles (Coleoptera) and scorpionflies (Mecoptera). Our findings suggest that the Holometabola, comprising the majority of modern-day insect species, experienced an extraordinary diversification in the Middle Triassic and was already been dominant in some Middle and Late Triassic insect faunas, after the extinction of several ecologically dominant, Paleozoic insect groups in the latest Permian and earliest Triassic. This turnover is perhaps related to notable episodes of extreme warming and drying, leading to the eventual demise of coal-swamp ecosystems, evidenced by floral turnover during this interval. The forest revival during the Middle Triassic probably stimulated the rapid radiation and evolution of insects including some key aquatic lineages which built new associations that persist to the present day. Our results provide not only new insights into the early evolution of insect diversity and ecology, but also robust evidence for the view that the Triassic is the "Dawn of the Modern World". Besides, LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating initially gave a late Ladinian age for the Tongchuan entomnfauna after the results: 237.41 ± 0.91 Ma and 238 ± 0.97 Ma. The age is in agreement with that of the marine Ladinian-Carnian boundary, representing a novel age constraint for the terrestrial strata near this boundary. This age can provide a calibration for marine and terrestrial correlation near Ladinian
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Torsten Wappler
2015-04-01
Full Text Available The Paleozoic–Mesozoic transition is characterized by the most massive extinction of the Phanerozoic. Nevertheless, an impressive adaptive radiation of herbivorous insects occurred on gymnosperm-dominated floras not earlier than during the Middle to Late Triassic, penecontemporaneous with similar events worldwide, all which exhibit parallel expansions of generalized and mostly specialized insect herbivory on plants, expressed as insect damage on a various plant organs and tissues. The flora from Monte Agnello is distinctive, due to its preservation in subaerially deposited pyroclastic layers with exceptionally preserved details. Thus, the para-autochthonous assemblage provides insights into environmental disturbances, caused by volcanic activity, and how they profoundly affected the structure and composition of herbivory patterns. These diverse Middle Triassic biota supply extensive evidence for insect herbivore colonization, resulting in specific and complex herbivory patterns involving the frequency and diversity of 20 distinctive damage types (DTs. These DT patterns show that external foliage feeders, piercer-and-suckers, leaf miners, gallers, and oviposition culprits were intricately using almost all tissue types from the dominant host plants of voltzialean conifers (e.g., Voltzia, horsetails, ferns (e.g., Neuropteridium, Phlebopteris, Cladophlebis and Thaumatopteris, seed ferns (e.g., Scytophyllum, and cycadophytes (e.g., Bjuvia and Nilssonia.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
TEA KOLAR-JURKOVSEK
2011-03-01
Full Text Available Detailed conodont biostratigraphy and lithostratigraphy of the Late Permian and Early Triassic beds were studied at the LukaC section in western Slovenia. The analyzed section is composed of the Bellerophon Formation ("evaporite-dolomite member" and the newly introduced Lukaè Formation ("transitional beds", "streaky limestone member" and "carbonate-clastic beds member". The Permian-Triassic boundary interval is represented by "transitional beds" of carbonate facies deposited in shallow restricted marine conditions. The presence of H. parvus in sample L1 in the "transitional beds" marks the systemic boundary between Permian and Triassic. The studied interval is characterized by a diverse microfauna that contain conodonts, foraminifers, ostracods and gastropods. Six conodont zones have been recognized, in ascending order, the latest Changhsingian (uppermost Permian praeparvus Zone, and the Griesbachian (lowermost Triassic parvus, lobata, staeschei-isarcica, postparvus and anceps zones. This faunal succession represents the first known and the most complete conodont biozonation across the Permian-Triassic interval from the entire Dinaric region. The recognized conodont biozones can be correlated with the biozonation of the Southern Alps and of the GSSP Meishan D section.
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SILVIO RENESTO
2000-07-01
Full Text Available Two new Megalancosaurus specimens collected from the Norian (Late Triassic Calcare di Zorzino (Zorzino Limestone Formation (Bergamo, Lombardy, Northern Italy, and from the coeval Dolomia di Forni (Forni Dolostone Formation (Udine, Friuli, North-eastern Italy improve our knowledge of skeletal anatomy and mode of life of this genus. Morphology of observable skull elements and cervical vertebrae in one of the new specimens shows some resemblance to the possible Triassic bird Protoavis, while the postcranial skeleton of Megalancosaurus is completely non-avian. This may suggest that either Megalancosaurus and Protoavis developed a similar neck structure as a response to the same functional requirement, or that part of the disarticulated material ascribed to Protoavis may indeed belong to a Megalancosaurus-like reptile. Megalancosaurus shows a very high adaptation to arboreal life and a peculiar feeding strategy. Recent suggestions that Megalancosaurus may have been a glider and a possible model for bird ancestry are discussed. Some skeletal features of Megalancosaurus may indeed be interpreted as gliding adaptation, but evidence is weak, and if this reptile was a glider, however, its gliding bauplan should have been completely different from the one usually accepted for bird ancestors, showing instead more morphological similarities with gliding squirrels, phalangeriids and putative ancestors of bats and pterosaurs (according to a non cursorial model for these latter.
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Rasmussen, C.; Mundil, R.; Irmis, R. B.; Keller, C. B.; Giesler, D.; Gehrels, G. E.
2017-12-01
The Triassic is a critical period in Earth history that witnessed the origin of modern ecosystems and frequent climate fluctuations, as well as major environmental events such as flood basalt volcanism and bolide impacts. The Chinle Formation contains a primary non-marine archive for past ecosystems in North America due to its fossil richness and well-studied sedimentology. Moreover, within these highly fossiliferous strata, a biotic turnover has been reported that has been hypothesized to coincide with one or more of the aforementioned environmental events. Unfortunately, few radioisotopic ages have been published for the Late Triassic, limiting our ability for lithological and paleoenvironmental correlations. In addition, the superposition of the Chinle Formation remains illusive due to frequent lateral facies changes and discontinuous outcrops across the Colorado Plateau. The 520 m long core 1A of the Colorado Plateau Coring Project from Petrified Forest National Park (PFNP) (Arizona) provides, for the first time, a continuous section of these early Mesozoic sedimentary strata. Many of the sand- and siltstones from this continuous succession throughout most of the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation contain euhedral zircons suitable for U-Pb analyses. We analyzed >300 crystals each from 10 samples using LA-ICPMS; these results indicated abundant Late Triassic crystals that appear to be closely associated with the depositional age of the host rock. We then selected the youngest grains from these samples to obtain precise CA-TIMS U-Pb single zircon ages in order to constrain the maximum depositional ages (using quantitative methods) of these formations. We are able to revise the proposed time scale (based on outcrop samples) for Upper Triassic strata at PFNP and evaluate whether the biotic turnover observed within the Sonsela Member of these strata coincides with the Manicouagan bolide impact event. This revised chronostratigraphic framework allows intercalibration
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Berner, U.; Scheeder, G.; Kus, J. [Section Geochemistry of Petroleum and Coal, BGR, Hannover (Germany); Voigt, S.; Schneider, J.W. [Geological Inst., TU Bergakademic Freiberg (Germany)
2009-09-15
Along the northern foothills of the Turkestan-Alai Range (SW Kyrgyzstan), a 1000 to 1500m thick succession of Mesozoic deposits is exposed recording regional changes of the paleo-landscape during Triassic to Cretaceous times. Detailed litho- and biofacies analyses, conducted by the TU Bergakademie Freiberg since 2006, provided for the first time a nearly complete columnar section of the continental Triassic Madygen Formation of Kyrgyzstan. Organic petrographical and organic geochemical methods (including RockEval pyrolyses, and biomarker analyses) have been applied to a suite of terrestrial sedimentary rocks of Triassic age with the intention to identify the depositional environment. Our investigations suggest that the potential source rocks of the terrestrial pluvial Madygen Formation might generate predominantly gaseous hydrocarbons at higher maturities. (orig.)
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Maldonado, Roberto; Ortega-Gutiérrez, Fernando; Ortíz-Joya, Guillermo A.
2018-05-01
Many continental subduction complexes contain abundant granitic rocks coexisting with minor volumes of eclogite-facies rocks. Characterization of granitic protoliths is crucial to decipher the origin of subducted continental crust, whereas knowledge of its metamorphic evolution is required to constrain the mechanisms of burial and exhumation. In this work we present geochronological and petrological evidence that demonstrate the occurrence of a subducted Proterozoic to Late Triassic granitic basement in the Chuacús complex of central Guatemala. Metagranitoids exposed in this area are interlayered with eclogite and other high-pressure rocks, and their structure is considerably variable due to strain partitioning during deformation. Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry U-Pb zircon data from two ferroan metagranites yield protolith crystallization ages of ca. 1.1 Ga and their trace-element abundances suggest an origin related to intraplate magmatism, while a high-silica, peraluminous metagranite is dated at 1.0 Ga and was probably originated by partial melting of a high-grade continental crust. On the other hand, two megacrystic to augen metagranitoids yield protolith crystallization ages of ca. 224 Ma, which are identical within errors to the protolith age of hosted eclogitic metabasites. Their high incompatible trace element abundances together with the observed spatial-temporal relationships with mafic protoliths suggest that Late Triassic bimodal magmatism in the Chuacús complex was probably originated in a within-plate setting. Regardless of their age or structure, the studied metagranites preserve evidences for high-pressure metamorphic equilibration, such as the occurrence of Ca-rich garnet (XCa up to 0.52) in association with phengite (Si contents of up to 3.4 pfu) and rutile. The integration of Zr-in-rutile thermometry and phengite barometry allows the peak metamorphic conditions to be constrained at 640-680 °C and 13 kbar. This
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Benton, Michael J.; Zhang, Qiyue; Hu, Shixue; Chen, Zhong-Qiang; Wen, Wen; Liu, Jun; Huang, Jinyuan; Zhou, Changyong; Xie, Tao; Tong, Jinnan; Choo, Brian
2013-10-01
, but a later expansion of marine reptile groups, in the late Olenekian and early Anisian. This offset in diversification patterns is matched by comparisons of feeding guild categories and body size data. New research tools will shed considerable light on the phylogenetic and ecological implications of recovery of mairne vertebrates in the Triassic.
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Diedrich, Cajus G.
2012-09-01
Chirotherid footprints of Synaptichnium, Chirotherium and Isochirotherium appeared during the late Early (Aegean) to early Late (Carnian) Triassic in central Europe. These taxa are partly revised herein, using both perfect and variably preserved tracks, and very long trackways from an upper Pelsonian intertidal-flat megatracksite of the Germanic Basin coast Pelsonian (Karlstadt Formation). The global Middle Triassic distribution of those footprints suggests seasonal migrations across Pangaea of possible archosauriform reptile trackmakers, such as Euparkeria, Ticinosuchus, Arizonasaurus and Batrachotomus, caused by horseshoe-crab mass migrations into tidal-flat beach reproductive zones in the Germanic Basin. Such seasonal migrations may even suggest a Pangaea-wide food-chain reaction, possibly including the mobilization of fish, marine and terrestrial reptiles, and of which situation the Germanic Basin intertidal-flats is a globally unique example.
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Zhao, Pan; Faure, Michel; Chen, Yan; Xu, Bei
2017-04-01
At the northern margin of the North China Block (NCB), the Xilamulun Fault (XMF) is a key belt to decipher the tectonic evolution of Central-Eastern Asia, as it records the Paleozoic final closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean, and localizes a Late Triassic intracontinental deformation. In this study, structural analysis, 40Ar-39Ar dating, and paleomagnetic studies were performed to investigate the kinematics of the XMF and to further discuss its Triassic geodynamic significance in the Central-Eastern Asia framework after the Paleozoic Central Asian Orogenic evolution. The structural analyses reveal two phases of ductile deformation. The first one (D1), which displays N-verging and E-W trending folds, is related to the Early Paleozoic collisional event between the NCB and the Songliao-Hunshandake Block (SHB). The second phase (D2) displays a high-angle foliation and a pervasive sub-horizontalE-W stretching lineation with kinematic criteria indicative of dextral strike-slip shearing. The 40Ar-39Ar dating on mylonitic granite places the main shearing event around 227-209 Ma. This D2 shearing is coeval with that of the dextral strike-slip Bayan Obo-Chifeng Fault (BCF) and the Chicheng-Fengning-Longhua Fault to the south, which together constitute a dextral shearing fault system on the northern margin of the NCB during the Late Triassic. The paleomagnetic study performed on the Middle Permian Guangxingyuan pluton, located between the XMF and BCF, documents a local clockwise rotation of this pluton with respect to the NCB and SHB. Our multidisciplinary study suggests anNNW-SSE shortening and strike-slip shearing dominated tectonic setting on the northern margin of the NCB during the Late Triassic. Combining the contemporaneous dextral strike-slip movements of the XMF and BCF in northern China and the sinistral strike-slip movement of East Gobi Fault (EGF) in southeastern Mongolia with the large-scale tectonic framework, a Late Triassic NNW-SSE shortening-eastward extrusion
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Tang, Yan; Zhang, Yunpeng; Tong, Lili
2018-01-01
The Zoige depression is an important depocenter within the northeast Songpan-Ganzi flysch basin, which is bounded by the South China, North China and Qiangtang Blocks and forms the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. This paper discusses the sediment provenance and Mesozoic-Cenozoic evolution of the Zoige depression in the Songpan-Ganzi flysch basin, eastern Tibetan Plateau, using the detrital zircon U-Pb ages and apatite fission-track data from the Middle to Late Triassic sedimentary rocks in the area. The U-Pb ages of the Middle to Late Triassic zircons range from 260-280 Ma, 429-480 Ma, 792-974 Ma and 1800-2500 Ma and represent distinct source region. Our new results demonstrate that the detritus deposited during the Middle Triassic (Ladinian, T2zg) primarily originated from the Eastern Kunlun and North Qinling Orogens, with lesser contributions from the North China Block. By the Late Triassic (early Carnian, T3z), the materials at the southern margin of the North China Block were generally transported westward to the basin along a river network that flowed through the Qinling region between the North China and South China Blocks: this interpretation is supported by the predominance of the bimodal distribution of 1.8 Ga and 2.5 Ga age peaks and a lack of significant Neoproterozoic zircon. Since the Late Triassic (middle Carnian, T3zh), considerable changes have occurred in the source terranes, such as the cessation of the Eastern Kunlun Orogen and North China Block sources and the rise of the northwestern margin of the Yangtze Block and South Qinling Orogen. These drastic changes are compatible with a model of a sustained westward collision between the South China and North China Blocks during the late Triassic and the clockwise rotation of the South China Block progressively closed the basin. Subsequently, orogeny-associated folds have formed in the basin since the Late Triassic (late Carnian), and the study area was generally subjected to uplifting and
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Peyrotty, Giovan; Peybernes, Camille; Ueda, Hayato; Martini, Rossana
2017-04-01
investigate and characterise Triassic limestones, particularly from western part of Sorachi-Yezo, in order to provide new crucial data allowing us to define the origin of this belt. The comparison (i.e., biotic assemblages, preservation, diagnesis, associated lithologies) of the Triassic limestones in Oshima and Sorachi-Yezo belts might highlight differences in their depositional setting as well as in geodynamic evolution of the western part of Sorachi-Yezo Belt. REFERENCES Kiessling, W., & Flügel, E. 2000: Late Paleozoic and Late Triassic Limestones from North Palawan Block (Philippines): Microfacies and Paleogeographical Implications. Facies, 43, 39-78. Onoue, T., & Sano, H. 2007: Triassic mid-oceanic sedimentation in Panthalassa Ocean: Sambosan accretionary complex, Japan. Island Arc, 16(1), 173-190. Ueda H. 2016: Hokkaido in The Geology of Japan, Taira A. Ohara Y. Wallis S. Ishawatari A.Iryu Y. Geological Society, London, 203-223.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Schmitt, J.M.; Clement, J.Y.
1989-01-01
The formation of unconformity related uranium deposits in Canada and Australia is currently thought to have involved some stage of preconcentration within the Proterozoic regolith. Uranium deposits in the southern Massif central (France) are spatially linked to the Mesozoic unconformity. Under this unconformity, rocks of the Hercynian basement as well as Permo-Carboniferous sediments show a regolithic alteration dating back to the Late Permian to Late Triassic period. On the elevated parts of the Triassic landscape, 30 to 50 m deep weathering profiles are preserved. Three main zones can be distinguished: a lower pink coloured zone, showing partly albitized and chloritized rocks: a middle bleached zone with neogenic clays; and an upper reddish zone with Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides. Towards the Triassic basin, much deeper (200-300 m) alteration profiles are observed on Permo-Carboniferous sediments. The two upper regolithic zones are present, but the lower albitized one is very developed with two subzones: analcite/albite at the top, and K-feldspar/albite at the bottom. Geochemical data show that potassium is fixed in the uppermost horizons of the regolith, whereas sodium is transported towards the lower horizons and basin areas and fixed in analcite/albite zones. Uranium, vanadium, copper and less mobile elements such as titanium and zirconium are strongly leached from the weathering profiles in elevated parts of the landscape but are enriched in basin zones of albitization up to 5-15 times. Thus, solutions generated from the weathering profiles have brought about a major redistribution of uranium in the Triassic landscape. The remarkable applanation and tectonic stability of the area as well as a subarid climate seem to have favoured this 'regolithization' process. In southern France, geochemical differentiation during the Triassic has thus given rise to important uranium pre-enrichment, and the regolith is a major control for later uranium deposits. (author). 16 refs, 8
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Dubiel, R.F. (Geological Survey, Denver, CO (USA))
1989-09-01
Sedimentologic study of the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation in the San Juan basin (SJB) indicates that Late Triassic paleoclimate and tectonic movements influenced the distribution of continental lithofacies. The Shinarump, Monitor Butte, and Petrified Forest Members in the lower part of the Chinle consist of complexly interfingered fluvial, floodplain, marsh, and lacustrine rocks; the Owl Rock and Rock Point Members in the upper part consists of lacustrine-basin and eolian sandsheet strata. Facies analysis, vertebrate and invertebrate paleontology, and paleoclimate models demonstrate that the Late Triassic was dominated by tropical monsoonal circulation, which provided abundant precipitation interspersed with seasonally dry periods. Owl Rock lacustrine strata comprise laminated limestones that reflect seasonal monsoonal precipitation and larger scale, interbedded carbonates and fine-grained clastics that represent longer term, alternating wet and dry climatic cycles. Overlying Rock Point eolian sand-sheet and dune deposits indicate persistent alternating but drier climatic cyclicity. Within the Chinle, upward succession of lacustrine, alternating lacustrine/eolian sand-sheet, and eolian sand-sheet/dune deposits reflects an overall decrease in precipitation due to the northward migration of Pangaea out of low latitudes dominated by monsoonal circulation.
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MIDDLE TRIASSIC AUTOCLASTIC DEPOSITS FROM SOUTHWESTERN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
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Duje Smirčić
2016-06-01
Full Text Available Middle Triassic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks have been recognized at several localities near Bosansko Grahovo, in southwestern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the External Dinarides. Peculiar types of autoclastic rocks were investigated. These are peperites and hyaloclastites. Regarding specific structures, mineral composition and micropetrographic characteristics it was possible to further differentiate hyaloclastites into in situ hyaloclastites and slightly resedimented hyaloclastites that represent genetic succession. All rock types occurred in a deep sea troughs that formed as a consequence of Middle Triassic extensional tectonic and rift related wrench faulting. In situ hyaloclastites and slightly resedimented hyaloclastites were formed due to quenching at the contact of lava effusions with sea water. Genesis of peperites is related to lava emplacement in unconsolidated water saturated lime mudstones that were deposited in deep sea basin. All investigated rock types represent first findings of autoclastic deposits in the External Dinarides. Biostratigraphic constraints achieved by means of conodont species Neogondolella excentrica, Paragondolella excelsa, Paragondolella trammeri and Gladigondolella tethydis indicate Late Anisian to Early Ladinian interval of the autoclastic deposits from Bosansko Grahovo.
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A NEW SAURICHTHYS (ACTINOPTERYGII FROM THE SPATHIAN (EARLY TRIASSIC OF CHAOHU (ANHUI PROVINCE, CHINA
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ANDREA TINTORI
2014-07-01
Full Text Available A new species of Saurichthys, S. majiashanensis , is described. It comes from a series of marine vertebrate-bearing beds of the upper member of the Nanlinghu Formation outcropping in the large quarry at the top of Majiashan (Majia Hill near Chaohu (Hefei City, Anhui Province, China. Its age is Middle Spathian (Olenekian, Early Triassic. This new species deeply differs from the several pre-Spathian species of Saurichthys mainly for having only two longitudinal scale rows together with a reduced grid-like structure for the neural elements in the vertebral column. Further derived characters are in the endoskeleton of the dorsal and anal fin, where radials articulate only to anterior lepidotrichia, the posterior ones being supported by the first scale from the caudal pedicle mid-dorsal and mid-ventral rows, deeply imbedded in the body. In addition, the haemal spines of the caudal region are much enlarged and reversed, with their distal parts pointing forwards. Though the skull is lacking, postcranial characters are enough to justify the erection of a new species. This new Saurichthys species, together with other few actinopterygians, can be considered as the oldest assemblage of the Triassic Middle Fish Fauna, which bloomed probably in the early Anisian and widespread especially all over the Tethys for the Middle Triassic and at least the Carnian in the Late Triassic. This new fish assemblage, together with some of the oldest marine reptiles, is considered as the beginning of the actual Triassic recovery among marine vertebrates.
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Butler, Richard J.; Brusatte, Stephen L.; Reich, Mike; Nesbitt, Sterling J.; Schoch, Rainer R.; Hornung, Jahn J.
2011-01-01
Background Archosaurs (birds, crocodilians and their extinct relatives including dinosaurs) dominated Mesozoic continental ecosystems from the Late Triassic onwards, and still form a major component of modern ecosystems (>10,000 species). The earliest diverse archosaur faunal assemblages are known from the Middle Triassic (c. 244 Ma), implying that the archosaur radiation began in the Early Triassic (252.3–247.2 Ma). Understanding of this radiation is currently limited by the poor early fossil record of the group in terms of skeletal remains. Methodology/Principal Findings We redescribe the anatomy and stratigraphic position of the type specimen of Ctenosauriscus koeneni (Huene), a sail-backed reptile from the Early Triassic (late Olenekian) Solling Formation of northern Germany that potentially represents the oldest known archosaur. We critically discuss previous biomechanical work on the ‘sail’ of Ctenosauriscus, which is formed by a series of elongated neural spines. In addition, we describe Ctenosauriscus-like postcranial material from the earliest Middle Triassic (early Anisian) Röt Formation of Waldhaus, southwestern Germany. Finally, we review the spatial and temporal distribution of the earliest archosaur fossils and their implications for understanding the dynamics of the archosaur radiation. Conclusions/Significance Comprehensive numerical phylogenetic analyses demonstrate that both Ctenosauriscus and the Waldhaus taxon are members of a monophyletic grouping of poposauroid archosaurs, Ctenosauriscidae, characterised by greatly elongated neural spines in the posterior cervical to anterior caudal vertebrae. The earliest archosaurs, including Ctenosauriscus, appear in the body fossil record just prior to the Olenekian/Anisian boundary (c. 248 Ma), less than 5 million years after the Permian–Triassic mass extinction. These earliest archosaur assemblages are dominated by ctenosauriscids, which were broadly distributed across northern Pangea and which
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Richard J Butler
Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Archosaurs (birds, crocodilians and their extinct relatives including dinosaurs dominated Mesozoic continental ecosystems from the Late Triassic onwards, and still form a major component of modern ecosystems (>10,000 species. The earliest diverse archosaur faunal assemblages are known from the Middle Triassic (c. 244 Ma, implying that the archosaur radiation began in the Early Triassic (252.3-247.2 Ma. Understanding of this radiation is currently limited by the poor early fossil record of the group in terms of skeletal remains. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We redescribe the anatomy and stratigraphic position of the type specimen of Ctenosauriscus koeneni (Huene, a sail-backed reptile from the Early Triassic (late Olenekian Solling Formation of northern Germany that potentially represents the oldest known archosaur. We critically discuss previous biomechanical work on the 'sail' of Ctenosauriscus, which is formed by a series of elongated neural spines. In addition, we describe Ctenosauriscus-like postcranial material from the earliest Middle Triassic (early Anisian Röt Formation of Waldhaus, southwestern Germany. Finally, we review the spatial and temporal distribution of the earliest archosaur fossils and their implications for understanding the dynamics of the archosaur radiation. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Comprehensive numerical phylogenetic analyses demonstrate that both Ctenosauriscus and the Waldhaus taxon are members of a monophyletic grouping of poposauroid archosaurs, Ctenosauriscidae, characterised by greatly elongated neural spines in the posterior cervical to anterior caudal vertebrae. The earliest archosaurs, including Ctenosauriscus, appear in the body fossil record just prior to the Olenekian/Anisian boundary (c. 248 Ma, less than 5 million years after the Permian-Triassic mass extinction. These earliest archosaur assemblages are dominated by ctenosauriscids, which were broadly distributed across northern Pangea and
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Butler, Richard J; Brusatte, Stephen L; Reich, Mike; Nesbitt, Sterling J; Schoch, Rainer R; Hornung, Jahn J
2011-01-01
Archosaurs (birds, crocodilians and their extinct relatives including dinosaurs) dominated Mesozoic continental ecosystems from the Late Triassic onwards, and still form a major component of modern ecosystems (>10,000 species). The earliest diverse archosaur faunal assemblages are known from the Middle Triassic (c. 244 Ma), implying that the archosaur radiation began in the Early Triassic (252.3-247.2 Ma). Understanding of this radiation is currently limited by the poor early fossil record of the group in terms of skeletal remains. We redescribe the anatomy and stratigraphic position of the type specimen of Ctenosauriscus koeneni (Huene), a sail-backed reptile from the Early Triassic (late Olenekian) Solling Formation of northern Germany that potentially represents the oldest known archosaur. We critically discuss previous biomechanical work on the 'sail' of Ctenosauriscus, which is formed by a series of elongated neural spines. In addition, we describe Ctenosauriscus-like postcranial material from the earliest Middle Triassic (early Anisian) Röt Formation of Waldhaus, southwestern Germany. Finally, we review the spatial and temporal distribution of the earliest archosaur fossils and their implications for understanding the dynamics of the archosaur radiation. Comprehensive numerical phylogenetic analyses demonstrate that both Ctenosauriscus and the Waldhaus taxon are members of a monophyletic grouping of poposauroid archosaurs, Ctenosauriscidae, characterised by greatly elongated neural spines in the posterior cervical to anterior caudal vertebrae. The earliest archosaurs, including Ctenosauriscus, appear in the body fossil record just prior to the Olenekian/Anisian boundary (c. 248 Ma), less than 5 million years after the Permian-Triassic mass extinction. These earliest archosaur assemblages are dominated by ctenosauriscids, which were broadly distributed across northern Pangea and which appear to have been the first global radiation of archosaurs.
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Origin and tectonic evolution of upper Triassic Turbidites in the Indo-Burman ranges, West Myanmar
Yao, Wei; Ding, Lin; Cai, Fulong; Wang, Houqi; Xu, Qiang; Zaw, Than
2017-11-01
The Pane Chaung Formation is exposed in the Indo-Burman Ranges, and has been involved in collision between the Indian Plate and West Burma Block. However, controversies exist over the provenance and paleogeographic reconstruction of the Pane Chaung Formation. This study presents new petrographical and detrital zircon Usbnd Pb ages and Hf isotopic data from the Pane Chaung Formation in Rakhine Yoma and Chin Hills, west Myanmar. The depositional age of the Pane Chaung Formation is Late Triassic, indicated by the Carnian-Norian Halobia fossils and maximum depositional ages between 233.0 ± 2.5 Ma and 206.2 ± 1.8 Ma. Upper Triassic sandstones contain 290-200 Ma detrital zircons, εHf(t) values of - 6 to 11 and TDMC of 1.6 to 0.6 Ga, interpreted to be derived from West Papua region. The most abundant zircon age population of 750-450 Ma is derived from Pan-African orogenic belts in Australia. Zircons of 1250-900 Ma age were derived from the Grenvillian orogen in Australia. Archean zircons are interpreted to be derived from the Yilgarn and Pilbara cratons in Western Australia. Detrital zircon ages of the Pane Chaung Formation are distinct from similar aged strata in Indochina and Sibumasu, but comparable to NW Australia (Carnarvon Basin) and Greater India (Langjiexue Formation). It is suggested that the Pane Chaung Formation was deposited in a Late Triassic submarine fan along the northern margin of Australia.
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Spondarthritis in the triassic.
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Juan Carlos Cisneros
Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The evidence of several forms of arthritis has been well documented in the fossil record. However, for pre-Cenozoic vertebrates, especially regarding reptiles, this record is rather scarce. In this work we present a case report of spondarthritis found in a vertebral series that belonged to a carnivorous archosaurian reptile from the Lower Triassic (∼245 million years old of the South African Karoo. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Neutron tomography confirmed macroscopic data, revealing the ossification of the entire intervertebral disc space (both annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus, which supports the diagnosis of spondarthritis. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The presence of spondarthritis in the new specimen represents by far the earliest evidence of any form of arthritis in the fossil record. The present find is nearly 100 million years older than the previous oldest report of this pathology, based on a Late Jurassic dinosaur. Spondarthritis may have indirectly contributed to the death of the animal under study.
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U-Th-Geochemistry of Permian and Triassic sediments of the Drauzug, Carinthia, Austria
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kurat, G.; Korkisch, J.; Niedermayr, G.; Seemann, R.
1976-05-01
Chemical analysis of samples of Triassic and Permian rocks from the Drauzug, Carinthia and Austria was carried out. U concentration was measured by flurimetry, Th and Cu by spectrophotometry using Thoronol method or Arsenazo III method for Th, Fe by titrimetry and V, Ba, Sr by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The average U concentration ranged from 0.8 to 4.6 ppm and the Th concentration from 3.2 to 15.6 ppm depending upon the mineral material. The quartzporphyries contained the highest concentration of both. It was concluded that the Permian-Triassic series are very similar to the equivalent deposits in Northern Italy. Assuming a lateral displacement, the former represent the Northern marginal part of the latter and therefore are inferior in thickness and thus not favourable for larger U mineralization
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Olsen, P. E.; Mundil, R.; Kent, D.; Rasmussen, C.
2017-12-01
Two questions addressed by the CPCP are: 1) is Milankovitch-paced climate cyclicity recorded in the fluvial Late Triassic age Chinle Formation ( 227-202 Ma); and 2) do geochronological data from the Chinle support the Newark-Hartford astrochronological polarity time scale (1) (APTS). To these ends we examined the upper 157 m (stratigraphic thickness) of Petrified Forest National Park core 1A (Owl Rock, Petrified Forest, and upper Sonsela members), consisting mostly of massive red paleosols and less important fluvial sandstones. A linear age model tied to new U-Pb zircon CA ID-TIMS dates from core 1A, consistent with published data from outcrop (2), yields a duration of about 5 Myr for this interval. Magnetic susceptibility variations, interpreted as reflecting penecontemporaneous soil and sandstone redox conditions, show a clear 12 m cycle corresponding to a 400 kyr cycle based on Fourier analysis in both core and hole. Similar cyclicity is apparent in spectrophotometric data, largely reflecting hematite variability. Weak, higher frequency cycles are present consistent with 100 kyr variability. There is no interpretable 20 kyr signal. Such cyclicity is not an anticipated direct effect of Milankvitch insolation variations, but must reflect non-linear integration of variability that changes dramatically at the eccentricity-scale, brought about by the sedimentary and climate systems. Our results support a direct 405 kyr-level correlation between the fluvial medial Chinle and lacustrine Newark Basin section (middle Passaic Formation), consistent with new and published (3) paleomagnetic polarity stratigraphy from the Chinle, showing that the Milankovitch eccentricity cycles are recorded in lower accumulation rate fluvial systems. Our results also independently support the continuity of the Newark Basin section and corroborate the Newark-Hartford APTS, not allowing for a multi-million year hiatus in the Passaic Formation, as has been asserted (4). We anticipate further
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jörg Fröbisch
Full Text Available The end-Permian biotic crisis (~252.5 Ma represents the most severe extinction event in Earth's history. This paper investigates diversity patterns in Anomodontia, an extinct group of therapsid synapsids ('mammal-like reptiles', through time and in particular across this event. As herbivores and the dominant terrestrial tetrapods of their time, anomodonts play a central role in assessing the impact of the end-Permian extinction on terrestrial ecosystems. Taxonomic diversity analysis reveals that anomodonts experienced three distinct phases of diversification interrupted by the same number of extinctions, i.e. an end-Guadalupian, an end-Permian, and a mid-Triassic extinction. A positive correlation between the number of taxa and the number of formations per time interval shows that anomodont diversity is biased by the Permian-Triassic terrestrial rock record. Normalized diversity curves indicate that anomodont richness continuously declines from the Middle Permian to the Late Triassic, but also reveals all three extinction events. Taxonomic rates (origination and extinction indicate that the end-Guadalupian and end-Permian extinctions were driven by increased rates of extinction as well as low origination rates. However, this pattern is not evident at the final decline of anomodont diversity during the Middle Triassic. Therefore, it remains unclear whether the Middle Triassic extinction represents a gradual or abrupt event that is unique to anomodonts or more common among terrestrial tetrapods. The end-Permian extinction represents the most distinct event in terms of decline in anomodont richness and turnover rates.
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The geology and hydrocarbon possibilities of the Triassic-Jurassic Fundy Basin, eastern Canada
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Wade, J.A.; Fensome, R.A. [Geological Survey of Canada, Dartmouth, NS (Canada). Atlantic Geoscience Centre; Brown, D.E. [Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board, Halifax, NS (Canada)
1997-09-01
The development of the Mesozoic sedimentary basins beneath the waters of the eastern coast of North America was discussed. These basins have been linked to the rifting of the central part of Pangaea during Mid and Late Triassic time that ended in the formation of a series of grabens extending from Florida to The Grand Banks of Newfoundland, one of them being the Bay of Fundy Basin which is about 16,500 square kilometres in size. Onshore and offshore geologic mapping and seismic interpretations have shown their age range to be from the Mid Triassic Anisian or Ladinian to Mid Jurassic. Up to 12 km of Mesozoic rocks were deposited in the basin with up to 9 km still present. The depositional history of the area was described. The two areas with greatest hydrocarbon potential are the Bay of Fundy and the Chignecto subbasins.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ziliang Liu
Full Text Available A large, shallow braided river delta sedimentary system developed in the Yanchang Formation during the Triassic in the southwest of the Ordos basin. In this braided delta system, abundant oil and gas resources have been observed, and the area is a hotspot for oil and gas resource exploration. Through extensive field work on outcrops and cores and analyses of geophysical data, it was determined that developments in the Late Triassic produced favorable geological conditions for the development of shallow water braided river deltas. Such conditions included a large basin, flat terrain, and wide and shallow water areas; wet and dry cyclical climate changes; ancient water turbulence; dramatic depth cycle changes; ancient uplift development; strong weathering of parent rock; and abundant supply. The shallow water braided river delta showed grain sediment granularity, plastic debris, and sediment with mature composition and structure that reflected the strong hydrodynamic environment of large tabular cross-bedding, wedge cross-bedding, and multiple positive rhythms superimposed to form a thick sand body layer. The branch river bifurcation developed underwater, and the thickness of the sand body increased further, indicating that the slope was slow and located in shallow water. The seismic responses of the braided river delta reflected strong shallow water performance, indicated by a progradation seismic reflection phase axis that was relatively flat; in addition, the seismic reflection amplitude was strong and continuous with a low angle and extended over considerable distances (up to 50 km. The sedimentary center was close to the provenance, the width of the river was large, and a shallow sedimentary structure and a sedimentary rhythm were developed. The development of the delta was primarily controlled by tectonic activity and changes in the lake level; as a result, the river delta sedimentary system eventually presented a "small plain, big front
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Liu, Ziliang; Shen, Fang; Zhu, Xiaomin; Li, Fengjie; Tan, Mengqi
2015-01-01
A large, shallow braided river delta sedimentary system developed in the Yanchang Formation during the Triassic in the southwest of the Ordos basin. In this braided delta system, abundant oil and gas resources have been observed, and the area is a hotspot for oil and gas resource exploration. Through extensive field work on outcrops and cores and analyses of geophysical data, it was determined that developments in the Late Triassic produced favorable geological conditions for the development of shallow water braided river deltas. Such conditions included a large basin, flat terrain, and wide and shallow water areas; wet and dry cyclical climate changes; ancient water turbulence; dramatic depth cycle changes; ancient uplift development; strong weathering of parent rock; and abundant supply. The shallow water braided river delta showed grain sediment granularity, plastic debris, and sediment with mature composition and structure that reflected the strong hydrodynamic environment of large tabular cross-bedding, wedge cross-bedding, and multiple positive rhythms superimposed to form a thick sand body layer. The branch river bifurcation developed underwater, and the thickness of the sand body increased further, indicating that the slope was slow and located in shallow water. The seismic responses of the braided river delta reflected strong shallow water performance, indicated by a progradation seismic reflection phase axis that was relatively flat; in addition, the seismic reflection amplitude was strong and continuous with a low angle and extended over considerable distances (up to 50 km). The sedimentary center was close to the provenance, the width of the river was large, and a shallow sedimentary structure and a sedimentary rhythm were developed. The development of the delta was primarily controlled by tectonic activity and changes in the lake level; as a result, the river delta sedimentary system eventually presented a "small plain, big front" character.
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Time-scale calibration by U-Pb geochronology: Examples from the Triassic Period
Mundil, R.
2009-05-01
)) and the Early-Middle Triassic (Olenekian-Anisian) boundary (247.2 Ma, (8, 9)), resulting in a surprisingly short duration of the Early Triassic which has implications for the timing of biotic recovery and major changes in ocean chemistry during this time. Furthermore, the Anisian-Ladinian boundary is constrained to 242.0 Ma by new U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar ages. Radio-isotopic ages for the Late Triassic are scarce and the only reliable and biostratigraphically controlled age is from an upper Carnian tuff dated to 230.9 Ma (10), yielding a duration of more than 35 Ma for the Late Triassic. The resulting time-scale is at odds with the most recent compilation (11) but arguably more accurate because it is entirely based on U-Pb analyses applied to closed-system zircons with uncertainties at the permil level or better. 1. T. E. Krogh, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 37, 485 (1973); 2. T. E. Krogh, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 46, 637 (1982); 3. J. M. Mattinson, Chemical Geology 220, 47 (2005); 4. R. Mundil, K. R. Ludwig, I. Metcalfe, P. R. Renne, Science 305, 1760 (2004); 5. U. Schaltegger, J. Guex, A. Bartolini, B. Schoene, M. Ovtcharova, Earth and Planetary Science Letters 267, 266 (2008); 6. R. Mundil, P. R. Renne, K. K. Min, K. R. Ludwig, in Eos Trans. AGU, Fall Meet. Suppl. (2006), vol. 87(52), pp. V21A-0543; 7. T. Galfetti et al., Earth and Planetary Science Letters 258, 593 (2007). 8. M. Ovtcharova et al., Earth and Planetary Science Letters 243, 463 (2006). 9. J. Ramezani et al., Earth and Planetary Science Letters 256, 244 (2007). 10. S. Furin et al., Geology 34, 1009 (2006); 11. J. G. Ogg, in A Geologic Time Scale 2004 F. M. Gradstein, J. G. Ogg, A. G. Smith, Eds. (University Press, Cambridge, 2004) pp. 271-306.
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Triassic-Jurassic pteridosperms of Australasia: speciation, diversity and decline
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Pattemore, G. A.; Rigby, J. F.; Playford, G.
2015-07-01
Pteridosperms are preserved abundantly in the Gondwanan Triassic, with many species exhibiting consider- able morphological variation that has been attributed to a hybridization model of speciation. This is an improbable explanation given that hybridization is very rare in gymnosperms. Allopatric speciation resulting from geographic and climatic provincialism is a more likely explanation for the morphological diversity which is well represented in Anisian Norian (Middle and Upper Triassic) floras of Australasia and elsewhere in Gondwana. Most specimens are distributed among three families: Umkomasiaceae, Peltaspermaceae and Matatiellaceae. These families, together with other possibly pteridospermous genera, are reviewed herein. Diversity in these families apparently declined by the Rhaetian and they did not persist into the Gondwanan post-Triassic. Australasian post-Triassic strata contain remarkably different floral assemblages to those of the Triassic. No fructifications are clearly pteridospermous and no remains show any obvious relationship with pteridosperms of the Gondwanan Triassic. Caytonialean fructifications are not known in Australasian strata; however, associated foliage has been reported from the Eastern Gondwanan Upper Triassic through Middle Jurassic including Australia. Much fern-like foliage, claimed to be pteridospermous from the Lower Jurassic through Eocene of Eastern Gondwana, lacks supporting evidence of such affiliation. (Author)
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Tectonic model for the Late Paleozoic of southeastern New England
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Wintsch, R.P.; Sutter, J.F.
1986-07-01
Hornblende and biotite /sup 40/Ar//sup 39/Ar age spectra from rocks in south-central Connecticut help define a Permian-Triassic cooling curve for the area. Together with petrologic and structural information, a time-temperature-pressure-strain path is established. Similar data for the Narragansett basin in Rhode Island and Massachusetts allow correlation of the late Paleozoic histories of the two areas. Together, these data suggest that in the late Paleozoic, south-central New England was part of a fold-thrust belt, and the Narragansett basin was a retroarc foreland basin. NW-SE compression during the final assembly of Pangaea resulted in SE directed thrusting, causing the development of clastic wedges in adjacent Rhode Island and Massachusetts in the Late Carboniferous-Early Permian. A clockwise rotation of this deformation from NW to NNE led to northward underthrusting and concomitant uplift of both eastern Connecticut and Rhode Island in the Permian and Triassic.
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THE LATE TRIASSIC ARCHOSAUROMORPH TRILOPHOSAURUS AS AN ARBOREAL CLIMBER
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JUSTIN A. SPIELMANN
2005-11-01
Full Text Available Two species of the unusual archosauromorph Trilophosaurus, T. buettneri Case and T. jacobsi Murry, are known from diverse localities in the Upper Triassic Chinle Group in the southwestern USA. Both species likely occupied similar ecological niches, based on morphological similarities in the postcrania, which are essentially identical. Trilophosaurus occurrences in the Chinle Group are relatively rare, but individual sites are exceptionally rich, suggesting that Trilophosaurus lived in a different paleoenvironment than more typical Chinle vertebrates, which lived in or near streams (phytosaurs, metoposaurs or on floodplains (aetosaurs, rauisuchians, and dinosaurs. Two potential interpretations are that Trilophosaurus was either an arboreal climber or a fossorial digger. However, the gross skeletal features of Trilophosaurus are not compatible with a fossorial mode of life: the limbs are too long and gracile, proximal limb elements are longer than distal ones, and the claws are laterally compressed, not transversely broadened. The intermittent study of Trilophosaurus has caused the theory of it being arboreal, originally proposed by Gregory, to receive little mention in subsequent studies. We reexamined the functional morphology of Trilophosaurus using a qualitative functional morphological analysis of the skeleton, a quantitative examination of claw curvature, and a quantitative examination of manus/trunk and pes/trunk ratios. Claw morphology of Trilophosaurus shows similarities to the arboreal drepanosaurs Drepanosaurus and Megalancosaurus. Our analysis provides ample evidence to suggest that Trilophosaurus was arboreal.
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Osteology of the Late Triassic aetosaur Scutarx deltatylus (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia
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William G. Parker
2016-08-01
Full Text Available Aetosaurians are some of the most common fossils collected from the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation of Arizona, especially at the Petrified Forest National Park (PEFO. Aetosaurians collected from lower levels of the park include Desmatosuchus spurensis, Paratypothorax, Adamanasuchus eisenhardtae, Calyptosuchus wellesi, and Scutarx deltatylus. Four partial skeletons collected from the park between 2002 and 2009 represent the holotype and referred specimens of Scutarx deltatylus. These specimens include much of the carapace, as well as the vertebral column, and shoulder and pelvic girdles, and a new naming convention proposed for osteoderms descriptions better differentiates portions of the carapace and ventral armor. A partial skull from the holotype specimen represents the first aetosaur skull recovered and described from Arizona since the 1930s. The key morphological feature distinguishing Scutarx deltatylus is the presence of a prominent, triangular boss located in the posteromedial corner of the dorsal surface of the dorsal paramedian osteoderms. Scutarx deltatylus can be distinguished from closely related forms Calyptosuchus wellesi and Adamanasuchus eisenhardtae not only morphologically, but also stratigraphically. Thus, Scutarx deltatylus is potentially an index taxon for the upper part of the Adamanian biozone.
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Repeated Carbon-Cycle Disturbances at the Permian-Triassic Boundary Separate two Mass Extinctions
Nicol, J. A.; Watson, L.; Claire, M.; Buick, R.; Catling, D. C.
2004-12-01
Non-marine organic matter in Permian-Triassic sediments from the Blue Mountains, eastern Australia shows seven negative δ13C excursions of up to 7%, terminating with a positive excursion of 4%. Fluctuations start at the late Permian Glossopteris floral extinction and continue until just above the palynological Permian-Triassic boundary, correlated with the peak of marine mass extinction. The isotopic fluctuations are not linked to changes in depositional setting, kerogen composition or plant community, so they evidently resulted from global perturbations in atmospheric δ13C and/or CO2. The pattern was not produced by a single catastrophe such as a meteorite impact, and carbon-cycle calculations indicate that gas release during flood-basalt volcanism was insufficient. Methane-hydrate melting can generate a single -7% shift, but cannot produce rapid multiple excursions without repeated reservoir regeneration and release. However, the data are consistent with repeated overturning of a stratified ocean, expelling toxic gases that promoted sequential mass extinctions in the terrestrial and marine realms.
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António Mateus
Full Text Available New lines of geological evidence strongly suggest that the main period of hydrocarbon maturation within Assistência Formation should be Permian-Triassic, stimulated by a high geothermal gradient that also sustained various manifestations of hydrothermal activity. Three main stages of fluid/hydrocarbon migration can also be inferred on the basis of multiscale observations: confined flow in late Permian to Triassic times, depending on the local build-up of fluid pressures; heterogeneous flow in Lower Cretaceous, triggered by a rejuvenated temperature gradient assisted by the early developed permeability conditions; and a late flow possibly driven by local pressure gradients, after complete cooling of dolerite dykes/sills. The early maturation and multistage migration of hydrocarbons have significant consequences in the design of exploration models to be applied in Paraná Basin.
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A. P. Kiecksee
2012-08-01
Full Text Available Agaricomycetes are major components of extant terrestrial ecosystems; however, their fruiting bodies are exceedingly rare as fossils. Reinvestigation of a peculiar fossil from Late Triassic sediments of southern Germany interpreted as a bracket fungus revealed that this fossil in fact represents a wood abnormality, resulting from injury to the cambium and subsequent callus growth in a Baieroxylon -like ginkgoalean wood. As a result, the fossil record of the Agaricomycetes does not yet pre-date the Early Cretaceous, suggesting a late diversification of basidiomycetes possessing large fruiting bodies. doi:10.1002/mmng.201200006
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Topuz, Gültekin; Okay, Aral I.; Schwarz, Winfried H.; Sunal, Gürsel; Altherr, Rainer; Kylander-Clark, Andrew R. C.
2018-02-01
The Eastern Mediterranean region within the Tethyan belt is characterised by two main pulses of suprasubduction-zone ophiolite formation during the Early-Middle Jurassic and Late Cretaceous. Despite vast exposures of the Permo-Triassic accretionary complexes, related suprasubduction-zone ophiolites and the timing of subduction initiation leading to the formation of Permo-Triassic accretionary complexes are unknown so far. Here we report on a 40 km long and 0.3 to 1.8 km wide metaophiolite fragment within transitional greenschist- to blueschist-facies oceanic rocks from NW Turkey. The metaophiolite fragment is made up mainly of serpentinite and minor dykes or stocks of strongly sheared metagabbro with mineral assemblages involving actinolite/winchite, chlorite, epidote, albite, titanite and phengite. The metagabbro displays (i) variable CaO and MgO contents, (ii) anomalously high Mg# (= 100 ∗ molar MgO/(MgO + FeOtot)) of 75-88, and (iii) positive Eu anomalies, together with low contents of incompatible elements such as Ti, P and Zr, suggesting derivation from former plagioclase cumulates. The serpentinites comprise serpentine, ± chlorite, ± talc, ± calcite and relict Cr-Al spinel surrounded by ferrichromite to magnetite. Relict Cr-Al spinels are characterised by (i) Cr/(Cr + Al) ratios of 0.45-0.56 and Mg/(Mg + Fe2 +) ratio of 0.76-0.22, (ii) variable contents of ZnO and MnO, and (iii) extremely low TiO2 contents. Zn and Mn contents are probably introduced into Cr-Al spinels during greenschist- to blueschist metamorphism. Compositional features of the serpentinite such as (i) Ca- and Al-depleted bulk compositions, (ii) concave U-shaped, chondrite-normalised rare earth element patterns (REE) with enrichment of light and heavy REEs, imply that serpentinites were probably derived from depleted peridotites which were refertilised by light rare earth element enriched melts in a suprasubduction-zone mantle wedge. U-Pb dating on igneous zircons from three metagabbro
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Gawlick Hans-Jürgen
2017-08-01
Full Text Available Oceanic radiolarite components from the Middle Jurassic ophiolitic mélange between Trnava and Rožanstvo in the Zlatibor Mountains (Dinaridic Ophiolite Belt west of the Drina–Ivanjica unit yield Late Triassic radiolarian ages. The microfacies characteristics of the radiolarites show pure ribbon radiolarites without crinoids or thin-shelled bivalves. Beside their age and the preservation of the radiolarians this points to a deposition of the radiolarites on top of the oceanic crust of the Neo-Tethys, which started to open in the Late Anisian. South of the study area the ophiolitic mélange (Gostilje–Ljubiš–Visoka–Radoševo mélange contains a mixture of blocks of 1 oceanic crust, 2 Middle and Upper Triassic ribbon radiolarites, and 3 open marine limestones from the continental slope. On the basis of this composition we can conclude that the Upper Triassic radiolarite clasts derive either from 1 the younger parts of the sedimentary succession above the oceanic crust near the continental slope or, more convincingly 2 the sedimentary cover of ophiolites in a higher nappe position, because Upper Triassic ribbon radiolarites are only expected in more distal oceanic areas. The ophiolitic mélange in the study area overlies different carbonate blocks of an underlying carbonate-clastic mélange (Sirogojno mélange. We date and describe three localities with different Upper Triassic radiolarite clasts in a mélange, which occurs A on top of Upper Triassic fore-reef to reefal limestones (Dachstein reef, B between an Upper Triassic reefal limestone block and a Lower Carnian reef limestone (Wetterstein reef, and C in fissures of an Upper Triassic lagoonal to back-reef limestone (Dachstein lagoon. The sedimentary features point to a sedimentary and not to a tectonic emplacement of the ophiolitic mélange (= sedimentary mélange filling the rough topography of the topmost carbonate-clastic mélange below. The block spectrum of the underlying and
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Gawlick, Hans-Jürgen; Djerić, Nevenka; Missoni, Sigrid; Bragin, Nikita Yu.; Lein, Richard; Sudar, Milan; Jovanović, Divna
2017-08-01
Oceanic radiolarite components from the Middle Jurassic ophiolitic mélange between Trnava and Rožanstvo in the Zlatibor Mountains (Dinaridic Ophiolite Belt) west of the Drina-Ivanjica unit yield Late Triassic radiolarian ages. The microfacies characteristics of the radiolarites show pure ribbon radiolarites without crinoids or thin-shelled bivalves. Beside their age and the preservation of the radiolarians this points to a deposition of the radiolarites on top of the oceanic crust of the Neo-Tethys, which started to open in the Late Anisian. South of the study area the ophiolitic mélange (Gostilje-Ljubiš-Visoka-Radoševo mélange) contains a mixture of blocks of 1) oceanic crust, 2) Middle and Upper Triassic ribbon radiolarites, and 3) open marine limestones from the continental slope. On the basis of this composition we can conclude that the Upper Triassic radiolarite clasts derive either from 1) the younger parts of the sedimentary succession above the oceanic crust near the continental slope or, more convincingly 2) the sedimentary cover of ophiolites in a higher nappe position, because Upper Triassic ribbon radiolarites are only expected in more distal oceanic areas. The ophiolitic mélange in the study area overlies different carbonate blocks of an underlying carbonate-clastic mélange (Sirogojno mélange). We date and describe three localities with different Upper Triassic radiolarite clasts in a mélange, which occurs A) on top of Upper Triassic fore-reef to reefal limestones (Dachstein reef), B) between an Upper Triassic reefal limestone block and a Lower Carnian reef limestone (Wetterstein reef), and C) in fissures of an Upper Triassic lagoonal to back-reef limestone (Dachstein lagoon). The sedimentary features point to a sedimentary and not to a tectonic emplacement of the ophiolitic mélange (= sedimentary mélange) filling the rough topography of the topmost carbonate-clastic mélange below. The block spectrum of the underlying and slightly older
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A new Lower Triassic ichthyopterygian assemblage from Fossil Hill, Nevada
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Neil P. Kelley
2016-01-01
Full Text Available We report a new ichthyopterygian assemblage from Lower Triassic horizons of the Prida Formation at Fossil Hill in central Nevada. Although fragmentary, the specimens collected so far document a diverse fauna. One partial jaw exhibits isodont dentition with blunt tipped, mesiodistally compressed crowns and striated enamel. These features are shared with the Early Triassic genus Utatsusaurus known from coeval deposits in Japan and British Columbia. An additional specimen exhibits a different dentition characterized by relatively small, rounded posterior teeth resembling other Early Triassic ichthyopterygians, particularly Grippia. This Nevada assemblage marks a southward latitudinal extension for Early Triassic ichthyopterygians along the eastern margin of Panthalassa and indicates repeated trans-hemispheric dispersal events in Early Triassic ichthyopterygians.
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Nebot, M.; Guimera, J.
2016-07-01
The Maestrat Basin experienced two main rifting events: Late Permian-Late Triassic and Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous, and was inverted during the Cenozoic Alpine orogeny. During the inversion, an E-W-trending, N-verging fold-and-thrust belt developed along its northern margin, detached in the Triassic evaporites, while southwards it also involved the Variscan basement. A structural study of the transition between these two areas is presented, using 2D seismic profiles, exploration wells and field data, to characterize its evolution during the Mesozoic extension and the Cenozoic contraction. The S-dipping Maestrat basement thrust traverses the Maestrat Basin from E to W; it is the result of the Cenozoic inversion of the lower segment–within the acoustic basement–of the Mesozoic extensional fault system that generated the Salzedella sub-basin. The syn-rift Lower Cretaceous rocks filling the Salzedella sub-basin thicken progressively northwards, from 350m to 1100m. During the inversion, a wide uplifted area –40km wide in the N-S direction– developed in the hanging wall of the Maestrat basement thrust. This uplifted area is limited to the North by the E-W-trending Calders monocline, whose limb is about 13km wide in its central part, dips about 5ºN, and generates a vertical tectonic step of 800-1200m. We interpreted the Calders monocline as a fault-bend fold; therefore, a flat-ramp-flat geometry is assumed in depth for the Maestrat basement thrust. The northern synformal hinge of the Calders monocline coincides with the transition from thick-skinned to thin-skinned areas. The vast uplifted area and the low-dip of the monocline suggest a very low-dip for the basement ramp, rooted in the upper crust. The Calders monocline narrows and disappears laterally, in coincidence with the outcrop of the Maestrat basement thrust. The evaporitic Middle Muschelkalk detachment conditioned the structural style. Salt structures are also related to it; they developed during the
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Milàn, Jesper; Clemmensen, Lars B; Adolphsen, Jan Schulz
2012-01-01
The basal part of the Triassic-Jurassic (Rhaetian-Sinemurian) Kap Stewart Formation, exposed at Jameson Land, East Greenland, yields an extensive coprolite collection from black, parallel-laminated mudstone (“paper shale”), representing an open lacustrine system. Preliminary investigations show t...
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Peng Wang
2016-08-01
Full Text Available The analysis of hydrocarbon generation, trap formation, inclusion homogenization temperature, authigenic illite dating, and ESR dating were used to understand the history of hydrocarbon accumulation and its difference among gas reservoirs in the Upper Triassic formation of Sichuan Basin. The results show the hydrocarbon accumulation mainly occurred during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods; they could also be classified into three stages: (1 early hydrocarbon generation accumulation stage, (2 mass hydrocarbon generation accumulation stage before the Himalayan Epoch, (3 and parts of hydrocarbon adjustment and re-accumulation during Himalayan Epoch. The second stage is more important than the other two. The Hydrocarbon accumulation histories are obviously dissimilar in different regions. In western Sichuan Basin, the gas accumulation began at the deposition period of member 5 of Xujiahe Formation, and mass accumulation occurred during the early Middle Jurassic up to the end of the Late Cretaceous. In central Sichuan Basin, the accumulation began at the early Late Jurassic, and the mass accumulation occurred from the middle Early Cretaceous till the end of the Late Cretaceous. In southern Sichuan Basin, the accumulation began at the middle Late Jurassic, and the mass accumulation occurred from the middle of the Late Cretaceous to the end of the Later Cretaceous. The accumulation history of the western Sichuan Basin is the earliest, and the southern Sichuan Basin is the latest. This paper will help to understand the accumulation process, accumulation mechanism, and gas reservoir distribution of the Triassic gas reservoirs in the Sichuan Basin better. Meanwhile, it is found that the authigenic illite in the Upper Triassic formation of Sichuan Basin origin of deep-burial and its dating is a record of the later accumulation. This suggests that the illite dating needs to fully consider illite origin; otherwise the dating results may not accurately
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Depositional setting and vertebrate biostratigraphy of the Triassic ...
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
The Dockum tetrapod diversity is reviewed in a hierarchical phylogeny with remarks on the history of ...... Triassic ecosystem. A review of ... form of fish from the Triassic beds of Texas, with remarks ..... ships and functional implications; J. Vert.
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Rožič Boštjan
2017-08-01
Full Text Available In the Alpine Realm the Early Jurassic is characterized by the disintegration and partial drowning of vast platform areas. In the eastern part of the Southern Alps (present-day NW Slovenia, the Julian Carbonate Platform and the adjacent, E-W extending Slovenian Basin underwent partial disintegration, drowning and deepening from the Pliensbachian on, whereas only nominal environmental changes developed on the large Dinaric (Friuli, Adriatic Carbonate Platform to the south (structurally part of the Dinarides. These events, however, were preceded by an earlier - and as yet undocumented extensional event - that took place near the Triassic/Jurassic boundary. This paper provides evidence of an accelerated subsidence from four selected areas within the Slovenian Basin, which show a trend of eastwardly-decreasing deformation. In the westernmost (Mrzli vrh section - the Upper Triassic platform-margin - massive dolomite is overlain by the earliest Jurassic toe-of-slope carbonate resediments and further, by basin-plain micritic limestone. Further east (Perbla and Liščak sections the Triassic-Jurassic transition interval is marked by an increase in resedimented carbonates. We relate this to the increasing inclination and segmentation of the slope and adjacent basin floor. The easternmost (Mt. Porezen area shows a rather monotonous, latest Triassic-Early Jurassic basinal sedimentation. However, changes in the thickness of the Hettangian-Pliensbachian Krikov Formation point to a tilting of tectonic blocks within the basin area. Lateral facies changes at the base of the formation indicate that the tilting occurred at and/or shortly after the Triassic/Jurassic boundary
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Rožič, Boštjan; Jurkovšek, Tea Kolar; Rožič, Petra Žvab; Gale, Luka
2017-08-01
In the Alpine Realm the Early Jurassic is characterized by the disintegration and partial drowning of vast platform areas. In the eastern part of the Southern Alps (present-day NW Slovenia), the Julian Carbonate Platform and the adjacent, E-W extending Slovenian Basin underwent partial disintegration, drowning and deepening from the Pliensbachian on, whereas only nominal environmental changes developed on the large Dinaric (Friuli, Adriatic) Carbonate Platform to the south (structurally part of the Dinarides). These events, however, were preceded by an earlier - and as yet undocumented extensional event - that took place near the Triassic/Jurassic boundary. This paper provides evidence of an accelerated subsidence from four selected areas within the Slovenian Basin, which show a trend of eastwardly-decreasing deformation. In the westernmost (Mrzli vrh) section - the Upper Triassic platform-margin - massive dolomite is overlain by the earliest Jurassic toe-of-slope carbonate resediments and further, by basin-plain micritic limestone. Further east (Perbla and Liščak sections) the Triassic-Jurassic transition interval is marked by an increase in resedimented carbonates. We relate this to the increasing inclination and segmentation of the slope and adjacent basin floor. The easternmost (Mt. Porezen) area shows a rather monotonous, latest Triassic-Early Jurassic basinal sedimentation. However, changes in the thickness of the Hettangian-Pliensbachian Krikov Formation point to a tilting of tectonic blocks within the basin area. Lateral facies changes at the base of the formation indicate that the tilting occurred at and/or shortly after the Triassic/Jurassic boundary
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Fortuny, Josep; Marcé-Nogué, Jordi; Konietzko-Meier, Dorota
2017-06-01
The Late Triassic freshwater ecosystems were occupied by different tetrapod groups including large-sized anamniotes, such as metoposaurids. Most members of this group of temnospondyls acquired gigantic sizes (up to 5 m long) with a nearly worldwide distribution. The paleoecology of metoposaurids is controversial; they have been historically considered passive, bottom-dwelling animals, waiting for prey on the bottom of rivers and lakes, or they have been suggested to be active mid-water feeders. The present study aims to expand upon the paleoecological interpretations of these animals using 3D finite element analyses (FEA). Skulls from two taxa, Metoposaurus krasiejowensis, a gigantic taxon from Europe, and Apachesaurus gregorii, a non-gigantic taxon from North America, were analyzed under different biomechanical scenarios. Both 3D models of the skulls were scaled to allow comparisons between them and reveal that the general stress distribution pattern found in both taxa is clearly similar in all scenarios. In light of our results, both previous hypotheses about the paleoecology of these animals can be partly merged: metoposaurids probably were ambush and active predators, but not the top predators of these aquatic environments. The FEA results demonstrate that they were particularly efficient at bilateral biting, and together with their characteristically anteropositioned orbits, optimal for an ambush strategy. Nonetheless, the results also show that these animals were capable of lateral strikes of the head, suggesting active hunting of prey. Regarding the important skull size differences between the taxa analyzed, our results suggest that the size reduction in the North American taxon could be related to drastic environmental changes or the increase of competitors. The size reduction might have helped them expand into new ecological niches, but they likely remained fully aquatic, as are all other metoposaurids. © 2017 Anatomical Society.
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Pointer, R.; Belcher, C.; Hesselbo, S. P.; Hodbod, M.; Pieńkowski, G.
2017-12-01
New fossil charcoal abundance and carbon-isotope data from two sedimentary cores provide new evidence of extreme environmental conditions in the Polish Basin during the Latest Triassic to Earliest Jurassic. Sedimentary cores from the Polish Basin provide an excellent record of terrestrial environmental conditions across the Triassic-Jurassic Boundary, a time of climatic extremes. Previous work has shown that the marine realm was affected by a large perturbation to the carbon cycle across the Triassic-Jurassic Boundary (manifested by large negative and positive carbon-isotope excursions) and limited records of charcoal abundance and organic geochemistry have indicated important changes in fire regime in the coeval ecosystems. Here we present two new carbon-isotope records generated from fossil plant matter across the Triassic-Jurassic boundary, and present new charcoal records. The charcoal abundance data confirm that there was variation in wildfire activity during the Late Triassic-Early Jurassic in the Polish Basin. Peaks in the number of fossil charcoal fragments present occur in both sedimentary cores, and increases in fossil charcoal abundance are linked to wildfires, signalling a short-lived rise in wildfire activity. Fossil charcoal abundance does not appear to be fully controlled by total organic matter content, depositional environment or bioturbation. We argue that increased wildfire activity is likely caused by an increase in ignition of plant material as a result of an elevated number of lightning strikes. Global warming (caused by a massive input of carbon into the atmosphere, as indicated by carbon-isotope data) can increase storm activity, leading to increased numbers of lightning strikes. Previous Triassic-Jurassic Boundary wildfire studies have found fossil charcoal abundance peaks at other northern hemisphere sites (Denmark & Greenland), and concluded that they represent increases in wildfire activity in the earliest Jurassic. Our new charcoal and
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MICHELE MAZZA
2012-03-01
Full Text Available New taxonomic and biostratigraphic investigations on the late Carnian to Rhaetian (Upper Triassic platform conodonts from the Pizzo Mondello section (Western Sicily, Italy, Sicano basin are here presented. Pizzo Mondello is one of the two GSSP candidates for the Carnian/Norian boundary; the section is a 430 m thick continuous succession of upper Carnian to upper Norian marine limestones (Scillato Formation, characterized by uniform facies and high sedimentation rates, and ca. 20 m of Rhaetian white calcilutites (Portella Gebbia limestone. Pizzo Mondello offers one of the most complete conodont records for this time interval in the Tethys. The conodont faunas are characterized by a large variety of species, belonging to the genera Carnepigondolella, Epigondolella, Metapolygnathus, Misikella, Mockina, Neocavitella, Norigondolella, Paragondolella, and Parvigondolella. The richness of the populations allowed a detailed revision and description of all the Upper Triassic species and morphotypes recovered. The revision of the problematic species Carnepigondolella nodosa and "Metapolygnathus communisti B" was thus possible, leading to the establishment of two new species: Carnepigondolella tuvalica n.sp. and Carnepigondolella gulloae n.sp. The latter species would be a good proxy for the Carnian/Norian boundary in the case that the FAD of Halobia austriaca (sample FNP135a will be selected as the primary biomarker for the base of the Norian.
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Sanz de Galdeano, C.; Ruiz Cruz, M.D.
2016-07-01
The age of the emplacement of the Ronda Peridotites has been widely debated during recent decades, and ages ranging from the Palaeozoic to the early Miocene have been proposed, although most of the current interpretations suggest an Oligocene-Miocene age. In this article, we describe two meta-sedimentary formations (the lower one formed by detrital sediments and the upper one by marbles) that were unconformably deposited over the Ronda peridotites and now record low-grade metamorphism. The detrital formation contains layers of acidic rocks with an age of 269±9 Ma and the overlying marbles are assumed to be Triassic. The existence of these unconformable formations over the peridotites is crucial for the dating of the exhumation of the latter. The presence of peridotite clasts in the detrital formation indicates that peridotites were exposed during the Permian and other data suggest that peridotites were exhumed during the late Carboniferous. During the Alpine cycle, the peridotites operated as an element situated at the bottom of the tectonically higher Alpujarride/Sebtide unit (the Jubrique unit) and forming part of it, then being incorporated to the Alpine thrusts of this unit. (Author)
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Rubert, Y.; Ramboz, C.; Le Nindre, Y. M.; Lerouge, C.; Lescanne, M.
2009-04-01
Studies of natural CO2 analogues bring key information on the factors governing the long term (>1My) stability/instability of future anthropogenic CO2 storages. The main objective of this work is to trace the deep-origin CO2 migrations in fractures in the Montmiral CO2 deep natural occurrence (Valence Basin, SE France). The final objective is to document the reservoir feeding and the possible leakages through overlying series. The CO2 reservoir is hosted within a horst controlled by a N-S fault network. From the Triassic to Eocene, the Montmiral area was part of the South-East Basin of France. This period is marked by the Tethysian extension phase (Triassic-Cretaceous) followed by the closure of the basin which culminated during the Pyrenean compressive phase (Eocene). Then, from the late Eocene, the Valence Basin was individualised in particular during the Oligocene E-W rifting affecting the West of Europe. Finally the eastern border of the Basin was overthrusted by Mesozoic formations during the Alpine orogenesis (Miocene). The Montmiral CO2 reservoir is intersected by the currently productive V.Mo.2 well, drilled through Miocene to Triassic sedimentary formations, and reaching the Palaeozoic substratum at a depth of 2771 meters. The CO2 is trapped below a depth of 2340 meters, at the base of sandy, evaporitic and calcareous formations (2340-2771m), Triassic to Sinemurian in age. These units are overlain by a 575 m-thick Domerian to Oxfordian marly sequence which seals the CO2 reservoir. Above these marls, calcareous strata (1792-1095 m), Oxfordian to Cretaceous in age, and sandy clayey formations (1095-0 m), Oligocene and Miocene in age, are deposited. The various stratigraphic levels from the Miocene to the basement were cored over a total length of ~100m. From bottom to top, three lithological units, which exhibit well characterised contrasted diagenetic evolution, record various stages and effects of the CO2 migration: - Lower unit: Palaeozoic metamorphic
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Carpentier, Cédric; Hadouth, Suhail; Bouaziz, Samir; Lathuilière, Bernard; Rubino, Jean-Loup
2016-05-01
Aims of this paper are to propose a geodynamic and sequential framework for the late Triassic and early Jurassic of and south Tunisia and to evidence the impact of local tectonics on the stratigraphic architecture. Facies of the Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic of Southern Tunisia have been interpreted in terms of depositional environments. A sequential framework and correlation schemes are proposed for outcrops and subsurface transects. Nineteen middle frequency sequences inserted in three and a half low frequency transgression/regression cycles were evidenced. Despite some datation uncertainties and the unknown durations of Lower Jurassic cycles, middle frequency sequences appear to be controlled by eustasy. In contrast the tectonics acted as an important control on low frequency cycles. The Carnian flooding was certainly favored by the last stages of a rifting episode which started during the Permian. The regression accompanied by the formation of stacked angular unconformities and the deposition of lowstand deposits during the late Carnian and Norian occured during the uplift and tilting of the northern basin margins. The transpressional activity of the Jeffara fault system generated the uplift of the Tebaga of Medenine high from the late Carnian and led to the Rhaetian regional angular Sidi Stout Unconformity. Facies analysis and well-log correlations permitted to evidence that Rhaetian to Lower Jurassic Messaoudi dolomites correspond to brecciated dolomites present on the Sidi Stout unconformity in the North Dahar area. The Early-cimmerian compressional event is a possible origin for the global uplift of the northern African margin and Western Europe during the late Carnian and the Norian. During the Rhaetian and the early Jurassic a new episode of normal faulting occured during the third low frequency flooding. This tectonosedimentary evolution ranges within the general geodynamic framework of the north Gondwana margin controlled by the opening of both
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Roger B J Benson
Full Text Available Invasion of the open ocean by tetrapods represents a major evolutionary transition that occurred independently in cetaceans, mosasauroids, chelonioids (sea turtles, ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs. Plesiosaurian reptiles invaded pelagic ocean environments immediately following the Late Triassic extinctions. This diversification is recorded by three intensively-sampled European fossil faunas, spanning 20 million years (Ma. These provide an unparalleled opportunity to document changes in key macroevolutionary parameters associated with secondary adaptation to pelagic life in tetrapods. A comprehensive assessment focuses on the oldest fauna, from the Blue Lias Formation of Street, and nearby localities, in Somerset, UK (Earliest Jurassic: 200 Ma, identifying three new species representing two small-bodied rhomaleosaurids (Stratesaurus taylori gen et sp. nov.; Avalonnectes arturi gen. et sp. nov and the most basal plesiosauroid, Eoplesiosaurus antiquior gen. et sp. nov. The initial radiation of plesiosaurs was characterised by high, but short-lived, diversity of an archaic clade, Rhomaleosauridae. Representatives of this initial radiation were replaced by derived, neoplesiosaurian plesiosaurs at small-medium body sizes during a more gradual accumulation of morphological disparity. This gradualistic modality suggests that adaptive radiations within tetrapod subclades are not always characterised by the initially high levels of disparity observed in the Paleozoic origins of major metazoan body plans, or in the origin of tetrapods. High rhomaleosaurid diversity immediately following the Triassic-Jurassic boundary supports the gradual model of Late Triassic extinctions, mostly predating the boundary itself. Increase in both maximum and minimum body length early in plesiosaurian history suggests a driven evolutionary trend. However, Maximum-likelihood models suggest only passive expansion into higher body size categories.
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Fröbisch, Jörg; Angielczyk, Kenneth D; Sidor, Christian A
2010-02-01
Fossils from the central Transantarctic Mountains in Antarctica are referred to a new species of the Triassic genus Kombuisia, one of four dicynodont lineages known to survive the end-Permian mass extinction. The specimens show a unique combination of characters only present in this genus, but the new species can be distinguished from the type species of the genus, Kombuisia frerensis, by the presence of a reduced but slit-like pineal foramen and the lack of contact between the postorbitals. Although incomplete, the Antarctic specimens are significant because Kombuisia was previously known only from the South African Karoo Basin and the new specimens extend the taxon's biogeographic range to a wider portion of southern Pangaea. In addition, the new finds extend the known stratigraphic range of Kombuisia from the Middle Triassic subzone B of the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone into rocks that are equivalent in age to the Lower Triassic Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone, shortening the proposed ghost lineage of this taxon. Most importantly, the occurrence of Kombuisia and Lystrosaurus mccaigi in the Lower Triassic of Antarctica suggests that this area served as a refuge from some of the effects of the end-Permian extinction. The composition of the lower Fremouw Formation fauna implies a community structure similar to that of the ecologically anomalous Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone of South Africa, providing additional evidence for widespread ecological disturbance in the extinction's aftermath.
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Late Devonian and Triassic basalts from the southern continental ...
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
continental margin of the East European Platform, tracers of a single heterogeneous ... Areas of Precambrian consolidation within the Late Paleozoic orogen; 3. Areas of ...... and hydrocarbon accumulations; J. Petroleum Geology. 16 183–196.
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Xie, Shucheng; Algeo, Thomas J.; Zhou, Wenfeng; Ruan, Xiaoyan; Luo, Genming; Huang, Junhua; Yan, Jiaxin
2017-02-01
Microbial communities are known to expand as a result of environmental deterioration during mass extinctions, but differences in microbial community changes between extinction events and their underlying causes have received little study to date. Here, we present a systematic investigation of microbial lipid biomarkers spanning ∼20 Myr (Middle Permian to Early Triassic) at Shangsi, South China, to contrast microbial changes associated with the Guadalupian-Lopingian boundary (GLB) and Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) mass extinctions. High-resolution analysis of the PTB crisis interval reveals a distinct succession of microbial communities based on secular variation in moretanes, 2-methylhopanes, aryl isoprenoids, steranes, n-alkyl cyclohexanes, and other biomarkers. The first episode of the PTB mass extinction (ME1) was associated with increases in red algae and nitrogen-fixing bacteria along with evidence for enhanced wildfires and elevated soil erosion, whereas the second episode was associated with expansions of green sulfur bacteria, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and acritarchs coinciding with climatic hyperwarming, ocean stratification, and seawater acidification. This pattern of microbial community change suggests that marine environmental deterioration was greater during the second extinction episode (ME2). The GLB shows more limited changes in microbial community composition and more limited environmental deterioration than the PTB, consistent with differences in species-level extinction rates (∼71% vs. 90%, respectively). Microbial biomarker records have the potential to refine our understanding of the nature of these crises and to provide insights concerning possible outcomes of present-day anthropogenic stresses on Earth's ecosystems.
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Ustaömer, Timur; Ayda Ustaömer, Petek; Robertson, Alastair H. F.; Gerdes, Axel; Zulauf, Gernold
2014-05-01
We present new U-Pb zircon source age data for Upper Triassic sandstones of the Istanbul Terrane (S Eurasian margin) and also for Triassic sandstones of the Taurides (N Gondwana margin). The main aim is to detect and quantify the contribution of Triassic magmatism as detritus to either of these crustal blocks. This follows the recent discovery of a Triassic magmatic arc source for the Triassic sandstones of the Palaeotethyan Karakaya subduction-accretion complex (Ustaömer et al. 2013; this meeting). Carboniferous (Variscan) zircon grains also form a significant detrital population, plus several more minor populations. Six sandstone samples were studied, two from the İstanbul Terrane (Bakırlıkıran Formation of the Kocaeli Triassic Basin) and four from the Tauride Autochthon (latest Triassic Üzümdere Formation and Mid-Triassic Kasımlar Formations; Beyşehir region). Detrital zircon grains were dated by the laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS) U-Pb method at Goethe University, Frankfurt. Our results do not reveal Triassic detritus in the Üzümdere Formation. The U-Pb age of the analysed zircon grains ranges from 267 Ma to 3.2 Ga. A small fraction of Palaeozoic zircons are Permian (267 to 296 Ma), whereas the remainder are Early Palaeozoic. Ordovician grains (4%) form two age clusters, one at ca. 450 Ma and the other at ca. 474 Ma. Cambrian-aged grains dominate the zircon population, while the second largest population is Ediacaran (576 to 642 Ma). Smaller populations occur at 909-997 Ma, 827-839 Ma, 1.8-2.0 Ga and 2.4-2.6 Ga. The sandstones of the Kasımlar Formation have similar zircon age cluster to those of the somewhat younger Üzümdere Formation, ranging from 239 Ma to 2.9 Ga. A few grains gave Anisian ages. Cambrian zircon grains are less pronounced than in the Kasımlar Formation compared to the Üzümdere Formation. The detrital zircon record of Tauride sandstones, therefore, not indicates significant contribution
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Bordy, Emese M.; Segwabe, Tebogo; Makuke, Bonno
2010-08-01
The Mosolotsane Formation (Lebung Group, Karoo Supergroup) in the Kalahari Karoo Basin of Botswana is a scantly exposed, terrestrial red bed succession which is lithologically correlated with the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic Molteno and Elliot Formations (Karoo Supergroup) in South Africa. New evidence derived from field observations and borehole data via sedimentary facies analysis allowed the assessment of the facies characteristics, distribution and thickness variation as well as palaeo-current directions and sediment composition, and resulted in the palaeo-environmental reconstruction of this poorly known unit. Our results show that the Mosolotsane Formation was deposited in a relatively low-sinuosity meandering river system that drained in a possibly semi-arid environment. Sandstone petrography revealed mainly quartz-rich arenites that were derived from a continental block provenance dominated by metamorphic and/or igneous rocks. Palaeo-flow measurements indicate reasonably strong, unidirectional current patterns with mean flow directions from southeast and east-southeast to northwest and west-northwest. Regional thickness and facies distributions as well as palaeo-drainage indicators suggest that the main depocenter of the Mosolotsane Formation was in the central part of the Kalahari Karoo Basin. Separated from this main depocenter by a west-northwest - east-southeast trending elevated area, an additional depocenter was situated in the north-northeast part of the basin and probably formed part of the Mid-Zambezi Karoo Basin. In addition, data also suggests that further northeast-southwest trending uplands probably existed in the northwest and east, the latter separating the main Kalahari Karoo depocenter from the Tuli Basin.
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Babaahmadi, Abbas; Sliwa, Renate; Esterle, Joan; Rosenbaum, Gideon
2017-12-01
The Duaringa Basin in eastern Australia is a Late Cretaceous?-early Cenozoic sedimentary basin that developed simultaneously with the opening of the Tasman and Coral Seas. The basin occurs on the top of an earlier (Permian-Triassic) fold-thrust belt, but the negative inversion of this fold-thrust belt, and its contribution to the development of the Duaringa Basin, are not well understood. Here, we present geophysical datasets, including recently surveyed 2D seismic reflection lines, aeromagnetic and Bouguer gravity data. These data provide new insights into the structural style in the Duaringa Basin, showing that the NNW-striking, NE-dipping, deep-seated Duaringa Fault is the main boundary fault that controlled sedimentation in the Duaringa Basin. The major activity of the Duaringa Fault is observed in the southern part of the basin, where it has undergone the highest amount of displacement, resulting in the deepest and oldest depocentre. The results reveal that the Duaringa Basin developed in response to the partial negative inversion of the pre-existing Permian-Triassic fold-thrust belt, which has similar orientation to the extensional faults. The Duaringa Fault is the negative inverted part of a single Triassic thrust, known as the Banana Thrust. Furthermore, small syn-depositional normal faults at the base of the basin likely developed due to the reactivation of pre-existing foliations, accommodation faults, and joints associated with Permian-Triassic folds. In contrast to equivalent offshore basins, the Duaringa Basin lacks a complex structural style and thick syn-rift sediments, possibly because of the weakening of extensional stresses away from the developing Tasman Sea.
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Madani-kivi, M.; Zulauf, G.
2015-12-01
Since the 1970s, the largest oil and gas reservoirs have been discovered in the Permian-Early Triassic formationsin Saudi Arabia. Thus, this time period is important for the discovery of new oil reserves in Iran. The Arabian passivecontinental margin has undergone lithospheric extension during the Permian-Triassic, which led to the formation of theNeo-Tethys. The aim of this paper is to describe the development of the continental rift basin in the Zagros region basedon the tectono-sedimentological evolution. We have studied well-log data to specify the distribution of synrift depositsin the Zagros and have related this information to the modelling. Environmental changes indicated by various sedimentarysequences, from a siliciclastic basin to a carbonate platform setting, are described. The Cambrian Hormuz salt, whichoverlies the metamorphosed Precambrian basement, becomes effective as a basal detachment layer influencing the styleof overburden deformation during the Permian-Triassic extension event. We have investigated the formation of variousstructures linked to the presence or absence of the Hormuz layer by analogue modelling and relating these structures to theLate Palaeozoic sedimentation. Based on results of the analogue modelling, we argue that the basal detachment layer (Hormuzseries) has contributed to the various structural styles of the extensional basin development in the Fars domain and theLorestan domain.
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Baresel, Björn; Bucher, Hugo; Brosse, Morgane; Bagherpour, Borhan; Schaltegger, Urs
2015-04-01
To construct a revised and high resolution calibrated time scale for the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) we use (1) high-precision U-Pb zircon age determinations of a unique succession of volcanic ash layers interbedded with deep water fossiliferous sediments in the Nanpanjiang Basin (South China) combined with (2) accurate quantitative biochronology based on ammonoids, conodonts, radiolarians, and foraminifera and (3) tracers of marine bioproductivity (carbon isotopes) across the PTB. The unprecedented precision of the single grain chemical abrasion isotope-dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (CA-ID-TIMS) dating technique at sub-per mil level (radio-isotopic calibration of the PTB at the groups of processes. Using these alignments allows (1) positioning the PTB in different depositional setting and (2) solving the age contradictions generated by the misleading use of the first occurrence (FO) of the conodont Hindeodus parvus, whose diachronous first occurrences are arbitrarily used for placing the base of the Triassic. This new age framework provides the basis for a combined calibration of chemostratigraphic records with high-resolution biochronozones of the Late Permian and Early Triassic. Here, we present new single grain U-Pb zircon data of volcanic ash layers from two deep marine sections (Dongpan and Penglaitan) revealing stratigraphic consistent dates over several volcanic ash layers bracketing the PTB. These analyses define weighted mean 206Pb/238U ages of 251.956±0.033 Ma (Dongpan) and 252.062±0.043 Ma (Penglaitan) for the last Permian ash bed. By calibration with detailed litho- and biostratigraphy new U-Pb ages of 251.953±0.038 Ma (Dongpan) and 251.907±0.033 Ma (Penglaitan) are established for the onset of the Triassic.
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Permo-triassic volcanism in the San Rafael Block (Mendoza province) and its uraniferous potential
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kleiman, L.E.
1993-01-01
This paper describes the Permo-triassic volcanism in the San Rafael Block, Mendoza, Argentina, which forms part of the Choiyoi province and it represents by large volumes of intermediate to silicic ignimbrites with minor sub volcanic bodies of rhyolites, andesites and basandesites. Three different suites can be distinguished: the first one (Lower Section) of Early Permian age, is composed of dacites and rhyolites (SiO 2 up to 71 %) with minor andesites, the second one (Upper Section) of Late Permian-Early Triassic age is made up of rhyolites (SiO 2 up to 77 %) with some basandesites and andesites, and the third one, of Triassic age is composed of rhyolites (SiO 2 > 75 %) and basandecites. These suites are easily distinguished by means of trace element data and are believed to represent the transition between a subduction-related magmatic arc and an extensional tectonic regime. This tectonic setting is similar to the prevalent during the Cenozoic in the Sierra Occidental of Mexico and is favourable for the development of long-lived hydrothermal systems which lead to economic U concentrations (i.e. Sierra de Pena Blanca). In the San Rafael Block, the Dr. Baulies-Los Reyunos U deposit, which is hosted in volcanic sediments, is associated to the first suite (Lower Section). Although minor U concentrations are known, up to date, to be related to the second and third suites, these rocks are fertile and seen to be potential source for the formation of uranium deposits within a volcanic caldera environment. (Author)
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A Unique Late Triassic Dinosauromorph Assemblage Reveals Dinosaur Ancestral Anatomy and Diet.
Cabreira, Sergio Furtado; Kellner, Alexander Wilhelm Armin; Dias-da-Silva, Sérgio; Roberto da Silva, Lúcio; Bronzati, Mario; Marsola, Júlio Cesar de Almeida; Müller, Rodrigo Temp; Bittencourt, Jonathas de Souza; Batista, Brunna Jul'Armando; Raugust, Tiago; Carrilho, Rodrigo; Brodt, André; Langer, Max Cardoso
2016-11-21
Dinosauromorpha includes dinosaurs and other much less diverse dinosaur precursors of Triassic age, such as lagerpetids [1]. Joint occurrences of these taxa with dinosaurs are rare but more common during the latest part of that period (Norian-Rhaetian, 228-201 million years ago [mya]) [2, 3]. In contrast, the new lagerpetid and saurischian dinosaur described here were unearthed from one of the oldest rock units with dinosaur fossils worldwide, the Carnian (237-228 mya) Santa Maria Formation of south Brazil [4], a record only matched in age by much more fragmentary remains from Argentina [5]. This is the first time nearly complete dinosaur and non-dinosaur dinosauromorph remains are found together in the same excavation, clearly showing that these animals were contemporaries since the first stages of dinosaur evolution. The new lagerpetid preserves the first skull, scapular and forelimb elements, plus associated vertebrae, known for the group, revealing how dinosaurs acquired several of their typical anatomical traits. Furthermore, a novel phylogenetic analysis shows the new dinosaur as the most basal Sauropodomorpha. Its plesiomorphic teeth, strictly adapted to faunivory, provide crucial data to infer the feeding behavior of the first dinosaurs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Boekhout, F.; Sempere, T.; Spikings, R.; Schaltegger, U.
2013-11-01
We present an integrated geochronological and sedimentological study that significantly revises the basin and magmatic history associated with lithospheric thinning in southern coastal Peru (15-18°S) since the onset of subduction at ˜530 Ma. Until now, estimating the age of the sedimentary and volcanic rocks has heavily relied on paleontologic determinations. Our new geochronological data, combined with numerous field observations, provide the first robust constraints on their chronostratigraphy, which is discussed in the light of biostratigraphical attributions. A detailed review of the existing local units simplifies the current stratigraphic nomenclature and clarifies its absolute chronology using zircon U-Pb ages. We observe that the Late Paleozoic to Jurassic stratigraphy of coastal southern Peru consists of two first-order units, namely (1) the Yamayo Group, a sedimentary succession of variable (0-2 km) thickness, with apparently no nearby volcanic lateral equivalent, and (2) the overlying Yura Group, consisting of a lower, 1-6 km-thick volcanic and volcaniclastic unit, the Chocolate Formation, and an upper, 1-2 km-thick sedimentary succession that are in markedly diachronous contact across the coeval arc and back-arc. We date the local base of the Chocolate Formation, and thus of the Yura Group, to 216 Ma, and show that the underlying Yamayo Group spans a >110 Myr-long time interval, from at least the Late Visean to the Late Triassic, and is apparently devoid of significant internal discontinuities. The age of the top of the Chocolate Formation, i.e. of the volcanic arc pile, varies from ˜194 Ma to less than ˜135 Ma across the study area. We suggest that this simplified and updated stratigraphic framework can be reliably used as a reference for future studies.
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Resetting the evolution of marine reptiles at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary.
Thorne, Philippa M; Ruta, Marcello; Benton, Michael J
2011-05-17
Ichthyosaurs were important marine predators in the Early Jurassic, and an abundant and diverse component of Mesozoic marine ecosystems. Despite their ecological importance, however, the Early Jurassic species represent a reduced remnant of their former significance in the Triassic. Ichthyosaurs passed through an evolutionary bottleneck at, or close to, the Triassic-Jurassic boundary, which reduced their diversity to as few as three or four lineages. Diversity bounced back to some extent in the aftermath of the end-Triassic mass extinction, but disparity remained at less than one-tenth of pre-extinction levels, and never recovered. The group remained at low diversity and disparity for its final 100 Myr. The end-Triassic mass extinction had a previously unsuspected profound effect in resetting the evolution of apex marine predators of the Mesozoic.
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Marroquín, S. M.; Gill, B. C.; Them, T. R., II; Trabucho-Alexandre, J. P.; Aberhan, M.; Owens, J. D.; Gröcke, D. R.; Caruthers, A. H.
2017-12-01
The end-Triassic mass extinction ( 201 Ma) was a time of intense disturbance for marine communities. This event is estimated to have produced as much as a loss of 80% of known marine species. The protracted interval of elevated extinction rates is also characterized by a major carbon cycle perturbation and potentially widespread oxygen deficiency within the oceans. While the causes of extinction and environmental feedbacks are still debated it is hypothesized to have been triggered by massive volcanism associated with the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province flood basalts. However, our understanding of the Latest Triassic-Earliest Jurassic interval is limited due to the lack of well-preserved stratigraphic successions outside of the Tethys Ocean (present day Europe), with most of the records from epicontinental and marginal marine settings. To expand our understanding of this critical interval, our study seeks to document biological and environmental changes elsewhere. Specifically, we document and reconstruct these changes in the equatorial Panthalassan Ocean. We will present new data from a sedimentary succession preserved in the Wrangell Mountains of Alaska that spans the Late Triassic through Early Jurassic. The sedimentary succession represents a mixed carbonate-siliciclastic ramp that was deposited at tropical latitudes, adjacent to an island arc in the open Panthalassan Ocean. This succession affords a unique view of open marine conditions, and also holds the potential for excellent temporal control as it contains abundant ash layers throughout, as well as, key ammonite and bivalve fossil occurrences that provide biostratigraphic control. We will present an integrated geochemical and paleontological record from this site using several geochemical proxies (carbon, δ13Ccarb and % total organic carbon, sulfur, δ34S, as well as pyrite contents and iron speciation) along with ammonite and bivalve occurrence data to reconstruct the record of environmental and
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Coombs, D.S.; Cook, N.D.J.; Campbell, J.D.
1992-01-01
Park Volcanics Group is proposed for igneous rocks, either shallow intrusive or extrusive, emplaced in the Murihiku Terrane during Triassic-Jurassic times. The term replaces Park Intrusives of Mutch, some members of which are shown to be extrusive rather than intrusive. Formation status within the group is given to Gowan Andesite and Pinney Volcanics (new names) in western Southland, Glenham Porphyry in eastern Southland, and Barnicoat Andesite (new) in the Richmond area, Nelson. Gowan Andesite is a porphyritic feldspar two-pyroxene andesite with a glassy or microcrystalline groundmass. A suite of low-grade metavolcanic rocks which forms the main mass of Malakoff Hill and which has formerly been included in the 'Park Intrusives' is here excluded and ascribed to the Takitimu Group; representative chemical data are given. Glenham Porphyry is typically a porphyritic feldspar two-pyroxene andesite texturally similar to the Gowan Andesite but with significant geochemical differences. Two volumetrically minor members are recognised, Habukinini Trachydacite and Kenilworth Rhyolite. In the north of its outcrop area, Glenham Porphyry is emplaced on or into Late Triassic terrestrial beds; in the middle it overlies Kaihikuan (Middle Triassic) and is overlain by Otapirian (latest Triassic) marine beds; and in the southeast it is directly overlain by Ururoan (late Early to early Middle Jurassic) conglomerates and marine sandstones. Pinney Volcanics are restricted to a very few, probably one, massive conglomeratic horizon in the Oretian Stage. The commonest rock type is a two-pyroxene trachydacite, modified by very-low-grade burial metamorphism. Auto-brecciation is characteristic and rock types change over short distances. Hornblende-rich variants occur as well as more felsic varieties including rhyolite ignimbrite. These may have been erupted onto a bouldery floodplain or shallow-marine surface, but alternatively may have been mass-emplaced by debris avalanche resulting from
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Remagnetization mechanisms in Triassic red beds from South China
Jiang, Zhaoxia; Liu, Qingsong; Dekkers, Mark J.; Zhao, Xiang; Roberts, Andrew P.; Yang, Zhenyu; Jin, Chunsheng; Liu, Jianxing
2017-12-01
Paleogeographic reconstructions based on paleomagnetic data rely on the reliability of the natural remanent magnetization (NRM) as a primary geomagnetic signal. Remagnetizations, however, can be common in many rock types, including late Paleozoic and Mesozoic red beds, and they complicate paleogeographic interpretations. Extracting the primary NRM from partially remagnetized rocks, and understanding the remagnetization mechanism are important in these contexts. We carried out a systematic paleomagnetic study of red bed samples from the Triassic Huangmaqing Formation, Nanjing (32.0°N, 118.9°E), South China. Two NRM components carried by secondary and primary hematite are isolated in 47 of the 94 samples studied, where the latter component has a direction in stratigraphic coordinates of D = 29.2 °, I = 34.6 ° (α95 = 10.9 °, 47 samples from 6 sites) that yields a paleopole of λ = 60.8°N, ϕ = 228.1°E, dp / dm = 12.5 / 7.2, which is consistent with Triassic pole positions for the South China Block. A secondary chemical remanent magnetization (CRM) (D = 227.1 °, I = 80.8 °, α95 = 7.3 °) is documented in all 94 samples from 10 sites and is carried by pigmentary hematite that is inferred to have been generated by magnetite oxidation during orogenic activity. This secondary component has steep inclinations and is interpreted to have been influenced by a combination of the remanence carried by original parent magnetite, the orogenic stress field, and the prevailing geomagnetic field direction during deformation. This CRM direction is recorded commonly by red beds from the South China Block, and is significant for regional tectonic studies in the area.
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New hybodontiform and neoselachian sharks from the Lower Triassic of Oman
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Koot, Martha B.; Cuny, Gilles Guy Roger; Orchard, Michael J.
2015-01-01
Elasmobranchs are reported for the first time from Lower Triassic deposits in Oman. The well-preserved remains consist of isolated teeth, dermal denticles and fin spines, recovered from conodont residues. The low-palaeolatitude sections consist of Lopingian-Olenekian shallow and pelagic carbonates...... in exotics, olistoliths and breccia blocks that have been redeposited in younger allochthonous strata of the Hawasina Basin throughout the Oman Mountains at Jabal Safra (olistoliths within the Jurassic Guwayza Formation, Olenekian), as well as at Wadi Alwa (exotic Alwa Formation, Lopingian...... of the early stages of their evolution. All described taxa are new to the Oman fossil record and that of western Neotethys, apart from Omanoselache and Amelacanthus, which have been recognized from Wordian deposits, and Omanoselache is the second genus from Oman known to have survived the late Permian mass...
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Wang, Xinyu; Wang, Shifeng; Wang, Chao; Tang, Wenkun
2018-05-01
Large volumes of Permo-Triassic granitoids are exposed along the Northern Lancangjiang zone, eastern Tibet, and these rocks provide insights into the tectonic evolution of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean. We conducted detailed geological fieldwork and geochemical analysis of the Xiaochangdu and Kagong plutons that crop out along the Northern Lancangjiang magmatic belt. Zircon U-Pb data constrain the emplacement of the Xiaochangdu quartz diotites to between 263 and 257 Ma, and the Kagong granites and diorites to between 234 and 232 Ma. The Xiaochangdu quartz diorites are enriched in light rare earth (LREE) and large ion lithophile elements (LILE), depleted in high field strength elements (HFSE), have low (87Sr/86Sr)i ratios, and near-positive εNd(t) (-0.26 to 1.58) and εHf(t) (0.68-8.83) values, similar to typical subduction- related mantle-derived arc magmas. They are also characterized by high Al2O3 concentrations and low Nb/U (3.48-7.59) and Ce/Pb (3.22-4.86) ratios, indicating that their mantle source was modified by subducted pelagic sediments; Coeval granites and diorites from the Kagong pluton exhibit low A/CNK values, high LREE/HREE (heavy rare earth element) ratios, enrichment in LILE, and depletion in HFSE, also characteristic of typical arc magmas. Their variable SiO2 contents (57%- 75%), (87Sr/86Sr)i ratios, and εNd(t) (1.02-4.49) and εHf(t) (2.52-6.93) values, and relatively high zircon saturation temperatures (721-827 °C), suggest underplating of mantle-derived mafic melts beneath the lower crust. Their magmatic evolution can be explained using a MASH model. In combination with regional geological studies, our geochemical and geochronological results suggest that the late Permian Xiaochangdu and Late Triassic Kagong arc-like granitoids represent a section of a Permo-Triassic magmatic arc that was associated with the eastward subduction of the Paleo-Tethys oceanic slab beneath the Northern Qiangtang-Changdu terrane. Combined with other geological evidence
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Pietsch, C.; Petsios, E.; Bottjer, D. J.
2015-12-01
The end-Permian mass extinction, 252 million years ago, was the most devastating loss of biodiversity in Earth's history. Massive volcanic eruptions of the Siberian Traps and the concurrent burning of coal, carbonate, and evaporite deposits emplaced greenhouse and toxic gasses. Hyperthermal events of the surface ocean, up to 40°C, led to reduced gradient-driven ocean circulation which yielded extensive equatorial oxygen minimum zones. Today, anthropogenic greenhouse gas production is outpacing carbon input modeled for the end-Permian mass extinction, which suggests that modern ecosystems may yet experience a severe biotic crisis. The Early Triassic records the 5 million year aftermath of the end-Permian mass extinction and is often perceived as an interval of delayed recovery. We combined a new, high resolution carbon isotope record, sedimentological analysis, and paleoecological collections from the Italian Werfen Formation to fully integrate paleoenvironmental change with the benthic ecological response. We find that the marine ecosystem experienced additional community restructuring events due to subsequent hyperthermal events and pulses of erosion. The benthic microfauna and macrofauna both contributed to disaster communities that initially rebounded in the earliest Triassic. 'Disaster fauna' including microbialites, microconchids, foraminifera, and "flat clams" took advantage of anoxic conditions in the first ~500,000 years, dominating the benthic fauna. Later, in the re-oxygenated water column, opportunistic disaster groups were supplanted by a more diverse, mollusc-dominated benthic fauna and a complex ichnofauna. An extreme temperature run-up beginning in the Late Dienerian led to an additional hyperthermal event in the Late-Smithian which co-occurred with increased humidity and terrestrial run-off. Massive siliciclastic deposits replaced carbonate deposition which corresponds to the infaunalization of the benthic fauna. The disaster taxa dominated
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Fraiser, M.; Dineen, A.; Sheehan, P.
2013-12-01
Published data has been interpreted as indicating that marine ecological devastation following the end-Permian mass extinction was protracted and may have lasted 5 million years into the Middle Triassic (Anisian). However, a review of previous literature shows that understanding of biotic recovery is typically based on only a few components of the ecosystem, such as on taxonomic diversity, a single genus/phylum, or facies. Typically, paleocommunities are considered fully recovered when dominance and diversity are regained and normal ecosystem functioning has resumed. However, in addition to the biodiversity crash at the end of the Permian, taxonomic and ecologic structure also changed,with the extinction marking the faunal shift from brachiopod-rich Paleozoic Evolutionary Fauna (EF) to the mollusc-rich Modern EF. This suggests that the extreme reorganizational nature of the Triassic does not adhere to the standard definition of recovery, which is a return to previous conditions. Thus, we propose the term 'restructuring' to describe this interval, as Early and Middle Triassic communities might not exhibit the typical characteristics of a 'normal' Permian one. To more fully characterize Triassic ecologic restructuring, paleoecologists should take into account functional diversity and redundancy. We quantified functional richness and regularity in four different paleocommunities from classic Permian and Triassic sections. Functional richness was low in paleocommunities after the end-Permian mass extinction, but increased to high levels by the Middle Triassic. In contrast, functional regularity was low in the Middle Permian, but high in all the Triassic paleocommunities. The change from low to high functional regularity/redundancy at the P/T boundary may be a factor of the highly stressful Triassic environmental conditions (i.e. anoxia, hypercapnia), as high regularity in a community can boost survival in harsh environments. Parameters such as these will more
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Fetisova, A. M.; Veselovskiy, R. V.; Scholze, F.; Balabanov, Yu. P.
2018-01-01
The results of detailed paleomagnetic studies in seven Upper Permian and Lower Triassic reference sections of East Europe (Middle Volga and Orenburg region) and Central Germany are presented. For each section, the coefficient of inclination shallowing f (King, 1955) is estimated by the Elongation-Inclination (E-I) method (Tauxe and Kent, 2004) and is found to vary from 0.4 to 0.9. The paleomagnetic directions, corrected for the inclination shallowing, are used to calculate the new Late Permian-Early Triassic paleomagnetic pole for the East European Platform (N = 7, PLat = 52.1°, PLong = 155.8°, A95 = 6.6°). Based on this pole, the geocentric axial dipole hypothesis close to the Paleozoic/Mesozoic boundary is tested by the single plate method. The absence of the statistically significant distinction between the obtained pole and the average Permian-Triassic (P-Tr) paleomagnetic pole of the Siberian Platform and the coeval pole of the North American Platform corrected for the opening of the Atlantic (Shatsillo et al., 2006) is interpreted by us as evidence that 250 Ma the configuration of the magnetic field of the Earth was predominantly dipolar; i.e., the contribution of nondipole components was at most 10% of the main magnetic field. In our opinion, the hypothesis of the nondipolity of the geomagnetic field at the P-Tr boundary, which has been repeatedly discussed in recent decades (Van der Voo and Torsvik, 2001; Bazhenov and Shatsillo, 2010; Veselovskiy and Pavlov, 2006), resulted from disregarding the effect of inclination shallowing in the paleomagnetic determinations from sedimentary rocks of "stable" Europe (the East European platform and West European plate).
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High precision time calibration of the Permo-Triassic boundary mass extinction by U-Pb geochronology
Baresel, Björn; Bucher, Hugo; Brosse, Morgane; Schaltegger, Urs
2014-05-01
U-Pb dating using Chemical Abrasion, Isotope Dilution Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry (CA-ID-TIMS) is the analytical method of choice for geochronologists, who are seeking highest temporal resolution and a high degree of accuracy for single grains of zircon. The use of double-isotope tracer solutions, cross-calibrated and assessed in different EARTHTIME labs, coinciding with the reassessment of the uranium decay constants and further improvements in ion counting technology led to unprecedented precision better than 0.1% for single grain, and 0.05% for population ages, respectively. These analytical innovations now allow calibrating magmatic and biological timescales at resolution adequate for both groups of processes. To construct a revised and high resolution calibrated time scale for the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) we use (i) high-precision U-Pb zircon age determinations of a unique succession of volcanic ash beds interbedded with shallow to deep water fossiliferous sediments in the Nanpanjiang Basin (South China) combined with (ii) accurate quantitative biochronology based on ammonoids and conodonts and (iii) carbon isotope excursions across the PTB. Using these alignments allows (i) positioning the PTB in different depositional environments and (ii) solving age/stratigraphic contradictions generated by the index, water depth-controlled conodont Hindeodus parvus, whose diachronous first occurrences are arbitrarily used for placing the base of the Triassic. This new age framework provides the basis for a combined calibration of chemostratigraphic records with high-resolution biochronozones of the Late Permian and Early Triassic. Besides the general improvement of the radio-isotopic calibration of the PTB at the ±100 ka level, this will also lead to a better understanding of cause and effect relations involved in this mass extinction.
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Tribus, Clifford B; Garvey, Kathleen E
2003-05-15
A case report describes unilateral complete laminar erosion of the caudal thoracic spine and late-presenting infection in a patient 10 years after anteroposterior reconstruction for scoliosis. To present an unusual but significant complication that may occur after implantation of spinal instrumentation. The reported patient presented with a deep infection and persistent back pain 10 years after successful anteroposterior reconstruction for adult idiopathic scoliosis. Delayed onset infections after implantation of spinal instrumentation are infrequent, yet when present, often require hardware removal. The case of a 51-year-old woman who underwent irrigation and debridement for a late-presenting infection and removal of posterior hardware 10 years after her index procedure is presented. Interoperatively, it was noted that full-thickness laminar erosion was present from T4 to T12. The patient was taken to the operating room for wound irrigation, debridement, and hardware removal. It was discovered that a Cotrel-Dubousset rod placed on the convexity of the curve had completely eroded through the lamina of T7-T12. Infectious material was found along the entire length of both the convex and concave Cotrel-Dubousset rods. Intraoperative cultures grew Staphylococcus epidermidis and Propionibacterium acnes. Intravenous and oral antibiotics were administered, resulting in resolution of the infection and preoperative pain. The exact role of late-presenting infection with regard to the laminar erosion and rod migration seen in this case remains to be elucidated. However, the authors believe the primary cause of bony erosion was mechanical in origin. Regardless, most spine surgeons will treat many patients who have had posterior spinal implants and will perform hardware removal on a significant number of these patients during their careers. A full-thickness laminar erosion exposes the spinal cord to traumatic injury during hardware removal and debridement. This case is
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Atmospheric carbon injection linked to end-Triassic mass extinction.
Ruhl, Micha; Bonis, Nina R; Reichart, Gert-Jan; Sinninghe Damsté, Jaap S; Kürschner, Wolfram M
2011-07-22
The end-Triassic mass extinction (~201.4 million years ago), marked by terrestrial ecosystem turnover and up to ~50% loss in marine biodiversity, has been attributed to intensified volcanic activity during the break-up of Pangaea. Here, we present compound-specific carbon-isotope data of long-chain n-alkanes derived from waxes of land plants, showing a ~8.5 per mil negative excursion, coincident with the extinction interval. These data indicate strong carbon-13 depletion of the end-Triassic atmosphere, within only 10,000 to 20,000 years. The magnitude and rate of this carbon-cycle disruption can be explained by the injection of at least ~12 × 10(3) gigatons of isotopically depleted carbon as methane into the atmosphere. Concurrent vegetation changes reflect strong warming and an enhanced hydrological cycle. Hence, end-Triassic events are robustly linked to methane-derived massive carbon release and associated climate change.
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The Triassic metabasalts of Dudin Krš, near Kosovska Mitrovica, Serbia
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Memović Emin
2003-01-01
Full Text Available This paper presents the geochemical characteristics of the metabasalts of Dudin Krš, near Kosovska Mitrovica. The Dudin Krš is the easternmost occurrence of Middle Triassic rift-related volcanic rocks in the Dinarides. Generally, these rocks show similarities to other Triassic volcanic rocks of the Dinarides. They are high-magnesian, ol and ne-normative basalts, with low Zr/Nb and medium/low Ti/Zr and Ti/Y ratios. They exhibit transitional geochemical characteristics, between E-MORB and subalkaline basalts of continental rift zones. Their presence and geochemical affinity is evidence of rifting processes along the continental slope of the Adria block during Middle Triassic.
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Ayda Ustaömer, Petek; Ustaömer, Timur; Gerdes, Axel; Robertson, Alastair H. F.; Zulauf, Gernold
2014-05-01
The Permo-Triassic Karakaya Complex is well explained by northward subduction of Palaeotethys but until now no corresponding magmatic arc has been identified in the region. With the aim of determining the compositions and ages of the source units, ten sandstone samples were collected from the mappably distinct Ortaoba, Hodul, Kendirli and Orhanlar Units. Zircon grains were extracted from these sandstones and >1300 were dated by the U-Pb method and subsequently analysed for the Lu-Hf isotopic compositions by LA-MC-ICPMS at Goethe University, Frankfurt. The U-Pb-Hf isotope systematics are indicative of two different sediment provenances. The first, represented by the Ortaoba, Hodul and Kendirli Units, is dominated by igneous rocks of Triassic (250-220 Ma), Early Carboniferous-Early Permian (290-340 Ma) and Early to Mid-Devonian (385-400 Ma) ages. The second provenance, represented by the Orhanlar Unit, is indicative of derivation from a peri-Gondwanan terrane. In case of the first provenance, the Devonian and Carboniferous source rocks exibit intermediate eHf(t) values (-11 to -3), consistent with the formation at a continental margin where juvenile mantle-derived magmas mixed with (recycled) old crust having Palaeoproterozoic Hf model ages. In contrast, the Triassic arc magma exhibits higher eHf(t) values (-6 to +6), consistent with the mixing of juvenile mantle-derived melts with (recycled) old crust perhaps somewhat rejuvanated during the Cadomian period. We have therefore identified a Triassic magmatic arc as predicted by the interpretation of the Karakaya Complex as an accretionary complex related to northward subduction (Carboniferous and Devonian granites are already well documented in NW Turkey). Possible explanations for the lack of any outcrop of the source magmatic arc are that it was later subducted or the Karakaya Complex was displaced laterally from its source arc (both post 220 Ma). Strike-slip displacement (driven by oblique subduction?) can also
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Hoffman, Devin K; Heckert, Andrew B; Zanno, Lindsay E
2018-01-01
Aetosauria is a clade of heavily armored, quadrupedal omnivorous to herbivorous archosaurs known from the Late Triassic across what was the supercontinent of Pangea. Their abundance in many deposits relative to the paucity of other Triassic herbivores indicates that they were key components of Late Triassic ecosystems. However, their evolutionary relationships remain contentious due, in large part, to their extensive dermal armor, which often obstructs observation of internal skeletal anatomy and limits access to potentially informative characters. In an attempt to address this problem we reanalyzed the holotype of a recently described species of Coahomasuchus , C. chathamensis , from the Sanford sub-basin of North Carolina using computed tomography (CT). CT scans of the holotype specimen clarify preservation of the skeleton, revealing several articulated vertebrae and ribs, an isolated vertebra, left ulna, left scapula, and the right humerus, though none of the material resulted in updated phylogenetic scorings. Reexamination of aetosaur materials from the holotype locality also indicates that several isolated osteoderms and elements of the appendicular skeleton are newly referable. Based on these results, we update the Coahomasuchus chathamensis hypodigm and conduct a revised phylogenetic analysis with improved character scorings for Coahomasuchus and several other aetosaurs. Our study recovers Coahomasuchus in a polytomy with Aetosaurus and the Typothoracinae, in contrast with a recent analysis that recovered Coahomasuchus as a wild-card taxon.
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de Boorder, H.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/098199056
2014-01-01
The formation of the Central European and Tarim Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs) in the Early Permian coincided with the demise of the Variscan and the Southern Tianshan orogens, respectively. The Early Triassic Siberian LIP was formed in the wake of the Western Altaid orogeny in the Late Permian.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
GUIDO ROGHI
1997-07-01
Full Text Available New data and considerations about the biostratigraphy and the palaeoenvironment of a section in the Late Triassic dolomitic-marly sequence which crops out in the Dogna valley (Udine, Friuli, NE Italy are reported. In particular a unit with a surface bearing tracks of archosauromorph terrestrial reptiles has been investigated. In the layer immediately overlaying the track-bearing one, a rich palynological assemblage with Enzonalasporites vigens; Vallasporites ignacii, Patinasporites densus, Zonalasporites cinctus, Pseudoenzonalasporites summus, Samaropollenites speciosus, Camerosporites secatus and Partitisporites spp. was found, indicating a Tuvalian age (Late Carnian . Microfloral and sedimentological evidence indicate a dry climate and a coastal depositional environment subject to repeated emersions.
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Palaeoenvironmental changes in the Late Triassic (Rhaetian) of the Northern Calcareous Alps
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Mette, Wolfgang; Elsler, Armin; Korte, Christoph
2012-01-01
in the Kössen Formation and determine their significance for environmental and climatic conditions in the Rhaetian sea of the Eiberg Basin (Northern Calcareous Alps). For this purpose 60 δ 18O measurements on 43 articulate brachiopods samples from 8 different horizons were carried out. The results indicate...... to the lowest unit 3 of the Eiberg Member that parallels oxygen isotopes. This positive δ 13C trend is interrupted by a sudden ~1.5‰ negative excursion in the late Rhaetian (Late Rhaetian Event), a time span when the oxygen isotopes remain heavy....
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Gianechini, Federico A.; Codorniú, Laura; Arcucci, Andrea B.; Castillo Elías, Gabriela; Rivarola, David
2016-03-01
Here we present archosauriform remains from 'Abra de los Colorados', a fossiliferous locality at Sierra de Guayaguas, NW San Luis Province. Two fossiliferous levels were identified in outcrops of the Quebrada del Barro Formation (Norian), which represent the southernmost outcrops of the Marayes-El Carrizal Basin. These levels are composed by massive muddy lithofacies, interpreted as floodplain deposits. The specimens consist of one incomplete maxilla (MIC-V718), one caudal vertebra (MIC-V719), one metatarsal (MIC-V720) and one indeterminate appendicular bone (MIC-V721). The materials can be assigned to Archosauriformes but the fragmentary nature and lack of unambiguous synapomorphies preclude a more precise taxomic assignment. The maxilla is remarkably large and robust and represents the posterior process. It preserved one partially erupted tooth with ziphodont morphology. This bone shows some anatomical traits and size match with 'rauisuchians' and theropods. MIC-V719 corresponds to a proximal caudal vertebra. It has a high centrum, a ventral longitudinal furrow, expanded articular processes for the chevrons, a posteriorly displaced diapophysis located below the level of the prezygapophyses, and short prezygapophyses. This vertebra would be from an indeterminate archosauriform. MIC-V720 presents a cylindrical diaphysis, with a well-developed distal trochlea, which present resemblances with metatarsals of theropods, pseudosuchians, and silesaurids, although the size matches better with theropods. MIC-V721 has a slender diaphysis and a convex triangular articular surface, and corresponds to an indeterminate archosauriform. Despite being fragmentary, these materials indicate the presence of a diverse archosauriforms association from Late Triassic beds of San Luis. Thus, they add to the faunal assemblage recently reported from this basin at San Juan Province, which is much rich and diverse than the coeval paleofauna well known from Los Colorados Formation in the
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Schoepfer, Shane D.; Algeo, Thomas J.; Ward, Peter D.; Williford, Kenneth H.; Haggart, James W.
2016-10-01
The end-Triassic mass extinction has been characterized as a 'greenhouse extinction', related to rapid atmospheric warming and associated changes in ocean circulation and oxygenation. The response of the marine nitrogen cycle to these oceanographic changes, and the extent to which mass extinction intervals represent a deviation in nitrogen cycling from other ice-free 'greenhouse' periods of Earth history, remain poorly understood. The well-studied Kennecott Point section in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada, was deposited in the open Panthalassic Ocean, and is used here as a test case to better understand changes in the nitrogen cycle and marine productivity from the pre-crisis greenhouse of the Rhaetian to the latest-Rhaetian crisis interval. We estimated marine productivity from the late Norian to the early Hettangian using TOC- and P-based paleoproductivity transform equations, and then compared these estimates to records of sedimentary nitrogen isotopes, redox-sensitive trace elements, and biomarker data. Major negative excursions in δ15N (to ≤ 0 ‰) correspond to periods of depressed marine productivity. During these episodes, the development of a stable pycnocline below the base of the photic zone suppressed vertical mixing and limited N availability in surface waters, leading to low productivity and increased nitrogen fixation, as well as ecological stresses in the photic zone. The subsequent shoaling of euxinic waters into the ocean surface layer was fatal for most Triassic marine fauna, although the introduction of regenerated NH4+ into the photic zone may have allowed phytoplankton productivity to recover. These results indicate that the open-ocean nitrogen cycle was influenced by climatic changes during the latest Triassic, despite having existed in a greenhouse state for over 50 million years previously, and that low N availability limited marine productivity for hundreds of thousands of years during the end-Triassic crisis.
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Blackburn, T. J.; Olsen, P. E.; Bowring, S. A.; McLean, N. M.; Kent, D. V.; Puffer, J. H.; McHone, G.; Rasbury, T.
2012-12-01
Mass extinction events that punctuate Earth's history have had a large influence on the evolution, diversity and composition of our planet's biosphere. The approximate temporal coincidence between the five major extinction events over the last 542 million years and the eruption of Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs) has led to the speculation that climate and environmental perturbations generated by the emplacement of a large volume of magma in a short period of time triggered each global biologic crisis. Establishing a causal link between extinction and the onset and tempo of LIP eruption has proved difficult because of the geographic separation between LIP volcanic deposits and stratigraphic sequences preserving evidence of the extinction. In most cases, the uncertainties on available radioisotopic dates used to correlate between geographically separated study areas often exceed the duration of both the extinction interval and LIP volcanism by an order of magnitude. The "end-Triassic extinction" (ETE) is one of the "big five" and is characterized by the disappearance of several terrestrial and marine species and dominance of Dinosaurs for the next 134 million years. Speculation on the cause has centered on massive climate perturbations thought to accompany the eruption of flood basalts related to the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP), the most aerially extensive and volumetrically one of the largest LIPs on Earth. Despite an approximate temporal coincidence between extinction and volcanism, there lacks evidence placing the eruption of CAMP prior to or at the initiation of the extinction. Estimates of the timing and/or duration of CAMP volcanism provided by astrochronology and Ar-Ar geochronology differ by an order of magnitude, precluding high-precision tests of the relationship between LIP volcanism and the mass extinction, the causes of which are dependent upon the rate of magma eruption. Here we present high precision zircon U-Pb ID-TIMS geochronologic data
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Lethally Hot Temperatures During the Early Triassic Greenhouse
Sun, Yadong; Joachimski, Michael M.; Wignall, Paul B.; Yan, Chunbo; Chen, Yanlong; Jiang, Haishui; Wang, Lina; Lai, Xulong
2012-10-01
Global warming is widely regarded to have played a contributing role in numerous past biotic crises. Here, we show that the end-Permian mass extinction coincided with a rapid temperature rise to exceptionally high values in the Early Triassic that were inimical to life in equatorial latitudes and suppressed ecosystem recovery. This was manifested in the loss of calcareous algae, the near-absence of fish in equatorial Tethys, and the dominance of small taxa of invertebrates during the thermal maxima. High temperatures drove most Early Triassic plants and animals out of equatorial terrestrial ecosystems and probably were a major cause of the end-Smithian crisis.
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Boschman, L.; Van Hinsbergen, D. J. J.; Langereis, C. G.; Molina-Garza, R. S.; Kimbrough, D. L.; Spakman, W.
2017-12-01
A positive wave speed anomaly interpreted as the Cocos slab stretches from the uppermost mantle at the Middle America trench in the west, to the lowermost mantle below the Atlantic in the east. The length and continuity of this slab indicates long-lived, uninterrupted eastward subduction of the attached Cocos Plate and its predecessor, the Farallon Plate. The geological record of Mexico contains Triassic to present day evidence of subduction, of which the post-Late Cretaceous phase is of continental margin-style. Interpretations of the pre-Upper Cretaceous subduction-related rock assemblages are under debate, and vary from far-travelled exotic intra-oceanic island arc character to in-situ extended continental margin origin. We present new paleomagnetic data that show that Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous subduction-related rocks from the Vizcaíno Peninsula and the Guerrero terrane have a paleolatitudinal plate motion history that is equal to that of the North American continent. This suggests that these rock assemblages were part of the overriding plate and were perhaps only separated from the North American continent by temporal fore- or back-arc spreading. The entire Triassic-present day subduction record, and hence, reconstructed trench location, can therefore be linked to the Cocos slab, which provides control on longitudinal plate motion of North America since the time of Pangea. Compared to the latest state of the art mantle frames, in which longitudes are essentially unconstrained for pre-Cretaceous times, our reconstructed absolute position of North America requires a significant westward longitudinal shift for Mesozoic times.
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Xu, Guang-Hui; Zhao, Li-Jun; Shen, Chen-Chen
2015-01-01
Gliding adaptations in thoracopterid flying fishes represent a remarkable case of convergent evolution of overwater gliding strategy with modern exocoetid flying fishes, but the evolutionary origin of this strategy was poorly known in the thoracopterids because of lack of transitional forms. Until recently, all thoracopterids, from the Late Triassic of Austria and Italy and the Middle Triassic of South China, were highly specialized 'four-winged' gliders in having wing-like paired fins and an asymmetrical caudal fin with the lower caudal lobe notably larger than the upper lobe. Here, we show that the new genus Wushaichthys and the previously alleged 'peltopleurid' Peripeltopleurus, from the Middle Triassic (Ladinian, 235-242 Ma) of South China and near the Ladinian/Anisian boundary of southern Switzerland and northern Italy, respectively, represent the most primitive and oldest known thoracopterids. Wushaichthys, the most basal thoracopterid, shows certain derived features of this group in the skull. Peripeltopleurus shows a condition intermediate between Wushaichthys and Thoracopterus in having a slightly asymmetrical caudal fin but still lacking wing-like paired fins. Phylogenetic studies suggest that the evolution of overwater gliding of thoracopterids was gradual in nature; a four-stage adaption following the 'cranial specialization-asymmetrical caudal fin-enlarged paired fins-scale reduction' sequence has been recognized in thoracopterid evolution. Moreover, Wushaichthys and Peripeltopleurus bear hooklets on the anal fin of supposed males, resembling those of modern viviparious teleosts. Early thoracopterids probably had evolved a live-bearing reproductive strategy. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.
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Todaro, Simona; Rigo, Manuel; Randazzo, Vincenzo; Di Stefano, Pietro
2018-06-01
A new δ13Ccarb curve was obtained from an expanded peritidal succession in western Sicily and was used to investigate the relationships between isotopic signatures and biological events on carbonate platforms across the Triassic-Jurassic boundary (TJB). The resulting curve shows two main negative carbon isotopic excursions (CIEs) that fit well with the "Initial" and "Main" CIEs that are recognized worldwide and linked to the End-Triassic Extinction (ETE). In the studied section, the first negative CIE marks the disappearance of the large megalodontids, which were replaced by small and thin-shelled specimens, while the "Main" CIE corresponds to the last occurrence (LO) of the megalodontids and, approximately 50 m upsection, to the total demise of the Rhaetian benthic foraminifer community. Upward, the carbon curve shows a positive trend (ca. +1‰) and a gradual recovery of the benthic communities after an approximately 10 m-thick barren interval populated only by the problematic alga Thaumatoporella parvovesiculifera. A comparison between the Mt. Sparagio δ13Ccarb curve and other coeval Ccarb and Corg curves from carbonate platform, ramp and deep basin successions indicates similar isotopic trends; however, the diverse magnitudes and responses of benthic communities confirm that the carbon cycle perturbations have been globally significant, and were influenced by external forces such as CAMP volcanism. The multiphase nature of the extinction pulses could have been caused by local environmental changes related to transgression/regression phenomena. Overall, this study adds new data and a new timing to the effect of the acidification process on carbon productivity and benthic communities in different environments across the TJB.
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Mohn, G.; Etheve, N.; Frizon de Lamotte, D.; Roca, E.; Tugend, J.; Gómez-Romeu, J.
2017-12-01
Eastern Iberia preserves a complex succession of Mesozoic rifts partly or completely inverted during the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic in relation with Africa-Eurasia convergence. Notably, the Valencia Trough, classically viewed as part of the Cenozoic West Mediterranean basins, preserves in its southwestern part a thick Mesozoic succession (locally »10km thick) over a highly thinned continental basement (locally only »3,5km thick). This sub-basin referred to as the Columbrets Basin, represents a Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous hyper-extended rift basin weakly overprinted by subsequent events. Its initial configuration is well preserved allowing us to unravel its 3D architecture and tectono-stratigraphic evolution in the frame of the Mesozoic evolution of eastern Iberia. The Columbrets Basin benefits from an extensive dataset combining high resolution reflection seismic profiles, drill holes, refraction seismic data and Expanding Spread Profiles. Its Mesozoic architecture is controlled by interactions between extensional deformation and halokinesis involving the Upper Triassic salt. The thick uppermost Triassic to Cretaceous succession describes a general synclinal shape, progressively stretched and dismembered towards the basin borders. The SE-border of the basin is characterized by a large extensional detachment fault acting at crustal scale and interacting locally with the Upper Triassic décollement. This extensional structure accommodates the exhumation of the continental basement and part of the crustal thinning. Eventually our results highlight the complex interaction between extreme crustal thinning and occurrence of a pre-rift salt level for the deformation style and tectono-stratigraphic evolution of hyper-extended rift basins.
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Vegetation history across the Permian-Triassic boundary in Pakistan (Amb section, Salt Range)
Schneebeli-Hermann, E.; Kurschner, W.M.; Kerp, H.; Bomfleur, B.; Hochuli, P.A.; Bucher, H.; Ware, D.; Roohi, G.
2015-01-01
Hypotheses about the Permian–Triassic floral turnover range from a catastrophic extinction of terrestrial plant communities to a gradual change in floral composition punctuated by intervals indicating dramatic changes in the plant communities. The shallow marine Permian–Triassic succession in the
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Early Triassic marine biotic recovery: the predators' perspective.
Scheyer, Torsten M; Romano, Carlo; Jenks, Jim; Bucher, Hugo
2014-01-01
Examining the geological past of our planet allows us to study periods of severe climatic and biological crises and recoveries, biotic and abiotic ecosystem fluctuations, and faunal and floral turnovers through time. Furthermore, the recovery dynamics of large predators provide a key for evaluation of the pattern and tempo of ecosystem recovery because predators are interpreted to react most sensitively to environmental turbulences. The end-Permian mass extinction was the most severe crisis experienced by life on Earth, and the common paradigm persists that the biotic recovery from the extinction event was unusually slow and occurred in a step-wise manner, lasting up to eight to nine million years well into the early Middle Triassic (Anisian) in the oceans, and even longer in the terrestrial realm. Here we survey the global distribution and size spectra of Early Triassic and Anisian marine predatory vertebrates (fishes, amphibians and reptiles) to elucidate the height of trophic pyramids in the aftermath of the end-Permian event. The survey of body size was done by compiling maximum standard lengths for the bony fishes and some cartilaginous fishes, and total size (estimates) for the tetrapods. The distribution and size spectra of the latter are difficult to assess because of preservation artifacts and are thus mostly discussed qualitatively. The data nevertheless demonstrate that no significant size increase of predators is observable from the Early Triassic to the Anisian, as would be expected from the prolonged and stepwise trophic recovery model. The data further indicate that marine ecosystems characterized by multiple trophic levels existed from the earliest Early Triassic onwards. However, a major change in the taxonomic composition of predatory guilds occurred less than two million years after the end-Permian extinction event, in which a transition from fish/amphibian to fish/reptile-dominated higher trophic levels within ecosystems became apparent.
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Early Triassic marine biotic recovery: the predators' perspective.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Torsten M Scheyer
Full Text Available Examining the geological past of our planet allows us to study periods of severe climatic and biological crises and recoveries, biotic and abiotic ecosystem fluctuations, and faunal and floral turnovers through time. Furthermore, the recovery dynamics of large predators provide a key for evaluation of the pattern and tempo of ecosystem recovery because predators are interpreted to react most sensitively to environmental turbulences. The end-Permian mass extinction was the most severe crisis experienced by life on Earth, and the common paradigm persists that the biotic recovery from the extinction event was unusually slow and occurred in a step-wise manner, lasting up to eight to nine million years well into the early Middle Triassic (Anisian in the oceans, and even longer in the terrestrial realm. Here we survey the global distribution and size spectra of Early Triassic and Anisian marine predatory vertebrates (fishes, amphibians and reptiles to elucidate the height of trophic pyramids in the aftermath of the end-Permian event. The survey of body size was done by compiling maximum standard lengths for the bony fishes and some cartilaginous fishes, and total size (estimates for the tetrapods. The distribution and size spectra of the latter are difficult to assess because of preservation artifacts and are thus mostly discussed qualitatively. The data nevertheless demonstrate that no significant size increase of predators is observable from the Early Triassic to the Anisian, as would be expected from the prolonged and stepwise trophic recovery model. The data further indicate that marine ecosystems characterized by multiple trophic levels existed from the earliest Early Triassic onwards. However, a major change in the taxonomic composition of predatory guilds occurred less than two million years after the end-Permian extinction event, in which a transition from fish/amphibian to fish/reptile-dominated higher trophic levels within ecosystems became
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Lozovsky, V. R.; Balabanov, Yu. P.; Karasev, E. V.; Novikov, I. V.; Ponomarenko, A. G.; Yaroshenko, O. P.
2016-07-01
The comprehensive analysis of the data obtained on terrestrial vertebrata, ostracods, entomologic fauna, megaflora, and microflora in deposits of the Vyaznikovian Horizon and Nedubrovo Member, as well as the paleomagnetic data measured in enclosing rocks, confirms heterogeneity of these deposits. Accordingly, it is necessary to distinguish these two stratons in the terminal Permian of the East European Platform. The combined sequence of Triassic-Permian boundary deposits in the Moscow Syneclise, which is considered to be the most complete sequence in the East European Platform, is as follows (from bottom upward): Vyatkian deposits; Vyaznikovian Horizon, including Sokovka and Zhukovo members; Nedubrovo Member (Upper Permian); Astashikha and Ryabi members of the Vokhmian Horizon (Lower Triassic). None of the sequences of Permian-Triassic boundary deposits known in the area of study characterizes this sequence in full volume. In the north, the Triassic deposits are underlain by the Nedubrovo Member; in the south (the Klyazma River basin), the sections are underlain by the Vyaznikovian Horizon. The Permian-Triassic boundary adopted in the General Stratigraphic Scale of Russia for continental deposits of the East European platform (the lower boundary of the Astashikha Member) is more ancient than the one adopted in the International Stratigraphic Chart. The same geological situation is observed in the German Basin and other localities where Triassic continental deposits are developed. The ways of solving this problem are discussed in this article.
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Absence of suction feeding ichthyosaurs and its implications for triassic mesopelagic paleoecology.
Motani, Ryosuke; Ji, Cheng; Tomita, Taketeru; Kelley, Neil; Maxwell, Erin; Jiang, Da-yong; Sander, Paul Martin
2013-01-01
Mesozoic marine reptiles and modern marine mammals are often considered ecological analogs, but the extent of their similarity is largely unknown. Particularly important is the presence/absence of deep-diving suction feeders among Mesozoic marine reptiles because this would indicate the establishment of mesopelagic cephalopod and fish communities in the Mesozoic. A recent study suggested that diverse suction feeders, resembling the extant beaked whales, evolved among ichthyosaurs in the Triassic. However, this hypothesis has not been tested quantitatively. We examined four osteological features of jawed vertebrates that are closely linked to the mechanism of suction feeding, namely hyoid corpus ossification/calcification, hyobranchial apparatus robustness, mandibular bluntness, and mandibular pressure concentration index. Measurements were taken from 18 species of Triassic and Early Jurassic ichthyosaurs, including the presumed suction feeders. Statistical comparisons with extant sharks and marine mammals of known diets suggest that ichthyosaurian hyobranchial bones are significantly more slender than in suction-feeding sharks or cetaceans but similar to those of ram-feeding sharks. Most importantly, an ossified hyoid corpus to which hyoid retractor muscles attach is unknown in all but one ichthyosaur, whereas a strong integration of the ossified corpus and cornua of the hyobranchial apparatus has been identified in the literature as an important feature of suction feeders. Also, ichthyosaurian mandibles do not narrow rapidly to allow high suction pressure concentration within the oral cavity, unlike in beaked whales or sperm whales. In conclusion, it is most likely that Triassic and Early Jurassic ichthyosaurs were 'ram-feeders', without any beaked-whale-like suction feeder among them. When combined with the inferred inability for dim-light vision in relevant Triassic ichthyosaurs, the fossil record of ichthyosaurs does not suggest the establishment of modern
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Astronomical cycle origin of bedded chert: A middle Triassic bedded chert sequence, Inuyama, Japan
Ikeda, Masayuki; Tada, Ryuji; Sakuma, Hironobu
2010-09-01
Astronomical forcing is one of the main drivers of climate change, and astronomical cyclicity recorded in sediments provides a clue to understand the dynamics of the global climate system. Bedded cherts consist of rhythmic alternations of chert and shale beds. Although previous studies have hypothesized that the origin of bedded chert is related to astronomical cycles (e.g. Fischer, 1976; Hori et al., 1993), conclusive proof remains elusive. To explore this possibility, we established a continuous, high-resolution lithostratigraphy of middle Triassic bedded chert in Central Japan. The average duration of each chert-shale couplet is 20 kyr, similar to that of the precession cycle. Spectral analysis of a bed number series of thickness variations in chert beds was performed assuming that each chert-shale couplet represents a 20-kyr precession cycle. The results reveal cycles involving approximately 200, 20, 5, and 2-3 beds, corresponding to periodicities of approximately 4000, 400, 100, and 40-60 kyr, respectively. By further assuming that the 20-bed cycle represents a 405-kyr eccentricity cycle of constant and stable periodicity, we converted the bed number series to a time series. Spectral analysis of the time series revealed distinct periodicities of 3600, 117, 97, and 38 kyr, in addition to 405 kyr. Besides 3600 kyr, these periodicities agree well with the 120, 95, and 37 kyr periodicities for eccentricity cycles and the obliquity cycle during the Triassic. Moreover, we detected amplitude modulation of the approximately 100-kyr cycle of thickness variations in chert beds with a 405-kyr periodicity, which may correspond to amplitude modulation of 100-kyr climatic precession cycle with the 405-kyr periodicity. The approximately 3600-kyr periodicity described above and 1800-kyr periodicity manifested as the amplitude modulation of the 405-kyr cycle are correlated to present-day long-term eccentricity cycles of 2400 and 4800 kyr evolved by chaotic behavior of solar
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Riel, N.; Guillot, S.; Jaillard, E.; Martelat, J.-E.; Paquette, J.-L.; Schwartz, S.; Goncalves, P.; Duclaux, G.; Thebaud, N.; Lanari, P.; Janots, E.; Yuquilema, J.
2013-01-01
In the forearc of the Andean active margin in southwest Ecuador, the El Oro metamorphic complex exhibits a well exposed tilted forearc section partially migmatized. We used Raman spectroscopy on carbonaceous matter (RSCM) thermometry and pseudosections coupled with mineralogical and textural studies to constrain the pressure-temperature (P-T) evolution of the El Oro metamorphic complex during Triassic times. Our results show that anatexis of the continental crust occurred by white-mica and biotite dehydration melting along a 10 km thick crustal domain (from 4.5 to 8 kbar) with increasing temperature from 650 to 700 °C. In the biotite dehydration melting zone, temperature was buffered at 750-820 °C in a 5 km thick layer. The estimated average thermal gradient during peak metamorphism is of 30 °C/km within the migmatitic domain can be partitioned into two apparent gradients parts. The upper part from surface to 7 km depth records a 40-45 °C/km gradient. The lower part records a quasi-adiabatic geotherm with a 10 °C/km gradient consistent with an isothermal melting zone. Migmatites U-Th-Pb geochronology yielded zircon and monazite ages of 229.3 ± 2.1 Ma and 224.5 ± 2.3 Ma, respectively. This thermal event generated S-type magmatism (the Marcabeli granitoid) and was immediately followed by underplating of the high-pressure low-temperature (HP-LT) Arenillas-Panupalí unit at 225.8 ± 1.8 Ma. The association of high-temperature low-pressure (HT-LP) migmatites with HP-LT unit constitutes a new example of a paired metamorphic belt along the South American margin. We propose that in addition to crustal thinning, underplating of the Piedras gabbroic unit before 230 Ma provided the heat source necessary to foster crustal anatexis. Furthermore, its MORB signature shows that the asthenosphere was involved as the source of the heat anomaly. S-type felsic magmatism is widespread during this time and suggests that a large-scale thermal anomaly affected a large part of the
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Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
ZHENG; YouYe; XU; RongKe; WANG; ChengYuan; MA; GuoTao; LAI; XuLong; YE; DeJin; CAO; Liang; LIANG; JiWei
2007-01-01
Most geologists believe that there are no Early and Middle Triassic strata in the W. Gandisê stratigraphic subregion, but the present authors have found Early Triassic conodonts for the first time in the Shiquanhe area, including five conodonts genera (Form genera): Pachycladina, Neohindeodella, Cornudina, Hadrodontina and Hibbardella sp. etc. Then we affirm that Early Triassic deposits exist in the Gandisê stratigraphic subregion, and establish the Tangnale Formation. The conclusion is new important complementary basal data for Triassic stratigraphy division of Gangdisê, reconstructing palaogeography and studying Gangdisê from Paleozoic to Mesozoic island-arc evolution and transition.
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Diedrich, Cajus G.
2009-01-01
, possibly Euparkeria, probably made the Brachychirotherium trackways that have been found across much of Central Europe. Large lepidosaurs such as Tanystrophaeus probably hunted in the tidal ponds and channels, where they locally produced Synaptichnium tracks. Recently discovered tracks made by a basal prosauropod are the world's oldest record of this group of dinosaurs, occurring in beds that have an age of about 243.5 Ma. (Pelsonian substage). This shows that very large prosauropods existed much earlier than was previously believed. These prosauropod tracks, along with tracks of small bipedal dinosaurs found in the Alps and Eastern France, show that by the middle part of the Middle Triassic the radiation and diversification of dinosaurs was already in progress. In the Germanic Basin, aquatic-adapted paraxial swimming sauropterygians are not known to have left tracks, except for occasional subaquatic swimming scratch-mark "trackways" within the coastal tidal flat zone. Marine-adapted aquatic reptiles migrated into the Germanic Basin with increasing frequency in the upper part of the Middle Triassic, when the bathymetry of the Germanic Basin was at its deepest following a strong regression that occurred due to basin uplift in the middle part of the Middle Triassic. These large marine reptiles included Pistosaurus, the ichthyosaurs Cymbospondylus or Mixosaurus, and many placodonts such as Cyamodus, Placodus and Paraplacodus, which fed on macroalgae and seem to have been the Triassic sea cows of their day. The distribution of these reptiles was mainly controlled by tectonics, but eustatic changes in sea level also were important and produced widespread environmental changes across the tidal flats up until their disappearance in the Germanic Basin in the late Middle Triassic. The initial break-up of Pangaea already had started in Middle Triassic time, and this event had begun to drastically change environments all over Central Europe. It is very interesting that dinosaurs
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Jones, Rosemary E.; Kirstein, Linda A.; Kasemann, Simone A.; Litvak, Vanesa D.; Poma, Stella; Alonso, Ricardo N.; Hinton, Richard; EIMF
2016-10-01
The tectonic and geodynamic setting of the southern Central Andean convergent margin changed significantly between the Late Cretaceous and the Late Miocene, influencing magmatic activity and its geochemical composition. Here we investigate how these changes, which include changing slab-dip angle and convergence angles and rates, have influenced the contamination of the arc magmas with crustal material. Whole rock geochemical data for a suite of Late Cretaceous to Late Miocene arc rocks from the Pampean flat-slab segment (29-31 °S) of the southern Central Andes is presented alongside petrographic observations and high resolution age dating. In-situ U-Pb dating of magmatic zircon, combined with Ar-Ar dating of plagioclase, has led to an improved regional stratigraphy and provides an accurate temporal constraint for the geochemical data. A generally higher content of incompatible trace elements (e.g. Nb/Zr ratios from 0.019 to 0.083 and Nb/Yb from 1.5 to 16.4) is observed between the Late Cretaceous ( 72 Ma), when the southern Central Andean margin is suggested to have been in extension, and the Miocene when the thickness of the continental crust increased and the angle of the subducting Nazca plate shallowed. Trace and rare earth element compositions obtained for the Late Cretaceous to Late Eocene arc magmatic rocks from the Principal Cordillera of Chile, combined with a lack of zircon inheritance, suggest limited assimilation of the overlying continental crust by arc magmas derived from the mantle wedge. A general increase in incompatible, fluid-mobile/immobile (e.g., Ba/Nb) and fluid-immobile/immobile (e.g., Nb/Zr) trace element ratios is attributed to the influence of the subducting slab on the melt source region and/or the influx of asthenospheric mantle. The Late Oligocene ( 26 Ma) to Early Miocene ( 17 Ma), and Late Miocene ( 6 Ma) arc magmatic rocks present in the Frontal Cordillera show evidence for the bulk assimilation of the Permian-Triassic (P
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Parcerisa, D.; Casas, L.; Franke, C.; Gomez-Gras, D.; Lacasa, G.; Nunez, J. A.; Thiry, M.
2010-05-01
albitization. Biotites are not or weakly chloritized. However, these "unaltered" (or primary) granites are strongly weathered into granite boulders embedded in grus by the present-day climatic conditions. The maturest paleoprofiles occur at the northern part of the Catalan Coastal Ranges (i.e. the Montseny-Guilleries High) where the Variscan basement remained exposed during Triassic times. Towards the South the profiles progressively disappear and Triassic sediments acquire their maximum thickness here. The alteration profiles are related with the Permo-Triassic paleosurface still outcroping on wide areas [Gómez-Gras and Ferrer, 1999]. They are partially covered by Triassic fluvial sandstones (Buntsandstein facies) in the South [Gómez-Gras, 1993] and by Palaeocene alluvial conglomerates in the West [Anadón et al., 1979]. The Triassic paleosurface shows a remarkable stability successively outcropping during Mesozoic and Tertiary times, the pre-Tertiary exhumation and even the present day weathering affected very little these albitized profiles. The hardness and thus preservation of the Triassic paleosurface is mainly related to the albitization. The albitized granites are entirely lacking anorthitic plagioclase, which is much more sensitive to chemo-mechanical weathering. Development of albite and additional chloritization of the primary biotite crystals render the rocks much more resistant to weathering and erosion. This stability is particularly well expressed in case of the Montseny-Guilleries High, which is limited by a high fault scarp at the south-eastern margin. The albitized top of the scarp shows remarkably hard fresh rocks, whereas the base of the scarp (formed of primary, non-albitized facies) is deeply weathered into gruss. This is causing much smother landscape reliefs in the valleys and thalwegs. Since a long time the remarkable persistence of the Triassic paleosurface expressed in the Paleozoic massifs has been highlighted by geomorphologists. Only recently we
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Permian-Triassic palynofacies and chemostratigraphy in a core recovered from central Spitsbergen.
van Soelen, Els; Hasic, Edi; Planke, Sverre; Svensen, Henrik; Sleveland, Arve; Midtkandal, Ivar; Twitchett, Richard; Kürschner, Wolfram
2017-04-01
The Late Permian biotic crisis is one of the most severe extinction events in the history of the Earth, affecting both terrestrial and marine environments. A large igneous province (LIP) in Siberia is thought to be linked with this global event; however, correlation between the volcanic event and the biotic crisis is difficult and requires well dated and high resolution Permian-Triassic boundary successions from the Arctic region. The Svalbard end-Permian drilling project is aimed at improved correlation of the Permian-Triassic sections in Svalbard with the Siberian Traps. The core was collected from Deltadalen, in central Spitsbergen, with additional samples collected from an outcrop close to the drilling site. As part of this collaborative project, carbon isotope geochemistry, palynofacies and palynomorphs were studied in order to learn more about the biostratigraphy and to understand changes in the source(s) of organic matter. Objectives were to reconstruct the paleo-environment; to correlate the core with other sites on Svalbard, and with global records; and to identify and characterize the Late Permian extinction event in the core. A carbon isotope shift is an important global stratigraphic marker in the latest Permian and occurs near the base of the Vikinghøgda Formation in the Deltadalen core, where bulk rock values change from -24.5 to -32.7‰. Palynomorph preservation was generally poor in both core and outcrop samples which prevented detailed examination of species and limited their usefulness for biostratigraphy. Still, palynofacies were useful for correlative purposes. AOM (amorphous organic matter) in the core increases at the lithological change from sandstones to siltstones, and is indicative of anoxic conditions. Similar high levels of AOM in the outcrop samples can be correlated with the core. Palynological analyses show that the spore/pollen ratio starts to increase before the negative shift in the isotope curve. Such an increase in spore
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Mujal, Eudald; Fortuny, Josep; Pérez-Cano, Jordi; Dinarès-Turell, Jaume; Ibáñez-Insa, Jordi; Oms, Oriol; Vila, Isabel; Bolet, Arnau; Anadón, Pere
2017-12-01
The most severe biotic crisis on Earth history occurred during the Permian-Triassic (PT) transition around 252 Ma. Whereas in the marine realm such extinction event is well-constrained, in terrestrial settings it is still poorly known, mainly due to the lack of suitable complete sections. This is utterly the case along the Western Tethys region, located at Pangaea's equator, where terrestrial successions are typically build-up of red beds often characterised by a significant erosive gap at the base of the Triassic strata. Henceforth, documenting potentially complete terrestrial successions along the PT transition becomes fundamental. Here, we document the exceptional Coll de Terrers area from the Catalan Pyrenees (NE Iberian Peninsula), for which a multidisciplinary research is conducted along the PT transition. The red-bed succession, located in a long E-W extended narrow rift system known as Pyrenean Basin, resulted from a continuous sedimentary deposition evolving from meandering (lower Upper Red Unit) to playa-lake/ephemeral lacustrine (upper Upper Red Unit) and again to meandering settings (Buntsandstein facies). Sedimentary continuity is suggested by preliminary cyclostratigraphic analysis that warrants further analysis. Our combined sedimentological, mineralogical and geochemical data infer a humid-semiarid-humid climatic trend across the studied succession. The uppermost Permian strata, deposited under an orbitally controlled monsoonal regime, yields a relatively diverse ichnoassemblage mainly composed of tetrapod footprints and arthropod trace fossils. Such fossils indicate appropriate life conditions and water presence in levels that also display desiccation structures. These levels alternate with barren intervals formed under dry conditions, being thus indicative of strong seasonality. All these features are correlated with those reported elsewhere in Gondwana and Laurasia, and suggest that the Permian-Triassic boundary might be recorded somewhere around
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Absence of suction feeding ichthyosaurs and its implications for triassic mesopelagic paleoecology.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ryosuke Motani
Full Text Available Mesozoic marine reptiles and modern marine mammals are often considered ecological analogs, but the extent of their similarity is largely unknown. Particularly important is the presence/absence of deep-diving suction feeders among Mesozoic marine reptiles because this would indicate the establishment of mesopelagic cephalopod and fish communities in the Mesozoic. A recent study suggested that diverse suction feeders, resembling the extant beaked whales, evolved among ichthyosaurs in the Triassic. However, this hypothesis has not been tested quantitatively. We examined four osteological features of jawed vertebrates that are closely linked to the mechanism of suction feeding, namely hyoid corpus ossification/calcification, hyobranchial apparatus robustness, mandibular bluntness, and mandibular pressure concentration index. Measurements were taken from 18 species of Triassic and Early Jurassic ichthyosaurs, including the presumed suction feeders. Statistical comparisons with extant sharks and marine mammals of known diets suggest that ichthyosaurian hyobranchial bones are significantly more slender than in suction-feeding sharks or cetaceans but similar to those of ram-feeding sharks. Most importantly, an ossified hyoid corpus to which hyoid retractor muscles attach is unknown in all but one ichthyosaur, whereas a strong integration of the ossified corpus and cornua of the hyobranchial apparatus has been identified in the literature as an important feature of suction feeders. Also, ichthyosaurian mandibles do not narrow rapidly to allow high suction pressure concentration within the oral cavity, unlike in beaked whales or sperm whales. In conclusion, it is most likely that Triassic and Early Jurassic ichthyosaurs were 'ram-feeders', without any beaked-whale-like suction feeder among them. When combined with the inferred inability for dim-light vision in relevant Triassic ichthyosaurs, the fossil record of ichthyosaurs does not suggest the
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Kuhlmann, Natascha; van de Schootbrugge, Bas; Thein, Jean; Fiebig, Jens; Franz, Sven-Oliver; Hanzo, Micheline; Colbach, Robert; Faber, Alain
2016-04-01
the sections shows clear signs of strong anoxia. Sedimentological observations reveal several horizons with soft sediment deformation (seismites). These are attributed to strong earthquake during the initial breakup of Pangea. The lowermost horizon at the base of the Argiles de Levallois Member exceeds the seismites in thickness and shows an erosional base and a chaotic sedimentation structure. Its sedimentological characteristics as well as its stratigraphic age makes it a possible candidate for a tsunami deposit triggered by the Rochechouart impact. As such, drill cores from Luxembourg and sourrounding areas (Eifel, W-Germany; NE-Lorraine, France) preserve a unique archive with great potential for unraveling the causes and consequences of the end-Triassic mass-extinction event.
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Li, Xi-Yao; Zheng, Jian-Ping; Xiong, Qing; Zhou, Xiang; Xiang, Lu
2018-01-01
Jurassic (ca. 150 Ma) Daoxian basalts from the western Cathaysia block (South China) entrained a suite of deep-seated crustal xenoliths, including felsic schist, gneiss and granulite, and mafic two-pyroxene granulite and metagabbro. Zircon U-Pb-Hf isotopic, whole-rock elemental and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions have been determined for these valuable xenoliths to reveal the poorly-known, unexposed deep crust beneath South China. Detrital zircons from the garnet-biotite schists show several populations of ages at 0.65-0.5 Ga, 1.1-0.75 Ga, 1.6-1.4 Ga, 1.8-1.7 Ga, 2.5-2.4 Ga, 2.8 Ga, and 3.5 Ga, representing a multi-sourced, meta-sedimentary origin with deposition time at the early Cambrian. One mafic granulite contains zircons with concordant U-Pb ages of Neoarchean ( 2520 Ma), as well as Hf model ages of 2.8-2.6 Ga and positive εHf(t) values (up to 6.3), suggesting an accretion of juvenile crust in Neoarchean, probably as the main framework of the lower crust. Geochemical and geochronological evidence shows the mafic granulite and metagabbro were produced by underplating of magmas derived from the depleted asthenosphere and mixed with EM2-type materials during the Late Triassic (205-196 Ma). This magmatic underplating also resulted in the widespread metamorphism of the mafic lower crust and felsic middle crust (e.g., the felsic granulite and gneiss) at 202-201 Ma. We suggest the existence of a highly evolved Archean-Paleoproterozoic basement beneath the western Cathaysia block, which experienced episodic accretion and reworking and the strong rejuvenation during the Triassic. A three-layered structure of the lower crust could exist beneath the Daoxian area during the Jurassic time: its upper layer is an evolved Archean-Paleoproterozoic basement; the middle hybrid layer represents a mixture of Archean-Paleoproterozoic basement with newly accreted/reworked Proterozoic to Phanerozoic materials; and the deeper layer consists of mafic granulites derived from the
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The first Triassic dipteran (Insecta) from South America, with review of Hennigmatidae.
Lara, María Belén; Lukashevich, Elena D
2013-01-01
The first Triassic dipteran from South America is described based on an isolated wing from the lower Upper Triassic deposits of Argentina (Mendoza Province, Potrerillos Formation, Quebrada del Durazno locality). Trihennigma zavattierii gen. et sp. nov. is a member of the Mesozoic family Hennigmatidae, previously recorded only from Eurasia. A key for the genera and species of Hennigmatidae is provided and systematic position of the taxa is discussed.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
1980-10-01
Based on an evaluation of existing information, areas were identified within the Triassic basins of the southeastern United States with geologic properties considered favorable for containment of radioactive waste. The study region included both exposed and buried Triassic basins from Maryland to Georgia. These basins are long, narrow northeast-trending troughs filled with continental deposits derived from Paleozoic and Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rocks bordering the basins. The rocks are predominantly red in color and consist mainly of fanglomerates, conglomerates, arkosic sandstones, siltstones, claystones, shales, and argillites. The investigation identified 14 exposed and 5 buried basins within the study region. Candidate areas for further investigation were identified which meet the broad general criteria for tectonic stability, slow ground water movement, and long flow paths to the biosphere. These include: the Danville Triassic Basin in Virginia; the Dan River, Durham, and Wadesboro Triassic Basins in North Carolina; and the buried Florence and Dunbarton Triassic Basins in South Carolina. Other rock types in the southeast may prove more or less suitable as host rocks for a repository, but the available data suggest that the argillaceous Triassic rocks offer sufficient promise to be considered for additional study
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Karen Anderson
2013-10-01
Full Text Available The taphonomy of fishes living in lacustrine environments has been extensively studied in both the laboratory and the fossil record; the taphonomy of marine fishes, however, is poorly known. Triassic marine fishes with heavy ganoid and cosmoid scales, which provided protection from rapid taphonomic loss, offer a means to examine marine fish taphonomy in the fossil record. Four genera of Early Triassic fishes (the ray-finned actinopterygians Albertonia, Bobasatrania, Boreosomus, and the lobe-finned coelacanth (sarcopterygian, Whiteia from the Wapiti Lake, British Columbia locality of the Lower Triassic Sulphur Mountain Formation were examined in order to gain a better understanding of the taphonomy of fish in marine environments, determine ambient environmental conditions in the region during the Early Triassic, and ascertain the habitat and mode of life of the fish. Results indicate that environmental conditions that contributed to the preservation of the fossil fishes of the current study included deposition in deep, quiet waters, which reduced the odds of disarticulation, colder waters under higher pressure, which slowed decay and limited postmortem floatation, and waters that were anoxic, which discouraged predators and scavengers. In addition, the thickness of the primitive ganoid and cosmoid scales of the fossil fishes also increased their preservation potential. Taphonomic, physiological and environmental indicators suggest that Whiteia, Albertonia, and possibly Bobasatrania lived in deep, cold waters near the oxygen minimum zone, while Boreosomus lived higher in the water column. While the anatomical and physiological characteristics of modern fishes will likely continue to inhibit marine taphonomy studies, examination of ancient fish, particularly those with ganoid or cosmoid scales, may provide future avenues of research to gain a better understanding of marine fish taphonomy and provide a powerful tool to examine ancient fish behavior
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Poinssot, Ch.; Goffe, B.; Toulhoat, P.
1997-01-01
Mid-Triassic to mid-Jurassic Alpine continental deposits are known all along the former Brianconnais peninsula. They constitutes small karstic pockets on the thick Triassic calcareous series and their chemistry evolves between bauxites s.s. and aluminous argilites. Most of them were deeply buried during the Alpine orogenesis as recorded by HP-LT metamorphism. Only the deposits of the Pre-Alps were submitted to lower PT conditions (diagenesis-anchizone boundary) during their incorporation in the thrust wedge of the 'Prealpes Medianes'. These formations are known for containing traces of light elements (Li, F) and heavy elements (Zn, REE...). In order to understand the possible origin of these elements, we studied the geochemistry (major and trace elements) of two representative deposits, one in Vanoise which underwent a HP-LT metamorphism, the other one in the Pre-Alps, which was only submitted to diagenesis. Trace elements patterns allow us to preclude an autochthonous origin for these formations as well as the intervention of metasomatism, and demonstrate a granitic origin. Moreover, discrimination diagrams for granites indicate an obvious alkaline granitic origin for these deposits. In the framework of the Alpine palaeogeography, we then discuss the possible granitic sources. Two main sources can be invoked: either a Brianconnais s.s. formation (crystalline or sediments), which supposes a more intense erosion as classically admitted, or more distant sources such as the Corso-Sardinian alkaline acid-rocks, which supposes a complex palaeo-hydrography. This confirms the sedimentary origin of the light elements in these rocks and precludes the intervention of light elements-rich hydrothermal fluids migrating through Alpine metamorphic units. (author)
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Woods, Adam D.; Baud, Aymon
2008-09-01
The lower member of the Alwa Formation (Lower Olenekian), found within the Ba'id Exotic in the Oman Mountains (Sultanate of Oman), consists of ammonoid-bearing, pelagic limestones that were deposited on an isolated, drowned carbonate platform on the Neotethyan Gondwana margin. The strata contain a variety of unusual carbonate textures and features, including thrombolites, Frutexites-bearing microbialites that contain synsedimentary cements, matrix-free breccias surrounded by isopachous calcite cement, and fissures and cavities filled with large botryoidal cements. Thrombolites are found throughout the study interval, and occur as 0.5-1.0 m thick lenses or beds that contain laterally laterally-linked stromatactis cavities. The Frutexites-bearing microbialites occur less frequently, and also form lenses or beds, up to 30 cm thick; the microbialites may be laminated, and often developed on hardgrounds. In addition, the Frutexites-bearing microbialites also contain synsedimentary calcite cement crusts and botryoids (typically fracturing of the limestone and the precipitation of large, botryoidal aragonite cements in fissures that cut across the primary fabric. Environmental conditions, specifically palaeoxygenation and the degree of calcium carbonate supersaturation, likely controlled whether the thrombolites (high level of calcium carbonate supersaturation associated with vertical mixing of water masses and dysoxic conditions) or Frutexites-bearing microbialites (low level of calcium carbonate supersaturation associated with anoxic conditions and deposition below a stable chemocline) formed. The results of this study point to continued environmental stress in the region during the Early Triassic that likely contributed to the uneven recovery from the Permian-Triassic mass extinction.
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Macropredatory ichthyosaur from the Middle Triassic and the origin of modern trophic networks.
Fröbisch, Nadia B; Fröbisch, Jörg; Sander, P Martin; Schmitz, Lars; Rieppel, Olivier
2013-01-22
The biotic recovery from Earth's most severe extinction event at the Permian-Triassic boundary largely reestablished the preextinction structure of marine trophic networks, with marine reptiles assuming the predator roles. However, the highest trophic level of today's marine ecosystems, i.e., macropredatory tetrapods that forage on prey of similar size to their own, was thus far lacking in the Paleozoic and early Mesozoic. Here we report a top-tier tetrapod predator, a very large (>8.6 m) ichthyosaur from the early Middle Triassic (244 Ma), of Nevada. This ichthyosaur had a massive skull and large labiolingually flattened teeth with two cutting edges indicative of a macropredatory feeding style. Its presence documents the rapid evolution of modern marine ecosystems in the Triassic where the same level of complexity as observed in today's marine ecosystems is reached within 8 My after the Permian-Triassic mass extinction and within 4 My of the time reptiles first invaded the sea. This find also indicates that the biotic recovery in the marine realm may have occurred faster compared with terrestrial ecosystems, where the first apex predators may not have evolved before the Carnian.
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Footprints pull origin and diversification of dinosaur stem lineage deep into Early Triassic.
Brusatte, Stephen L; Niedźwiedzki, Grzegorz; Butler, Richard J
2011-04-07
The ascent of dinosaurs in the Triassic is an exemplary evolutionary radiation, but the earliest phase of dinosaur history remains poorly understood. Body fossils of close dinosaur relatives are rare, but indicate that the dinosaur stem lineage (Dinosauromorpha) originated by the latest Anisian (ca 242-244 Ma). Here, we report footprints from the Early-Middle Triassic of Poland, stratigraphically well constrained and identified using a conservative synapomorphy-based approach, which shifts the origin of the dinosaur stem lineage back to the Early Olenekian (ca 249-251 Ma), approximately 5-9 Myr earlier than indicated by body fossils, earlier than demonstrated by previous footprint records, and just a few million years after the Permian/Triassic mass extinction (252.3 Ma). Dinosauromorph tracks are rare in all Polish assemblages, suggesting that these animals were minor faunal components. The oldest tracks are quadrupedal, a morphology uncommon among the earliest dinosauromorph body fossils, but bipedality and moderately large body size had arisen by the Early Anisian (ca 246 Ma). Integrating trace fossils and body fossils demonstrates that the rise of dinosaurs was a drawn-out affair, perhaps initiated during recovery from the Permo-Triassic extinction.
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Meddah, A.; Bertrand, H.; Seddiki, A.; Tabeliouna, M.
2017-11-01
We investigate the Triassic-Liassic sequence in ten diapirs from the Saharan Atlas (Algeria). Based on detailed mapping, two episodes are identified. The first one consists of a volcano-sedimentary sequence in which three volcanic units were identified (lower, intermediate and upper units). They are interlayered and sometimes imbricated with siliciclastic to evaporitic levels which record syn-sedimentary tectonics. This sequence was deposited in a lagoonal-continental environment and is assigned to the Triassic magmatic rifting stage. The second episode, lacking lava flows (post magmatic rifting stage), consists of carbonate levels deposited in a lagoonal to marine environment during the Rhaetian-Hettangian. The volcanic units consist of several thin basaltic flows, each 0.5 to 1m thick, with a total thickness of 10–15m. The basalts are low-Ti continental tholeiites, displaying enrichment in large ion lithophile elements and light rare earth elements [(La/Yb)n= 2.5-6] with a negative Nb anomaly. Upwards decrease of light-rare-earth-elements enrichment (e.g. La/Yb) is modelled through increasing melting rate of a spinel-bearing lherzolite source from the lower (6–10wt.%) to the upper (15–20wt.%) unit. The lava flows from the Saharan Atlas share the same geochemical characteristics and evolution as those from the Moroccan Atlas assigned to the Central Atlantic magmatic province. They represent the easternmost witness of this large igneous province so far known.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Meddah, A.; Bertrand, H.; Seddiki, A.; Tabeliouna, M.
2017-01-01
We investigate the Triassic-Liassic sequence in ten diapirs from the Saharan Atlas (Algeria). Based on detailed mapping, two episodes are identified. The first one consists of a volcano-sedimentary sequence in which three volcanic units were identified (lower, intermediate and upper units). They are interlayered and sometimes imbricated with siliciclastic to evaporitic levels which record syn-sedimentary tectonics. This sequence was deposited in a lagoonal-continental environment and is assigned to the Triassic magmatic rifting stage. The second episode, lacking lava flows (post magmatic rifting stage), consists of carbonate levels deposited in a lagoonal to marine environment during the Rhaetian-Hettangian. The volcanic units consist of several thin basaltic flows, each 0.5 to 1m thick, with a total thickness of 10–15m. The basalts are low-Ti continental tholeiites, displaying enrichment in large ion lithophile elements and light rare earth elements [(La/Yb)n= 2.5-6] with a negative Nb anomaly. Upwards decrease of light-rare-earth-elements enrichment (e.g. La/Yb) is modelled through increasing melting rate of a spinel-bearing lherzolite source from the lower (6–10wt.%) to the upper (15–20wt.%) unit. The lava flows from the Saharan Atlas share the same geochemical characteristics and evolution as those from the Moroccan Atlas assigned to the Central Atlantic magmatic province. They represent the easternmost witness of this large igneous province so far known.
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Comments on Triassic pterosaurs with discussion about ontogeny and description of new taxa
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Alexander W.A. Kellner
2015-06-01
Full Text Available Eudimorphodon ranzii was the first Triassic pterosaur to be described and several specimens have been referred to this taxon mainly based on the presence of multicuspid teeth. Since this dental feature has been observed in several other pterosaurs, the revision of some specimens assigned to Eudimorphodon shows that they represent new taxa as follows: Arcticodactyluscromptonellus (comb. nov., Austriadraco dallavecchiai (gen. et sp. nov. and Bergamodactyluswildi (gen. et sp. nov.. A preliminary analysis of pterosaur ontogeny resulted in the recognition of six distinct ontogenetic stages (OS1-6. According to this classification, the holotype of Arcticodactyluscromptonellus has reached OS2, and although being ontogenetically much younger than others, the conspicuous anatomical differences lead to its exclusion from Eudimorphodon. The holotypes of Austriadraco dallavecchiai,Bergamodactyluswildi and Carniadactylus rosenfeldi have reached at least OS5, which demonstrates that the anatomical differences among them cannot be explained by ontogeny. Moreover, Bergamodactyluswildi reaches about 60% of the maximized wingspan of Carniadactylus rosenfeldi and further concurs that these specimens collected in distinct Triassic Islands of Europe are not conspecific. The present study increases the diversity of Triassic flying reptiles and further pushes the origins of this clade back to at least the Middle Triassic.
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Microbialites and global environmental change across the Permian-Triassic boundary: a synthesis.
Kershaw, S; Crasquin, S; Li, Y; Collin, P-Y; Forel, M-B; Mu, X; Baud, A; Wang, Y; Xie, S; Maurer, F; Guo, L
2012-01-01
Permian-Triassic boundary microbialites (PTBMs) are thin (0.05-15 m) carbonates formed after the end-Permian mass extinction. They comprise Renalcis-group calcimicrobes, microbially mediated micrite, presumed inorganic micrite, calcite cement (some may be microbially influenced) and shelly faunas. PTBMs are abundant in low-latitude shallow-marine carbonate shelves in central Tethyan continents but are rare in higher latitudes, likely inhibited by clastic supply on Pangaea margins. PTBMs occupied broadly similar environments to Late Permian reefs in Tethys, but extended into deeper waters. Late Permian reefs are also rich in microbes (and cements), so post-extinction seawater carbonate saturation was likely similar to the Late Permian. However, PTBMs lack widespread abundant inorganic carbonate cement fans, so a previous interpretation that anoxic bicarbonate-rich water upwelled to rapidly increase carbonate saturation of shallow seawater, post-extinction, is problematic. Preliminary pyrite framboid evidence shows anoxia in PTBM facies, but interbedded shelly faunas indicate oxygenated water, perhaps there was short-term pulsing of normally saturated anoxic water from the oxygen-minimum zone to surface waters. In Tethys, PTBMs show geographic variations: (i) in south China, PTBMs are mostly thrombolites in open shelf settings, largely recrystallised, with remnant structure of Renalcis-group calcimicrobes; (ii) in south Turkey, in shallow waters, stromatolites and thrombolites, lacking calcimicrobes, are interbedded, likely depth-controlled; and (iii) in the Middle East, especially Iran, stromatolites and thrombolites (calcimicrobes uncommon) occur in different sites on open shelves, where controls are unclear. Thus, PTBMs were under more complex control than previously portrayed, with local facies control playing a significant role in their structure and composition. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
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Belica, M. E.; Tohver, E.; Nicoll, R.; Denyszyn, S. W.; Pisarevsky, S.; George, A. D.
2016-12-01
The Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) is associated with the largest mass extinction in Phanerozoic geologic history. Despite several decades of intense study, there is ongoing debate regarding the exact timing of extinction and the global correlation of marine and terrestrial P-T sections. The terrestrial record is hampered by a lack of index fossils; however, magnetostratigraphy offers an opportunity for correlation because it relies on the global synchronicity of magnetic reversals. A magnetostratigraphic profile across the Permian-Triassic boundary has been obtained from a stratigraphically continuous terrestrial section in the Southern Sydney Basin of eastern Australia. The 60 m section is located within the Narrabeen Group, which consists of fluvial to lacustrine sandstones and mudstones. Paleomagnetic samples were collected at one meter intervals to determine a detailed reversal record. Samples were stepwise thermally demagnetized to isolate a primary remanence, and magnetic susceptibility was measured in the field at 30 cm intervals with values ranging from -0.047-2.50 (10-3 SI units). Three normal and three reverse magnetozones were detected after removal of a low temperature overprint, and the results show good agreement with the Global Magnetic Polarity Timescale as well as marine Permian-Triassic sections where the PTB is well constrained. Furthermore, a reverse polarity subchron has been identified within the normal magnetozone spanning the PTB similar to results published from the Netherlands and China. The magnetic stratigraphy suggests that the Narrabeen Group was deposited during the late Changhsingian to early Induan, and provides a revised placement of the PTB in the lower Wombarra Claystone. Integration of the magnetostratigraphy with existing isotopic datasets suggests that the terrestrial extinction in eastern Australia occurred 7.5 m below the PTB in the Changhsingian Coalcliff Sandstone. A tuff within a coal seam underlying the Coalcliff
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Fotini A. Pomoni
2013-07-01
Taking into consideration the present location of the Hallstatt Formation, in the context of the Hellenides, an area suitable for the deposition of the Hallstatt Limestones, should be located between the sub-Pelagonian (western part of the Pelagonian zone and Pindos geotectonic zones, which during the Triassic corresponded to a platform slope and a deep ocean, respectively. The widespread Middle Triassic Han Bulog Limestones (ammonoid-bearing pelagic limestones from Triassic successions of the Eastern Alps (Dinarides, Hellenides may have formed partly in similar slope environments.
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McPhee, Blair W.; Choiniere, Jonah N.
2016-11-01
It has generally been held that the locomotory habits of sauropodomorph dinosaurs moved in a relatively linear evolutionary progression from bipedal through "semi-bipedal" to the fully quadrupedal gait of Sauropoda. However, there is now a growing appreciation of the range of locomotory strategies practiced amongst contemporaneous taxa of the latest Triassic and earliest Jurassic. Here we present on the anatomy of a hyper-robust basal sauropodomorph ilium from the Late Triassic-Early Jurassic Elliot Formation of South Africa. This element, in addition to highlighting the unexpected range of bauplan diversity throughout basal Sauropodomorpha, also has implications for our understanding of the relevance of "robusticity" to sauropodomorph evolution beyond generalized limb scaling relationships. Possibly representing a unique form of hindlimb stabilization during phases of bipedal locomotion, the autapomorphic morphology of this newly rediscovered ilium provides additional insight into the myriad ways in which basal Sauropodomorpha managed the inherited behavioural and biomechanical challenges of increasing body-size, hyper-herbivory, and a forelimb primarily adapted for use in a bipedal context.
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Yager, Joyce A.; West, A. Joshua; Corsetti, Frank A.; Berelson, William M.; Rollins, Nick E.; Rosas, Silvia; Bottjer, David J.
2017-09-01
Changes in δ13Ccarb and δ13Corg from marine strata occur globally in association with the end-Triassic mass extinction and the emplacement of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) during the break up of Pangea. As is typical in deep time, the timing and duration of these isotopic excursions has remained elusive, hampering attempts to link carbon cycle perturbations to specific processes. Here, we report δ13Ccarb and δ13Corg from Late Triassic and Early Jurassic strata near Levanto, Peru, where intercalated dated ash beds permit temporal calibration of the carbon isotope record. Both δ13Ccarb and δ13Corg exhibit a broad positive excursion through the latest Triassic into the earliest Jurassic. The first order positive excursion in δ13Corg is interrupted by a negative shift noted in many sections around the world coincident with the extinction horizon. Our data indicate that the negative excursion lasts 85 ± 25 kyrs, longer than inferred by previous studies based on cyclostratigraphy. A 260 ± 80 kyr positive δ13Corg shift follows, during which the first Jurassic ammonites appear. The overall excursion culminates in a return to pre-perturbation carbon isotopic values over the next 1090 ± 70 kyrs. Via chronologic, isotopic, and biostratigraphic correlation to other successions, we find that δ13Ccarb and δ13Corg return to pre-perturbation values as CAMP volcanism ceases and in association with the recovery of pelagic and benthic biota. However, the initiation of the carbon isotope excursion at Levanto predates the well-dated CAMP sills from North America, indicating that CAMP may have started earlier than thought based on these exposures, or that the onset of carbon cycle perturbations was not related to CAMP.
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The Thickness and Volume of Young Basalts Within Mare Imbrium
Chen, Yuan; Li, Chunlai; Ren, Xin; Liu, Jianjun; Wu, Yunzhao; Lu, Yu; Cai, Wei; Zhang, Xunyu
2018-02-01
Basaltic volcanism is one of the most important geologic processes of the Moon. Research on the thickness and volume of late-stage basalts of Mare Imbrium helps better understand the source of lunar volcanism and eruption styles. Based on whether apparent flow fronts exist or not, the late-stage basalts within Mare Imbrium were divided into two groups, namely, Upper Eratosthenian basalts (UEm) and Lower Eratosthenian basalts (LEm). Employing the topographic profile analysis method for UEm and the crater excavation technique for LEm, we studied the thickness and distribution of Eratosthenian basalts in Mare Imbrium. For the UEm units, their thicknesses were estimated to be 16-34 (±2) m with several layers of individual lava ( 8-13 m) inside. The estimated thickness of LEm units was 14-45(±1) m, with a trend of reducing thickness from north to south. The measured thickness of late-stage basalts around the Chang'E-3 landing site ( 37 ± 1 m) was quite close to the results acquired by the lunar penetrating radar carried on board the Yutu Rover ( 35 m). The total volume of the late-stage basalts in Mare Imbrium was calculated to be 8,671 (±320) km3, which is 4 times lower than that of Schaber's estimation ( 4 × 104 km3). Our results indicate that the actual volume is much lower than previous estimates of the final stage of the late basaltic eruption of Mare Imbrium. Together, the area flux and transport distance of the lava flows gradually decreased with time. These results suggest that late-stage volcanic evolution of the Moon might be revised.
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Carbon cycle changes during the Triassic-Jurassic transition
Ruhl, M.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/304838357
2010-01-01
The end-Triassic is regarded as one of the five major mass extinction events of the Phanerozoic. This time interval is marked by up to 50% of marine biodiversity loss and major changes in terrestrial ecosystems. Mass extinction events are often marked by changes in the global carbon cycle. The
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Robertson, Alastair H. F.; Collins, Alan S.
2002-02-01
The Shyok Suture Zone (Northern Suture) of North Pakistan is an important Cretaceous-Tertiary suture separating the Asian continent (Karakoram) from the Cretaceous Kohistan-Ladakh oceanic arc to the south. In previously published interpretations, the Shyok Suture Zone marks either the site of subduction of a wide Tethyan ocean, or represents an Early Cretaceous intra-continental marginal basin along the southern margin of Asia. To shed light on alternative hypotheses, a sedimentological, structural and igneous geochemical study was made of a well-exposed traverse in North Pakistan, in the Skardu area (Baltistan). To the south of the Shyok Suture Zone in this area is the Ladakh Arc and its Late Cretaceous, mainly volcanogenic, sedimentary cover (Burje-La Formation). The Shyok Suture Zone extends northwards (ca. 30 km) to the late Tertiary Main Karakoram Thrust that transported Asian, mainly high-grade metamorphic rocks southwards over the suture zone. The Shyok Suture Zone is dominated by four contrasting units separated by thrusts, as follows: (1). The lowermost, Askore amphibolite, is mainly amphibolite facies meta-basites and turbiditic meta-sediments interpreted as early marginal basin rift products, or trapped Tethyan oceanic crust, metamorphosed during later arc rifting. (2). The overlying Pakora Formation is a very thick (ca. 7 km in outcrop) succession of greenschist facies volcaniclastic sandstones, redeposited limestones and subordinate basaltic-andesitic extrusives and flow breccias of at least partly Early Cretaceous age. The Pakora Formation lacks terrigenous continental detritus and is interpreted as a proximal base-of-slope apron related to rifting of the oceanic Ladakh Arc; (3). The Tectonic Melange (ocean ridge-type volcanics and recrystallised radiolarian cherts, interpreted as accreted oceanic crust. (4). The Bauma-Harel Group (structurally highest) is a thick succession (several km) of Ordovician and Carboniferous to Permian-Triassic, low
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Marina B. Soares
2011-03-01
Full Text Available The tritheledontid Riograndia guaibensis was the first cynodont described for the "Caturrita Formation" fauna from the Late Triassic of southern Brazil (Santa Maria 2 Sequence. The type materials did not preserve anatomical information regarding braincase, occiput, basicranium, zygomatic arch, postdentary bones and craniomandibular joint. Here new materials are described and supply the missing information. Riograndia shows a suite of important anatomical features quite derived among the non-mammaliaform eucynodonts, such as the partial closure of the medial orbital wall and braincase, extensive secondary osseous palate, wide primary palate, basicranium with jugular foramen separated from the periphery of fenestra rotunda, narrow zygomatic arch and much reduced postdentary bones. Many of these features constitute synapomorphies shared only with the other members of mammaliamorpha. Thus, the almost complete cranial, mandibular and dental information from the new fossils of Riograndia can bring a significant improve in the understanding of the anatomy and phylogenetic relationships of the tritheledontids and help to elucidate the transformational steps involved in the cynodont-mammal transition. Additionally, Riograndia is a key taxon in refining the "Caturrita Formation" biostratigraphy, enabling the connection of several fossiliferous outcrops that have a rich tetrapod fauna that can be correlated with other Triassic faunas from Gondwana and Laurasia.O triteledontídeo Riograndia guiabensis foi o primeiro cinodonte descrito para a fauna da "Formação Caturrita" do Triássico Superior do sul do Brasil (Sequência Santa Maria 2. Os materiais da série-tipo não forneceram informações anatômicas relativas à caixa craniana, ociput, basicrânio, arco zigomático, ossos pós-dentários e articulação crânio-mandibular. Neste artigo são descritos novos materiais que suprem as informações anatômicas não contempladas anteriormente. Riograndia
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Salt lake Laguna de Fuente de Piedra (S-Spain) as Late Quaternary palaeoenvironmental archive
Höbig, Nicole; Melles, Martin; Reicherter, Klaus
2014-05-01
This study deals with Late Quaternary palaeoenvironmental variability in Iberia reconstructed from terrestrial archives. In southern Iberia, endorheic basins of the Betic Cordilleras are relatively common and contain salt or fresh-water lakes due to subsurface dissolution of Triassic evaporites. Such precipitation or ground-water fed lakes (called Lagunas in Spanish) are vulnerable to changes in hydrology, climate or anthropogenic modifications. The largest Spanish salt lake, Laguna de Fuente de Piedra (Antequera region, S-Spain), has been investigated and serves as a palaeoenvironmental archive for the Late Pleistocene to Holocene time interval. Several sediment cores taken during drilling campaigns in 2012 and 2013 have revealed sedimentary sequences (up to 14 m length) along the shoreline. A multi-proxy study, including sedimentology, geochemistry and physical properties (magnetic susceptibility) has been performed on the cores. The sedimentary history is highly variable: several decimetre thick silty variegated clay deposits, laminated evaporites, and even few-centimetre thick massive gypsum crystals (i.e., selenites). XRF analysis was focussed on valuable palaeoclimatic proxies (e.g., S, Zr, Ti, and element ratios) to identify the composition and provenance of the sediments and to delineate palaeoenvironmental conditions. First age control has been realized by AMS-radiocarbon dating. The records start with approximately 2-3 m Holocene deposits and reach back to the middle of MIS 3 (GS-3). The sequences contain changes in sedimentation rates as well as colour changes, which can be summarized as brownish-beige deposits at the top and more greenish-grey deposits below as well as highly variegated lamination and selenites below ca. 6 m depth. The Younger Dryas, Bølling/Allerød, and the so-called Mystery Interval/Last Glacial Maximum have presumably been identified in the sediment cores and aligned to other climate records. In general, the cores of the Laguna de
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Paleomagnetism and magnetic fabric of the Triassic rocks from Spitsbergen
Dudzisz, K.; Szaniawski, R.; Michalski, K.; Manby, G.
2017-12-01
Understanding the origin and directions of the natural remanent magnetization and the tectonic deformation pattern reflected in magnetic fabric is of importance for investigation of the West Spitsbergen Fold and Thrust Belt (WSFTB) and its foreland. Previous research carried out on Triassic rocks from the study area concluded that these rocks record a composite magnetization of both, normal and reverse polarity, consisting of a primary Triassic remanence that is overlapped by a secondary post-folding component. Standard paleomagnetic procedures were conducted in order to determine the remanence components and a low-field AMS was applied to assess the degree and pattern of deformation. The AMS results from the WSFTB reveal a magnetic foliation that parallels the bedding planes and a dominantly NNW-SSE oriented magnetic lineation that is sub-parallel to the regional fold axial trend. These results imply a low to moderate degree of deformation and a maximum strain orientation parallel to that of the fold belt. These data are consistent with an orthogonal convergence model for the WSFTB formation. In turn, the magnetic fabric on the undeformed foreland displays a distinct NNE-SSW orientation that we attribute to the paleocurrent direction. Rock-magnetic analyses reveal that the dominant ferrimagnetic carriers are magnetite and titanomagnetite. The Triassic rocks are characterised by complicated NRM patterns often with overlapping unblocking temperature spectra of particular components. The dominant magnetisation is characterised, however, by a steep inclination of 70-80º. The derived paleomagnetic direction from the WSFTB falls on the Jurassic - recent sector of the apparent polar wander path (APWP) of Baltica after tectonic unfolding. These data imply that at least some of the identified secondary components could have originated before the Eurekan folding event (K/Pg), for example, in Early Cretaceous time which corresponds to the period of rifting events on Barents
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Triassic Sequence Geological Development of the Arctic with focus on Svalbard and the Barents Shelf
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Moerk, Atle
1998-12-31
Triassic rocks are of great interest for exploration in Arctic areas as they have proved to include both good hydrocarbon source rocks and potential hydrogen reservoir rocks. In this thesis, the stratigraphy and sedimentology of the Arctic Triassic successions are studied within a sequence stratigraphical framework. Inter-regional comparisons throughout the Arctic are based on comparisons of transgressive-regressive sequences. Improved dating of the studied sequences, and the recognition and correlation of sequence boundaries of second and third order, facilitate interpretation of facies distribution and the geological development both within and between the studied areas. Main emphasis is given to the Triassic succession of Svalbard and the Barents Shelf, which through this study is integrated within a circum-Arctic sequence stratigraphical framework. Good correspondence of the Triassic sequence boundaries between the different Arctic areas indicate that they are mainly controlled by eustacy, while decreasing correspondence of the sequence boundaries in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods indicate that local and large scale tectonism becomes progressively more dominant in the circum-Arctic Realm through the Mesozoic Era. These hypotheses are further discussed. 701 refs., 110 figs., 12 tabs.
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Long-term oceanic changes prior the end-Triassic mass extinction
Clémence, Marie-Emilie; Mette, Wolfgang; Thibault, Nicolas; Korte, Christoph
2014-05-01
A number of potential causes and kill mechanisms have been proposed for the end-Triassic mass extinction such as palaeoclimatic and sea-level variations, massive volcanism and ocean acidification. Recent analysis of the stomatal index and density of fossil leaves and geochemical research on pedogenic carbonate nodules are suggestive of rising atmospheric CO2 concentration and fluctuating climate in the Rhaetian. It seems therefore probable that the end-Triassic event was preceded by large climatic fluctuations and environmental perturbations in the Rhaetian which might have partly affected the composition and diversity of the terrestrial and marine biota prior to the end-Triassic interval. The Northern Calcareous Alps (NCA) has long been favored for the study of the Rhaetian, since the GSSP of the Triassic/Jurassic (T/J) boundary and other important T/J sections are situated in this region. However, the most famous Rhaetian sections in the NCA are composed of carbonates from the Koessen Formation and were situated in a large isolated intraplatform Basin (the Eiberg Basin), bordered to the south-east by a well-developed coral reef in the NW of the Tethys border. Several Rhaetian sections composed of marls and shales of the Zlambach Formation were deposited at the same time on the other side of this reef, in the oceanic Halstatt Basin, which was in direct connection to the Tethys. Here, we present new results on sedimentology, stable isotope and trace element analysis of both intraplatform and oceanic basin deposits in the NCA. Intraplatform Rhaetian sections from the Koessen Formation bear a few minor intervals of shales with enrichments in organic matter, some of which are associated to carbon isotopic excursions. Oceanic sections from the Hallstatt Basin are characterized at the base by very cyclic marl-limestone alternations. Higher up in the section, sediments progressively turn into pure shale deposits and the top of the Formation is characterized by organic
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Atmospheric Carbon Injection Linked to End-Triassic Mass Extinction
Ruhl, M.; Bonis, N.R.; Reichart, G.J.; Sinninghe Damsté, J.S.; Kürschner, W.M.
2011-01-01
The end-Triassic mass extinction (similar to 201.4 million years ago), marked by terrestrial ecosystem turnover and up to similar to 50% loss in marine biodiversity, has been attributed to intensified volcanic activity during the break-up of Pangaea. Here, we present compound-specific carbon-isotope
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A Triassic to Cretaceous Sundaland-Pacific subduction margin in West Sarawak, Borneo
Breitfeld, H. Tim; Hall, Robert; Galin, Thomson; Forster, Margaret A.; BouDagher-Fadel, Marcelle K.
2017-01-01
Metamorphic rocks in West Sarawak are poorly exposed and studied. They were previously assumed to be pre-Carboniferous basement but had never been dated. New 40Ar/39Ar ages from white mica in quartz-mica schists reveal metamorphism between c. 216 to 220 Ma. The metamorphic rocks are associated with Triassic acid and basic igneous rocks, which indicate widespread magmatism. New U-Pb dating of zircons from the Jagoi Granodiorite indicates Triassic magmatism at c. 208 Ma and c. 240 Ma. U-Pb dating of zircons from volcaniclastic sediments of the Sadong and Kuching Formations confirms contemporaneous volcanism. The magmatic activity is interpreted to represent a Triassic subduction margin in westernmost West Sarawak with sediments deposited in a forearc basin derived from the magmatic arc at the Sundaland-Pacific margin. West Sarawak and NW Kalimantan are underlain by continental crust that was already part of Sundaland or accreted to Sundaland in the Triassic. One metabasite sample, also previously assumed to be pre-Carboniferous basement, yielded Early Cretaceous 40Ar/39Ar ages. They are interpreted to indicate resumption of subduction which led to deposition of volcaniclastic sediments and widespread magmatism. U-Pb ages from detrital zircons in the Cretaceous Pedawan Formation are similar to those from the Schwaner granites of NW Kalimantan, and the Pedawan Formation is interpreted as part of a Cretaceous forearc basin containing material eroded from a magmatic arc that extended from Vietnam to west Borneo. The youngest U-Pb ages from zircons in a tuff layer from the uppermost part of the Pedawan Formation indicate that volcanic activity continued until c. 86 to 88 Ma when subduction terminated.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Xiao Jiafei; Wei Jiayong; Hu Ruizhong
2003-01-01
The superficial exposure belt experienced a longer time (about l Ma years), and formed a larger thickness (lt is usually between 100-150 m, the largest thickness is about 180 m) during late ladinian of Middle Triassic. There are very clear exposure features-the vadose pisolite, fenestral (birdeye) structure, middle-big type teepee structure, karst breccia. This is evidently a calcareous weathering crust under damp-semidamp climate condition at swell region. There are the micro-stalactite with three types: the drapestone, the dripstone, and the flowstone in cracks of the exposure belt. Their 18 O isotope composition is usually about -10‰ (PDB), 13 C isotope composition is generally between 1.5-2‰ (PDB). The 18 O isotope composition indicates that micro-stalactites are formed by fresh-water, but 13 C has slightly higher value than that of the freshwater sedimentary. This is probably the cause that meteoric water dissolved pro-formed limestone (bedrock) and obtained 13 C. Three shapes of the micro-stalactite above mentioned are typical fresh-water sedimentary in features of petrology. Thus the micro-stalactites are fresh water deposits proved by the characters of 18 O and 13 C isotope composition and petrology of micro-stalactite. (authors)
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A thin-shelled reptile from the Late Triassic of North America and the origin of the turtle shell.
Joyce, Walter G; Lucas, Spencer G; Scheyer, Torsten M; Heckert, Andrew B; Hunt, Adrian P
2009-02-07
A new, thin-shelled fossil from the Upper Triassic (Revueltian: Norian) Chinle Group of New Mexico, Chinlechelys tenertesta, is one of the most primitive known unambiguous members of the turtle stem lineage. The thin-shelled nature of the new turtle combined with its likely terrestrial habitat preference hint at taphonomic filters that basal turtles had to overcome before entering the fossil record. Chinlechelys tenertesta possesses neck spines formed by multiple osteoderms, indicating that the earliest known turtles were covered with rows of dermal armour. More importantly, the primitive, vertically oriented dorsal ribs of the new turtle are only poorly associated with the overlying costal bones, indicating that these two structures are independent ossifications in basal turtles. These novel observations lend support to the hypothesis that the turtle shell was originally a complex composite in which dermal armour fused with the endoskeletal ribs and vertebrae of an ancestral lineage instead of forming de novo. The critical shell elements (i.e. costals and neurals) are thus not simple outgrowths of the bone of the endoskeletal elements as has been hypothesized from some embryological observations.
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A basal ichthyosauriform with a short snout from the Lower Triassic of China.
Motani, Ryosuke; Jiang, Da-Yong; Chen, Guan-Bao; Tintori, Andrea; Rieppel, Olivier; Ji, Cheng; Huang, Jian-Dong
2015-01-22
The incompleteness of the fossil record obscures the origin of many of the more derived clades of vertebrates. One such group is the Ichthyopterygia, a clade of obligatory marine reptiles that appeared in the Early Triassic epoch, without any known intermediates. Here we describe a basal ichthyosauriform from the upper Lower Triassic (about 248 million years ago) of China, whose primitive skeleton indicates possible amphibious habits. It is smaller than ichthyopterygians and had unusually large flippers that probably allowed limited terrestrial locomotion. It also retained characteristics of terrestrial diapsid reptiles, including a short snout and body trunk. Unlike more-derived ichthyosauriforms, it was probably a suction feeder. The new species supports the sister-group relationships between ichthyosauriforms and Hupehsuchia, the two forming the Ichthyosauromorpha. Basal ichthyosauromorphs are known exclusively from south China, suggesting that the clade originated in the region, which formed a warm and humid tropical archipelago in the Early Triassic. The oldest unequivocal record of a sauropterygian is also from the same stratigraphic unit of the region.
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Tetrapod tracks in Permo–Triassic eolian beds of southern Brazil (Paraná Basin
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Heitor Francischini
2018-05-01
Full Text Available Tetrapod tracks in eolianites are widespread in the fossil record since the late Paleozoic. Among these ichnofaunas, the ichnogenus Chelichnus is the most representative of the Permian tetrapod ichnological record of eolian deposits of Europe, North America and South America, where the Chelichnus Ichnofacies often occurs. In this contribution, we describe five sets of tracks (one of which is preserved in cross-section, representing the first occurrence of Dicynodontipus and Chelichnus in the “Pirambóia Formation” of southern Brazil. This unit represents a humid desert in southwestern Pangea and its lower and upper contacts lead us to consider its age as Lopingian–Induan. The five sets of tracks studied were compared with several ichnotaxa and body fossils with appendicular elements preserved, allowing us to attribute these tracks to dicynodonts and other indeterminate therapsids. Even though the “Pirambóia Formation” track record is sparse and sub-optimally preserved, it is an important key to better understand the occupation of arid environments by tetrapods across the Permo–Triassic boundary.
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Permian-Triassic Tethyan realm reorganization: Implications for the outward Pangea margin
Riel, Nicolas; Jaillard, Etienne; Martelat, Jean-Emmanuel; Guillot, Stéphane; Braun, Jean
2018-01-01
We present a new conceptual model to explain the first order Permian-Triassic evolution of the whole > 30 000 km long Pangea margin facing the Panthalassa ocean. Compilation of available geological, geochemical, geochronogical and paleomagnetic data all along this system allowed us to distinguish three part of the margin: western Laurentia, western Gondwana and eastern Gondwana. These segments record distinct tectonic and magmatic events, which all occur synchronously along the whole margin and correlate well with the main geodynamic events of this period, i.e. subduction of the Paleotethys mid-ocean ridge at 310-280 Ma, opening of the Neotethys at 280-260 Ma, counterclockwise rotation of Pangea at 260-230 Ma and closure of the Paleotethys at 230-220 Ma. Between 260 and 230 Ma, the reorganization of the Tethyan realm triggered the up to 35° rotation of Pangea around an Euler pole located in northernmost South America. This implied both an increase and a decrease of the convergence rate between the margin and the Panthalassa ocean, north and south of the Euler pole, respectively. Thus, the Permian-Triassic Pangean margin was marked: in western Laurentia by marginal sea closure, in western Gondwana by widespread bimodal magmatic and volcanic activity, in eastern Gondwana by transpressive orogenic phase. Therefore, we propose that the Permian-Triassic evolution of the outward margin of Pangea was controlled by the Tethyan realm reorganization.
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Jenisch, Alan Gregory; Lehn, Ilana; Gallego, Oscar Florencio; Monferran, Mateo Daniel; Horodyski, Rodrigo Scalise; Faccini, Ubiratan Ferrucio
2017-12-01
exoskeletons is likely a function of parameters, e.g., the transport duration, the distance from life position, and the magnitude of events causing their final burial. Within the observed species, the recognition of Eustheria minuta in the stratigraphic level of the Passo das Tropas creek corroborates an age for these deposits between the late Middle Triassic and early Upper Triassic. The presence of a new form, likely related to the family Fushunograptidae in sediments from the Caturrita Formation, suggests a Jurassic age for these deposits.
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Thompson, Jeffrey R.; Hu, Shi-xue; Zhang, Qi-Yue; Petsios, Elizabeth; Cotton, Laura J.; Huang, Jin-Yuan; Zhou, Chang-yong; Wen, Wen; Bottjer, David J.
2018-01-01
The Permian-Triassic bottleneck has long been thought to have drastically altered the course of echinoid evolution, with the extinction of the entire echinoid stem group having taken place during the end-Permian mass extinction. The Early Triassic fossil record of echinoids is, however, sparse, and new fossils are paving the way for a revised interpretation of the evolutionary history of echinoids during the Permian-Triassic crisis and Early Mesozoic. A new species of echinoid, Yunnanechinus luopingensis n. sp. recovered from the Middle Triassic (Anisian) Luoping Biota fossil Lagerstätte of South China, displays morphologies that are not characteristic of the echinoid crown group. We have used phylogenetic analyses to further demonstrate that Yunnanechinus is not a member of the echinoid crown group. Thus a clade of stem group echinoids survived into the Middle Triassic, enduring the global crisis that characterized the end-Permian and Early Triassic. Therefore, stem group echinoids did not go extinct during the Palaeozoic, as previously thought, and appear to have coexisted with the echinoid crown group for at least 23 million years. Stem group echinoids thus exhibited the Lazarus effect during the latest Permian and Early Triassic, while crown group echinoids did not.
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Stumpf, Sebastian; Ansorge, Jörg; Pfaff, Cathrin; Kriwet, Jürgen
2017-07-04
A new genus and species of pycnodontiform fishes, Grimmenodon aureum , from marginal marine, marine-brackish lower Toarcian ( Harpoceras exaratum ammonite subzone) clay deposits of Grimmen in northeastern Germany is described. The single specimen represents a diagnostic left prearticular dentition characterized by unique tooth arrangement and ornamentation patterns. Grimmenodon aureum , gen. et sp. nov., is the second unambiguously identified pycnodontiform species from the Early Jurassic, in addition to Eomesodon liassicus from the early Lower Jurassic of western Europe. We also report an indeterminate pycnodontiform tooth crown from the upper Pliensbachian ( Pleuroceras apyrenum ammonite subzone) of the same site. The material expands the Early Jurassic range of pycnodontiforms significantly northwards and confirms their presence before and immediately following the onset of the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE) in the marginal marine ecosystems south of the Fennoscandian Shield. Moreover, the new records indicate that the Early Jurassic diversity of pycnodontiform fishes was greater than previously assumed and probably equaled that of the Late Triassic. Therefore, it is hypothesized that the Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction event did not affect pycnodontiform fishes significantly. Micro-computed tomography was used to study the internal anatomy of the prearticular of Grimmenodon aureum , gen. et sp. nov. Our results show that no replacement teeth were formed within the tooth-bearing bone but rather were added posteriorly to functional teeth. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A56BDE9C-40C4-4CFA-9C2E-F5FA35A66F2 Citation for this article: Stumpf, S., J. Ansorge, C. Pfaff, and J. Kriwet. 2017. Early Jurassic diversification of pycnodontiform fishes (Actinopterygii, Neopterygii) after the end-Triassic extinction event: Evidence from a new genus and species, Grimmenodon aureum . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2017.1344679.
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Giménez-Forcada, Elena, E-mail: e.gimenez@igme.es [Instituto Geológico y Minero de España — IGME, Unidad de Salamanca, Azafranal 48, 37001 Salamanca (Spain); Vega-Alegre, Marisol [University of Valladolid — UVA, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Campus Miguel Delibes, Paseo Belén 7, 47011 Valladolid (Spain)
2015-04-15
A set of analytical data from the Espadán–Calderona Triassic Domain aquifers was processed using hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA), to achieve a quantitative and independent approach to investigate the characteristics of groundwater composition and possible differences between groundwater flows from Triassic aquifers from the Espadán–Calderona Triassic Domain (Spain). Mineralization in the Triassic series has led to the presence of several metals and metalloids in groundwater, including As, Mn, Fe and U. These are associated with fresher bicarbonate groundwaters, characterized by lower Sr/Ba ratios. Levels containing sulfate evaporitic salt, which are interbedded through the Triassic series, seem to exert a strong influence on the chemistry of several groundwaters, characterized by calcium sulfate facies with high Sr concentration and high Sr/Ba ratios. The application of multivariate statistical techniques to the interpretation of analytical results allows the differentiation of groundwater types occurring in the Triassic aquifers and identification of the role of a number of minor or trace elements and their ratios that can be treated as hydrogeochemical tracers. With them it was possible to correlate the different recharge waters with the tectonic morphology of the Espadán–Calderona Triassic Domain. - Highlights: • Groundwater hydrochemistry of Espadán–Calderona Triassic Domain was investigated. • Multivariate statistical analysis and metal tracers differentiated groundwater types. • The Sr/Ba ratio and As and U concentrations are good indicators of groundwater flows. • The chemistry of groundwater flows correlates with structural morphology of recharge areas.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Giménez-Forcada, Elena; Vega-Alegre, Marisol
2015-01-01
A set of analytical data from the Espadán–Calderona Triassic Domain aquifers was processed using hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA), to achieve a quantitative and independent approach to investigate the characteristics of groundwater composition and possible differences between groundwater flows from Triassic aquifers from the Espadán–Calderona Triassic Domain (Spain). Mineralization in the Triassic series has led to the presence of several metals and metalloids in groundwater, including As, Mn, Fe and U. These are associated with fresher bicarbonate groundwaters, characterized by lower Sr/Ba ratios. Levels containing sulfate evaporitic salt, which are interbedded through the Triassic series, seem to exert a strong influence on the chemistry of several groundwaters, characterized by calcium sulfate facies with high Sr concentration and high Sr/Ba ratios. The application of multivariate statistical techniques to the interpretation of analytical results allows the differentiation of groundwater types occurring in the Triassic aquifers and identification of the role of a number of minor or trace elements and their ratios that can be treated as hydrogeochemical tracers. With them it was possible to correlate the different recharge waters with the tectonic morphology of the Espadán–Calderona Triassic Domain. - Highlights: • Groundwater hydrochemistry of Espadán–Calderona Triassic Domain was investigated. • Multivariate statistical analysis and metal tracers differentiated groundwater types. • The Sr/Ba ratio and As and U concentrations are good indicators of groundwater flows. • The chemistry of groundwater flows correlates with structural morphology of recharge areas
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Characteristics of the Triassic Source Rocks of the Aitutu Formation in the (West Timor Basin
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Asep Kurnia Permana
2014-12-01
Full Text Available DOI:10.17014/ijog.v1i3.192The Triassic rocks of the (West Timor Basin have been identified that was mainly deposited in the marine environment. The fine grained clastics and carbonate rocks of this Triassic marine facies are considered to be the most promising source rocks potential in this basin. In this paper we present geochemical and petrographic data from outcrop samples of the Triassic carbonate Aitutu Formation, due to emphasized the organic maturation, kerogen type of the organic matter and the origin of the organic matter. A representative of selected sample were subjected to the Rock-Eval Pyrolisis, vitrinite reflectance and thermal alteration index, bitumen extraction, were analyzed on the GC-MS. The samples were collected from marine deposit of the Triassic Sequence. The TOC values of the analyzed sample range between rich and rich organic richness (0.51% - 9.16%, wt.%, TOC, which consists mainly of type II and III kerogen and the organic matter consider to be predominantly oil/gas prone and gas prone potential. The thermal maturity assessed from Tmax, TAI, and vitrinite reflectance shows an immature to early peak mature stage of the organic matter. The GC-MS analyses of the biomarkers indicate mainly the organic matter derived from mixed source rocks facies containing alga debris and higher plant terrestrial origin.
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Biomechanical comments about Triassic dinosaurs from Brazil
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Rafael Delcourt
2012-01-01
Full Text Available Triassic dinosaurs of Brazil are found in Santa Maria and Caturrita formations, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. There are three species known from the Santa Maria Formation (Staurikosaurus pricei, Saturnalia tupiniquim and Pampadromaeus barberenai, and two from Caturrita Formation (Guaibasaurus candelariensis and Unaysaurus tolentinoi. These dinosaur materials are, for the most part, well preserved and allow for descriptions of musculature and biomechanical studies. The lateral rotation of the Saturnalia femur is corroborated through calculations of muscle moment arms. The enhanced supracetabular crest of Saturnalia, Guaibasaurus, Staurikosaurus, Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis, Efraasia minor and Chormogisaurus novasi suggests that basal dinosaurs may have maintained an inclination of the trunk at least 20º on the horizontal axis. The pectoral girdle articulation of basal sauropodomorphs (Saturnalia and Unaysaurus was established using a new method, the Clavicular Ring, and the scapular blade remains near 60º on the horizontal axis. This is a plesiomorphic condition among sauropodomorphs and is also seen in the articulated plateosauridae Seitaad ruessi. The Brazilian basal dinosaurs were lightweight with a body mass estimated around 18.5 kg for Staurikosaurus, 6.5 kg for Saturnalia, and 17 kg for Guaibasaurus. Pampadromaeus probably weighed 2.5 kg, but measures of its femur are necessary to confirm this hypothesis. The Triassic dinosaurs from Brazil were diversified but shared some functional aspects that were important in an evolutionary context.
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Pritchard, Adam C.; Nesbitt, Sterling J.
2017-10-01
The Triassic Period saw the first appearance of numerous amniote lineages (e.g. Lepidosauria, Archosauria, Mammalia) that defined Mesozoic ecosystems following the end Permian Mass Extinction, as well as the first major morphological diversification of crown-group reptiles. Unfortunately, much of our understanding of this event comes from the record of large-bodied reptiles (total body length > 1 m). Here we present a new species of drepanosaurid (small-bodied, chameleon-like diapsids) from the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation of New Mexico. Using reconstructions of micro-computed tomography data, we reveal the three-dimensional skull osteology of this clade for the first time. The skull presents many archaic anatomical traits unknown in Triassic crown-group reptiles (e.g. absence of bony support for the external ear), whereas other traits (e.g. toothless rostrum, anteriorly directed orbits, inflated endocranium) resemble derived avian theropods. A phylogenetic analysis of Permo-Triassic diapsids supports the hypothesis that drepanosaurs are an archaic lineage that originated in the Permian, far removed from crown-group Reptilia. The phylogenetic position of drepanosaurids indicates the presence of archaic Permian clades among Triassic small reptile assemblages and that morphological convergence produced a remarkably bird-like skull nearly 100 Myr before one is known to have emerged in Theropoda.
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Moessbauer effect study of the diagenesis on the southern Brazilian Triassic paleoherpetofauna
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Da Costa, M.I. Jr.; Holz, M.; Schultz, C.L.
1994-01-01
Moessbauer spectroscopy is applied to identify the iron contents of bony elements of southern Brazilian Triassic reptile remains, and the question of the paragenetic mineral assemblage is discussed. (orig.)
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Dumoulin, Julie A.; Burruss, Robert A.; Blome, Charles D.
2013-01-01
Complete penetration of the Otuk Formation in a continuous drill core (diamond-drill hole, DDH 927) from the Red Dog District illuminates the facies, age, depositional environment, source rock potential, and isotope stratigraphy of this unit in northwestern Alaska. The section, in the Wolverine Creek plate of the Endicott Mountains Allochthon (EMA), is ~82 meters (m) thick and appears structurally uncomplicated. Bedding dips are generally low and thicknesses recorded are close to true thicknesses. Preliminary synthesis of sedimentologic, paleontologic, and isotopic data suggests that the Otuk succession in DDH 927 is a largely complete, albeit condensed, marine Triassic section in conformable contact with marine Permian and Jurassic strata. The Otuk Formation in DDH 927 gradationally overlies gray siliceous mudstone of the Siksikpuk Formation (Permian, based on regional correlations) and underlies black organic-rich mudstone of the Kingak(?) Shale (Jurassic?, based on regional correlations). The informal shale, chert, and limestone members of the Otuk are recognized in DDH 927, but the Jurassic Blankenship Member is absent. The lower (shale) member consists of 28 m of black to light gray, silty shale with as much as 6.9 weight percent total organic carbon (TOC). Thin limy layers near the base of this member contain bivalve fragments (Claraia sp.?) consistent with an Early Triassic (Griesbachian-early Smithian) age. Gray radiolarian chert dominates the middle member (25 m thick) and yields radiolarians of Middle Triassic (Anisian and Ladinian) and Late Triassic (Carnian-late middle Norian) ages. Black to light gray silty shale, like that in the lower member, forms interbeds that range from a few millimeters to 7 centimeters in thickness through much of the middle member. A distinctive, 2.4-m-thick interval of black shale and calcareous radiolarite ~17 m above the base of the member has as much as 9.8 weight percent TOC, and a 1.9-m-thick interval of limy to cherty
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Geissman, J. W.; Chi, C. T.
2015-12-01
New paleomagnetic data from Upper Permian to Lower Triassic volcanic rocks sampled in NW Vietnam provide more quantitative constraints on the paleogeographic setting of crustal elements that comprise the Song Da Terrane, east of the Song Ma suture, between the South China block (SCB) and north Indochina. These include results from 12 sites (125 samples) from basalts of the Vien Nam Formation, exposed at Hoa Binh Dam; eight sites (74 samples) from basalts of the Cam Thuy Formation near Thuan Chau; and 19 sites (198 samples) from andesites and basalts of the Vien Nam Formation near Quynh Nhai. The collection is limited by the quality of exposures and quantity of independent flows. Most sites yield interpretable magnetizations in progressive demagnetization, and the response implies that characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) components are carried by low-titanium magnetite or hematite, or a combination of both; these are isolated from secondary components. Rock magnetic data and petrography support the retention of an early-acquired thermoremanent magnetization in most sites. The Vien Nam Formation mafic volcanic rocks yield a grand mean, in geographic coordinates, of D=33.8o, I=-28.4o ( a95 = 9.5o, k =30.3, N=9 accepted sites), and a pole position at Lat=41.1N, Long=239.8E and a paleolatitude at ~15o S during the Late Permian to Early Triassic. Permian basalts of the Cam Thuy Formation provide a grand mean, corrected for structural tilt, of D=216.1o, I=+10.5o, a95=8.9o, k=107.8, and N= 4, with a pole position at Lat=45.6N, Long=226.8E. Volcanic rocks at the Quynh Nhai locality likely yield the most robust paleofield determination, as the data set is of dual polarity and passes a reversal test. The tilt corrected grand mean (normal polarity) is D=48.3o, I=-10.0o, a95=8.0o, k=27.7, N = 13, and this in turn yields an inferred paleomagnetic pole at Lat=35.7N, Long=217.4E, and a paleolatitude of 5.1oS for the late Permian. Compared with the Late Permian
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Roberts, J.; Turchyn, A. V.; Wignall, P. B.; Newton, R. J.; Vane, C. H.
2018-01-01
The measurement of isotope ratios in sedimentary rocks deposited over geological time can provide key insights to past environmental change over important intervals in the past. However, it is important to be aware that secondary alteration can overprint the original isotopic records. We demonstrate this principle using high-resolution carbon, sulfur, and oxygen isotope measurements in organic carbon, pyrite, and carbonate minerals (δ13Corg, δ34Spyr, δ34SCAS, δ13Ccarb, and δ18Ocarb) and kerogen analyses (HI and OI) from the Wordie Creek Formation, East Greenland. These sediments were initially deposited across the Permo-Triassic transition, but as we will show, the carbonate record has been altered by interaction with meteoric water significantly after initial deposition. Comparison of the better preserved organic carbon and pyrite records with a proximal Permo-Triassic sequence reveals significant pyrite-sulfur isotope variability across the Permo-Triassic transition. This regional heterogeneity argues against basin-wide euxinia and instead suggests localized changes in sulfur fractionation in response to variations in organic carbon flux. This hypothesis can be used to explain seemingly inconsistent regional trends in other sulfur isotopes across the Permo-Triassic transition.
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Trouble Upstairs: Reconstructing Permian-Triassic Climate during Siberian Traps Magmatism
Black, B. A.; Neely, R. R., III; Lamarque, J. F.; Elkins-Tanton, L. T.; Mills, M. J.
2014-12-01
The eruption of large igneous provinces can transfer significant masses of volatiles from Earth's interior to the atmosphere. What are the consequences of this degassing for habitability and extinction? In this presentation, we consider this question in the context of Siberian Traps magmatism, which has been shown to overlap within geochronologic uncertainty with catastrophic deterioration of Permian-Triassic marine and terrestrial ecosystems. To investigate the impacts of endogenic gases on climate, atmospheric chemistry, and ocean circulation, we conducted a series of numerical experiments with a comprehensive global model for the Permian-Triassic. Our simulations predict the intensity and distribution of acid rain and ozone depletion, with implications for terrestrial biota. We further explore feedbacks between sulfur emissions, transient cooling, and shifts in ocean circulation. We suggest that Siberian Traps magmatism may have triggered several distinct kill mechanisms in the oceans and on land, contributing to a complex combined pattern of environmental stress and latest Permian ecological failure.
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Horn, Bruno Ludovico Dihl; Goldberg, Karin; Schultz, Cesar Leandro
2018-01-01
Ephemeral rivers display a wide range of upper- and lower-flow regime structures due to great flow-velocity changes during the floods. The development of flow structures in these setting is yet to be understood, especially in the formation of thick, massive sandstones. The Upper Triassic of Southern Gondwana was marked by a climate with great seasonal changes, yet there is no description of river systems with seasonal characteristics in Southern Gondwana. This work aims to characterize a ephemeral alluvial system of the Upper Triassic of the Paraná Basin. The characteristics of the deposits are discussed in terms of depositional processes through comparison with similar deposits from literature, flow characteristics and depositional signatures compared to flume experiments. The alluvial system is divided in four facies associations: (1) channels with wanning fill, characterized by low width/thickness ratio, tabular bodies, scour-and-fill structures with upper- and lower-flow regime bedforms; (2) channels with massive fill, characterized by low w/t ratio, sheet-like bodies, scour-and-fill structures with massive sandstones; (3) proximal sheetfloods, characterized by moderate w/t ratio, sheet-like bodies with upper- and lower-flow regime bedforms and (4) distal sheetfloods, characterized by high w/t ratio, sheet-like bodies with lower-flow regime bedforms. Evidence for the seasonal reactivation of the riverine system includes the scarcity of well-developed macroforms and presence of in-channel mudstones, thick intraformational conglomerates, and the occurrence of well- and poorly-preserved vertebrate bones in the same beds. The predominantly massive sandstones indicate deposition from a hyperconcentrated flow during abrupt changes in flow speed, caused by de-confinement or channel avulsion, whereas turbulent portions of the flow formed the upper- and lower-flow regime bedforms after the deposition of the massive layers. The upper portion of the Candelária Sequence
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Sodium storage in deep paleoweathering profiles beneath the Paleozoic-Triassic unconformity
Thiry, M.; Parcerisa, D.; Ricordel-Prognon, C.; Schmitt, J.-M.
2009-04-01
A major sodium accumulation has been recognized for long and by numerous authors in the Permo-Triassic salt deposits (Hay et al., 2006). Beside these basinal deposits, important masses of sodium were stored on the continents within deep palaeoweathering profiles in form of albite. Indeed, wide surfaces and huge volumes of granito-gneissic basements of the Hercynian massifs are albitized from North-Africa up to Scandinavia. These albitized rocks have usually been considered as related to tardi-magmatic metasomatic processes (Cathelineau 1986; Petersson and Eliasson 1997). Geometrical arrangement and dating of these alterations point out that these albitizations, or at least a part of them, developed under low temperature subsurface conditions in relation with the Triassic palaeosurface (Ricordel et al., 2007; Parcerisa et al., 2009). Petrology The albitized igneous rocks show a strong alteration with pseudomorphic replacement of the primary plagioclases into albite, replacement of primary biotite by chlorite and minor precipitation of neogenic minerals like albite, chlorite, apatite, haematite, calcite and titanite. Albitized rocks are characterized by their pink coloration due to the presence of minute haematite inclusions in the albite. The development and distribution of the albitization and related alterations above the unaltered basement occurs in three steps that define a vertical profile, up to 100-150 m depth. 1) In the lower part of the profile, albitization occurs within pink-colored patches in the unaltered rock, giving a pink-spotted aspect to the rock. 2) In the middle part of the profile, rocks have an overall pink coloration due to the albitization of the primary Ca-bearing igneous plagioclases. Usually, this facies develops in a pervasive manner, affecting the whole rock, but it may also be restricted to joints, giving a sharp-pink coloration to the fracture wall. 3) Finally, the top of the profile is defined by the same mineral paragenesis as in the
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Dorota Konietzko-Meier
2018-02-01
water conditions, metoposaurids may have been more active ambush predators that were capable of lateral strikes of the head. The dry season required a less active mode of life when bilateral biting is particularly efficient. This, combined with their characteristically anteriorly positioned orbits, was optimal for ambush strategy. This ability to use alternative modes of food acquisition, independent of environmental conditions, might hold the key in explaining the very common occurrence of metoposaurids during the Late Triassic.
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U–Pb geochronology and geochemistry of late Palaeozoic volcanism in Sardinia (southern Variscides
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L. Gaggero
2017-11-01
Full Text Available The latest Carboniferous to lower Permian volcanism of the southern Variscides in Sardinia developed in a regional continental transpressive and subsequent transtensile tectonic regime. Volcanism produced a wide range of intermediate–silicic magmas including medium- to high-K calc-alkaline andesites, dacites, and rhyolites. A thick late Palaeozoic succession is well exposed in the four most representative Sardinian continental basins (Nurra, Perdasdefogu, Escalaplano, and Seui–Seulo, and contains substantial stratigraphic, geochemical, and geochronological evidence of the area's complex geological evolution from the latest Carboniferous to the beginning of the Triassic. Based on major and trace element data and LA-ICP-MS U–Pb zircon dating, it is possible to reconstruct the timing of post-Variscan volcanism. This volcanism records active tectonism between the latest Carboniferous and Permian, and post-dates the unroofing and erosion of nappes in this segment of the southern Variscides. In particular, igneous zircon grains from calc-alkaline silicic volcanic rocks yielded ages between 299 ± 1 and 288 ± 3 Ma, thereby constraining the development of continental strike-slip faulting from south (Escalaplano Basin to north (Nurra Basin. Notably, andesites emplaced in medium-grade metamorphic basement (Mt. Cobingius, Ogliastra show a cluster of older ages at 332 ± 12 Ma. Despite the large uncertainty, this age constrains the onset of igneous activity in the mid-crust. These new radiometric ages constitute: (1 a consistent dataset for different volcanic events; (2 a precise chronostratigraphic constraint which fits well with the biostratigraphic data and (3 insights into the plate reorganization between Laurussia and Gondwana during the late Palaeozoic evolution of the Variscan chain.
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Maillot, Bertrand; Caer, Typhaine; Souloumiac, Pauline; Nussbaum, Christophe
2014-05-01
The Jura fold-and-thrust belt is classically interpreted as a thin-skin belt developed over a triasic décollement, which is itself topping Permo-carboniferous E-W transpressive grabens delimited by N-S strike-slip faults. These faults have been reactivated in eo-oligocene times as normal faults. Today, the basement is seismically active, suggesting that the Jura belt involves some amount of basement deformation. We tested both thin and thick-skin hypotheses using a simple rheological prototype with two potential décollements : a Triassic horizon extending below Jura and Molasse basin, and the upper-lower crust interface rooted deep south of the Alpine front close to the Penninic nappes region. Using the theory of limit analysis combined with automatic adaptive meshing, we demonstrate that the main Jura Triassic décollement can be activated with the present day topography, if its friction angle is below 5°, a counter-intuitive result, that was not foreseen by sand box models. In contrast, a thick-skin deformation involving all the upper crust is possible either only south of the Jura below the topographic depression of the Molasse basin if the upper-lower crust interface has an equivalent friction angle above 4.6°, or far beyond it towards the North, if it is weaker. Active thick-skin thrusting within the Jura belt requires further assumptions on the existence of weak zones, for which a good candidate could be the inherited eo-oligocene normal faults as previously suggested in the litterature. We also demonstrated the potential major role of the topographic depression of the Molasse basin in conveying deformation from the Alps to the Jura, and in localising thick-skin thrusting.
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Dunhill, Alexander M; Wills, Matthew A
2015-08-11
Rates of extinction vary greatly through geological time, with losses particularly concentrated in mass extinctions. Species duration at other times varies greatly, but the reasons for this are unclear. Geographical range correlates with lineage duration amongst marine invertebrates, but it is less clear how far this generality extends to other groups in other habitats. It is also unclear whether a wide geographical distribution makes groups more likely to survive mass extinctions. Here we test for extinction selectivity amongst terrestrial vertebrates across the end-Triassic event. We demonstrate that terrestrial vertebrate clades with larger geographical ranges were more resilient to extinction than those with smaller ranges throughout the Triassic and Jurassic. However, this relationship weakened with increasing proximity to the end-Triassic mass extinction, breaking down altogether across the event itself. We demonstrate that these findings are not a function of sampling biases; a perennial issue in studies of this kind.
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Development of a high resolution chemostratigraphy for the Late Triassic-Early Jurassic Newark Basin
Kinney, S.; Olsen, P. E.; Chang, C.
2017-12-01
The 6.7 km of continuous core recovered from the paleo-tropical Triassic-Jurassic Newark rift basin during the Newark Basin Coring Project (NBCP) has provided a wealth of data since the conclusion of drilling 25 years ago. These cores comprise the longest ( 30 Myr) continuously-cored record of orbitally-paced environmental change and have informed our understanding in several different areas including tropical climate change, history of CO2, mass extinctions, the geological time scale, and solar system dynamics. Despite the utility of NBCP cores for these endeavors, a critical missing dataset is a comprehensive characterization of their geochemical variations relevant to paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic interests, largely a consequence of the cost of analyses at an appropriate resolution using conventional techniques. With the advent of new technology permitting the rapid acquisition of reliable geochemical data, such limitations may no longer be an obstacle for constructing a high-resolution chemostratigraphic record for the NBCP. We present the results of a proof-of-concept study using both ICP-MS-calibrated scanning ITRAX XRF and handheld Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) using the SciAps Z-300. We will show elemental abundances at resolutions as high as 500 mm obtained using these methods from correlative sections of the Titusville and Nursery cores (Lockatong Fm.). These sections are sufficiently long to capture orbital variations and include the range of lithologies present throughout the entire section. Our preliminary results are consistent with previous, semi-quantitative means (e.g., depth ranks) of assessing Milankovitch-scale orbital variations and are also consistent with core and hole geophysical data, demonstrating that these methods can acquire meaningful geochemical data from the entire NBCP. With continued work, we aim to provide an objective characterization of orbitally-paced lake level cyclicity using geochemical proxy
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Integrated geophysical study of the Triassic salt bodies' geometry and evolution in central Tunisia
Azaiez, Hajer; Amri, Dorra Tanfous; Gabtni, Hakim; Bedir, Mourad; Soussi, Mohamed
2008-01-01
A comprehensive study, integrating gravity, magnetic and seismic reflection data, has been used to resolve the complex Triassic salt body geometry and evolution in central Tunisia. Regional seismic lines across the study area show a detachment level in the Upper Triassic evaporites, associated with chaotic seismic facies below the Souinia, Majoura, and Mezzouna structures. The Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous seismic horizons display pinching-outs and onlapping around these structures. A stack-velocity section confirms the existence of a high-velocity body beneath the Souinia Mountain. Regional gravity and magnetic profiles in this area were elaborated from ETAP (the Tunisian Firm of Petroleum Activities) measure stations. These profiles were plotted following the same layout from the west (Souinia) to the east (Mezzouna), across the Majoura and Kharrouba mountains. They highlight associated gravity and magnetic negative anomalies. These gravity and magnetic data coupled to the reflection seismic data demonstrate that, in the Souinia, Majoura, and El Hafey zones, the Triassic salt reaches a salt pillow and a salt-dome stage, without piercing the cover. These stages are expressed by moderately low gravity anomalies. On the other hand, in the Mezzouna area (part of the North-South Axis), the Triassic salt had pierced its cover during the Upper Cretaceous and the Tertiary, reaching a more advanced stage as a salt diapir and salt wall. These stages express important low gravity and magnetic anomalies. These results confirm the model of Tanfous et al. (2005) of halokinetic movements by fault intrusions inducing, from the west to the east, structures at different stages of salt pillow, salt dome, and salt diapir.
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Deep faunistic turnovers preceded the rise of dinosaurs in southwestern Pangaea.
Ezcurra, Martín D; Fiorelli, Lucas E; Martinelli, Agustín G; Rocher, Sebastián; von Baczko, M Belén; Ezpeleta, Miguel; Taborda, Jeremías R A; Hechenleitner, E Martín; Trotteyn, M Jimena; Desojo, Julia B
2017-10-01
The Triassic period documents the origin and diversification of modern amniote lineages and the Late Triassic fossil record of South America has been crucial to shed light on these early evolutionary histories. However, the faunistic changes that led to the establishment of Late Triassic ecosystems are largely ignored because of the global scarcity of fossils from assemblages a few million years older. Here we contribute to fill this gap with the description of a new tetrapod assemblage from the lowermost levels of the Chañares Formation (uppermost Middle-lower Late Triassic epochs) of Argentina, which is older than the other vertebrate assemblages of the same basin. The new assemblage is composed of therapsids, rhynchosaurids and archosaurs, and clearly differs from that of the immediately overlying and well-known historical Chañares vertebrate assemblage. The new tetrapod association is part of a phase of relatively rapidly changing vertebrate assemblage compositions, in a time span shorter than 6 million years, before the diversification of dinosaurs and other common Late Triassic tetrapods in southwestern Pangaea.
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MIDDLE TRIASSIC FORAMINIFERA FROM THE SECEDA CORE (DOLOMITES, NORTHERN ITALY
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FLORIAN MAURER
2002-11-01
Full Text Available The assemblage of foraminifera in turbidite beds in Middle Triassic basinal deposits straddling the Anisian/Ladinian boundary interval was studied in 224 thin sections. The fauna consists mainly of shallow-water inhabitants, associated with calcareous hyaline foraminifera (Lagenina of open marine environment. Due to a well established biostratigraphy in the studied interval, the first and last appearance of some shallow water, benthic foraminifera can be assigned to the Mid Triassic ammonoid stratigraphy. The species Meandrospira dinarica Kochansky-Devidè & Pantic and Arenovidalina chialingchiagensis Ho are limited to the Reitzi ammonoid zone. The species Variostoma alta Kristan and Hoyenella gr. sinensis both do not superate the Curionii zone in age in the studied succession. The biostratigraphic most important event occurs at the base of the Gredleri zone, with the appearance of the family Involutinidae Bütschli, represented by the genera Lamelliconus and Aulotortus. The faunal composition is similar to those of neighbouring paleoprovinces, but generally a lower faunistical diversification compared to foraminiferal assemblages in the Anisian or Carnian is observed.
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Sola, F.; Puga-Bernabéu, Á.; Aguirre, J.; Braga, J. C.
2018-02-01
A submarine landslide, the Alhama de Almería Slide, influenced late Tortonian and early Messinian (late Miocene) sedimentary processes in the vicinity of Alhama de Almería in southeast Spain. Its 220-m-high headscarp and deposits are now subaerially exposed. The landslide occurred at the northern slope of the antecedent relief of the present-day Sierra de Gádor mountain range. This is a large antiform trending east-west to east-northeast-west-southwest, which has been uplifting since the late Miocene due to convergence of the African and Eurasian plates. During the Tortonian, this relief was an island separated from the Iberian Peninsula mainland by the Alpujarra corridor, a small and narrow intermontane basin of the Betic Cordillera in the western Mediterranean Sea. The materials involved in the slope failure were Triassic dolostones and phyllites from the metamorphic Alpujárride Complex and Tortonian marine conglomerates, sandstones, and marls that formed an initial sedimentary cover on the basement rocks. Coherent large masses of metamorphic rocks and Miocene deposits at the base of the headscarp distally change to chaotic deposits of blocks of different lithologies embedded in upper Tortonian marine marls, and high-strength cohesive debrites. During downslope sliding, coherent carbonate blocks brecciated due to their greater strength. Phyllites disintegrated, forming a cohesive matrix that engulfed and/or sustained the carbonate blocks. Resedimented, channelized breccias were formed by continuing clast collision, bed fragmentation, and disaggregation of the failed mass. The conditions leading to rock/sediment failure were favoured by steep slopes and weak planes at the contact between the basement carbonates and phyllites. Displacement of collapsed rocks created a canyon-like depression at the southeast edge of the landslide. This depression funnelled sediment gravity flows that were generated upslope, promoting local thick accumulations of sediments during
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Love, G. D.; Cao, C.; Jin, Y.; Summons, R. E.
2004-12-01
Samples from outcrop and from a new core drilled through the Permian Triassic Boundary at the type section at Meishan have been examined for biomarker and isotopic evidence of biotic and associated environmental change. Late Permian sediments from Meishan Beds 22-27 are characterized by indicators of anoxia including low Pr/Ph ratios and abundant aryl isoprenoids and isoreneieratane derived from the precursor carotenoid isorenieratene. The latter compounds are biomarkers for green sulfur bacteria (Chlorobiaceae) and are considered reliable indicators of euxinic water columns where sulfide extends to the photic zone. The peak of Chlorobiaceae biomarker abundance coincides with a rapid and synchronous drop in the ƒO13C and ƒO15N values of kerogen. On passing up into the Early Triassic, the biomarker signal for Chlorobiaceae wanes and is almost absent by Bed 30 where it is replaced by one for cyanobacteria including abundant hopanes and 2-methylhopanes and accompanying methyl and dimethyl alkanes. A very high value for the hopane/sterane ratio from Beds 30-38 indicates continuing dominant cyanobacterial productivity and only minor inputs from an algal plankton. The prevalence of aryl isoprenoids in P-Tr sediments at the Meishan section of South China is also recorded in a recently cored borehole, Hovea-3, of the Perth Basin, Western Australia. This suggests similar paleoenvironmental conditions prevailed across the Tethys Ocean during and immediately after the P-Tr Boundary. In particular, the presence of biomarkers for Chlorobiaceae at two separate locations indicates that water column euxinia was pervasive during the extinction event and suggests that sulfide may have been a key toxic agent.
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Li, Mingsong; Ogg, James; Zhang, Yang; Huang, Chunju; Hinnov, Linda; Chen, Zhong-Qiang; Zou, Zhuoyan
2016-05-01
The timing of the end-Permian mass extinction and subsequent prolonged recovery during the Early Triassic Epoch can be established from astronomically controlled climate cycles recorded in continuous marine sedimentary sections. Astronomical-cycle tuning of spectral gamma-ray logs from biostratigraphically-constrained cyclic stratigraphy through marine sections at Meishan, Chaohu, Daxiakou and Guandao in South China yields an integrated time scale for the Early Triassic, which is consistent with scaling of magnetostratigraphy from climatic cycles in continental deposits of the Germanic Basin. The main marine mass extinction interval at Meishan is constrained to less than 40% of a 100-kyr (kilo-year) cycle (i.e., marine reptiles in the Mesozoic at Chaohu that are considered to represent a significant recovery of marine ecosystems did not appear until 4.7 myr (million years) after the end-Permian extinction. The durations of the Griesbachian, Dienerian, Smithian and Spathian substages, including the uncertainty in placement of widely used conodont biostratigraphic datums for their boundaries, are 1.4 ± 0.1, 0.6 ± 0.1, 1.7 ± 0.1 and 1.4 ± 0.1 myr, implying a total span for the Early Triassic of 5.1 ± 0.1 myr. Therefore, relative to an assigned 251.902 ± 0.024 Ma for the Permian-Triassic boundary from the Meishan GSSP, the ages for these substage boundaries are 250.5 ± 0.1 Ma for base Dienerian, 249.9 ± 0.1 Ma for base Smithian (base of Olenekian stage), 248.2 ± 0.1 Ma for base Spathian, and 246.8 ± 0.1 Ma for the base of the Anisian Stage. This astronomical-calibrated timescale provides rates for the recurrent carbon isotope excursions and for trends in sedimentation accumulation through the Early Triassic of studied sections in South China.
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Abdelkbir Hminna; Hafid Saber; Abdelouahed Lagnaoui.
2017-01-01
The late Triassic-early Jurassic volcanism of Sidi Sa?d Maachou basin belongs to the costalMeseta and the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP). The volcanic pile conformably overlies the red siltstones of Machraa Boujamaa Formation. This set includes a stack of several lava flows 40 to 80 m thick. The petrographic study shows that the textures vary from porphyritic to microlitic porphyritic. These igneous rocks have the geochemical characteristics of an intra-continental tholeiitic serie...
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Vincent Fernandez
Full Text Available Fossorialism is a beneficial adaptation for brooding, predator avoidance and protection from extreme climate. The abundance of fossilised burrow casts from the Early Triassic of southern Africa is viewed as a behavioural response by many tetrapods to the harsh conditions following the Permo-Triassic mass-extinction event. However, scarcity of vertebrate remains associated with these burrows leaves many ecological questions unanswered. Synchrotron scanning of a lithified burrow cast from the Early Triassic of the Karoo unveiled a unique mixed-species association: an injured temnospondyl amphibian (Broomistega that sheltered in a burrow occupied by an aestivating therapsid (Thrinaxodon. The discovery of this rare rhinesuchid represents the first occurrence in the fossil record of a temnospondyl in a burrow. The amphibian skeleton shows signs of a crushing trauma with partially healed fractures on several consecutive ribs. The presence of a relatively large intruder in what is interpreted to be a Thrinaxodon burrow implies that the therapsid tolerated the amphibian's presence. Among possible explanations for such unlikely cohabitation, Thrinaxodon aestivation is most plausible, an interpretation supported by the numerous Thrinaxodon specimens fossilised in curled-up postures. Recent advances in synchrotron imaging have enabled visualization of the contents of burrow casts, thus providing a novel tool to elucidate not only anatomy but also ecology and biology of ancient tetrapods.
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Ricardo N Martinez
Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The earliest dinosaurs are from the early Late Triassic (Carnian of South America. By the Carnian the main clades Saurischia and Ornithischia were already established, and the presence of the most primitive known sauropodomorph Saturnalia suggests also that Saurischia had already diverged into Theropoda and Sauropodomorpha. Knowledge of Carnian sauropodomorphs has been restricted to this single species. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We describe a new small sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Ischigualsto Formation (Carnian in northwest Argentina, Panphagia protos gen. et sp. nov., on the basis of a partial skeleton. The genus and species are characterized by an anteroposteriorly elongated fossa on the base of the anteroventral process of the nasal; wide lateral flange on the quadrate with a large foramen; deep groove on the lateral surface of the lower jaw surrounded by prominent dorsal and ventral ridges; bifurcated posteroventral process of the dentary; long retroarticular process transversally wider than the articular area for the quadrate; oval scars on the lateral surface of the posterior border of the centra of cervical vertebrae; distinct prominences on the neural arc of the anterior cervical vertebra; distal end of the scapular blade nearly three times wider than the neck; scapular blade with an expanded posterodistal corner; and medial lamina of brevis fossa twice as wide as the iliac spine. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We regard Panphagia as the most basal sauropodomorph, which shares the following apomorphies with Saturnalia and more derived sauropodomorphs: basally constricted crowns; lanceolate crowns; teeth of the anterior quarter of the dentary higher than the others; and short posterolateral flange of distal tibia. The presence of Panphagia at the base of the early Carnian Ischigualasto Formation suggests an earlier origin of Sauropodomorpha during the Middle Triassic.
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I.V. Ashchepkov
2016-07-01
Kharamai mantle clinopyroxenes represent three geochemical types: (1 harzburgitic with inclined linear REE, HFSE troughs and elevated Th, U; (2 lherzolitic or pyroxenitic with round TRE patterns and decreasing incompatible elements; (3 eclogitic with Eu troughs, Pb peak and high LILE content. Calculated parental melts for garnets with humped REE patterns suggest dissolution of former Cpx and depression means Cpx and garnets extraction. Clinopyroxenes from Ary-Mastakh fields show less inclined REE patterns with HMREE troughs and an increase of incompatible elements. Clinopyroxenes from Kuranakh field show flatter spoon-like REE patterns and peaks in Ba, U, Pb and Sr, similar to those in ophiolitic harzburgites. The PT diagrams for the mantle sections show high temperature gradients in the uppermost SCLM accompanied by an increase of P-Fe#Ol upward and slightly reduced thickness of the mantle keel of the Siberian craton, resulting from the influence of the Permian–Triassic superplume, but with no signs of delamination.
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Feng, Xueqian; Chen, Zhong-Qiang; Woods, Adam; Pei, Yu; Wu, Siqi; Fang, Yuheng; Luo, Mao; Xu, Yaling
2017-10-01
Two Anisian (Middle Triassic) marine ichnocoenoses are reported from the Boyun and Junmachang (JMC) sections located along the eastern and western margins of the Kamdian Continent, Yunnan Province, Southwest China, respectively. The Boyun ichnoassemblage is middle Anisian in age and is dominated by robust Rhizocorallium, while the JMC ichnoassemblage is of an early Anisian age and is characterized by the presence of Zoophycos. The ichnoassemblage horizons of the Boyun section represent an inner ramp environment, while the JMC section was likely situated in a mid-ramp setting near storm wave base as indicated by the presence of tempestites. The ichnofossil-bearing successions are usually highly bioturbated in both the Boyun (BI 3-5, BPBI 5) and JMC (BI 3-4, BPBI 3-4) sections. Three large, morphologically complicated ichnogenera: 1) Rhizocorallium; 2) Thalassinoides; and, 3) Zoophycos characterize the Anisian ichnocoenoses. Of these, Rhizocorallium has mean and maximum tube diameters up to 20.4 mm and 28 mm, respectively, while Thalassinoides mean and maximum tube diameters are 14.2 mm and 22 mm, respectively. Zoophycos is present in the early Anisian strata of the JMC section, and represents the oldest known occurrence of this ichnogenus following the latest Permian mass extinction. Similar to coeval ichnoassemblages elsewhere in the world, the Yunnan ichnocoenoses embrace a relatively low ichnodiversity, but their burrows usually penetrate deeply into the sediment, and include large and complex Rhizocorallium and Thalassinoides. All of these ichnologic features are indicative of recovery stage 4 after the latest Permian crisis. Anisian ichnoassemblages occur globally in six different habitat settings, and all show similar ecologic characteristics except for slightly different degrees of ichnotaxonomic richness, indicating that depositional environment is not a crucial factor shaping the recovery of the trace-makers, but may have an impact on their ichnodiversity
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kosorukovs, A.; Viss, R.
1999-01-01
Clayey fractions (particle size less than 5 μm )of the Latvian Devonian (Kuprava and Liepa deposits), Quaternary (Laza and Ugale deposits) and Triassic (Akmene deposit, Republic of Lithuania) clays have been obtained. The clayey fractions were converted in the form in which all the cations were exchanged for magnesium ions. After the ion exchange the fractions were treated with dimethyl sulfoxide or glycerol in the course for two days, one sample being subjected to thermal treatment at 550±110 C for two hours. Diffractograms for the treated samples have been obtained using a DRON-2,0 diffractometer (Co-radiation). Analysis of the obtained diffractograms show that: 1) the main clayey minerals of the Devonian clays occur to be hydromicas (mainly hydromuscovite) containing admixtures of kaolinite and quartz; 2) the main clayey minerals of the Quarternary clays also occur to be hydromicas - mixtures of hydrobiotite and hydromuscovite containing admixtures of kaolinite and iron-containing chlorite; 3) smectite occurs to be the main mineral of the Triassic clay; it contains admixtures of hydromica and chlorite; 4) the Triassic and Quaternary clays contain fine- and coarse-grained carbonates, mainly calcite, in quantities of 10-16%; 5) iron and titanium are included in fine grained minerals. (author)
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Bird, Robert T.; Pockalny, Robert A.
1994-05-01
Single-channel seismic data from the South Australian Basin and Argentine Basin, and bathymetry data from the flanks of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, East Pacific Rise and Southwest Indian Ridge are analysed to determine the root-mean-square (RMS) roughness of the seafloor and oceanic basement created at seafloor spreading rates ranging from 3 to 80 km/Ma (half-rate). For these data, crustal ages range from near zero to 85 Ma and sediment thicknesses range from near zero to over 2 km. Our results are consistent with a negative correlation of basement roughness and spreading rate where roughness decreases dramatically through the slow-spreading regime (oceanic basement roughness and spreading rate appears to have existed since the late Cretaceous for slow and intermediate spreading rates, suggesting that the fundamental processes creating abyssal hill topography may have remained the same for this time period. Basement roughness does not appear to decrease (smooth) with increasing crustal age, and therefore off-ridge degradation of abyssal hill topography by mass wasting is not detected by our data. Seismic data reveal that sediment thickness increases with increasing crustal age in the South Australian Basin and Argentine Basin, but not monotonically and with significant regional variation. We show that minor accumulations of sediment can affect roughness significantly. Average sediment accumulations of less that 50 m (for our 100 km long sample seismic profiles and half-spreading rates ocean ridges.
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Li, M.; Zhang, Y.; Huang, C.; Ogg, J. G.; Hinnov, L.; Wang, Y.; Zou, Z.; Li, L.; Grasby, S. E.; Zhong, Y.; Huang, K.
2017-12-01
The astrochronology derived from lacustrine clastic successions tied to the geomagnetic polarity time scale of the Newark Supergroup of eastern North America, known as the Newark APTS provides a basis for the Late Triassic time scale. However, the Newark APTS has been challenged regarding its age scale and completeness; therefore an independent astronomically tuned magnetic polarity zonation is required to verify the upper Newark APTS reference scale. We have compiled a 6.5 million year (myr) APTS with magnetic stratigraphy from four sections of the lacustrine-fluvial, dinosaur-track-bearing Xujiahe Formation in the Sichuan Basin of South China that has dating from detrital zircons and regional biostratigraphy. Variations in natural gamma-ray and magnetic susceptibility that reflect variable continental weathering in the source regions of the Xujiahe Formation are paced by Milankovitch cycles, especially the 100-kyr short eccentricity and 405-kyr long eccentricity. The cycle-tuned magnetostratigraphy of the Xujiahe Formation is compared directly via the magnetic-polarity zones to the depth ranks of the Newark Supergroup that are indicative of relative depositional depths of lacustrine facies. The Sichuan APTS indicates that there is no significant hiatus between the sedimentary succession and the basalt flows at the top of the Newark Supergroup. The Sichuan APTS is compatible with the magnetostratigraphy from the candidate Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the Norian-Rhaetian boundary interval at the Pignola-Abriola section of South Italy, but does not extend downward to the proposed GSSP in Austria associated with the longer Rhaetian option. The earliest dinosaur tracks in China are from the middle of the Xujiahe Formation, therefore are implied to be middle Rhaetian in age. The Sichuan APTS helps to resolve the controversy about the completeness and reliability of the Newark APTS, and can be used in the future to verify if isotopic
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Volatile earliest Triassic sulfur cycle
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Schobben, Martin; Stebbins, Alan; Algeo, Thomas J.
2017-01-01
model experiment. Exposure of evaporite deposits having a high δ 34S may account for the source change, with a possible role for the Siberian Traps volcanism by magmatic remobilization of Cambrian rock salt. A high sulfur cycle turnover rate would have left the ocean system vulnerable to development......Marine biodiversity decreases and ecosystem destruction during the end-Permian mass extinction (EPME) have been linked to widespread marine euxinic conditions. Changes in the biogeochemical sulfur cycle, microbial sulfate reduction (MSR), and marine dissolved sulfate concentrations during...... fractionation and point to a more universal control, i.e., contemporaneous seawater sulfate concentration.The MSR-trend transfer function yielded estimates of seawater sulfate of 0.6-2.8mM for the latest Permian to earliest Triassic, suggesting a balanced oceanic S-cycle with equal S inputs and outputs...
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Sato, Tomohiko; Isozaki, Yukio; Shozugawa, Katsumi; Seimiya, Kimiko; Matsuo, Motoyuki
2012-01-01
We investigated the paleo-redox change across the Triassic-Jurassic (T-J) boundary (∼200 Ma) and the Early Toarcian oceanic anoxic event (T-OAE; ∼183 Ma) recorded in the Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic pelagic deep-sea cherts in the Inuyama area, Central Japan. The present 57 Fe Mössbauer spectroscopic analysis for these cherts identified five iron species, i.e., hematite (α-Fe 2 O 3 ), pyrite (FeS 2 ), paramagnetic Fe 3 + , and two paramagnetic Fe 2 + with different quadrupole splittings. The occurrence of hematite and pyrite in deep-sea cherts essentially indicates primary oxidizing and reducing depositional conditions, respectively. The results confirmed that oxidizing conditions persisted in deep-sea across the T-J boundary. In contrast, across the T-OAE, deep-sea environment shifted to reducing conditions. The first appearance of the gray pyrite-bearing chert marked the onset of the deep-sea oxygen-depletion in the middle Pliensbachian, i.e., clearly before the shallow-sea T-OAE.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Wan Yusheng; Song Tianrui; Liu Dunyi; Yang Tiannan; Yin Xiaoyan; Zhang Qiaoda; Chen Zhenyu
2007-01-01
Sericite phyllite from the Sinian Shisanlitai Formation, Dalian area, Liaodong Peninsula, NE China, contains an assemblage of newly-formed lower-greenschist facies minerals (sericite, chlorite, Fe minerals and Ti minerals) plus aggregates of fine-grained monazite. The texture of the monazite, its mineral inclusions, and its close association with Fe oxide minerals show that it is not detrital or diagenetic, but a product of the low-grade metamorphism. SHRIMP U-Th-Pb dating of the monazite at 217±15 Ma shows that the metamorphism, and associated regional deformation and fluid flow, occurred in the Late Triassic, coeval with the waning stages of the Dabie-Sulu orogeny. The Dabie-Sulu tectonothermal event has produced both deformation and metamorphism in rocks of the eastern North China Block at least up to ∼200 km north of the main continent-continent collision zone. (author)
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A tale of two extinctions : converging end-Permian and end-Triassic scenarios
van de Schootbrugge, Bas; Wignall, Paul B.
The end-Permian (c. 252 Ma) and end-Triassic (c. 201 Ma) mass-extinction events are commonly linked to the emplacement of the large igneous provinces of the Siberia Traps and Central Atlantic Magmatic Province, respectively. Accordingly, scenarios for both extinctions are increasingly convergent and
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Horacek, Micha; Brandner, Rainer
2016-04-01
A substantial change in sedimentation rates towards higher values has been documented from the Late Permian to the Lower Triassic. Although it is assumed and also has been shown that the deposition of siliciclastic material increased in the Lower Triassic due to stronger erosion because of loss of land cover and increased chemical and physical weathering with extreme climate warming, the main sediment production occurred by marine carbonate production. Still, carbonate production might have been significantly influenced by weathering and erosion in the hinterland, as the transport of dust by storms into the ocean water probably was a main nutrient source for microbial carbonate producers, because "normal" nutrient supply by ocean circulation, i. e. upwelling was strongly reduced due to the elevated temperatures resulting in water-column stratification . Sediment accumulation was also clearly influenced by the paleo-geographic and latitudinal position, with lower carbonate production and sedimentation rates in moderate latitudes. The existence of a "boundary clay" and microbial carbonate mounds and layers in the immediate aftermath of the latest Permian mass extinction points towards a development from a short-timed acid ocean water - resulting in a carbonate production gap and the deposition of the boundary clay towards the deposition of the microbial mounds and layers due to the microbial production of micro-environments with higher alkalinity allowing the production of carbonate. After the return of the ocean water to normal alkalinity planktic production of carbonate resulted in a very high sedimentation rate, especially taking into account the absence of carbonate producing eukaryotic algae and animals.
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Systematics of putative euparkeriids (Diapsida: Archosauriformes from the Triassic of China
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Roland B. Sookias
2014-11-01
Full Text Available The South African species Euparkeria capensis is of great importance for understanding the early radiation of archosauromorphs (including archosaurs following the Permo–Triassic mass extinction, as most phylogenetic analyses place it as the sister taxon to crown group Archosauria within the clade Archosauriformes. Although a number of species from Lower–Middle Triassic deposits worldwide have been referred to the putative clade Euparkeriidae, the monophyly of Euparkeriidae is controversial and has yet to be demonstrated by quantitative phylogenetic analysis. Three Chinese taxa have been recently suggested to be euparkeriids: Halazhaisuchus qiaoensis, ‘Turfanosuchus shageduensis’, and Wangisuchus tzeyii, all three of which were collected from the Middle Triassic Ermaying Formation of northern China. Here, we reassess the taxonomy and systematics of these taxa. We regard Wangisuchus tzeyii as a nomen dubium, because the holotype is undiagnostic and there is no convincing evidence that the previously referred additional specimens represent the same taxon as the holotype. We also regard ‘Turfanosuchus shageduensis’ as a nomen dubium as we are unable to identify any diagnostic features. We refer the holotype to Archosauriformes, and more tentatively to Euparkeriidae. Halazhaisuchus qiaoensis and the holotype of ‘Turfanosuchus shageduensis’ are resolved as sister taxa in a phylogenetic analysis, and are in turn the sister taxon to Euparkeria capensis, forming a monophyletic Euparkeriidae that is the sister to Archosauria+Phytosauria. This is the first quantitative phylogenetic analysis to recover a non-monospecific, monophyletic Euparkeriidae, but euparkeriid monophyly is only weakly supported and will require additional examination. Given their similar sizes, stratigraphic positions and phylogenetic placement, the holotype of ‘Turfanosuchus shageduensis’ may represent a second individual of Halazhaisuchus qiaoensis, but no
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Preliminary study of the uranium potential of the Wadesboro Triassic basin, North Carolina
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Thayer, P.A.; Harris, W.B.
1981-11-01
This report presents results of a four-channel spectrometric survey of the Wadesboro Triassic basin and adjacent Piedmont, North and South Carolina. A total of 216 gamma-ray spectrometric measurements was taken at 165 sites in the Wadesboro Basin and at 37 sites in the adjacent Piedmont. The normal sampling density in the Wadesboro Basin is one site per 4.5 km 2 . Surface radiometric surveys reveal no anomalous radioactivity. Estimated uranium concentrations (eU) from the area are from 0.1 to 4.9 ppM. Average eU content of Triassic sandstones is 1.5 ppM, which is nearly the average for adjacent metavolcanic rocks (1.6 ppM). Granitic intrusives of the Pageland and Lilesville plutons display the highest eU concentrations in the area, averaging 3.3 ppM. The uranium/thorium ratio is consistently low throughout the area, from 0.01 to 0.54; the log uranium/log thorium ratio is from -1.11 to a maximum of 0.66. Triassic sandstones have the highest values, averaging 0.25. Granites of the Pageland and Lilesville plutons have an average uranium/thorium ratio of 0.21, and Slate Belt metavolcanic rocks average 0.15. On the basis of surface radiometric surveys and geologic studies, it is believed that sedimentary strata of the Wadesboro Basin are poor targets for further uranium exploration. This conclusion is based on the lack of many favorable characteristics associated with fluvial uranium deposits
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DOROTHEE MERTMANN
2003-11-01
Full Text Available On the Greek island of Chios, Lower Triassic sections bave delivered rich ammonoid faunas from red limestones of the Hallstatt facies. Here, we present a palaeontological description of Spathian ammonoids, which have been collected during two field campaigns by Italian-German teams (Assereto et al. 1980; Gaetani et al. 1992. The ammonoid associations are composed of Ceratitida and Phylloceratida, each order containing species of the Noritaceae, Hedenstroemiaceae, Xenodiscaceae, Dinaritaceae, Pinacocerataceae, Phyllocerataceae, Ptychitaceae, Ussuritaceae and Megaphyllitaceae. Long ranging genera, e.g. Procarnites and Leiophyllites, are present as well as endemic ones, e.g. Chiotites, which occurs exclusively in the Lower Triassic of Chios. The ammonoid association is indicative of the Prohungarites-Subcolumbites zone sensu Kummel (1973a. The haugi zone, installed as uppermost Olenekian in North America, is not represented by ammonoids on Chios.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Harris, W.B.; Thayer, P.A.
1981-09-01
This report presents results of a four-channel spectrometric survey of the northern part of the Durham Triassic basin and adjacent Piedmont, North Carolina. Gamma-ray spectrometric measurements were obtained at 112 localities from 136 different lithologies. The nominal sampling density in the Durham Basin is one site per 2 mi 2 . Surface radiometric surveys reveal no anomalous radioactivity in the northern part of the Durham Basin. Uranium concentrations in Triassic rocks are from 0.6 to 9.7 ppM and average 2.9 ppM. Mudrocks contain from 1.3 to 9.7 ppM, and the average is 4.5 ppM. Sandstones contain from 0.6 to 8.8 ppM, and the average is 2.5 ppM. Fanglomerates contain the lowest concentrations of uranium, from 1.4 to 2.0 ppM, for an average of 1.8 ppM. Uranium/thorium ratios average 0.27 for Triassic rocks and are from 0.04 to 1.85. The mean log uranium/log thorium for Triassic rocks is 0.37. Mudrock has the highest average uranium/thorium ratio (0.32), and the range is 0.09 to 0.66. Sandstones have an average uranium/thorium ratio of 0.26, and the range is 0.04 to 1.85. Fanglomerates have the lowest range uranium/thorium ratio (0.19), and the range is 0.12 to 0.19. On the basis of surface radiometric surveys and geologic studies, it is believed that sedimentary strata in the northern part of the Durham Basin are poor targets for further uranium exploration. This conclusion is based on the lack of favorable characteristics commonly present in fluvial uranium deposits. Among these are: (1) carbonaceous material is absent in Triassic rocks of the northern basin, (2) indicators of a reduzate facies in sandstones are not present, and (3) no tuffaceous beds are associated with sediments in the northern Durham Basin
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Origin of the Permian-Triassic komatiites, northwestern Vietnam
Hanski, Eero; Walker, Richard J.; Huhma, Hannu; Polyakov, Gleb V.; Balykin, Pavel A.; Tran Trong Hoa; Ngo Thi Phuong
Rare examples of Phanerozoic komatiites are found in the Song Da zone, NW Vietnam. These komatiites were erupted through continental crust and may belong to the SE extension of the Permo-Triassic Emeishan volcanic province located in SW China. They provide a good opportunity to study the source characteristics of starting plume magmas in a continental flood basalt province. Erupted on late-Permian carbonate rocks, the komatiitic rocks are interbedded with low-Ti olivine basalts. Basaltic komatiites display pyroxene spinifex textures, while more magnesian rocks (MgO up to 32 wt.%) are porphyritic, containing a single, cognate population of euhedral to elongated olivine phenocrysts with Fo up to 93.0%. This suggests a highly magnesian parental magma with 22-23 wt.% MgO. In terms of major and minor elements, the komatiites are similar to the ca. 89 Ma old Gorgona Island komatiites of Colombia. The Song Da komatiites are also strongly light-rare-earth-element- (LREE) depleted (CeN/YbN 0.30-0.62) and have unfractionated heavy rare earth element (HREE) patterns. The komatiites have high Os concentrations (up to 7.0 ppb), low but variable Re/Os ratios, and define an isochron with an age of 270+/-21 Ma, and an initial 188Os/187Os ratio of 0.12506+/- 0.00041 (γOs=+0.02+/-0.40). The Os isotopic systematics of the komatiites show no effects of crustal contamination. In contrast, their initial ɛNd values range from +3 to +8, reflecting varying but generally small degrees of contamination with Proterozoic sialic basement material. Associated low-Ti basalts have low initial ɛNd values (-0.8 to -7.5), high initial γOs values (>=15), flat or LREE-enriched REE patterns, and Nb-Ta depletion. These characteristics are also attributed to variable extents of crustal contamination.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Marie-Beatrice FOREL
2012-08-01
Full Text Available 26 samples were processed for a taxonomic study of ostracods from the Upper Permian (Changhsingian - Lower Triassic (Griesbachian interval of the Dajiang section, Guizhou Province, South China. 112 species belonging to 27 genera are recognized. Five new species are described: Acratia candyae sp. nov, Bairdia adelineae sp. nov., Bairdia? huberti sp. nov., Bairdia jeromei sp. nov., Orthobairdia jeanlouisi sp. nov. The unexpected survival faunas associated with microbial formations in the aftermath of the end-Permian extinction are documented for the first time. Ostracod biodiversity variations and palaeo-environmental modifications associated with microbial growth through the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB are discussed.
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Late nonstochastic changes in pig skin after β irradiation
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Peel, D.M.; Hopewell, J.W.; Wells, J.; Charles, M.W.
1985-01-01
Late radiation-induced changes in pig skin have been assessed following irradiation with β-rays from a 22.5- or 15-mm-diameter 90 Sr/ 90 Y source and a 19- or 9-mm-diameter 170 Tm source. Late damage, in terms of dermal atrophy, was assessed 2 years after irradiation from measurements of dermal thickness of 40-50% of the control value, occurred at a dose of approx. 40 Gy from the 22.5-mm source and approx. 75 Gy from the 15-mm source. In the case of 170 Tm the 19- and 9-mm sources produced similar degrees of atrophy at equal doses. Maximum atrophy occurred at approx. 70 Gy, when the dermis was approx. 70% of the thickness of normal skin. Significant late tissue atrophy was seen at doses, from both types of radiation, which only produced minimal erythema in the early reaction. Such late reactions need to be taken into account when revised radiological protection criteria are proposed for skin
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Geological structure and mineral resources of Algeria
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Eduard Dobra
2007-12-01
Full Text Available The hydrocarbon System Ourd Mya is located in the Sahara Basin. It is one of the producing basins in Algeria. The stratigraphic section consists of Paleozoic and Mesosoic, it is about 5000 m thick. In the eastern part, the basin is limited by the Hassi-Messaoud high zone which is a giant oil field produced from the Cambrian sands. The western part is limited by Hassi R`mel which is one of the biggest gas field in the world, it is produced from the triassic sands. The Mesozoic section lays on the lower Devonian and in the eastern part, on the Cambrian. The main source rock is Silurian shale with an average thickness of 50 m and a total organic matter of 6 % (14 % in some cases. Results of maturation modeling indicate that the lower Silurian source is in the oil window. The Ordovician shales are also a source rock but in a second order. Clastic reservoirs are in the Triassic sequence which is mainly fluvial deposit with complex alluvial channels, it is the main target in the basin. Clastic reservoirs within the lower Devonian section have a good hydrocarbon potential in the east of the basin through a southwest-northeast orientation. The late Triassic-Early Jurassic evaporites overlie the Triassic clastic interval and extend over the entire Oued Mya Basin. This is considered as a super-seal evaporate package, which consists predominantly of anhydrite and halite. For Paleozoic targets, a large number of potential seals exist within the stratigraphic column.This paper describe the main geological structure and mineral resources of Algeria.
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Georgiev, Svetoslav V.; Stein, Holly J.; Hannah, Judith L.; Henderson, Charles M.; Algeo, Thomas J.
2015-02-01
The geochemical record for the Permian-Triassic boundary in northern latitudes is essential to evaluation of global changes associated with the most profound extinction of life on Earth. We present inorganic and organic geochemical data, and Re-Os isotope systematics in a critical stratigraphic interval of pre- and post-extinction Upper Permian-Lower Triassic sediments from Opal Creek, western Canada (paleolatitude of ∼30°N). We document significant and long-lived changes in Panthalassa seawater chemistry that were initiated during the first of four magmatic or meteoritic inputs to Late Permian seawater, evidenced by notable decreases of Os isotopic ratios upsection. Geochemical signals indicate establishment of anoxic bottom waters shortly after regional transgression reinitiated sedimentation in the Late Permian. Euxinic signals are most prominent in the Upper Permian sediments with low organic carbon and high sulfur contents, and gradually wane in the Lower Triassic. The observed features may have been generated in a strongly euxinic ocean in which high bacterioplankton productivity sustained prolific microbial sulfate reduction in the sediment and/or water column, providing hydrogen sulfide to form pyrite. This scenario requires nearly complete anaerobic decomposition of predominantly labile marine organic matter (OM) without the necessity for a complete collapse of primary marine productivity. Similar geochemical variations could have been achieved by widespread oxidation of methane by sulfate reducers after a methanogenic burst in the Late Permian. Both scenarios could have provided similar kill mechanisms for the latest Permian mass extinction. Despite the moderate thermal maturity of the section, OM in all studied samples is dominantly terrestrial and/or continentally derived, recycled and refractory ancient OM. We argue that, as such, the quantity of the OM in the section mainly reflects changes in terrestrial vegetation and/or weathering, and not in
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Olivarius, Mette; Weibel, Rikke; Friis, Henrik
2017-01-01
Zircon U–Pb geochronometry, heavy mineral analyses and conventional seismic reflection data were used to interpret the provenance of the Lower Triassic Bunter Sandstone Formation. The succession was sampled in five Danish wells in the northern part of the North German Basin. The results show...... Shield did not supply much sediment to the basin as opposed to what was previously believed. Sediment from the Variscan belt was transported by wind activity across the North German Basin when it was dried out during deposition of the aeolian part of the Volpriehausen Member (lower Bunter Sandstone......). Fluvial sand was supplied from the Ringkøbing-Fyn High to the basin during precipitation events which occurred most frequently when the Solling Member was deposited (upper Bunter Sandstone). Late Neoproterozoic to Carboniferous zircon ages predominate in the Volpriehausen Member where the dominant age...
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Stratigraphy and tectonics of Permo-Triassic basins in the Netherlands and surrounding areas
Geluk, M.C.
2005-01-01
This thesis addresses different aspects of the geological development during the Permian and Triassic (300 to 200 Ma) of the Netherlands and surrounding areas. The study area encompasses the Southern Permian Basin (SPB), a large intracratonic basin stretched out from the United Kingdom in the west
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Early Triassic wrinkle structures on land: stressed environments and oases for life
Chu, Daoliang; Tong, Jinnan; Song, Haijun; Benton, Michael J.; Bottjer, David J.; Song, Huyue; Tian, Li
2015-06-01
Wrinkle structures in rocks younger than the Permian-Triassic (P-Tr) extinction have been reported repeatedly in marine strata, but rarely mentioned in rocks recording land. Here, three newly studied terrestrial P-Tr boundary rock succession in North China have yielded diverse wrinkle structures. All of these wrinkles are preserved in barely bioturbated shore-shallow lacustrine siliciclastic deposits of the Liujiagou Formation. Conversely, both the lacustrine siliciclastic deposits of the underlying Sunjiagou Formation and the overlying Heshanggou Formation show rich bioturbation, but no wrinkle structures or other microbial-related structures. The occurrence of terrestrial wrinkle structures in the studied sections reflects abnormal hydrochemical and physical environments, presumably associated with the extinction of terrestrial organisms. Only very rare trace fossils occurred in the aftermath of the P-Tr extinction, but most of them were preserved together with the microbial mats. This suggests that microbial mats acted as potential oases for the surviving aquatic animals, as a source of food and oxygen. The new finds suggests that extreme environmental stresses were prevalent both in the sea and on land through most of the Early Triassic.
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Franz, M.; Nowak, K.; Berner, U.; Heunisch, C.; Bandel, K.; Röhling, H.-G.; Wolfgramm, M.
2014-11-01
The deposition of the Stuttgart Formation ('Schilfsandstein'), commonly considered as a type-example of the Carnian Pluvial Event, was controlled by high frequent 4th order sequences that resulted in pre-, intra- and post-Schilfsandstein transgressions from Tethyan waters into the epicontinental Central European Basin (CEB). The pre-Schilfsandstein transgression flooded the CEB trough gates to the Southeast and resulted in a wide-spread inland sea that was characterised by increased biological productivity, predominantly oxic conditions and enabled the immigration of euryhaline marine fauna with plankton, ostracodes, fishes, bivalves and the gastropods Omphaloptychia suebica n. sp. and Settsassia stuttgartica n. sp. The rather short-term intra- and post-Schilfsandstein transgressions flooded the CEB from the Southwest and Southeast and established a shallow brackish inland sea that stretched up to North Germany. Both, the 4th and 3rd order sequences derived from the succession in the CEB correlate well with those derived from successions of Tethyan shelfs. Therefore pronounced circum-Tethyan eustatic cycles are evidenced and may have had considerable impact on prominent middle Carnian events: Reingraben turnover, Carnian Pluvial Event, Carnian Crisis and Mid Carnian Wet Intermezzo. The broad circum-Tethyan evidence of 106-year scale cycles suggests glacioeustatic sea-level changes even in the Triassic Greenhouse period.
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Fanka, Alongkot; Tsunogae, Toshiaki; Daorerk, Veerote; Tsutsumi, Yukiyasu; Takamura, Yusuke; Sutthirat, Chakkaphan
2018-05-01
Carboniferous biotite granite, Late Permian hornblende granite, and Triassic biotite-hornblende granite, all of which belong to the Eastern Granite Belt, expose in the Wang Nam Khiao area, Nakhon Ratchasima, northeastern Thailand. The Carboniferous biotite granite is dominated by quartz, K-feldspar, plagioclase, and biotite. The Late Permian hornblende granite contains dominant assemblages of plagioclase, quartz, K-feldspar, hornblende, and minor amount of biotite, while the Triassic biotite-hornblende granite consists of quartz, plagioclase, K-feldspar with small amounts of biotite, and hornblende. The REE patterns with steep decrease from light to heavy REE together with the LILE (e.g. K, Sr) enrichment and depletion of some particular HFSE (e.g. Nb, Ti) indicate low degree of partial melting. Mineral chemistry of biotite and hornblende in the granites reflects crystallization from hydrous calc-alkaline arc-derived magmas possibly formed by subduction. Amphibole-plagioclase thermometry and Al-in-hornblende barometry indicate that the Late Permian hornblende granite and the Triassic biotite-hornblende granite may have equilibrated at 3.0-5.8 kbar/700-820 °C and 2.0-3.2 kbar/600-750 °C, respectively, in the middle-upper crust (about 10-15 km depth). Zircon U-Pb geochronology of the Carboniferous biotite granite, Late Permian hornblende granite and Triassic biotite-hornblende granite yielded intrusion ages of 314.6-284.9 Ma, 253.4 Ma, and 237.8 Ma, respectively, which implies multiple episodes of arc-magmatism formed by Palaeo-Tethys subduction beneath Indochina Terrane during Late Carboniferous/Early Permian, Late Permian and Middle Triassic.
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Olsen, P. E.; Schaller, M. F.; Kent, D. V.; Et-Touhami, M.
2012-04-01
Eruption of the giant Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) is temporally linked to the end-Triassic extinction (ETE) event (1,2,3,4,5). Proposed killing mechanisms for plants and marine biota have included both CO2 (4) and sulfur aerosols (3,6). Here we examine the kill mechanisms of the CAMP for land animals where we seek to explain the selectivity of the extinctions. One striking aspect of Late Triassic continental communities is the prominent latitudinal provinciality with diverse crurotarsians (crocodile-relatives) and other non-dinosaurs in the tropics and much higher dinosaur diversity in the higher latitudes (7). Only a very few crurotarsian lineages survived the ETE, and a near-homogenization of continental vertebrate assemblages ensued. Background high CO2 concentration in the Late Triassic resulted in lack of polar ice and probably very high-temperature tropical continental interiors. While a doubling of CO2 associated with CAMP eruptions produced a few degree increase in average temperatures (depending on the sensitivity), plausibly leading to some tropical lethality, how this produced a mass extinction in higher, cooler latitudes is harder to explain. While successive CAMP eruptions contributed to CO2 doublings over hundreds to thousands of years, taking two orders of magnitude longer to return to background, EACH major CAMP eruption produced an abrupt sulfur aerosol cooling lasting several years or decades, depending eruption duration. But there were many of these coolings as opposed to the few super-greenhouse warmings suggested by the CO2 proxy data (4,5). The scale of these sulfur injections would have been orders of magnitude larger than anything seen historically (8) possibly leading to freezing tropical temperatures. Both cruotarsians and dinosaurs as well as most other "reptiles", with their presumably uricotelic nitrogen waste systems (9) were been relatively resistant to heat induced water stress, but the former lack insolation, while the
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TAMÁS BUDAI
2006-11-01
Full Text Available Middle Triassic history of the Southern Bakony Mts. is outlined on the base of horizontal and vertical facies changes of the formations. During the Pelsonian (Balatonicus Chron the evolution of the basins and platforms was determined basically by synsedimentary tectonics. The Felsõörs basin of the Balaton Highland opened due to the block-faulting of the Bithynian carbonate ramp (Megyehegy Dolomite. Above the drowning blocks „halfgraben” basins were formed (Felsõörs Formation, while isolated platforms developed on the uplifted ones in the middle part of the Balaton Highland and on the Veszprém plateau (Tagyon Formation. Due to the relative sea-level fall in the early Illyrian, the platforms became subaerially exposed and karstified. As a consequence of the late Illyrian tectonic subsidence (manifested by neptunian dykes the central platform of the Balaton Highland has been drowned (Camunum Subchron. On the contrary, the Anisian platform of the Veszprém plateau was totally flooded only during the latest Illyrian (Reitzi Subchron due to eustatic sea-level rise. It was followed by a short highstand period (Secedensis Chron, characterised by the first progradation of the Budaörs platform on the Veszprém plateau and highstand shedding in the basins and on the submarine high (Vászoly Limestone in the centre of the Balaton Highland basin. Due to the following rapid sea-level rise, carbonate sedimentation continued in eupelagic basin from the Fassanian (Buchenstein Formation. At the beginning of the late Longobardian highstand period (Regoledanus Chron the Budaörs platform intensively prograded from the Veszprém plateau to the southwest, causing highstand shedding in the Balaton Highland basin (Füred Limestone.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Caifu Xiang
2013-11-01
Full Text Available The Tarim Basin is a representative example of the basins developed in the northwest China that are characterized by multiple stages of heating and cooling. In order to better understand its complex thermal history, apatite fission track (AFT thermochronology was applied to borehole samples from the Tazhong Uplift Zone (TUZ. Twelve sedimentary samples of Silurian to Triassic depositional ages were analyzed from depths coinciding with the apatite partial annealing zone (∼60–120 °C. The AFT ages, ranging from 132 ± 7 Ma (from a Triassic sample to 25 ± 2 Ma (from a Carboniferous sample, are clearly younger than their depositional ages and demonstrate a total resetting of the AFT thermometer after deposition. The AFT ages vary among different tectonic belts and decrease from the No. Ten Faulted Zone (133–105 Ma in the northwest, the Central Horst Zone in the middle (108–37 Ma, to the East Buried Hill Zone in the south (51–25 Ma. Given the low magnitude of post-Triassic burial heating evidenced by low vitrinite reflectance values (Ro < 0.7%, the total resetting of the AFT system is speculated to result from the hot fluid flow along the faults. Thermal effects along the faults are well documented by younger AFT ages and unimodal single grain age distributions in the vicinity of the faults. Permian–early Triassic basaltic volcanism may be responsible for the early Triassic total annealing of those samples lacking connectivity with the fault. The above arguments are supported by thermal modeling results.
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Shi, Jie; Collignon, Olivier; Xu, Liang; Wang, Gang; Kang, Yue; Leporé, Franco; Lao, Yi; Joshi, Anand A; Leporé, Natasha; Wang, Yalin
2015-07-01
Blindness represents a unique model to study how visual experience may shape the development of brain organization. Exploring how the structure of the corpus callosum (CC) reorganizes ensuing visual deprivation is of particular interest due to its important functional implication in vision (e.g., via the splenium of the CC). Moreover, comparing early versus late visually deprived individuals has the potential to unravel the existence of a sensitive period for reshaping the CC structure. Here, we develop a novel framework to capture a complete set of shape differences in the CC between congenitally blind (CB), late blind (LB) and sighted control (SC) groups. The CCs were manually segmented from T1-weighted brain MRI and modeled by 3D tetrahedral meshes. We statistically compared the combination of local area and thickness at each point between subject groups. Differences in area are found using surface tensor-based morphometry; thickness is estimated by tracing the streamlines in the volumetric harmonic field. Group differences were assessed on this combined measure using Hotelling's T(2) test. Interestingly, we observed that the total callosal volume did not differ between the groups. However, our fine-grained analysis reveals significant differences mostly localized around the splenium areas between both blind groups and the sighted group (general effects of blindness) and, importantly, specific dissimilarities between the LB and CB groups, illustrating the existence of a sensitive period for reorganization. The new multivariate statistics also gave better effect sizes for detecting morphometric differences, relative to other statistics. They may boost statistical power for CC morphometric analyses.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
María Belén Lara
2012-01-01
Full Text Available The order Coleoptera is the most diversified group of the Class Insecta and is the largest group of the Animal Kingdom. This contribution reviews the Mesozoic insects and especially the coleopteran records from Argentina, based on bibliographical and unpublished materials (86 described species, 526 collected specimens. The material came from different geological units from the late Middle Triassic to the Late Triassic (Bermejo, Cuyo, and Malargüe basins to the Middle-Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous (Deseado Massif, Cañadón Asfalto, and San Luís Basin. The coleopteran record is composed of 29 described species with 262 collected specimens (isolated elytra mainly represented by Triassic species and only four specimens recorded in Jurassic units, all of them currently unpublished. These fossil coleopterans provide fundamental information about the evolution of insects in the Southern Hemisphere and confirm the Triassic Argentinean insect deposits to be among the most important in the world.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
FABRIZIO BERRA
1997-03-01
Full Text Available The Fraele Formation crops out in the Ortles Nappe (upper Valtellina, Northern Italy, structurally part of the Central Austroalpine Domain. It consists of fine siliciclastics alternating with carbonates, mostly limestones,rare dolostones and marls. The formation differs lithologically from the underlying Norian Dolomia del Cristallo because of different paleonvironmental evolution.The change in environmental parameters was controlled mainly by a climatic change to more humid conditions.This favoured on one hand the mobilisation and trasport by rivers of siliciclastic material from the continent to the Tethys gulf,and on the other influenced the sea-water chemistry.Freshwater influxes lowered salinity and inhibited early dolomitisation. Input of low density freshwater resulted in the astablishment of a permanent water mass stratification which influenced the benthic life. This paleoenvironmental reconstruction fits with the sudden clastic input which occurred in several palaeogeographic domains of the western Tethys realm (Austroalpine, Southalpine, Apennine, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia during the Late Norian.
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Wang, Bai-Qiu; Wang, Wei; Chen, Wei Terry; Gao, Jian-Feng; Zhao, Xin-Fu; Yan, Dan-Ping; Zhou, Mei-Fu
2013-05-01
Eastern Tibet to the west of the Yangtze Block consists of the Yidun and Songpan-Ganzi Terranes, separated by the Ganzi-Litang suture zone. The Yidun Terrane includes the Zhongza Massif to the west, but the eastern part of the Yidun terrane is covered by the Yidun Group extending from the south (Shangri-La region) to the north (Changtai region). The Yidun Group, from the base upward, includes the Lieyi, Qugasi, Tumugou and Lanashan formations, which are mainly composed of volcanic-flysch successions. Based on the ages of volcanic interlayers and plutonic intrusions, depositional ages of the Qugasi and Tumugou formations are considered to be slightly older than 230 Ma and ca. 220-230 Ma respectively, which are prominently older than the previous estimates. The Yidun Group in the Changtai region has two prominent detrital zircon age peaks at 400-480 and 880-980 Ma and a minor peak at 2.45-2.50 Ga. This pattern suggests a detritus source from the Zhongza Massif, which was a micro-continent separated from the western Yangtze Block. In contrast, the Yidun Group in the Shangri-La region has various zircon age spectra among different formations. The Qugasi Formation in this region has detrital zircon age patterns similar to the Yidun Group in the Changtai region. However, the overlying Tumugou Formation shows distinct age peaks at Triassic (220-240 Ma), Neoproterozoic (~ 720-880 Ma), and Paleoproterozoic (~ 1.75-1.90 Ga). This age pattern is similar to that of the Xikang Group of the Songpan-Ganzi Terrane to the east. The detrital zircon age difference between the Qugasi and Tumugou formations in this region indicates a transition of sedimentary sources from the Zhongza Massif to locally distributed Triassic magmatic rocks at ~ 230 Ma. It is thus suggested that the Songpan-Ganzi Terrane may have been connected to or collided with the southern part of the Yidun Terrane during the Late Triassic, whereas the Songpan-Ganzi Terrane and the northern part of the Yidun Terrane
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Dias-da-Silva, Sérgio; Pinheiro, Felipe L.; Stock Da-Rosa, Átila Augusto; Martinelli, Agustín G.; Schultz, Cesar L.; Silva-Neves, Eduardo; Modesto, Sean P.
2017-11-01
The Sanga do Cabral Supersequence (SCS), comprises the Brazilian Sanga do Cabral Formation (SCF) and the Uruguayan Buena Vista Formation (BVF). So far, the SCS has yielded temnospondyls, parareptiles, archosauromorphs, putative synapsids, and a number of indeterminate specimens. In the absence of absolute dates for these rocks, a biostratigraphic approach is necessary to establish the ages of the SCF and the BVF. It is well established that the SCF is Early Triassic mainly due to the presence of the widespread Gondwanan reptile Procolophon trigoniceps. Conversely, the age of the BVF is subject of great controversy, being regarded alternatively as Permian, Permo-Triassic, and Early Triassic. The BVF has yielded the definite procolophonid Pintosaurus magnidentis. Procolophonoidea is one of the most diverse and conspicuous terrestrial tetrapod groups of the Lower Triassic Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone in the Karoo Basin of South Africa, which preserves tetrapods from the aftermath of the end-Permian extinction event. Based on a previous interpretation that the fauna of the BVF is Permian, and in the reinterpretation of disarticulated vertebrae from SCF with 'swollen' neural arches as belonging to either seymouriamorphs or diadectomorphs, it was recently suggested that at least part of the SCF is Permian in age, which prompted this comprehensive reevaluation of both SCS's faunal content and geology. Moreoever, new, strikingly large procolophonid specimens (skull, vertebra, and a mandibular fragment) from the SCF are described and referred to the genus Procolophon. The large procolophonid vertebra described here contradicts the recent hypothesis that similar specimens from the SCF belong to seymouriamorphs or diadectomorphs, because its morphology is consistent with that found in Procolophon. There is not a single diagnostic specimen that supports the inference of Permian levels in the SCS. Accordingly, because all diagnostic and biostratigraphically informative fossils
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Marzoli, A.; Davies, J.; Valeriani, L.; Preto, N.; Cirilli, S.; Panfili, G.; Dal Corso, J.; Vasconcellos, E.; Ernesto, M.; Youbi, N.; Callegaro, S.
2017-12-01
The end-Triassic global climate changes were probably triggered by the emplacement of the CAMP (Central Atlantic magmatic province). Here we explore the possibility that CAMP intrusions triggered global warming, while CAMP eruptions triggered short-lived cooling events. The main phase of the end-Triassic environmental changes and mass extinction was marked by two carbon isotopic excursions (CIEs). Based on stratigraphic and geochronologic data, we show that the earliest CAMP intrusions were emplaced at ca. 201.6 Ma prior to the first CIE (Davies et al., 2017). The main phase of CAMP magmatism started during the first CIE at ca. 201.5 Ma and continued until the second CIE and the Triassic-Jurassic boundary (at ca. 201.3 Ma). In particular, intrusion of the over 1 million cubic km of basaltic sills in Amazonia (Brazil) and of widespread sills from North America and Africa occurred within this interval. Multidisciplinary analyses show that organic matter rich sediments close to the sills from Brazil, Morocco, and the USA underwent contact metamorphism and organic carbon depletion. Such process may have released large amounts of thermogenic gases (CO2 and CH4) leading to global perturbation of the carbon cycle and to global warming. The timing of CAMP volcanic eruptions is well constrained by combined geochronologic, stratigraphic and palynologic data. In Morocco, newly observed palynological assemblages for sediments at the top of the lava piles are nearly identical to those found at the base of the volcanic sequences. These new data combined with carbon isotopic data indicate that over 95% of the CAMP lava flows in Morocco erupted during a short time interval at the very beginning of the end-Triassic extinction interval. A similar scenario applies possibly to the lava flows from North America. CAMP basalts are quite sulfur rich (up to 1800 ppm) suggesting that CAMP eruptions emitted large amounts of SO2. Such emissions lead possibly to short-lived cooling events
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Triassic oils and related hydrocarbon kitchens in the Adriatic basin
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Novelli, L.; Demaison, G. (AGIP, Milan (Italy))
1988-08-01
Without exception, the oils from both the Abruzzi basin and Albanian foredeep are of lower Liassic to Upper Triassic origin. This is demonstrated by biological marker-based correlations between the oils and stratigraphically controlled, carbonate-rich source rocks. The biomarker studies also provided proof to conclude that many of the oils possess low API gravities and high sulfur contents because they are immature rather than biodegraded. Following the geochemical investigations, a computer-aided, basinwise maturation simulation of the hydrocarbon kitchens was carried out, with backstripping in geologic time. The simulations, performed with the Tissot-Espitalie kinetic model, used basin-specific kerogen activation energies obtained by the optimum method. These simulated values were calibrated with observed values in deep wells. Two characteristics diverge from normal petroleum basin situations (e.g., the North Sea basin): sulfur-rich kerogens in the source rocks, featuring relatively low activation energy distributions, and low geothermal gradients in the subsurface. The geographic outlines of simulated Triassic-lower Liassic hydrocarbon kitchens closely coincide with the zones of petroleum occurrence and production in the Adriatic basin. Furthermore, API gravities of the oils are broadly predicted by the mathematical simulations. This methodology has once again shown its ability to rationally high-grade the petroleum-rich sectors of sedimentary basin while identifying those areas where chances of success are extremely low regardless of the presence of structures.
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The geophysical character of southern Alaska - Implications for crustal evolution
Saltus, R.W.; Hudson, T.L.; Wilson, Frederic H.
2007-01-01
The southern Alaska continental margin has undergone a long and complicated history of plate convergence, subduction, accretion, and margin-parallel displacements. The crustal character of this continental margin is discernible through combined analysis of aeromagnetic and gravity data with key constraints from previous seismic interpretation. Regional magnetic data are particularly useful in defining broad geophysical domains. One of these domains, the south Alaska magnetic high, is the focus of this study. It is an intense and continuous magnetic high up to 200 km wide and ∼1500 km long extending from the Canadian border in the Wrangell Mountains west and southwest through Cook Inlet to the Bering Sea shelf. Crustal thickness beneath the south Alaska magnetic high is commonly 40–50 km. Gravity analysis indicates that the south Alaska magnetic high crust is dense. The south Alaska magnetic high spatially coincides with the Peninsular and Wrangellia terranes. The thick, dense, and magnetic character of this domain requires significant amounts of mafic rocks at intermediate to deep crustal levels. In Wrangellia these mafic rocks are likely to have been emplaced during Middle and (or) Late Triassic Nikolai Greenstone volcanism. In the Peninsular terrane, the most extensive period of mafic magmatism now known was associated with the Early Jurassic Talkeetna Formation volcanic arc. Thus the thick, dense, and magnetic character of the south Alaska magnetic high crust apparently developed as the response to mafic magmatism in both extensional (Wrangellia) and subduction-related arc (Peninsular terrane) settings. The south Alaska magnetic high is therefore a composite crustal feature. At least in Wrangellia, the crust was probably of average thickness (30 km) or greater prior to Triassic mafic magmatism. Up to 20 km (40%) of its present thickness may be due to the addition of Triassic mafic magmas. Throughout the south Alaska magnetic high, significant crustal growth
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Uranium isotope evidence for an expansion of marine anoxia during the end-Triassic extinction
Jost, Adam B.; Bachan, Aviv; van de Schootbrugge, Bas; Lau, Kimberly V.; Weaver, Karrie L.; Maher, Kate; Payne, Jonathan L.
The end-Triassic extinction coincided with an increase in marine black shale deposition and biomarkers for photic zone euxinia, suggesting that anoxia played a role in suppressing marine biodiversity. However, global changes in ocean anoxia are difficult to quantify using proxies for local anoxia.
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Palaeoclimatic trends deduced from the hydrochemistry of a Triassic sandstone aquifer, U.K
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Bath, A.H.; Edmunds, W.M.; Andrews, J.N.
1978-01-01
A detailed geochemical study (elemental, isotopic and dissolved inert gases) of unconfined and confined sections of the Triassic non-marine sandstone aquifer in Eastern England has been undertaken. Aspects of the recharge history of this aquifer over the past 40 000 years are revealed by examination of the data. (orig./HK) [de
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Riel, Nicolas; Jaillard, Etienne; Guillot, Stéphane; Martelat, Jean-Emmanuel; Braun, Jean
2013-04-01
From Permian to Triassic times, tectonic plate reorganization provoked Pangaea breakup, counterclockwise rotation of Gondwana, closing of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean and opening of the Neo-Tethys oceanic realm. Meanwhile, the switch from arc volcanism to widespread S-type magmatism along the western South American active margin around 275-265 Ma is symptomatic of the onset of a large-scale Permian-Triassic thermal anomaly (PTTA)affecting the whole margin. Here we report metamorphic and U-Pb geochronological results from the El Oro metamorphic complex in the forearc zone of southwestern Ecuador, which recorded the last step, at 230-225 Ma, of the PTTA. The change in the drift direction of Gondwana from north to east at ca. 270 Ma was related to plate reorganization and provoked the verticalization of the subducted Panthalassa slab. As the slab verticalized, strong heat advection produced a high heat flow beneath the active margin inducing the development of a huge thermal anomaly responsible for the PTTA, which lasted 30 Ma. This voluminous magmatic activity culminated at the Permian-Triassic boundary, and may have contributed to the degradation of life conditions on the Earth surface.
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Lambkin, Kevin J
2016-03-15
The extinct hemipteran family Dysmorphoptilidae was a major component of the Triassic insect fauna of Queensland preserved at the Denmark Hill, Dinmore, Mount Crosby and Gayndah fossil insect sites. A total of 13 species have now been identified, of which eight species in five genera were examined in the first part of this revision. This second part revises the remaining five species in three genera. Eoscartoides Evans, 1956 (= Mesonirvana Evans, 1956, syn. nov.), comprising Eoscartoides bryani Evans, 1956 (= Mesonirvana abrupta Evans, 1956, syn. nov.) (Mount Crosby), Eoscartoides orthocladus (Tillyard, 1922) comb. nov. (Denmark Hill), and Eoscartoides dmitryi sp. nov. (Dinmore), is distinguished by a strongly developed arc-like strigil in the basal costal space, a very short stem of RA, and a deeply forked M1+2. The monotypic Eoscarterella Evans, 1956, with type species Eoscarterella media Evans, 1956 (Mount Crosby), has a strongly lobate tegmen with peculiar surface sculpture and M1+2 simple. Eoscartoides and Eoscarterella differ from most dysmorphoptilids in having more or less lobate tegmina with even margins (without the antero-apical emargination so typical of the family), as well as the early entry of RA1 into the costal margin and the associated extensive and antero-apically positioned RA2. These characters are also shared with two other dysmorphoptilids, the Australian Permian Belmontocarta Evans and an unnamed Triassic species from Kyrgyzstan, and the four thus form a distinct subgroup within the family. On the other hand, the monotypic Trifidella Evans, 1956 (= Alotrifidus Evans, 1956, syn. nov.), with type species Trifidella perfecta Evans, 1956 (= Alotrifidus interruptus Evans, 1956, syn. nov.) (Mount Crosby), is a more typical dysmorphoptilid with a distinct emargination, RA entering the margin much more apically, and RA2 of limited extent. Trifidella is presumably the sister of the Queensland Triassic Dysmorphoptiloides Evans, sharing the basal
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Xu, Guang-Hui; Zhao, Li-Jun; Gao, Ke-Qin; Wu, Fei-Xiang
2013-01-07
Flying fishes are extraordinary aquatic vertebrates capable of gliding great distances over water by exploiting their enlarged pectoral fins and asymmetrical caudal fin. Some 50 species of extant flying fishes are classified in the Exocoetidae (Neopterygii: Teleostei), which have a fossil record no older than the Eocene. The Thoracopteridae is the only pre-Cenozoic group of non-teleosts that shows an array of features associated with the capability of over-water gliding. Until recently, however, the fossil record of the Thoracopteridae has been limited to the Upper Triassic of Austria and Italy. Here, we report the discovery of exceptionally well-preserved fossils of a new thoracopterid flying fish from the Middle Triassic of China, which represents the earliest evidence of an over-water gliding strategy in vertebrates. The results of a phylogenetic analysis resolve the Thoracopteridae as a stem-group of the Neopterygii that is more crown-ward than the Peltopleuriformes, yet more basal than the Luganoiiformes. As the first record of the Thoracopteride in Asia, this new discovery extends the geographical distribution of this group from the western to eastern rim of the Palaeotethys Ocean, providing new evidence to support the Triassic biological exchanges between Europe and southern China. Additionally, the Middle Triassic date of the new thoracopterid supports the hypothesis that the re-establishment of marine ecosystems after end-Permian mass extinction is more rapid than previously thought.
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Mineralogy and petrography of samples of Permo-Triassic sedimentary strata from Cumbria
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kemp, S.J.; Milodowski, A.E.; Bloodworth, A.J.
1989-03-01
The mineralogy and petrography of Permo-Triassic sediments from Cumbria are described. The samples are duplicates of those selected for sorption experiments by Harwell Laboratory and are considered representative of Permo-Triassic strata underlying the BNFL Sellafield site. The regional geological context of the samples is briefly discussed. X-ray diffraction analysis indicates that the St Bees Sandstone and Eden Shales samples are predominantly composed of quartz with minor feldspar, gypsum and hematite. The clay assemblage is formed of dioctahedral mica and trioctahedral chloride with minor kaolinite. Diagnostic testing also reveals the presence of corrensite, a regularly interstratified chlorite-smectite, in one of the samples. Possible diagenetic processes responsible for corrensite formation, including the alteration of originally deposited smectite by magnesium-rich pore waters, are discussed. Modelling of the diffraction profile indicates that the chlorite and corrensite are iron-rich species. Back scattered electron microscopy shows the samples to be typical red bed sediments exhibiting framework grain dissolution, the breakdown and replacement of unstable ferromagnesian minerals being accompanied by the precipitation of hematite and anatase. Particle-size analysis shows similar distributions for the St Bees Sandstone samples but a greater proportion of clay material in the Eden Shales. (author)
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Magnetic microsperules in Permian and Triassic bedded chert from Southwest Japan
Iwahashi,Junko; Yoshida,Masaru; Miono,Shigeyoshi; Santosh,Geetha; Santosh,M.
1991-01-01
Magnetic microspherules collected from the Permian and Triassic bedded cherts in Southwest Japan were studied. The size range, as estimated from 801 microspherules, vary from 3 to 100μm, with a peak size distribution between 10-20μm. Three broad shapes are recognized : spherical-, drop- and rocket-shaped, all categories including hollow particles. The surface textures as studied from scanning electron microscope show five dominant varieties : random mosaic, dendritic mosaic, feather crystal, ...
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The Triassic upwelling system of Arctic Alaska
Yurchenko, I.; Graham, S. A.
2017-12-01
The Middle to Upper Triassic Shublik Formation of Arctic Alaska is a laterally and vertically heterogeneous rock unit that has been analyzed both in outcrop and in the subsurface. The Shublik Formation sediments are distinguished by a characteristic set of lithologies that include glauconitic, phosphatic, organic-rich, and cherty facies consistent with a coastal upwelling zone deposition interpretation. It is often recognized by abundance of impressions and shells of distinctive Triassic bivalves. To understand main controls on lithofacies distributions, this study reviews and refines lithologic and paleoenvironmental interpretations of the Shublik Formation, and incorporates the newly acquired detailed geochemical analyses of two complete Shublik cores. This work focuses on organic geochemistry (analyses of biomarkers and diamondoids), chemostratigraphy (hand-held XRF), and iron speciation analysis to reconstruct paleoproductivity and redox conditions. Based on the available evidence, during Shublik deposition, an upwelling-influenced open shelf resulted in high nutrient supply that stimulated algal blooms leading to high net organic productivity, reduced water transparency, oxygen deficiency, and water column stratification. Evidence of such eutrophic conditions is indicated by the lack of photic benthic organisms, bioturbation and trace fossils, and dominance of the monospecific light-independent epibenthic bivalves. The flat, subcircular, thin shells of these carbonate-secreting organisms allowed them to adapt to dysoxic conditions, and float on soft, soupy, muddy substrate. The distinctive clay- and organic-rich facies with abundant bivalves occurred on the mid to outer stable broad shelf, and were deposited when organic productivity at times overlapped with periods of increased siliciclastic input controlled by sea level and changes in local sediment dispersal systems, and therefore are more spatially and temporally localized than the widespread clay
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Gehrels, G.E.; Stewart, John H.
1998-01-01
One hundred and eighty two individual detrital zircon grains from Cambrian through Permian miogeoclinal strata, Ordovician eugeoclinal rocks, and Triassic post-orogenic sediments in northwestern Sonora have been analyzed. During Cambrian, Devonian, Permian, and Triassic time, most zircons accumulating along this part of the Cordilleran margin were shed from 1.40-1.45 and 1.62-1.78 Ga igneous rocks that are widespread in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Zircons with ages of approximately 1.11 Ga are common in Cambrian strata and were apparently shed from granite bodies near the sample site. The sources of 225-280 Ma zircons in our Triassic sample are more problematic, as few igneous rocks of these ages are recognized in northwestern Mexico. Such sources may be present but unrecognized, or the grains could have been derived from igneous rocks of the appropriate ages to the northwest in the Mojave Desert region, to the east in Chihuahua and Coahuila, or to the south in accreted(?) arc-type terranes. Because the zircon grains in our Cambrian and Devonian to Triassic samples could have accumulated in proximity to basement rocks near their present position or in the Death Valley region of southern California, our data do not support or refute the existence of the Mojave-Sonora megashear. Ordovician strata of both miogeoclinal and eugeoclinal affinity are dominated by >1.77 Ga detrital zircons, which are considerably older than most basement rocks in the region. Zircon grains in the miogeoclinal sample were apparently derived from the Peace River arch area of northwestern Canada and transported southward by longshore currents. The eugeoclinal grains may also have come from the Peace River arch region, with southward transport by either sedimentary or tectonic processes, or they may have been shed from off-shelf slivers of continents (perhaps Antarctica?) removed from the Cordilleran margin during Neoproterozoic rifting. It is also possible that the
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Cavin, Lionel; Grădinaru, Eugen
2014-06-01
The Early Triassic witnessed the highest taxic diversity of coelacanths (or Actinistia), a clade with a single living genus today. This peak of diversity is accentuated here with the description of a new coelacanth discovered in the lower Spathian (Upper Olenekian, Lower Triassic) cropping out in the Tulcea Veche (Old Tulcea) promontory, in the city of Tulcea, in North Dobrogea, Romania. The bone remains were preserved in a block of limestone, which was chemically dissolved. The resulting 3D and matrix-free ossifications correspond mostly to elements of the skull and branchial apparatus. Posterior parietals, postparietal with associated prootic and basisphenoid allow a precise description of the neurocranium. Ossifications of the lower jaw, together with branchial and pectoral elements, complete the description of this coelacanth and support the coining of a new generic and specific name, Dobrogeria aegyssensis. A phylogenetic analysis of actinistians with the new species recovers clades which were found in most recent analyses, i.e. the Sasseniidae, the Laugiidae, the Coelacanthiformes, the Latimerioidei, the Mawsoniidae and the Latimeriidae, and identifies the new taxon as a non-latimerioid coelacanthiform.
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Warsitzka, Michael; Kley, Jonas; Jähne-Klingberg, Fabian; Kukowski, Nina
2017-01-01
The formation of salt structures exerted a major influence on the evolution of subsidence and sedimentation patterns in the Glückstadt Graben, which is part of the Central European Basin System and comprises a post-Permian sediment thickness of up to 11 km. Driven by regional tectonics and differential loading, large salt diapirs, salt walls and salt pillows developed. The resulting salt flow significantly influenced sediment distribution in the peripheral sinks adjacent to the salt structures and overprinted the regional subsidence patterns. In this study, we investigate the geometric and temporal evolution of salt structures and subsidence patterns in the central Glückstadt Graben. Along a key geological cross section, the post-Permian strata were sequentially decompacted and restored in order to reconstruct the subsidence history of minibasins between the salt structures. The structural restoration reveals that subsidence of peripheral sinks and salt structure growth were initiated in Early to Middle Triassic time. From the Late Triassic to the Middle Jurassic, salt movement and salt structure growth never ceased, but were faster during periods of crustal extension. Following a phase from Late Jurassic to the end of the early Late Cretaceous, in which minor salt flow occurred, salt movement was renewed, particularly in the marginal parts of the Glückstadt Graben. Subsidence rates and tectonic subsidence derived from backstripping of 1D profiles reveal that especially the Early Triassic and Middle Keuper times were periods of regional extension. Three specific types of salt structures and adjacent peripheral sinks could be identified: (1) Graben centre salt walls possessing deep secondary peripheral sinks on the sides facing away from the basin centre, (2) platform salt walls, whose main peripheral sinks switched multiple times from one side of the salt wall to the other, and (3) Graben edge pillows, which show only one peripheral sink facing the basin centre.
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Rørbye, C; Nørgaard, M; Nilas, Lisbeth
2004-01-01
on day 15 were greater among late failures than successes. Used as a predictive test, the positive predictive values of these variables were low. CONCLUSION: Neither beta-hCG nor endometrial thickness can be used clinically as diagnostic tests in predicting late failure after medical abortion.......BACKGROUND: Surgical treatment of failed medical abortion may be performed several weeks after initiation of the abortion. There are no recognized methods for early identification of these late failures. We assessed the prognostic values of beta-hCG and ultrasonography in predicting late failure...... thickness by ultrasonography was performed on day 15 after induction of medical abortion. Failures diagnosed after day 15 and within 15 weeks were identified and classified as late failures. All interventions in this group were due to bleeding problems. The predictive values of different absolute...
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Szurlies, M.; Geluk, M.C.; Krijgsman, W.; Kürschner, W.M.
2012-01-01
In Central and NW Europe, the transition from the Permian to the Triassic (i.e., the Zechstein–Buntsandstein boundary interval) is developed mainly in red bed facies. This continental sedimentary succession is marked by relatively high sedimentation rates providing a high temporal resolution
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Fan, Jian-Jun; Li, Cai; Liu, Jin-Heng; Wang, Ming; Liu, Yi-Ming; Xie, Chao-Ming
2017-12-01
the Middle Triassic. These data, combined with data from modern ocean islands (e.g., Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Fernando de Noronha, Tristan da Cunha, and Gough in the Atlantic Ocean, and Society and Austral-Cook in the Pacific Ocean), lead us to infer that the BNTO was open for a long time before the Middle Triassic, and that the ocean had already developed into a mature ocean with a thick oceanic lithosphere by at least the Middle Triassic.
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Rowe, Timothy B.; Sues, Hans-Dieter; Reisz, Robert R.
2010-01-01
Sauropodomorph dinosaurs originated in the Southern Hemisphere in the Middle or Late Triassic and are commonly portrayed as spreading rapidly to all corners of Pangaea as part of a uniform Late Triassic to Early Jurassic cosmopolitan dinosaur fauna. Under this model, dispersal allegedly inhibited dinosaurian diversification, while vicariance and local extinction enhanced it. However, apomorphy-based analyses of the known fossil record indicate that sauropodomorphs were absent in North America...
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Late Mesozoic basin and range tectonics and related magmatism in Southeast China
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Dezi Wang
2012-03-01
Full Text Available During the Late Mesozoic Middle Jurassic–Late Cretaceous, basin and range tectonics and associated magmatism representative of an extensional tectonic setting was widespread in southeastern China as a result of Pacific Plate subduction. Basin tectonics consists of post-orogenic (Type I and intra-continental extensional basins (Type II. Type I basins developed in the piedmont and intraland during the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic, in which coarse-grained terrestrial clastic sediments were deposited. Type II basins formed during intra-continental crustal thinning and were characterized by the development of grabens and half-grabens. Graben basins were mainly generated during the Middle Jurassic and were associated with bimodal volcanism. Sediments in half-grabens are intercalated with rhyolitic tuffs and lavas and are Early Cretaceous in age with a dominance of Late Cretaceous–Paleogene red beds. Ranges are composed of granitoids and bimodal volcanic rocks, A-type granites and dome-type metamorphic core complexes. The authors analyzed lithological, geochemical and geochronological features of the Late Mesozoic igneous rock assemblages and proposed some geodynamical constraints on forming the basin and range tectonics of South China. A comparison of the similarities and differences of basin and range tectonics between the eastern and western shores of the Pacific is made, and the geodynamical evolution model of the Southeast China Block during Late Mesozoic is discussed. Studied results suggest that the basin and range terrane within South China developed on a pre-Mesozoic folded belt was derived from a polyphase tectonic evolution mainly constrained by subduction of the western Pacific Plate since the Late Mesozoic, leading to formation of various magmatism in a back-arc extensional setting. Its geodynamic mechanism can compare with that of basin and range tectonics in the eastern shore of the Pacific. Differences of basin and range
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FIRST RECORD OF ICHTHYOSAURS IN SICILY(UPPER TRIASSIC OF MONTE SCALPELLO, CATANIA PROVINCE
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
CRISTIANO DAL SASSO
2014-03-01
Full Text Available Here we report for the first time on the presence of ichthyosaurs in Sicily, southern Italy. The deposit of origin (Mufara Formation can be dated to the upper Carnian (Tuvalian substage based on a typical association of ammonites, one of which (Shastites sp. is embedded in the sediment still encrusting one of the bone specimens recently found. The latter consist of two isolated vertebral centra that are referred to the Ichthyosauria thanks to their disk-like shape (i.e. they are much taller than long combined with the amphicelous condition, lack of transverse processes, and presence of rib articulations on the central sides. The largest specimen is more precisely an anterior dorsal vertebra from an adult individual, ascribed to Shastasauridae indet. By the presence of elongated reniform diapophyseal facets, cranially not truncated, and absence of parapophyses. The smaller specimen represents an anterior cervical element from an immature individual of a likely smaller-sized, indeterminate taxon. These finds indicate that the biodiversity of the Monte Scalpello Triassic fauna is higher than previously known, but above all represent the southernmost occurrence of Triassic ichthyosaurs in the western Tethys basin.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Katja Hueper
Full Text Available To quantify resting myocardial blood flow (MBF in the left ventricular (LV wall of HCM patients and to determine the relationship to important parameters of disease: LV wall thickness, late gadolinium enhancement (LGE, T2-signal abnormalities (dark and bright signal, LV outflow tract obstruction and age.Seventy patients with proven HCM underwent cardiac MRI. Absolute and relative resting MBF were calculated from cardiac perfusion MRI by using the Fermi function model. The relationship between relative MBF and LV wall thickness, T2-signal abnormalities (T2 dark and T2 bright signal, LGE, age and LV outflow gradient as determined by echocardiography was determined using simple and multiple linear regression analysis. Categories of reduced and elevated perfusion in relation to non- or mildly affected reference segments were defined, and T2-signal characteristics and extent as well as pattern of LGE were examined. Statistical testing included linear and logistic regression analysis, unpaired t-test, odds ratios, and Fisher's exact test.804 segments in 70 patients were included in the analysis. In a simple linear regression model LV wall thickness (p<0.001, extent of LGE (p<0.001, presence of edema, defined as focal T2 bright signal (p<0.001, T2 dark signal (p<0.001 and age (p = 0.032 correlated inversely with relative resting MBF. The LV outflow gradient did not show any effect on resting perfusion (p = 0.901. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that LGE (p<0.001, edema (p = 0.026 and T2 dark signal (p = 0.019 were independent predictors of relative resting MBF. Segments with reduced resting perfusion demonstrated different LGE patterns compared to segments with elevated resting perfusion.In HCM resting MBF is significantly reduced depending on LV wall thickness, extent of LGE, focal T2 signal abnormalities and age. Furthermore, different patterns of perfusion in HCM patients have been defined, which may represent different stages of
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Theropoda dinosaurs tracks from Triassic basin nd Ischigualasto - Villa Union, western Argentina
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Contreras, V.; Bracco, A.
2004-01-01
The Anchisauripus isp. and Theropoda indet. dinosaurs tracks from the Triassic Los Rastros and Ischigualasto formations, at the Ischigualasto-Villa Union Basin, Western Argentina, are described in this paper. This record completes the paleontological data provided by rest of bones and increases the stratigraphic range of some taxa in which bones are either missing or scarse. On the other hand, this report also allows us to enlarge the faunistic assemblage of some vertebrate assemblages [es
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Surmik, Dawid; Pelc, Andrzej
2012-01-01
The oxygen stable isotopes investigation to elucidate thermoregulatory strategies in Middle Triassic basal sauropterygians is currently ongoing at University of Silesia and University of Maria Curie-Skłodowska. The results of similar studies on Late Mesozoic marine reptiles indicate that some of fully aquatic reptiles like plesiosaurs or ichthyosaurs could be warm-blooded animals. Our investigation is an important part of the aim of the research project "The Marine and Terrestrial reptiles in the Middle Triassic environmental background of Southern Poland" to solve the thermoregulation issue in basal marine reptiles and show how, and when did homoiothermy evolve in Sauropterygia.. Homeothermy and gigantothermy were important physiological adaptations which allowed sauropterygian ancestors to leave the shores and conquer the open seas and oceans. Badania nad paleofizjologią kopalnych kręgowców ostatnimi laty stały się niezwykle modne. Polegają one na kompilacji danych uzyskanych wieloma komplementarnymi metodami z zakresu fizjologii (badania współczesnych form, zgodnie z zasadą aktualizmu) i geochemii izotopowej. Szczególnie interesujące stały się kwestie gospodarki termicznej u gadów kopalnych, które silnie dyskutowane są w kręgach badaczy dinozaurów (Reid, 1997; Ruben i in., 1996). Badania na izotopach stabilnych tlenu szkliwa zębowego przeprowadzone na obligatoryjnie morskich gadach okresu jurajskiego i kredowego (Bernard i in., 2010; zob. także Motani, 2010) wskazują, że ichtiozaury i plezjozaury późniejszego mezozoiku mogły być zwierzętami stałocieplnymi. Brak obecnie jednoznacznych danych dotyczących gospodarki termicznej bazalnych przedstawicieli gadów morskich z triasu, choć przyjmuje się, że te zamieszkujące nadbrzeżne i marginalne strefy mórz zwierzęta były gadami zmiennocieplnymi (pojkilotermicznymi), podobnie jak współczesny legwan morski, czy też smok z Komodo. Czy przejście z pojkilo- do homojotermii by
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Shell bone histology indicates terrestrial palaeoecology of basal turtles
Scheyer, Torsten; Sander, P. Martin
2009-01-01
The palaeoecology of basal turtles from the Late Triassic was classically viewed as being semi-aquatic, similar to the lifestyle of modern snapping turtles. Lately, this view was questioned based on limb bone proportions, and a terrestrial palaeoecology was suggested for the turtle stem. Here, we present independent shell bone microstructural evidence for a terrestrial habitat of the oldest and basal most well-known turtles, i.e. the Upper Triassic Proterochersis robusta and Proganochelys que...
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Ben Lasmar, R.; Guellala, R.; Zouhri, L.; Sarsar Naouali, B.; Garrach, M.; Inoubli, M.H.
2016-07-01
The present study concentrates on the interpretation of well logs and seismic reflection data in the JeffaraDahar region (Southeast part of Tunisia) for a better characterization of the Triassic aquifer, a potential target of water supply. Lithological columns and their corresponding well logs reveal that Sidi Stout, Kirchaou and Touareg. sandstones as well as Mekraneb and Rehach dolomites are the main reservoirs of the Triassic aquifer. Well log analysis highlights many permeable and fractured layers that could play an important role in the groundwater circulation. The interpreted seismic sections and the resulting isochrone maps show a tectonic influence on the Triassic aquifer geometry in the Jeffara-Dahar region. The normal faulting of E-W and NW-SE accidents created an aquifer compartmentalized by raised and tilted blocks. Seismic cross-sections reveal that this structure controls the depth of permeable formations and the circulation of groundwater. These results will be useful for rationalising the future hydrogeological research that will be undertaken in the Jeffara-Dahar area. (Author)
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The Indosinian orogeny: A perspective from sedimentary archives of north Vietnam
Rossignol, Camille; Bourquin, Sylvie; Hallot, Erwan; Poujol, Marc; Dabard, Marie-Pierre; Martini, Rossana; Villeneuve, Michel; Cornée, Jean-Jacques; Brayard, Arnaud; Roger, Françoise
2018-06-01
The Triassic stratigraphic framework for the Song Da and the Sam Nua basins, north Vietnam, suffers important discrepancies regarding both the depositional environments and ages of the main formations they contain. Using sedimentological analyses and dating (foraminifer biostratigraphy and U-Pb dating on detrital zircon), we provide an improved stratigraphic framework for both basins. A striking feature in the Song Da Basin, located on the southern margin of the South China Block, is the diachronous deposition, over a basal unconformity, of terrestrial and marine deposits. The sedimentary succession of the Song Da Basin points to a foreland setting during the late Early to the Middle Triassic, which contrasts with the commonly interpreted rift setting. On the northern margin of the Indochina Block, the Sam Nua basin recorded the activity of a proximal magmatic arc during the late Permian up to the Anisian. This arc resulted from the subduction of a southward dipping oceanic slab that separated the South China block from the Indochina block. During the Middle to the Late Triassic, the Song Da and Sam Nua basins underwent erosion that led to the formation of a major unconformity, resulting from the erosion of the Middle Triassic Indosinian mountain belt, built after an ongoing continental collision between the South China and the Indochina blocks. Later, during the Late Triassic, as syn- to post-orogenic foreland basins in a terrestrial setting, the Song Da and Sam Nua basins experienced the deposition of very coarse detrital material representing products of the mountain belt erosion.
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Zhu, Ren-Zhi; Lai, Shao-Cong; Qin, Jiang-Feng; Zhao, Shao-Wei
2018-03-01
mantle-derived material associated with late Permian-to-Early Triassic subduction of the Paleo-Tethys, and a second stage that generated granitoid magmas by the partial melting of crustal-derived sources during the Late Triassic collision between the Lhasa and Tengchong blocks and the northern margin of the Australian continent. These rocks, therefore, provide evidence of a systematic late Permian-to-Late Triassic transition from a pre-collision/volcanic arc setting through a collisional setting to a final within-plate phase of magmatism. The previous research involving bulk-rock Sr-Nd analyses of units from the southern Sanjiang orogenic belt and zircon Hf isotopic analyses of units from the Tengchong Block suggests that these areas may record similar magmatic evolutionary trends from mantle- to crustal-derived sources during the evolution of the eastern Paleo-Tethys.
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Soulaimani, A.; Michard, A.; Ouanaimi, H.; Baidder, L.; Raddi, Y.; Saddiqi, O.; Rjimati, E. C.
2014-10-01
The post-Pan-African evolution of the northern border of the West African Craton is largely controlled by the remobilisation of Late Neoproterozoic basement faults. The Upper Ediacaran volcanic and volcano-sedimentary sequences of the Ouarzazate Group show dramatic and rapid thickness changes, consistent with active extensional faulting associated with post-orogenic collapse and incipient continental rifting. The geometry and kinematics of these faults differ from west to east in the Anti-Atlas. N- to NE-trending faults dominate in western Anti-Atlas in response to E-W to NW-SE pure extension, while a transtensive opening regime characterize the central (Bou Azzer) and eastern (Saghro-Ougnate) Anti-Atlas. The marine incursion in the west-central Anti-Atlas during the late Ediacaran-Early Cambrian occurred without major geodynamical break between the continental Ouarzazate Group and marine sediments of the Adoudou Fm. Extensional tectonics went on during the Early Cambrian, being concentrated in the western and central parts of the belt. From Middle Cambrian to Lower Devonian and mainly due to thermal subsidence, the Anti-Atlas basement was buried under marine sediments with dominant south-derived detrital input. Basement faults control the distribution of subsiding versus shallow areas. During the Middle-Late Devonian, the dislocation of the Saharan platform occurred, mainly in the eastern Anti-Atlas where Precambrian faults were also remobilized during the Early Carboniferous. During the Variscan orogeny, the Paleozoic series of the Anti-Atlas basin were involved in folding tectonics, concomitant with the uplift of Proterozoic basement blocks bounded by inherited basement faults. The pre-existing rift-related faults were variably inverted across the Anti-Atlas. In the westernmost part of the belt, Variscan shortening induced positive inversions along the remobilized basement faults, but in some cases, some faults preserved an apparently normal throw. Some hidden
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Zhao, Zi-Fu; Liu, Zhi-Bin; Chen, Qi
2017-09-01
Syn-collisional and postcollisional granitoids are common in collisional orogens, and they were primarily produced by partial melting of subducted continental crust. This is exemplified by Mesozoic granitoids from the Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt in east-central China. These granitoids were emplaced in small volumes in the Late Triassic (200-206 Ma) and the Late Jurassic (146-167 Ma) but massively in the Early Cretaceous (111-143 Ma). Nevertheless, all of them exhibit arc-like trace element distribution patterns and are enriched in Sr-Nd-Hf isotope compositions, indicating their origination from the ancient continental crust. They commonly contain relict zircons with Neoproterozoic and Triassic U-Pb ages, respectively, consistent with the protolith and metamorphic ages for ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metaigneous rocks in the Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt. Some granitoids show low zircon δ18O values, and SIMS in-situ O isotope analysis reveals that the relict zircons with Neoproterozoic and Triassic U-Pb ages also commonly exhibit low δ18O values. Neoproterozoic U-Pb ages and low δ18O values are the two diagnostic features that distinguish the subducted South China Block from the obducted North China Block. Thus, the magma source of these Mesozoic granitoids has a genetic link to the subducted continental crust of the South China Block. On the other hand, these granitoids contain relict zircons with Paleoproterozoic and Archean U-Pb ages, which are present in both the South and North China Blocks. Taken together, the Mesozoic granitoids in the Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt and its hanging wall have their magma sources that are predominated by the continental crust of the South China Block with minor contributions from the continental crust of the North China Block. The Triassic continental collision between the South and North China Blocks brought the continental crust into the thickened orogen, where they underwent the three episodes of partial melting in the Late Triassic, Late
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Iqbal, Shahid; Wagreich, Michael; Jan, Irfanullah; Kürschner, Wolfram Michael; Gier, Susanne
2017-04-01
The Triassic-Jurassic boundary interval reveals a change from warm-arid to a warm and humid climate in the Tethyan domain. Sea-level reconstruction records across the European basins during this interval reveal an end-Triassic global regression event and is linked to the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) activity and Pangaea breakup. In the Tethyan Salt Range of Pakistan a succession of Upper Triassic dolomites/green-black mudstones (Kingriali Formation), overlying quartzose sandstone, mudstones, laterites and Lower Jurassic conglomerates/pebbly sandstones (Datta Formation) provides information on the palaeoclimatic evolution of the area. Preliminary palynological results from the mudstones indicate a Rhaetian age for the Kingriali Formation and a Hettangian age for the Datta Formation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the mudstones (upper part of the Kingriali Formation) indicates the presence of mainly illite while kaolinite is a minor component. The kaolinite content, a reflection of the advanced stage of chemical weathering and hence warm-humid conditions, increases up-section in the overlying sandstone-mudstone succession. The overlying laterite-bauxite horizons lack illite/smectite and are entirely composed of kaolinite, boehmite and haematite. At places these kaolinite rich horizons are mined in the area (Western Salt Range). The bulk rock geochemistry of the succession confirms a similar trend. The Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA) displays an increasing trend from the Upper Triassic shales (CIA 75-80) through the overlying sandstones/mudstones-laterites to the overlying quartz rich sandstones and mudstones (CIA 90-97). The overall results for the succession reveal an increasing chemical maturity trend (increase in the intensity of chemical weathering) from Rhaetian to Hettangian thereby supporting a change from warm-arid to a warm-humid palaeoclimate, probably extreme greenhouse conditions.
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Neutron activation analysis of Permian-Triassic boundary layer samples at the Selong Site in China
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Miyamoto, Y.; Sakamoto, K.; Mingqing, W.
1997-01-01
Thirty samples from a limestone stratum across the Permian-Triassic (P-Tr) boundary layer in China were analyzed for 30 elements by instrumental neutron activation analysis, wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence and ICP-MS, and also for mineral compositions with a powder X-ray diffractometer. The depth profile was found to indicate a sudden change of elemental and mineral compositions across the P-Tr boundary. Also the profile showed several peaks in elemental concentrations in the lower Permian layered samples as well as in the overlying Triassic strata, which are associated with the change of mineral compositions. Elemental profiles were found to be classified into 4 groups and to give some insights in the geochemical records. Ir is far less abundant (0.1 ppt) compared with that of the K-T boundaries (10 ppb), and the Ir/Co ratio is outside the K-T and Cl chondrite trends. This change of elementary profile is suggestive of the internal causes rather than the external ones such as an asteroid impact for the mass extinction at the P-Tr boundary. (author)
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SOME INOZOID SPONGES FROM UPPER TRIASSIC (NORIAN-RHAETIAN NAYBAND FORMATION OF CENTRAL IRAN
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
BABA SENOWBARI-DARYAN
1997-11-01
Full Text Available Some small-scaled Norian-Rhaetian reefs and reef mounds are imbedded within the shales, siltstones and siliciclastic-carbonate deposits of the Nayband Formation in central Iran. These deposits belong to the central Iranian plate as part of the Cimmerian Continent. Most of the biogenic rocks have a biostromal geometry, biohermal constructions are rare. Inozoid, sphinctozoid, and chaetetid sponges are, beside of corals and other reef builders, the most important reef organisms within these bioconstructions. In some reefs a variety of hexactinellid sponges also occur. The following inozoid sponges are described in this paper: Radiofibra norica n. sp., Permocorynella maxima n. sp., ?Sestrostomella robusta, Marawandia iranica, n. gen., n. sp. and Enaulofungia? triassica n. sp. The first four taxa are among the most abundant sponges within the Nayband Formation where it is exposed in several localities in central Iran. Enaulofungia? triassica, however, is not an abundant sponge there. These inozoid sponges have never been reported from the Triassic deposits of this region. Radiofibra, until now known only from the Upper Permian of Djebel Tebaga (Tunisia, is reported here for the first time from Triassic rocks. The stratigraphic as well as the paleogeographic distribution of all the genera are discussed.
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The Pangaean megamonsoon - evidence from the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation, Colorado Plateau
Dubiel, R.F.; Totman, Parrish J.; Parrish, J.M.; Good, S.C.
1991-01-01
The Chinle was deposited between about 5?? to 15??N paleolatitude in the western equatorial region of Pangaea, a key area for documenting the effects of the monsoonal climate. This study summarizes sedimentological and paleontologic data from the Chinle Formation on the Colorado Plateau and integrates that data with paleoclimatic models. The evidence for abundant moisture and seasonality attest to the reversal of equatorial flow and support the hypothesis that the Triassic Pangaean climate was dominated by monsoonal circulation. -from Authors
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Agustín G Martinelli
Full Text Available In this contribution we report the first occurrence of the enigmatic African probainognathian genus Aleodon in the Middle-early Late Triassic of several localities from the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil. Aleodon is unusual among early probainognathians in having transversely-expanded postcanine teeth, similar to those of gomphodont cynognathians. This genus was previously known from the Manda Beds of Tanzania and the upper Omingonde Formation of Namibia. The Brazilian record of this genus is based upon multiple specimens representing different ontogenetic stages, including three that were previously referred to the sectorial-toothed probainognathian Chiniquodon theotonicus. We propose a new species of Aleodon (A. cromptoni sp. nov. based on the specimens from Brazil. Additionally, we tentatively refer one specimen from the upper Omingonde Formation of Namibia to this new taxon, strengthening biostratigraphic correlations between these strata. Inclusion of A. cromptoni in a phylogenetic analysis of eucynodonts recovers it as the sister-taxon of A. brachyrhamphus within the family Chiniquodontidae. The discovery of numerous specimens of Aleodon among the supposedly monospecific Chiniquodon samples of Brazil raises concerns about chiniquodontid alpha taxonomy, particularly given the extremely broad geographic distribution of Chiniquodon. The discovery of Brazilian Aleodon and new records of the traversodontid Luangwa supports the hypothesis that at least two subzones can be recognized in the Dinodontosaurus Assemblage Zone.
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Geissman, J. W.; Gastaldo, R. A.; Neveling, J.; Makubalo, S.
2017-12-01
A multifaceted approach to understand the timing of interpreted environmental changes during the Late Permian to possibly Early Triassic (?) time in the Beaufort Group strata of the Karoo Basin includes work to establish robust magnetic polarity records for sections previously interpreted to encompass end-Permian extinction events. Demonstrating the preservation of an early-acquired remanence (RM) in Karoo strata is required for a robust magnetostratigraphy. Yet, this is challenging due to thermochemical effects related to the Early Jurassic (ca. 183 Ma) Karoo Large Igneous Province (LIP), and the NE to SW increase in burial diagenesis attending Cape Fold Belt tectonism. Documentation of a primary RM in these strata, which appears to be preserved in some areas, requires careful laboratory- and field-based assessment. We report data from 53 sites collected at the well-studied Bethulie section, Free State Province, in which several samples per individual horizon to assess ChRM uniformity. Strata well-removed from dikes yield both normal and reverse polarity ChRM. It is always the case that the first-removed RM is a NNW seeking, moderate to steep negative-inclination ChRM (normal polarity); NRM intensities are typically 1 to 5 mA/m. Sites BT15 and BT21, which are located in strata lying some 4 m below the often-cited "event bed" interval inferred to be the terrestrial expression of the Permian/Triassic boundary, is dominated by a well-defined reverse RM with a normal overprint RM unblocked below 400oC, implying elevated temperatures (i.e., 100 to 250oC+) for ca. 1 Ma (+/-). Contact tests are positive but complicated. Host strata collected in distances equal to or less than 1-2 dike widths from the intrusions have been thermally remagnetized and demonstrate high NRM intensities (> 50 mA/m). Collectively, we interpret these data to indicate that any ChRM, with the exception of those from host strata in baked contacts, that persists above Tlub of 425oC is pre-Karoo LIP
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Caplan, M. L. [British Columbia Univ., Vancouver, BC (Canada). Dept. of Geological Sciences; Moslow, T. F. [Calgary Univ., AB (Canada). Dept. of Geology and Geophysics
1997-12-01
The Peejay Field in northeastern British Columbia was chosen as the site of a detailed study to establish the paleogeography, geological history and genesis of reservoir facies of Middle Triassic strata. A total of 132 cores and well logs from 345 wells were examined to establish the depositional model, to identify the origin of all reservoir facies and to construct an exploration model to improve the prediction of reservoir facies. Results show that the Middle Triassic Halfway Formation of northeastern British Columbia is comprised of at least four west-southwest prograding paleoshorelines. The Lithofacies Succession One quartz-arenites paleoshore faces have less porosity and permeability and are laterally discontinuous. For these reasons shoreface facies have minimal reservoir quality. The tidal inlet fill successions were found to have the greatest observed porosity, permeability and lateral continuity in the Peejay Field. The geometry and orientation of these tidal inlet fill deposits are controlled by tectonic processes. It was suggested that the success of hydrocarbon exploration in this structurally complex area of northeastern British Columbia and west-central Alberta depends on further stratigraphic and sedimentological examination of Middle Triassic strata on a regional scale to obtain a complete understanding of the geological history of the area. 39 refs., 13 refs.
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Ryu, Jun-Ha; Park, Jae Hyun; Vu Thi Thu, Trang; Bayome, Mohamed; Kim, YoonJi; Kook, Yoon-Ah
2012-08-01
The purpose of this study was to compare the bone thickness of the palatal areas in early and late mixed and early permanent dentitions according to dental age. Cone-beam computed tomography scans of 118 subjects were selected and divided into 38 early mixed (8.03 ± 0.93 years), 40 late mixed (11.51 ± 0.92 years), and 40 permanent (20.92 ± 1.17 years) dentition subjects. The measurements of palatal bone thickness were made at 49 sites by using InVivoDental5.0 software (Anatomage, San Jose, Calif). Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to analyze intragroup and intergroup differences as well as sex dimorphism. There was significantly lower bone thickness in the early mixed dentition group than in the 2 other groups (P <0.001). Bone thickness was higher in the anterior region than in the middle and posterior regions (P <0.001). Also, significant differences were found among the midline, medial, and lateral areas of the palate. Palatal bone thicknesses were significantly lower in the early mixed dentition group than in both the late mixed and permanent dentition groups. These findings might be helpful for clinicians to enhance the successful use of temporary anchorage devices in the palate. Copyright © 2012 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Baresel, Björn; Bucher, Hugo; Bagherpour, Borhan; Brosse, Morgane; Guodun, Kuang; Schaltegger, Urs
2017-03-06
New high-resolution U-Pb dates indicate a duration of 89 ± 38 kyr for the Permian hiatus and of 14 ± 57 kyr for the overlying Triassic microbial limestone in shallow water settings of the Nanpanjiang Basin, South China. The age and duration of the hiatus coincides with the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) and the extinction interval in the Meishan Global Stratotype Section and Point, and strongly supports a glacio-eustatic regression, which best explains the genesis of the worldwide hiatus straddling the PTB in shallow water records. In adjacent deep marine troughs, rates of sediment accumulation display a six-fold decrease across the PTB compatible with a dryer and cooler climate as indicated by terrestrial plants. Our model of the Permian-Triassic boundary mass extinction (PTBME) hinges on the synchronicity of the hiatus with the onset of the Siberian Traps volcanism. This early eruptive phase released sulfur-rich volatiles into the stratosphere, thus simultaneously eliciting a short-lived ice age responsible for the global regression and a brief but intense acidification. Abrupt cooling, shrunk habitats on shelves and acidification may all have synergistically triggered the PTBME. Subsequently, the build-up of volcanic CO 2 induced a transient cool climate whose early phase saw the deposition of the microbial limestone.
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The oldest dinosaur? A Middle Triassic dinosauriform from Tanzania.
Nesbitt, Sterling J; Barrett, Paul M; Werning, Sarah; Sidor, Christian A; Charig, Alan J
2013-02-23
The rise of dinosaurs was a major event in vertebrate history, but the timing of the origin and early diversification of the group remain poorly constrained. Here, we describe Nyasasaurus parringtoni gen. et sp. nov., which is identified as either the earliest known member of, or the sister-taxon to, Dinosauria. Nyasasaurus possesses a unique combination of dinosaur character states and an elevated growth rate similar to that of definitive early dinosaurs. It demonstrates that the initial dinosaur radiation occurred over a longer timescale than previously thought (possibly 15 Myr earlier), and that dinosaurs and their immediate relatives are better understood as part of a larger Middle Triassic archosauriform radiation. The African provenance of Nyasasaurus supports a southern Pangaean origin for Dinosauria.
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Baresel, Bjoern; Bucher, Hugo; Bagherpour, Borhan; Brosse, Morgane; Guodun, Kuang; Schaltegger, Urs
2017-04-01
High-precision U-Pb dating of single-zircon crystals by chemical abrasion-isotope dilution-thermal ionization mass spectrometry (CA-ID-TIMS) is applied to volcanic beds that are intercalated in sedimentary sequences across the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB). By assuming that the zircon crystallization age closely approximate that of the volcanic eruption and subsequent deposition, U-Pb zircon geochronology is the preferred approach for dating abiotic and biotic events, such as the formational PTB and the Permian-Triassic boundary mass extinction (PTBME). We will present new U-Pb zircon dates for a series of volcanic ash beds in shallow-marine Permian-Triassic sections in the Nanpanjiang Basin, South China. These high-resolution U-Pb dates indicate a duration of 90 ± 38 kyr for the Permian sedimentary hiatus and a duration of 13 ± 57 kyr for the overlying Triassic microbial limestone in the shallow water settings of the Nanpanjiang pull apart Basin. The age and duration of the hiatus coincides with the formational PTB and the extinction interval in the Meishan Global Stratotype Section and Point, thus strongly supporting a glacio-eustatic regression, which best explains the genesis of the worldwide hiatus straddling the PTB in shallow water records. In adjacent deep marine troughs, rates of sediment accumulation display a six-fold decrease across the PTB compatible with a dryer and cooler climate during the Griesbachian as indicated by terrestrial plants. Our model of the PTBME hinges on the synchronicity of the hiatus with the onset of the Siberian Traps volcanism. This early eruptive phase likely released sulfur-rich volatiles into the stratosphere, thus simultaneously eliciting a short-lived ice age responsible for the global regression and a brief but intense acidification. Abrupt cooling, shrunk habitats on shelves and acidification may all have synergistically triggered the PTBME. Subsequently, the build-up of volcanic CO2 induced this transient cool
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Late Jurassic low latitude of Central Iran: paleogeographic and tectonic implications
Mattei, Massimo; Muttoni, Giovanni; Cifelli, Francesca
2014-05-01
The individual blocks forming present-day Central Iran are now comprised between the Zagros Neo-Tethys suture to the south and the Alborz Palaeo-Tethys suture to the north. At the end of the Palaeozoic, the Iranian blocks rifted away from the northern margin of Gondwana as consequence of the opening of the Neo-Tethys, and collided with Eurasia during the Late Triassic, giving place to the Eo-Cimmerian orogeny. From then on, the Iranian block(s) should have maintained European affinity. Modern generations of apparent polar wander paths (APWPs) show the occurrence in North American and African coordinates of a major and rapid shift in pole position (=plate shift) during the Middle-Late Jurassic. This so-called monster polar shift is predicted also for Eurasia from the North Atlantic plate circuit, but Jurassic data from this continent are scanty and problematic. Here, we present paleomagnetic data from the Kimmeridgian-Tithonian (Upper Jurassic) Garedu Formation of Iran. Paleomagnetic component directions of primary (pre-folding) age indicate a paleolatitude of deposition of 10°N ± 5° that is in excellent agreement with the latitude drop predicted for Iran from APWPs incorporating the Jurassic monster polar shift. We show that paleolatitudes calculated from these APWPs, used in conjunction with simple zonal climate belts, better explain the overall stratigraphic evolution of Iran during the Mesozoic.
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Late Quaternary paleoenvironmental records from the Chatanika River valley near Fairbanks (Alaska)
Schirrmeister, Lutz; Meyer, Hanno; Andreev, Andrei; Wetterich, Sebastian; Kienast, Frank; Bobrov, Anatoly; Fuchs, Margret; Sierralta, Melanie; Herzschuh, Ulrike
2016-09-01
Perennially-frozen deposits are considered as excellent paleoenvironmental archives similar to lacustrine, deep marine, and glacier records because of the long-term and good preservation of fossil records under stable permafrost conditions. A permafrost tunnel in the Vault Creek Valley (Chatanika River Valley, near Fairbanks) exposes a sequence of frozen deposits and ground ice that provides a comprehensive set of proxies to reconstruct the late Quaternary environmental history of Interior Alaska. The multi-proxy approach includes different dating techniques (radiocarbon-accelerator mass spectrometry [AMS 14C], optically stimulated luminescence [OSL], thorium/uranium radioisotope disequilibria [230Th/U]), as well as methods of sedimentology, paleoecology, hydrochemistry, and stable isotope geochemistry of ground ice. The studied sequence consists of 36-m-thick late Quaternary deposits above schistose bedrock. Main portions of the sequence accumulated during the early and middle Wisconsin periods. The lowermost unit A consists of about 9-m-thick ice-bonded fluvial gravels with sand and peat lenses. A late Sangamon (MIS 5a) age of unit A is assumed. Spruce forest with birch, larch, and some shrubby alder dominated the vegetation. High presence of Sphagnum spores and Cyperaceae pollen points to mires in the Vault Creek Valley. The overlying unit B consists of 10-m-thick alternating fluvial gravels, loess-like silt, and sand layers, penetrated by small ice wedges. OSL dates support a stadial early Wisconsin (MIS 4) age of unit B. Pollen and plant macrofossil data point to spruce forests with some birch interspersed with wetlands around the site. The following unit C is composed of 15-m-thick ice-rich loess-like and organic-rich silt with fossil bones and large ice wedges. Unit C formed during the interstadial mid-Wisconsin (MIS 3) and stadial late Wisconsin (MIS 2) as indicated by radiocarbon ages. Post-depositional slope processes significantly deformed both, ground
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
McLoughlin, S.; Drinnan, A.N. [University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic. (Australia). School of Botany
1997-05-01
The Bainmedart Coal Measures constitute the middle portion of the Permian-Triassic Amery Group, which represents the only substantial Palaeozoic-Mesozoic sedimentary succession exposed in eastern Antarctica outside the Transantarctic Mountains. The coal measures overlie alluvial fan deposits of the Radok Conglomerate and are conformably overlain by the dominantly fluviatile Flagstone Bench Formation. The coal measures were deposited within alluvial settings dominated by north to northeasterly flowing, low-sinuosity rivers chiefly confined to broad, fault-bounded, valleys of the Lambert Graben, a major late Palaeozoic to early Mesozoic failed rift system. Both climatic and local tectonic factors are considered to have been the major influences on the pattern of coal measure sedimentation. Recent mapping has identified a much greater thickness of sediments within the coal measures than had been inferred previously. The Bainmedart Coal Measures are formally subdivided into six members. In ascending stratigraphic order these are: Dart Fields Conglomerate Member ({lt} 3m thick), Toploje Member (300 m thick), Dragons Teeth Member (15-25 m thick), Glossopteris Gully Member (670 m thick), Grainer Member (350 m thick), acid McKinnon Member (530 m thick).
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Yang, W.; Feng, Q.; Liu, Yajing; Tabor, N.; Miggins, D.; Crowley, J.L.; Lin, J.; Thomas, S.
2010-01-01
Two uppermost Carboniferous–Lower Triassic fluvial–lacustrine sections in the Tarlong–Taodonggou half-graben, southern Bogda Mountains, NW China, comprise a 1834 m-thick, relatively complete sedimentary and paleoclimatic record of the east coast of mid-latitude NE Pangea. Depositional environmental interpretations identified three orders (high, intermediate, and low) of sedimentary cycles. High-order cycles (HCs) have five basic types, including fluvial cycles recording repetitive changes of erosion and deposition and lacustrine cycles recording repetitive environmental changes associated with lake expansion and contraction. HCs are grouped into intermediate-order cycles (ICs) on the basis of systematic changes of thickness, type, and component lithofacies of HCs. Nine low-order cycles (LCs) are demarcated by graben-wide surfaces across which significant long-term environmental changes occurred. A preliminary cyclostratigraphic framework provides a foundation for future studies of terrestrial climate, tectonics, and paleontology in mid-latitude NE Pangea.Climate variabilities at the intra-HC, HC, IC, and LC scales were interpreted from sedimentary and paleosol evidence. Four prominent climatic shifts are present: 1) from the humid–subhumid to highly-variable subhumid–semiarid conditions at the beginning of Sakamarian; 2) from highly-variable subhumid–semiarid to humid–subhumid conditions across the Artinskian-Capitanian unconformity; 3) from humid–subhumid to highly-variable subhumid–semiarid conditions at early Induan; and 4) from the highly-variable subhumid–semiarid to humid–subhumid conditions across the Olenekian-Anisian unconformity. The stable humid–subhumid condition from Lopingian to early Induan implies that paleoclimate change may not have been the cause of the end-Permian terrestrial mass extinction. A close documentation of the pace and timing of the extinction and exploration of other causes are needed. In addition, the
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Lindström, Sofie; Pedersen, Gunver Krarup; Schootbrugge, Bas van de
2015-01-01
Multiple levels of earthquake-induced soft-sediment deformations (seismites) are concentrated in the end-Triassic mass extinction interval across Europe. The repetitive nature of the seismites rules out an origin by an extraterrestrial impact. Instead, this intense seismic activity is linked...
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The first 50Myr of dinosaur evolution: macroevolutionary pattern and morphological disparity.
Brusatte, Stephen L; Benton, Michael J; Ruta, Marcello; Lloyd, Graeme T
2008-12-23
The evolutionary radiation of dinosaurs in the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic was a pivotal event in the Earth's history but is poorly understood, as previous studies have focused on vague driving mechanisms and have not untangled different macroevolutionary components (origination, diversity, abundance and disparity). We calculate the morphological disparity (morphospace occupation) of dinosaurs throughout the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic and present new measures of taxonomic diversity. Crurotarsan archosaurs, the primary dinosaur 'competitors', were significantly more disparate than dinosaurs throughout the Triassic, but underwent a devastating extinction at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary. However, dinosaur disparity showed only a slight non-significant increase after this event, arguing against the hypothesis of ecological release-driven morphospace expansion in the Early Jurassic. Instead, the main jump in dinosaur disparity occurred between the Carnian and Norian stages of the Triassic. Conversely, dinosaur diversity shows a steady increase over this time, and measures of diversification and faunal abundance indicate that the Early Jurassic was a key episode in dinosaur evolution. Thus, different aspects of the dinosaur radiation (diversity, disparity and abundance) were decoupled, and the overall macroevolutionary pattern of the first 50Myr of dinosaur evolution is more complex than often considered.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Amiruddin Amiruddin
2014-06-01
Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.17014/ijog.vol4no1.20094An active convergence of continental margin is probably generated in Gondwanaland during Permian to Triassic period which is characterized by the presence of magmatic and volcanic belts and back-arc ba- sins occupied respectively by Permian to Triassic rocks. The magmatic belt is occupied by peraluminous granitic plutons showing characteristics of S- type granite and is considered as tin-bearing granites. The back-arc basins are occupied by the Southern Papua and Galille-Bowen-Gunnedah-Sydney Basins. Those large basins are respectivelly filled by fluvial, fluvio- deltaic to marine Permian-Triassic sediments, which are unconformably overlain by the Jurrassic-Cretaceous marine succession. The paleomagnetic data, confirmed by flora content found in Australia and Papua, indicate that those areas initially belong to the Gondwanaland before part of them were drifted and rotated into the present day position. Tectonically, the presence of those Permian-Triassic magmatic-volcanic belts and back-arc basins in behind, indicates that at the time there were huge compressive activities: convergence of paleo-oceanic Pasific Plate moving westward, collided and subducted into the Southeastern Gondwana Continental Plate, moved relatively eastwards. This phenomenon resembles to the formation of Sumatera Tertiary tectonic zones producing back-arc basins, i.e. South Sumatera, Central, and North Sumatera Basins including the Tertiary Magmatic Arc. Concerning the similarity of Permian-Triassic geological condition of the magmatic arc and back-arc basins in Eastern Indonesia and Eastern Australia including paleoposition, paleotectonic setting, strati- graphic succession, and lithologic composition, it is suggested to carry out an increase in a more intens- ive tin exploration in the Eastern Indonesia, e.g. Bird Head area and Banggai Sula Island, and also for hydrocarbon target (coal, coalbed methane, oil and gas, and oil
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Motani, Ryosuke; Jiang, Da-yong; Tintori, Andrea; Rieppel, Olivier; Chen, Guan-bao
2014-01-01
Viviparity in Mesozoic marine reptiles has traditionally been considered an aquatic adaptation. We report a new fossil specimen that strongly contradicts this traditional interpretation. The new specimen contains the oldest fossil embryos of Mesozoic marine reptile that are about 10 million years older than previous such records. The fossil belongs to Chaohusaurus (Reptilia, Ichthyopterygia), which is the oldest of Mesozoic marine reptiles (ca. 248 million years ago, Early Triassic). This exc...
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Čerňanský, Andrej; Klein, Nicole; Soták, Ján; Olšavský, Mário; Šurka, Juraj; Herich, Pavel
2018-02-01
An eosauropterygian skeleton found in the Middle Triassic (upper Anisian) Gutenstein Formation of the Fatric Unit (Demänovská dolina Valley, Low Tatra Mountains, Slovakia) represents the earliest known occurrence of marine tetrapods in the Western Carpathians. The specimen represents a partly articulated portion of the postcranial skeleton (nine dorsal vertebrae, coracoid, ribs, gastral ribs, pelvic girdle, femur and one zeugopodial element). It is assigned to the Pachypleurosauria, more precisely to the Serpianosaurus-Neusticosaurus clade based on the following combination of features: (1) small body size; (2) morphology of vertebrae, ribs and femur; (3) tripartite gastral ribs; and (4) microanatomy of the femur as revealed by μCT. Members of this clade were described from the epicontinental Germanic Basin and the Alpine Triassic (now southern Germany, Switzerland, Italy), and possibly from Spain. This finding shows that pachypleurosaur reptiles attained a broader geographical distribution during the Middle Triassic, with their geographical range reaching to the Central Western Carpathians. Pachypleurosaurs are often found in sediments formed in shallow, hypersaline carbonate-platform environments. The specimen found here occurs in a succession with vermicular limestones in a shallow subtidal zone and stromatolitic limestones in a peritidal zone, indicating that pachypleurosaurs inhabited hypersaline, restricted carbonate ramps in the Western Carpathians.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Čerňanský Andrej
2018-02-01
Full Text Available An eosauropterygian skeleton found in the Middle Triassic (upper Anisian Gutenstein Formation of the Fatric Unit (Demänovská dolina Valley, Low Tatra Mountains, Slovakia represents the earliest known occurrence of marine tetrapods in the Western Carpathians. The specimen represents a partly articulated portion of the postcranial skeleton (nine dorsal vertebrae, coracoid, ribs, gastral ribs, pelvic girdle, femur and one zeugopodial element. It is assigned to the Pachypleurosauria, more precisely to the Serpianosaurus–Neusticosaurus clade based on the following combination of features: (1 small body size; (2 morphology of vertebrae, ribs and femur; (3 tripartite gastral ribs; and (4 microanatomy of the femur as revealed by μCT. Members of this clade were described from the epicontinental Germanic Basin and the Alpine Triassic (now southern Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and possibly from Spain. This finding shows that pachypleurosaur reptiles attained a broader geographical distribution during the Middle Triassic, with their geographical range reaching to the Central Western Carpathians. Pachypleurosaurs are often found in sediments formed in shallow, hypersaline carbonate-platform environments. The specimen found here occurs in a succession with vermicular limestones in a shallow subtidal zone and stromatolitic limestones in a peritidal zone, indicating that pachypleurosaurs inhabited hypersaline, restricted carbonate ramps in the Western Carpathians.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ajdanlijsky George
2018-04-01
Full Text Available Sedimentary facies and cycles of the Triassic continental–marine transition of NW Bulgaria are documented in detail from reference sections along the Iskar river gorge between the villages of Tserovo and Opletnya. The depositional environments evolved from anastomosing and meandering river systems in the Petrohan Terrigenous Group to mixed fluvial and tidal settings in the Svidol Formation, and to peritidal and shallow-marine conditions in the Opletnya Member of the Mogila Formation. For the first time, the palynostratigraphic data presented here allow for dating the transitional interval and for the precise identification of a major sequence boundary between the Petrohan Terrigenous Group and the Svidol Formation (Iskar Carbonate Group. This boundary most probably corresponds to the major sequence boundary Ol4 occurring in the upper Olenekian of the Tethyan realm and thus enables interregional correlation. The identification of regionally traceable sequence boundaries based on biostratigraphic age control is a first step towards a more accurate stratigraphic correlation and palaeogeographic interpretation of the Early to early Middle Triassic in NW Bulgaria.
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Ajdanlijsky, George; Götz, Annette E.; Strasser, André
2018-04-01
Sedimentary facies and cycles of the Triassic continental-marine transition of NW Bulgaria are documented in detail from reference sections along the Iskar river gorge between the villages of Tserovo and Opletnya. The depositional environments evolved from anastomosing and meandering river systems in the Petrohan Terrigenous Group to mixed fluvial and tidal settings in the Svidol Formation, and to peritidal and shallow-marine conditions in the Opletnya Member of the Mogila Formation. For the first time, the palynostratigraphic data presented here allow for dating the transitional interval and for the precise identification of a major sequence boundary between the Petrohan Terrigenous Group and the Svidol Formation (Iskar Carbonate Group). This boundary most probably corresponds to the major sequence boundary Ol4 occurring in the upper Olenekian of the Tethyan realm and thus enables interregional correlation. The identification of regionally traceable sequence boundaries based on biostratigraphic age control is a first step towards a more accurate stratigraphic correlation and palaeogeographic interpretation of the Early to early Middle Triassic in NW Bulgaria.
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Zatoń, Michał; Niedźwiedzki, Grzegorz; Blom, Henning; Kear, Benjamin P
2016-11-08
The end-Permian mass extinction constituted the most devastating biotic crisis of the Phanerozoic. Its aftermath was characterized by harsh marine conditions incorporating volcanically induced oceanic warming, widespread anoxia and acidification. Bio-productivity accordingly experienced marked fluctuations. In particular, low palaeolatitude hard substrate communities from shallow seas fringing Western Pangaea and the Tethyan Realm were extremely impoverished, being dominated by monogeneric colonies of filter-feeding microconchid tubeworms. Here we present the first equivalent field data for Boreal hard substrate assemblages from the earliest Triassic (Induan) of East Greenland. This region bordered a discrete bio-realm situated at mid-high palaeolatitude (>30°N). Nevertheless, hard substrate biotas were compositionally identical to those from elsewhere, with microconchids encrusting Claraia bivalves and algal buildups on the sea floor. Biostratigraphical correlation further shows that Boreal microconchids underwent progressive tube modification and unique taxic diversification concordant with changing habitats over time. We interpret this as a post-extinction recovery and adaptive radiation sequence that mirrored coeval subequatorial faunas, and thus confirms hard substrate ecosystem depletion as a hallmark of the earliest Triassic interval globally.
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Late effects of radiation therapy on the gastrointestinal tract
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Coia, Lawrence R.; Myerson, Robert J.; Tepper, Joel E.
1995-01-01
Late gastrointestinal complications of radiation therapy have been recognized but not extensively studied. In this paper, the late effects of radiation on three gastrointestinal sites, the esophagus, the stomach, and the bowel, are described. Esophageal dysmotility and benign stricture following esophageal irradiation are predominantly a result of damage to the esophageal wall, although mucosal ulcerations also may persist following high-dose radiation. The major late morbidity following gastric irradiation is gastric ulceration caused by mucosal destruction. Late radiation injury to the bowel, which may result in bleeding, frequency, fistula formation, and, particularly in small bowel, obstruction, is caused by damage to the entire thickness of the bowel wall, and predisposing factors have been identified. For each site a description of the pathogenesis, clinical findings, and present management is offered. Simple and reproducible endpoint scales for late toxicity measurement were developed and are presented for each of the three gastrointestinal organs. Factors important in analyzing late complications and future considerations in evaluation and management of radiation-related gastrointestinal injury are discussed
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Lago San José, M.
2000-04-01
Full Text Available Mesozoic dolerites in the south Pyrenean sector of El Grado (Huesca, Spain preserve emplacement structures (fluidity structures at the top and load structures at the base developed during their intrusion into unconsolidated marly-evaporitic Triassic sediments (Keuper facies. By analogy with other dolerites in the south Pyrenean domain, their emplacement age is equivalent to the uppermost Keuper facies terms, but prior to the final Triassic-early Liassic carbonated sediments. Radiometric ages (187-197±7 Ma show that the emplacement occurred during the lower Liassic. The petralogical differentiation from the chilled margin facies to the central facies, and also to the late pegmatitoids, is consistent with that obtained from major elements, trace elements and REE. Their tholeiitic affinity, as defined by their geochemical composition, is equivalent to that of similar racks in the Pyrenean domain. However, the rocks analyzed here, which are located at the external sector of this domain, display a greater petralogical and geochemical differentiation as compared to similar rocks in the central sectors of the Pyrenean domain.Las doleritas mesozoicas del sector surpirenaico de El Grado (Huesca conservan estructuras de emplazamiento (con desarrollo del movimiento de lava fluida al techo y de carga en su base desarrolladas al instruir en los sedimentos margo-evaporíticos en facies Keuper, todavía inconsolidados. Por similitud con otras doleritas del dominio surpirenaico, la edad del emplazamiento es equivalente a la de los términos superiores de la facies Keuper y previa a la sedimentación carbonatada del Trías terminal-Lías inferior. Las determinaciones de edades radiométricas (187-197±7 Ma indican que el emplazamiento debió tener lugar durante el Lías inferior. La diferenciación petralógica, desde la facies del borde enfriado a la central y, también, al posterior diferenciado pegmatoide concuerda con la obtenida con elementos mayores
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The Mesozoic megafossil genus Linguifolium Arber 1917
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Pattemore Gary A.
2015-12-01
Full Text Available The plant megafossil genus Linguifolium Arber 1917 is chiefly known from the Middle and Upper Triassic of Gondwana. The range of Linguifolium extended beyond Gondwana by the Late Triassic, persisting there through the earliest Jurassic (Hettangian. The parent plants probably grew in a well-watered, canopied environment.
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Palotai, M.; Pálfy, J.; Sasvári, Á.
2017-10-01
One of the key requirements for a Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) is the absence of tectonic disturbance. The GSSP for the Triassic-Jurassic system boundary was recently defined at Kuhjoch, Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria. New field observations in the area of the Triassic-Jurassic boundary GSSP site demonstrate that the overturned, tight, and almost upright Karwendel syncline was formed at semibrittle deformation conditions, confirmed by axial planar foliation. Tight to isoclinal folds at various scales were related to a tectonic transport to the north. Brittle faulting occurred before and after folding as confirmed by tilt tests (the rotation of structural data by the average bedding). Foliation is ubiquitous in the incompetent units, including the Kendlbach Formation at the GSSP. A reverse fault (inferred to be formed as a normal fault before folding) crosscuts the GSSP sections, results in the partial tectonic omission of the Schattwald Beds, and thus makes it impossible to measure a complete and continuous stratigraphic section across the whole Kendlbach Formation. Based on these observations, the Kuhjoch sections do not fulfil the specific requirement for a GSSP regarding the absence of tectonic disturbances near boundary level.
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Fischer, Valentin; Cappetta, Henri; Vincent, Peggy; Garcia, Géraldine; Goolaerts, Stijn; Martin, Jeremy E.; Roggero, Daniel; Valentin, Xavier
2014-12-01
Mesozoic marine reptiles went through a severe turnover near the end of the Triassic. Notably, an important extinction event affected ichthyosaurs, sweeping a large part of the group. This crisis is, however, obscured by an extremely poor fossil record and is regarded as protracted over the entire Norian-earliest Jurassic interval, for the lack of a more precise scenario. The iconic whale-sized shastasaurid ichthyosaurs are regarded as early victims of this turnover, disappearing by the middle Norian. Here we evaluate the pattern of this turnover among ichthyosaurs by analysing the faunal record of two Rhaetian localities. One locality is Autun, eastern France; we rediscovered in this material the holotypes or partial `type' series of Rachitrema pellati, Actiosaurus gaudryi, Ichthyosaurus rheticus, Ichthyosaurus carinatus and Plesiosaurus bibractensis; a revised taxonomic scheme is proposed. The second assemblage comes from a new locality: Cuers, southeastern France. Both these assemblages provide several lines of evidence for the presence of shastasaurid-like ichthyosaurs in the Rhaetian of Europe. These occurrences suggest that both the demise of shastasaurids and the sudden radiation of neoichthyosaurians occurred within a short time window; this turnover appears not only more abrupt but also more complex than previously postulated and adds a new facet of the end-Triassic mass extinction.
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Sawada, Ken; Kaiho, Kunio; Okano, Kazuki
2012-08-01
Detailed fluorescent microscopic observations and organic geochemical analyses for insoluble sedimentary organic matter (kerogens) are conducted on the end-Permian to earliest Triassic sediments in the Meishan section A of South China. The main objectives of the present study are to reconstruct variations of marine and terrestrial environments, and to evaluate bulk characteristics of terrestrial input in the palaeo-Tethys ocean for the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB). Most of kerogens in the Meishan section are mainly composed of marine algae-derived amorphous organic matter, while terrestrial plant-derived amorphous organic matter is remarkably dominant in the mass extinction horizon reported previously. The relative abundances of marine organic matter may vary depending on marine production rather than terrestrial input in the palaeo-Tethys associated with changing terrestrial vegetation. We also identified aromatic furans as major compounds in kerogen pyrolysate of all layers. It is possible that sources of aromatic furans with alkyl group, fungi and lichen, proliferated as disaster biota in terrestrial ecosystem through the PTB. Higher abundances of herbaceous organic matter are observed in the layers above the mass extinction horizon. However, the conifer biomarker retene can be identified in kerogen pyrolysates of all layers. These results imply that the productions of herbaceous plants increased as dominant pioneer biota in early stage of recovery for terrestrial ecosystem after its collapse, but also that woody plant potentially continued to be produced in land area throughout the end-Permian and earliest-Triassic.
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Lu, Linna; Xu, Shiqiong; He, Fangling; Liu, Yan; Zhang, Yidan; Wang, Jing; Wang, Zhiliang; Fan, Xianqun
2016-03-01
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a major cause of irreversible blindness. Choroidal structural changes seem to be inevitable in AMD pathogenesis. Our study revealed associated choroidal microstructural changes in AMD eyes.The aim of the study was to compare choroidal microstructural changes in eyes with AMD of different stages.The study was a retrospective, cross-sectional case series.The participants comprised of 32 age-matched normal eyes as controls, and 26 fellow uninvolved eyes of intermediate/late AMD, 29 of early AMD, 28 of intermediate AMD, and 39 of late AMD.All subjects underwent comprehensive ophthalmologic examination. The choroid images, including subfoveal choroidal thickness, percentage of Sattler layer area, and en face images of the choroid, were obtained using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography.The main outcome measures were subfoveal choroidal thickness changes, percentage of Sattler layer area changes, and en face images of the choroid in AMD eyes.One hundred fifty-four eyes of 96 individuals with mean age of 67.1±9.2 years were included. The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was 295.4 ± 56.8 μm in age-matched normal eyes, 306.7 ± 68.4 μm in fellow uninvolved eyes with AMD, 293.8 ± 80.4 μm in early AMD, 215.6 ± 80.4 μm in intermediate AMD, and 200.4 ± 66.6 μm in late AMD (F = 14.2, all P < 0.001). Choroidal thickness was greater in early AMD eyes than in intermediate/late AMD eyes (P < 0.001). Mean percentage of Sattler layer area in each group showed a similar tendency. Microstructure of the choroid showed reduced vascular density of Sattler layer areas in late AMD eyes compared with normal eyes.Decreasing subfoveal choroidal thickness and percentage of Sattler layer area were demonstrated in the progression of AMD. The choroidal change was related to atrophy of the microstructural changes of underlying capillaries and medium-sized vessels.
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Geology of the Ulugh Muztagh area, northern Tibet
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Burchfiel, B.C.; Molnar, P.
1989-01-01
Within the Ulugh Muztagh area, north central Tibet, an east-west-trending ophiolitic melange marks a suture that apparently was formed during a late Triassic or slightly younger collision between a continental fragment to the south and the rest of Asia. The southern continental fragment carries a thick sequence of upper Triassic sandstone, but the contact between the sandstone and the ophiolitic melange is covered by a younger redbed sequence of unknown age. A suite of 2-mica, tourmaline-bearing leucogranite plutons and dikes intruded the Triassic sandstone at shallow crustal levels 10.5 to 8.4 Ma. These rocks range from granite to tonalite in composition, are geochemically very similar to slightly older High Himalayan leucogranite and are interpreted to have been derived by the partial melting of crustal material. We interpret this to mean that crustal thickening began in this part of the Tibetan plateau at least by 10.5 Ma. Welded rhyolitic tuff rests on a conglomerate that consists of abundant debris from the Ulugh Muztagh intrusive rocks and has yielded Ar/Ar ages of about 4 Ma. The tuffs are geochemically identical to the intrusive rocks suggesting that crustal thickening may have continued to 4 Ma. Crustal thickening probably occurred by distributed crustal shortening similar to shortening now occurring north of Ulugh Muztagh along the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. (orig.)
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Tu, Chenyi; Chen, Zhong-Qiang; Retallack, Gregory J.; Huang, Yuangeng; Fang, Yuheng
2016-03-01
Microbially induced sedimentary structures (MISSs) are commonly present in siliciclastic shallow marine settings following the end-Permian mass extinction, but have been rarely reported in the post-extinction terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we present six types of well-preserved MISSs from the upper Sunjiagou Formation and lower Liujiagou Formation of Induan (Early Triassic) age in the Yiyang area, Henan Province, North China. These MISSs include: polygonal sand cracks, worm-like structures, wrinkle structures, sponge pore fabrics, gas domes, and leveled ripple marks. Microanalysis shows that these MISSs are characterized by thin clayey laminae and filamentous mica grains arranged parallel to bedding plane as well as oriented matrix supported quartz grains, which are indicative of biogenic origin. Facies analysis suggests that the MISS-hosting sediments were deposited in a fluvial sedimentary system during the Early Triassic, including lake delta, riverbeds/point bars, and flood plain paleoenvironments. Abundant MISSs from Yiyang indicate that microbes also proliferated in terrestrial ecosystems in the aftermath of the Permian-Triassic (P-Tr) biocrisis, like they behaved in marine ecosystems. Microbial blooms, together with dramatic loss of metazoans, may reflect environmental stress and degradation of terrestrial ecosystems or arid climate immediately after the severe Permian-Triassic ecologic crisis.
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François, Thomas; Afiq Md, Muhammad; Matenco, Liviu; Willingshofer, Ernst; Fatt Ng, Tham; Iskandar Taib, N.; Kamal Shuib, Mustaffa
2017-04-01
Dismembering large continental areas by post-orogenic extension requires favourable geodynamic conditions and frequently occurs along pre-existing suture zones or nappe contacts as exemplified by the Stong Complex and Taku Schist of northern Peninsular Malaysia. For this particular case we have employed a field and microstructural kinematic study combined with low temperature thermo-chronology to analyse the tectonic and exhumation history. The results show that the late Palaeozoic - Triassic Indosinian orogeny created successive phases of burial related metamorphism, shearing and contractional deformation. This orogenic structure was then dismembered during a Cretaceous thermal event that culminated in the formation of a large scale late Santonian - early Maastrichtian extensional detachment, genetically associated with crustal melting, the emplacement of syn-kinematic plutons and widespread migmatisation. The emplacement of these magmatic rocks led to an array of simultaneously formed structures that document deformation conditions over a wide temperature range, represented by amphibolite-facies mylonites and more brittle structures, such as cataclastic zones and normal faults that formed during exhumation in the footwall of the detachment. The formation of this detachment and a first phase of Late Cretaceous cooling was followed by renewed Eocene - Oligocene exhumation evidenced from our apatite fission track ages. We infer that an initial Cretaceous thermal anomaly was responsible for the formation of an extensional gneiss dome associated with simple shear and normal fault rotation. These Cretaceous processes played a critical role in the establishment of the presently observed crustal structure of Peninsular Malaysia.
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Distributional patterns of Mawsoniidae (Sarcopterygii: Actinistia).
Miguel, Raphael; Gallo, Valéria; Morrone, Juan J
2014-03-01
Mawsoniidae are a fossil family of actinistian fish popularly known as coelacanths, which are found in continental and marine paleoenvironments. The taxon is considered monophyletic, including five valid genera (Axelrodichthys, Chinlea, Diplurus, Mawsonia and Parnaibaia) and 11 genera with some taxonomical controversy (Alcoveria, Changxingia, Garnbergia, Heptanema, Indocoelacanthus, Libys, Lualabaea, Megalocoelacanthus, Moenkopia, Rhipis and Trachymetopon). The genera restricted to the Northern Hemisphere (Diplurus and Chinlea) possess the oldest records (Late Triassic), whereas those found in the Southern Hemisphere (Mawsonia, Axelrodichthys, and Parnaibaia) extend from Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous, especially in Brazil and Africa. We identified distributional patterns of Mawsoniidae, applying the panbiogeographical method of track analysis, and obtained three generalized tracks (GTs): GT1 (Northeastern Newark) in strata of the Newark Group (Upper Triassic); GT2 (Midwestern Gondwana) in the Lualaba Formation (Upper Jurassic); and GT3 (Itapecuru-Alcântara-Santana) in the Itapecuru-Alcântara-Santana formations (Lower Cretaceous). The origin of Mawsoniidae can be dated to at least Late Triassic of Pangaea. The tectonic events related to the breakup of Pangaea and Gondwana and the evolution of the oceans are suggested as the vicariant events modeling the distribution of this taxon throughout the Mesozoic.
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Breitfeld, H. T.; Hennig, J.; BouDagher-Fadel, M.; Hall, R.
2017-12-01
The offshore Sarawak Basin NW of North Sarawak is a major hydrocarbon province in SE Asia. A very thick sedimentary sequence of Oligocene to ?Early Miocene age, named Cycle 1, is an important hydrocarbon source and reservoir. Despite numerous wells the stratigraphy and tectonic history is not very well understood. The Nyalau Formation of onshore North Sarawak is the supposed equivalent of the offshore Cycle 1 sequence. The Nyalau Formation is a thick sedimentary sequence of mainly tidal to deltaic deposits. The formation is dominated by well-bedded sandstone-mudstone alternations and thicker sandstones with abundant bioturbation. The sandstones are predominantly arenaceous. Various lithic fragments and feldspar indicate multiple sources and fresh input from igneous and metamorphic rocks. Interbedded thin limestone beds and marls yielded Early Miocene foraminifera for the upper part of the succession. Zircons separated from the sandstones yielded mainly Cretaceous and Triassic ages. The Triassic is the dominant age population. The Nyalau Formation conformably overlies the Buan Shale and the Tatau Formation, and in places unconformably overlies the Belaga Formation. The Belaga Formation is part of the Rajang Group that represents remnants of a large submarine fan deposited in the Late Cretaceous to Eocene in Central Sarawak. In contrast to the Nyalau Formation, the majority of zircons from the Rajang Group have Cretaceous ages. This marks an important change in provenance at the major unconformity separating the Belaga and Nyalau Formations. This unconformity was previously interpreted as the result of an orogeny in the Late Eocene. However, there is no evidence for a subduction or collision event at this time in Sarawak. We interpret it to mark plate reorganisation in the Middle Eocene and name it the Rajang Unconformity. Borneo is the principal source of Cretaceous zircons which were derived from the Schwaner Mountains and West Sarawak. The dominant Triassic zircon
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Li, Jialiang; Zhou, Zhiguang; He, Yingfu; Wang, Guosheng; Wu, Chen; Liu, Changfeng; Yao, Guang; Xu, Wentao; Zhao, Xiaoqi; Dai, Pengfei
2017-08-01
There is a wide support that the Inner Mongolia Palaeo-uplift on the northern margin of the North China Craton has undergone an uplifting history. However, when and how did the uplift occurred keeps controversial. Extensive field-based structural, metamorphic, geochemical, geochronological and geophysical investigations on the Inner Mongolia Palaeo-uplift, which suggested that the Inner Mongolia Palaeo-uplift was an uplifted region since the Early Precambrian or range from Late Carboniferous-Early Jurassic. The geochemical characteristics of the Late Paleozoic to Early Mesozoic intrusive rocks indicated that the Inner Mongolia Palaeo-uplift was an Andean-type continental margin that is the extensional tectonic setting. To address the spatial and temporal development of the Inner Mongolia Palaeo-uplift, we have carried out provenance analysis of Permian sedimentary rocks which collected from the Panyangshan basin along the northern margin of the North China Craton. The QFL diagram revealed a dissected arc-recycled orogenic tectonic setting. Moreover, the framework grains are abundant with feldspar (36-50%), indicating the short transport distance and unstable tectonic setting. Detrital zircon U-Pb analysis ascertained possible provenance information: the Precambrian basement ( 2490 and 1840 Ma) and continental arc magmatic action ( 279 and 295 Ma) along the northern margin of the North China Craton. The projection in rose diagrams of the mean palaeocurrent direction, revealing the SSW and SSE palaeoflow direction, also shows the provenance of the Panyangshan basin sources mainly from the Inner Mongolia Palaeo-uplift. The andesite overlying the Naobaogou Formation has yielded U-Pb age of 277.3 ± 1.4 Ma. The additional dioritic porphyry dike intruded the Naobaogou and Laowopu Formations, which has an emplacement age of 236 ± 1 Ma. The above data identify that the basin formed ranges from Early Permian to Middle Triassic (277-236 Ma). Accordingly, the Inner Mongolia
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Chronology of Fluctuating Sea Levels since the Triassic
Haq, Bilal U.; Hardenbol, Jan; Vail, Peter R.
1987-03-01
Advances in sequence stratigraphy and the development of depositional models have helped explain the origin of genetically related sedimentary packages during sea level cycles. These concepts have provided the basis for the recognition of sea level events in subsurface data and in outcrops of marine sediments around the world. Knowledge of these events has led to a new generation of Mesozoic and Cenozoic global cycle charts that chronicle the history of sea level fluctuations during the past 250 million years in greater detail than was possible from seismic-stratigraphic data alone. An effort has been made to develop a realistic and accurate time scale and widely applicable chronostratigraphy and to integrate depositional sequences documented in public domain outcrop sections from various basins with this chronostratigraphic frame-work. A description of this approach and an account of the results, illustrated by sea level cycle charts of the Cenozoic, Cretaceous, Jurassic, and Triassic intervals, are presented.
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Gernigon, L.; Broenner, M.; Dumais, M. A.; Gradmann, S.; Grønlie, A.; Nasuti, A.; Roberts, D.
2017-12-01
The tectonic evolution of the former `grey zone' between Russia and Norway has so far remained poorly constrained due to a lack of geophysical data. In 2014, we carried out a new aeromagnetic survey (BASAR-14) in the southern part of the new Norwegian offshore territory. Caledonian and Timanian structures, highlighted by the new potential field data, dominate the basement patterns and have exerted a strong influence on the structure and development of the overlying basins and basement highs. Clearly associated with NW-SE-oriented Timanian trends, the Tiddlybanken Basin represents an atypical sag basin that developed at the southern edge of the Fedynsky High. Regional extension and rapid sedimentation initiated the salt tectonics in the Barents Sea in the Early Triassic. Some of the pillows became diapiric during the Early Triassic and rejuvenated during subsequent Jurassic-Tertiary episodes of regional extension and/or compression. At present, quite a few large diapiric salt domes along the Nordkapp and Tiddlybanken basins are relatively shallow, locally reaching the seabed and thus show a clear bathymetric and magnetic signature. Quantitative modelling along 2D seismic transects was also carried out to constrain the structural and basement composition of the study area. The predominant NE-SW Mesozoic trend of the Nordkapp Basin represents a major crustal hinge zone between the Finnmark Platform, poorly affected by major crustal deformation, and the Bjarmeland Platform where Late Palaeozoic rifting controlled the widespread accumulation of salt deposits in Late Carboniferous-Early Permian time. The entire structure and segmentation of the Nordkapp Basin have been influenced by the inherited basement configuration highlighted by the new aeromagnetic data. Both the Nordkapp and the Tiddlybanken basins appear to lie at the edge of a peculiar thick and rigid crustal feature that coincides with a highly magnetic region. The abrupt termination of the eastern Nordkapp
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Wang, M.; Zhong, Y. T.; Hou, Y. L.; He, B.
2017-12-01
Highly correlated with the Permian-Triassic Boundary (PTB) Mass Extinction in stratigraphic section, volcanic ashes around the P-T Boundary in South China have been suggested to be a likely cause of the PTB Mass Extinction. So the nature, source and extent of these volcanic ashes have great significance in figuring out the cause of the PTB Mass Extinction. In this study, we attempt to constrain the source and extent of the PTB volcanic ashes in South China by studying pyroclastic sedimentary rocks and the spatial distribution of tuffs and ashes in South China. The detrital zircons of tuffaceous sandstones from Penglaitan section yield an age spectrum peaked at 252Ma, with ɛHf(t) values varying from -20 to -5 ,and have Nb/Hf, Th/Nb and Hf/Th ratios similar to those from arc/orogenic-related settings. Coarse tuffaceous sandstones imply that their source is in limited distance. Those pyroclastic sedimentary rocks in Penglaitan are well correlated with the PTB volcanic ashes in Meishan GSSP section in stratigraphy. In the spatial distribution, pyroclastic sedimentary rocks and tuffs distribute only in southwest of South China, while finer volcanic ashes are mainly in the northern part. This spatial distribution suggests the source of tuffs and ashes was to the south or southwest of South China. Former studies especially that of Permian-Triassic magmatism in Hainan Island have supported the existence of a continental arc related to the subduction and closure of Palaeo-Tethys on the southwestern margin of South China during Permian to early Triassic. It is suggested that the PTB ashes possibly derived from this Paleo-Tethys continental arc. The fact that volcanic ashes haven't been reported or found in PTB stratum in North China or Northwest China implies a limited extent of the volcanism, which thus is too small to cause the PTB mass extinction.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lee, C.H.
1978-01-01
A preliminary geologic investigation was conducted to determine if Triassic sedimentary rocks of the Sanford basin and Colon cross structure in North Carolina are favorable hosts for uranium deposits. Rocks of adjacent Carolina slate belt were also examined as a potential source of uranium. On the basis of favorability criteria for sandstone-type uranium deposits, and geologic and geophysical investigations of the study area, the most favorable sites for further investigation are (1) at the contacts between the Pekin and Cumnock and between the Pekin and Sanford Formations near the Colon cross structure and (2) at the base of the Jonesboro fault, which lies below the Sanford Formation, northwest of Sanford. The highly weathered granites southeast of the Jonesboro fault were a source of the detritus deposited on the cross structure and may have been a primary source of uranium. Uranium leached from the coarse sediment (Pekin Formation) of the cross structure may have been transported downdip and may have been precipitated by the carbonaceous shales of the Cumnock Formation on the western side of the cross structure or at the Pekin-Sanford contact to the east. The Jonesboro fault may provide an impermeable barrier to ground-water migration in the metamorphosed basement rocks below the Triassic sediments. Such a barrier would constitute a favorable site for the precipitation and retention of uranium. Scintillometer surveys and laboratory analyses indicate no anomalous surface radioactivity in the study area. However, deep surface weathering may have caused the uranium to be leached from the exposed rocks and redeposited at depth. Geologic investigations show that conditions which have proven favorable for deposition of uranium in other areas are present in the Triassic rocks of the Sanford basin and Colon cross structure. However, because of deep surface weathering, further subsurface studies are necessary to confirm the favorability of the rocks as hosts for uranium
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Permo-Triassic vertebrate extinctions: A program
Olson, E. C.
1988-01-01
Since the time of the Authors' study on this subject, a great deal of new information has become available. Concepts of the nature of extinctions have changed materially. The Authors' conclusion that a catastrophic event was not responsible for the extinction of vertebrates has modified to the extent that hypotheses involving either the impact of a massive extra-terrestrial body or volcanism provide plausible but not currently fully testable hypotheses. Stated changes resulted in a rapid decrease in organic diversity, as the ratio of origins of taxa to extinctions shifted from strongly positive to negative, with momentary equilibrium being reached at about the Permo-Triassic boundary. The proximate causes of the changes in the terrestrial biota appear to lie in two primary factors: (1) strong climatic changes (global mean temperatures, temperature ranges, humidity) and (2) susceptibility of the dominant vertebrates (large dicynodonts) and the glossopteris flora to disruption of the equlibrium of the world ecosystem. The following proximate causes have been proposed: (1) rhythmic fluctuations in solar radiation, (2) tectonic events as Pangea assembled, altering land-ocean relationships, patterns of wind and water circulation and continental physiography, (3) volcanism, and (4) changes subsequent to impacts of one or more massive extra terrestrial objects, bodies or comets. These hypotheses are discussed.
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Surmik, Dawid; Rothschild, Bruce M.; Dulski, Mateusz; Janiszewska, Katarzyna
2017-07-01
Avascular necrosis, diagnosed on the basis of either a specific pathological modification of the articular surfaces of bone or its radiologic appearance in vertebral centra, has been recognized in many Mesozoic marine reptiles as well as in present-day marine mammals. Its presence in the zoological and paleontologic record is usually associated with decompression syndrome, a disease that affects secondarily aquatic vertebrates that could dive. Bone necrosis can also be caused by infectious processes, but it differs in appearance from decompression syndrome-associated aseptic necrosis. Herein, we report evidence of septic necrosis in the proximal articular surface of the femur of a marine reptile, Pistosaurus longaevus, from the Middle Triassic of Poland and Germany. This is the oldest recognition of septic necrosis associated with septic arthritis in the fossil record so far, and the mineralogical composition of pathologically altered bone is described herein in detail. The occurrence of septic necrosis is contrasted with decompression syndrome-associated avascular necrosis, also described in Pistosaurus longaevus bone from Middle Triassic of Germany.
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Chen, Xiao-hong; Motani, Ryosuke; Cheng, Long; Jiang, Da-yong; Rieppel, Olivier
2014-01-01
Parahupehsuchus longus is a new species of marine reptile from the Lower Triassic of Yuan'an County, Hubei Province, China. It is unique among vertebrates for having a body wall that is completely surrounded by a bony tube, about 50 cm long and 6.5 cm deep, comprising overlapping ribs and gastralia. This tube and bony ossicles on the back are best interpreted as anti-predatory features, suggesting that there was predation pressure upon marine tetrapods in the Early Triassic. There is at least one sauropterygian that is sufficiently large to feed on Parahupehsuchus in the Nanzhang-Yuan'an fauna, together with six more species of potential prey marine reptiles with various degrees of body protection. Modern predators of marine tetrapods belong to the highest trophic levels in the marine ecosystem but such predators did not always exist through geologic time. The indication of marine-tetrapod feeding in the Nanzhang-Yuan'an fauna suggests that such a trophic level emerged for the first time in the Early Triassic. The recovery from the end-Permian extinction probably proceeded faster than traditionally thought for marine predators. Parahupehsuchus has superficially turtle-like features, namely expanded ribs without intercostal space, very short transverse processes, and a dorsal outgrowth from the neural spine. However, these features are structurally different from their turtle counterparts. Phylogeny suggests that they are convergent with the condition in turtles, which has a fundamentally different body plan that involves the folding of the body wall. Expanded ribs without intercostal space evolved at least twice and probably even more among reptiles.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Xiao-hong Chen
Full Text Available Parahupehsuchus longus is a new species of marine reptile from the Lower Triassic of Yuan'an County, Hubei Province, China. It is unique among vertebrates for having a body wall that is completely surrounded by a bony tube, about 50 cm long and 6.5 cm deep, comprising overlapping ribs and gastralia. This tube and bony ossicles on the back are best interpreted as anti-predatory features, suggesting that there was predation pressure upon marine tetrapods in the Early Triassic. There is at least one sauropterygian that is sufficiently large to feed on Parahupehsuchus in the Nanzhang-Yuan'an fauna, together with six more species of potential prey marine reptiles with various degrees of body protection. Modern predators of marine tetrapods belong to the highest trophic levels in the marine ecosystem but such predators did not always exist through geologic time. The indication of marine-tetrapod feeding in the Nanzhang-Yuan'an fauna suggests that such a trophic level emerged for the first time in the Early Triassic. The recovery from the end-Permian extinction probably proceeded faster than traditionally thought for marine predators. Parahupehsuchus has superficially turtle-like features, namely expanded ribs without intercostal space, very short transverse processes, and a dorsal outgrowth from the neural spine. However, these features are structurally different from their turtle counterparts. Phylogeny suggests that they are convergent with the condition in turtles, which has a fundamentally different body plan that involves the folding of the body wall. Expanded ribs without intercostal space evolved at least twice and probably even more among reptiles.
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Chiarugi, Alessandra; Nardini, Paolo; Borgognoni, Lorenzo; Brandani, Paola; Gerlini, Gianni; Rubegni, Pietro; Lamberti, Arianna; Salvini, Camilla; Lo Scocco, Giovanni; Cecchi, Roberto; Sirna, Riccardo; Lorenzi, Stefano; Gattai, Riccardo; Battistini, Silvio; Crocetti, Emanuele
2017-03-14
The epidemiologic trends of cutaneous melanoma are similar in several countries with a Western-type life style, where there is a progressive increasing incidence and a low but not decreasing mor- tality, or somewhere an increase too, especially in the older age groups. Also in Tuscany there is a steady rise in incidence with prevalence of in situ and invasive thin melanomas, with also an increase of thick melanomas. It is necessary to reduce the frequency of thick melanomas to reduce specific mortality. The objective of the current survey has been to compare, in the Tuscany population, by a case- case study, thin and thick melanoma cases, trying to find out those personal and tumour characteristics which may help to customize preventive interventions. RESULTS The results confirmed the age and the lower edu- cation level are associated with a later detection. The habit to perform skin self-examination is resulted protec- tive forward thick melanoma and also the diagnosis by a doctor. The elements emerging from the survey allow to hypothesize a group of subjects resulting at higher risk for a late diagnosis, aged over 50 and carrier of a fewer constitutional and environmental risk factors: few total and few atypical nevi, and lower sun exposure and burning. It is assumable that a part of people did not be reached from messages of prevention because does not recognize oneself in the categories of people at risk for skin cancers described in educational cam- paigns. If we want to obtain better results on diagnosis of skin melanoma we have to think a new strategy. At least to think over the educational messages discriminating people more at risk of incidence of melanoma from people more at risk to die from melanoma, and to renewed active involvement of the Gen- eral Practitioners .
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Peeters, J.; Busschers, F. S.; Stouthamer, E.; Bosch, J. H. A.; Van den Berg, M. W.; Wallinga, J.; Versendaal, A. J.; Bunnik, F. P. M.; Middelkoop, H.
2016-01-01
This paper describes the sedimentary architecture, chronostratigraphy and palaeogeography of the late Middle and Late Pleistocene (Marine Isotope Stage/MIS 6-2) incised Rhine-valley fill in the central Netherlands based on six geological transects, luminescence dating, biostratigraphical data and a 3D geological model. The incised-valley fill consists of a ca. 50 m thick and 10-20 km wide sand-dominated succession and includes a well-developed sequence dating from the Last Interglacial: known as the Eemian in northwest Europe. The lower part of the valley fill contains coarse-grained fluvio-glacial and fluvial Rhine sediments that were deposited under Late Saalian (MIS 6) cold-climatic periglacial conditions and during the transition into the warm Eemian interglacial (MIS 5e-d). This unit is overlain by fine-grained fresh-water flood-basin deposits, which are transgressed by a fine-grained estuarine unit that formed during marine high-stand. This ca. 10 m thick sequence reflects gradual drowning of the Eemian interglacial fluvial Rhine system and transformation into an estuary due to relative sea-level rise. The chronological data suggests a delay in timing of regional Eemian interglacial transgression and sea-level high-stand of several thousand years, when compared to eustatic sea-level. As a result of this glacio-isostatic controlled delay, formation of the interglacial lower deltaic system took only place for a relative short period of time: progradation was therefore limited. During the cooler Weichselian Early Glacial period (MIS 5d-a) deposition of deltaic sediments continued and extensive westward progradation of the Rhine system occurred. Major parts of the Eemian and Weichselian Early Glacial deposits were eroded and buried as a result of sea-level lowering and climate cooling during the early Middle Weichselian (MIS 4-3). Near complete sedimentary preservation occurred along the margins of the incised valley allowing the detailed reconstruction presented
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A new marine reptile from the Triassic of China, with a highly specialized feeding adaptation
Cheng, Long; Chen, Xiao-Hong; Shang, Qing-Hua; Wu, Xiao-Chun
2014-03-01
The Luoping fauna (Anisian, Middle Triassic) is probably the oldest of Triassic faunas in Guizhou-Yunnan area, China. The reptilian assemblage is comprised of ichthyosaurs, a number of sauropterygians (pachypleurosaur-like forms), saurosphargids, protorosaurs, and archosauriforms. Here, we report on a peculiar reptile, newly found in this fauna. Its dentition is fence or comb-like and bears more than 175 pleurodont teeth in each ramus of the upper and lower jaws, tooth crown is needle-like distally and blade-shaped proximally; its rostrum strongly bends downward and the anterior end of its mandible expands both dorsally and ventrally to form a shovel-headed structure; and its ungual phalanges are hoof-shaped. The specializations of the jaws and dentition indicate that the reptile may have been adapted to a way of bottom-filter feeding in water. It is obvious that such delicate teeth are not strong enough to catch prey, but were probably used as a barrier to filter microorganisms or benthic invertebrates such as sea worms. These were collected by the specialized jaws, which may have functioned as a shovel or pushdozer (the mandible) and a grasper or scratcher (the rostrum). Our preliminary analysis suggests that the new reptile might be more closely related to the Sauropterygia than to other marine reptiles.
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A new marine reptile from the Triassic of China, with a highly specialized feeding adaptation.
Cheng, Long; Chen, Xiao-Hong; Shang, Qing-Hua; Wu, Xiao-Chun
2014-03-01
The Luoping fauna (Anisian, Middle Triassic) is probably the oldest of Triassic faunas in Guizhou-Yunnan area, China. The reptilian assemblage is comprised of ichthyosaurs, a number of sauropterygians (pachypleurosaur-like forms), saurosphargids, protorosaurs, and archosauriforms. Here, we report on a peculiar reptile, newly found in this fauna. Its dentition is fence or comb-like and bears more than 175 pleurodont teeth in each ramus of the upper and lower jaws, tooth crown is needle-like distally and blade-shaped proximally; its rostrum strongly bends downward and the anterior end of its mandible expands both dorsally and ventrally to form a shovel-headed structure; and its ungual phalanges are hoof-shaped. The specializations of the jaws and dentition indicate that the reptile may have been adapted to a way of bottom-filter feeding in water. It is obvious that such delicate teeth are not strong enough to catch prey, but were probably used as a barrier to filter microorganisms or benthic invertebrates such as sea worms. These were collected by the specialized jaws, which may have functioned as a shovel or pushdozer (the mandible) and a grasper or scratcher (the rostrum). Our preliminary analysis suggests that the new reptile might be more closely related to the Sauropterygia than to other marine reptiles.
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Jaquier, Vivien P.; Fraser, Nicholas C.; Furrer, Heinz; Scheyer, Torsten M.
2017-11-01
Over the past two decades, a wealth of marine and terrestrial reptiles, including protorosaurian archosauromorphs, has been described from Triassic shales and limestone layers in southern China. Recovered from the eastern margin of the Tethys Ocean, these forms often show remarkable similarities to taxa that were previously known and described from Europe, i.e., the western Tethyan margin. One protorosaurian that is known from the western and the eastern Tethyan province is the genus Macrocnemus, with currently three recognized species: 1) M. bassanii from the Middle Triassic Besano Formation and Meride Limestone (late Anisian – early Ladinian), UNESCO World Heritage Site Monte San Giorgio, Ticino, Switzerland; 2) M. obristi from the Prosanto Formation (early Ladinian) of the Ducan area, Grisons, Switzerland; and 3) M. fuyuanensis from the Falang Formation (Ladinian), Yunnan Province, southern China. Recently a new specimen, PIMUZ T 1559, from the upper Besano Formation at Meride, Ticino, Switzerland, was prepared, revealing a disarticulated skeleton which includes most of the cranium and lower jaw, pre-caudal vertebral column and ribs, the forelimbs, and girdle elements. Unambiguously assignable to the genus Macrocnemus, it evinces particularly gracile elongated cervical ribs, as well as a humerus/radius ratio that is comparable only to that of M. fuyuanensis from southern China. Based on this feature we tentatively recognize the new specimen as M. aff. fuyuanensis from Europe. The position and exquisite preservation of the clavicle and interclavicle in this specimen allows a revision of the shoulder girdle of Macrocnemus when articulated, which also has implications for closely related protorosaurian taxa, such as the long-necked Tanystropheus. Furthermore, differences in the shape and morphology of the interclavicle including pointed wing-like lateral processes and a short, fusiform caudal process represent rare discrete characters that allow separation of the
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Vivien P. Jaquier
2017-11-01
Full Text Available Over the past two decades, a wealth of marine and terrestrial reptiles, including protorosaurian archosauromorphs, has been described from Triassic shales and limestone layers in southern China. Recovered from the eastern margin of the Tethys Ocean, these forms often show remarkable similarities to taxa that were previously known and described from Europe, i.e., the western Tethyan margin. One protorosaurian that is known from the western and the eastern Tethyan province is the genus Macrocnemus, with currently three recognized species: (1 Macrocnemus bassanii from the Middle Triassic Besano Formation and Meride Limestone (late Anisian–early Ladinian, UNESCO World Heritage Site Monte San Giorgio, Ticino, Switzerland; (2 Macrocnemus obristi from the Prosanto Formation (early Ladinian of the Ducan area, Grisons, Switzerland; and (3 Macrocnemus fuyuanensis from the Falang Formation (Ladinian, Yunnan Province, southern China. Recently a new specimen, PIMUZ T 1559, from the upper Besano Formation at Meride, Ticino, Switzerland, was prepared, revealing a disarticulated skeleton which includes most of the cranium and lower jaw, pre-caudal vertebral column and ribs, the forelimbs, and girdle elements. Unambiguously assignable to the genus Macrocnemus, it evinces particularly gracile elongated cervical ribs, as well as a humerus/radius ratio that is comparable only to that of M. fuyuanensis from southern China. Based on this feature we tentatively recognize the new specimen as M. aff. fuyuanensis from Europe. The position and exquisite preservation of the clavicle and interclavicle in this specimen allows a revision of the shoulder girdle of Macrocnemus when articulated, which also has implications for closely related protorosaurian taxa, such as the long-necked Tanystropheus. Furthermore, differences in the shape and morphology of the interclavicle including pointed wing-like lateral processes and a short, fusiform caudal process represent rare
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Li, Kaikai; Cai, Chunfang; Jiang, Lei; Cai, Liulu; Jia, Lianqi; Zhang, Bing; Xiang, Lei; Yuan, Yuyang
2012-01-01
Petrographic features, C, O and Sr isotopes, rare earth and trace elements were determined, and fluid inclusions were analyzed on various stages of interparticle cements and vug-fillings from the Upper Permian and Lower Triassic sour reservoirs in northeastern Sichuan basin. The aim was to assess the origin and evolution of palaeo-waters in the carbonates. The original water was contemporary seawater, from which marine cements precipitated with slightly high Sr contents (mean 1911 ppm), 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios from 0.7067 to 0.7082 and nonluminescent CL. The palaeo-seawater was diluted by meteoric water, as indicated by bright cathodoluminescence (CL) and Sr-depletion (0–516 ppm) in low-temperature calcite. When buried to temperatures of about 60–90 °C during Middle to Late Triassic, the palaeo-water was enriched in Sr released from the transformation of precursor aragonite and calcite to dolomite, resulting in precipitation of substantial pre-bitumen Sr-rich minerals (SrSO 4 and SrCO 3 ). For un-dolomitized limestone sections, aragonite neomorphism may have contributed Sr to the precipitation of small amounts of Sr-bearing minerals and calcite crystals with elevated homogenization temperatures (HTs, mainly from 90 to 130 °C) and wide Sr contents (from 34 to 3825 ppm), as recorded in stage III calcite. Since the Middle Jurassic, almost all of the early stage celestite and significant amounts of solid CaSO 4 have been consumed by reactions with hydrocarbons (i.e., TSR), resulting in water enriched in isotopically light CO 2 and HCO 3 - ,Sr 2+ ,Ba 2+ and Eu 2+ , as recorded in calcite with low δ 13 C values (down to −18.9‰), 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios from 0.7072 to 0.7076, high HTs (mainly 110–198 °C), positive Eu anomalies and high Sr and Ba contents. Subsequently, the water was uplifted and cooled down to about 115 °C, celestite and strontianite were precipitated with the occurrence of natural elemental S immiscible inclusions. TSR may have produced
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Restoration of marine ecosystems following the end-Permian mass extinction: pattern and dynamics
Chen, Z.
2013-12-01
Life came closest to complete annihilation during the end-Permian mass extinction (EPME). Pattern and cause of this great dying have long been disputed. Similarly, there is also some debate on the recovery rate and pattern of marine organisms in the aftermath of the EPME. Some clades recovered rapidly, within the first 1-3 Myr of the Triassic. For instance, foraminiferal recovery began 1 Myr into the Triassic and was not much affected by Early Triassic crises. Further, some earliest Triassic body and trace fossil assemblages are also more diverse than predicted. Others, ie. Brachiopods, corals etc., however, did not rebound until the Middle Triassic. In addition, although ammonoids recovered fast, reaching a higher diversity by the Smithian than in the Late Permian, much of this Early Triassic radiation was within a single group, the Ceratitina, and their morphological disparity did not expand until the end-Spathian. Here, I like to broaden the modern ecologic network model to explore the complete trophic structure of fossilized ecosystems during the Permian-Triassic transition as a means of assessing the recovery. During the Late Permian and Early Triassic, primary producers, forming the lowest trophic level, were microbes. The middle part of the food web comprises primary and meso-consumer trophic levels, the former dominated by microorganisms such as foraminifers, the latter by opportunistic communities (i.e. disaster taxa), benthic shelly communities, and reef-builders. They were often consumed by invertebrate and vertebrate predators, the top trophic level. Fossil record from South China shows that the post-extinction ecosystems were degraded to a low level and typified by primary producers or opportunistic consumers, which are represented by widespread microbialites or high-abundance, low-diversity communities. Except for some opportunists, primary consumers, namely foraminifers, rebounded in Smithian. Trace-makers recovered in Spathian, which also saw
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Toens, P.D.; Le Roux, J.P.
1981-01-01
The discovery of uranium in the Permo-Triassic Gondwana in South America and Africa has served to highlight the intercontinental correlations. The purpose here is to examine the uranium deposits of Southern Africa in the light of the similarities that exist between the various Gondwana formations of the two continents. This hopefully will assist in gaining some understanding of the genesis of the uranium mineralization and the sedimentary environment in which such deposits are likely to occur. Between the Upper Carboniferous and the Jurassic a tectono-sedimentary terrain existed within Gondwanaland in which broadly similar conditions prevailed over large areas, thus producing numerous partly disconnected basins practically identical in character. The basal formations are composed of glacial tillite followed by a succession of sandstone and shale which attains a thickness of up to 12,000 m. Sedimentological studies confirm that major source areas composed largely of granitic and metamorphic rocks existed to the north and south of central South America and Southern Africa, as also in the divides between the basins. Uranium mineralization occurs sporadically throughout the succession and is usually restricted to palaeoriver channels containing carbon trash. There has been little subsequent enrichment and the Colorado model does not apply. With a few exceptions, the deposits tend to have a low overall uranium tenor and individual deposits are usually not very extensive in size. Collectively, however, they may eventually assume some importance. Uraniferous coals have been recorded from a number of localities and it is suggested that the significance of these deposits has as yet not been fully appreciated or investigated. (author)
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Adams, C.J.; Mortimer, N.; Campbell, H.J.; Griffin, W.L.
2011-01-01
Detrital zircon U-Pb ages and Rb-Sr metamorphic ages from low-grade Torlesse Supergroup metasedimentary rocks from North Canterbury and Marlborough provide preliminary evidence for a continuation of the Kaweka Terrane of the central North Island into the Torlesse Composite Terrane of the South Island. This would extend from the south side of the Wairau Fault in the upper Wairau River valley southwards to the Lake Tennyson and Lake Sumner areas, and as far as Hawarden. Rb-Sr ages indicate Jurassic metamorphism, 170±24 Ma, with initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios at that time 0.7073 ± 0.0007 i.e. similar to their North Island counterparts. These Kaweka Terrane rocks have detrital zircon ages that follow the distinctive pattern of the Torlesse rocks in general, i.e. substantial (>30%) Permian-Triassic and Precambrian-Early Palaeozoic groupings, but they also have minor youngest age components c. 175-165 Ma which constrain a maximum Early-Middle Jurassic depositional age. In detail, significant, older zircon components are Late Permian-Early Triassic (260-240 Ma) and Late Triassic (220-210 Ma), but the Precambrian-Early Palaeozoic detrital zircon ages are more scattered. The Kaweka Terrane thus forms a linear belt (c. 500 km) along the length of the Torlesse Composite Terrane in both North and South Islands. In the South Island it coincides with the Esk Head Belt, i.e. east of the Rakaia Terrane (Triassic-Late Permian) and west of the Pahau Terrane (Early Cretaceous-Late Jurassic). (author). 61 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs.
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Evolution of the Early Triassic marine depositional environment in the Croatian Dinarides
Aljinović, Dunja; Smirčić, Duje; Horacek, Micha; Richoz, Sylvain; Krystyn, Leopold; Kolar-Jurkovšek, Tea; Jurkovšek, Bogdan
2014-05-01
In the central part of the Dinarides in Croatia, the Early Triassic depositional sequence was investigated by means of litho-, bio- and chemostratigraphy at locality Plavno (ca. 1.000m thick). Conodont and δ13C-isotope analysis were a powerfull tool to determine stage and substage boundaries. The succession begins with the second conodont zone of the Griesbachian Isarcicella staeschei and I. isarcica with low δ13C-values and a steadily increase towards the Griesbachian-Dienerian boundary. Around that boundary a minor, short, negative excursion occurs. In the Dienerian the δ13C-values increase with a steepening of the slope towards the Dienerian-Smithian boundary. Around that boundary a maximum of +5o in shallow water carbonate occurs followed by a steep and continuous drop to low, often negative values in the Smithian. Just before the Smithian-Spathian boundary a steep rise to a second maximum is documented. It is followed by decline in the Spathian and a gentle increase to a rounded peak at the Spathian-Anisian boundary. In lithological sense Plavno succession has threefold division: 1) carbonates representing the oldest Early Triassic strata (early Griesbachian); 2) dominantly red clastics (shales, siltstones and sandstones) with intercalation of oncoid/ooid or bioclast rich grainstones (uppermost Griesbachian, Dienerian and Smithian) and 3) dominantly grey carbonaceous lime mudstones, marls and calcisiltites with ammonoids representing Spathian strata. In the oldest strata (Griesbachian) in macrocrystalline subhedral dolomites rare microspheres and foraminifers Earlandia and Cornuspira point to the stressful conditions related to the end Permian mass extinction. In the uppermost Griesbachian and Dienerian strata, within dominantly clastic deposition, rare coarse oncoliths with typical microbial cortices occur. Their presence fits to the interpretation of biotical-induced precipitation related to PTB extinction and can suggest still stressful condition. The
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Journal of Earth System Science | Indian Academy of Sciences
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
In Late Devonian and Early-to-Late Triassic times, the southern continental margin of the Eastern European Platform was the site of a basaltic volcanism in the Donbas and Fore-Caucasus areas respectively. Both volcanic piles rest unconformably upon Paleoproterozoic and Late Paleozoic units respectively, and emplaced ...
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
BABA SENOWBARI-DARYAN
1999-03-01
Full Text Available An association of thalamid sponges including Amblysiphonella, Nevadathalamia, Stylothalamia, and Neoguadalupia, with the hexactinellid Casearia is described from the Upper Triassic (Norian-Rhaetian Nayband Formation of Hambast-Mts. near the small town of Wali-Abad (Abadeh region, central Iran. These Norian-Rhaetian (Neoguadalupia, Amblysiphonella, Nevadathalamia and Liassic (Stylothalamia columnaris Le Maitre thalamid sponge assemblages are exceptional associations, not previously reported from Iran nor from other localities in the world. The microfacies and organism associations in the sponge-bearing carbonates is discussed. Differences of macro- and microfaunal composition, as well as flora, support the recognition of Kristan-Tollmann et al. to classify the Nayband Formation in the Abadeh region as of a distinct unit, termed the "Wali-Abad-Faziesregion". Following thalamid sponge species are described as new: Nevadathalamia waliabadensis n. sp. and Stylothalamia hambastensis n. sp.
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Flores, J. A.; Spencer, C. J.; Harris, R. A.; Hoiland, C.
2011-12-01
Analysis of zircons from Australian affinity Permo-Triassic units of the Timor region yield age distributions with large peaks at 230-400 Ma and 1750-1900 Ma (n=435). Similar zircon age peaks are also found in rocks from NE Australia and the eastern Cimmerian block. It is likely that these terranes, which are now widely separated, were once part of the northern edge of Gondwana near what is now the NW margin of Australia. The Cimmerian Block was removed from Gondwana during Early Permian rifting and initiation of the Neo-Tethys Ocean. Hf analysis of zircon from the Aileu Complex in Timor and Kisar shows bimodal (juvenial and evolved) magmatism in the Gondwana Sequence of NW Australia at ~300 Ma. The magmatic event produced basalt with rift valley and ocean floor geochemical affinities, and rhyolite. Similar rock types and isotopic signatures are also found in Permo-Triassic igneous units throughout the Cimmerian continental block. The part of the Cimmerian Block with zircon distributions most like the Gondwana Sequence of NW Australia is the terranes of northern Tibet and Malaysia. The large 1750-1900 Ma zircon peak is much more wide spread, and appears in terranes from Baoshan (SW China) to Borneo. The Permo-Triassic rocks of the Timor region fill syn-rift intracratonic basins that successfully rifted in the Jurassic to form the NW margin of Australia. This passive continental margin first entered the Sunda Trench in the Timor region at around 8 Ma causing the Permo-Triassic rocks to accrete to the edge of the Asian Plate and emerge as a series of mountainous islands in the young collision zone. Eventually, the Australian continental margin will collide with the southern edge of the Asian plate and these Gondwana terranes will rejoin. However, it may be difficult to reconstruct the various ventures of they made over the past 300 Ma.
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Chen, Xiao-hong; Motani, Ryosuke; Cheng, Long; Jiang, Da-yong; Rieppel, Olivier
2014-01-01
Parahupehsuchus longus is a new species of marine reptile from the Lower Triassic of Yuan’an County, Hubei Province, China. It is unique among vertebrates for having a body wall that is completely surrounded by a bony tube, about 50 cm long and 6.5 cm deep, comprising overlapping ribs and gastralia. This tube and bony ossicles on the back are best interpreted as anti-predatory features, suggesting that there was predation pressure upon marine tetrapods in the Early Triassic. There is at least one sauropterygian that is sufficiently large to feed on Parahupehsuchus in the Nanzhang-Yuan’an fauna, together with six more species of potential prey marine reptiles with various degrees of body protection. Modern predators of marine tetrapods belong to the highest trophic levels in the marine ecosystem but such predators did not always exist through geologic time. The indication of marine-tetrapod feeding in the Nanzhang-Yuan’an fauna suggests that such a trophic level emerged for the first time in the Early Triassic. The recovery from the end-Permian extinction probably proceeded faster than traditionally thought for marine predators. Parahupehsuchus has superficially turtle-like features, namely expanded ribs without intercostal space, very short transverse processes, and a dorsal outgrowth from the neural spine. However, these features are structurally different from their turtle counterparts. Phylogeny suggests that they are convergent with the condition in turtles, which has a fundamentally different body plan that involves the folding of the body wall. Expanded ribs without intercostal space evolved at least twice and probably even more among reptiles. PMID:24718682
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Blum, M. D.; Umbarger, K.
2017-12-01
The Triassic Chinle Formation is a fluvial succession deposited in a backarc setting across the present-day Colorado Plateau of the southwestern United States. Existing studies have proposed various mechanisms responsible for the unique stratigraphic architecture and depositional sequences of the Chinle. However, these studies lack necessary age control to correlate stratigraphic patterns with contemporaneous mechanisms. This study will collect new samples for detrital zircon analysis, as well as upgrade existing samples (to n=300) from Dickinson and Gehrels (2008), to improve the resolution of Triassic sediment provenance from source-to-sink. The improved dataset allows appraisal of the multiple provenance terranes that contributed to the Chinle depositional system to delineate and reconstruct paleodrainage patterns. The additional samples will be collected systematically from the base of the Chinle, and vertically throughout the section to capture a regional story of how the continental scale drainage reorganized through time. U-Pb ages of detrital zircons will be utilized to provide quantitative fingerprinting information to constrain interpretations for the origin and transport history of the Chinle fluvial succession in time and space.
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Appalachian Piedmont landscapes from the Permian to the Holocene
Cleaves, E.T.
1989-01-01
Between the Potomac and Susquehanna Rivers and from the Blue Ridge to the Fall Zone, landscapes of the Piedmont are illustrated for times in the Holocene, Late Wisconsin, Early Miocene, Early Cretaceous, Late Triassic, and Permian. Landscape evolution took place in tectonic settings marked by major plate collisions (Permian), arching and rifting (Late Triassic) and development of the Atlantic passive margin by sea floor spreading (Early Cretaceous). Erosion proceeded concurrently with tectonic uplift and continued after cessation of major tectonic activity. Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf sediments record three major erosional periods: (1) Late Triassic-Early Jurassic; (2) Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous; and (3) Middle Miocene-Holocene. The Middle Miocene-Holocene pulse is related to neotectonic activity and major climatic fluctuations. In the Piedmont upland the Holocene landscape is interpreted as an upland surface of low relief undergoing dissection. Major rivers and streams are incised into a landscape on which the landforms show a delicate adjustment to rock lithologies. The Fall Zone has apparently evolved from a combination of warping, faulting, and differential erosion since Late Miocene. The periglacial environment of the Late Wisconsin (and earlier glacial epochs) resulted in increased physical erosion and reduced chemical weathering. Even with lowered saprolitization rates, geochemical modeling suggests that 80 m or more of saprolite may have formed since Late Miocene. This volume of saprolite suggests major erosion of upland surfaces and seemingly contradicts available field evidence. Greatly subdued relief characterized the Early Miocene time, near the end of a prolonged interval of tropical morphogenesis. The ancestral Susquehanna and Potomac Rivers occupied approximately their present locations. In Early Cretaceous time local relief may have been as much as 900 m, and a major axial river draining both the Piedmont and Appalachians flowed southeast
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Triassic marine reptiles gave birth to live young.
Cheng, Yen-Nien; Wu, Xiao-Chun; Ji, Qiang
2004-11-18
Sauropterygians form the largest and most diverse group of ancient marine reptiles that lived throughout nearly the entire Mesozoic era (from 250 to 65 million years ago). Although thousands of specimens of this group have been collected around the world since the description of the first plesiosaur in 1821 (ref. 3), no direct evidence has been found to determine whether any sauropterygians came on shore to lay eggs (oviparity) like sea turtles, or gave birth in the water to live young (viviparity) as ichthyosaurs and mosasauroids (marine lizards) did. Viviparity has been proposed for plesiosaur, pachypleurosaur and nothosaur sauropterygians, but until now no concrete evidence has been advanced. Here we report two gravid specimens of Keichousaurus hui Young from the Middle Triassic of China. These exquisitely preserved specimens not only provide the first unequivocal evidence of reproductive mode and sexual dimorphism in sauropterygians, but also indicate that viviparity could have been expedited by the evolution of a movable pelvis in pachypleurosaurs. By extension, this has implications for the reproductive pattern of other sauropterygians and Mesozoic marine reptiles that possessed a movable pelvis.
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Distributional patterns of ?Mawsoniidae (Sarcopterygii: Actinistia
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RAPHAEL MIGUEL
2014-03-01
Full Text Available Mawsoniidae are a fossil family of actinistian fish popularly known as coelacanths, which are found in continental and marine paleoenvironments. The taxon is considered monophyletic, including five valid genera (Axelrodichthys, Chinlea, Diplurus, Mawsonia and Parnaibaia and 11 genera with some taxonomical controversy (Alcoveria, Changxingia, Garnbergia, Heptanema, Indocoelacanthus, Libys, Lualabaea, Megalocoelacanthus, Moenkopia, Rhipis and Trachymetopon. The genera restricted to the Northern Hemisphere (Diplurus and Chinlea possess the oldest records (Late Triassic, whereas those found in the Southern Hemisphere (Mawsonia, Axelrodichthys, and Parnaibaia extend from Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous, especially in Brazil and Africa. We identified distributional patterns of Mawsoniidae, applying the panbiogeographical method of track analysis, and obtained three generalized tracks (GTs: GT1 (Northeastern Newark in strata of the Newark Group (Upper Triassic; GT2 (Midwestern Gondwana in the Lualaba Formation (Upper Jurassic; and GT3 (Itapecuru-Alcântara-Santana in the Itapecuru-Alcântara-Santana formations (Lower Cretaceous. The origin of Mawsoniidae can be dated to at least Late Triassic of Pangaea. The tectonic events related to the breakup of Pangaea and Gondwana and the evolution of the oceans are suggested as the vicariant events modeling the distribution of this taxon throughout the Mesozoic.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Olsson, C; Thor, M; Apte, A; Deasy, J O; Liu, M; Moissenko, V; Petersen, S E; Høyer, M
2014-01-01
When pooling retrospective data from different cohorts, slice thicknesses of acquired computed tomography (CT) images used for treatment planning may vary between cohorts. It is, however, not known if varying slice thickness influences derived dose–response relationships. We investigated this for rectal bleeding using dose–volume histograms (DVHs) of the rectum and rectal wall for dose distributions superimposed on images with varying CT slice thicknesses. We used dose and endpoint data from two prostate cancer cohorts treated with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy to either 74 Gy (N = 159) or 78 Gy (N = 159) at 2 Gy per fraction. The rectum was defined as the whole organ with content, and the morbidity cut-off was Grade ≥2 late rectal bleeding. Rectal walls were defined as 3 mm inner margins added to the rectum. DVHs for simulated slice thicknesses from 3 to 13 mm were compared to DVHs for the originally acquired slice thicknesses at 3 and 5 mm. Volumes, mean, and maximum doses were assessed from the DVHs, and generalized equivalent uniform dose (gEUD) values were calculated. For each organ and each of the simulated slice thicknesses, we performed predictive modeling of late rectal bleeding using the Lyman–Kutcher–Burman (LKB) model. For the most coarse slice thickness, rectal volumes increased (≤18%), whereas maximum and mean doses decreased (≤0.8 and ≤4.2 Gy, respectively). For all a values, the gEUD for the simulated DVHs were ≤1.9 Gy different than the gEUD for the original DVHs. The best-fitting LKB model parameter values with 95% CIs were consistent between all DVHs. In conclusion, we found that the investigated slice thickness variations had minimal impact on rectal dose–response estimations. From the perspective of predictive modeling, our results suggest that variations within 10 mm in slice thickness between cohorts are unlikely to be a limiting factor when pooling multi-institutional rectal dose data that include slice
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Gas hydrate formation and accumulation potential in the Qiangtang Basin, northern Tibet, China
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Fu, Xiugen; Wang, Jian; Tan, Fuwen; Feng, Xinglei; Wang, Dong; He, Jianglin
2013-01-01
Highlights: • Qiangtang Basin is the biggest residual petroleum-bearing basin in Tibet Plateau. • The Late Triassic Tumen Gela Formation is the most important gas source rock. • Seventy-one potential anticline structural traps have been found. • A favorable geothermal condition for gas hydrate formation. • A large number of mud volcanoes were discovered in the basin. - Abstract: The Qiangtang Basin is the biggest residual petroleum-bearing basin in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, and is also an area of continuous permafrost in southwest China with strong similarities to other known gas-hydrate-bearing regions. Permafrost thickness is typically 60–180 m; average surface temperature ranges from −0.2 to −4.0 °C, and the geothermal gradient is about 2.64 °C/100 m. In the basin, the Late Triassic Tumen Gela Formation is the most important gas source rock for gas, and there are 34.3 × 10 8 t of gas resources in the Tumen Gela Formation hydrocarbon system. Seventy-one potential anticline structural traps have been found nowadays covering an area of more than 30 km 2 for each individual one, five of them are connected with the gas source by faults. Recently, a large number of mud volcanoes were discovered in the central Qiangtang Basin, which could be indicative of the formation of potential gas hydrate. The North Qiangtang depression should be delineated as the main targets for the purpose of gas hydrate exploration
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Xu, G.; Hannah, J. L.; Bingen, B.; Stein, H. J.; Yang, G.; Zimmerman, A.; Weitschat, W.; Weiss, H. M.
2008-12-01
Absolute age control throughout the Triassic is extraordinarily sparse. Two "golden spikes" have been added recently (http://www.stratigraphy.org/cheu.pdf) within the otherwise unconstrained Triassic, but ages of stage boundaries remain controversial. Here we report two Re-Os isochrons for Anisian (Middle Triassic) black shales from outcrop in western Svalbard and drill core from the Svalis Dome about 600 km to the SE in the Barents Sea. Black shales of the Blanknuten Member, Botneheia Formation, from the type section at Botneheia, western Spitsbergen (Svalbard), have total organic carbon (TOC) contents of 2.6 to 6.0 wt%. Rock-Eval data suggest moderately mature (Tmax = 440-450° C) Type II-III kerogens (Hydrogen Index (HI) = 232-311 mg HC/g TOC). Re-Os data yield a well-constrained Model 3 age of 241 Ma and initial 187Os/188Os (Osi) of 0.83 (MSWD = 16, n = 6). Samples of the possibly correlative Steinkobbe Formation from IKU core hole 7323/07-U-04 into the Svalis Dome in the Barents Sea (at about 73°30'N, 23°15'E) have TOC contents of 1.4 to 2.4%. Rock-Eval data suggest immature (Tmax = 410-430°) Type II-III kerogens (HI = 246-294 mg HC/g TOC). Re-Os data yield a precise Model 1 age of 239 Ma and Osi of 0.776 (MSWD = 0.2, n = 5). The sampled section of Blanknuten shale underlies a distinctive Frechitas (formerly Ptychites) layer, and is therefore assumed to be middle Anisian. The Steinkobbe core was sampled at 99-100 m, just above the Olenekian-Anisian transition. It is therefore assumed to be lower Anisian. The two isochron ages overlap within uncertainty, and fall within constraints provided by biozones and the current ICS-approved stage boundary ages. The Re-Os ages support the correlation of the Botneheia and Steinkobbe formations. The nearly identical Osi ratios suggest regional homogeneity of seawater and provide new information for the Os seawater curve, marking a relatively high 187Os/188Os ratio during profound ocean anoxia in the Middle Triassic.
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Ajdanlijsky George; Götz Annette E.; Strasser André
2018-01-01
Sedimentary facies and cycles of the Triassic continental–marine transition of NW Bulgaria are documented in detail from reference sections along the Iskar river gorge between the villages of Tserovo and Opletnya. The depositional environments evolved from anastomosing and meandering river systems in the Petrohan Terrigenous Group to mixed fluvial and tidal settings in the Svidol Formation, and to peritidal and shallow-marine conditions in the Opletnya Member of the Mogila Formation. For the ...
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Some contrasting biostratigraphic links between the Baker and Olds Ferry Terranes, eastern Oregon
Nestell, Merlynd K.; Blome, Charles D.
2016-01-01
New stratigraphic and paleontologic data indicate that ophiolitic melange windows in the Olds Ferry terrane of eastern Oregon contain limestone blocks and chert that are somewhat different in age than those present in the adjacent Baker terrane melange. The melange windows in the Olds Ferry terrane occur as inliers in the flyschoid Early and Middle Jurassic age Weatherby Formation, which depositionally overlies the contact between the melange-rich Devonian to Upper Triassic rocks of the Baker terrane on the north, and Upper Triassic and Early Jurassic volcanic arc rocks of the Huntington Formation on the south. The Baker terrane and Huntington Formation represent fragments of a subduction complex and related volcanic island arc, whereas the Weatherby Formation consists of forearc basin sedimentary deposits. The tectonic blocks in the melange windows of the Weatherby Formation (in the Olds Ferry terrane) are dated by scarce biostratigraphic evidence as Upper Pennsylvanian to Lower Permian and Upper Triassic. In contrast, tectonic blocks of limestone in theBaker terrane yield mostly fusulinids and small foraminifers of Middle Pennsylvanian Moscovian age at one locality.Middle Permian (Guadalupian) Tethyan fusulinids and smaller foraminifers (neoschwagerinids and other Middle Permian genera) are present at a few other localities. Late Triassic conodonts and bryozoans are also present in a few of the Baker terrane tectonic blocks. These limestone blocks are generally embedded in Permian and Triassic radiolarian bearing chert or argillite. Based on conodont, radiolarian and fusulinid data, the age limits of the meange blocks in the Weatherby Formation range from Pennsylvanian to Late Triassic.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Boyd, S.D.; Murphy, P.J.
1987-02-01
The present boundaries of the San Andres, Seven Rivers, and Salado salts generally lie along the periphery of the Palo Duro and Tucumcari Basins. Various geologic mechanisms occurring singularly or in combination determined the positions of the salt margins. These mechanisms include nondeposition of salt and syndepositional and postdepositional dissolution. In New Mexico, San Andres units pinch out against the Pedernal and Sierra Grande Uplifts, indicating that nondeposition established the original salt margins there. Syndepositional dissolution of exposed Upper San Andres salts occurred in response to Guadalupian upwarp of the basin margins. Triassic erosion differentially removed Permian salt-bearing formations along the uplifts. Late Tertiary dissolution is indicated by fill of north-south trending collapse valleys. In Texas, Guadalupian upwarp along the Amarillo Uplift caused pinchout of Units 2 and 3 in the Lower San Andres and influenced the deposition of subsequent salt-bearing strata. The discontinuity of Upper San Andres evaporites across the Amarillo Uplift suggests syndepositional dissolution. Along the eastern and northeastern basin margin, dissolution may have accompanied Triassic erosion of locally uplifted Upper Permian strata. Tertiary dissolution is recognized beneath anomalously thick Ogallala Formation sections that overlie collasped Permian strata. 49 refs., 31 figs., 2 tabs
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Hudson, M.R.; Grauch, V.J.S.
2003-01-01
A sedimentary sequence penetrated in the lower part of the Grober-Fuqua #1 well in the southeastern Albuquerque Basin has previously been interpreted as either Triassic or Eocene in age. Paleomagnetic study of three specimens from two core fragments yielded a 54.5?? mean inclination of remanent magnetization relative to bedding. This inclination is like that expected in Tertiary time and is distinct from an expected low-angle Triassic inclination. Although the data are very few, when considered in combination with stratigraphic relations and the presence of a gravity low in this southeastern part of the basin, the paleomagnetic evidence favors a Tertiary age for strata in the lower part of the Grober-Fuqua #1 well.
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Yuan, Dong-Xun; Zhang, Yi-Chun; Shen, Shu-Zhong
2018-02-01
A major discrepancy for the age of the Selong Group from middle Cisuralian (Early Permian) to Changhsingian resulted from previous reports of Sakmarian, Kungurian and Guadalupian (Middle Permian) conodonts and Lopingian (Late Permian) brachiopods. Recently, Cisuralian and Guadalupian conodonts were reported again from the Selong Group and the basal part of the Kangshare Formation at the Selong section, but the age discrepancy remains. We present our conodont materials based on large samples collected from the Selong Group and our interpretation based on identifications using a sample population approach. Three conodont zones are recognized in our re-investigation of the upper part of the Selong Group. They include the Vjalovognathus sp., the Mesogondolella hendersoni, and the M. sheni zones, in ascending order. These zones are overlain by the basal Triassic Hindeodus parvus Zone and the Otoceras woodwardi Zone. Our reassessment of conodonts reported by previous studies from Selong and nearby sections suggest that all specimens consistently point to a Lopingian age; the upper part of the Selong Group is latest Changhsingian in age based on the presence of Clarkina orchardi and Mesogondolella sheni. Previously reported early Cisuralian and Guadalupian conodonts are misidentified using a form species concept. A hiatus may be present at the erosional surface between the Selong Group and the Waagenites Bed of the basal part of the Kangshare Formation. However, the hiatus is minimal because conodont and brachiopod assemblages above and below this surface are very similar, and it results from a latest Changhsingian transgression just before the extinction that follows a global latest Changhsingian regression. There is a distinct rapid end-Permian mass extinction at Selong within the Waagenites Bed, as indicated by the disappearances of all benthic brachiopods, rugose corals and Permian bryozoans. The burst of Clarkina species in the Waagenites Bed and throughout the
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Tedesco, Julia; Cagliari, Joice; Coitinho, Julia dos Reis; da Cunha Lopes, Ricardo; Lavina, Ernesto Luiz Correa
2016-09-01
In the southernmost part of the Parana Basin, records of the late Paleozoic glaciation occur in a discontinuous form preserved in paleovalley systems excavated in the crystalline basement. This paper addresses one of these paleovalleys, the Mariana Pimentel, which extends over 60 km with NW-SE valley direction and a constant width of 2.5 km. With the objective of demonstrating that the paleovalley worked as a fjord during the glaciation period, its origin as well as sedimentary fill and morphology were analyzed. The paleovalley morphology was obtained through electrical resistivity (electrical sounding and lateral mapping) and mathematical modeling in four transverse sections. The morphology of the paleovalley documented by the U-shape, steady width, and high depth reaching up to 400 m are typical features of modern glacial valleys. The sedimentary facies that fill the base of the paleovalley, such as rhythmites and dropstones with thickness up to 70 m and diamictites with faceted pebbles (up to 5 m thick) are signs of its glacial origin. During the glaciation period, the paleovalley had a connection to the epicontinental sea located to the northwest, extended toward Namibia, and was excavated by glaciers from the highlands of this region. Thus, the evidence attests that the Mariana Pimentel paleovalley was a fjord during the late Paleozoic glaciation. The duration of the late Paleozoic glaciation (which is longer than the Quaternary glaciation), the apatite fission track that suggests erosion up to 4 km thick in the study area, and the lack of preserved hanging valleys in the Mariana Pimentel indicate that the paleovalley once featured a higher dimension. Furthermore, the existence of paleofjords excavated in the border of the basement corroborates the idea of small ice centers controlled by topography during the late Paleozoic glaciation.
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Pavlov, V. E.; Veselovskiy, R. V.; Khokhlov, A.; Latyshev, A. V.; fluteau, F.
2011-12-01
Two new volcanic key sections of the Siberian traps erupted ~ 250 million years ago have been studied in the Norilsk region (NW of the Siberian platform). Along with results obtained earlier from both this area (Heunemann et al., 2004) and Maymecha-Kotuy region (northern Siberian platform, Pavlov et al., 2011) these data constitute rather extensive database, including paleomagnetic information on about 200 volcanic flows. Using this information we can not only get refined permo-triassic paleomagnetic pole for the Siberian platform, based exceptionally on lava flows data, but also estimate amplitude of geomagnetic secular variation at the Paleozoic-Mesozoic boundary and check their compatibility with statistic models, suggested for description of recent (Late Cenozoic) Earth's magnetic field. Moreover, our results can be also used to obtain additional time constraints on duration of the trap emplacement and to isolate volcanic pulses within the traps sections. We present a report where we discuss all these topics. This work was supported by grants NSF # EAR 0807585 and RBRF #09-05-01180, 11-05-00601,10-05- 00557.
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Onset and ending of the late Palaeozoic ice age triggered by tectonically paced rock weathering
Goddéris, Yves; Donnadieu, Yannick; Carretier, Sébastien; Aretz, Markus; Dera, Guillaume; Macouin, Mélina; Regard, Vincent
2017-04-01
The onset of the late Palaeozoic ice age about 340 million years ago has been attributed to a decrease in atmospheric CO2 concentrations associated with expansion of land plants, as plants both enhance silicate rock weathering--which consumes CO2--and increase the storage of organic carbon on land. However, plant expansion and carbon uptake substantially predate glaciation. Here we use climate and carbon cycle simulations to investigate the potential effects of the uplift of the equatorial Hercynian mountains and the assembly of Pangaea on the late Palaeozoic carbon cycle. In our simulations, mountain uplift during the Late Carboniferous caused an increase in physical weathering that removed the thick soil cover that had inhibited silicate weathering. The resulting increase in chemical weathering was sufficient to cause atmospheric CO2 concentrations to fall below the levels required to initiate glaciation. During the Permian, the lowering of the mountains led to a re-establishment of thick soils, whilst the assembly of Pangaea promoted arid conditions in continental interiors that were unfavourable for silicate weathering. These changes allowed CO2 concentrations to rise to levels sufficient to terminate the glacial event. Based on our simulations, we suggest that tectonically influenced carbon cycle changes during the late Palaeozoic were sufficient to initiate and terminate the late Palaeozoic ice age.
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Evidence of a therapsid scavenger in the Late Permian Karoo Basin, South Africa
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Nicholas Fordyce
2012-10-01
Full Text Available Dicynodonts are an extinct group of herbivorous non-mammalian therapsids (‘mammal-like’ reptiles that are widely known from terrestrial Permo-Triassic strata throughout Pangaea. Dicynodont fossil remains are common within the Late Permian Beaufort Group of the Karoo Basin in South Africa. A large, partially articulated dicynodont skeleton recovered from the TropidostomaAssemblage Zone is taphonomically important in having an unusual disarticulation pattern, bone surface punctures and a broken tooth of an unidentified carnivore associated with it. Here we report on the nature of the bone damage, and the identity of the carnivore that lost a canine tooth whilst scavenging the dicynodont carcass. The morphological characteristics of the serrations on the unidentified tooth were compared with those of contemporaneous carnivores, the gorgonopsians and therocephalians. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of a silicone cast of the unidentified tooth revealed distinctive 0.5-mm square-shaped serrations. Our comparative assessment of the tooth size, curvature, cross-sectional shape and morphology of the serrations revealed that the unidentified canine most closely matched Aelurognathus,a gorgonopsian known from the same assemblage zone.
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Slow and steady: the evolution of cranial disparity in fossil and recent turtles.
Foth, Christian; Joyce, Walter G
2016-11-30
Turtles (Testudinata) are a diverse group of amniotes that have a rich fossil record that extends back to the Late Triassic, but little is known about global patterns of disparity through time. We here investigate the cranial disparity of 172 representatives of the turtle lineage and their ancestors grouped into 20 time bins ranging from the Late Triassic until the Recent using two-dimensional geometric morphometrics. Three evolutionary phases are apparent in all three anatomical views investigated. In the first phase, disparity increases gradually from the Late Triassic to the Palaeogene with only a minor perturbation at the K/T extinct event. Although global warming may have influenced this increase, we find the Mesozoic fragmentation of Pangaea to be a more plausible factor. Following its maximum, disparity decreases strongly towards the Miocene, only to recover partially towards the Recent. The marked collapse in disparity is likely a result of habitat destruction caused by global drying, combined with the homogenization of global turtle faunas that resulted from increased transcontinental dispersal in the Tertiary. The disparity minimum in the Miocene is likely an artefact of poor sampling. © 2016 The Author(s).
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Zhao, Jing; Wang, Ya Xing; Zhang, Qi; Wei, Wen Bin; Xu, Liang; Jonas, Jost B
2018-03-13
To study macular choroidal layer thickness, 3187 study participants from the population-based Beijing Eye Study underwent spectral-domain optical coherence tomography with enhanced depth imaging for thickness measurements of the macular small-vessel layer, including the choriocapillaris, medium-sized choroidal vessel layer (Sattler's layer) and large choroidal vessel layer (Haller's layer). In multivariate analysis, greater thickness of all three choroidal layers was associated (all P 0.05) associated with the prevalence of open-angle glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy. There was a tendency (0.07 > P > 0.02) toward thinner choroidal layers in chronic angle-closure glaucoma. The ratio of small-vessel layer thickness to total choroidal thickness increased (P layer and Haller's layer thickness to total choroidal thickness decreased. A higher ratio of small-vessel layer thickness to total choroidal thickness was significantly associated with a lower prevalence of AMD (early type, intermediate type, late geographic type). Axial elongation-associated and aging-associated choroidal thinning affected Haller's and Sattler's layers more markedly than the small-vessel layer. Non-exudative and exudative AMD, except for geographic atrophy, was associated with slightly increased choroidal thickness.
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Fourman, Mitchell S; Phillips, Brett T; Fritz, Jason R; Conkling, Nicole; McClain, Steve A; Simon, Marcia; Dagum, Alexander B
2014-08-01
The use of an artificial dermal substitute such as Integra-a bilaminate combination of thin silicone and cross-linked bovine tendon collagen and chondroitin-6-sulfate-has become a popular method to address large surface area wounds or smaller, complex wounds devoid of a vascular bed. The incorporation of Integra depends on a vascular wound bed or periphery and can take 4 weeks or longer to occur. If the Integra has not fully incorporated at the time of placement of the split-thickness graft, complete graft loss may result. The availability of a minimally invasive method to assess the incorporation of Integra would be of great value. Two 5 × 10-cm paraspinal full-thickness wounds were created on 3 female swine. Wounds were randomly assigned full-thickness skin graft or Integra (Plainsboro, NJ) treatment. Both types of grafts were placed after the application of fibrin glue (Tisseel, Deerfield, Ill) to the wound bed. Laser Doppler imaging (LDI) (Moor), indocyanine green dye (ICG) angiography (LifeCell SPY), and clinical scoring were performed weekly for a period of 8 weeks after grafting. At 4 weeks, the silicone layer of the Integra was removed, and a culture of autologous keratinocytes was applied. A 4-mm punch biopsy sample of each graft was taken 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, and 8 weeks postoperatively for histologic analysis. Both ICG angiography and LDI perfusion measurements noted an increase in perfusion at the Integra graft site that peaked 3 weeks after grafting, corresponding with the start of neovascularization and the optimal time for the application of a split-thickness skin graft. indocyanine green dye angiography measurements exhibit greater reproducibility between animals at late time points as compared with LDI. This decrease in LDI precision is directly related to increases in scar tissue thickness of greater than 5 mm as determined via histologic analysis and corresponds with the accepted maximum penetration depth of the LDI laser. Indocyanine green dye
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Munoz B, Jorge; Duhart O, Paul; Farmer, G. Lang; Stern, Charles R
2001-01-01
The Ancud Volcanic Complex (Gally and Sanchez , 1960) forms a portion of the Mid-Tertiary Coastal Magmatic Belt which outcrops in the area of northern Chiloe island. Main exposures occur at Ancud, Punta Polocue, Punihuil, Pumillahue, Tetas de Teguaco and Bahia Cocotue. The Ancud Volcanic Complex consists of basaltic to basaltic andesites lava flows and volcanic necks and rhyolitic pyroclastic flows and vitric domes. Previous studies indicate a Late Oligocene-Early Miocene age (Garcia et al., 1988; Stern and Vergara, 1992; Munoz et al., 2000). The Ancud Volcanic Complex covers and intrudes Palaeozoic-Triassic metamorphic rocks and is partially covered by an early to middle Miocene marine sedimentary sequence known as Lacui Formation (Valenzuela, 1982) and by Pleistocene glacial deposits (Heusser, 1990). At Punihuil locality, lava flows are interbedded with the lower part of the marine sedimentary sequence, which includes significant amounts of redeposited pyroclastic components. Locally, the presence of hyaloclastic breccias suggests interaction of magma with marine water (au)
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Tectonic contact beetwen Paleozoic and Triassic rocks south of Podolševa (Slovenia
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Bogomir Celarc
2002-12-01
Full Text Available Tectonic contact between Paleozoic and Triassic rocks south of Podolševa, which passes prominent cliffs over the left bank of Savinja river (Klemenča peč, Jamnikova peč, Golerjeva peč, Strevčeva peč and Huda peč, is on the basis of the new mapping a steep fault, dipping to the north. In the last phase, the fault was dextral strike – slip active, before was probably reverse, and can represent accompanying structure of Periadriatic lineament. It was under transpresive tectonic regime and complies with model of positive flower structure.We named it Podol{evski prelom (Podol{eva fault.
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Ratcliffe, K.T.; Martin, J.; Pearce, T.J. [Chemostrat ltd., Llanfyllin, Powys (United Kingdom); Hughes, A.D. [Bington Resources, London (United Kingdom); Lawton, D.E. [BHP Billiton Petroleum Ltd., London (United Kingdom); Wray, D. [University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime (United Kingdom). Department of Earth Sciences; Bessa, F. [Sonatrach, Hydra (Algeria). Division Petroleum Engineering and Development
2006-07-01
The Triassic Argilo-Greseux Inferieur Formation (TAG-I) is one of the principal hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Berkine Basin of Algeria. Sedimentological studies have shown that it exhibits marked spatial and temporal facies variations on both a local field scale and a regional basinal scale. This variability, combined with a lack of diagnostic flora and fauna, makes regional correlation within the unit difficult. In turn, the lack of a consistent regional stratigraphic framework hampers the comparison of the various correlation schemes devised by operators in the basin. Contrasting the TAG-I in Blocks 402 and 405a exemplifies the problems encountered when attempting regionally to define a correlation framework for the interval. Between these two blocks, a distance of approximately 200 km, there are marked changes in the style of deposition from sand-dominated, proximal fluvial systems in the SW (Block 405a, MLN, MLC, KMD and MLNW fields) to a more distal, more clay-prone system in the NE (Block 402, ROD/BRSE/BSFN, SFNE and BSF fields). A chemostratigraphic study of the TAG-I in these clocks has allowed a four-fold correlation framework to be defined, where each chemostratigraphic package has distinctive geochemical features. Chemostratigraphic Package 10, the oldest unit, lies above the Hercynian Unconformity, but beneath a geochemically identifiable hiatal surface. Chemostratigraphic Package 20 lies above the hiatal surface but is separated from the overlying packages by a mineralogical change identifiable in both claystone and sandstone geochemistry. Chemostratigraphic Packages 30 and 40 are chemically somewhat similar, but are separated by a regional event interpreted as a period of dolocrete and lacustrine development. By combining the geochemical differentiation of the units and recognition of their stratal boundaries, it is possible to define a correlation for the TAG-I between Blocks 402 and 405a. The proposed correlation between the two blocks suggests that
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Late onset corneal ectasia after LASIK surgery.
Said, Ashraf; Hamade, Issam H; Tabbara, Khalid F
2011-07-01
To report late onset corneal ectasia following myopic LASIK. A retrospective cohort case series. Nineteen patients with late onset corneal ectasia following LASIK procedure were examined at The Eye Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Patients underwent LASIK for myopia with spherical equivalent ranging from -1.4 to -13.75 diopters. Age and gender, history of systemic or local diseases, and time of onset of corneal ectasia were recorded. Eye examination and corneal topographical analyses were done before and after LASIK surgery. Nineteen patients (29 eyes) with late onset corneal ectasia were identified from 1998 to 2008 in 13 male and six female patients. The mean follow-up period was 108 ± 23 months (range 72-144 months). No patient had pre-operative identifiable risk factors for corneal ectasia and the mean time of onset was 57 ± 24 months (range 24-120 months after LASIK). The pre-operative values included mean central pachymetry 553 ± 25 μm, mean keratometry reading of 42.9 ± 1.5 diopters, average oblique cylinder of 1.4 ± 1.2 diopters, posterior surface elevation of 26 ± 2.1 diopters, corneal flap thickness of 160 μm, mean spherical equivalent of -5.6 ± 3.6 diopters, and calculated residual corneal stromal bed thickness was 288 ± 35 μm. Three (5 eyes) patients developed ectasia after pregnancy. Three (4 eyes) patients developed corneal ectasia following severe adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis and had positive PCR for adenovirus type 8. Corneal ectasia may develop many years after LASIK surgery and symptoms could go undetected for some time. Pregnancy and adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis occurred post-operatively in six patients.
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A basal thunnosaurian from Iraq reveals disparate phylogenetic origins for Cretaceous ichthyosaurs
Fischer, Valentin; Appleby, Robert M.; Naish, Darren; Liston, Jeff; Riding, James B.; Brindley, Stephen; Godefroit, Pascal
2013-01-01
Cretaceous ichthyosaurs have typically been considered a small, homogeneous assemblage sharing a common Late Jurassic ancestor. Their low diversity and disparity have been interpreted as indicative of a decline leading to their Cenomanian extinction. We describe the first post-Triassic ichthyosaur from the Middle East, Malawania anachronus gen. et sp. nov. from the Early Cretaceous of Iraq, and re-evaluate the evolutionary history of parvipelvian ichthyosaurs via phylogenetic and cladogenesis rate analyses. Malawania represents a basal grade in thunnosaurian evolution that arose during a major Late Triassic radiation event and was previously thought to have gone extinct during the Early Jurassic. Its pectoral morphology appears surprisingly archaic, retaining a forefin architecture similar to that of its Early Jurassic relatives. After the initial latest Triassic radiation of early thunnosaurians, two subsequent large radiations produced lineages with Cretaceous representatives, but the radiation events themselves are pre-Cretaceous. Cretaceous ichthyosaurs therefore include distantly related lineages, with contrasting evolutionary histories, and appear more diverse and disparate than previously supposed. PMID:23676653
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Extreme ecosystem instability suppressed tropical dinosaur dominance for 30 million years.
Whiteside, Jessica H; Lindström, Sofie; Irmis, Randall B; Glasspool, Ian J; Schaller, Morgan F; Dunlavey, Maria; Nesbitt, Sterling J; Smith, Nathan D; Turner, Alan H
2015-06-30
A major unresolved aspect of the rise of dinosaurs is why early dinosaurs and their relatives were rare and species-poor at low paleolatitudes throughout the Late Triassic Period, a pattern persisting 30 million years after their origin and 10-15 million years after they became abundant and speciose at higher latitudes. New palynological, wildfire, organic carbon isotope, and atmospheric pCO2 data from early dinosaur-bearing strata of low paleolatitudes in western North America show that large, high-frequency, tightly correlated variations in δ(13)Corg and palynomorph ecotypes occurred within a context of elevated and increasing pCO2 and pervasive wildfires. Whereas pseudosuchian archosaur-dominated communities were able to persist in these same regions under rapidly fluctuating extreme climatic conditions until the end-Triassic, large-bodied, fast-growing tachymetabolic dinosaurian herbivores requiring greater resources were unable to adapt to unstable high CO2 environmental conditions of the Late Triassic.
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Denudation history of the Snowy Mountains: constraints from apatite fission track thermochronology
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kohn, B.P.; Gleadow, A.J.W.; Cox, S.J.D.
1999-01-01
Apatite fission track thermo chronology from Early Palaeozoic granitoids centred around the Kosciuszko massif of the Snowy Mountains, records a denudation history that was episodic and highly variable. The form of the apatite fission track age profile assembled from vertical sections and hydro-electric tunnels traversing the mountains, together with numerical forward modelling, provide strong evidence for two episodes of accelerated denudation, commencing in Late Permian - Early Triassic (ca 270 250 Ma) and mid-Cretaceous (ca 110-100 Ma) times, and a possible third episode in the Cenozoic. Denudation commencing in the Late Permian - Early Triassic wins widespread in the eastern and Central Snowy Mountains area, continued through much of the Triassic, and amounted to at least ∼2.0-2,4 km. This episode was probably the geomorphic response to the Hunter-Bowen Orogeny. Post-Triassic denudation to the present in these areas amounted to ∼2.0-2.2 km. Unambiguous evidence for mid-Cretaceous cooling and possible later cooling is confined to a north-south-trending sinuous belt, up to ∼15km wide by at least 35km long, of major reactivated Palaeozoic faults on the western side of the mountains. This zone is the most deeply exposed area of the Kosciuszko block. Denudation accompanying these later events totalled up to ∼1.8-2.0 km and ∼2.0 2.25 km respectively. Mid-Cretaceous denudation marks the onset of renewed tectonic activity in the south-eastern highlands following a period of relative quiescence since the Late Triassic, and establishes a temporal link with the onset of extension related to the opening of the Tasman Sea. Much of the present day relief of the mountains resulted from surface uplift which disrupted the post-mid-Cretaceous apatite fission track profile by variable offsets on faults. Copyright (1999) Geological Society of Australia
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François, T.; Md Ali, M. A.; Matenco, L.; Willingshofer, E.; Ng, T. F.; Taib, N. I.; Shuib, M. K.
2017-08-01
Fragmentation of large continental areas by post-orogenic extension requires favourable geodynamic conditions and frequently occurs along pre-existing suture zones or nappe contacts, as exemplified by the Stong and Taku magmatic and metamorphic complexes of northern Peninsular Malaysia. For this case, we have employed a field and microstructural kinematic study combined with low temperature thermo-chronology to analyse the tectonic and exhumation history. The results show that the Late Palaeozoic - Triassic Indosinian orogeny created successive phases of burial related metamorphism, shearing and contractional deformation. This orogenic structure was subsequently dismembered during a Cretaceous thermal event that culminated in the formation of a large scale Late Santonian - Early Maastrichtian extensional detachment, genetically associated with crustal melting, the emplacement of syn-kinematic plutons and widespread migmatisation. The emplacement of these magmatic rocks led to an array of simultaneously formed structures that document deformation conditions over a wide temperature range, represented by amphibolite- and greenschist- facies mylonites and as well as brittle structures, such as cataclastic zones and normal faults that formed during exhumation in the footwall of the detachment. The formation of this detachment and a first phase of Late Cretaceous cooling was followed by renewed Eocene - Oligocene exhumation, as evidenced from our fission track ages. We infer that an initial Cretaceous thermal anomaly was responsible for the formation of an extensional gneiss dome associated with simple shear and rotation of normal faults. These Cretaceous processes played a critical role in the establishment of the presently observed crustal structure of Peninsular Malaysia.
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Olsson, C.; Thor, M.; Liu, M.; Moissenko, V.; Petersen, S. E.; Høyer, M.; Apte, A.; Deasy, J. O.
2014-07-01
When pooling retrospective data from different cohorts, slice thicknesses of acquired computed tomography (CT) images used for treatment planning may vary between cohorts. It is, however, not known if varying slice thickness influences derived dose-response relationships. We investigated this for rectal bleeding using dose-volume histograms (DVHs) of the rectum and rectal wall for dose distributions superimposed on images with varying CT slice thicknesses. We used dose and endpoint data from two prostate cancer cohorts treated with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy to either 74 Gy (N = 159) or 78 Gy (N = 159) at 2 Gy per fraction. The rectum was defined as the whole organ with content, and the morbidity cut-off was Grade ≥2 late rectal bleeding. Rectal walls were defined as 3 mm inner margins added to the rectum. DVHs for simulated slice thicknesses from 3 to 13 mm were compared to DVHs for the originally acquired slice thicknesses at 3 and 5 mm. Volumes, mean, and maximum doses were assessed from the DVHs, and generalized equivalent uniform dose (gEUD) values were calculated. For each organ and each of the simulated slice thicknesses, we performed predictive modeling of late rectal bleeding using the Lyman-Kutcher-Burman (LKB) model. For the most coarse slice thickness, rectal volumes increased (≤18%), whereas maximum and mean doses decreased (≤0.8 and ≤4.2 Gy, respectively). For all a values, the gEUD for the simulated DVHs were ≤1.9 Gy different than the gEUD for the original DVHs. The best-fitting LKB model parameter values with 95% CIs were consistent between all DVHs. In conclusion, we found that the investigated slice thickness variations had minimal impact on rectal dose-response estimations. From the perspective of predictive modeling, our results suggest that variations within 10 mm in slice thickness between cohorts are unlikely to be a limiting factor when pooling multi-institutional rectal dose data that include slice thickness
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Temperature-dependent evolution of the wetting layer thickness during Ge deposition on Si(001).
Bergamaschini, R; Brehm, M; Grydlik, M; Fromherz, T; Bauer, G; Montalenti, F
2011-07-15
The evolution of the wetting layer (WL) thickness during Ge deposition on Si(001) is analyzed with the help of a rate-equation approach. The combined role of thickness, island volume and shape-dependent chemical potentials is considered. Several experimental observations, such as WL thinning following the pyramid-to-dome transformation, are captured by the model, as directly demonstrated by a close comparison with photoluminescence measurements (PL) on samples grown at three different temperatures. The limitations of the model in describing late stages of growth are critically addressed.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Wandres, A.M.; Bradshaw, J.D.; Ireland, T.
2005-01-01
The Torlesse terranes - part of the New Zealand Eastern Province - are accretionary complexes that comprise an enormous volume of quartzofeldspathic sandstones and mudstones with subsidiary conglomerates plus minor oceanic assemblages. Two terranes are recognised in the South Island - the Permian to Late Triassic Rakaia Terrane and the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous Pahau Terrane. Sandstone clasts from two Rakaia Terrane and two Pahau Terrane conglomerates were collected. We present the first combined detailed information on petrography and geochemistry of Torlesse conglomerate sandstone clasts and use our own and published U-Pb SHRIMP detrital zircon age data to demonstrate the recycling of the Rakaia Terrane into Rakaia strata itself and into Pahau Terrane strata. Sandstone clast major and trace element chemical data largely support petrographic observations derived from thin-section analysis. The similarities of petrographic and geochemical data between sandstone clasts from the Rakaia Terrane and Rakaia sandstones suggest that clasts in the Permian Te Moana and Late Triassic Lake Hill Conglomerates were derived by autocannibalistic reworking of older, consolidated, Rakaia sediments. Data from sandstone clasts from the Pahau Terrane suggest that uplift of the Rakaia Terrane continued into the Cretaceous. These Pahau Terrane clasts indicate that at the time of the Pahau sedimentation Permian to early Late Triassic Rakaia rocks were exposed and recycled into the Pahau Basin. (author). 57 refs., 8 figs., 3 tables
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Cassinis, G.; Dal Piaz, G.V.; Massari, P.F.
1986-01-01
Detailed structural and sedimentological studies have been conducted in two areas near the Val Vedello uranium mine in northern Italy. These studies indicate that both the Variscan basement (locally called the Orobic basement) and the Permian cover rocks were thrust southward during the Alpine orogeny. Variscan mylonitic zones were rejuvenated during the Alpine orogeny and became fault boundaries for the Permo-Triassic basins. Alpine faults also are related to contemporaneous east-west folds and these faults have displaced Permo-Triassic uranium deposits. Uranium mineralisation is attributed to a Late Permian to Triassic geothermal event which leached uranium from Permian ignimbrites and transported it along Permo-Triassic faults. Detailed mapping indicates that the host sediments formed in an arid, closed basin characterised by alluvial fans and perennial saline lakes. (orig.)
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Dudzisz, Katarzyna; Szaniawski, Rafał; Michalski, Krzysztof; Chadima, Martin
2018-03-01
Magnetic fabric and magnetomineralogy of the Early Triassic sedimentary rocks, collected along the length of the West Spitsbergen Fold-and-Thrust Belt (WSFTB) and from subhorizontal beds on its foreland, is presented with the aim to compare magnetic mineralogy of these areas, determine the carriers of magnetic fabric and identify tectonic deformation reflected in the magnetic fabric. Magnetic mineralogy varies and only in part depends on the lithology. The magnetic fabric at all sampling sites is controlled by paramagnetic minerals (phyllosilicates and Fe-carbonates). In the fold belt, it reflects the low degree of deformation in a compressional setting with magnetic lineation parallel to fold axis (NW-SE). This is consistent with pure orthogonal compression model of the WSFTB formation, but it also agrees with decoupling model. Inverse fabric, observed in few sites, is carried by Fe-rich carbonates. In the WSFTB foreland, magnetic lineation reflects the Triassic paleocurrent direction (NE-SW). The alternation between normal and inverse magnetic fabric within the stratigraphic profile could be related to sedimentary cycles.
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Ocean redox change at the Permian-Triassic mass extinction
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Ruhl, Micha; Bjerrum, Christian J.; Canfield, Donald Eugene
2013-01-01
Earth’s history is marked by multiple events of ocean anoxia developing along continental margins and po¬tentially into the open ocean realm. These events of¬ten coincide with the emplacement of large igneous provinces (LIPs) on continents, major perturbations of global geochemical cycles and mar...... these oceanographic changes to similar observations for the Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction and discuss environmental forcing, poten¬tially inherent to major volcanic events and leading to global environmental change and extinction...... ocean redox change over the largest mass extinction event in Earth history, at the Permian-Tri¬assic boundary (at ~252 Ma). This event is marked by a major perturbation in the global exogenic carbon cycle (and associated major negative carbon isotope excursion (CIE)), likely initiated by carbon...... (anoxic but not euxinic) coinciding with the main extinction event. Molybdenum enrichments, often indicative for freely available sulfide in the water-column, only occur dur¬ing the second phase of euxinia. This pattern of ocean redox-change in Svalbard direct¬ly reflects similar trends in Greenland...
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Gay, Robert J; Aude, Isabella St
2015-01-01
Originally identified as an ornithischian dinosaur, Crosbysaurus harrisae has been found in New Mexico, Arizona, and its type locality in Texas, as well as in North Carolina. The genus has been reassessed by other workers in light of reinterpretations about the postcrania of another putative Triassic ornithischian, Revueltosaurus. The understanding of Triassic dental faunas has become more complicated by the extreme convergence between pseudosuchian archosaurs and ornithischian dinosaur dental morphologies. We report here on a new specimen of Crosbysaurus (MNA V10666) from the Chinle Formation at Comb Ridge in southeastern Utah. This new specimen is assigned to Crosbysaurus sp. on the basis of the unique compound posterior denticles, labiolingual width, and curvature. While MNA V10666 does not help resolve the affinities of Crosbysaurus, it does represent the extension of the geographic range of this taxon for approximately 250 kilometers. This is the first record of the genus Crosbysaurus in Utah and as such it represents the northernmost known record of this taxon. This indicates that Crosbysaurus was not limited to the southern area of the Chinle/Dockum deposition but instead was widespread across the Late Triassic paleoriver systems of western Pangea. The reported specimen was found in close association with a typical Late Triassic Chinle fauna, including phytosaurs, metoposaurs, and dinosauromorphs.
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Vollmer, Thorsten
2005-01-01
Paleoclimatology of Upper Triassic Playa Cycles: New Insights Into an Orbital Controlled Monsoon System (Norian, German Basin) Abstract The main purpose of the project was to study the rhythmic sediments of the Steinmergel Keuper playa system in the North and South German basin in order to test the hypothesis of possible climate control on sedimentation. Furthermore, in case of there being orbital control on sedimentation, the North/South correlation was tested based on high-resolution cyclos...
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Late dislocation of rotating platform in New Jersey Low-Contact Stress knee prosthesis.
Huang, Chun-Hsiung; Ma, Hon-Ming; Liau, Jiann-Jong; Ho, Fang-Yuan; Cheng, Cheng-Kung
2002-12-01
Five patients with late rotational dislocation of the rotating platform bearing in the New Jersey Low-Contact Stress total knee arthroplasty are reported. The prostheses had functioned well for 8 to 12 years before failure. Preoperative radiographs showed asymmetric femorotibial joint spaces. Entrapment of the dislocated bearing in three patients and spontaneous reduction of the dislocated bearing in another two patients were seen at revision. Femorotibial ligamentous instability was found after reduction. The retrieved polyethylene bearings showed advanced wear and cold flow deformities and the thickness was reduced. The revision arthroplasty was accomplished by replacement with a thicker bearing element. Progressive femorotibial ligament laxity and reduction of the thickness of polyethylene with wearing break down the originally well-balanced soft tissue tension of the knee. The rotational degree of the rotating platform bearing is unrestricted, which may result in late dislocation. Polyethylene wear is unavoidable in knee prostheses using metal contact with polyethylene even with a mobile-bearing design. Efforts to reduce polyethylene wear are mandatory.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Clavijo, Jairo; Mantilla, Luis; Pinto, Jorge; Bernal, Luis; Perez, Adrian
2008-01-01
Development of the Serrania de San Lucas was determinate by eight tectonostratigraphic events: 1) Proterozoic Metamorphic Event, 2) Early Paleozoic Metamorphic Event, 3) Late Triassic - Early Jurassic Volcaniclastic Event, 3a) Middle Jurassic Magmatic Stage, 4) Late Jurassic Magmatic Event, 5) Late Jurassic Sedimentary Event 6) Cretacic -Early Eocene Sedimentary Event, 6a) Albian Late Cretacic Magmatic Stage, 7) Eocene-Oligocene Tectonic Inversion Event, 8) Miocene-Present Event.
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Kitaoka, Hitomi; Kawashima, Hiroko
2018-03-01
In mammography, breast compression is necessary and an important factor influencing image quality. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of the menstrual cycle on compression-induced pain during mammography and to evaluate the association between the thickness and volume of the mammary gland and pain. We examined basal body temperature and categorized the menstrual cycle into five phases. We executed breast compression in the craniocaudal view using a customized compression plate, to which we introduced an opening. We measured the thickness of the mammary gland under compression using echography. Immediately after releasing the compression, we evaluated pain using the visual analogue scale. We performed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on the same day and measured the volume of the mammary gland. The thickness of the mammary gland, pain, and the volume of the mammary gland were minimal in the late follicular phase and maximal in the late luteal and early follicular phases. It was shown that the changes in the thickness and volume of the mammary gland during the menstrual cycle accounted for the changes in compression-induced pain. On MRI examination of each breast quadrant, the same changes were observed in areas A and C. In area A, it was shown that both the anatomical characteristics and the increase in volume of the mammary gland were associated with pain. We concluded that the late follicular phase constitutes the optimal timing for mammography.
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Mata, Scott A; Bottjer, David J
2009-11-01
Wrinkle structures are microbially mediated sedimentary structures that are a common feature of Proterozoic and earliest Phanerozoic siliciclastic seafloors on Earth and occur only rarely in post-Cambrian strata. These macroscopic microbially induced sedimentary structures are readily identifiable at the outcrop scale, and their recognition on other planetary bodies by landed missions may suggest the presence of past microbial life. Wrinkle structures of the Lower Triassic (Spathian) Virgin Limestone Member of the Moenkopi Formation in the western United States record an occurrence of widespread microbialite formation in the wake of the end-Permian mass extinction, the largest biotic crisis of the Phanerozoic. Wrinkle structures occur on proximal sandy tempestites deposited within the offshore transition. Storm layers appear to have been rapidly colonized by microbial mats and were subsequently buried by mud during fair-weather conditions. Wrinkle structures exhibit flat-topped crests and sinuous troughs, with associated mica grains oriented parallel to bedding, suggestive of trapping and binding activity. Although Lower Triassic wrinkle structures postdate the widespread occurrence of these features during the Proterozoic and Cambrian, they exhibit many of the same characteristics and environmental trends, which suggests a conservation of microbial formational and preservational processes in subtidal siliciclastic settings on Earth from the Precambrian into the Phanerozoic. In the search for extraterrestrial life, it may be these conservative characteristics that prove to be the most useful and robust for recognizing microbial features on other planetary bodies, and may add to an ever-growing foundation of knowledge for directing future explorations aimed at seeking out macroscopic microbial signatures.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Emily J. Lessner
2016-09-01
Full Text Available Rauisuchids are large (2–6 m in length, carnivorous, and quadrupedal pseudosuchian archosaurs closely related to crocodylomorphs. Though geographically widespread, fossils of this clade are relatively rare in Late Triassic assemblages. The middle Norian (∼212 Ma Hayden Quarry of northern New Mexico, USA, in the Petrified Forest Member of the Chinle Formation, has yielded isolated postcranial elements and associated skull elements of a new species of rauisuchid. Vivaron haydeni gen. et. sp. nov. is diagnosed by the presence of two posteriorly directed prongs at the posterior end of the maxilla for articulation with the jugal. The holotype maxilla and referred elements are similar to those of the rauisuchid Postosuchus kirkpatricki from the southwestern United States, but V. haydeni shares several maxillary apomorphies (e.g., a distinct dropoff to the antorbital fossa that is not a ridge, a straight ventral margin, and a well defined dental groove with the rauisuchid Teratosaurus suevicus from the Norian of Germany. Despite their geographic separation, this morphological evidence implies a close phylogenetic relationship between V. haydeni and T. suevicus. The morphology preserved in the new Hayden Quarry rauisuchid V. haydeni supports previously proposed and new synapomorphies for nodes within Rauisuchidae. The discovery of Vivaron haydeni reveals an increased range of morphological disparity for rauisuchids from the low-paleolatitude Chinle Formation and a clear biogeographic connection with high paleolatitude Pangea.
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Colombi, Carina E.; Limarino, Carlos O.; Alcober, Oscar A.
2017-12-01
The Upper Triassic Ischigualasto Formation in NW Argentina was deposited in a fluvial system during the synrift filling of the extensional Ischigualasto-Villa Unión Basin. The expansive exposures of the fluvial architecture and paleosols provide a framework to reconstruct the paleoenvironmental evolution of this basin during the Upper Triassic using continental sequence stratigraphy. The Ischigualasto Formation deposition can be divided into seven sequential sedimentary stages: the 1) Bypass stage; 2) Confined low-accommodation stage; 3) Confined high accommodation stage; 4) Unstable-accommodation stage; 5) Unconfined high-accommodation stage; 6) Unconfined low-accommodation stage; and finally, 7) Unconfined high-accommodation stage. The sedimentary evolution of the Ischigualasto Formation was driven by different allogenic controls such as rises and falls in lake levels, local tectonism, subsidence, volcanism, and climate, which also produced modifications of the equilibrium profile of the fluvial systems. All of these factors result in different accommodations in central and flank areas of the basin, which led to different architectural configurations of channels and floodplains. Allogenic processes affected not only the sequence stratigraphy of the basin but also the vertebrate and plant taphocenosis. Therefore, the sequence stratigraphy can be used not only as a predictive tool related to fossil occurrence but also to understand the taphonomic history of the basin at each temporal interval.
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A Dome-Headed Stem Archosaur Exemplifies Convergence among Dinosaurs and Their Distant Relatives.
Stocker, Michelle R; Nesbitt, Sterling J; Criswell, Katharine E; Parker, William G; Witmer, Lawrence M; Rowe, Timothy B; Ridgely, Ryan; Brown, Matthew A
2016-10-10
Similarities in body plan evolution, such as wings in pterosaurs, birds, and bats or limblessness in snakes and amphisbaenians, can be recognized as classical examples of convergence among animals [1-3]. We introduce a new Triassic stem archosaur that is unexpectedly and remarkably convergent with the "dome-headed" pachycephalosaur dinosaurs that lived over 100 million years later. Surprisingly, numerous additional taxa in the same assemblage (the Otis Chalk assemblage from the Dockum Group of Texas) demonstrate the early acquisition of morphological novelties that were later convergently evolved by post-Triassic dinosaurs. As one of the most successful clades of terrestrial vertebrates, dinosaurs came to occupy an extensive morphospace throughout their diversification in the Mesozoic Era [4, 5], but their distant relatives were first to evolve many of those "dinosaurian" body plans in the Triassic Period [6-8]. Our analysis of convergence between archosauromorphs from the Triassic Period and post-Triassic archosaurs demonstrates the early and extensive exploration of morphospace captured in a single Late Triassic assemblage, and we hypothesize that many of the "novel" morphotypes interpreted to occur among archosaurs later in the Mesozoic already were in place during the initial Triassic archosauromorph, largely non-dinosaurian, radiation and only later convergently evolved in diverse dinosaurian lineages. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Winguth, Arne; Winguth, Cornelia
2013-06-01
By the end of the Late Permian, most continents had collided to form the supercontinent of Pangea. The associated climatic changes at the Permian-Triassic boundary coincided with the most severe mass extinction in the Phanerozoic. One extinction hypothesis favors a climatic response to an increase in large-scale volcanism resulting in ocean stagnation and widespread anoxia with fatal consequences for marine and land organisms. Recent interpretations of geochemical data suggest that orbitally-driven periodic upwelling of toxic hydrogen-sulfide rich water masses contributed to the extinction of species. In this paper, we use the Community Climate System Model (CCSM3) in order to explore the effect of eccentricity-modulated changes of the precession on the strength of Pangean megamonsoons and their impact on productivity and oxygen distribution. The climate model simulates high variability in monsoonal precipitation, trade winds and equatorial upwelling in response to precessional extremes, leading to remarkable fluctuations in the export of carbon from the euphotic zone and hence reduction in dissolved oxygen concentrations in subsurface layers. These findings are in general agreement with increased primary productivity, intensified euxinia within the oxygen-minimum zone, and decimation of the radiolarian zooplankton community as inferred from Japanese marine sections. Strong changes in river run-off linked to precipitation oscillations possibly led to a high variability in the nutrient supply to the Tethys Ocean, thus affecting regional productivity and oxygen distribution. The model results suggest that orbital variability in the sedimentary record and the associated extinction of species are related rather to periodic anoxia in near surface-to-intermediate depth than to widespread anoxic events in the Panthalassic deep-sea.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
B. SENOWBARI-DARYAN
2012-07-01
Full Text Available This paper describes several chambered hexactinellid sponges, including Casearia iranica n.sp., C. vezvanensis n. sp., C. delijanensis n. sp., Esfahanella magna gen. n. n. sp., and E. parva gen. n. n. sp. from reefs of the Upper Triassic (Norian-Rhaetian Nayband Formation exposed south of the town of Delijan in central Iran. The relative abundance of chambered and non-chambered hexactinellid sponges at this locality - as compared to hypercalcified representatives - highlight the importance of this group of sponges in reef and reefal limestones in central and east Tethys (China, Caucasia, Iran.
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de Boorder, Hugo
The Permo-Triassic continental large igneous provinces (LIPs) of Eurasia linked in to orogenic systems in decay. Their bulk appearance varies from the massive flood-basalts and (ultra)mafic intrusives to the groups of coeval, widely spread, diverse intrusions and extrusions of the Scattered Igneous
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Stevens, Calvin H.; Poole, Forrest G.; Amaya-Martínez, Ricardo
2014-01-01
-water continental-rise and ocean-basin rocks, was thrust northward 50–200 km over Permian and older shallow-water carbonate-shelf rocks and Permian deep-water foredeep rocks of southern Laurentia. As Triassic rocks unconformably overlie the Sonora allochthon, we conclude that terminal movement of the allochthon was in Late Permian time.
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Gao, Peng; Zheng, Yong-Fei; Chen, Yi-Xiang; Zhao, Zi-Fu; Xia, Xiao-Ping
2018-02-01
Granites derived from partial melting of sedimentary rocks are generally characterized by high δ18O values and abundant relict zircons. Such relict zircons are valuable in tracing the source rocks of granites and the history of crustal anatexis. Here we report in-situ U-Pb ages, O isotopes and trace elements in zircons from Triassic granites in the Zhuguangshan and Jiuzhou regions, which are located in the Nanling Range and the Darongshan area, respectively, in South China. Zircon U-Pb dating yields magma crystallization ages of 236 ± 2 Ma for the Zhuguangshan granites and 246 ± 2 Ma to 252 ± 3 Ma for the Jiuzhou granites. The Triassic syn-magmatic zircons are characterized by high δ18O values of 10.1-11.9‰ in Zhuguangshan and 8.5-13.5‰ in Jiuzhou. The relict zircons show a wide range of U-Pb ages from 315 to 2185 Ma in Zhuguangshan and from 304 to 3121 Ma in Jiuzhou. Nevertheless, a dominant age peak of 700-1000 Ma is prominent in both occurrences, demonstrating that their source rocks were dominated by detrital sediments weathered from Neoproterozoic magmatic rocks. Taking previous results for regional granites together, Neoproterozoic relict zircons show δ18O values in a small range from 5 to 8‰ for the Nanling granites but a large range from 5 to 11‰ for the Darongshan granites. In addition, relict zircons of Paleozoic U-Pb age occur in the two granitic plutons. They exhibit consistently high δ18O values similar to the Triassic syn-magmatic zircons in the host granites. These Paleozoic relict zircons are interpreted as the peritectic product during transient melting of the metasedimentary rocks in response to the intracontinental orogenesis in South China. Therefore, the relict zircons of Neoproterozoic age are directly inherited from the source rocks of S-type granites, and those of Paleozoic age record the transient melting of metasedimentary rocks before intensive melting for granitic magmatism in the Triassic.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kikuyama, Masataka; Sasada, Yuzo; Koide, Shigeki; Hirai, Ritsuko; Oota, Yuji
2006-01-01
Thirteen patients with extrahepatic bile duct cancer were evaluated for enhancement pattern and tumor feature during late contrast enhancement on angiographic CT (AG-CT), performed before surgery. Eleven patients with late contrast enhancement had advanced cancers with invasion over the subserosal layer. Eight of these patients whose cancer had an irregular outer layer had invasion over the serosal layer (≥panc 1 b, General Rules for Surgical and Pathological Studies on Cancer of the Biliary Tract, Japanese Society of Biliary Surgery). Seven of the 13 patients had intra-pancreatic bile duct cancer. Among them, five had an irregular outer layer of the intra-pancreatic bile duct cancer; one of three with a wall thickness under 5 mm on AG-CT had panc 1 b invasion, and the other two had panc 2 (General Rules for Surgical and Pathological Studies on Cancer of the Biliary Tract, Japanese Society of Biliary Surgery) invasion. Two with a wall thickness over 5 mm on AG-CT had panc 2 invasion. These results suggest that late contrast enhancement on AG-CT is effective for diagnosing the depth of tumor invasion of the bile duct. (author)
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Maffione, Marco; van Hinsbergen, Douwe J. J.; de Gelder, Giovanni I. N. O.; van der Goes, Freek C.; Morris, Antony
2017-05-01
Formation of new subduction zones represents one of the cornerstones of plate tectonics, yet both the kinematics and geodynamics governing this process remain enigmatic. A major subduction initiation event occurred in the Late Cretaceous, within the Neo-Tethys Ocean between Gondwana and Eurasia. Suprasubduction zone ophiolites (i.e., emerged fragments of ancient oceanic lithosphere formed at suprasubduction spreading centers) were generated during this subduction event and are today distributed in the eastern Mediterranean region along three E-W trending ophiolitic belts. Several models have been proposed to explain the formation of these ophiolites and the evolution of the associated intra-Neo-Tethyan subduction zone. Here we present new paleospreading directions from six Upper Cretaceous ophiolites of Turkey, Cyprus, and Syria, calculated by using new and published paleomagnetic data from sheeted dyke complexes. Our results show that NNE-SSW subduction zones were formed within the Neo-Tethys during the Late Cretaceous, which we propose were part of a major step-shaped subduction system composed of NNE-SSW and WNW-ESE segments. We infer that this subduction system developed within old (Triassic?) lithosphere, along fracture zones and perpendicular weakness zones, since the Neo-Tethyan spreading ridge formed during Gondwana fragmentation would have already been subducted at the Pontides subduction zone by the Late Cretaceous. Our new results provide an alternative kinematic model of Cretaceous Neo-Tethyan subduction initiation and call for future research on the mechanisms of subduction inception within old (and cold) lithosphere and the formation of metamorphic soles below suprasubduction zone ophiolites in the absence of nearby spreading ridges.
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Diedrich, Cajus G.
2010-05-01
Nine Middle Triassic paleogeographical maps comprising the uppermost Upper Bunter, Lower to Middle Muschelkalk and Upper Muschelkalk to Lower Keuper time frame (Diedrich 2008b) show the marine ingression and regression cycle of the Middle Triassic Germanic Basin (Diedrich 2010c). For bathymetrical and palaeoenvironmental interpretations especially reptiles and their footprints are used. This Germanic Basin as analogon for the Arabian Gulf (Knaust 1997), north of the Tethys, was under marine and finally terrestrial influenced sediments in a time frame (after Kozur and Bachmann 2008) between 247.2 My (Myophoria Fm, Aegean, Lower Anisian) to 237.9 My (Grabfeld Fm, Longobardian, Lower Ladinian). In a duration of 9.3 My the Germanic Basin was filled up mainly with marine carbonates and at the end by siliciclastics influenced by the northern Tethys through the Silesian, Carpathian and later the Burgundian Gates which connected the Germanic Basin to the Northern Tethys. With the marine ingression from the East via the Silesian Gate (Poland) a ten to hundred kilometers extended intertidal flat to sabkha facies belt surrounded first only the central and then the Western Germanic Basin (Winterswijk, Netherlands). Those intertidal zones were used mainly by two different small reptiles as their primary habitat. Hereby they left Millions of the small tom medium sized footprints of the ichnogenera Rhynchosauroides and Procolophonichnium (Diedrich 2005, 2008a). Larger terrestrial and beach and sabkha adapted reptiles were Tanystrophaeus antiquus and unknown archosaurs, which are recorded only by their footprints. At the beginning of the ingression at the uppermost Bunter a shallow marine invertebrate fauna and coastal reptiles appeared in the Germanic Basin which must have originated mainly from the Northern Tethys. Especially all marine reptiles immigrated from the Tethys which is proven not only by assamblaged Tethyan cephalopod Ceratite species (cf. Diedrich 2008a). The
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Fergusson, C.L.; Fanning, C.M.
2002-01-01
Ordovician quartz turbidites of the Lachlan Fold Belt in southeastern Australia accumulated in a marginal sea and overlapped an adjoining island arc (Molong volcanic province) developed adjacent to eastern Gondwana. The turbidite succession in the Shoalhaven River Gorge, in the southern highlands of New South Wales, has abundant outcrop and graptolite sites. The succession consists of, from the base up, a unit of mainly thick-bedded turbidites (undifferentiated Adaminaby Group), a unit with conspicuous bedded chert (Numeralla Chert), a unit with common thin-bedded turbidites [Bumballa Formation (new name)] and a unit of black shale (Warbisco Shale). Coarse to very coarse sandstone in the Bumballa Formation is rich in quartz and similar to sandstone in the undifferentiated Adaminaby Group. Detrital zircons from sandstone in the Bumballa Formation, and from sandstone at a similar stratigraphic level from the upper Adaminaby Group of the Genoa River area in eastern Victoria, include grains as young as 453-473 Ma, slightly older than the stratigraphic ages. The dominant detrital ages are in the interval 500-700 Ma (Pacific Gondwana component) with a lessor concentration of Grenville ages (1000-1300 Ma). This pattern resembles other Ordovician sandstones from the Lachlan Fold Belt and also occurs in Triassic sandstones and Quaternary sands from eastern Australia. The Upper Ordovician succession is predominantly fine grained, which reflects reduced clastic inputs from the source in the Middle Cambrian to earliest Ordovician Ross-Delamerian Fold Belts that developed along the eastern active margin of Gondwana. Development of subduction zones in the Late Ordovician marginal sea are considered to be mainly responsible for the diversion of sediment and the resulting reduction in the supply of terrigenous sand to the island arc and eastern part of the marginal sea. Sixty zircons from each sample were analysed and results are presented. Methods following standard procedures
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Ground-water conditions in the Triassic aquifer in Deaf Smith and Swisher Counties
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Duffin, G.L.
1984-12-01
In April 1984, the Director of the Nuclear Waste Programs of the Governor's Office requested a study be undertaken by the Texas Department of Water Resources on the ground-water conditions in the Triassic aquifer in Deaf Smith and Swisher Counties. The need for the study was prompted by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) announcement that consideration was being given to locating high-level nuclear waste repository sites in these counties and by the concern over what impacts operation of such sites might have on the ground-water resources in the area. The results of the study, including a discussion of the occurrence of ground water and a tabulation of basic data obtained during the investigation are presented in this report
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A NEW LEPIDOSAUROMORPH REPTILE FROM THE MIDDLE TRIASSIC OF THE DOLOMITES (NORTHERN ITALY
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
SILVIO RENESTO
2003-11-01
Full Text Available A new genus and species of diapsid reptile is described. The specimen was collected from the Anisian (Middle Triassic succession of Monte Prà della Vacca (Kühwiesenkopf in the Dolomites of Braies (Bolzano/Bozen, Northern Italy. Despite being incomplete, the specimen shows enough characters to allow its placement within Lepidosauriformes, close to the Middle Jurassic genus Marmoretta. The importance of this find lies in the great rarity of lepidosauriforms of Anisian age, an epoch approximating the appearance of the first members of the true Lepidosauria (rhyncocephalians and squamates. The new genus may thus add knowledge to the diversity of early lepidosaurians. Some characters of the skeleton, mainly of the forelimb, suggest a terrestrial, perhaps arboreal life style.
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Ben Chelbi, Mohamed; Melki, Fetheddine; Zargouni, Fouad
2006-05-01
30 km southwest of Tunis, two thin flaky 'Triassic' intrusions underline the two flanks of the Atlasic anticline of Bir Afou. These evaporites are interbedded within the Clansayesian shales, and are under and overlain by glauconitic conglomeratic contacts. The 'Triassic' flakes, topic of our study, are sourced from the Bir Afou Triassic mass after a rapid pouring out during Late Aptian extensional tectonics. This structure corresponds, for us, to a 'salt glacier', similar to that one described at Ben Gasseur by Vila and al. [J.M. Vila, M. Ben Youssef, M. Chikhaoui, M. Ghanmi, Bull. Soc. géol. France 167 (1996) 235-246], which was subsequently folded during Lower Eocene times. Middle and Upper Eocene transgressive formations unconformably deposited on top of the Aptian anticlinal hinge. The major Late Miocene compressive phase is responsible for the present structures and that are superimposed onto the pre-existing 'salt glacier'. This salifereous system extends the 'salt glacier' domain towards the eastern part of the Tunisian Atlas. To cite this article: M. Ben Chelbi et al., C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).
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The relation between sea ice thickness and freeboard in the Arctic
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
V. Alexandrov
2010-09-01
Full Text Available Retrieval of Arctic sea ice thickness from CryoSat-2 radar altimeter freeboard data requires observational data to verify the relation between these two variables. In this study in-situ ice and snow data from 689 observation sites, obtained during the Sever expeditions in the 1980s, have been used to establish an empirical relation between thickness and freeboard of FY ice in late winter. Estimates of mean and variability of snow depth, snow density and ice density were produced on the basis of many field observations. These estimates have been used in the hydrostatic equilibrium equation to retrieve ice thickness as a function of ice freeboard, snow depth and snow/ice density. The accuracy of the ice thickness retrieval has been calculated from the estimated variability in ice and snow parameters and error of ice freeboard measurements. It is found that uncertainties of ice density and freeboard are the major sources of error in ice thickness calculation. For FY ice, retrieval of ≈ 1.0 m (2.0 m thickness has an uncertainty of 46% (37%, and for MY ice, retrieval of 2.4 m (3.0 m thickness has an uncertainty of 20% (18%, assuming that the freeboard error is ± 0.03 m for both ice types. For MY ice the main uncertainty is ice density error, since the freeboard error is relatively smaller than that for FY ice. If the freeboard error can be reduced to 0.01 m by averaging measurements from CryoSat-2, the error in thickness retrieval is reduced to about 32% for a 1.0 m thick FY floe and to about 18% for a 2.4 m thick MY floe. The remaining error is dominated by uncertainty in ice density. Provision of improved ice density data is therefore important for accurate retrieval of ice thickness from CryoSat-2 data.
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Full reflector thickness and isolation thickness on neutron transport
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Sakai, Tomohiro; Naito, Yoshitaka; Komuro, Yuichi.
1988-08-01
A method to determine ''full reflector thickness'' and ''isolation thickness'', which is utilized for criticality safety evaluation on nuclear fuel facilities, was proposed in this paper. Firstly, a calculation was tryed to obtain the two kinds of thicknesses from the result of criticality calculations for a specific case. Then, two simple equations which calculates the two kinds of thicknesses were made from the relation between reflector (or isolator) thickness and k eff , and one-group diffusion theory. Finally, we proposed a new method to determine the thicknesses. From the method we proposed, ''full reflector thickness'' and ''isolation thickness'' can be obtain using the equations and migration length of the reflector (or isolator) and infinite and effective multiplication factor of the fuel. (author)
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Marfil, R.; Iglesia, A. la; Estupinan, J.
2013-10-01
This study focuses on the mineralogical and chemical study of an Aluminium-phosphate-sulphate (APS) mineralization that occurs in a classic sequence from the Triassic (Buntsandstein) of the Iberian Range. The deposit is constituted by sandstones, mud stones, and conglomerates with arenaceous matrix, which were deposited in fluvial to shallow-marine environments. In addition to APS minerals, the following diagenetic minerals are present in the classic sequence: quartz, K-feldspar, kaolinite group minerals, illite, Fe-oxides-hydroxides, carbonate-sulphate cement-replacements and secondary uraniferous minerals. APS minerals were identified and characterized by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and electron microprobe. Microcrystalline APS crystals occur replacing uraniferous minerals, associated with kaolinite, mica and filling pores, in distal fluvial-to-tidal arkoses-subarkoses. Given their Ca, Sr, and Ba contents, the APS minerals can be defined as a solid solution of crandallite- goyacite-gorceixite (0.53 Ca, 0.46 Sr and 0.01 Ba). The chemical composition, low LREE concentration and Sr > S suggest that the APS mineral were originated during the supergene alteration of the Buntsandstein sandstones due to the presence of the mineralizing fluids which causes the development of Ubearing sandstones in a distal alteration area precipitating from partially dissolved and altered detrital minerals. Besides, the occurrence of dickite associated with APS minerals indicates they were precipitated at diagenetic temperatures (higher than 80 degree centigrade), related to the uplifting occurred during the late Cretaceous post-rift thermal stage.(Author)
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Marfil, R.; Iglesia, A. la; Estupinan, J.
2013-01-01
This study focuses on the mineralogical and chemical study of an Aluminium-phosphate-sulphate (APS) mineralization that occurs in a classic sequence from the Triassic (Buntsandstein) of the Iberian Range. The deposit is constituted by sandstones, mud stones, and conglomerates with arenaceous matrix, which were deposited in fluvial to shallow-marine environments. In addition to APS minerals, the following diagenetic minerals are present in the classic sequence: quartz, K-feldspar, kaolinite group minerals, illite, Fe-oxides-hydroxides, carbonate-sulphate cement-replacements and secondary uraniferous minerals. APS minerals were identified and characterized by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and electron microprobe. Microcrystalline APS crystals occur replacing uraniferous minerals, associated with kaolinite, mica and filling pores, in distal fluvial-to-tidal arkoses-subarkoses. Given their Ca, Sr, and Ba contents, the APS minerals can be defined as a solid solution of crandallite- goyacite-gorceixite (0.53 Ca, 0.46 Sr and 0.01 Ba). The chemical composition, low LREE concentration and Sr > S suggest that the APS mineral were originated during the supergene alteration of the Buntsandstein sandstones due to the presence of the mineralizing fluids which causes the development of Ubearing sandstones in a distal alteration area precipitating from partially dissolved and altered detrital minerals. Besides, the occurrence of dickite associated with APS minerals indicates they were precipitated at diagenetic temperatures (higher than 80 degree centigrade), related to the uplifting occurred during the late Cretaceous post-rift thermal stage.(Author)
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Pánek, Tomáš; Lenart, Jan; Hradecký, Jan; Hercman, Helena; Braucher, Règis; Šilhán, Karel; Škarpich, Václav
2018-02-01
Rock-slope failures represent a significant hazard along global coastlines, but their chronology remains poorly documented. Here, we focus on the geomorphology and chronology of giant rockslides affecting the Crimean Mountains along the Black Sea coast. Geomorphic evidence suggests that high (>100 m) limestone cliffs flanking the southern slopes of the Crimean Mountains are scarps of rockslides nested within larger deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DSGSDs). Such pervasive slope failures originated due to lateral spreading of intensively faulted Late Jurassic carbonate blocks moving atop weak/plastic Late Triassic flysch and tuff layers. By introducing a dating strategy relying on the combination of the uranium-thorium dating (U-Th) of exposed calcareous speleothems covering the landslide scarps with the 36Cl exposure dating of rock walls, we are able to approximate the time interval between the origin of incipient crevices and the final collapse of limestone blocks that exposed the cliff faces. For the three representative large-scale rockslides between the towns of Foros and Yalta, the initiation of the DSGSDs as evidenced by the widening of crevices and the onset of speleothem accumulation was >300 ka BP, but the recent cliff morphology along the coast is the result of Late Pleistocene/Holocene failures spanning ∼20-0.5 ka BP. The exposures of rockslide scarps occurred mostly at ∼20-15, ∼8, ∼5-4 and ∼2-0.5 ka, which substantially coincide with the last major Black Sea transgressions and/or more humid Holocene intervals. Our study suggests that before ultimate fast and/or catastrophic slope failures, the relaxation of rock massifs correlative with karstification, cracks opening, and incipient sliding lasted on the order of 104-105 years. Rapid Late Glacial/Holocene transgressions of the Black Sea likely represented the last impulse for the collapse of limestone blocks and the origin of giant rockslides, simultaneously affecting the majority
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Sea ice thickness measurements collected during the LOMROG 2007 and 2009 expeditions
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Skourup, Henriette; Forsberg, René; Hanson, Susanne
and 2009 we have collected a unique data set of late summer sea ice thickness, freeboard height and snow depth from the high Arctic Ocean during the time of the annual minimum sea ice extent. The data were collected by on-the-ground drilling and EM measurements. Here we give a brief overview of the data......According to scientific measurements, the Arctic sea ice extent has declined dramatically over the past thirty years, with the most extreme decline seen in the summer melt season. Other observations indicate that the sea ice has become thinner and perennial ice less widely distributed...... collection, as well as the results including the freeboard-to-sea-ice thickness conversion factor, which is used when interpreting freeboard heights measured by remote sensing....
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Robert J. Gay
2015-04-01
Full Text Available Originally identified as an ornithischian dinosaur, Crosbysaurus harrisae has been found in New Mexico, Arizona, and its type locality in Texas, as well as in North Carolina. The genus has been reassessed by other workers in light of reinterpretations about the postcrania of another putative Triassic ornithischian, Revueltosaurus. The understanding of Triassic dental faunas has become more complicated by the extreme convergence between pseudosuchian archosaurs and ornithischian dinosaur dental morphologies. We report here on a new specimen of Crosbysaurus (MNA V10666 from the Chinle Formation at Comb Ridge in southeastern Utah. This new specimen is assigned to Crosbysaurus sp. on the basis of the unique compound posterior denticles, labiolingual width, and curvature. While MNA V10666 does not help resolve the affinities of Crosbysaurus, it does represent the extension of the geographic range of this taxon for approximately 250 kilometers. This is the first record of the genus Crosbysaurus in Utah and as such it represents the northernmost known record of this taxon. This indicates that Crosbysaurus was not limited to the southern area of the Chinle/Dockum deposition but instead was widespread across the Late Triassic paleoriver systems of western Pangea. The reported specimen was found in close association with a typical Late Triassic Chinle fauna, including phytosaurs, metoposaurs, and dinosauromorphs.
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The late Cainozoic East Antarctic ice sheet
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Colhoun, E.A.
1999-01-01
A review, mainly of East Antarctic late Cainozoic (post 40 Ma) geological and geomorphological evidence, supports the hypothesis of the continuous presence of an ice sheet, of about the present size, since the late Miocene. Evidence is presented and the view advanced that, during the late Wisconsin maximum of isotope stage 2, ice was not nearly as thick or extensive over the continental shelf as required by the model of 'maximum' Antarctic glaciation. Some of the factors influencing the contribution of Antarctica to post-glacial sea-level rise are discussed. It is considered that Antarctica's contribution was probably considerably less than previously estimated. The dating of marine and freshwater sequences in the Vestfold and Bunger Hills is consistent with deglaciation around the Pleistocene Holocene boundary, after the Late Wisconsin maximum. A date of ∼25 ka BP from permafrost in the Larsemann Hills means that either the Larsemann Hills were not glaciated during the Late Wisconsin or the ice failed to erode much of the permafrost surface. The degree of weathering of rock and glacial drifts in the Vestfold, Larsemann and Bunger Hills suggests a long time for formation, perhaps considerably longer than indicated by the dated marine and freshwater sediment sequences. Cosmogenic isotope dating in the Vestfold Hills has provided equivocal ages for deglaciation. While the results could indicate deglaciation before 80 ka BP, they do not confirm such early deglaciation. If the ice cover was thin and failed to remove the previous rock exposure profile, then the assays could predate the last ice advance. Weathered iron crust fragments in the till suggest little erosion. The raised beaches of the oases are Holocene. Assuming they have been produced by post Late Wisconsin isostatic uplift and by the Holocene transgression, calculations show that the Antarctic continental ice sheet could not have been more than ∼500 m thicker in the inner shelf-coastal zone. The
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Yurij D. Zakharov
1995-12-01
Full Text Available The biostratigraphic Permian/Triassic (P/T boundary is defined by the first appearance of H. parvus. The first appearance of H. parvus within the dine H. latidentatus-H. parvus is a globally recognizable event in the conodont evolution.The first appearance of H. parvus is not facies related and can be observed both in ammonoid-free shallow-water deposits and in ammonoid-bearing pelagic deposits. H. parvus is a common, easily determinable species known so far from the entire Tethys, Japan, western North America, Boreal realm (Greenlandand the Tethyan margin of Gondwana. H. parvus is the first species withworld-wide distribution to appear after the absolute minimum in the faunal diversity indicated by the minimum in The Meishan section (South China contains a continuous, pelagic sedimentaryrecord across the P/T boundary without stratigraphie gaps. It is nearly unaltered thermally (CAI = 1-1.5. Its fossil content (ammonoids, conodonts, foraminifers,bivalves, brachiopods, sporomorphs etc. and event succession have been thoroughlystudied. Absolute age and magnetostratigraphy have also been subjected to intensive studies. The section is readily accessible and under protection of the government. This section is best suitable as a global stratotype section and point (GSSP for the base of the Triassic. No other section in the world is known tobe qualified for defining the P/T boundary in a GSSP. H. parvus made its earliest appearence in the middle part of Boundary Bed 2 (Bed 27 at Meishan. It evolved within Bed 27 from H. latidentatus within a phylomorphogenetic continuum in a continuous and monofacial stratum. The biostratigraphic P/T boundary lies very close to the event boundary (15 cm above the event boundary at the baseof Boundary Bed 1 = Bed 25, and a few centimetres above the minimum in Ô'13C in the lower Boundary Bed 2.
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Improving global paleogeography since the late Paleozoic using paleobiology
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W. Cao
2017-12-01
Full Text Available Paleogeographic reconstructions are important to understand Earth's tectonic evolution, past eustatic and regional sea level change, paleoclimate and ocean circulation, deep Earth resources and to constrain and interpret the dynamic topography predicted by mantle convection models. Global paleogeographic maps have been compiled and published, but they are generally presented as static maps with varying map projections, different time intervals represented by the maps and different plate motion models that underlie the paleogeographic reconstructions. This makes it difficult to convert the maps into a digital form and link them to alternative digital plate tectonic reconstructions. To address this limitation, we develop a workflow to restore global paleogeographic maps to their present-day coordinates and enable them to be linked to a different tectonic reconstruction. We use marine fossil collections from the Paleobiology Database to identify inconsistencies between their indicative paleoenvironments and published paleogeographic maps, and revise the locations of inferred paleo-coastlines that represent the estimated maximum transgression surfaces by resolving these inconsistencies. As a result, the consistency ratio between the paleogeography and the paleoenvironments indicated by the marine fossil collections is increased from an average of 75 % to nearly full consistency (100 %. The paleogeography in the main regions of North America, South America, Europe and Africa is significantly revised, especially in the Late Carboniferous, Middle Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, Late Cretaceous and most of the Cenozoic. The global flooded continental areas since the Early Devonian calculated from the revised paleogeography in this study are generally consistent with results derived from other paleoenvironment and paleo-lithofacies data and with the strontium isotope record in marine carbonates. We also estimate the terrestrial areal change over time
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Ted eBotha
2013-08-01
Full Text Available There is a large body of information relating to the ontogeny, development and the vasculature of eudicotyledonous leaves. However there is less information available concerning the vascular anatomy of monocotyledonous leaves. This is surprising, given that there are two uniquely different phloem systems present in large groups such as grasses and sedges. Monocotyledonous leaves contain marginal, large, intermediate and small longitudinal veins that are interconnected by numerous transverse veins. The longitudinal veins contain two metaphloem sieve tube types, which, based upon their ontogeny and position within the phloem, are termed early (thin-walled and late (thick-walled sieve tubes. Early metaphloem comprises sieve tubes, companion cells and vascular parenchyma cells, whilst the late metaphloem, contains thick-walled sieve tubes that lack companion cells. Thick-walled sieve tubes are generally adjacent to, or no more than one cell removed from the metaxylem. Unlike thin-walled sieve tube-companion cell complexes, thick-walled sieve tubes are connected to parenchyma by pore-plasmodesma units and are generally symplasmically isolated from the thin walled sieve tubes. This paper addresses key structural and functional differences between thin- and thick-walled sieve tubes and explores the unique advantages of alternate transport strategies that this 5 to 7 million year old dual system may offer. It would seem that these two systems may enhance, add to, or play a significant role in increasing the efficiency of solute retrieval as well as of assimilate transfer.
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GIOVANNI MUTTONI
2005-07-01
Full Text Available We present the magnetostratigraphy and conodont biostratigraphy across the Carnian-Norian boundary from a 70 m-thick limestone section located at Guri Zi in northern Albania. A total of 14 magnetozones were observed. The Carnian-Norian boundary is placed in a thin stratigraphic interval between the last occurrence of Paragondolella nodosa and the first occurrence of Epigondolella abneptis. Data from Guri Zi are in substantial agreement with already published data from Silicka Brezova in Slovakia and Pizzo Mondello in Sicily, which complessively indicate that the conodont Carnian-Norian boundary, when magnetostratigraphically traced onto the Newark astrochronological polarity time scale (APTS, has an age of ~228-227 Ma.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Martín D Ezcurra
Full Text Available Proterosuchidae are the most taxonomically diverse archosauromorph reptiles sampled in the immediate aftermath of the Permo-Triassic mass extinction and represent the earliest radiation of Archosauriformes (archosaurs and closely related species. Proterosuchids are potentially represented by approximately 15 nominal species collected from South Africa, China, Russia, Australia and India, but the taxonomic content of the group is currently in a state of flux because of the poor anatomic and systematic information available for several of its putative members. Here, the putative proterosuchid Tasmaniosaurus triassicus from the Lower Triassic of Hobart, Tasmania (Australia, is redescribed. The holotype and currently only known specimen includes cranial and postcranial remains and the revision of this material sheds new light on the anatomy of the animal, including new data on the cranial endocast. Several bones are re-identified or reinterpreted, contrasting with the descriptions of previous authors. The new information provided here shows that Tasmaniosaurus closely resembles the South African proterosuchid Proterosuchus, but it differed in the presence of, for example, a slightly downturned premaxilla, a shorter anterior process of maxilla, and a diamond-shaped anterior end of interclavicle. Previous claims for the presence of gut contents in the holotype of Tasmaniosaurus are considered ambiguous. The description of the cranial endocast of Tasmaniosaurus provides for the first time information about the anatomy of this region in proterosuchids. The cranial endocast preserves possibly part of the vomero-nasal ( = Jacobson's system laterally to the olfactory bulbs. Previous claims of the absence of the vomero-nasal organs in archosaurs, which is suggested by the extant phylogenetic bracket, are questioned because its absence in both clades of extant archosaurs seems to be directly related with the independent acquisition of a non-ground living
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Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database
Sýkora, M.; Siblík, Miloš; Soták, J.
2011-01-01
Roč. 62, č. 2 (2011), s. 121-138 ISSN 1335-0552 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30130516 Keywords : Carnian event * Upper Triassic dolomites * Western Carpathians * Krizna Unit * shaly interbeds * lingulids * conchostracans Subject RIV: DB - Geology ; Mineralogy Impact factor: 0.787, year: 2011
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Zhang, Feifei; Romaniello, Stephen J; Algeo, Thomas J; Lau, Kimberly V; Clapham, Matthew E; Richoz, Sylvain; Herrmann, Achim D; Smith, Harrison; Horacek, Micha; Anbar, Ariel D
2018-04-01
Explaining the ~5-million-year delay in marine biotic recovery following the latest Permian mass extinction, the largest biotic crisis of the Phanerozoic, is a fundamental challenge for both geological and biological sciences. Ocean redox perturbations may have played a critical role in this delayed recovery. However, the lack of quantitative constraints on the details of Early Triassic oceanic anoxia (for example, time, duration, and extent) leaves the links between oceanic conditions and the delayed biotic recovery ambiguous. We report high-resolution U-isotope (δ 238 U) data from carbonates of the uppermost Permian to lowermost Middle Triassic Zal section (Iran) to characterize the timing and global extent of ocean redox variation during the Early Triassic. Our δ 238 U record reveals multiple negative shifts during the Early Triassic. Isotope mass-balance modeling suggests that the global area of anoxic seafloor expanded substantially in the Early Triassic, peaking during the latest Permian to mid-Griesbachian, the late Griesbachian to mid-Dienerian, the Smithian-Spathian transition, and the Early/Middle Triassic transition. Comparisons of the U-, C-, and Sr-isotope records with a modeled seawater PO 4 3- concentration curve for the Early Triassic suggest that elevated marine productivity and enhanced oceanic stratification were likely the immediate causes of expanded oceanic anoxia. The patterns of redox variation documented by the U-isotope record show a good first-order correspondence to peaks in ammonoid extinctions during the Early Triassic. Our results indicate that multiple oscillations in oceanic anoxia modulated the recovery of marine ecosystems following the latest Permian mass extinction.
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The origin and early evolution of dinosaurs.
Langer, Max C; Ezcurra, Martin D; Bittencourt, Jonathas S; Novas, Fernando E
2010-02-01
The oldest unequivocal records of Dinosauria were unearthed from Late Triassic rocks (approximately 230 Ma) accumulated over extensional rift basins in southwestern Pangea. The better known of these are Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis, Pisanosaurus mertii, Eoraptor lunensis, and Panphagia protos from the Ischigualasto Formation, Argentina, and Staurikosaurus pricei and Saturnalia tupiniquim from the Santa Maria Formation, Brazil. No uncontroversial dinosaur body fossils are known from older strata, but the Middle Triassic origin of the lineage may be inferred from both the footprint record and its sister-group relation to Ladinian basal dinosauromorphs. These include the typical Marasuchus lilloensis, more basal forms such as Lagerpeton and Dromomeron, as well as silesaurids: a possibly monophyletic group composed of Mid-Late Triassic forms that may represent immediate sister taxa to dinosaurs. The first phylogenetic definition to fit the current understanding of Dinosauria as a node-based taxon solely composed of mutually exclusive Saurischia and Ornithischia was given as "all descendants of the most recent common ancestor of birds and Triceratops". Recent cladistic analyses of early dinosaurs agree that Pisanosaurus mertii is a basal ornithischian; that Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis and Staurikosaurus pricei belong in a monophyletic Herrerasauridae; that herrerasaurids, Eoraptor lunensis, and Guaibasaurus candelariensis are saurischians; that Saurischia includes two main groups, Sauropodomorpha and Theropoda; and that Saturnalia tupiniquim is a basal member of the sauropodomorph lineage. On the contrary, several aspects of basal dinosaur phylogeny remain controversial, including the position of herrerasaurids, E. lunensis, and G. candelariensis as basal theropods or basal saurischians, and the affinity and/or validity of more fragmentary taxa such as Agnosphitys cromhallensis, Alwalkeria maleriensis, Chindesaurus bryansmalli, Saltopus elginensis, and
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Lipid Biomarker Records Across the Permian-Triassic Boundary from Kap Stosch, Greenland
Hays, L. E.; Love, G. D.; Foster, C. B.; Grice, K.; Summons, R. E.
2006-12-01
The end-Permian extinction was the most severe in the past 500 million years of the Earth's history and evidence that an oceanic anoxic event (OAE) occurred contemporaneously has been presented previously [1,2]. OAEs have, therefore, been proposed as responsible for the mass mortality, and if the anoxic ocean was also euxinic, the release of hydrogen sulfide during upwelling and/or transgression provides an extinction agent in the ocean as well as on land. Chlorobiaceae, as indicators of photic zone euxinia (PZE), utilize hydrogen sulfide as an electron donor for anoxygenic photosynthesis. The detection of isorenieratane and a series of short-chain monoaromatic aryl isoprenoids, biomarkers for Chlorobiaceae, in sediments indicates the presence of hydrogen sulfide in the photic zone of the water column during sediment deposition. The Kap Stosch area in Eastern Greenland was identified as a Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) outcrop of homogeneous shale, silty shale, and siltstone facies [3]. Another late Permian section in Eastern Greenland, the Ravnefjeld Formation, has framboidal pyrites indicative of sulfidic deep water [4]. A sample suite from the Kap Stosch region was studied using standard organic geochemistry methods including stable isotopic analyses of organic carbon, Rock-Eval pyrolysis, and biomarker hydrocarbon analysis. Aryl isoprenoids, including isorenieratane, were present in all samples studied and the concentrations were observed to fluctuate in tandem with TOC, similar to other Mesozoic OAEs. The molecular ratios of pristane/phytane and hopanes/steranes as well as the 2-methyl-hopane index (2-MHI) fluctuated dramatically through this section as they do at the type section at Meishan and in the Perth Basin [5]. The 2-MHI shows an inverse pattern to the total aryl isoprenoids, perhaps indicative of instability in the form of primary productivity in the water column during euxinic episodes. This can result in nitrogen limitation and a competitive
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ploquin, Florian
2011-01-01
Within the framework of the multi-organization TAPSS 2000 program - GNR-FORPRO, led on the Bure site (Meuse-France), the ANDRA Company realized a deep drilling (named EST 433) to investigate the local Trias because the grounds Triassic levels constituting the bed rock of Clayey level for the storage of the nuclear waste. The drilling cut the Trias rocks on a total thickness of 700 m, successively from the bottom up: (1) the Buntsandstein (120 m) is characterized by sandy-conglomerate facies; (2) the Muschelkalk (150 m) is essentially consisted of clayey-sandy-siltstone series headed by a dolomitic deposit system; (3) the Keuper part (450 m) is an alternation of sandy clay-stone or silty clay-stone deposits with insertions of saliferous levels; (4) finally the Rethian part of the drilling associated with Hettangian (80 m), are characterized by clayey-shale facies. This litho-stratigraphy can redraw the evolution of the sedimentary paleo-environments since fluviatile circles (Buntsandstein) then lagoon (upper Muschelkalk), to large floods plains systems occasionally invaded by sea (Keuper) and, finally, in an epi-continental sea context (Rhetian-Hettangian) announcing the generalized transgressive phase of which the progressive evolution coming from the border towards the center of the basin. The nearness of the continental areas is recorded in the detrital fraction of the Triassic sediments. The geochemistry of these materials signs their continental crust character and their associated isotopic Nd-Sm values gives a Hercynian meta-sediments and granites origin with from time to time a contribution of young forming rock. The mineralogy of the clayey fraction (< 0,2μm) shows that only the conglomerate on the base of the drilling consists of an assembly of dickite and illites strictly associated with regular illite / smectite mixed-layer of R=1 type illite-rich. These last ones are the main part of the clayey mineralogy of the draining facies of Buntsandstein and are
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Facies architecture and diagenesis of Belgian Late Frasnian carbonate mounds
Boulvain, Frédéric
2001-01-01
Late Frasnian Petit-Mont Member carbonate mounds occur in the southern pail of the Dinant Synclinorium and in the Philippeville Anticline (SW Belgium). These mounds are 30 to 80 m thick and 100 to 250 m in diameter. They are embedded in shale, nodular shale and argillaceous limestone. Based on facies mapping of 14 buildups and related off-mound sediments, these mounds typically started from below the photic and storm wave base zones and builtup into shallow water environments. Above an argill...
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Yu Yu
2016-11-01
Full Text Available Abstract Authigenic grain-coating chlorite is widely distributed in the clastic rocks of many sedimentary basins around the world. These iron minerals were mainly derived from flocculent precipitates formed when rivers flow into the ocean, especially in deltaic environments with high hydrodynamic conditions. At the same time, sandstone sequences with grain-coating chlorites also tend to have relatively high glauconite and pyrite content. EPMA composition analysis shows that glauconites with “high Al and low Fe” content indicate slightly to semi-saline marine environments with weak alkaline and weakly reducing conditions. By analyzing the chlorite-containing sandstone bodies of the southern Sichuan Xujiahe Formation, this study found that chlorite was mainly distributed in sedimentary microfacies, including underwater distributary channels, distributary channels, shallow lake sandstone dams, and mouth bars. Chlorite had a tendency to form in the upper parts of sandstone bodies with signs of increased base level, representing the influence of marine (lacustrine transgression. This is believed to be influenced by megamonsoons in the Middle and Upper Yangtze Region during the Late Triassic Epoch. During periods of abundant precipitation, river discharges increased and more Fe particulates flowed into the ocean (lake. In the meantime, increases or decreases in lake level were only affected by precipitation for short periods of time. The sedimentary environment shifted from weakly oxidizing to weak alkaline, weakly reducing conditions as sea level increased, and Fe-rich minerals as authigenic chlorite and glauconite began to form and deposit.
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Li, Yu; Xu, Wen-Liang; Tang, Jie; Pei, Fu-Ping; Wang, Feng; Sun, Chen-Yang
2018-04-01
This study presents new zircon U-Pb-Hf and whole-rock geochemical data for intrusive rocks in the Xing'an Massif of NE China, with the aim of furthering our understanding of the evolution and spatial influence of the Mongol-Okhotsk tectonic regime. Zircon U-Pb dating indicates that five stages of Mesozoic magmatism are recorded in the Xing'an Massif, namely during the Middle Triassic ( 237 Ma), the Late Triassic ( 225 Ma), the Early Jurassic ( 178 Ma), the Middle Jurassic ( 168 Ma), and the late Early Cretaceous ( 130 Ma). The Middle Triassic-Early Jurassic intrusive rocks in the Xing'an Massif are dominantly granodiorites, monzogranites, and syenogranites that formed from magma generated by partial melting of newly accreted continental crust. Geochemistry of the Middle Triassic-Early Jurassic granitoid suites of the Xing'an Massif indicates their formation at an active continental margin setting, related to the southwards subduction of the Mongol-Okhotsk oceanic plate. The Middle Jurassic monzogranites in the Xing'an Massif are geochemically similar to adakites and have εHf(t) values (+3.8 to +5.8) and Hf two-stage model ages (TDM2; 979-850 Ma) that are indicative of derivation from magma generated by partial melting of thickened juvenile lower crust. The Middle Jurassic monzogranites formed in a compressional setting related to the closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean. The late Early Cretaceous intrusive rocks in the Xing'an Massif are dominated by A-type granitoids that are associated with bimodal volcanic rocks, suggesting their formation in an extensional environment related to either (i) delamination of a previously thickened region of the crust, associated with the Mongol-Okhotsk tectonic regime; (ii) the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate; or (iii) the combined influence of these two tectonic regimes.
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Effects of soil erosion and anoxic–euxinic ocean in the Permian–Triassic marine crisis
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Kunio Kaiho
2016-08-01
Full Text Available The largest mass extinction of biota in the Earth’s history occurred during the Permian–Triassic transition and included two extinctions, one each at the latest Permian (first phase and earliest Triassic (second phase. High seawater temperature in the surface water accompanied by euxinic deep-intermediate water, intrusion of the euxinic water to the surface water, a decrease in pH, and hypercapnia have been proposed as direct causes of the marine crisis. For the first-phase extinction, we here add a causal mechanism beginning from massive soil and rock erosion and leading to algal blooms, release of toxic components, asphyxiation, and oxygen-depleted nearshore bottom water that created environmental stress for nearshore marine animals. For the second-phase extinction, we show that a soil and rock erosion/algal bloom event did not occur, but culmination of anoxia–euxinia in intermediate waters did occur, spanning the second-phase extinction. We investigated sedimentary organic molecules, and the results indicated a peak of a massive soil erosion proxy followed by peaks of marine productivity proxy. Anoxic proxies of surface sediments and water occurred in the shallow nearshore sea at the eastern and western margins of the Paleotethys at the first-phase extinction horizon, but not at the second-phase extinction horizon. Our reconstruction of ocean redox structure at low latitudes indicates that a gradual increase in temperature spanning the two extinctions could have induced a gradual change from a well-mixed oxic to a stratified euxinic ocean beginning immediately prior to the first-phase extinction, followed by culmination of anoxia in nearshore surface waters and of anoxia and euxinia in the shallow-intermediate waters at the second-phase extinction over a period of approximately one million years or more. Enhanced global warming, ocean acidification, and hypercapnia could have caused the second-phase extinction approximately 60 kyr after
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Deenen, M.H.L.; Krijgsman, W.; Ruhl, M.
2011-01-01
The Partridge Island stratigraphic section at the Bay of Fundy, Maritime Canada, reveals a continental sedimentary succession with the end-Triassic mass extinction level closely followed by basalts of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP). New Paleomagnetic data show that a short reverse
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Collins, Dylan R.
In northwest Texas, upper Permian to lowermost Triassic hematite-cemented detrital sedimentary rocks, which include a small number of regionally extensive ash beds, were deposited during the time interval of the greatest mass extinction event sequences in Earth history. The magnetic polarity stratigraphy, as well as key rock magnetic properties, of the upper Whitehorse Group (WH) and Quartermaster formations (QM) at selected sections in the Palo Duro Basin, have been determined using thermal, and chemical demagnetization approaches and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility, acquisition of isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) and backfield demagnetization, and thermal demagnetization of three component IRM methods. Demagnetization results show that the WH/QM contains a primary/near-primary characteristic remanent magnetization at each level sampled and thus the magnetic polarity stratigraphy for each section can be compared with existing polarity time scales across the Permian-Triassic boundary. Estimated site mean directions yield a paleomagnetic pole for the latest Permian for North America of 57.8°N, 130.6°E from 38 sampled sites.
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Plummer, P.S.; Joseph, P.R.; Samson, P.J. [Seychelles National Oil Co., Mahe (Seychelles)
1998-12-31
The Seychelles microcontinent became isolated between the Somali, Mascarene and Arabian basins of the Indian Ocean as a result of the Mesozoic fragmentation of Gondwana. Major rifting events occurred during the Triassic-Middle Jurassic and Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Santonian and Maastrichtian) during which shaly source rock facies accumulated in principally marginal marine/deltaic environments. Between these times, post-rift passive margin deposition within restricted to open marine environments produced shaly source rocks during late Middle Jurasic-Early Cretaceous, Campanian-Maastrichtian and Paleocene times. Recent geochemical analysis of cuttings from the Seagull Shoals-1 well has identified an oil-prone liptinitic (Type II) coaly shale within early Middle Jurassic abandoned deltaic deposits. This coaly source rock is regionally developed, having also been identified in the Majunja and Morondava basins of Madagascar. Oil-prone Type II organic matter has also been identified in the Owen Bank A-1 well within restricted marine shales of late Middle Jurassic age. These shales are part of a thick post-rift source rock sequence that extends into the Early Cretaceous and is in part correlative with the proven Late Jurassic Uarandab Shale of Somalia. Analysis of Campanian marine shales from Reith Bank-1 well identified significant dilution of total organic carbon content in composite, compared to picked, well cuttings samples. This finding supports a published inference that these post-rift shales have source rock potential. (author)
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Mesozoic lithofacies palaeogeography and petroleum prospectivity in North Carnarvon Basin, Australia
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Tao Chongzhi
2013-01-01
Full Text Available The North Carnarvon Basin, which lies in the North West Shelf of Australia, is highly rich in gas resources. As a typical passive marginal basin, it experienced the pre-rifting, early rifting, main rifting, late rifting, post-rifting sagging and passive margin stages. The basin was mainly filled with thick Mesozoic-Cenozoic sediments, of which the Mesozoic hosts the principal source, reservoir and seal intervals. Mesozoic palaeogeography has an important control on the oil and gas distribution. Triassic gas-prone source rocks of deltaic origin determine the high endowment of natural gases in the North Carnarvon Basin. The more restricted distribution of oil accumulations is controlled by oil source rocks in the Upper Jurassic Dingo Claystone. The Muderong Shale deposited in the Early Cretaceous marine transgression provides the effective regional seal for the underlying oil and gas reservoirs.
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Chen, Zhong-Qiang; Tong, Jinnan; Liao, Zhuo-Ting; Chen, Jing
2010-08-01
The Permian/Triassic (P/Tr) transition is ecologically assessed based on examining 23 shelly communities from five shallow platform, ramp and shelf basin facies Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) sections in South China. The shelly communities have undergone two major collapses coinciding with the two episodes of the end-Permian mass extinction. The first P/Tr extinction event devastated shelly communities in all types of settings to some extent. The basin communities have been more severely impacted than both platform and ramp communities. The survival faunas have rebounded more rapidly in shallow niches than in relatively deep habitats. The second P/Tr crisis destroyed the survival communities in shallow setting and had little impact on the basin communities in terms of community structures. The early Griesbachian communities are overall low-diversity and high-dominance. The governorship switch from brachiopods to bivalves in marine communities has been facilitated by two pulses of the end-Permian mass extinction and the whole takeover process took about 200 ka across the P/Tr boundary. Bivalve ecologic takeover initially occurred immediately after the first P/Tr extinction in shallow water habitats and was eventually completed in all niches after the second P/Tr event. Some post-extinction communities have the irregular rarefaction curves due to the unusual community structures rather than sampling intensities.
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He, D.
2017-12-01
The Helan-Chuandian North-South Tectonic Belt crossed the central Chinese mainland. It is a boundary of geological, geophysical, and geographic system of Chinese continent tectonics from shallow to deep, and a key zone for tectonic and geomorphologic inversion during Mesozoic to Cenozoic. It is superimposed by the southeastward and northeastward propagation of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in late Cenozoic. It is thus the critical division for West and East China since Mesozoic. The Majiatan fold-and-thrust belt (MFTB), locating at the central part of HCNSTB and the western margin of Ordos Basin, is formed by the tectonic evolution of the Helan-Liupanshan Mountains. Based on the newly-acquired high-resolution seismic profiles, deep boreholes, and surface geology, the paper discusses the geometry, kinematics, and geodynamic evolution of MFTB. With the Upper Carboniferous coal measures and the pre-Sinian ductile zone as the detachments, MFTB is a multi-level detached thrust system. The thrusting was mainly during latest Jurassic to Late Cretaceous, breaking-forward in the foreland, and resulting in a shortening rate of 25-29%. By structural restoration, this area underwent extension in Middle Proterozoic to Paleozoic, which can be divided into three phases of rifting such as Middle to Late Proterozoic, Cambiran to Ordovician, and Caboniferous to early Permian. It underwent compression since Late Triassic, including such periods as Latest Triassic, Late Jurassic to early Cretaceous, Late Cretaceous to early Paleogene, and Pliocene to Quaternary, with the largest shortening around Late Jurassic to early Cretaceous period (i.e. the mid-Yanshanian movement by the local name). However, trans-extension since Eocene around the Ordos Basin got rise to the formation the Yingchuan, Hetao, and Weihe grabens. It is concluded that MFTB is the leading edge of the intra-continental Helan orogenic belt, and formed by multi-phase breaking-forward thrusting during Late Jurassic to Cretaceous
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Yang, Hao; Ge, Wenchun; Dong, Yu; Bi, Junhui; Wang, Zhihui; Ji, Zheng; Yang, H.; Ge, W. C.; Dong, Y.; Bi, J. H.; Wang, Z. H.; Ji, Z.
2017-09-01
In this paper, we report zircon U-Pb ages, Hf isotopes and whole-rock geochemical data for the Permian to Early Triassic granitoids from the western margin of the Jiamusi Block (WJB), NE China. The intermediate to felsic (SiO2 = 59.67-74.04 wt%) granitoids belong to calc-alkaline series and are characterized by enrichments in light rare earth elements and large ion lithophile elements with pronounced negative Nb, Ta and Ti anomalies, revealing typical continental magmatic arc geochemical signatures. The zircon U-Pb determinations on the granodiorite, monzogranite, syenogranite and quartz diorite samples yielded ages between ca. 275-245 Ma, which, together with the published coeval intrusive rocks, indicates that Permian to Early Triassic continental arc magmatism occurred extensively in the WJB. The low and mainly negative zircon ɛ Hf( t) values between -7.6 and +1.6 and the zircon Hf model ages of 1.2-1.8 Ga, which are significantly older than their crystallization ages, suggest that they were mainly derived from reworking of ancient crustal materials with a limited input of juvenile components. The geochemical systematics and petrogenetic considerations indicate that the studied granitoids were generated from a zone of melting, assimilation, storage, and homogenization, i.e., a MASHed zone at the base of Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic continental crust, where large portions of igneous rocks and minor clay-poor sediments involved in the source region. In combination with regional geological data, we argue that the Jiamusi Block was unlikely the rifted segment of the Songliao Block and two possible geodynamical models were proposed to interpret the formation of the ca. 275-245 Ma granitoids in the WJB. In the context of Permian global plate reconstruction, we suggest that Paleo-Pacific plate subduction was initiated in the Permian to Early Triassic beneath the Jiamusi Block, and even whole eastern NE China.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Pickard, A.L.; Barley, M.E.
2000-01-01
U-Pb (SHRIMP) detrital zircon age patterns are reported for 12 samples of Permian to Cretaceous turbiditic quartzo-feldspathic sandstone from the Torlesse and Waipapa suspect terranes of New Zealand. Their major Permian to Triassic, and minor Early Palaeozoic and Mesoproterozoic, age components indicate that most sediment was probably derived from the Carboniferous to Triassic New England Orogen in northeastern Australia. Rapid deposition of voluminous Torlesse/Waipapa turbidite fans during the Late Permian to Late Triassic appears to have been directly linked to uplift and exhumation of the magmatically active orogen during the 265-230 Ma Hunter-Bowen event. This period of cordilleran-type orogeny allowed transport of large volumes of quartzo-feldspathic sediment across the convergent Gondwana land margin. Post-Triassic depocentres also received (recycled?) sediment from the relict orogen as well as from Jurassic and Cretaceous volcanic provinces now offshore from southern Queensland and northern New South Wales. The detailed provenance-age fingerprints provided by the detrital zircon data are also consistent with progressive southward derivation of sediment: from northeastern Queensland during the Permian, southeastern Queensland during the Triassic, and northeastern New South Wales - Lord Howe Rise - Norfolk Ridge during the Jurassic to Cretaceous. Although the dextral sense of displacement is consistent with the tectonic regime during this period, detailed characterisation of source terranes at this scale is hindered by the scarcity of published zircon age data for igneous and sedimentary rocks in Queensland and northern New South Wales. Mesoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic age components cannot be adequately matched with likely source terranes in the Australian-Antarctic Precambrian craton, and it is possible they originated in the Proterozoic cores of the Cathaysia and Yangtze Blocks of southeast China. Copyright (1999) Geological Society of Australia
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Yager, J. A.; West, A. J.; Bergquist, B. A.; Thibodeau, A. M.; Corsetti, F. A.; Berelson, W.; Rosas, S.; Bottjer, D. J.
2017-12-01
Understanding the causes of the end-Triassic extinction and their potential relationship to Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) volcanism necessitates careful correlation of carbon cycle records (largely from marine sections) and volcanism (largely from terrestrial successions) in a robust chronological framework. Here, we report stable carbon isotopes and mercury concentrations and isotopes from the Levanto section in Northern Peru as a putative proxy for CAMP (a large igneous province) in a marine section. Levanto represents deposition well below storm wave base and is lithologically homogenous before, during, and after the end-Triassic extinction interval, making it ideal for detailed chemostratigraphy. Furthermore, abundant intercalated ash beds allow us to correlate mercury concentrations in the marine record directly with CAMP basalt ages, providing a test of the correspondence of mercury anomalies with the eruption of CAMP volcanics. Age dating and C isotope analyses provide an opportunity to explore orbital tuning of the carbon isotope record and ground truth it with existing U-Pb ages from the section, a feature not available in any other marine sections examined to date. The abundance of U-Pb dated ashes in the Levanto section allows us to correlate orbital tuning with other basins, which lack absolute age control, providing a better understanding for the C cycle changes associated with the Triassic-Jurassic boundary.
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Rauhut, Oliver W M; Heyng, Alexander M; López-Arbarello, Adriana; Hecker, Andreas
2012-01-01
Rhynchocephalians, the sister group of squamates (lizards and snakes), are only represented by the single genus Sphenodon today. This taxon is often considered to represent a very conservative lineage. However, rhynchocephalians were common during the late Triassic to latest Jurassic periods, but rapidly declined afterwards, which is generally attributed to their supposedly adaptive inferiority to squamates and/or Mesozoic mammals, which radiated at that time. New finds of Mesozoic rhynchocephalians can thus provide important new information on the evolutionary history of the group. A new fossil relative of Sphenodon from the latest Jurassic of southern Germany, Oenosaurus muehlheimensis gen. et sp. nov., presents a dentition that is unique amongst tetrapods. The dentition of this taxon consists of massive, continuously growing tooth plates, probably indicating a crushing dentition, thus representing a previously unknown trophic adaptation in rhynchocephalians. The evolution of the extraordinary dentition of Oenosaurus from the already highly specialized Zahnanlage generally present in derived rhynchocephalians demonstrates an unexpected evolutionary plasticity of these animals. Together with other lines of evidence, this seriously casts doubts on the assumption that rhynchocephalians are a conservative and adaptively inferior lineage. Furthermore, the new taxon underlines the high morphological and ecological diversity of rhynchocephalians in the latest Jurassic of Europe, just before the decline of this lineage on this continent. Thus, selection pressure by radiating squamates or Mesozoic mammals alone might not be sufficient to explain the demise of the clade in the Late Mesozoic, and climate change in the course of the fragmentation of the supercontinent of Pangaea might have played a major role.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Vinasco, C.J.; Cordani, U.G.; Vasconcelos, P
2001-01-01
The Coastal, Western, Central and the Eastern Cordilleras constitute four independent mountain ranges in the Northern Andes. The Coastal and Western Cordillera comprises allochthonous oceanic sequences of basic volcanic rocks and marine sediments of Cenozoic and Upper Cretaceous age (Aspden et al., 1987). The so-called Central Cordillera Polymetamorphic Complex (Restrepo and Toussaint, 1982), made up the pre-Mesozoic Central Cordillera basement, consists of low through high-grade metamorphic rocks intruded by Meso-Cenozoic batholiths. The Eastern Cordillera is a polydeformed continental mountain range consisting of Precambrian and Paleozoic metamorphic and igneous rocks overlain by Paleozoic to Mesozoic sedimentary covers. The northern part of the Central Cordillera has been described as a suspect terrain affected by several tectonometamorphic episodes. The most important of them have been always considered those related to the Hercynian orogeny, in Devonian and Carboniferous times, and those occurring at the beginning of the Andean Cycle in the Cretaceous (Restrepo and Toussaint, 1982). A possible Lower Paleozoic and even Precambrian age for the basement of the terrain has also been proposed. Although some indications of a Permo-Triassic event are already available, this period was not considered as of great importance for the geologic evolution of the region. The available radiometric dates in the 200-250 Ma interval, for the Central Cordillera, are as follows: 1. One K-Ar whole rock age for a Granulite of 251±21 Ma. (Restrepo et al, 1991) of the El Retiro group SE of Medellin. However, a K-Ar biotite age of 110±10 Ma. (Toussaint et al., 1978) was obtained for a migmatite rock associated with the same group. 2. A Sm/Nd garnet and whole rock age of 226±17 Ma in rocks associated to granulites, SE of Medellin, interpreted as metamorphic ages (Correa and Martins, 2001). 3. K-Ar biotite dates for the Puqui metamorphic complex, occurring north of Medellin, ranging
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Rucinski, R.
1998-01-01
The preshower lead thickness applied to the outside of D-Zero's superconducting solenoid vacuum shell was measured at the time of application. This engineering documents those thickness measurements. The lead was ordered in sheets 0.09375-inch and 0.0625-inch thick. The tolerance on thickness was specified to be +/- 0.003-inch. The sheets all were within that thickness tolerance. The nomenclature for each sheet was designated 1T, 1B, 2T, 2B where the numeral designates it's location in the wrap and 'T' or 'B' is short for 'top' or 'bottom' half of the solenoid. Micrometer measurements were taken at six locations around the perimeter of each sheet. The width,length, and weight of each piece was then measured. Using an assumed pure lead density of 0.40974 lb/in 3 , an average sheet thickness was calculated and compared to the perimeter thickness measurements. In every case, the calculated average thickness was a few mils thinner than the perimeter measurements. The ratio was constant, 0.98. This discrepancy is likely due to the assumed pure lead density. It is not felt that the perimeter is thicker than the center regions. The data suggests that the physical thickness of the sheets is uniform to +/- 0.0015-inch.
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First Jurassic grasshopper (Insecta, Caelifera) from China.
Gu, Jun-Jie; Yue, Yanli; Shi, Fuming; Tian, He; Ren, Dong
2016-09-20
Orthoptera is divided into two suborders, the Ensifera (katydids, crickets and mole crickets) and the Caelifera (grasshoppers and pygmy mole crickets). The earliest definitive caeliferans are those found in the Triassic (Bethoux & Ross 2005). The extinct caeliferan families, such as Locustopsidae and Locustavidae, may prove to be stem groups to some of the modern superfamilies (Grimaldi & Engel 2005). Locustopsidae is known from the Late Triassic or Early Jurassic to Late Cretaceous, consisting of two subfamilies (Gorochov et al. 2006). They are recorded from Europe, England, Russia, central Asia, China, Egypt, North America, Brazil and Australia. Up to now, Late Mesozoic fossil deposits of China has been reported plenty taxa of orthopterids, e.g. ensiferans, phasmatodeans, grylloblattids (Cui et al. 2012; Gu et al. 2010; Gu et al. 2012a; Gu et al. 2012b; Ren et al. 2012; Wang et al. 2014); but, with few caeliferans records, only four species, Pseudoacrida costata Lin 1982, Mesolocustopsis sinica Hong 1990, Tachacris stenosis Lin 1977 and T. turgis Lin 1980, were reported from the Early Cretaceous of Ningxia, Shandong, Yunnan and Zhejiang of China.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
M. A. Van Zele
2007-06-01
Full Text Available The main objective of this paper is to show that the distribution of transitional palaeomagnetic data recorded at 250 Ma are in agreement with simulated data that depend on the sampling site, using a model that considers features of the Present Earth magnetic field. The analysis was performed comparing simulated reversals with the Permo-Triassic polarity transition recorded in the Siberian Trap Basalts. The palaeomagnetic data were corrected according to the Palaeo-latitude and Palaeo-longitude of Siberia (absolute reconstruction at 250 Ma using hotspot tracks. To obtain the motion of Siberia relative to hotspots from the Present time back to 250 Ma, three different Pangaea models were considered (Pangaea A, Pangaea A2, Pangaea B. In spite of the uncertainties associated with the use of hotspot frameworks and Pangaea configurations, both the modelled and recorded data show a remarkable fit when absolute reconstructions of Pangaea A and A2 configurations are performed. The agreement between both simulated and recorded data suggests that similar features to that of the Present Earth magnetic field could have been involved in reversals since the Permo-Triassic.
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Modélisations géostatistiques du faciès petrophysique du réservoir ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
1] Turner P., Pilling D., Walker D., Binnie J., Sabaou N., 2001. Sequence stratigraphy and sedimentology of the late Triassic. TAGI (Blocks 401- 402. Berkine, Algeria), Marine Petroleum Geology, Vol. 18, 959 – 981. [2] McKenna S. & Hedley R., ...
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CRUSTOSE CORALLINE ALGAL PAVEMENTS FROM LATE EOCENE COLLI BERICI OF NORTHERN ITALY
BASSI, DAVIDE
2017-01-01
The Eocene from the Prealpine region records the first phase of the crustose coralline algae flourishing in the Cenozoic. These algae are very frequent in the Marne di Priabona Formation (Late Eocene). This palaeoecological research involves ourcrop at Barbarano Vicentino(Vicenza) in the Colli Berici which is well known for its Paleogene stratigraphy. The coralline unit consists of a floatstone bank 6 m thick with rhodoliths and laminar crusts; it lies between macroforaminifer dominated limes...
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Gild, Charlotte; Geitner, Clemens; Sanders, Diethard
2018-01-01
Aeolian deposits record palaeoenvironmental conditions and may coin soil properties. Whereas periglacial loess is extensively investigated for 200 years, the study of the intramontane wind-blown deposits of the Alps has just stuttered along. Herein, we describe a drape of polymictic siliciclastic silt interpreted as an aeolian deposit that veneers extensive areas in the western Northern Calcareous Alps (NCA), from kames terraces near valley floors up to last-glacial nunataks. The NCA - part of the Eastern Alps mountain range - consist mainly of Triassic carbonate rocks; these are overlain by deposits of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and its deglacial-paraglacial aftermath (e.g., glacial tills, fluvio-lacustrine successions, alluvial fans, scree slopes) - and a regional drape of polymictic silt newly described herein. The drape is typically a few decimeters in thickness and slightly modified by soil formation; it consists mainly of well-sorted silt of quartz, feldspars, phyllosilicates (muscovite, chlorite, biotite), amphiboles and, rarely, calcite or dolomite. The drape is unrelated to the substrate: it overlies carbonate bedrock and - in lateral continuity - abandoned deposystems such as colluvial slopes of redeposited till, kames, alluvial fans, scree slopes, and rock avalanche deposits. The drape was spotted from near the present valley floors up to LGM nunataks, over a vertical range of some 2000 m; it is also present in catchments of the NCA that were not overridden by far-travelled ice streams and that lack metamorphic rock fragments. Two OSL quartz ages of the drape from two distinct locations (18.77 ± 1.55 ka; 17.81 ± 1.68 ka) fall into the early Alpine late-glacial interval shortly after the collapse of pleniglacial ice streams; this fits with geological and geomorphological evidence, respectively, that the drape should be of early late-glacial age, and that it accumulated during a specific interval of time. In the NCA, localized minor deposition of
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Bush, John H; Garwood, Dean L; Dunlap, Pamela
2016-01-01
The Moscow-Pullman basin, located on the eastern margin of the Columbia River flood basalt province, consists of a subsurface mosaic of interlayered Miocene sediments and lava flows of the Imnaha, Grande Ronde, Wanapum, and Saddle Mountains Basalts of the Columbia River Basalt Group. This sequence is ~1800 ft (550 m) thick in the east around Moscow, Idaho, and exceeds 2300 ft (700 m) in the west at Pullman, Washington. Most flows entered from the west into a topographic low, partially surrounded by steep mountainous terrain. These flows caused a rapid rise in base level and deposition of immature sediments. This field guide focuses on the upper Grande Ronde Basalt, Wanapum Basalt, and sediments of the Latah Formation.Late Grande Ronde flows terminated midway into the basin to begin the formation of a topographic high that now separates a thick sediment wedge of the Vantage Member to the east of the high from a thin layer to the west. Disrupted by lava flows, streams were pushed from a west-flowing direction to a north-northwest orientation and drained the basin through a gap between steptoes toward Palouse, Washington. Emplacement of the Roza flow of the Wanapum Basalt against the western side of the topographic high was instrumental in this process, plugging west-flowing drainages and increasing deposition of Vantage sediments east of the high. The overlying basalt of Lolo covered both the Roza flow and Vantage sediments, blocking all drainages, and was in turn covered by sediments interlayered with local Saddle Mountains Basalt flows. Reestablishment of west-flowing drainages has been slow.The uppermost Grande Ronde, the Vantage, and the Wanapum contain what is known as the upper aquifer. The water supply is controlled, in part, by thickness, composition, and distribution of the Vantage sediments. A buried channel of the Vantage likely connects the upper aquifer to Palouse, Washington, outside the basin. This field guide locates outcrops; relates them to
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40Ar/ 39Ar dating of Late Permian evaporites, southeastern New Mexico, USA
Renne, Paul R.; Sharp, Warren D.; Montañez, Isabel P.; Becker, Tim A.; Zierenberg, Robert A.
2001-12-01
40Ar/ 39Ar dating of the potassium-magnesium sulfate mineral langbeinite from Permian evaporites of the Salado formation near Carlsbad, New Mexico, provides quantitative evidence that some salts in these deposits have not recrystallized for 251 Myr since deposition. Survival of Permian salts supports the possibility that Bacillus bacteria recovered from nearby halite was isolated in a closed system and represents a sample of uncontaminated Permian life. Local recrystallization of langbeinite and other nearby minerals is also indicated by the dating, suggesting both the need and the opportunity to document closed system behavior more rigorously. The shoaling and desiccation event recorded by the Salado formation began at least 1 Myr before the Permian-Triassic boundary. Temporal correlation of the Salado with the Zechstein evaporites of north-central Europe supports previously inferred regression models for the origin of these deposits. Significant paleoenvironmental change at the Permian-Triassic boundary thus occurred on a time scale more protracted than that implied by geologically instantaneous events such as bolide impacts.
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Tracing the Source of Borneo's Cempaka Diamond Deposit
White, L. T.; Graham, I.; Armstrong, R. A.; Hall, R.
2014-12-01
Several gem quality diamond deposits are found in paleo-alluvial deposits across Borneo. The source of the diamonds and their origin are enigmatic. They could have formed in Borneo and be derived from local sources, or they could be related to diamond deposits in NW Australia, and carried with the Southwest Borneo Block after it rifted from Australia in the Late Jurassic. We collected U-Pb isotopic data from detrital zircons from the Cempaka alluvial diamond deposit in southeast Borneo. Two thirds of the zircons that were dated crystallized between 75 Ma and 110 Ma. The other third are Triassic or older (223 Ma, 314-319 Ma, 353-367 Ma, 402-414 Ma, 474 Ma, 521 Ma, 549 Ma, 1135-1176 Ma, 1535 Ma, 2716 Ma). All of the Cretaceous zircons are angular, euhedral grains with minor evidence of mechanical abrasion. Considering their age and morphology they were likely derived from the nearby Schwaner Granites. The Triassic and older grains are rounded to semi-rounded and were likely derived from Australia before Borneo rifted from Gondwana. Some of the zircons have ages that resemble those of the Merlin and Argyle diamond deposits of Australia. The diamonds themselves have delicate resorption features and overgrowths that would potentially be destroyed with prolonged transport. Geochemical data collected from the diamonds implies they were associated with lamproite intrusions. Deep seismic lines and zircons from igneous rocks suggest SE Borneo, the East Java Sea and East Java are largely underlain by thick lithosphere rifted from NW Australia. Based on several lines of evidence, we propose that diamond-bearing lamproites intruded before rifting of SW Borneo from Australia, or after collision with Sundaland of SW Borneo and the East Java-West Sulawesi Blocks during the Cretaceous. Exposure of the source after the Late Cretaceous led to diamond accumulation in river systems that flowed from the Schwaner Mountains.
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Briki, Haithem; Ahmadi, Riadh; Smida, Rabiaa; Rekhiss, Farhat
2018-04-01
Geological mapping, field cross sections, structural analyses and new subsurface data were used to characterize the geometry and tectonic setting of the Ghoualguia structure, which is an E-W-trending anticline located between the Kalaa Khasba and Rouhia troughs of the central Tunisian Atlas. The results show an important NE-SW extensional phase during the Mesozoic, as demonstrated by synsedimentary normal faults (NW-SE and E-W) and thickness variations. In the Aouled Mdoua area, the absence of Paleocene-Eocene rocks indicates that the eastern and western parts of the Ghoualguia structure were separated by high topography. In addition, the angular unconformity observed between the Upper Cretaceous unit (Abiod Fm.) and the upper Eocene series (Souar Fm.) provide evidence of a tilted-block structure delineated by North-South faults. A major compressional phase during the middle to late Miocene created various detachment levels that originated mainly in the Triassic and Cretaceous deposits. Faults were reactivated as thrust and strike-slip faults, creating fault-related fold structures. In the core of the Ghoualguia fold, an original S-dipping normal fault underwent reverse movement as a back thrust. Fault-slip data indicate that the area records a major NE-SW extensional phase that took place during the late Miocene and Pliocene. A balanced cross section provides insight into the existence of two main detachment levels rooted in the Triassic (depth ± 6 km) and the lower Cretaceous (depth ± 2.5 km). The balanced cross section highlights a shortening of about 2.5 km along cross section and 1.5 km in the central part of the Ghoualguia anticline. This work underlines the predominant role of the inherited Mesozoic structures during the evolution of the Atlassic range and their influence on the geometry of the central Tunisian atlas.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Etiene F. Pires
2004-09-01
Full Text Available The anatoical description of silici?ed Gymnospermae woods from Upper Triassic sequences of southernmost Paraná Basin (Brazil has allowed the identi?cation of a new taxon: Sommerxylon spiralosus n.gen. et n.sp. Diagnostic parameters, such as heterocellular medulla composed of parenchymatous and sclerenchymatous cells, primary xylem endarch, secondary xylem with dominant uniseriate bordered pits, spiral thickenings in the radial walls of tracheids, medullar rays homocellular, absence of resiniferous canals and axial parenchyma, indicate its relationship with the family Taxaceae, reporting on the first recognition of this group in the Triassic on Southern Pangea. This evidence supports the hypothesis that the Taxaceae at the Mesozoic were not con?ned to the Northern Hemisphere.A descrição anatômica de lenhos silicificados de Gymnospermae em seqüência do Triássico Superior no sul da Bacia do Paraná (Brasil, possibilitou a identificação de um novo taxon: Sommerxylon spiralosus n.gen. et n.sp. Parâmetros diagnósticos tais como medula heterocelular, composta por células parenquimáticas e esclerenquimáticas, xilema primário endarco, xilema secundário com pontoações areoladas unisseriadas dominantes, espessamentos espiralados nas paredes radiais dos traqueídeos, raios lenhosos homocelulares, ausência de canais resiníferos e de parênquima axial, indicam a sua vinculação à família Taxaceae, constituindo-se em reconhecimento inédito da presença deste grupo no Triássico Superior no sul do Pangea. Esta evidência suporta a hipótese de que a família Taxaceae não estava confinada ao Hemisfério Norte durante o Mesozóico.
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Nestell, Galina P.; Nestell, Merlynd K.; Ellwood, Brooks B.; Wardlaw, Bruce R.; Basu, Asish R.; Ghosh, Nilotpal; Phuong Lan, Luu Thi; Rowe, Harry D.; Hunt, Andrew G.; Tomkin, Jonathan H.; Ratcliffe, Kenneth T.
2015-01-01
The Permian–Triassic mass extinction is postulated to be related to the rapid volcanism that produced the Siberian flood basalt (Traps). Unrelated volcanic eruptions producing several episodes of ash falls synchronous with the Siberian Traps are found in South China and Australia. Such regional eruptions could have caused wildfires, burning of coal deposits, and the dispersion of coal fly ash. These eruptions introduced a major influx of carbon into the atmosphere and oceans that can be recognized in the wallstructure of foraminiferal tests present in survival populations in the boundary interval strata. Analysis of free specimens of foraminifers recovered from residues of conodont samples taken at aPermian–Triassic boundary section at Lung Cam in northern Vietnam has revealed the presence of a significant amount of elemental carbon, along with oxygen and silica, in their test wall structure, but an absence of calcium carbonate. These foraminifers, identified as Rectocornuspira kalhori, Cornuspira mahajeri, and Earlandia spp. and whose tests previously were considered to be calcareous, are confirmed to be agglutinated, and are now referred to as Ammodiscus kalhori and Hyperammina deformis. Measurement of the 207Pb/204Pb ratios in pyrite clusters attached to the foraminiferal tests confirmed that these tests inherited the Pb in their outer layer from carbon-contaminated seawater. We conclude that the source of the carbon could have been either global coal fly ash or forest fire-dispersed carbon, or a combination of both, that was dispersed into the Palaeo-Tethys Ocean immediately after the end-Permian extinction event.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Yuan Rui
2017-11-01
Full Text Available Large-scale conglomerate fan-delta aprons were typical deposits on the slope of Mahu Depression during the Early Triassic. Without outcrops, it is difficult to study the lithofacies only by examining the limited cores from the main oil-bearing interval of the Baikouquan Formation. Borehole electrical imaging log provides abundant high-resolution geologic information that is obtainable only from real rocks previously. Referring to the lithology and sedimentary structure of cores, a case study of fan-deltas in the Lower Triassic Baikouquan Formation of the Mahu Depression presents a methodology for interpreting the complicated lithofacies utilizing borehole electrical images. Eleven types of lithologies and five types of sedimentary structures are summarized in borehole electrical images. The sediments are fining upward from gravel to silt and clay in the Baikouquan Formation. Fine-pebbles and granules are the main deposits in T1b1 and T1b2, but sandstones, siltstones and mudstones are more developed in T1b3. The main sedimentary textures are massive beddings, cross beddings and scour-and-fill structures. Parallel and horizontal beddings are more developed in T1b3 relatively. On integrated analysis of the lithology and sedimentary structure, eight lithofacies from electrical images, referred to as image lithofacies, is established for the fan-deltas. Granules to coarse-pebbles within massive beddings, granules to coarse-pebbles within cross and parallel beddings, siltstones within horizontal and massive beddings are the most developed lithofacies respectively in T1b1, T1b2 and T1b3. It indicates a gradual rise of the lake level of Mahu depression during the Early Triassic, with the fan-delta aprons retrograding towards to the margin of the basin. Therefore, the borehole electrical imaging log compensate for the limitation of cores of the Baikouquan Formation, providing an effective new approach to interpret the lithofacies of fan-delta.
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Veselovskiy, R. V.; Fetisova, A. M.; Balabanov, Y.
2017-12-01
One of the key challenges which are traditionally encountered in studying the paleomagnetism of terrigenous sedimentary strata is the necessity to allow for the effect of shallowing of paleomagnetic inclinations which takes place under the compaction of the sediment at the early stages of diagenesis and most clearly manifests itself in the case of midlatitude sedimentation. Traditionally, estimating the coefficient of inclination flattening (f) implies routine re-deposition experiments and studying their magnetic anisotropy (Kodama, 2012), which is not possible in every standard paleomagnetic laboratory. The Elongation-Inclination (E/I) statistical method for estimating the coefficient of inclination shallowing, which was recently suggested in (Tauxe and Kent, 2004), does not require the investigation of the rock material in a specially equipped laboratory but toughens the requirements on the paleomagnetic data and, primarily, regarding the volume of the data, which significantly restricts the possibilities of the post factum estimation and correction for inclination shallowing. We present the results of the paleomagnetic reinvestigation of the some key sections of the Upper Permian and Lower Triassic rocks located on the East European Platform. The obtained paleomagnetic data allowed us to estimate the coefficient of inclination shallowing by the E/I method and calculate a new P-Tr paleomagnetic pole for Europe. The absence of a statistically significant difference between the mean Siberian, European and North American Permian-Triassic paleomagnetic poles allow us to conclude that 252 Ma the configuration of the Earth's magnetic field was predominantly dipole. We believe that the assumption of the non-dipolarity of the geomagnetic field at the Permian-Triassic boundary, which has been repeatedly discussed in recent decades (Van der Voo and Torsvik, 2001; Bazhenov and Shatsillo, 2010; Veselovskiy and Pavlov, 2006), arose due to the failure to take into account the
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Yuan, Rui; Zhang, Changmin; Tang, Yong; Qu, Jianhua; Guo, Xudong; Sun, Yuqiu; Zhu, Rui; Zhou, Yuanquan (Nancy)
2017-11-01
Large-scale conglomerate fan-delta aprons were typical deposits on the slope of Mahu Depression during the Early Triassic. Without outcrops, it is difficult to study the lithofacies only by examining the limited cores from the main oil-bearing interval of the Baikouquan Formation. Borehole electrical imaging log provides abundant high-resolution geologic information that is obtainable only from real rocks previously. Referring to the lithology and sedimentary structure of cores, a case study of fan-deltas in the Lower Triassic Baikouquan Formation of the Mahu Depression presents a methodology for interpreting the complicated lithofacies utilizing borehole electrical images. Eleven types of lithologies and five types of sedimentary structures are summarized in borehole electrical images. The sediments are fining upward from gravel to silt and clay in the Baikouquan Formation. Fine-pebbles and granules are the main deposits in T1b1 and T1b2, but sandstones, siltstones and mudstones are more developed in T1b3. The main sedimentary textures are massive beddings, cross beddings and scour-and-fill structures. Parallel and horizontal beddings are more developed in T1b3 relatively. On integrated analysis of the lithology and sedimentary structure, eight lithofacies from electrical images, referred to as image lithofacies, is established for the fan-deltas. Granules to coarse-pebbles within massive beddings, granules to coarse-pebbles within cross and parallel beddings, siltstones within horizontal and massive beddings are the most developed lithofacies respectively in T1b1, T1b2 and T1b3. It indicates a gradual rise of the lake level of Mahu depression during the Early Triassic, with the fan-delta aprons retrograding towards to the margin of the basin. Therefore, the borehole electrical imaging log compensate for the limitation of cores of the Baikouquan Formation, providing an effective new approach to interpret the lithofacies of fan-delta.
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Geissman, J. W.; McIntosh, J.; Buhedma, H. M. A.
2017-12-01
Despite the fact that the Triassic Period (ca. 251.9-201.3 Ma) is bound by two of Earth's largest mass extinctions, experienced giant bolide impacts and eruption of three large igneous provinces, and witnessed evolution of the main components of modern tetrapod communities, the time interval has sparse geochronologic calibration. The US NSF- and ICDP-funded coring of Phase 1 of the CPCP was completed in 2013, with the recovery of two major cores (6.35 cm diameter: 1A, 518m length and 2B, 253m; 31km apart) from the Petrified Forest National Park spanning the Chinle and Moenkopi fms. Core 1A has been fully sampled, with specimens obtained either by drilling or by extraction of core fragments and packing in ceramic boxes. Specimens are subjected to progressive thermal demagnetization or a combination of alternating field (AF) followed by thermal treatment. In several cases, specimens were extracted from each core segment to test for internal consistency. Chinle hematitic mudstones and siltstones have NRM intensities between 130 to 0.5 mA/m, with bulk susceptibilities from 2 x 10-2 to 5 x 10-5 SI units. More indurated hematitic siltstones/ medium sandstones of the Moenkopi Fm have NRM intensities and bulk susceptibilities that are far less variable (NRM: 9.0 to 1.2 mA/m, MS: 3.0 X 10-4 and 0.5 x 10-5 SI vol). Thermal demagnetization typically isolates magnetizations of N declination and shallow inclination (interpreted as normal polarity) and antipodes (reverse) (image), a polarity stratigraphy is being compiled for much of the section. Response is typically more interpretable for very hematitic Chinle mudstone sections and most Moenkopi rocks. Coarser grained, less hematitic Chinle strata rarely yield interpretable results, likely due to coarse-grained detrital magnetite, and it is likely that these intervals will not yield robust polarity information. Some core segments yield well-resolved magnetizations that are inconsistent with a Triassic field and we suspect
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Szewczyk, J.
1985-01-01
In the second half of the seventies, the Geological Institute began search for sandstone uranium deposits in the Triassic of the Peribaltic Syneclize. Detailed analysis of both laboratory and geophysical data showed presence of radium (Ra-226) aureoles around uranium ore bodies hitherto found by drillings. The mechanism of origin of the aureoles is explained and methodological proposal of their use in further search for uranium deposits is given. Theoretical modelling showed that origin of the aureoles is mainly related to movement of deposit waters percolating through uranium ore body. The influence of shape and dimensions of radium aureole-generating ore bodies on extent of the aureoles appears subordinate. Aureoles interesting from the point of view of prospecting may originate when velocity of percolating waters falls within the range from 10 -8 to 10 -6 cm/s. 23 refs., 7 figs., 1 tab. (author)
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Sudar, Milan N.; Kolar-Jurkovšek, Tea; Nestell, Galina P.; Jovanović, Divna; Jurkovšek, Bogdan; Williams, Jeremy; Brookfield, Michael; Stebbins, Alan
2018-04-01
Detail results of microfaunal, sedimentological and geochemical investigations are documented from a newly discovered section of the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) interval in the area of the town of Valjevo (northwestern Serbia). The presence of various and abundant microfossils (conodonts, foraminifers, and ostracodes) found in the Upper Permian "Bituminous limestone" Formation enabled a determination of the Changhsingian Hindeodus praeparvus conodont Zone. This paper is the first report of latest Permian strata from the region, as well as from all of Serbia, where the PTB interval sediments have been part of a complex/integrated study by means of biostratigraphy and geochemistry.
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Structural analysis of superposed fault systems of the Bornholm horst block, Tornquist Zone, Denmark
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Graversen, Ole
2009-01-01
The Bornholm horst block is composed of Precambrian crystalline basement overlain by Palaeozoicand Mesozoic cover rocks. The cover intervals are separated by an angular unconformity and a hiatus spanning the Devonian through Middle Triassic interval. Late Palaeozoic faulting of the Early Palaeozo...
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Mader, Nadine K.; Redfern, Jonathan; El Ouataoui, Majid
2017-06-01
Upper Triassic continental clastics (TAGI: Trias Argilo-Greseux Inferieur) in the Essaouira Basin are largely restricted to the subsurface, which has limited analysis of the depositional environments and led to speculation on potential provenance of the fluvial systems. Facies analysis of core from the Meskala Field onshore Essaouira Basin is compared with tentatively time-equivalent deposits exposed in extensive outcrops in the Argana Valley, to propose a process orientated model for local versus regional sediment distribution patterns in the continuously evolving Moroccan Atlantic rift during Carnian to Norian times. The study aims to unravel the climatic overprint and improve the understanding of paleo-climatic variations along the Moroccan Atlantic margin to previously recognised Upper Triassic pluvial events. In the Essaouira Basin, four facies associations representing a progressive evolution from proximal to distal facies belts in a continental rift were established. Early ephemeral braided river systems are succeeded by a wet aeolian sandflat environment with a strong arid climatic overprint (FA1). This is followed by the onset of perennial fluvial deposits with extensive floodplain fines (FA2), accompanied by a distinct shift in fluvial style, suggesting increase in discharge and related humidity, either locally or in the catchment area. The fluvial facies transitions to a shallow lacustrine or playa lake delta environment (FA3), which exhibits cyclical abandonment. The delta is progressively overlain by a terminal playa with extensive, mottled mudstones (FA4), interpreted to present a return from cyclical humid-arid conditions to prevailing aridity in the basin. In terms of regional distribution and sediment source provenance, paleocurrent data from Carnian to Norian deposits (T5 to T8 member) in the Argana Valley suggest paleoflow focused towards the S and SW, not directed towards the Meskala area in the NW as previously suggested. A major depo
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Choroidal thickness in Malaysian eyes with full-thickness macular holes
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Chew Y Tan
2018-02-01
Full Text Available AIM: To compare choroidal thickness at the macula in eyes with unilateral idiopathic full-thickness macular holes(FTMHwith that of unaffected fellow eyes, and eyes of normal control patients.METHODS: Cross-sectional study. Thirty patients with unilateral idiopathic FTMH and thirty age, sex, and race-matched controls were recruited. Axial lengths were measured using laser interferometry. Enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography images were obtained using Heidelberg spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Choroidal thickness was measured at the fovea, and at 1 mm and 2 mm nasally, temporally, superiorly and inferiorly from the center of the fovea. Statistical analysis was performed using independent and paired t-tests, chi-square tests, and Pearson correlation tests(PRESULTS: The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was 201.0±44.0 μm in the FTMH group, 225.3±51.4 μm in the fellow eye group and 262.3±70.3 μm in the control group. The choroid was thinner in FTMH eyes at all locations when compared to control eyes(PPP>0.05. Choroidal thickness was generally highest subfoveally and lowest nasally. Subfoveal choroidal thickness was negatively correlated with age(r=-0.278, P=0.032, and axial length(r=-0.328, P=0.011.CONCLUSION: Choroidal thickness is lower in both eyes of patients with unilateral FTMH compared to healthy control eyes.
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Zakharov, Y. D.; Horacek, M.; Shigeta, Y.; Popov, A. M.; Maekawa, T.
2018-02-01
Data on the N and C isotopic composition are presented for the Lower Triassic claystones of the Abrek section of southern Primorye (Far East). The results showed five N isotopic intervals and several negative C isotopic excursions of the Induan-lower Olenekian stages of the Abrek section.
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Valencia-Moreno, M.; Iriondo, A.; Perez-Segura, E.; Noguez-Alcantara, B.
2007-05-01
During most of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic, the locus of subduction related arc magmatism in northwestern Mexico was relatively mobile, probably due to changes in the mechanical conditions of the Farallon-North America plate convergence. The older Mesozoic events recognized in this region occurred in the Late Triassic and Jurassic, but the associated rocks are poorly preserved. However, a belt of Late Cretaceous through Paleogene magmatic rocks is well exposed along Baja California, Sonora and Sinaloa. Since the late 70's, it was noted that during the Early Cretaceous the igneous activity along this belt remained relatively static in the westernmost part, but migrated eastward in the Late Cretaceous, penetrating more than 1000 km into the continent. The arc magmatism reached western Sonora at about 90 Ma, and then it started to move faster inland, presumably due to flattening of the subducted oceanic slab. Recent U-Pb zircon data revealed unexpected old ages (89-95 Ma) near the eastern edge of Sonora, which are difficult to explain on the basis of the classic tectonic interpretations. A model based on two synchronic sites for magma emplacement may explain the age overlapping observed along the belt; however, a profound re-evaluation a proper geodynamic scenario to support this model is required. Even if restoration of the large Neogene crustal extension is made, particularly for central and northern Sonora, the relatively flat-subduction regime commonly accepted for the Laramide event appears unable to explain the anomalously broad expression of the magmatic belt in northwestern Mexico. An alternative model based on two synchronic sites of magma emplacement, as suggested by the new age data, may better explain the large volume of igneous rocks produced during this time in Sonora and most of Chihuahua. This mechanism may differ southwards in Sinaloa, where the magmatic belt becomes considerably narrower. Moreover, the possible existence of two spatially distinct sites
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Zodrow, E.L.; D'Angelo, J. A.; Mastalerz, Maria; Keefe, D.
2009-01-01
Cuticles have been macerated from suitably preserved compressed fossil foliage by Schulze's process for the past 150 years, whereas the physical-biochemical relationship between the "coalified layer" with preserved cuticle as a unit has hardly been investigated, although they provide complementary information. This relationship is conceptualized by an analogue model of the anatomy of an extant leaf: "vitrinite (mesophyll) + cuticle (biomacropolymer) = compression". Alkaline solutions from Schulze's process as a proxy for the vitrinite, are studied by means of liquid-solid states Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In addition, cuticle-free coalified layers and fossilized cuticles of seed ferns mainly from Canada, Spain and Argentina of Late Pennsylvanian-Late Triassic age are included in the study sample. Infrared data of cuticle and alkaline solutions differ which is primarily contingent on the mesophyll +biomacropolymer characteristics. The compression records two pathways of organic matter transformation. One is the vitrinized component that reflects the diagenetic-post-diagenetic coalification history parallel with the evolution of the associated coal seam. The other is the cuticle that reflects the sum-total of evolutionary pathway of the biomacropolymer, its monomeric, or polymeric fragmentation, though factors promoting preservation include entombing clay minerals and lower pH conditions. Caution is advised when interpreting liquid-state-based FTIR data, as some IR signals may have resulted from the interaction of Schulze's process with the cuticular biochemistry. A biochemical-study course for taphonomy is suggested, as fossilized cuticles, cuticle-free coalified layers, and compressions are responses to shared physicogeochemical factors. ?? 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Zodrow, Erwin L. [Palaeobotanical Laboratory, Cape Breton University, Sydney, Nova Scotia (Canada); D' Angelo, Jose A. [Instituto Argentino de Nivologia, Glaciologia y Ciencias Ambientales (IANIGLA), CCT-CONICET-Mendoza, Avda. Ruiz Leal s/n Parque Gral. San Martin (5500) Mendoza (Argentina); Area de Quimica, Instituto de Ciencias Basicas, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Centro Universitario - M5502JMA - Mendoza (Argentina); Mastalerz, Maria [Indiana Geological Survey, Indiana University, 611 North Walnut Grove, Bloomington, IN 47405-2208 (United States); Keefe, Dale [Molecular Spectroscopy Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Cape Breton University, Sydney, Nova Scotia (Canada)
2009-08-01
Cuticles have been macerated from suitably preserved compressed fossil foliage by Schulze's process for the past 150 years, whereas the physical-biochemical relationship between the ''coalified layer'' with preserved cuticle as a unit has hardly been investigated, although they provide complementary information. This relationship is conceptualized by an analogue model of the anatomy of an extant leaf: ''vitrinite (mesophyll) + cuticle (biomacropolymer) = compression''. Alkaline solutions from Schulze's process as a proxy for the vitrinite, are studied by means of liquid-solid states Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In addition, cuticle-free coalified layers and fossilized cuticles of seed ferns mainly from Canada, Spain and Argentina of Late Pennsylvanian-Late Triassic age are included in the study sample. Infrared data of cuticle and alkaline solutions differ which is primarily contingent on the mesophyll +biomacropolymer characteristics. The compression records two pathways of organic matter transformation. One is the vitrinized component that reflects the diagenetic-post-diagenetic coalification history parallel with the evolution of the associated coal seam. The other is the cuticle that reflects the sum-total of evolutionary pathway of the biomacropolymer, its monomeric, or polymeric fragmentation, though factors promoting preservation include entombing clay minerals and lower pH conditions. Caution is advised when interpreting liquid-state-based FTIR data, as some IR signals may have resulted from the interaction of Schulze's process with the cuticular biochemistry. A biochemical-study course for taphonomy is suggested, as fossilized cuticles, cuticle-free coalified layers, and compressions are responses to shared physicogeochemical factors. (author)
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Permian Triassic palynofloral transition in Chintalapudi area ...
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
The entire 606 m-thick sedimentary sequence in borecore MCP-7 from Chintalapudi area, Chintalapudi sub-basin has been lithologically designated as Kamthi Formation. However, the palynological investigation revealed five distinct palynoassemblages, which essentially fall under two groups, one group ...
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Boekhout, F.; Reitsma, M. J.; Spikings, R.; Rodriguez, R.; Ulianov, A.; Gerdes, A.; Schaltegger, U.
2018-03-01
The tectonic evolution of the western Gondwana margin during Pangaea amalgation is recorded in variations in the Permo-Carboniferous back-arc basin sedimentation of Peru. This study provides the first radiometric age constraints on the volcanic and sedimentary sequences of south-central eastern Peru up to the western-most tip of Bolivia, and now permits the correlation of lateral facies variations to the late Paleozoic pre-Andean orogenic cycle. The two phases of Gondwanide magmatism and metamorphism at c. 315 Ma and c. 260 Ma are reflected in two major changes in this sedimentary environment. Our detrital U-Pb zircon ages demonstrate that the timing of Ambo Formation deposition corroborates the Late Mississipian age estimates. The transition from the Ambo to the Tarma Formation around the Middle Pennsylvanian Early Gondwanide Orogeny (c. 315 Ma) represents a relative deepening of the basin. Throughout the shallow marine deposits of the Tarma Formation evidence for contemporaneous volcanism becomes gradually more pronounced and culminates around 312 - 309 Ma. Continuous basin subsidence resulted in a buildup of platform carbonates of the Copacabana Formation. Our data highlights the presence of a previously unrecognized phase of deposition of mainly fluvial sandstones and localized volcanism (281-270 Ma), which we named ´Oqoruro Formation'. This sedimentary succession was previously miss-assigned to the so-called Mitu Group, which has recently been dated to start deposition in the Middle Triassic (∼245-240 Ma). The emersion of this marine basin coincides with the onset of a major plutonic pulse related to the Late Gondwanide Orogeny (c. 260). Exhumation lead to the consequent retreat of the epeiric sea to the present-day sub-Andean region, and the coeval accumulation of the fluvial Oqoruro Formation in south eastern Peru. These late Paleozoic palaeoenvironmental changes in the back-arc basins along the western Gondwana margin of southern reflect changes in
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Late Carboniferous remagnetisation of Palaeozoic rocks in the NE Rhenish Massif, Germany
Zwing, A.; Bachtadse, V.; Soffel, H. C.
dominantly carried by hematite. The resulting palaeolatitude (27°N +10°-8°) suggest a Late Triassic to Early Jurassic age of component C, which is interpreted to be caused by either hematite-bearing post-Variscan mineralisation or oxidising fluids percolating from the weathering surface and penetrating zones of enhanced permeability in the Mesozoic.
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Hanson, Richard E.; Girty, Gary H.; Harwood, David S.; Schweickert, Richard A.
2000-01-01
This field trip provides an overview of the stratigraphic and structural evolution of the northern Sierra terrane, which forms a significant part of the wall rocks on the western side of the later Mesozoic Sierra Nevada batholith in California. The terrane consists of a pre-Late Devonian subduction complex (Shoo Fly Complex) overlain by submarine arc-related deposits that record the evolution of three separate island-arc systems in the Late Sevonian-Early Mississippian, Permian, and Late Triassic-Jurassic. The two Paleozoic are packages and the underlying Shoo Fly Complex have an important bearing on plate-tectonic processes affecting the convergent margin outboard of the Paleozoic Cordilleran miogeocline, although their original paleogeographic relations to North America are controversial. The third arc package represents an overlap assemblage that ties the terrane to North America by the Late Triassic and helps constrain the nature and timing of Mesozoic orogenesis. Several of the field-trip stops examine the record of pre-Late Devonian subduction contained in the Shoo Fly Complex, as well as the paleovolcanology of the overlying Devonian to Jurassic arc rocks. Excellent glaciated exposures provide the opportunity to study a cross section through a tilted Devonian volcano-plutonic association. Additional stops focus on plutonic rocks emplaced during the Middle Jurassic arc magmatism in the terrane, and during the main pulse of Cretaceous magmatism in the Sierra Nevada batholith to the east.
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Lawton, T. F.; Molina-Garza, R. S.; Barboza-Gudiño, R.; Rogers, R. D.
2013-05-01
Major sediment dispersal systems on western Pangea evolved in concert with thermal uplift, rift and drift phases of the Gulf of Mexico Basin, and were influenced by development of a continental arc on Pangea's western margin. Existing literature and preliminary data from fieldwork, sandstone petrology and detrital zircon analysis reveal how major drainages in Mexico changed from Late Triassic through Late Jurassic time and offer predictions for the ultimate destinations of sand-rich detritus along the Gulf and paleo-Pacific margins. Late Triassic rivers drained away from and across the present site of the Gulf of Mexico, which was then the location of a major thermal dome, the Texas uplift of recent literature. These high-discharge rivers with relatively mature sediment composition fed a large-volume submarine fan system on the paleo-Pacific continental margin of Mexico. Predictably, detrital zircon age populations are diverse and record sources as far away as the Amazonian craton. This enormous fluvial system was cut off abruptly near the Triassic-Jurassic boundary by extensive reorganization of continental drainages. Early and Middle Jurassic drainage systems had local headwaters and deposited sediment in extensional basins associated with arc magmatism. Redbeds accumulated across northern and eastern Mexico and Chiapas in long, narrow basins whose locations and dimensions are recorded primarily by inverted antiformal massifs. The Jurassic continental successions overlie Upper Triassic strata and local subvolcanic plutons; they contain interbedded volcanic rocks and thus have been interpreted as part of the Nazas continental-margin arc. The detritus of these fluvial systems is volcanic-lithic; syndepositional grain ages are common in the detrital zircon populations, which are mixed with Oaxaquia-derived Permo-Triassic and Grenville age populations. By this time, interior Pangea no longer supplied sediment to the paleo-Pacific margin, possibly because the
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Stanienda-Pilecki, Katarzyna
2017-09-01
This article presents the results of studies of Triassic (Muschelkalk) carbonate rock samples of the Terebratula Beds taken from the area of the Polish part of the Germanic Basin. It is the area of Opole Silesia. The rocks were studied in the term of possibility of limestone with magnesium application in desulfurization of flue gases executed in power plants. Characteristic features of especially carbonate phases including magnesium-low-Mg calcite, high-Mg calcite, dolomite and huntite were presented in the article. They were studied to show that the presence of carbonate phases with magnesium, especially high-Mg calcite makes the desulfurization process more effective. Selected rock samples were examined using a microscope with polarized, transmitted light, X-ray diffraction, microprobe measurements and FTIR spectroscopy. The results of studies show a domination of low magnesium calcite in the limestones of the Terebratula Beds. In some samples dolomite and lower amounts of high-Mg calcite occurred. Moreover, huntite was identified. The studies were very important, because carbonate phases like high-Mg calcite and huntite which occurred in rocks of the Triassic Terebratula Beds were not investigated in details by other scientists but they presence in limestone sorbent could influence the effectiveness of desulfurization process.
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Kulakov, E.; Metelkin, D. V.; Kazansky, A.
2015-12-01
We report the results of a pilot absolute paleointensity study of the ~250 Ma basalts of Kuznetsk traps (Kuznetsk Basin, Altai-Sayan folded area). Studied samples are characterized by a reversed polarity of natural remanent magnetization that corresponds to the lower part of Siberian Trap basalts sequence. Geochemical similarity of Kuznets basalts with those from Norilsk region supports this interpretation. Primary origin of thermal remanence in our sample is confirmed by a positive backed contact test. Rock magnetic analyses indicate that the ChRM is carried by single-domain titanomagnetite. The Coe-version of the Thellier-Therllier double-heating method was utilized for the paleointensity determinations. In contrast to the previous studies of the Permian-Triassic Siberian trap basalts, our data indicate that by the P-T boundary the paleofield intensity was relatively high and comparable with geomagnetic field strength for the last 10 millions of years. New results question the duration of the "Mesozoic dipole-low".
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Borges, V T M; Zanati, S G; Peraçoli, M T S; Poiati, J R; Romão-Veiga, M; Peraçoli, J C; Thilaganathan, B
2018-04-01
Pre-eclampsia (PE) is associated with maternal cardiac remodeling and diastolic dysfunction. The aim of this study was to assess and compare maternal left ventricular structure and diastolic function and levels of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in women with early-onset (< 34 weeks' gestation) vs those with late-onset (≥ 34 weeks' gestation) PE. This was a prospective, cross-sectional, observational study of 30 women with early-onset PE, 32 with late-onset PE and 23 normotensive controls. Maternal cardiac structure and diastolic function were assessed by echocardiography and plasma levels of BNP were measured by enzyme immunoassay. Early- and late-onset PE were associated with increased left ventricular mass index and relative wall thickness compared with normotensive controls. In women with early-onset PE, the prevalence of concentric hypertrophy (40%) and diastolic dysfunction (23%) was also significantly higher (both P < 0.05) compared with women with late-onset PE (16% for both). Maternal serum BNP levels were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in women with early-onset PE and correlated with relative wall thickness and left ventricular mass index. Early-onset PE is associated with more severe cardiac impairment than is late-onset PE, as evidenced by an increased prevalence of concentric hypertrophy, diastolic dysfunction and higher levels of BNP. These findings suggest that early-onset PE causes greater myocardial damage, increasing the risk of both peripartum and postpartum cardiovascular morbidity. Although these cardiovascular effects are easily identified by echocardiographic parameters and measuring BNP, further studies are needed to assess their clinical utility. Copyright © 2017 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Copyright © 2017 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Geologic framework of the Alaska Peninsula, southwest Alaska, and the Alaska Peninsula terrane
Wilson, Frederic H.; Detterman, Robert L.; DuBois, Gregory D.
2015-01-01
The Alaska Peninsula is composed of the late Paleozoic to Quaternary sedimentary, igneous, and minor metamorphic rocks that record the history of a number of magmatic arcs. These magmatic arcs include an unnamed Late Triassic(?) and Early Jurassic island arc, the early Cenozoic Meshik arc, and the late Cenozoic Aleutian arc. Also found on the Alaska Peninsula is one of the most complete nonmetamorphosed, fossiliferous, marine Jurassic sedimentary sections known. As much as 8,500 m of section of Mesozoic sedimentary rocks record the growth and erosion of the Early Jurassic island arc.
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Smit, J.; Laffra, C.; Meulenaars, K.; Montanari, A.
2011-01-01
Three distinct, 30- to 80-cm-thick, graded, multilayered, coarse-grained sandstone layers, intercalated in the late Messinian mudstones of the Colombacci formation in Lago Mare facies of the Trave section are interpreted as tsunamiites (Ts1-Ts3). Each of these layers is sheet-like and could be
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sudar Milan N.
2018-04-01
Full Text Available Detail results of microfaunal, sedimentological and geochemical investigations are documented from a newly discovered section of the Permian–Triassic boundary (PTB interval in the area of the town of Valjevo (northwestern Serbia. The presence of various and abundant microfossils (conodonts, foraminifers, and ostracodes found in the Upper Permian “Bituminous limestone” Formation enabled a determination of the Changhsingian Hindeodus praeparvus conodont Zone. This paper is the first report of latest Permian strata from the region, as well as from all of Serbia, where the PTB interval sediments have been part of a complex/integrated study by means of biostratigraphy and geochemistry.
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Turcan, Romeo V.
2016-01-01
literature on late globalization from sociocultural and economic perspectives. It illustrates in a vignette the character and features of late globalization observable in the withdrawal from foreign locations or deinternationalization of universities, as late globalizing entitis. The paper discusses...
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Late changes in pig skin after irradiation from beta-emitting sources of different energy
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hamlet, R.; Heryet, J.C.; Hopewell, J.W.; Wells, J.; Charles, M.W.
1986-01-01
Skin fields were irradiated on 3-month-old pigs with Sr 90 , Tm 170 and Pm 147 sources, ranging in size from 1mm to 22.5 mm in diameter. The severity of late skin atrophy was assessed 2 years after irradiation by a comparison of the thickness of the dermis in exposed skin with that of an adjacent area of unirradiated skin. Quantitative measurements were made from histological sections. The maximum dermal thinning after Sr 90 β-irradiation was approx. 55%. Irradiation with Tm 170 produced a maximal thinning of approximately 35%. Irradiation with Pm 147 produced no observable atrophy in pig skin. These differences reflect the different depth-dose characteristics of the three β-emitting sources. Significant late dermal atrophy was seen after doses which only produced a minimal erythema in the acute phase of the reaction. There was also a lack of a field-size effect for late atrophy with all but the two smallest Sr 90 sources. This is the converse of the marked field-size effects reported for the acute skin reactions. (author)
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Stress states in the Zagros fold-and-thrust belt from passive margin to collisional tectonic setting
Navabpour, Payman; Barrier, Eric
2012-12-01
The present-day Zagros fold-and-thrust belt of SW-Iran corresponds to the former Arabian passive continental margin of the southern Neo-Tethyan basin since the Permian-Triassic rifting, undergoing later collisional deformation in mid-late Cenozoic times. In this paper an overview of brittle tectonics and palaeostress reconstructions of the Zagros fold-and-thrust belt is presented, based on direct stress tensor inversion of fault slip data. The results indicate that, during the Neo-Tethyan oceanic opening, an extensional tectonic regime affectedthe sedimentary cover in Triassic-Jurassic times with an approximately N-S trend of the σ3 axis, oblique to the margin, which was followed by some local changes to a NE-SW trend during Jurassic-Cretaceous times. The stress state significantly changed to thrust setting, with a NE-SW trend of the σ1 axis, and a compressional tectonic regime prevailed during the continental collision and folding of the sedimentary cover in Oligocene-Miocene times. This compression was then followed by a strike-slip stress state with an approximately N-S trend of the σ1 axis, oblique to the belt, during inversion of the inherited extensional basement structures in Pliocene-Recent times. The brittle tectonic reconstructions, therefore, highlighted major changes of the stress state in conjunction with transitions between thin- and thick-skinned structures during different extensional and compressional stages of continental deformation within the oblique divergent and convergent settings, respectively.
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Veselovskiy, R. V.; Latyshev, A. V.; Pavlov, V. E.
2011-12-01
We have studied the lowest part of the Permo-Triassic Siberian trap sequence which is located in the middle course of the Angara river (Southern Siberia). This sequenced is composed by 200m thick volcanoclastic rocks (tuffs with bombs of different composition) and includes numerous mafic subvolcanic bodies (dykes and sills). Altogether more than 20 sites representing tuffs, bombs, dykes and sills stretched along the valley of the Angara river over the distance more than 30 km have been sampled and studied. Obtained site mean paleomagnetic directions are tightly grouped, showing very lower scatter. Taking into account that amplitude of geomagnetic secular variation at the P-T boundary was about of same order as in Late Cenozoic (Pavlov et al., 2011) this lower scatter can be either a sequence of very fast traps emplacement which could have disastrous environmental impact or a result of subsequent regional remagnetization. The only geological event in the region which seems to be capable to cause this remagnetization is emplacement of Early Triassic sills in nearby areas. In such the case we should expect that mean paleomagnetic directions from these sills will be very close to these ones obtained from site presented in this report. We present results of paleomagnetic studies of these sills and make a choice in favor of one of discussed options. This work was supported by grants NSF EAR 0807585 ("The Siberian Traps and end-Permian extinction") and RFBR 09-05-01180, 10-05-00557.
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Bejaoui, Hamida; Aïfa, Tahar; Melki, Fetheddine; Zargouni, Fouad
2017-10-01
This paper resolves the structural complexity of Cenozoic sedimentary basins in northeastern Tunisia. These basins trend NE-SW to ∼ E-W, and are bordered by old fracture networks. Detailed descriptions of the structural features in outcrop and in subsurface data suggest that the El Alia-Teboursouk Fault zone in the Bizerte area evolved through a series of tectonic events. Cross sections, lithostratigraphic correlations, and interpretation of seismic profiles through the basins show evidence for: (i) a Triassic until Jurassic-Early Cretaceous rifting phase that induced lateral variations of facies and strata thicknesses; (ii) a set of faults oriented NE-SW, NW-SE, N-S, and E-W that guided sediment accumulation in pull-apart basins, which were subject to compressive and transpressive deformation during Eocene (Lutetian-Priabonian), Miocene (Tortonian), and Pliocene-Quaternary; and (iii) NNW-SSE to NS contractional events that occurred during the Late Pliocene. Part of the latest phase has been the formation of different synsedimentary folded structures with significant subsidence inversion. Such events have been responsible for the reactivation of inherited faults, and the intrusion of Triassic evaporites, ensuring the role of a slip layer. The combined effects of the different paleoconstraints and halokinetic movements are at the origin of the evolution of these pull-apart basins. The subsurface data suggest that an important fault displacement occurred during the Mesozoic-Cenozoic. The patterns of sediment accumulation in the different basins reflect a high activity of deep ancient faults.
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Journal of Earth System Science | Indian Academy of Sciences
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
... tetrapod taxa do not support the recently proposed successive Otischalkian, Adamanian, Revueltian, and Apachean biochrons within the Dockum Group. Instead, a few index fossils provide a broad framework for correlation of Late Triassic nonmarine strata of the Dockum with the Carnian and Norian Alpine marine stages ...
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Joerger, Katharina; Kristof, Alen; Klussmann-Kolb, Annette
2008-01-01
Unusually well-preserved fossils of a Halicyne-like cycloid crustacean frequently occur in the early Late Triassic lacustrine clay bed at Krasiejów in Opole Silesia, southern Poland. Its gill-like structures form a horseshoe-shaped pair of units composed of numerous calcified blades with reverse ...
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Cortical thickness development of human primary visual cortex related to the age of blindness onset.
Li, Qiaojun; Song, Ming; Xu, Jiayuan; Qin, Wen; Yu, Chunshui; Jiang, Tianzi
2017-08-01
Blindness primarily induces structural alteration in the primary visual cortex (V1). Some studies have found that the early blind subjects had a thicker V1 compared to sighted controls, whereas late blind subjects showed no significant differences in the V1. This implies that the age of blindness onset may exert significant effects on the development of cortical thickness of the V1. However, no previous research used a trajectory of the age of blindness onset-related changes to investigate these effects. Here we explored this issue by mapping the cortical thickness trajectory of the V1 against the age of blindness onset using data from 99 blind individuals whose age of blindness onset ranged from birth to 34 years. We found that the cortical thickness of the V1 could be fitted well with a quadratic curve in both the left (F = 11.59, P = 3 × 10 -5 ) and right hemispheres (F = 6.54, P = 2 × 10 -3 ). Specifically, the cortical thickness of the V1 thinned rapidly during childhood and adolescence and did not change significantly thereafter. This trend was not observed in the primary auditory cortex (A1), primary motor cortex (M1), or primary somatosensory cortex (S1). These results provide evidence that an onset of blindness before adulthood significantly affects the cortical thickness of the V1 and suggest a critical period for cortical development of the human V1.
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Back-arc with frontal-arc component origin of Triassic Karmutsen basalt, British Columbia, Canada
Barker, F.; Sutherland, Brown A.; Budahn, J.R.; Plafker, G.
1989-01-01
The largely basaltic, ???4.5-6.2-km-thick, Middle to Upper Triassic Karmutsen Formation is a prominent part of the Wrangellian sequence. Twelve analyses of major and minor elements of representative samples of pillowed and massive basalt flows and sills from Queen Charlotte and Vancouver Islands are ferrotholeiites that show a range of 10.2-3.8% MgO (as normalized, H2O- and CO2-free) and related increases in TiO2 (1.0-2.5%), Zr (43-147 ppm) and Nb (5-16 ppm). Other elemental abundances are not related simply to MgO: distinct groupings are evident in Al2O3, Na2O and Cr, but considerable scatter is present in FeO* (FeO + 0.9Fe2O3) and CaO. Some of the variation is attributed to alteration during low-rank metamorphism or by seawater - including variation of Ba, Rb, Sr and Cu, but high-field-strength elements (Sc, Ti, Y, Zr and Nb) as well as Cr, Ni, Cu and rare-earth elements (REE's) were relatively immobile. REE's show chondrite-normalized patterns ranging from light-REE depleted to moderately light-REE enriched. On eleven discriminant plots these analyses fall largely into or across fields of within-plate basalt (WIP), normal or enriched mid-ocean-ridge tholeiite (MORB) and island-arc tholeiite (IAT). Karmutsen basalts are chemically identical to the stratigraphically equivalent Nikolai Greenstone of southern Alaska and Yukon Territory. These data and the fact that the Karmutsen rests on Sicker Group island-arc rocks of Paleozoic age suggest to us that: 1. (1) the basal arc, after minor carbonate-shale deposition, underwent near-axial back-arc rifting (as, e.g., the Mariana arc rifted at different times); 2. (2) the Karmutsen basalts were erupted along this rift or basin as "arc-rift" tholeiitite; and 3. (3) after subsequent deposition of carbonates and other rocks, and Jurassic magmatism, a large fragment of this basalt-sediment-covered island arc was accreted to North America as Wrangellia. The major- and minor-elemental abundances of Karmutsen basalt is modeled
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Structural evolution of the Ural-Tian Shan junction: A view from Karatau ridge, South Kazakhstan
Alexeiev, D.V.; Cook, H.E.; Buvtyshkin, V.M.; Golub, L.Y.
2009-01-01
The deformation history of the Late Palaeozoic Ural-Tian Shan junction is discussed for the example of the Karatau ridge in southern Kazakhstan. Three deformation events are recognized. The Late Carboniferous D1 event is characterized by Laramide-style thrust-and-fold structures on the southern margin of Kazakhstan with shortening in a NE-SW direction. The Latest Permian and Triassic D2 event is controlled by compression in an east-west direction, which reflects collisional deformation in the Urals. The main structures are submeridional folds and north-west-striking sinistral strike-slip faults. The Triassic D3 event with shortening in a north-south direction reflects collision of the Turan microcontinent against the southern margin of Kazakhstan. The main structures are north-west-striking dextral strike-slip faults. Our new data provides important clues for the reconstruction of pre-Cretaceous structures between the Urals and the Tian Shan. ?? 2008 Acad??mie des sciences.
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The Latemar: A Middle Triassic polygonal fault-block platform controlled by synsedimentary tectonics
Preto, Nereo; Franceschi, Marco; Gattolin, Giovanni; Massironi, Matteo; Riva, Alberto; Gramigna, Pierparide; Bertoldi, Luca; Nardon, Sergio
2011-03-01
Detailed field mapping of a Middle Triassic carbonate buildup, the Latemar in the western Dolomites, northern Italy, has been carried out. The Latemar is an isolated carbonate buildup that nucleates on a fault-bounded structural high (horst) cut into the underlying late Anisian carbonate bank of the Contrin Fm. This study demonstrates that extensional synsedimentary tectonics is the main factor controlling its geometry and provides an age for this tectonic phase. In an early phase, slopes were mostly composed of well bedded, clinostratified grainstones and rudstones. In a later stage, the deposition of grainstones was accompanied by the emplacement of clinostratified megabreccias. The upper portion of slopes is a microbial boundstone with abundant Tubiphytes and patches or lenses of grainstone. Boundstones may occasionally expand into the platform interior and downward to the base of the slope. The depositional profile was that of a mounded platform. The buildup is dissected by a dense framework of high angle fractures and faults, and by magmatic and sedimentary dikes, exhibiting two principal directions trending NNW-SSE and ENE-WSW. Faults trending WNW-ESE were also observed. Magmatic dikes are related to the emplacement of the nearby Predazzo intrusion and are thus upper Ladinian. Kinematic indicators of strike-slip activity were observed on fault planes trending NNE-SSW and NNW-SSE, that can be attributed to Cenozoic Alpine tectonics. Faults, magmatic dikes and sedimentary dikes show systematic cross-cutting relationships, with strike-slip faults cutting magmatic dikes, and magmatic dikes cutting sedimentary (neptunian) dikes. ENE-WSW and WNW-ESE faults are cut by all other structures, and record the oldest tectonic activity in the region. Structural analysis attributes this tectonic phase to an extensional stress field, with a direction of maximum extension oriented ca. N-S. Several lines of evidence, including sealed faults and growth wedge geometries allow us
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A basal dinosaur from the dawn of the dinosaur era in southwestern Pangaea.
Martinez, Ricardo N; Sereno, Paul C; Alcober, Oscar A; Colombi, Carina E; Renne, Paul R; Montañez, Isabel P; Currie, Brian S
2011-01-14
Upper Triassic rocks in northwestern Argentina preserve the most complete record of dinosaurs before their rise to dominance in the Early Jurassic. Here, we describe a previously unidentified basal theropod, reassess its contemporary Eoraptor as a basal sauropodomorph, divide the faunal record of the Ischigualasto Formation with biozones, and bracket the formation with (40)Ar/(39)Ar ages. Some 230 million years ago in the Late Triassic (mid Carnian), the earliest dinosaurs were the dominant terrestrial carnivores and small herbivores in southwestern Pangaea. The extinction of nondinosaurian herbivores is sequential and is not linked to an increase in dinosaurian diversity, which weakens the predominant scenario for dinosaurian ascendancy as opportunistic replacement.
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Kent, Dennis V; Santi Malnis, Paula; Colombi, Carina E; Alcober, Oscar A; Martínez, Ricardo N
2014-06-03
A measured magnetozone sequence defined by 24 sampling sites with normal polarity and 28 sites with reverse polarity characteristic magnetizations was established for the heretofore poorly age-constrained Los Colorados Formation and its dinosaur-bearing vertebrate fauna in the Ischigualasto-Villa Union continental rift basin of Argentina. The polarity pattern in this ∼600-m-thick red-bed section can be correlated to Chrons E7r to E15n of the Newark astrochronological polarity time scale. This represents a time interval from 227 to 213 Ma, indicating that the Los Colorados Formation is predominantly Norian in age, ending more than 11 My before the onset of the Jurassic. The magnetochronology confirms that the underlying Ischigualasto Formation and its vertebrate assemblages including some of the earliest known dinosaurs are of Carnian age. The oldest dated occurrences of vertebrate assemblages with dinosaurs in North America (Chinle Formation) are younger (Norian), and thus the rise of dinosaurs was diachronous across the Americas. Paleogeography of the Ischigualasto and Los Colorados Formations indicates prolonged residence in the austral temperate humid belt where a provincial vertebrate fauna with early dinosaurs may have incubated. Faunal dispersal across the Pangean supercontinent in the development of more cosmopolitan vertebrate assemblages later in the Norian may have been in response to reduced contrasts between climate zones and lowered barriers resulting from decreasing atmospheric pCO2 levels.
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Nahal Ein Gev II, a Late Natufian Community at the Sea of Galilee.
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Leore Grosman
Full Text Available The Natufian culture is of great importance as a starting point to investigate the dynamics of the transition to agriculture. Given its chronological position at the threshold of the Neolithic (ca. 12,000 years ago and its geographic setting in the productive Jordan Valley, the site of Nahal Ein Gev II (NEG II reveals aspects of the Late Natufian adaptations and its implications for the transition to agriculture. The size of the site, the thick archaeological deposits, invested architecture and multiple occupation sub-phases reveal a large, sedentary community at least on par with Early Natufian camps in the Mediterranean zone. Although the NEG II lithic tool kit completely lacks attributes typical of succeeding Pre Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA assemblages, the artistic style is more closely related to the early PPNA world, despite clear roots in Early Natufian tradition. The site does not conform to current perceptions of the Late Natufians as a largely mobile population coping with reduced resource productivity caused by the Younger Dryas. Instead, the faunal and architectural data suggest that the sedentary populations of the Early Natufian did not revert back to a nomadic way of life in the Late Natufian in the Jordan Valley. NEG II encapsulates cultural characteristics typical of both Natufian and PPNA traditions and thus bridges the crossroads between Late Paleolithic foragers and Neolithic farmers.
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Fang, Qiang; Wu, Huaichun; Hinnov, Linda A.; Wang, Xunlian; Yang, Tianshui; Li, Haiyan; Zhang, Shihong
2016-07-01
The late Ordovician Pingliang Formation on the southwestern margin of the Ordos Basin, North China, consists of rhythmic alternations of shale, limestone, and siliceous beds. To explore the possible astronomical forcing preserved in this lithological record, continuous lithological rank and magnetic susceptibility (MS) stratigraphic series were obtained from a 34 m thick section of the Pingliang Formation at Guanzhuang. Power spectral analysis of the MS and rank series reveal 85.5 cm to 124 cm, 23 cm to 38 cm, and 15 cm to 27 cm thick sedimentary cycles that in ratio match that of late Ordovician short eccentricity, obliquity and precession astronomical cycles. The power spectrum of the MS time series, calibrated to interpreted short orbital eccentricity cycles, aligns with spectral peaks to astronomical parameters, including 95 kyr short orbital eccentricity, 35.3 kyr and 30.6 kyr obliquity, and 19.6 kyr and 16.3 kyr precession cycles. The 15 cm to 27 cm thick limestone-shale couplets mainly represent precession cycles, and siliceous bed deposition may be related to both precession and obliquity forcing. We propose that precession-forced sea-level fluctuations mainly controlled production of lime mud in a shallow marine environment, and transport to the basin. Precession and obliquity controlled biogenic silica productivity, and temperature-dependent preservation of silica may have been influenced by obliquity forcing.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Worden, R.H.; Manning, D.A.C.; Bottrell, S.H.
2006-01-01
The origin and heterogeneity of oilfield formation water in the Lower Triassic Sherwood Sandstone at Wytch Farm in the Wessex Basin, UK, have been investigated using production data, detailed water geochemistry and O, S and H stable isotope data. The formation waters are highly saline, NaCl-type brines with TDS values of up to 230,000mg/L. There is a general decrease in salinity from the flanks of the field to the crest with Cl - decreasing from about 136,000 to 109,000mg/L. The Cl/Br ratio of the water shows that salinity was largely derived from the dissolution of Upper Triassic continental evaporites found off-structure to the west and north of the field. The water in the field had a meteoric source although variation in δ 2 H values suggests that there may be meteoric waters of different ages in the oilfield, reflecting recharge under different palaeoclimatic conditions. At the crest of the field, aqueous SO 4 2- resulted from dissolution of anhydrite in the reservoir. In contrast, in other parts of the field there is an indication that some of the dissolved SO 4 2- was derived from oxidation of pyrite at some point on the recharge path of meteoric water to the field. There were two meteoric influx events bringing different Cl - concentrations and different δ 2 H values. The first was probably before the Eocene oil influx and could have occurred in the Lower Cretaceous or early Tertiary. The second meteoric influx event probably occurred after or during oil migration into the Wytch Farm structure since the second meteoric water is found at the flanks of the field adjacent to the regions where salt is found in the stratigraphy. The preservation of heterogeneities in oilfield formation water compositions suggests that there has been little aqueous fluid movement or diffusive flux for over 40 million years. Mass flux has been restricted by density stratification within the aquifer and the very low effective permeability for the aqueous phase in the oil
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Rodriguez, L.; Cuevas, J.; Tubía, J. M.
2012-04-01
This work deals with the structural evolution of the Sierras Interiores between the Tena and Aragon valleys. The Sierras Interiores is a WNW-trending mountain range that bounds the South Pyrenean Zone to the north and that is characterized by a thrust-fold system with a strong lithological control that places preferably decollements in Triassic evaporites. In the studied area of the Sierras Interiores Cenomanian limestones cover discordantly the Paleozoic rocks of the Axial Zone because there is a stratigraphic lacuna developed from Triassic to Late Cretaceous times. A simple lithostratigraphy of the study area is made up of Late Cenomanian to Early Campanian limestones with grey colour and massive aspect in landscape (170 m, Lower calcareous section), Campanian to Maastrichtian brown coloured sandstones (400-600 m, Marboré sandstones) and, finally, Paleocene light-coloured massive limestones (130-230 m), that often generate the higher topographic levels of the Sierras Interiores due to their greater resistance to erosion. Above the sedimentary sequence of the Sierras Interiores, the Jaca Basin flysch succession crops out discordantly. Based on a detailed mapping of the studied area of the Sierras Interiores, together with well and structural data of the Jaca Basin (Lanaja, 1987; Rodríguez and Cuevas, 2008) we have constructed a 12 km long NS cross section, approximately parallel to the movement direction deduced for this region (Rodríguez et al., 2011). The main structure is a thrust array made up of at least four Paleozoic-involving thrusts (the deeper thrust system) of similar thickness in a probably piggyback sequence, some of which are blind thrusts that generate fold-propagation-folds in upper levels. The higher thrust of the thrust array crops out duplicating the lower calcareous section all over the Sierras Interiores. The emplacement of the deeper thrust system generated the tightness of previous structures: south directed piggyback duplexes (the upper
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Palaeomagnetic results from some panchet clay beds, Karanpura coalfield. Northeastern India
Klootwijk, C.T.
1974-01-01
Reversely magnetized Panchet clay samples of Early Triassic or possibly Late Permian age, from the North Karanpura coalfield (Damodar Valley, NE. India) revealed, after thermal cleaning, the mean direction: D = llO.S”, I = +69” (k = 49, tugs = 6” , N = 13). The corresponding pole position is:
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Whiteside, J. H.; Percival, L.; Kinney, S.; Olsen, P. E.; Mather, T. A.; Philpotts, A.
2017-12-01
Documentation of the precise timing of volcanic eruptions in sedimentary records is key for linking volcanic activity to both historical and geological episodes of environmental change. Deposition of tuffs in sediments, and sedimentary enrichment of trace metals linked to igneous processes, are both commonly used for such correlations. In particular, sedimentary mercury (Hg) enrichments have been used as a marker for volcanic activity from Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs) to support their link to episodes of major climate change and mass extinction in the geological record. However, linking such enrichments to a specific eruption or eruption products is often challenging or impossible. In this study, the mercury records from two exactly contemporaneous latest Triassic-earliest Jurassic rift lakes are presented. Both sedimentary records feature igneous units proposed to be related to the later (Early Jurassic) stages of volcanism of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP). These CAMP units include a small tuff unit identified by thin-section petrology and identified at 10 localities over a distance of over 200 km, and a major CAMP basalt flow overlying this tuff (and dated at 200.916±0.064 Ma) which is also known across multiple sedimentary basins in both North America and Morocco and is thought to have been emplaced about 120 kyr after the tuff. A potential stratigraphic correlation between Hg enrichments and the igneous units is considered, and compared to the established records of mercury enrichments from the latest Triassic that are thought to be coeval with the earlier stages of CAMP volcanism. Investigating the Hg records of sedimentary successions containing tuffs and basalt units is an important step for demonstrating whether the mercury emissions from specific individual volcanic eruptions in the deep past can be identified in the geological record, and are thus important tools for interpreting the causes of associated past geological events, such as
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Late Carboniferous to Late Permian carbon isotope stratigraphy
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Buggisch, Werner; Krainer, Karl; Schaffhauser, Maria
2015-01-01
An integrated study of the litho-, bio-, and isotope stratigraphy of carbonates in the Southern Alps was undertaken in order to better constrain δ13C variations during the Late Carboniferous to Late Permian. The presented high resolution isotope curves are based on 1299 δ13Ccarb and 396 δ13Corg...
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Mass-wasting triggered by the end-Triassic mass-extinction
van de Schootbrugge, Bas; Vecoli, Marco; Strother, Paul; Lindstrom, Sofie; Oschmann, Wolfgang
2014-05-01
The end-Triassic dieback of tree-forming vegetation across NW Europe and the proliferation of a low-growing herbaceous pioneer vegetation composed of ferns and fern allies, likely had a major impact on weathering and erosion of emerged land masses. In a recently drilled core from northern Germany (Schandelah), palynological analyses provide evidence for this scenario. The uppermost Rhaetian Triletes Beds show increasing amounts of reworked Palaeozoic acritarchs and prasinophytes of up to 30% of the palynomorph fraction. Most of the acritarchs are singletons and can be assigned to Ordovician and Silurian species, such as Ankyrotrochus crispum, Oppilatala eoplanktonica, and Evittia spp. The average age of the reworked acritarch assemblages is observed to increase during the latest Rhaetian, leading to an inverted stratigraphy among Palaeozoic species. Further North, in the Stenlille cores from the Danish Basin, reworked Palaeozoic palynomorphs appear to constitute mainly sphaeromorphic prasinophytes and other Palaeozoic microfossils such as chitinozoans and carboniferous spores. Further south, at Mingolsheim (S Germany) the Triletes Beds contain a clear sign of soil reworking, including mycorrhizal fungal remains and cysts from probable soil organisms. These peculiar changes in palynological assemblages go hand-in-hand with important changes in sedimentology. The reworking of soil and bedrock is occurring in an interval that also contains evidence for earthquake activity in the form of widespread seismites. All these observations may be attributed to a number of mutually non-exclusive mechanisms, including decreased plant cover, an intensified hydrological cycle due to greenhouse warming, and the doming of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province leading to continental-scale tectonic steepening of basin margins.
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Static and dynamic through thickness lamina properties of thick laminates
Lahuerta, F.; Nijssen, R.P.L.; Van der Meer, F.P.; Sluys, L.J.
2015-01-01
Thick laminates are increasingly present in large composites structures such as wind turbine blades. Different factors are suspected to be involved in the decreased static and dynamic performance of thick laminates. These include the effect of self-heating, the scaling effect, and the manufacturing
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Extreme Modification of the Tetrapod Forelimb in a Triassic Diapsid Reptile.
Pritchard, Adam C; Turner, Alan H; Irmis, Randall B; Nesbitt, Sterling J; Smith, Nathan D
2016-10-24
The tetrapod forelimb is one of the most versatile structures in vertebrate evolution, having been co-opted for an enormous array of functions. However, the structural relationships between the bones of the forelimb have remained largely unchanged throughout the 375 million year history of Tetrapoda, with a radius and ulna made up of elongate, paralleling shafts contacting a series of shorter carpal bones. These features are consistent across nearly all known tetrapods, suggesting that the morphospace encompassed by these taxa is limited by some sort of constraint(s). Here, we report on a series of three-dimensionally preserved fossils of the small-bodied (reptile Drepanosaurus, from the Chinle Formation of New Mexico, USA, which dramatically diverge from this pattern. Along with the crushed type specimen from Italy, these specimens have a flattened, crescent-shaped ulna with a long axis perpendicular to that of the radius and hyperelongate, shaft-like carpal bones contacting the ulna that are proximodistally longer than the radius. The second digit supports a massive, hooked claw. This condition has similarities to living "hook-and-pull" digging mammals and demonstrates that specialized, modern ecological roles had developed during the Triassic Period, over 200 million years ago. The forelimb bones in Drepanosaurus represent previously unknown morphologies for a tetrapod and, thus, a dramatic expansion of known tetrapod forelimb morphospace. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Hydrodynamic framework of Saharan Triassic aquifers in South Tunisia and Algeria
Dhia, H. Ben; Chiarelli, A.
The main characteristics of the lower Triassic in the Saharan part of Tunisia are presented. This first study of the aquifer is made possible because of data available from numerous petroleum wells that exist in the region. The results show that the reservoir is of importance for either geothermal energy recovering or human water needs; especially since its salinity lies in the range 2 g/l to 60 g/l. Along the Tunisian-Llibyan frontier, because of its pressure and salinity (<3 g/l), the aquifer can be used for regional needs. The study also shows that the salinity gradient (SE-NW) increases orthogonally to the runoff direction (SW-NE). This phenomenon was unexpected and it is necessary to consider the aquifer in its regional North African framework and to include its Algerian part to understand it; when the salinity and potentiometric maps include both countries, a regional pattern is evident. Furthermore, a correspondence is noted between the salinity variations and the percentage of detritic elements in the reservoir. Salinity increases toward the NW, while the detritic elements decrease in that direction. Zones with salt content lower than 5 g/l seem to be related to good reservoirs and shales, that are rich in sands, and carbonates. The aquifer water supply is primarily linked to gravity flow and secondarily to compaction flow.
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Algorithm for Primary Full-thickness Skin Grafting in Pediatric Hand Burns
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Yang Seo Park
2012-09-01
Full Text Available BackgroundPediatric hand burns are a difficult problem because they lead to serious hand deformities with functional impairment due to rapid growth during childhood. Therefore, adequate management is required beginning in the acute stage. Our study aims to establish surgical guidelines for a primary full-thickness skin graft (FTSG in pediatric hand burns, based on long-term observation periods and existing studies.MethodsFrom January 2000 to May 2011, 210 patients underwent primary FTSG. We retrospectively studied the clinical course and treatment outcomes based on the patients' medical records. The patients' demographics, age, sex, injury site of the fingers, presence of web space involvement, the incidence of postoperative late deformities, and the duration of revision were critically analyzed.ResultsThe mean age of the patients was 24.4 months (range, 8 to 94 months, consisting of 141 males and 69 females. The overall observation period was 6.9 years (range, 1 to 11 years on average. At the time of the burn, 56 cases were to a single finger, 73 to two fingers, 45 to three fingers, and 22 to more than three. Among these cases, 70 were burns that included a web space (33.3%. During the observation, 25 cases underwent corrective operations with an average period of 40.6 months.ConclusionsIn the volar area, primary full-thickness skin grafting can be a good indication for an isolated injured finger, excluding the web spaces, and injuries of less than three fingers including the web spaces. Also, in the dorsal area, full-thickness skin grafting can be a good indication. However, if the donor site is insufficient and the wound is large, split-thickness skin grafting can be considered.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hu Longfei; Fang Yang; Wang Yishun; Wang Long
2014-01-01
In prospecting and mining of a broken thick large uranium ore body, uncertain prospecting and shallow-hole shrinkage mining method resulted in large dilution rate and resource waste problems. Aimed at these problems, improvement schemes of enhancing the strength force of 'drilling prospecting instead of pit prospecting' and employing filling method stoping ore body were applied, and improvement result was analyzed. Experience was accumulated and evidence was provided for late prospecting and stoping work. (authors)
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Kim, Sun Woong; Byun, Yeo Jue; Kim, Eung Kweon; Kim, Tae-im
2007-11-01
To compare central corneal thickness measurements obtained in unoperated eyes and eyes after myopic photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) using a rotating Scheimpflug camera (Pentacam), a scanning slit corneal topography system (Orbscan II), and ultrasonic pachymetry. Corneal thickness was measured using Pentacam, Orbscan II, and ultrasonic pachymetry in 25 unoperated eyes (unoperated group), 24 eyes 1 to 3 months after myopic PRK (early postoperative PRK group), and 21 eyes 4 months or more after myopic PRK (late postoperative PRK group). In the unoperated group, corneal thickness measurements were similar for all three methods (P=.125). In the early postoperative PRK group, Orbscan measurements were thinner than Pentacam and ultrasonic measurements by a mean of 69.4 microm and 63.4 microm (PPRK group, Orbscan measurements were thinner than Pentacam measurements by a mean of 36.0 microm (P=.017). Pentacam and ultrasonic pachymetry measurements were similar for all three groups with a mean difference of approximately 10 microm. Following myopic PRK, Pentacam was comparable to ultrasonic pachymetry in measuring corneal thickness, whereas Orbscan measurements were thinner.
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Spectroscopic Studies on Organic Matter from Triassic Reptile Bones, Upper Silesia, Poland
Surmik, Dawid; Boczarowski, Andrzej; Balin, Katarzyna; Dulski, Mateusz; Szade, Jacek; Kremer, Barbara; Pawlicki, Roman
2016-01-01
Fossil biomolecules from an endogenous source were previously identified in Cretaceous to Pleistocene fossilized bones, the evidence coming from molecular analyses. These findings, however, were called into question and an alternative hypothesis of the invasion of the bone by bacterial biofilm was proposed. Herewith we report a new finding of morphologically preserved blood-vessel-like structures enclosing organic molecules preserved in iron-oxide-mineralized vessel walls from the cortical region of nothosaurid and tanystropheid (aquatic and terrestrial diapsid reptiles) bones. These findings are from the Early/Middle Triassic boundary (Upper Roetian/Lowermost Muschelkalk) strata of Upper Silesia, Poland. Multiple spectroscopic analyses (FTIR, ToF-SIMS, and XPS) of the extracted "blood vessels" showed the presence of organic compounds, including fragments of various amino acids such as hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine as well as amides, that may suggest the presence of collagen protein residues. Because these amino acids are absent from most proteins other than collagen, we infer that the proteinaceous molecules may originate from endogenous collagen. The preservation of molecular signals of proteins within the "blood vessels" was most likely made possible through the process of early diagenetic iron oxide mineralization. This discovery provides the oldest evidence of in situ preservation of complex organic molecules in vertebrate remains in a marine environment. PMID:26977600
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Spectroscopic Studies on Organic Matter from Triassic Reptile Bones, Upper Silesia, Poland.
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Dawid Surmik
Full Text Available Fossil biomolecules from an endogenous source were previously identified in Cretaceous to Pleistocene fossilized bones, the evidence coming from molecular analyses. These findings, however, were called into question and an alternative hypothesis of the invasion of the bone by bacterial biofilm was proposed. Herewith we report a new finding of morphologically preserved blood-vessel-like structures enclosing organic molecules preserved in iron-oxide-mineralized vessel walls from the cortical region of nothosaurid and tanystropheid (aquatic and terrestrial diapsid reptiles bones. These findings are from the Early/Middle Triassic boundary (Upper Roetian/Lowermost Muschelkalk strata of Upper Silesia, Poland. Multiple spectroscopic analyses (FTIR, ToF-SIMS, and XPS of the extracted "blood vessels" showed the presence of organic compounds, including fragments of various amino acids such as hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine as well as amides, that may suggest the presence of collagen protein residues. Because these amino acids are absent from most proteins other than collagen, we infer that the proteinaceous molecules may originate from endogenous collagen. The preservation of molecular signals of proteins within the "blood vessels" was most likely made possible through the process of early diagenetic iron oxide mineralization. This discovery provides the oldest evidence of in situ preservation of complex organic molecules in vertebrate remains in a marine environment.
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Wang, B.; Zhou, M.; Li, J.; Yan, D.
2011-12-01
The Yidun terrane, located on the eastern margin of the Tibetan plateau, has been commonly considered to be a Triassic volcanic arc produced by subduction of the Ganzi-Litang oceanic lithosphere. The Yidun terrane is characterized by numerous arc-affinity granitic intrusions located along a 500-km-long, north-south-trending belt. Among these granitic bodies, several small porphyritic intrusions in the southern segment of the terrane (Shangri-La region) are associated with large porphyry copper deposits. These porphyritc intrusions are composed of diorite and quartz diorite, and spatially associated with andesites and dacites. LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb ages of the intrusions range from 230 to 215 Ma. The andesites and dacites are intercalated with slates and sandstones and have ages of around 220 Ma. The intrusive and volcanic rocks have SiO2 contents from 56.6 to 67.1 wt.%, Al2O3 from 14.2 to 17.4 wt.% and MgO from 1.9 to 4.2 wt.%. They show significant negative Nb-Ta anomalies on primitive mantle-normalized spidergrams. They have high La/Yb (13-49) ratios with no prominent Eu anomalies. All the rocks have high Sr (258-1980 ppm), and low Y (13-21 ppm) with high Sr/Y ratios (29-102). The geochemical features indicate that both the volcanic rocks and porphyritic intrusions were derived from adakitic magmas. They have similar initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7058 to 0.7077) and ɛNd (-1.88 to -4.93) values, but can be further divided into two groups: high silica (HSA) and low silica adakitic rocks (LSA). The HSA, representing an early stage of magmatism (230 to 215 Ma), were derived from oceanic slab melts with limited interaction with the overlying mantle wedge. At 215 Ma, more extensive interaction resulted in the formation of LSA. We propose that HSA were produced by flat subduction leading to melting of oceanic slab, whereas subsequent slab break-off caused the significant interaction between slab melts and the mantle wedge and thus the generation of the LSA. Compared with
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Sissakian, Varoujan K.
2013-08-01
source and reservoir rocks in the central and southern parts of Iraq. The Cenozoic sequence consists of Paleogene open marine carbonates, which grades upwards into Neogene lagoonal marine; of Early Miocene and evaporitic rocks; of Middle Miocene age, followed by thick molasses of continental clastics that attain 3500 m in thickness; starting from Late Miocene. The Quaternary sediments are very well developed in the Mesopotamia Plain and they thicken southwards to reach about 180 m near Basra city; in the extreme southeastern part of Iraq. The Iraqi Inner Platform (stable shelf) is a part of the Arabian Plate, being less affected by tectonic disturbances; it covers the area due to south and west of the Euphrates River. The main tectonic feature in this zone that had affected on the geology of the area is the Rutbah Uplift; with less extent is the Ga'ara High. The oldest exposed rocks within the Inner Platform belong to Ga'ara Formation of Permian age; it is exposed only in the Ga'ara Depression. The Permian rocks are overlain by Late Triassic rocks; represented by Mulussa and Zor Hauran formations, both of marine carbonates with marl intercalations. The whole Triassic rocks are absent west, north and east of Ga'ara Depression. Jurassic rocks, represented by five sedimentary cycles, overlie the Triassic rocks. Each cycle consists of clastic rocks overlain by carbonates, being all of marine sediments; whereas the last one (Late Jurassic) consists of marine carbonates only. All the five formations are separated from each other by unconformable contacts. Cretaceous rocks, represented by seven sedimentary cycles, overlie the Jurassic rocks. Marine clastics overlain by marine carbonates. Followed upwards (Late Cretaceous) by continental clastics overlain by marine carbonates; then followed by marine carbonates with marl intercalations, and finally by marine clastics overlain by carbonates; representing the last three cycles, respectively. The Paleocene rocks form narrow belt
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Through thickness property variations in a thick plate AA7050 friction stir welded joint
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Canaday, Clinton T.; Moore, Matthew A.; Tang, Wei; Reynolds, A.P.
2013-01-01
In this study, moderately thick (32 mm) AA7050 plates were joined by friction stir welding (FSW). Various methods were used to characterize the welded joints, including nugget grain size measurements at different locations through the thickness, micro-hardness indentation through nugget, thermo-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ), and heat affected zone (HAZ) at different cross section heights, and residual stress measurement using the cut compliance method with full thickness and partial thickness specimens. All testing results are consistent with the presence of a strong gradient in peak temperature through the plate thickness during FSW.
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Non-contact radiation thickness gauge
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tsujii, T.; Okino, T.
1983-01-01
A noncontact thickness gauge system for measuring the thickness of a material comprising a source of radiation, a detector for detecting the amount of radiation transmitted through the material which is a function of the absorptance and thickness of the material, a memory for storing the output signals of the detector and curve-defining parameters for a plurality of quadratic calibration curves which correspond to respective thickness ranges, and a processor for processing the signals and curve defining parameters to determine the thickness of the material. Measurements are made after precalibration to obtain calibration curves and these are stored in the memory, providing signals representative of a nominal thickness and an alloy compensation coefficient for the material. The calibration curve corresponding to a particular thickness range is selected and the curve compensated for drift; the material is inserted into the radiation path and the detector output signal processed with the compensated calibration curve to determine the thickness of the material. (author)