New morphologic information on Cretaceous nannofossils from the Niobrara Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Kansas

Abstract

Research Article| October 01, 1985 New morphologic information on Cretaceous nannofossils from the Niobrara Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Kansas Mitchener Covington Mitchener Covington 1Department of Geology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Mitchener Covington 1Department of Geology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1985) 13 (10): 683–686. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1985)13<683:NMIOCN>2.0.CO;2 Article history First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Mitchener Covington; New morphologic information on Cretaceous nannofossils from the Niobrara Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Kansas. Geology 1985;; 13 (10): 683–686. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1985)13<683:NMIOCN>2.0.CO;2 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 Outcrops of the Niobrara Formation from northwestern Kansas have yielded horizons of well-preserved calcareous nannofossils. Scanning electron and light microscopy have revealed not only several new taxa but also an extraordinary cylindrical coccosphere not previously described from the fossil record. This unusual cylindrical form of a species of Biscutum Black also differs from the characteristic spherical coccosphere by the arrangement of its coccoliths in an ordered and repetitive fashion. A new term “coccocylinder” is proposed here as a more appropriate descriptive term than coccosphere for the cylinder.A stagnant, anoxic benthic environment prevalent during intervals of Niobrara deposition enhanced the preservation of monospecific coccolith clusters which represent coccospheres that settled to the bottom (often via fecal pellets) before disarticulating. These clusters, representing 34 different species, provide information on the minimum number of coccoliths originally present on the living cell. Such data may be valuable for determining the total biomass of the living populations on the basis of the abundances of individual coccoliths in the fossil record. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.