740 Ma vase-shaped microfossils from Yukon, Canada: Implications for Neoproterozoic chronology and biostratigraphy

Abstract

Research Article| August 01, 2014 740 Ma vase-shaped microfossils from Yukon, Canada: Implications for Neoproterozoic chronology and biostratigraphy Justin V. Strauss; Justin V. Strauss 1Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Alan D. Rooney; Alan D. Rooney 1Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Francis A. Macdonald; Francis A. Macdonald 1Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Alan D. Brandon; Alan D. Brandon 2Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77204, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Andrew H. Knoll Andrew H. Knoll 1Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (2014) 42 (8): 659–662. https://doi.org/10.1130/G35736.1 Article history received: 01 Apr 2014 rev-recd: 13 May 2014 accepted: 14 May 2014 first online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Justin V. Strauss, Alan D. Rooney, Francis A. Macdonald, Alan D. Brandon, Andrew H. Knoll; 740 Ma vase-shaped microfossils from Yukon, Canada: Implications for Neoproterozoic chronology and biostratigraphy. Geology 2014;; 42 (8): 659–662. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G35736.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Biostratigraphy underpins the Phanerozoic time scale, but its application to pre-Ediacaran strata has remained limited because Proterozoic taxa commonly have long or unknown stratigraphic ranges, poorly understood taphonomic constraints, and/or inadequate geochronological context. Here we report the discovery of abundant vase-shaped microfossils from the Callison Lake dolostone of the Coal Creek inlier (Yukon, Canada) that highlight the potential for biostratigraphic correlation of Neoproterozoic successions using species-level assemblage zones of limited duration. The fossiliferous horizon, dated here by Re-Os geochronology at 739.9 ± 6.1 Ma, shares multiple species-level taxa with a well-characterized assemblage from the Chuar Group of the Grand Canyon (Arizona, USA), dated by U-Pb on zircon from an interbedded tuff at 742 ± 6 Ma. The overlapping age and species assemblages from these two deposits suggest biostratigraphic utility, at least within Neoproterozoic basins of Laurentia, and perhaps globally. The new Re-Os age also confirms the timing of the Islay δ13Ccarbonate anomaly in northwestern Canada, which predates the onset of the Sturtian glaciation by >15 m.y. Together these data provide global calibration of sedimentary, paleontological, and geochemical records on the eve of profound environmental and evolutionary change. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.