Campanian Stage Research Articles

Reference Section of the Campanian Stage of the Southwestern Crimea: Problems of Substage Subdivision and Global Correlation

Reference Section of the Campanian Stage of the Southwestern Crimea: Problems of Substage Subdivision and Global Correlation

The Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) of the Campanian Stage at Bottaccione (Gubbio, Italy) and its Auxiliary Sections: Seaford Head (UK), Bocieniec (Poland), Postalm (Austria), Smoky Hill, Kansas (U.S.A), Tepayac (Mexico)

Andy Gale, Sietske Batenburg, Rodolfo Coccioni, Zofia Dubicka, Elisabetta Erba, Francesca Falzoni, Jim Haggart, Takishi Hasegawa, Christina Ifrim, Ian Jarvis, Hugh Jenkyns, Agata Jurowska, Jim Kennedy , Matteo Maron, Giovanni Muttoni, Martin Pearce, Maria Rose Petrizzo, Isabella Premoli-Silva, Nicolas Thibault, Silke Voigt, Michael Wagreich, Irek Walaszczyk. Episodes -0001;0:. https://doi.org/10.18814/epiiugs/2022/022048

Erratum to “A detailed record of the C34n/C33r magnetozone boundary for the definition of the base of the Campanian Stage at the Bottaccione section (Gubbio, Italy)” (Newsletters on Stratigraphy, Vol. 54/1 (2021), 107–122)

Erratum to “A detailed record of the C34n/C33r magnetozone boundary for the definition of the base of the Campanian Stage at the Bottaccione section (Gubbio, Italy)” (Newsletters on Stratigraphy, Vol. 54/1 (2021), 107–122)

Cretaceous microporid cheilostome bryozoans from the Campanian historical stratotype of southwest France

The Campanian of southwest France hosts rich and diverse bryozoan assemblages of global importance in tracing the faunal turnover from cyclostome to cheilostome dominance. Nevertheless, bryozoans from this historical stratotype region for the Campanian stage have been poorly studied, and most of the species erected by Alcide d'Orbigny in the 1850s remain unrevised. Here we focus on the four species of anascan-grade cheilostomes with opesiulate cryptocystal frontal walls, conventionally classified in the family Microporidae. One new genus and two new species are introduced: Platelinella solea n. gen. et n. sp. and Micropora mikesmithi n. sp. The enigmatic genus Dimorphomicropora Ducasse & Vigneaux, 1960 and the two species (D. voigti Ducasse & Vigneaux, 1960 and D. crestulata (Ducasse, 1958)) from southwest France are revised. Mandibulate polymorphs present in D. voigti resemble the B-zooids of Steginoporella but are unlikely to be homologous.

Insect herbivory on Catula gettyi gen. et sp. nov. (Lauraceae) from the Kaiparowits Formation (Late Cretaceous, Utah, USA).

The Upper Cretaceous (Campanian Stage) Kaiparowits Formation of southern Utah, USA, preserves abundant plant, invertebrate, and vertebrate fossil taxa. Taken together, these fossils indicate that the ecosystems preserved in the Kaiparowits Formation were characterized by high biodiversity. Hundreds of vertebrate and invertebrate species and over 80 plant morphotypes are recognized from the formation, but insects and their associations with plants are largely undocumented. Here, we describe a new fossil leaf taxon, Catula gettyi gen et. sp. nov. in the family Lauraceae from the Kaiparowits Formation. Catula gettyi occurs at numerous localities in this deposit that represent ponded and distal floodplain environments. The type locality for C. gettyi has yielded 1,564 fossil leaf specimens of this species, which provides the opportunity to circumscribe this new plant species. By erecting this new genus and species, we are able to describe ecological associations on C. gettyi and place these interactions within a taxonomic context. We describe an extensive archive of feeding damage on C. gettyi caused by herbivorous insects, including more than 800 occurrences of insect damage belonging to five functional feeding groups indicating that insect-mediated damage on this taxon is both rich and abundant. Catula gettyi is one of the best-sampled host plant taxa from the Mesozoic Era, a poorly sampled time interval, and its insect damage is comparable to other Lauraceae taxa from the younger Late Cretaceous Hell Creek Flora of North Dakota, USA.

Planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy and determination of the Santonian-Campanian boundary in the Zagros sedimentary basin, SW Iran

The carbonate-dominated Upper Cretaceous Ilam Formation is representative of an important reservoir in the Zagros Basin. In this study, planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy of the Ilam Formation was investigated in the Kuh-e-Surgah section in western Iran. In the studied section, the 170 m thick Ilam Formation is mainly composed of imestones with shale intercalations. The formation conformably overlies and underlies the Surgah and Gurpi formations, respectively. Twelve genera and 24 species of planktonic foraminifera were identified. The following planktonic foraminiferal biozones were identified: the Dicarinella asymetrica Total Range Zone (latest Coniacian- late Santonian), the Globotruncanita elevata Partial Range Zone (Santonian to early Campanian), the Globotruncana ventricosa Interval Zone (middle to late Campanian.), the Radotruncana calcarata Total Range Zone (late Campanian.), the Globotruncanella havanensis Partial Range Zone (late Campanian) and the Globotruncana aegyptiaca Interval Zone (late to latest Campanian). In general, the biozones show that the Ilam Formation in the studied section is latest Coniacian-late Campanian in age. The Santonian-Campanian boundary in the Kuh-e-Surgah section correlates with the Globotruncanita elevata Partial Range Zone. The recognized biozones in the Ilam Formation are comparable with those recorded in other parts of the Tethyan Realm. The crinoid species Marsupites testudinarius is absent in the studied section. Generally, the last occurrence of this cosmopolitan species indicates the base of the Campanian stage. The Santonian/Campanian boundary was placed in the lower part of the Globotruncanita elevata Partial Range Zone at the base of the Ilam Formation in the studied section.

Upper Cretaceous (Coniacian -Campanian) siliciclastic/carbonate ramp depositional sequences and relative sea-level changes in Sinai, Egypt: Implications from facies analysis

Through the analysis of biostratigraphy, facies types and distribution, lithofacies associations, and bounding surfaces, we derived high-resolution sequence stratigraphy of the mixed siliciclastic–carbonate rocks for four sections in the Coniacian–Campanian succession in Sinai (Egypt). These stratigraphic sections provide a framework for studying the sedimentary-facies evolution, the paleogeography, and the role of eustatic and tectonic processes in Egypt and surrounding countries. Twenty-six foraminiferal species and four foraminiferal zones (the Dicarinella concavata Interval Zone in the upper Coniacian, Dicarinella asymetrica Total Zone in the Santonian, Globotruncanita elevata Partial Range Zone in the lower–middle Campanian, and Globotruncanita ventricosa Partial Range Zone in the middle Campanian) are noted. Twenty-three lithofacies and microfacies types into six facies associations ranging from progradational shoreface to outer ramp are detected and categorized. These facies associations exhibit lateral variation and deepening toward the north from siliciclastic–carbonate (Matulla Formation) to dominant carbonate (Themed Formation). Three sequences separated by four sequence boundaries have been determined in the field and/or from strong vertical facies changes associated with short time gaps representing the Turonian–Coniacian; the lower–middle and upper Coniacian; the upper Coniacian–Santonian; and the Santonian–Campanian stage boundaries. Comparisons of the examined sequence boundaries in Egypt and in some parts of Europe, within the Arabian Plate, and in global charts suggest that eustatic and tectonic effects were simultaneous.

Biostratigraphy of planktonic foraminifera in the Abtalkh Formation and determination of the Santonian/Campanian Boundary in the Kopeh-Dagh Sedimentary Basin

ABSTRACT:We studied the Abtalkh Formation from five outcrops (Sheikh, Hajgelichkhan, Qarehso, Muzduran, and Deraz-Ab) in the Kopeh-Dagh sedimentary basin. A total of 30 species of planktonic foraminifera belonging to 21 genera were recorded. These species were used to subdivide the Abtalkh Formation into seven biozones (Dicarinella asymetrica Zone, Globotruncanita elevata Zone, Contusotruncana plummerae Zone, Radotruncana calcarata Zone, Globotruncanella havanensis Zone, Globotruncana aegyptiaca Zone, and Gansserina gansseri Zone). The Abtalkh Formation was deposited during the late Santonian-latest Campanian and the Santonian-Campanian boundary is identified based on the last occurrence of Dicarinella asymetrica. The base of the Campanian stage was delineated by the extinction of the marginotruncanid group, the first occurrences of Pseudotextularia nuttalli and Rugoglobigerina rugosa, and on the last occurrence of Dicarinella asymetrica.

A detailed record of the C34n/C33r magnetozone boundary for the definition of the base of the Campanian Stage at the Bottaccione section (Gubbio, Italy)

A detailed record of the C34n/C33r magnetozone boundary for the definition of the base of the Campanian Stage at the Bottaccione section (Gubbio, Italy)

New Sedimentological, Magnetostratigraphic, and Palynological Data on the Upper Cretaceous Alan-Kyr Section (Central Crimea)

The results of sedimentological, palynological, and paleomagnetic studies of the Upper Cretaceous Alan-Kyr section (Central Crimea) are presented. The rock nomenclature is characterized and a deep-water genesis is determined. Based on the palynological data, the sediments are estimated as Lower Campanian and, partially, Upper Campanian (under two-part subdivision of the stage); palynomorphs are not found in the lower and upper parts of the section. A reverse polarity magnetozone distinguished in the lower part of the section is a probable analog of the C33r magnetic chron, whose base, according to the recommendations of Wolfring et al. (2018), should be used as a primary attribute to determine the lower boundary of the Campanian stage in the section. The obtained age data demonstrate significant differences relative to the dates inferred earlier from microfaunal data (Bragina et al., 2016).

New sedimentological, bio-magnetostratigraphic and palynologic data on the Upper Cretaceous of “Alan-Kyr” (Central Crimea)

In this article there are the results of sedimentological, palynological and paleomagnetic studies of upper Cretaceous in Alan-Kyr section (Central Crimea). The nomenclature of rocks was specified, and their deep-water genesis was justified. According to palynologic data, the age of sediments is estimated as late Campanian, in the lower part of the section palynomorphs were not found. In the lower part of the section there was established a reverse polarity magnetozone — probable analogue of C33r magnetic chron, which base should be desirable to use as a primary attribute to determine the lower border of Campanian stage in the section according to Wolfring’s recommendation [Wolfgring et al., 2018]. The received data found a significant divergence microfaunistic dating of the section, conducted before [Bragina et al., 2016].

An integrated stratigraphic study across the Santonian/Campanian boundary at Bocieniec, southern Poland: A new boundary stratotype candidate

An integrated biostratigraphic (foraminifera, calcareous nannofossils, crinoids), chemostratigraphic (stable carbon isotopes) and magnetostratigraphic study of the Bocieniec section (southern Poland) is presented here. The section presents a continuous and lithologically monotonous sedimentary record across the Santonian–Campanian boundary transition. A large number of macrofossil, foraminiferal and calcareous nannofossil bioevents along with several well-identified carbon-isotope excursions of the upper Santonian and lowermost Campanian are documented. The base of the Campanian is well-constrained by the last occurrence (LO) of the crinoid Marsupites testudinarius, and correlates to the onset of the first δ13C positive peak of the Santonian–Campanian Boundary Event (SCBE peak a). A presumable primary Cretaceous paleomagnetic signal highlights the potential presence of the C34N/C33R magnetic reversal although its exact position remains uncertain between peaks a and b of the SCBE. The planktic foraminifer Dicarinella asymetrica is very rare at Bocieniec but a potential LO of this important marker may be recorded in coincidence with peak b of the SCBE. The first occurrence (FO) of calcareous nannofossil Broinsonia parca parca coincides with the lower part of chron C33R and with the early Campanian pilula zone event. A large set of additional nannofossil events and benthic foraminifer events further constrain the stratigraphy of the section and along with the carbon isotopes, allows for correlation with other important sections of the Boreal realm. Although the Bocieniec section is relatively thin and condensed (5.5 m), the successive order of events and presence of all past proposed stratigraphic criteria for the Santonian-Campanian boundary makes it the most complete reference section for this interval at the European and at the global scale. Moreover, this section allows for a precise correlation of the Tethyan and Boreal domains. The Bocieniec section fulfils the geological criteria to be a potential boundary stratotype candidate for the base of the Campanian Stage.

A new high-resolution carbon-isotope stratigraphy for the Campanian (Bottaccione section): Its implications for global correlation, ocean circulation, and astrochronology

A high-resolution carbon isotope record is presented for Campanian strata of the Bottaccione section (Umbria-Marche Basin), through an interval that constitutes the standard reference section for the geomagnetic polarity time scale. The identification of prominent δ13C excursions and high frequency variations allows the establishment of robust stratigraphic markers to link this new Tethyan δ13C record with the Boreal realm (Lägerdorf-Kronsmoor section, Northwest Germany and the Trunch borehole, Norfolk, UK). A decoupling of baseline δ13C values between the Boreal and the Tethyan realm is observed during the mid-Campanian, reflecting a plausible change in intermediate/deep-water mass exchange due to a more restricted Tethyan gateway; this is hypothesized to be a consequence of northward movements of Africa associated with opening of the South Atlantic Ocean. Statistical evaluation of a segment of the δ13C dataset with the TimeOpt method for astrochronologic testing provides strong evidence of astronomical forcing, and underscores the potential for development of a complete astronomically tuned Campanian Stage at Bottaccione, allowing astronomical calibration of key geomagnetic and paleobiologic datums.

Geodynamic Evolution of Northeastern Tunisia During the Maastrichtian–Paleocene Time: Insights from Integrated Seismic Stratigraphic Analysis

The Maastrichtian–Paleocene El Haria formation was studied and defined in Tunisia on the basis of outcrops and borehole data; few studies were interested in its three-dimensional extent. In this paper, the El Haria formation is reviewed in the context of a tectono-stratigraphic interval using an integrated seismic stratigraphic analysis based on borehole lithology logs, electrical well logging, well shots, vertical seismic profiles and post-stack surface data. Seismic analysis benefits from appropriate calibration with borehole data, conventional interpretation, velocity mapping, seismic attributes and post-stack model-based inversion. The applied methodology proved to be powerful for charactering the marly Maastrichtian–Paleocene interval of the El Haria formation. Migrated seismic sections together with borehole measurements are used to detail the three-dimensional changes in thickness, facies and depositional environment in the Cap Bon and Gulf of Hammamet regions during the Maastrichtian–Paleocene time. Furthermore, dating based on their microfossil content divulges local and multiple internal hiatuses within the El Haria formation which are related to the geodynamic evolution of the depositional floor since the Campanian stage. Interpreted seismic sections display concordance, unconformities, pinchouts, sedimentary gaps, incised valleys and syn-sedimentary normal faulting. Based on the seismic reflection geometry and terminations, seven sequences are delineated. These sequences are related to base-level changes as the combination of depositional floor paleo-topography, tectonic forces, subsidence and the developed accommodation space. These factors controlled the occurrence of the various parts of the Maastrichtian–Paleocene interval. Detailed examinations of these deposits together with the analysis of the structural deformation at different time periods allowed us to obtain a better understanding of the sediment architecture in depth and the delineation of the geodynamic evolution of the region.

High-resolution calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy of the Santonian/Campanian Stage boundary, Western Interior Basin, USA

The base of the Campanian Stage does not have a ratified Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP); however, several potential boundary markers have been proposed including the base of the Scaphites leei III ammonite Zone and the base of the paleomagnetic Chron C33r. Calcareous nannofossil assemblages from the Smoky Hill Member of the Niobrara Formation in the central Western Interior Seaway, USA were analyzed from two localities to determine relevant biohorizons and their relationships to these potential boundary markers. In a previous study, the Aristocrat Angus 12-8 core (Colorado) was astrochronologically dated and constrained using macrofossil zonations and radiometric ages. The Smoky Hill Member type area (Kansas) provides an expanded interval with good to excellent nannofossil preservation.Five biohorizons are useful for recognition of the Santonian/Campanian transition within the Smoky Hill Member type area, and three are useful in the Aristocrat Angus 12-8 core. The first occurrences (FOs) of Aspidolithus parcus parcus and Aspidolithus parcus constrictus, as well as the last occurrences (LOs) of Zeugrhabdotus moulladei, Helicolithus trabeculatus specimens larger than 7 μm, and Zeugrhabdotus biperforatus are in close stratigraphic proximity to the base of the Scaphites leei III Zone and the base of Chron C33r.

High-precision U–Pb geochronologic constraints on the Late Cretaceous terrestrial cyclostratigraphy and geomagnetic polarity from the Songliao Basin, Northeast China

Abstract The Cretaceous continental sedimentary records are essential to our understanding of how the terrestrial geologic and ecologic systems responded to past climate fluctuations under greenhouse conditions and our ability to forecast climate change in the future. The Songliao Basin of Northeast China preserves a near-complete, predominantly lacustrine, Cretaceous succession, with sedimentary cyclicity that has been tied to Milankocitch forcing of the climate. Over 900 meters of drill-core recovered from the Upper Cretaceous (Turonian to Campanian) of the Songliao Basin has provided a unique opportunity for detailed analyses of its depositional and paleoenvironmental records through integrated and high-resolution cyclostratigraphic, magnetostratigraphic and geochronologic investigations. Here we report high-precision U–Pb zircon dates (CA-ID-TIMS method) from four interbedded bentonites from the drill-core that offer substantial improvements in accuracy, and a ten-fold enhancement in precision, compared to the previous U–Pb SIMS geochronology, and allow a critical evaluation of the Songliao astrochronological time scale. The results indicate appreciable deviations of the astrochronologic model from the absolute radioisotope geochronology, which more likely reflect cyclostratigraphic tuning inaccuracies and omitted cycles due to depositional hiatuses, rather than suspected limitations of astronomical models applied to distant geologic time. Age interpolation based on our new high-resolution geochronologic framework and the calibrated cyclostratigraphy places the end of the Cretaceous Normal Superchon (C34n–C33r chron boundary) in the Songliao Basin at 83.07 ± 0.15 Ma . This date also serves as a new and improved estimate for the global Santonian–Campanian stage boundary.

Magnetostratigraphy of Upper Cretaceous strata in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, southern Utah: The Santonian–Campanian Stage boundary, reassessment of the C33N/C33R magnetochron boundary, and implications for regional sedimentation patterns within the Sevier Foreland Basin

Samples were collected for magnetostratigraphic analysis from the Upper Cretaceous Straight Cliffs and Wahweap formations within Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, southern Utah, in an attempt to locate the C34n–C33r and C33r–C33n boundaries; the former approximates the Santonian–Campanian Stage boundary. Locating both of these horizons within the Monument provides for refined temporal resolution of the many new fossil localities discovered in these units, while also adding to our understanding of the overall Straight Cliffs–Wahweap sequence stratigraphic architecture. Results indicate that the John Henry and Drip Tank members of the Straight Cliffs Formation are of normal polarity, and represent the later part of C34n, the Cretaceous Normal Polarity Super-Chron. The C34n–C33r boundary apparently resides in a significant hiatus determined to occur between the Drip Tank Member of the Straight Cliffs Formation and the lower part of the overlying Wahweap Formation. In stratigraphically ascending order, the informally named lower, middle, and most of the upper members of the Wahweap Formation are of reversed polarity. The C33r–C33n polarity change occurs in the upper part of the upper member, and C33n continues stratigraphically upward through the capping sand member of the Wahweap Formation and into the overlying Kaiparowits Formation. The presence of over 200 m of reversely magnetized strata above a level in the lower part of the middle member dated to 79.9 ± 0.3 Ma, which coincides with the GTS2012 date for the C33r–C33n boundary of 79.9 Ma, suggests that the published age of that boundary may be in error. A new date of approximately 78.91 Ma is proposed, in turn allowing for the thick sequence of reversely magnetized strata above the 79.9 Ma level. Age revision of the Kaiparowits Basin's Late Cretaceous record demonstrates that during late Santonian through early middle Campanian time, except in central Utah, a close correlation in time and facies successions with other successions throughout the Western Interior Basin suggests a eustatic influence on the depositional patterns. Starting in the late middle Campanian, the Kaiparowits record, along with those both to the north and south, appear to diverge in style and facies successions. We consider this to have resulted from a fundamental change in depositional controls triggered by the Laramide Orogeny. The anomalous central Utah record appears to have been profoundly influenced by a massive salient (Nebo-Charleston thrust system) in the Sevier Fold and Thrust belt that was active for much of the Late Cretaceous.

A record of Clidastes propython Cope (Squamata, Mosasauridae) in the Upper Cretaceous of the Saratov Region, Russia

A frontal of the mosasaur Clidastes propython from the Beloe Ozero locality in the Saratov Region (Rybushka Formation, Campanian Stage, Upper Cretaceous) is described. The investigated specimen differs from the frontals of other members of the genus Clidastes in the relatively straight lateral flanks. Reliable records of Clidastes outside America have previously been reported only from Great Britain, Sweden, and Germany. The new record from the Beloe Ozero locality expands the known geographical range of the species C. propython and genus Clidastes.

Sedimentation conditions in the Crimea basin during the Early Campanian Age

The forming conditions of the cyclic sequence of interbedded clays, marls, and limestones in the lower Campanian Stage of the Kudrino Formation have been studied for the first time by the integrated lithological and geochemical methods. Models for the variations in temperature, salinity, and depth in the Crimean Mountains of the Tethys Ocean in the Early Campanian Age have been proposed.

Late Cretaceous granitoid magmatism in the Sredinnyi Range of Kamchatka: Geochronology and composition

The new data obtained during thorough geological-structural, geochronological, petrographic, and petrochemical investigations of Late Cretaceous granitoids from the southern Sredinnyi Range in Kamchatka and zircon dating by the U-Pb SIMS and LA-ICPMS methods indicate that this region was characterized by intense granitoid magmatism in the Campanian (83.1 ± 2.0 to 76.2 ± 1.5 Ma). The Campanian granitoids mark initiation of the “newly formed” continental crust in Kamchatka. The composition of these Late Cretaceous rocks demonstrates similarity to peraluminous I-type granites. The data allow the Campanian stage of magmatic activity to be defined in southern Kamchatka.