Permian ammonoids from Kuala Betis area, Kelantan and their paleogeographic significance

Abstract

Two new Permian ammonoid bearing localities were recently discovered from Kuala Betis area, Kelantan. At Sungai Peralong, ammonoid cephalopods and some brachiopods were found in thin to moderately bedded tuffaceous siltstone and mudstone. The ammonoid fauna consists of Agathiceras cf. suessi Gemmellaro, Adrianites cf. elegans Gemmellaro, Popanoceras sp., Propinacoceras sp., ?Imitoceras sp. and some small orthoconic ammonoids. At another locality near Sungai Berok, ammonoid fauna was preserved in thin tuffaceous shale interbedded with chert and cherty mudstone. This locality yields Agathiceras cf. suessi Gemmellaro, Adrianites cf. elegans Gemmellaro, Popanoceras sp., Propinacoceras sp. and Hoffmannia cf. hoffmanni (Gemmellaro). The cephalopod assemblages from these localities partly resembles that of the middle Permian Sungai Cheroh cephalopod fauna (Lee, 1978). The Sungai Peralong, Sungai Berok and Sungai Cheroh fauna are all associated with deep water sediment within the Bentung Suture zone. Similarities between these fauna and the Italian Socio fauna and the Basleo fauna of Timor (Lee, 1978) and many other ammonoid occurrences in Europe, North Africa and West Asia (Blendinger et al., 1992) indicated that an oceanic link has been established between these pelagic fauna, perhaps as early as Lower Permian or even earlier.